• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.674-684
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acute listening to music on the cardiovascular reactivity to sympathoexcitation. In this crossover design study, 15 healthy adults(23.1±1.94(yrs) were randomized to either (1)acute listen to the subject's preferred music for 30 minutes and (2)sat as a time control by an experiment coordinator. After completing each trial, the cold pressor test(CPT) was conducted. Heart rate(HR) and blood pressure(BP) were measured for 4 times at baseline, during and after the CPT. Heart rate variability(HRV) were measured for 3 times at baseline, prior and after the CPT. HR and BP increased during the CPT in both trial and returned to baseline after CPT(time effect, p < .001). After CPT, brachial systolic BP reactivity to the CPT was attenuated in listening to music trial compared to control trial(p = . 008). As a result of heart rate variability(HRV), the difference values between the baseline and prior to the CPT showed a significant increase in standard deviation of the NN intervals(SDNN), total power(TP) and high frequency(HF) only in the music trial (p = .001, p = .002, p = .011). The difference value between prior to and after the CPT did not show significance. But compared with the control trial, the music trial was confirmed that SDNN, TP and HF were more activated. Therefore, listening to music alleviated anxiety and tension before the CPT, and it is estimated that it had a favorable effect on stability after the CPT. This findings showed that listening to music may have a positive effect on brachial systolic BP and HRV to sympathoexcitation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2024

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant risk factor in the global disease burden. The stem bark of the Betulaceae plant Alnus japonica, which is indigenous to Korea, has been used as a popular folk medicine for hepatitis and cancer. However, the preventive effect of Alnus japonica leaf extracts on alcohol-related liver damage has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the extracts of Alnus japonica leaf (AJL) against ethanol-induced liver damage in HepG2/2E1 cells. Treatment with AJL significantly prevented ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2/2E1 cells by reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). This protective effect was likely associated with antioxidant potential of AJL, as evidenced by the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and restoration of the depleted glutathione (GSH) levels in ethanol-induced HepG2/2E1 cells. Our findings suggest that FCC might be considered as a useful agent in the prevention of liver damage induced by oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant defense mechanism.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2024

The way we work is changing significantly with the rapid development of digitaltechnology, and paper documents are being replaced by electronic documents. However, in accordance with the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Regulation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the environmental impact assessment report must submit a set number of paper reports to organizations related to the project, and about 42 years have passed since it was submitted as a paperreport. In 2022, the National Institute of Ecology introduced a system to review paperreports as electronic documents in line with the trend of digital transformation. The cost reduction and carbon emission reduction effects of electronic document review were analyzed for 1,398 environmental impact assessments submitted and reviewed in 2022. In addition, a satisfaction survey was conducted targeting type 1 environmental impact assessment companies that were directly affected, and a total of 134 people responded. As a result of analyzing the effect of reviewing electronic documents, costs are reduced by a total of 101,424,900 won per year and carbon emissions are reduced by about 59.7 tons. As a result of the satisfaction survey, 94.8% of the respondents said electronic documentreview was very helpful, and 4.5% said it was helpful. The effectiveness of electronic documentreview was high, with 94.8% of respondents saying it was helpful in economic terms and 91.8% saying it was helpful in reducing work hours. If electronic documents are reviewed through the revisions to the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Regulation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the implementation of electronic document review is expected to have a ripple effect across the country, not only reducing costs and carbon emissions, but also reducing administrative time and saving storage space. Rapid changes in law and administration are needed to adapt to the digital transformation era.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze each country's infectious disease response capacities and, based on this, find areas for improvement in Korea's infectious disease management response. Methods: First, the capacity to respond to the COVID-19 infectious disease was analyzed by country using the SPAR scores of 96 countries around the world released by WHO in 2022. Second, we analyzed each country's specific COVID-19 quarantine performance using Our World in Data and the Global Health Security Index (GHSI). Results: First, the quarantine intensity index on January 24, 2021 was the highest in the Southeast Asia branch at 67.6, which had strong quarantine measures, and the lowest at 44.5 in the Africa branch. As of December 31, 2022, the quarantine intensity index in Europe was significantly lowered to 11.6. Second, the factor that influenced the SPAR indicator on the total number of patients per million population was national laboratory (C4), p=.027, and the factor that influenced the total number of deaths per million population was infection prevention and control (C9), p=.005., Risk Communication and Community Participation (C10) p=.040. The influential factor on GDP per capita was infection prevention and control (C9) p=.009, and the influential factor on GHSI was infection prevention and control (C9) p=.002. Conclusion: The research findings indicate that it was difficult to find a correlation between the SPAR, which is each country's self-assessment of their infectious disease capacities, and the number of COVID-19 cases or the intensity of pandemic responses. However, mortality rates, as well as factors such as the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) and national income, appear to be somewhat influenced. For future improvements in infectious disease management and response in our country, it is necessary to develop pandemic strategies that can reduce socio-economic costs based on more scientific and reliable data like JEE or GHSI, especially in preparation for potential unknown emerging infectious diseases. Based on this, proactive decision-making led by a control tower of experts and effective health communication are also required to respond to public health crises at a national level.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.703-711
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• 2024

This study attempted to verify the effect of SBAR-based simulation practice on reporting confidence, communicative competence, nursing competence and debriefing satisfaction of nursing students. This study included 46 students who took the simulation practice course for third-year nursing students at one universities located in one region, The data were collected from October 30 to December 22, 2023 using a self-report questionnaire before and after simulation practice, and is a one group pretest-posttest design study. Data analysis was performed using SPSS/WIN version 26.0 program using frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk test, and Paired t-test. As a result of the study, the average of the reporting confidence was 5.79±1.47 before the training and 7.13±1.56 after the training, the communicative competence was 3.62±0.44 before the training and the average after the training was 4.34±0.67, the nursing competence was 2.64±0.39 before the training and 3.26±0.51 after the training, and the debriefing satisfaction was 3.57±0.51 before the training and 4.18±0.58 after the training. There was a statistically significant difference in reporting confidence(t=2.84, p=.006), communicative competence(t=-3.28, p=.001), nursing competence(t=-8.16, p<.001), debriefing satisfaction(t=2.72, p<.001) before and after SBAR-based simulation practice. Based on the results of this study, it is thought that communication education using SBAR to nursing students should be systematically carried out from the lower grade curriculum, and it is necessary to strengthen and expand reporting education using SBAR communication in various practice situations as well as simulation practical education to improve nursing competency.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2024

Global interest in natural functional materials to strengthen human immunity is increasing due to the increase in immune-related diseases associated with COVID-19 and the aging population. In this study, we determined the potential therapeutic effect of Eleutherococcus senticosus stems on immune enhancement according to the cultivation region. The contents of eleutheroside B and E, which are chemical components of E. senticosus stems, were analyzed. We showed that the eleutheroside B content of E. senticosus stems in different cultivation regions ranged from 2.96±0.11 to 6.24±0.05 mg/g and from 1.11±0.05 to 2.11±0.03 mg/g in 70% ethanol and hot water extracts, respectively. The eleutheroside E content ranged from 4.93±0.20 to 10.79±0.03 mg/g and 1.75±0.14 to 3.64±0.05 mg/g in 70% ethanol and hot water extracts, respectively. In addition, the immunomodulatory effect of E. senticosus stems was evaluated using RAW 264.7 macrophages. The 70% ethanol extract of E. senticosus stems showed no cytotoxicity up to 200 ㎍/mL, and the hot water extract showed no cytotoxicity up to 500 ㎍/mL. Additionally, the E. senticosus stem extract significantly increased the production of nitric oxide and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) compared to their production in the control group. These results suggest that E. senticosus stem extracts are a potential functional food material and ingredient to enhance the immune response.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2024

Black wood ear mushroom (Auricularia auricula-judae) is one of the most economically important mushrooms in China, Japan, and Korea. The cultivation of wood ear mushrooms on artificial substrates is more efficient in terms of time and cost compared with their natural growth on trees. However, if the substrate cultivation is infected by fast-growing fungi, the relatively slow-growing ear mushroom will be outcompeted, leading to economic losses. In this study, we investigated the competitive fungal isolates from substrates infected with fast-growing fungi for the cultivation of ear mushrooms in Jangheung and Sunchon, Korea. We collected 54 isolates and identified them by sequencing their internal transcribed spacer region with morphological identification. Among the isolates, the dominant isolates were Trichoderma spp. (92.6%), Penicillium spp. (5.6%), and Talaromyces sp. (1.8%). To find an appropriate eco-friendly biocontrol agent, we used five Streptomyces spp. and Benomyl, as controls against Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp. Among the six Streptomyces spp., Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 effectively controlled the fungi Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp., which pose a significant problem for the substrates of black wood ear mushrooms. This result indicated that this Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 can be used as biocontrol agents to protect against Trichoderma and Penicillium spp.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2024

Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of drug utilization review (DUR) evaluation indicators on safe drug use by comparing the changes in DUR inspection rates and drug duplication prescription prevention rates between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative. Methods: This study used DUR data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2018 (pre-implementation) and the evaluation results of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative in 2023 (post-implementation). The dependent variables were the DUR evaluation indicators, including DUR inspection rate and drug duplicate prescription prevention rate. The independent variable was the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators, and the control variables included medical institution characteristics such as type, establishment classification, location, DUR billing software company, and number of beds. Results: The results of the analysis of the difference in the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative showed that the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions increased statistically significantly after the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators. Conclusion: The policy implications of this study are as follows: First, ongoing evaluation of DUR systems is needed. Second, it is necessary to establish a collaborative partnership between healthcare organizations that utilize DUR system information and the organizations that manage it.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.196-210
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• 2024

Background: In January 2018, revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment for the elderly were implemented. When people ages 65 years and older receive outpatient treatment at clinic-level medical institutions (clinic, dental clinic, Korean medicine clinic), with medical expenses exceeding 15,000 won but not exceeding 25,000 won, their copayment rates have decreased differentially from 30%. This study aimed to examine the changes of health utilization of elderly after revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment. Methods: We used Korea health panel data from 2016 to 2018. The time period is divided into before and after the revised elderly fixed outpatient copayment. We conducted Poisson segmented regression to estimate the changes in outpatient utilization and inpatient utilization and conducted segmented regression to estimate the changes in medical expenses. Results: Immediately after the revised policy, the number of clinic and Korean medicine outpatient visits of medical expenses under 15,000 won decreased. But the number of clinic outpatient visits in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 won and Korean medicine clinic in the range of 20,000 to 25,000 won increased. Copayment in outpatient temporarily decreased. The inpatient admission rates and total medical expenses temporarily decreased but increased again. Conclusion: We confirmed the temporary increase in outpatient utilization in the medical expense segment with reduced copayment rates. And a temporary decrease in medical expenses followed by an increase again. To reduce the burden of medical expense among elderly in the long run, efforts to establish chronic disease management policies aimed at preventing disease occurrence and deterioration in advance need to continue.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.42-55
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• 2008

To evaluate the accuracy of currents measured by HF radar in the coastal sea off Keum River estuary, we compared the facing radial vectors of two HF radars, and HF radar-derived currents with in-situ measurement currents. Principal component analysis was used to extract regression line and RMS deviation in the comparison. When two facing radar's radial vectors at the mid-point of baseline are compared, RMS deviation is 4.4 cm/s in winter and 5.4 cm/s in summer. When GDOP(Geometric Dilution of Precision) effect is corrected from the RMS deviations that is analyzed from the comparison between HF radar-derived and current-metermeasured currents, the error of velocity combined by HF radar-derived current is less than 5.1 cm/s in the stations having moderate GDOP values. These two results obtained from different method suggest that the lower limit of HF radar-derived current's accuracy is 5.4 cm/s in our study area. As mentioned in previous researches, RMS deviations become large in the stations located near the islands and increase as a function of mean distance from the radar site due to decrease of signal-to-noise level and the intersect angle of radial vectors. We found that an uncertain error bound of HF radar-derived current can be produced from the separation process of RMS deviations using GDOP value if GDOP value for each component is very close and RMS deviations obtained from current component comparison are also close. When the current measured in the stations having moderate GDOP values is separated into tidal and subtidal current, characteristics of tidal current ellipses analyzed from HF radar-derived current show a good agreement with those from current-meter-measured current, and time variation of subtidal current showed a response reflecting physical process driven by wind and density field.