Identification of the transcriptome profile of Miamiensis avidus after mebendazole treatment / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Background@#The scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus is a major pathogenic agent that causes significant economic losses in the flounder aquaculture industry. Many different types of drugs are being tested to control this disease, including mebendazole, which is a broad-spectrum antiprotozoal agent. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mebendazole worked in vitro against M. avidus and to explore its mechanism of action. @*Methods@#Transcriptome and gene ontology analyses were conducted to investigate the specifically expressed gene profile. We confirmed the cytotoxic effect of mebendazole against M. avidus when it was applied intermittently for a total of three times. We also identified differentially expressed genes using transcriptome analysis. @*Results@#Most of the upregulated genes were membrane transport-related genes, including Na+/K+-ATPase. Most of the downregulated genes were categorized into three groups: tubulin-related, metabolism-related, and transport-related genes. The expression levels of glucose uptake-related genes decreased due to the inhibition of tubulin polymerization, but this was not statistically significant. @*Conclusions@#Our results demonstrate that intermittent treatment with mebendazole has a significant cytotoxic effect on M. avidus. Furthermore, mebendazole induces downregulation of the tubulin-alpha chain and metabolism-related genes. It is presumed that this leads to a glucose shortage and the death of M. avidus. Transcriptome analysis will provide useful clues for further studies on mebendazole applications for scutica control.

The Effect of Incompletely Administered Antenatal Corticosteroids on Neonatal Pulmonary Outcomes in Late Preterm Infants

Purpose@#Recent obstetric guidelines recommend the administration of antenatal corticosteroids in pregnant women at risk of delivering infants at a gestational age between 34 and 36 weeks. We examined the effect of incompletely administered antenatal corticosteroids on the neonatal pulmonary outcomes in late preterm infants. @*Methods@#Late preterm infants (34+0 to 36+6 weeks gestational age) born at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from January 2019 to June 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. We excluded multiple births except twins, those with major congenital anomalies, deaths, or transfers to other hospitals. An incomplete course of antenatal corticosteroids was defined as one in which the first or the second dose of betamethasone was administered within 24 hours before delivery. The rates of neonatal pulmonary morbidities were compared between late preterm infants given incomplete courses antenatal corticosteroids and their peers who not given antenatal corticosteroids; these morbidities included respiratory distress syndrome and transient tachypnea of the newborn, assisted ventilation including invasive mechanical ventilation, nasal continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal cannula, and admission to neonatal intensive care unit. @*Results@#Logistic regression models were constructed while adjusting for factors which were significant in bivariate models. After adjusting for baseline maternal and neonatal characteristics, we found no significant differences in the rates of neonatal pulmonary morbidities, assisted ventilation, or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit between late preterm infants who received incomplete antenatal corticosteroid therapy and their peers who were not given any antenatal corticosteroids. @*Conclusion@#Incompletely administered antenatal corticosteroids did not significantly alter the neonatal pulmonary outcomes in late preterm infants.

Induction of Angiogenesis by Malarial Infection through Hypoxia Dependent Manner

Malarial infection induces tissue hypoxia in the host through destruction of red blood cells. Tissue hypoxia in malarial infection may increase the activity of HIF1α through an intracellular oxygen-sensing pathway. Activation of HIF1α may also induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to trigger angiogenesis. To investigate whether malarial infection actually generates hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, we analyzed severity of hypoxia, the expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors, and numbers of blood vessels in various tissues infected with Plasmodium berghei. Infection in mice was performed by intraperitoneal injection of 2×10⁶ parasitized red blood cells. After infection, we studied parasitemia and survival. We analyzed hypoxia, numbers of blood vessels, and expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors including VEGF and HIF1α. We used Western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry to analyze various tissues from Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. In malaria-infected mice, parasitemia was increased over the duration of infection and directly associated with mortality rate. Expression of VEGF and HIF1α increased with the parasitemia in various tissues. Additionally, numbers of blood vessels significantly increased in each tissue type of the malaria-infected group compared to the uninfected control group. These results suggest that malarial infection in mice activates hypoxia-induced angiogenesis by stimulation of HIF1α and VEGF in various tissues.

Win-Win Partnership in the Clinical Setting: Female Nurses' Adaptive Experience to Male Nurses / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The present study was done to provide understanding of how female nurses adapt to male nurses and to derive an entity concept that explains the experience process for female nurses. METHODS: Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 16 female nurses who had work experience with male nurses. Collected data were analyzed using the grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin. RESULTS: The core category found in the adjustment experience of female nurses to male nurses was “win-win partnership with male nurses who struggle to keep up in the clinical setting”. The central phenomenon was “unprepared meeting with male nurses who are different from us”. The action/interaction strategies the participants used were “recognition of differences,”, “positive approach,” and “acceptance as a colleague.” CONCLUSION: The results showed that female nurses tried to have a win-win partnership with male nurses by using several strategies. This result broadened the range of understanding of female nurses' adjustment to male nurses and provides new information on their adaptation to practical work.

