• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.217-225
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• 2009

As Pain is a comprehensive, biopsy chosocial phenomenon, improved understanding and successful management of pain need assessment of health-related quality of life and psychological states. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain severity and pain-related interference to daily lives for patients with non-dental, orofacial pain(OFP) and a possible relation of OFP with psychological morbidity. Relation with such factors as gender, age, pain duration and diagnosis was also assessed. Inclusion criteria was all new patients with non-dental OFP attending the oral medicine.orofacial pain clinic of Dankook University Dental Hospital over 3 months' period, who completed the questionnaires of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Prior to the first consultation, the patients were asked to fill out the questionnaire in the waiting room and were diagnosed through consultation and clinical examination. Total subjects were 163 with M:F ratio of 1:1.5 and mean age of 34.6${\pm}$17.7 years. Mean duration of pain was 13.3${\pm}$26.2 months and all patients were divided into; Trigeminal Neuralgia group (TN, N=8), Neuropathic Pain group (NeP, N=9), Persistent Idiopathic Facial Pain group (PIFP, N=8), and Temporomandibular Disorders group (TMD, N=138), subdivided into muscle problem (TMD-m, N=73), joint problem (TMD-j, N=24) and muscle-joint combined problem (TMD-c, N=41). OFP patients showed moderate pain severity and moderate pain-related interference. There was no gender difference in overall pain severity and interference and levels of anxiety and depression. Elderly patients aged ${\geq}$ 60 years showed higher pain severity (p<0.05). Patients with chronic pain ${\geq}$ 3 months reported more increased level of anxiety and depression than those with acute pain (p<0.05). Compared to TMD patients, patients with TN, NeP and PIFP suffered from higher level of pain and pain-related interference and reported higher level of anxiety and depression (p<0.05). Pain interference was closely correlated with their pain severity and with psychometric properties such as anxiety and depression. Pain severity was weakly correlated with levels of anxiety and depression. The results suggest a need for psychosocial assessment and support for successful management of OFP in addition to control of pain itself.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.706-711
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• 2017

Purpose: To analyze blinking patterns when watching an ultra-high definition (UHD) television and to compare the results between normal eyes and dry eyes. Methods: A total of 59 participants aged from 13 to 69 years were instructed to watch a colorful and dynamic video on a UHD television for 10 minutes. Before and after watching the UHD television, we measured the best corrected visual acuities, autorefraction, tear-break-up-time, degree of corneal erosion and conjunctival hyperemia via slit lamp biomicroscopy. In addition, questionnaires for the evaluation of eye fatigue and symptoms of a dry eye were completed. The definition of dry eye syndrome was that the tear-break-up-time of one of the eyes was less than 5 seconds, conjunctival injection, or marked corneal erosion. The number of blinks and the duration of blinking were both measured and analyzed at the early and late phases of video-watching. Results: After watching the UHD television in the normal eye group, the tear-break-up-time was significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and the degree of corneal erosion was significantly increased (p = 0.023). However, the subjective symptoms of participants were not aggravated (p = 0.080). There were no significant differences in blinking patterns in the dry eye group. On the other hand, in the normal eye group, the mean blinking time was significantly increased (p = 0.030). Conclusions: Watching an UHD television changes the tear-break-up-time, degree of corneal erosion, and blinking pattern in normal eyes, which may increase the risk of dry eye syndrome.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.28
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• pp.115-139
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• 2012

