• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2001

Background : The Clostridium difficile is the most important identifiable cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea and colitis, which lengthens hospital stay. Recently incidence of C. difficile has been increasing in an university hospital, and an intervention for prevention and control of C. difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) was in prompt need. Methods : Subjects were the patients in the neurosurgical intensive care unit(NCU) where C. difficile was most frequently isolated. To increase participation of various departments, we used the CQI method, because management of CDAD requires a wholistic approach including control of antibiotics, barrier precaution and environmental cleaning and disinfection. Duration of the CQI activities was 9 months from April to December 1999. Results : The identified problems were misuse and overuse of antibiotics, lack of consciousness of medical personnels and the possibility of transmission from the contaminated environment and tube feeding. Education for proper use of antibiotics and management of C. difficile infection, use of precaution stickers, supplement of handwashing equipments, emphasis on environmental disinfection, and the change of the process of tube feeding were done. The CDAD rate in NCU was significantly decreased after the CQI program (8.6 case per 1,000 patient days from January to April 1999 vs 4.8 from May to December 1999). The distribution of neurosurgical wards including NCU among the total number of isolated C. difficile from the clinical specimens dropped from 49.4% in January to April to 33,7% in May to December. The average hospital stay of the neurosurgical department changed from 19.6 days to 15.2 days. Also, the effect of the CQI activities for C. difficile may have affected the incidence of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). Duration and dosage of certain antibiotics used in the NS department were decreased. The distribution of neurosurgical department in the number of VRE isolated patients declined from 18.4% to 11.1%. Conclusion : Infection control of resistant organisms such as C. difficile is likely to be successful when management of environmental contamination an collaborative efforts of decreasing the patients' risk factors such as antibiotics management and decreasing the length of hospital stay come simultaneously. For this work, related departments need to actively participate in the entire process under a common target through discussions for identifying problems and bringing up solutions. In this respect, making use of a CQI team is an efficient method of infection control for gathering participation and cooperation of related departments.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.591-604
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• 1996

The surgical hand scrub (SHS) is the single most important procedure in the prevention of post-operative wound infections and yet it remains the most violated of all infection control procedures. The purpose of this study was to gain an overview of SHS habits in operative th atre personnel and to determine knowledge and attitudes to identify whether there is a need for improvement. The subjects for this study included 79 doctors and 94 nurses working in the operative th atres of four hospitals in Incheon City and Kyungki Province. Related data were collected from July 25 to August 10, 1995 by the author. The data were analyzed using descriptive stat-istics and Chi-squre test. The results of the study are summarized as follows : 1. Nurses felt that they conducted SHS for a longer period of time than doctors did(X=20.1, P=.005). 2. Nurses and doctors had some knowledge of slip-ping rings off fingers and the length of nails, but they lacked knowledge on the duration of SHS, handwashing after an operation and on manicure. 3. There were many reasons given for insufficient SHS included : 1) because they were so busy (38%). 2) brushes were too harsh(19.7%). 3) operations were very simple(18.7%). 4) surgical latex gloves provide functional barrier(11.6%). 5) SHSs were troublesome(7.4%) 6) there were no clocks near the sinks(2.5%) and 7) the operative patients were administered antibiotics after operartion(2.1%). 4. Most of nurses and doctors considered SHS to be important in prevention against post operative infections. 5. Nurses were found to do a thorough SHS, but residents were found to neglect SHS. 6. Considering prevention against postoperative infections, most nurses and doctors considered aseptic techniques, environment-sanitary management and SHS more important than the use of antibiotics, the resistance of patients or the method of operation. 7. Half of the nurses and doctors(54.3%) considered surgical latex gloves to function well as a barrier. 8. Half of the nurses (56.4%) and doctors(51.9%) learned SHS as part of the curriculum in their school education and the rest(nurses : 95.7%, doctors : 74.7%) learned SHS as part of their In Service Education. In conclusion, these findings suggest a need to develop an educational program on surgical hand scrub and hospital infection control for surgical personnels, to install clocks near the hand scrub sinks, to consider a violation report for negligent surgical hand scrubs, and to develop a soft brush for hand scrubs in order to increase performance of the surgical hand scrub.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2004

