• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제81권2호
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• pp.116-122
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• 2018

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious chronic condition with a global impact. Symptoms of COPD include progressive dyspnea, breathlessness, cough, and sputum production, which have a considerable impact on the lives of patients. In addition to the human cost of living with COPD and the resulting death, COPD entails a huge economic burden on the Chinese population, with patients spending up to one-third of the average family income on COPD management in some regions is clinically beneficial to adopt preventable measures via prudent COPD care utilization, monetary costs, and hospitalizations. Methods: Toward this end, this study compared the relative effectiveness of six indices in predicting patient healthcare utilization, cost of care, and patient health outcome. The six assessment systems evaluated included the three multidimensional Body mass index, Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise capacity index, Dyspnea, Obstruction, Smoking, Exacerbation (DOSE) index, and COPD Assessment Test index, or the unidimensional measures that best predict the future of patient healthcare utilization, cost of care, and patient health outcome among Chinese COPD patients. Results: Multiple linear regression models were created for each healthcare utilization, cost, and outcome including a single COPD index and the same group of demographic variables for each of the outcomes. Conclusion: We conclude that the DOSE index facilitates the prediction of patient healthcare utilization, disease expenditure, and negative clinical outcomes. Our study indicates that the DOSE index has a potential role beyond clinical predictions.

• 대한예방한의학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.95-107
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• 2015

Objective : To use and its affecting factors of patients' outpatient treatment that have single and multiple chronic illnesses Method : We used the 2011 study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, "Report on Usage and Consumption of Korean Medicine." This report was conducted on outpatients and inpatients that visited Korean traditional medicine, from August 25th, 2011, to September 30th, 2011. Our research was based on 1729 patients with chronic diseases aged 30 and over who received outpatient treatment during the last three months. Results : There were 1365 patients with non-complex chronic diseases, while there were 364 patients with complex chronis diseases. Patients had 1 - 8 chronic diseases, and the average number (standard deviation) was 1.26 (0.59). There were statistically significant differences by sex(P<0.0001), age(p=0.0045), marriage (p=0.0060), education level(p<0.0001), income level(P=0.0063), and types of health insurance(p=0.0023). The diseases most common among patients with non-complex chronic diseases were: low back pain, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorder, frozen shoulder, side effects from motor accidents, high blood pressure, fracture, stroke, diabetes, cancer, atopic dermatitis, and asthma. The diseases most common among patients with non-complex chronic diseases were: arthritis+low back pain, low back pain+gastrointestinal disorder, low back pain+side effects from motor accidents, low back pain+frozen shoulder, arthritis+gastrointestinal disease, gastrointestinal disease+frozen shoulder, arthritis+low back pain+gastrointestinal disease, high blood pressure+arthritis, arthritis+low back pain+frozen shoulder, arthritis+fracture, and arthritis+side effects from motor accidents. There were statistically significant differences among the usage of medical clinics by: frequently used clinic (p<0.0001), number of treatment (p<0.0001), the cost of outpatient treatment (p=0.0073), the satisfaction rate (p=0.0171), whether the clinic is the preferred clinic (p=0.0040). In model 1, men than women, people who had local benefits instead of type 1 medical aid, and patients with complex chronic diseases were more likely to use Korean medical clinics. In model 2, men than women, people who had local benefits than people with types 1 and 2 medical aids, people who went to pharmacies and Korean medicine pharmacies than people who went to hospitals, people who went to get treatment 1-10 times than people who visited 11-20 times and more than 41 times, and people who spent less than ten thousand Korean won than people who spent 1 to 2 million Korean won, and people without complex chronic diseases were more likely to use Korean medical treatment. Conclusion : There were differences in sociodemographic characteristics and the usage of medical clinics between patients with non-complex chronic diseases and patients with complex chronic diseases. Among patients with complex chronic diseases, women, patients with types 1 and 2 medical aid, patients who used Korean medical clinics, patients who were treated 11-20 times and more than 41 times, and patients who spent 1 million to 2 million Korean won on outpatient treatment used less treatment than patients with non-complex chronic diseases. However, patients with complex chronic diseases used pharmacies and Korean medicine pharmacies more.

