Participation in Prenatal Education, Knowledge and Attitude related to Delivery, Postpartum Care, Newborn Care in Nulliparous Women

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify content of prenatal education and to examine differences in prenatal education, knowledge, and attitude of nulliparous South Korean women. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used with 134 conveniently recruited nulliparous women. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: Average number of institutional prenatal education programs was 5.96 at clinics, 4.31 at health care centers, and 0.49 at hospitals. Women participated in an average 5.78 out of the 35 prenatal education contents: 15 types of prenatal and delivery, 10 postpartum self-care, and 10 parenting. Score for knowledge was 7.57out of 10. Women who participated in prenatal education (n=72) reported significantly higher scores in knowledge (t=2.71, p=.008) than women who did not participate (n=62). The average score for attitude was 7.22 out of 10. Nulliparous women over 36 weeks of gestational age had significantly higher scores for attitude (t=2.38, p=.019) than women under 36 weeks. There were significant positive correlations between newborn care knowledge and postpartum care self-efficacy (r=.26, p=.026), and newborn care knowledge and parenting confidence (r=.25, p=.034). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that policy is needed to increase participation in prenatal education and to establish strategies for health care centers and hospitals to provide prenatal education

Fabrication of core/shell ZnWO4/carbon nanorods and their Li electroactivity

Carbon-coated ZnWO4 [C-ZW] nanorods with a one-dimensional core/shell structure were synthesised using hydrothermally prepared ZnWO4 and malic acid as precursors. The effects of the carbon coating on the ZnWO4 nanorods are investigated by thermogravimetry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The coating layer was found to be in uniform thickness of approximately 3 nm. Moreover, the D and G bands of carbon were clearly observed at around 1,350 and 1,600 cm-1, respectively, in the Raman spectra of the C-ZW nanorods. Furthermore, lithium electroactivities of the C-ZW nanorods were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling. In particular, the formed C-ZW nanorods exhibited excellent electrochemical performances, with rate capabilities better than those of bare ZnWO4 nanorods at different current rates, as well as a coulombic efficiency exceeding 98%. The specific capacity of the C-ZW nanorods maintained itself at approximately 170 mAh g-1, even at a high current rate of 3 C, which is much higher than pure ZnWO4 nanorods

Methotrimeprazine-induced Corneal Deposits and Cataract Revealed by Urine Drug Profiling Test

Two schizophrenic patients who had been taking medication for a long period presented with visual disturbance of 6-month duration. Slit-lamp examination revealed fine, discrete, and brownish deposits on the posterior cornea. In addition, bilateral star-shaped anterior subcapsular lens opacities, which were dense, dust-like granular deposits, were noted. Although we strongly suspected that the patient might have taken one of the drugs of the phenothiazine family, we were unable to obtain a history of medications other than haloperidol and risperidone, which were taken for 3 yr. We performed a drug profiling test using urine samples and detected methotrimeprazine. The patient underwent surgery for anterior subcapsular lens opacities. Visual acuity improved in both eyes, but the corneal deposits remained. We report an unusual case of methotrimeprazine-induced corneal deposits and cataract in a patient with psychosis, identified by using the urine drug profiling test

Prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in Korea: Nationwide multicenter study over 13 years

Background : The aim of this study was to evaluate the time trend of seropositivity of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) over the period of 13 years in an asymptomatic Korean population, and investigate associated risk factors. Methods : This cross-sectional nationwide multicentre study surveyed anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies in 19,272 health check-up subjects (aged [greater than and equal to]16 years) in 2011. Risk factors for H. pylori infection were investigated using logistic regression. Seropositivity in asymptomatic subjects without H. pylori eradication was compared between the years 1998 and 2005. Birth cohort effects were also evaluated. Results : After exclusion of subjects with a history of H. pylori eradication therapy (n = 3,712, 19.3%) and gastric symptoms (n = 4,764, 24.7%), the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection was 54.4% in 10,796 subjects. This was significantly lower than the seroprevalence of 59.6% in 2005 and that of 66.9% in 1998, and this decrease of seropositivity of H. pylori became widespread across all ages and in most areas of the country. This decreasing trend could be explained by cohort analysis. All younger birth cohorts had a lower seroprevalence of H. pylori than older birth cohorts at the same age. Decreased seroprevalence within the same birth cohorts also accounted for this phenomenon. Clinical risk factors of H. pylori infection were higher cholesterol level ([greater than and equal to] 240 mg/dl) (OR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.14-1.54), male gender, older age, low income, and residence in a rural area. Conclusions : A decreasing trend of H. pylori seroprevalence due to a birth cohort effect requires further studies on its related human host factors as well as socio-economic and hygienic factors. In addition, the relationship between H. pylori infection and high cholesterol level needs more investigation regarding underlying pathogenesis.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant for the Global Core Research Center (GCRC) funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2011-0030001)Peer Reviewe

Capric Acid Inhibits NO Production and STAT3 Activation during LPS-Induced Osteoclastogenesis

Capric acid is a second medium-chain fatty acid, and recent studies have shown that fatty acids are associated with bone density and reduce bone turnover. In this study, we investigated the effects of capric acid on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW264.7 cells. After treatment with capric acid (1 mM), the number of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells decreased significantly. Capric acid reduced LPS-induced TRAP expression, an osteoclast differentiation marker, without inhibiting cell viability. LPS strongly upregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA levels and nitric oxide (NO) production, whereas capric acid inhibited them. Furthermore, capric acid also inhibited monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA expression. Subsequently, we investigated various intracellular signaling proteins, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and STAT3 associated with osteoclastogenesis. Capric acid had no effects on LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB, JNK, ERK1/2, and STAT1 pathways. However, capric acid inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of Ser727 in STAT3. Additionally, stattic (a STAT3 inhibitor) inhibited LPS-induced iNOS and MCP-1 gene expression. In conclusion, we demonstrated that capric acid inhibited LPS-induced osteoclastogenesis by suppressing NO production via the STAT3 pathway. These results suggest that capric acid has important therapeutic implications for treating bone diseases associated with excessive osteoclastogenesis

Machine-learning-assisted analysis of transition metal dichalcogenide thin-film growth

In situ reflective high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is widely used to monitor the surface crystalline state during thin-film growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition. With the recent development of machine learning (ML), ML-assisted analysis of RHEED videos aids in interpreting the complete RHEED data of oxide thin films. The quantitative analysis of RHEED data allows us to characterize and categorize the growth modes step by step, and extract hidden knowledge of the epitaxial film growth process. In this study, we employed the ML-assisted RHEED analysis method to investigate the growth of 2D thin films of transition metal dichalcogenides (ReSe2) on graphene substrates by MBE. Principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering were used to separate statistically important patterns and visualize the trend of pattern evolution without any notable loss of information. Using the modified PCA, we could monitor the diffraction intensity of solely the ReSe2 layers by filtering out the substrate contribution. These findings demonstrate that ML analysis can be successfully employed to examine and understand the film-growth dynamics of 2D materials. Further, the ML-based method can pave the way for the development of advanced real-time monitoring and autonomous material synthesis techniques.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Wireless thin film transistor based on micro magnetic induction coupling antenna

A wireless thin film transistor (TFT) structure in which a source/drain or a gate is connected directly to a micro antenna to receive or transmit signals or power can be an important building block, acting as an electrical switch, a rectifier or an amplifier, for various electronics as well as microelectronics, since it allows simple connection with other devices, unlike conventional wire connections. An amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (α-IGZO) TFT with magnetic antenna structure was fabricated and studied for this purpose. To enhance the induction coupling efficiency while maintaining the same small antenna size, a magnetic core structure consisting of Ni and nanowires was formed under the antenna. With the micro-antenna connected to a source/drain or a gate of the TFT, working electrical signals were well controlled. The results demonstrated the device as an alternative solution to existing wire connections which cause a number of problems in various fields such as flexible/wearable devices, body implanted devices, micro/nano robots, and sensors for the 'internet of things' (IoT).1