Considerable efforts have been made to prevent and manage hypertension and diabetes, but the prevalence of these diseases has not changed significantly over the past 10 years. Hypertension and diabetes are chronic conditions requiring continuous treatment and management. Controlling blood pressure and blood sugar levels can prevent life-threatening complications and a deterioration in the quality of life. Community-centered primary health care is characterized by inclusiveness and continuous contact. Well-established primary health care services can reduce the number of unnecessary emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and medical tests, and therefore minimize unnecessary medical expenses. However, the number of patients treated for mild chronic diseases at large hospitals has increased, with a concomitant decrease in the proportion of outpatient clinic visits (41.6% in 2007 vs. 37.8% in 2016). Thus, there is a clear need to strengthen primary health care, including for the treatment of chronic diseases. To establish a chronic diseases management system based on local clinics, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea launched a pilot chronic diseases management program aimed at increasing patient acceptance of local primary health care. The program was implemented in 2014, 2016, and 2019. This review examines the short-term impact of the pilot program with respect to the prevention and management of hypertension and diabetes.

Considerable efforts have been made to prevent and manage hypertension and diabetes, but the prevalence of these diseases has not changed significantly over the past 10 years. Hypertension and diabetes are chronic conditions requiring continuous treatment and management. Controlling blood pressure and blood sugar levels can prevent life-threatening complications and a deterioration in the quality of life. Community-centered primary health care is characterized by inclusiveness and continuous contact. Well-established primary health care services can reduce the number of unnecessary emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and medical tests, and therefore minimize unnecessary medical expenses. However, the number of patients treated for mild chronic diseases at large hospitals has increased, with a concomitant decrease in the proportion of outpatient clinic visits (41.6% in 2007 vs. 37.8% in 2016). Thus, there is a clear need to strengthen primary health care, including for the treatment of chronic diseases. To establish a chronic diseases management system based on local clinics, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea launched a pilot chronic diseases management program aimed at increasing patient acceptance of local primary health care. The program was implemented in 2014, 2016, and 2019. This review examines the short-term impact of the pilot program with respect to the prevention and management of hypertension and diabetes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey general and clinical characteristics of a group of relapsed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, who are registered at a public health center in order to provide basic data for treatment of a patient's relapse, follow-up examination after the first treatment and health education. SUBJECT: Among 68 relapsed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis registered at two public health centers in Seoul from Jan, 1, 2002 to Dec. 31, 2002, 50 patients were selected as research subjects because they were contactable by telephone and they agreed to be a research subject. METHOD: The research carried out the structured questionnaire survey by telephone and surveyed research subjects' general and clinical characteristics, diseases except tuberculosis, drinking and smoking habit and knowledge about pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. Furthermore, the results of x-ray, whether a cavity existed or not, bacteriologic test, culture examination and drug resistance examination were examined and interval to relapse and history of dose attitude were surveyed. RESULTS: Among relapsed tuberculosis patients, male patients were 60% and they were more than women(40%). Patients over 60 were 42% most. In their occupation, 30% of them were unemployed and 50% of patients surveyed had monthly income below one million won. According to the findings in radiographic extent, most 50% of them were minimal, 44% were moderately advanced and 2% were far advanced. Patients who had cavity were 30%. According to the result in bacteriologic test, 54% showed positive smear pulmonary tuberculosis and 50.0% positive culture. According to the result in drug resistance, 24% showed drug resistance against one drug and 76% showed sensitive response. 46% had experienced medication side effects. According to interval to a relapse, 32% were relapsed less than 2 years, 14% less than 3-5 years and 54% more than 5 years. Average interval before a relapse were 11.6 years(11.6+/-11.15). There was a difference between their past regimen and their present regimen(P=0.001). The attitude towards taking a medication was assessed and they showed higher compliance with medication at present than in the past(P=0.001). In a case of smoking rate during treatment, the rate of non-smokers, who had been smokers, were higher(P=0.047). CONCLUSION: As a result, in order to prevent the disease from being relapsed and to increase the rate of treatment effectiveness, we need to make patients recognize the importance of regular follow-up examination and we should control thoroughly the patients. Furthermore, we need to provide them with more health education not to stop taking a medication earlier.
