• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.384-389
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• 2021

Background: Social distancing by working-from-home is an effective measure to decrease the spread of COVID-19. However, this new work pattern could also affect the well-being of workers. Therefore, the aim of the study was to study the magnitude of occupational health problems and lifestyle changes among workers who have only recently started working from home. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using online self-administered questionnaires during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the Bangkok metropolitan area, Thailand. The participants were from any organization that allowed working from home. The demographic data including the analysis of the characteristics of working from home, the occurrence of occupational health problems, and the lifestyle changes caused by working from home were analyzed. Results: A total of 869 workers were included as study participants. The highest prevalence of physical health problems among all workers was identified to be weight gain at a rate of 40.97% (95% confidence interval = 37.69-44.24), and the highest prevalence of psychosocial problems was identified to be cabin fever at a rate of 31.28% (95% confidence interval = 26.66-35.90%) among full-time working-from-home workers. The health effects that were significantly related to the intensity of working from home (p for trends <0.05), either positively or negatively, included body weight changes, ergonomic problems, indoor environmental problems, and psychosocial problems. Meanwhile, the lifestyle changes related to work intensity included eating pattern, sleep habits, and exercise. Conclusions: Working from home can affect workers' well-being in various aspects. Hence, occupational health providers must prepare for risk prevention and health promotion in this "new normal" working life pattern and for future pandemics.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.15-23
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• 2012

In this study, oral health promotion behaviors of employees, daily frequency of tooth brushing, tooth brushing method, brushing time, whether or not to use oral hygiene accessories, and regular dental check-up to investigate oral health status of workers to the workplace and was to provide basic data for the development of oral health program to promote oral health. This study was performed from 2011 May 2 to May 20, 249 industrial workers in Ulsan metropolitan city surveyed and collected data using PASW 18.0 ver, descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test was performed. In the result, the importance of oral health recognition was lacked, in order to maintain and promote the oral health status of industrial workers, regular dental check-up on oral health counseling and oral health education were conducted together and raising awareness of workers' oral health was necessary to improve level of oral health status.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.935-940
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• 2013

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of conventional ultrasonography and real time ultrasound elastography in differentiating degenerating cystic thyroid nodules mimicking malignancy from papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed conventional ultrasonographic and elastographic characteristics of 19 degenerating cystic thyroid nodules mimicking malignancy in 19 patients, with 30 surgically confirmed PTCs as controls. Based on size, the nodules had been grouped into less than 10mm (group A) and greater than 10 mm (group B). We evaluated conventional parameters and elasticity pattern. Color-scaled elastograms were graded as to stiffness of nodules using an elasticity pattern from I (soft) to IV (stiff). Results: Degenerating cystic thyroid nodules were similar to PTCs in conventional ultrasonographic findings, but the former frequently showed oval to round in shape (group A, 69.2% vs 18.8%, P=0.017; group B, 66.7% vs 7.14%, P=0.017) and punctuate hyperechoic foci (group A, 61.5% vs 0, P<0.001; group B, 50% vs 0, P<0.001). On real time ultrasound elastography, 7 of 13 degenerating cystic thyroid nodules in group A were pattern I, 5 were pattern II, 1 was pattern III. One degenerating cystic thyroid nodule in group B was pattern II, 5 were pattern III. The area under the curve for elastography was 0.98 in group A (sensitivity 92.3%, specificity 100%, P = 0.002), and 0.88 in group B (sensitivity 16.7%, specificity 100%, P = 0.014). Conclusions: As a dependable imaging technique, elastography helps increase the performance in differential diagnosis of degenerating cystic thyroid nodule and malignancy.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.95-102
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• 1999

In hemiplegic gait, walking speed is an important factor to evaluate treatment effect. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare kinematic variables during differant speed hemiplegic gaits. Six hemiplegic patients(47-69 years old) after stroke and age - matched six volunteers in good health(51-61 years old) were studied. The patients were sorted into two groups, depending on their self - speed of walking : fast speed group(3 patients, $0.74\pm0.14m/s$) and slow speed group(3 patients, $0.29\pm0.09m/s)$. The results were following. 1. In the hip joint, the fast group had lower mean value than normal but had similar pattern to normal. The slow group had continuous flexed pattern. 2. In the knee joint, the fast group had similar mean value and pattern to normal. The slow group had continuous flexed pattern. 3. In the ankle joint, the two group had dorsiflexed pattern. The fast group had similar pattern to normal. Thus, the fast group was similar gait pattern to normal.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2006

