• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.150-159
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• 2013

A study was performed to identify current drug shortages, assess impact of drug shortages on public hospitals and patients, and investigate needs of pharmacists for a drug shortage list. An e-mail survey was sent to the pharmacists of 13 national public hospitals. Total 61.5% of public hospitals has 10 or fewer drugs a year in short supply. Shortages involved mood drugs, anti-tumor drugs, analgesics, antibiotics and etc. in 2012. Among them 75.0% was prescription drugs and the other 25.0% was non-prescription drugs. 79.2% was domestic products and 20.8% was imported drugs. Only 12.5% was injections. Less than 3 pharmacists usually spent within 3 hours managing one drug shortage. Since a single item for a certain medicine may raise risk of drug shortages, it's needed to consider developing manuals, laying up medicine stocks and holding plural medicines for drug shortages in public hospitals. Main information resources of drug shortages are wholesalers or manufacturers. But the information appeared to be not only inadequate but also too late for appropriate activities. A survey of pharmacists revealed that overall 84.6% of respondents were in need of the drug shortage list. They expected it to be conducted to take proper measures for the drug shortage and to improve patient healthcare outcome and convenience. This study will contribute to improving public health by promoting stable supply of drugs and repairing the information delivery system.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2000

Obesity is a global pandemic that is increasing throughout most of the world. Increases in obesity are not restricted to highly industrialized countries, but have been observed in newly developed and developing countries as well. Obesity is associated with increased risk for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and some types of cancer. Tragically, eliminating food shortages in developing countries may result in substituting heart disease, diabetes, and cancer for malnutrition. There are many approaches to reducing obesity, including dietary modification, surgical interventions, and drug therapies. However, only dietary modification has the potential to be effective on a global scale. Public health measures in the United States have sought to reduce obesity by reducing the intake of dietary fat. While these efforts have succeeded in reducing dietary fat, obesity has continued to increase, suggesting that moderate fat reduction may not be effective. Other proposed diets include low-carbohydrate diets, low glycemic index diets, and very low fat diets. While all of these diets may be effective for some people, they are not satisfactory for public health policy. In fact, the ratio of fat to carbohydrate may not be as important as previously believed. Humans may be well suited to adapt to diets as varied as a high carbohydrate tropical diet consisting mostly of fruits to the high fat Eskimo diet consisting largely of animal foods. Either extreme may be healthful if providing adequate, but not excessive, energy and adequate amounts of micronutrients. Public health measures may need to focuss on reducing the overconsumption of inexpensive and convenient foods.