• Title/Summary/Keyword: cost effectiveness

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Implementing a Cervical Cancer Awareness Program in Low-income Settings in Western China: a Community-based Locally Affordable Intervention for Risk Reduction

  • Simayi, Dilixia;Yang, Lan;Li, Feng;Wang, Ying-Hong;Amanguli, A.;Zhang, Wei;Mohemaiti, Meiliguli;Tao, Lin;Zhao, Jin;Jing, Ming-Xia;Wang, Wei;Saimaiti, Abudukeyoumu;Zou, Xiao-Guang;Maimaiti, Ayinuer;Ma, Zhi-Ping;Hao, Xiao-Ling;Duan, Fen;Jing, Fang;Bai, Hui-Li;Liu, Zhao;Zhang, Lei;Chen, Cheng;Cong, Li;Zhang, Xi;Zhang, Hong-Yan;Zhan, Jin-Qiong;Zhang, Wen Jie
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.12
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    • pp.7459-7466
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    • 2013
  • Background: Some 60 years after introduction of the Papanicolaou smear worldwide, cervical cancer remains a burden in developing countries where >85% of world new cases and deaths occur, suggesting a failure to establish comprehensive cervical-cancer control programs. Effective interventions are available to control cervical cancer but are not all affordable in low-income settings. Disease awareness saves lives by risk-reduction as witnessed in reducing mortality of HIV/AIDS and smoking-related cancers. Subjects and Methods: We initiated a community-based awareness program on cervical cancer in two low-income Muslim Uyghur townships in Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China in 2008. The education involved more than 5,000 women from two rural townships and awareness was then evaluated in 2010 and 2011, respectively, using a questionnaire with 10 basic knowledge questions on cervical cancer. Demographic information was also collected and included in an EpiData database. A 10-point scoring system was used to score the awareness. Results: The effectiveness and feasibility of the program were evaluated among 4,475 women aged 19-70 years, of whom >92% lived on/below US$1.00/day. Women without prior education showed a poor average awareness rate of 6.4% (164/2,559). A onetime education intervention, however, sharply raised the awareness rate by 4-fold to 25.5% (493/1,916). Importantly, low income and illiteracy were two reliable factors affecting awareness before or after education intervention. Conclusions: Education intervention can significantly raise the awareness of cervical cancer in low-income women. Economic development and compulsory education are two important solutions in raising general disease awareness. We propose that implementing community-based awareness programs against cervical cancer is realistic, locally affordable and sustainable in low-income countries, which may save many lives over time and, importantly, will facilitate the integration of comprehensive programs when feasible. In this context, adopting this strategy may provide one good example of how to achieve "good health at low cost".

The Usefulness of the Abdominal Computerized Tomography for the Diagnosis of Childhood Obesity and Its Correlation with Various Parameters of Obesity (소아 복부비만 진단을 위한 복부 전산화 단층 촬영의 유용성과 여러 지표와의 상관성 연구)

  • Shim, Yoon Hee;Cho, Su Jin;Rhyu, Jung Hyun;Hong, Young Mi
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.48 no.10
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    • pp.1082-1089
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    • 2005
  • Purpose : Abdominal obesity is encountered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, the anthropometric cut-off value to estimate the cardiovascular risk, has not been suggested. This study was designed to find the relationship between the abdominal fat and various parameters of obesity to find the cardiovascular risk factors related to abdominal obesity and to establish practical methods to measure them. Methods : Twenty seven obese Korean adolescents of moderate to severe degree and 22 healthy adolescents were enrolled. The body mass index(BMI), arm circumference and skinfold thickness were measured. Furthermore, blood lipid, sugar, insulin and four different cytokines' levels were checked and the distribution of body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat thickness by abdominal ultrasonography(US) and the total and intra-abdominal fat area by abdominal computerized tomography(CT) were measured in the obese group. Results : The most accurate method to measure abdominal fat in children is abdominal CT and the fat mass measured by bioelectrical impedance was strongly correlated with it(r=0.954). It was also correlated with arm circumference, fat thickness measured by abdominal US, BMI, aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and triglyceride level. Conclusion : Abdominal CT is the most accurate method to measure intra-abdominal fat, and it can be replaced by abdominal US for cost effectiveness. The screening methods that can be used at school or in outpatient basis include bioelectrical impedance, waist/hip ratio, and arm circumference. The cardiovascular risk factors include leptin, triglyceride and insulin level.

