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Purpose : This study aimed to identify the factors influencing physical restraint-related practice among nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods : The participants consisted of 169 ICU nurses in three general hospitals in B and U cities. Data were collected from December 2021 to January 2022 through a structured selfadministered questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, physical restraint-related practice, Person-centered Critical Care Nursing (PCCN), work environment, and attitudes toward physical restraint use were measured. For data analyses, hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted using SPSS/WIN 25.0.Results : Clinical careers in the ICU, better work environments, higher PCCN levels, and more positive attitudes toward physical restraint use were associated with a better practice of physical restraints, which together explained 35.5% of the total variance of the outcome.Conclusion : Our findings suggest that to promote a safe physical restraintrelated practice among ICU nurses, it is important to improve the nursing environment, prepare guidelines for applying PCCN, and provide education for endorsing positive attitudes toward the use of physical restraints.

PurposeThe current study aimed to identify the overall characteristics of cancer-related emergency department (ED) visits by adult in Korea, including analyses of factors associated with ED stay time and outcomes nationwide. Materials and MethodsWe collected data on cancer-related ED visits from the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) database between 2017 and 2019. ResultsED visits by cancer patients comprised 5.5% (667,935 visits) of total ED visits from 2017 to 2019, which was slightly higher than in other counties. Patients with cancer who visited the ED were over 50 years old, the majority being males, and patients with cancer visited EDs in certified tertiary hospitals more frequently than patients without cancer. In multivariate analyses, the adjusted odds ratio for a length of stay more than 8 hours in the ED of certified tertiary hospitals was 126.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.422 to 1.460) when compared to hospitals. Nevertheless, the longer the patients stayed in the ED, the more likely they were to be admitted. ConclusionThe longer ED stay and higher proportion of cancer patient hospitalizations suggest that cancer patients visit ED to be admitted as well as to receive acute care. The frequency of ED visits and admission may be adjusted to some extent depending on outpatient education, such as self-management of symptoms and situations. Improving cancer care in local communities should be met though provisions such as linking treatment between hospitals or supplying appropriate medical personnel, even for the efficient use of ED resources in hospitals.

Background The immunologic features of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are not clearly delineated. This study was conducted to evaluate SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in children with COVID-19. Methods The levels of anti-spike (S) IgG, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and neutralizing antibody (NAb) were measured during various time points in children Results One hundred sixty-five blood samples from 114 children with COVID-19 (43.9% asymptomatic and 56.1% mildly symptomatic) were analyzed. In both asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic children, the positive rates of anti-S IgG, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and NAb were low within 7 days after onset, but they soon reached 100% 14 to Conclusions These results collectively present the humoral immune responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. A further longitudinal study is needed to thoroughly understand the immune system and for effective vaccine development in children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose : This descriptive survey aims to identify the prevalence of factors associated with sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients.Methods : The study subjects were 137 patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis in three artificial kidney centers in B and Y cities. Data were collected from August 1 to September 30, 2020, using the SARC-F (Strength, Assistant walking, Rising from a chair, Climbing stairs, Falls) questionnaire, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF), Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), and a grip dynamometer. The collected data were analyzed using t-tests, crossover analysis, and logistic regression using the IBM SPSS 23 program.Results : The prevalence of sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients, determined using the SARC-F questionnaire, was 16.1%. The associated factors of sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients were found to be gender (OR=6.44, p =.002), age (OR=1.07, p =.015), nutritional status (OR=10.37, p =.027), and albumin level (OR=0.10, p =.014). These findings are supported by an explanatory power of 46.3% (p =.597).Conclusion : The identified risk factors for sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients were; sex, age, nutritional status, and albumin level. The findings of this study can serve as clinical evidence for the development of an intervention program for preventing and managing sarcopenia in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Introduction: Aging of the kidney is associated with complex molecular, histological, and functional changes. Although the aging process itself does not induce renal damage, underlying disease such as diabetes mellitus can aggravate kidney injury during aging. Although oxidative stress is considered an important mediator in age-related renal fibrosis, it is unclear how oxidative stress increases during normal and diabetic aging. Methods: In this study, we investigated molecular changes in the kidney in normal and diabetic aging mice. C57BL6 mice were studied at 2, 12, and 24 months of age, and leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice were studied at 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 38 weeks of age. We measured renal functional parameters, fibrotic and inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress markers at all the above time points. Results: Both non-diabetic and diabetic mice exhibited progressive microalbuminuria during their lifespan. Interestingly, both diabetic aging and normal aging mice showed progressive increases in oxidative stress markers such as plasma and urinary 8-isoprostane as well as renal lipid hydroperoxide content. In renal tissues, proinflammatory and profibrotic molecules were significantly upregulated in an age-dependent manner. Expression of three NADPH oxidase (Nox) isoforms, namely Nox1, Nox2, and Nox4, was significantly increased during aging. Compared with normal aging mice, diabetic db/db mice demonstrated more dramatic changes during aging process. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that NADPH oxidases play an important role in the aging kidney under both normal and diabetic conditions. Targeting of these oxidases might be a new promising therapy to treat issues associated with aging kidneys.

