• Title/Summary/Keyword: Diagnostic Information

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A Case Study of Improving Instruction by Utilizing Online Instruction Diagnosis Item Pool

  • SHIM, Mi-Ja
    • Educational Technology International
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.23-41
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    • 2005
  • One of the main factors that determine the quality of instruction is the teaching ability of the instructor administering the class. To evaluate teaching ability, methods such as peer review, student feedback, and teaching portfolio can be used. Among these, because feedback from the students is directly associated with how well the students feel they have learned, it is essential to improving instruction and teaching ability. The principal aim of instruction evaluation lies in the evaluation of instructor's qualification and the improvement of instruction quality by enhancing professionalism. However, the mandatory instruction evaluations currently being carried out at the term's end in universities today have limitations in improving instruction in terms of its evaluation items and times. To improve the quality of instruction and raise teaching abilities, instruction evaluations should not stop at simply being carried out but also be utilized as useful data for students and teachers. In other words, they need to be used to develop teaching and improve instruction for teachers, and consequently, should also exert a positive influence on students' scholastic achievements and learning ability. The most important thing in evaluation is the acquisition of accurate information and how to utilize it to improve instruction. The online instruction diagnosis item pool is a more realistic feedback device developed to improve instruction quality. The instruction diagnosis item pool is a cafeteria-like collection of hundreds of feedback questions provided to enable instructors to diagnose their instruction through self-diagnosis or students' feedback, and the instructors can directly select the questions that are appropriate to the special characteristics of their instruction voluntarily make use of them whenever they are needed. The current study, in order to find out if the online instruction diagnosis item pool is truly useful in reforming and improving instruction, conducted pre and post tests using 256 undergraduate students from Y university as subjects, and studied the effects of student feedback on instructions. Results showed that the implementation of instruction diagnosis improved students' responsibility regarding their classes, and students had positive opinions regarding the usefulness of online instruction diagnosis item pool in instruction evaluation. Also, after instruction diagnosis, analyzing the results through consultations with education development specialists, and then establishing and carrying out instruction reforms were shown to be more effective. In order to utilize the instruction diagnostic system more effectively, from planning the execution of instruction diagnosis to analyzing the results, consulting, and deciding how those results could be utilized to instruction, a systematic strategy is needed. In addition, professors and students need to develop a more active sense of ownership in order to elevate the level of their instruction.

The Effect of Layout Framing on SNS Shopping Information: A-D Perspective (SNS 쇼핑정보의 레이아웃 프레이밍 연구: A-D 관점에서)

  • Yanjinlkham Khurelchuluun;Zainab Shabir;Dong-Seok Lee;Gwi-Gon Kim
    • Journal of Industrial Convergence
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    • v.21 no.11
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 2023
  • With the recent explosive popularity of SNS, it is increasingly important to utilize SNS marketing, and in this process, the importance of image and caption order in SNS layout is also growing. This research aims to analyze the impact of SNS layouts (Image First vs. Caption First) on the user's attitude toward SNS shopping. A survey was conducted targeting 350 general public and college(graduate) students living in Daegu City and Gyeongbuk Province. The data was analyzed using PROCESS, regression analysis, and t-test by SPSS 21.0 program. The result of this study, it was confirmed that the Image First was more accessible than the Caption First. The Caption First was confirmed to be more diagnostic than the Image First. Moreover, from three specific mediation paths, only two were confirmed, named is through diagnosticity and usefulness, and through accessibility, diagnosticity, and usefullness. The path through diagnosticity and usefulness were stronger than another. Additionally, the impact of accessibility on diagnosticity was found to be higher when involvement was high rather than when involvement was low.

Texture Analysis of Three-Dimensional MRI Images May Differentiate Borderline and Malignant Epithelial Ovarian Tumors

  • Rongping Ye;Shuping Weng;Yueming Li;Chuan Yan;Jianwei Chen;Yuemin Zhu;Liting Wen
    • Korean Journal of Radiology
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.106-117
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    • 2021
  • Objective: To explore the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based whole tumor texture analysis in differentiating borderline epithelial ovarian tumors (BEOTs) from FIGO stage I/II malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (MEOTs). Materials and Methods: A total of 88 patients with histopathologically confirmed ovarian epithelial tumors after surgical resection, including 30 BEOT and 58 MEOT patients, were divided into a training group (n = 62) and a test group (n = 26). The clinical and conventional MRI features were retrospectively reviewed. The texture features of tumors, based on T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, were extracted using MaZda software and the three top weighted texture features were selected by using the Random Forest algorithm. A non-texture logistic regression model in the training group was built to include those clinical and conventional MRI variables with p value < 0.10. Subsequently, a combined model integrating non-texture information and texture features was built for the training group. The model, evaluated using patients in the training group, was then applied to patients in the test group. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic performance of the models. Results: The combined model showed superior performance in categorizing BEOTs and MEOTs (sensitivity, 92.5%; specificity, 86.4%; accuracy, 90.3%; area under the ROC curve [AUC], 0.962) than the non-texture model (sensitivity, 78.3%; specificity, 84.6%; accuracy, 82.3%; AUC, 0.818). The AUCs were statistically different (p value = 0.038). In the test group, the AUCs, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 0.840, 73.3%, 90.1%, and 80.8% when the non-texture model was used and 0.896, 75.0%, 94.0%, and 88.5% when the combined model was used. Conclusion: MRI-based texture features combined with clinical and conventional MRI features may assist in differentitating between BEOT and FIGO stage I/II MEOT patients.

Experimental study on structural integrity assessment of utility tunnels using coupled pulse-impact echo method (결합된 초음파-충격 반향 기법 기반의 일반 지하구 구조체의 건전도 평가에 관한 실험적 연구)

  • Jin Kim;Jeong-Uk Bang;Seungbo Shim;Gye-Chun Cho
    • Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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    • v.25 no.6
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    • pp.479-493
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    • 2023
  • The need for safety management has arisen due to the increasing number of years of operated underground structures, such as tunnels and utility tunnels, and accidents caused by those aging infrastructures. However, in the case of privately managed underground utility ducts, there is a lack of detailed guidelines for facility safety and maintenance, resulting in inadequate safety management. Furthermore, the absence of basic design information and the limited space for safety assessments make applying currently used non-destructive testing methods challenging. Therefore, this study suggests non-destructive inspection methods using ultrasonic and impact-echo techniques to assess the quality of underground structures. Thickness, presence of rebars, depth of rebars, and the presence and depth of internal defects are assessed to provide fundamental data for the safety assessment of box-type general underground structures. To validate the proposed methodology, different conditions of concrete specimens are designed and cured to simulate actual field conditions. Applying ultrasonic and impact signals and collecting data through multi-channel accelerometers determine the thickness of the simulated specimens, the depth of embedded rebar, and the extent of defects. The predicted results are well agreed upon compared with actual measurements. The proposed methodology is expected to contribute to developing safety diagnostic methods applicable to general underground structures in practical field conditions.

Useful Ultrasound Findings of Pediatric Patients with Equivocal Results of Appendicitis: Analysis Based on a Structured Report Form (애매한 초음파 결과를 보인 소아 환자에서 충수돌기염을 감별하는데 유용한 초음파 소견: 구조화 판독문에 기초한 분석)

  • Jiyoung Choi;Hyuk Jung Kim;Suk Ki Jang;Hyun Jin Kim;Jae Woo Yeon
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.82 no.1
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    • pp.182-193
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    • 2021
  • Purpose To identify the features that can be used for differentiating appendicitis from non-appendicitis in pediatric patients with equivocal ultrasound (US) results. Materials and Methods A total of 53 pediatric patients (≤ 18 years old) with equivocal results on US examination for suspected appendicitis between November 2012 and October 2017 were included. US evaluation was conducted based on information retrieved from a predefined structured report form. Then, the likelihood of appendicitis was prospectively classified into five categories. The equivocal results were considered as grade 3 (indeterminate) and grade 4 (probably appendicitis). Results Of the 53 patients, 25 (47.2%) and 28 (52.8%) were classified into grade 3 and 4 groups, respectively. Among the individual US findings, increased vascularity of the appendiceal wall and peri-appendiceal fat infiltration were independent findings associated with the diagnosis of appendicitis (p = 0.005, p = 0.045, respectively) in the multivariate logistic regression analysis and showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (69.8% and 62.3%, respectively). Conclusion Increased vascularity within the appendiceal wall and peri-appendiceal fat infiltration were significant predictors of appendicitis in patients with equivocal US findings.

