• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2017

The rotavirus-induced diarrhea of human and animal neonates is a major public health concern worldwide. Until recently, no effective therapy is available to specifically inactivate the rotavirion particles within the gut. Passive immunotherapy by oral administration of chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) has emerged of late as a fresh alternative strategy to control infectious diseases of the alimentary tract and has been applied in the treatment of diarrhea due to rotavirus infection. The purpose of this concise review is to evaluate evidence on the properties and performance of anti-rotavirus immunoglobulin Y (IgY) for prevention and treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in human and animal neonates. A survey of relevant anti-rotavirus IgY basic studies and clinical trials among neonatal animals (since 1994-2015) and humans (since 1982-2015) have been reviewed and briefly summarized. Our analysis of a number of rotavirus investigations involving animal and human clinical trials revealed that anti-rotavirus IgY significantly reduced the severity of clinical manifestation of diarrhea among IgY-treated subjects relative to a corresponding control or placebo group. The accumulated information as a whole depicts oral IgY to be a safe and efficacious option for treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in neonates. There is however a clear need for more randomized, placebo controlled and double-blind trials with bigger sample size to further solidify and confirm claims of efficacy and safety in controlling diarrhea caused by rotavirus infection especially among human infants with health issues such as low birth weights or compromised immunity in whom it is most needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.135-142
• /
• 2009

Objectives : An appropriate sampling strategy for estimating an epidemiologic volume of diabetes has been evaluated through a simulation. Methods : We analyzed about 250 million medical insurance claims data submitted to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service with diabetes as principal or subsequent diagnoses, more than or equal to once per year, in 2003. The database was re-constructed to a 'patient-hospital profile' that had 3,676,164 cases, and then to a 'patient profile' that consisted of 2,412,082 observations. The patient profile data was then used to test the validity of a proposed sampling frame and methods of sampling to develop diabetic-related epidemiologic indices. Results : Simulation study showed that a use of a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design with a total sample size of 4,000 will provide an estimate of 57.04%(95% prediction range, 49.83 - 64.24%) for a treatment prescription rate of diabetes. The proposed sampling design consists, at first, stratifying the area of the nation into "metropolitan/city/county" and the types of hospital into "tertiary/secondary/primary/clinic" with a proportion of 5:10:10:75. Hospitals were then randomly selected within the strata as a primary sampling unit, followed by a random selection of patients within the hospitals as a secondly sampling unit. The difference between the estimate and the parameter value was projected to be less than 0.3%. Conclusions : The sampling scheme proposed will be applied to a subsequent nationwide field survey not only for estimating the epidemiologic volume of diabetes but also for assessing the present status of nationwide diabetes control.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.225-232
• /
• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the services and cost of CVA patients in hospital-based home health care and compare the differences of home health care cost by hospital types. Methods: The subjects of this study were 5,756 home care patients with cerebrovascular disease. Data were collected by using home health care medical expense claims from 127 hospitals in 2004. Results: The home care service 'indewelling catheterization' was the highest(19.28%), and then 'nasogastric tube insertion and change(16.72%)', 'bladder irrigation(15.98)', 'wound management(simple dressing)(10.42%)' followed. Average home health care cost per visit was 39,943 won, and the highest 46,058 won in general hospitals and the lowest 33,922 won in tertiary hospitals, so there were statistically significant among the types of hospitals(F=1112.47, p<0.0001). Conclusions: The number of home health care patients has been rapidly growing with the increase of aged population and demand for home care services is rising. So, it could be urgent to develop a reasonable cost reimbursement system for home health services and to expend scopes of the roles of home care specialist nurses. Amid the demand of more detail understanding the present status of home care, our study can be contributed to provide fundamental information of home care in Korea.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.243-279
• /
• 2019

