Induction of Peptide-specific CTL Activity and Inhibition of Tumor Growth Following Immunization with Nanoparticles Coated with Tumor Peptide-MHC-I Complexes

Tumor peptides associated with MHC class I molecules or their synthetic variants have attracted great attention for their potential use as vaccines to induce tumor-specific CTLs. However, the outcome of clinical trials of peptide-based tumor vaccines has been disappointing. There are various reasons for this lack of success, such as difficulties in delivering the peptides specifically to professional Ag-presenting cells, short peptide halflife in vivo, and limited peptide immunogenicity. We report here a novel peptide vaccination strategy that efficiently induces peptide-specific CTLs. Nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated from a biodegradable polymer, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid), attached to H-2Kb molecules, and then the natural peptide epitopes associated with the H-2K b molecules were exchanged with a model tumor peptide, SIINFEKL (OVA 257-268 ). These NPs were efficiently phagocytosed by immature dendritic cells (DCs), inducing DC maturation and activation. In addition, the DCs that phagocytosed SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs potently activated SIINFEKL-H-2K b complex-specific CD8 + T cells via cross-presentation of SIINFEKL. In vivo studies showed that intravenous administration of SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs effectively generated SIINFEKLspecific CD8 + T cells in both normal and tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, intravenous administration of SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs into EG7.OVA tumor-bearing mice almost completely inhibited the tumor growth. These results demonstrate that vaccination with polymeric NPs coated with tumor peptide-MHC-I complexes is a novel strategy for efficient induction of tumor-specific CTLs.

A Content Analysis of Disaster Nursing Education in Korean and Japanese Universities

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the contents of disaster nursing education at universities in Korea and Japan, with focus on textbooks. METHODS: Disaster nursing contents from 11 Korean community health nursing textbooks and 3 Japanese disaster nursing textbooks were analysed. RESULTS: Three themes and 8 categories of disaster nursing content in the selected textbooks were analyzed. The themes classified include ‘understanding of disaster’, ‘disaster management’ and ‘disaster management system’. The theme of ‘understanding of disaster’ consists of such categories as ‘disaster concept/outline’, ‘classification of disaster’, ‘disaster management step’ and ‘disaster impact’. The theme of ‘disaster management activities’ consists of categories such as ‘disaster management activities’ and ‘disaster nursing’. The theme of ‘national disaster management system’ consists of categories like ‘national disaster management system’ and ‘international disaster relief’. From the comparison of disaster nursing education in the two countries, we found that themes were similar but there were differences between the two countries in content configuration. Korea and Japan have adopted the framework of International Council of Nurses for disaster nursing education. Korea stressed legal and ethical capabilities, while Japan included psychological support for disaster management service providers. CONCLUSION: Disaster education is an important factor in a nurse's ability for a disaster management. Development of a comprehensive disaster education program is necessary to enhance disaster care capacities.

Comparison between Korean and Japanese Nursing Students in Their Disaster Preparedness

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify differences in disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices between Korean and Japanese nursing students. METHODS: The study subjects were 4th grade nursing students who completed their nursing education in Korea or in Japan. 359 students from Korea and 135 students from Japan participated in this study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 21.0. The χ2 test and the t-test were used to analyze the homogeneity of subjects' general characteristics and disaster-related characteristics. The comparison between the Korean and Japanese nursing students in disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices were conducted using ANCOVA. RESULTS: The Korean nursing students' disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practice were different from their Japanese counterparts'. The Korean nursing students recognized that the system of disaster management in Korea was insufficient and the negligence of management was one of the causes of the disaster. They wanted to participate in activities for disaster preparedness education and management. CONCLUSION: A disaster nursing curriculum dealing with disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices, should be developed, implemented, and evaluated particularly for Korean nursing students.

