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To maintain the oral health and ability to smoothly receive dental treatment of people with disabilities, their accessibility to dental institutions must be enforced. Hence, this study aimed to assess the status of installation of convenience facilities for people with disabilities in dental institutions in Chungbuk Province, South Korea. According to the checklist based on installation items for convenience facilities for people with disabilities, 245 dental institutions in Chungbuk Province were visited and investigated to examine whether they had installed internal, intermediary, sanitary, and information-related facilities for people with disabilities. Inputs were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Frequency analysis by item was conducted to determine the rate of installation, and Fisher’s exact test was performed to analyze the actual state of installation according to the type of institution. The results revealed a relatively higher rate of appropriate installation and access routes to the main entrance and parking spaces for people with disabilities in terms of intermediary and internal facilities, but at times they were installed at inappropriate locations or lacked proper signboards. The state of installation of convenience facilities by institution type was 0–1.3% per item at the clinic level but 75–87.5% per item in general and dental hospitals (p &lt, 0.001). Insufficient government management and supervision at clinic-level dental institutions lead to limited scope for regulating the installation of convenience facilities. Better laws, with continued support and supervision of central and local governments, are needed to resolve this issue.

Background: Inflammation and pain triggers several pathological illnesses. Synthetic drugs used for the controlling of inflammatory conditions convey significant toxic effects. Global scientific community continually attempt to improve effective, economic and harmless naturally derived remedies against inflammation and pain. The present study aimed to quantify the phytochemical constituents of the freshly cultivated Spirulina and targeted to examining the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Spirulina extract (SE) derived from Arthrospira platensis. Methods: The anti-inflammatory effect of SE was evaluated in animal models including carrageenan-induced rat hind paw oedema, and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation. Analgesic effects of SE were evaluated by acetic acid induced writhing response and hot plate test. Results: Phytochemical quantification guided to identify seven carbohydrates, thirteen amino acids, eleven fatty acids and polyphenolic compounds respectively. The results indicated that SE significantly attenuated carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema, and cotton pellet-induced granuloma. Preliminary molecular mechanistic studies established that SE decreased the productions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, PGE2 and NO, and suppressed the activities of COX-2 and iNOS. Conclusion: These results provide a strong scientific foundation for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of SE against different studies in animal models. Keywords: Arthrospira platensis, Spirulina extract, Phytochemicals, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Oedema

Objectives: If clinicians can know that there are many life-threatening drugs left in the stomach through a non-invasive method over 60 min after drugs ingestion, it may be preferable to minimize a...

This paper aimed to develop an IoT-based X-ray educational simulator (IoT-based dental education and learning: IDEAL) and establish a dental X-ray education system that allows students in dentistry colleges or dental hygiene departments to obtain a quality education without radiation exposure. A simulator that has a shape and operating motion range similar to those of intraoral X-ray machines widely used in clinical settings were created. Angle sensors were installed inside the cone and detector to enable the user to monitor rotation angles in these areas. Information regarding measured angles was sent to servers through wired telecommunications or a network, and it was analyzed and used as evidence to determine whether the user placed the patient in a suitable posture and position to take X-ray images. This paper demonstrated that this dental X-ray simulator can provide safe X-ray practical training without the risk of radiation exposure and that it can be used in many dental hygiene education settings in the future.

Background: Development of acute kidney injury (AKI) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with mortality and poor neurological outcome. However, the effect of recovery from AKI after OHCA is uncertain. This study investigates whether recovery from AKI was associated with the rate of survival and neurological outcome at 30 days after OHCA. Methods: This is a prospective multicentre observational cohort study of adult OHCA patients treated with targeted temperature management (TTM) across five hospitals in South Korea between February 2019 and July 2020. AKI was diagnosed using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria. The primary outcome was the rate of survival at 30 days, and the secondary outcome was the rate of survival with a favourable neurological outcome at 30 days, defined by a score of 3 or less on the modified Rankin scale. Results: Among the 2,018 patients with OHCA, 79 were treated with TTM. After excluding two patients with incomplete data on outcomes, 77 were analysed. AKI developed in 43 (56%) patients. Among them, 22 (51%) recovered from AKI. Although the rate of survival at 30 days for the recovery group was superior to the non-recovery group (82% vs. 24%, P < 0.001), the rate of survival with a favourable neurological outcome at 30 days for the recovery group was not different than that for the non-recovery group (32% vs. 10%, P = 0.132). Recovery from AKI was an independent predictor of survival at 30 days after OHCA in the multivariate analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 22.737; 95% confidence interval, 3.814-135.533; P = 0.001); however, it was not associated with a favourable neurological outcome at 30 days after OHCA in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Recovery from AKI was an independent predictor of survival at 30 days only after OHCA who were treated by TTM.

Aim The purpose of this study was to define crisis leadership in the nursing context. Background Leadership during critical situations is perhaps the most crucial element for crisis resolution. Methods Rodgers' evolutionary approach was used to conduct a concept analysis on crisis leadership and find its critical attributes, antecedents, and consequences. The researchers examined articles published in English and Korean from six databases. Articles from 2000 to 2016—with the key terms of crisis leadership, crisis management, crisis intervention, crisis, and disaster—were considered for analysis. Eleven studies were included in the final review. Results The core attributes of crisis leadership from a nursing perspective consisted of six attributes: clear, fast, frank communication; a high degree of collaboration; sharing of information; decision-making and fair prioritization; building trust; competency. Conclusions Based on this review, crisis leadership should be revised to focus on competency, nursing interventions, measurement tools, and training protocol development.

Introduction and purposes: Communities need to pay attention to the maintenance of public access defibrillators (PADs) installed in their jurisdictions to ensure that the PADs are always available. The purpose of this study is to assess the maintenance status of the PAD and to investigate the effect of periodic inspections on the maintenance status of the PAD. Methods: From 2013 to 2018, PADs installed in Seoul Metropolitan area were eligible. After an 8-hour PAD inspection training, an inspector visited the PAD site once a year to check the defibrillator. The inspector checked the maintenance status of the PAD using the checklist and conducted a questionnaire on PAD management from the PAD manager. At the end of inspection, the inspector gave an instruction on PAD maintenance and usage to the person in charge. Results: A total of 18,011 PADs including 3,134 in 2013, 3402 in 2014, 5622 in 2015, 5909 in 2016, 5552 in 2017, and 3615 in 2018 were inspected. During study period, there was a tendency to improve accessibility to PAD including obstacles around the defibrillator (from 9.3% in 2013 to 0.8% in 2018, p trend=0.006) and installation of PAD signs (from 34.3% in 2013 to 99.9% in 2018, p trend=0.007). Maintenance status of PAD was improved in terms of normal operation (from 94.0% in 2013 to 99.7% in 2018, p trend=0.010), normal battery charge status (from 95.6% in 2013 to 99.7% in 2018, p trend=0.037), and availability of valid electrodes (from 97.1% in 2013 to 99.8% in 2018, p trend=0.035). There was no difference in the frequency of actual use to the victims (from 0.7% in 2013 to 1.1% in 2018, p trend=0.803). Conclusions: Periodic inspections improve maintenance status of the PAD and its availability.

Background: Pyogenic liver abscess (LA) is difficult to distinguish from intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) in the emergency department (ED). We evaluated the predictive ability of white blood cells (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and delta neutrophil index (DNI) in LA and IMCC in the ED. Methods: Forty patients with IMCC between January 2011 and December 2018 were included in this study. For each patient with IMCC, two control patients with LA were enrolled based on matching age and sex,—i.e., 80 patients with LA. Results: Inflammatory markers, including WBC, PLR, NLR, DNI, and CRP were significantly higher in the LA group than in the IMCC group. For both groups, the area under the curve (AUC) of the initial CRP value was significantly higher (AUC: 0.909) than that of the initial serum WBC count, PLR, and DNI levels. On multivariable logistic regression analysis with inflammatory markers, serum CRP (odds ratio, 1.290, 95% confidence interval, 1.148–1.449, p &lt, 0.001) was the only significant predictor for differentiation between the LA and IMCC groups. Conclusion: Serum CRP may be a potential inflammatory marker to differentiate IMCC from LA in the ED.

