A Case Study of Health Tourism in the Jeju Province, South Korea

The United States Census Bureau (2006) reported that in 2005 more than 46 million Americans lacked health insurance, and that by 2019 national spending for health care would exceed $4.5 trillion (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2010). Because those numbers are expected to increase, health tourists are seeking better opportunities for low-cost, high-quality treatment in other countries, plus the added benefit of experiencing foreign cultures. Health tourism is a rapidly growing market in both advanced and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to develop an applicable model of health tourism, the Jeju-Style Health Tourism Model, for Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and to provide other cities and countries with its implications. This study employed a focus group, indepth interviews, and content analysis to discover important factors in developing the model. The results suggested that four major sources must be executed together to maximize the benefits of health tourism development. On a foundation of natural resources, knowledge-based resources were most important (54.5%), followed by artificial resources (25.7%), and expenses-based resources (19.8%)

A Framework for Health Tourism: A case study of Jeju Province in the Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Health tourism is a rapidly growing phenomenon in today’s world. Health tourists are seeking better opportunities for low cost and high quality treatment in other countries as well as experiencing other cultures. The purpose of the present study was to develop a applicable model of health tourism to Jeju province in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). This study aimed to assist Jeju province’s management to develop Jeju Style Health Tourism Model. The results suggested that four major sources must work together to maximize the benefits through health tourism development, and natural resources should be a basic element to develop health tourism using the three (physical, human, and organizational) required resources

การนำส่งยาต้านวัณโรคผงแห้งชนิดสูดสู่ถุงลมปอดและการศึกษาก่อนการศึกษาทางคลินิก

Thesis (Ph.D., Pharmaceutical Sciences)--Prince of Songkla University, 200

Primary ovarian pregnancy after interval tubal ligation: a case report.

We report a case of a woman presenting in a state of shock with classic symptoms of ruptured ectopic pregnancy. She had a history of tubal ligation done three years back. Exploratory laparotomy was done, and a diagnosis of ruptured ectopic ovarian pregnancy was made

The radical scavenging activity of vanillin and its impact on the healing properties of wounds

Vanillin, an extract from the Vanilla planifolia plant, is reported to possess potent antioxidant properties. The ability of vanillin to protect skin cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage and its potential use in the treatment of wounds were studied. Cytocompatibility and cytoprotective properties against ROS-induced damage were examined using keratinocyte and fibroblast cell models. Vanillin's effect on cell migration was studied using the scratch wound healing assay. Vanillin exhibited cytocompatibility and cytoprotective properties against cell damage induced by ROS. Human keratinocytes and fibroblast cells showed >80% survival when exposed to vanillin (10–500 μM). Both cells showed no evidence of necrosis or apoptosis, which was confirmed by acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. Both examined cells were exposed to 750 μM hydrogen peroxide to cause oxidative stress, and vanillin demonstrated the ability to inhibit ROS-induced cell death. In addition, a considerable increase in cell migration suggested that vanillin had the ability to heal wounds in vitro. Vanillin is safe and potentially useful in wound healing treatments

Formulation Development of Albendazole-Loaded Self-Microemulsifying Chewable Tablets to Enhance Dissolution and Bioavailability

Albendazole is an anthelmintic agent with poor solubility and absorption. We developed a chewable tablet (200 mg drug equivalent), containing a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS), with oral disintegrating properties. The emulsion was developed using sesame and soybean oils along with surfactant/co-surfactants, and the tablets were prepared by wet granulation using superdisintegrants and adsorbents. Infra-red (IR) spectral studies revealed no interaction between the drug and excipients, and all physical and chemical parameters were within acceptable limits. Stability studies for the formulation indicated no significant change over time. An in vitro release study indicated 100% drug release within 30 min, and in vivo plasma concentrations indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) of albendazole in rats administered SMEDDS chewable tablets was significantly higher than in those administered commercial tablets or powder (p-value < 0.05). The systemic bioavailability of albendazole achieved through the SMEDDS tablets was 1.3 times higher than that achieved by the administration of comparable quantities of albendazole commercial tablets. This was due to the higher dissolution of albendazole SMEDDS in the chewable tablets. We conclude that the SMEDDS chewable formulation can be used to improve the dissolution and systemic availability of poorly water-soluble drugs

Isoniazid Proliposome Powders for Inhalation—Preparation, Characterization and Cell Culture Studies

Abstract: The aims of this study were to develop proliposome powders containing isoniazid (INH) in a dry powder aerosol form. INH-proliposome powders were prepared by a spray drying method. Proliposome physicochemical properties were determined using cascade impactor, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The toxicity of proliposomes to respiratory-associated cell lines and its potential to provoke immunological responses from alveolar macrophages (AM) were determined. Free INH and INH-proliposome bioactivities were tested in vitro and in AM infected with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). Aerosolization properties of INH-proliposome powders at 60 L/min, the powders showed mass median aerodynamic diameters of 2.99–4.92 �m, with fine particle fractions (aerosolized particles less than 4.4 µm) of 15–35%. Encapsulation of INH was 18–30%. Proliposome formulations containing INH to mannitol ratios of 4:6 and 6:4 exhibited the greatest overlapping peak between the drug and mannitol. INH-proliposomes were evidently nontoxic to respiratory-associated cells, and did not activate AM to produce inflammatory mediators—including interleukin-1 � (IL-1�), tumor necrosis factor-� (TNF-�), and nitric oxide—at a toxic level. The efficacy of INH-proliposome against A

Proyecto para recuperación y fidelización de clientes bajo metodología crm en el gourmet deli del hotEl Oro verde de la ciudad de Guayaquil

Debido a que nuestra propuesta de marketing esta enfocada bajo la metodología CRM tanto para la “recuperación” como la “fildelización” de clientes, el presente proyecto busca consolidar la imagen del Gourmet Deli como un “Delicatessen” de primer nivel enfocado a sus clientes, a sus preferencias y a su comportamiento de consumo. El CRM es la herramienta óptima que permitirá al Gourmet Deli crear una conexión oportuna con sus clientes más rentables mediante promociones eficaces que generen mayores ingresos. A su vez, lograremos disminuir los costos promocionales, gracias a la efectividad de nuestra base de datos en el manejo de preferencias de nuestros clientes. Se persigue con esto que el Gourmet Deli mantenga su eficiencia en servicios, reduzca costos, incremente sus ventas y utilidades, y de esta forma proyectarnos como una empresa competitiva, sin temor de enfrentar las exigencias del mercado interno

Oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of sildenafil citrate dry foam tablets in rats

Sildenafil has low water solubility and oral bioavailability. Dry foam formulations of solid dosage forms of poorly water-soluble drugs may exhibit improved dissolution and bioavailability. We previously developed a sildenafil citrate dry foam tablet formulation and found that it had an improved dissolution profile. In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetic parameters of sildenafil dry foam tablets in rats after oral administration (at a dose equivalent to 20 mg/kg of sildenafil) and compared them with those of commercial sildenafil tablet and dry powder formulations. LC/MS/MS analysis of plasma sildenafil concentration revealed that the AUCs of sildenafil and N-desmethyl sildenafil in the sildenafil citrate dry foam tablet group were significantly higher (150% and 110%, respectively; P < 0.05) than those in the commercial tablet group and (190% and 120%, respectively; P < 0.05) in the sildenafil citrate powder group. The systemic bioavailability (F value) of sildenafil citrate dry foam tablet was 1.5 and 1.9 times higher than that of commercial sildenafil film-coated tablet and sildenafil powder, respectively. This indicates that the systemic bioavailability of sildenafil was increased when it was prepared as a dry foam tablet formulation