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Since the dynamics and forms of cyber violence evolve at the same rapid pace as technology platforms, we used social big data to develop an ontology for cyber violence victimization in South Korea. Following the seven-stage ontology development process, we extracted keywords from 3,075 social media data sources including online articles, comments, and blogs. Focus group interview data was also obtained from 40 adolescents and 5 cyber violence experts. The analysis identified domains for (1) participants subdivided by age, school level, sex, form, and relationship; (2) protective and risk factors by individuals, family, friends, school, community, and online systems; (3) types by form and method of violence; (4) characteristics by media and distinct features; (5) outcomes by individual and relational/social; and (6) interventions and policies by personal coping strategies, services/interventions, and laws/policies. These findings provide a multi-faceted perspective on cyber violence victimization experiences in South Korea. In addition, the results elucidate the newest types of cyber violence in real-life terms.

This study compared undergraduate students' learning gains attained through student-led discussions with those acquired through teacher-led discussions in students who had previously engaged in a different learning activity. A total of 305 undergraduate students participated in the study. It was found that prediscussion activities yielded differential student outcomes depending on the applied combination. Self-study groups achieved higher scores through student-led discussions, whereas, lecture groups attained better scores through teacher-led discussions. To substantiate the joint effect, we attempted to elucidate students' outcomes through moment-by-moment analyses of cognitive-behavioral engagement observed during discussions. Students assigned to the self-study and student-led discussion groups displayed consistently high engagement throughout their discussions, however, the engagement dropped sharply in teacher-led discussion. Meanwhile, student engagement increased over time in the teacher-led discussion group after the class listened to a lecture. The results of moderated mediation analysis showed that discussion formats moderated by prediscussion activity affected students' cognitive-behavioral engagement, which led to their learning. Therefore, our findings contribute to a new perspective of engagement as a student learning in discussions and imply that teachers can induce students' engagement leading to superior learning outcome by combining appropriate instructional strategies and classroom discussion.

This study examined university students' perceptions of older adults. The study employed the photovoice, analyzing visual data (photographs) and in-depth interviews conducted with five university students to capture more accurate and candid images of older adults. Themes from photographs, interviews, and focus group discussions were organized into three categories: study participants' negative 'otherization' of older adults, a critical awakening of 'discrimination and exclusion' in daily life, and the consciousness raising among young people who were used to 'otherizing'. Young adults who differed from older adults due to their decline in old age noticed various forms and degrees of discrimination and exclusion of older adults in daily life through photovoice experience. Moreover, young adults developed positive perspectives and recognized the strengths of the older adults. This study is unique in providing specific and practical insights into the co-existence of two generations. Our findings suggest that developing and implementing programs and policies that promote positive interaction between young and older generations will contribute to resolving inter-generational conflict and ageism.

What are the differences in teaching quality in countries with large cultural and economic differences, such as Nicaragua, South Korea, and the Netherlands? Can these differences be bridged with training programmes? In Nicaragua, South Korea, and the Netherlands, respectively 271, 407, and 144 English and mathematics teachers in secondary education were observed by specially trained observers. The difference in teaching quality between Nicaraguan teachers and teachers in South Korea and the Netherlands is about 1.5 "SD". The difference between Dutch and South Korean teachers is about .13 "SD". After 160 hr of teacher training, in combination with training of observers in reliable observation, the Nicaraguan teachers grew slightly more than 1 "SD". Further research should check whether a growth in teaching skills of teachers in developmental countries is accompanied by a growth in learning performance of students.

Social comparison is prevalent, even within classrooms, yet limited research explores its impact on academic outcomes. The current study adopted social comparison theory and achievement goal theory and tested a structural equation model that explained the pathways among two types of social comparison (i.e. ability-based and opinion-based), achievement goals, self-efficacy, effort, and academic grades. Based on a sample of 398 high school students, the current study demonstrated associations between opinion-based social comparison and mastery goals and between ability-based social comparison and performance goals. Furthermore, the current study identified different pathways for the indirect effects of social comparison and achievement goals that contributed to academic grades. The findings yielded the learning-oriented pathways and the performance-oriented pathways. The learning-oriented pathways showed the connections among opinion-based social comparison, mastery-approach goals, internal learning capacities (i.e. self-efficacy and effort), and academic grades; whereas the performance-oriented pathways demonstrated the connections among ability-based social comparison, performance-approach goals, and academic grades. This study implies that having a balanced mind-set between learning-oriented and performance-oriented approaches would benefit students most. Parents and teachers can play pivotal roles in nurturing students to focus on their internal learning processes within the competitive environment. The implications of competition-based achievement in classrooms are discussed.

Purpose: This study analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the electoral mechanism of local education superintendents in South Korea, draws conclusions and makes suggestions for future reforms. Design/methodology/approach: The research method of this study included document analysis and interviews. Document analysis was used to collect and analyze the relevant official documents of education superintendents across countries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four professors and two superintendents. Findings: The results of the interviews indicate the following: 1) Korean stakeholders are getting more familiar with the direct election of superintendents, as the interviews indicate a more mature direct election system due to previous experience and public officials taking direct election into account; 2) The direct election of superintendents has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include increasing the participation of the general public in education, and the disadvantages include conflict between the central government and local superintendents belonging to different political parties. However, the current system is likely to be retained; 3) The superintendent systems in various countries differ due to their respective traditions and social contexts. However, the authors can always learn lessons and implications from foreign countries if the authors compare their education systems with their foreign counterparts. Research limitations/implications: As far research limitations, although this was a small study, it shows the importance of collecting multiple stakeholders' views on the direct election of education superintendents as a basis for future reform of education management. Practical implications: The Korean system for electing superintendents provides a good model for other countries reflecting on the educational autonomy and accountabilities of their own systems. Social implications: The direct election of superintendents provides an example of professionalism, independence and political neutrality in education that other countries can learn from. The separation of general and educational administration in Korea through direct elections protects educational activities from political influence. Originality/value: In terms of originality/value, this study adds a new perspective to the debate about whether the general public should directly elect education superintendents, as well as to the literature on local education management.

Background: As individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities age, their siblings are more likely to assume caregiving responsibilities. However, little is known about experiences of East Asian siblings with respect to their caregiving and future-planning within their own country, as well as other East Asian countries. Methods: Using a national survey, this study explored experiences of 576 siblings across South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Results: A common factor across the three countries was that siblings were less engaged in advocacy and future-planning activities and felt less competent to play the role of caregiving. Korean siblings reported more negative views about disability, while Japanese siblings reported less engagement in future-planning and Taiwanese siblings reported greater involvement in caregiving. Conclusion: Based on 'universalism without uniformity', it is recommended to develop culturally sensitive sibling-targeted intervention based on each country's context.

As rankings have become increasingly institutionalized in higher education, so too have the strategic responses adopted by universities to address them. A key component of these responses is the development of new expertise, embodied in personnel and organizational units, dedicated to managing quantitative assessments. We draw on a qualitative study of rankings management departments in South Korea to investigate the effects of these new actors in the field of higher education. We find that the rise of new expertise in rankings has reshaped key interdependencies both within universities and between universities and external constituents. This transformation has helped rankings management departments effectively challenge existing work routines and introduce new organizational practices. More generally, this work builds on theories of micro-level institutional change, identifying new mechanisms through which local actors effect lasting alterations in the organizational environment.

Background: Despite the recent emphasis on technology and engineering in early childhood education, the importance of teaching relevant concepts in early education has been underappreciated in South Korea. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) program integrated into the national curriculum in a Korean early childhood education setting. Children aged 5-6 years (231 girls and 219 boys; treatment group: 334 children; control group: 116 children) were tested on computational thinking, vocabulary, numeracy, self-regulation, and social behavior before and after receiving STEAM curriculum that included robotics activities or an equivalent curriculum. Results: Findings revealed that among the outcome measures, young children in the treatment group exhibited significant increases in computational thinking and expressive vocabulary. Moreover, gender demonstrated a significant interaction effect with the increase in computational thinking as measured by an assessment developed for a specific robotic material as well as in self-regulation and social behavior. Conclusions: This study provides empirical and comprehensive evidence regarding the effectiveness of an integrated STEAM program with developmentally appropriate robotic kits for young children.

This study explores the relationship between perceived employability and individual as well as organizational characteristics of employees in South Korea using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Gender, age, total work experience, turnover, positive psychological capital, proactive personality, social network capital and openness to changes at work were the individual characteristics considered. Organizational characteristics included fairness in human resource management, supervisor feedback and organizational career development support. The analysis confirmed the importance of individual characteristics as well as the role of organizations in reinforcing one's perception of employability. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Syntactic priming studies in second language (L2) have contributed to understanding how L2 speakers' syntactic knowledge is represented and processed. However, little is known about social influences on L2 speakers' syntactic processing and learning. The present study investigated whether L2 speakers' syntactic priming is influenced by social factors, specifically different accents of English speakers and their familiarity with those accents. Korean L2 learners of English with intermediate proficiency were asked to describe pictures depicting ditransitive events after listening to sentences recorded by three English speakers with different accents: a standard-accented speaker (an American English speaker), and two speakers with non-standard accents (a Korean English speaker and an Indian English speaker). The results of the picture description task showed that syntactic priming effects in Korean L2 English speakers were significantly influenced by speaker accents and their familiarity with the accents. In addition, their priming patterns and interactions with these factors changed over time. These results suggest that syntactic priming in L2 speakers is socially mediated. We propose that priming effects in real language use can be better accounted for using a combination of cognitive and sociolinguistic models of syntactic priming and speech production.

This study reviews the French examination of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the most influential and highest-stakes test in Korea. The CSAT score has considerable influence on university admissions, and admission to a highly ranked university is generally a prerequisite for socioeconomic success. From this perspective, the significance of the CSAT is enormous. In general, the assessment is influenced by the goals and content of the curriculum, and it also plays an important role in curriculum implementation. In Korea, the national curriculum has been recently reformed. The main goal of the reformed French curriculum is to promote communicative skills and cultural literacy. However, the examination has been criticized for not uniformly or adequately evaluating overall communicative skills. Considering the importance of the CSAT and the interdependence of assessment and curriculum, the CSAT French examination has to be reviewed from the perspective of test quality. Due to its limited assessment of communicative skills, the validity of the French examination is debatable. The problem of low reliability also arises due to the uncertainty of assessment criteria and guidelines. Authenticity and interactiveness could be improved by avoiding fragmentary knowledge and memorization-oriented assessment. The negative washback effect needs to be addressed to resolve the low relevance of the curriculum to the test and the relatively low applicability of the CSAT French score in university admission policy.

In modern society, people are expected to make scientific decisions and rational actions over a range of personal and social problems. There have been a number of studies on students' and adults' decision-making over socio-scientific issues under the name of scientific literacy. In this study, we investigated the social and cultural backgrounds of Korean people's actions and trust over their personal problems (e.g. health, career choice), by conducting in-depth interviews with ten Korean adults on their experience related to acupuncture and Four Pillars of Destiny (FPD), two representative examples of unorthodox sciences. The analysis of the data reveals that their actions concerning acupuncture and FPD are influenced by socio-cultural factors (esp. family culture, social system) and by their understandings of the nature of science. In addition, we found that there are a different set of reasons and varying degrees of people's trust between acupuncture and FPD. Based on the results, we discussed the needs to introduce wider concepts of the nature of science and of the scopes of science education.

This study examines measurement invariance of student perceptions of teaching quality collected in five countries: Indonesia (n students = 6,331), the Netherlands (n students = 6,738), South Africa (n students = 3,422), South Korea (n students = 6,997) and Spain (n students = 4,676). The administered questionnaire was the My Teacher Questionnaire (MTQ). Student perceived teachers' teaching quality was estimated using the partial credit model (PCM). Tests for differential item functioning (DIF) were used to assess measurement invariance. Furthermore, if DIF was found, it was explored whether an application of a quasi-international calibration, which estimates country-unique parameters for DIF items, can provide more valid estimates for between-country comparisons. Results indicate the absence of non-uniform DIF, but presence of uniform DIF among most items. This suggests that direct comparisons of raw mean or sum scores between countries is not advisable. Details of the set of invariant items are provided. Furthermore, results suggest that the quasi-international calibration is promising, but also that this approach needs further exploration in the context of student perceptions of teaching quality.

Effective teaching is a key factor in educational effectiveness and improvement. To facilitate the knowledge exchange regarding effective teaching in secondary education internationally, there has been a growing interest in using classroom observation measures. However, little is known regarding the comparability of observation measures across various national contexts (measurement invariance). Consequently, comparing effective teaching behaviour across contexts is compromised by issues of construct and measurement equivalence. In the present study, we investigated measurement invariance of the International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching (ICALT) for measuring teaching behaviour across various national contexts including the Netherlands, South Korea, South Africa, Indonesia, Hong Kong-China, and Pakistan. Results showed that ICALT indicates full strict invariance in four out of the six countries, which provides a possibility to compare teaching behaviour in the Netherlands, South Korea, South Africa, and Indonesia. South Korea indicated the highest quality of teaching behaviour, while Indonesia indicated the lowest.

Differentiated instruction is considered to be an important teaching quality domain to address the needs of individual students in daily classroom practices. However, little is known about whether differentiated instruction is empirically distinguishable from other teaching quality domains in different national contexts. Additionally, little is known about how the complex skill of differentiated instruction compares with other teaching quality domains across national contexts. To gain empirical insight in differentiated instruction and other related teaching quality domains, cross-cultural comparisons provide valuable insights. In this study, teacher classroom practices of two high-performing educational systems, The Netherlands and South Korea, were observed focusing on differentiated instruction and other related teaching quality domains using an existing observation instrument. Variable-centred and person-centred approaches were applied to analyze the data. The study provides evidence that differentiated instruction can be viewed as a distinct domain of teaching quality in both national contexts, while at the same time being related to other teaching domains. In both countries, differentiated instruction was the most difficult domain of teaching quality. However, differential relationships between teaching quality domains were visible across teacher profiles and across countries.

Aims Although many studies have examined the predictors of medication adherence (MA), further empirical research is required to clarify the best model for predicting MA for older adults with heart failure (HF). Thus, we hypothesized a model in which information (knowledge), motivation (social support and depressive symptoms), and behavioural skills (barriers to self-efficacy) would be associated with MA in patients with HF. Methods and results Using a cross-sectional survey, 153 adults aged ≥ 65 years taking medication for HF were recruited from a university hospital in Korea. Data were collected based on the information–motivation–behavioural skills (IMB) model constructs and MA. In the hypothesized path model, self-efficacy was directly related to MA (β = −0.335, P = 0.006), whereas social support was indirectly related to MA through self-efficacy (β = −0.078, P = 0.027). Depressive symptoms were directly related to MA (β = 0.359, P = 0.004) and indirectly related to MA through self-efficacy (β = 0.141, P = 0.004). The hypothesized MA model showed a good fit for the data. Knowledge, social support, and depressive symptoms accounted for 44.3% of the variance in self-efficacy (P = 0.004). Left ventricular ejection fraction, knowledge, social support, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy explained 64.4% of the variance in MA (P = 0.004). Conclusion These results confirmed the IMB model's suitability for predicting MA in older adults with HF. These findings may guide and inform intervention programmes designed to alleviate depressive symptoms in older adults with HF and enhance their HF knowledge, social support, and self-efficacy, with the ultimate goal of improving their MA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explored how social workers experienced changes, responded to the changes, and adapted to challenges in the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. This study interviewed 10 Korean social workers entering the post-pandemic era after enduring about three years of pandemic social work practice. A maximum variation sampling strategy of purposive sampling was used to collect data from social workers in various social work practice settings in South Korea. In-depth interviews, either in-person or Zoom videoconferencing, were conducted, and inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three key themes were drawn from interviews: Catching the Two Rabbits of Quarantine and Service Provision, Social Work Practices More Vulnerable to Disaster Situations, and Growth and Lessons Learned through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Korean social workers' experiences with service delivery countermeasures and the role that commitment to the profession and vocational responsibility played in social worker endurance and adaptability are reflected in the named themes. Lessons learned from this research can inform future policies and assist in the development of best practice guidelines in the event of future disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A small portion of patients are diagnosed with early gastric cancer (EGC) and undergo endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) at a young age. However, their clinical outcomes are rarely known. Aim: We investigated to identify the feasibility and clinical outcomes of ESD for EGC focusing on young patients. Methods: We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outscomes of patients who had undergone ESD for the treatment of EGC at < 50 years of age. We enrolled patients who had been diagnosed with EGC and had undergone ESD between 2006 and 2020. We divided them by age as follows: ≤ 50 and > 50 years into the young age (YA) and other age (OA) groups, respectively. Results: Altogether, 1681 patients underwent ESD for EGC (YA group: 124 [7.4%], OA group: 1557 [92.6%]). The YA group had less severe atrophy and more undifferentiated (37.1% vs. 13.9%, P < 0.001) and diffuse type (25% vs. 7.7%, P < 0.001) histology. The curative resection rate was not significantly different between the groups. However, among 1075 patients who had achieved curative resection and had been followed-up for > 12 months, the YA group had a lower incidence of MGN (5.2% vs. 17.5%, P = 0.004) and MGC (2.6% vs. 10.9%, P = 0.019) than those exhibited by the OA group. The YA group was a significant negative predictor of MGN (odds ratio [OR]: 2.983, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.060–8.393, P = 0.038), and marginally negative predictor in MGC (OR: 3.909, 95% CI: 0.939–16.281, P = 0.061). Conclusion: ESD is a favorable and effective therapeutic modality for EGC patients aged < 50 years, once curative resection is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green leafy vegetables are rich in lipophilic metabolites such as carotenoids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and fatty acids, known for their significant health benefits. Goat's beard (Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus), a wild leafy vegetable native to Ulleungdo Island, South Korea, is reported to possess various biological activities and bioactive compounds. However, the content and profiles of lipophilic metabolites, especially carotenoids, have not been reported. This study investigated the composition of lipophilic metabolites in the foliage of goat's beard using liquid chromatography–diode-array detection–mass spectrometry, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography–flame ionization detection. Five carotenoids (violaxanthin, neoxanthin, lactucaxanthin, lutein, β-carotene) and α-tocopherol were identified and quantified using liquid chromatography–diode-array detection–mass spectrometry. Lactucaxanthin, previously discovered in lettuce, was identified for the first time in goat's beard foliage, with a higher concentration (45.42 ± 0.80 µg/g FW) compared to red lettuce (19.05 ± 0.67 µg/g FW). Furthermore, total carotenoids and α-tocopherol contents were higher in goat's beard than in red lettuce. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed the presence of three phytosterols, namely, campesterol (3.53 ± 0.20 µg/g FW), stigmasterol (65.30 ± 4.87 µg/g FW), and β-sitosterol (89.54 ± 2.46 µg/g FW). Gas chromatography–flame ionization detection analysis revealed the presence of five essential fatty acids, with α-linolenic acid (57.03 ± 0.47%) being the most abundant, contributing to a favorable polyunsaturated FA/saturated FA ratio. These findings underscore the nutritional potential of a goat's beard, suggesting its promising use in dietary supplements and the commercial extraction of valuable lipophilic antioxidants, particularly lactucaxanthin, for nutraceuticals and functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of wood in the construction sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is garnering global interest. In South Korea, the wood usage in public buildings is limited, being influenced by factors such as the high price of wood products and their limited use in large structures. In this work the future wood consumption in South Korea is predicted based on its potential use in current public buildings. The structural wood products required for the buildings were quantified based on the available statistical data. Items investigated were the (1) number of buildings started, (2) ratio of public buildings, (3) ratio of wooden structures, (4) average floor area of wooden buildings, (5) material cost per floor, and (6) wood prices. Assuming that the buildings contain reinforced-concrete and wooden structures, the wood consumption was estimated based on the replacement ratio. The results indicated that the prices of wood products were relatively higher than those of raw timber. The number of buildings is expected to decrease in line with the expected population decline, resulting in the decrease of wood amount required for public buildings. To achieve long-term GHG-reduction goals, it is important to replace the existing public buildings in Korea with wooden structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth with disabilities face difficulties resulting from attitudinal, environmental, and organizational barriers not only in initially accessing and entering school (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011), but also as they transition from school age youth to working adults. With a focus on facilitating a better understanding of the issues, challenges, and solutions associated with the design and implementation of career development services for youth with disabilities, this article describes the status quo for students with disabilities in South Korea and then discusses career development services that potentially reduce variation, help facilitate optimal career development, and promote future employment opportunities. To accomplish this task, we explore the intersection of culture, theory, and policy in the Korean transition service delivery system.

Shadow education or private supplementary tutoring has become an international phenomenon as increasing numbers of students seek help beyond traditional schooling for academic achievement. The positive relationship between students' academic achievement and participation in shadow education has been previously reported. However, the manner in which shadow education practices can help students to gain and maintain higher academic achievement remains understudied. In response, this study explored the features of shadow education practices that may benefit the academic achievement of students, particularly those in South Korea but with relevance beyond the South Korean context. Using qualitative research methods, this study revealed that preview learning from/with private supplementary tutors, academic mastery learning of subject knowledge and skills, training skills for school exams, and solving students' individual learning difficulties through intensive coaching are contributing factors to improving academic achievement.

This article presents a new conceptualization of 'shadow curriculum', one component of the worldwide phenomenon of shadow education, i.e. learning outside of school. Traditional conceptions of curriculum are not applicable to shadow education, and so this article begins by exploring how shadow education practices qualify as a new focus of curriculum studies. Based on existing scholarship and our own field experience in South Korea, we propose that shadow curriculum can be defined as supplementary curriculum out of schooling provided by educational business industries that are aimed for individual students' academic success in formal education. The following discussion explores the characteristics of shadow curriculum and shows that incorporating shadow curriculum as a new area of focus in the field of curriculum studies can broaden existing understandings of student learning and the concept of curriculum. Our hope is that this discussion will open a new intellectual space for analysis of the complex phenomenon of shadow education within the field of curriculum studies.

The major purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which multiethnic Korea and Thailand are cultural democracies. The primary conceptual framework guiding this study is the powerful but largely ignored concept of cultural democracy. Bereday's classic model of comparative research is another major theoretical and methodological framework utilized. The major methodologies used are comparative qualitative case studies, meta-synthesis, and participant-observation. Comparative national case studies are rare. A number of striking similarities between the two countries are identified. The very low fertility rates of both nations drive a critical need for guest workers and international students. Both countries in general have pursued assimilationist policies not conducive to cultural democracy. The final part of the paper offers suggestions for strengthening cultural democracy in both nations. Their long-term potential can be enhanced if both these societies recognize the 'diversity advantage' and move actively to realize the ideal of cultural democracy.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Republic of Korea (ROK) experienced three epidemic waves in February, August, and November 2020. These waves, combined with the overarching pandemic, significantly influenced trends in spinal surgery. This study aimed to investigate the trends in degenerative lumbar spinal surgery in ROK during the early COVID-19 pandemic, especially in relation to specific epidemic waves. Using the National Health Information Database in ROK, we identified all patients who underwent surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal diseases between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. A joinpoint regression was used to assess temporal trends in spinal surgeries over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of surgeries decreased following the first and second epidemic waves (p<0.01 and p = 0.34, respectively), but these were offset by compensatory increases later on (p<0.01 and p = 0.05, respectively). However, the third epidemic wave did not lead to a decrease in surgical volume, and the total number of surgeries remained comparable to the period before the pandemic. When compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, average LOH was reduced by 1 day during the COVID-19 period (p<0.01), while mean hospital costs increased significantly from 3,511 to 4,061 USD (p<0.01). Additionally, the transfer rate and the 30-day readmission rate significantly decreased (both p<0.01), while the reoperation rate remained stable (p = 0.36). Despite the impact of epidemic waves on monthly surgery numbers, a subsequent compensatory increase was observed, indicating that surgical care has adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. This adaptability, along with the stable total number of operations, highlights the potential for healthcare systems to continue elective spine surgery during public health crises with strategic resource allocation and patient triage. Policies should ensure that surgeries for degenerative spinal diseases, particularly those not requiring urgent care but crucial for patient quality of life, are not unnecessarily halted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast majority of people value humanity's ability to live in peace and stability. However, there are disparities between the concept of peace and what people experience daily within their community. As a result, before any society can begin to address the difficulties at hand, it must first have a thorough awareness of the socio-cultural-historical identities, ways of life, and value systems that have produced them. When a social community's culture, traditions, and ideals are ignored, members of the society become distrustful of one another. As this mistrust grows, various unfavorable societal occurrences can result. In this study, we will provide a model that has been successful in harmonizing these challenging issues in Gwangju Goryeoin Village in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have reported controversial results on the association between gout and the risk of cancer. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between gout and the incidence of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: The data of participants who underwent health checkups in 2009 were analyzed using the National Health Insurance Database in South Korea. A total of 14,348 HNC patients and 57,392 control participants were analyzed for a prior history of gout. Overlap weighting was applied, and odds ratios (ORs) of gout for HNC patients were analyzed. The overlap-weighted model adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors and comorbidities. HNC sites were classified as oral cavity cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, nasal cavity/sinus cancer, larynx cancer, or salivary gland cancer, and the ORs of gout were estimated for each site. Results: Overall, patients with HNC had 1.12-fold greater odds of having gout (95% confidence intervals [CIs] = 1.04–1.20). According to the site of HNC, oral cavity cancer, oropharynx cancer, and larynx cancer demonstrated high odds of having gout (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.16–1.34 for oral cavity cancer; OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01–1.15 for oropharynx cancer; and OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.06–1.20 for larynx cancer). On the other hand, nasal cavity/sinus cancer, nasopharynx cancer, and salivary gland cancer presented low odds of having gout (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.72–0.84 for nasal cavity/sinus cancer; OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.83–0.96 for nasopharynx cancer; and OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.81–0.96 for salivary gland cancer). Conclusions: A prior history of gout was associated with a high overall incidence of HNC. Oral cavity cancer, oropharynx cancer, and larynx cancer have a high incidence in gout patients. However, nasal cavity/sinus cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, and salivary gland cancer have low incidences in gout patients. The impact of gout on HNC risk should be specifically considered according to the site of the HNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional treatments for allergic rhinitis (AR) exhibit insufficiency and long-term use-related side effects. Considering the reported anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects of Bojungikgi-tang (BJIGT), we aimed to assess its efficacy on persistent AR (PAR). Patients with PAR were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio into high-dose BJIGT, standard-dose BJIGT, and placebo groups, followed by 1-week run-in and 4-week treatment periods. The primary outcome included the mean change in Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), with secondary outcomes encompassing the Korean Allergic Rhinitis-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, biomarkers, overall assessment, TNSS by AR pattern identification, and the Sasang constitution. The mean TNSS change was more improved in the BJIGT group than in the placebo group; however, no statistically significant differences were observed. Additional interaction effect analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in the high-dose BJIGT group compared with the placebo group from weeks 1–2 to weeks 3–4. Regarding secondary outcomes, the BJIGT group exhibited similar or improved results compared with the placebo group, showing no statistically significant differences. No serious adverse effects or clinically significant changes in safety assessments were observed. Given that this study validated clinical improvement and safety, it serves as potential groundwork for pertinent future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale studies elucidating sex differences in factors impacting prognosis and sex-specific prognossis factors scoring in patients with lung cancer are insufficient. The present study aimed to develop a model to predict sex-specific prognosis factors in Korean patients with lung cancer. This nationwide cohort study included 96,255 patients aged ≥19 years diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent Korean National Health Insurance Service health examinations between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015 and followed until 2020. Factors associated with prognosis were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, and separate prognosis scores were calculated for male and female patients. The sex-specific risk scoring models were validated with Kaplan–Meier survival curves and c-statistic. During a mean follow-up of 2.8 years, 60.5% of the patients died. In male patients with lung cancer, age ≥ 65 years (24 points) had the highest mortality risk score, followed by chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy (16 points), chemotherapy (14 points), and radiotherapy (11 points). In female patients with lung cancer, chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy (19 points) had the highest mortality risk score, followed by chemotherapy (16 points), age ≥ 65 years (13 points), and radiotherapy (13 points). The analysis of patients categorized into three risk groups based on risk scores revealed that the fatality rates within 5 years were 7%, 54%, and 89% in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups for male patients and 3%, 46%, 85% in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups for female patients, respectively. The c-statistic was 0.86 for male patients and 0.85 for female patients. The strongest fatality risk factors in lung cancer were age ≥ 65 years in male patients and chemotherapy in female patients. The present study developed sex-specific prognosis scoring models to predict fatality risk in patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2011, South Korea has implemented biannual vaccinations against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and recently, lumpy skin disease (LSD), to mitigate the spread of transboundary animal diseases. However, due to past adverse reactions, potentially linked to acute phase responses from FMD vaccinations, there is hesitancy among Korean livestock farmers regarding new strategies for simultaneous vaccinations against both FMD and LSD. This study was conducted to assess possible adverse reactions to the LSD vaccination by analyzing acute phase proteins (APPs) in three groups: cows vaccinated against FMD (G1-FMDV), LSD (G2-LSDV), and both (G3-FMDV/LSDV). In G1-FMDV, APP levels peaked on day 3 post-vaccination (p < 0.001) and returned to baseline. In G2-LSDV, APP levels increased gradually, peaking on day 10 post-vaccination. In G3-FMDV/LSDV, APP levels peaked on day 3 post-vaccination and remained high until day 10 (p < 0.001). These results indicate that LSD vaccines trigger a later immune response compared to FMD vaccines, possibly due to different adjuvants. Therefore, a longer follow-up period for monitoring adverse reactions to LSD vaccinations may be required to understand and mitigate potential risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Introduction: Odontogenic infection is one of the main etiologies of deep neck infection (DNI). However, the relationship between chronic periodontitis (CP) and the incidence of DNI has not been examined. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of DNI and peritonsillar abscess (PTA) after CP. Methods: The Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort 2002–2019 was used. In Study I, 4585 PTA patients were matched with 19,340 control I participants. A previous history of CP for 1 year was collected, and the odds ratios (ORs) of CP for PTA were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. In Study II, 46,293 DNI patients and 185,172 control II participants were matched. A previous history of CP for 1 year was collected, and conditional logistic regression was conducted for the ORs of CP for DNI. Secondary analyses were conducted in demographic, socioeconomic, and comorbidity subgroups. Results: In Study I, a history of CP was not related to the incidence of PTA (adjusted OR = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.91–1.81). In Study II, the incidence of DNI was greater in participants with a history of CP (adjusted OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.41–1.71). The relationship between CP history and DNI was greater in groups with young, male, low-income, and rural residents. Conclusions: A prior history of CP was associated with a high incidence of DNI in the general population of Korea. Patients with CP need to be managed for the potential risk of DNI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose We investigated the proportions of patients eligible for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) among those with pT1- 2N0 breast cancer, based on the criteria set by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (GEC-ESTRO), the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), and the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS). Additionally, we analyzed the rate of APBI utilization among eligible patients. Materials and Methods Patients diagnosed with pT1-2N0 breast cancer in 2019 were accrued in four tertiary medical centers in Korea. All patients had undergone breast conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy, either whole breast irradiation or APBI. To determine which guideline best predicts the use of APBI in Korea, the F1 score and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) were determined for each guideline. Results A total of 1,251 patients were analyzed, of whom 196 (15.7%) underwent APBI. The percentages of eligible patients identified by the ASTRO, GEC-ESTRO, ABS, and ASBS criteria were 13.7%, 21.0%, 50.5%, and 63.5%, respectively. APBI was used to treat 54.4%, 37.2%, 27.1%, and 23.7% of patients eligible by the ASTRO, GEC-ESTRO, ABS, and ASBS criteria, respectively. The ASTRO guideline exhibited the highest F1 score (0.76) and MCC (0.67), thus showing the best prediction of APBI utilization in Korea. Conclusion The proportion of Korean breast cancer patients who are candidates for APBI is substantial. The actual rate of APBI utilization among eligible patients may suggest there is a room for risk-stratified optimization in offering radiation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate differences in the anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibody seropositivity rate by age and gender. Methods: We collected information on anti-HAV immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M status from samples submitted for HAV antibody testing in 2012-2022. A total of 1,333,615 cases were included in the analysis. Results: By age, the seropositivity rate was represented by a U-shaped curve, such that the rate was low for the group aged 20 to 39 years and higher in those who were younger or older. Over time, the curve shifted rightward, and the seropositivity rate declined gradually in the group aged 35 to 39 years and older. A gender-based difference in antibody seropositivity rate was especially noticeable in the group aged 20 to 29 years. This difference between genders widened in the participants' early 20s--when men in the Republic of Korea enlist in the military--and the divergence continued subsequently for older individuals. Conclusion: These results indicate a higher risk of severe infection among older individuals and a gender-based difference in seroprevalence. Therefore, it is necessary to implement policies to promote vaccination in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the performance of the Academia-Government Collaboration for Laboratory Medicine Standardization in Korea (KR-STDZN) based on data from KR-STDZN proficiency testing (KR-STDZN-PT) for creatinine over eight years (2015–2022). We used KR-STDZN-PT data of creatinine tests from 2015 to 2022. Acceptance of the participating institutions' test results was assessed by calculating the acceptance performance as absolute bias (absBias%), total coefficient of variance (tCV%), and total error (TE%) for each sample using six measurements from each institution and true values of each reference material. The test result was considered acceptable when absBias%, tCV%, and TE% were <5.10, <3.20, and <11.40 %, respectively. The proportion of acceptable institutions among all participating institutions in each round was defined as the acceptance rate. Improvements in absBias%, tCV%, and TE% were analyzed using creatinine concentration ranges in samples. The number of participating institutions increased from 2015 to 2017 but remained consistent since 2018. The acceptance rates for absBias% and TE% increased from 52.2 and 77.6 %, in 2015 and to 90.7 and 96.3 %, in 2022, respectively. The acceptance rate for tCV% remained in the 90 % range for eight years. When creatinine <3 mg/dL, mean absBias%, and mean TE% improved significantly in 2021–2022 compared to 2015–2016 (p<0.05). When creatinine >3 mg/dL, acceptance performance did not improve. Mean tCV% remained consistent annually regardless of creatinine concentration. No significant variations in test methods were observed. The collaboration between academia and the government improved creatinine testing quality. Nevertheless, KR-STDZN must be expanded and refined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the standard treatment for early malignant stomach lesions. However, this procedure is technically demanding and carries a high complication risk. The level of difficulty in performing ESD is influenced by the location of the lesion. In our study, we aimed to investigate and analyze the effectiveness of robot-assisted ESD for lesions situated in challenging locations within the stomach. Methods: We developed a gastric simulator that could be used to implement various gastric ESD locations. An EndoGel (Sunarrow, Tokyo, Japan) was attached to the simulator for the dissection procedures. Robot-assisted or conventional ESD was performed at challenging or easy locations by two ESD-trainee endoscopists. Results: The procedure time was remarkably shorter for robotic ESD than conventional dissection at challenging locations (6.2 vs. 10.2 min, P < 0.05), mainly due to faster dissection (220.3 vs. 101.9 mm2/min, P < 0.05). The blind dissection rate was significantly lower with robotic ESD than with the conventional method (17.6 vs. 35.2%, P < 0.05) at challenging locations. Conclusion: The procedure time was significantly shortened when robot-assisted gastric ESD procedures were performed at challenging locations. Therefore, our robotic device provides simple, effective, and safe multidirectional traction for endoscopic submucosal dissection at challenging locations, thereby reducing difficulty of the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Seasonal influenza is associated with substantial public health burden. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of inactivated quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (IIV4, Fluarix Tetra, GSK, Belgium) in subjects aged ≥ 6 months in Korea. Methods: This prospective, observational, non-comparative, multi-centre post-marketing surveillance study was conducted in Korea in subjects aged ≥ 3 years for 6 years (2014–2020) and extended to subjects aged 6–35 months for 4 years (2018–2022). Subjects received IIV4 in routine clinical practice according to local prescribing information. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded over 21 days post-vaccination. Results: The group aged ≥ 3 years included 701 subjects (mean 31.97 years, range 3–86 years, 46.36% male), and the group aged 6–35 months included 687 subjects (mean 16.31 months, 47.02% male). In the group aged ≥ 3 years, 98 subjects (13.98%) reported 140 AEs, of which 42 events in 34 subjects (4.85%) were adverse reactions to vaccine (ARVs). Most of the ARVs were expected, mainly administration site reactions. There were seven mild unexpected ARVs. In the group aged 6–35 months, 248 AEs were reported in 149/687 subjects (21.69%). ARVs were reported in 25/687 subjects (3.64%, 29 events); one was considered unexpected. There were five serious AEs overall, none of which were considered related. Conclusion: No safety concerns were found during this surveillance study of IIV4 in subjects aged ≥ 6 months in Korea. The findings of this study suggest IIV4 is safe and well tolerated for use in all age groups with a vaccine indication. Plain Language Summary: Seasonal influenza is associated with over 5000 deaths annually in Korea, mainly in older adults. Annual vaccination is the most effective way of preventing seasonal influenza. The influenza virus strains in the vaccine are updated each year as the strains circulating change constantly. Monitoring of any unwanted medical incidents (adverse events) after vaccination is required to help assess vaccine safety. In this study, we monitored adverse events reported within 21 days of administration of Fluarix Tetra seasonal influenza vaccine (IIV4) in participants aged 6 months and older in Korea over a period of 4–6 years. Of the participants aged ≥ 3 years, 98 (14%) reported 140 adverse events, most commonly infections and infestations (most commonly nasopharyngitis such as the common cold), or general disorders and administration site conditions (most commonly pain or swelling at the injection site). In the participants aged 6–35 months, 149 (22%) reported 248 adverse events, also most commonly infections and infestations (such as the common cold) or general disorders and administration site conditions (most commonly fever or swelling at the injection site). There were five serious adverse events in total (adverse events that are life threatening or require hospitalization), but none of them were related to IIV4. In this study, we did not find any safety concerns for IIV4 in participants aged ≥ 6 months in Korea. The findings of this study suggest IIV4 is safe and well tolerated in all age groups with a vaccine indication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In 2008, OECD released one multi-national report about one important survey of its twenty-two member countries, the title of this report is "Improving School Leadership: Volume 1 Policy and Practice". This report analyzed one specific common trend of its members, which is the "unique gender divide among school principals and teachers". That meaning of this phenomenon is, in the context of school education in some OECD countries, the ratio of female teachers among all teachers is much higher than male teachers. However, the contrast point is, the ratio of female school principals is significant lower than male principals. This phenomenon is especially significant in the East Asia countries. For example, the percentage of female school principals is significantly lower than male principals when we observed the longitudinal trend in Taiwan. In Japan, the ratio of female teachers in primary schools is 62.7% and the ratio of female teachers in junior high schools is 54.8%, but the ratio of female primary school principals in Japan is only 17.9% of the total principals. When we look at the ratio of female principals in junior high schools in Japan, it is even lower; the ratio is only 5%. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the unique gender divide among school principals and teachers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The research methods include document analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. The statistical data is collected from Ministry of Education in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The supplemental data is collected from OECD dataset. This study compares the gender distribution among school teachers and principals in these three countries. In the last section of this study, we discuss the findings and their relationships with social cultures in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Policy and practice implications are offered to rethink the hindrance of female teachers' promotion. How to enhance female teachers' participation in school leadership is another important issue for future studies.

Shadow education has been studied in areas such as comparative education, educational policy, sociology of education, education and economics, and lifelong education, but mainstream Anglophone curriculum studies have largely ignored this phenomenon. We argue that shadow education should be considered as an emerging (and significant) focus of curriculum studies worldwide and advance five approaches to studying shadow education as an object of transnational curriculum inquiry, including shadow education as historical/political text, auto/biographical text, critical text, ethnic text, and decolonising text. We argue that, because shadow education seems likely to expand, curriculum scholars should seek new understandings that might complicate and complexify both shadow education and mainstream curriculum discourses.

For a scientific educational approach toward empathy, this study newly defined empathy in science as "empathy with a problematic situation and other people." In 6 competency frameworks, content related to empathy was extracted, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted through an online survey of 150 teachers. Three factors of empathy with other people and four factors of empathy with the problem situation were extracted. Based on this content, the study modified the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980) for use in a scientific situation. This scale was applied to 357 high school students in Korea, and the scale's validity was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis. Finally, "scientific empathy" with others was defined as the ability to understand the emotions, thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others and share their viewpoints with accurate emotional responses. And this consisted of perspective-taking in cognitive factor and empathic concern and empathic arousal in emotional empathy. "Scientific empathy with the problem situation" was defined as an intellectual mechanism deeply involved in the phenomenon of inquiry to clearly understand the scientific problem situation and to share the viewpoint. And this turned out to be perspective-taking and scientific imagination as cognitive factors.

This case report discusses the potential for art therapy to aid in the recovery of early-chronic stroke patients. The patient was diagnosed with having a subarachnoid hemorrhage from a cerebral aneurysm rupture 1 year prior to hospitalization. Therapies used as part of the patient's treatment included 10 weeks of art therapy conducted twice a week, resulting in improvements in the patient's emotions and cognition. The patient's artwork provides an especially valuable opportunity for tracking improvements in cognition not easily detected in standard rehabilitation therapy. Results from the MMSE, MVPT, and psychological tests conducted before and after art therapy treatment showed improved scores in visual perception and cognition, as well as an increase in motor activity and function as a secondary effect. This case report suggests that art therapy may have a positive therapeutic effect on chronic stroke patients. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

