A Study of Total Medical Cost and Hospitalization Risk of Patients with Schizophrenia and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus / 대한정신분열병학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in patients with schizophrenia and their total medical costs and risk of hospitalization. METHODS: This study used Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data in Korea. To examine total medical costs and risk of hospitalization, we selected 1,510 subjects with schizophrenia (half with and half without type 1 diabetes) that were 1:1 matched via propensity score matching. In health care system perspective, total medical costs included out-of-pocket and insurer's costs. Logistic regression models were used to examine the risk of hospitalization. RESULTS: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in patients with schizophrenia was 3.87 per 1,000 person year. Among patients with schizophrenia, the amount of total average medical costs and hospitalization costs in patients with type 1 diabetes was 1.49 and 1.59 times higher than those in patients without it, respectively. The odds of hospitalization were higher among patients with type 1 diabetes compared with those without it (odds ratio, OR=1.97 ; 95% CI 1.60–2.43). CONCLUSION: This study showed that medical costs and risk of hospitalization were higher in schizophrenia patients with type 1 diabetes. Therefore, these individuals may require specific care programs.

Chronic Physical Comorbidities and Total Medical Costs in Patients with Schizophrenia / 정신신체의학

OBJECTIVES: This study tried to explore the prevalence of chronic physical diseases in patients with schizophrenia and its effects on total medical costs. METHODS: The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data in 2014–2015 was employed. Only the injuries and diseases, identically diagnosed 3 times or more as a major or minor injury and disease, were classified into chronic physical diseases to improve data accuracy. Total medical costs included out-of-pocket and insurer's costs from health care system perspective. RESULTS: It was shown that 24.5%, 17.3% and 23.4% of schizophrenia patients had one, two and three or more chronic physical diseases, respectively. There was a high prevalence of not only metabolic, but also musculoskeletal, diseases in those patients. The amount of 2015 total medical costs of patients with schizophrenia in 2014 was about 1.08 trillion won. The factors affecting the costs included sex, age, number of chronic physical diseases, and health insurance status. CONCLUSIONS: It is considered that clinical practice guidelines based on personal diseases may not sufficiently solve the problems for comorbidities in schizophrenia patients. Accordingly, it should be required to develop models for new types of medical systems capable of treating and caring varied illnesses at the same time.

Prevalence of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae in cats and dogs in Korea

Blood, saliva, and nail samples were collected from 54 dogs and 151 cats and analyzed for the presence of Bartonella henselae with a novel nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Bartonella (B.) henselae was detected in feral cat blood (41.8%), saliva (44.1%), and nail (42.7%) samples. B. henselae was also detected in pet cat blood (33.3%), saliva (43.5%), and nail (29.5%) samples and in pet dog blood (16.6%), saliva (18.5%), and nail (29.6%) samples. Nine samples were infected with B. clarridgeiae and 2 were co-infected with B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae of blood samples of dogs. This report is the first to investigate the prevalence of B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae in dogs and cats in Korea, and suggests that dogs and cats may serve as potential Bartonella reservoirs.

The effect of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in combination with deproteinized bovine bone material (DBBM) on the early wound healing of rabbit calvarial defects / 대한치주과학회지

No abstract available.

Open Clinical Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Quetiapine in Patients of Schizophrenia / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy, tolerability and safety of quetiapine in schizophrenia patients diagnosed by the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 4th edition was studied in psychiatric department of 4 hospital in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-four patients (male 31, female 33;age 34.2+/-10.4 years; illness duration 8.1+/-8.3 years) who showed acute exacerbation, partial response, or intolerable adverse event to previous antipsychotic drugs were recruited. Doses of quetiapine were adjusted to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse events. Efficacy was assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. Tolerability and safety were assessed by reports of adverse events, clinically significant abnormal laboratory values and changes from the baseline to week 8 in the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) and Simpson-Angus total score as index of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS). RESULTS: Fiftythree patients completed the 8 weeks trial. The clinical symptoms indexed by BPRS were significantly improved (baseline score=37.9+/-13.0, score at the end=24.3+/-13.6;F=41.5, d.f.=2.4, p=0.000). The CGI score of severity of illness was also significantly reduced (baseline score=4.7+/-1.1, score at the end= 3.6+/-1.2;F=27.6, d.f.=2.2, p=0.000). The frequencies of the worsening of AIMS and Simpson-Angus scores at the end of study were 7.5% and 4.2%, respectively. The most common adverse events of at least moderate intensity were EPS (9.3%), constipation (6.3%), and sedation (4.7%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that quetiapine is effective, may have a favorable EPS, and has overall safe tolerability in the patients with schizophrenia, and schizophreniform disorder.

Open Clinical Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Quetiapine in Patients of Schizophrenia / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy, tolerability and safety of quetiapine in schizophrenia patients diagnosed by the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 4th edition was studied in psychiatric department of 4 hospital in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-four patients (male 31, female 33;age 34.2+/-10.4 years; illness duration 8.1+/-8.3 years) who showed acute exacerbation, partial response, or intolerable adverse event to previous antipsychotic drugs were recruited. Doses of quetiapine were adjusted to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse events. Efficacy was assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. Tolerability and safety were assessed by reports of adverse events, clinically significant abnormal laboratory values and changes from the baseline to week 8 in the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) and Simpson-Angus total score as index of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS). RESULTS: Fiftythree patients completed the 8 weeks trial. The clinical symptoms indexed by BPRS were significantly improved (baseline score=37.9+/-13.0, score at the end=24.3+/-13.6;F=41.5, d.f.=2.4, p=0.000). The CGI score of severity of illness was also significantly reduced (baseline score=4.7+/-1.1, score at the end= 3.6+/-1.2;F=27.6, d.f.=2.2, p=0.000). The frequencies of the worsening of AIMS and Simpson-Angus scores at the end of study were 7.5% and 4.2%, respectively. The most common adverse events of at least moderate intensity were EPS (9.3%), constipation (6.3%), and sedation (4.7%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that quetiapine is effective, may have a favorable EPS, and has overall safe tolerability in the patients with schizophrenia, and schizophreniform disorder.