Background and Objectives: Inconsistencies in nasal nitric oxide (nNO) values, due to anatomical variations and comorbidities, challenge the accurate assessment of upper airway inflammation severity. We hypothesized that changes in nNO levels following treatment for chronic rhinitis would be consistent and provide relative value. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between changes in nNO levels and symptomatic improvements following treatment for chronic rhinitis. Methods: This prospective observational study included 46 participants diagnosed with chronic rhinitis between December 2021 and November 2023. nNO measurements, evaluations of four nasal and two ocular symptoms, and quality of life questionnaires were conducted at baseline and after one month of treatment. Baseline laboratory tests included serum total immunoglobulin E levels, blood eosinophil percentages, and skin prick tests. Results: The Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), TNSS with ocular symptoms (TNSS eye), and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores significantly decreased following treatment (all p<0.001). nNO levels also decreased significantly after treatment (p=0.036). Moreover, changes in nNO were significantly correlated with changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores (p=0.047, r=0.294; p=0.021, r=0.340; and p=0.004, r=0.419, respectively). Conclusion In patients with chronic rhinitis, changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores were correlated with changes in nNO levels after treatment. nNO may serve as a potential objective evaluation tool for chronic rhinitis, particularly in patients who have difficulty reporting symptoms.

Background and Objectives: Inconsistencies in nasal nitric oxide (nNO) values, due to anatomical variations and comorbidities, challenge the accurate assessment of upper airway inflammation severity. We hypothesized that changes in nNO levels following treatment for chronic rhinitis would be consistent and provide relative value. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between changes in nNO levels and symptomatic improvements following treatment for chronic rhinitis. Methods: This prospective observational study included 46 participants diagnosed with chronic rhinitis between December 2021 and November 2023. nNO measurements, evaluations of four nasal and two ocular symptoms, and quality of life questionnaires were conducted at baseline and after one month of treatment. Baseline laboratory tests included serum total immunoglobulin E levels, blood eosinophil percentages, and skin prick tests. Results: The Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), TNSS with ocular symptoms (TNSS eye), and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores significantly decreased following treatment (all p<0.001). nNO levels also decreased significantly after treatment (p=0.036). Moreover, changes in nNO were significantly correlated with changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores (p=0.047, r=0.294; p=0.021, r=0.340; and p=0.004, r=0.419, respectively). Conclusion In patients with chronic rhinitis, changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores were correlated with changes in nNO levels after treatment. nNO may serve as a potential objective evaluation tool for chronic rhinitis, particularly in patients who have difficulty reporting symptoms.

Background and Objectives: Inconsistencies in nasal nitric oxide (nNO) values, due to anatomical variations and comorbidities, challenge the accurate assessment of upper airway inflammation severity. We hypothesized that changes in nNO levels following treatment for chronic rhinitis would be consistent and provide relative value. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between changes in nNO levels and symptomatic improvements following treatment for chronic rhinitis. Methods: This prospective observational study included 46 participants diagnosed with chronic rhinitis between December 2021 and November 2023. nNO measurements, evaluations of four nasal and two ocular symptoms, and quality of life questionnaires were conducted at baseline and after one month of treatment. Baseline laboratory tests included serum total immunoglobulin E levels, blood eosinophil percentages, and skin prick tests. Results: The Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), TNSS with ocular symptoms (TNSS eye), and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores significantly decreased following treatment (all p<0.001). nNO levels also decreased significantly after treatment (p=0.036). Moreover, changes in nNO were significantly correlated with changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores (p=0.047, r=0.294; p=0.021, r=0.340; and p=0.004, r=0.419, respectively). Conclusion In patients with chronic rhinitis, changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores were correlated with changes in nNO levels after treatment. nNO may serve as a potential objective evaluation tool for chronic rhinitis, particularly in patients who have difficulty reporting symptoms.

