The major objective of this research is to identify those hospital characteristics that best explain cost variation among hospitals and to formulate linear models that can predict hospital costs. Specific emphasis is placed on hospital output, that is, the identification of diagnosis related patient groups (DRGs) which are medically meaningful and demonstrate similar patterns of hospital resource consumption. A casemix index is developed based on the DRGs identified. Considering the common problems encountered in previous hospital cost research, the following study requirements are established for fulfilling the objectives of this research: 1. Selection of hospitals that exercise similar medical and fiscal practices. 2. Identification of an appropriate data collection mechanism in which demographic and medical characteristics of individual patients as well as accurate and comparable cost information can be derived. 3. Development of a patient classification system in which all the patients treated in hospitals are able to be split into mutually exclusive categories with consistent and stable patterns of resource consumption. 4. Development of a cost finding mechanism through which patient groups' costs can be made comparable across hospitals. A data set of Medicare patients prepared by the Social Security Administration was selected for the study analysis. The data set contained 27,229 record abstracts of Medicare patients discharged from all but one short-term general hospital in Connecticut during the period from January 1, 1971, to December 31, 1972. Each record abstract contained demographic and diagnostic information, as well as charges for specific medical services received. The "AUTOGRP System" was used to generate 198 DRGs in which the entire range of Medicare patients were split into mutually exclusive categories, each of which shows a consistent and stable pattern of resource consumption. The "Departmental Method" was used to generate cost information for the groups of Medicare patients that would be comparable across hospitals. To fulfill the study objectives, an extensive analysis was conducted in the following areas: 1. Analysis of DRGs: in which the level of resource use of each DRG was determined, the length of stay or death rate of each DRG in relation to resource use was characterized, and underlying pattern of the relationships among DRG costs were explained. 2. Exploration of resource use profiles of hospitals; in which the magnitude of differences in the resource uses or death rates incurred in the treatment of Medicare patients among this study hospitals was explored. 3. Casemix analysis; in which four types of casemix-related indices were generated, and the significance of these indices in the explanation of hospital costs was examined. 4. Formulation of linear models to predict hospital costs of Medicare patients; in which nine independent variables(i.e., casemix index, hospital size, complexity of service, teaching activity, location, casemix-adjusted death rate index, occupancy rate, and casemix-adjusted length of stay index) were used for determining factors in hospital costs. Results from the study analysis indicated that: 1. The system of 198 DRGs for Medicare patient classification was demonstrated not only as a strong tool for determining the pattern of hospital resource utilization of Medicare patients, but also for categorizing patients by their severity of illness. 2. The weighted mean total case cost(TOTC) of the study hospitals for Medicare patients during the study years was $1127.02 with a standard deviation of $117.20. The hospital with the highest average TOTC ($1538.15) was 2.08 times more expensive than the hospital with the lowest average TOTC ($745.45). The weighted mean per total cost (DTOC) of the study hospitals for Medicare patients during the study years was $107.98 with a standard deviation of $15.18. The hospital with the highest average DTOC ($147.23) was 1.87 times more expensive than the lowest average DTOC($78.49). 3. The linear models for each of the six types of hospital costs were formulated using the casemix index and the eight other hospital variables as the determinants. These models explained variable to the extent of 68.7 percent of total case cost (TOTC), 63.5 percent of room and board cost (RMC), 66.2 percent of total ancillary service cost (TANC), 66.3 percent of per diem total cost (DTOC), 56.9 percent of per diem room and board cost (DRMC), and 65.5 percent of per diem ancillary service cost (DTANC). The casemix index alone explained approximately one half of inter-hospital cost variation; 59.1 percent for TOTC and 44.3 percent for DTOC. These results demonstrate that the casemix index is the most important determinant of inter-hospital cost variation. Future research and policy implications in regard to the results of this study is envisioned in the following three areas: 1. Utilization of casemix-related indices in the Medicare data systems. 2. Refinement of data for hospital cost evaluation. 3. Development of a system for reimbursement and cost control in hospitals.
Classification ; Connecticut ; Cost Control ; Data Collection ; Dataset ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Health Facility Size ; Hospital Costs* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Length of Stay ; Linear Models ; Medicare ; Mortality ; Population Characteristics* ; United States Social Security Administration

No abstract available.

The purposeof this project is offering fundamental and proper informations for the better health control and personnel management of the enlisted men of Marine corps. Korea. Survey has been done under 1,001 marine enlisted men for the purpose of understanding their condition of physique, vital capacity, and bodily strength. 1. Under the subject of physique, 7 items, body weight, chest-girth, relative body weight, relative chest-girth, Vervaeck index, and Roethrer index are listed, and under the subject of vital capacity, BTPS vital capacity and percent predicted vital capacity are listed, and under the subject of bodily strength, 7 items, grasping power, chining-up, throwing a hanp-grenade, forward jumping, sitting-up, 100 meter sprinting, are listed. The total items are 16 and mean score of each one is as follow. 1) physique. a. Height : 168+/-0.15cm. b. Body weight : 62.7+/-0.17kg. c. Chest-grith : 91.4+/-0.16cm. d. Relative body-girth : 37.2+/-0.09. e. Relative Chest-girth : 54.3+/-0.10. f. Vervaeck index : 91.6+/-0.15. g. Roehere index : 1.31+/-0.003. 2) Vital capacity. a. BTPS vital capacity : 4470+/-20cc. b. %Predicted vital capacity : 150+/-5.1% 3) Bodily strength. a. Grasping Power : 41.4+/-0.26kg. b. Chining-up : 5.7+/-0.10. c. Throwing a hand-grenade : 39.7+/-0.20m. d. Forward jumping : 214+/-0.58cm. e. Sitting-up : 19.1+/-0.25. . Pushing-up : 22.1+/-0.18. g. 100 meter sprinting : 16.1+/-0.04sec. 2. Comparative analysis has been done about the conditional classes of marine enlisted men with the results of above mentioned 16 items. 7 classes according to the branches, 3 according to the ranks, 9 according to the length of service are adopted respectively.
Body Weight ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Personnel Management ; Vital Capacity

We aimed to investigate the effect of in vitro allergen challenge on activation of eosinophils and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) in the epithelial and endothelial cells of the nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inferior turbinate mucosal specimens which were obtained from 16 perennial allergic rhinitics and sensitized to D. farinae during conchotomy operations were used. Each mucosal specimen was divided into six pieces. The first two pieces were used as basic control group without culture, the second two pieces as culture-control group which was cultured with diluent only, and the last two pieces as antigen-challenge group cultured with D. farinae solution for 24 hours. Specimens were immunohistochemically stained using monoclonal antibody against eosinophil cationic protein(EG1 for all eosinophils and EG2 for activated forms) and ICAM-1. RESULTS: Average counts of EG1 cells and EG2+ cells within 1 mm of lamina propria of nasal mucosa were 14 and 11 respectively in the basic control group, 17 and 19 in culture control group, and 16 and 16 in the antigen-challenge group. ICAM-1 expression on vessels was observed more than half of t,he vessels in the nasal mucosa and there was no significant difference between groups, however, its expression on the epithelial cells was most prominent in the antigen-challenge group (2.1 in basic control group, 3.3 in culture control group, and 6.2 in antigen-challenge group). CONCLUSION: Most of the eosinophils infiltrating into the nasal mucosae out of vessels in allergic rhinitics are activated forms. Significant up-regulation of epithelial ICAM-1 expression by antigen-challenge suggests that ICAM-1 contributes to the transmigration of eosinophils from the subepithelial tissue into the epithelial cell layer and then finally into the nasal secretion.
Endothelial Cells ; Eosinophils* ; Epithelial Cells ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1* ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Mucosa* ; Turbinates ; Up-Regulation

Authors attempted to examine the development of keratinocyte in the human fetal epiderrnis in term of the appearance of principal product of differentiation, the keratins. Immunohistochemical study (ABC method) using anti-prekeratin antibodies and anti-keratin antibodies was carried out on sampled skin from 9 human fetuses ranging in estirnated gestational age from 12 weeks to 27 weeks. As early as 12 weeks of embryonic life, the epidermis contained cytokeratin. At this stage of development, the embryonic epidermis consists of three-cell layer .' basal layer, intermediate layer, and periderm, all of them staining for prekeratin and keratin. A thick cornified layer developed at 24 weeks but was not stained for prekeratin and keratin. Hair germ of 12 week-fetus was recognized as bulges of basal cells that were stained for prekeratin and keratin. At 18 weeks of estimated gestational age, development has advanced to the bulbous hair peg stage at which point the primordia of nearly all the final structural components of follicles were established. In the final structureal cornponents of the follicles, outer root sheath and sebaceous gland were stained for prekeratin and keratin, whereas cortical and cuticular elements and inner root sheath were negative. There was no difference between immunostaining results for prekeratin and keratin except for the staining intensity. The appearance of these proteins early in development suggests their potential value in utero in the recognition of keratinization disorders.
Antibodies ; Epidermis* ; Fetus* ; Gestational Age ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair* ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes ; Keratins ; Sebaceous Glands ; Skin

No abstract available.
Creatinine* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

Various concentrations, including 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were applied on the back of albino rats, followed by ultraviolet irradiation after 30 minutes. Biopsy specimens were taken 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours afters ultraviolet irradiation without local anesthesia. The macroscopic and histologic findings were as follows. 1. Mild degree of erytheme appeared only on the site of the highest concentration (100%) of DMSO. 2. Vacuolization of the prickle cells appeared slightly later on the sites of higher concentrations (75% and 100%) than those of lower concentrations and control. 3. After 48 hours post-irradiation, there was no detectable vacuolization on the sites of higher concentrations, whereas marked vacuolization still remained on the other sites. 4. More pronounced epidermal thickening could be observed on the sites of higher concentrations than the sites of lower concentrations and control. 5. The dermal edema was more completely disappeared on the sites of higher concentrations than the sites of lower concentrations and control, 48 hours after ultraviolet irradiation.
Anesthesia, Local ; Animals ; Biopsy ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide* ; Edema ; Rats

INTRODUCTION: Sleep has numerous important physiological and cognitive functions that may be particularly important to elite athletes. Sleep deprivation can have significant effects on athletic performance. However, there are few published data related to the amount of sleep obtained by elite athletes. We investigated sleep patterns of Korean women golfers using sleep-related questionnaires. METHODS: For this study, 98 Korean university women golfers and 46 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. All subjects were asked to complete the self-administered sleep questionnaire consisting of questions about habitual sleep patterns (sleep onset time, sleep latency, awakening time in the morning, day time napping time), exercise habits, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), validation of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: The sleep onset time was significantly earlier (pm 23 : 05 +/- 00 : 52 and 00 : 14 +/- 00 : 51 ; t = 5.287, p < 0.001), the waking time was later (am 07 : 21 +/- 01 : 09 and 6 : 35 +/- 00 : 32; t = -2.715, p = 0.008), the weekday total sleep time was greater (417.77 +/- 78.18 minute and 351.52 +/- 77.83 minute ; t = 4.406, p = 0.001), and the daytime nap time was greater (77.73 +/- 41.28 minute and 20.22 +/- 33.03 minute ; t = 7.623, p < 0.001) in the golf athletes compared to the controls. The PSQI scores were significantly lower, but estimated sleep latency and ESS, ISS, PSS, and BAI scores were not different among the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that Korean university women golfers have good sleep patterns resulting in no difference in sleep-related stress compared to age- and sex-matched control students.
Anxiety ; Athletes ; Athletic Performance ; Female ; Golf ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sleep Deprivation ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Five cases of erythema dyschromicum perstans which seem to be the first cases in Korea are described. They are healthy subjects with moderately pigmented skin. Numerous gray-blue macules are seen on the covered part of the body in two patients, but dark brownish macules in other three patients. Histologic findings reveal the characteristic features of hydropic degeneration of the basal cell layer of the epidermis, perivascular infiltrates of lymphocytes and histiocytes and melanin-laden macrophages in the corium in four patients, however, merely pigmentary incontinence into the corium in one patient. We think that there are some problems in cases which show the chracteristic features of erythema dyschromicum perstans histologically but do not have peculiar clinical features, e.g. color of the lesion, especially in Oriental. In this respect, though there may be down for much discussion in three cases which have not typical color of the lesion, we report these cases with typical two cases under the name of erythema dyschromium perstans in order to accumulate more knowledge of these problems
Dermis ; Epidermis ; Erythema* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Skin

A case of syringoma with unusual distribution in a young healthy woman is reported. Physical examination revealed numerous angular or lichenoid papules, varing from skin color to light brown in hue, on the anterior aspect of the neck, upper chest, breast, sternal area, inframammary area and abdomen with grouping tendency. Some papules had fine scales on their surface. The histologic findings were those of charateristic features of syringoma.
Abdomen ; Breast ; Female ; Humans ; Neck ; Physical Examination ; Skin ; Syringoma* ; Thorax ; Weights and Measures