• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.258-276
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• 1998

This study was conducted to justify the "prescribed shelf life" currently used in Samsung Medical Center and give recommendations based on scientific data to adopt for safe and cost-effective storage times for sterile goods Since the early 1970's, predetermined expiration dating policy has been used in Korea on all in-house sterilized products like any other countries; six months for the supplies wrapped in polyethylene peel pouches and two weeks for the rest. Recently, however, the studies suggest that current standards for preserving the sterility can be changing. It looks like we unnecessarily have too-short expiration date of sterilized supplies, that is far from being cost effective. Certainly, this research is an exciting project, especially in Korea, and will be leading and contributing to the paradigm shift of the conservative concept of shelf life for sterile supplies in Korean healthcare facilities. The major goal of this study was placed on the measurement of the recontamination time in packs wrapped in all kinds of wrapping materials used in S.M.C and stored in various conditions for periods ranging from three months to six months, and then develop a practical standard of "shelf life" based on the analyzed data. Objectives: To measure and compare the recontamination time of sterile packs among wrapppers and storage conditions, and develop a practical standard for the shelf life and storage conditions of sterile products. Samples and Method: The sterile integrity was investigated of the total 1,440 sterile sample packs containing gauze strip($1.5cm{\times}0.5cm$) we prepared and wrapped in nine wrapping materials (randomized reprocessed linens, linens reprocessed 99 times, linens reprocessed 120 times, new kraft paper, used kraft paper, new nonwoven fabrics, 6-time reprocessed nonwoven fabrics, new polyethylene peel pouches, used polyethylene peel pouches), and stored in four locations(closed cabinet of one of the typical wards, open shelf of one of ICUs, open shelf of separate storage room in ER, open shelf in OR), for three to six months, respectively in 1998. Each type of packs were opened weekly and the gauze strips inoculated into Brewer's thioglycollate broth at $35^{\circ}C$ for seven days. Results: There was no growth found for any types of the pack and storage conditions studied. Discussion: This study was conducted in an attempt to identify the possibility of extending the current shelf life for sterile goods we use in a sense of cost effectiveness. The findings suggest that we could extend our expiration dates, that means we can save a lot of materials and personnel time meeded for resterilizing, outdating, recleaning, wrapping, and reshelving. Then it will initiate a great reform in the field of healthcare in Korea, and now we are looking forward to this valuable revolution. We are going to continue this study and take all steps need to apply this new concept to our practice, and then trying to extend to other hospitals.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 2012

Convergence of information technology (IT) and medical devices enables people to measure health-related information ubiquitously, such as measuring blood glucose at home and checking cardiac signals during exercise and it allows us to access to medical care anywhere and anytime. Nowadays, the market for U-healthcare medical devices is growing rapidly, but guidelines for the evaluation of safety and effectiveness of such devices remain to be formulated. We performed a study on the development of safety and performance evaluation method for portable, hand-held, U-healthcare medical devices. We reviewed current guidelines and standards for home-health devices from the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and related international committees such as the ISO/IEEE and CE. We summarized the test methods and items for the evaluation of safety and performance related to U-healthcare medical devices from the above guidelines and standards. We defined requirements for a U-healthcare medical device to demonstrate good performance. In conclusion, we propose an evaluation method for U-healthcare medical devices, which will help improve the safety and reliability of these devices.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.161-165
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• 2011

PURPOSE. This randomized clinical trial was conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of the ErhBMP-2 in alveolar bone regeneration as well as preservation of the ${\beta}$-TCP bone graft material that contains ErhBMP-2. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This study involved 72 patients at the 3 study centers. The patients, who were divided into 2 groups: the experiment group who had ErhBMP-2 coated TCP/HA and the control group who had TCP/HA graft material alone transplanted immediately after tooth extraction. CT was taken before and 3 months after the transplantation and healing status was compared between the two groups. The efficacy endpoints that were used to measure the degree of bone induction included alveolar bone height and 3 measurements of bone width. The paired t test was used to determine the significance of the changes (P<.05). RESULTS. Changes in alveolar bone height were $-1.087{\pm}1.413$ mm in the control group and $-.059{\pm}0.960$ mm in the experimental group (P<.01). At 25% extraction socket length [ESL], the changes were $0.006{\pm}1.149$ mm in the control group and $1.279{\pm}1.387$ mm in the experimental group. At 50% ESL, the changes were $0.542{\pm}1.157$ mm and $1.239{\pm}1.249$ mm, respectively (P<.01 for 25% ESL, and P<.05 for 50% ESL). During the experiment, no adverse reactions to the graft material were observed. CONCLUSION. ErhBMP-2 coated ${\beta}$-TCP/HA were found to be more effective in preserving alveolar bone than conventional ${\beta}$-TCP/HA alloplastic bone graft materials.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.501-506
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• 2017