Background The appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) can significantly reduce the risk of infection associated with caring for patients. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, awareness, and behaviors related to the PPE usage among frontline nurses in a nationally designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods The study was performed in two phases: (1) a questionnaire survey to assess the knowledge, awareness, and behaviors related to PPE use, and (2) in-depth personal interviews to elaborate the survey findings. The questionnaires were distributed to all 121 registered nurses in three isolation wards and an intensive care unit which dedicated for patients with COVID-19 and 102 nurses completed survey (84.3% response rate). In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 7 nurses. Results Among the survey participant, 100% stated that they knew how to protect themselves while providing nursing care and 93.1% stated that they knew the recommended PPE by task. Most survey participant mainly wore gloves, face shield, N95 or equivalent respirator, and a long-sleeved gown, but one-third of the participants sometimes used coveralls instead of long-sleeved gown. In-depth interviews, the importance of timely updated and specific guidelines for selecting the appropriate type of PPE was highlighted. The adequate supply of PPE, convenience at work, and the role of responsible leadership mainly determined behaviors related to the PPE. Conclusion As new information on COVID-19 continues to emerge, the up-to-date and specific PPE guideline with evidence should be prepared. The spread of accurate information, the role of accountable leadership, and the active communication under positive organizational culture are important for the proper use of PPE.

Introduction Breast cancer co-occurred with thyroid cancer might be associated with thyroid hormone receptor (TR) and estrogen receptor (ER), but few have been reported. We aimed to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of ERs and TRs in such settings. Material and methods Tissue microarrays were constructed from 75 patients with breast and thyroid cancer (BC + TC) who were retrospectively recruited between 1999 and 2012 and 147 with breast cancer only (BC controls). The ERα, ERβ, TRα, and TRβ expression levels were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results TRα expression was more frequently observed in the BC + TC group than the BC control group both in the normal (51.5% vs 23.3%, respectively, p = 0.009) and cancer tissues (21.6% vs 6.8%, respectively, p = 0.001). The BC + TC group showed greater ERα-positivity in the cancer tissues (79.7% vs 58.7%, respectively, p = 0.002) than the BC control group. The degree of ERα- and TRα-positivity was unchanged by radioactive treatment or serum thyroid stimulating hormone levels. In the BC + TC group, ERα-positivity was associated with earlier disease stage I/IIA (81.0% vs 50.0%; p = 0.031) and lower recurrence rates (8.5% vs 40.0%; p = 0.002). TRα-positivity alone was not associated with any recurrence-free survival-related differences, and ERα- and TRα-negativity were associated with significantly shorter recurrence-free survival (p Conclusion Enhanced ERα and TRα expression in breast cancer is associated with thyroid cancer occurrence, and the observed association with prognosis suggests the possible role of ERs and TRs in the link between breast cancer and thyroid cancer.

Background and aims Oxidative stress contributes to development of diabetic nephropathy. We implicated SH3YL1 in oxidative stress-induced inflammation and examined whether SH3YL1 could be used as a new biomarker of diabetic nephropathy. Methods and results In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma level of SH3YL1 and diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. In addition, we examined the physiological role of SH3YL1 in db/db mice and cultured podocytes. Plasma SH3YL1 concentration was significantly higher in patients with diabetes than in controls, even in normoalbuminuric patients, and was markedly increased in the macroalbuminuria group. Plasma SH3YL1 level was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, HOMA-IR, postprandial blood glucose, plasma level of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP 4), and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and was inversely correlated with BMI. Regression analysis showed that plasma level of RBP 4, UAE, and BMI were the only independent determinants of plasma SH3YL1 concentration. In db/db mice, plasma and renal SH3YL1 levels were significantly increased in mice with diabetes compared with control mice. In cultured podocytes, high glucose and angiotensin II stimuli markedly increased SH3YL1 synthesis. Conclusion These findings suggest that plasma level of SH3YL1 offers a promising new biomarker for diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Prolonged emergency department length of stay (EDLOS) in critically ill patients leads to adverse outcomes, including an increased mortality risk. This nationwide study investigated patient and hospital characteristics associated with prolonged EDLOS and in-hospital mortality in adult patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Emergency Department Information System. Prolonged EDLOS was defined as an EDLOS of 6 h or more. We constructed multivariate logistic regressions to model the effects of patient and hospital variables as predictors of prolonged EDLOS and in-hospital mortality risk.Results: Between 2016 and 2019, 657,622 adult patients were admitted to the ICU from the ED, representing 2.4% of all ED presentations. The median EDLOS of the overall study population was 3.3 h (interquartile range, 1.9–6.1 h). In total, 25.3% of patients had prolonged EDLOS. Patient characteristics associated with prolonged EDLOS included night-time ED presentation, assignment of initial triage to less urgency, and one or more comorbidities. Hospital characteristics associated with prolonged EDLOS included a higher number of staffed beds and a higher ED level. Prolonged EDLOS was associated with in-hospital mortality after adjustment for selected confounders (adjusted odds ratio,1.18; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.16–1.20). Patient characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality included age ≥ 65 years, transferred-in, mechanical ventilation in the ED, assignment of initial triage to more urgency, and one or more comorbidities. Hospital characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality included a lower number of staffed beds and a lower ED level.Conclusions: In this nationwide analysis, 25.3% of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU from the ED had a prolonged EDLOS, which in turn was significantly associated with an increased in-hospital mortality risk. Hospital characteristics were also associated with prolonged EDLOS and in-hospital mortality, including the number of staffed beds and the ED level.

ObjectivesThe geographical disparity in the access to essential obstetric services is a public health issue in many countries. We explored the association between timely access to obstetric services and the individual risk of adverse birth outcomes.DesignRepeated cross-sectional design.SettingSouth Korean national birth data linked with a medical service provision database.Participants1 842 718 singleton livebirths from 2014 to 2018.Primary outcome measuresPreterm birth (PTB), post-term birth, low birth weight (LBW) and macrosomia.ResultsIn the study population, 9.3% of mothers lived in districts where the Time Relevance Index (TRI) was as low as the first quartile (40.6%). Overall PTB and post-term birth rates were 5.0% and 0.1%, respectively. Among term livebirths, LBW and macrosomia occurred in 1.0% and 3.3%, respectively. When the TRI is lower, representing less access to obstetric care, the risk of macrosomia was higher (adjusted OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.20 for Q1 compared with Q4). Similarly, PTB is more likely to occur when TRI is lower (1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.10 for Q1; 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05 for Q2). There were some inverse associations between TRI and post-term birth (0.80, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.91, for Q2; 0.84, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.93, for Q3).ConclusionsWe observed less accessibility to obstetric service is associated with higher risks of macrosomia and PTB. This finding supports the role of obstetric service accessibility in the individual risk of adverse birth outcomes.

