• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.143-152
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• 2014

Background: Previous studies showed that the characteristics of population and regions were related to the suicide rates. This study purposed to analyze the relationships between regional factors and suicide rates with spatial analysis model. Methods: This is a cross sectional study based on the statistics of 2011 which was extracted from the 229 City Gun Gu administrative districts in Korea. Cause of death statistics on each district was used to produce the age-, sex-adjusted mortality rates resulting from suicide. Regional characteristics were measured by the number of doctors engaged in medical institutions per 1,000 population, divorced people's rate per 1,000 population, number of marriages per 1,000 population, and percent of welfare budget in general accounting. Statistical analysis was performed by using SAS ver. 9.3 and ArcGIS ver. 10.2 was used for geographically weighted regression (GWR). Results: In ordinary least square (OLS) regression, divorced people's rate per 1,000 population had a significant positive relationship with the standardized mortality rate per 100,000 population. Marriages per 1,000 population and the proportion of welfare budget in the general accounting had significant negative relationships with the mortality rates. Meanwhile, GWR provided that the directions of variable, divorced people's rate per 1,000 population, were varied depending on regions. The adjusted $R^2$ was improved from the 0.32 in OLS to the 0.46 in GWR. Conclusion: Results of GWR showed that regional factors had different effects on the suicide rates depending on locations. It suggested that policy interventions for reducing the suicide rate should consider the regional characteristics in obtaining policy objectives.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4281-4284
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• 2012

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in children, responsible for a high rate of amputation and death. This is the first long-term, population-based, epidemiologic and survival study in Thailand. Objective: To study the incidence and survival rates of pediatric osteosarcoma in Khon Kaen. Method: Childhood osteosarcoma cases (0-19 years) diagnosed between 1985-2010 were reviewed. The data were retrieved from the population-based data set of the Khon Kaen Cancer Registry and medical records from Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University. All cases were censored until the end of April 2012. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was calculated using the standard method. Survival experience was analyzed using the standard survival function (STATA 9.0) and presented with a Kaplan-Meier curve. Results: 58 cases were enrolled. The overall ASR was 14.1 per million. Males and females were equally affected. The peak incidence was for 15-19 year-olds in both sexes (ASR=10.4 per million in males and 8.5 in females). The 5-year overall survival rate was 27.6% (95% CI: 15.8-40.8%). The median survival time was 1.6 years (95% CI: 1.2-2.1). In a subgroup analysis, the patients who received only chemotherapy survived longer (5-year survival 45.7%, median survival time 4.1 years, p=0.12). Conclusion: The incidence rate for childhood osteosarcoma was slightly less than those reported for Western countries. The survival rate was also lower than reports from developed countries. Further evaluation of the treatment protocol and risk factor stratification is needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.70-77
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• 2012

Objectives: Identify the characteristics related to the suicide rates in rural and urban areas of Korea and discover the factors that influence the suicide rate of the rural and urban areas. Methods: Using the data on causes of death from 2006 to 2008, the suicide rates were calculated and compared after age-standardization based on gender, age group and urbanicity. And, in order to understand the factors that influence suicide rate, total 10 local characteristics in four domains - public service, social integration, residential environment, and economic status - were selected for multiple regression analysis. Results: The suicide rates were higher in men than women, in rural areas than urban, and in older people than the younger. Generally, although there were variations according to age group and urbanicity, suicide rates were significantly related to residential environment and regional economic status but not related to regional welfare spending and social integration. In addition, the population over the age of 65 years, only regional economic status has significantly influence on their suicide rates. Conclusions: The influence of characteristics of regions on suicide rate is various by age-group, gender, and urbanicity. Therefore, in order to lower suicide rate and reduce the gap between regions, various approaches must be adopted by taking into account the socioeconomic characteristics of the regions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.321-324
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• 2013

Background: Intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the most common cancer in Thailand, especially in the northeast region. Most extrahepatic CCA patients consult a doctor at a late stage. Surgery is still the best treatment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate survival rates and factors affecting survival in extrahepatic CCA patients following surgery at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 58 patients who were diagnosed and treated by surgical resection by the same surgeon at Srinagarind Hospital between 2005 and 2009. The patients were followed up until death or the end of the study (31 December, 2011). Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results: The total follow-up time was 1,215 person-months, and the mortality rate was 50 per 100 person-years. The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 62.1%, 21.7% and 10.8%, respectively. The median survival time after resection was 15 months. After adjusting for age, gender, lymph node metastasis and histological type, resection margin remained as a statistically significant prognostic factor for survival following surgery. A positive resection margin was associated with a 2.3-fold higher mortality rate than a negative margin. Conclusions: Resection margins are important prognostic factors affecting survival of extrahepatic CCA patients after surgery. A negative resection margin can reduce the mortality rate by 56%.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.7-16
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• 1998

Background and Purpose The increasing evidence for neurally mediated cardiac damage and sudden death has focused attention on the central autonomic control of cardiac function. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability(HRV) can detect autonomic consequences of stroke. We performed power spectral analysis of heart rate variability from 24-hour holter recording to identify cerebral hemispheric lateralization and gender effect in cardiac autonomic control. Methods Data were obtained from 24-hour holter recordings in 30 consecutive patients with hemispheric brain infarction in the subacute phase. We analysed the time domain and frequency domain measures of HRV and ST segment by hemispheric lateralization and Gender. Results ST segment was depressed in women compared with man. There was no statistically significant differences between right and left hemisphere stroke patients in any standard index of HRV and ST segment changes. Conclusions These data are partial consistent with evidence from the recent literature that two cerebral hemispheres and gender have a differential influence on the nature and severity of cardiac dysfunction. We think the prospective and definite study was necessary.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5811-5816
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Molecular subtypes are important in determining prognosis. This study evaluated five-year disease-free survival among four molecular subtypes in patients with early stages of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective descriptive-analytical study, information on patients with breast cancer between 2001-2010 was evaluated. Five hundred ninety two patients in the early stages of breast cancer (stages 1 and 2) were selected to undergo anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Relapse, death or absence (censor) were considered as the end of the study. Patients based on ER, PR and HER-2 expression were divided into four subtypes (luminal A, luminal B, HER-2 enriched and triple negative). Information based upon questionnaire was analysed. To show the patients survival rate, life table and Kaplan-Meyer methods were used, and for comparing mean survival among different groups, the Log-Rank test was utilized. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was $47.9{\pm}9.6$. Out of the 592 patients, 586 were female (99%) and 6 were male (1%). Considering breast cancer molecular subtypes, 361 patients were in the luminal A group (61%), 49 patients in the luminal B group (8.3%), 48 patients in the HER-2 enriched group (8.1%) and 134 in the triple negative group (22.6%). Mean disease-free survival was 53.7 months overall, 55.4 months for the luminal A group, 48.3 months for the luminal B group, 43 months for the HER-2enriched group and 54.6 months for the triple negatives. Disease free survival differed significantly among the molecular subtypes (p value=0.0001). Conclusions: The best disease-free survival rate was among the luminal A subgroup and the worst disease-free survival rate was among the HER-2 enriched subgroup. Disease free survival rate in the HER-2 positive groups (luminal B and HER-2 enriched) was worse than the HER-2 negative groups (luminal A and triple negative).

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2008

We investigated mating conditions about care temperature of queen before mating, mating period, and number of queen per mating cage to improve mating rate of Bombus terrestris. Among $19^{\circ}C$, $22^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, care temperatures of queen before mating, queen cared at $19^{\circ}C$ was more effective than those at $22^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$ in death rate during care and mating periods, and colony development In case of mating period, oviposition rate and preoviposition periods at queen mated during 3 days were 89.3% and 11.4 days, respectively, which was higher and earlier than those of queen mated during 5 days and 7 days. The rate of worker emergence, colony foundation and progeny-queen production at 3 days-mated queen were also 2.0-11.6% higher than those at queen mated during 5 days and 7 days. In number of queen per mating cage, the rate of worker emergence, colony foundation and progeny-queen production queen mated at mating cage with 10 queens and 30 males were 41.5%, 25.9% and 23.2%, respectively. These values correspond to 1.5-6.8 folds those queen mated at cage with 20 queens and 30 queens. Therefore, we supposed that care temperature favorable for B. terrestris queen was $19^{\circ}C$ and the period need to mating was 3 days, and the number of queen per mating cage ($55{\times}45{\times}65\;cm$) was 10.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.277-283
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• 1993

In the present study, observations were made on the life-history of Lymnaea viridis under laboratory conditions, involving incubation period of the eggs and their hatching rate, shell length of the newly hatched snails, sexual maturity, size of the snails when the snail produced the first egg-mass, the number of eggs in each egg-mass, egg-laying, ovipostion, growth rate of the snails, and longevity of the snail. At temperatures between $19.8^{\circ}C$ to $22.5^{\circ}C$, incubation period of the eggs occupied 10~12 days, and after beginning of hatching, all young snails emerged completely from the egg-mass within 5 days. The hatching rate was 88%. The average shell length of the newly hatched snails was about 0.064cm. The rate of growth was extraordinarily rapid under good laboratory conditions. When two snails were reared in one culture vessel($20{\times}15{\times}5cm$) with blue-green algae at about $22^{\circ}C$, snail growth was optimal, taking 37 days to reach 1.2cm in shell length. Sexual maturity reached in about 19 days. The size of the snails at sexual maturity was $0.78{\pm}0.05cm$ in length and $0.47{\pm}0.04cm$ in width. The first egg-masses produced were $0.59{\pm}0.22cm$ in length and $0.34{\pm}0.08cm$ in width, and contained 7~38 eggs. The eggs are usually laid in water. The egg-laying was affected by food and temperature. Snails fed with blue-green algae at about $22^{\circ}C$ produced larger egg-masses than the snails fed with fish food at about $26^{\circ}C$. Under conditions of continuous activity and growth, the maximum expectation of life appears to be 109~350(mean 230) days. And the shell length of snails at death were 1.39~1.64cm.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.246-252
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• 2004

Objectives : Cancer is the leading cause of death in Korea. Therefore, a National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) was launched in 1999. This study planned to evaluate the performance of the NCSP to identifying the influencing factors in relation to characteristic public health centers. Methods : To analyze the performance, the database of the NCSP records for 2002 was used. The performance index was measured by the goal achievement rate, which was defined by the real number of screenees against the expected number of screenees. Also, a survey was conducted by a self-administered questionnaire to identify the factors associated with the goal achievement rate. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. In the first section, the individual characteristics of the program coordinator in each public health center were measured, and second section was comprised of questions about the organizational characteristics associated with the NCSP. A total of 121 subjects from 241 public health centers completed the questionnaire. Results : Of the 121 public health centers (50.2% response rate), the average goal achievement rate was 72.8%. The results of the regression model showed that public health centers located in rural area (parameter estimates=38.2) and had great support from a head of center or province (parameter estimates=0.20) and tended to have higher goal achievement rates. However, the characteristics of the program coordinator, especially their knowledge of and attitude toward cancer screening, were not significantly related to the goal achievement rates. Conclusions : It appears that the most important associated factors to the goal achievement rate in the NSCP were the location of the public health center and the support for the NCSP from the head of the center or province.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2019

On the basis of 2017, the cremation rate in capital area was 89.0% which was much higher than the national average cremation rate(84.6%). Due to the short supply of cremation facilities in accordance with the increased number of cremation cases every year, the demand for cremation from the residents outside of the jurisdiction area with no cremation facilities was increased, so that the residents in the jurisdiction area had difficulties in using the Online Cremation Reservation Service in Funeral Information System. Thus, this study aims to make suggestions for policies as follows.First, on the basis of 2017, the demand-supply rate of cremation facilities in Gyeonggi-do was 139.4%, which means that the demand for cremation largely exceeds the ability to supply cremation. Therefore, first, in the level of Gyeonggi-do, the expanded supply of cremation facilities should be induced by carrying forward policies such as financial support to the basic local governments installing cremation facilities and expansion of incentives support to the residents of regions attracting cremation facilities. Second, it would be necessary for the central government to expansively conduct the support standard price and government subsidy rate(70%) for the new construction of cremation facilities and the establishment of cremation furnaces. Third, there should be some policies to decrease the inflow of residents outside of the jurisdiction area by raising the fee for using cremation facilities outside of the jurisdiction area of Seoul Metropolitan City and also expanding the application of a sliding scale of cremation hours.