Current Status of the Adoption, Utilization and Helpfulness of Health Information Systems in Korea.

As interest in medical informatization has been increasing steadily worldwide, the adoption of health information systems (HISs) in medical institutions is essential. In this study, we intended to identify users' adoption, utilization and helpfulness derived from HISs to determine the status of medical informatization by using 2016 Korean Physician Survey data. A total of 8564 members responded to the 2016 survey, we extracted the data of 6949 HISs related part for this study. As a result, about 68% of the self-employed physicians adopted the Order Communication System and Electronic Medical Records, while only one-third adopted the Picture Archiving and Communication System. Overall, the proportions of utilization and helpfulness of HISs were higher for females; for employed physicians or professors; for physicians working in hospitals; and for those specializing in surgical medicine. As applying information technology to the medical environment becomes more important, HIS will become a necessary requirement and the demand for information systems considering user and patient oriented information environments will be increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the HISs use environment considering not only technical aspects but also users' or patients' viewpoints. In that respect, this study will give a meaningful evidence of HIS related policies.

Socioeconomic status and self-reported periodontal symptoms in community-dwelling individuals: data from the Korea Community Health Surveys of 2011 and 2013.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the association between socioeconomic status and self-reported periodontal symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data were used from the 2011 and 2013 Community Health Surveys. The 210,432 (weighted n = 36,294,413) and 220,396 (weighted n = 39,067,134) subjects, respectively, were aged 19 years or older. Proportional and systematic sampling was performed. Surveys were conducted by trained interviewers using computer-assisted personal interviewing. The proportions of subjects with tooth mobility, gingival swelling, calculus and gingival bleeding were calculated. Independent variables included sex, age and socioeconomic status measures (education, occupation and income). Differences in the self-reported periodontal symptoms rates according to socioeconomic status were determined using independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association of periodontal symptoms with socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of the subjects reported at least one symptom of periodontal disease; 11.3% and 9.6% reported gingival bleeding and gingival swelling, respectively, while 5.6% and 3.5% reported dental calculus and tooth mobility, respectively. There were significant associations with self-reported periodontal symptoms according to occupation, education and income (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of self-reported periodontal symptoms differed according to socioeconomic status. Subjects with lower socioeconomic status reported more advanced periodontal disease symptoms, such as gingival swelling, while those with higher socioeconomic status reported more incipient periodontal symptoms, such as gingival bleeding. Socioeconomic status remains a factor affecting self-reported periodontal symptoms in community-dwelling individuals in Korea.

A nanoporous membrane-based impedimetric immunosensor for label-free detection of pathogenic bacteria in whole milk.

We introduce a nanoporous membrane based impedimetric immunosensor for the label-free detection of bacterial pathogens in whole milk. A simple and rapid method to modify a commercially available alumina nanoporous membrane with hyaluronic acid (HA) effectively reduced the non-specific binding of biomolecules and other cells, and permitted successful immobilization of antibodies. Escherichia coli O157:H7, one of the most harmful food-borne pathogenic bacteria, was tested as a model pathogen in this study. The ionic impedance of electrolytes through nanopores, due to antibody-pathogen interactions, was monitored by impedance spectra and analyzed by normalized impedance change (NIC). The regression equation for the NIC at 1 kHz versus concentration of E. coli O157:H7 (10-10(5)cfu/ml) was obtained, and the detection limit found to be as low as 10 cfu/ml. In addition, the proposed immunosensor was successfully used for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in whole milk samples with the detection limit as low as 83.7 cfu/ml with 95% probability. The specificity of the immunosensor was also demonstrated using non-target bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and non pathogenic E. coli DH5α. This study shows that a HA-functionalized nanoporous membrane-based impedimetric sensor is capable of detecting pathogenic bacteria in whole milk without any pretreatment. This is a significant step for evaluating the safety of food and environmental samples and other medical diagnostics.

Reduction in cholesterol absorption in Caco-2 cells through the down-regulation of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 by the putative probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264 and Lactobacillus plantarum NR74 from fermented foods.

Hypercholesterolaemia is a major risk factor related to atherosclerosis, and it may be influenced by our diet. This study addresses the impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264 (isolated from Maasai fermented milk) and Lactobacillus plantarum NR74 (from Korean kimchi) on the control of cholesterol absorption through down-regulation of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) expression. Caco-2 enterocytes were treated with the live, heat-killed (HK) bacteria, bacterial cell wall extracts and metabolites; mRNA level and protein expression were measured. Caco-2 cells showed lower NPC1L1 expression in the presence of the live test strains than the control, elucidating down-regulation of cholesterol uptake, and were compared well with the positive control, L. rhamnosus GG. This effect was also observed with HK bacteria and cell wall fractions but not with their metabolites. The potential of some Lactobacillus strains associated with traditional fermented foods to suppress cholesterol uptake and promote its efflux in enterocytes has been suggested from these data.

Functional integration of DNA purification and concentration into a real time micro-PCR chip.

Microfluidic devices for on-chip amplification of DNA from various biological and environmental samples have gained extensive attention over the past decades with many applications including molecular diagnostics of disease, food safety and biological warfare testing. But the integration of sample preparation functions into the chip remains a major hurdle for practical application of the chip-based diagnostic system. We present a PCR-based molecular diagnostic device comprised of a microfabricated chip and a centrifugal force assisted liquid handling tube (CLHT) that is designed to carry out concentration and purification of DNA and subsequent amplification of the target gene in a single chip. The reaction chamber of the chip contains an array of pillar structures to increase the surface area for capturing DNA from a raw sample of macro volume in the presence of kosmotropic agents. The CLHT was designed to provide an effective interface between sample preparation and the microfluidic PCR chip. We have characterized the effect of various fluidic parameters including DNA capture, amplification efficiency and centrifugal pressure generated upon varying sample volume. We also evaluated the performance of this system for quantitative detection of E. coli O157:H7. From the samples containing 10(1) to 10(4) cells per mL, the C(T) value linearly increased from 25.1 to 34.8 with an R(2) value greater than 0.98. With the effectiveness and simplicity of operation, this system will provide an effective interface between macro and micro systems and bridge chip-based molecular diagnosis with practical applications.

Enzymatic synthesis of a drug delivery system based on polyhydroxyalkanoate-protein block copolymers.

A new approach to prepare functional polymeric micelles in a one step reaction using the unique catalytic property of PHA synthase is described. A biopolymer-based nanocarrier with cancer targeting capability was successfully synthesized from genetically engineered PHA synthase fused with RGD peptide.