• Design Convergence Study
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.17-29
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• 2016

Over-the-counter pharmaceuticals sold in convenience stores are accurate and easy to understand on its containers, packaging, or attached materials for the prevention of drug misuse. The limited space of the packaging, however, makes the information difficult to read and consequently, consumers have had difficulty in purchasing the products. This research conducted an analysis of 8 packages of pill-type drugs and conducted a survey and interviews targeting 10 foreigners and 20 Korean consumers to analyze the user consciousness. The findings of this study showed that fever remedies are the most frequently bought drug. And consumers first looked for the information of the drugs in the following order: the effects, dosage, and warnings. While domestic consumers had little difficulty in comprehending the information, more than 40% of the foreigners who were studies failed to comprehend it, which was because the package was entirely written in Korean. This study presented some ideas for improving the design by using English and foreign expressions and pictograms, consumers can easily and quickly understand, and by placing the information on the symptoms, dosage and age information so that the type of drugs will be easily discernible.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.116-125
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• 2020

Objectives : Self-poisoning is the leading cause of visits to the emergency departments after a suicide attempts. This study is aimed to compare the patient characteristics according to the category of drugs ingested by the patients who attempted suicide. Methods : All medical charts were retrospectively reviewed from patients who visited the emergency center, at Seoul Medical Center, due to intentional self-poisoning from April of 2011 to July of 2019. We investigated the information regarding the subtype and quantity of the intoxication drug, how it was obtained, suicidal history, and psychiatric history, as well as, sociodemographic information. Variables were compared between prescription drug (PD) and non-prescription drug (NPD) poisoning groups. Results : The mean age of the NPD poisoning group was significantly lower than that of the PD poisoning group. The patient ratio of those enrolled in national health insurance and living with spouses were significantly higher in the NPD poisoning group. Compared to the NPD poisoning group, the PD poisoning group had a higher incidence of mental illnesses, underlying diseases and ratio of involuntary visit to the emergency department. Among the prescription drugs, the benzodiazepine poisoning group had a higher rate of self-prescription than the non-poisoning group, while the zolpidem poisoning group had a higher rate of the using someone else's prescription than other drugs. Each single drug poisoning group (benzodiazepine, zolpidem, and antidepressant single-agent) had a higher rate of no mental illness than each of the mixed-poisoning group. Conclusions : Guidelines for regulating non-prescription drugs are needed as a matter of suicide prevention. Also, this study suggests that clinicians need to be careful when issuing prescriptions and should suicidal risk according to patients' characteristics, duration of follow-up and type of drug packaging.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2024

Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of drug utilization review (DUR) evaluation indicators on safe drug use by comparing the changes in DUR inspection rates and drug duplication prescription prevention rates between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative. Methods: This study used DUR data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2018 (pre-implementation) and the evaluation results of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative in 2023 (post-implementation). The dependent variables were the DUR evaluation indicators, including DUR inspection rate and drug duplicate prescription prevention rate. The independent variable was the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators, and the control variables included medical institution characteristics such as type, establishment classification, location, DUR billing software company, and number of beds. Results: The results of the analysis of the difference in the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative showed that the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions increased statistically significantly after the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators. Conclusion: The policy implications of this study are as follows: First, ongoing evaluation of DUR systems is needed. Second, it is necessary to establish a collaborative partnership between healthcare organizations that utilize DUR system information and the organizations that manage it.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.722-729
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• 2010

Over the last decades, much consideration has been given to microbiological and chemical risks, especially when wastewater was reclaimed as water resources for urban water, irrigation water and recreational water etc. We investigated the performance of UV-based processes such as UV and UV/$H_2O_2$ for both the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as an emerging chemical and the inactivation of pathogen with bench-scale experimental study. 38 kinds of PPCPs including antibiotics and analgesics were detected from secondary effluent used as tested water. Bench-scale experimental study showed that UV process would require considerable UV dose for the effective PPCPs removal. Contrarily, PPCPs removal efficiency significantly improved by the combination of $H_2O_2$ with UV even at a lower UV dose and, moreover, their removal efficiency increased with the increased initial $H_2O_2$ concentration. Besides naproxen (>89%), concentrations of all the investigated PPCPs decreased by more than 90% of their initial concentrations under $923\;mJ/cm^3$ of UV dose and 6.2 mg/L of $H_2O_2$. Previous studies showed that this operational condition could get 4~5 log inactivation for Total coliform, indicating that UV/$H_2O_2$ process will be appropriate to comply with the criteria of California Title 22 for Total coliform.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.103-113
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• 2012