Objective To determine the effects of adjunctive therapeutic hypothermia, by comparing hyperbaric oxygen therapy versus hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with therapeutic hypothermia in acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning. Design Retrospective analysis of data from our prospectively collected carbon monoxide poisoning registry. Setting A single academic medical center in Wonju, Republic of Korea. Patients Patients with acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning older than 18 years. Acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning was defined as mental status showing response to painful stimulus or unresponsive at the emergency department, and a continuation of this depressed mental status even after the first hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Patients were classified into the no-therapeutic hypothermia and therapeutic hypothermia groups. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was performed up to twice within 24 hours after emergency department arrival, whereas therapeutic hypothermia was performed at a body temperature goal of 33°C for 24 hours using an endovascular cooling device after the first hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Interventions Hyperbaric oxygen therapy versus hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with therapeutic hypothermia. Measurements and main results We investigated the difference in the Global Deterioration Scale score at 1 and 6 months after carbon monoxide exposure, between the no-therapeutic hypothermia and therapeutic hypothermia groups. Global Deterioration Scale scores were classified as follows: 1-3 points (favorable neurocognitive outcome) and 4-7 points (poor neurocognitive outcome). During the study period, 37 patients were treated for acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning, with 16 and 21 patients in the no-therapeutic hypothermia and therapeutic hypothermia groups, respectively. The therapeutic hypothermia group demonstrated significantly higher number of patients with favorable outcomes (p = 0.008) at 6 months after carbon monoxide exposure and better improvement of the 6-month Global Deterioration Scale score than the 1-month score (p = 0.006). Conclusions Our data suggest that in acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning, patients who were treated using therapeutic hypothermia combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy had significantly more favorable neurocognitive outcomes at 6 months after carbon monoxide exposure than those treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy alone.

BackgroundCalcium level is associated with sudden cardiac death based on several cohort studies. However, there is limited evidence on the association between ionized calcium, active form of calcium, and resuscitation outcome. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of ionized calcium in predicting resuscitation outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.MethodsWe analyzed the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium data (KoCARC) registry, a web-based multicenter registry that included 65 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea. The patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over 19 years old and acquired laboratory data including calcium, ionized calcium, potassium, phosphorus, creatinine, albumin at emergency department (ED) arrival were included. The primary outcome was successful rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the secondary outcomes were survival hospital discharge and favorable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category 1 or 2) at hospital discharge.ResultsEight-hundred and eighty-three patients were enrolled in the final analysis and 448 cases (54%) had ROSC. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, ionized calcium level was associated with ROSC (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% CI1.28-2.45; p = 0.001) even though calcium level was not associated with ROSC (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% CI 0.70-1.08; p = 0.199). However, ionized calcium level was not associated with survival discharge (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI 0.72-1.36; p = 0.948) or favorable neurologic outcome (odds ratio, 0.45; 95% CI 0.03-6.55, p = 0.560).ConclusionA high ionized calcium level measured during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with an increased likelihood of ROSC.

Background/Aim The relationship between echocardiographic findings of intra-arrest TEE and resuscitation outcomes was not clearly identified. We assessed echocardiographic findings observed in intra-arrest TEE and its relationship with resuscitation outcomes. Methods This retrospective observational study analysed adult patients with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who underwent TEE during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the emergency department. Patients were grouped according to the presence of specific TEE findings with cardiac arrest. Resuscitation outcomes were compared between groups. Results The study enrolled 158 patients (108 males, median age: 72.5 years), 40 (25.3%) patients (TEE positive group) had specific TEE findings including possible causes of cardiac arrest in 31 (19.6%) and the sequela of cardiac arrest in 9 (5.7%) while 118 (74.7%) patients (TEE negative group) had no specific TEE findings. In the TEE positive group, TEE identified possible causes of cardiac arrest including aortic dissection in 19 (47.5%), pulmonary embolism in 8 (20.0%), cardiac tamponade in 4 (10.0%), and the sequela of cardiac arrest including intracardiac thrombi in 9 (22.5%) patients. No patients in the TEE positive group and 7 patients (5.9%) in the TEE negative group survived to hospital discharge. Return of spontaneous circulation rates were 27.5% and 39.8% in the TEE positive and TEE negative groups, respectively (p = 0.16). Conclusion Intra-arrest TEE identifies specific findings related to causes of cardiac arrest. Presence of specific findings is associated with poor resuscitation outcomes.

