• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) knowledge, anxiety, and psychosocial well-being on the infection prevention behavior of college students in health care. Methods: This study is a descriptive survey research. A total of 301 college students at four health care departments in three regions were surveyed using a structured questionnaire from February 10 to February 16, 2022. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were done using SPSS ver. 18.0. Results: Knowledge on COVID-19 was significantly dependent on a family history of chronic disease (p=.049). Anxiety was significantly dependent on test of COVID-19 (p=.040). Gender (p=.049), perceived physical and mental health status (p=.000), and chronic disease (p=.000) had significant effects on infection prevention behavior. When the level of anxiety was higher, the infection prevention behavior was also higher (p=.000) and the psychosocial well-being was improved (p=.017). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that anxiety significantly improved the infection prevention behavior (𝛽=.396, p<.001) and psychosocial well-being (𝛽=-.139, p=.008), which accounts for 18.5% (F=22.444, p<.001) of the variance. Conclusion: In order to prevent infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and its spread, measures to prevent infection and improve the psychosocial well-being should also be sought.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate disease prevalence, parent's educational needs, and disease management according to severity of respiratory infections in early childhood. Methods: Participants for this study were 173 mothers whose child was admitted to I university hospital in Seoul and whose child was an infant or toddler. Data were collected from December, 17, 2014 to February, 15, 2015 using self-report structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using IBM/SPSS 21.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in the severity of respiratory infection according to neonatal admission due to dyspnea, feeding type, atopic dermatitis in the infant or allergic disease in father and siblings. Parent's educational needs for the severe respiratory infection group were higher than for the non-severe group. Parent's disease management for the severe respiratory infection group was lower than the non-severe group. Conclusion: As important care factors in neonatal admissions include dyspnea, cow milk feeding, eczema, family history of allergies, parent's educational needs and disease management, they should be considered when caring for young children with respiratory infections and their parents.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.695-699
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• 2014

Chronic Opisthorchis viverrini-induced hepatobiliary disease is associated with significant leukocyte infiltration, including activated macrophages; however, the polarization of infiltrating macrophages remains to be fully characterized. In this study, we characterized macrophage polarization and phenotype in chronic O. viverrini-induced hepatobiliary disease in humans and hamsters using gene expression and histochemical analysis. Chronic O. viverrini infection and associated hepatobiliary diseases were associated with iron loaded M2-like macrophages in both humans and hamsters. This study provides suggestive evidence that iron loaded M2-like macrophages promote hepatobiliary disease in chronic O. viverrini infection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.513-518
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• 2009

In childhood tuberculosis, it is possible to clearly distinguish among three basic stages: exposure, infection, and disease. The incidence of tuberculosis in children is low compared with that in adults, but latent infection is a major concern because children, who are exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis especially early in childhood, are at increased risk of developing the disease. Younger children particularly infants have a high relative risk of miliary or meningeal disease. The clinical manifestations of childhood tuberculosis differ noticeably from those of the disease seen in adults. Adolescents with tuberculosis have different demographic and clinical features from those of adults or children. Tuberculosis in adolescents has become relatively more important as the incidence of infection in childhood has decreased.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.43-54
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• 2012

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in developed countries. This article reviews the neonatal invasive GBS disease, maternal GBS colonization, and prevention strategies in the context of recent epidemiological changes in Korea. Although Korean neonates had been supposed to have low incidence of invasive GBS disease, GBS has been recently reported to be the most common cause of invasive neonatal infection after 1990s. Among Korean pregnant women, GBS carriage rate in the vagina and rectum has been reported to be much lower than that in Western countries. However, it has increased in recent studies. For decision making about preventive strategy for neonatal GBS disease in Korea, further studies are required in terms of the incidence of neonatal GBS infection and serotype distribution. In addition, studies about maternal carriage rate and serotype distribution have to be continued.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.609-613
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• 2018

Babesiosis, caused by Babesia microti and B. divergens, is transmitted by Ixodid ticks. Symptoms of babesiosis vary from a mild flu-like illness to acute, severe, and sometimes fatal and fulminant disease. In Korea, 7 imported babesiosis cases and 1 endemic case have been reported. We report 2 cases of severe babesiosis initially mistaken as malaria. The first patient was complicated by shock and splenic infarction, the other co-infected with Lyme disease. As the population traveling abroad increases every year, physicians should be aware of babesiosis which mimics malaria, co-infection with other diseases, and its complications.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.80-84
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• 2014

Clostridium difficile infection has been increasing since 2000 in children and in adults. Frequent antibiotics use, comorbidity, and the development of hypervirulent strains have increased the risk of infection. Despite the high carriage rates of C. difficile, infants rarely develop clinical infection. Discontinuing antibiotics and supportive management usually leads to resolution of disease. Antibiotics use should be stratified depending on the patient's age and severity of the disease.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2010

To understand protozoan, viral, and bacterial infections in diarrheal patients, we analyzed positivity and mixedinfection status with 3 protozoans, 4 viruses, and 10 bacteria in hospitalized diarrheal patients during 2004-2006 in the Republic of Korea. A total of 76,652 stool samples were collected from 96 hospitals across the nation. The positivity for protozoa, viruses, and bacteria was 129, 1,759, and 1,797 per 10,000 persons, respectively. Especially, Cryptosporidium parvum was highly mixed-infected with rotavirus among pediatric diarrheal patients (29.5 per 100 C. parvum positive cases), and Entamoeba histolytica was mixed-infected with Clostridium perfringens (10.3 per 100 E. histolytica positive cases) in protozoan-diarrheal patients. Those infected with rotavirus and C. perfringens constituted relatively high proportions among mixed infection cases from January to April. The positivity for rotavirus among viral infection for those aged $\leq$ 5 years was significantly higher, while C. perfringens among bacterial infection was higher for $\geq$ 50 years. The information for association of viral and bacterial infections with enteropathogenic protozoa in diarrheal patients may contribute to improvement of care for diarrhea as well as development of control strategies for diarrheal diseases in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2022

Purpose : This study aimed to identify the factors affecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection control practices of nurses in negative pressure isolation rooms. Methods : The participants were 150 nurses working in three hospitals with negative pressure isolation rooms. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis using the SPSS/WIN 26.0 program. Results : Factors significantly influencing the subject's COVID-19 infection control practice include Being married (𝛽=.18, p =.016), working in a ward with negative pressure isolation rooms (𝛽=.44, p <.001), working in an ICU with negative pressure isolation rooms (𝛽=.27, p =.010), COVID-19 infection control attitude (𝛽=.28, p =.001), anxiety for COVID-19 (𝛽=.30, p <.001). The explanatory power of these variables for COVID-19 infection control practice was 24.6% (F=8.67, p <.001). Conclusion : It is expected that strategies that utilize positive attitudes which believe that COVID-19 disease may be overcome by COVID-19 infection control practice will help improve emerging infectious diseases infection control practice.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.803-815
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• 2017

In this study of the oak wilt disease that has occurred in a large scale in a protected area located near South Korea's metropolitan region, a detailed analysis has been conducted on the terrain, species and Diameters at Breast Height (DBH) of infected trees to identify the distribution of infection properties in the affected area. Taking into consideration the distribution of oak tree vegetation, a total of 4,640 quadrats in a size of 10 m by 10 m, have been set; and oak tree species, the DBH and infection damage per quadrat have been investigated. Geological properties have been analyzed according to elevation, slope, aspect and micro topography while a weighted value has been given according to the degree of infection in order to calculate an infection index. Through correlation analysis, the infection ratio of seriously-damaged and withered trees and the infection index have been analyzed with regards to the geological properties, tree species and DBH. The analysis shows that the disease tends to affect an area with medium elevation rather than those in the highest or lowest areas and that serious damage has been observed at rugged spots with a steep gradient (more than $30^{\circ}$). Although there has been no distinct tendency with regards to aspect, the infection ratio is relatively high in areas facing the north while the seriously-damaged and withered ratio are high in areas facing the south. In terms of micro topography, more damage has been spotted in valley terrain. Quercus mongolica has sustained more damage than other species. When it comes to the DBH, as seen in previous studies, large trees have suffered severe damage, but the analysis has also revealed conspicuous damage to medium trees with a DBH of 15-20 cm, which had not previously been considered at high risk.