• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1655-1659
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate that which symptoms are adequate indicator of the deficiency of Eum pattern in the stroke patients. In the time period Dec. 2006 to Aug. 2007, 479 patients with a first-ever stroke admitted in the department of Internal Medicine of 12 Oriental Medical Hospitals were included. Patients were hospitalized within 1 months after the onset of stroke. Stroke patients had been interviewed by resident who studied standard operation procedures in Fundamental Study for Standardization and Objectification of Differentiation and Pattern Identification of Syndrome of Oriental Medicine for Stroke. Eum-deficiency patients was confirmed by medical specialist diagnosis, resident diagnosis, case report form analysis without a dissenting voice. Deficiency of Eum group included 65 case, Non Eum group 414 case out of 479 patients. dryness of mouth, short and rapid purse, white face and reddish zygoma, mirror-like tongue were higher among Eum group. Eum and Non Eum patients do not significantly differ in reddened tongue, dryness in tongue, night sweat, palpitation, afternoon tidal heat, palmar heat, sores of the mouth or tongue. This study was insufficiency because sample size is very small. More data from prospective cohort studies will help to Korean Standard Differentiation of the Symptoms and Signs for the Stroke.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.4844-4851
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• 2011

This study seeks to measure the level and root causes of occupational and interpersonal conflicts between nurses and nurse aids against hospital doctors, in order to help increase motivation of both groups in their workplace and enable more effective nursing care to patients. 271 nurses and nurse-aids working in small- and medium-sized hospitals were therefore given a series of surveys on topics such as conflicts with doctors, communications, cause of conflicts and solutions. Analysis of the survey result shows that both nurses and nurse-aids share relatively similar level and causes of conflicts in their place of work; however, nurse-aids felt more stress when their responsibilities seem to be duplicated or blurred from those of doctors and nurses. When conflicts actually occur with doctors, both groups would first try to avoid it one way or another. Then, nurses would make others cave in or file complaints through union, while nurse aides would seek help from supervisors or try to meet them half way.

• Journal of Digital Forensics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.83-96
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• 2018

Electronic medical records in the hospital information system are the important evidence related to the crime and are subject to search and seizure. In the case of a large general hospital, it is possible to search for seizures through cooperation of the staff, but it is impossible in small hospitals. The investigation agency copies the database of electronic medical records and then selects relevant content. This approach has an issue of excessive search and seizure. In this paper, we propose field selection procedures and methods for electronic medical records while ensuring integrity, reproducibility, and chain of custody. Currently, it is necessary to study the procedures and methods of search and seizure of medical information system so that it can respond to next changing cloud hospital information system.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.298-306
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• 2022

Pathological tissue fixation using formalin has been widely used for histological samples in many hospitals and institutions. In general, formalin fixatives were either manufactured in laboratories or purchased commercially because of the risks and environmental concerns of handling organic compounds. In this study, the efficacy of three kinds of commercially purchased and one laboratory-made formalin fixative was compared in the PCR-based molecular diagnosis using the extracted DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. The quality of extracted DNA from FFPE tonsil tissues with four kinds of formalin solutions was evaluated, and PCR for beta-globin gene and microsatellite instabilities (MSI) tests for pentaplex panel markers were performed using the extracted DNA. There was no difference in PCR and MSI tests as molecular diagnoses regardless of the types of formalin used in this study. However, the total amount and average length of double-stranded DNA extracted from FFPE tonsil tissue showed significant differences according to the type of formalin fixative. Optimized formalin fixatives and methods for DNA extraction might be sophisticated to extract good quality DNA from the small size of specific tissue samples. Further studies are needed to select the most effective formalin fixative for histology and molecular pathology using human FFPE tissues.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.16-26
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• 2022