An infrared seeking missile does not emit any signal by itself as it is guided by passive heat signature from an aircraft. Therefore, it is difficult for the target aircraft to notice the existence of incoming missile, making it a serious threat. The usage of MAW(missile approach warning) that can notify the approaching infrared seeking missile is currently limited due to its high cost. Furthermore, effectiveness of MAW against infrared seeking missile is not available in open literature. Therefore, effect of evasive maneuver by MAW on the survivability of the aircraft is simulated to evaluate the benefit of the MAW in this research. The lethal range is used as a measure of aircraft survivability. An aircraft flying at an altitude of 5km with Mach 0.9 being tracked by air-launched AIM-9 infrared seeking missile is considered in this research. As a variable for the evasive maneuver, the MAW recognition distance of 5~7km and the G-force of 3~7G that limits maximum directional change of the aircraft are considered. Simulation results showed that the recognition of incoming missile by MAW and following evasive maneuver can reduce the lethal range considerably. Maximum reduction in lethal range is found to be 29.4%. Also, the MAW recognition distance have a greater importance than the aircraft maneuverability that is limited by structural limit of the aircraft.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.469-480
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• 2019

One of the goals of the new 2015 revised curriculum is to cultivate the creativity of students who will live in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to create new things through diverse ideas and challenges based on basic learning skills. Accordingly, in order to solve the given problems rationally, the convergence problem solving ability that can process and utilize various areas of knowledge and information is becoming important. Therefore, in this study, we designed the integrative education using a 3D printer based on Tinkercad modeling and applied it to the class to investigate the effect on the improvement of computing thinking ability of elementary school students. To verify the contents of the study, two classes of 25 sixth-grade elementary school students were divided into an experimental group and a controlled group. For the experimental group, 12 classes of convergence education programs using a 3D printer were applied for about three months, and the same amount of general curriculum was conducted for the control group. After that, the t-tests were carried out using the pre-post test to measure the effectiveness of the computational thinking ability. After the application of the program, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvement in computational thinking ability, but the controlled group showed no statistically significant difference. The results show that convergence education using the Tinkercad modeling-based 3D printer has a positive effect on the improvement of computing thinking ability of elementary school students.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2023

Background: Fearful and anxious patients who find dental treatment intolerable without sedative and analgesic support may benefit from moderate sedation. Target controlled infusion (TCI) pumps are superior to bolus injection in maintaining low plasma and effect-site concentration variability, resulting in stable, steady-state drug concentrations. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of moderate sedation with remifentanil and propofol using TCI pumps in non-hospital dental settings. Methods: A prospective chart review was conducted on 101 patients sedated with propofol and remifentanil using TCI pumps. The charts were completed at two oral surgeons and one general dentist's office over 6 months. Hypoxia, hypotension, bradycardia, and over-sedation were considered adverse events and were collected using Tracking and Reporting Outcomes of Procedural Sedation (TROOPS). Furthermore, patient recovery time, sedation length, drug dose, and patient satisfaction questionnaires were used to measure sedation effectiveness. Results: Of the 101 reviewed sedation charts, 54 were of men, and 47 were of women. The mean age of the patients was 40.5 ±18.7 years, and their mean BMI was 25.6 ± 4.4. The patients did not experience hypoxia, bradycardia, and hypotension during the 4694 min of sedation. The average minimum Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) and heartbeats were 75.1 mmHg and 60.4 bpm, respectively. 98% of patients agreed that the sedation technique met their needs in reducing their anxiety, and 99% agreed that they were satisfied with the sedation 24 hours later. The average sedation time was 46.9 ± 55.6 min, and the average recovery time was 12.4 ± 4.4 min. Remifentanil and propofol had mean initial effect-site concentration doses of 0.96 µ/.ml and 1.0 ng/ml respectively. The overall total amount of drug administered was significantly higher in longer sedation procedures compared to shorter ones, while the infusion rate decreased as the procedural stimulus decreased. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, no patients experienced adverse events during sedation, and all patients were kept at a moderate sedation level for a wide range of sedation times and differing procedures. The results showed that TCI pumps are safe and effective for administering propofol and remifentanil for moderate sedation in dentistry.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.561-574
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• 2018

In this study, regional variations and factors associated with prevalence of metabolic syndrome were grasped using GWR (geographically weighted regression) and methodologies for the efficient management of metabolic syndrome were then set up to resolve health inequalities. Based on the National Health Screening Statistical Yearbook published by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), community health survey (KCDC) and other governmental institutions, indicators of social structural and mediation factors related to the regional prevalence of metabolic syndrome were collected. First, the existence of indicators to measure variations in metabolic syndrome were confirmed with the collected data by calculating the EQ (extremal quotient) and CV (coefficient of variations). The GWR, which is able to take spatial variations into consideration, was then adopted to analyze the factors of regional variations in metabolic syndrome. The GWR analysis revealed that severity and management of the main causes need to be prioritized in accordance with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Consequently, the order of priority in management of regional prevalence of metabolic syndrome was established, and plans that can increase the effectiveness of management of metabolic syndrome were confirmed to be feasible.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.29-73
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• 2007