Background : Osteoporosis and atrophic cell pattern in Pap smear are frequent findings In postmenopausal women due to loss of ovarian function, The present study attempted to find out possible correlation between morphologic characteristics of Pap smear and osteoporosis. Material & methods: The subjects were 825 women(age from 35 to 80) who had undergone Pap smear and bone mineral density(BMD) at The Korea Association of Health Promotion, Seoul Branch, from March 8 to May 10, 2005. Pap smears from 825 women were reviewed and classified either mature cell pattern or atrophic cell pattern by their cytologic patterns, BMD were measured using LUNAR DPX MdIQ(Minster, Ohio, USA). BMD value of lumbar spine(Ll, L2,L3 and L4) were measured from 825 women and BMD value of proximal region off emur(neck NK, Wards triangle WT, and trochanter TR) were measured from 818 women and their bone status were classified as normal( T-sore:>-1.0), osteopenia (T-score: -l~<-2,5) and osteoporosis(T-score: ≤ -2.5). And age distribution of Pap smear, average T-value andfrequency ofsteoporo-sis of each region of the bone, percentage of osteoporosis of each boneregion by age group and changing pattern of percentage of osteopenia and osteoporosis in certain postmenopausal period were compared between mature and atrophic cell pattern. Results: Pap smears revealed total mature cell pattern 53,9%(445/825) and total atrophic cell pattern 46.1%(380/825), Percentage of mature cell pattern decreased from 98.2%(168/171)under 44 age group to 13,3%(17/128) over 65 age group and mature cell pattern increased from 1.8%(3/171) under 44 age group to 86.7%(111/128) oyer 65 age group. Mean T-value of each region of lumbar spine and femur of mature cell pattern were lower than that of atrophic cell pattern about -1,5. And osteoporosis has noted in atrophic cell pattern showing odds ratio Ll 13.9, L2 15.3, L3 12.0, L4 10,4, UK 6.7, WT 10.9 and TR 4.1.Atrophic cell pattern started to increase after 45 years of age and osteoporosis of a trophic cell pattern started after 55 years of age. During 50 to 64 years of age period, L3, L4 and WT revealed parallel increased of osteopenia and osteoporosis and Ll, L2 revealed decreased of osteopenia and increased of osteoporosis. nia Conclusion: Above findings suggest that atrophic cell pattern of Pap smear precedes osteoporosis about 10 years and one of predictor of osteoporosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6333-6336
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• 2012

The burden of cancer is growing globally and is one of the top leading causes of death. Information on cancer patterns are essential for effective planning of cancer control interventions. There is limited published information available on pattern of cancer for the state of Odisha, India. The present study was an attempt to explore the pattern and trend of cancer in Odisha. To fulfill the objectives retrospective data available from 2001-2011 at Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Center (AHRCC), Cuttack, Odisha, were analyzed. Medical records of cancer patients were reviewed and relevant information on diagnosis, primary site and demographic data were retrieved. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS 16.0 (SPSS Inc.). A total of 74,861 cancer inpatients were registered at AHRCC for the years 2001-2011. The proportion of females outnumbered males with female:male ratio 1.1:1. The number of female cases increased four folds and that of males three fold over the period studied. Malignancies such as oral cancer (16.93%), acute lymphocytic leukemia/non Hodgkins lymphoma (14.09%) and cancer of gastrointestinal tract (21.07%) are leading cancers among males and carcinomas of breast (28.94%), cervix (23.66%) and ovary (16.11%) were leading among females. Findings from this study indicate an overall increase in cancer reporting which could be regarded as proxy measure for overall cancer situation in Odisha. There is scope and need for integrating other government hospitals, existing private health service providers and research institutions across the state for better planning of cancer control program.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 2013