Salivary Gland Uptake on 18F-FP-CIT PET as a New Biomarker in Patients With Parkinsonism

  • Seo Young Kang;Ji Young Yun;Yeon-Koo Kang;Byung Seok Moon;Hai-Jeon Yoon;Min Young Yoo;Bom Sahn Kim
    • Korean Journal of Radiology
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    • v.24 no.7
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    • pp.690-697
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    • 2023
  • Objective: 18F-FP-CIT positron emission tomography (PET) is known for its high sensitivity and specificity for evaluating striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding. Recently, for the early diagnose of Parkinson's disease, many researchers focused on the diagnosis of synucleinopathy in organs involved in non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. We investigated the feasibility of salivary gland uptake on 18F-FP-CIT PET as a new biomarker in patients with parkinsonism. Materials and Methods: A total of 219 participants with confirmed or presumed parkinsonism, including 54 clinically diagnosed idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), 59 suspected and yet undiagnosed, and 106 with secondary parkinsonism, were enrolled. The standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) of the salivary glands was measured on both early and delayed 18F-FP-CIT PET scans using the cerebellum as the reference region. Additionally, the delayed-to-early ratio (DE_ratio) of salivary gland was obtained. The results were compared between patients with different PET patterns. Results: The SUVR in early 18F-FP-CIT PET scan was significantly higher in patients with IPD pattern compared that in the non-dopaminergic degradation group (0.5 ± 0.19 vs. 0.6 ± 0.21, P < 0.001). Compared with the non-dopaminergic degradation group, the DE_ratio was significantly lower in patients with IPD (5.05 ± 1.7 vs. 4.0 ± 1.31, P < 0.001) or atypical parkinsonism patterns (5.05 ± 1.7 vs. 3.76 ± 0.96, P < 0.05). The DE_ratio was moderately and positively correlated with striatal DAT availability in both the whole striatum (r = 0.37, P < 0.001) and posterior putamen (r = 0.36, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Parkinsonism patients with an IPD pattern exhibited a significant increase in uptake on early 18F-FP-CIT PET and a decrease in the DE_ratio in the salivary gland. Our findings suggest that salivary gland uptake of dual-phase 18F-FP-CIT PET can provide diagnostic information on DAT availability in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Identification of key genes and carcinogenic pathways in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma through bioinformatics analysis

  • Sang-Hoon Kim;Shin Hwang;Gi-Won Song;Dong-Hwan Jung;Deok-Bog Moon;Jae Do Yang;Hee Chul Yu
    • Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.58-68
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    • 2022
  • Backgrounds/Aims: Mechanisms for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to identify genes and pathways involved in the development of HBV-associated HCC. Methods: The GSE121248 gene dataset, which included 70 HCCs and 37 adjacent liver tissues, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCCs and adjacent liver tissues were identified. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway enrichment analyses were then performed. Results: Of 134 DEGs identified, 34 were up-regulated and 100 were down-regulated in HCCs. The 34 up-regulated DEGs were mainly involved in nuclear division, organelle fission, spindle and midbody formation, histone kinase activity, and p53 signaling pathway, whereas the 100 down-regulated DEGs were involved in steroid and hormone metabolism, collagen-coated extracellular matrix, oxidoreductase activity, and activity on paired donors, including incorporation or reduction of molecular oxygen, monooxygenase activity, and retinol metabolism. Analyses of protein-protein interaction networks with a high degree of connectivity identified significant modules containing 14 hub genes, including ANLN, ASPM, BUB1B, CCNB1, CDK1, CDKN3, ECT2, HMMR, NEK2, PBK, PRC1, RACGAP1, RRM2, and TOP2A, which were mainly associated with nuclear division, organelle fission, spindle formation, protein serine/threonine kinase activity, p53 signaling pathway, and cell cycle. Conclusions: This study identified key genes and carcinogenic pathways that play essential roles in the development of HBV-associated HCC. This may provide important information for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic targets for HCC.

