Analysis of Pharmacogenetic Information in Korea Drug Labels

Background@#Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genetic mutations in patients affect their response to drugs. Pharmacogenomic studies aim to maximize drug effects and minimize adverse drug events. The Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency published guidelines for pharmacogenetics in 2005 and 2006, respectively; the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety followed suit in 2015. @*Methods@#This study analyzed pharmacogenomic information in the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s integrated drug information system to evaluate whether domestic pharmaceutical products reflect the current research on pharmacogenomic differences. @*Results@#In June 2020, the Korean pharmacogenomic database contained genomic data on 90 compounds. Of these, 45 compounds were classified as “Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents.” The other 45 nonantineoplastic agents were in the following categories: Anti-infectives, Mental & behavior disorder, Hormone & metabolism related diseases, Cardiovascular system, Skin & subcutaneous tissue disease, Genito-urinary system and sex hormones, Blood and blood forming organs, Nervous system, Alimentary tract and metabolism, Musculo-skeletal system, and Other conditions including the respiratory system. In addition, 30 additives unrelated to the main ingredient were associated with genetic precautions. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents accounted for half the drugs associated with pharmacogenetic information. For antitumor and immunomodulatory drugs, genomic tests were recommended depending on the indication; this was in contrast to genomic testing recommendations for non-antineoplastic medications. Genomic tests were rarely requested or recommended for non-antineoplastic medications because the relationships between genotype and efficacy among those drugs were relatively weak.

Analysis of Pharmacogenetic Information in Korea Drug Labels

Background@#Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genetic mutations in patients affect their response to drugs. Pharmacogenomic studies aim to maximize drug effects and minimize adverse drug events. The Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency published guidelines for pharmacogenetics in 2005 and 2006, respectively; the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety followed suit in 2015. @*Methods@#This study analyzed pharmacogenomic information in the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s integrated drug information system to evaluate whether domestic pharmaceutical products reflect the current research on pharmacogenomic differences. @*Results@#In June 2020, the Korean pharmacogenomic database contained genomic data on 90 compounds. Of these, 45 compounds were classified as “Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents.” The other 45 nonantineoplastic agents were in the following categories: Anti-infectives, Mental & behavior disorder, Hormone & metabolism related diseases, Cardiovascular system, Skin & subcutaneous tissue disease, Genito-urinary system and sex hormones, Blood and blood forming organs, Nervous system, Alimentary tract and metabolism, Musculo-skeletal system, and Other conditions including the respiratory system. In addition, 30 additives unrelated to the main ingredient were associated with genetic precautions. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents accounted for half the drugs associated with pharmacogenetic information. For antitumor and immunomodulatory drugs, genomic tests were recommended depending on the indication; this was in contrast to genomic testing recommendations for non-antineoplastic medications. Genomic tests were rarely requested or recommended for non-antineoplastic medications because the relationships between genotype and efficacy among those drugs were relatively weak.

Trauma surgery without proper compensation under the current Korean National Health Insurance System

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the situations and problems of the current health insurance fees for trauma surgeries. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and billing data from trauma surgeries performed in the hospital from August 2012 to July 2014. The name and number of surgeries were investigated and the code and number of operations prescribed by surgeons were compared with the number of cases actually billed to insurance. In addition, the results returned by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Services (HIRA) after deduction were investigated and compared to verify the insurance review findings. RESULTS: During the study period, total 1,534 trauma surgical procedures were performed for a total of 253 trauma patients. Based on names, 1,092 procedures were performed; however, 442 cases (28.8%) could not be prescribed because of lack of proper insurance codes for the procedures. A total of 1,046.5 surgical procedures were prescribed by surgeons, adjusted by the insurance team, and finally billed to the HIRA; 162 bills were returned from the HIRA after rate reductions, corresponding to a reduction rate of 15.5%. The major reason for reduction was “fee criteria and limited number”. The compensation rate for billed surgical procedures was 84.5%. CONCLUSION: The high reduction and low compensation rate for trauma surgery under the current Korean National Health Insurance System need to be reviewed and improved. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish new criteria for surgical procedures fees for latest ones such as damage control surgery performed on severe trauma patients.

Effectiveness of Simulation Integrated with Problem Based Learning on Clinical Competency and Self-efficacy in Nursing Students

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effects of simulation education integrated with problem based learning (SIM-PBL) on clinical competency and self-efficacy in post operation nursing care for children. METHODS: This study was a quasi-experimental design. Thirty six students in the third year of a 4-year baccalaureate nursing program were recruited conveniently and assigned to the control or intervention groups using time difference. Students were all in a pediatric nursing clinical practicum. The control group received the regular clinical practicum in a hospital setting. For the intervention group, a SIM-PBL education replaced 150 minutes of their clinical practicum. RESULTS: The intervention group showed greater improvement in two areas of clinical competency compared with the control group; physical assessment (t=3.019, p=.005) and post operation advice (t=2.428, p=.021). However, no statistically significant differences in improvement in any areas of self-efficacy were found between two groups. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the SIM-PBL education is effective in improving some areas of clinical competence, but not self-efficacy in post operation nursing care for children. Further study is needed to develop SIM-PBL programs for various clinical topics and evaluate the effectiveness on the learning outcomes.

Overview of healthcare system in North Korea

In this study, we analyzed the healthcare system of North Korea using Kleczkowski's model which categorizes national healthcare infrastructure into five components: health resources, organization, healthcare delivery system, economic support, and management. It was found that the healthcare system in North Korea, which provides clinical medicine, Koryo medicine and preventive medicine, is constituted of a physician system of independent geographic sectors and centralized delivery system while maintaining free universal health coverage. These systems are all managed by the government and the People's Committee Party. However, North Korea has been confronted with severe economic difficulties since the 1990s, such that we question whether the healthcare system has been able to function properly despite of the lack of resources in general throughout the country.

pH, Temperature, Hydration of the Stratum Corneum of the Dorsal Hand and the Cord Area, and Acid Mantle Formation during Early Days of life in High-risk Newborns

PURPOSE: The study was done to explore variations in physiologic parameters of the stratum corneum (SC) of the dorsal hand and cord area during early days of life in high-risk newborns. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, a total of 77 high-risk newborns were assessed for pH, temperature and hydration of the SC of the dorsal hand and the cord area on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th days of life. RESULTS: Results showed that an acid mantle (AM) was formed in 57.1% for dorsal hand and 35.1% for cord area, implying significant delay regardless of decrease in pH (F=103.60, p<.001), and hydration (F=4.00, p=.003) across days in both areas. Peripheral hypothermia with low hydration level was also observed in both areas. There was a positive relation between hydration and temperature (.14

A Case of Recurrent Stent Thrombosis in a Patient with Essential Thrombocythemia / 대한내과학회지

Coronary artery involvement leading to acute coronary syndrome is a rare complication of essential thrombocythemia. A 43-year-old woman with essential thrombocythemia complained of severe acute chest pain. She had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent (DES), due to unstable angina, 3 and 2 years earlier. Emergency coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the DES with thrombus. Twenty minutes after successful primary PCI with a DES, an acute stent thrombosis developed. She was subsequently treated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery.