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Purpose The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated mortality have been increasing. However, the potential benefits of CRC screening are largely unknown in young individuals. We aimed to evaluate the effect of CRC screening with colonoscopy on all-cause and CRC mortality among young (aged < 45 years) and older (aged ≥ 45 years) individuals.Materials and Methods This cohort study included 528,046 Korean adults free of cancer at baseline who underwent a comprehensive health examination. The colonoscopic screening group was defined as those who reported undergoing colonoscopy for CRC screening. Mortality follow-up until December 31, 2019 was ascertained based on nationwide death certificate data from the Korea National Statistical Office.Results Colonoscopic screening was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in both young and older individuals. Multivariable-adjusted time-dependent hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause mortality comparing ever- to never-screening were 0.86 (0.75-0.99) for young individuals and 0.71 (0.65-0.78) for older individuals. Colonoscopic screenings were also associated with a reduced risk of CRC mortality without significant interaction by age, although this association was significant only among participants aged ≥ 45 years, with corresponding time-dependent hazard ratios of 0.47 (0.15-1.44) for young individuals and 0.52 (0.31-0.87) for those aged ≥ 45 years.Conclusion Colonoscopic CRC screening decreased all-cause mortality among both young and older individuals, while significantly decreased CRC mortality was observed only in those aged ≥ 45 years. Screening initiation at an earlier age warrants more rigorous confirmatory studies.

The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) carriage poses major challenges to medicine as healthcare costs increase. Recently, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been discussed as a novel and effective method for decolonising MDRO.To compare the efficacy of different FMT methods to optimise the success rate of decolonisation in patients with MDRO carriage.This prospective cohort study enrolled patients with MDRO carriages from 2018 to 2021. Patients underwent FMT via one of the following methods: oral capsule, oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy, or gastric tube.A total of 57 patients underwent FMT for MDRO decolonisation. The colonoscopy group required the shortest time for decolonisation, whereas the EGD group required the longest (24.9 vs. 190.4 days, p = 0.022). The decolonisation rate in the oral capsule group was comparable to that in the EGD group (84.6% vs. 85.7%, p = 0.730). An important clinical factor associated with decolonisation failure was antibiotic use after FMT (odds ratio = 6.810, p = 0.008). All four groups showed reduced proportions of MDRO species in microbiome analysis after FMT.Compared to other conventional methods, the oral capsule is an effective FMT method for patients who can tolerate an oral diet. The discontinuation of antibiotics after FMT is a key factor in the success of decolonisation.

Background: In-Home Supportive-Services (IHSS) caregivers provide personal care assistance to low-income older adults. According to the California Social Service Department, 20.2% of IHSS caregivers spoke Vietnamese in one county. The purpose of this project was to improve the knowledge and skills among these Vietnamese American caregivers by providing a language-specific and culturally appropriate education on personal care. Methods: The project used a pre- and post-test design. Under the guidance of nursing faculty, four Vietnamese-speaking nursing students provided a 2-hr educational program on personal care (e.g., bathing, oral care) to registered Vietnamese IHSS caregivers. A pre- and post-survey was conducted. Results: Overall, 55 caregivers completed the surveys. The surveys showed significant increases in confidence in knowledge and skills related to personal care topics (all ps < .001). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the cultural and language-specific education was effective in increasing knowledge and confidence of Vietnamese IHSS caregivers related to personal care for older adults.

This paper proposes a novel, trauma-informed, conceptual model of care for Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 illness (PASC).This paper describes essential elements, linkages and dimensions of the model that affect PASC patient experiences and the potential impact of trauma-informed care on outcomes.PASC is a consequence of the global pandemic, and a new disease of which little is known. Our model was derived from the limited available studies, expert clinical experience specific to PASC survivors and publicly available social media narratives authored by PASC survivors.The model provides a critical and novel framework for the understanding and care of persons affected by PASC. This model is aimed at the provision of nursing care, with the intention of reducing the traumatic impacts of the uncertain course of this disease, a lack of defined treatment options and difficulties in seeking care. The use of a trauma-informed care approach to PASC patients can enhance nurses' ability to remediate and ameliorate both the traumatic burden of and the symptoms and experience of the illness.Applying a trauma-informed perspective to care of PASC patients can help to reduce the overall burden of this complex condition. Owing to the fundamentally holistic perspective of the nursing profession, nurses are best positioned to implement care that addresses multiple facets of the PASC experience.The proposed model specifically addresses the myriad ways in which PASC may affect physical as well as mental and psychosocial dimensions of health. The model particularly seeks to suggest means of supporting patients who have already experienced a life-threatening illness and are now coping with its long-term impact. Since the scope of this impact is not yet defined, trauma-informed care for PASC patients is likely to reduce the overall health and systems burdens of this complex condition.

Caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) were socially isolated with little support during the COVID-19 pandemic “Stay-At-Home” order in the United States. To enhance social and emotional connection for diverse caregivers, a culturally/linguistically appropriate telephone intervention provided compassionate listening, mindful breathing, and COVID-19 safety education. The study purpose was to understand caregiving challenges and to evaluate the intervention for caregivers during the early pandemic using a qualitative approach. Twenty-three caregivers participated in the intervention provided by bilingual research assistants for 3 months. Call logs were used to describe the caregivers’ dialogue. Thematic analysis identified (a) the challenges, including fear of coronavirus disease, providing around-the-clock care, and forced isolation and negative emotions; and (b) caregivers’ experience with the intervention, including connecting with the outside, relief from emotional stress, reliable COVID-19 information, and reinformed caregiving skills. Results suggest that the telephone support was of benefit to diverse caregivers of PWDs during the pandemic by promoting social connection and reducing emotional distress.

Background We evaluated the effect of depressive mood on long-term visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) in primary care patients in Korea.Methods The Family Cohort Study in Primary Care (FACTS) used a prospective cohort that was established to investigate the relationship between the familial environment and health in Korean primary care patients. Depressive mood was assessed as a score of 21 points or more on a Korean-type Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. BP was measured at the initial visit and first and second follow-up visits. BPV was calculated using the average of the differences between the measurements at the initial visit and first follow-up visit and at the first and second follow-up visits. High visit-to-visit BPV was defined when the average difference fell within the fourth quartile. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association of high BPV with depressive mood and a range of variables.Results Of the 371 participants, 43 (11.6%) had depressive mood according to the depression score. In multivariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) (OR: 2.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–4.60) for high systolic BP (SBP) variability in participants with depressive mood was more than twice that in participants without depressive mood. Additionally, older age (OR: 31.91, 95% CI: 3.74–272.33 among participants aged ≥ 70 years) and use of antihypertensive medication (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.02–3.05) were associated with high SBP variability.Conclusions Depressive mood was associated with high visit-to-visit SBP variability in primary care patients. Older age and use of antihypertensive medication were also associated with high SBP variability.

This study aimed to analyse the types and characteristics of rehabilitation specialists’ experience in administering virtual reality (VR) programs using Q methodology as well as provide basic data regarding the introduction of VR programs in rehabilitation therapy. Thirty-three statements were derived based on a literature review and an in-depth interview with rehabilitation specialists. Q-sorting was performed by a Q-sample of 22 rehabilitation specialists with experience administering VR programs. Data were analysed using the QUANL Program. Rehabilitation specialists’ experience with administering VR programs were classified into three types: type 1 was labelled ‘the need to develop VR programs customised for disability level and type’, type 2 was labelled ‘emphasis on experts’ role of paying attention continuously and their experience’, and type 3 was labelled ‘the need to develop safety equipment by disability type’. The study’s findings demonstrate that there are a variety of rehabilitation specialists’ perceptions on their experience administering VR programs. This study is of significance because it suggests ways to improve VR programs for disabled people, with the consultation of rehabilitation specialists. In addition, rehabilitation specialists’ perceptions on VR programs have not been explored before.

Background During the novel coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, a considerable number of pneumothorax (PNX)/pneumomediastinum (PNM) associated with COVID-19 have been reported, and the incidence is higher in critically ill patients. Despite using a protective ventilation strategy, PNX/PNM still occurs in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). This matched case–control study aims to identify the risk factors and clinical characteristics of PNX/PNM in COVID-19. Methods This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with COVID-19, admitted to a critical care unit from March 1, 2020, to January 31, 2022. COVID-19 patients with PNX/PNM were compared, in a 1–2 ratio, to COVID-19 patients without PNX/PNM, matched for age, gender, and worst National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ordinal scale. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for PNX/PNM in COVID-19. Results 427 patients with COVID-19 were admitted during the period, and 24 patients were diagnosed with PNX/PNM. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in the case group (22.8 kg/m2 and 24.7 kg/m2; P = 0.048). BMI was statistically significant risk factor for PNX/PNM in univariate conditional logistic regression analysis [odds ratio (OR), 0.85; confidence interval (CI), 0.72–0.996; P = 0.044]. For patients on IMV support, univariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed the statistical significance of the duration from symptom onset to intubation (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.006–1.293; P = 0.041). Conclusions Higher BMI tended to show a protective effect against PNX/PNM due to COVID-19 and delayed application of IMV might be a contributive factor for this complication.

