No abstract available.
Humans ; Periodicals as Topic/standards/*trends ; Publishing/standards/trends ; Republic of Korea ; Urology/standards/*trends

PURPOSE: In April 2013, the journal metrics of the Korean Journal of Urology (KJU) were reported. That report showed tremendous improvement from the point of view of journal metrics. Two years later, the same metrics were reanalyzed to determine the present position of the KJU among the international journals in the Web of Science. MATERIALS AND METHODS: I analyzed journal metrics of the KJU such as impact factor, total citations, and h-index by use of the same methods as in the previous report. RESULTS: Total citations in the Web of Science were 332 in 2012, 439 in 2013, and 578 in 2014. Manually calculated impact factors from 2012 to 2014 were 0.770, 0.824, and 0.751, respectively. There was an increase in the h-index from 8 in 2012 to 11 in February 2015. Editorial board members were from 15 countries in 2014. Authors of KJU articles were from 21 countries in 2014. CONCLUSIONS: During 2 years, remarkable progress was made in KJU's citation indicators and in the diversity of the authors' and editorial board members' countries.
Bibliometrics ; Humans ; Journal Impact Factor ; Periodicals as Topic/standards ; Quality Improvement ; Republic of Korea ; *Urology

We aimed to determine normal reference ranges for prostate volume (PV) and annual PV change rate in a Korean nationwide screening population. Data from men who underwent a routine health check-up were collected from 13 university hospitals. The cohort comprised men aged > or =40 yr who had undergone 2 or more serial transrectal ultrasonographies. Men with initial PV>100 mL; serum PSA level>10 ng/mL; PV reduction>20% compared with initial PV, or who had history of prostate cancer or prostate surgery, were excluded. Linear regression and mixed effects regression analyses were used to predict mean PV and longitudinal change in PV over time. A total of 2,967 men formed the study cohort. Age, body mass index (BMI), and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level were found to be significant predictors of PV. A predicted PV table, with a 95% confidence interval (CIs), was developed after adjusting for these 3 variables. Annual PV change rate was 0.51 mL/year (95% CI, 0.47-0.55). Annual PV change rate according to age was 0.68 mL/year, 0.84 mL/year, 1.09 mL/year, and 0.50 mL/year for subjects in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and > or =70 yr, respectively. Predicted annual PV change rate differed depending on age, BMI, serum PSA level and baseline PV. From a nationwide screening database, we established age-, PSA-, and BMI-specific reference ranges for PV and annual PV change rate in Korean men. Our newly established reference ranges for PV and annual PV change rate will be valuable in interpreting PV data in Korean men.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging/*pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening/*standards ; Middle Aged ; Organ Size ; Prostate/*anatomy & histology/ultrasonography ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography/*standards ; Urology/*standards

PURPOSE: We have evaluated the patterns of diagnostic and treatment practices for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a country that does not have country-specific clinical practice guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Probability samples were taken from the Korean Urological Association Registry of Physicians, and randomly sampled Korean urologists were asked to complete a questionnaire. The survey explored practice characteristics and attitudes, as well as diagnostic and treatment strategies, for the management of BPH. RESULTS: Of the 850 questionnaires sent, 302 were returned, and 277 of those were included in the final analysis (response rate 32.6%). For the initial evaluation, most urologists routinely used digital rectal examinations (DRE) and urinalysis. Uroflowmetry was used 34.7% of the time. Pressure-flow studies were rarely done. Symptom assessment was used in only 46.9% of cases. In addition, a significant number (58.8%) reported that treatment decisions were not based on the symptom questionnaire. Before surgery, almost all urologists routinely used DRE, urinalysis, and prostate-specific antigen tests. Of the respondents, 55.6% and 41.9% had prescribed alpha- blockers and alpha-blockers with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, respectively. 81.2% of urologists perceived that selective alpha-blockers are different in terms of efficacy, and 82.7% felt that they differed in safety. Most respondents prescribed 5-alpha reductase inhibitors based on the prostate size. CONCLUSION: These data provide a picture of current practices regarding the management of BPH in Korea. The diagnostic and treatment practices for BPH do not follow published guidelines. Our findings ask the question "How influential are international guidelines, and do they really affect patient management in countries that do not have country-specific guidelines?"
Urology/standards ; Societies, Medical ; Questionnaires ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/diagnosis/*therapy ; Practice Guidelines ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; Humans ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Developing Countries ; Aged ; Adult