• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.539-544
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• 2017

Background We conducted this study to identify factors that may prolong the length of the hospital stay (LHS) in patients with diabetic foot (DF) in a single-institution setting. Methods In this single-center retrospective study, we evaluated a total of 164 patients with DF, and conducted an intergroup comparison of their baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, including sex, age, duration of diabetes, smoking status, body mass index, underlying comorbidities (e.g., hypertension or diabetic nephropathy), wound characteristics, type of surgery, the total medical cost, white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and albumin, protein, glycated hemoglobin, and 7-day mean blood glucose (BG) levels. Results Pearson correlation analysis showed that an LHS of >5 weeks had a significant positive correlation with the severity of the wound (r=0.647), WBC count (r=0.571), CRP levels (r=0.390), DN (r=0.020), and 7-day mean BG levels (r=0.120) (P<0.05). In multiple regression analysis, an LHS of >5 weeks had a significant positive correlation with the severity of the wound (odds ratio [OR]=3.297; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.324-10.483; P=0.020), WBC count (OR=1.423; 95% CI, 0.046.0-356; P=0.000), CRP levels (OR=1.079; 95% CI, 1.015-1.147; P=0.014), albumin levels (OR=0.263; 95% CI, 0.113.3-673; P=0.007), and 7-day mean BG levels (OR=1.018; 95% CI, 1.001-1.035; P=0.020). Conclusions Surgeons should consider the factors associated with a prolonged LHS in the early management of patients with DF. Moreover, this should also be accompanied by a multidisciplinary approach to reducing the LHS.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 1999

Anesthetic agents are useful in inducing the anesthesia for surgical operations and various biological experiments, but they can disturb the body homeostasis and cause the stress in animals. Much efforts have been directed on reducing such side effects of anesthesia. In this work, we measured the serum ACTH, corticosterone and glucose concentration in rabbits to compare the degree of stress induced by two commonly-used anesthetics, ketamine, xylazine, and the combination of xylazine and ketamine. 1. The anesthesia was induced in about 10 min in the rabbits treated with xyalzine, ketamine and xylazine-ketamine. The duration of complete loss of righting reflex were 12, 13 and 115 min in the groups treated with xylazine, ketamine and xylazine-ketamine, respectively. 2. Serum ACTH concentrations in all treatment groups were higher than those in control group. At 30 min after the administration of the drugs, serum ACTH levels in ketamine-treated group were significantly higher than those in control, xylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups. However, at 1, 2, 5 and 9 hours after the drug administration, serum ACTH levels in xylazine-treated-group were higher than those in control. 3. Serum corticosterone levels in xylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups were lower than those in control or ketamine-treated groups at 0.5 and 1 hour after the administration. However, at 5 and 9 hours after the administration, serum corticosterone levels in xylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups were significantly higher than those in ketamine-treated group or control. 4. Serum glucose levels transiently increased to 3 times of the pre-injection levels at 0.5 and 1 hours after the administration in xylazine or xylazine-ketamine-treated groin, but were not changed in control and ketamine-treated group. These results indicate that xylazine-induced stress lasts longer than ketamine-induced, suggesting that the difference in stress-related hormone levels during anesthesia could be due to the differences in modes of actions of individual drugs used and the depth of anesthesia.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.642-652
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• 2006

In order to understand the characteristics of surface ozone concentration and high $O_3$ concentration days, regional data from seven air quality monitoring stations which were operated by local governments were analyzed Regional characteristics of $O_3$ concentration were analyzed with the data of $O_3$ concentration and the characteristics of $O_3$ generation and weather conditions by the selection of the days in which the concentration was higher than 80 ppb. In the case of daily variation, the lowest $O_3$ concentration was shown in all regions from 7am to 8am and the highest around at 4 pm. The monthly variation of mean $O_3$ concentration and ${\Delta}O_3$ values revealed a reducing pattern in July and August following the peak in June, and again a gradual increasing trend in September and October. The result shows that the amount of ozone is dependent on photochemical reaction. The days of $O_3$ generated more than 80 ppb in the region of Gwangyang-bay were 544 days(1,760 hrs). The frequency of occurrence in the region revealed a strong pattern with the order of Samil-dong, Jinsang, and Gwangmu-dong stations in the Gwangyang region. However, Tein-dong, which is the nearest station to air pollution material generation source, showed the lowest frequency in the study area. Consequently, the meteorological parameters which can easily generate the high concentration of $O_3$ in the region of Gwangyang-bay are characterized as follows; atmospheric temperature which is higher than $19^{\circ}C$, relative humidity with the range of $60{\sim}85%$, the less average wind velocity than 5 m/s, cloud cover which is less than 5/10, and the more duration of sunshine than 8 hours.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.359-381
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• 2012