Variation of Hospital Costs and Product Heterogeneity

  • Shin, Young-Soo
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.123-127
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    • 1978
  • The major objective of this research is to identify those hospital characteristics that best explain cost variation among hospitals and to formulate linear models that can predict hospital costs. Specific emphasis is placed on hospital output, that is, the identification of diagnosis related patient groups (DRGs) which are medically meaningful and demonstrate similar patterns of hospital resource consumption. A casemix index is developed based on the DRGs identified. Considering the common problems encountered in previous hospital cost research, the following study requirements are estab-lished for fulfilling the objectives of this research: 1. Selection of hospitals that exercise similar medical and fiscal practices. 2. Identification of an appropriate data collection mechanism in which demographic and medical characteristics of individual patients as well as accurate and comparable cost information can be derived. 3. Development of a patient classification system in which all the patients treated in hospitals are able to be split into mutually exclusive categories with consistent and stable patterns of resource consumption. 4. Development of a cost finding mechanism through which patient groups' costs can be made comparable across hospitals. A data set of Medicare patients prepared by the Social Security Administration was selected for the study analysis. The data set contained 27,229 record abstracts of Medicare patients discharged from all but one short-term general hospital in Connecticut during the period from January 1, 1971, to December 31, 1972. Each record abstract contained demographic and diagnostic information, as well as charges for specific medical services received. The 'AUT-OGRP System' was used to generate 198 DRGs in which the entire range of Medicare patients were split into mutually exclusive categories, each of which shows a consistent and stable pattern of resource consumption. The 'Departmental Method' was used to generate cost information for the groups of Medicare patients that would be comparable across hospitals. To fulfill the study objectives, an extensive analysis was conducted in the following areas: 1. Analysis of DRGs: in which the level of resource use of each DRG was determined, the length of stay or death rate of each DRG in relation to resource use was characterized, and underlying patterns of the relationships among DRG costs were explained. 2. Exploration of resource use profiles of hospitals; in which the magnitude of differences in the resource uses or death rates incurred in the treatment of Medicare patients among the study hospitals was explored. 3. Casemix analysis; in which four types of casemix-related indices were generated, and the significance of these indices in the explanation of hospital costs was examined. 4. Formulation of linear models to predict hospital costs of Medicare patients; in which nine independent variables (i. e., casemix index, hospital size, complexity of service, teaching activity, location, casemix-adjusted death. rate index, occupancy rate, and casemix-adjusted length of stay index) were used for determining factors in hospital costs. Results from the study analysis indicated that: 1. The system of 198 DRGs for Medicare patient classification was demonstrated not only as a strong tool for determining the pattern of hospital resource utilization of Medicare patients, but also for categorizing patients by their severity of illness. 2. The wei틴fed mean total case cost (TOTC) of the study hospitals for Medicare patients during the study years was $11,27.02 with a standard deviation of $117.20. The hospital with the highest average TOTC ($1538.15) was 2.08 times more expensive than the hospital with the lowest average TOTC ($743.45). The weighted mean per diem total cost (DTOC) of the study hospitals for Medicare patients during the sutdy years was $107.98 with a standard deviation of $15.18. The hospital with the highest average DTOC ($147.23) was 1.87 times more expensive than the hospital with the lowest average DTOC ($78.49). 3. The linear models for each of the six types of hospital costs were formulated using the casemix index and the eight other hospital variables as the determinants. These models explained variance to the extent of 68.7 percent of total case cost (TOTC), 63.5 percent of room and board cost (RMC), 66.2 percent of total ancillary service cost (TANC), 66.3 percent of per diem total cost (DTOC), 56.9 percent of per diem room and board cost (DRMC), and 65.5 percent of per diem ancillary service cost (DTANC). The casemix index alone explained approximately one half of interhospital cost variation: 59.1 percent for TOTC and 44.3 percent for DTOC. Thsee results demonstrate that the casemix index is the most importand determinant of interhospital cost variation Future research and policy implications in regard to the results of this study is envisioned in the following three areas: 1. Utilization of casemix related indices in the Medicare data systems. 2. Refinement of data for hospital cost evaluation. 3. Development of a system for reimbursement and cost control in hospitals.

