The purpose of this study is to estimate the minimum optimal scale(MOS) of the self-employed health insurance associations. Considering the high proportion of operating expenses, the author have selected 254 regional health insurance associations from the 1990 Finance Report of the self-employed health insurance programs. both a quadratic function and a hyperbolic function were chosen for the analysis. The dependent variables are the average maintenance cost per insured person and per household, and the independent variables are the number of insured members and of household. The minimum optimal scale was obtained from the differentiation of the quadratic function. Major findings are summarized as follows: 1. The M.O.S. was calculated as 166,174 members (27,442 households) for the rural self-employed health insurance associations and 258,462 members (75,446 households) for the urban. Providing that both the rural and urban health insurance associations would e integrated, the M.O.S. be found to become 231,687 members (68,101 households) 2. Compared with the optimal minimum scale, the magnitude of the current health insurance association found to be much smaller, less than half of the optimal scale. 3. In order to reduce the operating cost, it is necessary to enlarge the operational scale of self-employed health insurance associations.
Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health* ; Korea* ; Urban Health

No abstract available.
Echocardiography*

In clinical situation, left ventricular (LV) function especially systolic function is generally assessed by measuring the extent and velocity of fiber shortening i.e., ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS). Ejection fraction is commonly measured by echocardiography, in which the volumes of chambers are measured during the cardiac cycle. Sometimes the evaluation of LV function in the patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is problematic. Although their LV function is almost always normal or supernormal, the prognosis of patients with LVH is poorer than normal subjects. The possible reason is that conventional EF or FS measured at endocardial surface may not accurately reflect the contractile behavior of myocardial fiber across the wall. Therefore, many researchers have recommended to use the midwall instead of the endocardium when the ventricular function of LVH was assessed. In the present article, all that midwall will be reviewed.
Echocardiography* ; Endocardium ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Myocardium ; Prognosis ; Ventricular Function

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the asthma management educational program given to the allergic asthmatics receiving immunotherapy due to house dust mite on the disease related to knowledge, stress, and self-efficacy. METHOD: The subjects of this study were the patients received immunotherapy to house dust mite at a week interval after being diagnosed for house dust mite allergic asthma at the respiratory center of a hospital affiliated to the university. They were divided into the experimental group of 29 patients who received asthma management education, the control group of 32 patients, and 61 patients in total. Experimental treatment, as an asthma management educational program, was the group education of one time and the reinforcement education of three times with environmental therapy and immunotherapy to house dust mite. RESULTS: The results revealed that the improvement in disease related knowledge, the improvement in self-efficacy and the decrease in stress, were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The asthma management educational program had an effect on improving the disease related knowledge and self-efficacy, and decreasing the stress of the patients asthmatics allergic to house dust mite.
Asthma* ; Dust* ; Education ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Respiratory Center

No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung*

A 36 year old infertile was diagnosed endometrial adenocarcinoma by endometrial biopy due to vaginal bleeding. She was characterized by obesity, hirsutism and infertility. Diagnosis was confirmed endometrial adenocarcinoma(Geade I) associated with polycystic ovarian disease postoperatively. We experienced this case and so report this case with a brief review of literatures.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Adult ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hirsutism ; Humans ; Infertility ; Obesity ; Ovarian Diseases* ; Uterine Hemorrhage

Here we report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection of the gastric and pancolonic mucosa in a 79-year-old female with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Endoscopic biopsies were performed in gastric antrum, cecum, distal ascending colon, and hepatic flexure of the colon. On microscopic examination, there were many adult worms, larvae and eggs in the gastric and colonic mucosa. Worms, larvae, and eggs were located in the crypts and within the lumen of the crypts. The body wall of the adult worm was composed of cuticle and a weak muscle layer. A routine stool examination failed to detect larvae or ova. Based on the histopathologic examination, these parasites were confirmed as S. stercoralis.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Cecum ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Eggs ; Female ; Humans ; Larva ; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ; Mucous Membrane ; Muscles ; Ovum ; Paraproteinemias ; Parasites ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Strongyloides stercoralis ; Strongyloidiasis

Here we report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection of the gastric and pancolonic mucosa in a 79-year-old female with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Endoscopic biopsies were performed in gastric antrum, cecum, distal ascending colon, and hepatic flexure of the colon. On microscopic examination, there were many adult worms, larvae and eggs in the gastric and colonic mucosa. Worms, larvae, and eggs were located in the crypts and within the lumen of the crypts. The body wall of the adult worm was composed of cuticle and a weak muscle layer. A routine stool examination failed to detect larvae or ova. Based on the histopathologic examination, these parasites were confirmed as S. stercoralis.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Cecum ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Eggs ; Female ; Humans ; Larva ; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ; Mucous Membrane ; Muscles ; Ovum ; Paraproteinemias ; Parasites ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Strongyloides stercoralis ; Strongyloidiasis

Pulmonary hypertension is a hemodynamic and pathophysiological condition defined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure > or =25 mmHg at rest as assessed by right heart catheterization. Clinical conditions of pulmonary hypertension are classified into 6 clinical groups with different pathological, pathophysiological, prognostic and therapeutic features. The treatment strategy is remarkably different among 6 clinical groups. Group 1 (pulmonary arterial hypertension) is the only clinical group with specific drug therapy and an evidence-based treatment algorithm is provided. Following descriptions are about the clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension updated at 4th World symposium of pulmonary hypertension held in 2008.
Arterial Pressure ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Hemodynamics ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*