• PNF and Movement
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2014

Purpose: The corticospinal tract (CST) is known to be an important pyramidal tract for walking and motor function. However, very little is known about the functional role of the CST in the recovery of motor function. In the current study, we investigated the relation between the CST and motor function in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients. Methods: Fifty-four patients and 20 normal subjects were recruited. The Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) was used in measurement of the walking ability. We classified patients into three groups according to the ability to walk independently: group A, patients who could not walk independently (FAC: 0-2); group B, patients who could walk independently (FAC: 3); and group C, patd walk functionally (stairs and uneven surfaces, FAC 4-5). The Motricity Index (MI) was used to measure the motor function of the affected upper and lower extremities (maximum score: 100). The fractional anisotropy (FA) value, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, and fiber volume of the CST were used for the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters. Results: In terms of the CST of the unaffected hemisphere, the FA value of group A was significantly lower than that of normal controls (p <0.05). The fiber volume of group C was significantly higher than that of normal controls (p <0.05). In contrast, the ADC values of all patient groups and the control group did not show any difference (p >0.05). In terms of lower MI and total MI, significant differences were observed between all patient groups (p <0.05). In addition, significant differences in terms of the upper MI scores were observed between groups A and C and between groups B and C (p <0.05); however, no significant difference was observed between groups A and B (p>0.05). Conclusion: The increased fiber volume of the CST in the unaffected hemisphere appears to be related to functional walking ability in chronic stroke patients. This result would be useful for elucidation of the neural recovery mechanism of walking and the investigation of new modalities for the recovery of walking following a stroke with CST injury.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.116-119
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• 2020

Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is commonly performed to provide relief of pain caused by radiculopathy. Intra-arterial injection of particulate steroid or direct needle injury can lead to spinal artery embolism or thrombosis. Also there is a possibility of vascular spasm. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spinal cord infarction that occurred after TFESI with non-particulate steroid in Korea. A 47-year-old female patient underwent C7 TFESI at local pain clinic. Injected materials were dexamethasone and mepivacaine. Right after the intervention, she felt muscle weakness and decreased sensation. On physical examination, she had decreased sensation from C4 to T2 dermatome in light touch and pin-prick test. Proprioception and vibration were intact. The motor grades of upper extremities were grade 1. Cervical and thoracic spine MRI was checked. Diffusion-weighted image and apparent diffusion coefficient image showed long extension of spinal cord infarction from C2 to T1 level.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2023

Background: Dental evaluation and protection are important for preventing traumatic dental injuries when patients are under general anesthesia. The objective of the present study was to develop a questionnaire based on dentition-related risk factors that could serve as a valuable tool for dental evaluation and documentation. Methods: We developed a questionnaire for dental evaluation before administration of general anesthesia, investigated the association between patient-and-dentist responses and mouthguard fabrication, and assessed response agreement between 100 patients. Results: Protective mouthguards were fabricated for 27 patients who were identified as having a high risk of dental injury. There was a strong association between dentists' responses and mouthguard fabrication, depending on the general oral health status, use of ceramic prosthesis, presence of masticatory pain related to periodontal diseases, gingival edema, and implants (P < 0.05). Response agreement between patients and dentists for items related to dental pain, loss of dental pulp vitality, root canal therapy, dental trauma, aesthetic prosthesis, tooth mobility, and implant prosthesis was high (Cohen's kappa coefficient κ ≥ 0.6). Conclusions: A high agreement was observed between patient-dentist responses and a strong association with mouthguard fabrication for items pertaining to ceramic prosthesis, masticatory pain, and dental implants. Patients with a "yes" response to these items are recommended to undergo a dental evaluation and use a dental protective device while under general anesthesia.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2023

