• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.2
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2020

Malaria is a potent burden on public healthcare worldwide due to requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, prompt diagnosis with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been widely accepted as an effective diagnostic technique in malaria-endemic countries, primarily due to their easy operation, fast output, and straightforward interpretation. The global availability and use of RDTs have gradually grown over recent decades as field-applicable diagnostic tests for the reliable confirmation of malaria infection and proper case management. This study was conducted to evaluate diagnostic performance of 3 commercially available malaria RDT kits : BIOCREDIT^TM Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH), Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), and Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH) (where pLDH and pHRPII stand for plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase and histidine-rich protein 2, respectively) for the specific detection of Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 1,129 blood samples including 95 blood samples, confirmed as vivax malaria infection by microscopic examinations and a nested-PCR method, were tested for falciparum malaria infection. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH), and Pf(pLDH) for P. falciparum were 99.0% and 100%, 95.8% and 100%, and 100% and 100%, respectively. It is proposed that the 3 RDT kits perform reliable level of diagnostic accuracy of detection for P. falciparum parasites.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.320-326
• /
• 2018

As the United Nations announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the world changed its development goals from focusing on efficiency to equity. As a result, in the health sector, universal health coverage (UHC) has become one of the main issues. This paper reviews and discusses on future direction and issue of official development assistance program for developing countries. Korea International Cooperation Agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published on Korea International Cooperation Agency's mid-term health strategy 2016-2020 developed on participation program with stakeholder including governments, civil society partner organizations, and educational institutions. The SDGs expands non-communicable diseases, UHC, and global health security from the existing Millenium Development Goals health sector. Progress toward UHC underpins the achievement of all other targets under SDG Goal 3. Progress in reducing health inequality across the life course is drawing on overall data and from specific target. In order to achieve SDG 3, a multi-disciplinary approach, convergence between IT and u-health of this development, is desirable.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.78-89
• /
• 2013

This study empirically analyze efficiency and productivity changes of public hospitals of Korea using data envelopment analysis/Window model and global Malmquist indices model. We use the ten-year data from 2001 to 2010 of 30 regional public hospitals listed database from the Association of Korean Regional Public Hospitals. The main focuses are to reveal whether the technical inefficiency are improved as time goes by, and efficiency and productivity are affected by environmental factors. The results can be summarized as follows. First, the efficiencies of public hospitals rise in trend as time passes. Second, regional public hospitals show the different average efficiencies according to their regional type, hospital type, operational type, medicaid type, and demand and supply conditions by Mann-Whitney U-tests. Third, technical efficiency changes mainly contribute to 4.4% annual average growth rate of productivity of regional public hospitals during that period. Our findings have some policy implications. It is confirmed that there exist some environmental inefficiencies, and those inefficiencies can not be overcome through just improving the inner management system. Thus, policy and institutional changes are necessary for regional public hospitals to improve efficiency and productivity overall.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.5035-5042
• /
• 2014

Background: Knowledge and individual perceptions about adverse effects of all forms of tobacco exert direct influence on the level of tobacco consumption in various socio-demographic groups. The objective of this study was to determine the nature, extent and demographic correlates of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of use of tobacco among adults in low and middle income countries. Materials and Methods: The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in fourteen different countries from 2008-2010, was sourced for the data analyzed in this study. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to determine the prevalent knowledge and individual perceptions amongst adults about all forms of tobacco consumption. Results: There was relatively high awareness about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco with main awareness being about its relationship with lung cancer (>90% in most countries). In contrast, there was relatively low awareness about harmful effects of smokeless tobacco (< 90% in all countries except India and Bangladesh), and observed correlation of smoking tobacco with heart attack (40.6% in China, 65.1% in India) and stroke (28.2% in China, 50.5% in India). Conclusions: A large proportion of adults living in low and middle income countries possess adequate knowledge about smoking tobacco but have inadequate awareness as well as false perceptions about smokeless forms of tobacco. Popular beliefs of inverse relationships of tobacco consumption with knowledge, attitudes and perception of populations towards tobacco are challenged by the findings of this study.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2014

Purpose - This study aims to investigate Korean distribution enterprises' entry into the Chinese market. By studying Korean companies' strategy and current situation in the Chinese retail market and analyzing Lotte Mart's strategy, this study was aimed at identifying comprehensive strategies for Korean companies striving to expand in China's retail market. Research design, data, and methodology - A case study approach is used, focusing on the three northeastern provinces in China, and examining global firms' entry into the Chinese market. The study employed a direct survey and a literature review. Results - Korean distribution firms' entry into the overseas market is in the inception stage and it should be developed, considering its effects on the national economy and other industries. Conclusion - The cases of E-mart and Lotte Mart, representing Korean distribution firms, showed that they should not rely on scale to succeed in China. Both preliminary analysis and careful strategies are required to ensure success. Considering the high growth potential of the Chinese market, a management strategy that takes account of Chinese people's emotions was needed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.5_6
• /
• pp.711-730
• /
• 2010