In the U.S. where Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription medications is permitted, spending on DTCA has been accelerating. As a result, it has been an issue of intense public policy attention regarding whether DTCA is beneficial to the public by promoting a healthy lifestyle. Most of the literature concerning DTCA focuses on its impact on demand and empirical evidence regarding its impact on health-related behavior is scant. This study uses a database of DTCAs for high blood cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and overweight treatment medications that have appeared in nationally circulated U.S. consumer magazines during 2000 to 2004 and the Simmons National Consumer Survey in order to compute the level of individual advertising exposure and examines whether those who are exposed to DTCA are more likely to engage in regular exercise and diet control. The study finds evidence that for those with chronic conditions, greater exposure to DTCA leads to less exercise but more diet control. By therapeutic class level, exposure to DTCA leads to less exercise for those with hypertension and who are overweight, whereas those with high blood cholesterol are more likely to engage in regular exercise. Looking into differential responses by socioeconomic status, those with less education are more likely to engage in exercise after being exposed to DTCA. The results imply that the effects of DTCA vary by therapeutic class. In order to enhance the benefits of DTCA, it is important to closely monitor the messages in DTCA and require it to include messages that promote lifestyle change should it be a part of the treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.137-137
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• 2011

급격한 세계인구의 증가에 의해 물 부족지역이 세계 각지로 확산되고 있다. 이에 따라, 건전한 수자원으로써 하수처리수의 재이용이 주목을 받고 있다. 하수처리수의 재이용시에는 특히, 재이용수의 미생물학적 안전성과 더불어 화학물질 등으로부터 기인할 수 있는 인체 및 생태계에의 리스크를 고려해야 한다. 미국 EPA는 병원성 미생물 뿐만 아니라 화학물질에 대한 안전성을 확보 차원에자외선/과산화수소 등의 고도산화처리법을 검토하였다. 1일 $10m^3$ 처리규모의 연속실험장치를 이용, 검토된 공정별 실제 하수 2차 처리수중에 존재하는 의약품류의 제거효과, 에너지 소비량 및 생태리스크 저감효과 등을 비교, 평가하였다. 에너지 소비량에 있어서는 공정별로 다소 차이가 있었으나, 본 실험동안 검출된 38종의 의약품류 제거에는 각 공정 모두 매우 효과적이었다. 에너지 소비측면에서는 오존 단독공정이 가장 적은 에너지 소비량에서 타 공정과 동일한 수준의 의약품류 서 막처리나 자외선 처리 등의 고도처리시설에 대한 정보를 재이용수 가이드라인에 제시하고 있는 반면, 우리나라에서는 재이용수중에 일정농도 이상의 염소가 잔류하도록 함으로써, 재이용수의 미생물학적 안전성 확보만을 고려하고 있다. 최근, 수환경분야에서는 의약품류라는 화학물질이 유럽, 미국 및 일본 등지를 중심으로 주목을 받아오고 있으며, 이들은 ng/L-${\mu}g$/L 수준으로 수환경중에서 검출되고 있다. 이들의 주요 발생원으로 하수처리시설이 지목되고 있으며, 따라서 하수처리수의 재이용시 잔류 의약품류에 의한 리스크 발생 가능성이 우려되고 있다. 이를 배경으로, 하수처리시설에서 의약품류를 효과적으로 제거할 수 있는 공정으로 오존 및 오존/자외선, 제거효과가 얻어졌다. 한편, 오존처리시 발암성 물질인 브로메이트($BrO_3^-$) 등과 같은 부생성물 생성 가능성을 고려하면, 오존 단독공정보다 상대적으로 많은 에너지를 소비하는 오존/자외선, 자외선/과산화수소 등의 고도산화처리법이 높은 적용성을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 향후, 수자원 부족문제로 재이용수의 용도가 훨씬 다양해 질 것으로 예상된다. 그에 따라, 재이용수의 안전성 확보를 위해 보다 폭넓은 검토가 예상되지만, 현 단계에서는 오존을 포함, 다소 많은 에너지 소비가 예상되는 자외선을 이용한 고도산화처리법이 다양한 미량 화학물질의 제거에 유효한 공정으로 판단된다.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.303-311
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• 2022