Amendments of a recirculating nutrient solution with potassium silicate were evaluated as a means to control Phytophthora capsici infections on pepper plant(Capsicum annuum L.). Supplying the solutions with 100 or 200 ppm of silicate significantly reduced motility, root decay, and yield losses attributed to infection of P. capsici. Treating inoculated plants with potassium silicate increased root dry weights and number of fruit, especially high-grade fruit. Results were slightly superior to non-inoculated controls. The two varieties, PBC 137 and PBC 602, responded similarly to the treatments. No significant differences were observed between the 100- and 200 ppm silicate treatments. Results were better when greenhouse conditions favored the spread of P. capsici. Silicon alone did not increase pepper yield, suggesting that it acts as a disease suppression agent rather than as a fertilizer, The phenomena by which silicon confers protection against P. capsici infection and disease development are not fully understood, but our results indicate that mechanisms other than a mechanical barrier to fungal penetration are involved.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.566-573
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• 2022

Purpose: This study attempted to verify the effectiveness of the application of air sterilizers in elementary schools at risk of group infection among vulnerable groups in order to address fears of new infectious diseases that have increased since the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Coronavirus infection-19 (COVID-19). Method: One air sterilizer was installed in each classroom, cafeteria, and bathroom of an elementary school in Seoul, and surface and air samples were collected at a distance of 2m from the air sterilizer, and the bacterial reduction effect was analyzed compared to the uninstalled control group. Result: The sterilization effect on the surface was less than 2log CFU/cm² in both the control group and the test group, and the test group showed 54 to 87% less general bacterial colony formation than the control group. In addition, the sterilization effect in the air differed depending on the location of the air sterilizer, and the wall installation showed a reduction effect of up to 91% compared to the control group, and the central installation showed a reduction effect of up to 93%. Conclusion: As a result of the study, it is expected that the prevention of infectious diseases can be increased by maintaining the current quarantine program in elementary schools that conduct regular disinfection while applying air sterilizers. In addition, it is considered desirable to facilitate the inflow of air into the air sterilizer.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.235-237
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• 2010

When curing the composite restorations with light curing units, the light guides are often in direct contact with oral tissues, therefore contamination of light guides is inevitable. Curing light guides fall into the "semicritical" instrument category according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and must be heat or vapor-sterilized or at a minimum, these semicritical instruments must be sterilized in a liquid chemical agent. Currently, most common methods of maintaining sterility of the light guides are wiping the guide with a disinfectant, such as glutaraldehyde, after each patient use; using autoclavable guides; using presterilized, single-use plastic guides; and using translucent disposable barriers to cover the guide.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.1521_1522
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• 2009

Chemotaxis is the directed movement of cells in gradients of signaling molecules, an essential biological process that underlies morhpogenesis during development, and the recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection. Especially, bacterial chemotaxis has utilized as an important prelude to study metabolism, prey-predator relationship, symbiosis, other ecological interactions in microbial communities. Recently, novel analytical formats integrated with microfluidics were introduced to investigate the chemotaxis of the cells with the precise control of chemical gradient and small volume of cells. In this study, we present a method to detect bacterial chemotaxis by direct fluidic contacting. The developed fluidic-handling method is driven by capillary force, hydrophobic barrier and a cohesion force between fluids. We have investigated the chemotactic response of E Coli. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to three kinds of chemoeffectors such as HEPES buffer, peptone and chloroform.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.257-263
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• 2016

Background: This study purposed to examine how the incidence of the central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in a operating room (OR) is affected by bundle application on central line insertion (CLI) practice. Methods: The study design was a pretest-posttest experimental trial. The subjects were 83 patients before the bundle application on CLI and 70 patients after. Results: The compliance(%) of bundle on CLI of among those who observed all of the five items increased from 7.2% before the intervention to 72.9% after. By items, compliance with the maximal barrier precaution was 100% for the use of a mask and cap before and after the intervention, but increased from 73.5% before the intervention to 88.6% after for the hand hygiene, from 73.5% to 88.6% for the use of a sterile gown, and from 9.6% to 75.7% for the use of a sterile large drape covering the whole body. CLABSI did not happen on CLI either before or after the application of the bundle intervention. Conclusion: Bundle application increased compliance with the use of a sterile gown and the use of a sterile large drape. However, its effect in the prevention of CLABSI was not clear probably due to the short period of intervention in a single hospital.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.74-80
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• 2015

