• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.270-275
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• 2007

The QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay and tuberculin skin test (TST) have been useful test for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI). However, there are few reports on the efficacy of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay and TST in evaluating the response after the treatment of LTBI. This study examined the changes in the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay before and after a treatment for latent tuberculosis in health care workers (HCWs) at a local tertiary hospital. Methods: A cohort of volunteers working as nurses and doctors who underwent a TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay was established. The volunteers positive for the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay had been treated with 3 months of isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RFP). After completing treatment, the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay were repeated. Results: Of the 48 participants (14 doctors, 34 nurses, M: F=11:37, mean $age=29.9{\pm}5.5$ years, mean employment $period=74.9{\pm}64.3$ months), 19 (39.6%) tested positive to the TST (mean induration=$19.1{\pm}9.7mm$) and 8 (16.7%) were QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay. Among them, one had active pulmonary tuberculosis. Seven volunteers were consistently positive to both the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay after being medicated with INH and RFP for 3 months. Conclusion: TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay are unsuitable for evaluating the treatment response of LTBI because they were consistently positive both before and after the anti-tuberculosis medication.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.205-216
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• 2016

Objectives: We compared the difference of lipid, insulin resistance and metabolic markers based on HCV RNA in Korean adults.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 222 subjects visited the health promotion center of Pusan nationaluniversity hospital from 2004 to 2007. Subjects were anti-HCV antibody positive and were performed RT-PCR for HCV RNA. The HCV RNA (+) group were 85 subjects, HCV RNA (-) control group were 115 subjects, and the HCV RNA (-) but past positive group were 22 subjects. We performed anthropometry, anti-HCV, RT-PCR, plasma concentrations of insulin, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride.Results: BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance such as HOMA-IR and QUICKI were not significantly different between HCV RNA positive and negative groups. The serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol level were significantly lower in the HCV RNA positive group than in the negative group ($186.24{\pm}37.63$ vs $197.22{\pm}37.23$ mg/dl, p=0.041, $111.66{\pm}34.06$ vs $121.38{\pm}35.50$ mg/dl, p=0.042). After adjusting age and sex, high total cholesterol (${\geq}200mg/dl$) (adjusted OR=0.51, 95%CI 0.28-0.94, p=0.03) and high LDL cholesterol (${\geq}130mg/dl$) (adjusted OR=0.46, 95%CI 0.24~0.87, p=0.02) were inversely associated with being HCV RNA positive (p<0.05). Conclusion: The serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level were significantly lower in HCV RNA (+) group than in HCV RNA (-) group, but not in HCV RNA (-) but past positive group. Prospective cohort studies are needed to clarify the relationship between HCV RNA and metabolic markers.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.365-374
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• 2018

This study investigated the relationship between Vitamin D levels and indices related to cardiovascular disease in Korean adults aged ${\geq}19years$. The data for analysis were obtained from the sixth Korea National Health Nutrition Examination Survey in 2013 and 2014. The results showed that the incidence of Vitamin D deficiency was 73.1% among Korean adults and that indices related to cardiovascular disease showed an increasing trend (55.6% of Korean adults). The relationship between Vitamin D levels and indices related to cardiovascular disease with controlled physical activity status was also studied. The odds ratios (ORs) for age were 1.72 for the 4-62 years age group (95% CI, 1.53-1.93) and 2.05 for the ${\geq}65years$ age group (95% CI, 1.71-2.45). For blood pressure, the OR for pre-hypertension was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.15-1.47) and that for hypertension was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.11-1.54). For body mass index (BMI), the OR was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.11-1.66) and that for waist circumference (WC) was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.11-1.66). For fasting blood sugar (FBS), the OR for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was 1.37 (95% CI, 1.21-1.55) and that for diabetes mellitus (DM) was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.05-1.65). The OR for total cholesterol (TC) was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.11-1.52) and that for triglycerides (TG) was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.04-1.37) in Korean adults. There was a significant relationship between Vitamin D and indices related to cardiovascular disease in Korean adults with respect to age, blood pressure, FBS, BMI, TC and TG. Confirmation of a causal relationship between Vitamin D and indices related to cardiovascular disease may require further research consisting of more systematic cohort studies.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.416-427
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• 2011

This study investigated the association among parental socioeconomic level, overweight, and eating habits with diet quality in Korean sixth grade school children. A 3-day dietary survey was conducted, and a questionnaire and anthropometric data were collected from the Korean child obesity cohort (320 boys and 345 girls). The children were classified into two groups (low or high level) based on monthly household income and paternal and maternal education status. Lower maternal education status was associated with a higher risk for overweight in girls (odd ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval 1.07-3.44), whereas belonging to a higher socioeconomic group in terms of parental income or parental education level resulted in the consumption of significantly more fruit. Boys did not show significant differences in the intake of most nutrients or diet quality regardless of socioeconomic status. However, girls in the lower socioeconomic group had a lower food habit score (higher frequency of breakfast skipping and ramen noodle consumption), diet quality, and intake of nutrients (carbohydrate, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber) than those in the higher socioeconomic group. Therefore future nutrition policies and interventions should support parents and children with lower socioeconomic status to develop health-related behaviors that may prevent childhood overweight.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 2009