Compliance ; Drinking ; Drug Resistance ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Education ; Humans ; Male ; Occupations ; Public Health* ; Recurrence ; Research Subjects ; Seoul* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Telephone ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analysis the trends and states of suicide mortality in Korea from 1983 to 2001. METHODS: This study was based on data published in 1983-2001 from the annual report of the cause of death statistics of National Statistical Office. RESULTS: First, both of annual suicide rate and adjusted suicide rate rapidly went up in 1996 and hit the highest in 1998. Second, since 1983 only when the suicide rate was the highest in the ages 20-24 rather than other age groups, the suicides have been continuously shown to be the highest in the old age group. Third, the seasonal percentages of suicides were generally high in spring and summer, the seasons when the percentage of sunshine is relatively high, in both results for men and women. Fourth, men have most frequently committed suicide through hanging while their suicide through falling from a high site have least frequently occurred but currently tends to gradually increase. Meanwhile, women have most frequently done suicide generally by using insecticide. CONCLUSION: In Korea, the suicide rate and suicide percentage of the old people have been yearly increasing, and their suicide rate is also shown to the highest rather than those of other age groups. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the suicide of the old people through a systematic analysis. Moreover, it is necessary to verify the risk factors and defensive factors for the suicide impulse and suicide attempt. On the basis of this, the construction of a nationwide social safety network for the national mental health is very important to find and treat the problems of the mental health to lead the people to suicide.
Cause of Death ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Mental Health ; Mortality* ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Suicide* ; Sunlight

Cephalotocin is a bioactivity-regulating peptide expressed in octopus (Octopus vulgaris). The peptide sequence of cephalotocin is very similar to the peptide sequence of mammalian vasopressin, and cephalotocin has been proposed to mainly activate arginine vasopressin 1b receptor (Avpr1b) in the brain. However, the effects of cephalotocin on mammalian behavior have not been studied. In the current study, cephalotocin significantly reduced both the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) recorded from not only cultured neuronal cells from postnatal Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats but also hippocampal slices from 4-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. Intraperitoneal (IP) injection did not affect the open field behaviors of C57BL/6 mice. Cephalotocin was directly infused into the hippocampus because the normalized Avpr1b staining intensity divided by the DAPI staining intensity indicated that Avpr1b expression tended to be high in the hippocampus. A hippocampal infusion of 1 mg/kg cephalotocin via an implanted cannula exerted an anti-stress effect, significantly reducing the immobility time in the tail suspension test (TST). The present results provide evidence that the effects of cephalotocin on the activity of hippocampal neurons are related to ameliorating stress, suggesting that cephalotocin may be developed as an anti-stress biomodulator that functions by affecting the brain.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of allergic disease in offsprings delivered via the delivery modes of vaginal delivery vs. planned Cesarean section vs. Cesarean section with labor. METHODS: This study included 175 mother-neonate pairs from Severance Hospital who were enrolled in the Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases study. Information regarding prenatal environmental factors, delivery, and diagnosis of allergic diseases was obtained from a questionnaire and medical record review. Patients with at least 3 years of follow-up data were included in this study. Results were adjusted for sex, birth weight, gestational age at birth, season of birth, neonatal intensive care unit admission, parity, breastfeeding, and maternal factors. RESULTS: A total of 175 offsprings were eligible for analysis. Among the subjects, 52.0% were delivered by vaginal delivery, 34.3% by planned Cesarean section, and 16.6% by Cesarean section with labor. Fifty-nine offsprings (33.7%) were diagnosed with allergic disease at a median age of 1 year (range 0.5–3 years). The prevalence of allergic disease was not associated with delivery mode after adjusting for confounding variables. Time period from membrane rupture to delivery, duration of the active phase, and the beginning of the pelvic division prior to Cesarean section were not associated with allergic disease development in offsprings. CONCLUSION: Cesarean section, irrespective of the occurrence of labor before surgery, did not increase the prevalence of allergic disease in infants up to 3 years of age.
Asthma ; Birth Weight ; Breast Feeding ; Cesarean Section* ; Cohort Studies ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Medical Records ; Membranes ; Parity ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence* ; Rupture ; Seasons