• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.167-173
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• 2016

The broth microdilution technique used to measure the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of natural compounds against bacteria is problematic: it is difficult to visualize bacterial growth due to the color of the natural compound. Therefore, the use of a colorimetric method with a redox indicator by broth microdilution can simplify it and increase its objectivity. This study evaluated the usefulness of the colorimetric method in measuring the MIC of Phellinus baumii against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The inhibition in disc diffusion method was observed from $8,192{\mu}g/mL$ P. baumii in all 10 MRSA isolates examined; however, the MIC ranges of the 10 MRSA isolates was $512{\sim}2,048{\mu}g/mL$ by broth microdilution using a colorimetric method; with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) indicator. In addition, the MIC of P. baumii by broth microdilution using MTT as indicator yielded excellent results. However, the 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) results could not be determined due to the color of the TTC indicator. The MICs of four antibiotics against MRSA using MTT or TTC were equal to those determined by visual interpretation. In conclusion, to evaluate the antibacterial effects of a natural compound, the broth microdilution technique is considered to be better than the disc diffusion method. Moreover, to resolve the problems caused by the colors of natural compounds, a colorimetric method such as that using MTT may be very valuable.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.156-160
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• 2011

서론: 본 연구는 불필요한 소화기관용 약제의 처방이 한국에서의 처방전 당 약물 개수를 증가시키는 것과의 연관성을 검토하고자 수행되었다. 연구방법: 연구를 위한 자료로 건강보험심사평가원의 처방전 데이터와 환자의 기타 모든 의료보험 청구데이터를 이용하였고, 두 데이터셋을 연결하여 처방전들을 소화기관용 약제의 필요성에 따라 소화기관질환 그룹, 관절염질환 그룹,소화기관용 약제 처방이 불필요할 것으로 그 외 질환 그룹으로 구분, 분리하였다. 결과: 처방전 당 약물의 평균 개수의 분포는 세 그룹에서 비슷한 양상을 보였는데, 관절염질환 그룹과 그 외 질환 그룹의 거의 절반 이상은 한 개의 소화기관용 약제를 포함하였다. 세 그룹 모두 처방전 당 약물 개수와 처방전 당소화기관용 약제의 개수가 1차 선형관계를 보였다. 그 외 질환 그룹에서는 처방전 당 전체 약물이 평균 6개를 넘는 경우, 적어도 한 개의 소화기관용 약제가 포함되었다. 본 연구는 불필요한 소화기관용 약제를 처방하는 것은 다제처방의 매우 유의한 예측인자임을 보였다. 결론: 향후, 약제 처방전의 질을 향상시키기 위해서는 각각의 약물을, 특히 소화기관용 약제를, 처방 시 약제의 불가피한 필요성에 대해 판단할 수 있어야 할 것이다.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a secondary stroke prevention education program on the health risk indicators and self-care compliance of stroke patients. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used to select the participants. Subjects were 54 stroke patients (27 in the experimental group and 27 in the control group) hospitalized in a K university hospital in D city, Korea. Health risk indicators and self-care compliance were measured both for a baseline, as well as after intervention. The data was analyzed using a chi-square test, paired t-test and ANCOVA. Results: There were significant differences in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, weight and self-care compliance. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that an educational secondary stroke prevention program is effective for health risk indicators and self-care compliance of patients. Therefore it can be used as an effective nursing intervention in clinical practice.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.9
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• pp.361-367
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• 2020

Background: Length of stay is a significant indicator of care effectiveness and hospital performance. Owing to the limited number of healthcare centers and facilities, it is important to optimize length of stay and associated factors. Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate factors associated with neonatal length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using parametric and semiparametric models and compare model fitness according to Akaike information criterion (AIC) between 2016 and 2018. Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed 600 medical records of infants admitted to the NICU of Bandar Abbas Hospital. Samples were identified using census sampling. Factors associated with NICU length of stay were investigated based on semiparametric Cox model and 4 parametric models including Weibull, exponential, log-logistic, and log-normal to determine the best fitted model. The data analysis was conducted using R software. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The study findings suggest that breastfeeding, phototherapy, acute renal failure, presence of mechanical ventilation, and availability of central venous catheter were commonly identified as factors associated with NICU length of stay in all 5 models (P<0.05). Parametric models showed better fitness than the Cox model in this study. Conclusion: Breastfeeding and availability of central venous catheter had protective effects against length of stay, whereas phototherapy, acute renal failure, and mechanical ventilation increased length of stay in NICU. Therefore, the identification of factors associated with NICU length of stay can help establish effective interventions aimed at decreasing the length of stay among infants.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2021