Recently the telemedicine platform firms which have been temporarily permitted since COVID-19 outbreak have increasingly provided online prescription drugs delivery, causing concerns among incumbent providers of medicine, some of whom began to take aggressive actions again them. In this study, using game theoretic market entry - deterrence model, we show that although the incumbent medicine provider can effectively deter entry by the telemedicine platform firms by its preemptive action, accommodation could be a optimal action when telemedicine platform firms already have penetrated the market with their being permitted to do business due to the COVID-19. However, for the incumbent to cooperate for the successful change in the retail market for medicines, policies like placing a ceiling on the maximum number of taking prescriptions by the pharmacists a day in the telemedince platform network, providing favorable exposure of community pharmacists on the telemedicine platform user interface, and allowing community pharmacies to participate as shareholders of the telemedicine platform firms in its initial public opening of capital, are suggested.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2006

To determine malachite green and leuco-malachite green residues in sea food, a liquid chromatographic method has been optimized. The target compounds were extracted in the homogenized edible tissues with a mixture of McIlvaine buffer-acetonitrile and partitioned against dichloromethane. After concentrating the lower layer, the resulting residues were re-dissolved in methanol and analyzed by the HPLC with visible detector at 620 nm using acetonitrile-acetate buffer. For the analysis of leuco-malachite green with malachite green simultaneously, post-column packed with lead(IV) oxide was used for oxidizing leuco-malachite green to malachite green. The correlation coefficients($r^2$) was 0.9989 for malachite green, and 0.9995 for leuco-malachite green. The limit of detection was 0.005 mg/kg for the combined of malachite green and leuco-malachite green at signal/noise${\geq}3$. The recovery rate was within a reliable range of 84~98% (CV 3~16%). Leuco-malachite green were detected in carp and crusian carp.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.172-185
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• 2009

To help understanding about hazard chemicals occurring newly in food, it has been reviewed characteristics, mechanism, food standards and analytical trend of the hazard chemicals occurring avoidably in food manufacturing process. The new hazard chemicals in food are classified by 4 regarding mechanism such as heat, fermentation, additives and unknowns. The new hazard chemicals by heat process are acrylamide, furan, HCAs and PAHs. By the fermentation, ethylcarbamate and biogenic amines are occurred. According to food additives, 3-MCPD, benzene and nitrosamines can be produced. And the last group is the illegal compounds including anti-impotence drug analogues and anti-obesity drug analogues. To analyze the new hazard chemicals in food, GC or LC with UVD, FLD or MSD are used mainly after sample pretreatment by LLE, SPE or headspace method.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.861-866
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• 2023

Individuals with visual impairments face difficulties in accessing accurate information about medical services and medications, making it challenging for them to ensure proper medication intake. While there are healthcare laws addressing this issue, there is a lack of standardized solutions, and not all over-the-counter medications are covered. Therefore, we have undertaken the design of a mobile application that utilizes image recognition technology, barcode scanning, and QR code recognition to provide guidance on how to take over-the-counter medications, filling the existing gaps in the knowledge of visually impaired individuals. Currently available applications for individuals with visual impairments allow them to access information about medications. However, they still require the user to remember which specific medication they are taking, posing a significant challenge. In this research, we are optimizing the camera capture environment, user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) screens for image recognition, ensuring greater accessibility and convenience for visually impaired individuals. By implementing the findings from our research into the application, we aim to assist visually impaired individuals in acquiring the correct methods for taking over-the-counter medications.