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Abstract: Aim: To examine the effects of diabetes, low income and their combination on mortality in the Korean population. Methods: We analysed a total of 505 677 people (53.9% male) aged 40–79 years old from the National Health Insurance Service‐National Health Screening (NHIS‐HEALS) cohort. Ten levels of household income were used as indicators of economic status. Diabetes was defined as elevated fasting blood glucose (≥ 6.9 mmol/l) and/or use of glucose‐lowering drugs or insulin. Covariates of age, sex, BMI, smoking and Charlson Comorbidity Index were determined at baseline. Outcomes were total and cause‐specific mortality over 12 years. Cox's proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality according to the presence of diabetes, household income and their combination. Results: Lower household income was associated with higher mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and non‐cancer non‐cardiovascular causes. Excessive mortality due to low incomes was observed in both people with and without diabetes. In men, the adjusted HR [95% confidence interval (CI)] of mortality was 1.38 (1.34 to 1.42) for low‐income only, 1.48 (1.42 to 1.55) for diabetes only and 1.95 (1.86 to 2.05) for diabetes and low‐income combined, relative to the normal glucose and high income group. Corresponding HR (95% CI) in women were 1.19 (1.14 to 1.24), 1.54 (1.44 to 1.64) and 1.87 (1.75 to 2.01), respectively. Conclusion: Both low household income and the presence of diabetes independently increase the risk of mortality, but their combined effects on mortality may be different between men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To compare the risks of cardiovascular disease ( CVD) and all-cause mortality associated with sulfonylurea ( SU), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor ( DPP4i) and thiazolidinedione ( TZD) as add-on medications to metformin ( MET) therapy in people with Type 2 diabetes. Methods We identified 40 263 individuals who used SU ( n = 11 582), DPP4i ( n = 26 623) or TZD ( n = 2058) in addition to MET between January 2013 and June 2015 from the database of the Korean National Health Insurance, the single-payer healthcare system in South Korea. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios for major CVD event (coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke or transient ischaemic attack) development and all-cause mortality by second-line anti-diabetes medication type. Age, sex, duration of MET monotherapy, calendar year and comorbid conditions were adjusted as potential confounders. Results The observed numbers of CVD events (total observed person-time) were 485 (18 778 person-years) for MET + SU, 744 (40 374 person-years) for MET + DPP4i and 60 (3014 person-years) for MET + TZD users. Compared with MET + SU users, the fully adjusted hazard ratios for CVD events were 0.79 [95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.71-0.89] for MET + DPP4i users and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65-1.11) for MET + TZD users. The corresponding hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.66-1.07) for MET + DPP4i users and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.35-1.28) for MET + TZD users. Conclusion Analysis of Korea National Health Insurance database showed that MET + DPP4i treatment for diabetes had a lower CVD risk than MET + SU treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Ageing has increased considerably in recent years. Older adults and those with disabilities who are unable to move on their own require assistance in moving from bed to other places. The purpose of this study is to develop a system that allows safe and comfortable transfer of patients in facilities, such as, general hospitals and nursing hospitals, with a minimum number of nursing staff. Method The essential function of a patient-transfer robot is to move a patient from one place to another. To accomplish this, we developed a mobile platform (Seo et al., 2014; Kim & Seo, 2017) with two steering wheels that enabled the robot to move omnidirectionally. A hoist module with two motors was developed to lift the patient, as shown in Figure 1. Using the two-motor hoist mechanism, we aimed to change the patient's posture. In addition, to minimize the sway of the patient, the hoist employed a smart wire system that reduced the sway through a mechanism that changed the flexible wire to rigid. To transfer patients with different disorders safely, different types of slings suitable for each condition have been developed. In addition, an active safety system for a transfer robot was developed with a collision avoidance system and roll-over prevention system. The collision avoidance system used ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles in the direction of travel and had an automatic braking function to prevent collisions. The rollover prevention system measured the inclination of the road surface on which the robots transferred the patients. If the inclination was higher than a given threshold, it prevented rollover by issuing a warning. Normal function implementation and usability were confirmed the performance evaluation of the prototype. Results and discussion To demonstrate the performance of the developed robotic system, several tests were conducted at the Orthopedics & Rehabilitation Engineering Center, an accredited testing institution in Korea. The test items were as follows: maximum lift weight of the patient (< 130 kg); lift speed (< 60 mm/s); weight measurement accuracy (95%); sway control performance while driving (±2°); collision and rollover warning (95% success ratio); and noise (< 65 dB). The test confirmed that all functions were operating normally and that the quantitative goal was achieved. This study presented the outcomes of the patient-transfer robot development. A mobile platform, hoisting module, and sling system for wrapping the patient were developed to meet the essential requirements of the patient-transfer robot. Although the current system focuses on the realization of functions as a prototype, future research for usability evaluation and design improvement for commercialization is planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A local blockage in a subassembly of an LMR is of particular importance because the local temperature of the coolant increases at the downstream of a blockage and the integrity of the fuel clad can be threatened when an obstacle or a blockage is formed in a flow path. To analyze a flow blockage in a nuclear reactor core, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute developed a subchannel analysis computer code MATRA-LMR-FB. This code adopts several enhanced modeling features such as a distributed resistance model, state-of-the-art turbulent mixing models, a hybrid difference scheme, and a porous body pressure drop model, therefore, it is applicable to a flow path with a plate-type or a porous-type blockage. The effect of each model has been evaluated through an analysis for the THORS experiment, in which a plate-type blockage was located in a flow channel with wire-wrapped fuel rods. The overall capability of the code has also been evaluated for the KNS experiment with a plate-type blockage in a grid-spaced flow channel, and for the SCARLET-II experiments with a porous blockage in channels formed by wire-wrapped fuel rods. The code shows good predictions for the experiments with a wire-wrapped flow path with a plate-type or a porous type blockage. The analyses for the KNS experiments reveal that the code requires a precise blockage model related to a grid spacer model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]