Studies evaluating the health effects of hazardous air pollutants assume that people's exposure to typical pollutant level is the same as specific regional pollutant level. However, depending on social and demographic factors, time-activity pattern of people can vary widely. Since most people live in indoor environments over 88% of the day, evaluating exposure to hazardous air pollutants is hard to characterize. Objective of this study was to estimate the exposure levels of university students of $NO_2$, VOCs(BTEX) and $PM_{10}$ using the scenarios with time-activity pattern and indoor concentrations. Using data from time-use survey of National Statistical Office in 2009, we investigated time-activity pattern of university students and hourly major action. A total of 1,057 university students on weekday and 640 on weekend spent their times at indoor house 13.04 hr(54.32%), other indoors 7.70 hr(32.06%), and transportation 2.36 hr(9.83%). Indoor environments in which university students spent their times were mainly house and school. Air pollutants concentrations of other indoor environments except house and school such as bar, internet cafe and billiard hall were higher than outdoors, indicating that indoor to outdoor ratios were above 1. According to three types of exposure scenarios, exposure to air pollutants could be reduced by going home after school.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.107-119
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• 2016

Background: Previous studies on the biological integrity on habitat and landuse patterns demonstrated ecological stream health in the view of regional or macrohabitat scale, thus ignored the mesoscale habitat patterns of pool, riffle, and runs in the stream health analysis. The objective of this study was to analyze influences on the mesohabitat structures of pool, riffle, and run reaches on the fish guilds and biological integrity in Geum-River Watershed. Results: The mesohabitat structures of pool, riffle, and run reaches influenced the ecological stream health along with some close relations on the fish trophic and tolerance guilds. The mesoscale components altered chemical water quality such as nutrients (TN, TP) and BOD and these, then, determined the primary productions, based on the sestonic chlorophyll-a. The riffle-reach had good chemical conditions, but the pool-reach had nutrient enrichments. The riffle-reach had a predominance of insectivores, while the pool-reach has a predominance of omnivores. Also, the riffle-reach had high proportions of sensitive fish and insectivore fish, and the pool-reach had high proportions of tolerant species in the community composition. The intermediate fish species in tolerance and omnivorous fish species in the food linkage dominated the community in the watershed, and the sensitive and insectivorous fishes decreased rapidly with a degradation of the water quality. All the habitat patterns were largely determined by the land-use patterns in the watershed. Conclusions: Trophic guilds and tolerance guilds of fish were determined by land-use pattern and these determined the stream health, based on the Index of Biological Integrity. This study remarks the necessity to include additional variables to consider information provided by mesohabitats and land-use distributions within the selected stream stretch. Overall, our data suggest that land-use pattern and mesohabitat distribution are important factors to be considered for the trophic and tolerance fish compositions and chemical gradients as well as ecological stream health in the watershed.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.107-124
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to identify Yangsaeng level and pattern identification of subfertility in childbearing aged women according to the pregnancy experience. Methods : Data was collected by structured questionnaire distributed to 217 women(125 women experienced pregnancy, 92 subfertile women) in I city from Nov. to Dec. 2014. For data analysis, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficients were performed using SPSS version 19.0. Results : Drinking rate and stress level of subfertile group were higher than pregnancy experience group. Subfertile women group have more disease related to reproductive system, irregularities of the menstrual cycle and dysmenorrhea than pregnancy experience group. Subfertile women showed lower scores for Yangsaeng level but higher scores for all types of pattern identification of subfertility more than those in the women experiencing pregnancy. Conclusions : The results of this study indicate that reproductive health program for the childbearing aged women is necessary before serviced by western or oriental medical treatment for subinfertile(infertile) women. These results can be used for a program based on oriental medicine in order to improve women's health.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.1735-1741
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• 2011

The safety of station structures among railway infrastructures should be considered as a top priority because hundreds of thousands passengers a day take a subway. The station structures, which have been being operated since the 1970s, are especially vulnerable to the earthquake and long-term vibrations such as ambient train vibrations as well. This is why the structural-health monitoring system of station structures should be required. For these reason, Korean government has made an effort to develop the structural health-monitoring system of them, which can evaluate the health-state of station structures as well as can monitor the vulnerable structural members in real-time. Then, through the monitoring system, the vulnerable structural members could be retrofitted. For the development of health-state evaluation method for station structures with the real-time sensing data measured in the fields, authors carried out the numerical simulations to develop evaluation algorithms based on statistical pattern recognition techniques. In this study, the dynamic behavior of Chungmuro station in Seoul was numerically analyzed and then critical members were chosen. Damages were artificially simulated at the selected critical members of the numerical model. And, the supervised and unsupervised learning based pattern recognition algorithms were applied to quantify and localize the structural defects.