• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical aspects of patients with Soyangin vitiligo. Methods : This clinical investigation was made with 148 Soyangin Vitiligo patients who visited Haneulmaeum Oriental Medicine Clinic (Incheon) from July 1st 2007 to June 30th 2017. Results & Conclusions : 1. There were 73 males(49.3%) and 75 females(50.7%). 2. The Mean age at the first visit was 36.1 years(male: 36.4, female: 35.8). 3. The Mean age of onset was 27.9 years(male: 28.6, female: 27.4). 4. The mean duration of the disease was 8.0 years(male: 7.8, female: 8.3). 5. Of the 148 patients, 41(27.7%) had the symmetric lesions and 107(72.3%) had the asymmetric vitiligo lesions. Of the patients with asymmetric vitiligo lesions, 46(31.1%) had the localized lesions and 26(17.6%) had the segmental lesions and 35(24.3%) had the multiple lesions. 6. The most common site of initial involvement of the vitiligo was the face (39.2%). 7. The most common site of the vitiligo lesions was the face(49.3%). 8. Familial history was obtained in 12 patients(8.1%). 9. There was no known precipitating factor in most cases(89.4%). 10. Thyroid disease was the most common associated disease. 11. The progression of vitiligo was present in 92 patients(62.2%).

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Objectives : From January 2020, when the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Korea, the use of health information using the Internet is expected to increase. It is expected that there will be a significant change in the general public's interest in Korean herbal medicines for health care. Therefore, in this study, we tried to confirm the change in the search trend of Korean herbal medicines after the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods : Using the "Naver DataLab (http://datalab.naver.com)" service of a Korean portal site Naver, search volume was investigated with 606 Korean herbal medicines as keywords. The search period was from January 2020, right after the onset of COVID-19, to June 2021. The search results were sorted by the peak search volume and the total search volume. Results : 'Cheonsangap (천산갑, 穿山甲, Manitis Squama)' was the most searched Korean herbal medicine in the peak search volume and total search volume with least bias. Conclusions : The problem of supply and demand of Korean herbal medicines of high public interest was identified. Broadcasting and media exposure were the factors that had a big impact on the search volume for Korean herbal medicines. As it was confirmed that the search volume for Korean herbal medicines increased rapidly due to media exposure, it is necessary to provide correct information about Korean herbal medicines, improve public awareness, and manage stable supply and demand based on continuous search trend monitoring.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.19-38
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• 2020

Purpose - The Korean government has been promoting the New Southern Policy (NSP) prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which damage global value chain (GVC). The purpose of this paper is to emphasize that the NSP should be developed to provide tangible support in corporate GVC adjustment, away from diplomatic activities in order to offset GVC losses due to COVID-19 and expand export capabilities. Design/methodology - Two research methodologies are combined for this paper: A computational general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to estimate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and NSP on Korea's exports, and the decomposition methodology (Wang, Wei and Zhu, 2013) to evaluate the stability of GVC. The conventional CGE model was modified to obtain an estimate for decomposition. The research methodology adopted in this study was attempted for the first time, and it can be widely used in future GVC research. Findings - Results found the effects of COVID-19 reduced Korea's total exports by 27% and GVC by more than 30%. In particular, VA in Korea's exports to the NSP region was found to have a huge impact in heavy industries and textiles, and its exports to Vietnam seemed to suffer the largest loss in GVC among ASEAN countries. If the NSP is implemented properly, it appears that it could offset much of the negative impacts of COVID-19, implying the importance of the effectiveness of the NSP. Originality/value - Many papers have assessed the NSP descriptively, and the GVC has been a topic for many publications. However, the impact of COVID-19 on Korea's GVC with the NSP countries has not been quantitatively studied. This paper emphasizes that the NSP should be pursued based on the results of quantitative analysis. In addition, the research methodology of this paper can be used for other GVC research with relevant modifications.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.13
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• 2021