Interval or duration of segments, syllables, words and phrases is an important acoustic feature which influences the naturalness of speech. A number of cross-sectional studies regarding acoustic characteristics of children's speech development found that intervals of segments, syllables, words and phrases tend to change with the growing age. One hypothesis assumed that decreases in intervals would be greater when children were younger and smaller decreases in intervals when older (Thelen,1991), it has been supported by quite a number of researches on the basis of cross-sectional studies (Tingley & Allen,1975; Kent & Forner,1980; Chermak & Schneiderman, 1986), but the other hypothesis predicted that decreases in intervals would be smaller when children were younger and greater decreases in intervals when older (Smith, Kenney & Hussain, 1996). Researchers seem to come up with conflicting postulations and inconsistent results about the change trends concerning intervals of segments, syllables, words and phrases, leaving it as an issue unresolved. Most acoustic investigations of children's speech production have been conducted via cross-sectional designs, which involves studying several groups of children. So far, there are only a few longitudinal studies. This issue needs more longitudinal investigations; moreover, the acoustic measures of the intervals of child speech are hardly available. All former studies focus on word stages excluding the babbling stages especially the canonical babbling stage, but we need to find out when concrete changes of intervals begin to occur and what causes the changes. Therefore, we conducted an acoustic study of interval characteristics of segments and words concerning Canonical Babble ( CB) and early speech in an infant aged from 0;9 to 2;4 acquiring Mandarin Chinese. The current research addresses the following two questions: 1. Whether decreases in interval would be greater when children were younger and smaller when they were older or vice versa? 2. Whether the child speech concerning the acoustic features of interval drifts in the direction of the language they are exposed to? The female infant whose L1 was Southern Mandarin living in Changsha was audio- and video-taped at her home for about one hour almost on a weekly basis during her age range from 0;9 to 2;4 under natural observation by us investigators. The recordings were digitized. Parts of the digitized material were labeled. All the repetitions were excluded. The utterances were extracted from 44 sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour. The utterances were divided into segments as well as syllable-sized units. Age stages are 0;9-1;0,1;1-1;5, 1;6-2;0, 2;1-2;4. The subject was a monolingual normal child from parents with a good education. The infant was audio-and video-taped in her home almost every week. The data were digitized, segments and syllables from 44 sessions spanning the transition from babble to speech were transcribed in narrow IPA and coded for analysis. Babble was coded from age 0;9-1;0, and words were coded from 1;0 to 2;4, the data has been checked by two professionally trained persons who majored in phonetics. The present investigation is a longitudinal analysis of some temporal characteristics of the child speech during the age periods of 0;9-1;0, 1;1-1;5, 1;6-2;0, 2;1-2;4. The answer to Research Question 1 is that our results are in agreement with neither of the hypotheses. One hypothesis assumed that decreases in intervals would be greater when children were younger and smaller decreases in intervals when older (Thelen,1991); but the other hypothesis predicted that decreases in intervals would be smaller when children were younger and greater decreases in intervals when older (Smith, Kenney & Hussain, 1996). On the whole, there is a tendency of decrease in segmental and syllabic duration with the growing age, but the changes are not drastic and abrupt. For example, /a/ after /k/ in Table 1 has greater decrease during 1;1-1;5, while /a/ after /p/, /t/ and /w/ has greater decrease during 2;1-2;4. /ka/ has greater decrease during 1;1-1;5, while /ta/ and /na/ has greater decrease during 2;1-2;4.Across the age periods, interval change experiences lots of fluctuation all the time. The answer to Research Question 2 is yes. Babbling stage is a period in which the children's acoustic features of intervals of segments, syllables, words and phrases is shifted in the direction of the language to be learned, babbling and children's speech emergence is greatly influenced by ambient language. The phonetic changes in terms of duration would go on until as late as 10-12 years of age before reaching adult-like levels. Definitely, with the increase of exposure to ambient language, the variation would be less and less until they attain the adult-like competence. Via the analysis of the SPSS 15.0, the decrease of segmental and syllabic intervals across the four age periods proves to be of no significant difference (p>0.05). It means that the change of segmental and syllabic intervals is continuous. It reveals that the process of child speech development is gradual and cumulative.

• Journal of the Korean Child Neurology Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.205-209
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• 2018

Purpose: Several studies have shown that magnesium plays an important role in modulating N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-related seizures by blocking NMDA ion channel receptors. Clinicians usually measure total serum magnesium levels instead of biologically active ionized magnesium levels. We compared the serum ionized magnesium ($iMg^{2+}$) level between epileptic children with and without a history of fever-triggered seizure (FTS). Methods: All epileptic children who visited the outpatient clinic or pediatric emergency department at Korea University Guro Hospital between January 2015 and July 2017 were included. Only epileptic children aged 1-8 years who were newly diagnosed within 2 years were included. Results: There were 12 children with FTS and 16 without FTS. Median serum $iMg^{2+}$ level was 0.93 (0.85-1.14, quartile) mEq/L. Serum $iMg^{2+}$ level was significantly lower in epileptic children with FTS (0.86 mEq/L) compared to those without FTS (1.10 mEq/L) (P=0.005). No difference was noted in clinical variables between the two groups. Lower serum $iMg^{2+}$ level significantly increased the risk of having FTS in epileptic children based on multivariable logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [OR]=0.028). Conclusion: Serum $iMg^{2+}$ level was significantly lower in epileptic children with FTS than in those without FTS. Measurement of biologically active serum $iMg^{2+}$ level could be considered in epileptic children with recurrent FTS. A large-scale prospective study is warranted.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.85-112
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• 2013