Perceptions regarding utilization of meteorological information in healthcare in Korea: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Health forecasting has been used in an attempt to provide timely and tailored meteorological information to patients and healthcare providers so that they might take appropriate actions to mitigate health risks and manage healthcare-related needs. This study examined the in-depth perceptions of healthcare providers and the general public regarding the utilization of meteorological information in the healthcare system in Korea. METHODS: The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was applied to this study. We conducted three focus group discussions in accordance with semi-structured guidelines developed to deal with various aspects of the utilization of meteorological information in healthcare settings. The verbatim transcriptions and field notes were analyzed according to content analysis. RESULTS: Six physicians, four nurses, three emergency medical technicians, and seven members of the general public participated in the focus group discussions. There were some individual discrepancies among most participants regarding the health effects of climate change. Although several physician participants felt that meteorological information utilization is not a prime concern during patient care, most of the general public participants believed that it should be used in the patient care process. The provision of meteorological information to patients undergoing care is expected to not only improve the effective management of climate-sensitive diseases, but also boost rapport between healthcare providers and patients. CONCLUSIONS: More attempts should be made to provide meteorological information to groups vulnerable to climate change, and the effects of this information should be evaluated in terms of effectiveness and inequality. The findings of this study will be helpful in countries and institutions trying to introduce health forecasting services. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40557-018-0214-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Correction to: Perceptions regarding utilization of meteorological information in healthcare in Korea: a qualitative study

The authors flagged that the Funding information in the Declarations was incorrect.

Turnover Experience of Male Nurses

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify turnover experiences of men in nursing and to derive a substantive theory on the turnover experience of men who are nurses. METHODS: Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 men who had worked as a nurse for 1 year or more, and had a turnover experience during that period. Collected data were analyzed on the basis of Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory. RESULTS: The core category in the turnover experiences of the respondents was ‘seeking a stable place for me’. In the analysis of the core category, types of ‘contentment’, ‘seeking’, ‘survival’ and ‘confusion’ were identified. The sequential stages of these nurses’ turnover experience were ‘confrontation’, ‘incertitude’, ‘retrying’ and ‘realization’. However, when a problem arose in the process, they returned to the stage of confusion. Thus, these stages could occur in a circular fashion. CONCLUSION: These findings provide a deep understanding of the turnover experience of men in nursing and offers new information about how they adapt to nursing practice. The findings should be useful as foundational data for men who hope to become nurses and also for managers responsible for nurses who are men.

Development of Models for Regional Cardiac Surgery Centers

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop the models for regional cardiac surgery centers, which take regional characteristics into consideration, as a policy measure that could alleviate the concentration of cardiac surgery in the metropolitan area and enhance the accessibility for patients who reside in the regions. METHODS: To develop the models and set standards for the necessary personnel and facilities for the initial management plan, we held workshops, debates, and conference meetings with various experts. RESULTS: After partitioning the plan into two parts (the operational autonomy and the functional comprehensiveness), three models were developed: the ‘independent regional cardiac surgery center’ model, the ‘satellite cardiac surgery center within hospitals’ model, and the ‘extended cardiac surgery department within hospitals’ model. Proposals on personnel and facility management for each of the models were also presented. A regional cardiac surgery center model that could be applied to each treatment area was proposed, which was developed based on the anticipated demand for cardiac surgery. The independent model or the satellite model was proposed for Chungcheong, Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang area, where more than 500 cardiac surgeries are performed annually. The extended model was proposed as most effective for the Gangwon and Jeju area, where more than 200 cardiac surgeries are performed annually. CONCLUSION: The operation of regional cardiac surgery centers with high caliber professionals and quality resources such as optimal equipment and facility size, should enhance regional healthcare accessibility and the quality of cardiac surgery in South Korea.

A Case of Persistent Apical Ballooning Complicated by Apical Thrombus in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patient

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is also known as "transient apical ballooning", is a cardiac syndrome associated with emotional and physical stress that occurs in postmenopausal women. It may mimic acute coronary syndrome but coronary angiography reveals normal epicardial coronary arteries. The prognosis is favorable with the normalization of wall motion abnormalities within weeks. We report a case of persistent apical ballooning complicated by an apical thrombus in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy of systemic lupus erythematous patient. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may not be always transient and left ventricular thrombus can occur in the disease course as our patient.

Clinical Characteristics of Acoustic Trauma Caused by Rifle Gunshot Noise / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the major occupational hazards of working in the military service is being subjected to intense impulse noise, hence acoustic trauma. Acute acoustic trauma is a preventable disease, but the effective treatment modality has not been established yet. Acute acoustic traumas caused by exposure to rifle gunshot noise are common in young Korean males in the military service because of conscription policy. Through the analysis of the clinical presentation of acoustic traumas caused by rifle gunshot noise, we suggest effective preventive modalities. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: 165 soldiers who had otologic symptoms after performing regular rifle gunshot exercise without any hearing protective measures were analyzed. They all had been tested with K2 rifle. History taking, physical examination, pure-tone audiometry, and impedence audiometry, temporal MRI, and Newmann's tinnitus inventory questionnaire survey were performed. RESULTS: Most common and annoying symptom was tinnitus. The average outcome of postexposure air conduction thresholds were 22.3dB HL in the affected ear and 11.8dB HL in the unaffected ear. There was no correlation between severity of tinnitus and severity of hearing loss. Asymmetry of hearing loss related to head position during gunshot was not found. This may be due to the fact that during the mass gunshot training, each patient can be influenced by the gunshot noise of the adjacent gunner's shooting. CONCLUSION: Widening the distance between firing lanes and providing bilateral hearing protective devices against acoustic trauma must be taken into serious consideration.