Unfortunately, we have poor knowledge of medical technology in North Korea. This study has thus attempted to identify the level and status of medical technology development through analyzing the contents of medical textbooks currently in use. This study has assumed that three factors are influencing the level and status of medical technology in a society ; the level of socio-economic development in general, the level of scientific technology revolution and health policy. Forty textbooks are collected for this purpose. The main findings are summarized as follows: 1) North Korea has strengths in that (1) its herb drugs, which are in a broad use, are cheaper, more safe and more attainable than bio-equivalent chemical ones, and (2) the development of its medical technology was carried out with emphasis on the practical and basic health needs. 2) North Korea has weaknesses in that (1) its medical diagnostic method largely depends on manual procedures, (2) the R & D investment in the development of chemical drugs, especially antibiotics, is very small, (3) the amount of medical equipments is in a absolute shortage, and (4) the medical technology is destitute of specialty, caused mainly by the overemphasis on Juche-Uihak or herb medicine. 3) Medical technology has two faces, positive and negative so that it cannot be successfully evaluated by one. It eventually acts a positive function for public health through developments of drug, equipment and new medical treatment method. But it is also true that it has negative effects such as the dehumanization of high cost medical technology, cost hike due to over-investments in expensive equipments, and the absence of wholistic care from overspecialization. 4) We have to consider economic status and the social needs of medical care in order to evaluate the medical technology of a society. It is also the ease with North Korea. A whole picture of the North Korean medical technology could be understood only if further comprehensive studies of medical technology are to be carried out for North Korea.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Dehumanization ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea* ; Health Policy ; Herbal Medicine ; Investments ; Public Health

No abstract available.
Sarcoma*

No abstract available.
Fanconi Anemia*

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Pancreatic Pseudocyst*

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effects of the oral care program for improving swallowing function of the elderly using welfare centers on depression, self efficacy, subjective oral health status and swallowing related quality of life. Methods: The intervention in this study was systematically developed through the six stages of Intervention Mapping Protocol (IMP) and was based on Mead’s symbolic interaction theory and Bandura's self efficacy theory. A non equivalent control group pre and post-test design was conducted on a total of 37 elderly people (experimental group: 19, control group: 18) from D city. The oral care program was administered to the experimental group once a week for five weeks, totaling five times, and the exact program ran for 50 minutes. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. Results: Following the intervention, subjective oral health score, and swallowing related quality of life were significantly improved in the experimental group. Conclusion The oral care program presented in this study was found to be effective in increasing subjective oral health status, and swallowing related quality of life for the elderly using welfare centers.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the relationship between incidental abnormalities on thoracic computed tomography (CT) and mortality in a general screening population using a long-term follow-up analysis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the medical records and CT images of 840 participants (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 58.5 ± 6.7 years; 564 male) who underwent thoracic CT at a single health promotion center between 2007 and 2010. Two thoracic radiologists independently reviewed all CT images and evaluated any incidental abnormalities (interstitial lung abnormality [ILA], emphysema, coronary artery calcification [CAC], aortic valve [AV] calcification, and pulmonary nodules). Kaplan–Meier analysis with log-rank and z-tests was performed to assess the relationship between incidental CT abnormalities and all-cause mortality in the subsequent follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to further identify risk factors of all-cause mortality among the incidental CT abnormalities and clinical factors. Results: Among the 840 participants, 55 (6%), 171 (20%), 288 (34%), 396 (47%), and 97 (11%) had findings of ILA, emphysema, CAC, pulmonary nodule, and AV calcification, respectively, on initial CT. The participants were followed up for a mean period ± SD of 10.9 ± 1.4 years. All incidental CT abnormalities were associated with all-cause mortality in univariable analysis (p < 0.05). However, multivariable analysis further revealed fibrotic ILA as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.52 [95% confidence interval, 1.02–6.22], p = 0.046). ILA were also identified as an independent risk factor for lung cancer or respiratory disease-related deaths. Conclusion Incidental abnormalities on screening thoracic CT were associated with increased mortality during the long-term follow-up. Among incidental CT abnormalities, fibrotic ILA were independently associated with increased mortality. Appropriate management and surveillance may be required for patients with fibrotic ILA on thoracic CT obtained for general screening purposes.

The apocrine morphology of the breast is observed in a broad pathological spectrum, ranging from benign cysts to invasive carcinomas. However, the number of clinical research investigating malignant apocrine lesions is limited. This study retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with malignant apocrine lesions admitted in a tertiary center between January 2004 and December 2021, based on the radiology-pathology correlation and the recent advances in their status to enhance the therapeutic implications of androgen receptor (AR). Among the 37 patients with lesions, 27 (73.0%) had triple-negative subtypes with predominant AR expression. The radiological features of malignant apocrine lesions did not differ from those of typical invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ. This study demonstrated that knowledge on the imaging features of malignant apocrine lesions and their histological basis could enhance the adoption of new targeted therapies in patients with this particular type of breast cancer.

Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) is a minimally-invasive procedure that is an indispensable tool for evaluating pulmonary lesions. Though extremely rare, tumor seeding of the pleura and chest wall can occur as a complication. Given that the breast is located anterior to the thorax, needle tracking through the breast is inevitable when PTNB is performed using the anterior approach. We describe tumor seeding of metastatic pulmonary ameloblastoma in the pectoralis muscle layer of the breast along the needle track of PTNB in a 51-year-old female presenting with a palpable lump in the right breast.

Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) is a minimally-invasive procedure that is an indispensable tool for evaluating pulmonary lesions. Though extremely rare, tumor seeding of the pleura and chest wall can occur as a complication. Given that the breast is located anterior to the thorax, needle tracking through the breast is inevitable when PTNB is performed using the anterior approach. We describe tumor seeding of metastatic pulmonary ameloblastoma in the pectoralis muscle layer of the breast along the needle track of PTNB in a 51-year-old female presenting with a palpable lump in the right breast.