The Impact of Withdrawing or Withholding of Life-Sustaining Treatment: A Nationwide Case-Control Study Based on Medical Cost Analysis.

This study measured the impact of the Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment Act by analyzing medical cost data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. After identifying the patients who died in 2018 and 2019, the case and control groups were set using the presence of codes for managing the implementation of life-sustaining treatment with propensity score matching. Regarding medical costs, the case group had higher medical costs for all periods before death.

Medical students' clinical performance of dealing with patients in the context of domestic violence.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to inquire about the clinical performance and determine the performance pattern of medical students in standardized patient (SP) based examinations of domestic violence (DV).

Methods: The clinical performance sores in DV station with SP of third-year (n=111, in 2014) and 4th-year (n=143, in 2016) medical students of five universities in the Busan-Gyeongnam Clinical Skills Examination Consortium were subjected in this study. The scenarios and checklists of DV cases were developed by the case development committee of the consortium.

Authenticity, acceptability, and feasibility of a hybrid gynecology station for the Papanicolaou test as part of a clinical skills examination in Korea.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the authenticity, acceptability, and feasibility of a hybrid station that combined a standardized patient encounter and a simulated Papanicolaou test.

Methods: We introduced a hybrid station in the routine clinical skills examination (CSE) for 335 third-year medical students at 4 universities in Korea from December 1 to December 3, 2014. After the tests, we conducted an anonymous survey on the authenticity, acceptability, and feasibility of the hybrid station.

A pilot study on the evaluation of medical student documentation: assessment of SOAP notes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was evaluation of the current status of medical students' documentation of patient medical records.

Methods: We checked the completeness, appropriateness, and accuracy of 95 Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan (SOAP) notes documented by third-year medical students who participated in clinical skill tests on December 1, 2014. Students were required to complete the SOAP note within 15 minutes of an standard patient (SP)-encounter with a SP complaining rhinorrhea and warring about meningitis.

Assessing clinical reasoning abilities of medical students using clinical performance examination.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of new clinical performance examination (CPX) for assessing clinical reasoning skills and evaluating clinical reasoning ability of the students.

Methods: Third-year medical school students (n=313) in Busan-Gyeongnam consortium in 2014 were included in the study. One of 12 stations was developed to assess clinical reasoning abilities.

Effects of low-dose niacin on dyslipidemia and serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Niacin supplementation improves dyslipidemia and lowers serum phosphorus levels in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We evaluated whether low-dose niacin supplementation can improve dyslipidemia, lower serum phosphorus levels, and be administered with a low frequency of adverse effects in patients with CKD.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of patients with CKD who had taken niacin from January 2009 to June 2011.

Factors influencing survival according to elapsed time in peritoneal dialysis patients.

The survival of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) has improved over the past decade, but their mortality rate remains high. The aim of the current study was to identify correctable and uncorrectable factors influencing survival according to the elapsed time in patients undergoing PD. We retrospectively analyzed data from medical records of 118 patients who had undergone PD for >6 months.

A phase II study of irinotecan with biweekly, low dose leucovorin and bolus and continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil (modified FOLFIRI) as first line therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer.

Background: To determine the activity and toxicities of a low-dose leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) regimen, combined with irinotecan and administered every 2 weeks (modified FOLFIRI), as a first-line therapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Method: Patients were treated with cycles of 150 mg/m irinotecan on day 1 plus 50 mg of LV, followed by a 400 mg/m 5-FU bolus and a 22-hour continuous infusion of 600 mg/m 5-FU on days 1 and 2.

Results: The median patient age was 55 years (range, 29-75 years), and 77% (34/44) of the patients had a performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) of 0 or 1.

Clinical significances of preoperative serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein level in operable gastric cancer.

Background: The interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway is one of the mechanisms that link inflammation and angiogenesis to malignancy. Because the C-reactive protein (CRP) is a representative marker for inflammation, CRP has recently been associated with the progression of disease in many cancer types. The principal objective of this study was to determine the preoperative serum levels of IL-6 and CRP in gastric carcinoma, and to correlate them with disease status and prognosis.