Geoscientific land management planning in salt-affected areas* (염기화된 지역에서의 지구과학적 토지 관리 계획)

  • Abbott, Simon;Chadwick, David;Street, Greg
    • Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.98-109
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    • 2007
  • Over the last twenty years, farmers in Western Australia have begun to change land management practices to minimise the effects of salinity to agricultural land. A farm plan is often used as a guide to implement changes. Most plans are based on minimal data and an understanding of only surface water flow. Thus farm plans do not effectively address the processes that lead to land salinisation. A project at Broomehill in the south-west of Western Australia applied an approach using a large suite of geospatial data that measured surface and subsurface characteristics of the regolith. In addition, other data were acquired, such as information about the climate and the agricultural history. Fundamental to the approach was the collection of airborne geophysical data over the study area. This included radiometric data reflecting soils, magnetic data reflecting bedrock geology, and SALTMAP electromagnetic data reflecting regolith thickness and conductivity. When interpreted, these datasets added paddock-scale information of geology and hydrogeology to the other datasets, in order to make on-farm and in-paddock decisions relating directly to the mechanisms driving the salinising process. The location and design of surface-water management structures such as grade banks and seepage interceptor banks was significantly influenced by the information derived from the airborne geophysical data. To evaluate the effectiveness ofthis planning., one whole-farm plan has been monitored by the Department of Agriculture and the farmer since 1996. The implemented plan shows a positive cost-benefit ratio, and the farm is now in the top 5% of farms in its regional productivity benchmarking group. The main influence of the airborne geophysical data on the farm plan was on the location of earthworks and revegetation proposals. There had to be a hydrological or hydrogeological justification, based on the site-specific data, for any infrastructure proposal. This approach reduced the spatial density of proposed works compared to other farm plans not guided by site-specific hydrogeological information.

Comparative Analysis of the Use of Leisure Resources and Leisure Activity According to the Execution of Forty-hour-a-week Working System: Based on 2012 Survey on National Leisure Activity (근로자의 주 40시간 근무제 시행 유무에 따른 여가자원 이용 및 여가활동 비교분석: 2012년 국민여가활동 조사 결과를 기초로)

  • Bark, Min-Jeng;Yoon, So-Young
    • Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.19-37
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    • 2013
  • From the perspective of labor welfare, forty-hour-a-week working system:(FWS) has been an important goal throughout world, and in fact, advanced countries implemented this a long time ago. However, there are differences in opinions concerning FWS; some people emphasizes the improvement in life quality, while others point out that this measure increases the cost of wages and has limited effectiveness. Thus, discussions about the success of FWS have emerged from diverse perspectives; One thing that should be made clear before debating FWS is that reducing laborers' working hours is already a global trend, and Korea, also intends to extend it. Therefore, in order to maximize the benefits resulting from the execution of the system and to identify measures that can be used to solve the problems related to FWS, it is necessary to consider actual laborers' use of leisure resources and whether they have increased or decreased as a result of FWS. It is also necessary to look at the differences in workers' leisure activity with and without the system. To evaluate and diagnose FWS's political effect from the perspective of laborers' leisure satisfaction and improvements in life quality, this study examines differences in leisure expenses, leisure hours, use of and demand for leisure resources such as leisure space, and types of leisure activity, according to the execution of FWS, This research is based on the "2012 Survey on National Leisure Activity" conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In addition, through analysis of the differences in leisure satisfaction and happiness levels, the study intends to confirm the necessity of executing FWS and ensuring that the system is in use. The study results can be briefly summed up as followa:: First, regarding the general findings of the study, a significant result was shown in terms of the execution of FWS according to income level. The finding that the execution of FWS works differently according to the working environment or life quality reassures us of the common notion in society that working environment or life quality may differ in relation to social characteristics. The utility of weekday leisure hours did not indicate a statistically significant difference, but in terms of weekend leisure hours, laborers practicing FWS had an additional 30 minutes of leisure time than those who did not. Furthermore, regarding leisure expenses, laborers practicing FWS indicated more monthly average leisure expenses or expected leisure expenses. In relation to leisure activity, those working at a company executing FWS engaged in culture and art activities more frequently than those working at the companies that did not. On the other hand, those working at companies without FWS indicated more hobbies, amusement activities, rest, and other activities than those working at the companies with FWS. In terms of vacation experience, those working at companies with FWS had more vacation time than those working at companies without it; on average, they had longer vacations by 1.64 days. Regarding their leisure life satisfaction and happiness level, those working at companies with FWS indicated higher satisfaction and greater happiness than those working at companies without it. The findings mentioned above represent the preliminary results of this paper, and the remainder of the research will provide more detailed analysis results and suggestions corresponding to them.

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A Verification on the Effectiveness of Middle Managers' Emotional Leadership in Food Service Management Companies (위탁급식업체 중간관리자의 감성리더십 효과성 검증)

  • Kim, Hyun-Ah;Jung, Hyun-Young
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.36 no.4
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    • pp.488-498
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    • 2007
  • The purposes of this study were to: a) provide evidences concerning the effects of emotional leadership b) examine the impacts of emotional leadership on employee-related variables, 'job satisfaction', 'organizational commitment', 'organizational performance' and 'turnover intention', and c) identify a conceptual framework underlying emotional leadership. A survey was conducted from August 23 to November 3, 2005 to collect data from mid-level managers in food service company headquarters (N=219). Statistical analyses were completed using SPSS Win (12.0) for descriptive, reliability, factor and correlation analyses and AMOS (5.0) for confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The main results of this study were as follows. First, the managers gave the highest point to their leaders in the emotional leadership competence 'organizational awareness : reading the currents, decision networks, and politics at the organizational level' and gave the lowest point in the emotional leadership competence 'influence: wielding effective tactics for persuasion'. Second, the means of job satisfaction was above the midpoint (3 points). Employees' job satisfaction with 'coworkers' was relatively high. However, the extents of satisfaction with 'payroll' 'promotion', and 'work environment' were relatively low. Third, the organizational commitment was above the midpoint (3 points). In the organizational commitment, 'loyalty' factor was higher than 'commitment' factor. Fourth, the means of organizational performance was above the midpoint. The highest organizational performance variable was 'internal efficiency; trying to reduce cost' and the lowest organizational performance variable was 'internal fairness ; equitable treatment and all are treated with respect with no regard to status and grade'. Fifth, most respondents intended on 'thinking of quitting ; towards turnover process'. Sixth, the test of hypothesis using structural equation modeling found that emotional leadership produced p[Isitive effects on job attitude and job performance. Emotional leadership enhanced job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and in turn, employees' attitude positive effects on organizational performance; emotional leadership also had a direct impact on organizational performance

A basic research for evaluation of a Home Care Nursing Delivery System (가정간호 서비스 질 평가를 위한 도구개발연구)

