Status In Korea Research Articles

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that can lead to devastating neurological disabilities such as blindness and impaired mobility. Given that NMOSD can cause severe neurological deteriorations even with a single episode, exploring effective relapse prevention strategies in NMOSD is imperative. Recently, various biological monoclonal antibody therapies targeting diverse mechanisms have shown efficacy in preventing relapses in NMOSD, as evidenced by clinical trials. These monoclonal antibody therapies include complement inhibition (eculizumab and ravulizumab), B-cell depletion (rituximab and inebilizumab), and interleukin-6 receptor blockade (tocilizumab and satralizumab) mechanisms. Some of these therapies are now reimbursable, and this review summarizes their mechanisms, administration methods, reimbursement status in Korea, efficacy, and safety profiles in clinical practice.

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that can lead to devastating neurological disabilities such as blindness and impaired mobility. Given that NMOSD can cause severe neurological deteriorations even with a single episode, exploring effective relapse prevention strategies in NMOSD is imperative. Recently, various biological monoclonal antibody therapies targeting diverse mechanisms have shown efficacy in preventing relapses in NMOSD, as evidenced by clinical trials. These monoclonal antibody therapies include complement inhibition (eculizumab and ravulizumab), B-cell depletion (rituximab and inebilizumab), and interleukin-6 receptor blockade (tocilizumab and satralizumab) mechanisms. Some of these therapies are now reimbursable, and this review summarizes their mechanisms, administration methods, reimbursement status in Korea, efficacy, and safety profiles in clinical practice.

Detection of GPI-deficient Cells in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Patients Using Flow Cytometry: Current Status in Korea and Proposal for Testing Guidelines

Detection of GPI-deficient Cells in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Patients Using Flow Cytometry: Current Status in Korea and Proposal for Testing Guidelines

절충교역 관점에서 본 한국의 방위산업 및 무기체계 국제거래 현황과 과제

South Korea has established the base for self-reliant defense and grown into an emerging defense exporter in 40 years since it first introduced a offset trade system in 1983, and aims to become the world's fourth-largest defense exporter by 2027. The purpose of this study is to draw implications for the development of Korea's defense industry and the expansion of defense exports from the perspective of offset trade. To this end, (1) the development process and status of Korea's defense industry were examined based on recent statistical data, and (2) the status of Korea's overseas purchase of weapons systems and defense exports were examined. Also, (3) after examining the current status of Korea's offset trade system, implications for the development of defense industry and the expansion of defense exports were drawn. In import offset trade, it is necessary to re-apply offset trade obligation to overseas purchase through FMS from the U.S.A., settle down the banking system, expand the offset value multiplier for SMEs, and strengthen the industrial cooperation quota system. In export offset trade, it needs to establish a cooperation system between government ministries by a strong control tower, form a consortium of government-defense companies for a proactive response system, introduce a mandatory reporting system for export offset trade, expand the policy support for defense export such as trade finance, and introduce a value offset system (SWAP).

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths among Healthcare Personnel with the Progression of the Pandemic in Korea from March 2020 to February 2022.

Healthcare personnel (HCP) are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection due to their higher risk of contact with infected persons. The numbers of cases and deaths among HCP in Korea were divided into four periods associated with different major variants of SARS-CoV-2: GH clade, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron. To evaluate the implication of HCP infection in Korea, we overviewed the pandemic status in Korea and in other countries: the cases, deaths, excess mortality, and vaccination rates in Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In about two years, there were 10,670 HCP cases among all COVID-19 cases (1.15% of 925,975 cases). HCP cases had a lower death rate (%) compared to that for all cases (0.14 versus 0.75). Nurses were the most infected (55.3%), followed by HCP of other categories (28.8%) and doctors (15.9%), while deaths were mostly reported among doctors (9 out of 15, 60%). Cases among HCP gradually increased, but the death rate decreased as the pandemic progressed. Compared to five of the other countries examined, Korea had a higher incidence of cases but a lower mortality, lower excess mortality, and a higher vaccination rate.

Clinicopathologic characterization of cervical metastasis from an unknown primary tumor: a multicenter study in Korea.

