• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.114-123
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• 2014

Objectives: Evidence-based medicine(EBM) advocates the use of up-to-date "best" scientific evidence from health care research as the basis for making medical decisions. EBM also has been applied to traditional Korean medicine(TKM), especially in the field of safety. Recently, the standard prescription for TKM by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine was published based on toxic index from various toxicity tests. However, there are some limitations when the results from the study based on EBM are applied in clinics. To overcome these imitations, the term "evidence-based practical medicine" was developed and defined as clinically applicable results from the study based on EBM. And safety classification for TKM was suggested as an example of evidence-based practical medicine. Methods: For safety classification for TKM, the data for $LD_{50}$(50% lethal dose), which was transformed to theoretical $LD_1$(1% lethal dose), was analyzed as one of tools for EMB study and divided by maximum dose used in clinics. Results and Conclusions: As a result, human equivalent dose(HED)-based MOS(margin of safety) for korean traditional medicine was calculated and used for safety classification with 5 categories. These categories would be helpful for oriental medicine clinicians to decide the increase and decrease of dosage according to various factors such as patient's sensitivity, potential toxicity of herbal medicines, clinician's experience for better cure. Thus, this safety classification provides some evidences enough that evidence-based practical medicine should be not the same with EBM and defined differently from EBM.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.180-183
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• 2010

Submitral left ventricular aneurysm (SMLVA) is a rare disease entity that exclusively occurs in the black population. We herewith report on a surgical case of SMLVA in a 68-year-old male who presented with ventricular tachycardia. He underwent surgical repair under standard hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. In the state of apical elevation, a vertical ventriculotomy was made directly over the aneurysm, which was located at the posterobasal aspect of the left ventricle. Radiofrequency ablation was performed on the endocardium all around the neck of the aneurysm and then patch endoaneurysmorrhaphy was carried out with particular care not to injure the mitral valve and subvalvular structure. His postoperative recovery was uneventful. There has been no dysfunction of the mitral valve or recurrence of the ventricular tachycardia at 2 years' follow-up.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2018

Background: Patients experience significant differences in aspects of mortality, quality of life, and costs between during the year of receiving liver transplant (LT) and the subsequent years (post-LT). This study aimed to estimate the medical utilization and cost of LT for patients compared to post-LT patients by using a recent National Patient Sample (NPS) data provided by the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). Methods: This study used a subset of the 2015 HIRA-NPS. Patient claims data that included Z944 (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases code for LT status) were selected. Within the selected data, LT patients were identified based on whether the national health insurance number code of Q80 (procedure code for LT surgery) was included, and they were compared to post-LT patients. Results: In the analysis, 330 patients were included. The average cost per patient was $90,066{\pm}36,959$ thousand KRW and $10,557{\pm}9,668$ thousand KRW for LT and post-LT patients, respectively. Especially, LT patients' costs for injection/procedure, surgery/treatment, and examination were higher than other costs, being $35,983{\pm}18,115$ thousand KRW, $28,246{\pm}9,408$ thousand KRW, and $12,131{\pm}6,604$ thousand KRW, respectively. For inpatients, the average number of hospitalized days was $63.5{\pm}66.0$ days for LT patients and $22.3{\pm}35.1$ days for post-LT patients. Conclusion: Compared to post-LT patients, LT patients had higher costs, especially for injection/procedure, surgery/treatment, and examination. Additionally, the LT group had longer hospitalization duration and higher costs for their hospital admission, whereas they did not show a significant difference in number of visits and medical costs for outpatient-care.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.217-236
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preschoolers' peer interaction type and level differ depending on pair compositon and task type. Preschoolers' peer interaction type and level were compared among three kinds of pair compositions(with a Younger peer, with a same-age peer, and with an older peer) as well as between two types of tasks(tasks involving real objects, and tasks involving pictures). Subjects were seventy-eight four-year-old children recruited from six child-care centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The preschoolers were randomly assigned to one of the three kinds of pair compositions. Interaction processes of the pairs were recorded by a video camera, and the scenes were transcribed for content analyses. The traniscribed peer interactions were coded according to the categories that the researcher had generated. Statistical methods used for the data analysis were frequencies, percentiles, means, standard deviations, repeated measures ANOVA, paired t-tests, one-way ANOVA. Major findings of this study were as follows: There were significant differences preschoolers' in interaction type depending on the pair compositions and the types of tasks. The preschoolers paired with the older peer used abstract collaborative explanations more frequently than in two other types of pair composition. The preschoolers paired with the younger peer used explanations without collaboration and parallel behaviors more frequently than in two other types of pair composition.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.49-57
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• 2018

