The National Health Plan 2030 (HP2030) started to be prepared in 2017 and was completed and announced in December 2020. This study presents an overview of how it was established, the major changes in policies, its purpose, and future directions. This study analyzed the steps taken in the past 4 years to establish HP2030 and reviewed major issues at the international and governmental levels based on an evaluation of HP2020 and its content. HP2030 establishes 6 divisions and 28 topic areas, and it will continue to expand investments in health with a total budget of 2.5 trillion Korean won. It also established goals to enhance health equity for the first time, with the goal of calculating healthy life expectancy in a way that reflects the circumstances of Korea and reducing the gap in income and healthy life expectancy between regions. The establishment of HP2030 is significant in that it constitutes a sustainable long-term plan with sufficient preparation, contains policy measures that everyone participates in and makes together, and works towards improvements in universal health standards and health equity. With the announcement of HP2030, which includes goals and directions of the national health policy for the next 10 years, it will be necessary to further strengthen collaboration with relevant ministries, local governments, and agencies in various fields to concretize support for prevention-centered health management as a national task and to develop a health-friendly environment that considers health in all policy areas.

The National Health Plan 2030 (HP2030) started to be prepared in 2017 and was completed and announced in December 2020. This study presents an overview of how it was established, the major changes in policies, its purpose, and future directions. This study analyzed the steps taken in the past 4 years to establish HP2030 and reviewed major issues at the international and governmental levels based on an evaluation of HP2020 and its content. HP2030 establishes 6 divisions and 28 topic areas, and it will continue to expand investments in health with a total budget of 2.5 trillion Korean won. It also established goals to enhance health equity for the first time, with the goal of calculating healthy life expectancy in a way that reflects the circumstances of Korea and reducing the gap in income and healthy life expectancy between regions. The establishment of HP2030 is significant in that it constitutes a sustainable long-term plan with sufficient preparation, contains policy measures that everyone participates in and makes together, and works towards improvements in universal health standards and health equity. With the announcement of HP2030, which includes goals and directions of the national health policy for the next 10 years, it will be necessary to further strengthen collaboration with relevant ministries, local governments, and agencies in various fields to concretize support for prevention-centered health management as a national task and to develop a health-friendly environment that considers health in all policy areas.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the long-term plans of the central and local governments in order to plan policy and implementing programs. Through this, the governments is find out to reduce administrative burden. Based on the national health plan, evidence and related laws were collected and analyzed. As a quantitative methodology analyzed the contents of related laws in the overall plan. The qualitative methodologies analyzed and categorized the planning status of cities and provinces in the plan and were collated. There are a total of 39 plans for long-term plans by laws. The role of the central and local governments in the public health sector, there are a total of four plans (10.3%) that need to establish long-term and annual plans for the central and local (cities, provinces) government. A total of seven plans (17.9%) were required to establish a plan by the only local government. In terms of the public health sector on the local governments, 20 plans (51.3%) by cities and 12 plans (30.8%) by provinces were established by law. And in the health sector should be established 9 plans (40.9%) by cities and 7 plans (31.8%) by provinces. The plan needs to be reformed and merged between plans so that governments can focus on the program through planning central government policies, reducing local government administration.

Health centers provided intensive health care services for local residents according to changes in the times and environment. Public health centers were given various roles such as medical treatment, administration, and service, and the demand for functional reorganization has emerged. We analyzed the literature on the functional restructuring of public health care institutions. In addition, the current status of medical services, which is the main function of institutions, will be analyzed through health insurance statistical data, and detailed contents will be analyzed according to regional types and income levels. As a result of the analysis of medical services at institutions, the total number of patients was 2,238,000, and the number of visits was 11,806 times. Total medical expenses were 169.6 billion won, of which 132 billion won was found to be benefit. When analyzing the number of patients per institution, public health centers had the largest number of 4,326, and the share of benefit was also the highest at public health centers. It should focus on the function of providing local health and medical services related to health promotion and disease prevention in the community. This functional reorganization of public health centers can contribute to forming cooperative relationships with private medical institutions in the local community. For this, first, to establish the role, essential functions for public health centers for preventive health management are established. Secondly, regular manpower expansion and flexible manpower management are required in the human resources sector. Finally, in the organizational sector, it is necessary to establish a step-by-step organizational system according to environmental changes.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the status of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in children in South Korea between 2010 and 2019), as well as to establish preventive maintenance guidelines to reduce the incidence of STIs in children. Methods: Data reports from 590 STI surveillance systems in community clinics, hospital-level medical institutions with urology or obstetrics/gynecology departments and public hospitals between 2010 and 2019 in the integrative disease management system of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as of December 2020 were analyzed. Results: A total of 172,645 cases of STIs were reported over the 10-year period (2010–2019), of which 2,179 cases (1.26%) represented STIs in children below the age of 18 years. A higher incidence of infections was observed in girls (1,499 cases, 68.79%) than in boys (680 cases, 31.21%). The STIs that had the highest incidence were, in descending order, chlamydia (997 cases, 45.75%), gonorrhea (592 cases, 27.17%), genital warts (338 cases, 15.51%), genital herpes (250 cases, 11.47%), and chancroid (2 cases, 0.09%). In adolescents aged 14 to 17 years, chlamydia, genital herpes, and gonorrhea were most frequently reported. Genital warts, in particular, have been consistently reported in children below the age of 14 years. Conclusion Children must be protected legally and institutionally from sexual abuse. Specific management protocols for STIs in children must be established by local governments and associated organizations. National human papillomavirus vaccination programs should be expanded to include boys, and anti-STI educational efforts using modern media should be implemented.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the status of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in children in South Korea between 2010 and 2019), as well as to establish preventive maintenance guidelines to reduce the incidence of STIs in children. Methods: Data reports from 590 STI surveillance systems in community clinics, hospital-level medical institutions with urology or obstetrics/gynecology departments and public hospitals between 2010 and 2019 in the integrative disease management system of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as of December 2020 were analyzed. Results: A total of 172,645 cases of STIs were reported over the 10-year period (2010–2019), of which 2,179 cases (1.26%) represented STIs in children below the age of 18 years. A higher incidence of infections was observed in girls (1,499 cases, 68.79%) than in boys (680 cases, 31.21%). The STIs that had the highest incidence were, in descending order, chlamydia (997 cases, 45.75%), gonorrhea (592 cases, 27.17%), genital warts (338 cases, 15.51%), genital herpes (250 cases, 11.47%), and chancroid (2 cases, 0.09%). In adolescents aged 14 to 17 years, chlamydia, genital herpes, and gonorrhea were most frequently reported. Genital warts, in particular, have been consistently reported in children below the age of 14 years. Conclusion Children must be protected legally and institutionally from sexual abuse. Specific management protocols for STIs in children must be established by local governments and associated organizations. National human papillomavirus vaccination programs should be expanded to include boys, and anti-STI educational efforts using modern media should be implemented.

Microglia regulate the secretion of various immunomediators in central nervous system diseases. Microglial autophagy is the crucial process for cell's survival and cytokine productions. Recent studies have reported that several microRNAs are involved in the autophagy system. miR-Let7A is such a microRNA that plays a role in various inflammation responses, and is magnified as a key modulator particularly in the autophagy system. In present study, we investigated whether miR-Let7A is involved in autophagy in activating microglia. Overexpression of miR-Let7A in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells promoted the induction of the autophagy related factors such as LC3II, Beclin1, and ATG3. Our results suggest a potential role of miR-Let7A in the autophagy process of microglia during CNS inflammation.
Autophagy* ; Central Nervous System Diseases ; Inflammation ; Microglia* ; MicroRNAs

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated changes in hepatitis B seroprevalence from 1998 to 2013, and to identify differences in epidemiologic characteristics between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and HBsAg-negative people. METHODS: HBsAg seropositive rates were compared by year, sex, and age using the blood test data from the periods I to VI (1998-2013) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Interviews and self-administered surveys were conducted to collect data on health behavior, quality of life, comorbidities, and health care utilization. RESULTS: HBsAg seropositive rates in the Republic of Korea decreased from 4.6% in 1998 to 2.9% in 2008, and then remained the same for the next five years. While seropositive rates by age were the highest at 35 to 39 years of age in 1998, it peaked at 50 to 54 years of age in 2013. HBsAg-positive people showed high values from two liver function tests, including glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and the prevalence rates of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer were also significantly high. Indices for health behavior and quality of life showed no significant differences between HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative people. CONCLUSIONS: While HBsAg seropositive rates tended to decline after 1998, there have been no significant changes over the most recent five years. We should focus on treatment of existing hepatitis B patients along with immunization programmes to prevent new hepatitis B infections. In addition, it may be necessary to encourage HBsAg-positive people to follow healthier life-styles in order to prevent further progression of hepatitis B to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Comorbidity ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Behavior ; Hematologic Tests ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunization ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver Neoplasms ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea* ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

PURPOSE: Neural stem cells (NSCs) effectively reverse some severe central nervous system (CNS) disorders, due to their ability to differentiate into neurons. Agmatine, a biogenic amine, has cellular protective effects and contributes to cellular proliferation and differentiation in the CNS. Recent studies have elucidated the function of microRNA let-7a (let-7a) as a regulator of cell differentiation with roles in regulating genes associated with CNS neurogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to investigate whether agmatine modulates the expression of crucial regulators of NSC differentiation including DCX, TLX, c-Myc, and ERK by controlling let-7a expression. RESULTS: Our data suggest that high levels of let-7a promoted the expression of TLX and c-Myc, as well as repressed DCX and ERK expression. In addition, agmatine attenuated expression of TLX and increased expression of ERK by negatively regulating let-7a. CONCLUSION: Our study therefore enhances the present understanding of the therapeutic potential of NSCs in CNS disorders.
Agmatine* ; Biogenic Amines ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Central Nervous System ; MicroRNAs* ; Neural Stem Cells* ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons

PURPOSE: Neural stem cells (NSCs) effectively reverse some severe central nervous system (CNS) disorders, due to their ability to differentiate into neurons. Agmatine, a biogenic amine, has cellular protective effects and contributes to cellular proliferation and differentiation in the CNS. Recent studies have elucidated the function of microRNA let-7a (let-7a) as a regulator of cell differentiation with roles in regulating genes associated with CNS neurogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to investigate whether agmatine modulates the expression of crucial regulators of NSC differentiation including DCX, TLX, c-Myc, and ERK by controlling let-7a expression. RESULTS: Our data suggest that high levels of let-7a promoted the expression of TLX and c-Myc, as well as repressed DCX and ERK expression. In addition, agmatine attenuated expression of TLX and increased expression of ERK by negatively regulating let-7a. CONCLUSION: Our study therefore enhances the present understanding of the therapeutic potential of NSCs in CNS disorders.
Agmatine* ; Biogenic Amines ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Central Nervous System ; MicroRNAs* ; Neural Stem Cells* ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons