Analysis of Dental Plaque Removal Effect by Floss Type Using QLF-D / 치위생과학회지

Background@#The use of dental floss is associated with a reduction in dental caries and periodontal disease. According to personal preference, not only thread type but also C type and Y type floss are used. Although the effectiveness of dental floss for removing dental plaque has been proven, plaque removal effect of C type and Y type floss has not been well reported. In this study, the plaque removal effect of C type and Y type floss compared to thread type floss was experimentally verified. @*Methods@#Thread type, C type and Y type floss were used to remove dental plaque. Ten people in each flossing group participated, and by applying dental floss to the 6 incisors of the maxilla and mandible, the degree of dental plaque was analyzed by QLF-D. To evaluate the removal degree of dental plaque before and after flossing, Simple Plaque Score (SPS), Area R30, Area R70, and Area R120 score were measured. @*Results@#In the analysis using the Area R30 fluorescence score of the QLF-D system, the degree of plaque removal according to the application of dental floss was effective in all the thread type (p=0.018), C-type (p=0.012), and Y-type (p=0.012) floss groups compared to before the application of the floss. Among them, C type floss was more effective in removing plaque than thread type and Y type floss. However, the plaque removal effect between the three floss types was not significantly different in ∆SPS (p=0.674), ∆Area R30 (p=0.726), ∆Area R70 (p=0.504), and ∆Area R120 scores (p=0.423). @*Conclusion@#Thread type, C type, and Y type floss were all effective in removing dental plaque, but there was no significant difference in dental plaque removal effect according to the type of floss.

Detection of Intestinal Protozoa in Korean Patients Using BD MAX Enteric Parasite Panel and Seegene Allplex Gastrointestinal Parasite Assay

Background@#Intestinal protozoan infection is one of the main causes of gastrointestinal diseases. Protozoa are usually detected by direct smear microscopy, concentration techniques, or special stains; however, these techniques are labor-intensive and require well-trained technicians. Therefore, molecular techniques involving polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been developed to satisfy the need for unbiased and rapid analytical methods with high sensitivity and specificity. In this study, the BD MAXTM Enteric Parasite Panel (EPP) (Becton, Dickinson and Company, USA), designed to detect Cryptosporidium parvum and/or hominis, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica, and the AllplexTM Gastrointestinal Parasite Assays (AGPA) (Seegene Inc., Korea), designed to detect Cryptosporidium species, G. lamblia, E. histolytica, Blastocystis hominis, Dientamoeba fragilis, and Cyclospora cayetanensis were compared to determine whether any of these assays could become a useful tool for detecting intestinal protozoan infections in Korea. @*Methods@#We investigated 295 fecal samples using EPP and AGPA. Then we confirmed the positive results with the conventional and nested PCR. Consistent detection by conventional PCR, nested PCR, and one of the multiplex panels was considered “true positive.” @*Results@#Out of 295 samples, 17 were true positives for B. hominis and 2 were true positives for E. histolytica. EPP detected parasites in only two samples owing to its design; however, its true positive detection rate was 100% (2/2). AGPA detected parasites in 24 samples with 79.2% (19/24) true positives. @*Conclusions@#The incidence of protozoan, especially B. hominis, infection may be more prevalent than expected. AGPA could be an effective tool for screening protozoan infections.

E-commerce Food Purchases by Adult Women according to their Household Types / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Objectives@#The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze e-commerce food purchase behavior and the perceptions of adult women according to their household types. @*Methods@#The e-commerce food purchases of 318 adult women were surveyed and analyzed according to their household types (one-person or couple household (OCH); a household with children (HC); a household with parents (HP)). @*Results@#The total amount of food purchases over 6 months through e-commerce according to household types was in the descending order of OCH (60.3%), HC (57%), and HP (55.1%) thus showing a significant difference (P < 0.05) in behavior between household types. The reasons for purchasing food through e-commerce included: a lower price than offline (30.8%), convenient delivery and transportation (30.2%), and food diversity (21.1%).When purchasing food online, the most important factor was price and quality, followed by quick and accurate delivery for OCH, exact information given about the product for HC, and recommendation from other consumers for HP (P < 0.01). The main foods purchased through e-commerce were coffee, tea (42.1%), instant and frozen foods (39.9%), water, beverages, dairy products (37.7%), snacks, bread, rice cakes (31.5%), and functional foods (27.4%). The percentage of respondents who were very satisfied or satisfied with their ecommerce food purchases was HP (84.1%), OCH (69.9%), and HC (65.6%) in that order (P < 0.05), and 96.5% of all subjects stated that they would be willing to purchase food through e-commerce in the future. The advantages of purchasing food through e-commerce were seen to be the highest in order and payment convenience with 4.1 points out of 5, followed by low price (4.0), variety of products (3.9), and ease of food purchase (3.9).Among the disadvantages listed, concerns about product damage and deterioration during delivery and differences between the displayed product and the delivered product were the highest with 3.7 points. @*Conclusions@#The characteristics and perceptions of female consumers according to household types are important factors in enhancing the reach of e-commerce, and in preparing guidelines for food selection through e-commerce.

E-commerce Food Purchases by Adult Women according to their Household Types / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Objectives@#The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze e-commerce food purchase behavior and the perceptions of adult women according to their household types. @*Methods@#The e-commerce food purchases of 318 adult women were surveyed and analyzed according to their household types (one-person or couple household (OCH); a household with children (HC); a household with parents (HP)). @*Results@#The total amount of food purchases over 6 months through e-commerce according to household types was in the descending order of OCH (60.3%), HC (57%), and HP (55.1%) thus showing a significant difference (P < 0.05) in behavior between household types. The reasons for purchasing food through e-commerce included: a lower price than offline (30.8%), convenient delivery and transportation (30.2%), and food diversity (21.1%).When purchasing food online, the most important factor was price and quality, followed by quick and accurate delivery for OCH, exact information given about the product for HC, and recommendation from other consumers for HP (P < 0.01). The main foods purchased through e-commerce were coffee, tea (42.1%), instant and frozen foods (39.9%), water, beverages, dairy products (37.7%), snacks, bread, rice cakes (31.5%), and functional foods (27.4%). The percentage of respondents who were very satisfied or satisfied with their ecommerce food purchases was HP (84.1%), OCH (69.9%), and HC (65.6%) in that order (P < 0.05), and 96.5% of all subjects stated that they would be willing to purchase food through e-commerce in the future. The advantages of purchasing food through e-commerce were seen to be the highest in order and payment convenience with 4.1 points out of 5, followed by low price (4.0), variety of products (3.9), and ease of food purchase (3.9).Among the disadvantages listed, concerns about product damage and deterioration during delivery and differences between the displayed product and the delivered product were the highest with 3.7 points. @*Conclusions@#The characteristics and perceptions of female consumers according to household types are important factors in enhancing the reach of e-commerce, and in preparing guidelines for food selection through e-commerce.

Food purchase in e-commerce and its relation to food habit of adult women in Incheon and Gyeonggi / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: This study examined the food purchases from e-commerce and its relation to eating behaviors or habits in adult women in Incheon and Gyeonggi. METHODS: A total of 410 subjects participated in the questionnaire survey. Food purchases in e-commerce and food habits were compared according to age, marital status, and food purchase status in e-commerce of the subjects. RESULTS: Approximately 88% of the subjects had experience of buying foods by e-commerce; more than 40% of the subjects spent less than 100,000 Won buying foods by e-commerce in the past 6 months. The major purchases were coffee and tea, instant food and frozen food, and water and beverages. The reasons for buying foods in e-commerce were cheaper price, convenience of delivery, and variety of food choices. The main factors considered for purchasing foods in e-commerce were price and quality followed by rapid and accurate delivery, and food label and information. Approximately 70% of the subjects were very satisfied or satisfied with their food purchase in e-commerce, and 96% answered that they were willing to buy food in e-commerce again. The perception on the advantages of food purchases in e-commerce was 3.6 points out of 5 and significantly lower in the over 50s and married group. The subjects with experience and high cost of food purchase in e-commerce showed significantly low scores of dietary behaviors and eating habits, which is undesirable. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of people purchased foods by e-commerce, and they showed undesirable eating habits, especially when the cost of purchasing foods by e-commerce is high. These results showed that purchasing foods in e-commerce may be related to consumers' food habits. Therefore, continuous attention and nutrition guidance for e-commerce consumers are needed.

Differences in Colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates Between Patients With and Without Prior Colistin Treatment

BACKGROUND: The increasing morbidity and mortality rates associated with Acinetobacter baumannii are due to the emergence of drug resistance and the limited treatment options. We compared characteristics of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-AB) clinical isolates recovered from patients with and without prior colistin treatment. We assessed whether prior colistin treatment affects the resistance mechanism of CR-AB isolates, mortality rates, and clinical characteristics. Additionally, a proper method for identifying CR-AB was determined. METHODS: We collected 36 non-duplicate CR-AB clinical isolates resistant to colistin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, Sanger sequencing analysis, molecular typing, lipid A structure analysis, and in vitro synergy testing were performed. Eleven colistin-susceptible AB isolates were used as controls. RESULTS: Despite no differences in clinical characteristics between patients with and without prior colistin treatment, resistance-causing genetic mutations were more frequent in isolates from colistin-treated patients. Distinct mutations were overlooked via the Sanger sequencing method, perhaps because of a masking effect by the colistin-susceptible AB subpopulation of CR-AB isolates lacking genetic mutations. However, modified lipid A analysis revealed colistin resistance peaks, despite the population heterogeneity, and peak levels were significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although prior colistin use did not induce clinical or susceptibility differences, we demonstrated that identification of CR-AB by sequencing is insufficient. We propose that population heterogeneity has a masking effect, especially in colistin non-treated patients; therefore, accurate testing methods reflecting physiological alterations of the bacteria, such as phosphoethanolamine-modified lipid A identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight, should be employed.

Head Nurses' Experiences in Clinical Practice Education of Nursing Students: A Qualitative Research / 한국간호교육학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to understand and describe difficulties and needs experienced by head nurses in the clinical practice education of nursing students. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive method was employed. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants from four hospitals in South Korea. Twenty-one head nurses participated in the first interview and 17 of them participated in the second interview. Data were collected through two in-depth interviews and field notes were written. Qualitative content analysis method was utilized for data analysis using ATLAS.ti 6.2 software. RESULTS: Thirty-one codes and twelve categories were identified. Four themes emerged from data analysis, which included ‘too many tasks’, ‘limitations of student education’, ‘many differences’, and ‘lack of support and resources.’ CONCLUSION: This qualitative study described head nurses' many difficulties and needs in the clinical practice education of nursing students. The results of this study provide valuable understanding and knowledge of head nurses' experiences in students' clinical education, which leads to improvement of the quality of clinical education for nursing students.

Increasing Incidence of Listeriosis and Infection-associated Clinical Outcomes

BACKGROUND: Listeriosis caused by Listeria monocytogenes has a high case-fatality rate (CFR) of approximately 20% to 30%. An increasing incidence of listeriosis has been reported in many countries recently. We investigated the annual incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of listeriosis at three different hospitals in Korea and evaluated the effects of appropriate empiric antimicrobial treatments on patient outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the data of all culture-positive cases of human listeriosis from three hospitals of different sizes in Korea during 2006–2016 and calculated the annual number of cases and incidence per 100,000 admissions. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients with L. monocytogenes were included in this study. The incidence of listeriosis was significantly higher in 2013–2016 than in 2006–2012 (RR 3.1; 95% CI 1.79–5.36; P < 0.001), mainly because of an increase in patients over 60 years of age (RR 3.69; 95% CI 1.70–8.02; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that healthcare-associated infection (adjusted OR, 12.15; 95% CI, 2.56–86.01; P=0.004) and empirical treatment with first-line antimicrobial agents (adjusted OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.00–0.63; P=0.044) were associated with CFR. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare-associated infections caused by L. monocytogenes are associated with high CFR. Adequate initial empirical treatments could reduce CFR, suggesting that careful consideration of an empirical antimicrobial regimen is warranted for elderly or immunocompromised patients admitted to the hospital.

Influence of Perceived Attachment Security and Social Support on Somatic Symptoms in Late School-Aged Children Using a School Health Clinic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine current status of somatic symptoms of late school-aged children using the school health clinic and to investigate the influence of perceived attachment security and social support on their somatic symptoms. METHODS: For this descriptive study, self-report questionnaires were completed by fifth and sixth graders attending 'A' elementary school in Gyeonggi-do. Data from 216 students were included. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Most frequent somatic symptoms were headache, fainting, backache, numbness in a body part, and muscle ache in that order. More frequent somatic symptoms were reported by girls, students who recognized their family SES as low, students who used school health clinic often and students who were dissatisfied with school life. Somatic symptom showed negative correlations with attachment stability and perceived social support from family and teachers. In the regression analysis, the variables; low attachment stability, female gender, and low satisfaction with school affected more frequent somatic symptoms. CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring of late school-aged children expressing frequent somatic symptoms is required. Intervention programs to improve attachment security and satisfaction with school should be developed for school children, especially girls, presenting with somatic symptoms.