  • Kim, Mo-Im;Cho, Won-Jung;Kim, Eui-Sook;Kim, Sung-Kyu;Chang, Soon-Bok;Ryu, Ho-Sihn
    • Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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    • v.6
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    • pp.33-45
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    • 1999
  • The purpose of this study was to develop a basic framework and criteria for evaluation of quality care provided to patients with the attributes of disease in the home care nursing field, and to provide measurement tools for home health care in the future. The study design was a developmental study for evaluation of hospital-based HCN(home care nursing) in Korea. The study process was as follows: a home care nursing study team of College of Nursing. Yonsei University reviewed the nursing records of 47 patients who were enrolled at Yonsei University Medical Center Home Care Center in March, 1995. Twenty-five patients were insured at that time, were selected from 47 patients receiving home care service for study feasibility with six disease groups; Caesarean Section (C/S), simple nephrectomy, Liver cirrhosis(LC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), Lung cancer or cerebrovascular accident(CVA). In this study, the following items were selected : First step : Preliminary study 1. Criteria and items were selected on the basis of related literature on each disease area. 2. Items were identified by home care nurses. 3. A physician in charge reviewed the criteria and content of selected items. 4. Items were revised through preliminary study offered to both HCN patients and discharged patients from the home care center. Second step : Pretest 1. To verify the content of the items, a pretest was conducted with 18 patients of which there were three patients in each of the six selected disease groups. Third step : Test of reliability and validity of tools 1. Using the collected data from 25 patients with either cis, Simple nephrectomy, LC, COPD, Lung cancer, or CVA. the final items were revised through a panel discussion among experts in medical care who were researchers, doctors, or nurses. 2. Reliability and validity of the completed tool were verified with both inpatients and HCN patients in each of field for researches. The study results are as follows: 1. Standard for discharge with HCN referral The referral standard for home care, which included criteria for discharge with HCN referral and criteria leaving the hospital were established. These were developed through content analysis from the results of an open-ended questionnaire to related doctors concerning characteristic for discharge with HCN referral for each of the disease groups. The final criteria was decided by discussion among the researchers. 2. Instrument for measurement of health statusPatient health status was measured pre and post home care by direct observation and interview with an open-ended questionnaire which consisted of 61 items based on Gorden's nursing diagnosis classification. These included seven items on health knowledge and health management, eight items on nutrition and metabolism, three items on elimination, five items on activity and exercise, seven items on perception and cognition, three items on sleep and rest, three items on self-perception, three items on role and interpersonal relations, five items on sexuality and reproduction, five items on coping and stress, four items on value and religion, three items on family. and three items on facilities and environment. 3. Instrument for measurement of self-care The instrument for self-care measurement was classified with scales according to the attributes of the disease. Each scale measured understanding level and practice level by a Yes or No scale. Understanding level was measured by interview but practice level was measured by both observation and interview. Items for self-care measurement included 14 for patients with a CVA, five for women who had a cis, ten for patients with lung cancer, 12 for patients with COPD, five for patients with a simple nephrectomy, and 11 for patients with LC. 4. Record for follow-up management This included (1) OPD visit sheet, (2) ER visit form, (3) complications problem form, (4) readmission sheet. and (5) visit note for others medical centers which included visit date, reason for visit, patient name, caregivers, sex, age, time and cost required for visit, and traffic expenses, that is, there were open-end items that investigated OPD visits, emergency room visits, the problem and solution of complications, readmissions and visits to other medical institution to measure health problems and expenditures during the follow up period. 5. Instrument to measure patients satisfaction The satisfaction measurement instrument by Reisseer(1975) was referred to for the development of a tool to measure patient home care satisfaction. The instrument was an open-ended questionnaire which consisted of 11 domains; treatment, nursing care, information, time consumption, accessibility, rapidity, treatment skill, service relevance, attitude, satisfaction factors, dissatisfaction factors, overall satisfaction about nursing care, and others. In conclusion, Five evaluation instruments were developed for home care nursing. These were (1)standard for discharge with HCN referral. (2)instrument for measurement of health status, (3)instrument for measurement of self-care. (4)record for follow-up management, and (5)instrument to measure patient satisfaction. Also, the five instruments can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the service to assure quality. Further research is needed to increase the reliability and validity of instrument through a community-based HCN evaluation.

