• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.192-199
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• 2015

Background: Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease risk factors are prevalent among firefighters in some developed countries. It is unclear whether physical activity and cardiopulmonary fitness reduce cardiovascular disease risk and the cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters. The present study investigated the relationship between leisure-time physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters in Hong Kong. Methods: Male firefighters (n = 387) were randomly selected from serving firefighters in Hong Kong (n = 5,370) for the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors (obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, known cardiovascular diseases). One-third (Target Group) were randomly selected for the assessment of off-duty leisure-time physical activity using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Maximal oxygen uptake was assessed, as well as cardiovascular workload using heart rate monitoring for each firefighter for four "normal" 24-hour working shifts and during real-situation simulated scenarios. Results: Overall, 33.9% of the firefighters had at least two cardiovascular disease risk factors. In the Target Group, firefighters who had higher leisure-time physical activity had a lower resting heart rate and a lower average working heart rate, and spent a smaller proportion of time working at a moderate-intensity cardiovascular workload. Firefighters who had moderate aerobic fitness and high leisure-time physical activity had a lower peak working heart rate during the mountain rescue scenario compared with firefighters who had low leisure-time physical activities. Conclusion: Leisure-time physical activity conferred significant benefits during job tasks of moderate cardiovascular workload in firefighters in Hong Kong.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.430-441
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• 2018

The adverse health impact of air pollution is becoming more serious. The purpose of this study is twofold: One is to analyze the effect of air pollution and temperatures on human health by analyzing the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Seoul, Korea; the other is to determine what impact the location of a monitoring site has on the results of a health study. For this latter purpose, air pollution and temperature monitors are sited at three locations termed green, public, and residential. Then, a decision tree model is used to analyze factors linked with deaths occurring at each monitoring site. The results show that the environmental temperatures before death and the $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations on the day of death are highly linked with the number of deaths regardless of the monitoring location. However, results are most accurate with residential data. The results of this study can be used as base data for a similar analysis and ultimately, as a guide to minimize the health impact of air pollution.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제50권2호
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• pp.94-98
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• 2017

Background: Intraoperative monitoring during carotid endarterectomy is crucial for cerebral protection. We investigated the results of carotid endarterectomy under dual monitoring with stump pressure and electroencephalography. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 50 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy between March 2010 and February 2016. We inserted a temporary shunt if the stump pressure was lower than 35 mm Hg or if any intraoperative change was observed on electroencephalography. Results: Seventeen (34%) patients used a temporary shunt, and the mean stump pressure was 26.8 mm Hg in the shunt group and 46.5 mm Hg in the non-shunt group. No postoperative mortality or bleeding occurred. Postoperatively, there were 3 cases (6%) of minor stroke, all of which took place in the shunt group. A comparison of the preoperative and the intraoperative characteristics of the shunt group with those of the non-shunt group revealed no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (p<0.01). Conclusion: Dual monitoring with stump pressure and electroencephalography was found to be a safe and reliable monitoring method with results comparable to those obtained using single monitoring. Further study should be performed to investigate the precise role of each monitoring method.

• Healthcare Informatics Research
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.283-291
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• 2018

Objectives: To identify the current status of smartphone usage and to describe the needs for smartphone-based cardiac telerehabilitation of cardiac patients. Methods: In 2016, a questionnaire survey was conducted in a supervised ambulatory cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program in a university affiliated hospital with the participation of heart failure or heart transplantation patients who were smartphone users. The questionnaire included questions regarding smartphone usage, demands for smartphone-based disease education, and home health monitoring systems. Results were described and analyzed according to principal diagnosis. Results: Ninety-six patients (66% male; mean age, $5{\pm}11$ years), including 56 heart failure and 40 heart transplantation patients, completed the survey (completion rate, 95%). The median daily smartphone usage time was 120 minutes (interquartile range, 60-300), and the most frequently used smartphone function was text messaging (61.5%). Of the patients, 26% stated that they searched for health-related information using their smartphones more than 1 time per week. The major source of health-related information was Internet browsing (50.0%), and the least sought source was the hospital's website (3.1%). Patients with heart failure expressed significantly higher needs for disease education on treatment plan, home health monitoring of blood pressure, and body weight (${\chi}^2=5.79$, 6.27, 4.50, p < 0.05). Heart transplantation patients expressed a significant need for home health monitoring of body temperature (${\chi}^2=5.25$, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Heart failure and heart transplantation patients show high usage of and interest in mobile health technology. A smartphone-based cardiac telerehabilitation program should be developed based on high demand areas and modified to suit to each principal diagnosis.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.274-279
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• 2002

The sick sinus syndrome refers to a combination of symptoms (dizziness, confusion, fatigue, syncope, and congestive heart failure) caused by sinus node dysfunction and marked sinus bradycardia, sinoarterial block, or sinus arrest. 'Abdominal pulsation' means a disagreeable symptom that is defined as sensation of beating at the abdomen. We experienced a 84 year-old female patient who had dizziness, fatigue, abdominal pulsation and frequent voiding. These symptoms were related to previous episodes and presumed sick sinus syndrome by symptoms, ECGs and 24 hrs of holter monitoring. In the point of Differentiation of Syndrome (辨證), this patient was diagnosed as 'Water retention(水氣)' and was administered with Yeonggyechulgam-tang(岺桂朮甘湯). After the treatment, abdominal pulsation (frequency) and dizziness (VAS) were improved. Futhermore, the interval of voiding was longer and each volume of urination increased.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.223-230
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• 2015