This study aimed to develop prediction equations for maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) based on non-exercise (anthropometric) and submaximal exercise (anthropometric and physiological) variables in paraplegic men with a spinal cord injury. All participants were tested on an arm ergometer using a maximal graded exercise test. Anthropometric variables such as age, height, weight, body fat, body mass index, body fat percentage, and arm muscle mass and physiological variables such as VO2, VCO2, and heart rate at 3 and 6 min of graded exercise tests were included in the multiple linear regression analysis. The prediction equations revealed the following. Regarding non-exercise variables, VO2max was correlated with age and weight (equation R = 0.771, R2 = 0.595, SEE= 3.187). Regarding submaximal variables, VO2max was correlated with weight and VO2 and VCO2 at 6 min (equation R = 0.892, R2 = 0.796, SEE = 2.309). In conclusion, our prediction equations can be used as a cardiopulmonary function evaluation tool to estimate VO2max simply and conveniently using the anthropometric and physiological characteristics of paraplegic men with spinal cord injuries.

Appropriate postoperative antibiotic treatment in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) reduces the risks of recurrence and mortality. However, concerns about adverse drug reactions arise due to prolonged antibiotic usage. Therefore, we compared the recurrence and mortality rates according to the duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy in patients with IE. From 2005 to 2017, we retrospectively reviewed 416 patients with IE treated at a tertiary hospital in South Korea; among these, 216 patients who underwent heart valve surgery and received appropriate antibiotics were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups based on the duration of usage of postoperative antibiotic therapy; the duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy was more than two weeks in 156 patients (72.2%) and two weeks or less in 60 patients (27.8%). The primary endpoint was IE relapse. The secondary endpoints were 1-year IE recurrence, 1-year mortality, and postoperative complication rates. The median age was 53 (interquartile range: 38–62) years. The relapse rate of IE was 0.9% (2/216). There was no statistical difference in relapse (0.0% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.379), 1-year recurrence (1.7% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.829), or 1-year mortality (10.0% vs. 5.8%, p = 0.274) between patients with postoperative antibiotic administration of two weeks or less versus more than two weeks. The duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy did not affect the 1-year mortality rate (log-rank test, p = 0.393). In conclusion, there was no statistically significant difference in recurrence, mortality, or postoperative complications according to the duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy.

