The Committee of Education of the Korean Diabetes Association discussed the need to develop the Diabetes Education Recognition Program. In 2011, the current certification program was reviewed and a survey was conducted to improve the Diabetes Education Recognition Program. This improved program will be a standard for qualified diabetes education for diabetes educators and institutes, and will ultimately become a national standard for diabetes education.
Academies and Institutes ; Certification ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Patient Education as Topic

BACKGROUND: North Korea's economic and public health problems began in the early 1990s as a result of the gradual loss of economic support from its communist allies, combined with an inordinate number of natural disasters. The decline in public health has increased the incidence of tuberculosis in North Koreans and refugees. This study investigated tuberculosis situation in North Korean refugees in order to prepare for the future impact of tuberculosis control in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 2001 to 2005, tuberculosis patients among North Korean refugees who were diagnosed before or after arriving in South Korea, based on the official records of OO hospital, were enrolled in this study. The demographic and clinical data of the cases were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 42 TB cases were reviewed during the study period. Of these, 37 (88.1%) cases were pulmonary TB. based on the cases identified among the number of North Korean refugees' arriving each year, the annual incidence of pulmonary TB were 900 per 100,000 in 2004, 700 in 2003, The number of smear-positive patients was 20 (47.6%) and the number of culture-positive patients was 18 (42.9%). Of the M. tuberculosis isolates, 2 cases were found to be susceptible to all anti-TB drugs available, 4 were resistant to isoniazid, and 3 were multi-drug resistant. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pulmonary TB in North Korean Refugees is high. In addition, North Korean refugees suffer from more severe tuberculosis in bacteriological and radiological aspects.
Disasters ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isoniazid ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Refugees* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis*

The stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) describes a method of delivering a high dose of radiation to a small target volume in the brain, generally in a single fraction, while the dose delivered to the surrounding normal tissue should be minimized. To perform automatic plan of the SRS, a new method of multi-isocenter/shot linear accelerator (linac) and gamma knife (GK) radiosurgery treatment plan was developed, based on a physical lattice structure in target. The optimal radiosurgical plan had been constructed by many beam parameters in a linear accelerator or gamma knife-based radiation therapy. In this work, an isocenter/shot was modeled as a sphere, which is equal to the circular collimator/helmet hole size because the dimension of the 50% isodose level in the dose profile is similar to its size. In a computer-aided system, it accomplished first an automatic arrangement of multi-isocenter/shot considering two parameters such as positions and collimator/helmet sizes for each isocenter/shot. Simultaneously, an irregularly shaped target was approximated by cubic structures through computation of voxel units. The treatment planning method by the technique was evaluated as a dose distribution by dose volume histograms, dose conformity, and dose homogeneity to targets. For irregularly shaped targets, the new method performed optimal multi-isocenter packing, and it only took a few seconds in a computer-aided system. The targets were included in a more than 50% isodose curve. The dose conformity was ordinarily acceptable levels and the dose homogeneity was always less than 2.0, satisfying for various targets referred to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) SRS criteria. In conclusion, this approach by physical lattice structure could be a useful radiosurgical plan without restrictions in the various tumor shapes and the different modality techniques such as linac and GK for SRS.
Brain ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiosurgery*

BACKGROUND: Data on the clinicopathologic features of hair follicle tumors in Korea are limited. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to investigate the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of hair follicle tumors in Korea. METHODS: Two hundred sixty four cases of hair follicle tumors seen from 1999 to 2001 in Korea were analyzed clinically and histopathologically. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The most common hair follicle tumor in Korea was pilomatricoma(81.0%), followed by trichoepithelioma(6.4%), dilated pore of Winer(3.8%), and proliferating trichilemmal tumor(2.2%). Hair follicle tumors usually occurred as a solitary skin-colored nodule. The most commonly involved site was the face, and the peak age of presentation was 10 to 19. Pilomatricoma usually occurred as a solitary skin-colored nodule. The most commonly involved site was the arm, and more than 50% of tumors occurred before the age of 20. Histopathologically, the tumor was often surrounded by fibrous capsule and was composed of basophilic and shadow cells. It was usually located in the dermis and extended into the subcutis. Retraction spaces between tumor nests and stroma were frequently observed. Trichoepithelioma usually occurred as multiple skin-colored papules on the face. Histopathologically, the tumor was usually located in the dermis with sometimes connected to the epidermis. It frequently showed peripheral palisading. Dilated pore of Winer usually occurred as a solitary brownish to pigmented papule on the face in middle-aged persons. Proliferating trichilemmal tumor occurred as a solitary or multiple tumors. Histopathologically, the tumor was usually surrounded by incomplete fibrous capsule. Tumor cells frequently showed clear cell formation, nuclear atypia, mitosis, peripheral palisading, trichilemmal keratinization, and individual keratinization.
Arm ; Basophils ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair* ; Humans ; Korea ; Mitosis ; Pilomatrixoma

BACKGROUND: Since the bioavailability of itraconazole capsule is influenced by patients gastric acidity, it results in treatment failure due to its low dissolution and subsequent low absorption when administered in fasting. Itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet has been lately developed in order to improve its dissolution profile. It is the first clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of itraconazole melt-extrusion tablet 400mg daily for 1 week(pulse therapy) for hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and manus. METHODS: A clinical and mycological investigation was made of 812 outpatients with hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus who had visited at 52 general hospitals under the lead of the Korean Dermatological Association from June to December, 1998. Patients confirmed by clinically and microscopically as hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus were administered 2 tablets twice a day for one week and followed up for 8 weeks from the start of the medication. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows; 1. Clinical symptoms of hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea mauns were significantly improved at the end of study, week 8(p<0.001). 2. Clinical response rate, defined as more than 50% decrease of the sum of the clinical symptom scores, was 79.3%(512/646). 3. Mycological cure rate, dafined as both culture and KOH negative at week 8, was 78.2%(244 /312). 4. 40(5.5%) patients, of the 727 patients evaluable for drug safety evaluation, were reported to have adverse event. CONCLUSION: Itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet 400mg/day for 1 week (pulse therapy) is effective and safe in the treatment of hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus.
Absorption ; Biological Availability ; Fasting ; Gastric Acid ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Itraconazole* ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Tablets ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea* ; Treatment Failure