This study aims to understand the developmental trajectories of life satisfaction among retirees and to examine what factors differentiate different trajectory classes. This study used three waves of longitudinal data from Korean Retirement and Income Study and data collected every two years(2005, 2007, and 2009). Subjects were respondents aged 50-69 who identified to be retired between wave 1 and wave 2. Finally, this study used 243 respondents for final data analysis. Life satisfaction was measured by seven items. The latent class growth model and multiple logistic regression model were used for data analysis. This study identified three distinct trajectory classes: high stable class(47.7%), high at the early stage but decreased class(42.8%), and low at the early stage and then decreased class(9.5%). This study founded that approximately 50% of the retirees experienced the decline of life satisfaction after retirement and about 10% of the sample was the most vulnerable group. This study analyzed what factors make different among the distinct trajectory groups. As a results, retirees who experienced the improvement in health change were more likely to be in 'high stable class' compared to 'hight at the early stage but decreased class'. In addition, retirees who were less educated, maintained the same health status rather than the improvement, worked as a temporary or a day laborer, and had less household income were more likely to belong to 'low at the early stage and then decreased class' relative to 'high stable class'. This study suggests that there are distinct three trajectories on life satisfaction among the retirees and finds out factors differentiating between trajectory groups. Based on these findings, the study discusses the implications for social work practice and further study.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.177-206
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• 2013

The Korean government has implemented the senior employment policy as a direct job creation policy since 2004. A realistic discussion of policy alternatives and orientation for this has been given little attention even though senior employment policy has been carried out for the last 10 years and it will be expanded next year. This study tries to examine active labor market policy especially focusing on direct job creation programs and policies for the disadvantaged low-income elderly in OECD countries, and then it suggests some developmental alternatives for senior employment policy based on the study's results. The main results from this analysis are summarized in two points. Firstly, except pension policies, employment policy for older workers in the OECD countries is highly proportional to the tackling of objective factors reducing the demand for older workers (wage subsidies, reduced social security contribution rate etc). And the strategies of improving employability have not been relatively important and direct job creation policy has been marginal. Secondly, employment support policies for the low-income elderly can be divided into three types: support for the low-income elderly, alleviating early retirement and support for full employment according to the criteria which are determined by policy objectives and the social economic index. Korea's employment support policies belong to the type of direct job creation among them. This seems to be due to the fact that the rate of elderly poverty is extremely high and an income security system has not been developed in Korea. However, the policy objective is still uncertain. Therefore, this policy needs to set up clear objectives and establish a proper system for the achievement of its goals. If we focus on the strength of its employment characteristics, we need to modify the policy's plan in the perspective of labor market policy. But if we intend to keep both of the current objectives, it is better for this policy to be divided into two parts: social participation and income supplements. Or it also may be a solution to transform the system into an employment service, a training system which supports participants to move into unsubsidized jobs such as SCSEP in the U. S.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.195-202
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• 2019

This study was undertaken to investigate whether the local Woori black pigs could replace Duroc as the terminal sire in order to reduce foreign currency outgoings. This study compared the physicochemical properties of pork loins in two cultivars of three-way crossbred pigs: Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc (LYD) and Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Woori black pig (LYW). A total of 119 pigs (59 LYD and 60 LYW) aged 180 days were used in the experiment. After 24 hours of cooling, pork loins were assessed for their physicochemical traits, meat color, fatty acid and sensory evaluation. The moisture content and water holding capacity showed no significant difference between the two cultivars. Fat content and cooking loss were significantly higher in LYW than in LYD (p<0.05), whereas shear force and pH were significantly lower in LYW than LYD (p<0.05). Redness ($a^*$), yellowness ($b^*$), and stearic acid (C18: 0) content were also significantly higher in LYW than in LYD (p<0.05). Sensory evaluation revealed significantly higher meat color and flavor in LYW than LYD (p<0.05). Taken together, these results indicate that certain physicochemical qualities are improved in the LYW cultivar, as compared to LYD. Therefore, Woori black pig (W) has the potential to be substituted for Duroc, a breeding pig used currently.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.30 no.1_2
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• pp.185-189
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• 2018