Research regarding cervical metastasis from an unknown primary tumor (CUP) according to human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status in Korea has been sporadic and small-scale. This study aims to analyze and understand the characteristics of CUP in Korea according to viral and p16 and p53 status through a multicenter study. Ninety-five cases of CUP retrieved from six hospitals in Korea between January 2006 and December 2016 were subjected to high-risk HPV detection (DNA in situ hybridization [ISH] or real-time polymerase chain reaction), EBV detection (ISH), and immunohistochemistry for p16 and p53. CUP was HPV-related in 37 cases (38.9%), EBV-related in five cases (5.3%), and unrelated to HPV or EBV in 46 cases (48.4%). HPV-related CUP cases had the best overall survival (OS) (p = .004). According to the multivariate analysis, virus-unrelated disease (p = .023) and longer smoking duration (p < .005) were prognostic factors for poor OS. Cystic change (p = .016) and basaloid pattern (p < .001) were more frequent in HPV-related cases, and lymphoepithelial lesion was frequent in EBV-related cases (p = .010). There was no significant association between viral status and p53 positivity (p = .341), smoking status (p = .728), or smoking duration (p = .187). Korean data differ from Western data in the absence of an association among HPV, p53 positivity, and smoking history. Virus-unrelated CUP in Korea had the highest frequency among all CUP cases. HPV-related CUP is similar to HPV-mediated oropharyngeal cancer and EBVrelated CUP is similar to nasopharyngeal cancer in terms of characteristics, respectively.

A Study on Re-positioning General Education in the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt;

In recent years, general education has grown more sharply than ever in the number of dedicated organizations and professors in universities. The “Korea Association of General Education” has grown rapidly into an organization with more than 2,000 members, and its academic achievement has grown so rapidly that the IF (Impact Factor) of the &lt;i&gt;Korean Journal of General Education&lt;/i&gt; ranked 1st in the major category of ‘Complex Studies’ and ranked 7&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; among all academic journals.The National Research Foundation of Korea's &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; is used as a coordinate for establishing academic status in Korea and as a criterion for distributing shares of the national R&amp;D budget for research support projects. The organizational size of the Korea Association of General Education and the academic level of its journal definitely deserves a higher ranking than the ‘Medium Classification’ in the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt;, which is hierarchically divided into “Large Classification, Medium Classification, Small Classification and Detail Classification.” However, in reality, it is located in ‘Detail Classification’, which is the lowest rank under the name of ‘Basic and General Education’. This classification system does not sufficiently reflect the academic characteristics of general education. As a result, it is difficult to receive an appropriate evaluation in terms of academic research activities and research support. Over the past decade, the Korean Association for General Education, the National Council for General Education, and the Korea National Institute for General Education have continuously made many attempts to correct such contradictions.This study summarized the past efforts into a history of Korean general education and sought where and how we should relocate general education in the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; in order to live up to the spirit of the era of the 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Industrial Revolution. In the era of the 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Industrial Revolution, which calls for fostering convergence talents, a renaissance of general education designed for a fusion of the academic fields, is expected, instead of one that promotes specialization. If the placement of general education in the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; is a matter falls under the knowledge category, the subsequent classification method is determined by how, in our times, we can conceptualize general education. In order to study the category and concept of general education, it is necessary to establish a new academic field called ‘General Studies’.This study proposes to set the academic status of ‘General Studies’ in the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; in the following three ways. The first option is to take the spirit of the 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Industrial Revolution and upgrade it to the ‘Large Classification’. The second option is to position it as a division of various basic studies in humanities and sciences, because ‘General Studies’ encompasses “almost all knowledge that humans need to know.” The third option is to adjust it to the middle classification under the Large Classification of ‘Complex Studies’. Ultimately, the resetting of the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; is to secure the identity and independence of general education. This study is meaningful in that it specifically presented three options for the &lt;Classification Table of Academic Research Fields&gt; and that it is a preemptive preparation for future institutional discussions on the classification of academic research fields.

국제 항공화물 운송계약 당사자의 법률관계에 관한 연구: 국제물류주선업자의 지위를 중심으로

Nowadays, international freight forwarder can important roles in the international air cargo transportation. The purpose of this study is present on the legal relationship of the party of contract of international carriage of cargo by air which focused on the legal status of the international freight forwarder. An international freight forwarder has four different kinds of legal status in korea. First, they can role as the pure definition of the freight forwarder which they have status of a shipper as a party to the carriage contract in this cases. Second, they are acts an agent of the shipper, which they are no relation to air carrier and not as a party of the contract. The party of contract of carriage are the shipper, and the international freight forwarders will according to order of shipper in this case. Third, they are acts an agent of the air carrier, and which called forwarder consolidation who perform all the service such as arranging for consolidation or relation of logistics and delivery of the goods. They are not immediately a party to the contract of carriage but they have as the status of air carrier and plays from the receipt of the goods to delivery with a consignee. Fourth, they are acts as the contracting carrier who as a party to the contract of carriage, undertaking the responsibility for the period of carriage upon issuing AWB as the air carrier. They are issuing the HAWB to an actual shipper and they are receives the MAWB from an actual carrier, therefore they have must a break bulk agent to delivery of carriage goods by air in the arrives area. In conclusion, they are must considering to the different of duty and liability of the legal status not only as the freight forwarder but also as the contracting carrier.

