• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.204-211
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• 2007

Objectives : Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clincal effect of herbal medicine(Gamitonggue-tang) in patients with allergic rhinitis by using acoustic rhinometry. Methods : A total of 22 individuals with allergic rhinitis who visited the Dept. of Oriental Medical Opthalmology & Otolaryngology & Dermatology of Daegu Hanny Oriental Medical Center from June 1st, 2006 to February 28th, 2007 were included in this study. In this study, they were only treated with Gamitonggue-tang. For 4 weaks the flow resistance of nasal cavity and total nasal volume, nasal minimum cross-sectional area were measured by acoustic rhinometry at the 1st, the 14th and the 28th day. And symptom score of nasal obstruction were recorded. Results : There were no significant differences on sex, age and onset. After treatment(2, 4 weeks) the calculated flow resistance of nasal cavity, total nasal volume and nasal minimum cross-sectional showed no significant changes(p>0.05). But symptom score of nasal obstruction showed significant changes(p<0.05). Conclusions : Considering the above results, treatment with herbal medine(Gamitonggue-tang) could be efficacious in allergic rhinitis. Further studies in other methods are needed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.220-229
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• 2003

Background and Objectives : The diagnosis of allergic diseases in current oriental medicine is in the state of depending mainly on two factors: some distinctive symptoms and scientific 'opinions', MAST CLA test is also believed to be helpful in Oriental Medicine on making definite diagnosis of allergic diseases and identifying causative antigen. This study will address the clinical importance of MAST CLA test, the residential type of allergic patients and its distribution status, etc. Methods : From March of 2000 through September of 2003, tests were made in Oriental Medicine Hospital of Semyung University on sex, age, types of residence, allergic diseases and MAST CLA system for the patients who showed allergic symptoms and had been diagnosed so in other hospitals. Results : 1. Sex: Among 91 subjects, 38 of them were men, 53 of them were women. 2. Age group : 15.3% of them were in their 40s; 31.8% in 30s; 15.3% in 20s; 17.5% in 10s. 3. Residental type : A.P.T(51 of them, 56%), plain type of house(33 of them, 36.2%) and villa(7 of them, 7.6%). 4. Discases : Among the diseases, allergic dermatitis was most common(69 of them. 75.8%); allergic rhinitis(17 of them, 18.6%); and chronic and acute urticaria(4 of them, 4.3%) in order. 5. Among 91 subjects, 39 of them showed positive reaction to more than one type of antigens in MAST CLA test: 23 of them were men(60.5%); 16 of them. women(30.1%). 6. Among 91 subjects. 53 of them(58.2%) showed positive reaction to antibodies in MAST CLA test: 22 of them were men; 31 of them, women. 7. Antigen distribution order among 39 subjects who showed positive reaction in MAST CLA test: Mite-farinae, Mite-pterony, Housedust in men and women subjects alike.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.13-26
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• 2022

Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in allergic reactions by type of Sasang constitution using multiple allergen simultaneous test(MAST). Methods This study was conducted using the big data of Korean medical health checkups. Subjects with a history of allergic disease, Sasang constitution type information, and MAST results were included. Subjects who had taken drugs before MAST that affected allergic reactions were excluded. We compared total immunoglobulin E(IgE) concentrations, and the number of positive antigens by Sasang constitution using analysis of variance. The presence or absence of a positive reaction and specific IgE concentration classes of 92 antigens in MAST were analyzed by Fisher's exact test or Chi-squared test. Results The distribution of Sasang constitutional types of Tae-Yang, Tae-Eum, So-Yang, and So-Eum among 147 subjects was 2.7%, 42.9%, 38.1%, and 16.3%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the total IgE concentration, the number of positive antigens, and specific IgE concentration classes for each antigen. There was a statistically significant difference in MAST-positive reaction for alder and pine antigens by type of Sasang constitution, and Tae-Eum had the most. Conclusions Tae-Eum showed a relatively strong positive reaction to a large number of antigens compared to the other types, but no statistically significant difference was observed. It is necessary to continuously investigate allergic reactions to provide evidence for the treatment of allergic diseases by Sasang constitution.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.291-301
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• 2024

