How Does Medical Policy on the Use of Prophylactic Antibiotics Affect Medical Costs, Length of Hospital Stay, and Antibiotic Use in Orthopedics?

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to compare patients who had undergone spine surgery (SS) and hip arthroplasty surgery (HAS) and to analyze how medical policies drawn from “The Evaluation of the Appropriate Use of Prophylactic Antibiotics” have affected length of hospital stay (LOS), direct medical costs (DMC), and the duration of antibiotics use in Korea. @*Materials and Methods@#This retrospective nationwide study identified subjects from the Korean National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database from January, 2011 to December, 2018. Evaluation of HAS (control group) was implemented in 2007, and that for SS (case group) was conducted for the first time in 2014 (intervention time). In our comparative interrupted time series analysis, we compared DMC, LOS, and use of antibiotics between both groups. @*Results@#177468 patients who underwent SS and 89372 patients who underwent HAS were included in the study. In 2016, DMC increased for HAS, compared to SS, by 1.03 times (p=0.041). However, cost changes during other observational periods for SS were not higher than those for HAS (p>0.05). SS incurred a reduced LOS of 3% in the first 2 years (p<0.05). Thereafter, LOS changes in SS were not smaller than those in HAS. A decrease in the usage of total antibiotics and broad spectrum antibiotics was observed for 5 years. @*Conclusion@#This medical policy was effective in terms of reducing usage and duration of antibiotics use, especially in the first 2 years after the implementation of the policy.

Quality of Acute Stroke Care within Emergency Medical Service System in Korea: Proposal for Severe Emergency Medical Center

Background@#Korea recently established 70 emergency medical service areas. However, there are many concerns that medical resources for stroke could not be evenly distributed through the country. We aimed to compare the treatment quality and outcomes of acute stroke among the emergency medical service areas. @*Methods@#This study analyzed the data of 28,800 patients admitted in 248 hospitals which participated in the 8th acute stroke quality assessment by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Individual hospitals were regrouped into emergency service areas according to the address of the location. Assessment indicators and fatality were compared by the service areas. We defined the appropriate hospital by the performance of intravenous thrombolysis. @*Results@#In seven service areas, there were no hospitals which received more than 10 stroke patients for 6 months. In nine service areas, there were no patients who underwent intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Among 167 designated emergency medical centers, 50 hospitals (29.9%) responded that IVT was impossible 24 hours a day. There are 97 (39.1%) hospitals that meet the definitions of appropriate hospital. In 23 service areas (32.9%) had no appropriate or feasible hospitals. The fatality of service areas with stroke centers were 6.9% within 30 days and 15.6% within 1 year from stroke onset than those without stroke centers (7.7%, 16.9%, respectively). @*Conclusions@#There was a wide regional gap in the medical resource and the quality of treatments for acute stroke among emergency medical service areas in Korea. The poststroke fatality rate of the service areas which have stroke centers or appropriate hospitals were significantly low.

Effect of Betulinic Acid on MUC5AC and MUC5B Expression in Airway Epithelial Cells / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: MUC5AC and MUC5B are representative secretory mucin genes in the human airway, whose expressions are increased by a variety of inflammatory mediators. Betulinic acid, a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid, is known to have an anti-inflammatory property. However, the effects of betulinic acid on mucin secretion of airway epithelial cells still have not been reported. Therefore, in this study, the effect of betulinic acid on inflammatory mediators-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions was investigated in human airway epithelial cells. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: In the mucin-producing human NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells, the effects of betulinic acid on interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-, and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Betulinic acid attenuated IL-1beta-, LPS-, and PMA-induced MUC5B mRNA and glycoprotein expression in NCI-H292 cells. On the other hand, betulinic acid did not attenuate IL-1beta-, and LPS-, but induced PMA-induced MUC5AC mRNA and glycoprotein expressions in NCI-H292 cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that betulinic acid attenuates IL-1beta-, LPS-, and PMA-induced MUC5B expression in the airway epithelial cells. Therefore, betulinic acid may modulate a control of mucus-hypersecretion in airway inflammatory diseases.

Roflumilast Attenuates MUC5AC and MUC5B Expression in Airway Epithelial Cells / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Roflumilast, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 4, has an anti-inflammatory property. It has been used in the treatment of chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. However, the effect of roflumilast on mucus secretion in inflammatory airway epithelial cells has not been reported. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the effects of roflumilast on the inflammatory mediator-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expression in human airway epithelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In human mucin-producing NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells and primary cultures of nasal epithelial cells, the effects of roflumilast on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and phorbl-12-myrsitate-13-acetate (PMA)-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expression were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Roflumilast attenuated LPS-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA and glycoprotein expression in NCI-H292 cells. And roflumilast attenuated PMA-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA and glycoprotein expression in NCI-H292 cells. In addition, roflumilast attenuated LPS and PMA-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA expression in the primary cultures of nasal epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that roflumilast attenuates MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions in airway epithelial cells. Roflumilast may be a potentially ideal therapeutic agent for the control of mucus-hypersecretion in treating chronic inflammatory airway diseases.

Effect of Anthocyanidin on MUC5AC and MUC5B Expression in Airway Epithelial Cells / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Naringenin and delphinidin are types of anthocyanidin, which are flavonoids and thus have anti-inflammatory property. Moderate consumption of natural dietary naringenin and delphinidin is believed to do anti-inflammatory action, but the action mechanism is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of naringenin and delphinidin on interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions in airway epithelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In NCI-H292 cells and cultured nasal polyp epithelial cells, the effects of naringenin and delphinidin on IL-1beta- and LPS-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Delphinidin attenuated IL-1beta- and LPS-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA and glycoprotein expression in a dose-dependent pattern in NCI-H292 cells and in cultured nasal polyp epithelial cells. Naringenin partially attenuated IL-1beta- and LPS-induced MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA and glycoprotein expression at a high dose. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that delphinidin attenuates MUC5AC and MUC5B expressions in the airway epithelial cells. Between anthocyanidin and delphinidin, delphinidin exhibits greater potential as an ideal therapeutic agent for the control of mucus-hypersecretion in the treatment of airway inflammatory diseases.

Effect of Geranium Essential Oil on Food Intake via Olfactory Stimulus / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recently, obesity has become one of the major health problems in our society. To overcome this problem, keeping a balance between food intake and energy expenditure is very important. Many natural substances including essential oils have been suggested for their potential effect on reducing weight. This study was performed to evaluate whether aroma inhalation of essential oil has a role in appetite regulation and works on the central nervous system through the olfactory stimulus. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Food intake was measured after 30 minutes of treatment with essential oil in overnight fasted Sprague-Dawley rats. In the control group, saline was used instead of essential oil. Changes in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA expression levels in the hypothalamus were measured following 30 minutes of treatment with geranium essential oil using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Of the seven essential oils, geranium significantly decreased the amount of food intake compared to the control group. Geranium essential oil significantly increased POMC mRNA expression in the hypothalamus, but did not change the NPY mRNA expression. The increased POMC mRNA expression was reversed by treatment with xylocaine, which blocks the olfactory perception. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that geranium essential oil has anorexic effect through the activation of POMC neurons in the hypothalamus via olfactory stimulus.