• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.31-38
• /
• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine whether NMED-01 or NMED-02 improves laboratory test results in participants with liver function disorder. Methods : This is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which participants, treating physicians and data management staff were blinded to treatment group. The study was conducted at Semyung university oriental medicine hospital in Jecheon where participants with high level of serum ${\gamma}$-GTP (60-350 U/L) were enrolled. The intervention consisted of three times daily ingestion of either two capsules of placebo, NMED-01 (NeuMed. co. ltd., Seoul), or NMED-02 (NeuMed. co. ltd., Seoul) for twelve weeks. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of NMED-01 and NMED-02, we primarily evaluated the degree of decrement of serum ${\gamma}$-GPT level among three groups. Secondarily the decrement of serum ALT, AST, and triglyceride level in each group were also evaluated. Adverse effects were monitored during the twelve weeks treatment. Results : The change of ${\gamma}$-GTP level of NMED-01 group was lower than that of placebo group at the end of 12-week administration ($28.1{\pm}38.7U/L$ vs. $9.3{\pm}27.0U/L$, p=0.046). Other variables including AST, ALT, and triglyceride level were not significantly reduced. The decrement of ${\gamma}$-GPT, AST, ALT, and triglyceride level of NMED-02 group was not significant. There were no significant adverse effects or toxicities during treatment period. Conclusions : Participants receiving NMED-01 had improvement in laboratory test results. Despite a modest sample size, our results suggest that NMED-01 are safe and may be potentially effective in improving liver function. However, NMED-02 have lack of a detectable effect in this study.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.485-491
• /
• 2022

Intravenous injection is the most frequent invasive treatment for inpatients and is widely used for parenteral nutrition administration and blood products, and more than 1 billion procedures are used for peripheral catheter insertion, blood collection, and other IV therapy per year. Intravenous injection is one of the difficult procedures to be performed only by trained nurses with intravenous injection training, and failure can lead to thrombosis and hematoma or nerve damage to the vein. Accordingly, studies on auxiliary equipment capable of visualizing the vein structure of the back of the hand or arm are being published to reduce errors during intravenous injection. This study is a study on the performance difference according to the number of LEDs irradiating the 850nm wavelength band on a vein detector that visualizes the vein during intravenous injection. Four LED PCBs were produced by attaching NIR filters to CCD and CMOS camera lenses irradiated on the skin to acquire images, sharpen the acquired images using image processing algorithms, and project the sharpened images onto the skin. After that, each PCB was attached to the front end of the vein detector to detect the vein image and create a performance comparison questionnaire based on the vein image obtained for performance evaluation. The survey was conducted on 20 nurses working at K Hospital.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.65 no.5
• /
• pp.665-679
• /
• 2022

Objective : Patients with mild ischemic stroke experience various sequela and residual symptoms, such as anxious behavior and deficits in movement. Few approaches have been proved to be effective and safe therapeutic approaches for patients with mild ischemic stroke by acute stroke. Sildenafil (SIL), a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor (PDE5i), is a known remedy for neurodegenerative disorders and vascular dementia through its angiogenesis and neurogenesis effects. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of PDE5i in the emotional and behavioral abnormalities in rats with mild ischemic stroke. Methods : We divided the rats into four groups as follows (n=20, respectively) : group 1, naïve; group 2, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo30); group 3, MCAo30+SIL-pre; and group 4, MCAo30+SIL-post. In the case of drug administration groups, single dose of PDE5i (sildenafil citrate, 20 mg/kg) was given at 30-minute before and after reperfusion of MCAo in rats. After surgery, we investigated and confirmed the therapeutic effect of sildenafil on histology, immunofluorescence, behavioral assays and neural oscillations. Results : Sildenafil alleviated a neuronal loss and reduced the infarction volume. And results of behavior task and immunofluorescence shown possibility that anti-inflammation process and improve motor deficits sildenafil treatment after mild ischemic stroke. Furthermore, sildenafil treatment attenuated the alteration of theta-frequency rhythm in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, a known neural oscillatory marker for anxiety disorder in rodents, induced by mild ischemic stroke. Conclusion : PDE5i as effective therapeutic agents for anxiety and movement disorders and provide robust preclinical evidence to support the development and use of PDE5i for the treatment of mild ischemic stroke residual disorders.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.2-8
• /
• 2022

