Development of a new integrated IN-VIVO counting system at the QST.

A new in-vivo counting system that functions as both a whole-body counter (WBC) and a lung counter (LC) was developed at the QST to enhance its dose assessment capability. This paper presents an overview of this system and the results of its performance tests. For use of the system as a WBC, three high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors installed in a 20-cm-thick iron shielding chamber are linearly arrayed over a subject lying on the bed, whereas two of the three HPGe detectors are placed over the subject's chest from side to side when using the system as an LC. The new in-vivo system was calibrated using three de-facto phantoms owned by the QST: an adult-male BOttle Manikin ABsorption (BOMAB) phantom, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) phantom and a Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) phantom. Monte Carlo simulations were also performed to determine an optimum location for the three detector array in the WBC mode and revealed that the peak efficiency for the BOMAB phantom (662 keV) was little varied as long as the middle detector was placed above the thorax and abdomen parts of the phantom. The calculated peak efficiencies agreed well with the observed peak efficiencies for photons with energies over 100 keV. For lung counting, a tentative Minimum Detectable Activity of 241Am was evaluated as 9.5 Bq for a counting time of 30 minutes, and a Japanese male subject with an average chest wall thinness (2.27 cm). The developed system is now ready for use.

Uncertainties associated with direct thyroid measurements using an NaI(Tl) survey meter: the effect of anatomical differences among individuals.

Photon detectors utilised for direct thyroid measurements to determine the radioiodine content in the thyroid are normally calibrated using a phantom that mimics the human neck, including the thyroid. However, such measurements are necessarily subject to uncertainty because of the difference between the phantom and the real human subject and also the morphological differences among individuals. In this study, personal voxel phantoms were created from magnetic resonance images of the necks of 24 adult volunteers (15 males and 9 females), and numerical simulations using these phantoms were performed to examine the variation in a conversion factor (131I kBq in the thyroid per µSv h-1) for a conventional NaI(Tl) survey meter among the individuals and also to confirm the suitability of reference Japanese voxel phantoms as a calibration standard for such measurements. As a result, it was found that the conversion factor obtained from the reference Japanese male (female) phantom was 1.29 (1.18) times larger than the average conversion factor for the male (female) subjects, suggesting that the conversion factors of the reference Japanese adult male and female phantoms would generally overestimate the 131I thyroidal contents and that the thyroid volume would be one of the factors influencing the conversion factor. This study also revealed a wide difference in the thyroid volume among individuals, which would be of concern when performing specific dose assessments for heavily exposed persons.

[Exploring Spatial Variations and Factors associated with Walking Practice in Korea: An Empirical Study based on Geographically Weighted Regression].

PURPOSE: Walking practice is a representative indicator of the level of physical activity of local residents. Although the world health organization addressed reduction in prevalence of insufficient physical activity as a global target, the rate of walking practice in Korea has not improved and there are large regional disparities. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the spatial variations of walking practice and its associated factors in Korea. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using Community Health Outcome and Health Determinants Database 1.3 from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 229 districts was included in the analysis. We compared the ordinary least squares (OLS) and the geographically weighted regression (GWR) to explore the associated factors of walking practice. MGWR 2.2.1 software was used to explore the spatial distribution of walking practice and modeling the GWR. RESULTS: Walking practice had spatial variations across the country. The results showed that the GWR model had better accommodation of spatial autocorrelation than the OLS model. The GWR results indicated that different predictors of walking practice across regions of Korea. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may provide insight to nursing researchers, health professionals, and policy makers in planning health programs to promote walking practices in their respective communities.

Global Health Competencies and Educational Needs for Nursing Students in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing demand for global health education, relatively few global health courses currently are offered in Korea. METHOD: This mixed-methods study examined the need for global health competency and global health education experience for nursing students. A survey of 208 nursing students was conducted from May 2020 to August 2020, and three focus groups were conducted with 12 nursing students. RESULTS: The average score of global health nursing competencies was 2.8 ± 0.7 on a scale ranging from 1 to 4. Female, higher academic achievement, fluent English, and higher global health education experience had a significant effect on global health competency. The most influential factor was more experience with global health education. Nursing students' perceptions and educational needs related to global health education were classified into four subthemes. CONCLUSION: The development of global health education programs for nursing students is needed. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(2):75-82.].

Long-term reliable physical health monitoring by sweat pore-inspired perforated electronic skins.

Electronic skins (e-skins)-electronic sensors mechanically compliant to human skin-have long been developed as an ideal electronic platform for noninvasive human health monitoring. For reliable physical health monitoring, the interface between the e-skin and human skin must be conformal and intact consistently. However, conventional e-skins cannot perfectly permeate sweat in normal day-to-day activities, resulting in degradation of the intimate interface over time and impeding stable physical sensing. Here, we present a sweat pore-inspired perforated e-skin that can effectively suppress sweat accumulation and allow inorganic sensors to obtain physical health information without malfunctioning. The auxetic dumbbell through-hole patterns in perforated e-skins lead to synergistic effects on physical properties including mechanical reliability, conformability, areal mass density, and adhesion to the skin. The perforated e-skin allows one to laminate onto the skin with consistent homeostasis, enabling multiple inorganic sensors on the skin to reliably monitor the wearer's health over a period of weeks.