Purpose: In response to the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant cases, we have implemented preemptive testing for preschool and school. The purpose is to quickly detect COVID-19 cases using a rapid antigen test (RAT) kit so that normal school activities can continue. Methods: The results entered in The Healthcare Self-Test App were merged with the information on the status of confirmed cases in the COVID-19 Information Management System by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) for preschool and school of students and staffs March 2 to May 1, 2022 to analyze the RAT positive rate and positive predictive value of RAT. Results: In preschool and school 19,458,575 people were tested, weekly RAT positive rate ranged from 1.10% to 5.90%, positive predictive value of RAT ranged from 86.42% to 93.18%.By status, RAT positive rate ranged from 1.13% to 6.16% for students, 0.99% to 3.93% for staffs, positive predictive value of RAT ranged from 87.19% to 94.03% for students, 77.55% to 83.10% for staffs. RAT positive rate by symptoms ranged from 76.32% to 88.02% for those with symptoms and 0.34% to 1.11% for those without symptoms. As a result of preschool and school RAT, 943,342 confirmed cases were preemptively detected, before infection spread in preschool and school. Conclusions RAT was well utilized to detect confirmed cases at an early stage, reducing the risk of transmission to minimize the educational gap in preschool and school. To compensate for the limitations of RAT, further research should continue to reevaluate the performance of RAT as new strains of viruses continue to emerge. We will have to come up with various ways to utilize it, such as performing periodic and repeated RAT and parallel polymerase chain reaction.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the consistency of 1-day and 3-day average dietary intake using the 24-hour diet recall method and to investigate the relationship of diet intake with physiological indicators potentially associated with diabetic complications in patients with diabetes. Methods: This study conducted a secondary data analysis using pretest data of a nursing intervention study entitled “Development of deep learning based AI coaching program for diabetic patients with high risk and examination of its effects (PNUH, IRB No. 05-2021-030).” Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients using SPSS 26.0. Results: The average total daily calorie intake over 3 days was 1,494.48±436.47 kcal/day: 1,510.90±547.76 kcal/day on the first day, 1,414.22±527.58 kcal/day on the second day, 1,558.34±645.83 kcal/day on the third day, showing significant differences (F=3.59, p=.031). The correlation coefficient between the 1-day and 3-day average dietary intake was 0.41–0.77 for each nutrient and 0.62–0.80 for each food group. Vegetable intake showed negative correlations with body mass index (BMI; r=-.19, p=.023) and triglycerides (r=-.18, p=.036), whereas dairy intake was positively associated with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL; r=-0.18, p=.034) and triglycerides (r=.40, p<.001). Conclusion This study demonstrated that 1-day dietary intake was highly correlated with 3-day average dietary intake using the 24-hour diet recall method. Food groups showed significant associations with physiological indicators of potential diabetic complications such as BMI, triglycerides, and LDL levels. Further studies are needed to improve the knowledge base on the relationships between physiological indicators and food groups.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the nutritional intake status, according to the risk of diabetic complications in Type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: This was a secondary data analysis study that included 83 patients. The nutritional intake was assessed, using 24-hour dietary recall. The risk of diabetic complications was measured, using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument Questionnaire (MNSIQ). The nutritional intake was analyzed using the CAN-pro 4.0 program. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and Independent t-test, using the SPSS WIN 26.0 program. Results: The mean FRS and MNSIQ scores for the participants was 14.46 ± 4.09 and 2.30 ± 2.22, respectively. Thirty two participants (38.6%) were in the high-risk groups for cardiovascular disease and peripheral neuropathy. The participants consumed high amounts of grain and low amounts of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products when compared to the recommended intake. However, the nutritional intake did not differ according to FRS or MNSIQ levels. Consumption of vegetables and fruits were significantly different between high and low risk groups of MNSIQ. Conclusion It is necessary to consider the composition of dietary intake to improve the imbalanced diet in Type 2 diabetes patients and prevent diabetic complications. Type 2 diabetes patients should reduce the intake of grains and sodium, and increase vegetable intake. More deliberate future studies are needed, to investigate the relationship between food intake and the risk status for diabetic complication.

