Risk of Water and Food-Borne Communicable Diseases in Travelers Entering Korea

OBJECTIVES: It was supposed to analyze status and affecting factors in water and food-borne communicable disease by screening entrants with diarrhea symptom at the point of entry in Korea METHODS: Symptomatic travelers with water and food-borne communicable diseases who entered Korea were diagnosed by a health declaration and detection of causative agents in water and food using laboratory tests. Among those entered in 2017, the affecting factors in the incidence of communicable diseases among those who had diarrhea at the entry into Korea, were analyzed, with frequency and chi-square test. RESULTS: The number of travel entrants with gastrointestinal communicable diseases increased by 40.19% from 2013 to 2017. The percentage of causative agents of water and food-borne communicable diseases was the highest at 69.2% from July to September. The rate of detection of causative agents of communicable disease pathogens in travelers from Southeast Asia entering Korea was 70.2%, which was higher than people arriving from East Asia and Central Asia (57.5%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The positive ratio of causative agents of water and food-borne communicable diseases was high among travelers that had entered Korea from July to September, with a high number among entrants from Southeast Asia. Based on the positive detection of causative agents, the entry period and countries visited were statistically significant affecting factors (p < 0.001).

Histochemistry of Six Lectins in the Tissues of the Flat Fish Paralichthys olivaceus

Lectins are glycoproteins that specifically bind carbohydrate structures and may participate in the biodefense mechanisms of fish. In this study, the binding of three lectins, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), soybean agglutinin (SBA), Bandeiraea simplicifolia BS-1 (isolectin B4), Triticum vulgaris (WGA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA) and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I) were studied in the gill, liver, intestine, kidney, heart, and spleen of the flat fish Paralichthys olivaceus. DBA was detected in intestinal mucous cells, as well as in gill epithelial and mucous cells. It was weakly detected in renal tubule epithelial cells and in bile duct epithelial cells. The strong SBA staining was seen in the intestinal club cells, in bile duct epithelial cells and renal tubule epithelial cells. There were intense positive reactions for isolectin B4 in gill epithelial and mucous cells, and the strong isolectin B4 staining was seen in epithelial cells of the bile duct and intestine. The strong WGA staining was seen in the gill mucosal cells, sinusoid, renal tubule epithelial cells and mucosal cells of the intestine. UEA-I was detected in the gill epithelial and mucosal cells, bile duct epithelial cells and renal tubular epithelial cells. These results suggest that the six lectins examined were localized in the covering epithelia of the various organs of the flat fish and they may participate in the biodefense mechanism of the intra body surface in which is exposed to various antigens.

A Study on the Empathy of Pediatric nurses / 아동간호학회지

Empathy is an essential factor for establishing therapeutic relationship. Especially for pediatric nursing, the nurses need to know how to perceive children's feeling and thought and to express her understanding about them affectively. So, empathy is considered as an important concept in pediatric nursing. This study was attempted to measure the empathic ability of pediatric nurses by pediatric nurse and mothers of hospitalized children. The subject of this study consisted of 83 pediatric nurses and 106 mothers of hospitalized children in 4 hospitals in Seoul and 1 hospital in Kyung-Gi. Data were collected from Jan. 14 to Feb. 6, 1997, by the questionnaire method. The instrument for this study was the Empathic Construct Rating Scale : ECRS(60-item, 5 point scale). Data Were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. Result of this study are summarized as follows : 1. Pediatric nurses perceived their empathic ability to be moderately high(Mn=3.71) The level of perceived empathic ability of the pediatric nurses showed no significance by general characteristics. 2. The mothers of hospitalized children perceived nurses' empathic ability to be moderate(Mn=3.27). The level of perceived nurses' empathic ability of the mothers of hospitalized children showed significant differences by the experience of hospitalization of the children and the age of the mothers. 3. The perceived nurses' empathic ability of the mothers was significantly low than of the pediatric nurses(t=6.50, P<.001). From the above results, it can be concluded. that the empathic ability of the pediatric nurses is not sufficient for caring children and mothers efficiently. So, the pediatric nurses' empathic ability is needed to improve through facilitative relationship training as refreshment in-service education program.