The prevalence of chronic disease associated with unhealthy lifestyles has been increasing worldwide. Health professionals have recognized that self-management programs (SMPs) can provide health benefits by promoting health behaviors, especially when applied to individuals with lifestyle-related chronic disease. This review performed a meta-analysis of the features of SMPs using randomized studies and analyzed the magnitude of the combined effects of self-management on behavioral modification. We searched the PubMed, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, DBpia, and KISS to identify randomized trials that evaluated the behavioral outcomes of SMPs. Subgroup analyses were performed for program duration, providers, type of comparisons, and program settings. We selected 25 studies (N = 5,681) to perform analyses with random-effects models. The effect sizes of SMPs were small but significant for physical activity (standardized difference in means [SDM] = 0.25), dietary habits (SDM = 0.28), and health responsibility (SDM = 0.18), and not significant for stress management and smoking behaviors. A short-term SMPs (less than 12 weeks) was indicated as being effective in modifying physical activity, dietary habits, and health responsibility, while the program effects on dietary habits were significant only with expert-delivered education and when compared with inactive controls. The findings of this study indicate that SMPs can effectively improve physical activity, dietary habits, and health responsibility in individuals with chronic disease, with a small but significant effect size. Future studies should explore the effects of SMPs on stress management and smoking cessation and assess the long-term maintenance of healthy lifestyles in individuals with lifestyle-related chronic disease.

Purpose: Hyperbaric medicine is nascent in Korea when compared to other developed countries, such as the United States and Japan. Our facility has been managed by physicians with certifications from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in diving and clinical diseases since October 2016. This study was conducted to share similar issues that are encountered during the establishment of a program in a new area through our experiences in the operation of a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy center. Methods: In this retrospective observational study we collected data on HBO2 patients treated at our center between October 2016 and June 2018 after HBO2 was conducted by HBO2-certified physicians. We then compared demographic data of patients with data from January 2011 to September 2015 – before HBO2 operations were conducted by HBO2-certified physicians. Result: A total of 692 patients received 5,130 treatments. Twelve indicated diseases were treated using HBO2 therapy. Fifty-six critically ill patients with intubation received HBO2. Although two patients experienced seizure due to oxygen toxicity during the study period, certified physicians and inside attendant took immediate corrective action. Conclusion: After the establishment of the HBO2 center operated by physicians with certification, more patients, including critically ill patients, received HBO2 safely for various diseases. In order to improve the practice of hyperbaric medicine in Korea, the Korean Academy of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (KAUHM), an advanced and well-organized academic society, should communicate often with HBO2 centers, with the aim to set Korean education programs at UHMS course levels and increase reimbursement for HBO2 therapy.

Purpose Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) caused by ischemic heart disease is associated with higher mortality and requires immediate diagnosis. Recently, novel methods to diagnose non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin have been applied. We compared the clinical utility of high-sensitivity troponin I (hS-TnI), delta troponin I, and other traditional methods to diagnose NSTEMI in patients with ADHF. Materials and methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze patients with ADHF who underwent hS-TnI evaluation of 0-2-h protocol in our emergency department. Patients were grouped according to a diagnosis of NSTEMI. Results A total of 524 ADHF [ADHF with NSTEMI, n=109 (20.8%)] patients were enrolled in this analysis. The mean values of hS-TnI (ng/mL) in the ADHF with and without NSTEMI groups were 2.44±5.60 and 0.25±0.91, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that regional wall-motion abnormality, T-wave inversion/hyperacute T wave, and initial and delta hS-TnI were predictive factors for NSTEMI. Laboratory values related to cardiac biomarkers, including hS-TnI [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval, CI): 2.18], and the delta hS-TnI [OR (95% CI): 1.55] were significant predictors of NSTEMI. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for electrocardiographic abnormalities, initial hS-TnI, and delta hS-TnI were 0.794, 0.802, and 0.773, respectively. Conclusion For diagnosis of suspected NSTEMI in patients with ADHF, initial hS-TnI assay has similar predictive value as ischemic changes on electrocardiogram and superior predictive value than delta hS-TnI calculated by the 0-2-h protocol.

