• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.487-497
• /
• 2022

The purpose of the present study was to determine the mediating effect of social support on the relationship between the work-family conflict and depression of dual-income parents. The subjects were 214 dual-income parents aged 20 years and the data collected online in April 2021 were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 statistical program. This study conducted three stages of hierarchical regression analysis to confirm the mediating effect, which showed that work-family conflict had statistically significant effect on social support (β=-.188, p<.01), which was the mediating variable, and depression (β=.539, p<.001), which was the dependent variable. In the third stage, the study confirmed that social support had a partially mediating effect on the relationship between work-family conflict and depression, which was statistically significant in the Sobel test result as well (z=2.468, p=.013). In conclusion, the study confirms the need to establish strategies and arrange social support to solve the emotional problems of dual-income parents.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.81-93
• /
• 2022

Proprioception training has been considered a secondary method to facilitate postural control ability. This study investigated the effects of two different proprioception training methods - the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and visual feedback-based joint position and force reproduction (VF) - on postural control advancements. Sixteen healthy people volunteered for this study, and they randomly grouped two. Each group participated in the PNF and VF training for three weeks. We evaluated each subject's proprioception levels and balance ability before and after the training. We used a clinometer and electromyogram (EMG) for VF training. The joint position reproduction test was also used to evaluate the position and force aspects of the proprioception level. We analyzed the trajectory of the center of pressure (COP) while subjects were standing on the firm floor and balance board with one leg using a pressure mat. The improvement of the position aspect of the proprioception level of the VF group (4.93±4.74°) was larger than that of the PNF group (-0.43±2.08°) significantly (p=0.012). The improvement of the anterior-posterior COP velocity of the PNF group (0.01±0.01 cm/s) was larger than that of VF group(0.002±0.01 cm/s) significantly (p=0.046). Changes of position error in the PNF group (rho=0.762, p=0.028) and tibialis anterior force reproduction error in the VF group showed a significantly strong relationship with balance ability variables. These results showed that different PNF and VF have different effects on improving two aspects of proprioception and their relationship with the balance ability. Therefore, these results might be useful for selecting proprioception or balance rehabilitation considering the clinical and patients' situation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.426-434
• /
• 2022

Aim: This study investigates the effects of ginsenoside Rb1 (GsRb1) on methamphetamine (METH)-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and METH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. It also examines whether GsRb1 can regulate these effects through the NR2B/ERK/CREB/BDNF signaling pathways. Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were pretreated with GsRb1 (20 mM and 40 mM) for 1 h, followed by METH treatment (2 mM) for 24 h. Rats were treated with METH (2 mg/kg) or saline on alternating days for 10 days to allow CPP to be examined. GsRb1 (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h before METH or saline. Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of NR2B, ERK, P-ERK, CREB, P-CREB, and BDNF in the SH-SY5Y cells and the rats' hippocampus, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: METH dose-dependently reduced the viability of SH-SY5Y cells. Pretreatment of cells with 40 µM of GsRb1 increased cell viability and reduced the expression of METH-induced NR2B, p-ERK, p-CREB and BDNF. GsRb1 also attenuated the expression of METH CPP in a dose-dependent manner in rats. Further, GsRb1 dose-dependently reduced the expression of METH-induced NR2B, p-ERK, p-CREB, and BDNF in the PFC, hippocampus, and NAc of rats. Conclusion: GsRb1 regulated METH-induced neurotoxicity in vitro and METH-induced CPP through the NR2B/ERK/CREB/BDNF regulatory pathway. GsRb1 could be a therapeutic target for treating METH-induced neurotoxicity or METH addiction.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.164-177
• /
• 2022

Medical device usability evaluation refers to the evaluation of medical devices through actual users before the final prototype production is completed. IEC 62366, one of the international safety standards for electronic medical devices, is a standard that must be applied to obtain medical device licenses in major advanced countries such as Europe and the United States. In Korea, through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's notice, from January 2021, sequential application by grade has been implemented. In this study, 15 participant specialists were recruited through the Incheon G University Hospital Medical Device Convergence Center for formative evaluation during user suitability evaluation of the focused ultrasound stimulation system being developed by Icleo Co., Ltd., and the test was conducted through joint scenario development. . In the result of task performance, the performance rate was 90.67%, and after the completion of the performance, 86.67% of 'Easy user interface' and 94% of 'Identification/Readability/Understanding of information' questions in the participant survey results analysis by question. The response rate was above average.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.217-223
• /
• 2022

Among various health functional foods, probiotics constitute the largest market. The interest in probiotics is increasing continuously according to the research results that gut health can control the immune function of the body, prevent diseases, and assist in treatment. In this study, dairy products and dressing sauces were developed using Ficus carica vinegar (FV), and their effects on colon cells were analyzed. When 5% FV was added to regular milk, the satisfaction with the resulting yogurt and ricotta cheese was high. The dairy product was Leuconostoc lactis, and the number of bacteria was more than 1.0×10⁷~1.0×10⁸ CFU/mL. The product satisfied the health food standards as probiotics. An examination of the cell viability of Caco-2 cells, which proliferate similarly to human intestinal epithelial cells, revealed an approximately 19% increase in the proliferation rate when treated with whey at 10%. An antioxidant activity of up to 58% was recorded when the cells were treated with whey at various concentrations. In addition, excellent adhesion was observed for L.latis isolated from whey. This study confirmed that dairy products made using traditionally fermented FV assist intestinal health effectively as the microbiome.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.193-201
• /
• 2023

