• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2023

Background: Like many other countries, falls and related injuries in older adults are great concerns in South Korea. In particular, falls are common in medical institutions, often causing the increase of the length of hospitalization. Objects: The purpose of this review was to help understand and address falls in hospitalized individuals in South Korea. Methods: The review was conducted on literature published in Korean from 2010 to 2022, searched in the Korea Citation Index and PubMed. Keywords used for the search were as follows: falls, fall risk, fall risk assessment, hospital, inpatient, intervention, Korea, and prevention. Results: A total of 54 articles were found and reviewed. The most common place of fall accidents was the inpatient room, where there were many cases of falls while walking. Loss of balance was the most common cause of falls, and many falls occurred in patients admitted to the internal medicine. Furthermore, a risk of falling increased with the type of medications taken. In terms of tools to assess patients' fall risk, the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) was commonly used. Patient-specific fall prevention activities were common to address falls, and they decreased the frequency of falls and the fear of falling. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the fall prevention activities included attitudes toward falls, education, environmental factors, patient safety culture, and self-efficacy in preventing falls. Conclusion: Our results should help understand and address falls and injuries in medical institutions.

• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.3-7
• /
• 2009

In this article, we review research on how normal personality traits and personality disorder traits may relate to anxiety disorders ; as predisposing factors, 2) as complications, 3) as pathoplastic factors, and 4) as manifestations of common underlying etiologies. Based on current literatures, we draw a conclusion as follows : 1) Normal personality traits such as high neuroticism and low extraversion and personality disorder traits, especially cluster C traits, are at least risk factors for certain anxiety disorders ; 2) Anxiety disorders in early life might influence a later development of personality disorder ; 3) Personality disorder traits may have negative influence on the outcome of anxiety disorders ; 4) Personality and anxiety disorders may be manifestations of common genetic and environmental etiologies.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.117-132
• /
• 1999

Common system deployment is one of the global information systems strategies of a multinational corporation for large-scale development that can provide economies of scale and optimal use of scarce technical expertise. But while the same (headquarter) team implements the same system, the resulting efficiencies of those projects differ widely among the subsidiaries. This paper focuses on the differences between the efficiencies of these implementation projects. Eight prepropositions about the factors causing the differences have been developed from the previous research. These prepropositions are explored through a case study on the twelve overseas subsidiaries of a multinational electronic corporation headquartered in Korea. We found that three factors(autonomy of subsidiary, complexity of task, experience level of users) have strong relevant relationships and two factors(level of subsidiary country, level of process formality) have partial relevant relationships with the implementation outcome.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.59 no.2
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Febrile seizure, the most common type of pediatric convulsive disorder, is a benign seizure syndrome distinct from epilepsy. However, as epilepsy is also common during childhood, we aimed to identify the prognostic factors that can predict epilepsy in children with febrile seizures. Methods: The study comprised 249 children at the Korea University Ansan Hospital who presented with febrile seizures. The relationship between the subsequent occurrence of epilepsy and clinical factors including seizure and fever-related variables were analyzed by multivariate analysis. Results: Twenty-five patients (10.0%) had additional afebrile seizures later and were diagnosed with epilepsy. The subsequent occurrence of epilepsy in patients with a history of febrile seizures was associated with a seizure frequency of more than 10 times during the first 2 years after seizure onset (P<0.001). Factors that were associated with subsequent occurrence of epilepsy were developmental delay (P<0.001), preterm birth (P =0.001), multiple seizures during a febrile seizure attack (P =0.005), and epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG) (P =0.008). Other factors such as the age at onset of first seizure, seizure duration, and family history of epilepsy were not associated with subsequent occurrence of epilepsy in this study. Conclusion: Febrile seizures are common and mostly benign. However, careful observation is needed, particularly for prediction of subsequent epileptic episodes in patients with frequent febrile seizures with known risk factors, such as developmental delay, history of preterm birth, several attacks during a febrile episode, and epileptiform discharges on EEG.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.96-101
• /
• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of?children with fall-down injuries according to age groups and to analyze the major trauma groups that were treated at the emergency room (ER). Methods: Among 1,222 children under age 6 who were treated at the ER from January 2008 to December 2009, a retrospective study was conducted through examination of medical records. The children were classified by age into 3 groups: infant, toddler, and pre-schooler. In each group, the differences between the causative factors that led to the fall-down injuries were analyzed. Also, ISS (Injury Severity Score) score above 4 was classified as major trauma, and an ISS score 0-1 was classified as a minor trauma. The relationship between major trauma and age group was also analyzed. Results: Through an analysis of child fall-down injuries, men (56.6%), toddler (47.3%), head-related symptoms (72.9%), furniture-related traumas (80.2%), and falls from less than a 1-m height (69.9%) were found to be common factors. Furthermore, in radiological studies, fractures and brain hemorrhages accounted for 16.9% of major traumas, and simple skull fractures were the most common (21.4%). Distributed according to age group, the factors relevant to fall injuries were fall height and head-related symptoms for infants, accident site, fall height and head-related symptoms for toddlers, and accident site for pre-schoolers (p<0.05). Also, headrelated symptoms and fall height were independent factors of major trauma in all age groups. However, major traumas (17.3%) were related to dumped trauma, fall height and accident site (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study was mainly about head-related injuries, and toddler were most common victims. The relevant factors for the major trauma were falling height for infants, accident site and falling height for toddlers, and accident site, falling height for pre-schoolers.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.10-18
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is an important medical emergency in Korea, but the factors leading to its serious manifestation are not well studied. Methods: We conducted a 5-year retrospective study of 98 carbon monoxide poisoned patients who visited the emergency departments of the Medical Center between December 2004 and March 2009. We categorized the patients into those exhibiting only local symptoms (group 1) and those showing systemic symptoms and complications (group 2). We compared the general characteristics as well as the clinical and laboratory findings between both groups. Results: The male to female ratio was 1.18. The most common systemic symptom was a mental change (43.9%), while the most common complication was rhabdomyolysis (31.6%). Poisoned area closed private room in group 2 were 23 (41.8%) cases and burning region in group 2 were 16(29.1%) cases (p=0.956). Individuals who were accidentally poisoned comprised of 43 (78.2%) cases while those that attempted suicidal poisoning comprised 12 (21.8%) cases (p=0.016). The most common symptom at arrival was mental change 33 (60.0%) cases in group 2. The mean time exposed to carbon monoxide was 43$\pm$3.97 hours in group 1 and 55$\pm$10.11 in group 2 (p=0.012). The patient's age, context of poisoning, symptom at arrival, and time exposed to the poison were found to be significant risk factors for complications by logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Carbon monoxide poisoning is an emergency medical condition and the risk factors involved in the development of serious complications must be evaluated.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.32-39
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine which factors contribute to the surgical treatment outcomes of acetabular fractures. Simultaneously, we aim to report on the treatment results after our hospital was designated as the focused training center for trauma. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who experienced acetabular fractures from January 1, 2014 to May 1, 2017 and visited our hospital. Patients who had associated pelvic ring fractures or were lost to the one-year follow-up were excluded; a total of 37 fractures were evaluated. We evaluated the clinical results using the scoring system of Merle $d^{\prime}Aubign\acute{e}$ (MDA) and grade of Brooker for heterotopic ossification. Results: Thirty-seven patients (31 men and 6 women) were identified. The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 8.7, with 32.4% of patients having a score >15. The average blood transfusion in the first 24 hours was 0.54 pints. Falling was the most common injury mechanism (32.4%). Chest injury was the most common associated injury (16.2%), followed by head injury (13.5%). The posterior wall and both column fracture were the most common (37.8%) fracture patterns. Excellent and good clinical grades of MDA included 28 patients (75.6%) and fair and poor grades included nine (24.3%), respectively. Four patients were diagnosed with a post-operative infection (10.8%); one out of four patients who had co-morbidity died (2.7%), and another patient underwent a replacement surgery (2.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that age and operation time were associated with MDA. In addition, operation time and ISS were significant co-factors of the Brooker grade. Conclusions: Korea University Guro Hospital showed similar treatment results of acetabular fractures compared to other publications. The age and operation time were co-factors of the clinical outcome of this fracture. Additionally, increased operation time and injury severity score were suggested to increase the Brooker grade.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2018

