The liberation period in Korea was when creative imagination and various debates existed about plans for political, economic, and social systems. Among them was the debate over the national health security underlying the social safety net. Although the US influenced the Korean health security after liberation, major political groups on the Korean peninsula also expressed various opinions. However, previous studies have shown little interest in national health security, which operates the public health and medical care systems. To overcome these limitations, this study focuses on the ideas on national health security presented by major political groups, analyzing the reply proposal of “Jŏnpyŏng” and the health care proposal of the US military government, which has not been reviewed before.
The opinions of major political groups including the right-wing Im-hyŏp and left-wing Min-chŏn diverged on national health security issue regarding insurance coverage, measures to secure financial resources, items of insurance benefits, and measures to stabilize the supply and demand of medical personnel. The claims of the US military government can be understood by “Labor Problems and Policies in Korea (Korean Subcommittee),” “Korean Labor Report (Stewart Meacham),” and “Proposed Political Platform Provisional Korean Democratic Government (Sub-commission #2).”
The major political groups and the US military government agreed on the need for social protection against death, old age, disability, disease, injury, and unemployment. All of them claimed national health security, in which the roles of the private sector and the government were mixed, should be gradually introduced. The major political groups, in particular, proposed to (1) set workers as beneficiaries of insurance, (2) share financial resources jointly among the state, employers, and workers, and (3) promote the expansion of the number of doctors and medical institutions and prefer cooperative operations of the hospitals established in small administrative units.
This paper argues that the ideas on national health security during the liberation period did not completely deviate from the global trend immediately after World War II when countries tried to expand the number of people covered by national health security and strengthen its coverage. Although these ideas were not fully reflected in the Constitution of 1948, it is significant in that the Constitution codified for the first time the state’s responsibility for those who have no ability for living due to their health conditions.

OBJECTIVES: Use of dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals is growing in Korean adults, especially in pregnant and lactating women. Vitamin and mineral supplements are available in different composition and in a wide range of contents. The purposes of the study were to examine nutrient composition and content of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women and assess their appropriateness as dietary supplements. METHODS: Information on the name, manufacturer, nutrient composition, and usage of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women were obtained from the homepage of the Food Safety Information Portal managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korean Index of Medical Specialties. A total of 264 products were identified. RESULTS: Among 264 products, 26.1% were single nutrient products, and 73.9% were multinutrient products. The most commonly included nutrient was iron (70.1%), folic acid (66.3%), vitamin B12 (45.8%), vitamin C (38.6%), and vitamin B6 (38.6%). Although more than 50% of products contained nutrients less than 150% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes or Adequate Intakes for daily use, some products contained inappropriately high amounts of nutrients. When a maximum daily dose of supplements was taken as described on the label, iron in 73 products (39.5%), folic acid in 14 products (8.0%) were likely to be consumed in amounts greater than Tolerable Upper Intake Levels. Most products were assessed as inappropriate for pregnant women due to the possibility of excessive intake of vitamins or minerals when compared with Dietary Reference Intakes. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant and lactating women need to carefully select dietary supplements containing adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Nutritionists should provide guidelines regarding selection of appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women.
Adult ; Ascorbic Acid ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Food Safety ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Minerals ; Miners ; Nutritionists ; Pregnant Women ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6 ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVES: Use of dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals is growing in Korean adults, especially in pregnant and lactating women. Vitamin and mineral supplements are available in different composition and in a wide range of contents. The purposes of the study were to examine nutrient composition and content of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women and assess their appropriateness as dietary supplements. METHODS: Information on the name, manufacturer, nutrient composition, and usage of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women were obtained from the homepage of the Food Safety Information Portal managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korean Index of Medical Specialties. A total of 264 products were identified. RESULTS: Among 264 products, 26.1% were single nutrient products, and 73.9% were multinutrient products. The most commonly included nutrient was iron (70.1%), folic acid (66.3%), vitamin B12 (45.8%), vitamin C (38.6%), and vitamin B6 (38.6%). Although more than 50% of products contained nutrients less than 150% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes or Adequate Intakes for daily use, some products contained inappropriately high amounts of nutrients. When a maximum daily dose of supplements was taken as described on the label, iron in 73 products (39.5%), folic acid in 14 products (8.0%) were likely to be consumed in amounts greater than Tolerable Upper Intake Levels. Most products were assessed as inappropriate for pregnant women due to the possibility of excessive intake of vitamins or minerals when compared with Dietary Reference Intakes. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant and lactating women need to carefully select dietary supplements containing adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Nutritionists should provide guidelines regarding selection of appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women.
Adult ; Ascorbic Acid ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Food Safety ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Minerals ; Miners ; Nutritionists ; Pregnant Women ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6 ; Vitamins