Purpose: To report on the changes in the patterns of care and survival over time for esthesioneuroblastoma. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 42 previously untreated and histologically confirmed esthesioneuroblastoma patients seen between March 1989 and June 2007. According to Kadish's classification, 3 patients (7%) were stage A, 6 (14%) at stage B, and 33 (79%) at stage C. Of the 33 Kadish C patients, 19 and 14 patients were treated from 1989 through 2000 and from 2001 through 2007, respectively. Treatment included surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these methods. Chemotherapy was administered to 8 of 19 patients (42%) seen from 1989 through 2000, whereas all of the 14 patients seen from 2001 through 2007 received chemotherapy (p<0.001). No patient was treated by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) from 1989 through 2000, however 8 of 14 patients (67%) seen from 2001 through 2007 underwent 3D-CRT (p<0.001). The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 6.5 years (range, 2.2~15.8 years). Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates for the entire cohort were 53% and 39%, respectively. The 5-year OS was 100% for Kadish stages A or B and 39% for stage C (p=0.007). For patients with stage C disease who were treated from 1989 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2007, the 5-year OS rate was 26% and 59% (p=0.029), respectively and the corresponding 5-year PFS rate was 16% and 46% (p=0.001), respectively. Intraorbital extension and treatment era (1989~2000 vs. 2001~2007) were found as independent factors for OS and PFS in a multivariate analyses. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that treatment era, which features a distinction in treatment modality and technique with the introduction of 3D-CRT, may be the cause of improved OS and PFS in Kadish stage C patients. To achieve better outcomes for patients with Kadish stage C, combined chemoradiotherapy, especially 3D-CRT, is recommended in addition to surgery.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2017

This study was conducted to examine the relationships between milk and milk product intake and bone health. The data from the 2008~2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used for data analysis. Subjects included 4,626 men and 6,144 women aged 19 to 64 years. Daily intake frequency of milk and milk products was obtained using a food frequency questionnaire and divided into two categories: less than one serving per day and more than one serving per day. Bone mineral density (BMD) values of total femur, femoral neck, and lumbar spine were compared based on daily intake frequency, and relationships between milk and milk product daily intake frequency and osteoporosis risk were evaluated based on logistic regression. In men aged 30~39, BMDs of total femur and femoral neck were significantly higher in the group that consumed milk more than one serving per day (P<0.05). Intake frequency of milk and milk products was also significantly related to both BMDs of total femur and femoral neck. The odds ratio (OR) for milk intake frequency (more than one serving per day) compared to intake frequency less than one serving per day was 0.36 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21~0.62], and the OR for milk and milk products intake frequency (more than one serving per day) was 0.49 (95% CI 0.28~0.86) in women aged 50~64. These results indicate that increased consumption of milk and its products is associated with reduced risk of bone health disease, and adequate intakes of milk and milk products might play an important role in maintaining optimum bone health. Further research on the causal relationship and dose-response association between milk intake and bone heath using prospective cohort data is required prior to applying the observed results to programs that prevent bone health problems.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.207-216
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• 2000

Background : The occurrence of lung complications after allogenic bone marrow transplantation(BMT) has been reported as 40-60 percent. The risk factors for lung complications are whole body irradiation, high dose chemotherapy, graft versus host disease, old age and CMV infection. The prevalence of graft versus host disease is less in Korea than in Western countries, but frequency of CMV infection is higher. Therefore, the pattern of lung complications may be different in Korea from those in Western countries. Methods : A retrospective cohort study was performed on one hundred consecutive adult patients who underwent allogenic bone marrow transplantation from December, 1993 to May, 1999 at Asan Medical Center. Lung complications were divided into two groups by the time of development, within 30days (pre-engraftment) and beyond 30 days (post-engraftment), and then subdivided into infectious and non-infectious complication. Infectious complications were defined as having the organism in blood, BAL fluid, pleural fluid or sputum, or compatible clinical findings in patients, which improved with antibiotics or an anti-fungal therapy. Result: 1) Eighty three episodes of lung complications had occurred in 54 patients. 2) Within thirty days after BMT, non-infectious complications were more common than infections, but this pattern was reversed after 30 days. After one year post-BMT, there was no infectious complication except in cases of recurrence of underlying disease or development of chronic GVHD. 3) Among the non-infectious complications, pleural effusion (27 episodes) was most common, followed by pulmonary edema (8 episodes), bronchiolitis obliterans(2 episodes), diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (1 episode) and bronchiloitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (1 episode). 4) The infectious complications were pneumonia (bacterial: 9 episodes, viral: 4 episodes, fungal : 5 episodes, pneumocystis carinii : 1 episode), pulmonary tuberculosis(3 episodes) and tuberculous pleurisy (3 episodes). 5) Lung complications were more frequent in CMV positive patients and in patients with delayed recovery of neutrophil count. 6) The mortality was higher in the patients with lung complications. Conclusion : Lung complications developed in 54% after allogenic BMT and were associated with higher mortality.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2008