PURPOSE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has spread worldwide. Global health systems, including emergency medical systems, are suffering from a lack of medical resources. Using a method for classifying patients visiting the emergency department (ED), we aimed to investigate trends in emergency medical system usage during the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study included patients who visited emergency medical institutions registered with the National Emergency Department Information System database from January 1, 2017 to May 31, 2020. The primary outcome was identification of changes in the distribution of patients visiting the ED according to the type of emergency medical institution. The secondary outcome was a detailed comparison of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) levels and patient distributions before and during the infectious disaster crisis period. RESULTS: Severe patients visited regional emergency centers (RECs) and local emergency centers (LECs) more frequently during the COVID-19 period, and disposition status warranting admission to the intensive care unit or resulting in death was more common in RECs and LECs during the COVID-19 period [RECs, before COVID-19: 300686 (6.3%), during COVID-19: 33548 (8.0%) (p

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the image quality in delineation of the portal venous systems with two different methods, breath-hold and non-breath-hold by using the 3D FLASH sequence. We used a 1.5 T system to obtain magnetic resonance(MR)images. Arterial and portal phase 3D FLASH images were obtained with breath-hold after a bolus injection of GD-DOTA. The detection of PVS on the MR angiograms was classified into three grades. First, the angiograms of the breath-hold method showed well the portal vein, the splenic vein and the superior mesenteric vein systems in 13 of 15 patients (86%) and the inferior mesenteric vein system in 6 of 15 patients (40%), Second, MR angiograms of the non-breath-hold method demonstrated the PVS and the SMV in 12 of 15 patients (80%) and the IMV in 5 of 15 patients (33%). Our study showed contrast-enhanced 3D FLASH MR angiography, together with the breath-hold technique, may provide reliable and accurate information on the portal venous system.

This paper reports a case of paradoxical embolism of right heart thrombi visualized on transesophageal echocardiography during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR may cause a right-to-left shunt by producing a sudden increase in right atrial pressure during the compression phase. In cardiac arrest patients with right heart thrombi who have received CPR, systemic embolization can occur owing to paradoxical embolism.

The rate of mortality from dapsone poisoning is high because of the long absorption half-life of dapsone. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) scoring systems for the early prediction of mortality in patients with dapsone poisoning. This is a retrospective and observational study of consecutive patients diagnosed with dapsone poisoning. The SOFA and APACHE II scores were obtained within the first 24 h of admission. Patients were divided into survivor and non-survivor groups. In total, 106 patients were included. The SOFA scores of the survivor and non-survivor groups were 1 (0–8) and 4 (1–10), respectively ( p < 0.001). The APACHE II scores of the survivor and non-survivor groups were 9 (1–25) and 14 (3–23), respectively ( p < 0.001). Based on these scores and in-hospital mortality cases, the standardized mortality ratios for the APACHE II and SOFA were 1.00 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–1.48) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.64–1.49), respectively. In the model adjusted for clinically important variables and variables with significant differences between the survivor and non-survivor groups, the area under the curve of the SOFA (0.907; 95% CI: 0.834–0.955) was significantly higher than that of the APACHE II (0.793; 95% CI: 0.703–0.867) ( p = 0.008). The SOFA and APACHE II score systems had good discrimination and satisfactory calibration performance in patients with dapsone poisoning. However, the SOFA score was a more useful method in predicting mortality than the APACHE II score.

