• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.653-663
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• 2018

This study is a descriptive survey to examine the dementia related attitudes and dementia preventive behaviors in middle aged and to determine the relationships between the both sides. In this study, between October 1st and 9th, 2017, data were collected from the middle aged people in their 40s~60s in Korea through online questionnaires. Finally, 220 questionnaires were analyzed by t-test One way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and etc. The results of the study are as follows. First, 52.7% of the subjects were interested in prevention of dementia, but only 5.9% of them had experience of receiving education related to dementia. Second, fear of dementia was higher than cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease, but confidence in coping with the disease, expectation of the possibility of maintaining the daily life, expectation of the help of the family and the surrounding people, expectation of the national medical and economic support were significantly lower. Third, as the dementia preventive behaviors were implemented, the confidence in overcoming the disease, the expectation of the possibility of maintaining the daily life, the expectation of the help of the family and the surrounding people, the expectation of the medical and economic support of the country increased and the burden of the treatment cost was lowered. As a result, it is thought that this personal and social effort will improve the quality of life of the people by reducing physical, psychological, social and economic problems caused by dementia.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.34-46
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was conducted to estimate health service weight for resource allocation and performance monitoring using Basic Priority Rating System. Methods: The Health service would be classified according to New Health Plan 2010, and Burden of disease collected from preceding studies. The data of severity of health problem and effectiveness of intervention were collected through the survey of experts' suggestion. The health service weight was estimated in the formula which is Basic Priority Rating System. Results: In the result of analysis, the health service weight of Infectious disease was ranked highest at 58.97% followed by Anti-smoking campaign(14.07%), Hypertension(3.87%), Diabetes mellitus(3.40%), Cancer(2.90%), Cardiovascular-Cerebrovascular diseases(2.86%), Physical activity(2.10%), Moderate drinking(2.07%), Medical examination(1.92%), Mental health promotion(1.72%), Serious mental illnesses(1.62%), Nutrition(1.52%), Oral health promotion(1.15%), Oral diseases(1.10%), Addiction(0.73%). Conclusions: We think the result of this study provides a rational basis for resource allocation and performance monitoring of health service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.56-70
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• 2014

Background: Korea shows rapid population aging and increase in healthcare service use and expenditure. Also, this would be accelerated because of the baby boomers who will be 65 years old and more in 2020. Chronic disease is another reason that increases the use of healthcare service and expenditure of the middle- and old-aged households. Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) is the index which can indicate the households' burden of health spending. Despite the importance, there are few studies on CHE of middle- and old-aged households and especially no panel study yet. This is the reason that this study is carried out. Methods: This study used 3-year data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study conducted from 2009 to 2011. We defined CHE if a household's health expenditure is equal or greater than the threshold value if income remaining after subsistence needs has been met. We used 4 different threshold values which are 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. In order to look at the households which experienced CHE, we conducted panel logit analysis after correspondence analysis and conditional transition probability analysis. Results: This study showed three notable results. First, there has been a difference among age groups, which implies that the older people are, the more easily they can experience CHE. Second, the households with no private insurance are shown to have a higher CHE occurrence rate. Lastly, there has been a significant difference among the kinds of chronic diseases. The households which have cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and heart disease have a higher CHE occurrence rate. However, the households with diabetes have no significant effects to CHE occurrence. Also, hypertension has a negative effect to the occurrence. Conclusion: With the results, it can be implied that elderly people with chronic disease are more needed in medical coverage and healthcare. Also, private insurance can play its role in protecting households from CHE. Therefore, it needs to conduct studies on CHE especially about different age groups, private insurance, and chronic disease.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2017