• 한국사회복지학
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• 제48권
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• pp.150-178
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• 2002

The elderly have higher potential for contracting chronic diseases and suffering from development of a complication. Also, the extended old age period leads the elderly to demand more medical services. All those facts indicate that the elderly need more medical services than any other age groups. Consequently, medical care for the elderly with chronic diseases causes high costs burden. However, there is few studies researching the financial burden of chronic illness of the elderly. This study aimed to 1) understand how much the elderly with chronic diseases pay for medical expenses; 2) find out some specific factors related to health care financial burden; 3) suggest the alternative policies to decrease excessive financial burden of caring for the elderly with chronic illness. National Health and Nutrition Survey, which was surveyed by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 1998, was used in this study. 4,707 persons with chronic diseases out of 5385 persons over age 60 were selectively sampled. Using SPSSWIN, correlation analysis, T-test, ANOVA and Regression were used as statistical methods in this study. Stepwise multiple regression was employed to analyze the data with a ratio of health care expenditure to income(financial burden) as a dependent variable. Out of Korean old people, 87% had the chronic diseases and their health care financial burden rate showed the average of 17.9%, which meaned they expended almost 20% income to buy medical services. The variables having a great influence on financial burden were monthly income, activity, limitation and single household of an old person. The excessive financial burden was experienced by people who had more than 4 activity limitations(37.1%) and were in the lowest Income level(32.6%), and single household of an old person(31.4%). The new policies should be considered to 1) reduce the financial burden in these groups and to develop the sliced medical cost system considering the characteristics of chronic illness and income level; and 2) develop the medical management system to care for the elderly with chronic illness.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.23-26
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• 2017

Otitis externa (OE) is an inflammatory disease of the externa auditory meatus that occurs commonly in dogs. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests should be performed in case of chronic OE for successful treatment. In this study, identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test of bacteria isolated from dogs with chronic OE was performed. From 60 dogs with chronic OE, 60 bacterial species were identified. The most frequently identified species were Staphylococcus spp. (51%), followed by Pseudomonas spp. (15%) and Enterococcus spp. (14%). A single bacterial infection and multiple bacterial infections were observed in 67.5% and 32.5%, respectively. Staphylococcus spp. was susceptible to imipenum. Pseudomonas spp. was found to be susceptible to amikacin, cefepime, imipenum and piperacillin-tazobactam. Enterococcus spp. was susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam, imipenum and piperacillin-tazobactam. Imipenum was highly susceptible antibiotic against both Gram-positive and negative bacteria whereas aztreonam and vancomycin were highly resistant. These results could suggest the optimal choice of antimicrobial agents for canine OE treatment.

• 한국융합학회논문지
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• 제12권9호
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• pp.49-56
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• 2021

본 연구는 60세 이상 1인 가구 여성의 만성질환과 삶의 질이 주관적 건강인지에 미치는 영향을 실증적으로 분석하여, 보건의료와 사회복지서비스의 융합적인 제언을 위한 목적으로 수행되었다. 이를 위해 국민건강영양조사 2016-2019 자료를 활용하였으며, 연구대상은 이혼 혹은 사별한 60세 이상 1인 가구의 여성 1,111명을 선정하였다. 연구결과, 만성질환 유병에 따른 주관적 건강인지의 평균 차이가 가장 크게 나타난 것은 관절염이었다. 그리고 인구사회학적 특성들을 통제한 다중회귀분석에서, 주관적 건강인지에 가장 큰 부적(-) 영향을 미치는 요인은 만성질환 가운데 당뇨병(-0.084)이었으며, 정적(+) 요인은 삶의 질 가운데 운동능력(+0.173)이었다. 따라서 60세 이상 1인 가구 여성의 주관적 건강인지를 향상시키기 위해 만성질환에 대한 보건의료서비스를 강화하고 삶의 질을 개선하기 위한 사회복지정책이 융합적으로 함께 고려되어야 함을 시사한다.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.55-60
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• 1997

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis(Idiopathic Histiocytosis, Histiocytosis-X) is most often found in children and young adults, and cell proliferation with specific phenotype shows ultrastructural and immunohistochemical similarities with Langerhans Cells that normally exist in epithelium and mucosa. This disease occurs as single or multiple lesions in skull, ribs, vertebrae, mandible and long bones, and when it involves mandible, clinical sign and symptoms such as bone swelling and pain are noticed. When it involves alveolar bone, severe tooth mobility as well as gigival inflammation, proliferation, and ulceration are commonly found, and so it is not easy to differentiate it from general inflammatory diseases. Any local lesion at the tooth apex on the x-ray view needs to be differentiated from inflammatory disease, and multiple lesions from multiple ostoeoma and chronic multifocal osteomyelitis. This case is LCH in 51-year-old male patient ; this is a rare case, for the patient belongs to an age group with very low incidence rate of the disease. although three-timed biopsy tests and longterm observation at two university hospitals, it was misdiagnosed as multifocal osteomyelitis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제53권11호
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• pp.931-935
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• 2010

