Beginning in March 2026, South Korea will implement the Community Care Integration Act to establish a nationwide system linking healthcare, long-term care, and social services—particularly for the elderly, who face high risks from chronic diseases and polypharmacy. Although the Act formally acknowledges pharmacists’ roles in integrated care (Article 15, Clause 7), their participation remains limited and their clinical expertise underutilized. This study investigates strategies to enhance the integration of pharmacists into South Korea’s community care system by analyzing pharmacist-led medication management services in Australia. Australia has developed a robust healthcare and medication safety framework through national and state-level agencies (e.g., Home Medicines Review (HMR), and Residential Medication Management Review (RMMR)). These services improve medication safety and adherence through structured medication reviews and interdisciplinary collaboration. In contrast, pharmacist-led services in Korea remain fragmented and are not yet systematically embedded within the integrated care infrastructure, despite a series of pilot initiatives since2018 aimed at managing polypharmacy in both hospital and community settings. These pilots, however, offer a foundational plat-form for national-scale adoption. Based on the Australia’s experience, this paper recommends establishment standardized medicationreview protocols, expanding pharmacist roles services within interdisciplinary teams, and provision of financial and institutionalsupport to ensure sustainable implementation. Deploying clinically trained pharmacists in community settings will be critical to safeguarding medication use and advancing person-centered care for Korea’s aging population.

With the introduction of life-course epidemiology, researchers realized the importance of identifying risk factors in early life to prevent chronic diseases. This led to the establishment of the Ewha Birth and Growth Study in 2001; the study is a prospective birth cohort designed to provide evidence of early life risk factors for a child’s growth and health. Participants were recruited from those who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital (a tertiary hospital in southwest Seoul, Korea) for prenatal care at 24-28 weeks of gestation. In total, 891 mothers enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2006 and their offspring (n=940) were followed-up. Regular check-up examinations of offspring were conducted at 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years of age and every year thereafter. To consider age-related health issues, extensive data were collected using questionnaires and measurements. In 2021, the study subjects will reach 19 years of age, and we are planning a check-up examination for early adulthood. About 20 years have passed since the cohort data were collected, and we have published results on childhood health outcomes associated with prenatal and birth characteristics, genetic and epigenetic characteristics related to childhood metabolism, the effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors, and dietary patterns in childhood. Recently, we started reporting on topics related to adolescent health. The findings will facilitate identification of early life risk factors for chronic diseases and the development of interventions for diseases later in life.

With the introduction of life-course epidemiology, researchers realized the importance of identifying risk factors in early life to prevent chronic diseases. This led to the establishment of the Ewha Birth and Growth Study in 2001; the study is a prospective birth cohort designed to provide evidence of early life risk factors for a child’s growth and health. Participants were recruited from those who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital (a tertiary hospital in southwest Seoul, Korea) for prenatal care at 24-28 weeks of gestation. In total, 891 mothers enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2006 and their offspring (n=940) were followed-up. Regular check-up examinations of offspring were conducted at 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years of age and every year thereafter. To consider age-related health issues, extensive data were collected using questionnaires and measurements. In 2021, the study subjects will reach 19 years of age, and we are planning a check-up examination for early adulthood. About 20 years have passed since the cohort data were collected, and we have published results on childhood health outcomes associated with prenatal and birth characteristics, genetic and epigenetic characteristics related to childhood metabolism, the effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors, and dietary patterns in childhood. Recently, we started reporting on topics related to adolescent health. The findings will facilitate identification of early life risk factors for chronic diseases and the development of interventions for diseases later in life.

This study was performed to identify the impact of awareness and educational experiences on cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the ability to execute of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among Korean adults. This study used original data of 2014 Community Health Data Survey. 228,712 participants in this survey were resident in South Korea who is aged 19 or older on July 2014. Participants in this survey were sampled an average of 900 residents(target error ± 3 percent) per community health center of Korea. Data were analyzed by using R 3.1.3 employing chi-squared test, fisher's exact analysis, and logistic regression analysis. Ability to execute CPR was significantly higher in males(3.34 time), higher the education level (1.61 times), the white color occupation (1.14 times), the higher the income level (1.07 times), the higher the education level (0.91 times), non-hypertensive patients (1.12 times), non-diabetic patients (1.16 times), non-dyslipidemic patients (0.86 times), non-stroke patients (0.30 times), CPR education experience group (3.25 times), CPR experience group with manikin-based training (4.30 times), higher subjective health status (1.08 times, 1.16 times) respectively. This study identified that awareness, educational experience, and mannequin-based learning experience of CPR impacted on the ability to execute CPR. Responding to education-related factors could contribute to reducing the rate of out-of-hospital acute cardiac arrest by improving the ability to execute CPR of the general public.
Adult* ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation* ; Community Health Centers ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Education ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Korea ; Learning ; Logistic Models ; Occupations