In most societies, women and men systematically differ in consumption of cosmetics and household products, which are interlinked with gendered norms and occupational segregation. We investigated the differences in personal care product (PCP) use and exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) based on occupation and gender.We utilized data from the first to third Korean National Environmental Health Survey analyzing 9218 participants aged 20-59 years engaged in their current occupation for ≥3 months. Frequent PCP use (≥once/week) and exposure to EDCs were analyzed by gender and occupation. We used least-square geometric means (LSGMs) of urinary concentrations of the five EDCs adjusted for covariates.Manual occupation was most common in men and no paid occupation was most frequent in women. In general, clerical, service, and sales workers showed the highest prevalence of frequent use of hair and body products. Women used body and makeup products more frequently than men. For all five EDCs, similarly, women showed higher urinary levels in all occupation groups. When stratified by gender, the differences in urinary concentration of EDCs across occupation groups were not observed in men. Among women, clerical, service, and sales workers showed higher bisphenol A (BPA) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) levels than manual workers.Differentials in exposure to EDCs by occupation groups were not evident for men. Given the higher urinary concentration of EDCs in women compared to men, interventions to reduce the exposure to EDCs would need to focus on women, especially in clerical, service, and sales occupations.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused an emergency situation worldwide. Investigating the association between environmental characteristics and COVID-19 incidence can be of the occurrence and transmission. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between greenness exposure and COVID-19 cases at the district levels in South Korea. We also explored this association by considering several environmental indicators.District-level data from across South Korea were used to model the cumulative count of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 persons between January 20, 2020, and February 25, 2021. Greenness exposure data were derived from the Environmental Geographic Information Service of the Korean Ministry of Environment. A negative binomial mixed model evaluated the association between greenness exposure and COVID-19 incidence rate at the district level. Furthermore, we assessed this association between demographic, socioeconomic, environmental statuses, and COVID-19 incidence.Data from 239 of 250 districts (95.6%) were included in the analyses, resulting in 127.89 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 persons between January 20, 2020 and February 25, 2021. Several demographic and socioeconomic variables, districts with a higher rate of natural greenness exposure, were significantly associated with lower COVID-19 incidence rates (incidence rate ratio (IRR), 0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54-0.90; P-value = 0.008) after adjusting covariates, but no evidence for the association between built greenness and COVID-19 incidence rates was found.In this ecological study of South Korea, we found that higher rates of exposure to natural greenness were associated with lower rates of COVID-19 cases.

Cyclosporine A (CyA) is an immunosuppressive agent that induces nephrotoxicity with long-term treatment. The roles of DPP-4 and its inhibitors in cyclosporine nephrotoxicity are not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a novel DPP-4 inhibitor, DA-1229, on the progression of renal disease in an experimental cyclosporine nephrotoxicity model. Chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity was induced in six-week-old male ICR mice by subcutaneous injections of CyA at a dose of 30 mg/kg for four weeks. Animals were treated with DA-1229 at a dose of 300 mg/kg per day in food for four weeks. Although DPP-4 activity did not increase in the kidneys of mice with induced cyclosporine nephrotoxicity, DA-1229 treatment significantly suppressed DPP-4 activity in both plasma and renal tissues. DPP-4 inhibition by DA-1229 led to significantly decreased albuminuria and urinary excretion of 8-isoprosatane. DPP-4 inhibition also substantially suppressed pro-inflammatory effects, profibrotic molecules, and macrophage infiltration, and led to the improvement in renal structural changes. Our results suggest that DPP-4 inhibition by DA-1229 provides renoprotective effects in an animal model of cyclosporine nephrotoxicity via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic mechanisms. DPP-4 inhibition may be a useful new therapeutic approach for the management of progressive renal disease in cyclosporine nephrotoxicity.

Purpose It is important to understand the differences between men and women when it comes to attitudes and risk perception toward disease. This study aimed to explore the fear of cancer from the standpoint of themselves and the opposite sex by cancer type. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey with a representative sample was conducted. Results The least and the most feared cancers in men were thyroid cancer and lung cancer, respectively. When men assumed the perspective of women, the least and the most feared cancer were thyroid cancer and stomach cancer, respectively. The least and the most feared cancers in women were thyroid cancer and stomach cancer, respectively. When women assumed the perspective of men, the least and the most feared cancer were prostate cancer and lung cancer, respectively. When both men and women assume the perspective of the opposite sex, the fear of sex-specific cancer was relatively low compared to the actual responses of both men and women. The top six of the most feared side effects of cancer treatment were pain, psychological problems, general weakness, digestive dysfunction, fatigue, and appearance change. These were the same between men and women. Conclusion Health care providers and caregivers in the family should provide care with more attention to the differences in thoughts about cancer between men and women. Health care providers should provide care with more attention to the differences in these problems between men and women.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with tumor development and progression via pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic effects. However, the clinicopathological implications of the ER stress pathway in non-small cell lung cancer remain unclear. Therefore, we sought to address these issues in this study.Expression of two ER stress-related proteins, GRP78 and XBP1 spliced-form (XBP1s), was evaluated in pulmonary adenocarcinoma (pADC; n = 369) and squamous cell carcinoma (pSqCC; n = 246) using immunohistochemistry.Expression levels of GRP78 and XBP1s were significantly higher in pADCs and pSqCCs, respectively (both, P0.0001). In the pADC group, XBP1s expression was higher in patients with ALK translocation than in those with wild-type ALK, wild-type EGFR, or EGFR mutation (P0.005). No significant difference in GRP78 expression according to ALK or EGFR status was noted. pADC harboring high GRP78 expression exhibited an increased XBP1s expression (P = 0.0067). Higher XBP1s expression was associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with pADC (P = 0.026) and in those with ALK translocation (P = 0.001). Higher GRP78 expression was associated with shorter DFS in patients with pADC (P = 0.029) and those with EGFR mutation (P = 0.005). Multivariate survival analysis revealed that high XBP1s expression was an independent predictor of poor DFS in pADC (P = 0.004, hazard ratio [HR] = 3.115), and that high GRP78 expression was an independent predictor of poor DFS in EGFR-mutated pADC (P = 0.007, HR = 2.168). Taken together, high expression of XBP1s or GRP78 was an independent poor prognostic factor in pADC (P = 0.002, HR = 2.403).GRP78 and XBP1s are expressed variably in pADC, but their overexpression is associated with poor patient prognosis. The ER stress pathway may be a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for pADC.

The third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, in December 2020, overwhelmed the Korean healthcare system. In particular, the medical demand of residents in long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, group homes, and detention facilities surged. In this study, we described the experience from development and operation of an alternate care facility (ACF) against the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we describe our implementation strategy, including the layout plan, adequate staffing, admission criteria, and patient flow. Using the context of the existing guidelines and literature in the planning and construction process, the differences from the preceding alternative treatment facilities to respond to COVID-19 were also described. Under the time pressure, the old buildings used as office spaces by the US armies were converted into a 107-bed hospital that met infection prevention and clinical care standards. Since these hospitals were dedicated to caring for the patients with COVID-19, multiple challenges were posed to the standards of infection prevention and control, and patient care and safety. The approaches described here provide a potential roadmap for decision makers, who are coping with medical surges as a result of the current and potential future pandemics by implementing an ACF.

ObjectiveChanges in the clinicopathological characteristics and genetic alterations of follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) over time have not been reported. Moreover, the prognostic effects ofRASandTERTpromoter mutations in FTC have not been clearly elucidated. We investigated changes in the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with FTC over four decades, as well as the clinical significance of genetic mutations of FTC.Design and methodsThis retrospective study included 690 patients with FTC who underwent thyroidectomy between 1973 and 2015 at the Seoul National University Hospital. In 134 samples, genetic tests forN/H/KRASandTERTpromoter mutations andPAX8/PPARγrearrangement were performed.ResultsThe age at diagnosis has increased (P P = 0.033). Other clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of FTC have not significantly changed. The prevalence ofRASmutations decreased (P = 0.042) over time, whereas that ofTERTpromoter mutations remained stable.RASmutations were associated with distant metastasis and persistent disease, andTERTpromoter mutations were associated with distant metastasis, advanced TNM stage, recurrence and disease-specific mortality. FTC patients with coexistentRASandTERTpromoter mutations showed a higher recurrence risk than those with only one mutation.ConclusionsThe age at diagnosis of FTC and the frequency of extrathyroidal extension have changed over four decades. Moreover, the prevalence ofRASmutations decreased.RASandTERTpromoter mutations may be associated with poor clinical outcomes in FTC, especially when the two mutations coexist.

PURPOSE As the recent term of "financial toxicity" implies, cancer causes a treatment-related financial harm. Financial Aid Program for Cancer Patient (FAPCP) is a government's financial support for low-income patients in the Republic of Korea. This study aimed to describe FAPCP applicants' condition and to investigate factors influencing financial burden, which would provide the basis for implementing a strategy for FAPCP administration. Materials and Methods The telephone survey results from 2,700 FAPCP participants were analyzed, including demographic, socioeconomic, and disease characteristics and experiences associated with financial burden and the actions or measures to cope with them. RESULTS Overall, 87.6% experienced financial burden more than moderate degree, 39.2% got financial help/a loan, 17.8% disposed of their property, and 10.2% changed or stopped treatment owing to medical costs. Monthly household income was connected to financial burden, and the highest income group was associated with the lowest financial burden (odds ratio [OR], 0.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11 to 0.38) and the lowest rate of changing/stopping care (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.05 to 1.00). Parents of childhood cancer patients got financial help/a loan (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.03 to 4.88) and disposed of their property (OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.40 to 7.22) more frequently, and Medical Aids applicants showed the highest rate of changing/stopping care (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.89 to 4.78). CONCLUSION FAPCP targets low income groups; however, financial burden and the consequent actions taken still exist disproportionately, depending on the income of the applicants. FAPCP should focus on more vulnerable groups including Medical Aid applicants and parents of childhood cancer patients, by increasing funds and expanding their support coverage.

Background The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has standardized the reporting of thyroid cytology specimens. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the nationwide usage of TBSRTC and assess the malignancy rates in each category of TBSRTC in Korea. Methods Questionnaire surveys were used for data collection on the fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules at 74 institutes in 2012. The incidences and follow-up malignancy rates of each category diagnosed from January to December, 2011, in each institute were also collected and analyzed. Results Sixty out of 74 institutes answering the surveys reported the results of thyroid FNA in accordance with TBSRTC. The average malignancy rates for resected cases in 15 institutes were as follows: nondiagnostic, 45.6%; benign, 16.5%; atypical of undetermined significance, 68.8%; suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN), 30.2%; suspicious for malignancy, 97.5%; malignancy, 99.7%. Conclusions More than 80% of Korean institutes were using TBSRTC as of 2012. All malignancy rates other than the SFN and malignancy categories were higher than those reported by other countries. Therefore, the guidelines for treating patients with thyroid nodules in Korea should be revisited based on the malignancy rates reported in this study.

To evaluate the prognostic significance of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), and total phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expressions in patients undergoing adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for proximal extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) cancer.Sixty-three patients with proximal EHBD cancer who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant CRT were enrolled into this study. Postoperative radiotherapy was delivered to tumor bed and regional lymph nodes up to a median of 40 Gy (range, 40 to 54 Gy). Fifty-nine patients also received fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy as a radiosensitizer. p-Akt, p-mTOR, and PTEN expression were assessed with immunohistochemical staining on the tissue microarray.p-Akt, p-mTOR, and PTEN were expressed in 23 (36.5%), 17 (27.0%), and 24 patients (38.1%), respectively. p-Akt expression was associated with distant metastasis and overall survival (OS), but not with locoregional recurrence. The 5-year distant metastasis-free and OS rates were 25.8% versus 58.2% (P=0.007), and 27.5% versus 50.2% (P=0.0167) in patients with negative and positive expression, respectively. On multivariate analysis, nodal involvement was the only significant prognosticator predicting inferior distant metastasis-free survival (P=0.0105), whereas p-Akt expression had a borderline significance (P=0.0541). As for OS, p-Akt expression was a marginally significant prognosticator (P=0.0635), whereas other risk factors lost the statistical significance.p-Akt expression tended to be associated with a favorable prognosis in patients undergoing curative resection followed by adjuvant CRT for proximal EHBD cancer.

