• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2004

This study concentrates on the trail of the CNU(Chungnam National University) forest. The amount of use and the pattern of damage are considered, as well as the extent of environmental damage. Finally, some managerial strategies are proposed in connection with sustainable maintenance. The trail of the university forest is composed of three sections; one is the neighborhood park and the Institute of Information Technology/Communications, the second is the Institute of Information Technology/Communications and the Dormitory, and the third section is the Dormitory and the Foreign prof's Apt. The total length of the trail is 2.6km. The daily amount of use is 1,269 visitors per day. The amount of using increased three times the amount of that in 1998. This study shows the pattern of damage of the trail in the order of root-exposure, widening, rock-exposure, deepening and the divergence in the frequency of occurrence of all these factors. Environmental damage is also graded thus: grade 3 is 27.4m, grade 4 is 0.8m, grade 5 is 1.5m, and grade 6 is 0.2m. Accordingly, some managerial strategies were proposed in connection with the sustainable trail maintenance.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2020

The gold standard method for diagnosis of tuberculosis is the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis through culture, but there is a probability of cross-contamination in simultaneous cultures of samples causing false-positives. This can result in delayed treatment of the underlying disease and drug side effects. In this paper, we reviewed studies on false-positive cultures of M. tuberculosis. Rate of occurrence, effective factors, and extent of false-positives were analyzed. Ways to identify and reduce the false-positives and management of them are critical for all laboratories. In most cases, false-positive is occurring in cases with only one positive culture but negative direct smear. The three most crucial factors in this regard are inappropriate technician function, contamination of reagents, and aerosol production. Thus, to reduce false-positives, good laboratory practice, as well as use of whole-genome sequencing or genotyping of all positive culture samples with a robust, extra pure method and rapid response, are essential for minimizing the rate of false-positives. Indeed, molecular approaches and epidemiological surveillance can provide a valuable tool besides culture to identify possible false positives.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.505-519
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• 1998

The occurrence of PVNS in the TMJ is very rare. We report a case of PVNS which was misdiagnosed as a parotid tumor at first. CT and conventional radiograph revealed a well defined mass demonstrating higher attenuation than adjacent soft tissue. Erosion and expansion of the cortical plate of the mandibular condyle and sclerotic change beneath the margin of the lesion were also shown. MRI demonstrated well defined mass of very low signal intensity on both Tl and T2-weighted images due to ferromagnetic effect of the high concentrated hemosiderin and clearly delineated the extent of the lesion. Histopathologic findings and characteristic appearance of the various imaging methods were described and the usefulness of these images for diagnosis and pretreatment evaluation of PVNS were also discussed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2024

Objectives: Protecting people against financial hardship caused by illness stands as a fundamental obligation within healthcare systems and constitutes a pivotal component in achieving universal health coverage. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence and determinants of catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) in Iran, over the period of 2013 to 2019. Methods: Data were obtained from 7 annual national surveys conducted between 2013 and 2019 on the income and expenditures of Iranian households. The prevalence of CHE was determined using a threshold of 40% of household capacity to pay for healthcare. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the determinants influencing CHE. Results: The prevalence of CHE increased from 3.60% in 2013 to 3.95% in 2019. In all the years analyzed, the extent of CHE occurrence among rural populations exceeded that of urban populations. Living in an urban area, having a higher wealth index, possessing health insurance coverage, and having employed family members, an employed household head, and a literate household head are all associated with a reduced likelihood of CHE (p<0.05). Conversely, the use of dental, outpatient, and inpatient care, and the presence of elderly members in the household, are associated with an increased probability of facing CHE (p<0.05). Conclusions: Throughout the study period, CHE consistently exceeded the 1% threshold designated in the national development plan. Continuous monitoring of CHE and its determinants at both household and health system levels is essential for the implementation of effective strategies aimed at enhancing financial protection.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.21-36
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• 1996

This thesis focused on the extent of the area-by-area gap of the unit production cost that should be taken into account without exception in supply of the local public goods production cost. With the advent of the local autonomy era, what should be considered in the local governmen's production of the local public goods are the government's fiscal capacity and the environmental difference that shows up in accordance with the area's characteristics. Though with the same level of the fiscal capacity, an occurrence of environmental difference will lead inevitably to the different level of actual supply of the local public goods. The method of analysis used in this thesis was first to bring out implicit price, to combine this with induced expenditure function, to separate demand function parameter and cost function parameter, and then to analyzed the impact of environmental variables on the production cost. The environmental variables were set on the basis of the ones that affected expenditure per person of the public goods. The analysis was conducted in distinction of city areas and county areas. The results showed that, in cases of cities, more production cost of the public goods was in presence in urban areas and in areas where there was sluggish development. In other words, distinction could be drawn between areas where there was a large consumption of production cost resulting from poor environmental sparked by slow development and those where additional costs were required due to population concentration caused by a certain level of accomplished development. In the meantime, in cases of county areas, the results were around the same. However, a comparison between city areas and county ones told that overall difference between city areas was not that big in the production cost while that in county areas was large enough. In times ahead, in implementation of grant-in-aid scheme, production cost index for local public goods could be used as it was written in consideration of environmental characteristics of areas concerned.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2019

