• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.2 s.20
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• pp.314-321
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• 1986

Forced vital capacities (FVC's) and forced expiratory volumes in one second $(FEV_{1.0}'s)$ of 26 pneumoconiosis patients were checked at admission and were followed up for 10 months through hospitalization. FVC's and $FEV_{1.0}'s$ were slightly improved in 10 months after admission. The improvement of FVC's was statistically significant. In the group of large opacities in chest radiographs, FVC's and $FEV_{1.0}'s$ were lower than those values in small opacity group at admission but improved more progressively. Similar finding was noted in the group of emphysema; those values were lower at admission but improved more progressively than those of non-emphysema group.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.77 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2014

Background: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) have different pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and outcomes than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The intention of this study was to identify unknown differences between CPFE and IPF by a retrospective comparison of clinical data including baseline and annual changes in pulmonary function, comorbidities, laboratory findings, clinical characteristics and cause of hospitalization. Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled patients with CPFE and IPF who had undergone PFTs once or several times per year during a follow-up period of three years. Baseline clinical characteristics and the annual changes in the pulmonary function during the follow-up period were compared between 26 with CPFE and 42 patients with IPF. Results: The baseline ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity ($FEV_1$/FVC%) in patients with CPFE was lower than that in patients with IPF ($78.6{\pm}1.7$ vs. $82.9{\pm}1.1$, p=0.041). The annual decrease in $FEV_1$/FVC in the CPFE was significantly higher than in the IPF. The annual decreases in diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide and FVC showed no significant differences between the two groups. The symptom durations of cough and sputum were in the CPFE significantly lower than in the IPF. The serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate level at the acute stage was significantly higher than in the IPF. There were no significant differences in the hospitalization rate and pneumonia was the most common cause of hospitalization in both study groups. Conclusion: The annual decrease of $FEV_1$/FVC was in patients with CPFE significantly higher than in the patients with IPF.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.26
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• pp.11.1-11.6
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• 2011

Objects: The prevalence of asthma has increased in recent decades globally. The objective of the present study is to elucidate whether hospitalization for bronchiolitis in infancy and low socioeconomic status interact for bronchial hyperreactivity during teenage years. Method: We studied 522 children age 13-14 years attending schools in rural and urban areas to investigate the risk factors for bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR), defined as a provocation concentration of methacholine that causes a decrease of 20% ($PC_{20}$) in forced expiratory volume within 1 second. Clinical examination, skin prick test, spirometry, and methacholine challenge were performed on all study subjects, who provided written consent. We used multivariate logistic regression to investigate the risk factors for BHR, and analyze the interaction between hospitalization for bronchiolitis in infancy and low socioeconomic status. Results: Forty-six (10.3%) positive BHR cases were identified. In the multivariate logistic analysis, as independent predictors of BHR, adjusted odds ratio of bronchiolitis diagnosed before 2 years of age in low income families was 13.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 135.0), compared to reference group, controlling for age, gender, parental allergy history, skin prick test, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. Interaction was observed between bronchiolitis before 2 years old and low socioeconomic status on children's bronchial hyperreactivity (p-interaction=0.025). Conclusions: This study showed that bronchiolitis diagnosed before 2 years of age and low socioeconomic status interacted on children's bronchial hyperreactivity. Prevention of acute respiratory infection in early childhood in low socioeconomic status is important to prevent BHR as a precursor of asthma.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.209-279
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• 2016

The Korean Mental Health Act was amended 2016 overall. This paper examines and evaluates the old Korean Mental Health Act since 1995 and the new Korean Mental Health Promotion Act 2016 from the Perspective of Human Rights and Inclusion of Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities. The persons with mental disabilities was separated and ruled out from society by the enactment of the Mental Health Act in 1995 and five times amendment. That has been justified and institutionally supported by medical viewpoint. The medical approach which reconsider the persons with mental disabilities as patients conceal that the aims of the involuntary admission in Mental Hospital are protection of society and the relief of the family member's duty of support for person with mental disabilities. This is institutionally supported in the 1995 Korean Mental Health Act by involuntary admission through the consent of family members as protectors. According to the old Act, the family members as protectors are authorized to consent to involuntary admission of persons with mental disabilities. Also, the psychiatrist that diagnoses the person with mental disabilities and evaluates the need for treatment by admission is not impartial in this decision. Family members as protectors may want to lighten their burden of support for the person with mental disabilities in their home by admitting them into a mental hospital, and the psychiatrist in the mental hospital can be improperly influenced by demand of hospital management. Additionally, Article 24 of the Korean Mental Health Act for the Involuntary Admission by the Consent of Family Members as Protector might violate personal liberty, as guaranteed in the Korean Constitution. The Mental Health Promotion Law was amended to reduce the scope of the persons with mental illness which are subject to forced hospitalization and to demand that a second diagnosis is made by another psychiatrist and screening by the committee concerning the legitimacy of admission in the process of the involuntary admission by the consent of family members as a method of protection. The amended Mental Health Promotion Law will contribute to reducing the number of the involuntary admissions and the inclusion of persons with mental disabilities. But if persons with mental disabilities are not providing some kind of service to the community, the amended Mental Health Promotion Law does not work for Inclusion of them.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2010