Background: Based on rapid industrial development, environmental pollution has emerged as a social problem and exposure to environmental diseases is increasing. The number of patients suffering environmental diseases in Daejeon Metropolitan City is also steadily increasing, and the prevalence of atopic dermatitis there is the highest in the country. Objectives: In order to minimize exposure to harmful factors for the prevention and management of environmental diseases, an environmental disease management system suitable for the environmental characteristics of each region is needed. Basic preliminary research should be conducted to identify environmental hazards in Daejeon Metropolitan City and establish a management system. Methods: Among the households (about 50 people) participating in the 2022 Indoor Environment Remote Measurement (IoT) program, households (children aged 5 or older and adults) with insufficient results for indoor air quality measurement and symptoms related to environmental diseases were selected. The subjects were tested for living conditions, blood tests, biomarker analysis (immunoglobulin E, Eosinophil count, histamine) and multiple allergy antigen tests (MAST, 93 types). Results: Participants were 53.7% female and 46.3% male, and the average age showed an even age distribution. IgE and eosinophil count were positively correlated, and significant results were found for atopic dermatitis and IgE (p<0.05). Typical risk factors observed in the survey was the amount of indoor ventilation, chemical exposure, heredity, house dust mites, fungi, and food. Conclusions: The purpose of this study was to help establish a regional management system for environmental diseases, research and diagnosis of environmental diseases. This study is meaningful in that it is a study with customized consulting suitable for the environment of Daejeon Metropolitan City. If the limitations are addressed and continuous research is conducted, it will be helpful for the management, diagnosis, and research of environmental diseases.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2020

Smoking is associated with increased inflammation and is a risk factor for a range of diseases. Conversely, yogurt has beneficial effects on health. This study examined the effects of yogurt consumption on the hematological parameters and fibrinogen levels in smokers. The participants were categorized into four groups. Non-smokers were assigned to the control and yogurt groups while smokers were assigned to the smoking and combined (yogurt plus smoking) groups. The participants consumed yogurt, and either smoked or did not smoke for three weeks. The changes in hematological parameters and fibrinogen levels were examined. In the combined group, the proportion of neutrophils and fibrinogen levels increased significantly, whereas the lymphocyte proportion decreased. The eosinophil proportion increased significantly in the Smoking group, but no change was observed in the combined group. In addition, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration increased in the smoking and combined groups, indicating that smoking may affect the lifespan of red blood cells. In conclusion, this study showed that yogurt consumption might influence the immune function by modulating the levels of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and fibrinogen in smokers. Furthermore, the absence of any increase in the eosinophil proportion in the combined group, unlike in the smoking group, suggests that yogurt consumption may have an inhibitory effect on allergic reactions.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.240-249
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• 2015

Objectives: Farmers are known to be exposed to a variety of allergens related to the work environment. This study was conducted to determine the sensitization rates as well as South Korea that they are sensitized to certain allergens farmers through the skin prick test. Methods: By targeting a total of 1143 people living in the rural town of Gyeonggi Province, it was conducted a questionnaire containing demographic and occupational risk factors and underwent skin prick tests with 15 types of allergens(including positive and negative controls). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between occupational risk factors and skin prick test positivity. Results: Except for the 30 people whose result is invalid, positive rate of the skin prick test was 18.6% in 1,113 people. The species of house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae was the highest at 8.7% and 8.6%. After adjusted by age, gender, smoking and education level, odds ratio of flower plant farmers is 4.467(95% CI: 2.094-9.527) and fruit farmer is 2.275(95% CI: 1.096-4.721). In addition, the rate of sensitization to grass pollen mixture of the flower plant farmers is significantly higher(15.9%, p<0.001) than other allergens. Conclusions: Even farmers, the rate of sensitization to allergens related to the general environment, such as house dust mite is relatively dominant. However, given the presence of potential cross-reactivity between the allergens or distribution showed that the unique aspects of allergen sensitization in the flower growers, occupational cause is not be completely ruled out.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general features of allergic patients in northwestern Chungcheongnamdo who visited Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital. The subjects in this study were 1692 suspected allergic patients. After their allergic symptoms were checked and a MAST-CLA test was conducted, the following results were obtained: 1. The mean age of the subjects was 23.1 years old. The male patients represented 56.2% and the female patients accounted for 43.8%. 1387 (82.0%) patients of those investigated suffered from allergic disease. 2. Among the 1387 patients, 1022 (73.7%) patients showed an increased total IgE level. The positive rate of those who were in their 40s (87.0%) was the highest, but their age made no difference to their positive rate of total IgE. 3. Concerning the positive rate for allergen specific antibody by age, those who were in their teens (73.5%) topped the list and similar in all age group except in their 40s. By gender, the positive rate of the male and female were 56.3% and 43.9% respectively. Regarding the positive rates by allergic disease, those who suffered from allergic rhinitis (60.4%) were most vulnerable, followed by the patients with allergic dermatitis (47.4%), with bronchial asthma (47.2%) and with urticaria (39.4%). 4. As for seasonal positive rates, they were most susceptible in April (77.2%) and May (71.1%). We discovered a significant difference according to seasons; Spring (60.1%), Winter (45.4%) and Summer (39.2%). 5. In case of Korean inhalent panel, the most dominant allergen-specific antibodies were "Cockroach mix" (31.1%), followed by "D. pteronyssius" (23.8%) and "Dog" (14.3%). In the event of food panel, the most popular allergen-specific antibodies were "D. farinae" (25.0%), followed by "D. pteronyssinus" (19.8%) and "Hose dust" (12.0%). 6. The residential type made no difference to the positive rates of "House dust", "Cockroach mix" and "Dog" as major antigen but compared with others, positive rates for "Tick" were somewhat higher in apartment buildings.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.159-171
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• 2018