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, leading to substantial and increasing economic and social burden. Palliative care for COPD patients aims to reduce symptoms and exacerbations and improve exercise tolerance and quality of life. It is difficult to make a prognosis for COPD patients due to the variable illness trajectory and advanced care of patients. However, severity of breathlessness, assessment of lung function impairment, and frequency of exacerbations can help to identify palliative care needs and determine effective methods to mitigate symptoms, which is discussed in this paper. In these patients, it is recommended to provide individualized palliative care along with curative/restorative care at the onset of COPD symptoms. Before launching a palliative care system in Korea, it is necessary to prepare pulmonary rehabilitation resources, patient-centered communication, timely palliative responsiveness, and a program for effective advanced care planning. A multidisciplinary approach involving collaboration with not only the respiratory and palliative care teams but also primary care offers a new model of care for these patients and should be considered with a priority.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.281-291
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• 2017

This study aimed to assess detection rate applying the mammographic imaging methods. The evaluation of the shape and margin of tumor was conducted by score oriented to 180 patients who had undergone FFDM, DBT and BMRI scans among breast cancer patients, and the number of calcification was classified by size. There was no significant difference between DBT and BMRI for tumors larger than 1 cm in low-density breasts and for tumors larger than 2 cm in high-density breasts. Moreover, as for the detection rate of number of fine calcification, the highest rate was observed in FFDM followed by DBT and BMRI in the order named regardless of size. In conclusion, DBT was able to be detected even without BMRI if the mass was larger than 1 cm in the low-density breast and larger than 2 cm in the high-density breast. The detection rate of calcification turned out to be the highest in FFDM followed by DBT regardless of size, and calcification was not observed by BMRI. The appropriate use of FFDM, DBT and BMRI with respect to mass tumor will contribute to serving as a guide to examination methods of reducing burden of patients.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.211-216
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• 2010

On 7 December 2007, about 12,547 kL of crude oil spilled from the Hong Kong registered tanker Hebei Spirit along the west coast of the Republic of Korea, including Taean-gun, Chungcheongnamdo Province. This study evaluated the safety of seafood collected from the coastal area polluted by the crude oil. The range of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (${\sum}PAHs$) at 22 stations was 3.9-37.1 ng/g. The concentration of ${\sum}PAHs$ was higher in oysters, Crassoatrea gias, than that in short-necked clams, Ruditapes philippinarum. Benzo(a)pyrene, a highly toxic PAH, ranged from 0.07-1.47 ng/g, which did not exceed the European Union regulatory limit for benzo(a)pyrene. The toxicity equivalent of benzo(a)pyrene in oysters and short-necked clams was 0.49-1.70 and 0.09-1.01 ng/g, respectively. The estimated life time cancer risk was very low, i.e., $1.31{\times}10^{-8}$ for the oysters and $6.9{\times}10^{-9}$ for the short-necked clams. The body burden of PAHs in bivalves originated mostly from petroleum contamination, but the levels was not sufficiently high to harm human health.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1120-1127
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• 2021

Depression has a negative impact on social functioning due to its high prevalence and increased suicide rate, and is a disease with a high economic burden. Depression is related to diverse brain-related phenomena, such as neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive deficit. As antidepressant drugs used in clinical trials have shown poor therapeutic effects, antidepressant drugs that show rapid efficacy urgently need to be developed. Although studies on various genes, proteins, and signaling pathways related to depression have been conducted, the pathogenesis of depression has not been clearly elucidated. Sirtuin 1 is a nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide- (NAD+-) dependent histone deacetylase and is involved in cell differentiation, apoptosis, autophagy, and cancer metabolism. Recent genetic studies found that sirtuin 1 is a potential target gene for depression. In addition, preclinical studies reported that sirtuin 1 signaling affects depression-like behavior. In this review, we attempt to present up-to-date knowledge of depression and sirtuin 1. We describe the various roles of sirtuin 1 in the regulation of glial activation, circadian rhythm, neurogenesis, and cognitive function and the effects of its expression on depression. Further, we discuss the effect of sirtuin 1 on the impairment of neural plasticity, one of the key mechanisms of depression, and the associated mechanisms of sirtuin 1.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2013