Purpose: This preliminary retrospective cohort study analyzed the relationship between the parameters provided by sonorheometry device Quantra and the coagulation values obtained from standard venous blood samples in patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We reviewed medical charts of 13 ICU adult patients in whom at least one coagulation study with Quantra was performed. The relationship between Quantra and laboratory data was analyzed with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rho). The 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We collected 28 data pairs. Statistically significant moderate correlations were found for the following parameters: clot time (CT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (rho=0.516; 95% CI, 0.123-0.904; P=0.009; clot stiffness (CS) and the international normalized ratio (INR; rho=0.418; 95% CI, 0.042-0.787; P=0.039); INR and platelet contribution to CS (rho=0.459; 95% CI, 0.077-0.836; P=0.022); platelet count and platelet contribution to CS (PCS; rho=0.498; 95% CI, 0.166-0.825; P=0.008); and fibrinogen and fibrinogen contribution to CS (FCS; rho=0.620; 95% CI, 0.081-0.881; P=0.001). Conclusions: Quantra can provide useful information regarding coagulation status, showing modest correlations with the parameters obtained from laboratory tests. During diffuse bleeding, CT and FCS values can guide the proper administration of clotting factors and fibrinogens. However, the correlation of INR with CS and PCS can cause misinterpretation. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between Quantra parameters and laboratory tests in the critical care setting and the role of sonorheometry in guiding targeted therapies and improving outcomes.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

Purposes: Caregivers are placed in a poor working environment because there is no special legal basis or definition in the current medical system, and they have difficulty in supplying manpower due to frequent job change and retirement. Therefore, this study aimed to find out the effect on job consciousness, job stress, job satisfaction, and turnover intention of caregivers in nursing hospitals for the elderly. Methodology: In this study, a survey was conducted from May 2nd to 16th, 2022, targeting caregivers with more than 6 months of work experience working at 10 nursing hospitals in D City. Data were collected through convenience sampling, and a self-administered questionnaire method was used, in which subjects filled out a questionnaire. A total of 240 questionnaires were distributed, and 220 copies were considered for the final analysis after excluding non-response or inappropriate questionnaires for data use. Data analysis used t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis, and the main results are as follows. Findings: Job stress and job satisfaction showed a significant correlation with the level of turnover intention, and were also found to be major determinants. On the other hand, among the occupational characteristics of the study subjects, employment type, job motivation, service period, number of patients, injury experience, and license status showed a significant difference from turnover intention. Conclusion: As a result of the above research, in order to prevent job turnover and retirement by improving job stress and job satisfaction of caregivers engaged in nursing hospitals, it is necessary not only to legalize caregivers, but also to secure an appropriate level of caregivers for nursing hospitals and improve specific treatment for caregivers. Ultimately, a policy alternative that can provide quality nursing service is required.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2003

In this study, muscle activity was measured using surface EMG (sEMG) during a voluntary maneuver (ankle dorsiflexion) in the supine position was compared pre and post gait training. Nine patients with incomplete spinal cord injury participated in a supported treadmill ambulation training (STAT), twenty minutes a day, five days a week for three months. Two tests, a gait speed test and a voluntary maneuver test, were made the same day, or at least the same week, pre and post gait training. Ten healthy subjects' data recorded using the same voluntary maneuvers were used for the reference. sEMG measured from ten lower limb muscles was used to observe the two features of amplitude and motor control distribution pattern, named response vector. The result showed that the average gait speed of patients increased significantly (p〈0.1) from 0.47$\pm$0.35 m/s to 0.68$\pm$0.52 m/s. In sEMG analysis, six out of nine patients showed a tendency to increase the right tibialis anterior activity during right ankle dorsiflexion from 109.7$\pm$148.5 $mutextrm{V}$ to 145.9$\pm$180.7 $mutextrm{V}$ but it was not significant (p〈0.055). In addition, only two patients showed increase of correlation coefficient and total muscle activity in the left fide during left dorsiflexion. Patients' muscle activity changes after gait training varied individually and generally depended on their muscle control abilities of the pre-STAT status. Response vector being introduced for quantitative analysis showed good Possibility to anticipate. evaluate, and/or guide patients with SCI, before and after gait training.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.409-412
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• 2002

