Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Case ReportsLate Onset Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis in a Patient with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease: a Case Report.
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a progressive systemic fibrosing disease that may occur after gadolinium contrast exposure. It can lead to severe complications and even death. NSF is highly prevalent among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). ⋯ The medical history revealed that he was exposed to gadolinium 185 days earlier, and the result of his tibial skin biopsy was consistent with NSF. The patient underwent a combined therapy with ultraviolet-A1 phototherapy and methotrexate and steroid therapy for 6 months. The combined therapy stopped the systemic progression of NSF.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
The Characteristics of Elderly Individuals Who Attempted Suicide by Poisoning: a Nationwide Cross-sectional Study in Korea.
Suicide among the elderly is a public health concern, as life expectancy is increasing rapidly and suicide rates increase with age. In Korea, self-poisoning is the most common method of attempted suicide. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of attempted suicide by self-poisoning among the elderly and to identify risk factors related to the suicide attempts. ⋯ Self-poisoning among the elderly is associated with poorer clinical outcomes than in younger adult patients. Suicide among the elderly is a potentially preventable public health problem, and with proper identification of the associated risk factors, appropriate multidisciplinary intervention strategies can be implemented.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Estimating the Effectiveness of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Control in Korea.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant global public health challenges and created a substantial economic burden. Korea has experienced an extensive outbreak, which was linked to a religion-related super-spreading event. However, the implementation of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, spring semester postponing, and extensive testing and contact tracing controlled the epidemic. Herein, we estimated the effectiveness of each NPI using a simulation model. ⋯ Among the three NPI measures, social distancing in adults showed the highest effectiveness. The substantial effect of social distancing should be considered when preparing for the 2nd wave of COVID-19.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Influencing Factors of Transportation Costs Regarding Healthcare Service Utilization in Korea.
Transportation costs can be a barrier to healthcare services, especially for low-income, disabled, elderly, and geographically isolated populations. This study aimed to estimate the transportation costs of healthcare service utilization and related influencing factors in Korea in 2016. ⋯ Transportation cost burden was especially high among those with major non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer) or living in rural areas, as well as elderly, severely disabled, and low-income populations. Thus, there is a need to address the socioeconomic disparities related to healthcare transportation costs in Korea by implementing targeted interventions in populations with restricted access to healthcare.