• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 2017

Objective: The prevalence rate of osteoarthritis in Koreans aged 50 years or older is 14.3%, and the total amount of medical costs is more than KRW 1 trillion. Recently, the reimbursement guidelines for osteoarthritis treatment have changed. Methods: In this study, we sought to describe prescription patterns of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and gastro-protective agent (GPA) and analyze the clinical and economic impacts of the new policy using the national health insurance claims data. The incidence of upper gastrointestinal adverse event by policy change was identified through the odds ratio, and changes in medicine and medical costs related to osteoarthritis through mean and median. Results: There were 204,552 patients before the reimbursement guidelines relaxation and 239,710 after it, a 17.2% rise. The prescription ratio was 3.3% for the patients prescribed with COX-2 selective NSAIDs alone and 1.3% for those with both COX-2 selective NSAIDs and GPA combination before the reimbursement guidelines relaxation. The reimbursement guidelines relaxation significantly increased their ratios to 6.9% and 2.8%, respectively. Gastrointestinal adverse events significantly reduced by 1.21%p after reimbursement guidelines relaxation. The average medicine cost per person increased significantly to KRW 140,291 from KRW 137,323 after the reimbursement guidelines relaxation, while the average medical cost per person slightly decreased from KRW 311,605 to KRW 310,755 after the relaxation, showing no meaningful difference. Conclusion: The reimbursement guidelines relaxation may influence on decreasing the upper gastrointestinal adverse event, increasing the medicine costs and maintaining the medical costs for osteoarthritis.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2014

Background: Elderly patients with gastrointestinal (GI) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors may be more easily exposed to NSAID-related side effects (SEs). Based on the ACG guideline of year 2009, the aim of the study is to evaluate proper use of NSAIDs and gastroprotective drugs according to the degree of GI and CV risk strengths in the patients. Methods: Retrospectively surveyed 410 elderly patients with NSAIDs for more than 30 days at a general hospital in Korea. GI risk factor includes age, ulcer history, high-dose NSIADs, concurrent aspirin use, steroids or anticoagulants. CV risk factor includes angina, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, atrial fibrillation or coronary intervention requiring low-dose aspirin. These factors were classified as high/low cardiovascular groups and high/moderate/low GI groups. Results: There were 14 patients in high CV risk group and high GI risk group. The group was recommended not to use NSAIDs as it is not adequate. There were 101 patients in high CV risk group and moderate GI risk group. This group was recommended to use naproxen and PPI/misoprostol. But all patients except one were not adequate. There were 9 patients in low CV risk group and high GI risk group. This group was recommended to use selective COX-2 inhibitor and PPI/misoprostol. 5 cases were proper while 4 cases did not. There were 285 patients in low CV risk and moderate GI risk group who were recommended to use non selective NSAIDs and PPI/misoprostol or selective COX-2 inhibitor only. 103 patients were proper while 182 patients not adequate. Overall, the SEs were higher in those cases for inadequate use of drugs comparing to the adequate. CV SEs were statistically significant. However, SEs for each risk groups were different. For the case of low CV risk group and high/moderate GI risk group, the inadequate use of drugs makes the SE high and the other groups are not. Also, it was not statistically significant. Conclusions: In elderly patients, the inappropriate use of NSAIDs can increase the risk of the disease. Therefore, GI and CV risk must be considered simultaneously, and the proper use of NSAIDs and gastroprotective drugs for each risk groups should be reconsidered.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.108-120
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• 2020

From the perspective of the definition of pain, pain can be divided into emotional and sensory components, which originate from potential and actual tissue damage, respectively. The pharmacologic treatment of the emotional pain component includes antianxiety drugs, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. The anti-anxiety drugs have anti-anxious, sedative, and somnolent effects. The antipsychotics are effective in patients with positive symptoms of psychosis. On the other hand, the sensory pain component can be divided into nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are usually applied for somatic and visceral nociceptive pain, respectively; anticonvulsants and antidepressants are administered for the treatment of neuropathic pain with positive and negative symptoms, respectively. The NSAIDs, which inhibit the cyclo-oxygenase pathway, exhibit anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic effects; however, they have a therapeutic ceiling. The adverse reactions (ADRs) of the NSAIDs include gastrointestinal problems, generalized edema, and increased bleeding tendency. The opioids, which bind to the opioid receptors, present an analgesic effect only, without anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, or ceiling effects. The ADRs of the opioids start from itching and nausea/vomiting to cardiovascular and respiratory depression, as well as constipation. The anticonvulsants include carbamazepine, related to sodium channel blockade, and gabapentin and pregabalin, related to calcium blockade. The antidepressants show their analgesic actions mainly through inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin or norepinephrine. Most drugs, except NSAIDs, need an updose titration period. The principle of polypharmacy for analgesia in case of mixed components of pain is increasing therapeutic effects while reducing ADRs, based on the origin of the pain.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.104-107
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• 2023

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea has implemented various social security programs to ensure a basic standard of living and raise overall quality of life for all citizens. The Korean social security system provides social insurance, public assistance, and social welfare services. To achieve adequate drug benefits, the Drug Management Department of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) implement drug management duties including drug listing, upper price limit setting, scope of benefits, and post-factum management. When a manufacturer or an importer wants to apply for National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of the drug that has obtained safety and efficacy approval, the pharmaceutical benefit assessment committee of HIRA evaluates the drug's clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness to determine whether or not to include the drug into the benefit package. The benefit standards for a listed drug (ingredient) are set either for the whole permitted range or a part of range with conditions. To increase the coverage rate for new drugs, the listed drugs are regularly reviewed for their value. The status of listed drugs can be adjusted or eliminated from the benefit package if the clinical efficacy turns out to be insignificant. Therefore, through these pharmaceutical management procedures, high-quality drugs are provided at reasonable prices, which save healthcare expenditure by price determination and selective coverage in consideration of economic evaluation.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.93 no.6
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• pp.556-559
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• 2018

Intestinal tuberculosis is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. To the best of our knowledge, solitary intestinal tuberculosis accompanied by intestinal obstruction, particularly in the middle of the small intestine, is extremely rare. We report a case of solitary jejunal tuberculosis in a 49-year-old man with no underlying disease. He was admitted a few days after the onset of diffuse abdominal discomfort. Upon evaluation, we initially considered a malignancy of the distal jejunum with ileus due to the presence of a mass. Therefore, he underwent laparoscopic resection of the small bowel. Unexpectedly, the histologic specimen showed a chronic caseating granulomatous lesion with acid-fast bacilli. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with solitary jejunal tuberculosis. He was successfully treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs without any complications.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.752-759
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• 1994

It is accepted that colostral macrophages have protective effects on gastrointestinal tract of the neonates. Macrophages act as a major defensive cells in colostrum and serve as a main source of colostral prostaglandins which are known to exert cytoprotection for gastrointestinal tract of neonates against infectious agents and drugs such as aspirin. This study was conducted to evaluate the total cell numbers and differential counts for macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes in colostrum of Korean mothers. To compare the level of PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1$\alpha$, and TXB2 between colostrum and serum of postpartum mothers, radioimmunoassay adopting eicosanoids-antibody complex method was applied instead of charcoal method. The results were as follows : 1) Total defensive cell count was 7.6$\pm$2,37$\times$106 cells/ml, differential counts of macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes were 57.49$\pm$4.14%, 37.98$\pm$4.43% and 4.29$\pm$0.73% respectively. 2) The order of prostaglandin level in colostrum which are known to enhance development and cytoprotection of gastrointestinal tract, was 6-keto-PGF1$\alpha$, TXB2 and PGE2. Colostral PGE2 level was 584.6$\pm$72.3 pg/ml, higher than that of serum(p<0.01). 6-keto-PGF1$\alpha$, the most abundant prostaglandin in colostrum was higher than in serum level, too (p<0.01). Serum TXB2 level of postpartum mothers(n=42) was higher nine times than that of colostrum(p<0.01), which seems to cause vasoconstriction of uterus in postpartum period. 3) In preterm mothers, serum level of TXB2 level in both groups.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2020

Purpose: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) frequently harbor activating gene mutations in either KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor A (PDGFRA) and are highly responsive to several selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In this study, a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay with an Oncomine Focus Assay (OFA) panel was used for the genetic characterization of molecular targets in 30 Korean patients with GIST. Materials and Methods: Using the OFA that enables rapid and simultaneous detection of hotspots, single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertion and deletions (Indels), copy number variants (CNVs), and gene fusions across 52 genes relevant to solid tumors, targeted NGS was performed using genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of 30 GISTs. Results: Forty-three hotspot/other likely pathogenic variants (33 SNVs, 8 Indels, and 2 amplifications) in 16 genes were identified in 26 of the 30 GISTs. KIT variants were most frequent (44%, 19/43), followed by 6 variants in PIK3CA, 3 in PDGFRA, 2 each in JAK1 and EGFR, and 1 each in AKT1, ALK, CCND1, CTNNB1, FGFR3, FGFR4, GNA11, GNAQ, JAK3, MET, and SMO. Based on the mutation types, majority of the variants carried missense mutations (60%, 26/43), followed by 8 frameshifts, 6 nonsense, 1 stop-loss, and 2 amplifications. Conclusions: Our study confirmed the advantage of using targeted NGS with a cancer gene panel to efficiently identify mutations associated with GISTs. These findings may provide a molecular genetic basis for developing new drugs targeting these gene mutations for GIST therapy.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

The abundance of multi-drug resistance ATPase binding cassette and deranged self-renewal pathways shown in cancer stem cells (CSCs) played a crucial role in tumorigenesis, tumor resistance, tumor recurrence, and tumor metastasis. Therefore, elucidation of CSCs biology can improve diagnosis, enable targeted treatment, and guide the follow up of GI cancer patients. In order to achieve chemoquiescence, seizing cancer through complete ablation of CSCs, CSCs are rational targets for the design of interventions that will enhance responsiveness to traditional therapeutic strategies and contribute in the prevention of local recurrence as well as metastasis. However, current cancer treatment strategies fail to either detect or differentiate the CSCs from their non-tumorigenic progenies mostly due to the absence of specific biomarkers and potent agents to kill CSCs. Recent advances in knowledge of CSCs enable to produce several candidates to ablate CSCs in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, especially cancers originated from inflammation-driven mutagenesis such as Barrett's esophagus (BE), Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric cancer, and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Our research teams elucidated through revisiting old drugs that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and potassium competitive acid blocker (p-CAB) beyond authentic acid suppression, chloroquine for autophage inhibition, sonic hedgehog (SHH) inhibitors, and Wnt/β-catenin/NOTCH inhibitor can ablate CSCs specifically and efficiently. Furthermore, nanoformulations of these molecules could provide an additional advantage for more selective targeting of the pathways existing in CSCs just like current molecular targeted therapeutics and sustained action, while normal stem cells intact. In this review article, the novel approach specifically to ablate CSCs existing in GI cancers will be introduced with the introduction of explored mode of action.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1569-1572
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• 2009

The pharmacokinetics of decursin and decursinol angelate (D/DA) were investigated in male SD rats following oral and intravenous administration. D/DA and metabolites obtained from in vitro samples were evaluated by LC/MS. The levels of D/DA and metabolized decursinol in the blood following oral and intravenous administrations declined according to first-order kinetics, with $T_{1/2}$ values of 56.67, 58.01, and 57.22 h, respectively, being observed after administration of a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight. The large intestine was the major site of disposition following oral administration. These data indicate that D/DA is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In in vitro experiment utilizing liver microsomal protein, the major metabolic reaction of D/DA occurred to change decursinol. The cumulative biliary, urinary, and fecal excretions of D/DA in bile duct-cannulated rats was $36.10{\pm}2.9%$, $25.35{\pm}3.8%$, and $34.20{\pm}3.2%$, respectively, at 72 h after administration. These results indicate that the absorption of D/DA is almost complete, and that its metabolites are primarily excreted into feces through the bile. These results indicate that D/DA is subject to enterohepatic circulation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.177-180
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• 2013

Two dogs were presented with melena, vomiting and depression after accidental swallowing of candy form of Strepsils (flurbiprofen), which is one of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used in human medicine for controlling a sore throat. These dogs had common signs of anemia induced by gastrointestinal ulceration and hemorrhage with azotemia and leukocytosis. The dogs were treated with blood transfusion, fluid therapy, proton-pump inhibitor, antiemetics, mucus protectant and antibiotic. Although most of clinical signs of two dogs were resolved, azotemic problem with evidence of renal injury have remained.