• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.70-88
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• 2022

Sodium is a physiologically essential nutrient, but excessive intake is linked to the increased risk of various chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular. It is, therefore, necessary to accomplish an evidence-based approach and establish the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes (KDRIs) index, to identify both the nutritional adequacy and health effects of sodium. This review presents the rationale for and the process of revising the KDRIs for sodium and, more importantly, establishing the sodium Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake (CDRR) level, which is a new specific set of values for chronic disease risk reduction. To establish the 2020 KDRIs for dietary sodium, the committee conducted a systematic literature review of the intake-response relationships between the selected indicators for sodium levels and human chronic diseases. In this review, 43 studies published from January 2014 to December 2018, using databases of PubMed and Web of Science, were finally included for evaluating the risk of bias and strength of evidence (SoE). We determined that SoE of the relationship between dietary sodium and cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension, was moderate to strong. However, due to insufficient scientific evidence, we were unable to establish the estimated average requirement and the recommended nutrient intake for dietary sodium. Therefore, the adequate intake of sodium for adults was established to be 1,500 mg/day, whereas the CDRR for dietary sodium was established at 2,300 mg/day for adults. Intake goal for dietary sodium established in the 2015 KDRIs instead of the tolerable upper intake level was not presented in the 2020 KDRIs. For the next revision of the KDRIs, there is a requirement to pursue further studies on nutritional adequacy and toxicity of dietary sodium, and their associations with chronic disease endpoint in the Korean population.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.312-318
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• 2023

Objectives: We reviewed the operational definitions of colorectal cancer (CRC) from studies using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and compared CRC incidence derived from the commonly used operational definitions in the literature with the statistics reported by the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR). Methods: We searched the MEDLINE and KoreaMed databases to identify studies containing operational definitions of CRC, published until January 15, 2021. All pertinent data concerning the study period, the utilized database, and the outcome variable were extracted. Within the NHIS-National Sample Cohort, age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) of CRC were calculated for each operational definition found in the literature between 2005 and 2019. These rates were then compared with ASRs from the KCCR. Results: From the 62 eligible studies, 9 operational definitions for CRC were identified. The most commonly used operational definition was "C18-C20" (n=20), followed by "C18-C20 with claim code for treatment" (n=3) and "C18-C20 with V193 (code for registered cancer patients' payment deduction)" (n=3). The ASRs reported using these operational definitions were lower than the ASRs from KCCR, except for "C18-C20 used as the main diagnosis." The smallest difference in ASRs was observed for "C18-C20," followed by "C18-C20 with V193," and "C18-C20 with claim code for hospitalization or code for treatment." Conclusions: In defining CRC patients utilizing the NHIS database, the ASR derived through the operational definition of "C18-C20 as the main diagnosis" was comparable to the ASR from the KCCR. Depending on the study hypothesis, operational definitions using treatment codes may be utilized.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.132-152
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to identify and evaluate interprofessional education (IPE) interventions for healthcare professional students in East Asian countries. Methods: The reporting of this study followed the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A literature search was conducted using seven electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklists were also used to appraise the quality of the included studies. The outcomes of IPE interventions were classified based on a modified Kirkpatrick model. Results: This review included 30 studies predominantly conducted in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The prevalent research design was a one-group pre-posttest design, and most IPE interventions occurred as single events. Approximately 70% of the studies involved students from two healthcare professions, mainly nursing and medicine. Simulations, group discussions, and lectures have emerged as the most common teaching methodologies, with almost half of the studies leveraging a combination of these techniques. The IPE content primarily focused on interprofessional teamwork, communication, and clinical patient care situations; these included the management of septic shock. The effectiveness of the IPE interventions was mainly evaluated through self-reported measures, indicating improvements in attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and skills, aligning with Level 2 of the modified Kirkpatrick model. Nonetheless, the reviewed studies did not assess changes in the participants' behavior and patient results. Conclusion: IPE interventions promise to enhance interprofessional collaboration and communication skills among health professional students. Future studies should implement rigorous designs to assess the effectiveness of IPE interventions. Moreover, when designing IPE interventions, researchers and educators should consider the role of cultural characteristics in East Asian countries.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2024

