• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2018

Background: In South Korea, 22.3% of women ${\geq}50years$ of age and 37% of women ${\geq}70years$ of age visit the doctor to obtain treatment for osteoporosis. According to the analysis of the National Health Insurance Services claim data between 2008 and 2012, the number and incidence of hip and vertebral fractures increased during the same period. Denosumab, a newly marketed medicine in Korea, is the first RANK inhibitor. Methods: A cost-utility analysis was conducted from a societal perspective to prove the superiority of denosumab to alendronate. A Markov cohort model was used to investigate the cost-effectiveness of denosumab. A 6-month cycle length was used in the model, and all patients were individually followed up through the model, from their age at treatment initiation to their time of death or until 100 years of age. The model consisted of eight health states: well; hip fracture; vertebral fracture; wrist fracture; other osteoporotic fracture; post-hip fracture; post-vertebral fracture; and dead. All patients began in the well-health state. In this model, 5% discounted rate, two-year maximum offset time, and persistence were adopted. Results: The total lifetime costs for alendronate and denosumab were USD 5,587 and USD 6,534, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for denosumab versus alendronate was USD 20,600/QALY. Given the ICER threshold in Korea, the results indicated that denosumab was remarkably superior to alendronate. Conclusion: Denosumab is a cost-effective alternative to the oral anti-osteoporotic treatment, alendronate, in South Korea.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.25-34
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• 2016

OBJECTIVES : This is a basic research for the domestic production of airport-airside deicers. This research selected basic materials for deicers appropriate for the pavement of domestic airports by evaluating the deicing performances of basic materials used in international-standard airport deicers and their impacts on pavements. METHODS : Laboratory investigation was conducted to evaluate the asphalt surface tensile strength, concrete scaling impact, ASR impact, and deicing performances of sodium formate (NaFm), potassium formate (KFm), sodium acetate (NaAc), and potassium acetate (KAc), which are the basic de-icing materials commonly used at international airports, approved by the FAA. In addition, the analyses were also performed on the airside deicer urea, which is currently used in domestic airports. RESULTS : Laboratory investigation confirmed that sodium formate, potassium formate, sodium acetate, and potassium acetate had superior surface tensile strength, concrete scaling impact, and deicing performance compared to airside urea, but they also had greater impacts on concrete ASR. Among these materials, sodium formate had the best asphalt surface tensile strength, concrete scaling impact, and deicing performance, while also having the greatest impact on ASR; hence, mitigation plans for ASR were needed, if it were to be used as airport-airside deicer. CONCLUSIONS : It is necessary to consider additional additives to prevent ASR of concrete pavements when developing airport-airside deicers using sodium formate, potassium formate, sodium acetate, and potassium acetate.