Skin is the soft outer covering of vertebrates that provides protection from pathogenic infection, physical damage, or UV irradiation, and controls body temperature and water content. In this study, we examined the effects of oral intake of kimchi-derived Lactobacillus plantarum K8 lysates on skin moisturizing. In an in vitro study, we observed that the hyaluronic acid content increased in HaCaT cells treated with L. plantarum K8 lysates. Oral administration of L. plantarum K8 lysates effectively attenuated the horny layer formation and decreased epidermal thickening in DNCB-treated SKH-1 hairless mice skin. The damage to barrier function was reduced after 8 weeks of oral administration of L. plantarum K8 lysates as compared with that in the atopic dermatitis mice. For the test with volunteers, we manufactured experimental candy containing 2.1% L. plantarum K8 lysates, while control candy did not contain bacterial lysate. A significant increase in hydration in the experimental candy-administered group as compared with the control candy-administered group was observed on the face after 4 and 8 weeks, and on the forearm after 4 weeks. Decreases in horny layer thickness and TEWL value were observed on the face and forearm of the experimental group. Together, the in vitro cell line and in vivo mouse studies revealed that L. plantarum K8 lysates have a moisturizing effect. A clinical research study with healthy volunteers also showed an improvement in barrier repair and function when volunteers took L. plantarum K8 lysates-containing candy. Thus, our results suggest that L. plantarum K8 lysates may help to improve skin barrier function.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.863-876
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• 2019

Farm animals such as piglets are often affected by environmental stress, which can disturb the gut ecosystem. Antibiotics were commonly used to prevent diarrhea in weaned piglets, but this was banned by the European Union due to the development of antibiotic resistance. However, the use of probiotics instead of antibiotics may reduce the risk posed by pathogenic microorganisms and reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus casei Zhang on the mechanical barrier and immune function of early-weaned piglets infected using Escherichia coli K88 based on histomorphology and immunology. Fourteen-day-old weaned piglets were divided into a control group and experimental groups that were fed L. casei Zhang and infected with E. coli K88 with or without prefeeding and/or postfeeding of L. casei Zhang. The L. casei Zhang dose used was $10^7CFU/g$ diet. Jejunum segments were obtained before histological, immunohistochemical, and western blot analyses were performed. In addition, the relative mRNA expression of toll receptors and cytokines was measured. Piglets fed L. casei Zhang showed significantly increased jejunum villus height, villus height-crypt depth ratio, muscle thickness, and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin. The use of L. casei Zhang effectively reduced intestinal inflammation after infection. We found that L. casei Zhang feeding prevented the jejunum damage induced by E. coli K88, suggesting that it may be a potential alternative to antibiotics for preventing diarrhea in early-weaned piglets.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.544-549
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• 2019

Background As the indications for postmastectomy radiotherapy expand, innovative solutions are required to reduce operative complications and reconstructive failure after prosthetic breast reconstruction. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) inlay grafts in preventing postoperative wound dehiscence of irradiated breasts in the context of prosthetic breast reconstruction. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of 45 patients who received two-stage prosthetic reconstruction and radiotherapy following mastectomy. An ADM graft was placed beneath the incisional site during the second-stage operation in 19 patients using marionette sutures, whereas the control group did not receive the ADM reinforcement. Patient demographics and complications such as wound dehiscence, capsular contracture, peri-prosthetic infection, cellulitis, and seroma were compared between the two groups. Results During an average follow-up period of 37.1 months, wound dehiscence occurred significantly less often in the ADM-reinforced closure group (0%) than in the non-ADM group (23.1%) (P=0.032). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to other complications, such as capsular contracture, postoperative infection, or seroma. Conclusions The ADM inlay graft is a simple and easily reproducible technique for preventing incisional dehiscence in the setting of radiotherapy after prosthetic breast reconstruction. The ADM graft serves as a buttress to offload tension during healing and provides a mechanical barrier against pathogens. Application of this technique may serve to reduce complications in prosthetic breast reconstruction after radiotherapy.