Humanity is in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and vaccines-including mRNA vaccines-have been developed at an unprecedented speed. It is necessary to develop guidelines for vaccination for people undergoing treatment with assisted reproductive technology (ART) and for pregnancy-related situations based on the extant laboratory and clinical data. COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to adversely affect gametes, embryos, or implantation; therefore, active vaccination is recommended for women or men who are preparing for ART. The use of intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) for the treatment of immune-related infertility is unlikely to impact the effectiveness of the vaccines, so COVID-19 vaccines can be administered around ART cycles in which IVIG is scheduled. Pregnant women have been proven to be at risk of severe maternal and neonatal complications from COVID-19. It does not appear that COVID-19 vaccines harm pregnant women or fetuses; instead, they have been observed to deliver antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) to the fetus. Accordingly, it is recommended that pregnant women receive COVID-19 vaccination. There is no rationale for adverse effects, or clinical cases of adverse reactions, in mothers or neonates after COVID-19 vaccination in lactating women. Instead, antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can be delivered through breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should consider vaccination. In summary, active administration of COVID-19 vaccines will help ensure the safe implementation of ART, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to reveal the circumstances under which the cases of harm to health caused by humidifier disinfectant were neglected and show the points where the number of victims and the degree of damage could have been reduced. In addition, it attempts to describe how damage management proceeded immediately after the incident and actually exacerbated the damage. Finally, it explores the unfortunate aspects of the recent trial. By doing so, it attempts to take this as an opportunity to consider whether a tragic event such as the humidifier disinfectant incident could occur in the future. Methods: This study collected and analyzed data on chemical material characteristics related to humidifier disinfectants, data on health effect characteristics, data on related laws and regulations from the Ministry of Environment, data related to the damage investigation by the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, and current contents. Results: The lack of related systems and laws is the area where the greatest responsibility for the cause of the humidifier disinfectant disaster falls, so it is difficult for the government to escape this responsibility. Establishing a dedicated department to identify the prevalence of certain diseases within the functions of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to monitor health can greatly contribute to the prevention and management of diseases through early detection and management of group outbreaks caused by harmful factors. Humidifier disinfectant damage relief should have been expanded earlier beyond HDLI (humidifier disinfectant lung injury) to include non-specific diseases such as asthma, pneumonia, and interstitial pneumonia. The scope of relief benefits should have also been expanded earlier to include the payment of disability benefits. Fortunately, with the 2020 revision of the Special Act, the conditions for estimating causal relations were eased and individual screening systems such as health impact assessment were reorganized along with the introduction of a rapid screening system. Conclusions: The management system for chemical substances in a country is clearly of paramount importance, and the ministry in charge must have a response system in case of damage to health effects. Administration that looks at the victims' situation from their point of view is needed, and technical countermeasures are required to quickly recognize the prevalence of certain diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.20-38
• /
• 2012

After being introduced into franchises industry, franchise has made a phenomenal growth in a short time and a substantial contribution to job creation and economic revitalization. Nevertheless, franchise business operators failed a business or low profit because of a lack of information and indiscriminate foundation. Therefore the first object of this study is characteristics of franchise's factors on disclosure agreement in franchise associate website. second is examinations about casual relationship between factor and franchise performance with using Excel and SPSS 18.0 versions. The findings of present study were as follows. First, franchises manage small business mostly(financial data, scale so on) and franchise's type focused the food service industry. Specially, a business district select unprotected contract. Second, in franchise's factors, we could find statistically significant effect on annual average sales and annual average net profit. However growth rate of franchise don't have statistically significant effect. Third, we could find statistically significant difference on analysis both franchises' factors and financial data. In conclusion, we must consider of franchise industry environment and success effect on performance in starting one's business. Furthermore franchises plan ways for their sustained growth and protection of rights and interests. Finally business operator draw up their information and upgrade continuously for franchises industry growth. Discussion and theoretical and managerial implications of the results were described along with future franchise research suggestions.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.30-34
• /
• 2015

We report a case of a 55-year-old man who diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), with A review of the literature. A 55-year old man was transferred to our hospital for further evaluation and treatment after being diagnosed with adenocarcinoma through endoscopic biopsy during a regular health examination. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed AGC, stage IIA (T3N3M0), while an endoscopic examination showed AGC, Borrmann type 2. The patient is currently under observation after undergoing radical subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy and subsequent administration of oral chemotherapeutic agents. As an abdominal CT response assessment performed after surgery revealed new metastasis to the liver, the patient received palliative chemotherapy as progressive disease was suspected. After receiving chemotherapy in the order of FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil (5-FU)) + Leucovorin + Oxaliplatin), FOLFIRI (5-FU + Leucovorin + Irinotecan), EAP-II (Etoposide + Doxorubicin + Cisplatin), ELF (Etoposide + Leucovorin + 5-FU), TS-1 (Tegafur + Gimeracil) + Cisplatin, an abdominal CT response assessment showed progressive disease for which the regimen was altered to PFL (Paclitaxel + 5-FU + Leucovorin). The patient has currently completed his second cycle of chemotherapy and after an abdominal CT response assessment, further course of therapy will be decided.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.355-362
• /
• 2023