Objectives: Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) has been supplied as part of a national health care system in South Korea under a dual medical system, however it has been difficult to mix western medicine and TKM medical practices in existing hospitals. For the objective of innovative integration between them, Comprehensive and Integrative Medicine Hospital were founded in Daegu, South Korea. Here, we discussed the clinical outcomes of cancer patients who received integrative cancer treatment (ICT). Methods: A total of 678 patients previously diagnosed with cancer were retrospectively checked in our institution for 2 years. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 573 patients were eligible for the final analysis. The overall survival (OS) of these patients in the aftercare period were determined. We looked at how clinical factors and treatments including chemotherapy, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and TKM affected the OS. Results: At the first visit, 212 subjects had no evidence of disease after tumor resection and 355 ones with advanced cancer, who receiving ICT including chemotherapy, CAM, and TKM showed better OS compared to the CAM including TKM or the best supportive care (median OS = 216, 78, and 46 days, respectively). The median OS was not reached in TKM only, even though the sample size was small (N=12). Even after adjusting for clinical factors associated to liver, renal, and hematologic manifestation, ICT still remained significant. Conclusions: We demonstrated that ICT might be beneficial for advanced cancer regardless of the performance status, liver and renal function, since it positively affected the OS.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.86 no.4
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• pp.272-283
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• 2023

Background: In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), decreased muscle mass is a frequently encountered comorbidity in clinical practice. However, the evaluation of muscle mass in patients with COPD in real-world practice is rare. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of all patients with COPD who underwent bioelectrical impedance analysis at least once between January 2011 and December 2021 in three hospitals. Then, we analyzed the performance rate of muscle mass measurement in the patients and the correlation between muscle mass, clinical parameters, and COPD prognosis. Results: Among the 24,502 patients with COPD, only 270 (1.1%) underwent muscle mass measurements. The total skeletal muscle mass index was significantly correlated with albumin, alanine transaminase, and creatinine to cystatin C ratio in patients with COPD (r=0.1614, p=0.011; r=0.2112, p=0.001; and r=0.3671, p=0.001, respectively). Acute exacerbation of COPD (AE COPD) was significantly correlated with muscle mass, especially the truncal skeletal muscle mass index (TSMI) in males (r=-0.196, p=0.007). In the multivariate analysis, TSMI and cystatin C were significant risk factors for AE COPD (hazard ratio, 0.200 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.048 to 0.838] and 4.990 [95% CI, 1.070 to 23.278], respectively). Conclusion: Low muscle mass negatively affects the clinical outcomes in patients with COPD. Despite its clinical significance, muscle mass measurement is performed in a small proportion of patients with COPD. Therefore, protocols and guidelines for the screening of sarcopenia in patients with COPD should be established.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.393-401
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• 2015

Radiation therapy for lung cancer is an effective treatment during monotherapy or combination therapy. Studies have reported that the optimum utilization rate of radiation therapy is estimated at 61% to 74%. Radiation therapy in Korea has been investigated to be low; further studies are needed. This study was intended to assess the appropriateness of the use of radiation and to reveal the use of radiation therapy-related factors by examining radiation therapy in lung cancer patients of Busan and South Gyeongnam Province. This study was aimed at the population diagnosed with lung cancer in Busan and South Gyeongnam Province. To conduct the study, 1036 patients enrolled in two hospitals were collected and 897 appropriate as subjects were selected. We compared the optimum utilization rate and actual rate of radiation therapy, and revealed the adequacy and related factors for use of radiotherapy. Of 897 patients, 503 (56%) were treated with medical therapy and 394 (44%) were given radiotherapy. The radiotherapy utilization rate of all lung cancer patients was 42%. The proportion of non-small cell lung cancer by histologic type was 33% and that of small cell lung cancer was 90%. Factors related to radiation therapy used in cancer were age, histological type, clinical stage, doctor refereed to, and clinical examination. Compared to radiation utilization by region (site), curative chest therapy was 42%; palliative treatment was 26%. In the comparison of histologic types, utilization of small-cell lung cancer is lower; the lowest especially in the stage III. Utilization of radiation therapy in Busan and South Gyeongnam Province was lower than the reasonable one. Utilization difference could be explained by patient factors, tumor factors, and health service factors. To improve utilization,development ofoutreach service programs and activation of the multidisciplinary team are required.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.38C no.9
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• pp.822-829
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• 2013