Background: With an increase in the number of breast cancer survivors, greater importance is attached to health-related quality of life, particularly pain and symptom control. This study aimed to identify the factors that are associated with pain in cancer patients based on the patterns of prescribing opioid, non-opioid, and adjuvant analgesics. Methods: This analysis included new patients who had developed breast cancer between 2003 and 2012. The degree of pain was analyzed based on the socio-demographic (age, income quintile, number of hospitalizations, and duration of disease), indicator (Body Mass Index; BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; CCI, Cumulative Analgesic Consumption Score; CACS), operation (mastectomy, lymph node dissection), and therapy (chemotherapy, radiation therapy), as well as complication-related variable (lymphedema). Results: As for the patterns of prescribing analgesics by stages, non-opioid and opioid analgesics constituted 30.7 and 69.3%, respectively. The mean value and variance of CACS were 5.596 and 12.567, respectively. The factors that significantly affected the degree of pain were age (≥50; IRR: 1.848, 95% CI 1.564-2.184, p=0.000), income quintile (IRR: 0.964, 95% CI 0.938-0.991, p=0.008), BMI (≥ 25; IRR: 1.479, 95% CI 1.222-1.795, p=0.000), CCI (≥ 4; IRR: 1.649, 95% CI 1.344-2.036, p=0.000), and lymphedema (yes; IRR: 1.267, 95% CI 1.006-1.610, p=0.047). Conclusions: It is necessary to develop systematic and comprehensive pain control measures to improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors, especially for those who are 50 years or older, lie in the lower-income quintile, have BMI of ≥25 and CCI score ≥ 4, or have lymphedema.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.62-98
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• 2009

A systematic review of the literatures was conducted to evaluate the effect of clinical practice guideline. The 77 studies were identified from a computerized search of published research on MEDLINE, Science-Direct and Blackwell synergy from January, 1997 to October, 2007. The main search terms were "clinical practice guideline" and "effectiveness", "clinical practice guideline" and "impact", "clinical practice guideline" and "evaluation". These studies were assessed the Quality twice by one Qualified expert and converted into weighted scale. The 63 studies were eligible inclusion criteria and subdivided into type of effect. Final indicator using for policy effect of clinical practice guidelines were classified as 4 categories; "improvement of outcomes" in 81 studies, "betterment in practice patterns" in 68 studies, "rationalization in resource utilization" in 84 studies and "cost containment" in 31 studies. The vote-counting method, one of meta-analysis method, was applied to summarized the effect of clinical practice guidelines and test statistically. From results of meta analysis, all indices were statistically significant. In conclusion, this meta-analysis showed that introduction of clinical practice guidelines were resulted positive outcomes in health policy.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.256-263
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• 2007

P300 is widely used as a neurophysiological indicator of cognitive processing, which is known as reflecting controlled processing. MMN (mismatch negativity), early response prior to P300, is known as reflecting an early stage of information processing and having involuntary attention and automatic awakening or sensory memory. This study for normal people shows that electric potential of P300 and MMN are in close correlation (r=-0.673, p<0.05). That is, it is observed that the higher negative value electric potential of MMN measured at cerebral forehead-center has, the higher value electric potential of P300 measured at cerebral center-vertex has. This fact implies that working memory for temporary storage and operation of stimuli, and involuntary attention which constitute automatic information processing, an early stage of information processing, play a crucial role in efficient information processing. On the other hand, considering that MMN of cerebral forehead-center and P300 of cerebral center-vertex are in close correlation, it is necessary to pursue further study of cerebral parts which generate P300 and MMN in information processing.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2014

Research on the correlation between blood glucose and allergy of the trauma patient, and the changes of blood glucose after the injection of antibiotic Cephalosporins have been made in this study. In this research, we have investigated whether there is any correlation between allergies and blood glucose, and the changes of blood glucose after the injection of Cephalosporins. In case of the patients who have allergies, there has been a close correlationship between allergies and blood glucose by increasing the risk of developing sugar diabetes significantly to 3.273. And it showed that there is a correlation between Cephalosporins and glucose by the figure of Cephalosporins, before and one week after the operation, to become r=1**.*, bilateral significance probability (p<0.007). There has been significant changes in blood glucose (p<0.010), bun (p<0.025), Albumin (p<0.000), AST (p<0.001), total bilirubin (p<0.001) after the operation. It considered to be important indicator. preventing complications and allergies caused by diabetic history and also correlated (p<0.027) because there is allergy and the patient's.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.125-128
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• 2010

HbA1c test measures the amount of glycated hemoglobin in blood. HbA1c shows the average of blood glucose levels for the past three months, this is a better indicator of how overall diabetes is doing. HbA1c gives a much better idea of how the body is breaking down the glucose. Therefore, this HbA1c is very important tool for maintaining normal glucose levels for pre-and diabetic patients. Total 408 participants were tested HbA1c voluntarily from Chosunilbo Health Expo (8th~11th, July 2010). Through this small-scaled direct HbA1c, about 54.7% (207 out of 408) was shown glucose tolerance and diabetes. However, 61 from 157 participants who were shown under 6.9% HbA1c (normal and pre-diabetic stage) are taking only antidiabetic drugs to maintain a normal blood glucose. Regular HbA1c test can bring an important management and awareness about controlling blood sugar level and prevention of diabetic complications.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2018

We evaluated the possible clinical application of Non HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio as a metabolic syndrome predictor for the elderly in Korea. 1,543 elderly persons aged 65 years or older who visited the health examination center of Gyeonggi Regional General Hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 and had a health checkup were enrolled in this study. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) standards. Abdominal obesity was assessed by the Asia-Pacific standards presented at the World Health Organization (WHO) West Pacific Region. Non-HDL-cholesterol was calculated as the difference between total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. The metabolic syndrome predictive power was higher for triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio than for Non HDL-cholesterol. After correcting for related factors, triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio was higher in the $4^{th}$ quartile, which had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, than in the $1^{st}$ quartile. The optimal cutoff value for the triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio that predicts the onset of metabolic syndrome was 2.8. triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio can be a simple and practical indicator of the risk of metabolic syndrome.