Relationship between the Level of Local Extinction and Total Medical Service Uses / 보건행정학회지

Background@#The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the local extinction index and total medical service utilization. @*Methods@#A fixed effects model in panel analysis was performed for the 228 administrative districts in Korea. The statistical yearbook on the usage of medical services by region and Korean Statistical Information Service data were used from 2010 to 2019 for analysis.Medical service utilization was represented by the number of visits day, the number of inpatient days, and medical charges. Control variables were selected by using an Anderson model. The local extinction index was calculated using resident registration population data. @*Results@#Descriptive statistics showed that the number of areas at risk of extinction increased from 61 to 95 for the study years. In addition, the number of visits, the number of inpatient days, and medical charges all increased during the study years. After controlling for variables affecting medical service utilization and doing a panel fixed effects model, the result suggested that a one-step increase in the local extinction index was significantly associated with a 12.29% decrease in medical charges of inpatients, a 7.33% decrease in medical charge of outpatient, a 5.21% decrease in the number of inpatient day, and a 5.54% decrease in the number of visits day. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that the higher the region’s extinction risks, the higher the region’s total medical service utilization.The results of this study suggested that there was a disparity in medical service utilization between areas at risk of extinction and areas not at risk of extinction, so measures should be taken to address this disparity.

NgR1 Expressed in P19 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells Differentiated by Retinoic Acid Can Activate STAT3

NgR1, a Nogo receptor, is involved in inhibition of neurite outgrowth and axonal regeneration and regulation of synaptic plasticity. P19 embryonal carcinoma cells were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells using all trans-retinoic acid and the presence and/or function of cellular molecules, such as NgR1, NMDA receptors and STAT3, were examined. Neuronally differentiated P19 cells expressed the mRNA and protein of NgR1, which could stimulate the phosphorylation of STAT3 when activated by Nogo-P4 peptide, an active segment of Nogo-66. During the whole period of differentiation, mRNAs of all of the NMDA receptor subtypes tested (NR1, NR2A-2D) were consistently expressed, which meant that neuronally differentiated P19 cells maintained some characteristics of neurons, especially central nervous system neurons. Our results suggests that neuronally differentiated P19 cells expressing NgR1 may be an efficient and convenient in vitro model for studying the molecular mechanism of cellular events that involve NgR1 and its binding partners, and for screening compounds that activate or inhibit NgR1.