Background Fibroblasts are ubiquitous cells in the human body and are absolutely necessary for wound healing such as for injured skin. This role of fibroblasts was the reason why we aimed to differentiate human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) into fibroblasts and to test their wound healing potency. Recent reports on hADSC-derived conditioned medium have indicated stimulation of collagen synthesis as well as migration of dermal fibroblasts in wound sites with these cells. Similarly, human fibroblast-derived conditioned medium (F-CM) was reported to contain a variety of factors known to be important for growth of skin. However, it remains unknown whether and how F-CM can stimulate hADSCs to secrete type I collagen. Methods In this study, we obtained F-CM from the culture of human skin fibroblast HS27 cells in DMEM media. For an in-vivo wound healing assay using cell transplantation, balb/c nude mice with full-thickness skin wound were used. Results Our data showed that levels of type I pro-collagen secreted by hADSCs cultured in F-CM increased significantly compared with hADSCs kept in normal medium for 72 h. In addition, from a Sircol collagen assay, the amount of collagen in F-CM-treated hADSC conditioned media (72 h) was markedly higher than both the normal medium-treated hADSC conditioned media (72 h) and the F-CM (24 h). We aimed to confirm that hADSCs in F-CM would differentiate into fibroblast cells in order to stimulate wound healing in a skin defect model. To investigate whether F-CM induced hADSCs into fibroblast-like cells, we performed FACS analysis and verified that both F-CM-treated hADSCs and HS27 cells contained similar expression patterns for CD13, CD54, and CD105, whereas normal medium-treated hADSCs were significantly different. mRNA level analysis for Nanog, Oct4A, and Sox2 as undifferentiation markers and vimentin, HSP47, and desmin as matured fibroblast markers supported the characterization that hADSCs in F-CM were highly differentiated into fibroblast-like cells. To discover the mechanism of type I pro-collagen expression in hADSCs in F-CM, we observed that phospho-smad 2/3 levels were increased in the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. For in-vivo analysis, we injected various cell types into balb/c nude mouse skin carrying a 10-mm punch wound, and observed a significantly positive wound healing effect in this full-thickness excision model with F-CM-treated hADSCs rather than with untreated hADSCs or the PBS injected group. Conclusions We differentiated F-CM-treated hADSCs into fibroblast-like cells and demonstrated their efficiency in wound healing in a skin wound model.

The traditional boundaries between public and private sectors has been blurred, and questions raised regarding how publicness could be conceptualized. The empirical study on the concept of publicness can reveal greatly diversified views on publicness, and help to reduce confusion over publicness. For the content analysis, 750 news articles of 8 national Korean newspapers were retrieved from the Korea Integrated News Database System. The articles were coded by the inductive category for the topic of the paragraph, the concept related to publicness, and the overall tone toward publicness. Publicness was addressed in a number of different issues, and diverse and specific statuses or actions were associated with the realization of publicness. The most frequent concept was "government," which represented the main agent of healthcare provision and the owner of institutions for "the vulnerable." Issues of industrialization of healthcare/healthcare industry and reform of the national healthcare system mentioned publicness in a normative sense, which laid stress on "not-for-profit" service and the right of "universal access" to service for publicness. Articles of health/disease information or global health regarded "the population/public" as the main targets or beneficiaries of healthcare services. Occasionally, publicness was not related to specific concepts, being used unclearly or as a routine. The fulfillment of the specific actions or status may lead to the enhancement of publicness. However, publicness itself could not be reduced to the specific concepts suggested. The use of publicness in healthcare delivered only its normative sense without substantive meaning.