• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2021

Background: We aimed to analyze the effectiveness of albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) in predicting postoperative febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Methods: From January 2013 to May 2018, 332 patients underwent URS and RIRS. The rate of postoperative fUTI and risk factors for postoperative fUTI were analyzed using logistic regression. Patients were divided into postoperative fUTI and non-postoperative fUTI (non-fUTI) groups. AGR with other demographic and perioperative data were compared between the two groups to predict the development of fUTI after URS. Results: Of the 332 patients, postoperative fUTI occurred in 41 (12.3%). Preoperative pyuria, microscopic hematuria, diabetes mellitus, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperglobulinemia were more prevalent in the fUTI group. Patients in the fUTI group had larger stone size, lower preoperative AGR, longer operation time, and longer preoperative antibiotic coverage period. In a multivariable logistic analysis, preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size were independently correlated with postoperative fUTI (p<0.001, p=0.008, and p=0.041, respectively). Receiver operating curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of AGR that could predict a high risk of fUTI after URS was 1.437 (sensitivity, 77.3%; specificity, 76.9%), while the cutoff value of stone size was 8.5 mm (sensitivity, 55.3%; specificity, 44.7%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size can serve as prognostic factors for predicting fUTI after URS.

• 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.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.157-176
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• 2012

Brand switching data frequently used in market structure analysis is adequate to analyze non- durable goods, because it can capture competition between specific two brands. But brand switching data sometimes can not be used to analyze goods like automobiles having long term duration because one of main assumptions that consumer preference toward brand attributes is not changed against time can be violated. Therefore a new type of data which can precisely capture competition among durable goods is needed. Another problem of using brand switching data collected from actual purchase behavior is short of explanation why consumers consider different set of brands. Considering above problems, main purpose of this study is to analyze market structure for durable goods with consideration set. The author uses exploratory approach and latent class clustering to identify market structure based on heterogeneous consideration set among consumers. Then the relationship between some factors and consideration set formation is analyzed. Some benefits and two demographic variables - age and income - are selected as factors based on consumer behavior theory. The author analyzed USA automotive market with top 11 brands using exploratory approach and latent class clustering. 2,500 respondents are randomly selected from the total sample and used for analysis. Six models concerning market structure are established to test. Model 1 means non-structured market and model 6 means market structure composed of six sub-markets. It is exploratory approach because any hypothetical market structure is not defined. The result showed that model 1 is insufficient to fit data. It implies that USA automotive market is a structured market. Model 3 with three market structures is significant and identified as the optimal market structure in USA automotive market. Three sub markets are named as USA brands, Asian Brands, and European Brands. And it implies that country of origin effect may exist in USA automotive market. Comparison between modal classification by derived market structures and probabilistic classification by research model was conducted to test how model 3 can correctly classify respondents. The model classify 97% of respondents exactly. The result of this study is different from those of previous research. Previous research used confirmatory approach. Car type and price were chosen as criteria for market structuring and car type-price structure was revealed as the optimal structure for USA automotive market. But this research used exploratory approach without hypothetical market structures. It is not concluded yet which approach is superior. For confirmatory approach, hypothetical market structures should be established exhaustively, because the optimal market structure is selected among hypothetical structures. On the other hand, exploratory approach has a potential problem that validity for derived optimal market structure is somewhat difficult to verify. There also exist market boundary difference between this research and previous research. While previous research analyzed seven car brands, this research analyzed eleven car brands. Both researches seemed to represent entire car market, because cumulative market shares for analyzed brands exceeds 50%. But market boundary difference might affect the different results. Though both researches showed different results, it is obvious that country of origin effect among brands should be considered as important criteria to analyze USA automotive market structure. This research tried to explain heterogeneity of consideration sets among consumers using benefits and two demographic factors, sex and income. Benefit works as a key variable for consumer decision process, and also works as an important criterion in market segmentation. Three factors - trust/safety, image/fun to drive, and economy - are identified among nine benefit related measure. Then the relationship between market structures and independent variables is analyzed using multinomial regression. Independent variables are three benefit factors and two demographic factors. The result showed that all independent variables can be used to explain why there exist different market structures in USA automotive market. For example, a male consumer who perceives all benefits important and has lower income tends to consider domestic brands more than European brands. And the result also showed benefits, sex, and income have an effect to consideration set formation. Though it is generally perceived that a consumer who has higher income is likely to purchase a high priced car, it is notable that American consumers perceived benefits of domestic brands much positive regardless of income. Male consumers especially showed higher loyalty for domestic brands. Managerial implications of this research are as follow. Though implication may be confined to the USA automotive market, the effect of sex on automotive buying behavior should be analyzed. The automotive market is traditionally conceived as male consumers oriented market. But the proportion of female consumers has grown over the years in the automotive market. It is natural outcome that Volvo and Hyundai motors recently developed new cars which are targeted for women market. Secondly, the model used in this research can be applied easier than that of previous researches. Exploratory approach has many advantages except difficulty to apply for practice, because it tends to accompany with complicated model and to require various types of data. The data needed for the model in this research are a few items such as purchased brands, consideration set, some benefits, and some demographic factors and easy to collect from consumers.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.314-320
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• 2020

