• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.240-248
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• 2016

Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) adversely impacts food security in households of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Little research has focused on food insecurity among PLWHA in India. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of and factors relating to food security in households of PLWHA in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out among 173 PLWHA residing in Siliguri and registered at the Anti-retroviral Therapy Centre of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital. Data was collected at the household level with interviews of PLWHA using a food security survey instrument. We analyzed the associations using logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of household food security among the participants was 50.9% (88/173). Five years or more of schooling, higher socioeconomic class and males were found to be significantly associated with a higher likelihood of food security. A later stage of the disease and the presence of other family members with HIV/AIDS were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of food security. The major coping strategies to deal with food insecurity in the acute phase HIV infection included borrowing money (56.1%), followed by spousal support, loans from microfinance institutions, banks, or money lenders, borrowing food, or selling agricultural products. Conclusions: The present study revealed that only about half of households with PLWHA were food secure. Prior interventions relating to periods of food and economic crisis as well as strategies for sustaining food security and economic status are needed in this area.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2012

Background: This study is to evaluate the effect of systemic corticosteroid on the clinical outcomes and the occurrence of complications in mechanical ventilated patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: We retrospectively assessed the clinical outcomes and complications in patients with severe CAP admitted to ICU between March 1, 2003 and July 28, 2009. Outcomes were measured by hospital mortality after ICU admission, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), ICU, and hospital stay. Complications such as ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter related-blood stream infection (CR-BSI), and upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding during ICU stay were assessed. Results: Of the 93 patients, 36 patients received corticosteroids over 7 days while 57 patients did not receive corticosteroids. Age, underlying disease, APACHE II, PSI score, and use of vasopressor were not different between two groups. In-hospital mortality was 30.5% in the steroid group and 36.8% in the non-steroid group (p>0.05). The major complications such as VAP, CR-BSI and UGI bleeding was significantly higher in the steroid group than in the non-steroid group (19.4% vs. 7%, p<0.05). The use of steroids and the duration of ICU stay were significantly associated with the development of major complications during ones ICU stay (p<0.05). Conclusion: Systemic corticosteroid in patients with severe CAP requiring mechanical ventilation may have no beneficial effect on clinical outcomes like duration of ICU stay and in-hospital mortality but may contribute to the development of ICU acquired complications.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore practice-based evidence for health promotion in vulnerable populations with hypertension in primary health care settings. Methods: Two methodological procedures were adopted for this triangulation study. In the first phase, the sample was obtained from the computerized clinical data repository of a community nursing center. A total of 286 clients were assessed for hypertension as an actual circulation problem as coded in the Omaha System. In the second phase, a qualitative focus group was surveyed through semi-structured interviews conducted by nine advanced practice nurses who had been serving the hypertensive patients. Results: The community nurses provided essential primary healthcare services including health teaching guidance and counseling, and surveillance to vulnerable populations living in medically underserved community. There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and behavior (r=.53, p<.01), between knowledge and health status (r=.40, p<.05), and between behavior and health status (r=.48, p<.01). Conclusion: This triangulation study encompassed not only quantitative findings from the computerized records of clients but also other information acquired from advanced practice nurses. This study contributes to understanding the importance of health promotion nursing interventions even with populations already diagnosed with chronic diseases such as hypertension.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.569-580
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to investigate opposites acquisition and tendency of processing negations about directional oppositionality from 3- to 6-old Korean children. The data were collected from 80 children from a daycare center and 20 university students in Busan, Korea. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to produce opposites for common terms related to colors, directions, and dimension adjectives. In Experiment 2, they were asked to make pictures corresponding to statements with negations(e. g. The arrow is NOT pointing up.). Summarizing the overall results, first, children over 5 considered 'blue' and 'red' as opposites colors in the case of not well-known color opposites. If there exists an opposite color, color opposites have been acquired from 6 year-olds, the directional opposites started from 3 year-olds, and the opposites of dimension adjectives did from 5 year-olds. Second, preferring the antipodal color opposites started from 6 and preferring the antipodal direction did from 3. Consequently, 3-to 6 year-old children acquired opposites at different age and opposites dimension. Also the opposites dimension have an effect on processing negation of young children.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.175-186
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• 2018

Pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Since 2014, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) has assessed the overall quality of care among hospitalized adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) provided by all medical institutions in Korea. A committee of the Korea Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases developed the hospital inpatient quality measures set for CAP consisting of eight core measures and five monitoring measures. The composite measure score was calculated. The medical records of hospitalized adult patients ages 18 years or more with CAP from October to December 2014 were evaluated. The data of 523 hospitals (42 tertiary hospitals [8.0%], 256 general hospitals [49%], and 225 hospitals [43.0%]) and 15,432 cases (tertiary hospitals, 1,673 cases [10.8%]; general hospitals, 8,803 cases [57.1%]; hospitals, 4,956 cases [32.1%]) were analyzed. We found large variations among institutions in terms of performance of care measures for CAP. For the composite measure score, the mean value was 66.7 (tertiary hospitals, 98.5; general hospitals, 79.2; hospitals, 43.8). Despite significant differences in measure scores between tertiary, general hospitals and hospitals, no significant differences were found in mortality between hospitals. Further studies are needed to determine the care measures appropriate for CAP.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2020

