• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.977-986
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• 2008

Purpose : This study aims to estimate the financial cost of rotavirus infection in Korea in the year of 2005. Methods : The incidence rates used were from the epidemiological profile at Jeoungeub District (5.8 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for inpatients, and 22.65 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for outpatients, per year). The health care cost per capita of rotavirus infection (ICD code: A08.0) was extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea. The patient survey was conducted to capture information about non-medical costs and associated productivity loss incurred by adult caregivers. Results : The number of annual national cases among children <5 years old with rotavirus infection was estimated to be 69,122 (i.e., 55,030 outpatients and 14,092 inpatients). The total cost of rotavirus infection was estimated at 13.3 billion Korean won, comprising 11 billion Korean won (82.7%) of direct medical costs, 1.6 billion Korean won (12.0%) of direct non-medical costs (e.g., transportation and supplies), and 0.68 billion Korean won (5.1%) of productivity lost by adult caregivers. Conclusion : Rotavirus infection carries not only medical costs but also non-medical and indirect costs; together, these costs incur a significant burden on South Korean society. The impact of rotavirus on quality of life and health among patient caregivers was not considered in this study, but it does merit further research.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2009

Objectives : We tried to evaluate the agreement of the Charlson comorbidity index values(CCI) obtained from different sources(medical records and National Health Insurance claims data) for gastric cancer patients. We also attempted to assess the prognostic value of these data for predicting 1-year mortality and length of the hospital stay(length of stay). Methods : Medical records of 284 gastric cancer patients were reviewed, and their National Health Insurance claims data and death certificates were also investigated. To evaluate agreement, the kappa coefficient was tested. Multiple logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to evaluate and compare the prognostic power for predicting 1 year mortality and length of stay. Results : The CCI values for each comorbid condition obtained from 2 different data sources appeared to poorly agree(kappa: 0.00-0.59). It was appeared that the CCI values based on both sources were not valid prognostic indicators of 1-year mortality. Only medical record-based CCI was a valid prognostic indicator of length of stay, even after adjustment of covariables($\beta$ = 0.112, 95% CI = [0.017-1.267]). Conclusions : There was a discrepancy between the data sources with regard to the value of CCI both for the prognostic power and its direction. Therefore, assuming that medical records are the gold standard for the source for CCI measurement, claims data is not an appropriate source for determining the CCI, at least for gastric cancer.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.133-173
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• 2011

Since mid-1960s the reports from the Surgeon General, the World Health Organization, and other health experts state that there is no risk-free level exposure to smoking and secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic, and at least 70 are carcinogens. The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach smoker's lungs quickly every time smoker inhale causing damages immediately. Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage smoker's DNA, which can lead to cancers. Smoking is responsible for more than 87% of lung cancers, but there are a host of other chronic diseases directly related to exposure to tobacco smoke. It's also a major cause of heart disease, stroke, aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and most of the other diseases. In the United States, each year with more than from 440,000 to 520,000 deaths caused by smoking and exposure to involuntary smoke. They conclude that smoking is the single most important source of preventable morbidity and mortality. The United States of America have about 60-year history of tobacco litigation. Tobacco litigation has been an important tool in tobacco control strategies aimed at limiting the activities of tobacco companies and providing redress to people who have become ill as a result of their use of tobacco products. Tobacco litigation is a kind of tort litigation. Quite often, as in the asbestos and other mass tort litigation episodes, tobacco litigation can play an educational role, warning the public about the magnitude of health risks that might otherwise be less clearly perceived. Tobacco litigation allows smokers, their families or other victims of smoking to sue tobacco companies in order to be compensated for the harm they have suffered. Potential benefits of tobacco litigation include compensation for smoking-related damages, strengthening regulatory activity, publicity, documents disclosure and changing tobacco industry behavior. And also tobacco litigation can limit the political activities of tobacco industry, protect human rights of smokers and non-smokers, increase burden to tobacco price-up and enhance the effects of law and politics in public health.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2015

Purpose: In this study, a comparison was done of the extent of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for preterm and fullterm children during early childhood, and factors affecting HRQoL in the early childhood of premature children were analyzed. Methods: Eighty mothers of children born prematurely and 83 mothers of children born at fullterm listed on two Internet cafes were sampled for this study. The major instrument used for the study was the TNO-AZL Preschool Quality Of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire. Results: Total score for HRQoL in the premature group was 80.5 (${\pm}9.9$) and for the full term group, 85.0 (${\pm}8.3$), on a 100-point scale. A comparison of the premature group and full term group showed that the domains which scored relatively lower with respect to HRQoL included the stomach, motor function, anxiety, liveliness and communication. Among the factors that have an impact on HRQoL were 'length of stay in neonatal intensive care unit (${\geq}7$ days)' and 'birth weight (<1,000 gm)'. The explanation power of the model was 17%, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: These findings indicate that a differentiated premature infant follow-up program for children who are hospitalized over 7 days in NICU or weighed under 1,000g at birth is urgently needed.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.148-156
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• 2018

The integrity assessment of the bridge behavior is generalized by field data of a static load-deformation curve and dynamic properties such as impact factors and natural frequencies. Evaluating it with numerical analysis is a reasonable method. The results of the mockup test and the numerical analysis are corresponded with each other since the behavior of service load proceeds in elastic region. In case of the dynamic behavior of structure, especially for the analysis of vibration, the result of the mockup test differs from the result of numerical analysis a little due to the geometric shape and non-homogeneous materials. In order to converge on these tolerances, this study suggested several numerical models, analyzed the sensitivity and finally offered a practical modeling method for the estimation of bridge on the basis of the result of mockup test. Based on the model substituted concrete section for strands section, the natural frequency of the model composed with axial stiffness of strands or the model applied the modified modulus of elasticity was closest with the result of the mockup test.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

The number of deaths in Korea is higher than the OECD average. Therefore, an e-Call system is being developed as a vehicle ICT-based emergency rescue system that automatically detects an accident in the event of a vehicle accident and transmits related information to the center. In order to overcome the limitations of social acceptability and function of e-Call system, we propose a model that allows users to be aware of the necessity of service voluntarily. We predicted the market share of e-call services according to the proposed business model and analyzed it through B/C analysis. Benefits are calculated on a penetration basis, and device purchase and communications costs are calculated for each period. B/C analysis shows that pessimistic scenarios are 0.98 in 2025 and 1.01 in 2030. In an optimistic scenario, it is 1.05 in 2025 and 1.20 in 2030, which is more economical.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.70-79
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• 2019

Implementing UX design that meets user expectations has become an important variable that determines the prominence of smart home appliances. This study addresses the UX design evaluation issues in mobile application development of smart home appliances. As an experimental research subject, the UX design evaluation contents were set up for the mobile application of , the demand of which is surging recently. The purpose of the research is to explore the significance of the UX design user evaluation method in smart home applications, and to suggest how to achieve the mixing of quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. The main findings are as follows. First, we found that user evaluation can positively impact the direction of UX design. Secondly, we found that the mixing of 'quantitative' and 'qualitative' methods works complementarily to UX design evaluation. Research implications are as follows. The UX design evaluation process can be performed efficiently as long as we distinguish between the roles of quantitative evaluation and qualitative evaluation. For example, through qualitative evaluation such as 'Honeycomb model', can be identified in terms of 'exploratory', and through qualitative evaluation such as 'in-depth user interview', can be identified in terms of 'assessment' and 'validation'.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.174-187
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• 2021

Cytotechnologists evaluate and analyze disorders of cells that constitute the human body, and are involved in the primary assessment of diverse diseases, including cancer. However, the employment conditions and workload of cytotechnologists are poorly understood. This study was undertaken to provide basic data for establishing the criteria for quality control certification factors based on the scope of effective task performance of cytotechnologists, and to provide results of their workload analysis according to the type of medical institution. The study was conducted by enrolling certified cytotechnologists working at various nationwide medical institutions. Our analysis revealed that 178 personnel (72.7%) were involved in primary screening of samples. On an average, the daily number of primary screening of samples performed per cytotechnologist (76 respondents) was determined to be 75.4 chapters (16.8 chapters/hours) at the university hospital level, 72.4 chapters (18.6 chapters/hours) at the general hospital level, and 231 chapters (32.6 chapters/hours) at professional trust institutions. Our results indicate the necessity to establish a consultant with the Korean Cell Pathology Association, to enable finding solutions to solve existing issues by establishing accurate standard guidelines for assessing cell screening.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.144-148
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• 2021

Purpose: Nonpharmaceutical measures, such as social distancing, have resulted in unintended consequences, including a decrease in the incidence of childhood diseases. This study aimed to estimate the impact of social distancing on the incidence of febrile seizure (FS) in Korea using nationally representative data. Methods: We used claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a single-payer database capturing >95% of the Korean population. The database included any inpatient encounter with a FS diagnosis from January 2010 to September 2020 for those aged 0-5 years old. We aggregated the monthly number of cases to estimate the incidence per 100,000 patient-years in 2020 (January 1 to September 30) for the same periods in 2010-2019. Results: The incidence of FS in 2020 ranged from 113 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 108-118 per 100,000) in January to 27 per 100,000 (95% CI, 25-30 per 100,000) in September, whereas the average FS incidence in 2010-2019 ranged from 116 per 100,000 (95% CI, 112-121 per 100,000) in January to 101 per 100,000 (95% CI, 97-106 per 100,000) in September. Conclusions: The incidence of FS decreased by -38% in 2020, suggesting that social distancing contributed towards decreasing the incidence of FS.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.661-670
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze influential factors for blood transfusion for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty, which are chronic degenerative arthritis, using the 2017 sample data of Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, to research the impact of blood transfusion on the usage of medical services among arthroplasty patients, and ultimately to provide some information on how to offer quality medical services. The findings of the study were as follows: First, whether there were any significant differences in the use or nonuse of transfusion during total knee arthroplasty according to hospital characteristics and patient characteristics was compared. As for significant variables, the type of health care institution, the level of sickbed, gender and anemia were found to have been statistically significantly related. Second. whether there were any significant differences in the use or nonuse of transfusion during total hip arthroplasty according to hospital characteristics and patient characteristics was compared. As for significant variables, the type of health care institution and the level of sickbed were found to have been statistically significantly related. Third, whether there were any significant differences in the presence or absence of diabetes among the total knee arthroplasty patients according to hospital characteristics and patient characteristics was compared. As for significant variables, the type of health care institution, the number of sickbed and anemia were found to have been statistically significantly related. In the case of the total hip arthroplasty patients, there were no variables that were significantly related.