Background Metronidazole is a widely used antibiotic to treat anaerobic and protozoal infections. However, neurologic adverse events associated with metronidazole have been reported in case series and case reports. Previous publications implicated that long-term usage and cumulative dose are risk factors for this adverse event. Still, little is known about the risk factor of the metronidazole-associated neurologic adverse events. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study to investigate the risk factors for the metronidazole-associated neurologic adverse events through a matched case-control study. Methods This retrospective study enrolled patients prescribed metronidazole from January 2006 to July 2021 at Severance Hospital, a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Case patients were defined as those who developed central nervous system (CNS) adverse events or peripheral nervous system (PNS) adverse events during the study period with causality assessment. In a 1 to 3 ratio, case patients were compared to a control group of the patients without neurologic adverse events, matched on age and cumulative dose of metronidazole. Results 92838 patients were prescribed metronidazole during the study period. Among them, 52 patients showed metronidazole-associated neurologic adverse events (39 patients with CNS, 27 patients with PNS adverse events, and 14 patients with both). The proportion of chronic kidney disease (CKD), solid organ transplantation, liver cirrhosis (LC), intravenous (IV) administration of metronidazole, and concomitant use of a proton pump inhibitor was significantly higher in the case group. The body weight, hemoglobin, and serum albumin levels were lower, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were higher in the case group. Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis demonstrated LC, CKD, IV administration, and lower body weight as risk factors for metronidazole-associated neurologic adverse events. Conclusion In this case-control study, LC, CKD, IV administration, and lower body weight were associated with the metronidazole-associated neurologic adverse events. Prolonged metronidazole treatment in patients with the risk factors requires careful examination for these adverse events. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by reactivation of JC virus, almost in patients with immunosuppressive conditions. PML is a fatal infection with a reported 3-month mortality rate of 30–50% and a 2-month mortality rate of up to 90% in the non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) population. Despite high mortality, studies on PML are still lacking due to its low prevalence and incidence. Therefore, this study aimed to figure out long-term prognosis of PML and prognostic factors for mortality through a long observation period. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 68 PML patients with admitted to two tertiary hospitals in South Korea from 1999 to 2021. A total of 47 PML patients were finally enrolled after exclusion. The primary endpoint was long-term overall mortality. For survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox proportional hazards model were used. Each patient was followed up until death or until the end of the study period, whichever came first. Results The median follow-up duration was 20 (interquartile range [IQR], 3–79) months. The median age was 46 years, 27 (57.4%) were diagnosed with HIV, 19 (40.4%) were using immunosuppressive drugs. The median last follow-up modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was higher in non-HIV PML patients group (5 [IQR, 4–6] vs 4 [IQR, 2–5], p=0.020). The median survival duration was 184 (IQR 74–1,566) days in the non-HIV group and 1,564 (IQR 254–3,444) days in the HIV group. The overall mortality rate of PML patients was significantly higher in non-HIV group (80.0% vs 40.7%, p=0.007), also confirmed by the Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test (p=0.007). Initial mRS (HR 1.685, 95% CI: 1.028–2.762, p=0.038), HIV patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) (HR 0.374, 95% CI: 0.172–0.815, p=0.013) had a significant effect on overall mortality. Conclusion With the widespread adoption of HAART, the survival duration of HIV patients with PML has been extended, but the mortality rate is still high. Also, the prognosis for PML in non-HIV patients is still frustrated. Initial mRS is a significant risk factor for long-term overall mortality in PML patients. Early detection of PML and early initiation of HAART in HIV patients may improve the patient's prognosis. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a great threat to the severely immunocompromised and patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, diagnosis of IA is often difficult due to need for invasive biopsy and low sensitivity of other diagnostic tests. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of plasma cell free DNA (cfDNA) can be a novel non-invasive diagnostic modality. We evaluated the clinical accuracy and utility of microbial cfDNA NGS for the diagnosis of IA in patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) and COVID-19. Methods A single-center prospective study of plasma microbial cfDNA NGS was conducted in a tertiary-care hospital in South Korea. We enrolled adult patients with HM and COVID-19, who suspected IA and performed conventional diagnostic tests for IA. The results of NGS were compared with the diagnosis of IA through conventional methods. IA cases were diagnosed according to EORTC/MSG definitions in patients with HM, and modified AspICU criteria in patients with COVID-19. (Figure 1). Figure 1.Flow chart for the participant selection method used in this study Results Between March 2021 and January 2022, a total of 33 participants (22 [64.7%] male, median age 66.0 [50.5, 72.0]) were enrolled;19 participants with HM and 15 with COVID-19 were analyzed (Figure1 and Table1). In participants with HM, aspergillus cfDNA was detected in 100% of both proven (1/1) and probable (12/12) IA cases, and 33.3% of both possible (1/3) and no IA (1/3) cases. In participants with COVID-19, 46.2% of probable IA (6/13) showed positive aspergillus cfDNA. Detection rate of aspergillus cfDNA was significantly higher in proven/probable IA cases in participants with HM compared to participants with COVID-19. (100% vs 46.2%, p=0.005) (Figure 2). As shown in Table 2, among proven/probable IA cases, participants with positive aspergillus cfDNA showed significantly higher rate of having uncontrolled hematologic disease, receiving stem cell transplantation and recent chemotherapy. In three participants with HM, non-aspergillus strains confirmed by cfDNA NGS were in accordance with pathogens identified through conventional culture methods. Table 1.Baseline characteristics of participants suspected of invaisve aspergillosis performing microbial cell free DNA NGSFigure 2.cfDNA detection rate in participants with suspected fungal infection according to the EORTC/MSG or modified AspICU diagnostic criteria Conclusion Detection of aspergillus cfDNA showed high concordance in the results of conventional diagnostic methods in proven/probable IA of patients with HM and could be a helpful non-invasive approach to IA diagnosis in those populations. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background During the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a considerable number of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum associated with COVID-19 have been reported, and the incidence was higher in critically ill patients. Despite using a protective ventilation strategy, barotrauma still occurs in COVID-19 patients with invasive mechanical ventilation. This study aims to identify the risk factors and clinical characteristics of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 by a matched case-control study. Methods This retrospective study enrolled adult patients diagnosed with a COVID-19, admitted to a critical care unit in South Korea from 2020 March 1st to 2022 January 31st. COVID-19 patients with pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum were compared, in a 1 to 2 ratio, to a control group of COVID-19 patients without pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum, matched on age, gender, and worst National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ordinal scale (NIAID-OS). Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in COVID-19. Results A total of 427 patients with COVID-19 were admitted during the study period. Of these patients, 24 patients were diagnosed as pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum. When comparing the characteristics of both groups, body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in the case group (22.8 kg/m2 and 24.7 kg/m2; P = 0.048). BMI was statistically significant risk factor for barotrauma in univariate conditional logistic regression analysis (Odds ratio (OR), 0.85; Confidence interval (CI), 0.72-0.996; P = 0.044) but not in multivariate analysis. For the patients with invasive mechanical ventilation, the period from symptom onset to intubation was longer in the case-patients (13 and 9.5 days; P = 0.032). Univariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed the statistical significance of the period from symptom onset to intubation (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.006-1.293; P = 0.041). Conclusion In this case-control study with age, gender, severity matching, lower BMI was associated with the pneumothorax in COVID-19, and delayed application of invasive mechanical ventilation might contribute to this complication. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Infective endocarditis is not a prevalent disease but has a high mortality rate. Especially left-sided infective endocarditis (LSIE) shows a higher mortality rate than right-sided infective endocarditis. Surgical treatment is occasionally considered for LSIE, but not much data is available on the long-term prognostic factors for LSIE after surgical treatment. This study investigated the risk factors for long-term mortality in LSIE patients who underwent surgical treatment. Methods This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with LSIE admitted to Severance Hospital in South Korea and underwent surgical treatment from November 2005 to August 2017. The primary outcome was overall all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the risk factors for long-term mortality of LSIE with surgical treatment. Results 239 cases with LSIE who underwent surgery were enrolled in this study. The median follow-up period was 6.2 years, and there were 34 deaths (14.2%) during the period. The mortality group showed older age (61.0 [53.0-72.0] vs 51.0 [39.0-61.0] years, P = 0.001), more chronic kidney disease (17.6% vs 3.9%, P = 0.007), more chronic liver disease (CLD) (14.7% vs 3.4%, P = 0.017), more cerebral embolisms (58.8% vs 26.8%, P < 0.001), less isolated mitral valve involvement (29.4% vs 52.7%, P = 0.020), and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (2.0 [1.0-4.0] vs 1.0 [1.0-2.0], P = 0.014). The survivor and mortality groups showed no statistical difference in the time to surgery. Multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated cerebral embolism (Hazard ratio (HR): 3.62, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.79-7.31, P < 0.001), CLD (HR: 4.24, CI: 1.53-11.76, P = 0.005), and age (HR: 1.03, CI: 1.00-1.06, per 1 year, P = 0.021) as risk factors for overall mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed significant difference between the patients with and without cerebral embolism (P < 0.001, log-rank). Figure 1.Kaplan-Meier survival curve for overall mortality Conclusion Cerebral embolism, CLD, and older age were associated with the long-term mortality in LSIE patients who underwent surgery. Preventive strategies for cerebral embolism are essential for the improvement in LSIE treatment. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background COVID-19 increase the risk of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. However, the risk factors and fungal origin of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is not fully defined yet. We aim to identify the risk factors for CAPA in severe COVID-19 and evaluate association between fungal contamination within the air of negative pressure rooms and diagnosis of CAPAs. Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study to identify risk factors for CAPA with 420 severe COVID-19 patients from March 2020 to January 2022 who admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South Korea. CAPA was defined with modified AspICU criteria. Control, matched by admission date and severity of COVID-19 at admission, was selected for each case. Air sampling and fungal culture was done on Jan 2022 with a microbial air sampler (MAS-100NT) at 11 spaces in the COVID-19 designated isolation ward including 9 negative pressure isolation rooms (IRs). A cross-sectional comparison between rooms with and without airborne fungal contamination was performed. Results A total of 420 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized during the study period, and 51 patients were diagnosed with CAPA (prevalence 12.14%, incidence 6.26 per 1000 patient•day). Multivariate analysis showed that older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.051, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.006-1.009, p=0.025), mechanical ventilator use (OR 2.692, 95% CI 1.049-6.911, p=0.04), and lymphopenia (OR 4.353, 95% CI 1.727-10.975, p=0.02) were independent risk factors for CAPA. (Table 1, 2) Aspergillus spp. was identified within the air from 7 out of 11 spaces including 6 IRs and 1 doctors’ room. (Figure 1). All 6 IRs with positive aspergillus culture were being occupied by patients at least 8 days. Among 6 patients, 3 had already been diagnosed with CAPA whereas the other 3 were not diagnosed with CAPA through the observation period. Among 4 patients in isolation rooms without airborne aspergillus contamination, one patient had been diagnosed as CAPA before air sampling. (Table 3). Conclusion Association between CAPA and airborne aspergillus contamination within the negative pressure room could not be demonstrated in this study. Rather than environmental factors, patient factors such as older age, ventilator care, and lymphopenia were found to be associated with CAPA diagnosis. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a major medical problem with high morbidity and mortality. Appropriate antibiotic treatment in patients with IE lowers the risk of embolism, recurrence, and long-term mortality. However, there are concerns about renal toxicity and an increase in the incidence of resistant strains due to long-term use of antibiotics. In this study, we compare the difference in overall mortality according to the duration of postoperative antibiotics therapy in patients with IE for each group. Methods From 2005 to 2017, we retrospectively reviewed 416 patients with IE at a 2400-bed tertiary hospital in South Korea. A total of 239 IE patients who underwent valve surgery and appropriate antibiotics duration were enrolled. The primary endpoint was long-term overall mortality. The secondary endpoints were reoperation rate, recurrence rate, and postoperative complications, such as new-onset heart failure, paravalvular and embolic complications. Results The median follow-up duration was 71 (interquartile range, 46–109) months. The duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy was less than 2 weeks in 67 patients (28.0%) and more than 2 weeks in 127 patients (72.0%). The median age was 53 years. The overall mortality was 13.0% (31/239). There were no statistical differences in overall mortality (13.4% vs. 12.8%, p=0.894), reoperation (6.0% vs. 4.1%, p=0.507), and recurrence (7.5% vs. 2.9%, p=0.148) between patients with postoperative antibiotic therapy for ≥2 weeks and less than 2 weeks. The duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy based on 2 weeks in the Kaplan-Meier curve was not associated with overall mortality (log-rank test, p=0.971). Conclusion In conclusion, there was no statistically significant difference in the overall mortality, recurrence, and reoperation rate according to the duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy. When surgery and recommended total antibiotics duration are properly performed according to guidelines, the effect of duration of postoperative antibiotic therapy on overall mortality, recurrence rate, and reoperation rate is reduced to a statistically insignificant extent. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background The superinfection of multidrug-resistant bacteria is an important complication in critically ill COVID-19 patients. An outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) occurred in an isolation ward for COVID-19. We performed an outbreak investigation, and successfully controlled the outbreak with the enhanced environmental cleaning and additional gowning and gloving. Methods This study analyzed all COVID-19 patients with CRAB in any specimen, who admitted to an isolation ward for COVID-19 of a tertiary hospital in South Korea from October to November 2021. Results During the outbreak period, a total of 23 patients with COVID-19 and CRAB were identified (Figure 1). Index case was 85-year old female patient who was referred from a long-term care facility. The mean age of cases was 72.9 and 14 (60.9%) patients were male. In most patients (91.3%), CRAB were identified in sputum culture, two were identified in blood culture at initial, and four patients were identified in sputum and blood culture at the same time. Most of the patients were applying high flow nasal cannula (26.1%) or mechanical ventilation (60.9%)(Table1). As shown in figure2, CRAB outbreak occurred mainly in the wards around the index case, and in particular, environmental culture was carried out in the area marked with a rectangle. CRAB was cultured on the floor, air inlet, air outlet, and window frame of the ward except for wards 3305 and 3319. Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance patterns of CRAB isolates from patients and environment were identical, and additional whole genome sequencing analyses are ongoing to find the clonality of isolates. We applied the infection control measures with the enhanced environmental cleaning using sodium hypochlorite(NaClO) 1000ppm and phenolic compounds more than twice a day, enhanced hand hygiene, and additional gowning and gloving over personal protective equipment (PPE) mandatory for COVID-19 on 29th October. No additional CRAB cases occurred since 2nd November 2021 for two weeks. Figure 1.Daily number of cases with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii during outbreak periodFigure 2.Floor plan of isolation ward with Acinetobacter baumannii outbreak Conclusion Even when PPEs and precautions for COVID-19 are applied to isolation wards for COVID-19, it is helpful for preventing transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria to apply additional contact precautions and environmental cleaning. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Roseomonas species are slow-growing Gram-negative cocobacillus, and were first reported in 1993. Roseomonas have been isolated from environmental sources and can cause bacteremia in humans, especially in immunocompromised patients. Since these species were difficult to isolate and infections with these species are not common, there are only a few studies on their characteristics. Therefore, we aim to expand our knowledge of clinical features, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and treatment outcomes for Roseomonas human infections. Methods From January 2006 to March 2022, patients with Roseomonas isolated from blood and other aseptic sources were extracted from three tertiary hospitals in South Korea. Underlying conditions, clinical manifestations, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and outcomes were reviewed through the medical records. Results During the study period, a total of 39 patients (46.2% were male) with Roseomonas infections were included. The median age was 50 (interquartile range, 33.5-62.5) years old, and seven patients (17.9%) were under age 18. Of the 39 patients, 13 patients (33.3%) had malignancies, five patients (12.8%) had neutropenia with an absolute neutrophil count of fewer than 1000 cells/mm3. Blood isolates were the most common (26 cases), followed by catheter blood (3 cases), and soft tissue (3 cases). Twenty-one cases (53.8%) were cultured after 48 hours of incubation, and co-infection with other bacteria was identified in nine cases (23.1%). Twenty-eight patients (71.8%) were symptomatic, with fever (30.8%) being the most common symptom. Amikacin showed a high susceptible rate (95.7%) to isolated Roseomonas. Tigecycline also showed high susceptible rates (92.9% , respectively). The susceptible rate of levofloxacin was 85.0%. On the other hand, the susceptible rate of piperacillin-tazobactam (5.9%) and meropenem (47.6%) were below 50%. There were two cases (5.1%) of in-hospital mortality. Conclusion Although not common, Roseomonas species can cause bacteremia and even death, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Since Roseomonas are challenging to isolate and generally show resistance to antibiotics commonly used for Gram-negative bacterial infections, careful attention is warranted in selecting antibiotics. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Most studies on the real-world effectiveness and safety of dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC) have been conducted in Western countries, and Asian reports are lacking. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of DTG/3TC in Korean adult people living with HIV (PLWH). This retrospective study was conducted from July 2020 to July 2022 at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Those who were followed up for more than 12 months were included. We analyzed the baseline characteristics, effectiveness, resistant profiles, body weights, metabolic parameters, and safety of DTG/3TC treatment in 151 PLWH, dividing them into the treatment-naïve group and the switching group. The median DTG/3TC treatment durations in the treatment-naïve and switching groups were 507.5 and 525.0 days. In the treatment-naïve group, the viral RNA titer was undetectable at 6 and 12 months in 95% of patients. In the switching group, virologic suppression was well-maintained. Meanwhile, the creatinine levels were slightly elevated in both groups compared to baseline. Five participants complained of mild side effects, such as indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and fatigue. However, no patient stopped treatment during the follow-up period. Since there was no virological failure or serious complications observed in this study, DTG/3TC may be a good treatment option for PLWH in Korea.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to substantial daily life changes for people worldwide. We investigated the association between daily life restrictions and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the Korea Community Health Survey. Daily life restrictions were evaluated using a questionnaire to population into three restriction categories: no/slightly, moderately, and severely. Depression was assessed by the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Chi-square tests and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare the demographic characteristics of individuals with and without depression. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between the severity of daily life restrictions and the prevalence of depression. The prevalence of depression was 2.4% in the total population: 5.7% in the severely restricted group and 2.7% in the moderately restricted group. After adjusting for age, sex, educational level, income, marital status, and employment status, the severely restricted group was more likely to have depression than was the no change/slightly restricted group (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 2.16–2.67, p

