Cohort Profile: Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort Constructed by Linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System and National Health Information Database / 예방의학회지

We aimed to review the current data composition of the Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort, which was constructed by linking the Korean Tuberculosis Surveillance System (KNTSS; established and operated by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency since 2000) and the National Health Information Database (NHID; established by the National Health Insurance Service in 2012). The following data were linked: KNTSS data pertaining to patients diagnosed with tuberculosis between 2011 and 2018, NHID data of patients with a history of tuberculosis and related diseases between 2006 and 2018, and data (obtained from the Statistics Korea database) on causes of death. Data from 300 117 tuberculosis patients (177 206 men and 122 911 women) were linked. The rate of treatment success for new cases was highest in 2015 (86.7%), with a gradual decrease thereafter. The treatment success rate for previously treated cases showed an increasing trend until 2014 (79.0%) and decreased thereafter. In total, 53 906 deaths were confirmed among tuberculosis patients included in the cohort. The Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort can be used to analyze different measurement variables in an integrated manner depending on the data source. Therefore, these cohort data can be used in future epidemiological studies and research on policy-effect analysis, treatment outcome analysis, and health-related behaviors such as treatment discontinuation.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Lung Cancer Risk: A Propensity Score Analyses / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#Occupational exposure to pesticides is thought to be associated with lung cancer, but studies have yielded conflicting results. We performed a propensity score (PS) based analyses to evaluate the relationship between occupational exposure to pesticides and lung cancer risk in the Korea National Cancer Center community-based cohort study (KNCCCS). @*Materials and Methods@#During the follow-up period, 123 incidental lung cancer cases were identified, of the 7,471 subjects in the final statistical analysis. Information about occupational exposure to pesticides and other factors was collected at enrollment (2003-2010). Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted. Four PS-based approaches (i.e., matching, stratification, inverse probability-of-treatment weighting, and the use of the PS as a covariate) were adopted, and the results were compared. PS was obtained from the logistic regression model. Absolute standardized differences according to occupational exposure to pesticides were provided to evaluate the balance in baseline characteristics. @*Results@#In the Cox proportional hazards regression model, the hazard ratio (HR) for lung cancer according to occupational exposure to pesticides was 1.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 2.98). With all the propensity score matching (PSM) methods, the HRs for lung cancer based on exposure to pesticides ranged from 1.65 (95% CI, 1.04 to 2.64) (continuous term with PSM) to 2.84 (95% CI, 1.81 to 4.46) (stratification by 5 strata of the PS). The results varied slightly based on the method used, but the direction and statistical significance remained the same. @*Conclusion@#Our results strengthen the evidence for an association between occupational exposure to pesticides and the risk of lung cancer.

A Korean Patient with Lattice Corneal Dystrophy Type IV with Leu527Arg Mutation in the TGFBI Gene

An 87-year-old woman visited our clinic for a scheduled cataract surgery. At the time of preoperative evaluation, slit lamp examination showed lattice-shaped and granular deposits with asymmetrical patterns in the stroma of both corneas. Genomic DNA samples of the patient, amplified by polymerase chain reaction, showed a single nucleotide substitution, c. 1580T>G (p.L527R), in the transforming growth factor-beta-induced TGFBI gene. We also found two additional SNP mutations, c.1620T>C (p.F540F) and c.1678+23G>A, along with the well-known L527R mutation. This is the first report of lattice corneal dystrophy type IV with an L527R mutation outside of Japan, and could challenge the idea that L527R is caused by a mutation from a single Japanese ancestor.

A Korean Patient with Lattice Corneal Dystrophy Type IV with Leu527Arg Mutation in the TGFBI Gene

An 87-year-old woman visited our clinic for a scheduled cataract surgery. At the time of preoperative evaluation, slit lamp examination showed lattice-shaped and granular deposits with asymmetrical patterns in the stroma of both corneas. Genomic DNA samples of the patient, amplified by polymerase chain reaction, showed a single nucleotide substitution, c. 1580T>G (p.L527R), in the transforming growth factor-beta-induced TGFBI gene. We also found two additional SNP mutations, c.1620T>C (p.F540F) and c.1678+23G>A, along with the well-known L527R mutation. This is the first report of lattice corneal dystrophy type IV with an L527R mutation outside of Japan, and could challenge the idea that L527R is caused by a mutation from a single Japanese ancestor.

Perception of 3-Dimensional (3D) Image after Successful Exotropia Surgery

PURPOSE: To investigate the perception of 3-dimensional (3D) image after successful exotropia surgery and compare with Titmus stereo test. METHODS: A total of 23 children who underwent surgery for intermittent exotropia and 28 normal children were evaluated with a 3D laptop computer and Titmus stereo test. RESULTS: The mean minimal 3D scene depth level was 38.26 +/- 19.69 in the exotropia group and 33.21 +/- 16.11 in the normal group with no significant difference (p = 0.319). The mean stereoacuity was 60.97 +/- 34.23 arc sec in the exotropia group and 76.69 +/- 93.81 arc sec in the normal group with no significant difference (p = 0.444). The mean minimal 3D scene depth and mean stereoacuity showed statistically significant positive correlation in both the exotropia group (p = 0.024) and normal group (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: After a successful exotropia surgery, patients can normally perceive 3D images. Better 3D image perception can be predicted if a previously established stereo test shows good results.

Effects of Foot Reflexology on Fatigue, Sleep and Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep and pain. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Electronic database and manual searches were conducted on all published studies reporting the effects of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep, and pain. Forty four studies were eligible including 15 studies associated with fatigue, 18 with sleep, and 11 with pain. The effects of foot reflexology were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.0. The homogeneity and the fail-safe N were calculated. Moreover, a funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. RESULTS: The effects on fatigue, sleep, and pain were not homogeneous and ranged from 0.63 to 5.29, 0.01 to 3.22, and 0.43 to 2.67, respectively. The weighted averages for fatigue, sleep, and pain were 1.43, 1.19, and 1.35, respectively. No publication bias was detected as evaluated by fail-safe N. Foot reflexology had a larger effect on fatigue and sleep and a smaller effect on pain. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis indicates that foot reflexology is a useful nursing intervention to relieve fatigue and to promote sleep. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of foot reflexology on outcome variables other than fatigue, sleep and pain.

Effects of an Educational Program for the Reduction of Physical Restraint Use by Caregivers in Geriatric Hospitals

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to develop an educational program to reduce the use of physical restraints for caregivers in geriatric hospitals and to evaluate the effects of the program on cargivers' knowledge, attitude and nursing practice related to the use of physical restraints. METHODS: A quasi experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were recruited from two geriatric hospitals. Eighteen caregivers were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. The data were collected prior to the intervention and at 6 weeks after the intervention through the use of self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Fisher's exact probability test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: After the intervention, knowledge about physical restraints increased significantly in experimental group compared to the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups for attitude and nursing practice involving physical restraints. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that it is necessary to apply knowledge acquired through educational programs to nursing practice to reduce the use of physical restraints. User friendly guidelines for physical restraints, administrative support of institutions, and multidisciplinary approaches are required to achieve this goal.