This Study aims to investigate the patterns and causes of the time to return-to-work(RTW) of the injured workers. This study collected data with structured questionnaires and finally included 791 injured workers. The Kaplan-Meier method is used for describing the patterns of the time to RTW after the injury and after claim closure. And the Cox regression is used to identify significant factors on the time to RTW after the injury and after claim closure. The results show that amom the all respondents, the 2.65% returned to work within 1 month, 28.82% within 6 months, 50.95% within 1 year, 71.69% within 2 years after the injury, and the 29.46% of the all repondent returned to work before claim closure or directly after the claim closure, the 36.41% returned to work within 1 month, 56.64% within 6 months, 67.54% within 1 year after the claim closure. And the Cox regression results of the time to RTW after the injury show that the time to RTW affected by gender, age, income, the retirement during the treatment, the RTW to the company at injured time, injury type, surgery, the claim duration, disability ratings, vocational training. Also, the Cox regression results of the time to RTW after the claim show that the time to RTW affected by gender, age, income, the return to the company at injured time, disability ratings, vocational training. As a result, some implication and policies are suggested for reducing the time to RTW of the injured workers.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of further acupuncture research as an effective and safe treatment for reducing cancer-related upper abdominal pain in patients treated with Neurolytic celiac plexus block(NCPB). Methods : This study is a randomized controlled pilot clinical trial of 3-week duration. Fourteen patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to 2 groups: an acupuncture plus NCPB group(experimental group) and a NCPB group(control group). All patients will undergo one session of NCPB, but only the experimental group will receive three acupuncture sessions a week for 2 weeks(6 in total). The primary outcome will be measured using the visual analogue scale, and the secondary outcome will be measured using the Painvision system and the consumption of additional analgesics. Assessments will be made at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 weeks thereafter(that is, the 3-week assessment will be made 1 week after treatment cessation). Conclusions : This clinical trial will inform the design of a full-scale trial. The outcomes will provide information to facilitate the incorporation of acupuncture into existing pain management methods such as NCPB in the treatment of cancer-related upper abdominal pain patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.190-200
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• 2002

Purpose; The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure sexual satisfaction in Korean adults. Method: Development of items for the instrument was done by a collecting, reorganizing, reducing and selecting process based on the literature. A total of 19 items were selected in this process. For evaluation of the appropriateness of the 19 items, questionnaires were given to an expert group consisting of 18 professionals (7 men and 11 women). Eighteen items having a response of 70% in 'very good' item or 'good' item were included as items for the instrument. With these 18 items, a 5 point Likert scale was developed, and reliability and validity tests of the scale were done. The subjects for the test were 1,127 Korean adults living in 11 areas in Korea, Data were collected from Dec. 1, 2000 to Feb. 28, 2001 and analyzed with SPSS/PC+ 10.0 program. Item analysis and factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. Chronbach alpha and corrected item-total correlation were obtained to verify internal consistency, and principal component analysis with the varimax rotation was used to identify structure validity of the developed tool. Result: Reliability of the scale was .9503 and corrected item-total correlations of the items were distributed from .5208 to 7899. As a result of the factor analysis, the items were categorized into three factors. The cumulative variance of the three factors was 67.1%, and all of the variances of the factors were above 5%. Because factor 1 (8 items) indicated a special feeling of psychological satisfaction with sexual activity, it was named 'psychological factor'. Factor 2 (8 items) indicated a feeling of satisfaction in the interaction with sexual partner through communication and variation, therefore it was named 'interactional factor'. Factor 3 (2 items) was about the frequency and duration of sexual intercourse and indicated physical dimensions of satisfaction, so it was named 'physical factor'. The average score for sexual satisfaction of the 1,127 subjects was 65.32 (${\pm}12.71$), and histogram of the score showed a normal distribution with skewness - .425. Conclusion: Finally, a Korean Sexual Satisfaction Scale(KSSS) was accepted as a 5 point Likert scale with 18 items after the statistical test for reliability and validity. In conclusion, KSSS is a useful instrument which is valid and reliable can be used to understand the sexuality of Korean adults.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2015