Background: Multifidus muscle stiffness decreases in patients with lumbar intervertebral disk herniation; however, age-related changes in humans have not been reported. Objectives: The reliability of ultrasound shear wave elastography in dogs, and changes in the shear elastic modulus of the thoracolumbar multifidus muscle with aging in dogs, were investigated. Methods: Twelve beagle dogs were divided into 2 groups based on the age of onset of intervertebral disk herniation: young (aged not exceeding 2 years; 1.3 ± 0.6 years old, n = 5) and adult (4.9 ± 1.2 years old, n = 7). The shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle, from the thirteenth thoracic spine to the fourth lumbar spine, was measured using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The length, cross-sectional area and muscle to fat ratio of the multifidus muscle, and the grade of intervertebral disk degeneration, were assessed using radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Results: The length and cross-sectional area of the multifidus muscle increased caudally. In the young group, the shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle of the thirteenth thoracic spine was less than that of the third lumbar spine. In the adult group, the shear elastic modulus of the multifidus muscle of first and third lumbar spine was lower than that of the same site in the young group. Conclusions: Ultrasound can be used to measure shear wave elastography of the thoracolumbar multifidus in dogs. If the multifidus muscle stiffness decreases, we should consider age-related change.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.292-298
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• 2018

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune central nervous system disease characterized by inflammation with oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate an anti-inflammatory effect of Ishige okamurae on EAE-induced paralysis in rats. An ethanolic extract of I. okamurae significantly delayed the first onset and reduced the duration and severity of hind-limb paralysis. The neuropathological and immunohistochemical findings in the spinal cord were in agreement with these clinical results. T-cell proliferation assay revealed that the ethyl-acetate fraction of I. okamurae suppressed the proliferation of myelin basic protein reactive T cells from EAE affected rats. Flow cytometric analysis showed $TCR{\alpha}{\beta}^+$ T cells was significantly reduced in the spleen of EAE rats with I. okamurae treatment with concurrent decrease of inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ and cyclooxygenase-2. Collectively, it is postulated that I. okamurae ameliorates EAE paralysis with suppression of T-cell proliferation as well as decrease of pro-inflammatory mediators as far as rat EAE is concerned.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.215-222
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• 2019

Background: Several nerve blocks can reduce the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) as well as relieve acute zoster-related pain, but the long-term outcome of PHN has not been clearly determined. This study investigated the efficacy of selective nerve root block (SNRB) for herpes zoster (HZ) on the long-term outcome of PHN. Methods: We prospectively conducted an interview of patients who had undergone an SNRB for HZ from January 2006 to December 2016 to evaluate their long-term PHN status. The relationship between the time from HZ onset to the first SNRB and the long-term outcome of PHN was investigated. Results: The data of 67 patients were collected. The patients were allocated to acute ($SNRB{\leq}14days$, n = 16) or subacute (SNRB > 14 days, n = 51) groups. The proportions of cured patients were 62.5% and 25.5% in the acute and subacute groups (P = 0.007), respectively. In logistic regression, an SNRB >14 days was the significant predictor of PHN (adjusted odd ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-14.93; P = 0.047). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that time from the SNRB to the cure of PHN was significantly shorter in the acute group ($2.4{\pm}0.7yr$) than in the subacute group ($5.0{\pm}0.4yr$; P = 0.003). Conclusions: An early SNRB during the acute stage of HZ (within 14 days) appears to decrease the incidence and shorten the duration of PHN, with a median of 5.0 years of follow-up.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.33-52
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• 2018

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with hyperhidrosis who visited a Korean medicine hospital, and provide information on treated hyperhidrosis, based on Sasang Constitutional medicine. Methods A retrospective review was made of the electronic medical record (EMR) charts for 157 Korean patients with hyperhidrosis (90 male, 67 female), who first visited hospital from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. The following information was collected: sex, age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and clinical data (diagnosis, area of onset, duration of illness, aggravating factors, medication, healing process, et al). Results There were many patients with hyperhidrosis, in the other of So-Yang type (57.3%), Tae-Eum type (35.0%) and So-Eum type (7.6%). The proportion of male was higher than female. The most common area of hyperhidrosis was hands and feet (44.0%), followed by generalized whole body (27.4%) and head and face (25.5%). The cure rate of hyperhidrosis was 32.2%, and effectiveness rate of that was 72.7%. In individual patients, the better the usual health condition expressed by original symptoms, the higher the possibility of treatment success, with shortened duration of treatment and reduced total drug dose. The most frequent treatment modality in patients was that consistently improved, and this duration of treatment was statistically significantly shorter than that experienced worsening of excessive sweating during treatment period (p<0.001). Conclusions This study provides some original information on the Korean patients with hyperhidrosis, and suggests the suitability of Sasang Constitutional medicine as treatment methods for hyperhidrosis.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2019

Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) images are useful for diagnosing myopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of lower-limb MR images in Korean patients with distal myopathy. Methods: We reviewed medical records in the myopathy database from January 2002 to October 2016. We selected 21 patients from 91 unrelated families with distal myopathy: four with GNE myopathy, 11 with dysferlinopathy, and six with ADSSL1 myopathy. Results: Ten (48%) of the 21 patients were men. The ages of the participants at symptom onset and imaging were $19.2{\pm}9.5$ and $30.4{\pm}9.0$ years (mean${\pm}$standard deviation), respectively. Their grade on the modified Gardner-Medwin and Walton grade was $3.3{\pm}1.7$. The strength grade of the knee extensors was not correlated with the Mercuri scale for the quadriceps (r = -0.247, p = 0.115). However, the Medical Research Council grades of the knee flexors, ankle dorsiflexors, and ankle plantar flexors were significantly correlated with the Mercuri scale ratings of the knee flexors (r = -0.497, p = 0.001), tibialis anterior (r = -0.727, p < 0.001), and ankle plantar flexors (r = -0.620, p < 0.001), respectively. T1-weighted MR images showed characteristic fatty replacement patterns that were consistent with the causative genes. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of the Mercuri scale showed that the main factors contributing to the dichotomy were the causative gene and the clinical severity. Conclusions: This study is the first to reveal the usefulness of lower-limb MR images in the differential diagnosis of distal myopathy in Korea.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.117-135
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• 2019

The lifetime of a gas turbine combustor is typically limited by the durability of its liner, the structure that encloses the high-temperature combustion products. The primary objective of the combustor thermal design process is to ensure that the liner temperatures do not exceed a maximum value set by material limits. Liner temperatures exceeding these limits hasten the onset of cracking which increase the frequency of unscheduled engine removals and cause the maintenance and repair costs of the engine to increase. Hot gas temperature prediction can be considered a preliminary step for combustor liner temperature prediction which can make a suitable view of combustion chamber conditions. In this study, the temperature distribution of ceramic panels for a V94.2 gas turbine combustor subjected to realistic operation conditions is presented using three-dimensional finite difference method. A simplified model of alumina ceramic is used to obtain the temperature distribution. The external thermal loads consist of convection and radiation heat transfers are considered that these loads are applied to flat segmented panel on hot side and forced convection cooling on the other side. First the temperatures of hot and cold sides of ceramic are calculated. Then, the thermal boundary conditions of all other ceramic sides are estimated by the field observations. Finally, the temperature distributions of ceramic panels for a V94.2 gas turbine combustor are computed by MATLAB software. The results show that the gas emissivity for diffusion mode is more than premix therefore the radiation heat flux and temperature will be more. The results of this work are validated by ANSYS and ABAQUS softwares. It is showed that there is a good agreement between all results.

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2018

Background: A delay of transfer for patients with acute stroke needing emergent revascularization is a huge hurdle for efficacy of revascularization. The objective of this study was to investigate changes of transportation time calculated by image to door (ITD) time (from checking brain images at first contact hospital to arriving at our emergency center) before and after 2015. Methods: This study was performed in a retrospective manner from 2013 into 2017. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients having intravenous thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy during the observation period were enrolled. Among them, those who had revascularization under 'Drip-and-Ship' or 'Ship-and-Drip' paradigm were selected. Results: During the observation period, 225 patients were treated under 'Drip-and-Ship' or 'Ship-and-Drip' paradigm. Twenty-three were excluded due the lack of detailed data. Among 202 patients, 73 and 129 were treated under Drip-and-Ship and Ship-and-Drip paradigms, respectively. In 2013, 35 patients from 18 hospitals (median distance, 25 km) were transferred to our regional stroke center and their median ITD time was 116 minutes. It was gradually decreased after 2015. In 2017, ITD time was significantly (P<0.01) shortened to 85 minutes without significant changes in transfer distance. The median onset to puncture time was also significantly (P=0.03) decreased from 365 minutes in 2013 to 270 minutes in 2017. Conclusion: Our results implicate that many hospitals in our stroke region might have recognized the importance of rapid transportation for AIS after 2015.