The central purpose of this study is to examine approaches for dealing with the problem of bullying ("wang-tta" in Korean) in schools from the Christian educational perspective. There has been much development in both research and practice in the 1990s and 2000s relating to bullying in Korean schools. Most Korean research on bullying, however, has almost exclusively focussed on verification of the facts that bullying or peer rejection is a widespread phenomenon in schools. This study, however, is mainly concerned with how to tackle effectively the bullying problem on the basis of Christian educational philosophy. To do this, this paper suggests a four stage approach to dealing with bullying: namely, clarifying the Christian school ethos, leading to determine the school's bullying policy. With the bullying policy, school anti-bullying programs could be developed in order to create a bullying-free school environment. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Among cervical adenocarcinomas, well-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix (WD-GAS), previously termed adenoma malignum (minimal deviation adenocarcinoma) is not well understood. Because of its rarity and difficulty in diagnosis, there is no standard care for WD-GAS. Thus, we conducted the first multicenter retrospective study on WD-GAS to clarify prognostic factors for long-term survival and recurrence. Patients diagnosed with WD-GAS at eight hospitals participated in this multi-center study. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Additionally, OS between the early and advanced FIGO stage groups were compared with the log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify significant factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS). A total of 73 patients from eight hospitals in South Korea were included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 44.8 months, and all patients underwent curative surgical intervention as the primary treatment. Recurrence was observed in 17 patients (23.3%). Ten patients had locoregional recurrence, four patients had distant metastasis, and three patients presented with both locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis. The Cox regression analysis identified several statistically significant factors associated with RFS, including vaginal invasion (VI), parametrial invasion (PMI), resection margin (RM), and nodal and lymphovascular invasion (LVI). When considering these five factors together, patients without any of the factors exhibited recurrence-free survival (RFS) of 97.0% at three years and those with more than one of these factors had a 3-year RFS of 65.4% (P < 0.001). WD-GAS showed relatively high locoregional recurrence rate. Positive PMI, VI, RM, nodal involvement, and LVI were associated with a significant increase in recurrence or distant metastasis rates. [Display omitted] • WD-GAS showed relatively high locoregional recurrence rate, as compared to other cervical adenocarcinomas. • Positive PMI and RM, vaginal and nodal invasion, and LVI were significantly associated with decreased RFS. • Patients with any of risk factors exhibited lower 3-year RFS than those with none (69.0% vs. 97.5%, P < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loneliness was found to be a commonly experienced feeling among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and is considered to be a high-risk factor for depressive symptoms. Maintaining meaning in life has been found to be a protective resource for mental health among older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of an individual's meaning in life in the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms among older Korean adults. Methods: The data were obtained from a sample of 213 community-dwelling older adults aged over 65. The instruments were the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Results: Loneliness was positively associated with depressive symptoms and negatively associated with the presence of and search for meaning among older adults. The presence of meaning mediated the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms but the search for meaning did not. The search for meaning mediated the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms through the presence of meaning. Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that efforts to reduce loneliness and improve meaning in life should be undertaken to prevent depressive symptoms among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: This study aimed to examine the discriminatory impacts of two major impairment factors—job presenteeism and attention presenteeism (JP and AP)—in presenteeism on burnout and to verify the multiple mediating effects of organizational and supervisory support in their causal relationship to provide theoretical and practical implications for alleviating burnout among rehabilitation medical workers (RMWs). Methods: Participants were convenience sampled from 23 hospitals and rehabilitation medical institutions in Korea, and 494 datasets were analyzed using the R packages R-studio, Jamovi, and JASP. Results: The significant effects of JP and AP on burnout were investigated; AP (0.609) had a much higher effect than JP (0.170) on burnout among RMWs. Moreover, the multiple mediating effects of organizational support and supervisory support were verified in the JP–AP relationship and burnout among RMWs. Additionally, the absolute effect on burnout was more from AP than JP, and organizational support had a far more significant effect than supervisory support in the process of affecting burnout. Conclusions: The present study contributes to the literature on burnout by examining the relationships between presenteeism and burnout and by extending the current understanding of burnout and presenteeism to RMWs. And it is practically important to understand that the effect of AP was greater than that of JP between the two key sub-factors of presenteeism affecting burnout among RMWs, and Korean RMWs are more affected by support from the organization system than by personal support from their boss. Related theoretical and practical implications are further elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To properly assess an association between vaccines and specific adverse events requires a comparison between the observed and background rates; however, studies in South Korea are currently limited. Therefore, in this study, we estimated the background incidence of anaphylaxis, myocarditis, pericarditis, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and mortality in South Korea. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Sample Cohort (NSC) data. Using NSC, the background incidence rate was estimated by dividing the number of episodes during 2009–2019 by the total population by year and then multiplying by 100,000. Using Statistics Korea data, the background mortality rate was estimated by dividing the number of deaths, during 2009–2019 by the standard population for that year and then multiplying by 100,000. Using background mortality rates, we predicted mortality rates for 2021 using autoregressive integrated moving average models. Further, the expected mortality rates were compared with observed mortality rates. Results: The age-adjusted incidence rate (AIR) of anaphylaxis increased from 4.28 to 22.90 cases per 100,000 population (p = 0.003); myocarditis showed no significant increase, changing from 0.56 to 1.26 cases per 100,000 population (p = 0.276); pericarditis increased from 0.94 to 1.88 cases per 100,000 population (p = 0.005); and GBS increased from 0.78 to 1.21 cases per 100,000 population (p = 0.013). The age-adjusted mortality rate decreased from 645.24 to 475.70 deaths per 100,000 population (p <0.001). The 2021 observed/expected mortality rates for overall (ratio: 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.08), men (ratio: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.07–1.08), and women (ratio: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.07–1.09), were all significantly higher. When stratified by age group, those aged ≥80 (ratio: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.15–1.17), 60–69 (ratio: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.10–1.13), and 20–29 years old (ratio: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.13) were also significantly higher. Conclusion: Through the estimation of background rates related to anaphylaxis, myocarditis, pericarditis, GBS, and mortality, we established a reference point for evaluating the potential excess occurrence of adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination. This reference point serves as substantive evidence supporting the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two types of speech processors used in CI devices: behind-the-ear (BTE) and off-the-ear (OTE). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of patients and revision cases in relation to the type of speech processors. A retrospective review of 452 ears that underwent CI was performed. Children with severe inner ear anomalies (91.7%) more frequently preferred BTE speech processors than those without severe inner ear anomalies (p =.000). The magnet strength used in OTE speech processor users was significantly higher than in BTE speech processor users (p =.002). In cochlear implantees who underwent surgery before 12 months of age, the magnet strength in the revision group was greater than in the non-revision group (p =.025). Overall, our findings suggest factors to consider when choosing the type of speech processor and modifying the magnet strength of the implant device. The choice between BTE and OTE speech processors led to different required magnet strengths, contributing to the occurrence of skin flap inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic foot ulcer and diabetic kidney disease are diabetes‐related chronic vascular complications that strongly correlate with high morbidity and mortality. Although metformin potentially confers a wound‐healing advantage, no well‐established clinical evidence supports the benefit of metformin for diabetic foot ulcer. Thus, this study investigated the effect of metformin on diabetic foot ulcer from a large diabetic kidney disease cohort for the first time. This retrospective cohort study enrolled 10 832 patients who visited the nephrology department more than twice at two South Korean tertiary‐referral centers between 2001 and 2016. The primary outcome was diabetic foot ulcer events; secondary outcomes included hospitalization, amputation, a composite of amputation or vascular intervention, and Wagner Grade ≥ 3. Multivariate Cox analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to balance baseline intergroup differences between metformin users and non‐users. In total, 4748 patients were metformin users, and 6084 patients were metformin non‐users. Over a follow‐up period of 117.5 ± 66.9 months, the diabetic foot ulcer incidence was 5.2%. After PSM, metformin users showed a lower incidence of diabetic foot ulcer events than metformin non‐users (adjusted hazard ratio 0.41; p < 0.001). In a sensitivity analysis of 563 patients with diabetic foot ulcer, metformin usage was associated with lower severity in all four secondary outcomes: hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio 0.33; p < 0.001); amputation (adjusted hazard ratio 0.44; p = 0.001); composite of amputation or vascular intervention (adjusted hazard ratio 0.47; p < 0.001); and Wagner Grade ≥ 3 (adjusted hazard ratio 0.39; p < 0.001). In conclusion, metformin therapy in patients with diabetic kidney disease can lower diabetic foot ulcer incidence and progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the superconducting properties of Cu-doped lead apatite "LK-99" and synthesized LK-99 samples using the process proposed by a team from Korea, who first described the process. Additionally, whether the results of this Korean team were related to Cu2S was also examined using an ammonia solution (NH3·H2O) to remove Cu2S. Through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses, a distinct Cu2S phase was identified in the LK-99 samples. This phase was effectively eliminated through a subsequent treatment using an ammonia solution. The appearance of blue Cu+2 ions in the solution and the elimination of the Cu2S peak in XRD supported the conclusion. The magnetic and electrical properties of LK-99 with and without Cu2S suggest that the superconductor-like behavior in LK-99 predominantly arises from a transition in resistivity due to the influence of Cu2S. As such, LK-99 is better classified as a diamagnetic semiconductor than a room-temperature superconductor. The room-temperature superconductors still require further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]