• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.182-188
• /
• 2012

Purpose: For recurrent esophageal cancer after primary definitive radiotherapy, no general treatment guidelines are available. We evaluated the toxicities and clinical outcomes of re-irradiation (re-RT) for recurrent esophageal cancer. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 10 patients with recurrent esophageal cancer treated with re-RT after primary definitive radiotherapy. The median time interval between primary radiotherapy and re-RT was 15.6 months (range, 4.8 to 36.4 months). The total dose of primary radiotherapy was a median of 50.4 Gy (range, 50.4 to 63.0 Gy). The total dose of re-RT was a median of 46.5 Gy (range, 44.0 to 50.4 Gy). Results: The median follow-up period was 4.9 months (range, 2.6 to 11.4 months). The tumor response at 3 months after the end of re-RT was complete response (n = 2), partial response (n = 1), stable disease (n = 2), and progressive disease (n = 5). Grade 5 tracheoesophageal fistula developed in three patients. The time interval between primary radiotherapy and re-RT was less than 12 months in two of these three patients. Late toxicities included grade 1 dysphagia (n = 1). Conclusion: Re-RT of recurrent esophageal cancer after primary radiotherapy can cause severe toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.47-65
• /
• 2006

Objectives: This research is to provide the basic data for the improvement on oral health by examining the relationship between the dental fear and the dental service utilization, and to discuss a strategy for dental health in order to lower the level of dental fear. Methods: Data were collected by conducting a structured survey of 1,607 people between the age of 13 and 70 who have experiences in visiting a dental institution. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the relationship between the number of times dental service and dental fears. Results: The average level of dental fear the respondents reported was $52.16{\pm}15.71$ and 31.5% of the response was at the level of high dental fear. A strong physiologic response during the dental treatment was muscle tension and the stimulations that strongly arouse the dental fear were the anaesthetic needle and the sound of drill. A result of analysis on the relationship between the dental fear and the dental service utilization shows that as the level of dental fear became higher, the number of times for the dental service utilization for the last year had reduced. Also when a patient has an experience of putting off or canceling an appointment due to dental fear and as a physiologic response during the dental treatment became stronger, the result shows a tendency that the number of times for the dental service utilization for the last year had reduced. Conclusions: It has been observed that dental fear is one of the main barrier to use dental service. Therefore, a physio-psychological factor like the dental fear should be included in the task of promotion of dental health, and in analyzing the dental service utilization behavior. A discussion about how to lower dental fear was made with respect to oral health promotion. At individual level, improvement of communication skill by dental service providers should be made with rearrangement of clinic environment into more cozy one.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.230-238
• /
• 2004

The adverse health effects of a number of environment pollutions are related to the formation of free radicals. Induction of antioxidant defensive system in the response to an oxidative attack is an essential element of the cell to survive. CYP2E1 is easily induced by organic solvents and induces continuous formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ${\gamma}$-Glutamyltranspeptidase (${\gamma}$GT) plays an important role in glutathione metabolism and xenobiotic detoxification. To evaluate the characteristic of oxidative stress which induces GGT expression and to understand human antioxidant defensive response against oxidative stress induced by CYP2E1, we studied regulation of ${\gamma}$GT enzyme expression in response to various oxidative stresses in human HepG2 cells. The ${\gamma}$GT activity was not modified after exposure of acute oxidative stress inducing agents (ferric nitrilotriacetate, cumene hydroperoxide, ADP-Fe, O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, tumor necrosis factor-alpha). To induce continuous exposure of cells to ROS, HepG2 cells were transfected by human CYP2E1 gene transiently. The CYP2E1 activity was verified with chlorzoxazone hydroxylation. Transfection of CYP2E1 showed continuous 60% increase in intracellular ROS and 240 % increase in microsomal ROS. CYP2E1 overexpressing cells showed increased ${\gamma}$GT activity (2.5-fold). The observed enhancement of ${\gamma}$GT activity correlated with a significant increase of ${\gamma}$GT mRNA (2.1-fold). Treatment with antioxidant strongly prevented the increase in ${\gamma}$GT activity. The CYP2E1 overexpression did not modify toxicity index and increased glutathione levels. These results show that continuous exposure of cells to ROS produced by CYP2E1 up-regulates ${\gamma}$GT; This may be one of the adaptive antioxidant responses of cells to oxidative insult. Present study also suggests that the induction of ${\gamma}$GT could be used as a marker of oxidative stress induced by exposure to organic solvents.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.254-259
• /
• 2012

Infections involving Echinostoma hortense (E. hortense) are considered to more severe than infections caused by other heterophyids. Although parasite expulsion by host immune responses attenuates the symptoms of infection, the detailed mechanisms of the host immune response need to be determined, especially in local immune responses involving cytokine and immunoglobulin expressions. We infected BALB/c mice with E. hortense and examined recovery rates together with expressions of multiple cytokines and immunoglobulins in the villi and crypts of the small intestine using immunohistochemistry. We observed a close correlation between worm expulsion rates and cytokine/immunoglobulin expressions in E. hortense infected mice. This study contributes to an understanding of the relationship between the immune response and parasite expulsion in hosts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.85-93
• /
• 2015