Objectives: There is considerable evidence that polluted ambient air contributes to the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as the variation in heartbeat intervals and has been reported as a biological marker of cardiovascular disease. This article reviews the existing literature in order to examine the association between air pollution and HRV. Methods: Literature was searched using Web of Science with the key words of "air pollution", "heart rate variability" and other related terms. A total of 156 articles were listed. For review, 21 of those listed publications were chosen after excluding studies regarding chamber studies, occupational environment, secondhand smoke and automobile exhaust. Results: Research methods employed in the publications were classified by type of participants (elderly/adult), air pollution monitoring (ambient/personal) and HRV monitoring (continuous/spot). Among HRV parameters, power in the low frequency range (LF), power in the high frequency range (HF) and standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN) were all associated with air pollutants. The chosen studies were mostly based on elderly populations. In studies based on continuous HRV monitoring, LF and SDNN significantly decreased when $PM_{2.5}$ exposure increased. Conclusion: Continuous HRV monitoring combined with personal exposure monitoring has been one of the most common study methods in recent publications. We expect that this review will be useful for the study of the association between air pollution and cardiovascular effects using HRV.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.310-314
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• 2023

In this paper, we show that the limitations of Holter monitoring and Wearable Electrocardiogarphy Devices and their arrhythmia detection. Sudden death caused by cardiovascular disease, often referred to as the "silent killer" due to its unpredictable nature, is a major health concern. Electrocardiography (ECG) is a basic diagnostic tool for detecting heart disease, but its limitations make it difficult to detect arrhythmia, a significant indicator of an irregular heart state. To address this limitation, a long-term continuous ECG recording device has been developed, Holter ECG device and wearable device. A significant number of studies have focused on the differences between Holter monitoring and wearable devices. The Holter tests were useful for detecting regularly occurring arrhythmias, whereas wearable patches were better at detecting random and infrequent arrhythmias. Wearable patches were effective in detecting episodes of arrhythmia and myocardial ischemia. Despite the concern, wearable devices had less signal loss than Holter monitoring and patients also preferred wearable devices over Holter monitoring due to convenience. These results could mean that the wearable devices can perfectly replace the Holter test.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제21권10호
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• pp.1138-1149
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a transmissible respiratory disease that was initially reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. With the alarming levels of COVID-19 spread worldwide, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Over the past several months, chest CT has played a vital role in early identification, disease severity assessment, and dynamic disease course monitoring of COVID-19. The published data has enriched our knowledge on the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and pathologic findings of COVID-19. Additionally, as the imaging spectrum of the disease continues to be defined, extrapulmonary infections or other complications will require further attention. This review aims to provide an updated framework and essential knowledge with which radiologists can better understand COVID-19.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.187-193
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• 2013

Epinephrine is one of the most widely-used vasoconstrictors in dental treatment including endodontic microsurgery. However, the systemic safety of epinephrine has been in debate for many years because of its potential risk to cause cardiovascular complications. The purpose of this review was to assess the cardiovascular effect of epinephrine use in endodontic microsurgery. Endodontic microsurgery directly applies epinephrine into the bone cavity, and the amount is reported to be much larger than other dental surgeries. Moreover, when considering that systemic potency of intraosseous application is reported to be comparable to intravenous application, the systemic influence of epinephrine could be increased in endodontic microsurgery. Besides, pre-existing cardiovascular complications or drug interactions can enhance its systemic influence, resulting in increased susceptibility to cardiovascular complications. Although clinical studies have not reported significant complications for patients without severe systemic complications, many epinephrine-induced emergency cases are warning the cardiovascular risk related with pre-existing systemic disease or drug interactions. Epinephrine is a dose-sensitive drug, and its hypersensitivity reaction can be fatal to patients when it is related to cardiovascular complications. Therefore, clinicians should recognize the risk, and the usage of pre-operative patient evaluation, dose control and patient monitoring are required to ensure patient's safety during endodontic microsurgery.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.305-312
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• 2018

The incidence of cardiovascular disease increases rapidly after 40's. The thickness of the epicardial adipose tissue was measured to analyze the risk factors affecting the thickness change. We present the cut off value for the epicardial adipose tissue thickness for high impacted variables. For the study, 547 patients underwent echocardiography, epicardial adipose tissue thickness, body mass index, abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness and diabetes mellitus were used as analytical variables. As a result, multiple regression analysis of age group showed that diabetes mellitus was highly influential in all age group, so we could predict the cut off value for the epicardial adipose tissue thickness for diabetes mellitus. As a result of ROC curve analysis, cut off value of 7.44 mm was obtained with sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 60.6% for diab etes variab le. Logistic regression analysis b ased on this value showed that the risk for diab etes increased 6 times with each increase in the thickness of the epicardial adipose tissue. Among the various obesity indexes, epicardial adipose tissue is used as an important index especially to prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we suggest that the use of echocardiography as a routine screening method for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome, which is rapidly increasing in patients over 40's age, will enable more effective monitoring. Radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium.