Evaluation of the resection efficiency and safety of an enhanced power plasma generator using cadaveric intervertebral discs.

Plasma energy has been used to provide minimally invasive interventional treatment for spinal problems. However, this procedure has been used for limited indications mainly because of its small resection range. To overcome this problem, we designed the enhanced power plasma device.

Waning Effectiveness of One-dose Universal Varicella Vaccination in Korea, 2011-2018: a Propensity Score Matched National Population Cohort.

Background: Despite high coverage (~98%) of universal varicella vaccination (UVV) in the Republic of Korea since 2005, reduction in the incidence rate of varicella is not obvious. The study aimed to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of one-dose UVV by timeline and severity of the disease.

Methods: All children born in Korea in 2011 were included for this retrospective cohort study that analyzed insurance claims data from 2011-2018 and the varicella vaccination records in the immunization registry.

Trends in Viral Respiratory Infections During COVID-19 Pandemic, South Korea.

We compared weekly positivity rates of 8 respiratory viruses in South Korea during 2010-2019 and 2020. The overall mean positivity rate for these viruses decreased from 54.7% in 2010-2019 to 39.

Changes in the working conditions and learning environment of medical residents after the enactment of the Medical Resident Act in Korea in 2015: a national 4-year longitudinal study.

Purpose: In 2015, the South Korean government legislated the Act for the Improvement of Training Conditions and Status of Medical Residents (Medical Resident Act). This study investigated changes in the working and learning environment pre- and post-implementation of the Medical Resident Act in 2017, as well as changes in training conditions by year post-implementation..

Paradoxical health care utilization patterns among children in Korea who did not receive mandatory pneumococcal vaccination.

Background: Unvaccinated children in the National Immunization Program (NIP) are a public health concern. We used Korean national population data to analyze health care utilization patterns of NIP-eligible children and identify the unvaccinated group.

Methods: Pneumococcal vaccination (PCV) records were reviewed to determine the vaccination status of children born between 2013 and 2015.

Maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality statistics and trends in Korea between 2009 and 2017.

Objective: To provide updates on maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality using the national population data of South Korea between 2009 and 2017 and describe the mortality rate by target groups, timing, or causes of events to provide a basis for detecting vulnerable populations and ensuring timely medical and political interventions.

Methods: Pregnancy-related mortality in women, as well as deaths of infants, in South Korea was identified using population data from Statistics Korea. Records from death certificates, cremation reports on infant and fetal deaths, and the complementary cause-of-death investigation system were reviewed for the 2009-2017 period.

Perspective of the comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacologic managements on postpartum hemorrhage using a network meta-analysis.

Objective: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and is both unpredictable and inevitable. While uterotonic drugs are routinely recommended, there is ongoing debate on the ideal intervention to control uterine bleeding. This review aims to compare the use of non-pharmacologic treatments with peripartum hysterectomy in cases of life-threatening uncontrolled obstetric hemorrhage.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for children in Korea with high vaccine coverage using a propensity score matched national population cohort.

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of protein conjugated pneumococcal vaccines (PCV) in children with regard to all-cause pneumonia (ACP), pneumococcal pneumonia (PP), invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), and acute otitis media (AOM), in a country where the unvaccinated group is very small.

Methods: Children born between 2013 and 2015 were identified in the national population registry for retrospective observation. Vaccination history from the National Immunization Program registry and medical records from the National Health Insurance System were linked together to set up a cohort.

Estimating Influenza-associated Mortality in Korea: The 2009-2016 Seasons.

Objectives: Estimating influenza-associated mortality is important since seasonal influenza affects persons of all ages, causing severe illness or death. This study aimed to estimate influenza-associated mortality, considering both periodic changes and age-specific mortality by influenza subtypes.

Methods: Using the Microdata Integrated Service from Statistics Korea, we collected weekly mortality data including cause of death.

The flipped classroom model for an undergraduate epidemiology course.

Purpose: The flipped classroom has been suggested as a method for efficient teaching in medical education. However, its feasibility and effectiveness in the educational environment are often overlooked. The authors redesigned an epidemiology course applying the flipped classroom method under a traditional curriculum consisting of heavily scheduled classroom hours and explored its feasibility and effectiveness.

'Pneumonia Weather': Short-term Effects of Meteorological Factors on Emergency Room Visits Due to Pneumonia in Seoul, Korea.

Objectives: Many studies have explored the relationship between short-term weather and its health effects (including pneumonia) based on mortality, although both morbidity and mortality pose a substantial burden. In this study, the authors aimed to describe the influence of meteorological factors on the number of emergency room (ER) visits due to pneumonia in Seoul, Korea.

Methods: Daily records of ER visits for pneumonia over a 6-year period (2009-2014) were collected from the National Emergency Department Information System.

Effect of NaF Removal on the Upconversion Phosphor NaYF₄:Yb, Tm.

To improve the light conversion efficiency of the upconversion phosphor NaYF₄:Yb, Tm for use in solar cells, its phosphor surface was treated by removing the NaF phase from the surface of the NaYF₄ host crystals. The surface of the phosphor was treated by a simple procedure consisting of washing, filtering, and drying. It is confirmed that the NaF compound is efficiently eliminated from the surface of NaYF₄-based phosphors by this surface treatment.

Feasibility of Navigable Percutaneous Disk Decompressor (L'DISQ-C) for Cervical Disk Herniation.

Objective:  To assess the procedural efficacy and safety of a Navigable Percutaneous Disk Decompressor (L'DISQ-C) for cervical disk herniation.

Methods:  We performed intradiskal decompression on cervical spine specimens from five human cadavers using the L'DISQ-C under C-arm fluoroscopic guidance. We evaluated our success for positioning the navigable wand tip into the target region and recorded temperature variation at various distances from the wand tip in the cervical nucleus pulposus.