Hypertension is one of the most common clinical diseases, with an increasing prevalence globally. Hypertension triggers various harmful consequences and affects multiple organs. Life-long care may be required in some cases. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of hypertension is gradually increasing. A 2011 survey revealed that 28.9% of Korean adults had hypertension. The prevalence rates were slightly higher among men than women. Accurate measurement of blood pressure(BP) is crucial to classify patients, to identify BP-related risks, and to inform correct treatment. For accurate blood pressure measurement, the use of a cuff bladder size appropriate for the mid-upper arm circumference(MUAC) is essential. Incorrect sized cuff bladder is one of the main causes of equipment error affecting sphygmomanometer accuracy. When commercial sphygmomanometers were examined, the cuff bladders differed from the dimensions specified in the ISO 81060-1:2007 standards. Undercuffing is responsible for a spurious overestimation of BP in patients with large arms leading to overdiagnosis of hypertension, whereas overcuffing (that is, use of relatively large cuffs with small arms), may be responsible for an opposite problem, leading to erroneous underestimation of BP levels. The cuff bladder sizes recommended by the American Heart Association(AHA) are an arm circumference(AC) of 17-25 cm for small-sized adults, AC of 24-32 cm for adults, AC of 32-42 cm for normal-sized adults, and AC of 42-50 cm for obese adults. In contrast, the AC of Korean adults ranges from 23-31 cm, belonging to a single type of adult bladder. Three types of bladders are necessary for Korean adults with an AC of 23-31cm. Hospitals often use one or two differently-sized Western cuffs for adult patients, which can yield inaccurate BP determinations. Cuff bladders with dimensions based on anthropometric reference data obtained from Koreans will aid hospitals to measure BP more accurately.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-86
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• 2013

Departments of family medicine at some general hospitals find it difficult to hold regular conferences because they have a small number of faculty members. The recent technological development of videoconferencing has made it possible for these small departments to regularly participate in the conferences held by departments with a larger number of faculty members. The objective of this study was to show the level of satisfaction with and acceptance of our videoconferencing system. One presenting site and four receiving sites participated in the videoconferences, which were held every Monday for three weeks. There were no significant differences in the levels of satisfaction with the videoconferences between faculty at the presenting site and faculty at the receiving sites. In contrast, residents at the receiving sites rated most items related to satisfaction with the videoconferences lower than residents at the presenting site. There were no changes between the pre-test and post-test scores of residents both at the presenting site and at the receiving sites. Despite its limitations, the advantages of joint-videoconferencing among several departments of family medicine were comfort level, time-saving, increasing the number of participants, promoting discussion, and provoking thought.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 1992

Traditionally. the wedge factor of universal wedge is regarded as constant for small depth. Recently. some investigators have reported the beam hardening effect from wedged beam even in small depth. suggesting that the wedge factors are depth dependent values. Here authors performed the study to determine the proper depth of measurement for wedge factor. In this study. we have measured the wedge factors (nominal wedge angles 15, 30, 45, and 60) not only for depth maximum. but also for each depth, for several energies (4MV, 6MV, 10MV, and 15MV) of various machines (Varian, Siemens, Mitsubishi). And we have analysed the treatment depth of 614 patients who had been treated with wedged field at our hospitals to determine of the proper depth of the measurement point for wedge factor. More than 60% of the patients are treated at the depth of 8cm$\pm$2.5cm with the wedged field for various machines. energies, and wedge angles. The results of the wedge factor measurements show that the systemic error of average 2% (maximum 4%) might be inherently originated for the patients who had been treated with wedged field if we adapt the depth maximum as the wedge factor determination depth due to beam hardening effect. But we could achieve average error less than 0.5% (maximum within 1.7%) if we use 8cm for wedge factor measurement point We conclude that the measurement depth point for wedge factor should be 8cm in order to deliver more accurate dose to target for Korean patients. instead of depth maximum.