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Purpose@#To compare differences and changes in the parents’ awareness regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for their children according to educational intervention. @*Methods@#This study involved 1,034 parents with children aged 6–59 months, who lived in five areas in northern Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in 2015; the study was conducted using the questionnaire survey method. Survey items included awareness regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for children and future intentions of influenza vaccination and the underlying reasons. The participants were divided into 3 groups and differences according to education (group A: no education, group B: provided education) and the changes before and after education (group C) were analyzed. @*Results@#Differences according to education between groups A and B were seen in the recognition of high-risk of influenza in their children, effectiveness of influenza vaccination, and cost of the influenza vaccine. Changes before and after education in group C were seen in the recognition of high-risk of influenza in their children, safety of influenza vaccination, cost of the influenza vaccine, and negativity toward the influenza vaccine. @*Conclusions@#Educated parents were more aware regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for their children aged 6–59 months.
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Purpose@#To establish age/sex-specific reference intervals for serum uric acid and to examine the associations between serum uric acid level and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Korean children and adolescents. @*Methods@#We analyzed data for 1,349 subjects aged 10 to 19 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2017. @*Results@#The mean uric acid levels were 5.9±1.3 mg/dL (interquartile range, 5.0–6.8 mg/dL) in males and 4.6±0.9 mg/dL (interquartile range, 3.9–5.2 mg/dL) in females. The mean uric acid level increased significantly from 10–13 years of age in males, but not in females. The overall prevalence of MetS was 5.9% (7.3% in males and 4.3% in females; P=0.022). The prevalences of MetS in the lowest, second, third, and highest quartiles of uric acid level were 4.4%, 3.3%, 6.1%, and 15.2%, respectively, in males (P for trend <0.001) and 1.9%, 0.0%, 4.1%, and 10.9%, respectively, in females (P for trend <0.001). Compared with the lowest quartile of uric acid level, the odds ratio (with 95% confidence interval) for MetS in the highest quartile was 2.897 (1.140–7.361) in males and 5.173 (1.459–18.342) in females. Subjects in the highest quartile exhibited increased risk for abdominal obesity and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both sexes. @*Conclusion@#Serum uric acid level is positively associated with MetS and its components abdominal obesity and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
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Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Education , Health Policy , Incidence , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Korea , Mortality , Parents , Seasons , VaccinationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Annual vaccination is the principal way to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with influenza. In the 2016–2017 influenza seasons, the influenza epidemic appeared to exhibit a different pattern from the previous years. Because of the unusual trend, the incidence of influenza-like patients among school-aged children had increased, causing doubts about the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine among elementary school students in Korea.@*METHODS@#The study was conducted in elementary schools in each province of Korea in cooperation with the Student Health Policy Division of the Ministry of Education. Each Provincial Office of Education of Korea, except for Jeju, randomly selected one to two elementary schools for each District Office of Education. A total of 2,739 elementary school students were enrolled and vaccination and influenza infection status were collected from the subjects' parents through questionnaires, from February 13th to 21st in 2017. Vaccine effectiveness was defined as calculating the infection rate of influenza among the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups and determining the decreased infection rate of the vaccinated group relative to the unvaccinated group, while adjusting for time of vaccination and infection.@*RESULTS@#Adjusting for the interval between vaccination and infection, vaccine effectiveness of influenza was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.6% to 28.9%), 22.5% (95% CI, 10.3% to 33%), and 28.7% (95% CI, 17.5% to 38.3%) at 2 or more weeks, 3 or more weeks, and 4 or more weeks after vaccination, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#In conclusion, considering the time required for adequate immunogenicity, the 2016–2017 seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness in Korean elementary school students was 17.6%–28.7%, which was less effective than that of previous years.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Annual vaccination is the principal way to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with influenza. In the 2016–2017 influenza seasons, the influenza epidemic appeared to exhibit a different pattern from the previous years. Because of the unusual trend, the incidence of influenza-like patients among school-aged children had increased, causing doubts about the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine among elementary school students in Korea.@*METHODS@#The study was conducted in elementary schools in each province of Korea in cooperation with the Student Health Policy Division of the Ministry of Education. Each Provincial Office of Education of Korea, except for Jeju, randomly selected one to two elementary schools for each District Office of Education. A total of 2,739 elementary school students were enrolled and vaccination and influenza infection status were collected from the subjects' parents through questionnaires, from February 13th to 21st in 2017. Vaccine effectiveness was defined as calculating the infection rate of influenza among the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups and determining the decreased infection rate of the vaccinated group relative to the unvaccinated group, while adjusting for time of vaccination and infection.@*RESULTS@#Adjusting for the interval between vaccination and infection, vaccine effectiveness of influenza was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.6% to 28.9%), 22.5% (95% CI, 10.3% to 33%), and 28.7% (95% CI, 17.5% to 38.3%) at 2 or more weeks, 3 or more weeks, and 4 or more weeks after vaccination, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#In conclusion, considering the time required for adequate immunogenicity, the 2016–2017 seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness in Korean elementary school students was 17.6%–28.7%, which was less effective than that of previous years.
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A retrospective analysis was made of 20 patients with pineal region tumors who were treated at the Department of Neurosurgery, Capital Armed Forces General Hospital between May of 1987 and March of 1993. We performed ventriculo-peritoneal shunt in 17 patients with obstructive hydrocephalus. Tissue diagnosis was obtained in 7 patients before irradiation and 13 patients underwent irradiation without histological diagnosis. Among 7 biopsy-proven cases, 5 were germinoma, one was mixed germ cell tumor and another one was astrocytoma. The response to irradiation and tumor marker study revealed that 13 patients who did not have tissue diagnosis seemed to be germinomatous, non-germinomatous germ cell tumors and endodermal sinus tumor. So, the following results were obtained. 1) The patients were all young males. 2) The main presenting symptoms and signs were headache, vomiting and papilledema. 3) The tumors were mainly presented as a round well-enhancing masses with calcification. 4) Based on the classification of pineal tumor, germinoma was predominant tumor type. 5) The extrapineal metastasis was found in 5 cases(25.0%). 6) The tumor marker (alpha-FP or HCG) was positive in 5 cases(25.0%). 7) Germinoma showed excellent prognosis after the irradiation.