Trends in Nursing Research on Life-Sustaining Treatment in South Korea after the Enforcement of the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment.

Purpose: This study investigated trends of nursing research on life-sustaining treatment in South Korea. Methods: The period for data search was set from January 2018 to December 2020. The major search terms used were advance directives and life-sustaining treatment. Of the 492 records identified in the initial search, 461 articles were excluded for various reasons. A total of 31 records were included in the final qualitative analysis. Results: Sixteen studies had nursing students as study subjects, while nine studies had nurses as study subjects. The majority of the studies employed cross-sectional descriptive surveys as their research design. The major themes that emerged from the studies were as follows attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives, perceptions of a good death, and nurses' attitude toward life support care. Most of the studies reviewed concluded that attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment significantly impacted both knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives and perceptions of a good death. Conclusion: To date, Korea still lacks extensive nursing research concerning life support care. Further research is needed to provide systematic education for nursing ethics and life support care, as well as the introduction of a specialist course. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to provide diverse support systems and policy measures. In particular, since nurses are directly responsible for providing life support care, nurses' roles should be expanded in accordance with the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment.

Transparent Air Filters with Active Thermal Sterilization.

The worldwide proliferation of COVID-19 poses the urgent need for sterilizable and transparent air filters to inhibit virus transmission while retaining ease of communication. Here, we introduce copper nanowires to fabricate transparent and self-sterilizable air filters. Copper nanowire air filter (CNAF) allowed visible light penetration, thereby can exhibit facial expressions, helpful for better communication. CNAF effectively captured particulate matter (PM) by mechanical and electrostatic filtration mechanisms. The temperature of CNAF could be controlled by Joule-heating up to 100 °C with thermal stability. CNAF successfully inhibited the growth of E. coli because of the oligodynamic effect of copper. With heat sterilization, the antibacterial efficiency against G. anodireducens was greatly improved up to 99.3% within 10 min. CNAF showed high reusability with stable filtration efficiency and thermal antibacterial efficacy after five repeated uses. Our result suggests an alternative form of active antimicrobial air filter in preparation for the current and future pandemic situations.

A leaf-specific 27 kDa protein of potato Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor is induced in response to abscisic acid, ethylene, methyl jasmonate, and water deficit.

The 22 kDa Kunitz-type potato proteinase inhibitor (22 kDa KPPI) was induced in tubers. However, the 27 kDa protein, which is immunologically related to the 22 kDa KPPI, was induced in leaves by wounding, hormones, and environmental stresses. The leaf-specific 27 kDa protein was induced in leaves that were treated with exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), ethephon, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and water deficit. These results indicate that the 27 kDa protein in leaves could function as a defense protein against mechanical damages by herbivorous animals and abiotic environmental stresses that could induce plant hormones.