• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 2014

Objectives: This was to evaluate the current usage of three erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESA) and their efficacy for management of anemia in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with chronic kidney disease. Methods: It was a retrospective comparative study through review of electronic medical records of chronic kidney disease patients undergoing PD at a tertiary teaching hospital from January 1998 to June 2013. Results: Average administration frequency was 1.66 times/week in EPO group, 0.75 times/week in DA group, and 0.19 times/week in MPG-EPO group. At the first 4 weeks, there were significant differences in mean hemoglobin levels between EPO and DA groups ($9.25{\pm}1.28g/dL$, $10.02{\pm}0.95g/dL$ each, p = 0.018) and also in hemoglobin response rates (10.0%, 45.2% each, p = 0.008), but since after 4 week, there had been no significant differences. There also showed no significant differences in achievement of hemoglobin target between the two groups. When converted to MPG-EPO in EPO/DA groups, there showed a slight increase in hemoglobin levels of both groups. MPG-EPO was the highest compared with two other drugs by the average cost based on the average weekly dose. Conclusion: EPO, DA, and MPG-EPO showed similar effects in treatment of anemia of PD patients based on hemoglobin target range (11.0~12.0 g/dL) which NFK-K/DOQI guidelines suggest. Though the average cost of MPG-EPO was higher than the other two drugs, the number of PD patients using MPG-EPO has increased and it is thought that long half-life and low administration frequency of MPG-EPO have improved the compliance of PD patients who have to self-administrate.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.52
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• pp.331.1-331.17
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• 2018

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is associated with the development of cervical cancer. The purpose of this report is to provide the literature evidences on selecting the HPV vaccine for national immunization program (NIP) in Korea. To complete these tasks, we reviewed domestic and foreign literature on the current status of HPV infection, efficacy and effectiveness of HPV vaccine, safety of vaccine and cost effectiveness analysis of vaccination business. Given that the median age of first sexual intercourse is continuing to fall, this may have serious implications for HPV infection and cervical cancer incidence at the age of 20s. The World Health Organization recommends that the HPV vaccination should be included in the NIP being implemented in each country. Both the bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines have a 90% or greater preventive efficacy on cervical intraepithelial lesion 2-3 and cervical cancer by the HPV 16 or HPV 18. In the future, if HPV vaccination rate as part of NIP increases, it is expected that the incidence of HPV infection, genital warts, and cervical precancerous lesions will be decreased in the vaccination age group. Therefore, in order to increase the HPV vaccination rate at this point in Korea, social consensus and efforts such as the introduction and promotion of HPV vaccine to the NIP according to appropriate cost-effectiveness analysis are required.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6477-6480
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• 2015

Purpose: Given the importance of sun protection in the prevention of skin cancer, this study was designed to determine predictors of sun-protective practices among a sample of Iranian female college students based on protection motivation theory (PMT) variables. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 201 female college students in Iran University of Medical Sciences were selected. Demographic and PMT variables were assessed with a 67-item questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to identify demographic and PMT variables that were associated with sun-protective practices and intention. Results: one percent of participants always wore a hat with a brim, 3.5% gloves and 15.9% sunglasses while outdoors. Only 10.9% regularly had their skin checked by a doctor. Perceived rewards, response efficacy, fear, self-efficacy and marital status were the five variables which could predict 39% variance of participants intention to perform sun-protective practices. Also, intention and response cost explained 31% of the variance of sun-protective practices. Conclusions: These predictive variables may be used to develop theory-based education interventions to prevent skin cancer among college students.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.135-157
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• 2005

Based on literature relating to the theory of planned behavior(TPB) and the TAM, this study extends the applicability of the TAM in a mobile banking context, by adding one trust-based construct('perceived credibility') and two resource-based constructs('perceived efficacy' and 'perceived cost') and technical suitability constructs to the model, while paying careful attention to the placing of these constructs in the TAM's existing nomological structure. Data collected from 182 users in Korea were tested against the extended TAM, using the structural equation modeling approach. The results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting users intentions to adopt mobile banking. Several implications for IT/IS acceptance research and mobile banking management practices are discussed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.530-534
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• 2017