This study presents the design of autonomous smart sensor nodes for damage monitoring of tendons and girders in prestressed concrete (PSC) bridges. To achieve the objective, the following approaches are implemented. Firstly, acceleration-based and impedance-based smart sensor nodes are designed for global and local structural health monitoring (SHM). Secondly, global and local SHM methods which are suitable for damage monitoring of tendons and girders in PSC bridges are selected to alarm damage occurrence, to locate damage and to estimate severity of damage. Thirdly, an autonomous SHM scheme is designed for PSC bridges by implementing the selected SHM methods. Operation logics of the SHM methods are programmed based on the concept of the decentralized sensor network. Finally, the performance of the proposed system is experimentally evaluated for a lab-scaled PSC girder model for which a set of damage scenarios are experimentally monitored by the developed smart sensor nodes.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.817-837
• /
• 2019

The medical industry is rapidly evolving into a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and ICT technology, such as mobile health, wireless medical, telemedicine and precision medical care. Medical artificial intelligence can be diagnosed and treated, and autonomous surgical robots can be operated. For smart medical services, data such as medical information and personal medical information are needed. AI is being developed to integrate with companies such as Google, Facebook, IBM and others in the health care field. Telemedicine services are also becoming available. However, security issues of medical information for smart medical industry are becoming important. It can have a devastating impact on life through hacking of medical devices through vulnerable areas. Research on medical information is proceeding on the necessity of privacy and privacy protection. However, there is a lack of research on the practical measures for protecting medical information and the seriousness of security threats. Therefore, in this study, we want to confirm the research trend by collecting data related to medical information in recent 5 years. In this study, smart medical related papers from 2014 to 2018 were collected using smart medical topics, and the medical information papers were rearranged based on this. Research trend analysis uses topic modeling technique for topic information. The result constructs topic network based on relation of topics and grasps main trend through topic.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.215-221
• /
• 2020

Background: The aim of this study is to illustrate the historical role of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) congresses as an arena where national and international occupational medicine can dialogue and as the first example of scientific transferability of the research and prevention results that have had such an impact on global public health. Methods: We used the ICOH Heritage Repository, in which ICOH congress proceedings (from the first congress in Milan in 1906 to the last congress, held in Dublin in 2018), are organised in an orderly way, updated and easily accessible according to open access logic. Results: We describe studies by three physicians who submitted significant scientific work to ICOH congresses, one on the battle against ancylostomiasis (Volante, 1906), the second (Quarelli, 1928) on carbon disulphide poisoning, and the third (Viola, 1969) on the carcinogenicity of vinyl chloride monomer. Priority is given to Italian cases, on account of the authors' obvious familiarity with the issues. Conclusion: The visibility offered in ICOH conferences and their published proceedings has boosted the international spread of their findings, contributing to the scientific transferability of the research results and influencing the development of policies and prevention interventions that have had a great impact on global public health.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.137-156
• /
• 2004

Altruistic virtuous caring, possibly originated from religion and/or spirituality, is indispensable for holistic health through channeling vital energy with diet, exercise and meditation. This is a participant-observed medical anthropological research of a first generation Korean elderly immigrant health professional woman living in a four generational family. She had hypertension and was concerned about possible attack of stroke. Multi-religious, spiritual, and cosmological vital energy based on holistic Nature-oriented health beliefs and practices influenced by psychosocial, cultural and economic background, education, self- discipline and self-cultivation of individual, and group or family may create health. Self-care beliefs based on confidence in self-control of one's life style for oneself and others influence individual and group health practice. The holistic alternative health beliefs and practices were proved to be efficacious and beneficial by her self-evaluation, evaluation of significant others, biomedical professionals, and laboratory tests. That may have potential application for global health.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.24 no.9
• /
• pp.43-49
• /
• 2019

Today, with the development of the internet of things, wearable devices related to personal health care have become widespread. Various global information and communication technology companies are developing various wearable health devices, which can collect personal health information such as heart rate, steps, and calories, using sensors built into the device. However, since individual health data includes sensitive information, the collection of irrelevant health data can lead to personal privacy issue. Therefore, there is a growing need to develop technology for collecting sensitive health data from wearable health devices, while preserving privacy. In recent years, local differential privacy (LDP), which enables sensitive data collection while preserving privacy, has attracted much attention. In this paper, we develop a technology for collecting vast amount of health data from a smartwatch device, which is one of popular wearable health devices, using local difference privacy. Experiment results with real data show that the proposed method is able to effectively collect sensitive health data from smartwatch users, while preserving privacy.