The purpose of this study is to estimate cesarean section rate in Korea and analyze the socioeconomic variables and health resources which affect regional variation in the rate. Samples were drawn from the record of vaginal and cesarean section deliveries based upon insurance claim bills which have been submitted to the National Federation of Medical Insurance for the first three months, January through March, 1991. The results are obtained as follows: It was found that, cesarean section rate was increasing rapidly up to 23.1% in 1991. Cesarean section per 10 thousand insured people was 4.8 and the number of cesarean section per 10 thousand insured eligible(15-49 years old) female was 7.6. The fee for normal delivery was 109,489 won and that for cesarean section was 390,024 won. The average days of hospitalization in normal delivery was 2.3 days, and those in cesarean section was 7.6 days. On the average cesarean section has a longer of stay as much as by 4.3 days and cost 3.6 times more than normal deliveries. Cesarean section rates vary among medical facilities: 19.8% at clinics 37.6% in small-scale hospitals, and 29.1% in general hospitals. The regional variation of cesarean section rates was also fairly prominent. The South Cheju Gun has the highest rate of cesarean section, 56.2%. Meanwhile no cesarean section cases has been reported in Sunchang Gun during the period of this study. The variation is noted among provinces. The rate for Cheju province has been 3.4 times higher than that for Chunnam. The number of cesarean section per 10 thousand insured people vary greatly among regions, too. This study has found that there exists significant regional variations among various geographic units in terms of average length of stay, average cost, number of obsretricians and number of beds. Multiple regression analysis was done to identify factors explaining the regional variance of various cesarean section rates: In the urban areas, no significant explaining variables were noted except the number of beds for the dependent variable of cesarean section cases per 10 thousand insured eligible females. The smaller the number of bed, the more cases of cesarean section was noted for an urban area. The is mostly because the rate of cesarean section is higher in medium-size hospitals than in large general hospitals. In the rural areas, the factor of education has been found significant for all three dependent variables. The higher the educational level, the rate of cesarean section is most likely to rise. An income variable measured by the amount of monthly insurance contribution has been identified a powerful predictor in explaining the variance of cesarean section rates. The same has been noted for the number of obstetricians. Similar findings are observed for the country as a whole. The income level has been found as the most powerful explaining factor in the regional variance of cesarean section rates. In general the rate is higher in the urban areas, and lower in the area with more small hospitals. As this is the initial attempt to identify the factors relevant to the regional difference in the rates of cesarean section, more elaborated study is urgently required.
Cesarean Section* ; Education ; Fees and Charges ; Female ; Health Resources ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Insurance ; Jeju-do ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Humans ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

No abstract available.
Hydronephrosis* ; Turner Syndrome*

“Itch” is an unpleasant sensation that elicits a desire to scratch. It is a common complaint among many patients and is associated with a markedly reduced quality of life. The pathogenesis of itch begins with various pruritogens stimulating free nerve endings in the skin, which causes an itch signal to travel through the spinothalamic tract to the brain where the sensation is processed. Scratching an itch initially activates the reward systems in the midbrain and striatum, and this positive reinforcement leads to the repetitive scratching behavior that damages the skin barrier. Mediators such as histamine, serotonin and cytokines are released from the damaged skin, which further aggravates the itch and initiates a vicious “itch-scratch cycle.” Such processes may eventually lead to neural sensitization, where weaker stimuli can cause a more severe pruritic sensation. Chronic itch is one that lasts beyond 6 weeks. Pathologic pruritus can be classified into four different categories based on its cause: dermatologic, systemic, neuropathic, and psychogenic itch. Regardless of the cause, antihistamines are often prescribed as a first-line treatment of chronic itch, but more often than not they prove to be ineffective in bringing symptom relief. Both topical and systemic therapies are used to treat itch, and adequate treatment selection is considered according to symptom severity and chronicity. As the pathogenesis of itch becomes elucidated, more exciting new therapeutic options targeting pruritogenic mediators are becoming increasingly available. This review provides an overview of the pathophysiology, causes and the treatment of chronic itch.

There are no drugs without the risk of potential adverse reactions. All pharmacologically active substances can cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This paper aims at introducing recent trends in pharmacosurveillance systems for ADRs, which can be broadly classified into type A and B reactions. Since type A reactions are associated with drug pharmacology, they are usually dose-dependent and predictable. Whereas, type B reactions occur in some susceptible individuals, regardless of the pharmacological action of drug. Drug hypersensitivity reactions are typical examples of type B reactions and are subclassified according to the underlying pathomechanism. Recent advancements in pharmacogenomics have enlightened the understanding of individual differences in drug efficacy and susceptibility to ADRs. Therefore, expectations for safe personalized medicines are higher than ever before. However, premarketing clinical trials are too small and too short to uncover rare but serious ADRs and detect long-standing ADRs. In the past, post-marketing surveillance systems mainly focused on passive ADR monitoring systems, based on spontaneous reports. Recently, the importance of active pharmacovigilance systems, which use big data, is growing with recent advancements in medical informatics. Thus, regarding ADRs, suspecting and detecting the causative drug using causality assessment based on data science may contribute to decrease suffering induced by ADRs.
Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Humans ; Individuality ; Medical Informatics ; Pharmacogenetics ; Pharmacology ; Pharmacovigilance

There are no drugs without the risk of potential adverse reactions. All pharmacologically active substances can cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This paper aims at introducing recent trends in pharmacosurveillance systems for ADRs, which can be broadly classified into type A and B reactions. Since type A reactions are associated with drug pharmacology, they are usually dose-dependent and predictable. Whereas, type B reactions occur in some susceptible individuals, regardless of the pharmacological action of drug. Drug hypersensitivity reactions are typical examples of type B reactions and are subclassified according to the underlying pathomechanism. Recent advancements in pharmacogenomics have enlightened the understanding of individual differences in drug efficacy and susceptibility to ADRs. Therefore, expectations for safe personalized medicines are higher than ever before. However, premarketing clinical trials are too small and too short to uncover rare but serious ADRs and detect long-standing ADRs. In the past, post-marketing surveillance systems mainly focused on passive ADR monitoring systems, based on spontaneous reports. Recently, the importance of active pharmacovigilance systems, which use big data, is growing with recent advancements in medical informatics. Thus, regarding ADRs, suspecting and detecting the causative drug using causality assessment based on data science may contribute to decrease suffering induced by ADRs.

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovulation*

Previously, immediate reactions to ionic high-osmolar iodinated contrast media (ICM) were regarded as nonimmunological. However, despite the use of lower-osmolar ICM, ICM hypersensitivity still occurs in some patients and recent studies suggest that there would be a true allergic response, especially in more severe form. Currently, it is important to identify the sensitized ICM and avoid the agent; however, the usefulness of skin tests and challenge tests has not yet been established, since there are few large-scale studies on them. Although, skin test-negative ICM can be safely used in clinical practice, conflicting results have been reported through various studies, depending on the challenge protocols used. Therefore, standard protocols need to provided. Even if a culprit agent is not proven by skin tests, its use should be avoided. Reuse of contrast media increases the risk of occurrence of hypersensitivity reactions. For patients with previous hypersensitivity reactions to contrast media, premedication can help prevent recurrence, but breakthrough in hypersensitivity is not fully achieved by premedication, especially when the previous reaction was a severe form such as anaphylaxis. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an optimal strategy to choose alternative ICM and premedication protocols to prevent recurrence of hypersensitivity reactions to nonionic contrast media.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychological workplace counseling for South Korean employees. Methods: Psychological counseling sessions were conducted for 93 employees from 11 companies that signed a contract for psychological counseling services with the Workplace Mental Health Institute, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Each 50-minute session was tailored to the individual needs of the clients. The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) counseling effectiveness assessment scale was administered before and after the counseling. A paired t-test was used to compare the mean scores before and after the sessions, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, followed by a Scheffe post hoc analysis. Results: In the overall sample, the mean CORE-OM scores before and after counseling showed a significant decrease from 1.343 to 0.883, with improvements observed in all four sub-domains. ANOVA showed that the group with more than 11 sessions showed greater change in scores than the group with four sessions or fewer. The reliable change index scores showed that 38% of the employees demonstrated a reliable change, and the groups with eight or more sessions exhibited greater change than the group with fewer than eight sessions. Conclusion Among South Korean employees who received workplace counseling services, both the mean total score of the CORE-OM and the mean scores of the four sub-domains decreased after counseling. In addition, the effectiveness of counseling significantly increased as the total number of sessions increased.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychological workplace counseling for South Korean employees. Methods: Psychological counseling sessions were conducted for 93 employees from 11 companies that signed a contract for psychological counseling services with the Workplace Mental Health Institute, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Each 50-minute session was tailored to the individual needs of the clients. The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) counseling effectiveness assessment scale was administered before and after the counseling. A paired t-test was used to compare the mean scores before and after the sessions, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, followed by a Scheffe post hoc analysis. Results: In the overall sample, the mean CORE-OM scores before and after counseling showed a significant decrease from 1.343 to 0.883, with improvements observed in all four sub-domains. ANOVA showed that the group with more than 11 sessions showed greater change in scores than the group with four sessions or fewer. The reliable change index scores showed that 38% of the employees demonstrated a reliable change, and the groups with eight or more sessions exhibited greater change than the group with fewer than eight sessions. Conclusion Among South Korean employees who received workplace counseling services, both the mean total score of the CORE-OM and the mean scores of the four sub-domains decreased after counseling. In addition, the effectiveness of counseling significantly increased as the total number of sessions increased.