Construction sites have various risks, and safety managements are enforced based on the law such as Industrial Safety and Health Act, etc. Safety management by the law saves lives and preserves health of workers by removing and understanding risks in advance. When the emergency situation has come, poor response causes loss of lives and physical damages. This study suggests basic strategy that can mitigate the industrial disaster in all construction sites. A survey was conducted to identify the current safety consciousness and to evaluate first aid ability of coworkers. Finally, four measures were suggested: (1) designating muster points; (2) hiring occupational health managers; (3) increasing the first aid ability of coworkers; and (4) carrying safety brochure. The proposed suggestions can be helpful in mitigating the construction disaster, and in responding the major accident efficiently within a short time.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.62-76
• /
• 2010

Constructions of skyscrapers have been planned and are being performed in Korea, but the research on disaster preparedness and response is mainly focused on construction safety, fire prevention and response, and legal enforcement. So research on physical and psychological effect on human residents, methodology of increased survival rate and decreased disability rate is insufficient. Authors intended to identify the characteristics of skyscraper on human health and safety in disaster, to examine the basic influence of skyscraper on physical and psychological health and the way to decrease the negative effect on human survival.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.265-270
• /
• 2015

The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak has originated from a failure in the national quarantine system in the Republic of Korea as most basic role of protecting the safety and lives of its citizens. Furthermore, a number of the Korean healthcare system's weaknesses seem to have been completely exposed. The MERS-CoV outbreak can be considered a typical public health crisis in that the public was not only greatly terrorized by the actual fear of the disease, but also experienced a great impact to their daily lives, all in a short period of time. Preparedness for and an appropriate response to a public health crisis require comprehensive systematic public healthcare measures to address risks comprehensively with an all-hazards approach. Consequently, discussion regarding establishment of post-MERS-CoV improvement measures must focus on the total reform of the national quarantine system and strengthening of the public health infrastructure. In addition, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must implement specific strategies of action including taking on the role of "control tower" in a public health emergency, training of Field Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, establishment of collaborative governance between central and local governments for infection prevention and control, strengthening the roles and capabilities of community-based public hospitals, and development of nationwide crisis communication methods.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.37-47
• /
• 2005

Biobehavioral nursing research is focused on generating knowledge that examines relations among biological, behavioral, and social dimensions of health to improve outcomes. In this paper we review the findings of a biobehavioral nursing study of individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) that was framed from the perspective of an individual human response model, the FM literature, and our previous studies in midlife women. We were particularly interested in the studying the role of 'arousal' secondary to pain or to dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones during sleep and the impact on symptom expression. Unexpectedly, we did not find evidence of, arousal' or abnormal amounts of HPA axis hormones but we did find reduced amounts of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) and of sleep spindle activity, a biomarker of sleep maintenance. We discuss these new findings and how our thinking was re-shaped to better understand the role that disturbed sleep plays in symptom expression in FM. It is argued that disturbed sleep maintenance mechanisms coupled with dysregulated somatotrophic-growth hormone axis and sleep-related PRL render individuals vulnerable to the development of or exacerbations of FM symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.76-86
• /
• 1989

In order to promote an anti-smoking education, we must understand how students imagine about smoking. The author has studied the image for smoking among 856 students in an openended method. The survey was conducted in April and May of 1989. The answers have been grouped into 49 response categories. 79.7% of the categories reflect a negative view of smoking. 34.4 % of the 49 evaluate smoking from a physical viewpoint; 33% from an emotional viewpoint; and 23.9% from an ethical viewpoint. "The most common response is that smoking is "Bad for the health". The next most common responses are "Harmful for people nearby". In order to effectively carry out anti-smoking education for your people, emotional and ethical aspects, as well as physical aspects, should be considered. Other important considerations are sex, grade.derations are sex, grade.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.218-226
• /
• 2007

Objectives : This study examined the relationship of parent-related negative life events with mental health and delinquent behaviors among Korean adolescents. Methods : A total of 2,976 high school first-grade pupils (1,498 boys & 1,478 girls) taking part in the third wave of Korean Youth Panel Survey completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding parent-related life events, depressive feelings, suicidal ideation, delinquent behaviors, demographic characteristics, parental socioeconomic status, social support, and social capital. Data analyses were conducted using multivariate logistic regression. Results : After adjusting for all covariates, the more parent-related negative life events adolescents experienced throughout their whole life, the more likely adolescent were to have mental and behavioral problems. A significant dose-response relationship between them was more clearly observed in girls than in boys. The experience of parentrelated negative events during childhood was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and delinquent behaviors for boys, and with depressive feelings for girls during adolescence. Indeed, parental social support, social capital, and having a close friend with delinquent behaviors, especially for girls, partially mediated the relationship between parent-related negative life events and both outcomes. Conclusions : The study showed a clear dose-response relationship of frequency of parent-related negative life events with poor mental and behavioral health for both genders. The residual effect of being exposed to parent-related events during childhood on mental health and delinquent behaviors during adolescence still remained.