Chitosan is a promising flocculant for microalgae harvesting, but its scale-up application is not economically supported yet. Low solubility of chitosan in microalgae suspension demands high dosage (as a flocculant) to destabilize the cells, and thus, increases the cost of microalgae harvesting. This study identifies efficient solvents for the chitosan, and optimizes the concentration of solvents and chitosan dose to improve the harvesting efficiency. Chitosan was dissolved in different acids, and subsequently used as a flocculant. The flocculant efficacy was measured in terms of harvesting efficiency and reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the microalgae suspension. It was found that chitosan dissolved in 0.05 M HCl showed the highest harvesting efficiency ($89{\pm}0.87%$) at only 30 mg/L of dosage. In comparison, 270 mg/L of $FeCl_3{\cdot}6H_2O$ was required to attain $86{\pm}0.083%$ of the harvesting efficiency. $H_2SO_4$ dissolved chitosan required high flocculant dose (150 mg/L) and resulted in relatively low harvesting efficiency ($77{\pm}0.11%$). It was concluded that the efficacy of chitosan is solvent dependent, and the selection of proper solvent can decrease the dosage requirement for microalgae harvesting.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.311-316
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• 2014

Lichen studies, including biodiversity, phylogenetic relationships, and conservation concerns require definitive species identification, however many lichens can be challenging to identify at the species level. Molecular techniques have shown efficacy in discriminating among lichen taxa, however, obtaining genomic DNA from herbarium and fresh lichen thalli by conventional methods has been difficult, because lichens contain high proteins, polysaccharides, and other complex compounds in their cell walls. Here we report a rapid, easy, and inexpensive protocol for extracting PCR-quality DNA from various lichen species. This method involves the following two steps: first, cell breakage using a beadbeater; and second, extraction, isolation, and precipitation of genomic DNA. The procedure requires approximately 10 mg of lichen thalli and can be completed within 20 min. The obtained DNAs were of sufficient quality and quantity to amplify the internal transcribed spacer region from the fungal and algal lichen components, as well as to sequence the amplified products. In addition, 26 different lichen taxa were tested, resulting in successful PCR products. The results of this study validated the experimental protocols, and clearly demonstrated the efficacy and value of our KCl extraction method applied in the fungal and algal samples.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-33
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to identify the major factors affecting performance in health promoting lifestyles in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis(CAPO) patients. The subjects for this study were 98 CAPO patients living in Pusan city. The data for this study were collected from October 15th, 1999 to January 15th, 2000 by structured questionaries. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS softwares. The results were as follows: 1. The average score of performance in the health promoting lifestyles was 2.34. The variable with the highest degree of performance was self-actualization and nutrition, whereas the one with the lowest degree was exercise. 2. In the subscale of the health promoting lifestyles, especially educational level, marital state and CAPO period, there was significant differences between demographic variables and performance in the health promoting lifestyles. 3. The activity-related affect, situational influences, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers in the behavior-specific cognitions and affect have a significant correlation with performance in the health promoting lifestyles. 4. The most important variable that affects the performance in the health promoting lifestyles was situational influences, and the self-efficacy, perceived barriers, every monthly treatment cost, duration of chronic renal failure followed in order, activity-related affect. Those six variables accounted for 38.3% among the variables in health promoting lifestyles.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.799-805
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• 2016