Purpose: The increase in patients requiring hemodialysis has resulted in an increase dialysis-associated infections risk. but there are no Renal Dialysis unit design standard meet specified safety and quality standards. Therefore, appropriate Establish standards and legal regulation is important for the provision of initial certification and maintenance of facility, equipment, and human resource quality. Methods: Literature survey on the design guideline and standards of Renal Dialysis unit design in Korea, U.S, Germany, Singapore, Hongkong, Dubai. Results: There are no established standards for facilities in dialysis units in Korea. To prevent infections in dialysis patients, necessary establish standards. Considering the domestic and overseas Health-care facilities standards, the major factors to be considered in the medical environment for Renal Dialysis Unit are as follows. First, planning to separate Clean areas(treatment area) from contaminated areas(medical waste storage area). Second, ensure sufficient space and minimum separation distance. Although there may be differences depending on the circumstances of individual institutions, renal dialysis unit consider the space to prevent droplet transmission. Third, secure infrastructure of infection prevention such as sufficient amount of hand hygiene sinks. Hand washing facilities for staff within the Unit should be readily available. Hand hygiene sinks should be located to prevent water from splashing into the treatment area. Fourth, Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for Renal Dialysis Unit is all about providing a safer environment for patients and staff. Implications: The results of this paper can be the basic data for the design of the Renal Dialysis Units and relevant regulations.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.180-189
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• 2002

Background and Purpose : The hemiplegic upper extremity is affected in many stroke patients, and recovery is often poor. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in enhancing the upper extremity motor and functional recovery of ischemic stroke patients. Subjects and Methods : Forty ischemic stroke patients (the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer motor scale (FM) score lower than 46, lesion location within middle cerebral artery territory) within 2 weeks of stroke onset were randomly allocated to either an EA group that received EA treatment or a control group that received only routine ward care. The EA was applied at Quchi-Shousanli (LI11-LI10), Waiguan-Hegu (TE5-LI4) points on the hemiparetic side six times per week for 4 weeks. The frequency of stimulation was 25-50Hz and the intensity was set at a level sufficient to induce muscle contraction. EA treatment was given for 30 minutes and all patients of both groups received standard rehabilitation program. Outcomes were assessed, in a blind manner, before treatment began and at 4 weeks after treatment, with the FM, the Motor Power score (MP) for shoulder/elbow, and the subsection of the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) for drinking/feeding/dressing upper body/grooming. Results : These 2 groups had comparable clinical characteristics, lesion location, lesion size, and pretreatment impairment scores. By the end of treatment, the EA group showed significantly more improvement than the control group in the subsection of the FM for shoulder/elbow/coordination (6.4 vs. 3.7; P=0.047) and the MP for shoulder/elbow (5.3 vs. 3.3; P=0.008). The subsection scores of the MBI for drinking/feeding/dressing upper body/grooming were not significantly different between two groups. No adverse effects due to treatment were found Conclusion : These results suggest that EA enhances the upper extremity motor recovery of acute stroke patients. However, this study failed to demonstrate any significant functional benefit related with upper extremity. Future study should be carried out in a larger sample size and use the functional outcome measure that is more specific and sensitive to the upper extremity.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.4326-4334
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• 2013

This study is descriptive research, attempts to determine the status of elderly inpatients of veterans hospital' of drug awareness information, drug use status and drug Misusage. The subjects were 220 patients of aged 65 and over only five metropolitan areas nationwide in drug use in the Veterans Hospital, national merit, the study is from May to June. SPSS Win 18.0 program was used as the data analysis and a statistical statement by mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. As a results, there was showed a statistically significant level 'age', 'type of marriage', 'education', 'triage', 'health status' as the general characteristics of the subjects. It showed the 'age' of the variables that influence recognition in the area of drug awareness information, and drug Misusage and drug use status factors seemed to affect the 'health status'. Therefore, It need for a comparative study of elderly inpatients and inpatients of veterans hospital, the research should be qualitative research of veterans medical services to the on reasonable support measures in the Veterans Affairs health care system and national merit.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.513-520
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• 2000