Objectives: This study was conducted to systematically summarize trends in research concerning patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as reported in Korean medical journals. Methods: We performed a literature search of KoreaMed from January 2020 to September 2022. We included only primary studies of patients with COVID-19. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, then performed full-text screening, both independently and in duplicate. We first identified the 5 journals with the greatest numbers of eligible publications, then extracted data pertaining to the general characteristics, study population attributes, and research features of papers published in these journals. Results: Our analysis encompassed 142 primary studies. Of these, approximately 41.0% reported a funding source, while 3.5% disclosed a conflict of interest. In 2020, 42.9% of studies included fewer than 10 participants; however, by 2022, the proportion of studies with over 200 participants had increased to 40.6%. The most common design was the cohort study (48.6%), followed by case reports/series (35.2%). Only 3 randomized controlled trials were identified. Studies most frequently focused on prognosis (58.5%), followed by therapy/intervention (20.4%). Regarding the type of intervention/exposure, therapeutic clinical interventions comprised 26.1%, while studies of morbidity accounted for 13.4%. As for the outcomes measured, 50.7% of studies assessed symptoms/clinical status/improvement, and 14.1% evaluated mortality. Conclusions: Employing a systematic approach, we examined the characteristics of research involving patients with COVID-19 that was published in Korean medical journals from 2020 onward. Subsequent research should assess not only publication trends over a longer timeframe but also the quality of evidence provided.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.105-116
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• 2019

Purpose: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is emphasized as standard care for children with life-limiting conditions to improve the quality of life. In Korea, a government-funded pilot program was launched only in July 2018. Given that, this study examined various PPC delivery models in other countries to refine the PPC model in Korea. Methods: Target countries were selected based on the level of PPC provided there: the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Singapore. Relevant literature, websites, and consultations from specialists were analyzed by the integrative review method. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar, focusing publications since 1990, and on-site visits were conducted to ensure reliability. Analysis was performed on each country's process to develop its PPC scheme, policy, funding model, target population, delivery system, and quality assurance. Results: In the United Kingdom, community-based free-standing facilities work closely with primary care and exchange advice and referrals with specialized PPC consult teams of children's hospitals. In the United States, hospital-based specialized PPC consult teams set up networks with hospice agencies and home healthcare agencies and provide PPC by designating care coordinators. In Japan, palliative care is provided through several services such as palliative care for cancer patients, home care for technology-dependent patients, other support services for children with disabilities and/or chronic conditions. In Singapore, a home-based PPC association plays a pivotal role in providing PPC by taking advantage of geographic accessibility and cooperating with tertiary hospitals. Conclusion: It is warranted to identify unmet needs and establish an appropriate PPD model to provide need-based individualized care and optimize PPC in South Korea.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.184-191
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• 2010

Purpose: To evaluate the structural characteristics of a scientific network of radiation oncology society. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,512 articles published from 1986 to April 2010 with the terms 'radiation oncology' or 'therapeutic radiology' were obtained in the KoreaMed database. The co-authors were analyzed according to their affiliation, and their relationship was used to build a matrix. With the matrix, centralization indices and the Key Player index were analyzed. We used UCINET 6.0 for the network analysis, Netdraw for determining a sociogram and Key Player 1.44 for the key player analysis. Results: The centralization of the radiation oncology field decreased from 8.29% for the period from 1986~1990 to 1.84% from 2006~2010. However, when the Korean Journal of Medical Physics was excluded, centralization increased from 2.32% for the period from 2001~2005 to 3.80% from 2006~2010. This suggested that the communication in the clinical research field of radiation oncology is decreasing. In a node centralization analysis, Seoul National University was found to be the highest at 7.9%. Seoul National University showed the highest indices in the Outdegree (6.50%) and Indegree (8.54%), in addition to Betweenness (14.94%) and Eigenvector (135.234%). The Key Player analysis indicated that Inha University had the highest index at 0.491, but when the Korean Journal of Medical Physics was excluded, Yonsei University had the highest Key Player index at 0.584. Conclusion: The degree centrality in the network of radiation oncology decreased in the most recent period as more institutions are participating in network. However, the Betweenness centrality is still increasing, suggesting that the communications among research groups (clique) in radiation oncology is warranted.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.251-257
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• 2013

Discharge data examine the process of hydrologic cycle and used significantly in water resource planning and irrigation and flood control planning. It makes high quality discharge data, they carry out research on standard and method of discharge measurement, and equipment improvement. Now various flow meters are utilized to make discharge data in Korea. However, accuracy of equipment and exprerimental research data from measurement are not enough. ADCP(Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) have been introduced and utilized for flow measurements since the end of 1980's. ADCP flow method is a formal method for flow measurement can easily applyd to relatively large rivers gradually recognized. This equipment can measure the non-contact three-dimensional velocity and water depth data very quickly and efficiently. Also, spatial and temporal resolution of the data is more accurate than any other flow measurement methods which measure flow rate by velocity - area measurement method. In this paper, the velocity is measured using various flow meter and verified the effectiveness by applying from the ADCP in Geum-river. Various flow meters which are med for discharge measurements are VALEPORT002, FLOW TRACKER, PRICE AA and ADCP. The average of five times flow measurement result by ADCP was $10.412m^3/s$, with a standard deviation of 0.68. The repeat test by ADCP and comparison between ADCP and other flow devices to verify the most import factor, flow measurement accuracy. In the result, repeat test of the ADCP showed similar values, flow values were similar to other velocity device results and the average error is 7.7%.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.21-30
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• 2009

Objectives : Being introduced in the 1980s, laser acupuncture studies have been steadily carried on such as its thermal effects on human body. However, the mechanisms of effect are not yet clearly explained. Generally, laser acupuncture could be favorable for pediatric patients or people under special conditions (hemophilia, needle-phobia, pathogen-carriers, etc.) because of lower risk of infection, bleeding, pain or fainting. But there are still problems for using laser acupuncture equivalently as the traditional metal needle. The goal of this study is to review the fundamentals, history and present trend of laser acupuncture study, and to suggest how to develop laser acupuncture as an oriental medical device. Method : We performed literature search using PubMed(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) and Scopus(http://www.scopus.com). Search conditions are laser acupuncture, laser needle, LLLT(as title or abstract) or Litscher G(as author). Main target studies are physical fundamentals, clinical trials, physiological results and device proposals. Results : Many research have shown the similarities of laser acupuncture and traditional metal acupuncture and have reported clinical and physiological effects of laser acupuncture. But, still laser acupuncture is not widely used in Korea due to high-cost of equipments and the lack of clear understanding of laser devices. Additionally, there are still challenges in standardization and device development. Conclusions : Frequencies, laser modes, waveguides, adaptor types, polarization and signal modulations are suggested as future study subjects on laser acupuncture. More various studies and efforts for device development have to be performed to provide oriental medical doctors with evidence based confidence about usage of laser acupuncture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.215-224
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• 2009

Objectives : Low back pain is the most prevalent condition for receiving Korean traditional medical treatment. The aim of this review is to provide fundamental data for development of low back pain classification and assessment criteria which can be used in clinical trials and clinical practice. Methods : Domestic and international clinical studies on oriental medicine treatment for low back pain were searched through on-line databases. The searched articles were reviewed and the evaluation tools used in the studies were investigated. Results : A total of 38 possibly relevant articles in Pubmed were identified, of which 34 articles included assessment criteria for low back pain. And 38 articles were reviewed in the Journal of Korean Oriental Medicine and the Journal of Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Society. 29 articles used pain scales, 24 used functional scales, and 20 among 34 articles in PubMed used both pain and functional scales. The majority of articles which published in Korea used worthless assessment scales of simple grades. There was no articles which used assessment scales related to the concepts of Korean traditional medicine. Conclusions : Our review of articles suggests that we would use both pain and functional scales. Future assessment scales should include the concepts of Korean traditional medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.42-55
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• 2017

Objectives: This study were investigated clinical studies published in international and Korea's journals to assess the effect of Korean Medicine for infertility. Methods: PubMed and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS) were searched for this review up to Nov 2016.: using terms of 'infertility' and 'subfertile'. Results: Fifty clinical studies were finally selected. All studies were assessed as the noncomparative studies, and mainly case reports. The year of publication of literatures was the highest at from 2011 to 2015, accounted for 44%. Among 50 studies, there were 5 studies on males, 43 studies on females and 2 studies on both male and female. The number of subjects varies from 1 to 1277. The number of studies with subjects less than 10 was the greatest. Of all the studies, only three were institutional review board (IRB) approved. There were 9 studies that indicated whether the grant was supported. The duration of treatment was between 30 and 360 days, and most cases were within 180 days. Intervention methods were 100% for herb medicine, 40% added on acupuncture, and 29% added on moxibustion. Conclusions: Further clinical trials of well designed is needed to accumulate enough information to establish the evidence for Korean Medicine for infertility.