Introduction The recent definition of sepsis was modified based on a scoring system focused on organ failure (Sepsis-3). It would be a time-consuming process to detect the sepsis patient using Sepsis-3. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a well-known biomarker for diagnosing sepsis/septic shock and monitoring the efficacy of treatment. We conducted a study to verify the predictability of PCT for diagnosing sepsis based on Sepsis-3 definition. Materials & methods This is a retrospective cohort study. The patients whose PCT was measured on the emergency department (ED) arrival and had final diagnosis related infection were enrolled. The patients were categorized by infection, sepsis, or septic shock followed by Sepsis-3 definition. “Pre-septic shock” was defined when a patient was initially diagnosed with sepsis, following which his/her mean arterial blood pressure decreased to under 65 mmHg refractory to fluid resuscitation and there was need for vasopressor use during ED admission. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) analysis were performed to verify sensitivity and specificity of PCT. Results 866 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. There are 287 cases of infection, 470 cases of sepsis, and 109 cases of septic shock. An optimal cutoff value for diagnosing sepsis was 0.41 ng/dL (sensitivity: 74.8% and specificity: 63.8%; AUC: 0745), septic shock was 4.7 ng/dL (sensitivity: 66.1% and specificity: 79.0%; AUC: 0.784), and “pre-septic shock” was 2.48 ng/dL (sensitivity: 72.8%, specificity: 72.8%, AUC: 0.781), respectively. Conclusion PCT is a reliable biomarker to predict sepsis or septic shock according to the Sepsis-3 definitions.

Received: 2 Feburary 2015 / Revised: 11 June 2015/ Accepted: 23 June 2015 Copyright c 2015 The Korean Society of Environmental Agriculture This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Sepsis and septic shock, which are conditions triggered by infection, occur with high incidence in emergency departments and are among the most common causes of death in hospitalized patients worldwide. Therefore, the identification of sepsis biomarkers for the rapid diagnosis is a major goal for researchers in the field of critical care. Endothelial cells play a pivotal role in orchestrating the inflammatory response triggered by sepsis. In this study, we used proteomics to investigate the secretome of EA.hy926 endothelial cells following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation with 1 μg/mL LPS for 12 or 24 h. SILAC in cell cultures and an online 2D-LC-MS/MS system were used to analyze the secretome dynamics in response to LPS. We found that 22 of the 77 secreted proteins identified in both the presence and absence of LPS and that 19 of the secreted proteins were quantified more strongly after LPS treatment for 24 h than after treatment for 12 h. By Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses, we found that proteins related to the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton showed the highest secretion response to LPS stimulation. Out of the 19 candidate proteins, we focused on moesin, which is involved in the function of endothelial cells, and confirmed its amount in cellular lysates and media taken from primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with LPS. To our knowledge, this study provides the first in-depth analysis of the LPS-induced secretome in human endothelial cells, and we propose 19 new biomarker candidates for sepsis, including moesin.

1Department of Crop Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-764, South Korea 2 Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh. 3Department of Bio-Environmental Chemistry, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea 3Department of Horticulcure, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-764, South Korea.

Background: Alcoholic steatosis is the earliest and most common liver disease, and may precede the onset of more severe forms of liver injury. Methods: The effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) was tested in two murine models of ethanol (EtOH)-feeding and EtOH-treated hepatocytes. Results: Blood biochemistry analysis demonstrated that RGE treatment improved liver function. Histopathology and measurement of hepatic triglyceride content verified the ability of RGE to inhibit fat accumulation. Consistent with this, RGE administration downregulated hepatic lipogenic gene induction and restored hepatic lipolytic gene repression by EtOH. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases is well established. Treatment with RGE attenuated EtOH-induced cytochrome P450 2E1, 4-hydroxynonenal, and nitrotyrosine levels. Alcohol consumption also decreased phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which was restored by RGE. Moreover, RGE markedly inhibited fat accumulation in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, which correlated with a decrease in sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and a commensurate increase in sirtuin 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expression. Interestingly, the ginsenosides Rb2 and Rd, but not Rb1, significantly inhibited fat accumulation in hepatocytes. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that RGE and its ginsenoside components inhibit alcoholic steatosis and liver injury by adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/sirtuin 1 activation both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that RGE may have a potential to treat alcoholic liver disease.