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with recurrent hospital admissions for exacerbation of COPD in Korea. Methods: A retrospective study of 77 consecutive patients hospitalized for exacerbation of COPD at Pusan National University Hospital during the time period January 2005 to May 2008 was performed. The information was collected from the hospitalization period: clinical information, spirometric measures, and laboratory variables. In addition, socioeconomic characteristics, co-morbidity, anxiety, and depression were reviewed. Frequent readmission was defined as 2 or more hospitalizations in the year following discharge. Results: During the 1-year period after discharge, 42 patients (54.6%) reported one hospital admission and 35 patients (45.4%) reported 2 or more hospital readmissions. Among the 35 frequent readmission patients, 4 had more than 10 readmissions. Univariate analysis showed that a body mass index (BMI) <$18.5kg/m^2$, duration >36 months, forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$) <50% predicted, arterial $CO_2$ partial pressure ($PaCO_2$) >40 mm Hg, and arterial oxygen saturation ($SaO_2$) <95% at discharge were associated significantly with frequent readmissions. The multivariate analysis revealed that BMI <$18.5kg/m^2$, $PaCO_2$ >40 mm Hg at discharge were independently associated with frequent readmissions for exacerbation of COPD. Conclusion: Frequent readmissions for exacerbation of COPD were associated with low BMI and hypercapnia at discharge.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.347-354
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• 2013

In contrast to the increase in demand for high quality healthcare, there is limited medical human resources such as doctors and nurses so an excessive amount of workload is being forced to them. Therefore, a patient monitoring system using USN(Ubiquitous Sensor Network) is becoming a solution. This paper proposes a patient monitoring system applying USN in maternity hospital to reduce the workload of nurses. According to the efficiency evaluation test based on the model of two university hospitals(S, K University Hospital) and their doctor's diagnosis, the results showed that under the circumstances that one nurse is in charge of 12 patients(6 normal delivery patients and 6 cesarean delivery patients), a total of 1,260 minutes of workload was saved during hospitalization period(5 days). Also, we compared the workload of nurses with or without our proposed system, and the figures showed that in case of normal delivery patients, the workload of nurses decreased by 50 minutes per patient, whereas in case of cesarean delivery patients, the workload of nurses decreased by 130 minutes per patient.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.221-254
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• 2015

The amendment of the Korea Civil Code will take place July 1, 2013. One of the most import issues related to adult guardianship system is a part. Though more than 100 new provisions, the revised Civil Code fundamentally reformed the guardianship system to establish a system to meet the diverse and complex needs of those who need a guardian and ensure due process. The new adult guardianship system intended to respect dignity and human right of mentally incapacitated adults, to guaranee their autunomy and to minimize the public interventions for assisting them. The new guardianship system for vulnerable adult has three kinds of legal guardianship system (adult guardianship, limited guardianship and specific guardianship). Mental patients forced the hospitalization of the mental health code and will be treated as an agreement incapable person. In principle an agreement incapable person has capacity of consent. The consent of the mental patients are admitted first. It is advisable to medical care only by the consent of the guardian when the the mental patient do not agree ability. If the mental patient do not agree with the mentally ill, but there should be a supervisory capacity for a guardianship of the couple guardian supervision. In conclusion, it not lost the capacity to consent to inpatient mental illness called. Therefore, we must discuss in detail the scope of the agreement for the mental patients. Mental Health Act amendments are necessary in accordance with the amended Civil Code.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.228-233
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• 2020

Background: The Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire (BHQ) is a simple and repeatable, self-reporting health status questionnaire for bronchiectasis. We have translated the original version of the BHQ into Korean using a standardized methodology. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the Korean version of the BHQ (K-BHQ) with Korean patients. Methods: Stable state patients with bronchiectasis from two academic hospitals were enrolled in this study. The validity was assessed by investigating the relationship between the K-BHQ scores and the Korean version of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (K-CAT) scores. We also investigated the relationship between the K-BHQ scores and other variables of the modified Medical Research Council's (mMRC) dyspnea scale, lung function, and exacerbations. Results: A total of 126 patients with bronchiectasis were enrolled. The mean age was 64.3 (standard deviation [SD], 9.7). Women comprised 53.2% of the patients. The mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) was 60% of the predicted value (SD, 18.9%); the mean K-CAT score was 17.6 (SD, 9.1). The K-BHQ scores correlated strongly with the K-CAT scores (r=-0.656, p<0.001). There was significant correlation between the K-BHQ scores and the mMRC dyspnea scale (ρ=-0.409, p<0.001), FEV₁ (r=0.406, p<0.001), and number of exacerbations requiring hospitalization (ρ=-0.303, p=0.001). Conclusion: The K-BHQ is valid for assessing the health-related quality of life or health status of Korean bronchiectasis patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.547-559
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• 2022

This study is a qualitative study to explore caring of a mentally disabled family using mental rehabilitation facilities. As a result of the analysis, the life of a mentally disabled family appeared in 6 topics and 12 sub-themes. Life before the outbreak was warm and comfortable like an electric stove, and a frustrating and difficult life like a parrot in a cage due to family conflicts. The feeling of looking at the child who is starting to develop symptoms is fear and hopelessness that is hard to see ahead, and a sense of guilt for a child trapped in a disease before blooming his life. Forced hospitalization, and my feelings were torn apart, and my thoughts were confused by opaque recovery and worries about future life. The experience I felt as the disease lasted for a long time and hospitalized and discharged repeatedly feared that the mental illness of the family would be known to the people around me, and found that they struggled to cope with repeated recurrence and worsening symptoms. While using mental rehabilitation facilities, the changed life was comforted in a comfortable shelter, and turned out that there was hope for the future and that there was room to smile. The life expected in the future and the theme of hope turned out to be grateful for small changes and determined to be a warm fence for recovery.