BACKGROUND: Medication nonadherence is a critical problem with severe implications in individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Many studies have attempted to predict medication adherence in this population, but few, if any, have been effective in prediction, sug-gesting that essential risk factors remain unidentified. OBJECTIVE: This study’s objective was to (1) establish an accurate prediction model of medi-cation adherence in individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and (2) identify significant contributing factors to the predictive accuracy of medication adherence. In particular, we aimed to use only the baseline questionnaire data to assess medication adherence prediction feasibility. METHODS: A sample of 40 individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was recruited for an eight-week feasibility study. After collecting baseline data, we recorded data from a pillbox that sent events to a cloud-based server. Health measures and medication use events were analyzed using machine learning algorithms to identify variables that best predict medication adherence. RESULTS: Our adherence prediction model, based on only the ten most relevant variables, achieved an average error rate of 12.9%. Medication adherence was closely correlated with being encouraged to play an active role in their treatment, having confidence about what to do in an emergency, knowledge about their medications, and having a special person in their life. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed the significance of clinical and psychosocial factors for predicting medication adherence in people at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Clini-cians and researchers can use these factors to stratify individuals to make evidence-based decisions to reduce the risks.

Coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the novel human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently a major threat to public health worldwide. To deal with the needs of vaccine, we developed four DNA vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2, based on the full-length spike (S) or truncated S protein. Following mice vaccination, we measured T-cell response and antigen-specific neutralizing antibody (NAb) titer. All four candidates induced humoral immune responses, including elevated levels of total IgG and NAbs, and cell-mediated immune responses, including multiple cytokine expression. However, the full-length S DNA vaccine enhanced the immune responses most significantly. We then evaluated its appropriate antigen dose and vaccination schedule. Although all immunized groups showed higher immune response than the control group, inoculation with 50 μg antigen led to the highest NAb titer. Immunity was significantly increased after the third inoculation. Thus, the full-length S DNA vaccine can potentially prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BackgroundEarly detection of breast cancer (BC) through mammography screening (MAM) is known to reduce mortality. We examined the differential effect that mammography has on BC characteristics and overall survival and the sociodemographic determinants of MAM utilization in a multi-ethnic Asian population.MethodsThis study included 3739 BC patients from the Singapore Breast Cancer Cohort (2010–2018). Self-reported sociodemographic characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Clinical data were obtained through medical records. Patients were classified as screeners (last screening mammogram ≤ 2 years before diagnosis), non-screeners (aware but did not attend or last screen > 2years), and those unaware of MAM. Associations between MAM behaviour (MB) and sociodemographic factors and MB and tumour characteristics were examined using multinomial regression. Ten-year overall survival was modelled using Cox regression.ResultsPatients unaware of screening were more likely diagnosed with late stage (ORstage III vs stage I (Ref)[95% CI]: 4.94 [3.45–7.07],p< 0.001), high grade (ORpoorly vs well-differentiated (reference): 1.53 [1.06–2.20],p= 0.022), nodal-positive, large size (OR>5cm vs ≤2cm (reference): 5.06 [3.10–8.25],p< 0.001), and HER2-positive tumours (ORHER2-negative vs HER2-positive (reference): 0.72 [0.53–0.97],p= 0.028). Similar trends were observed between screeners and non-screeners with smaller effect sizes. Overall survival was significantly shorter than screeners in the both groups (HRnon-screeners: 1.89 [1.22–2.94],p= 0.005; HRunaware: 2.90 [1.69–4.98],p< 0.001).Non-screeners and those unaware were less health conscious, older, of Malay ethnicity, less highly educated, of lower socioeconomic status, more frequently ever smokers, and less physically active. Among screeners, there were more reported personal histories of benign breast surgeries or gynaecological conditions and positive family history of breast cancer.ConclusionsMammography attendance is associated with more favourable BC characteristics and overall survival. Disparities in the utility of MAM services suggest that different strategies may be needed to improve MAM uptake.