The aim of this study is to compare the properties of odontoblast gene of early passage cells and late passage cells derived from impacted maxillary supernumerary teeth.
Impacted supernumerary teeth with maxilla were extracted from 12 patients (8 males, 4 females) between 6 - 9 years old without medical history. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to compare characterization of odontoblast cell in the 3rd and 10th passage, and between with bone inducing additive group and without additive group. Genes for odontoblasts characteristics are osteonectin (ONT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP-1) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP).
The level of gene expression was in a decreasing order of ONT, ALP, OCN, DMP-1 and DSPP in the 3rd passage, and in decreasing order of ONT, DMP-1, OCN, ALP, and DSPP in the 10th passage in the undifferentiation and differentiation group. The order of ONT, DMP-1, and OCN did not changed. ALP and DMP-1 were switched in order.
ALP and DMP-1 may be used as important markers for differentiating between the 3rd passage and 10th passage cells.
Considering that supernumerary tooth was extracted young age and the time required to cultured 10th passage was short, supernumerary tooth can be considered a useful donor site of dental pulp stem cells.

This study describes the epidemiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on reported cases from long-term care facilities. As of April 20th, 2020, 3 long-term care facilities in a metropolitan area of South Korea had reported cases of COVID-19. These facilities’ employees were presumed to be the sources of infection. There were 2 nursing hospitals that did not report any additional cases. One nursing home had a total of 25 cases, with an attack rate of 51.4% (95% CI 35.6–67.0), and a fatality rate of 38.9% (95% CI 20.3–61.4) among residents. The results from this study suggest that early detection and maintenance of infection control minimizes the risk of rapid transmission.

BACKGROUND: Blood culture is an important method for identifying infectious microorganisms and confirming that a selected antimicrobial treatment is appropriate. In this study, we investigated the annual changes in the frequencies of blood isolates and antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) results. METHODS: We created a large database comprising data on all patient-unique blood cultures obtained from January 2007 through December 2016. Blood specimens were cultured using the BD BACTEC FX system, and species identification and AST were performed using the VITEK 2 system. RESULTS: During the 10-year study period, a total of 203,651 blood culture results were collected. Of these, gram-positive cocci, gram-negative rods, and fungi were isolated in 2.15%, 0.55%, and 0.12% of the blood cultures, respectively. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated species (22.8%), followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (16.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.1%), and Staphylococcus aureus (8.0%). Fungal species were isolated in 3.0% of all positive blood cultures. Candida albicans was the most commonly isolated species (1.1%), followed by Candida parapsilosis (0.6%). Methicillin resistance was seen in 55.2% of S. aureus isolates. The frequencies of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) were 13.1% and 10.9%, respectively. The isolation rates of MRSA, VRE, and CRPA showed different patterns each year. CONCLUSIONS: Among the isolates, E. coli was the most common, followed by S. epidermidis and K. pneumoniae. This study represents a long-term analysis of bloodstream infections, and the results can be used to identify trends in the microorganisms isolated and their drug resistance.
Bacteremia ; Candida ; Candida albicans ; Drug Resistance ; Enterococcus ; Escherichia coli ; Fungi ; Gram-Positive Cocci ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Korea ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Methods ; Pneumonia ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus epidermidis

The purpose of this study is to compare the properties of dental pulp and periodontal ligament stem cells from extracted supernumerary teeth by quantitative real-time PCR.Impacted supernumerary teeth in the maxillary anterior region were extracted. Dental pulp and periodontal ligament cells were collected from extracted supernumerary teeth on the same day. After isolation and culture of cells, compare characterization of them by using qRT-PCR. Primer sequences for odontoblasts are ONT, ALP, OCN, DMP-1 and DSPP.On dental pulp group, ONT has the largest quantity of gene expression, followed by OCN, ALP, DMP-1 and DSPP. On periodontal ligament group, ONT has the largest quantity of gene expression, followed by OCN, ALP, DSPP and DMP-1. Analysis of quantitative gene expression data using relative quantification showed that the expression of all genes decreased in periodontal ligament cells.Dental pulp and periodontal ligament stem cells from supernumerary teeth have the properties of odontoblasts. Considering that properties, supernumerary teeth were considered a useful donor site of dental pulp and periodontal ligament stem cells.
Dental Pulp ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Odontoblasts ; Periodontal Ligament ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stem Cells ; Tissue Donors ; Tooth, Supernumerary