Needs for Children's Health Promotion Education as Perceived by Child Care Center Teachers and Mothers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the needs for children's health promotion education programs as perceived by child care center teachers and mothers. METHODS: This study conducted a survey of 88 child care center teachers and 70 mothers of preschool children in Seoul from January 4 to February 5, 2016. This study aimed to characterize the current conditions of health promotion education for preschool children and the needs for health promotion education as perceived by child care center teachers and mothers of preschool children. RESULTS: Areas of high need for health promotion education included lifestyle improvements for preventing diseases in children and awareness of the importance of health in educational objectives, standardized educational manuals, health educators as educators, child care centers as educational places, local health centers as educational support organizations, regular class hours as educational time, role play for training, and actual models in the educational medium. The educational subjects for which a high need was reported included safety and accident prevention, the role of smartphones and TV watching in mental health, and personal hygiene and disease prevention. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that it is necessary to develop a health promotion education program for preschool children.

Oral administration of red ginseng powder fermented with probiotic alleviates the severity of dextran-sulfate sodium-induced colitis in a mouse model / 中国天然药物

Red ginseng is a well-known alternative medicine with anti-inflammatory activity. It exerts pharmacological effects through the transformation of saponin into metabolites by intestinal microbiota. Given that intestinal microflora vary among individuals, the pharmacological effects of red ginseng likely vary among individuals. In order to produce homogeneously effective red ginseng, we prepared probiotic-fermented red ginseng and evaluated its activity using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. Initial analysis of intestinal damage indicated that the administration of probiotic-fermented red ginseng significantly decreased the severity of colitis, compared with the control and the activity was higher than that induced by oral administration of ginseng powder or probiotics only. Subsequent analysis of the levels of serum IL-6 and TNF-α, inflammatory biomarkers that are increased at the initiation stage of colitis, were significantly decreased in probiotic-fermented red ginseng-treated groups in comparison to the control group. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and mRNAs for inflammatory factors in colorectal tissues were also significantly decreased in probiotic-fermented red ginseng-treated groups. Collectively, oral administration of probiotic-fermented red ginseng reduced the severity of colitis in a mouse model, suggesting that it can be used as a uniformly effective red ginseng product.

Isolation of a zoonotic pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila from freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) kept in a Korean aquarium with ricefish (Oryzias latipes)

In the present study, Aeromonas (A.) hydrophila was isolated from a captive-bred adult freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) reared at a commercial aquarium in Korea. The stingray had bites on its fins, hemorrhages on the ventral part, and congested internal organs. A bacterium was isolated from kidney and subsequently identified as A. hydrophila. Based on phylogenetic analysis results, the isolate in the present study (SNUAh-LA1) was most closely related to A. hydrophila AH10 (China) and A. hydrophila AKR1 (Korea). It is most likely that the pathogen infection resulted from Potamotrygon motoro cohabiting with ricefish (Oryzias latipes).

Evaluation and Application Effect of a Home Nasogastric Tube Feeding Simulation Module for Nursing Students: An Application of the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a simulation module for teaching home health care and evaluate the applicability of the program to nursing students' practical training. METHODS: The simulation module was developed based on the National League for Nursing Jeffries Simulation Theory. The theme of the developed scenario was teaching nasogastric tube feeding to the caregiver of patient with Parkinson disease. Participants were 61 nursing students who had learned tube feeding, and participated in the questionnaire survey after the simulation training. RESULTS: The evaluation of simulation design showed the highest score on feedback/guided reflection, and was highly evaluated in the order of objectives/information, problem solving and fidelity. The educational practice of the simulation was highly evaluated in the order of active learning, high expectation and diversity of learning. The nursing students showed high satisfaction and self-confidence after the simulation education. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the developed simulation module can be applied to practical training for home health care. In the future, the change of self-efficacy, clinical judgment and performance ability of the students after the simulation education should be identified. Also, various simulation modules related to the community health nursing competencies should be continuously developed and verified.

Impact of Job Stress, Depression and Perceived Health Status on Job Satisfaction among Child Care Teachers / 한국직업건강간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of job stress, depression and perceived health status on job satisfaction among child care teachers. METHODS: Data were from a convenient sample of 169 child care teachers with self-administered questionnaires from January 5th to 30th, 2015. Collected data were analysed using SPSS/WIN 18.0. RESULTS: Child care teachers had upper-medium level of perceived health status, lower level of depression and job stress and above medium level of job satisfaction. Affecting factors of job satisfaction among child care teachers included depression, and job stress (Adj.R²=.58, F=78.60, p<.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that development of emotional supportive program and supportive system are needed to increase the job satisfaction among child care teachers. Exploration of strategies to reduce the depression and job stress will be necessary in order to increase the job satisfaction.

Isolation and identification of Vibrio harveyi from chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

For several days, there was a series of mortalities of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) that were reared for public exhibition in a private aquarium in Seoul, Korea. As part of the diagnosis of the dead fish, a bacterial isolate from the kidney was cultured, identified, and confirmed to be Vibrio (V.) harveyi using Vitek System 2 and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was also performed by the neighbor-joining method. As a result, the V. harveyi isolated from chub mackerels of a private aquarium in Korea, called as SNUVh-LW1, was clustered in the same group with V. harveyi ATCC33843.

Isolation and molecular identification of Vibrio harveyi from the look down fish (Selene vomer)

Gradual mortality of look down fish (Selene vomer) was observed in a private aquarium in Seoul, showing abnormal swimming behavior and lethargy. A bacterial pathogen from kidney was cultured, identified, and confirmed as Vibrio harveyi using Vitek System 2 and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A predominant bacterial strain, SNUVh-LW2 was proved to be most closely related to isolates from China by phylogenetic analysis with minimum evolution method. Also, tetracycline was considered as the most sensitive antibiotic agent via antibiotic usceptibility test. The group of fish was treated according to the diagnostic result and no more mortality was observed.

Choosing Healthy Fats / 임상당뇨병

Fat has traditionally been attributed to causing weight gain and increasing insulin resistance, which has led people to think that it has a direct relationship with diabetes. However, according to recent studies it was found that fat does not have a connection with insulin sensitivity, and in several observational studies, total fat intake is not associated with diabetes risk. Many academic societies, based on established research, have reported that the quality of fat is more important than total fat intake. Although the suggested daily intake varies, most say to reduce the intake of saturated fat and trans fat in order to prevent coronary heart diseases. According to the 2013 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Koreans' fat intake made up 21.2% of their daily calorie intake. Although not as high as those in western countries, the intake of fat especially that coming from animals has been quite high among young people. According to the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity and the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis, it is best to keep daily fat calorie intake under 30% of the total daily calorie intake, and to avoid low quality fats, as the quality is thought to have a more direct impact than the quantity of fat. In order to prevent cardio vascular diseases, balanced intake of healthy fatty acids is needed. In this paper we will review the influence of fat, both in quality and quantity, on coronary heart diseases of diabetes patients.

A Systematic Review of Literature on Community Health Center Exercise Programs

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the research methods, types and effects of community health center exercise programs for the elderly. METHODS: We established the PICOTS-SD (Participants, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcomes, Timing of outcome measurement, Setting, Study Design), reviewed 583 studies from electronic database of DBpia, KoreaMed, KISS, RISS, NDSL and Pubmed, and finally selected 20 studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed with the Risk-of-Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized studies. RESULTS: With regard to research methods, the majority of studies on community health center exercise programs for the elderly were performed after 2010 and using non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest research design. As for the types and effects of exercise programs, the exercise period ranged from 6 to 28 weeks, and the most common exercise frequency was three times a week for 60 minutes. In addition, mixed-type and group exercise programs were performed most commonly. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide a basis for the development of exercise programs to improve elders' health.

Health Habit, Perceived Health Status and Physical Health Status of Young Korean and Korean-Chinese Women: A Comparative Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare health habit, physical health status, and perceived health status between young Korean and Korean-Chinese women. METHODS: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional comparative survey. For this study, 114 Korean women were recruited in Seoul, South Korea and 64 Korean-Chinese women in Jilin Province, China through convenience sampling. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between health habit and perceived health status. Perceived health status, WHR, body density, flexibility, and muscle endurance were significantly lower in Korean women than in Korean-Chinese ones. Knee flexion and ankle dorsal flexion was significantly higher in Korean women than in Korean-Chinese ones. CONCLUSION: Further investigation is required to compare the two different groups that share the same ethnicity and similar culture but were born into different countries. A study such as this may provide answers regarding the influence of migrated transition on health.

Nutritional Status of Korean Hospitalized Patients: A Multi-Center Preliminary Survey

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients aged 18 years old or older at the time of admission in Korea. METHODS: This multi-center, preliminary survey included patients over 18 years old who were admitted on a given day from six hospitals in Korea. Nutritional status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment tool. Data collected included hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, nutrition screening, and nutrition assessment. RESULTS: Among the 99 patients recruited (47 males, 47.5%), 18 (18.2%) and 2 (2.0%) patients were moderately malnourished and severely malnourished, respectively. The mean age of the malnourished group was older than that of the well-nourished group (49.7+/-17.1 vs. 60.5+/-13.6 years old, P-value=0.010). Patients admitted for medical treatment were more malnourished than those admitted for surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: Results of the multi-center preliminary survey showed 20.2% prevalence of malnutrition on admission. A national survey was piloted and will be followed by full implementation.

Induction of Potent Antigen-specific Cytotoxic T Cell Response by PLGA-nanoparticles Containing Antigen and TLR Agonist

Previously we showed that biodegradable nanoparticles containing poly-IC or CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) together with ovalbumin (OVA) were efficient at inducing MHC-restricted presentation of OVA peptides in dendritic cells. The CTL-inducing activities of the nanoparticles were examined in the present study. Nanoparticles containing poly-IC or CpG ODN together with OVA were prepared using biodegradable polymer poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid), and then were opsonized with mouse IgG. The nanoparticles were injected into the tail vein of mice, and 7 days later the OVA-specific CTL activities were measured using an in vivo CTL assay. Immunization of mice with the nanoparticles containing poly-IC or CpG ODN together with OVA elicited potent OVA-specific CTL activity compared to those containing OVA only. In accordance with these results, nanoparticles containing poly-IC or CpG ODN together with OVA exerted potent antitumor activity in mice that were subcutaneously implanted with EG7.OVA tumor cells. These results show that encapsulation of poly-IC or CpG ODN together with antigen in biodegradable nanoparticles is an effective approach for the induction of potent antigen-specific CTL responses in vivo.

Awareness Levels and Influencing Factors of Sexual Harassment and Gender Egalitarianism among College Students

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify awareness levels and influencing factors of sexual harassment and gender egalitarianism among college students. METHODS: This study was based on a questionnaire survey with a total of 1,244 college students. The copies of the questionnaire were collected from November 2 to December 20, 2011. RESULTS: The average level of sexual harassment and gender egalitarianism among students from the Youngnam province was higher than those of other province. The average level of the sexual harassment and gender egalitarianism among those students who were majoring in healthcare sciences was higher than that among those who were majoring in other subjects than arts and sports sciences. The influencing factors on the recognition of gender egalitarianism were genders and sexual experiences. The influencing factors on the recognition of sexual harassment were genders and ages. CONCLUSION: This study identified college students' awareness of sexual harassment, gender egalitarianism and influencing factors associated with them. It is expected that this study will be helpful for developing strategies for the prevention of sexual harassment for college students.