Background: A diabetic foot is the most common cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations (LEA). The study seeks to assess the risk factors of amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). Methods: The study was conducted on 351 patients with DFUs from January 2010 to December 2018. Their demographic characteristics, disease history, laboratory data, ankle-brachial index, Wagner classification, osteomyelitis, sarcopenia index, and ulcer sizes were considered as variables to predict outcome. A chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to test the relationship of the data gathered. Additionally, the subjects were divided into two groups based on their amputation surgery. Results: Out of the 351 subjects, 170 required LEA. The mean age of the subjects was 61 years and the mean duration of diabetes was 15 years; there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of these averages. Osteomyelitis (hazard ratio [HR], 6.164; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.561-10.671), lesion on percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (HR, 2.494; 95% CI, 1.087-5.721), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.981-0.999), ulcer size (HR, 1.247; 95% CI, 1.107-1.405), and forefoot ulcer location (HR, 2.475; 95% CI, 0.224-0.73) were associated with risk of amputation. Conclusion: Osteomyelitis, peripheral artery disease, chronic kidney disease, ulcer size, and forefoot ulcer location were risk factors for amputation in diabetic foot patients. Further investigation would contribute to the establishment of a diabetic foot risk stratification system for Koreans, allowing for optimal individualized treatment.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.37-51
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• 2006

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the relation between the obesity prevalence of elementary school students and some factors such as socio-demographic factors, parent's obesity, diet habit and physical activity. Methods: The students of the fourth(443), fifth(405) and sixth grade(417) at six elementary schools in the school district of Daejeon metropolitan city were sample-surveyed and classified into a normal group, a non-intensive obesity group, and a highly intensive obesity group. Results: 1. The obesity rate of the elementary school students in the school district of Daejeon metropolitan city was total 14.2%. 2. The obesity rate of students with parents who had high BMI was notably higher than the other groups. 3. Diet factors such as eating fast, always eating one more, liking fatty food and the frequency of snacks were more critical than physical activity factors in relation to school children's obesity. Conclusions: From the above evidences, it is apparent that the obesity of elementary school students have strong relations with eating habits. It is needed that obesity prevention program such as effective meal guidance in addition to intense physical activities is included in the curriculums of health education for elementary school students.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.558-568
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing insufficient physical activity in older cancer patients. Data were analyzed from the 2014 Survey of Living Condition of Elderly study. Metabolic Equivalent Tasks(MET) hours were calculated using self-reported weekly frequency, duration and types of physical activities to measure the degree of physical activity. Factors influencing insufficient physical activity in older adults included limitations in ADL and IADL, depression, impaired cognitive function, current smoker, lower levels of social activity participation and life satisfaction with social or leisure activities. When adjusted for demographic factors, patients with ADL limitation had 2.8 times (OR=2.762, CI=1.110, 7.952) higher risks of insufficient physical activities than those without. Current smokers had 2.4 times (OR=2.426, CI=1.113, 5.288) higher risks than non-smokers.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.396-404
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• 2011

With increasing of smartphone users various smartphone studies have been carried out. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing the usage intention of smartphone healthcare application. The influencing factors found from literature reviews on Technology Acceptance Model and the diffusion of innovations theory are user interface design, self-efficacy, innovativeness, and entertainment. Survey is conducted to 220 people in Seoul metropolitan area. The survey results are analyzed regarding the difference for the intention of healthcare application in accordance with respondents' demographic and application usage characteristics. We also examine the difference among four influencing factors by users and non-users. As a result there are significant differences in self-efficacy and innovativeness. This gives some implications to application developers: the system should be easy to use and provide new and useful health contents that can attract early-adopters' attention in order to increase the number of application users.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.414-420
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• 2019

Background Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is characterized by persistent head tilt toward the affected side. No consensus exists regarding the cause of this disorder. In this study, we analyzed various clinical factors in patients with CMT who were treated with surgical release. This analysis enabled us to identify potential causative factors of CMT and to establish a basis for surgical interventions. Methods In total, 584 patients who underwent surgical intervention for CMT from October 2007 to December 2016 were included in this study. Their demographic characteristics, birthrelated factors, and clinical features were analyzed. Results Data from 525 patients were analyzed in this study after exclusion of those with insufficient information. Before birth, 31 patients (5.9%) were diagnosed with oligohydramnios, and 87 (16.6%) had a breech presentation. Seven (1.3%) cases of clavicle fracture and two (0.4%) cases of cephalohematoma were noted at birth. Before surgery, 397 patients (75.6%) underwent physiotherapy and 128 patients (24.4%) did not. The duration of physiotherapy ranged from 1 to 50 months (average, 6 months). Conclusions Our study shows that 16.6% of the CMT patients presented in the breech position, which is a much higher rate than that observed in the general population (3%-4%). We hypothesize that being in the breech position as a fetus appears to exert a significant influence on shortening and fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.103-114
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• 2024

Objective : Decompressive craniectomy (DC) with duroplasty is one of the common surgical treatments for life-threatening increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Once ICP is controlled, cranioplasty (CP) with reinsertion of the cryopreserved autologous bone flap or a synthetic implant is considered for protection and esthetics. Although with the risk of autologous bone flap resorption (BFR), cryopreserved autologous bone flap for CP is one of the important material due to its cost effectiveness. In this article, we performed conventional statistical analysis and the machine learning technique understand the risk factors for BFR. Methods : Patients aged >18 years who underwent autologous bone CP between January 2015 and December 2021 were reviewed. Demographic data, medical records, and volumetric measurements of the autologous bone flap volume from 94 patients were collected. BFR was defined with absolute quantitative method (BFR-A) and relative quantitative method (BFR%). Conventional statistical analysis and random forest with hyper-ensemble approach (RF with HEA) was performed. And overlapped partial dependence plots (PDP) were generated. Results : Conventional statistical analysis showed that only the initial autologous bone flap volume was statistically significant on BFR-A. RF with HEA showed that the initial autologous bone flap volume, interval between DC and CP, and bone quality were the factors with most contribution to BFR-A, while, trauma, bone quality, and initial autologous bone flap volume were the factors with most contribution to BFR%. Overlapped PDPs of the initial autologous bone flap volume on the BRF-A crossed at approximately 60 mL, and a relatively clear separation was found between the non-BFR and BFR groups. Therefore, the initial autologous bone flap of over 60 mL could be a possible risk factor for BFR. Conclusion : From the present study, BFR in patients who underwent CP with autologous bone flap might be inevitable. However, the degree of BFR may differ from one to another. Therefore, considering artificial bone flaps as implants for patients with large DC could be reasonable. Still, the risk factors for BFR are not clearly understood. Therefore, chronological analysis and pathophysiologic studies are needed.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.637-647
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• 2016

This study examined the difference of self-determinative motivations of non-handicapped students about inclusive physical activity according to the social demographic characteristics. And this study also researched the influence of self-determinative motivation of non-handicapped student about the inclusive physical activity to interaction with handicapped student. In order to achieve the object of the study, the data collected from 674 students in included the intellectually handicapped students and inclusive physical activity. As a measuring tool, Choi (2008) and Lee (2006) questionnaire. Data was used SPSS 21.0, and the exploratory factor analysis, reliability verification, difference verification, and simple regression analysis were performed. The results are as follows. First, in terms of the data analysis of self-determinative motivation based on demographic characteristics (sex, grade, friend with disabilities, experiencing duration of inclusive physical activities), sex, friend with disabilities, experiencing duration of inclusive physical activities displayed statistically significant difference self-determinative motivation. Second, in terms of the effects of students with non disabilities self-determinative motivation on towards interaction of students with disabilities, motivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation and intrinsic motivation among the sub-factors of self-determinative motivation affected significantly on interaction with students with disabilities.