• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2019

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the most important disease screened for upon patient history review during preimmigration medical examinations as performed in South Korea in prospective immigrants to certain Western countries. In 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed the TB screening protocol from a smear-based test to the complete Culture and Directly Observed Therapy Tuberculosis Technical Instructions (CDOT TB TI) for reducing the incidence of TB in foreign-born immigrants. Methods: This study evaluated the effect of the revised (as compared with the old) protocol in South Korea. Results: Of the 40,558 visa applicants, 365 exhibited chest radiographic results suggestive of active or inactive TB, and 351 underwent sputum tests (acid-fast bacilli smear and Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture). To this end, using the CDOT TB TI, 36 subjects (88.8 per $10^5$ of the population) were found to have TB, compared with only seven using the older U.S. CDC technical instruction (TI) (p<0.001). In addition, there were six drug-resistant cases which were identified (16.7 per $10^5$ of the population), two of whom had multidrug-resistance (5.6 per $10^5$ of the population). Conclusion: The culture-based 2007 TI identified a great deal of TB cases current to the individuals tested, as compared to older U.S. CDC TI.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2023

Brucellosis and tuberculosis are major infectious and contagious bacterial diseases in cattle. These diseases are malicious diseases that must be inspected at the slaughterhouse of cattle in accordance with the practice of quarantine in Korea. Furthermore, both diseases lead to abortion, reproductive disorder, and calf disease, causing major difficulty in the breeding of Korean Native cattle (Hanwoo), a representative industrial animal currently being raised in Korea. Co-infections of these diseases intensify clinical symptoms such as abortion and have a particularly significant effect on increasing mortality. Thus, serological tests were performed in Hanwoo, to establish the association of co-infection between brucellosis and tuberculosis in cattle. ELISA and PCR tests were conducted on blood samples collected from a total of 102 cattle in Jeonnam province, Korea, to detect brucellosis and tuberculosis infections. The PCR results revealed that 41 samples tested positive for Brucella abortus (B. abortus) infection (40.20%), and 5 samples tested positive for Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) (4.90%) infection confirmed by PCR. Notably, 9.76% (4/41) of the cattle infected with brucellosis also tested positive for tuberculosis. In conclusion, this study highlights the co-infection of brucellosis and tuberculosis among Hanwoo cattle in Jeonnam province, which is expected to contribute to our understanding of disease transmission, pathogenicity, the establishment of future prevention strategies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3817-3822
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• 2016

Background: Lung cancer has long been a leading cause of cancer related death in both women and men worldwide. The focus of this study was to review clinicopathological features of Iranian patients diagnosed with lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Clinicopathological data of 1353 primary lung cancer patients diagnosed during 17 years (1997-2014) in the "National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease" (NRITLD), Tehran, Iran, were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The median age of patients was 60 (mean: 58.95 years, range: 16-99) and adenocarcinoma was the most prevalent pathology (45.2%). Male/female ratio was 3.22 and 57.2% of patients were smokers (men 70.3%, women 15%). The majority (85.3%) were referred in advanced stages (stage IIIB and IV). Conclusions: Although some of our findings are in concordance with other studies in lung cancer but there are some discrepancies particularly in terms of smoking status and median age of Iranian patients. Further clinical and epidemiological studies are warranted to elucidate etiologic and factors other than smoking contributing to development of lung cancer such as environmental exposures or genetic predisposition.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.411-420
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• 2019

This study analyzed the effective message strategy for the TB prevention campaign. This study examined the differences in the perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and behavior intention according to the message orientation(individual-social) and the message presentation style(statistical-narrative). The results showed that individual message is more effective than social message in terms of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity. There was no significant difference between statistical and narrative messages. Finally, in the case of individual message, narrative messages were more effective than statistical messages; and in the case of social message, social messages were more effective than narrative messages. Based on these results, theoretical implications were discussed and a practical strategy for TB prevention campaign were proposed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.349-357
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• 2013

Background: Although interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) is now available alternatives to tuberculin skin test (TST) for detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), the cost of IGRA test is much higher than TST. So economic analysis of LTBI screening strategies have been done in many countries, but there are few reports in Korea. This study examined cost analysis of LTBI screening strategies in Korea. Methods: The economic outcomes were evaluated by five strategies. These were 1) TST alone, 2) IGRA alone, 3) combination of TST and IGRA (TST followed by IGRA) and 4) no testing no prevention, 5) no testing all prevention. Last two strategies were added to compare with three main LTBI screening strategies. Decision analysis model were used to perform economic analysis. A cohort study of Korean Institute of Tuberculosis and the data of published literatures were used to estimate the cost analysis. Results: In a base-case scenario which was assumed that TST specificity was 80%, TST alone was the least expensive strategy. In a alternative scenario which was assumed that TST specificity was 97%, the combination of TST and IGRA was the least expensive strategy. Sensitivity analysis shows that patients adherent rate to LTBI treatment, TST sensitivity, IGRA sensitivity and IGRA specificity did not have a significant impact on the outcomes. Conclusion: In Korea, for the diagnosis of LTBI at the time of child and adolescent, TST alone reduces medical costs compared with IGRA alone or combination of TST and IGRA.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

Pneumonia is the cause of significant morbidity and mortality, despite advances in diagnosis and antibacterial treatment. Pneumonia is often misdiagnosed and mistreated up until recently. Recent classification of pneumonia consists of community-acquired pneumonia, health care-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The etiology, risk factors, and treatment are different among them. This article briefly introduces new concepts and ideas in biomarkers, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of pneumonia during the past 2 years. One of the most frequent subjects of recent papers was those about pandemic H1N1 in 2009.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.68-80
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• 2021

Purpose: In this study, potential demographic, social, and economic factors causing tuberculosis were identified, and eight cities in South Chungcheong Province were compared and analyzed with the IPA method. Method: The factors potentially affecting the prevalence of tuberculosis were categorized demographically, socially, and economically, and selected through brainstorming. Furthermore, potential factors affecting tuberculosis were derived using the revised IPA. Based on this analysis, areas with a potential risk of tuberculosis were classified, and the following policy implications were suggested. Result: The analysis found the three cities of Nonsan, Boryeong, and Gongju to have the highest potential risk of tuberculosis, and the frequency of potential risk factors in the above three cities to be 6 or more. Thus, an urgent policy response to prevent tuberculosis in these regions is required. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it is necessary to take potential risk factors into account when promoting tuberculosis prevention policies and projects in South Chungcheong Province.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the relationship among knowledge, attitudes and prevention behaviors (PB) on tuberculosis (Tb) infection in nursing students. Methods: 268 subjects were recruited from two universities located in C D cities of Korea and data were collected utilizing self-reported questionnaires. Results: The mean scores of knowledge, attitudes and PB on Tb infection were 64.83, 3.18 and 2.97. The knowledge differed according to gender (t=-3.16, p=.002), grades (F=32.19, p<.001), educational experience about Tb (EETb) (F=10.59, p<.001), learning information about Tb (t=3.08, p=.002) and getting Tb: self or others (t=2.78, p=.006). The attitudes differed according to grades (F=7.71, p<.001) and EETb (F=2.68, p=.047). The PB differed according to grades (F=7.02, p<.001) and EETb (F=4.55, p=.004). Significant correlations were found between knowledge and PB (r=.20, p=001), attitudes and PB (r=.33, p<.001). The most significant factor influencing PB was attitudes with R2 value of 13.9% (F=11.81, p<.001). Conclusion: These findings indicate that knowledge and attitude adjustment may be necessary to improve PB for Tb infection in nursing students. Moreover further study is necessary to find out the ways to reinforce the level of attitudes. The results of the study can be utilized in educational programs for preventing Tb infection in nursing students.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2017

It is well established that health care workers (HCWs) have a considerably higher risk of occupationally acquired tuberculosis (TB). To reduce the transmission of TB to HCWs and patients, TB infection control programs should be implemented in health care settings. The first and most important level of all protection and control programs is administrative control. Its goals are to prevent HCWs, other staff, and patients from being exposed to TB, and to reduce the transmission of infection by ensuring rapid diagnosis and treatment of affected individuals. Administrative control measures recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization include prompt identification of people with TB symptoms, isolation of infectious patients, control of the spread of the pathogen, and minimization of time spent in health care facilities. Another key component of measures undertaken is the baseline and serial screening for latent TB infection in HCWs who are at risk of exposure to TB. Although the interferon-gamma release assay has some advantages over the tuberculin skin test, the former has serious limitations, mostly due to its high conversion rate.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.177-188
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• 2010

Objective : This study was designed to evaluate the treatment effects and the prevention of side effects from antituberculosis drugs by using oriental medicine on a pulmonary tuberculosis patient. Methods : The clinical data was analyzed on a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis whose main symptoms were general weakness, anorexia, weight loss, tachycardia, night sweats, fever, coughing and chest pain. The patient was treated from June 17, 2008 to April 1, 2009, using herbal medicine (Cheongpyebyeolgab-tang) with antituberculosis drugs. Results : After treatment, the symptoms disappeared faster than with western medicine treatment only. Laboratory examinations and radiograph impressions also improved. No side effects of the antituberculosis drugs were noted. Conclusions : This suggests that oriental medicine therapy is effective for pulmonary tuberculosis and prevents the side effects of the antituberculosis drugs.