Purpose : We evaluated the quality of life satisfaction of patients with radiation therapy while maintaining the set-up line. Materials and Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 60 patients who visited our clinic in January, 2018. The most common complaint was the inconvenience of not being able to wash during treatment (64 %), and a surgical tape was placed on the Set-up Line to help patients wash during the treatment period. A total of 50 patients who underwent surgical tape were evaluated on a 5-point scale (1 point was very unsatisfactory, 2 points were unsatisfactory, 3 points were average, 4 points were satisfied, 5 points were very satisfied). Forty patients out of 50 responded to the first treatment, and 10 patients underwent treatment. Results : In the first survey, 68 % of the patients and 32 % of the males were aged 34 %, 50~60 % and 38 %, respectively. Treatment areas were breast (57 %), chest (13 %), pelvis (10 %). The results of the second questionnaire after applying the surgical tape showed that 25 of the 40 patients and 15 of the male patients were treated. The treatment area was 22 breast and 18 pelvic areas. In the satisfaction of the 5-point scale, 5 to 15 points were satisfied with 1-3 points, and 4-5 points with 35 points (1 point 2 points, 2 points 2 points, 3 point 1 points, 4 point points 17 point points, % And 43 %, respectively. The results of the questionnaire survey of patients who were applied during the treatment showed that 9 out of 10 women and 1 male were treated. The treatment area was 8 breast and 2 pelvic areas. One point was satisfied with one point, and five points with nine points were satisfied with 90 %. Conclusions : The importance of improving the quality of life of patients with cancer is also important. After applying the surgical tape, 88 % of the patients who started the treatment and 90 % of the patients who applied during the treatment were satisfied. Particularly, patients who applied during treatment showed higher satisfaction. If this is not possible for all patients, selective application to patients with discomfort will be helpful in improving the quality of life of cancer patients.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 2015

This study is designed to analyze the effect of skincare using cosmetic containing ginseng extract, on improving quality of life (QOL) of healthy women, with blind testing. QOL is a concept that represents how one's disease or health condition can physically, psychologically, and socially influence his or her daily life. The study was conducted to assess the effect of a ginseng cosmetic preparation on quality of life (QOL) using the Skindex-16 score, stratified by blind versus non-blinded option. 45 healthy women aged between 30 and 49 years with no skin disease were recruited for this study. Volunteers were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 22) received anti-aging cream with ginseng extract in the original packaging, which included the brand name and logo. Group B (n = 23) received the same cream in a plain white jar without any package decoration or logo. Both groups used the cream for 8 weeks. For the skin-related QOL assessment, Skindex-16 was used at baseline, forth, and eighth week. All volunteers except two dropouts in Group A completed the dermatology-specific QOL measure, Skindex-16, at baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks of treatment with the provided samples. As a result, the mean score of 43 participants at baseline was $22.70{\pm}4.82$. There was a significant difference between the baseline score and the score after 8 weeks in both groups: The scores changed from $23.30{\pm}5.14$ to $20.20{\pm}4.83$ in Group A, from $22.17{\pm}4.58$ to $20.52{\pm}3.60$ in Group B. The "Symptom" subscale of Skindex-16 improved after 4 weeks and the "Emotion" subscale improved after 8 weeks in Group A. The "Function" subscale did not show improvement in either groups. Both groups showed no interaction effect between follow up time and groups in Skindex-16 and subscale. This research opens up the possibility of skincare using ginseng cream having a positive effect on QOL in healthy women. Moreover, one can predict that skincare ritual itself may have greater impact on the improvement of QOL, compared to the product packaging.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2015

Objectives:Within the normal reproductive cycles of women, dramatic fluctuations of sexual hormones occur in the premenstrual and menopausal periods. In both periods, women are vulnerable to mood disturbances and show several somatic complaints. Based on these common clinical profiles and physiological changes, a relationship between vasomotor symptoms and the premenstrual syndrome has been suggested. However, attempts to establish such a link have yielded inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between histories of premenstrual syndrome and menopausal vasomotor symptoms within different menopausal stages. Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited Korean women aged 45-64 years who were perimenopausal and postmenopausal from 16 branch offices of the Korean Association of Health Promotion. All subjects completed self-report questionnaires that asked about a history of premenstrual syndromes, vasomotor symptoms, and several other variables. Results:A total of 1054 participants(361 perimenopausal women and 693 postmenopausal women) completed the study. Severity of premenstrual symptoms significantly correlated with postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms, only in late perimenopausal(r=0.213, p=0.010) and early postmenopausal women(r=0.246, p<0.001). After adjusting for several factors related to vasomotor symptoms, a history of premenstrual syndrome was a significant predictor of moderate to very severe vasomotor symptoms in late perimenopausal(OR=5.197, p=0.005) and early postmenopausal women(OR=3.017, p=0.010). Conclusions:This study suggests that a history of premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder is differentially associated with vasomotor symptoms in the menopausal stage. Prospective studies with larger population are needed to confirm these findings