IntroductionThe hardening hypothesis proposes that the proportion of hardcore smokers increases when smoking prevalence declines. To evaluate whether such hardening occurs in South Korea, we examined the association between quitting behaviours, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the proportion of hardcore smokers and smoking prevalence among local districts in South Korea.MethodsThis study used the cross-sectional data from the Korea Community Health Survey (2010–2018) to examine local district-level associations between smoking prevalence and quit attempts, quit plans, quit ratios, cigarettes smoked per day and the proportion of hardcore smokers. Panel regression analysis was performed using the indicators of hardcore smoking (quit attempts, quit plans, quit ratios, cigarettes smoked per day and proportion of hardcore smokers) as the outcome variables, and prevalence of smoking, local districts, age and sex as predictor variables.ResultsWhen the smoking prevalence of the districts decreased by 1%, quit attempts, quit plans and quit ratios increased by 0.24% (95% CI 0.11 to 0.37), 0.37% (95% CI 0.26 to 0.47) and 1.71% (95% CI 1.65 to 1.76), respectively. Cigarette consumption decreased by 0.17 cigarettes per day (95% 0.15 to 0.19), and the prevalence of hardcore smokers decreased by 0.88% (95% CI 0.78 to 0.98) when smoking prevalence decreased by 1%.ConclusionHardening of smoking did not occur in South Korea when smoking prevalence declined, which suggests tobacco control policies in South Korea have been effective in reducing smoking prevalence without increasing the proportion of hardcore smokers.