The data were collected from 171 physiologic malodor patients diagnosed in KUMC halitosis control clinic between 2008 and 2016. We selected 11 independent variables and 3 dependent variables, then planned to extract some convergent common factors affecting their physiologic malodor. We thought that those extracted convergent common factors could be utilized when preparing the contents of oral malodor preventive program. We used multiple regression analysis and path analysis method, for the analysis of influence of 11 independent factors to three salivary dependent factors(resting salivary flow rate, salivary buffering capacity, salivary precipitation rate). We have presented the physiologic malodor patients' chracteristics by descriptive statistical analysis, and also statistically analysed convergent common factors influencing directly or indirectly to their three dependent factors. We could reason that the sex, the character, the intake habit of breakfast, and the regular food intake habit could affect resting salivary flow rate, salivary buffering capacity and salivary precipitation rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.2369-2374
• /
• 2016

Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is a cancer group that shares molecular and cellular origin but shows different clinical courses and prognoses. Several prognostic factors have been reported for predicting recurrence for individual patients. This literature review aimed to evaluate prognostic scores for predicting recurrence of DTC. Materials and Methods: A search of the MEDLINE database for articles published until December 2015 was carried out using the terms "thyroid neoplasms AND (recurrent OR persistent) AND (score OR model OR nomogram)". Studies were eligible for review if they indicated the development of prognostic scoring models, derived from a group of independent prognostic factors, in predicting disease recurrence in DTC patients. Results: Of the 308 articles obtained, five were eligible for evaluation. Two scoring models were developed for DTC including both papillary and follicular carcinoma, one for papillary carcinoma, and the other two for papillary microcarcinoma. The number of patients included in the score development cohort ranged from 59 to 1,669. The number of evaluated potential prognostic factors ranged from 4 to 25. Tumor-related factors were the most common factors included in the final scores, with cervical lymph node metastases being the most common. Only two studies showed internal validation of the derived score. Conclusions: There is a paucity of prognostic scores for predicting disease recurrence in patients with DTC, in particular for follicular thyroid carcinoma. Several limitations of the created scores were found. Performance of the scores has not been adequately studied. Comprehensive validation in multiple cohorts is recommended before widespread use.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.187-191
• /
• 2018

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a one of the most common cause of respiratory morbidity and mortality in neonates. This study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for RDS in full-term neonates. Methods: We conducted this retrospective study using medical records. The study group included 80 full-term neonates diagnosed with RDS and hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit between January 2012 and December 2016, at Yeungnam University Hospital. We analyzed sex, gestational age, birth weight, delivery method, maternal age, number of pregnancy, history of abortion, and complication of pregnancy. The control group included 116 full-time neonates who were hospitalized with jaundice during the same period. Results: The incidence of full-term RDS was more common in males (odds ratio [OR], 3.288; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.446-7.479), cesarean section (OR, 15.03; 95% CI, 6.381-35.423), multiparity (OR, 4.216; 95% CI, 1.568-11.335). The other factors rendered no significant results. Conclusion: The risk factors for RDS in full-tern neonates were identified as male sex, cesarean section, and multiparity. Further studies involving more institutions are needed to clarify the risk factors for RDS in full-term infants.