• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.257-260
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• 2009

Intraventricular hemorrhage long after successful encephaloduroarterio synangiosis (EDAS) is very rare. The effect of revascularization surgery for preventing hemorrhagic event of moyamoya disease remains controversial. We report a 17-year-old female with intracerebral hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrahge 10 years after successful EDAS. Even though cerebral vessels angiography showed good collateral circulations without specific weak points, a cerebral hemorrhage could occur in patient with ischemic type of moyamoya disease long after successful indirect bypass operations. Good collateralization of cerebral angiography or magnetic resonance perfusion image after indirect bypass surgery would ensure against ischemic symptoms, not a hemorrhage. And, thus a life-time follow-up strategy might be necessary even if a good collateral circulation has been established.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• autumn
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• pp.242-245
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• 2003

Most engineering tasks require collaboration between many users in major hospital Construction Projects that have many risks. Loss of cost and change orders occurred in factors such as information exchange, misunderstandings, advanced Technology in hospital projects. Moreover, changes in context, costs, requirements, deadlines, etc. require negotiation of issues that may modify important project characteristics. Each part of the major hospital construction projects have been rapidly changed technology of equipments. Therefore it is a major challenge to make a high level of communication and to have mutual understanding. The objective of this paper is to reduce risks for the design process and construction process of hospital projects.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.30-42
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was intended to check if the "Creating Clean Wards" project, which is an innovative reinforced campaign activity targeting infection control strategies and active surveillance cultures for VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococci) high-risk patients to be admitted in the NS (neuro-surgery) wards, would be reduced the incidence rates of VRE acquisition, transmission rates. Methods: 75 subjects of the VRE high-risk patients were surveyed by carrying out active surveillance cultures of VRE colonization 11 times from January to March, 2012. And the retrospective study was conducted dividing them into two groups. Results: The incidence rates of VRE acquisition was reduced to 3.67 cases per 1,000 patients day in the control group and to 2.88 cases in experimental group, which was not statistically significant (p = .753). VRE transmission rates of 0.0015 per day before the project tended to increase to 0.0019, although not statistically significant (p = .650). As a result of multivariate analysis with regard to using glycopeptide antibiotics in order to find out risk factors of VRE colonization, the patients who had been treated with glycopeptide until VRE colonization showed 274.41 times higher rate. Conclusion : For effective VRE infection control in NS wards, We should carry out active surveillance culture regularly, especially patient of using glycopeptide. And block the spread of VRE by strengthening infection control through the strict isolation and the changed mind-set of members motivated by the "Creating Clean Wards" campaign.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.114-117
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• 2016

A research project, the "Construction of Frailty Cohort for Elderly and Intervention Study," funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has been ongoing since December 2015. The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS) aims to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults, as well as means of prevention. KFACS is a multicenter, longitudinal study, with the baseline survey being conducted in 2016-2017. The sample (n=3,000) consists of those aged 70-84 years, stratified by age and gender, recruited from urban and rural regions nationwide. An in-person interview and health examination are performed every 2 years. This project is also conducting many intervention studies. Project interventions focus on nutrition and exercise. The nutritional intervention study compares the effects of 1.2 g/kg versus 1.5 g/kg daily protein intake on sarcopenia and frailty in older Koreans. The exercise trial examines the effectiveness of an information and communication technology-based program in preventing or reducing frailty.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.211-219
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• 2023

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of propolis obtained from honeybee hives. CAPE possesses anti-mitogenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities in diverse systems, which know as displays antioxidant activity and inhibits lipoxygenase activities, protein tyrosine kinase, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CAPE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced human neutrophil phagocytosis. Human neutrophils were cultured with various concentrations of CAPE (1, 10, and 100 µM) with or without LPS. The pro-inflammatory proteins (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α], interleukin [IL]-6 and IL-8) levels were measured after 4 h incubation. To investigate the intracellular signaling pathway, we measured the levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), including phosphorylation of p38, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Next, to evaluate the potential phagocytosis, neutrophils were labeled with iron particles of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs, 40 nm) for 1 h in culture medium containing 5 mg/mL of iron. The labeling efficiency was determined by Prussian blue staining for intracellular iron and 3T-wighted magnetic resonance imaging. CAPE decreased the activation of intracellular signaling pathways, including ERK1/2 and c-Jun, and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and IL-6, but had no effect on the signaling pathways of p38 and cytokine IL-8. Furthermore, images obtained after mannan-coated SPION treatment suggested that CAPE induced significantly higher signal intensities than the control or LPS group. Together, these results suggest that CAPE regulates LPS-mediated activation of human neutrophils to reduce phagocytosis.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.432-438
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• 2017