Late Prosthetic Joint Infection and Bacteremia by Bacillus cereus Confirmed by 16S rRNA Sequencing and Hip Joint Tissue Pathology / 대한임상미생물학회지

Bacillus cereus is a widespread organism in nature and a member of the B. cereus group of catalasepositive, aerobic, spore-forming, Gram-positive bacilli. B. cereus found in blood is often dismissed as a contaminant in the absence of repeated isolation from multiple cultures. Soft tissue and bone infection due to B. cereus have been associated with trauma, intravenous drug use, and an immunocompromised state. We report a very late prosthetic joint infection of the hip joint and consequent bacteremia caused by B. cereus, which occurred 13 years after total hip replacement surgery in the absence of recent trauma or intervention.

Evaluation of the Automated Immunohematology Analyzer ORTHO VISION for ABO Antibody Titration / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: ABO antibody titration is important in cases such as ABO incompatible hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), ABO incompatible bone marrow, or solid organ transplantation. This study was conducted in order to evaluate usability of ORTHO VISION (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Raritan, USA) designed automated ABO antibody titration equipment. METHODS: The isoagglutination titers were determined in 80 subjects (20 A, 20 B, 40 O (anti-A 20, anti-B 20)) using a conventional tube technique, including a 30 minute room temperature phase (CTT), Dithiothreitol treated manual column agglutination technique (MCAT), and automated column agglutination technique (ACAT) by ORTHO VISION. The concordance of titer was compared within one dilution step between the two methods. RESULTS: The isoagglutinin titers measured by the ACAT with anti-human globulin poly cassette (ACAT_Poly) and anti-human globulin IgG cassette (ACAT_IgG) were the highest and the isoagglutinin titer measured by the MCAT was also higher than that by the CTT. The isoagglutinin titer measured by the ACAT with reverse diluents cassette (ACAT_Reverse) was similar to that measured by the CTT. The concordance of anti-A and anti-B titers between CTT and ACAT_Reverse was 83% and 68%. The concordance of anti-A and anti-B titers between MCAT and ACAT_Poly was 100% and 83%. The concordance of anti-A and anti-B titers between MCAT and ACAT_IgG was 98% and 88%. CONCLUSION: Automated isoagglutinin titration using ACAT_Poly or ACAT_IgG without DTT showed reliable concordance with DTT treated MCAT, and it appears to be a possible replacement for the conventional MCAT method.

Working Memory Deficits of Facial Images in Patients with Schizophrenia: fMRI Investigation / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Impaired processing of facial information is one of the broad ranges of cognitive deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia. We aimed to elucidate the differences in brain activities involved in the process of facial working memory between schizophrenic patients and healthy comparison subjects. METHODS: Twelve patients with schizophrenia were recruited along with twelve demographically matched healthy volunteers as a comparison group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess cortical activities during the performance of a 2-back working memory paradigm using images of neutral faces as mnemonic content. RESULTS: The patient group performed the tasks with reduced accuracy. Group analysis revealed that the left fusiform gyrus, the right superior frontal gyrus, the bilateral middle frontal gyri/insula, the left middle temporal gyrus, the precuneus, the quadrangular lobules and the vermis of cerebellum showed decreased cortical activities in the patient group. On the other hand, an increased level of activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex and the parietal lobule was observed from the patient group, all in the right hemisphere. CONCLUSION: A decreased level of activity in the left fusiform gyrus among the patient group implicates inefficient processing of facial information. An increased level of activation in prefrontal and parietal neural networks from the patient group confirms earlier findings on the impaired working memory of patients with schizophrenia.

Clinical study on the fasical space infections of oral & maxillofacial region for recent 5 years

Maxillofacial infection often place the oral and maxillofacial surgeon in situations where timely decisions have to be made. These decisions can be lifesaving. Odontogenic infection are frequently encountered in the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. These infections often repond to surgical and antimicrobial management. Otheriwise odontogenic infections have the potential to spread via the fasical spaces in the head and neck region. They can compromise vital structures in this region or involve distant structures. The classic signs of maxillofacial infections include pain, swelling, fever, dysphagia, and dehydration. The goals of management should be to correct these conditions. We have undertaken clinical studies on infections in the oral and maxillofacial regions (facial space) by analyzing hospitalized patients in the Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital past 5 years from 1991. To 1995. And bacterial cultures and antibiotics sensitivity test were performed and the comparative analysis of the antibiotics was done. The results were as follows: 1. The most frequent cause of oral and maxillofacial infection was odontogenic 68% and in 23% patients with signs and symptom aggrevated after teeth extraction. 2. The most common fascial spaces involved was buccal space 36.1%, followed by submandibular space 12.3% and 3 cases were Ludwig's angina. 3. Antibiotics were administrated in all cases and surgical incision and drainage was performed in 88.6%. 4. The most causative organisms isolated from the pus cultures were streptococci group 51.1%.