• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.425-431
• /
• 2021

The use of big data may facilitate the recognition and interpretation of causal relationships between disease occurrence and climatic variables. Considering the immense contribution of rhinoviruses in causing respiratory infections, in this study, we examined the effects of various climatic variables on the seasonal epidemiology of rhinovirus infections in the temperate climate of Cheonan, Korea. Trends in rhinovirus detection were analyzed based on 9,010 tests performed between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2018, at Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea. Seasonal patterns of rhinovirus detection frequency were compared with the local climatic variables for the same period. Rhinovirus infection was the highest in children under 10 years of age, and climatic variables influenced the infection rate. Temperature, wind chill temperature, humidity, and particulate matter significantly affected rhinovirus detection. Temperature and wind chill temperature were higher on days on which rhinovirus infection was detected than on which it was not. Conversely, particulate matter was lower on days on which rhinovirus was detected. Atmospheric pressure and particulate matter showed a negative relationship with rhinovirus detection, whereas temperature, wind chill temperature, and humidity showed a positive relationship. Rhinovirus infection was significantly related to climatic factors such as temperature, wind chill temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and particulate matter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to find a relationship between daily temperatures/wind chill temperatures and rhinovirus infection over an extended period.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.675-683
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to verify the relations of COVID-19 infection-related knowledge, dental infection control performance, and psychosocial health of dental hygienists. Methods: From the data was analyzed through the frequency analysis, t-test, one way ANOVA, and pearson's correlation analysis with a total of 198 dental hygienists using SPSS Statistics 21.0. Results: The correct answer rate for knowledge about COVID-19 was higher with a bachelor's degree or higher. Thus, when the level of education was higher, the performance was also high (p<0.01). COVID-19 infection control performance was highly shown in case of high age (4.43) (p<0.05) and the married (4.42) (p<0.01). Infection control performance was high when they had an educational experience of COVID-19 infection control (4.46), and when the infection control guidebooks were equipped in their workplaces (p<0.001). Degree of psychosocial health of research subjects was shown in the order of potential stress (60.6%), high-risk stress (23.7%), and healthy (15.7%). Infection control performance was higher, the psychosocial health was healthy. Conclusions: For the response to COVID-19 infectious disease and the preparation for mutated viruses and new infectious diseases in the future, it would be necessary to establish the concrete measures for establishing the strict infection control system for dental clinics and also enhancing the psychosocial health of dental hygienists.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.2
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2013

Background: Aiming to improve outcome of lung transplantation (LTx) patients, we reviewed risk factors and treatment practices for the LTx recipients who experienced respiratory infection in the late post-LTx period (>1 month after LTx). Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of 48 recipients and donors from 61 LTx, who experienced late respiratory infections. Late respiratory infections were classified according to the etiology, time of occurrence, and frequency of donor-to-host transmission or colonization of the recipient prior to transplantation. Results: During the period of observation, 42 episodes of respiratory infections occurred. The organisms most frequently involved were gram (-) bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii (n=13, 31.0%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=7, 16.7%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=4, 10.0%). Among the 42 episodes recorded, 14 occurred in the late post-LTx period. These were bacterial (n=6, 42.9%), fungal (n=2, 14.3%), viral (n=4, 28.5%), and mycobacterial (n=2, 14.3%) infections. Of 6 bacterial infections, 2 were from multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii and one from each of MDR P. aeruginosa, extended spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (+) K. pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infection-related death occurred in 6 of the 14 episodes (43%). Conclusion: Although the frequency of respiratory infection decreased sharply in the late post-LTx period, respiratory infection was still a major cause of mortality. Gram (-) MDR bacteria were the agents most commonly identified in these infections.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.5439-5444
• /
• 2012

Objective: To explore the correlation of human papillomavious (HPV) infection with expression of p53 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in patients with different ethnicity in Xinjiang, China. Methods: 166 biopsy specimens from 83 laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC), 63 laryngeal papillomas (LP), and 20 laryngeal inflammatory polyps (LIP) were included in this study. HPV infection was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific types of HPV primers. Expression of p53 and PCNA was assessed using immunohistostaining. Results: The frequency of HPV 6/11 was higher in LP (33.3%) than in LSCC (9.6%) (P<0.0005), whereas the frequency of HPV 16/18 was higher in LSCC (37.3 %) than in LP (6.3%) (P<0.0005). Patients of the Han ethnic group with LSCC had a higher infection rate with HPV 6/11 or HPV 6/11 and HPV 16/18 coinfection than those of Uygur and Kazak ethnicity (P<0.05). Overexpression of p53 and PCNA were higher in LSCC (62.7%, 57.8%) than in LP (38%, 33.3%) (P<0.005, and P<0.005, respectively). That of p53 was not associated with lymph-node metastases and clinical stages, but overexpression of PCNA closely correlated with clinical stage. Conclusions: These results strongly implicate HPV6/11 infection in the carcinogenesis of LSCC and LP, respectively. There was a higher coincidence of increased malignancy of laryngeal tumors with overexpression of p53 and PCNA. Overexpression of p53 may serve as an early risk marker for malignant transformation in HPV infected cells while the overexpression of PCNA may serve as a late marker for progression of LSCC.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.57-61
• /
• 2012

Cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis are uncommon pediatric diseases, although clinicians have seen them with increasing frequency in children in recent years. Moreover, no case of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis has been previously reported in the English literature. We report a pediatric patient with EBV infection, a gall bladder stone, and a common bile duct stone, may have had GB and CBD stones prior to her EBV infection, whom we successfully treated with antibiotics and laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholecystitis.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.130-136
• /
• 2016

The aim of this study was to examine and analyze the infection management status of Jeju-area general hospitals, and in order to convey the importance of infection management, and to determine role plans of medical technologists as infection management staff, the infection management status was examined through surveys targeting 7 general hospitals located in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The infection management of Jeju-area medical institutions showed excellence in that all institutions operated an infection management room, there was dedicated manpower, and hospital infection management guidelines were established and executed. However most institutions were operating their infection management room with only 1 nurse, reporting many difficulties in securing dedicated manpower, microbe-related culture deciphering, frequency of multiple-resistance bacteria, infection statistics, and details on microbe testing. Accordingly, it is believed that the medical technologist who can perform the practical tasks of infection management has sufficient qualification and experience in infection management as per the medical law enforcement regulations, and in operation of an infection management room. If medical technologists (infection control microbiological technologist) with expert knowledge on microbes and infection control nurses can execute the tasks as dedicated personnel, the operation of the infection management room will be more advanced. In addition, for proper infection management in the future, the introduction of a medical system specialized in infection management and full support for infection management of vulnerable small/medium hospitals in addition to general hospitals across the country is considered important.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.273-279
• /
• 1974

Studies were made on the relation of mastitis infection rate to the management and sanitations of dairy farms by examining 46 dairy herds. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The higher infection rate was observed in farms managed by employees than by owners, and in impoprted cattle than cattle horn in Korea. 2. Type of education and the period of experience of management were not correlated to the infection rate. 3. The infection rate was the highest in Summer and in cattle of 5~8 lactating age group. 4. It was observed that the amount of water supply, time of cleaning stall, frequency of disinfection, the method of using cleaning towel and the method of milking were correlated to the infection rate.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.97-104
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Facilities for infection prevention according to the characteristics of the patients, caregivers and medical personnel are needed in the patient triage room of the emergency department as a space for the first medical examination and classification of the patients. This study focus on the patient tirage room with the highest frequency of use in the emergency department to prevent the hospital acquired infection of the emergency department. Methods:: This study analyzed the facilities standard needed for the infection prevention through interviews with the medical personnel and analyses on the facilities standard/cases of foreign hospitals and facilities standard at home and abroad Results: And based on this, it attempted to present improvement measures by analyzing the line of circulation and space used by infected patients in a hospital designated in the regional emergency medical center among hospitals whose emergency department overcrowding index is high. Implications: The facilities standard for the infection prevention among the courses for patient classification of the emergency medical centers could be identified and implemented to prevent infection.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.108-114
• /
• 2022

Background: Students in the department of dental hygiene are exposed to injections and sharp instruments during clinical practice. Therefore, it is necessary to develop measures for a safe practice environment. This study aimed to investigate dental stabbing accidents caused by dental instruments during clinical practice among students in the department of dental hygiene and suggest appropriate preventative measures. Methods: This study was conducted from May 1 to June 30, 2016, with students in the department of dental hygiene located at several universities in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. The study included 339 participants. A frequency analysis was performed to determine the general characteristics of dental infection control. A cross-analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between dental infection control education, stabbing accident prevention education, and treatment after stabbing accidents with a dental instrument. Results: Among the participants, 81.1% received dental infection control education and 66.4% received stabbing accident prevention education. Only 50.9% received hepatitis B vaccinations. Conclusion: Dental infection control education and stabbing accident prevention education were shown to be effective in preventing dental instrument stabbing in students. However, post-accident processing, such as reporting to upper management and medical treatment after the accident, was insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to present a treatment flowchart for dealing with stab accidents in clinical practice for students in the department of dental hygiene and strengthen education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.190-199
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The study aims to identify factors that influence university students' compliance with infection prevention behaviors in the early stage of COVID-19. Methods: A survey was conducted online from July 29 to August 2, 2020, involving 261 students enrolled in general universities. Frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression analysis were carried out on the collected data using SPSS 24.0. Results: The average score of university students' risk perception of COVID-19 was 3.80, while the average score of health risk communication was 3.92. The average score of efficacy beliefs was 4.42 and the average score of practicing infection prevention behaviors was 4.54. Factors influencing the level of infection prevention behaviors were efficacy of preventive behaviors (β=.48 p<.001), health risk communication (β=.16, p=.003), subjective health status (β=.12, p=.015), and the type of college (β=.11, p=.041). Conclusion: In order to improve college students' infection prevention behaviors related to COVID-19, consideration should be given to providing interventions that focus on accurate knowledge and dissemination of accurate information about new infectious diseases and effectiveness of infection preventive behaviors.