Background: There is no standard treatment for patients with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Single agent chemotherapies have evidence of more efficacy and less toxicity than combination therapy. Most are very expensive, with appreciable toxicity and minimal survival. Since it is difficult to make comparison between outcomes, economic analysis of single-agent chemotherapy regimens and best supportive care may help to make decisions about an appropriate management for the affected patients. Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of second-line chemotherapy compared with best supportive care for patients with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: A Markov model was used to estimate the effectiveness and total costs associated with treatments. The hypothetical patient population comprised women aged 55 with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Four types of alternative treatment options were evaluated: 1) gemcitabine followed by BSC; 2) pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) followed by BSC; 3) gemcitabine followed by topotecan; and 4) PLD followed by topotecan. Baseline comparator of alternative treatments was BSC. Time horizon of the analysis was 2 years. Health care provider perspective and 3% discount rate were used to determine the costs of medical treatment in this study. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) were used to measure the treatment effectiveness. Treatment effectiveness data were derived from the literature. Costs were calculated from unit cost treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer patients at various stages of disease in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH) in the year 2011. Parameter uncertainty was tested in probabilistic sensitivity analysis by using Monte Carlo simulation. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to explore each variable's impact on the uncertainty of the results. Results: Approximated life expectancy of best supportive care was 0.182 years and its total cost was 26,862 Baht. All four alternative treatments increased life expectancy. Life expectancy of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 0.510, 0.513, 0.566, and 0.570 years, respectively. The total cost of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 113,000, 124,302, 139,788 and 151,135 Baht, respectively. PLD followed by topotecan had the highest expected quality-adjusted life-years but was the most expensive of all the above strategies. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 344,643, 385,322, 385,856, and 420,299 Baht, respectively. Conclusions: All of the second-line chemotherapy strategies showed certain benefits due to an increased life-year gained compared with best supportive care. Moreover, gemcitabine as second-line chemotherapy followed by best supportive care in progressive disease case was likely to be more effective strategy with less cost from health care provider perspective. Gemcitabine was the most cost-effective treatment among all four alternative treatments. ICER is only an economic factor. Treatment decisions should be based on the patient benefit.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-19
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• 2014

This Study focuses on the university students' job attitude and cost of employment preparation. Nowadays, many university and college students spend a big money improving their employment preparation such as studying on foreign language, getting various kinds of certificates and tooth correction, clothing etc. for employment interview. This study investigated the cost of employment preparation and Job attitude of the 484 students of universities and colleges, the analysis of the collected data was conducted with SPSS 12.0 program by using frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability assessment, correlation test, t-test, one way ANOVA. The university students paid more costs of employment preparation such as a language training abroad, a private training, and clothing than the college students. Also, Allied social science students paid more costs of the language training abroad, and clothing than allied computer science and allied design students. The female students paid more money than male students for tooth correction. The costs of language training abroad, private training and clothing are affected the students' socioeconomic background of a home. Regarding the job attitude of students, the university students are feeling more positive than the college students of the employment efficacy and cognition of the education environment. As result, the differences in the cost of employment preparation by the university type, faculty major course, their sex, and socioeconomic background of a home. The student's employment-efficacy and cognition of the education environment are also differences between the university and the college students. So, to improve the job attitude, developing their ability for employment preparation, educational programs should be arranged in school and continuous researches are needed.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.105-127
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• 2013

Objectives : We examined the use of the moxibustion through survey on Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) on preparation of universal moxa product standard by fully reflecting opinions of practitioners and the industry. Methods : The questionnaire is composed of 25 questions including use of indirect moxa, side effects, complaints and improvements, general characteristics and so on, and were responded by 1,588 KMDs. For statistics, frequency analysis, chi-square analysis, T-test and ANOVA were conducted using SPSS 12.0 for windows, and the significance level was 0.05. Results : In this research, 91% of the responded KMDs was using moxibustion, and the proportion of using mediate moxibustion was shown as 63.2%. They used mediate moxibustion for side effects of direct moxa method such as risk of burn, ease of use, control of stimulation and so on. And it was mostly being conducted to women and 40 ages. Most respondents gave moxibustion treatments for the purpose of thermal stimulation on acupoint to musculoskeletal diseases. Most respondents were treating 1~2 pieces of moxibustion to patients by moxibustion points to those of 1~2 regions every time within 10 minutes. Regarding the frequency of side effects of mediate moxibustion, within 3% of respondents had experienced side effects, and the types were burn, flare and itchiness, odor and smoke. The dissatisfaction of mediate moxibustion products was moderate(2.00 out of 5 point scale), and went up public health doctors, the younger ages and the shorter clinical experience. Complaints on mediate moxibustion products were serious odor, poor attachment, risk of burn etc. Regarding ways to improve mediate moxibustion, the expansion of moxibustion's insurance cost carne out highest, followed by preparation of manual on efficacy, strengthening of training, acquiring evidence on efficacy, diversification of specifications, safety improvement, quality improvement of mediate moxibustion products. Conclusions: Many KMDs use for ease of use and give moxibustion treatments for thermal stimulation but they complain about safety, efficacy and quality of mediate moxibustion. After this it is considered that we have to elevate therapeutic effect through the improvement of mediate moxibustion products.