Association between registered nurse staffing levels and in-hospital mortality in craniotomy patients using Korean National Health Insurance data

The level of registered nurse (RN) staffing is a fundamental factor influencing patient safety. Craniotomy patients need intensive care after surgery, the majority of which is provided by RNs. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship of the RN staffing level of general wards and intensive care units (ICUs) with in-hospital mortality after craniotomy using Korean National Health Insurance claim data. The RN staffing level was categorized based on the bed-to-RN ratio. The in-hospital mortality rate of craniotomy patients was elevated at hospitals with a high bed-to-RN ratio in general wards, ICUs, and hospitals overall. It was determined that in-hospital mortality of craniotomy patients could be decreased by more than 50% by reducing the bed-to-RN ratio from 4.5 or more to less than 3.5 in general wards, from 1.25 or more to less than 0.88 in ICUs, and from 2.5 or more to less than 1.67 in hospitals overall. Since the RN staffing level is related to the in-hospital mortality rate of craniotomy patients, a sufficient staffing level of RNs should be ensured to reduce the mortality of craniotomy patients.This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education in 2017 (grant number: 2017R1D1A1B03033771). The funder was not involved in conducting this study and did not play any role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and writing of the manuscript

Towards Improved Circular Economy and Resource Security in South Korea

This study explores the importance of critical raw materials and minerals by analyzing the Republic of Korea’s recent circular economy and resource security policy. Raw materials and rare metals are becoming increasingly significant to the Korean economy because the country is currently shifting away from fossil fuels and nuclear power towards renewable energy resources as well as transforming its industries towards decarbonization, digitization, and automation. Korea is a resource-poor country and is heavily dependent on imported minerals and rare earths, which are essential for its economy and new industry. Responding to these challenges and concerns, Korea is moving towards a sustainable circular economy and achieving greater resource security. Despite certain limitations, this transition would ultimately contribute in preparing Korea for current and future challenges in the areas of critical raw materials and minerals

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Oncology Clinical Decision Support System for Multidisciplinary Teams

Watson for Oncology (WfO) is a clinical decision support system driven by artificial intelligence. In Korea, WfO is used by multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) caring for cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of WfO use on hospital satisfaction and perception among patients cared for by MDTs. This was a descriptive study that used a written survey to gather information from cancer patients at a hospital in Korea. The rate of positive change in patient perception after treatment was 86.8% in the MDT-WfO group and 71.2% in the MDT group. In terms of easily understandable explanations, the MDT-WfO (9.53 points) group reported higher satisfaction than the MDT group (9.24 points). Younger patients in the MDT-WfO group showed high levels of satisfaction and reliability of treatment. When WfO was used, the probability of positive change in patient perception of the hospital was 2.53 times higher than when WfO was not used. With a one-point increase in overall satisfaction, the probability of positive change in patient perception of the hospital increased 1.97 times. Therefore, if WfO is used appropriately in the medical field, it may enhance patient satisfaction and change patient perception positively

Differences in Function and Healthcare Cost of Older Adults with Dementia by Long-Term Care Service Type: A National Dataset Analysis

This study aims to analyze the function and cost changes among long-term care insurance (LTCI) beneficiaries with low-severity dementia according to their LTCI service type. Data were collected from the Korean LTCI and national health insurance (NHI) datasets. Participants were 4414 beneficiaries with dementia aged 65 or older who received LTC services continuously for 4 years (2008–2011). LTCI service types were classified into home care (HC), institutional care (IC), and combined care (CC). Activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive function, medical cost, and benefit-cost were assessed. Linear mixed models and multiple regression models were used to analyze the changes in function and costs of the beneficiaries. ADL, cognitive function, medical cost, and benefit-cost differed significantly depending on the service type and time (p < 0.001). LTCI service types affected the degree of changes in ADL, cognitive function, medical cost, and benefit-cost over four years and showed negative changes in IC and CC beneficiaries than HC beneficiaries. HC is a cost-effective way to maintain the function of beneficiaries with low-severity dementia. Thus, efforts are needed to actively promote HC services

Traffic Control Of Intersection Group Based On Fuzzy Logic

. This paper presents a traffic fuzzy controller for a set of intersections and its simulation results. To control a set of intersection we distribute controls to the controller at each intersection. The controller at an intersection manages phase sequences and phase lengths adaptively to its neighborhood's as well as its own traffic conditions. The simulation shows good performance in the case of time-varying traffic patterns and heavy traffic conditions. 1. Introduction There are many conventional methods for traffic signal control but sometimes they fail to deal with complex, time-varying traffic conditions efficiently. Thus there have been some researches for traffic signal control based on fuzzy logic because fuzzy logic is adequate for qualitative modeling of complex systems[1]. But most existing researches based on fuzzy logic has interest in simple traffic conditions such as a single intersection [2, 3, 4, 5]. In the real world, especially in metropolitan areas, there are many..

Synergistic effects of inoculating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Methylobacterium oryzae strains on growth and nutrient uptake of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to examine the effects of inoculation with two Methylobacterium oryzae strains (CBMB20 and CBMB110) and a consortium of three arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on the growth of red pepper (Capsicum annum L.). Inoculation of red pepper plants with the M. oryzae strains resulted in a significant increase in root length and root fresh weight compared to untreated control plants. The combined inoculation of M. oryzae strains and AM fungi significantly increased various plant growth parameters and chlorophyll content compared to uninoculated controls. Mycorrhizal colonisation and the number of AM fungal spores were higher in co-inoculation treatments. In addition, the combined inoculation of M. oryzae strains and AM fungi resulted in significantly higher nitrogen (N) accumulation in the roots and shoots of red pepper plants compared to uninoculated controls. The combined inoculation of M. oryzae strain CBMB110 and AM fungi increased the phosphorus (P) content by 23.3% compared to untreated controls. The micronutrient content of the red pepper plants also increased in most of the inoculation treatments. A perfect mutualism among CBMB100-AMF was found which was attributed to the improved macro- and micronutrient uptake along with higher chlorophyll content in red pepper. Further research on in-depth understanding of the co-operative microbial interactions will facilitate the successful application of Methylobacterium-AM fungi products in biotechnology

Effects of the nitric oxide releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel on pulp-dentin regeneration: Pilot study.

Successful disinfection alongside complete endodontic tissue regeneration and revascularization are the most desired clinical outcomes of regenerative endodontics. Despite reported clinical successes, significant limitations to the current regenerative endodontic procedure (REP) have been elucidated. To improve the current REP, an antibiotics and nitric oxide (NO) releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel was developed. The study evaluates antibacterial effects of an antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel on multispecies endodontic bacteria. Antibiotics, ciprofloxacin (CF) and metronidazole (MN) were mixed and encapsulated within the NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel. The gel was synthesized and self-assembled from peptide amphiphiles containing various functional groups. Antibacterial effects of the antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel were evaluated using bacterial viability assays involving endodontic microorganisms including clinical samples. Pulp-dentin regeneration was evaluated via animal-model experiments. The antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel demonstrated a concentration dependent antibacterial effect. In addition, NO alone demonstrated a concentration dependent antibacterial effect on endodontic microorganism. An in vivo analysis demonstrated the antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel promoted tooth revascularization with maturation of root canals. An optimal concentration of and NO releasing nanomatrix gel is suggested for its potential as a root treatment material for REP and an appropriate protocol for human trials. Further investigation is required to obtain a larger sample size and decide upon ideal growth factor incorporation