MCNP SIMULATIONS WITH A PERSONALISED VOXEL PHANTOM TO VERIFY 131I CONTENT IN THYROID ESTIMATED BASED ON MEASUREMENTS WITH AN NaI(Tl) SPECTROMETER.

One of the authors (O.K.) stayed in the area located ~110 km south from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant during the arrival of radioactive plumes released into the environment due to the accident in March 2011 in Japan. A previous study determined his 131I thyroid content using an NaI(Tl) spectrometer. The one remaining issue was to investigate the measurement error due to inevitable differences in the configuration (e.g. the thyroid shape and volume) between the physical phantom employed for calibration of the spectrometer and the real subject. In the present study, Monte Carlo simulations for the thyroid measurements were performed using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MNCP) code to investigate discrepancies in peak efficiencies of the spectrometer between the personalised voxel phantom created from O.K.'s magnetic resonance images and the several typical/reference phantoms that exist. As a result, the peak efficiencies for the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS) phantom were found to be comparable to those for the reference voxel phantoms reproducing realistic human anatomy (the Adult Male phantom and the Japanese Male phantom). The peak efficiency for the personalised phantom, on the other hand, was fairly close to that of the other physical phantom (the Transfer phantom) actually used for the calibration of the spectrometer, suggesting that the 131I thyroid content determined for him in the previous study was sufficiently accurate. The discrepancies of peak efficiencies at the primal photon energy of 131I (365 keV) among the different phantoms were improved by extending the distance between the neck and the spectrometer; however, the appropriate measurement geometry in an actual situation will depend on the primary purpose of the measurements and should be determined accordingly.

The moderating effect of religiosity on caregiving burden and depressive symptoms in caregivers of patients with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether religiosity/spirituality has a protective role against negative caregiving outcomes, in a large multicenter nationwide sample of caregivers of patients with dementia in South Korea. Additionally, this study was the first to examine whether religiosity/spirituality could affect caregiving outcomes according to the various religious affiliations of caregivers. METHODS: The study was conducted on a sample of 476 caregivers of patients with dementia participated in the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS). We examined the moderating effect of each of the three dimensions of religiosity/spirituality (organizational religious activity, ORA; non-organizational religious activity, NORA; intrinsic religiosity, IR) on the relationship between activities of daily living (ADL) of patients with dementia and caregiving burden and depressive symptoms of caregivers, using a series of hierarchical regression analyses. In addition, these analyses were conducted according to the religious affiliations of the caregivers. RESULTS: ORA, NORA, and IR of religiosity/spirituality alleviated the effect of ADL of patients on caregiving burden. ORA and IR moderated the relationship between ADL of patients and depressive symptoms of caregivers. These moderating effects of religiosity on caregiving outcomes were different according to various religious groups. CONCLUSION: We have identified religiosity/spirituality as a protective factor for caregivers of patients with dementia. The sub-dimensions of religiosity as moderators were different by religious affiliations of caregivers. Further studies are needed to investigate the specific religiosity-related factors which could positively impact the mental health of the caregivers of patients with dementia by religions.

APPLICATION OF AN IMAGING PLATE FOR EVALUATING THE UNCERTAINTY IN DIRECT ORGAN MEASUREMENTS DUE TO VARIATION IN DETECTOR LOCATION.

In direct organ measurements, there can be uncertainty to the quantified amount of activity due to variations in detector locations. Here, the authors demonstrate a new use of an imaging plate (IP) for evaluating this uncertainty. The method requires only that an array of regions of interest (ROIs) is set on a latent image obtained from the IP; each ROI conforms to an active area of the detector to be used. In this study, the proposed method was tested in an experiment using a realistic torso phantom containing an (241)Am liver source. The latent image of this source was obtained by irradiating the IP (20 × 40 cm(2)) from the anterior surface of the phantom. A comparison of responses between the IP and a high-purity germanium detector was made for 6 of the 144 circular ROIs arranged on the latent image, showing excellent correlation between the two sets of measures. The dispersion of the photostimulated luminescence values of the 144 ROIs was found to be 8.2% (1σ) and 1.09 as a log-normal scattering factor, which was expected to be the same as the uncertainty of concern in the present measurement with the HPGe detector.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF DIRECT MEASUREMENT TO DETERMINE THYROID 131I CONTENT OF TWO TEPCO WORKERS CONSIDERING INDIVIDUAL TISSUE THICKNESS.