Objectives : This study was designed to assess the general distribution and clinical effectiveness of Korean medical treatment on lumbar disc herniation. Methods : This is an observational study. 72 patients admitted to Daejeon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine with a diagnosis of herniated intervertebral disc(HIVD) by lumbar-CT of lumbar-MRI were observed from July, 2014 to April, 2015. They were analyzed according to sex, age, the period of disease, causal factors, symptoms on admission, admission day, disc herniation type and treatment efficacy. All patients received a combination of treatments during hospitalization, including acupuncture, Chuna, herbal medicines and physical therapy. A zero to ten numerating rating scale(NRS) assessing pain, Oswestry disability index(ODI) and EuroQol-5 dimension(EQ-5D) was used before and after treatments. Results : Average admission duration was $28.00{\pm}12.85$ days in lumbar disc patients. For lumbar patients, lower back pain NRS decreased from $5.89{\pm}2.00$ to $3.42{\pm}1.87$(p<0.001) and radiating pain from $5.96{\pm}2.12$ to $3.38{\pm}1.83$(p<0.001). ODI decreased from $46.69{\pm}19.25$ to $35.69{\pm}16.67$(p<0.001), and EQ-5D index increased from $0.63{\pm}0.26$ to $0.71{\pm}0.20$(p<0.05) after treatment in lumbar disc patients. Conclusions : Korean medical combination treatment might be effective in reducing pain and improving quality of life for patients with lumbar disc herniation. This study further confirmed the efficacy of Korean medical treatment on HIVD.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.136-140
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• 2000

A stainless steel separator for a molten carbonate fuel cell is usually coated with aluminum diffusive layer to protect its surface against corrosion by the molten carbonate at high temperatures. In this study, a relatively simple method was devised to form the aluminum diffusive layer on a stainless steel substrate. Slurry coating of aluminum on the substrate followed by heat treatment under reducing atmosphere at $650\~800^{\circ}C$ produced the aluminum diffusive layer of $25\~80{\mu}m$ thickness. The thickness of aluminum diffusive layer increased with increasing the temperature or duration of the heat-treatment. The corrosion resistance against molten carbonate under oxidizing atmosphere was significantly improved by aluminum diffusive layer formed by the sluny painting and heat treatment method. Moreover, the sample prepared in this study showed corrosion behavior similar to the sample with aluminum diffusive layer prepared by ion vapor deposition and heat treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.84-98
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of recruiting women into a clinical trial designed to examine the effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture in treating overactive bladder (OAB) in menopause women. We tried to determine if there was preliminary evidence to suggest that acupuncture may be effective in reducing OAB symptoms and improving disease-specific quality of life. We also tried to determine the appropriate treatment duration of OAB, with safety of performing acupuncture and electroacupuncture treatment. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial. 7 menopause women were randomly assigned to a electroacupuncture group (EA group) (n=4) or acupuncture group (AC group) (n=3) and received electroacupuncture or acupuncture treatment twice a week (16 sessions) in 8 weeks, and follow up assessment was performed after the end of treatment. Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), 3-day bladder diary, and King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) were performed 4 times (at baseline (visit 0), the middle of treatment (visit 8), after the end of treatment (visit 16), and at 4 weeks of follow-up (visit 17)) and analyzed. 2 subjects were dropped out, and finally 5 subjects completed the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0 for window program. Results: There was an significant improvement in night-time frequency after the treatment (visit 17) in PP (Per-protocol) group analysis (p=0.042). In additional ITT (Inter-to-treat) group analysis, the OABSS (p=0.042) and night-time frequency (p=p=0.017) were improved significantly after the treatment (visit 17). But there was no significant difference of KHQ before and after the treatment. Also there was no significant difference between EA and AC group after the treatment (visit 16, 17). Conclusions: The results of this pilot study suggested that it was feasible to recruit subjects and perform the study procedures, after reconstructing several details of study protocol in performing further clinical trial.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.742-749
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• 2009

In order to establish the basic scientific data on the fermentation characteristics of chonggak kimchi (CGK), we studied with CGKs prepared at different seasons and stored at various temperatures ($5{\sim}23^{\circ}C$). Changes in pH and acidity of CGK fermented at different temperatures were typical. However, acidity of summer CGK stored under $15^{\circ}C$ did not reach 1.0% since the amount of reducing sugar in the summer radish was lower by over 1% than the ones from the other seasons. Growths for Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus spp. over 8.0 logCFU/mL were observed in CGKs fermented above $10^{\circ}C$. Changes in Max G, cutting force, of CGK from different seasons were apparent. Max Gs for spring and summer CGK were decreased immediately right after storage while Max Gs for winter CGKs were increased slowly during storage. According to the results of sensory evaluation, CGKs revealed the highest overall acceptability when acidity of kimchi reached $0.7{\pm}0.1%$ under the given fermentation condition. However, CGK prepared with radish from winter or summer season tasted better than the one made in the spring. But the edible periods for winter CGKs were longer, compared with summer CGKs fermented at the same temperature. In conclusion, CGK fermented at $10^{\circ}C$ in the winter season gives a better taste with longer edible duration than the other CGKs.