ABSORBED DOSE AND IMAGE QUALITY ACCORDING TO THE SCAN MODE AND SHIELD POSITION IN PEDIATRIC BRAIN COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCANS.

In this study, computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), organ dose and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in pediatric brain helical and volumetric CT scans using a pediatric phantom (equivalent to a 10-year-old) and optically stimulated luminescence dosemeters (OSLD) as the scan protocol used in Hospital A. Volumetric scans showed lower CTDIvol, DLP and organ dose than helical scans, and the SNR showed similar results. The organ doses were lower in the phantoms protected with front, rear or front and rear shielding than in those without shielding.

Validity of EQ-5D utility index and minimal clinically important difference estimation among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The discriminatory ability of multi-attribute utility (MAU) measures compared to condition-specific measures (CSM) in assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an unsettled issue. This study investigated the quality of life of patients with COPD with three different HRQoL instruments and examined whether they could differentiate between adjacent severity groups in a statistically and clinically meaningful manner. In the process, the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) of the EQ-5D utility index were estimated.

Mapping analysis to estimate EQ-5D utility values using the COPD assessment test in Korea.

Background: There is no research on mapping algorithms between EQ-5D and COPD assessment test (CAT) in Korea. The purpose of this study was to develop mapping algorithms that predict EQ-5D-3 L utility from the CAT in patients with COPD.

Methods: Survey data of 300 COPD patients were collected from three tertiary teaching hospitals in Korea.

Economic Evaluation of Companion Diagnostic Testing for EGFR Mutations and First-Line Targeted Therapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients in South Korea.

Background: As targeted therapy becomes increasingly important, diagnostic techniques for identifying targeted biomarkers have also become an emerging issue. The study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of treating patients as guided by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status compared with a no-testing strategy that is the current clinical practice in South Korea.

Methods: A cost-utility analysis was conducted to compare an EGFR mutation testing strategy with a no-testing strategy from the Korean healthcare payer's perspective.

Glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor family related protein (GITR) mediates inflammatory activation of macrophages that can destabilize atherosclerotic plaques.

Glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor family related protein (GITR) is the 18th member of the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF18) and is known to interact with its cognate ligand GITRL (TNFSF18). We investigated the potential role of GITR in the pro-inflammatory activation of macrophages. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization analyses of human atherosclerotic plaques demonstrated that GITR and its ligand are expressed mainly in lipid-rich macrophages.