This research was conducted to obtain the fundamental data on salt injury and different responses among cultivars in winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Salts did not affect yield components including number of panicles, stem length, grain number per ear and grain yield while reduced stem dry weight and thousand seed weight significantly with increasing concentrations of salt from 60 to 180 mM. NaCl had less injury effect on barley straw dry weight and thousand seed weight than did $MgSO_4$. Chlorophyll content and relative turgidity in flag leaf were reduced when treated with both salts, while free proline in the salt-treated leaf was increased. Content of proline in salt-treated barley was about 10 folds compared to the control. Based on yield components and physiological traits of flag leaf, the tolerance to salt injury was the greatest in Baegdong, followed by Dongbori#1, Mogpo#55, and Gangbori. The results suggested that salt- stressed barley at reproductive stage had higher free proline content, and that special management in this stage must be considered because salt stress at heading stage affect flag leaf growth as well as yield components Harmfully.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.929-939
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to identify knowledge of universal precautions and its performance in practice. The research was conducted from November 2 to 30, 1998. A total 515 student nurses ; 249 from a baccalaureate nursing college and 266 from second and third year of a 3-year community nursing college were surveyed. The results are as following : 1. The average score for universal precautions knowledge was 270.41$\pm$19.43/300(range 150-300). The results showed that 99.2% of students avoid injury from used needles, 98.6% answered that they always wash their hands if they had contact with the patient's blood and they always dispose of used needles in special collectors (97.7%) for needles. But, 39.2% responsed that they dispose of used needles after recapping them. 2. The average score for universal precautions knowledge of the senior students in the 4-year college was the highest (277.65$\pm$13.99). 3. The average score for the performance of universal precautions knowledge was 53.18 $\pm$5.91(range 14-70). The items : ‘I cautiously avoid injury from the used needles’(4.92$\pm$0.33), ‘I always wash my hands if there has been contact with the patient's blood’(4.91$\pm$0.34), and ‘I always disposed of used needles in the appropriate collector’(4.89$\pm$0.42) showed the highest performance. However ‘I always dispose of used needles after recapping them’(2.19$\pm$1.39) and ‘I always use protection goggles when in danger of contamination’(2.19$\pm$1.20) showed low performance level. 4. The highest average score for universal precautions performance was shown among the second year students in 3-year nursing college (54.19$\pm$6.92) between the groups. It showed that the level of the universal precautions performance was higher for those who had education on university precautions prior to performance of the universal precautions than for those without any prior education. 5. The percentage of students who reported the experience of direct contact with patients' blood and/or body fluids was 42.30%. The experience of direct contact with blood and/or body fluids of the educational group was significantly higher than those were not educated. 6. The most frequent cause of the direct contact was ‘needle pricking and/or skin cut’(63.04%). The most frequent substance with which the students contact was ‘blood’(59.85%). The majority of the sample had answered that the mode of contamination was ‘unknown’(63.54%). The majority of the sample answered that strategies used after contamination included ‘washing with soap’(33.61%). Reviewing the chart of patients or asking other health professionals(28.85%). 7. The number of students who had the experience of a needle stick and/or skin cut was 145(28.16%). The clinical practice places where the incidents occurred were mainly in the internal medicine unit (45.07%) and the surgical unit (31.92%) followed by the intensive care unit and the emergency unit in order. The experience of a needle stick and/or skin cut happened during on intra-muscular injection 47.34% and intravenous injection 21.81%. The causes of the needle stick and/or skin cut were ‘putting the needle cap back on 77(35.81%)’. The number of students who took an appropriate post management blood test and/or vaccination was 27(18.62%). 8. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient between the knowledge of universal precautions and performance of universal precautions in practice showed a positive correlation.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.208-214
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• 2021