Objectives: The exponential growth of chemicals, an area of high concern in developed countries like the US (i.e., the Gore Initiative) and in the EU (i.e., REACH), as well as recent chemical accidents in Korea, have provoked nationwide concerns and resultant legal enforcement. This study aims to co...

This study was carried out in order to seek social support direction by allowing them to recognize necessity of preparing for their stably old age life and by inquiring into the preparation for old age life targeting dental hygienists who work at dental clinics. It sent questionnaire by post to dental hygienists of 1,560 dental clinics, which were sampled with a stratified sampling method, and then conducted a cross-sectional study based on self-administration. As a result of a problem of being worried in old age life, the ratio with the response as saying of being `economy` was indicated to be the highest. The ratio of financial preparation for old age was shown to be high with 84.3%. Its method was the highest in `fixed deposit and installment savings` with 62.6%. The satisfaction with financial preparation for old age stood at averagely 2.60, thereby having shown to be dissatisfied. It was shown to be low with 2.97 in the mean score of physical preparation for old age life, 3.59 in emotional preparation, and 2.56 in preparation for leisure. In conclusion, the satisfaction with financial preparation for old age life in our country`s dental hygienists was low. Even the physical, emotional, and leisure-based preparations were shown to be low. Hence, it is considered to be likely needed to be planned preparation for old age life from the 30s. Also, for this, Korean Dental Hygienists Association needs to positively develop several kinds of programs such as education, policy and system for old age life following these people`s retirement.

Received : 30 October, 2013 Revised : 1 December, 2013 Accepted : 21 January, 2014 ABSTRACT Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the appearance satisfaction and ego-resilience of dental hygiene students on their employment stress. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 403 female dental hygiene students in five colleges in Chungbuk-do, Gyeongnam-do, and Daejeon. Corresponding Author Sun-Ju Kim Department of Dental Hygiene College of Health and Sciences Cheongju University Chungbuk Cheongju-si Sangdang-gu Daesung-ro 298, 360-764, Korea. Tel : +82-43-229-8997 +82-10-9242-6780 Fax : +82-43-229-8969 E-mail : sjkim@cju.ac.kr Results : 1. The college students got a mean of 2.78±0.42, 3.27±0.41 and 2.28±0.52 in appearance satisfaction, ego-resilience and job-seeking stress, respectively. 2. Employment stress revealed higher score in poorer financial conditions(p

The present study was carried out to present a method to analyze extravasation quantitatively by measuring the computed tomography (CT) number after determining the region of interest (ROI) in the CT images obtained from patients suspected of extravasation induced by contrast medium auto-injection. To achieve this, we divided the study subjects into a group of patients who incurred extravasation and a group of patients who underwent routine scans without incurring extravasation. The CT numbers at IV sites were obtained as reference values, and CT numbers at extravasation sites and hepatic portal veins, respectively, were obtained as relative values. Thereupon, the predicted time for extravasation (T EP ) and the predicted ratio for extravasation (R EP ) of an extravasation site were obtained and analyzed quantitatively. In the case of extravasation induced by a dual auto-injector, the values of the CT numbers were confirmed to be lower and the extravasation site to be enlarged when compared to the extravasation induced by a single autoinjector. This is because the physiological saline introduced after the injection of the contrast agent diluted the concentration of the extravasated contrast agent. Additionally, the T EP caused by the auto-injector was about 40 seconds, and we could perform a precise quantitative assessment of the site suspected of extravasation. In conclusion, the dual auto-injection method, despite its advantage of reducing the volume of contrast agent and improving the quality of images for patients with good vascular integrity, was judged to be likely to increase the risk of extravasation and aggravate outcomes for patients with poor vascular integrity by enlarging extravasation sites.

IntroductionMechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) devices are widely used to rescue patients from cardiac arrest. This study aimed to compare hemodynamic effects and resuscitation outcomes between a motor-driven, automatic simultaneous sterno-thoracic cardiopulmonary resuscitation device and the Lund University cardiac arrest system (LUCAS).Material and methodsAfter 2 minutes of electrically induced ventricular fibrillation (VF), Yorkshire pigs (weight 35-60 kg) received CPR with an automatic simultaneous sterno-thoracic CPR device (X-CPR group, n = 13) or the Lund University cardiac arrest system (LUCAS group, n = 12). Basic life support for 6 minutes and advanced cardiovascular life support for 12 minutes, including defibrillation and epinephrine administration, were provided. Hemodynamic parameters and resuscitation outcomes, including return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 24-hour survival, and cerebral performance category (CPC) at 24 hours, were evaluated.ResultsHemodynamic parameters, including aortic pressures, coronary perfusion pressure, carotid blood flow, and end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure were not significantly different between the two groups. Resuscitation outcomes were also not significantly different between the groups (X-CPR vs. LUCAS; rate of ROSC: 31% vs 25%, p = 1.000; 24-hour survival rate: 31% vs 17%, p = 0.645; neurological outcome with CPC ≤2: 31% vs 17%, p = 0.645). Also no significant difference in incidence complications associated with resuscitation was found between the groups.ConclusionsCPR with a motor-driven X-CPR and CPR with the LUCAS produced similar hemodynamic effects and resuscitation outcomes in a swine model of cardiac arrest.

Objectives:'Taegyo,' prenatal education, is steeped into Korean culture. Although there has been a traditional focus on pro- viding education and care for the fetus in Korea, there is a lack of medical evidence for its effectiveness. Methods:The authors assessed the scientific basis for 'Taegyo' by reviewing the evidences. Results:'Taegyo' in Korea began with the spread of Buddhist culture from China, and transmitted by word-of-mouth. The first 'Taegyo' book, the Tae-gyo-shin-gi, was published on 1803. Modern prenatal education is very diverse. However, only a few studies on its effect have been conducted. Development of medicine, especially obstetrics, fetology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and etc., has learned that many factors, including bad environmental conditions and maternal stress, influenced against the fetus and mother. As for the paternal side, occupation, smoking, and stress were also revealed to have consequences for the develop- ment of the fetus. On the contrary, adequate maternal nutrition, exercise, and music stimulation positively impact the fetal devel- opment and healthy birth. Conclusion:Traditional contents of 'Taegyo' were proved to have effectiveness from evidence-based medicine and animal experiments. We need further studies to explore the impact of prenatal education for the fetal development and maternal health.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of stomatognathic alignment exercise on temporomandibular joint function and swallowing function of stroke patients presenting limited mouth opening. [Subjects] Fourteen subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis presenting limited mouth opening were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group, with 7 subjects in each group. [Methods] Subjects in the experimental group participated in a stomatognathic alignment exercise program that consisted of mobility exercises of the TMJ and neck and postural correction. Main outcome measures were neck mobility, the active maximum range of mouth opening, the craniomandibular index (CMI), and the Mann assessment of swallowing ability (MASA) score. [Results] The changes in the values of the range of mouth opening, CMI, MASA, and all the parameters of neck mobility were significantly different between the groups. Furthermore, post-test values appeared to be significantly different for the range of mouth opening, the craniomandibular index, and the MASA scores between the groups (p>0.05). [Conclusion] Stomatognathic alignment exercise may improve TMJ function and swallowing function of patients with post-stroke hemiparesis.

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine actual conditions of smoking and alcohol drinking behaviors among high school students, so that it could recognize possible harmful effects of smoking on oral health and could give positive motivations for students to quit smoking and drinking. Methods : This research was based on self-filling survey which 1,385 high school students in metropolitan area in Korea from September 5 to October 28, 2011. Surveyed data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, -test and logistic analysis using SPSS WIN 12.0 program and its signification level was 0.05. Results : 1. As for smoking rate and drinking rate, boy students accounted for 11.6% and 25.4%, thereby having been higher than girl students(p