Objectives : To estimate the prevalence of hypertension, rates of awareness, treatment modalities, and control of hypertension, and also to identify factors in rural Korea that are related to these aspects of hypertension. Methods : A cross-sectional survey, including blood pressure(BP) measurements and interviews, investigating the variables in the health belief model was peformed from August to November, 1999 on 1,426 (79.4%) study subjects out of 1,797 registered residents over 30 years old in Ibansong-Myun, Chinju City. A second survey was peformed from January to March, 2000 on 376 (80.0%) subjects out of 470 hypertensive (or suspected hypertensive) subjects found in the first survey. Two BP readings were taken in each survey using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Hypertension was defined as either a BP reading $\geq$ 140/90 mmHg in both surveys, or as subjects on oral hypertensive medication. Results : Estimated hypertension prevalence was 24.9% for men, and 30.4% for women. Rates of hypertension awareness, treatment (the regular use of oral hypertensives), and control (reduction of BP to <140/90 mmHg) were 52.5%, 34.4%, and 12.9%, respectively. The factors related to lower hypertension awareness in the logistic regression analysis were male gender, farming occupation, and higher perceived barrier to medical treatment (those for whom visiting health professionals is a burden). Conclusions : To improve the low awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, a more active and out-reaching hypertension control program, including routine BP measurements for every visitor to primary care facilities, is needed in rural Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.731-742
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• 2019

Objectives: To analyze the association between sleep duration and the number of remaining teeth in people aged 65 years or older in order to provide basic data for improving sleep quality and developing oral health programs for teeth maintenance. Methods: The raw data for the analysis were obtained from the sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) dataset, conducted between 2013 and 2015. The 4,340 subjects included in the study underwent oral examinations and then proceeded to answer related questions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (ver 23.0) program via composite samples, with the calculations for mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, and logistic return analysis being performed. Results: An analysis of the effect of sleep duration on the number of remaining teeth among people aged >65 years old showed that if the confounding variables were not corrected for, the risk of having less than 9 hours of sleep was 1.40 times higher (95% CI: 1.06-1.86). However, this was not statistically significant in models that corrected for gender, age, and other confounding variables (p>0.05). Conclusions: The association between sleep duration among the elderly with their number of remaining teeth was confirmed. Therefore, measures to improve sleep quality and oral care practices to maintain the remaining teeth in people over 65 years old should be developed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.45-50
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• 2022

Purpose: This study utilizes the NEDIS (National Emergency Department Information System) database to suggest a predictive model for snakebite and envenomation in Korea by analyzing the geographical distribution and seasonal variation of snakebite patients visiting the ER. Methods: This was a retrospective study on snakebite patients visiting the ER using the NEDIS database from January 2014 to December 2019. The subjects include patients with the KCD (Korea Standard Classification of Disease) disease code T63.0 (Toxic effect of contact with snake venom). Geographical location, patient gender, patient age, date of ER visit, treatment during the ER stay, and disposition were recorded to analyze the geographical distribution and seasonal variation of snakebite patients in Korea. Results: A total of 12,521 patients were evaluated in this study (7,170 males, 54.9%; 5,351 females, 40.9%). The average age was 58.5±17.5 years. In all, 7,644 patients were admitted with an average admission time of 5.04±4.7 days, and 2 patients expired while admitted. The geographical distribution was Gyeongsang 3,370 (26.9%), Cheonra 2,692 (21.5%), Chungcheong 2,667 (21.3%), Seoul Capital area 1,999 (16.0%), Kangwon 1,457 (11.6%), and Jeju 336 (2.7%). The seasonal variation showed insignificant incidences in winter and higher severity in spring and summer than in fall: winter 27 (0.2%), spring 2,268 (18.1%), summer 6,847 (54.7%), and fall 3,380 (27.0%). Conclusion: Patients presenting with snakebites and envenomation in the emergency room were most common in the Gyeongsang area and during summer. The simple seasonal model predicted that 436 snakebites and 438 envenomation cases occurred in July and August. The results of this study can be applied to suitably distribute and stock antivenom. Appropriate policies can be formed to care for snakebite patients in Korea.