• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2011

We investigated the radiation exposure caused by DIPS, which is used to identify accurate repositioning and tumor location in pediatric cancer patients proton therapy. To compare and analyze DIPS condition, 50 pediatric cancer patients who underwent proton therapy were selected in Ilsan K cancer-specialized hospital from March 2007 to October 2009. For DIP exposure, 0.09~1.57 mGy is measured in AP and lateral directions and 23.55 mGy is measured in CSI patients. In whole brain patient, the amount of a day DIP exposure dose was 1.13 mGy. During treatment period, who exposed the biggest DIP dose are whole brain patients, 632.71 mGy is exposed. It is 1.13% of prescribed dose, represented dose is adequate because it is not exceeded 2% of recommended dose. Even though the exposed dose is not exceeded more than 2% of prescribed in DIP exposure, we should recognize the radiation damage and genetic influences to pediatric cancer patients, who is much sensitive to radiation and has longer mean residual life time. Therefore, DIPS guideline for pediatric cancer patients should be indicated to minimize the radiation exposure.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2011

Total implanted central venous port (TIAP, Chemoport) is widely used in oncology patients because it does not require external dressing and restricts patient activity. Chemoport only requires monthly flushes of heparinized saline to keep the patency of the catheter and probably less prone to infectious complications than tunneled catheter. Despite the extensive use of permanent central venous access in oncology patients, there are only few reports about clinical experience of the Groshong catheter. The purpose of this study is to compare the complication rate between the traditional open-ended (non-valved) chemoports and valved chemoports (Groshong catheter connected to TIAP). During 5 years (Jan 2006 to May 2010), 438 patients received chemoport insertion procedure in our interventional radiology department. Among them 30 patients was referred to our department for problematic chemoports. We compared the cause of problematic chemoports between two types of chemoports (valved, vs. non-valved). Valved chemoports had higher referral rates than non-valved chemoports. When there is a need to insert valved port, different method of insertion and maintenance procedure seems to be necessary. More than 20 ml of flusing with heparinized saline after blood sampling could be a good suggestion. Adequate care of chemoport is essential for long patency. Also following the guideline from the manufacturing company is necessary.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.683-688
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• 2008

Purpose : The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of two commercially available desensitizing agents over 3 weeks on patients with dentin hypersensitivity. Materials and Methods : An oxalate-based solution, Sensblok (NIBEC Inc. Seoul, Korea) & Superseal (Pheonix Inc. Michigan, USA), and a distilled water placebo were compared in a clinical setting. Seven volunteers exhibiting three or more teeth that were sensitive to tactile & air were enrolled in the study (35 teeth total). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for recording each patient s level of sensitivity to tactile & air stimuli. A Florida probe was rubbed across the exposed dentin three times with a constant pressure 20 grams to measure the tactile stimulus. The air stimulus was generated by dental unit air syringe for 1-second blast from 1/2 inch distance. The desensitizing agents were applied according manufacture s guideline. VAS scores were recorded at baseline, 1 minute after treatment, at 1 week, 2weeks, 3weeks. VAS score were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA ( =0.05). Results : The Sensblok, Superseal, and distilled water placebo all decreased dentin sensitivity. A statistically significant difference existed between Sensblok and placebo when tactile stimulus was applied (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found among other desensitizing agents and tactile and air stimuli.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2002

Hypertension is an important public health problem because it increases the risk of stroke, angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease. If it is not actively treated, morbidity and mortality increase with hypertension-induced complications and quality of life decreases. This study was to evaluate the use of antihypertensive drugs and blood pressure changes and to compare algorithms chosen (or the 1st and 2nd line therapy of hypertension based on the JNC VI recommendations. The medical charts of 222 patients with essential hypertension at St. Vincent's Hospital in Suwon from January 1997 to January 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. Data collection and analysis included baseline BP underlying diseases and complications, administered antihypertensives, BP changes, changes of antihypertensive regimen, and adverse effects with treatments. As results, the higher BP the patients had, the more frequent they had target organ damages and clinical cardiovascular diseases. Mean duration to reduce blood pressure less than 140/90 mmHg was 8 weeks in $85.3\%$ of the patients. The rate of control in BP was $82.4\%$ at 6 months. The major antihypertensive drugs prescribed were calcium channel blockers $(61.8\%)$ , ACE inhibitors $(19.1\%),\;\beta-blockers\;(13.7\%)$ and diuretics $(5.3\%)$ as the 1st-line monotherapy. The methods of treatment used as the 1st-line therapy were monotherapy$(59\%)$ and combination therapy $(41\%)$. Blood pressure change was significantly greater for combination therapy than monotherapy$(-26.2\pm21.4\;vs.\;-18.56\pm16.7$ mmHg for systolic blood pressure; P<0.003, $-16.9\pm13.2\;vs.\;-9.2\pm12.8$ mmHg for diastolic blood pressure; p<0.001). When blood pressure was not completely controlled with the first antihypertensive selected, the 2nd line therapy had 4 options: addition of 2nd agent from different class; $66.2\%$, substitution with another drug, $21.9\%$ increase dose $11.9\%$ continue first regimen $27.9\%$ Calcium channel blockers were the most frequently prescribed agents. This was not comparable to the JNC VI guideline which recommended diuretics and $\beta-blockers$ for the 1st-line therapy. Most of patients achieved the goal BP and maintained it until 6 months, but the remaining patients should be controlled more tightly to improve their BP with combination of life style modification, patient education, and pharmacotherapy.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2020

Purpose: This qualitative study was conducted to examine the current status and problems concerning the collection of present on admission (POA) indicators and determine how to use these indicators for evaluating the quality of care and degree of patient safety. Methods: A total of 11 health information managers were divided into two groups according to the size of their hospitals. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted, one for each group, which followed a pre-developed semi-structured guideline. The verbatim transcriptions of the FGDs were analyzed. Results: The majority of participants were concerned about entering POA flags honestly because they did not know how future POA indicators would be used. In particular, for some participants, POA N was a burden that could imply a signal of mismanagement within the medical institution. In addition, the lack of awareness and indifference of physicians regarding POA indicators were some of the difficulties for POA flag entry. Although medical institutions are making efforts to improve the accuracy of POA flagging, many participants mentioned the need to develop real case-oriented POA entry guidelines to improve the accuracy of POA flagging. Conclusion: To increase the validity of POA indicators, it is necessary to increase the level of awareness of POA indicators in physicians and other medical professionals. Furthermore, efforts related to POA indicators by individual medical institutions need to be reflected in the process evaluation.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 2015

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a rare complication in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that can be triggered by infections. Due to the fact that MAS may mimic clinical features of underlying rheumatic disease, or be confused with an infectious complication, its detection can prove challenging. This is particularly true when there is an unknown/undiagnosed disease; and could turn into an even greater challenge if MAS and SLE are combined with a viral infection. A-14-year-old female came to the hospital with an ongoing fever for 2 weeks and a painful facial skin rash. Hepatomegaly, pancytopenia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, elevated serum ferritin and lactate dehydrogenase were reported. No hemophagocytic infiltration of bone marrow was reported. The patient was suspected for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Her skin rashes were eczema herpeticum, which is usually associated with immune compromised conditions. With the history of oral ulcers and malar rash, positive ANA and low C3, C4 and the evidence of hemolytic anemia, she was diagnosed as SLE. According to the diagnostic guideline for MAS in SLE, she was diagnosed MAS as well, activated by acute HSV infection. After administering steroids and antiviral agent, the fever and skin rash disappeared, and the abnormal laboratory findings normalized. Therefore, we are reporting a rare case of MAS triggered by acute HSV infection as the first manifestation of SLE.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.3 s.58
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• pp.643-664
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• 1997

This study is to provide evidence-based recommendations for the most-effective treatments of benign prostatic hyperplasia based on patient preference or clinical need, and to meta-analyze the Korean literatures for the development of BPH treatment guidelines. For these analyses, extensive literature searches (208 articles), with priority given to the Korean Journal of Urology, were conducted from 1960 to August, 1996. Meta-analysis, like all statistical analysis, has two main functions: data summarization (qualitative meta-analysis) and smoothing o. pattern recognition (quantitative meta-analysis). As well, critical reviews and syntheses with the mean and 90-percent confidence intervals for the likelihood were used to evaluate empirical evidence and significant outcomes of the BPH treatment literatures (106 articles). For this task, the Methodologic Panel for BPH Guidelines was composed of multidisciplinary experts in the field. The results of the study were summarized as follows: For all that watchful waiting is an appropriate treatment strategy for the majority of patients with prostatism, we couldn't find the Korean literatures which carried this article. The literatures on alpha-1-adrenergic receptor blockers provide no evidence to suggest that any one alpha blocker is more effective than another. The finasteride reduces the size of the prostate, on average, and leads to a small yet perceptible reduction in sysptoms. Of all treatment options, prostate surgery with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), and so on, offers the best chance for symptom improvement. However, surgery also has the highest rates of significant complications. Therefore, surgery need not always be a treatment of last resort. Balloon dilation of the prostatic urethra is clearly less effective than surgery in relieving symptoms, but it is associated with fewer complications. Emerging technologies for treating BPH include lasers, coils, stents, thermal therapy and hyperthermia. Established technologies will also be reanalyzed as results of new trials are reported. Although this study has some limitations due to lacking for good quality literatures, ' it provides a cornerstone for our medical research. It represents the most current scientific knowledge regarding the clinical epidemiology including treatment of BPH. It will be revised and updated as needed.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to examine the quality of tuberculosis (TB) care after the 1st to 3rd national quality assessment (QA) program for TB healthcare service in Korea was conducted. Methods: We analyzed Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) claims data of new TB patients during the period of January to June from 2018-2020. The new TB patients were defined as TB patients reported to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA). The unit of analysis was the patient. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the differences in indicator value according to the types of medical facilities. The QA indicators of TB care were divided into 3 areas consisting of the following 7 quality indicators: 4 indicators of diagnosis test (the rate of acid-fast bacilli smear, the rate of acid-fast bacilli culture, the rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-polymerase chain reaction, drug susceptibility test), 1 compliance of treatment guideline, and 2 indicators of care management of TB patients (encounter rate, day of therapy). Results: The QA program for TB care was conducted among 8,246 patients from 534 facilities in 2020. The value of the 7 quality indicators was shown to increase as a result of the QA program. The indicators of the diagnostic test were all higher than 95%, with the exception of the drug susceptibility test which was 84.8%. Both indicators for care management of TB patients were 88.5%. Conclusion: The quality of TB care has been improving with the implementation of the QA program. In order to continue to improve the quality of TB care, it will be necessary to disclose the results of the QA program in medical facilities in the future.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.258-265
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• 2024

Purpose: To date, there is no region-specific guideline for pediatric endoscopy training. This study aimed to illustrate the current status of pediatric endoscopy training in Asia-Pacific region and identify opportunities for improvement. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using a standardized electronic questionnaire, was conducted among medical schools in the Asia-Pacific region in January 2024. Results: A total of 57 medical centers in 12 countries offering formal Pediatric Gastroenterology training programs participated in this regional survey. More than 75% of the centers had an average case load of <10 cases per week for both diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies. Only 36% of the study programs employed competency-based outcomes for program development, whereas nearly half (48%) used volume-based curricula. Foreign body retrieval, polypectomy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, and esophageal variceal hemostasis, that is, sclerotherapy or band ligation (endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy and endoscopic variceal ligation), comprised the top four priorities that the trainees should acquire in the autonomous stage (unconscious) of competence. Regarding the learning environment, only 31.5% provided formal hands-on workshops/simulation training. The direct observation of procedural skills was the most commonly used assessment method. The application of a quality assurance (QA) system in both educational and patient care (Pediatric Endoscopy Quality Improvement Network) aspects was present in only 28% and 17% of the centers, respectively. Conclusion: Compared with Western academic societies, the limited availability of cases remains a major concern. To close this gap, simulation and adult endoscopy training are essential. The implementation of reliable and valid assessment tools and QA systems can lead to significant development in future programs.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.276-284
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• 2008

A computed tomography (CT) is a powerful system for the effectively fast and accurate diagnosis. The CT system, therefore, has used substantially and developed for improving the performance over the past decade, resulting in growing concerns over the radiation dose from the CT. Advanced CT techniques, such as a multidetector row CT scanner and dual energy or dual source CT, have led to new clinical applications that could result in further increases of radiation does for both patients and workers. The objective of this study was to review the international guidelines of the shielding requirements for a CT facility required for a new installation or when modifying an existing one. We used Google Search Engine to search the following keywords: computed tomography, CT regulation or shield or protection, dual energy or dual source CT, multidetector CT, CT radiation protection, and regulatory or legislation or regulation CT. In addition, we searched some special websites, that were provided for sources of radiation protection, shielding, and regulation, RSNA, AAPM, FDA, NIH, RCR, ICRP, IRPA, ICRP, IAEA, WHO (See in Table 1 for full explanations of the abbreviations). We finally summarized results of the investigated materials for each country. The shielding requirement of the CT room design was very well documented in the countries of Canada, United States of America, and United Kingdom. The wall thickness of the CT room could be obtained by the iso-exposure contour or the point source method. Most of documents provided by international organizations were explained in importance of radiation reduction in patients and workers. However, there were no directly-related documents of shielding and patient exposure dose for the dual energy CT system. Based international guidelines, the guideline of the CT room shielding and radiation reduction in patients and workers should be specified for all kinds of CT systems, included in the dual energy CT. We proposed some possible strategies in this paper.