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Clinical Usefulness of PET-MRI in Lymph Node Metastasis Evaluation of Head and Neck Cancer (두경부암 림프절 전이 평가에서 PET-MRI의 임상적 유용성)

  • Kim, Jung-Soo;Lee, Hong-Jae;Kim, Jin-Eui
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.26-32
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    • 2014
  • Purpose: As PET-MRI which has excellent soft tissue contrast is developed as integration system, many researches about clinical application are being conducted by comparing with existing display equipments. Because PET-MRI is actively used for head and neck cancer diagnosis in our hospital, lymph node metastasis before the patient's surgery was diagnosed and clinical usefulness of head and neck cancer PET-MRI scan was evaluated using pathological opinions and idiopathy surrounding tissue metastasis evaluation method. Materials and Methods: Targeting 100 head and neck cancer patients in SNUH from January to August in 2013. $^{18}F-FDG$ (5.18 MBq/kg) was intravenous injected and after 60 min of rest, torso (body TIM coil, Vibe-Dixon) and dedication (head-neck TIM coil, UTE, Dotarem injection) scans were conducted using $Bio-graph^{TM}$ mMR 3T (SIEMENS, Munich). Data were reorganized using iterative reconstruction and lymph node metastasis was read with Syngo.Via workstation. Subsequently, pathological observations and diagnosis before-and-after surgery were examined with integrated medical information system (EMR, best-care) in SNUH. Patient's diagnostic information was entered in each category of $2{\times}2$ decision matrix and was classified into true positive (TP), true negative (TN), false positive (FP) and false negative (FN). Based on these classified test results, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, false negative and false positive rate were calculated. Results: In PET-MRI scan results of head and neck cancer patients, positive and negative cases of lymph node metastasis were 49 and 51 cases respectively and positive and negative lymph node metastasis through before-and-after surgery pathological results were 46 and 54 cases respectively. In both tests, TP which received positive lymph node metastasis were analyzed as 34 cases, FP which received positive lymph node metastasis in PET-MRI scan but received negative lymph node metastasis in pathological test were 4 cases, FN which received negative lymph node metastasis but received positive lymph node metastasis in pathological test was 1 case, and TN which received negative lymph node metastasis in both two tests were 50 cases. Based on these data, sensitivity in PET-MRI scan of head and neck cancer patient was identified to be 97.8%, specificity was 92.5%, accuracy was 95%, FN rate was 2.1% and FP rate was 7.00% respectively. Conclusion: PET-MRI which can apply the acquired functional information using high tissue contrast and various sequences was considered to be useful in determining the weapons before-and-after surgery in head and neck cancer diagnosis or in the evaluation of recurrence and remote detection of metastasis and uncertain idiopathy cervical lymph node metastasis. Additionally, clinical usefulness of PET-MRI through pathological test and integrated diagnosis and follow-up scan was considered to be sufficient as a standard diagnosis scan of head and neck cancer, and additional researches about the development of optimum MR sequence and clinical application are required.

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Snoring Clinic Visitors' Knowledge of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (코골이 클리닉을 방문한 환자들의 폐쇄성 수면무호흡증 인식도)

  • Lee, So-Jin;Lee, Jin-Seong;Shin, Hong-Beum;Cho, Sang-Yong;Rhee, Chae-Seo;Jeong, Do-Un
    • Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.87-94
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    • 2011
  • Objective: OSAS (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) is a common disorder and its consequences are often serious. It is important to detect the disorder early in the course for proper treatment. This study is to grasp the snoring clinic visitors' knowledge level of OSAS. Method: One hundred and seventy-nine visitors at the of snoring clinic of Seoul National University Hospital were surveyed by questionnaire about reasons of visit and knowledge of treatment methods of snoring and OSAS, diagnostic method, OSAS-related symptoms, and complications. Results: Most of the respondents (89.4%) "have already heard about OSAS" and the major sources of information was the mass media (58.1%) such as television and radio. More than half (60.3%) were aware that snoring is closely related to OSAS. More than half (59.8%) recognized that a nocturnal polysomnograpy was necessary for proper diagnosis. Two thirds (67%) of the respondents noted surgery as a treatment for snoring. More than half (55.9%) answered that they would follow the doctor's advice on the treatment choice. Only 12.3% of respondents "have heard about nCPAP". No one chose nCPAP (nasal continuous positive airway pressure) as a treatment for either snoring or OSAS. About one third (34.6%) of the respondents were aware that OSAS is related to hypertension. Only 12.8% noted that OSAS is related to diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Visitors at the snoring clinic were found to have substantially limited knowledge of health risks and proper treatments of OSAS. We suggest that it is crucially important to educate patients and offer easy-to-understand information on snoring and OSAS. We predict that provision of educaiton and information to patients and general public will faciliate the diagnosis and treatment of snoring and OSAS and reduce the related disorders such as hypertension, stroke, and diabetes mellitus.