A control group is defined as a group of people used for comparison. Depending on the type of study, it can be a group of healthy people or a group not exposed to risk factors. It is important to allow researchers to select the appropriate control participants. The Korea Biobank Project-sponsored biobanks are affiliated with the Korea Biobank Network (KBN), for which the National Biobank of Korea plays a central coordinating role among KBN biobanks. KBN organized several working groups to address new challenges and needs in biobanking. The “Normal Healthy Control Working Group” developed standardized criteria for three defined control groups, namely, normal, normal-plus, and disease-specific controls. Based on the consensus on the definition of a normal control, we applied the criteria for normal control participants to retrospective data. The main reason for exclusion from the “Normal-plus” group was blood test results beyond 5% of the reference range, including hypercholesterolemia. Subclassification of samples of normal controls by detailed criteria will help researchers select optimal normal controls for their studies.

This study investigated the immunogenicity of, and reactogenicity to, the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine according to pre-existing adenovirus immunity. Individuals scheduled for COVID-19 vaccination were prospectively enrolled in a tertiary hospital with 2400 beds from March 2020 onwards. Pre-existing adenovirus immunity data was obtained before ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. A total of 68 adult patients administered two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine were enrolled. Pre-existing adenovirus immunity was identified in 49 patients (72.1%), but not in the remaining 19 patients (27.9%). The geometric mean titer of S-specific IgG antibodies was statistically higher in individuals without pre-existing adenovirus immunity at several time points: before the second ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 dose (56.4 (36.6–125.0) vs. 51.0 (17.9–122.3), p = 0.024), 2–3 weeks after the second ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 dose (629.5 (451.5–926.5) vs. 555.0 (287.3–926.0), p = 0.049), and 3 months after the second ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 dose (274.5 (160.5–655.3) vs. 176.0 (94.3–255.3), p = 0.033). In the absence of pre-existing adenovirus immunity, systemic events were observed with higher frequency, especially chills (73.7% vs. 31.9%, p = 0.002). In conclusion, individuals without pre-existing adenovirus immunity showed a higher immune response to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination and a higher frequency of reactogenicity to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination was observed.