Purpose: Verifying a reliable predictor of the progression of vertebral deformity in patients with acute osteoporotic fractures of the lumbar spine may be useful. A qualitative analysis of the muscle near the spine was performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and its correlation with a spinal deformity was determined under the hypothesis that the causes of the kyphotic deformity are associated with muscle reduction in the multifidus and erector spinae. Materials and Methods: The study was performed in a retrospective manner using the electronic medical records of patients who presented to the author's institution between January 2007 and March 2018, and were diagnosed with an acute lumbar fracture. The fat infiltration rates of the multifidus and erector spinae were measured using MRI taken at the time of injury, and the mean value was defined as the total fat infiltration rate (TFI). Based on lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine at the one-year follow-up, the loss of height of the vertebral body, the kyphotic angle and the wedge angle were measured. The statistical significance was confirmed by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: One hundred twenty-nine patients, of which 30 were male and 99 were female, were examined. The mean age was 71.28 years. The mean T-score was -3.53±0.79 g/cm², and the mean fat infiltration was 15.20%±11.99%. TFI was positively correlated with age (R=0.373, p<0.001), compression rate (R=0.369, p<0.001), and Cobb's angle (R=0.386, p<0.001) after a one year follow-up, but negatively correlated with the BMD score (R=-0.252, p=0.004). As the fracture progressed to the lower lumbar level, the compression rate (R=-0191, p=0.030) and wedge angle (R=-0.428, p<0.001) at the time of injury tended to decrease. Conclusion: In patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures, the fat infiltration rate may be an important predictor of conservative treatment. The prognosis of patients with a high-fat infiltration rate should be explained during patient education, and the patients must be monitored closely through short-term outpatient follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.321-337
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• 1980

The increasing use of cardioplegic solution for the reduction of ischemic tissue injury requires that all cardiplegic solution be carefully assessed for any protective or damaging properties. This study describes functional, enzymatic and structural assessment of the efficiency of three cardioplegic solutions (Young & GIK, Bretschneider, and $K^{+}$ Albumin solution) in a Modified Isolated Rat Heart Model of cardiopulmonary bypass and ischemic arrest. Isolated rat heart were subjected to a 2-minute period of coronary infusion with a cold cardioplegic or a noncardioplegic solution immediately before and also at the midpoint of a 60-minute period of hypothermic ($10{\pm}1$. C) ischemic cardiac arrest. The results of this study were as follow: 1. Spontaneous heart beat after ischemic arrest occured 16 seconds later after Langendorff reperfusion in the Young & GIK group (n=6), and 40 second later in the Bretschneider group (n=6) and 6 minute later in the $K^{+}$ Albumin group (n=6), and 16 minute later in the control group (non-cardioplegia). A good recovery state of spontaneous heart beat was shown in the Young & GIK and Bretschneider groups. 2. The percentage of recorveries of heart function at 30 minute after postischemic working heart perfusion were : heart rate $91.6{\pm}3.1$% (P<0.01)m oeaj airtuc oressyre $83{\pm}3$% (P<0.01), coronary flow $70{\pm}8$% (P<0.05) and aortic flow flow rate $39{\pm}9.3$% (P<0.05) in the Young & GIK group. This percentage of recoveries of the Young & GIK group was significantly greater than the control group. In the Bretschneider group, the percentage of recoveries were : heart rate $87.8{\pm}7.5$%(P<0.05), peak aortic pressure $71{\pm}2.3$% (P<0.05) and aortic flow rate $33.2{\pm}6.6$%(P<0.05). hte percentage of recoveries were significantly greater than in the control group. In the $K^{+}$ Albumin group, recoveries of heart function were poor. 3. Total CPK leakage was $131.2{\pm}12.75$IU/30 min/gm. dry weight in the control group, $50.65{\pm}12.75$IU in the Young & GIK gruop, $69.40{\pm}32.21$Iu in Bretschneider group, and $103.65{\pm}15.47$IU in the $K^{+}$ Albumin group during the 30 minute postischemic Langendorff reperfusion. Total CPK leakage was significantly less (P<0.001) in the Young & GIK group, than in the control group. 4. Direct correlatin between percentage recovery of aortic flow rate and total amount of CPK leakage from Myocardium was noticed.(Correlation Coefficient r = 0.76, P<0.001). 5. Mild perivascular edema was the only finding of light microscopic study of myocardium after 60 minute ischemic arrest with cold cardioplegic solutions and hypothermla.