This paper evaluates the effects of the Basic Subsidy Program provided to families with infants cared for in private day care centers. There has been a discrepancy in the price and quality level between public and private day care centers. Public day care centers which receive government support in their labor costs are able to maintain relatively higher quality at lower price than their private counterparts, while the majority of children are cared for at private day care centers. To reduce the gap of the price and quality of care between public and private day care centers by improving the quality and decreasing the price of private day care centers, the Basic Subsidy Program was introduced in 2006 to the private day care centers. The subsidies mainly aim to improve the quality and the accessibility of child care, and encourage mothers' labor supply. For this purpose, the provision of the Basic Subsidy Program imposed prerequisites to the care providers including minimum wage and four major insurances for teachers, and child-staff ratio. I examine whether the subsidies improve the quality of care, help mothers balancing work and family, and increase satisfaction with child care from mothers' perspective. Since the outcome variables that measure the quality of care are difficult to obtain, I instead use the input variables for quality production. Child-staff ratio, teachers' welfare, and care environment are considered. The relationship between these variables and the introduction of subsidies is examined. The 2004 National Survey of Child Care and Education and the 2004 National Survey of Day Care Centers are used for the base data set. To reflect the outcomes after the Basic Subsidy Program, equivalent data sets for households and care providers are constructed by the KDI Data Analysis Unit. Using these nationally representative data sets, information regarding child care is collected. The findings show that the subsidies contribute to the quality of care improving the input variables of quality production. The welfare of teachers is improved, and the child-staff ratio significantly decreases. As a result, the usage of private day care centers greatly increases even though the price level rarely changes. However, mothers' satisfaction with child care are rarely affected by the subsidies. Although the subsidies with no eligibility criteria enlarge the recipients, the actual effects to increase maternal labor supply or to improve satisfaction is limited. Given this findings, I suggest some modifications of subsidies to raise the effectiveness of the subsidy program.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.102-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends of randomized controlled trials on herbal medicine treatment for atopic dermatitis in China for the last 5 years. We searched for randomized controlled trials with the intervention of herbal medicine for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from January 2014 to December 2018. For the screening of the paper, we used '特应性皮炎' and '异位性皮炎' which mean atopic dermatitis and search was limited to three areas within Medicine & Public Health: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs, Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine. Among the 136 searched studies, we selected a total of 34 studies and analyzed a year of publication, subject characteristics, study design and intervention, prescribed herbal medicine and herbs, pattern identification, evaluation criteria, and outcomes. Longmu decoction (龍牡湯) and Polia Sclerotium (茯笭) was the most frequently prescribed medicine and herb. The most commonly used pattern identification was Blood deficiency and Wind-dryness (血虛風燥), and among them, the most frequently prescribed herb is Rehmanniae Radix (生地黃). In most studies using the total effectiveness and SCORAD index as an outcome measure, the herbal medicine treatment group showed statistically better results than the control group. As a result of the safety assessment, the herbal medicine treatment group was reported having significantly fewer side effects compared to the control group. Hence, it was confirmed that the intervention including herbal medicine had a significant effect on atopic dermatitis. This study would be able to provide the basis of clinical research on atopic dermatitis and applied to the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6451-6457
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• 2013

Background and Purpose: Indigenous people who leave their hometowns and move to the city to earn a living became urban aboriginals. During the process of adapting to urban living situations, they may use various coping strategies such as smoking to overcome their stress. Therefore, it is crucial to provide health education including smoking prevention, increasing knowledge regarding of tobacco hazard, self-efficacy of anti-smoking, and adjusting smoking behavior so as to empower their anti-smoking motivation to prevent lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of an anti-smoking program on urban aboriginals in Taiwan. Methods: A quasi-experimental study design with purposeful sampling was employed. A total of 125 aboriginal subjects were recruited from two local churches at Shu Lin area in northern Taiwan. Subjects were divided into an experimental group (n =64 ) and a control group (n = 61). Both took pre-tests in order to set baseline values, and only the experimental group participated for 3-weeks in the anti-smoking program classes. Both groups took post-tests immediately after the intervention in order to evaluate the immediate effects of the teaching program, and a follow-up test was conducted four weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANCOVA, and repeat measure ANCOVA. Results: After controlling for confounding variables, the results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the self-efficacy of anti-smoking and smoking behavior between experimental and control groups in the immediately post-test and the follow-up test (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant differences in the recognition of hazards of smoking at eiter time point. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The findings of this study revealed that the anti-smoking program effectively improved self-efficacy of anti-smoking, and decreased the smoking behavior in urban aboriginals. They provide useful information as a reference regarding of aboriginal health promotion to health providers. It is imperative that anti-smoking be reinforced for those regular smokers to prevent induction of lung cancer.