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences examined seven heavily exposed emergency workers and performed internal dose estimations. The largest dose contributor was found to be (131)I, which was detected by thyroid monitor with an HPGe detector. Different energy peaks from (131)I were simultaneously identified in the pulse-height spectra of the two subjects with the highest doses regardless of late measurements. A closer look at the spectra indicated that the count ratio of the two peak areas at 80.2 and 365 keV differed somewhat between the individual workers, suggesting a difference in attenuation in the overlaying soft tissue and in the thyroid itself. In this study, the relationship between the count ratio (80.2/365 keV) and the thickness of soft tissue overlying the thyroid was investigated by means of numerical simulations performed using the Japanese Male (JM) phantom varying the thickness of the overlaying tissue. From the measured count ratios, it was possible to estimate that the overlaying tissue was thinner for Worker 1 (difference from the JM phantom: -0.34±1.29 cm) and thicker for Worker 2 (diff.: 2.5±1.2 cm). The thyroid (131)I contents evaluated taking into account the individual thicknesses were 4.3 kBq for Worker 1 and 8.4 kBq for Worker 2, resulting in a significant increase for Worker 2 compared with the content based on the default counting efficiency at 365 keV of the original JM phantom. However, the results have large uncertainty factors of 1.4 for Worker 1 and 1.3 for Worker 2 and should be carefully considered together with other factors influencing the attenuation.

A review of the present state and future policy alternatives for home visit nursing services in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the current state of home visit nursing services in the Korean context and to suggest future policy directions. DESIGN: First, the three home visit nursing services that have developed in Korea are compared using the analytic framework provided by Gilbert and Terrell in 2012. The framework is based on four dimensions of social welfare: users, services, source of funds, and service delivery process. Second, we perform a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat analysis to suggest comprehensive and constructive home visit nursing service policies for the future. RESULTS: Specifically, we advocate the creation of an organization that steers the central government to operate an integrated management organization to distribute services and reduce redundancy for preventing the waste of both medical and state financial resources. This study also recommends the development of educational programs to improve the quality of services and service evaluation criteria for the objective assessment of those services. CONCLUSIONS: These policy guidelines may prove useful both for Korea and for other countries that intend to prepare or revise their home visit nursing service systems.

Selective frontoinsular von Economo neuron and fork cell loss in early behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) erodes complex social-emotional functions as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and frontoinsula (FI) degenerate, but the early vulnerable neuron within these regions has remained uncertain. Previously, we demonstrated selective loss of ACC von Economo neurons (VENs) in bvFTD. Unlike ACC, FI contains a second conspicuous layer 5 neuronal morphotype, the fork cell, which has not been previously examined. Here, we investigated the selectivity, disease-specificity, laterality, timing, and symptom relevance of frontoinsular VEN and fork cell loss in bvFTD. Blinded, unbiased, systematic sampling was used to quantify bilateral FI VENs, fork cells, and neighboring neurons in 7 neurologically unaffected controls (NC), 5 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 9 patients with bvFTD, including 3 who died of comorbid motor neuron disease during very mild bvFTD. bvFTD showed selective FI VEN and fork cell loss compared with NC and AD, whereas in AD no significant VEN or fork cell loss was detected. Although VEN and fork cell losses in bvFTD were often asymmetric, no group-level hemispheric laterality effects were identified. Right-sided VEN and fork cell losses, however, correlated with each other and with anatomical, functional, and behavioral severity. This work identifies region-specific neuronal targets in early bvFTD.

Multivariate autoregressive cross-lagged modeling of the reciprocal longitudinal relationship between perceived control and academic achievement.

Although many studies have demonstrated positive associations between perceived control and academic achievement, few studies have actually explored which of the two constructs is the determinant of the other. There are only a few longitudinal studies on the relationship of perceived control and academic achievement. The present study examined the reciprocal longitudinal relation between perceived control and academic achievement. Further, considering the multiethnic background of the USA, this study investigated how the relationship between two constructs varies with ethnicity. Using a randomly selected sample of 1,500 students from Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White groups in the National Education Longitudinal Study data, Autoregressive Cross-lagged Modeling was performed to get a complete picture of the longitudinal relationship. Results showed a positive longitudinal effect of academic achievement on perceived control across the ethnic groups. Explanations for these findings are discussed.

[A study of the relationship between the child-rearing attitudes and the maternal role strain in mothers with infants].

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between the child rearing attitudes and the maternal role strain of mother with infants. METHOD: This study is designed as a descriptive research study and the data was collected from 82 mothers and infants by means of an interview and questionnaire in a period from July 2002 to December 2002, when they came to screen their infant's growth and developmental state at a public health center. RESULT: The results of this study were as follows: There was a significant positive correlation between the child rearing attitudes and maternal role strain(r.=.53, p=.000). There was a significant difference between the father's employment state and child rearing attitude of mothers(t.=5.22, p<.000). There was a significant difference between male infant and female infants in maternal role strain(t.=3.8, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: When the child rearing attitude was positive, the subject's maternal role strain was high. Also further research is needed on social support or other factors in the subjects in child-rearing attitudes and maternal role strain.