• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2009

Objectives : This study aimed to examine the association between public social expenditure(PSE) and suicides in the 27 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) from 1980 to 2003. Methods : The age-standardized suicide rates and their annual change(%) were obtained from the OECD Health Data 2007. As a measure of social protection, the PSE(% GDP) was used. The covariates included the annual divorce rate(/100,000 population), fertility rate(number of children/woman aged 15 to 49 years), GDP per capita(US$ PPP), male unemployment rate(%), life expectancy(years) and alcohol consumption(liter/capita) for each country, which were all obtained from the OECD Health Data 2007 and the OECD Social Indicators 2006. Using hierarchical linear models that included these covariates, the effects of PSE on suicides(Model 1) and the annual percent change (Model 2) were examined(Model 3). Also, sub-sample analyses were done for six countries that experienced political/economic transition. Results : We could not find significant effects of PSE on suicides(Model 1), but we observed significantly negative effects on the annual percent change for men and women(Model 2). Such findings were replicated in the sub-sample analysis, and moreover, the effect size was much larger(Model 3). Conclusions : Our finding suggests that social welfare protection can be a pivotal factor for suicide epidemiology, and especially in countries experiencing a social crisis or transition.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2004

Owing to continuous economic growth, an increased standard of living, and improvements to health care in Korea, the life expectancy of Koreans rose from 69.0 years in 1985 to 71.3years in 1990. It continued to rise throughout the 1990s, and, by 2002, had reached 76.5years for the general population and 80.0 years for Korean females. Similarly, the percentage of the Korean population that is 65 years of age or older increased from 3.1 in 1970 to 7.1in 2000, and is expected to reach approximately 14,0 in 2019. Thus, according to this estimate, Korea will have evolved from an "aging society" to an "aged society" in only 19years. In the case of other countries, this same transformation has generally taken 2 to 5times longer. One of the major issues related to Korea's rapidly aging population relates to the health problems of the elderly. According to the 2002 National Health Survey Report, 87,6 percent of the elderly were reported to Have at least one chronic disease. In other words, almost 9out of every 10 elderly persons in Korea were suffering from a chronic illness, This, clearly, places a significant economic burden on Korean society in the form of increased health care Costs. This paper examines the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases within Korea's rapidlv aging population and offers some possible short- and long-term solutions to cope with the increased burden being placed on Korea's health care system. These include the basic services at local health centers for the elderly and the national life-long health promotion programs that aim to correct unhealthy behavior, such as smoking, the excessive use of alcohol, and poor eating and exercise habits.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7367-7369
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• 2013

Background: Inoperable and metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a poor prognosis and low chemotherapeutic efficiency. Sorafenib is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor exerting its effects via the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-${\beta}$) tyrosine kinases. Randomized studies have shown a significant contribution of sorafenib to life expectancy and quality of life of cancer patients. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of sorafenib therapy in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Data for 103 patients (82 males, 21 females) receiving sorafenib therapy in 13 centers from February 2008 to December 2012 were evaluated. Median age was 61 years and median ECOG performance status was 1 (range: 0-2). 60 patients (58%) had hepatitis B, 15 patients (15%) had hepatitis C infection and 12 patients (12%) had a history of alcohol consumption. All of the patients had Child scores meeting the utilization permit of the drug in our country (Child A). Results: A total of 571 cycles of sorafenib therapy were administered with a median of four per patient. Among the evaluable cases, there was partial response in 15 (15%), stable disease in 52 (50%), and progressive disease in 36 (35%). Median progression-free survival was 18 weeks and median overall survival was 48 weeks. The dose was reduced only in 6 patients and discontinued in 2 patients due to grade 3-4 toxicity, 18 patients (17%) suffering hand-foot syndrome, 7 (7%) diarrhea, and 2 (2%) vomiting. Conclusions: This retrospective study demonstrated better efficacy of sorafenib therapy in patients with advanced HCC compared to the literature while progression-free survival and overall survival findings were comparable. The side effect rates indicate that the drug was tolerated well. In conclusion, among the available treatment options, sorafenib is an efficient and tolerable agent in patients with inoperable or metastatic HCC.