Passive surveillance (PS) is a traditional approach to communicable disease surveillance. To complement the approach, several countries have adopted active surveillance (AS) systems that involve the voluntary participation of physicians. This study compares AS versus PS systems in Korea based on the systems' reporting propensity of chickenpox. A mail questionnaire survey was conducted with a random sample of physicians involved in the PS system (N=1,955) and all sentinel physicians of the AS system (N=193). Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with reporting propensity. The reporting propensity of physicians in the AS system was significantly higher than that in the PS surveillance system, 2.7 versus 1.9 on a 5-point Likert scale (p<0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that, in addition to the type of the surveillance system, physician knowledge of chickenpox as a notifiable disease and the type of institution with which a physician was affiliated were significant factors for a physician's reporting propensity. For both systems, the common barriers for reporting were 'lack of confidence in diagnosis,' 'burden from interference by the public health department following reporting,' and 'complexity of the reporting system.' In conclusion, AS of communicable diseases appeared to have a significantly better performance compared to PS in Korea in the case of chickenpox reporting. These findings would be useful for countries concerned with developing more effective strategies for improving the reporting rate of notifiable diseases.
Chickenpox ; Communicable Diseases ; Complement System Proteins ; Korea ; Mandatory Reporting ; Postal Service ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea* ; Sentinel Surveillance

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many people experience problems with a dry nasal mucous membrane, often without wondering why. The cause of problem is known as rhinitis sicca, senile rhinitis, and atrophic rhinitis, etc. A common form of treatment for patients who have such symptoms has been to begin by rinsing the inside of the nose with saline solution, to drop peanut oil, to apply antibiotic-ointment and moisturizing agents. Lanolin has been know as a safe skin moisturizing agent and used to treat dry nose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of lanolin on a group of patients seeking treatment for dryness of the nose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients experiencing problems with dry nasal mucosa were selected from the out-patient clinic. Fifty-seven patients, average age 36.3 years old, were treated with 1:2 mixture of lanolin and vaseline ointment. Thirty-six patients, average age 32.0 years, were treated with vaseline ointment. Both ointments were applied three times a day for two weeks. The efficacy of treatment was determined with pre and post-treatment six symptoms on a visual analogue scale: nasal obstruction, crust formation, mucosal dryness, respiratory discomfort, sleep disturbance, and general discomfort. RESULTS: For subjects treated with lanolin, the average VAS value for nasal obstruction was 5.84+/-2.28 and it decreased to 2.89+/-1.29, while the corresponding values for subjects treated with vaseline were 4.39+/-1.77 decreasing to 3.11+/- 1.24 (p<0.05). Crust formation of lanolin treated subjects were 5.67+/-2.39 and it decreased to 2.09+/-1.46, while the vaseline treated subjects were 4.83+/-1.99 decreasing to 2.33+/-1.31 (p<0.05). Average total symptom improvement was 65.7% (from 27.95+/-9.30 to 9.86+/-4.58) in lanolin treated group, while it was 44.8% (from 20.9+/-76.59 to 11.64+/-4.18) in vaseline treated group. CONCLUSION: We found that the efficacy of lanolin was statistically signigicantly better than that of vaseline. During the study period, there was no local reactions have been reported, nor have any allergic reactions. The present study underlines the fact that the way to treat nasal mucosal dryness is to use lanolin ointment.
Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Lanolin* ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nose* ; Ointments ; Outpatients ; Petrolatum ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Atrophic ; Skin ; Sodium Chloride

The purpose of this study was to classify noodle meals into a few groups according to their menu patterns and cooking methods from the 318 noodles and Ttokgook menus of 360 elementary school foodservices around Busan and Gyeongnam province. Noodle meals with high frequency were also analyzed by season and region to give information for menu planning and to improve elementary school foodservices. The menus were collected from the internet (http://www.kdclub.com) and the home pages of elementary schools between December 2004 and September 2005. Taking all kinds of noodle meals together, the serving frequencies were significantly different among regions, but were not different from season to season. Three different menu patterns were revealed from the collected noodle menus. The most frequently served menu pattern was "main dish + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + kimchi" Gooksu, Ttokgook, Udong, and Kalgooksu meals were served with this menu pattern. The menu pattern of Jajangmeon meal was "main dish + side-dish + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + (kimchi)" . For the Bibimmeon and the spaghetti meals "main dish + soup + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + kimchi" was used. Ttigim, Danmugy, Saengchae, and chicken were frequently selected as side dishes in the overall noodle menus. More side dishes of a wide variety were served in Ttokgook meal, whereas Danmugy was the most preferred food item as a side dish with Jajangmeon and Udong meals. Corndog, Mandu, Ttok, Matang, and doughnut were preferred food items as a "starchy food & dessert" with most kinds of noodle meals, except spaghetti with which only garlic-bread was served. The fruit and beverage items were not different with the majority of noodle meals. These results suggest that cost, food habits, compatible flavor combinations, and food preference of children rather than nutritional considerations contributed to the selection of food items for the components of noodle meals in the school foodservices.
Beverages ; Busan* ; Chickens ; Child ; Cooking ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Fruit ; Humans ; Internet ; Meals* ; Menu Planning ; Seasons

No abstract available.
Athletes* ; Forearm* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy* ; Metabolism* ; Phosphorus*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During middle ear surgery, surgeons manipulate the chorda tympani nerve (CTN) at various degrees and warn the post-operative taste changes to patients preoperatively. The purpose of this study is to assess how many patients suffer from taste disturbance after surgery and the characteristics of their disease factors and surgical factors in patients complaining of it. In addition, it was designed to evaluate the clinical availability of electrogustometry (EGM)compared with subjective taste symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One hundred thirty-one patients underwent middle ear surgery. Patients were divided to three groups, only tympanoplasty, tympano-ossiculoplasty without mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy. They were analysed by operative findings of CTN preserved, stretched, cut. The CTN function was measured at one day before surgery and one month after surgery by EGM. Taste questionnaires were given to all patients before and after surgery for one year. The results of EGM and questionnaires were compared with each other. RESULTS: In pre-operative EGM results of unilateral surgery, the lesion side of tongue had more elevated threshold of EGM than the contralateral side. In the post-operative EGM, any statistical factor was not significant and EGM results was not correlated with subjective symptoms. The results of the test questionnaraires was that thirty-three patients (25%) reported taste change. In tympanoplasty-preserved CTN group, more patients suffered from taste change than mastoidedctomy-cut CTN group. Symptoms were decreased taste sensation, dysgeusia, and decreased general sensation of tongue. Subjective recovery time was on the average of 2.7 months (two weeks to one year) after surgery. CONCLUSION: EGM was not correlated with subjective symptoms after surgery. Iatrogenic CTN injury in advanced middle ear infection may not cause taste disturbance. Surgeons should have efforts to preserve CTN in even mild middle ear diseases.
Chorda Tympani Nerve ; Diterpenes ; Dysgeusia ; Ear, Middle ; Humans ; Otitis Media ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sensation ; Tongue ; Tympanoplasty

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma are linked by epidemiologic, physiologic, and immunopathologic characteristics and by similar therapeutic approach. They have clinical manifestations of a systemic inflammatory process within the respiratory tract. The purpose of this study was to determine the immunologic response of upper and lower airway disease patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) against airborne fungi. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: PBMC from ten healthy human volunteers (NC), fourteen chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), eleven allergic rhinitis (AR), twelve allergic asthma (AA), and six non-allergic asthma (NAA) were stimulated with 50 microgram/ml Alternaria, Aspergillus, Candida, Cladosporium, and Penicillium. To determine the activation of PBMC, IL-5, IL-13, and INF-gamma were measured with the ELISA method. RESULTS: CRS, AR, AA patients produced large amounts of IL-5 (by Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Candida) and IL-13 (by Alternaria) than NC. NAA and CRS patients produced larger amounts of INF-gamma (by Alternaria) than NC. Alternaria enhanced the production of cytokines most strongly, and Penicillium didn't influence the production of cytokines. CONCLUSION: Fungi, especially Alternaria, may play a role in pathogenesis of upper and lower airway diseases by activating PBMC. Allergic and non-allergic inflammatory reactions are involved in the pathogenesis of CRS.
Alternaria ; Aspergillus ; Asthma ; Candida ; Cladosporium ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fungi ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-5 ; Penicillium ; Respiratory System ; Rhinitis ; Sinusitis

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and trigger finger are representative pathologic conditions of the hand. Although several studies have evaluated the epidemiology of these diseases as nationwide population-based research, they had several limitations including old data and short study period. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥ 20 years diagnosed with CTS or trigger finger between 2009 and 2019 using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. The annual incidence of these diseases was standardized based on age and sex. The proportion of patients who received corticosteroid injections or surgery within 1 year of their diagnoses was calculated annually. Results: The mean annual incidence of CTS was 360.26 per 100,000 person-years and that of trigger finger was 63.09 per 100,000 person-years. The annual incidence of CTS (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.979; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.972–0.985; p < 0.001) and trigger finger (IRR, 0.976; 95% CI, 0.967–0.985; p < 0.001) significantly decreased. The proportion of patients who received corticosteroid injections for CTS significantly increased (relative risk [RR], 1.025; 95% CI, 1.020–1.031; p < 0.001), while the number of surgeries significantly decreased (RR, 0.949; 95% CI, 0.940–0.957; p < 0.001). The proportion of patients who received corticosteroid injections for trigger finger significantly increased (RR, 1.021; 95% CI, 1.009–1.033; p < 0.001), while the number of surgeries did not change significantly (RR, 1.006; 95% CI, 0.988–1.023; p = 0.523). Conclusions In the past 10 years, the incidence of CTS and trigger finger decreased. The portion of patients who received corticosteroid injections increased for both diseases, but the portion of patients who had surgery decreased for CTS within 1 year after diagnosis. This study provides insight into the epidemiology of these diseases in an Asian population and may inform estimates of healthcare costs.