Background: Piton du Milieu (PdM) impounding reservoir is suspected to be eutrophic based on the elevated level of orthophosphate and nitrate. Water supplies from three adjacent rivers are primarily thought to contribute to the nutrient enrichment of the reservoir. It is also suspected that there is leaching of orthophosphate, nitrate and organic matter into the rivers during rainfall events and also as a result of anthropogenic activities within the catchment area. The aim of this study was to ascertain the impact of nutrient loading on the water quality of PdM water and on the population of freshwater microalgae in the reservoir. The enumeration and identification of algae from PdM were performed by differential interference contrast microscopy. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were determined by electrometric methods, whereas nutrient levels, silica and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined by instrumentation techniques. Results: Annual mean orthophosphate, nitrate and total organic carbon input from the three feeders within the catchment area of PdM reached levels as high as 0.09 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L and 2.62 ppm respectively. Over a 12-month period, mean TOC concentration in the reservoir was 2.32 ppm while the mean algal cell count was 4601 cells/mL. The dominant algal species identified were Oscillatoria, Cyclotella, Navicula and Cosmarium. Conclusion: This study highlights the trophic state of the reservoir water and clearly points to the need for constant monitoring in order to avoid the occurrence of an impending harmful algal bloom.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2014

Objectives: We established a Wistar rat model of asthma caused by toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposure, and investigated the relationship between TDI exposure concentrations and respiratory hypersensitivity, airway inflammation, and cytokine secretions in animals, to better understand the mechanism of TDI induced occupational asthma. Methods: Wistar rats were exposed to two different concentrations of TDI vapor four hours a day for five consecutive days. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, and differential leucocytes from the BAL fluid were analyzed. Lung histopathological examination was carried out to investigate the inflammatory status in the airways. Production of cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 productions in the BAL fluid in vivo was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: The TDI-exposed rats exhibited greater airway hypersensitivity symptoms than the control rats. The BAL differential cell count and lung histopathological examination demonstrated that inflammation reactions were present in both the central and peripheral airways, characterized with marked infiltration of eosinophils in the TDI-exposed rats. The cytokine assay showed that IL-4 and IL-5 were predominantly produced in the BAL fluid in vivo. Conclusions: These findings imply that TDI exposure concentrations may greatly affect the occurrence and extent of inflammatory events and that Th2 type cytokines may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of TDI-induced occupational respiratory hypersensitivity.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2011

This study examined the characteristics of radio-frequency/vacuum dried Korean red pine ($Pinus$ $densoflora$) heavy timbers with 250 ${\times}$ 250 mm (S), 300 ${\times}$ 300 mm (L) in cross section and 300 mm in diameter, and 3,600 mm in length, which were subjected to compressive loading after a kerf pretreatment. The following results were obtained : The drying time was short and the drying rate was high in spite of the large cross section of specimens. The moisture gradient inall specimens was gentle in both longitudinal and transverse directions owing to dielectric heating. The shrinkage of the width in the direction perpendicular to was 21 percent ~ 76 percent of that of the thickness of square timbers in the direction parallel to the mechanical pressure. The casehardening for all specimens was very slight because of significantly reduced ratio of the tangential to radial shrinkage of specimens and kerfing. The surface checks somewhat severely occurred although the occurrence extent of the surface checks on the kerfed specimens was slight compared withthat on the control specimen.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy in very elderly patients with gastric cancer, who have outlived the average lifespan of the Korean population (men: ${\geq}77years$, women: ${\geq}84years$). Materials and Methods: Between 2004 and 2015, 836 patients with gastric cancer underwent a laparoscopic gastrectomy. They were divided into the elderly group (EldG) and non-elderly group (nEldG). Propensity score matching for covariates of sex, tumor depth, node status, and extent of resection was performed. Clinicopathologic characteristics, and surgical and survival outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The EldG had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and a higher number of comorbidities. There was no significant difference in the post-operative complications, except for pulmonary complications, which were more frequent in the EldG (5/56, 8.9%) than in the nEldG (0/56, 0%). The EldG had a shorter overall survival (OS), but cancer-specific survival was similar for both groups. Among deceased patients, 2 (25%) and 8 patients (50%) died within a year of surgery in the nEldG and EldG, respectively. Univariate and multivariate risk factor analyses for OS showed that age, ASA score, tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage, and occurrence of complications were significantly related to deterioration in OS. Conclusions: Laparoscopic gastrectomy can be safely performed in very elderly patients with gastric cancer who have outlived the average lifespan of the Korean population. However, impact of laparoscopic gastrectomy on improving survival is not clear, and careful patient selection is recommended.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Poultry Science Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.31-43
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• 2005

Isoflavones are naturally occurring plant chemicals belonging to the 'phytoestrogen' class. The isoflavones are strikingly similar in chemical structure to natural estrogens. The phenolic ring is a key structural element of most compounds that bind to estrogen receptors. Dietary components that recently have received attention for their action as phytoestrogens are soy isoflavones. Soy products are the most significant dietary sources of isoflavones. Recently It is concerned clinical nutrition of isoflavone that is driven by reason of alternative sources of exogenous estrogen are constantly being needed. Estrogen therapy after the menopause offers protection from cardiovascular disease, reduces the extent of osteoporosis and relieves menopausal symptoms. Exogenous estrogen treatment is a fear of possible increased risk of developing breast cancer and because of side effects. Daily intake of soybean or soy food can affirmative effect to disease occurrence, that is based on mechanical investigation, experimental results of animals and human. Research into isoflavone is going on various field to relieve hormone - dependent disease such as cancer, menopausal symptom, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Isoflavone is plenty in soybean meal, soy by-product, but only limited information is available on isoflavone efficacy into animal husbandry. Thus we conducted three experiments to investigate the effects of dietary isoflavone on productivities, antioxidative responses and bone metabolism in poultry. Dietary supplementation of isoflavone resulted in preventing the lipid oxidation of plasma and egg yolk. Dietary isoflavone improved bone development in egg-type growing chicks and broilers in terms of tibial strength. It was suggested that the proper use of feed additives such as isoflavone might provide means of improving antioxidative effect, skeletal strength, egg and eggshell quality.