Background: Financial efficiency in monetary units and operational efficiency in non-monetary units are separately classified and evaluated. This is done to prevent the duplication of monetary units and non-monetary units in inputs and outputs. In addition, analyses are conducted to determine the factors that affect each aspect of efficiency. To prevent duplication of monetary and non-monetary units in inputs and outputs, financial efficiency, consisting of monetary units, and operational efficiency, comprising non-monetary units, are separately classified and evaluated. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted to identify the factors that affect each aspect of efficiency. Methods: This study conducted a panel analysis of 34 regional public hospitals and influencing factors on efficiency for 5 years from 2015 to 2019. Financial efficiency and operational efficiency were calculated through data envelopment analysis. Moreover, multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors that influence both financial efficiency and operational efficiency. Results: The factors that affect financial efficiency include the number of medical institutions within the treatment area and the ratio of patients receiving medical care. Additionally, operational efficiency is influenced by the type of medical institution, the number of medical institutions within the treatment area, and the number of nursing positions per 100 beds. Conclusion: In order for regional public hospitals to faithfully fulfill their functions and roles as regional base public hospitals, several measures are necessary. Firstly, continuous monitoring and reasonable support are required to ensure efficient operation and performance. Secondly, a financial support plan tailored to the characteristics of local medical centers is needed. Additionally, local medical centers should strive to enhance their own efficiency.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.422-430
• /
• 2020

The Korean Society of Urogenital Radiology (KSUR) aimed to present a consensus statement for patient preparation, standard technique, and pain management in relation to transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUS-Bx) to reduce the variability in TRUS-Bx methodologies and suggest a nationwide guideline. The KSUR guideline development subcommittee constructed questionnaires assessing prebiopsy anticoagulation, the cleansing enema, antimicrobial prophylaxis, local anesthesia methods such as periprostatic neurovascular bundle block (PNB) or intrarectal lidocaine gel application (IRLA), opioid usage, and the number of biopsy cores and length and diameter of the biopsy needle. The survey was conducted using an Internet-based platform, and responses were solicited from the 90 members registered on the KSUR mailing list as of 2018. A comprehensive search of relevant literature from Medline database was conducted. The strength of each recommendation was graded on the basis of the level of evidence. Among the 90 registered members, 29 doctors (32.2%) responded to this online survey. Most KSUR members stopped anticoagulants (100%) and antiplatelets (76%) one week before the procedure. All respondents performed a cleansing enema before TRUS-Bx. Approximately 86% of respondents administered prophylactic antibiotics before TRUS-Bx. The most frequently used antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins. PNB was the most widely used pain control method, followed by a combination of PNB plus IRLA. Opioids were rarely used (6.8%), and they were used only as an adjunctive pain management approach during TRUS-Bx. The KSUR members mainly chose the 12-core biopsy method (89.7%) and 18G 16-mm or 22-mm (96.5%) needles. The KSUR recommends the 12-core biopsy scheme with PNB with or without IRLA as the standard protocol for TRUS-Bx. Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents should be discontinued at least 5 days prior to the procedure, and antibiotic prophylaxis is highly recommended to prevent infectious complications. Glycerin cleansing enemas and administration of opioid analogues before the procedure could be helpful in some situations. The choice of biopsy needle is dependent on the practitioners' situation and preferences.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2024

This study investigated the effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum JSA22-fermented rice drinks on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Twenty-four mice were randomly assigned; No colitis (Con), colitis with tap water (DSS-only), colitis with unfermented rice (DSS-UFR), and colitis with fermented rice (DSS-FR). After inducing colitis with 2% DSS for 5 days, they were given Tap water, UFR drink, or FR drink for an additional 6 days. The DSS-FR group had significantly lower Disease Activity Index (DAI) scores compared to the DSS-only group, but no significant difference with the DSS-UFR group. Colon length was reduced in the DSS-only group. The DSS-only group had significantly higher IL-6 mRNA levels compared to the Con group, while the DSS-FR groups showed significantly lower IL-6 mRNA levels compared to the DSS-only group. These results suggest that rice drinks fermented with Lactiplantibacillus Plantarum JSA22 ameliorate the severity of DSS-colitis, by potentially reducing proinflammatory cytokines.