The Effects of Lifestyle Factors on Metabolic Syndrome among Korean Adults

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of lifestyle factors on metabolic syndrome (MS) among Korean adults (age> or =20). METHODS: A total of 7,798 subjects (weighted subjects=37,215,961) were recruited from the 2009 Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV-3). Data were analyzed by t-test, chi2-test, and logistic regression in consideration of strata, cluster and weight as national data using the SAS 9.1 program. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS by definition of AHA/NHLBI and waist circumference cutoff points for Koreans was 22.4%. The mean clinical MS score for MS patients was 3.4, but the mean score for the non-MS group was 1.2 out of 5.0. Among the lifestyle factors, smoking (OR=1.024), stress (0.546< or =OR< or =0.587) and drinking (OR=1.005) had significant influence on the MS risk and MS scores, but exercise did not. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that further research is necessary on the effect of lifestyle factors on MS risk and nurses should focus on effective programs about smoking, stress and drinking for the prevention and reduction of MS risk.

Effects of the Structured Nursing Intervention for Caregivers on Maintenance of Intravenous Infusions in Infants

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of structured nursing intervention for caregivers on maintenance of intravenous (IV) infusions in infants. METHODS: The structured nursing intervention was developed through the processes of interviews with nurses from pediatric wards. To identify the effects of the developed nursing intervention, a non-synchronized non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design study was conducted with caregivers from the pediatric ward from a hospital in Seoul. Of 100 admitted infants, 50 caregivers were assigned to the intervention group and received the structured nursing intervention for maintenance of intravenous infusions in infants. The others were assigned control group and received routine care. Data were collected on patient factors, IV insertion factors, treatments, and IV related complications. The form developed for the structured nursing intervention was used by staff nurses. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, IV insertion frequency in experimental group infants was significantly lower and IV related complications decreased (p<.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the structured nursing intervention for caregivers on maintenance of intravenous infusions may have effects on maintenance of intravenous infusions in infants, and decreasing IV related complications. This nursing intervention can be used to improve IV related problems of admitted infants.

Exercise Performance and Exercise-related Factors of Korean and Korean-Chinese Nursing Students: A comparative Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare exercise performance with related factors between Korean and Korean-Chinese nursing students. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional comparative survey method. One hundred sixty five Korean nursing students in Seoul, South Korea and 161 Korean-Chinese nursing students in Yanbian, China were recruited through convenience sampling. They were at the age of 19-26. Exercise performance and exercise-related factors were measured using the exercise performance degree scale and the scales of self-efficacy, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and affection related to exercise. RESULTS: No significant difference in exercise performance was seen between the two groups. Self-efficacy and perceived benefits related to exercise performance were significantly higher in the Korean nursing students than in the Korean-Chinese nursing students. However, there were no significant differences in affection and perceived barriers related to exercise. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the reasons for the differences in self-efficacy and in perceived benefits between these two groups need to be explored though future studies. We suggest more studies comparing different groups having the same ethnicity as Korean but who were born into different societies to give answers regarding the influence of immigrated transition on health.

Formulation and Characterization of Antigen-loaded PLGA Nanoparticles for Efficient Cross-priming of the Antigen

BACKGROUND: Nanoparticles (NPs) prepared from biodegradable polymers, such as poly (D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), have been studied as vehicles for the delivery of antigens to phagocytes. This paper describes the preparation of antigen-loaded PLGA-NPs for efficient cross-priming. METHODS: NPs containing a similar amount of ovalbumin (OVA) but different sizes were produced using a micromixer-based W/O/W solvent evaporation procedure, and the efficiency of the NPs to induce the cross-presentation of OVA peptides were examined in dendritic cells (DCs). Cellular uptake and biodistribution studies were performed using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-loaded NPs in mice. RESULTS: The NPs in the range of 1.1~1.4microm in size were the most and almost equally efficient in inducing the cross-presentation of OVA peptides via H-2Kb molecules. Cellular uptake and biodistribution studies showed that opsonization of the NPs with mouse IgG greatly increased the percentage of FITC-positive cells in the spleen and lymph nodes. The major cell type of FITC-positive cells in the spleen was macrophages, whereas that of lymph nodes was DCs. CONCLUSION: These results show that IgG-opsonized PLGA-NPs with a mean size of 1.1microm would be the choice of biodegradable carriers for the targeted-delivery of protein antigens for cross-priming in vivo.