Slum settlement, a direct result of the rapid worldwide urbanization is a common site in most developing countries. Uganda is among the top African countries with high number of slums. The status of Katanga slum located in the low-lands between Mulago national hospital and Makerere University is a typical of many other slums within Uganda. This project proposal seeks to tackle urbanization challenges by specializing in slum upgrading as a sustainable way of curbing the menace. An integrated toilet, biogas, poultry and backyard gardening project is proposed as a channel of boosting the Katanga slum dwellers' economic, sanitation and domestic energy status. Designed to serve up to 30 households, the project will utilize residual wastes from poultry houses and toilets to produce biogas and slurry. The biogas yield will provide clean cooking fuel and energy for lighting, while the slurry used as organic fertilizers to improve vegetable yields. The social, economic and environmental impacts of the project will empower the vulnerable women and children within the slums and reduce water pollution and land degradation. This affordable project can be applied in developing countries experiencing slum settlement challenges as a strategy for reducing urbanization pressure.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.45-51
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• 2021

Purpose: This aims to find a strategic plan for the feasibility study of a medical center extension project in order for local public medical institutions to obtain public interest and profitability through a survey of residents. Research design, data and methodology: The structured questionnaire was distributed at random, and a total of 219 people responded as users or patients responded to the questionnaire in a self-filling manner. Through this questionnaire, the feasibility and necessity of the extension of Gangneung Medical Center(GMC) was measured. All data processing was analyzed by applying version 26.0 of IBM SPSS statistical package program. The main contents of the questionnaire included reasons for using GMC, inconveniences, overall level of medical care, satisfaction, intention to revisit, the necessity of GMC's complex ward extension project, and GMC consisted of 8 questionnaires, including the desired service for the extension of the complex ward. Results: As for the necessity of the GMC complex ward extension project, 95.9% of residents said they wanted the complex ward extension project, 2.3% said it was not necessary, and the remaining 1.8% had other opinions. Conclusions: GMC complex ward extension project is necessary.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.49-64
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• 2021

Objectives: This study analyzed medical records and online survey of mothers who received herbal medicine treatment using the Jeollabuk-do Postpartum Health Support Project. Through this, we would like to discuss the proposal of a postpartum questionnaire of korean medicine for the initial examination, and the project direction. Methods: This study investigated the medical records of 46 mothers who received herbal medicine treatment using the Jeollabuk-do Postpartum Health Support Program at one korean medical hospital. The mother's general characteristics, past history, symptoms, and herbal medicine prescription were analyzed. In addition, through the 33 mothers who responded to the online survey questionnaire, 13 items including medication satisfaction, lactation, and side effects were investigated. Results: The average age of the subjects was 34.46±4.27 years. Musculo-skeletal pain was the most common in both medical records and online surveys. The date of visit from the date of delivery was 47.56±57.15 days. Boheo-tang was prescribed the most, and 84.8% of mothers answered positively about their health after taking herbal medicine. Conclusions: The satisfaction of mothers who received herbal medicine treatment through this project was very high. There were no significant side effects on the mother and the breastfeeding baby who took herbal medicine. In the future, support projects for postpartum korean medical treatment at the national or local level will be necessary.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.298-303
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• 2009

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major flavonoid in green tea has multiple health benefits including chemoprevention, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity effects. In connection with these effects, EGCG can be a candidate to help the treatment of metabolic diseases. Metformin is a widely used anti-diabetic drug regulating cellular energy homeostasis via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. Therefore, the combination of metformin with EGCG may have additive or synergistic effects on treatment of type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, there is no report for the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic interaction of EGCG with metformin. Here, we evaluated the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interaction between metformin and EGCG in rats. Pharmacokinetics parameters of metformin were measured after oral administration of metformin in rats pre-treated with EGCG (10 mg/kg) or saline for 7 days. The results showed that there is no significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters between saline control and EGCG-treated group. In addition, the hepatic AMPK activation by metformin in EGCG-treated rats was also similar to the control. The lack of additive effects of EGCG on AMPK activation or intracellular uptake of metformin was also evaluated in cells in the presence or absence of EGCG. Treatment of HepG2 cells with EGCG inhibited the metformin-induced AMPK activation. Combined results suggested that EGCG has no effect on the pharmacokinetics of metformin but may contribute to metformin action.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2012

Objective : Hemifacial spasm (HFS) caused by vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is very rare, and in theses cases, it is difficult to decompress the nerve from its vascular compression. The objective of this study was to investigate the outcome of microvascular decompression (MVD) for HFS caused by VBD. Methods : There were 10 patients of HFS caused by VBD at our hospital between September 1978 and September 2008. We evaluated magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and time of flight magnetic resonance imaginge (TOF MRI) findings using the criteria for VBD. We compared the clinical outcomes of MVD for the 10 patients with VBD with the overall outcomes of the total 2058 MVDs performed for HFS. Results : The results of MVD for HFS caused by VBD were successful in 90.9% of cases. The postoperative complication rate in VBD was 45.5%. Offending vessels in patients with VBD were identified visually during surgery. Adverse effects after MVD were found in 4 patients. We found that the diameter of VBD was significantly greater in patients with complications than in those with no complications (p=0.028). Conclusion : Our data shows that MVD may be a good treatment modality for HFS caused by VBD but care must be taken to avoid adverse effects from the procedure. It is important to detach the dolichoectatic artery from its surrounding structures sufficiently to allow it to be easily movable. In addition, attempts should be made to lessen the retraction of the cerebellum during release of the dolichoectatic artery.