During the main ruling in 2018, it is difficult to find a new judiciary, which is understood to be due to a certain degree of jurisprudence established and focusing mainly on contentious disputes within the framework of damages. The cases in which the court's judgment is reversed helped to understand the reason and the judiciary, and it was confirmed that the dispute in the medical lawsuit became more and more intense. Decisions on responsibility restrictions and medical records were also noticeable, with a significant increase in the number of verdicts relating to the doubt about medical records. This is considered to be part of the increasing number of cases in which the parties raise questions about medical records, and several cases were categorized and introduced at this opportunity. We also introduce the case of forced discharge of long-term hospitalized patients and medical fee bill, because it was judicial interest after the Supreme Court ruling that the cost of treatment for the after-effects of medical malpractice can not be claimed to the patient.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.88-95
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the clinical utilization of radiation therapy (RT) in Korea between 2009 and 2013. Materials and Methods: We analyzed open claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The subjects were patients who had diagnostic codes C00-C97 or D00-D48 according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, with procedure codes indicating RT treatment. Results: The total number of patients who received RT in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 were 45,571, 49,593, 54,671, 59,172, and 61,485, respectively. Among them, the total numbers of male and female patients were 20,780/24,791 in 2009, 22,711/26,882 in 2010, 24,872/29,799 in 2011, 27,101/32,071 in 2012, and 27,941/33,544 in 2013. The five cancers that were most frequently treated with RT between 2009 and 2012 were breast, lung, colorectal, liver, and uterine cervical cancers. However, the fifth most common cancer treated with RT that replaced uterine cervical cancer in 2013 was prostate cancer. The three leading types of cancer among the male patients were lung, colorectal, and liver cancers, whereas in female patients, they were breast, uterine cervical, and lung cancers. The type of cancer most commonly treated by RT was cancer of the central nervous system in patients aged 20 years or less, breast cancer in patients aged 30-50 years, and lung cancer in patients aged 60 years or more. Conclusion: Data from this study provided the clinical utilization of RT in Korea between 2009 and 2013.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.3 s.47
• /
• pp.313-320
• /
• 2004

Human skin is continuously exposed to internal and external influences that may affect its condition and functioning. To maintain and improve skin condition, a wide variety of skin-care products is in the market. However, many of skin problems originate from internal causes, and the new insight into the relation between nutritional factors and skin is now receiving a great attention. Specific positive effects of nutrients or nutraceutical compounds on skin conditions may prove to be biologically relevant and may consequently allow for claims on products containing these compounds, resulting in the development of new functional food for optimal skin condition. In this review, these functions of nutrients and nutraceutical compounds in skin are summarized as providing a basis for the feasibility of the concept of functional foods for maintaining and improving skin condition.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.393-401
• /
• 2000

Objectives : To evaluate the impacts of the DRG payment system on the behavior of medical insurance claimants. Specifically, we evaluated the case-mix index, the numbers of diagnosis and procedure codes utilized, and the corresponding rate of diagnosis codes before, during and after implementation of the DRG payment system. Methods : In order to evaluate the case-mix index, the number of diagnosis and procedure codes utilized, we used medical insurance claim data from all medical facilities that participated in the DRG-based Prospective Payment Demonstration Program. This medical insurance claim data consisted of both pre-demonstration program data (fee-for-service, from November, 1998 to January, 1999) and post-demonstration program data (DRG-based Prospective Payment, from February, 1999 to April, 1999). And in order to evaluate the corresponding rate of diagnosis codes utilized, we reviewed 820 medical records from 20 medical institutes that were selected by random sampling methods. Results : The case-mix index rate decreased after the DRG-based Prospective Payment Demonstration Program was introduced. The average numbers of different claim diagnosis codes used decreased (new DRGs from 2.22 to 1.24, and previous DRGs from 1.69 to 1.21), as did the average number of claim procedure codes used (new DRGs from 3.02 to 2.16, and previous DRGs from 2.97 to 2.43). With respect to the time of participation in the program, the change in number of claim procedure codes was significant, but the change in number of claim diagnosis codes was not. The corresponding rate of claim diagnosis codes increased (from 57.5% to 82.6%), as did the exclusion rate of claim diagnosis codes (from 16.5% to 25.1%). Conclusions : After the implementation of the DRG payment system, the corresponding rate of insurance claim codes and the corresponding exclusion rate of claim diagnosis codes both increased, because the inducement system for entering the codes for claim review was changed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.36-46
• /
• 2014

Objectives: To evaluate the association between fracture risk and levothyroxine use in elderly women with hypothyroidism, according to previous osteoporosis history. Methods: We conducted a cohort study from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims database from January 2005 to June 2006. The study population comprised women aged ${\geq}65$ years who had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and prescribed levothyroxine monotherapy. We excluded patients who met any of the following criteria: previous fracture history, hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, or pituitary disorder; low levothyroxine adherence; or a follow-up period <90 days. We categorized the daily levothyroxine doses into 4 groups: ${\leq}50{\mu}g/d$, 51 to $100{\mu}g/d$, 101 to $150{\mu}g/d$, and > $150{\mu}g/d$. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with the Cox proportional hazard model, and subgroup analyses were performed according to the osteoporosis history and osteoporosis-specific drug prescription status. Results: Among 11 155 cohort participants, 35.6% had previous histories of osteoporosis. The adjusted HR of fracture for the > $150{\mu}g/d$ group, compared with the 51 to $100{\mu}g/d$ group, was 1.56 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.37) in osteoporosis subgroup. In the highly probable osteoporosis subgroup, restricted to patients who were concurrently prescribed osteoporosis-specific drugs, the adjusted HR of fracture for the > $150{\mu}g/d$ group, compared with the 51 to 100 ${\mu}g/d$ group, was 1.93 (95% CI, 1.14 to 3.26). Conclusions: While further studies are needed, physicians should be concerned about potential levothyroxine overtreatment in elderly osteoporosis patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.219-226
• /
• 2012

Objectives: To evaluate the risk of fractures related with zolpidem in elderly insomnia patients. Methods: Health claims data on the entire South Korean elderly population from January 2005 to June 2006 were extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We applied a case-crossover design. Cases were defined as insomnia patients who had a fracture diagnosis. We set the hazard period of 1 day length prior to the fracture date and four control periods of the same length at 5, 10, 15, and 20 weeks prior to the fracture date. Time independent confounding factors such as age, gender, lifestyle, cognitive function level, mobility, socioeconomic status, residential environment, and comorbidity could be controlled using the case-crossover design. Time dependent confounding factors, especially co-medication of patients during the study period, were adjusted by conditional logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the risk of fracture related to zolpidem. Results: One thousand five hundred and eight cases of fracture were detected in insomnia patients during the study period. In our data, the use of zolpidem increased the risk of fracture significantly (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.72; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.16). However, the association between benzodiazepine hypnotics and the risk of fracture was not statistically significant (aOR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.21). Likewise, the results were not statistically significant in stratified analysis with each benzodiazepine generic subgroup. Conclusions: Zolpidem could increase the risk of fracture in elderly insomnia patients. Therefore zolpidem should be prescribed carefully and the elderly should be provided with sufficient patient education.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.653-660
• /
• 2010

Along with the steady growth of health functional food (HFF) markets, research evaluating the human effects of HFF has been expanding. In this study, we investigated the regulatory and management system of human study on HFF in the USA, Japan and UK, and the Korean domestic regulations on HHF, medicines, medical devices, cosmetics and biotechnology in order to improve the domestic management system. In these four countries, institutional review board (IRB) or research ethics committee (REC) approvals are required for on human study of HHF, but regulatory and management systems differ from country to country. In the USA, human studies on HFF for structure/function claims do not require the FDA's prior approval but clinical trials of the disease treatment effects of HHF require prior approval from the FDA. In the USA, IRBs are managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) rather than the FDA, and IRBs in those institutions which would execute the clinical trials requiring prior approval from the FDA or human studies funded by the USA federal government are required to be registered on the DHHS. In the UK, although the government does not require prior approval of human study, authorized RECs managed by the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) and other independent RECs review the human study. In Japan, human study for HFF must conform with "Ethical guidelines for epidemiological research" and IRB registration has not been required. In Korean domestic regulations, the responsibilities, compositions, functions and operations of IRBs on medicines, medical devices and biotechnology are legally specified, but not those of IRB on HHF. These foreign statuses for the management of human study on HFF and comparisons with Korean regulations are expected to be used as basic data to improve the domestic legal system.