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Removable implant-supported partial denture using milled bar with Locator® attachments in a cleft lip & palate patient: A clinical report (구순구개열 환자에서 Locator® 유지장치가 장착된 milled titanium bar를 이용한 가철성 임플란트 피개 국소의치의 보철수복증례)

  • Yang, Sang-Hyun;Kim, Kyoung-A;Kim, Ja-Yeong;Seo, Jae-Min
    • The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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    • v.53 no.3
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    • pp.207-214
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    • 2015
  • Due to the limitations of conventional removable partial denture prostheses to treat a cleft lip & palate patient who shows scar tissue on upper lip, excessive absorption of the maxillary residual alveolar ridge, and class III malocclusion with narrow palate and undergrowth of the maxilla, 4 implants were placed on the maxillary edentulous region and a maxillary removable implant-supported partial denture was planned using a CAD/CAM milled titanium bar. Unlike metal or gold casting technique which has shrinkage after the molding, CAD/CAM milled titanium bar is highly-precise, economical and lightweight. In practice, however, it is very hard to obtain accurate friction-fit from the milled bar and reduction in retention can occur due to repetitive insertion and removal of the denture. Various auxiliary retention systems (e.g. $ERA^{(R)}$, $CEKA^{(R)}$, magnetics, $Locator^{(R)}$ attachment), in order to deal with these problems, can be used to obtain additional retention, cost-effectiveness and ease of replacement. Out of diverse auxiliary attachments, $Locator^{(R)}$ has characteristics that are dual retentive, minimal in vertical height and convenient of attachment replacement. Drill and tapping method is simple and the replacement of the metal female part of $Locator^{(R)}$ attachment is convenient. In this case, the $Locator^{(R)}$ attachment is connected to the milled titanium bar fabricated by CAD/CAM, using the drill and tapping technique. Afterward, screw holes were formed and 3 $Locator^{(R)}$ attachments were secured with 20 Ncm holding force for additional retention. Following this procedure, satisfactory results were obtained in terms of aesthetic facial form, masticatory function and denture retention, and I hereby report this case.

Critical Pathway for Operable Gastric Cancer (위암수술 환자에서의 Critical Pathway의 개발과 적용)

  • Song, Kyo-Young;Kim, Seung-Nam;Park, Cho-Hyun
    • Journal of Gastric Cancer
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.95-100
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    • 2005
  • Purpose: Critical pathways (CP), also known as clinical pathways, are management plans that display goals for patients and have led to improved outcomes for many disease entities. This study was aimed at developing a critical pathway for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer patients and evaluating its usefulness. Materials and Methods: A CP was developed and implemented by a team of surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, and administrative officials. Among the 117 patients who received curative gastrectomies for gastric cancer at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, between October 2003 and August 2004, 26 patients were treated according to the CP. We evaluated its usefulness by comparing the clinical characterisctics, postoperative progress, hospital stays, and costs between the CP and the non-CP groups. Patient satisfaction was also surveyed with questionnaires. Results: Of the initial 26 patients in the CP group, two were excluded from the final evaluation; one patient had a duodenal stump leakage, and the other had a gastric stasis postoperatively. In 8 patients, protocol violation occurred; six patients refused to be discharged on the $7^{th}$ postoperative day, one patient who had an gastric staisis postoperatively stayed for 2 additional days, and one patient who needed ICU care stayed for 4 additional days. The drop-out rate was $7.7\%$ (2/26), and the variance rate was $30.8\%$ (8/26). The mean hospital stay was 11.3 days ($10\~15$ days) for the CP group compared with 17.5 days ($9\∼68$ days) for the non-CP group, resulting in a difference of about 6 days (P<0.05). The mean hospital stays after surgery were 10.3 days ($7\∼68$ days) and 8.3 days ($7\∼12$ days) for the non-CP and the CP groups, respectively, but the difference was statistically not significant (P>0.05). The mean charge during the hospital stay was higher in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 6,292,200) than in the CP group ( $\\$ 4,863,685). The charge per hospital day was higher in the CP group ( $\\$ 430,414) than in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 359,554). Patient satisfaction was higher in the CP group than in the non-CP group. Conclusion: By developing and applying a critical pathway in the surgical treatment of stomach cancer patients, we could reduce the length of hospital stay as well as the cost. A multi-centered prospective study to establish a standard treatment pathway and to demonstrate its effectiveness is needed in the future.

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Comparison of Various DNA Extraction Methods for Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (중합효소연쇄반응을 이용한 결핵의 진단에 있어서 각종 DNA 추출방법의 비교)

  • Kim, Ju-Ock;Han, Pyo-Seong;Hong, Seok-Cheol;Lee, Jong-Jin;Cho, Hai-Jeong;Kim, Sun-Young
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.43-51
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    • 1993
  • Background: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a very sensitive method for the detecting of mycobacterial DNA. There are many reports revealing the efficacy of PCR for the diagnosis of M. tuberculosis, but there are many different methods for DNA extraction from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bead beater method is a very useful method for DNA extraction from clinical spectimens, but its procedures are relatively complicated and time-consuming. So we studied other methods for the DNA extraction from Mycobacterium tuberculosis $H_{37}Rv$ and some clinical specimens (5 smear positive sputa and 5 smear negative CSF). Method: We extracted the mycobacterial DNA with 6 different methods from H37Rv strain and clinical specimens. The methods included SDS-microwave oven method, NaOH lysis method, Triton X-100-Proteinase K method, Lysis buffer method, SDS-proteinase K method and bead beater method. The target DNA was 123bp of IS6110 and was detected by examination of ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. Results: Among 6 methods, SDS-proteinase K method, bead beater method, lysis buffer method and triton X-100-proteinase K method were excellent, but SDS-proteinase K method was the best method in the aspect of simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Conclusion: We suggest that SDS-porteinase K method is a simple and convinient method and might be the best method for the extraction of mycobacterial DNA.

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The Role of Blind Protected Specimen Brushing (PSB) in Intubated Patients (기관 삽관 중인 환자에서 Blind Protected Specimen Brushing의 역할)

  • Yoo, Hee Seung;Hong, Ji Hyun;Yoon, Jang Uk;Eom, Kwang-Seok;Lee, Jae Myung;Kim, Chul Hong;Jang, Seung Hun;Kim, Dong Gyu;Lee, Myung Goo;Hyun, In Gyu;Jung, Ki-Suck
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.55 no.1
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    • pp.59-68
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    • 2003
  • Background : In intubated patients, cultures of endotracheal aspirates (EA) are apt to contamination throughout the endotracheal tube. Therefore, the identification of etiologic agents via conventional EA cultures is not always reliable. In order to differentiate a pulmonary infection from a non-infectious disease, and to identify the true etiologic agent of acute pulmonary infection, blinded protected specimen brushing (PSB) was used, and its efficacy evaluated. Methods : In 51 intubated patients, with suspected pneumonia, blind PSB were performed, and the results compared with blood and EA cultures. A protected specimen brush was introduced through the endotracheal tube, and settled at the affected large bronchus. A specimen brush was introduced to the expected region using the blind method. The tip of the brush was introduced with an aseptic technique after vigorously mixed for 1 minute in $1cm^3$ of Ringer's lactate solution. The specimens were submitted for quantitative culture within 15 minutes, with a culture being regarded as positive if the colony forming units were above $10^3/ml$. Results : Of the 51 patients, 15 (29.4%) had community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), 27 (52.9%) hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and 9 (17.6%) non-infectious diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative PSB culture for the diagnosis of pneumonia were 52.4 and 88.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of EA were 78.6 and 77.8%, respectively. The blind PSB was superior to the EA for the identification of true etiologic agents. Of 53 episodes of 27 HAP patients, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) (41.5%) was the most common causative agent followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.1%), Klebsiella sp. (7.5%) and Acinetobacter sp. (7.5%). Conclusions : As a simple, non-invasive diagnostic modality, the blind PSB is a useful method for the differentiation of a pulmonary infection from non-infectious diseases and to identify the etiologic agents in intubated patients. A blind PSB can be performed without bronchoscopy, so is safer, more convenient and cost-effectiveness for patients where bronchoscopy can not be performed.