• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.414-428
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• 2022

Although tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a general medical issue with growing prevalence and socioeconomic burden, most clinicians have not paid much attention to TR in the past. Several problems of TR have been pointed out in clinical practice, which include: ambiguous clinical manifestations and the difficulty in initial detection, limitations in generally used diagnostic tools, the absence of objective criterion for therapeutic intervention, high operative morbidity and mortality, and lack of long-term clinical data after the intervention for TR. Therefore, patients with TR usually visit clinicians at a much-advanced state, and this delay gives a major dilemma in clinical decision-making in a routine clinical practice. To improve the clinical outcome of TR, we need more knowledge about TR for solving the current problems and making strategies for better clinical practice. With this background, we have discussed in the present article about the pathophysiology of TR and the problems frequently experienced by clinical physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of TR. Furthermore, we have discussed the future strategy to improve the treatment of TR.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.67-83
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• 2019

The aim of this study is to analyze the differences in the publicness indices depending on the environmental factors of regional public hospitals to derive the policy implications for improving management for regional public hospitals. The data of the 34 regional public hospitals from 2016 was used for the analysis. Major results of this study are as follows. First, the analysis of the differences in the scores of the medical safety net function showed significantly higher scores for regional public hospitals with a larger location, a larger number of hospitals in a unit area, a larger number of nurses per 100 beds, and the lower management fee ratio. Second, the analysis of the differences in the scores of the unmet healthcare needs showed significantly higher scores for regional public hospitals with a larger number of hospitals in a unit area, and a larger number of beds. Third, the analysis of the differences in the scores of the hospital-specialized services showed significantly higher scores for regional public hospitals with a larger location, a higher financial independence of the local government, a larger number of hospitals in a unit area, a larger number of beds, and a larger number of nurses per 100 beds. Major conclusions of this study are as follows. Consideration should be given to the appropriate number of nurses for each regional public hospital to maximize publicness by providing the appropriate amount of medical services, but not to incur unnecessary labor costs. In addition, efforts should be made to enhance profitability, which can be a means of strengthening publicness, by identifying the minimum administrative expenses required for efficient operation and reducing unnecessary administrative expenses. Finally, it is necessary to identify the appropriate number of beds to meet the needs of the customers and to create maximum profits.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.6-14
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• 2023

Fabry disease (FD), a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, is caused by mutations in the α-galactosidase A gene gene encoding α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A). The functional deficiency of α-Gal A results in progressive accumulation of neutral glycosphingolipids, causing multi-organ damages including cardiac, renal, cerebrovascular systems. The current treatment is comprised of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), oral pharmacological chaperone therapy and adjunctive supportive therapy. ERT has been introduced 20 years ago, changing the outcome of FD patients with proven effectiveness. However, FD patients have many unmet needs. ERT needs a life-long intravenous therapy, inefficient bio-distribution, and generation of anti-drug antibodies. Migalastat, a pharmacological chaperone, augmenting α-Gal A enzyme activity only in patients with mutations amenable to the therapy, is now available for clinical practice. Furthermore, these therapies should be initiated before the organ damage becomes irreversible. Development of novel drugs aim at improving the clinical effectiveness and convenience of therapy. Clinical trial of next generation ERT is underway. Polyethylene glycolylated enzyme has a longer half-life and potentially reduced antigenicity, compared with standard preparations with longer dosing interval. Moss-derived enzyme has a higher affinity for mannose receptors, and seems to have more efficient access to podocytes of kidney which is relatively resistant to reach by conventional ERT. Substrate reduction therapy is currently under clinical trial. Gene therapy has now been started in several clinical trials using in vivo and ex vivo technologies. Early results are emerging. Other strategic approaches at preclinical research level are stem cell-based therapy with genome editing and systemic mRNA therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2459-2464
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• 2016