Purpose: Ten years have passed since the Korean government announced its plan to institutionally support hospice and palliative care in 2002. In line with that, this study aims to suggest future directions for Korea's hospice and palliative care policy. Methods: We conducted a survey on people's perception and acceptance of well-dying. Data were collected from 1,000 participants aged 19~69 years between June 1 and June 11, 2012 via computer-assisted telephone interviews. Results: The most important factor for well-dying was placing no burden of care on others (36.7%) and the second most important factor was staying with their family and loved ones (19.1%). Among nine suggestions of policy support for well-dying, the most popular was the promotion of voluntary care sharing (88.3%), followed by the palliative care training support for healthcare providers (83.7%) and the support for palliative care facilities instead of funeral halls (81.7%). The idea of formulating a five-year national plan for end-of-life care drew strong support (91%). According to the survey, the plan should be implemented by the central government (47.5%), the National Assembly (20.2%) or civic groups (10%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the public consensus and their consistent direction toward policy support for well-dying. Results of this study may serve as a foundation for the establishment of policy support for people's well-dying and palliative care at the national-level.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.196-210
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• 2024

Background: In January 2018, revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment for the elderly were implemented. When people ages 65 years and older receive outpatient treatment at clinic-level medical institutions (clinic, dental clinic, Korean medicine clinic), with medical expenses exceeding 15,000 won but not exceeding 25,000 won, their copayment rates have decreased differentially from 30%. This study aimed to examine the changes of health utilization of elderly after revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment. Methods: We used Korea health panel data from 2016 to 2018. The time period is divided into before and after the revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment. We conducted Poisson segmented regression to estimate the changes in outpatient utilization and inpatient utilization and conducted segmented regression to estimate the changes in medical expenses. Results: Immediately after the revised policy, the number of clinic and Korean medicine outpatient visits of medical expenses under 15,000 won decreased. But the number of clinic outpatient visits in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 won and Korean medicine clinic in the range of 20,000 to 25,000 won increased. Copayment in outpatient temporarily decreased. The inpatient admission rates and total medical expenses temporarily decreased but increased again. Conclusion: We confirmed the temporary increase in outpatient utilization in the medical expense segment with reduced copayment rates. And a temporary decrease in medical expenses followed by an increase again. To reduce the burden of medical expense among elderly in the long run, efforts to establish chronic disease management policies aimed at preventing disease occurrence and deterioration in advance need to continue.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.145-153
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was to analyze the research trend centering on the theses to hospice released in Korea. Methods: The researcher collected the academic degrees and theses published on the book of the academic society from 1991 to 2004, and examined 110 domestic papers of hospice. Results: 1) The number of articles increased 3 years after 1997, 52 (47%) theses were published in $2000{\sim}2002$. 97 (88%) articles were quantitative studies, and 13 (12%) were qualitative studies. 2) As for the subject, the results were: patients with end stage 44 (40%), nurse 18 (16%), hospice care system, facilities, and literature review 12 (10%). 3) As for main concepts of correlational studies 15 (13%), the results were: quality of life, activities of volunteers, suffering experience of nurse, and so on. 4) The subjects and contents of survey, the results were: pain control and need for nursing care in patients, need for spiritual and physical care in family, and so on. 5) The treatment of experimental research, the results were: hospice nursing, educational program, informational support, spiritual nursing, supportive nursing intervention, home hospice care, information services for control of cancer pain, and so on. 6) In the theme of the qualitative studies, the results were: experience of dying patients, perceive of hospice care and death, experience of family of terminal ill patients, meaning of dying in Korean. 7) In the instrument in studies, the results were: MQOL, EQOL, QOL, NIC, Need Scale, Spiritual Well-being Scale, Spiritual Perspective Scale, Coping for Grief Scale, K-CPAT, VAS, BPI, Depression Scale, Strait-anxiety Scale, Care-giver Burden Inventory, Burnout Inventory, Mental quality. Conclusion: More research needs to be encouraged in experimental and qualitative research fields. Researches should be conducted for the establishment of the basis of practical and theoretical framework and hospice polices.