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is comprised of a heterogeneous group of several disease subtypes that are characterized by the onset of arthritis before the age of 16 years and has symptoms lasting at least 6 weeks. The previous classification of JIA included seven different categories, whereas its current classification was compiled by the International League of the Association for Rheumatology, and replaced the previous terms of "juvenile chronic arthritis" and "juvenile rheumatoid arthritis," which were used in Europe or North America, respectively, with the single nomenclature of JIA. As mentioned above, JIA is defined as arthritis of unknown etiology that manifests itself before the age of 16 years and persists for at least 6 weeks, while excluding other known conditions. The clinical symptoms of JIA can be quite variable. Several symptoms that are characteristic of arthritis are not necessarily diagnostic of JIA and may have multiple etiologies that can be differentiated with careful examination of patient history. The disease may develop over days or sometimes weeks, thereby making the diagnosis difficult at the time of presentation. To make a clinical diagnosis of JIA, the first step is to exclude arthritis with known etiologies. Of note, late treatment due to excessive delay of diagnosis can cause severe damage to joints and other organs and impair skeletal maturation. Therefore, early detection of JIA is critical to ensure prompt treatment and to prevent long-term complications including the likelihood of disability in childhood.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.85-89
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• 2016

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organ systems. Although the etiology of SLE remains unclear, it is widely accepted that genetic factors could be involved in its pathogenesis. A number of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the risk of SLE in diverse populations. However, not all the SNP candidates identified from non-Asian populations have been validated in Koreans. In this study, we aimed to replicate the SNPs that were recently discovered in the GWAS; these SNPs have not been validated in Koreans or have only been replicated in Koreans with an insufficient sample size to conclude any association. For this, we selected five SNPs (rs1801274 in FCGR2A and rs2286672 in PLD2, rs887369 in CXorf21, rs9782955 in LYST, and rs3794060 in NADSYN1). Through the replication study with 656 cases and 622 controls, rs1801274 in FCGR2A was found to be significantly associated with SLE in Koreans (odds ratio, 1.26, 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.50; p = 0.01 in allelic model). This association was also significant in two other models (dominant and recessive). The other four SNPs did not show a significant association. Our data support that FCGR polymorphisms play important roles in the susceptibility to SLE in diverse populations, including Koreans.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.647-651
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• 1996

Langerhans cell histiocytosis(LCH) appears to arise from Langerhans cell and comprises a spectrum of clinical disease previously described in the literature by a variety of eponyms including histiocytosis X, eosinophilic granuloma, Hand-Schuller-Christian disease, and Letterer-Siwe syndrome. This rare disorder occurs in all groups, predominently affecting children & young adults. LCH has a wide spectrum of clinical features. The differentiation of several forms of this disease is primarily a clinical and not a histologic one. The radiographic characteristics include the appearance of solitary "intraosseous" lesions, the multiplicity of "alveolar bone" lesions, the bone lesions, periosteal new bone formation, and slight root resorption. Prognosis of a single bone lesion, is known to be excellent. In contrast, disseminated disease has seen associated with a chronic course, a high rate of morbidity and late consequences, and possible mortality. Treatment of LCH remains problematic. Treatment of multisystem disease, where organ function is being compromised has generally been with high-dose systemic corticosteroids or multiple chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권12호
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• pp.5917-5935
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• 2012

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infected. Humans are the natural hosts of HCV and this virus can eventually lead to permanent liver damage and carcinoma. HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family and Hepacivirus genus. The diameter of the virus is about 50-60 nm and the virion contains a single-stranded positive RNA approximately 10,000 nucleotides in length and consisting of one ORF which is encapsulated by an external lipid envelope and icosahedral capsid. HCV is a heterogeneous virus, classified into 6 genotypes and more than 50 subtypes. Because of the genome variability, nucleotide sequences of genotypes differ by approximately 31-34%, and by 20-23% among subtypes. Quasi-species of mixed virus populations provide a survival advantage for the virus to create multiple variant genomes and a high rate of generation of variants to allow rapid selection of mutants for new environmental conditions. Direct contact with infected blood and blood products, sexual relationships and availability of injectable drugs have had remarkable effects on HCV epidemiology. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from hepatitis and liver cancer caused by HCV virus infection. Approximately 80% of patients with acute hepatitis C progress into a chronic disease state leading to serious hepatic disorders, 10-20% of which develop chronic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation period of HCV is 6-8 weeks and the infection is often asymptomatic so it is very hard to detect at early stages, making early treatment very difficult. Therefore, hepatitis C is called a "silent disease". Neutralizing antibodies are produced against several HCV proteins during infection but the virus mutates to escape from antibodies. Some patients with chronic hepatitis C may have some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and pain. Autoimmune and immunecomplex-mediated diseases have also been reported with chronic HCV infection.