Antimicrobials in human medicine are classified by The World Health Organization (WHO) into three groups: critically important antimicrobials (CIA), highly important antimicrobials (HIA), and important antimicrobials (IA). CIA are antibiotic classes that satisfy two main criteria: that they are the sole or the only available limited therapeutic option to effectively treat severe bacterial infections in humans (Criterion 1), and infections where bacteria are transmitted to humans from non-human sources or have the potential to acquire resistance genes from non-human sources (Criterion 2). WHO emphasizes the need for cautious and responsible use of the CIA to mitigate risk and safeguard human health. Specific antimicrobials within the CIA with a high priority for management are reclassified as "highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIA)" and include the 3^rd generation of cephalosporins and the next generation of macrolides, quinolones, glycopeptides, and polymyxins. The CIA list is the scientific basis for risk assessment and risk management policies that warrant using antimicrobials to reduce antimicrobial resistance in several countries. In addition, the CIA list ensures food safety in the food industry, including for the popular food chain companies McDonald's and KFC. The continuous update of the CIA list reflects the advancement in research and emerging future challenges. Thus, active and deliberate evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and the construction of a list that reflects the specific circumstances of a country are essential to safeguarding food security.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.28-37
• /
• 2022

Pregnancy requires an important interpretation of thyroid function tests. The presence of anti-thyroid antibodies and viral infectious agents affect the health of both the fetus and the mother. Hence, a selective evaluation of thyroid function in pregnancy is required. This study is a retrospective cross-sectional survey to examine the correlation between thyroid hormones and viral infections during pregnancy. The results showed that the triiodothyronine (T3) decreased with increasing age, especially in the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive group (P<0.01). In addition, although negative for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), thyroxine (FT4) showed a significant increase in near-threshold or twin pregnant women (P<0.05). The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was highly distributed at the age of 30, and there was no statistically significant correlation with other viral infection factors. In addition, as a result of dividing and analyzing the result of TSH by the quantiles, FT4 and T3 showed a positive correlation but showed a negative correlation with TSH (P<0.05). Therefore, the evaluation of prenatal thyroid screening during pregnancy and viral infection factors should reflect the time of pregnancy, exposure to infection, and the quantitative values. Adequate thyroid hormone and viral infections availability is important for an uncomplicated pregnancy and optimal fetal development.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.15-22
• /
• 2022

Procalcitonin (PCT) can provide an experimental rationale and a diagnostic lead to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections. This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with high PCT levels, to improve clinical diagnosis, and to determine whether PCT levels were associated with the subsequent development of sepsis in the general population. This was a retrospective observational study conducted on outpatients (N=127) over a year. The general data and laboratory parameters studied were PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and complete blood count (CBC). The positive rates of CRP and white blood cells (WBCs) in the elevated PCT group were higher than those of the normal group (P<0.05); the specificity and sensitivity of the PCT levels were obviously higher than those of the CRP and WBC levels at diagnosis (P<0.05). The mean PCT levels in the low group were significantly higher than those in the high or moderate group (P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation with CRP, total WBCs, and neutrophils (P<.001). The main finding of this study was the significant association between an elevated PCT level and CRP and WBC levels, signifying a high diagnostic value. This has important implications for the diagnosis of bacterial infections and therapeutic implications for the use of antibiotic treatment in specific patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.49-60
• /
• 2022

This study attempted to provide the basic data for developing a system to identify the role of medical technologists and ensure an efficient response for quick and accurate diagnostic tests in the COVID-19 era. The research method involved using focus group interviews for a survey and analysis of 15 medical institutions. Eleven sample collection institutions, 10.4 medical technologists, 2.1 minutes of collection time, 5.4 hours of test time, 9,670 tests, 6.2 member test workforce size, and 7 screening center operating institutions were surveyed. The results of the focus group interview analysis revealed that there were no standardized guidelines covering working hours, area, and environment to protect sample collectors and testers in relation to the COVID-19 tests. Also, legal protection measures were insufficient in the event of accidental infections and there were no personnel regulations related to COVID-19. In addition, the professional training of sample collectors and molecular diagnostic testers was required for reliable COVID-19 testing. In conclusion, it is necessary to provide professional education through special test short-term training institutions to cope with emergency infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Legal systems should be put in place to protect the workforce and ensure stability.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2023

In this study, it was analyzed with the dyeing pattern of Diospyros kaki Thunb (persimmon) and was tried to numerically evaluate how the dyeing pattern in silk fabrics and cells was changed by different mordants. When the dyed silk fabrics were sufficiently dried, the silk fabrics were found to have a pale yellow color. Interestingly, iron II sulfate mordant changed the color change the most, silk fabrics were dyed with a color close to brown or dark purple. For numerical analysis, 19% and 62.5% color changes could be induced by sodium tartrate plus citric acid and copper acetate, respectively. Iron II sulfate induced the greatest difference than that of untreated mordants at 88%. About 5% and 10% of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were stained by sodium tartrate plus citric acid and copper acetate, respectively. The staining effect induced by iron II sulfate was about 2.4 times higher than the staining effect by sodium tartrate plus citric acid. In previous studies, staining results have been visually confirmed. However, this results not only visually confirmed the dyeing, but also quantified the color change. In particular, if numerical results are continuously integrated into big data, any researcher will be able to easily obtain similar results even if the method, time, volume, etc. are changed. In addition, the numerical data of this study is considered to be an important basis for building a database for IoT construction and computer analysis.