Sexual Harassment Experience, Coping, and Awareness Among Nurses Working in Small- and Medium-Sized Hospitals in South Korea.

Introduction: Although over 60% of Korean acute care hospitals are small- or medium-sized, their ability to address sexual harassment may differ from larger hospitals due to differences in resources, policies, and organizational culture.

Objective: This study aims to identify sexual harassment experience, coping, and awareness among nurses working in small- and medium-sized hospitals.

Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that collected data from 462 nurses working in nine small- and medium-sized acute care hospitals in two cities in Korea.

Use of serology and polymerase chain reaction to detect atypical respiratory pathogens during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background/aims: To use serological and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to examine sputum samples from patients experiencing acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) for the presence of atypical pathogens, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila.

Methods: From September 2012 to February 2014, 341 patients with AECOPD attending outpatient clinics were enrolled as part of a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study. A commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibody titers on the first day of the study and at 36 days post-enrollment.

Anterolateral Meniscofemoral Ligament of the Lateral Meniscus.

Anatomical variations of the meniscus are a common anomaly that knee surgeons frequently encounter. However, anomalies of the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus (AHLM) are extremely rare. In this report, we present a newly discovered anomaly of the AHML: an anterolateral meniscofemoral ligament is described with clinical features and radiographic and arthroscopic findings.

Zabofloxacin versus moxifloxacin in patients with COPD exacerbation: a multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, controlled, Phase III, non-inferiority trial.

A new quinolone, zabofloxacin, has now been developed; hence, a non-inferiority trial is needed to compare this new compound with another widely used quinolone to examine its efficacy and safety for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. This was a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, controlled, parallel-group, Phase III, non-inferiority clinical trial designed to compare oral zabofloxacin (367 mg once daily for 5 days) with moxifloxacin (400 mg once daily for 7 days) for the treatment of patients with COPD exacerbation. In all, 345 COPD patients with a moderate COPD exacerbation were enrolled in the study via the outpatient clinics at 31 university hospitals.

On the segmental and tagmatic phenomena inferred from referred pain and autonomic concomitants.

Visceral injury induces referred pain, autonomic concomitants, skeletal muscle spasm, and hyperalgesia of segmental pattern on the specific area of somatic tissue. Therefore, since visceral referred pain does not mean only a feeling which is considered as misperception of brain but accompanies accessory phenomena, referred phenomenon can be more reasonable expression. Visceral referred phenomenon has segmental pattern and is shown on the segmental constituents related to viscus and further spreads to multi-segments through central sensitization if visceral injury become severe and chronic.

Asymmetry of protracted tongue: can it replace the Wada test?

Some asymmetry of body parts (thumbs, cubital crease levels, popliteal crease levels, toes, breasts, gonads and facial structures) is commonly observed. And there is also neurobehavioral asymmetry such as handedness and language lateralization. Since right-handedness is closely associated with left-hemisphere dominance for language, it is known that handedness can be linked with language lateralization.

Pain around the ear in Bell's palsy is referred pain of facial nerve origin: the role of nervi nervorum.

General somatic afferents of facial nerve innervate skin of the concha, the posterior external ear canal and a small area behind the ear. But pain around the ear that precedes or develops at the same time as Bell's palsy frequently is beyond the territory of sensory innervations of facial nerve. Cranial nerves are richly innervated by their own nerves called nervi nervorum that have nociceptive function.

The innateness of coronary artery: Vasa vasorum.

Because heart originates from primitive endocardial tube (ventral aorta) embryologically, coronary arteries that supply this tube can be thought as "cardiac vasa vasorum" like arterial vasa vasorum that supply peripheral arteries. Coronary arteries have vasodilative reaction to noradrenaline, different from the most arteries that show vasoconstriction. This phenomenon is similar to vasa vasorum that are insensitive to noradrenaline and has its own vasoregulation.

Headache associated with visceral disorders is "parasympathetic referred pain".

Referred pain from visceral organs tends to be expressed on the specific area of body surface, called as Head's zone. Although it is well known that sympathetic referred pains of viscera appear on the body trunk, the fact that parasympathetic referred pains exist and are expressed on the head, sacrum and posterior thigh is not appreciated properly. Functional gastrointestinal diseases accompany frequently headache, and cyclic vomiting and recurrent abdominal pains in childhood progress to migraine later.

The other mechanism of muscular referred pain: the "connective tissue" theory.

Muscular referred pain, that is, pain perceived in a somatic area other than the site of the noxious stimulation, takes place on a specific place to each muscle in constant and predictable pattern. The central hyperexcitability theory focused on spinal cord, the most proper theory at present, can explain well the segmental pattern of referred pain showing delayed onset. But it is hard to explain the non segmental pattern of referred pain areas of superficial-seated or limb girdle and limb muscles.