Dankook University

Background: Community pharmacists are essential providers in primary healthcare, yet high turnover among employed community pharmacists (i.e., non-owner pharmacists) poses challenges to workforce stability and service quality.This study was conducted to examine the associations between job satisfaction, job stress, and social support with turnover intention among employed community pharmacists in Korea.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted targeting employed community pharmacists.Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses.Results: A total of 120 respondents were included.The mean scores were 3.41 for turnover intention, 3.86 for job satisfaction, 2.26 for job stress, and 3.28 for social support.Turnover intention was lower among employed pharmacists earning 7 million KRW than those earning 4-5 million KRW.Job satisfaction was higher among males, higher-income groups, and those working at a single pharmacy.Peer support was higher in pharmacies with four or more pharmacists.Turnover intention showed negative correlations with social support (r= -0.601) and job satisfaction (r= -0.386), and a positive correlation with job stress (r=0.534).In multiple regression analysis, social support (= -0.425) and job stress (= 0.216) remained significantly associated with turnover intention, whereas job satisfaction was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Turnover intention among employed community pharmacists was more strongly associated with job stress and social support than with job satisfaction.Workplace-level interventions aimed at reducing job stress and strengthening supportive relationships may help improve retention and enhance the stability of community pharmacy services.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that causes severe economic losses in the global swine industry. Since its introduction to Vietnam in 2019, ASFV has evolved rapidly, with genotype II strains dominating initially and recombinant I/II variants emerging by 2023. Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) have been developed and commercialized in Vietnam, including ASFV-G-ΔI177L, ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR, and ASFV-G-ΔMGF, which confer homologous immune protection. Despite this, LAVs face challenges related to genetic stability, impossible protection against emerging recombinant strains, potential reversion to virulence, viral shedding, and safety in pregnant sows. ASFV's ongoing evolution underscores the need for continuous genomic surveillance, evaluation of cross-protective efficacy, and implementation of biosecurity and DIVA strategies focused more on evaluating vaccine efficacy than safety. This review summarizes the current molecular epidemiology of ASFV in Vietnam after vaccines were licensed for use, the development and performance of commercial LAVs, and the practical challenges of their application in endemic settings, and provides insights for informed vaccine deployment and integrated ASF control strategies in rapidly evolving viral landscapes.

Mitsuokella multacida AGMB01124 isolated from the feces of healthy swine was evaluated for its safety and potential as a next-generation probiotic (NGP). These bacteria have been increasingly reported to be positively correlated with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which are a beneficial energy source in the gut environment. We investigated the potential application of M. multacida AGMB01124 as an NGP by examining its genomic features, probiotic properties, cytotoxicity, oral toxicity, and its effect on SCFA levels in feces. Genome analysis did not identify any virulence-associated factors, and the strain harbored two antibiotic resistance genes (tetW/N/W and ermB). Furthermore, endoglucanase D (CelD) exhibited differences in four surface-exposed amino acid residues, three of which were located near the active site and one within the signal peptide region, suggesting a role in modulating catalytic function. Phenotypically, the strain exhibited susceptibility to most antibiotics recommended by Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute and was non-hemolytic, non-cytotoxic. The strain demonstrated some tolerance to acidic and bile conditions, strong self-aggregation, co-aggregation with pathogens, and low cell surface hydrophilicity. Oral toxicity studies indicated no adverse effects on clinical signs, body weight, diet intake, relative organ weights, hematology, serum biochemistry, histopathology, or harmful enzyme activities. Short-chain fatty acid concentrations were significantly higher in the M. multacida AGMB01124-administered group than in the control group, suggesting potential contributions to host gut health and metabolic regulation. Therefore, this study provides preliminary evidence supporting the safety of the M. multacida AGMB01124 strain and its potential application as a candidate NGP.

As urban temperatures rise at an unprecedented pace due to climate change, cities worldwide are experiencing increasing infrastructure damage and heat-related health impacts. In response, many cities are developing heat-specific adaptation plans and broader resilience strategies. While a wide range of heat mitigation and management measures has been proposed, it remains unclear how these measures are translated into concrete planning targets, how much adaptation progress has been achieved to date, and whether cities are following an appropriate adaptation pathway. The lack of a standardized approach for defining and evaluating quantitative heat adaptation targets poses a major barrier to effective urban heat adaptation planning and implementation.To address this gap, this study proposes a methodology for quantitatively setting urban heat adaptation targets. Using the latest urban structure data, we diagnose the current thermal environment and project future thermal conditions under a sustainability-oriented target pathway (SSP1) and a high-emission reference pathway (SSP5), assuming the urban structure remains unchanged. By comparing the diagnosed current thermal environment with the heat level associated with the SSP1 target pathway, we quantify the heat risk reduction required for the city to reach a sustainable adaptation state.The proposed framework enables discussion of necessary concrete adaptation measures by linking the quantified adaptation target to required physical and spatial changes in urban form. Through real-world urban application, we demonstrate how this methodology can diagnose a city's current adaptation pathway, define measurable heat adaptation targets, and support iterative updates as urban structure and adaptation interventions evolve.This approach contributes to effective urban heat adaptation planning by providing a framework for defining and updating quantitative adaptation targets, which can ultimately be linked to more effective evaluation and implementation of urban heat adaptation strategies.This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry &Technology Institute (KEITI) through "Climate Change R&D Project for New Climate Regime.", funded by Korea Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. (MCEE) (RS-2022-KE002102)

Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease characterized by the destruction of the tooth-supporting tissues, including the gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone, which may ultimately lead to tooth loss. However, blood-based biomarkers reflecting systemic inflammation in periodontitis remain poorly defined. We analyzed plasma proteomic data from the UK Biobank using Olink Explore proteomics to identify systemic protein signatures distinguishing chronic periodontitis patients (n = 90) from healthy controls (n = 2234). Among 2151 proteins passing quality control, 29 proteins showed significant differential expression (FDR < 1.0 × 10-5). Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) exhibited the strongest upregulation (mean NPX: -0.183 to 0.157, effect size = 0.337, FDR = 2.82 × 10-12), followed by N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (effect size = 0.594), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) (effect size = 0.450), and Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-(4IGFBP4) (effect size = 0.269). Multiple TNF receptor superfamily members (TNFRSF1A/1B, TNFRSF10A/10B) and proteins involved in extracellular matrix remodeling (COL6A3, ADAM12) and vascular stress (ADM) were significantly elevated. In contrast, EGFR and DNER showed decreased expression. Protein-protein interaction network analysis revealed IL-6 as a central hub protein forming a tightly interconnected cluster with TNF receptor family members. These findings indicate systemic plasma protein profiles associated with chronic periodontitis within this population-based cohort. The identified proteins may provide a basis for future evaluation of blood-based biomarkers for chronic periodontitis, pending further validation.