Aortic Valve Replacement in the Era of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Current Status in Korea.

In the era of transcatheter aortic valve implantation, this study was conducted to investigate the current trend of aortic valve procedures in Korea and to evaluate the early and mid-term outcomes of isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) using bioprosthetic valves in contemporary Korea. Contemporary outcomes of isolated bioprosthetic SAVR in Korea were analyzed using the datasets on a multicenter basis. Patients who underwent isolated SAVR using bioprostheses from June 2015 to May 2019 were included, and those with concomitant cardiac procedures, SAVR with mechanical valve, or SAVR for infective endocarditis were excluded. A total of 456 patients from 4 large-volume centers were enrolled in this study. Median follow-up duration was 43.4 months. Early postoperative outcomes, mid-term clinical outcomes, and echocardiographic outcomes were evaluated. Mean age of the patients was 73.1 ± 7.3 years, and EuroSCORE II was 2.23 ± 2.09. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamp times were median 106 and 76 minutes, respectively. SAVR was performed with full median sternotomy (81.8%), right thoracotomy (14.7%), or partial sternotomy (3.5%). Operative mortality was 1.8%. The incidences of stroke and permanent pacemaker implantation were 1.1% and 1.1%, respectively. Paravalvular regurgitation ≥ mild was detected in 2.6% of the patients. Cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality at 5 years was 13.0%. Cumulative incidences of cardiovascular mortality and bioprosthetic valve dysfunction at 5 years were 7.6% and 6.8%, respectively. The most recent data for isolated SAVR using bioprostheses in Korea resulted in excellent early and mid-term outcomes in a multicenter study.

Spatiotemporal Clusters and Trend of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection in Korea.

This study was done to provide an overview of the latest trichomoniasis status in Korea by finding disease clusters and analyzing temporal trends during 2012–2020. Data were obtained from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) of Korea. SaTScan and Joinpoint programs were used for statistical analyses. Gyeonggi-do had the highest average population and highest number of cases. The high incidence of T. vaginalis infections were observed among women aged 40–49 and 30–39 years (33,830/year and 33,179/year, respectively). Similarly, the 40–49 and 30–39 age group in men showed the highest average cases (1,319/year and 1,282/year, respectively). Jeollabuk-do was the most likely cluster, followed by Busan/Gyeongsangnam-do/Ulsan/Daegu and Jeju-do and Gwangju. Urban and rural differences were prominent. Trichomoniasis has decreased significantly in most clusters, except for Incheon. Trichomoniasis was decreasing in women recently after peaking around 2014. Men showed different trends according to age. Trichomoniasis was increasing in the 10–39 age groups, but decreasing in the 40–59 age groups. This study might provide an analytic basis for future health measures, policy-makers, and health authorities in developing effective system for prevention of trichomoniasis.

Little Syria: Syrian refugees in car town, Korea

Due to the Syrian civil war, about 1,100 Syrians have applied for asylum status in Korea, and almost all have obtained humanitarian protection status. Receiving refugees is a relatively new phenomenon in Korean society and many refugees may experience a hostile environment. Although a small number of Koreans show empathy to refugees, the majority have expressed serious security and financial concerns about hosting refugees. This qualitative study therefore looks at Syrian refugees’ sense of belonging in Car Town in Seoul, where approximately 50 Syrians have settled. Through interviews, informal talks, and observations, we investigate Syrians’ everyday lives, and the mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion in the Korean society and in the local Syrian community. This study offers insights into different elements of belonging and how the politics of belonging and place-belongingness take shape, and in turn impact the sense of belonging of the Syrian refugees in Car Town and in Korea.

Regional Adolescent Obesity and Overweight Status in Korea from 2018-2019: Comparison between Two Data Sources.

Difference in the regional adolescent obesity level may cause a notable health inequality between regions since it significantly affects adulthood health status. This study examined 2018 and 2019 regional obesity and overweight status of adolescents aged 12 to 18 by comparing two cross sectional population-based data sources, the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) and the National Student Health Examination (NSHE). Prevalence was estimated by calculating weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals. Correlations in the relative rankings of each municipality were determined by computing Spearman correlation coefficients (rs), and prevalence discrepancies between the data sources were visualized by simple correlation graphs. The geographical distributions of adolescent obesity and overweight status showed no perfect concordances between the data sources regardless of sexes and survey years. For adolescent obesity status, there were significant difference between the least and the most obese regions and rs levels were fair to good with p-values less than 0.05, but the correlation graphs indicated body mass index (BMI) underreporting in the KYRBS. For adolescent overweight status, no significant similarities were defined between the data. These results can be used as a basis for the establishment of related policies.

Population-based study of the association between asthma and exogenous female sex hormone use

ObjectivesSeveral studies have suggested the influence of exogenous hormones on asthma, but the results are still conflicting. Moreover, there has been little associated research on Asian population. This study aimed...

Regulatory policy on genetically modified breeding stack in key countries and the current status in Korea.

With an increasing interest and demand for biotechnology crops in agriculture worldwide, genetically modified (GM) breeding stacks produced by conventional breeding of previously approved GM single events remain popular for farmers in GM crop cultivation countries. However, regulations on stacks vary in each country. Currently, Korea requires approval for all breeding stacks intended for cultivation. To determine whether the stack is subject to a full safety assessment as a new GM crop, molecular characterization, protein expression, composition analysis, and agronomic characterization data are required. Korea's regulatory policy on stacks has not adopted the high-covers-low concept; therefore, subcombinations of already approved higher combination events are subject to breeding stack review if any subcombination was purposefully bred for cultivation use. This review will help promote the efficient management of GM breeding stacks in Korea in the future.

Association between employment stability and depression as moderated by gender among South Korean employees

BackgroundResearch in Asian cultures regarding the association between employment status and health has been limited. The current study investigated the association between depression and employment status in Korea, moderated by gender. MethodsData from the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were analysed. In total, 11,157 participants aged ≥ 19 years responded to the survey. The Korean version of the PHQ-9 was utilised in addition to questions assessing employment status. ResultsPrecarious employment indicated a greater prevalence of depression in comparison to permanent employment (14.9% vs 10.8%, p < 0.001; 22.6% vs 20.2%, p < 0.001). Precariously employed men were 1.40 times more likely to have depression (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR): 1.40; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.15–1.70; p= 0.001) while no such association existed among women (adjusted OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.89–1.27; p= 0.493). The subgroup analyses revealed that men working day shifts in a precarious employment were 1.48 times more likely to be depressed than those with permanent employment. In contrast, precarious employed women working night shifts were 2.13 times more likely to be depressed than those permanently employed counterparts. LimitationsCurrent research did not investigate the causality of the variables hence was unable to identify whether employment instability from precarious engagements preceded the onset of depression. ConclusionsThese findings suggest gender can independently modify the relationship between employment stability and depression, as well as in association with additional variables – including work shift type and income.

Regulatory Science: Definition and Development Strategy

Science areas related to evaluating the safety, efficacy, performance, and quality of a product can be referred to as regulatory science (RS). The Korean government recently announced plans to foster its regulatory capacity for drugs, medical devices, and foods. This study aims to clarify the characteristics of RS and their implications for how to develop RS in South Korea. We reviewed the literature and the websites of foreign regulatory bodies to determine the characteristics and development strategies of RS for drugs, medical devices, and foods. To understand the current status of RS in Korea, we reviewed the usage of the term “regulatory science” in academic literature and non-academic context. RS is a multidisciplinary science of a predictive nature that deals with uncertainty. In Korea, only one recent study discusses the characteristics of regulatory science in a specific context; the term RS has been used to mean “regulatory affairs” in Korean non-academic contexts. Seven types of structures were identified as fostering RS: a regulatory body supporting designated institutions, a partnership for research, networks of regulatory bodies, an RS center established by a government agency, a government agency dedicated for RS, an RS center established in a university, and individual university programs. Healthcare issues and available technology are important factors in deciding focus research areas. This study reviewed various aspects of RS and its current status in Korea to facilitate decisions on Korean RS development strategy.

Laparoscopic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: my trials and current status in Korea.

There has been a dramatic change in surgical care over the past 30 years with the introduction of laparoscopic surgery. It was my great fortune that I could experience laparoscopic surgery during my resident training period. After beginning to work for my hospital in 1995, I tried laparoscopic surgery in many surgical fields, including hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP), colon, stomach, and vascular surgery (endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting, endoscopic subfascial perforating vein interruption to treat skin complications in patients with deep vein insufficiency in the lower leg). In Sabiston, Textbook of Surgery, published in 1997, laparoscopic Whipple and major liver resection were not accepted at the time but now are. There are three possible reasons that may explain this shift. The first one is the 30 years of experience using advanced techniques; all of us know that “Seeing is believing,” and “A thousand hearings are not worth one seeing.” Next is the availability of three-dimensional imaging with magnification which enables us to perform difficult surgeries. The last one is the use of good instruments and an advanced surgical platform. In this paper, I would like to share my past and recent trials with advanced HBP laparoscopic surgery, as well as its current status in Korea and future directions.

Spatially Filtered Multilevel Analysis on Spatial Inequality of Tuberculosis in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea

Objectives: This study aims to identify the spatial inequality of tuberculosis (TB) and related socio-environmental factors in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. Methods: This study explains TB incidences in a spatial perspective. A spatial multilevel regression model was applied to account for the spatial inequality of TB and related factors. Applied socio-environmental factors were average age, population density, Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), particulate matter (PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;), medical insurance, financial independence rate, and medical doctors per 1,000 people. Results: This study finds evident spatial inequality of TB in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Most TB hotspots are identified around Yeongyang-gun, the area with the lowest socio-economic status in Korea. The regression result shows that level 1 factors (Average age, NDBI, PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;) and level 2 factors (medical insurance, financial independence rate) were statistically significant related to TB incidences. Furthermore, spatial filtering applied to multilevel regression accounts for spatial autocorrelation of TB incidence. Conclusions: Regional socio-economic and demographic conditions in Gyeongsangbuk-do influence TB incidences. Given low expectations on Gyeongsangbuk-do’s socio-economic and demographic growth, reducing the spatial inequality of TB would be challenging.

Mental health services and research and development in South Korea

Background: South Korea or the Republic of Korea has an area of 100,412.6 km2, and population of 52 million (51,781,000). Methods: Besides our lifetime experiences in receiving training, teaching, and practicing psychiatry, the authors collected information from the literature pertinent to the mental health care in South Korea. This review is intended to familiarize the readers of the Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry with the information of mental health-care service as well as research and development (R and D) in South Korea. Results: Despite consistent improvement in the overall health status in Korea, the mental health status of the population is low compared with other countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). For example, Korea has the highest suicide-related mortality and more years of life lost due to mental/behavioral diseases, compared to those of the average and a longer-than-average duration of hospital stay, respectively, of the OECD. Conversely, the government has made efforts to overhaul the mental health system. Several remarkable changes have been made in the areas of community-based service, involuntary admission, and unequal treatment. Conclusion: The mental health status is closely associated with the mental health service system, prevalence of mental disorders, health insurance system, admission system, and R and D budget for mental health. To change attitudes related to mental health, strong leadership among mental health professionals is urgently needed.

Association between morbidity of non-communicable disease and employment status: a comparison between Korea and the United States

BackgroundGlobally, the prevalence of chronic disease continues to rise and is likely to grow further over the coming decades due to population ageing. Since older age is associated closely with development of chronic disease, it stands to reason that demographic changes will increase the proportion of older workers with chronic disease. The aim of the present study was to determine how chronic diseases affect employment status in Korea and the USA.MethodsThe study was based on National Health and Nutrition Survey data (2007–2014) obtained by the Korean and American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 44,693 subjects were categorized into two geographical groups: Korea (29,260 subjects) and the USA (15,433 subjects). A chi-square test was used to compare the groups in terms of socio-demographic factors, health-related factors, and chronic disease. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of five chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer) on employment status.ResultsThere were 29,260 Korean and 15,433 American respondents. Chronic disease increased the risk of unemployment in Korea markedly (Odds ratio [OR] range, 1.17–2.47). Cardiovascular disease and cancer had the most profound negative effect on Korean unemployment (OR = 2.47 and 2.03, respectively). The risk of unemployment was generally 2–3-fold lower in the USA (OR range, 0.5–1.04).ConclusionsChronic disease had a significant impact on economic activity in Korea, but a smaller impact in the USA. This difference may be related to different health insurance schemes and cultural approaches to people with diseases in the two countries. It is important to explore factors that limit economic participation by people with chronic diseases, and to identify social policies that will overcome these factors. Further between-country studies are needed to identify social solutions to the socio-economic burden of chronic illness.