Background: Cancer treatments can have long-term physical, psychological, financial, sexual and cognitive effects that may influence the quality of life. These can vary from urban to rural areas, survival period and according to the type of cancer. We here aimed to describe demographics and psychosocial analysis of cancer survivors three to five years post-treatment in rural Australia and also assess relationships with financial stress and quality of life domains. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 65 participants visiting the outpatient oncology clinic were given a self-administered questionnaire. The inclusion criteria included three to five years post-treatment. Three domains were investigated using standardised and validated tools such as the Standard Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors Scale (QLACS) and the Personal and Household Finances (HILDA) survey. Included were demographic parameters, quality of life, treatment information and well-being. Results: There was no evidence of associations between any demographic variable and either financial stress or cancer-specific quality of life domains. Financial stress was however significantly associated with the cancer-specific quality of life domains of appearance-related concerns, family related distress, and distress related to recurrence. Conclusions: This unique study effectively points to psychosocial aspects of cancer survivors in rural regions of Australia. Although the majority of demographic characteristics were not been found to be associated with financial stress, this latter itself is significantly associated with distress related to family and cancer recurrence. This finding may be of assistance in future studies and also considering plans to fulfil unmet needs.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.361-379
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• 2015

Objectives This study aims to review and summarize existing evidence on moxibustion treatment for cancer patients. Methods Literature published until May 2015 in international journals were searched on PubMed, CAJ (CNKI-Medicine), NDSL (National discovery for science leaders), Sage Journal, ScienceDirect, Taylor&Francis Online (HSS), and Wiley Interscience (including Blackwell); and articles in Korean journals were searched on Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS), DBPIA, E-Article, KSI e-book, New article, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), and Kyobo scholar. Results We analyzed 65 relevant studies. The number of studies conducted annually has increased and most are conducted in Korea and China. Moxibustion decreases the side effects of palliative treatment, thereby synergizing with anticancer treatment; it also improves the immune system, reduces tumor factors, and relieves symptoms. The mechanism of moxibustion is multi-fold: thermo, chemo, aero and kinetic. Only the kinetic effect is not significant. It also needs a complement to moxibustion because of harmful smoke. Conclusions Thus, the effect and mechanism of moxibustion in cancer patients was reviewed. There is an unmet need to develop a model of moxibustion and test it based on Korean medicine.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.3-13
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• 2011

The Korean society is recently becoming the aging society at an unprecedentedly rapid speed. Following the increase of the older population, their needs for special care is also rocketing. However, due to the increase of working women, nuclear-families, and old persons living alone, new facilities for the elderly such as nursing home are urgently needed. Thus, many nursing homes for the elderly are also rapidly providing. It is needed to examine if such nursing homes are properly designed for the dependent elderly to live. This study was carried out by the field observation using a checking sheet with measuring and taking photograph. The subjects were 12 nursing homes which gave positive responses for walking through their facilities. The items for observing and measuring were made based on the regulation on improving the facilities for the disabled, the elderly, and the pregnant. Whether each item fits the regulation or not was examined. The 9 areas in each nursing home were examined : entrance, hallway and corridor, stair, elevator, ramp, bed room, shower and locker room, bathroom, and rest room. It was founded that many accessible-related items were met. However, many supportive-related items such as ones for the visual disabled, and many supportive-related and accessible-related ones for bathroom, shower room, and restroom were unmet. In the process of this research, it was founded that the tool for evaluating the design of nursing home in terms of universal design should be developed.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.95-109
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to assess the utilization and satisfactions about public health centers in Korea. For the analysis, the study utilize the nationwide data of 229,229 person on '2010 Community Health Survey' of Ministry of Health & Welfare. The statistical methodology used in the study is ${\chi}^2$, ANOVA, logistic regression model and multiple regression model. This study have four major findings. First, the significant affecting socio-demographic factors in utilizing public health center were gender, age, region, national basic living secured, married, income, education, job, state of health, chronic disease, unmet medical needs and utilization reason. Second, the most serviced category of health center user was vaccination both city and rural area and the next was certificate, primary care, health screening, other use, the mother and child in city area, primary care, health screening, certificate, home visiting health in rural area. Third, the significant affecting socio-demographic factors in satisfaction degree on health center service were age, region, national basic living secured, income, education, job, state of health, utilization degree and reason. Fourth, the most satisfied service of health service center was home visiting health in city area and mental health service in rural area and the next was nutritive control and the lowest satisfied service was user of certificate. The utilization and satisfaction on health center service were identified as different with residental area and user's characteristics. The politic effort are needed to support socially disadvantaged class and to narrow regional gap.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.51
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• pp.465-495
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• 2011

Domestic franchised businesses have been showing relatively fast growth, but the growth is expected to slow down as in those developed countries. In face of this changing market environment, domestic franchisers will have to turn their eyes abroad to achieve sustainable growth. On the other hand, more international franchisors could pursue expanding into the Korean market due to economic or strategic reasons in their home countries. In general, enterprises are faced with several barriers when entering foreign markets by franchising their operation. Issues relating to such entry barriers can be broadly classified into legal and managerial. To begin, international franchising necessitates enterprises to handle various aspects of legal issues. There are no internationally unified rules for franchise agreements as in international goods purchase contracts. This forces franchisors to have deep knowledge of concerned regulations and practices of each of the individual target countries, in particular franchising practices which differ from those of their own countries in terms of rights and obligations of the involved parties. Having regard to this situation, this study reviewed the EU's PEL CAFDC and other domestic and overseas regulations governing franchising. From the results, several contractual obligations were derived that need to be taken into account when handling the issues around the international franchise agreement. In closing this paper mainly having in mind enterprises in various business lines seeking to expand into international franchising, some unmet needs are worth commenting. First, there is an urgent need to establish practical guidelines along with the model agreement addressing the issues of international franchising in the absence of any unified international rules. Second, to meet the first need above, it is needed that the relevant authorities conduct a comprehensive review of the existing franchising regulations available across overseas countries and, based on the results, embark on gathering good common elements in the existing franchising regulations in individual countries, ultimately developing the best possible guidelines and examples.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.99-110
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• 2018

As interest in adolescent and children's health risks increases, there is an increase in subscriptions to indemnity private health insurance. The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of purchasing indemnity private health insurance. We conducted panel logit regression analysis on the sample of 4,567 adolescent and children using Korean Health Panel data from 2009 to 2015. As a result, it was analyzed that the participation of private health insurance for children and adolescents was affected not only by the characteristics of children and adolescents (age, birth order, residence, disability) but also by the characteristics of father (indemnity, disability, chronic disease) and mother (age difference between her and her children, indemnity, unmet needs) and the economic level of households (income). In views of this study, it is necessary to continuously implement policies to strengthen the healthcare of children and adolescents in order to alleviate the anxiety about the health risks of children and the burden of medical expenses caused by late marriages and maternal births. In particular, it is necessary to consider policies for multi-child families and vulnerable classes.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to find the Korean women's view to pregnancy within the Korean cultural context, to help nurses understand psychosocioemotional schema of the pregnant women, and to contribute to theory-building on the meaning of pregnancy. The interviewees were 21 women in their twenties or thirties and they were selected by theoretical sampling technique. Thirteen women of the interviewees were single and others married. Data were collected by in-depth interviews from September November in 1994. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed by Van Kaam's phenomenological method. Results were as follows. Eighty two descriptive expression were found and they were grouped under fourteen common factors. These are 「to maintain family」, 「instinct」, 「obligation」, 「what one should do」, 「to make home」, 「to tie couple firmly」, 「means to overcome a period of lassitude」, 「token of love」, 「hope」, 「to avoid loneliness」, 「wanted to have a baby」, 「to provide for old ages」, 「to be a mother」, 「to achieve her desire through baby」. Finally, fourteen common factors were grouped under four higher categories. Five common factors, 「to maintain family」, 「instinct」, 「obligation」, 「what one should do」, 「to make home」 were grouped under〈custom〉. Three factors, 「to tie couple firmly」, 「means to overcome a period of lassitude」, 「token of love」 were grouped under 〈love between couple〉. Four factors, 「hope」, 「to avoid loneliness」, 「wanted to have a baby」, 「to provide for old ages」 were grouped under 〈pursuiting safety〉. Two factors, 「to be a mother」, 「to achieve her desire through baby」 were grouped under 〈self-fulfillment〉. At present, the most distinguishing motivation of childbearing was rooted in the cultural custom. Korean women thought that it was their duties to have children and children were necessary in life. But they were beginning to recognize that baby could tie couple more firmly and get rid of their loneliness. Korean women no longer considered their children as the one who would take care of them when they were old or who would satisfy their unmet needs. As pregnancy is not women's duty only, authors recommend further studies on men's view to pregnancy.