Background: LKB1(STK11) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions as a tumor growth suppressor. The functions of LKB1 in lung cancer are not completely understood. This study evaluated the relationship between LKB1 protein expression and the clinicopathological features in lung cancer tissues. Methods: The expression of LKB1 was studied in paraffin-embedded tumor blocks, which were obtained from 77 patients who had undergone surgery at Wonkwang University Hospital. The expression of the LKB1 protein was considered positive if the staining intensity in the tumor tissue adjacent to the normal airway epithelium was >30%. Results: The LKB1 expression was positive in 31 (40%) of samples. Loss of LKB1 expression was significantly associated with being male, smoking history, and squamous cell carcinoma. In the peripheral sites, the loss of LKB1 expression was strongly associated with a smoking history. A loss of LKB1 expression was more frequently associated with progression according to TNM staging, particularly more than T2, N progression. Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between the loss of the LKB1 protein and gender, smoking history, and histological type in primary lung cancer. Although LKB1 expression was not found to be a significant prognostic factor, further studies with a larger cohort of patient's lung cancer tissue samples will be needed to confirm this.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-69
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• 1987

There are about 400, 000 Korean ethnics living in Central Asia. Most of Koreans in Central Asia are leading a stable middle class life mostly engaged in farm work. With increase of educational attainment of their children, a number of Koreans are launching into political and academic circles as well as in the cultural world or the press. In recent years, however, the countries in this area(Uzbekistan and Kazakstan) for this study advocate an ethnic united policy to stabilize the politics and society and to carry out efficient transformation from the former socialistic economy to a market oriented economy. In addition, they are trying to recover the culture and the language of each nation which has been forgotten in the assimilation of Russia policy. Koreans have difficulty in adaption to this kind of change. In fact, a number of Koreans lost traditional culture and could not speak their mother language - Korean. Although they more or less maintain national consciousness, they recognize Uzbekistan or Kazakstan as their nation politically. They associated with North Korea unilaterally before the launching of the Perestroika policy. But after the Seoul Olympics held in 1998, there was movement to know and understand South Korea. There has been increased in the investment by Korean companies in Central Asia. Now, what is an alternative idea for Korean community consciousness\ulcorner It can be summarized as follows: 1) The increase of aid to Korean education institute : Considering the last few decades of Russia's strong racial assimilation policy, which leads most Koreans to lost their language and national culture, the priority should go to Koreans education. 2) Local Korean press support : Though Korean newspaper are published and Korean broadcasting is on the air currently in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan, they are suffering from qualified staff and poor financial status. Therefore, positive support should be established for these Korean mass communication media outlets to recover their own function and expand their dissemination powers quickly. 3) Research on the actual condition for Korean Community : It is essential to directly examine the local Korean community's regional distribution, population structure, Korean group's formation and operation, social and cultural understanding, racial consciousness, hope for their mother land and much more. 4) Increase of mother land and education opportunity : To stir up national culture and national consciousness within the Korean community, it is necessary to expand continuous opportunities for mother land visits and education training for local Koreans, especially for second and third generations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.4 s.51
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• pp.845-862
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• 1995

We followed prospectively some hospital-delivered mothers to identify characteristics of those not initiated breast-feeding and predictors of breast-feeding discontinuation in monthly telephone interviews. Recruits were composed of 482 mothers who delivered their babies at one university hospital and one OB/GYN clinic in September to November 1991. Breast-feeding discontinuation was defined as switch to 100% formula lasting more than one week regardless of solid foods. Average age of the study subjects was 27.3 years of age(standard deviation 3.2). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated native place, occupation, method of delivery and method of feeding considered to be better for maternal health were statistically significant(p<0.1) between initiators and non-initiators of breast feeding. In starting cohort(N=242) of those initiated breast-feeding, that median of breast-feeding discontinuation were 5 months and 25th and 75th percentiles were 3 and 9 months respectively. In Cox's proportional hazard model, mothers with $10\sim13$ years of education were 2.63 times (95% confidence interval, CI $1.50\sim4.60$) more likely to discontinue than those with less than 9 years of education and those with more than 13 years of education were 3.55 time (95% CI $1.99\sim6.33$). Compared with house wife, mothers with part-time jobs were 1.99 times (95% CI $0.86\sim4.57$) more likely to discontinue and those with employed full-time were 1.55 times (95% CI $0.96\sim2.51$). These results suggest that the predictors of initiation and discontinuation of breast-feeding may be different and different target populations should be selected to promote initiation and to prevent discontinuation of breast-feeding according to the period after birth.