• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2013

Most of disabled people face hardness in caring their general oral hygiene by themselves. So that, they are once involved in dental caries or periodontal disease, they have much bigger chance of aggressive progress. Therefore preventive dentistry is more important to disabled one than non-disabled. They need to be checked with routine periodic dental examination and by that, oral disease must be found at initial stage. We selected 37 patients from newly visited 237 patients who had dental treatment at the free dental clinic, Gangnam district, Seoul, between 2000 and 2001. This study is a comparative evaluation of first 2 years' treatment records of selected 37 patients (male 28, female 9) with that of their last 2 years. 24 of 37 have mental retardation, 9 have autistic disorder, 2 have auditory disorder, 1 has brain disorder and 1 has crippled disorder. Their dental treatment records categorized by 4 level; score 4 stands for endodontic treatment, score 3 stands for general conservative treatment, score 2 stands for preventive treatment, such as sealant and score 1 stands for routine check. In first 2 years of treatment, average score was 2.85 which score means approximately general conservative treatment. And that of last 2 years was 1.44, which means routine check. In early time of their visit, they will receive the treatment due to their chief complaint. And after that early time, they can have a routine check so that they can be treated before the disease get worse. The patient's oral health can remain decent only by a simple treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.121-126
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• 2014

High-nitrogen Fe-18Mn-18Cr-N austenitic steels with higher yield strength have been recently developed and used for generator retaining rings because they have non-magnetic, high strength, high ductility, and good corrosion resistance. In the present study, a high-nitrogen Fe-18Mn-18Cr-0.61N austenitic steel was fabricated and then tensile and Charpy impact tests were conducted on them in order to investigate the effect of cold working on the mechanical properties. Although the yield and tensile strengths usually increased with cold working, the ductility and impact toughness significantly decreased after cold working. On the other hand, the high-nitrogen austenitic steel exhibited a ductile-brittle transition due to unusual brittle fracture at low temperatures despite having a face-centered cubic structure. The ductile-brittle transition temperature obtained from Charpy impact tests could be remarkably increased by $60^{\circ}C$ after 20% cold working because of the enhanced cleavage-like brittle fracture.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2019

Background and Objectives High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can produce small zones of thermal damage. A HIFU procedure is non-invasive and it can achieve rejuvenation of facial skin. Fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing delivers thermal damage to the pixilated columnar zone of the skin and so evoke collagen remodeling, the same as HIFU. In many cases, the patients who want rejuvenation with HIFU are also good candidates for cutaneous photorejuvenation such as can be accomplished via fractional CO₂ resurfacing. If patients are treated in a single session by remodeling both the superficial and deep compartments of skin by using both modalities, then improvement in rhytides and tightening of sagging skin will optimize the aesthetic result. Materials and Methods Between May 2014 and January 2018, a total of 44 patients were treated with combination HIFU and fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing according to our protocol. First, the HIFU was applied to the entire face with an average of 300 treatment lines. Immediately after HIFU treatment, the ultrasound gel was washed off and then fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing was performed. We evaluated the patients using 4-point grading scales. The clinician examined the skin for evidence of complications after the completion of treatment. Results All the patients' skin quality showed improvement. Further. the clinical results after duel modality treatment were substantially better than that after the use of either modality alone. The recovery times and the incidence of adverse events when quickly and consecutively performing both treatments were similar as compared to those with employing stepwise treatment. We encountered no complications whatsoever. Conclusion When compared with stepwise therapy, combination therapy with HIFU and fractional CO₂ resurfacing offers better, safer and more effective clinical results. Thus, for targeting multiple layers of aging facial skin, this combination therapy can be safely performed in a single treatment session.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2015

Xanthoma disseminatum (XD) is a benign, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by disseminated xanthomatous lesions with face, flexures, and mucosa. Most of XD develops in mucocutaneous lesions including skin, oral cavity and pharynx, however laryngeal involvement is uncommon. While the natural course of XD is usually benign and often self-limiting, but XD develop in critical anatomical locations may result in morbidity and mortality. Localized mucous lesions in oropharynx and larynx lead to dysphagia, dyspnea and air way obstruction. The diagnosis of XD was based on clinical, histological and immunohistochemical findings. The treatment is complex and non-consensual. Local treatment with cryotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and carbon dioxide lasers have been attempted with various results. Systemic medication with peroxisome proliferator-activated gamma receptors, statins, fenofibrate, chlorodeoxyadenosine, cyclophosphamide, doxycycline, and cyclosporine have also been reported, but none have proven particularly successful. A 59-year-old man presented with respiratory symptoms because of laryngeal involvement of XD. We had to remove the obstructive lesion for relieving the symptoms. We experienced XD in Larynx that was rare in otorhinolaryngology. So we report this case with review of literatures.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.287-294
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• 2008

Objectives : To estimate the economic burden of osteoporotic vertebral fracture (VF) from a societal perspective. Methods : From 2002 to 2004, we identified all National Health Insurance claims records for women ${\geq}50$ years old with a diagnosis of VF. The first 6-months was defined as a "clearance period," such that patients were considered as incident cases if their first claim of fracture was recorded after June 30, 2002. We only included patients with ${\geq}$ one claim of a diagnosis of, or prescription for, osteoporosis over 3 years. For each patient, we cumulated the claims amount for the first visit and for the follow-up treatments for 1 year. The hospital charge data from 4 hospitals were investigated to measure the proportion of the non-covered services. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 106 patients from the 4 study sites to measure the out-of-pocket spending outside of hospitals. Results : During 2.5 years, 131,453 VF patients were identified. The patients had an average of 3.38 visits, 0.40 admissions and 6.36 inpatient days. The per capita cost was 1,909,690 Won: 71.5% for direct medical costs, 20.6% for direct non-medical costs and 7.9% for indirect costs. The per capita cost increased with increasing age: 1,848,078 Won for those aged 50-64, 2,084,846 Won for 65-74, 2,129,530 Won for 75-84and 2,121,492 Won for those above 84. Conclusions : Exploring the economic burden of osteoporotic VF is expected to motivate to adopt effective treatment options for osteoporosis in order to prevent the incidence of fracture and the consequent costs.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.78-90
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to propose ways of promoting medical tourism in Busan. For the purpose, this researcher made a questionnaire survey of Japanese tourists who used in Busan International Ferry Terminal between January and April 30, 2008. Findings of the study can be summarized as follows. 86.3% of all respondents had never experienced any medical service in Korea. 57.3% said that the most important thing is the level of medical technology. Most of respondents preferred massage treatment using spa and sea water, followed by Oriental medical services. To make medical conditions(price competitiveness, high-level medical technology, high-quality medical facilities) of Busan properly informed to the outside, it is required to make the city itself more internationally recognized through public relations and strengthening individual medical services provided in the city. It is also required to build up a non-stop service system that helps foreign tourists not only easily use medical institutions, but also better cope with a variety of problems that they might face during stay in the city. To be more trustable to foreign patients, medical services of Busan should be certified by JCI. Furthermore, it is very much needed to develop products which connect medicine with tourism, for example, such programs that combine medical services, tourism, recreation and leisure.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.96-116
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• 2006

To assess the economic value of pharmaceutical therapy with Kremezin, we investigated the maximum amount of willingness-to-pay (WTP) of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) for a hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis treatments. A face-to-face survey was carried out in a sample of 141 CRF patients from 2 dialysis centers, composed of 82 hemodialysis patients, 38 peritoneal dialysis patients, and 21 non-dialysis CRF patients. Using a bidding game method with a starting point of 320,000 Won, which is the average monthly out-of-pocket payment for dialysis treatment, we asked the study subjects how much they would pay per month to receive Kremezin therapy. The mean out-of-pocket monthly WTP for Kremezin was 310,000, 430,000, and 520,000 Won (p<0.05, repeated one-way ANOVA)) when Kremezin delays the initiation of dialysis treatments by 1, 2, and 4 years. Significant correlation between the respondent's WTP and income $(r=0.266{\sim}0.368,\;p<0.05)$ confirmed the construct validity of the WTP instrument. Regression results showed that patients with a higher education, with diabetes as a major causes of CRF, and undergoing hemodialysis treatments tended to express higher WTP for Kremezin. The economic value of WTP from the perspective of patients varied from 310,000 to 520,000 Won depending on the effect size of Kremezin. The mean WTP was higher than 32,000 Won, only when the hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis is for 2 years. This implies that Kremezin might be the preferred choice of therapy by CRF patients if it delays the initiation of dialysis treatment for at least 2 years.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.868-880
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• 2023

This study is a qualitative study conducted to analyze the functions and needs of social robots for parents of children with developmental disabilities in order to utilize care robots for treatment of children with developmental disabilities. The subjects of the study were 11 primary caregivers with children under the age of 18 whose children were diagnosed with developmental disabilities or who had been receiving special education for more than one year. The interview questionnaire was composed of a semi-structured questionnaire and consisted of awareness, necessity, expectation, concern, and other opinions about social robots. The interview was conducted as a non-face-to-face online video interview due to COVID 19. As a result of the study, 4 themes and 7 sub-topics were derived. The four topics were derived from the unfamiliar but soon-to-be-faced reality, social robots with active functions, opinions on the appearance and materials of social robots, and concerns about social robots. Through this study, it was possible to identify the expectations and suggestions of the main caregivers for social robots, which could not be identified in quantitative studies, and if these can be reflected in social robots to be developed in the future, it is expected that positive results with higher acceptance will be derived.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.229-236
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• 2018

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been one of the most common parasitic diseases in Saudi Arabia. This study exhibits the clinical features, diagnosis, cytokine profile and treatment of CL patients in Al-Taif province. Ninety CL suspects at a tertiary care general hospital were enrolled in one-year study. Patients were interviewed, clinically-examined, and subjected to laboratory tests: skin scraping smear microscopy, OligoC-TesT commercial PCR (Coris BioConcept) and kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) PCR for Leishmania diagnosis. Interferon-gamma (RayBio; Human $IFN-{\gamma}$ ) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in patients' sera were evaluated before treatment with sodium stibogluconate (pentostam) with 20-day intramuscular drug regimen. Positive rates of microscopy, commercial PCR and kDNA PCR were 74.4%, 95.5% and 100%, respectively. Patients came to hospital mostly in winter (45.0%). CL was frequently exhibited in Saudi patients (78.8%), male gender (70.7%), age <20 years (50.0%), rural-dwellers (75.5%) and patients with travel history (86.6%). Lesion was mostly single ulcer (93.3%), occurred in the face (67.7%). Upon pentostam treatment, 85.1% of ulcers showed rapid healing signs. Levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and NO were significantly higher in the healing than the non-healing cases (P<0.001). The kDNA PCR proved more sensitive than microscopy and OligoC-TesT commercial PCR. Our results open perspectives for $IFN-{\gamma}$ use as a biomarker predicting treatment response.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.79-91
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of children who visited the pediatric emergency department (PED) following an accident. Method: Data were obtained from the medical records of 4,010 children who visited the PED from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2006. Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 13.0 version. Results: The percentage of children who visited the PED for treatment following an accident was 14.9%. There were more boys (63.5%) than girls. The largest age group for children visiting the PED was preschool aged children. Slip downs were the most frequent accident (37.1%). The face was the most frequently injured area of the body (26.0%). Most (93.3%) of the children who visited the PED were classified as non-emergency, 6.5% as emergency and 0.2% as urgent. About 70.0% of children were examined and 50% of children were medicated. Fifty percent stayed in the PED department for less than 2 hours, and 88.0% of children were discharged to home. Nine percent were admitted, and 2.2% were transferred to other hospitals. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the need for accident prevention education for parents, and the need to develop effective education for clinical nurses working in PED.