Bone age (BA) advancement in prepubertal children may be associated with earlier onset of puberty and obesity. This study aimed to define the effects of adrenal androgen levels on the advancement of BA in prepubertal children, independent of obesity. During July and August 2011, we examined BA in 200 prepubertal children aged 7–9 years who were part of the Ewha Birth & Growth Cohort Study. BA was assessed by the Greulich-Pyle method. An index of BA advancement was calculated as the ratio of BA to chronological age (CA) (BA/CA), and this ratio was classified into 3 tertiles. We analyzed the relationship between BA advancement and anthropometric characteristics and adrenal hormone levels. The number of overweight children increased from the first group to the third group (P(Trend) = 0.03). The levels of adrenal androgens showed a significant positive correlation with the tertile groups after adjusting for age and sex (testosterone: r = 0.26, P < 0.001; dehydroepiandrosterone: r = 0.21, P < 0.001; androstenedione: r = 0.20, P < 0.001). Further, after controlling for body mass index (BMI), sex, and age, the BA/CA was found to be positively correlated with androstenedione (β = 0.04, R² = 3.7%) and testosterone levels (β = 0.05, R² = 4.7%). Based on our results, it is suggested that adrenal androgen levels are associated with BA advancement independent of BMI.
Adolescent ; Androgens ; Androstenedione ; Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Cohort Studies* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone ; Humans ; Methods ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Parturition* ; Puberty ; Testosterone

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Calcinosis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Insect Bites and Stings*

There are many studies on the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and economic burden of diabetes across the past four decades in Korea. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of nationwide study regarding diabetes encompassing all age group. Eight years ago, the Committee on the Epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus of Korean Diabetes Association collaborated with Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service to evaluate the status of diabetes care and characteristics in diabetic patients in Korea. In 2007, the collaborative task force team published a comprehensive survey titled "Diabetes in Korea 2007." In this review, we reappraise the diabetic epidemics from the joint report and suggest further studies that are needed to be investigated in the future.
Advisory Committees ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Joints ; Korea ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: We investigated whether particular HLA-DRB1 polymorphisms contribute to egg allergy development in Korean children with atopic dermatitis (AD). METHODS: HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined by PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) and PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) methods in 185 patients with AD and 109 normal control (NC) subjects. AD patients were divided into two groups: 1) AD with egg allergy, consisting of 96 patients with egg allergies as determined by egg-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity; and 2) AD without egg allergy, consisting of 89 patients without egg allergies. HLA-DRB1 alleles were classified into functional groups (A, De, Dr, E, Q, R, a). HLA-DRB1 phenotype and functional group frequencies in the AD, AD with egg allergy, and AD without egg allergy groups were compared with those in the NC group. RESULTS: The frequency of DRB1*08:02 was decreased in the AD with egg allergy group compared with the AD without egg allergy group (2.1% vs. 10.1%, P=0.021), and DRB1*15:01 was increased in the AD with egg allergy group compared with the AD without egg allergy group (22.9% vs. 11.2%, P=0.036). However, significance was lost after Bonferroni correction. HLA-DRB1*11:01 had a significantly higher frequency in AD patients compared with NCs (12.4% vs. 1.8%, corrected P=0.048) and was regarded as a susceptibility factor associated with AD. DRB1*08:03 was decreased in AD patients compared with NCs (10.8% vs. 19.3%, P=0.043). HLA-DRB1 functional group 'a', which includes DRB1*15:01, seemed to be associated with the development of egg allergy in AD (P=0.033), but this result was not significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: HLA-DRB1 polymorphism is not associated with egg allergy, but HLA-DRB1*11:01 is associated with AD in Korean children.
Alleles ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Ovum ; Phenotype

The Korean diet, including breakfast, is becoming more Western, which could increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Our aim was to assess whether breakfast patterns are associated with risk for metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. The study subjects (n = 371; 103 men, 268 women) were employees of Jaesang Hospital in Korea and their acquaintances, and all subjects were between 30 and 50 years old. The data collected from each subject included anthropometric measurements, three-day food intake, blood pressure (BP) and blood analyses. The three breakfast patterns identified by factor analysis were "Rice, Kimchi and Vegetables", "Potatoes, Fruits and Nuts" and "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat". The "Rice, Kimchi and Vegetables" pattern scores were positively correlated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurements in men (P < 0.05) and with serum triglyceride (TG) levels in women (P < 0.05). The "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat" pattern scores correlated positively with weight, body mass index (P < 0.05) and serum TGs (P < 0.01) in men. The "Potatoes, Fruits and Nuts" pattern was associated with lower risk of elevated BP (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.88) and fasting glucose levels (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.26-1.00). In contrast, the "Eggs, Breads and Processed meat" pattern was associated with increased risk of elevated TGs (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.06-3.98). Our results indicate that reducing the consumption of eggs, western grains and processed meat while increasing fruit, nut and vegetable intake for breakfast could have beneficial effects on decreasing metabolic syndrome risk in Korean adults.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Bread ; Breakfast ; Edible Grain ; Diet ; Eating ; Eggs ; Fasting ; Female ; Friends ; Fruit ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Meat ; Nuts ; Ovum ; Vegetables