Background: Limited studies have been performed to assess readmission following hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in an Asian population. We evaluated the rates, reasons, and risk factors for 30-day readmission following hospitalization for CAP in the general adult population of Korea. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of 1,021 patients with CAP hospitalized at Yeungnam University from March 2012 to February 2014. The primary end point was all-cause hospital readmission within 30 days following discharge after the initial hospitalization. Hospital readmission was classified as pneumonia-related or pneumonia-unrelated readmission. Results: During the study period, 862 patients who survived to hospital discharge were eligible for inclusion and among them 72 (8.4%) were rehospitalized within 30 days. In the multivariable analysis, pneumonia-related readmission was associated with para/hemiplegia, malignancy, pneumonia severity index class ≥4 and clinical instability ≥1 at hospital discharge. Comorbidities such as chronic lung disease and chronic kidney disease, treatment failure, and decompensation of comorbidities were associated with the pneumonia-unrelated 30-day readmission rate. Conclusion: Rehospitalizations within 30 days following discharge were frequent among patients with CAP. The risk factors for pneumonia-related and -unrelated readmission were different. Aspiration prevention, discharge at the optimal time, and close monitoring of comorbidities may reduce the frequency of readmission among patients with CAP.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2005

Purpose : S. pneumoniae is one of major pathogens of community-acquired respiratory infections. The rate of antibiotic resistance to this organism has increased, and resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents in a single strain of S. pneumoniae may compromise the efficacy of empiric antimicrobial treatment commonly used for respiratory infections. We did this study to find out the penicillin resistant distributions and oral antibiotics susceptibility patterns against S. pneumoniae, isolated from pediatric patients with community-acquired respiratory infections in Korea. Methods : One hundred fifty six pneumococcal isolates obtained from pediatric patients with community-acquired respiratory infections such as acute otitis media(AOM), sinusitis and pneumonia between May 2000 to June 2003. And MICs of penicillin and oral antibiotics(amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefaclor) were performed by broth microdilution methods according to the NCCLS(2003a). Results : Seventy eight percent of the isolates were resistant to penicillin. The isolates, collected from AOM patients showed the highest penicillin resistance(92.7%). The resistant rates of amoxicillin (16.7%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate(9.6%), based on susceptibility breakpoints established by the NCCLS, were markedly lower than these of penicillin. But, the resistant rate of cefaclor was very high, above 95%. Conclusion : We concluded that pneumococci isolated from study cases may be one of the world's highest penicillin resistant rates. But, amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate can be used as a first-line antibiotics. Finally, we hope that a continuous surveillance study to monitor resistant patterns of pneumococcal respiratory infections will be needed for the standard guidelines of empiric antibiotic treatment.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2009

Purpose : This study was performed to determine the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed 628 medical records of patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis between 2001 and 2005. The patients were divided into two groups (the community-acquired group [528 cases] and the nosocomial group [100 cases]. The epidemiologic and clinical indices between the groups were analysed. For clinical comparison, 100 agematched cases were selected from the community-acquired group. Results : The male-to-female ratio was similar (1.4:1 vs. 1.5:1), but the mean age was lower in the nosocomial group compared to the community-acquired group (21.9${\pm}$15.5 months vs. 16.6${\pm}$10.3 months, P <0.001). The patterns of age distribution, annual frequency, and seasonal distribution were similar in both groups. The proportions of nosocomial cases in each year ranged from 9.8% to 22.4% of annual rotaviral infections, and these were not proportional to annual cases. The duration of fever appeared more prominent in the nosocomial group, and the severity of diarrhea was not different between the groups. The cases with a BUN >20 mg/dL were more in the community-acquired group (16% vs. 4%, P=0.01). Conclusion : The clinical and epidemiologic charateristics of nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis were similar and correlated to those of the community-acquired gastroenteritis.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.59-72
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• 2011

Objective : The purpose of this research was to understand the emotions of disabled in starting relationships with the opposite gender and disclosing experienced events related to starting relationships with the opposite gender. Methods : In order to gain an understanding of experience, emotions and process of people with acquired disability, phenomenological study, a form of qualitative research was used. Data on subjects was collected through in-depth interviews, on-the-scene recording and technical observation diary, etc and were analyzed through Colaizzi's phenomenological study method. Results : Subjects who had acquired disabilities experienced changes in physical, psychological, social aspects and especially in the course of relationships with the opposite gender. Data from in-depth interviews of 8 subjects were analyzed 6 types of subject themes were derived. 1) Diagnosis of varying psychological reactions. 2) Various psychological reactions of parents and the other gender. 3) Through aggressive support rehabilitation volition will change. 4) After you have a disability as a lack of social skills. 5) Changes in confidence through rehabilitation. 6) the other gender for the different ideas. Conclusion : This research is valuable in presenting important data in understanding problems and emotions of relationships of people with acquired disabilities with opposite gender. Starting relationships with the opposite gender has more meaning than any other interacting activities in society. Conflicts exist in starting relationships and support programs for various specialists are indispensable.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.83-95
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the acceptance of disabilities among adults with acquired disabilities based on ecological theory, utilizing raw data from the 4th Disability and Life Dynamics Panel in 2021. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that individual factors such as 'gender,' 'type of disability,' 'severity of disability,' 'marital status,' 'education,' 'employment status,' 'depression,' 'self-esteem,' and 'overall health in the past six months,' interpersonal factors like 'emotional support and assistance,' and organizational and environmental factors including the 'level of difficulty in using disability-related services' and 'overall satisfaction with disability welfare services' were found to impact the acceptance of disabilities among adults with acquired disabilities. Based on these research findings, it is suggested that efforts in the community to enhance the acceptance of disabilities among adults with acquired disabilities should go beyond individual dimensions, increasing opportunities for social interactions and fostering a disability-friendly environment.