The imported foods, which are imported and sold domestically, are on the rise every year, and the scale is expected to be larger, including processing the imported raw materials. However, the origin of raw materials is indicated when declaring cargo for finished products of agricultural products, but the standardization of inspection information management system for raw materials is insufficient. In addition, there is a growing concern about the presence of residual pesticides or radioactivity in raw materials or products, and customer want to know production history information when purchasing agrifoods. It manages the hazard analysis of imported agricultural products, but most of them are global issues such as microorganisms, residual pesticides, food additives, and allergy components, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to share among the logistics entities in the entire transportation process the related data. Additionally, to do this, it needs to design an architecture and standardize business model. In this paper, it defines the architecture and the work-flow that occurs between the business process for collecting, processing, and processing information for tracking the status of imported agricultural products by steps, and develops XML message with UBL and the extracted conceptual information model. It will be easy to exchange and share information among the logistics entities through the defined standard model and it will be possible to establish visibility, reliability, safety, and freshness system for transportation of agricultural products requiring real-time management.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.868-873
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• 2008

Purpose : Immunotherapy is accepted as the only treatment of allergic disease that can modify the natural course of the disease and ameliorate symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultra-rush therapy using Dermatophagoides extracts in children. Methods : Of children older than four years who had visited Bundang CHA Pediatric Allergy Clinic, those showing positive reactions only to Dermatophagoides in the skin prick test and to the nasal provocation test were included. In all, 11 and 12 patients respectively preferred conventional and ultra-rush immunotherapy. We elevated allergen concentrations diluted to 1,000:1 of the end strength by 2-3 times with 30-minute intervals and checked oxygen saturation, pulse rate, blood pressure, and systemic reactions every 15 minutes. Immunotherapy effectiveness was valued by changes in nasal provocation test scores before and after immunotherapy. Results : The average ages of patients in the conventional and ultra-rush immunotherapy groups were $8.3{\pm}2.3$ and $9.2{\pm}2.8years$, respectively. Systemic reactions were observed in six in the ultra-rush group (50%) without anaphylaxis and one (9%) in the conventional group. The average scores in the nasal provocation test before and after treatment in the conventional group were $8.2{\pm}1.5$ and $4.6{\pm}2.1$, respectively (P=0.043). In the ultra-rush immunotherapy group, the scores changed from $6.2{\pm}2.2$ to $3.7{\pm}2.5$ (P=0.017). Conclusion : Ultra-rush immunotherapy using Dermatophagoides in children is effective for treating allergic disease but can induce systemic effects rather than conventional immunotherapy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.107-115
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• 1998

Background: Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia(CEP) presents with profound systemic symptoms, including fever, malaise, night sweats, weight loss, and anorexia together with localized pulmonary manifestations such as cough, wheeze, and sputum. It is an illness occurring predominantly in women. The chest radiogragh shows fluffy opacities that often have a characteristic peripheral configuration. The hallmark of CEP is the peripheral blood eosinophilia and a prompt response to oral corticosteroid therapy. We investigated characteristics of eleven patients of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, reported in Korea. Method: There were eleven reports of CEP from 1980 to 1996, including three cases experienced in our hospital. The journals were analysed in respects of clinical history, laboratory, and radiographic findings. Results: 1) Male vs. female ratio is 3 : 8. The peak incidence occurred in forty and fifty decades. The atopic diseases were present in 6 cases. Asthma was the commonest manifestation 2) The presenting symptoms were as follows: cough, dyspnea, sputum, weight loss, fever, general weakness, night sweats, urticaria with the descending incidence. 3) Peripheral blood eosinophilia was present in all patients(mean ; 38.4%) and serum IgE level was elevated in nine patients(mean ; 880IU/ml). Conclusion: The diagnosis of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is based on classic symptoms, including fever, night sweats, weight loss with a typical roentgenogram of peripheral pulmonary infiltrates and peripheral blood eosinophilia, and that is confimed by lung biopsy and/or bronchoalveolar lavage. Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is responsive to corticosteroid promptly and recommended at least 6 months of therapy to prevent relapse.