• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.59 no.sup1
• /
• pp.37-40
• /
• 2016

Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III) is a rare genetic disorder caused by lysosomal storage of heparan sulfate. MPS IIIB results from a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAGLU). Affected patients begin showing behavioral changes, progressive profound mental retardation, and severe disability from the age of 2 to 6 years. We report a patient with MPS IIIB with a long-term follow-up duration. He showed normal development until 3 years. Subsequently, he presented behavioral changes, sleep disturbance, and progressive motor dysfunction. He had been hospitalized owing to recurrent pneumonia and epilepsy with severe cognitive dysfunction. The patient had compound heterozygous c.1444C>T (p.R482W) and c.1675G>T (p.D559Y) variants of NAGLU. Considering that individuals with MPS IIIB have less prominent facial features and skeletal changes, evaluation of long-term clinical course is important for diagnosis. Although no effective therapies for MPS IIIB have been developed yet, early and accurate diagnosis can provide important information for family planning in families at risk of the disorder.

• Archives of Obesity and Metabolism
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.6-10
• /
• 2023

Compensatory changes in energy consumption and neuro-hormonal changes following weight loss make it difficult to maintain the reduced weight and may cause weight regain. Therefore, establishing a long-term weight control plan and strategy starting from the initial weight loss period is necessary. Both the patient and doctor should know that weight loss cannot occur continuously, and that maintaining weight after the weight loss period is the basic course of obesity treatment. No single dietary pattern is effective for weight maintenance, and a variety of dietary control methods - such as calorie restriction and healthy proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and meal replacements - should be used to target an integrated and healthy dietary habit. An increase in physical activity is needed for weight loss and maintenance; however, rather than recommending an excessive amount of exercise, it is better to set realistic and long-term achievable goals. It is necessary to reset the goal according to the patient's weight maintenance stage and continuously apply behavioral therapies, such as self-monitoring and stress management. In previous studies, since the degree of weight loss and changes in behavioral patterns over the course of one year were important factors in maintaining long-term weight loss, obesity therapists should closely examine patient data and behavioral patterns across a period of one year and actively intervene when needed.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.227-234
• /
• 2024

We investigated the change in land-use alteration in a 45 km × 45 km area around the Upo wetlands in 1920s(before the Japanese occupation period), 1950s(immediately Korean independence) and the period 1970s to 2000s. These data can guide in understanding surface environmental changes in the lower Nakdong River from the early 20^th century to the present. The influence of the long-term decreasing trend of the wetland area at the Upo Swamp was evaluated using a high-resolution local circulation model. The cooling effect of the wetlands on surface air during the daytime in summer(e.g, early August) was approximately 2℃ greater in the 1920s than in the 2000s, which is attributed to wider water areas in the 1920s. Additionally, long-term changes in land use have caused changes in the convergence zone of local circulation wind.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.264-271
• /
• 2023

Environmental crises caused by climate change and human-induced disturbances have become urgent challenges to the sustainability of human beings. These issues can be addressed based on a data-driven understanding and forecasting of ecosystem responses to environmental changes. In this study, we introduce a long-term ecological monitoring system in Korean Long-Term Ecological Research (KLTER), and a plan for the Korean Ecological Observatory Network (KEON). KLTER has been conducted since 2004 and has yielded valuable scientific results. However, the KLTER approach has limitations in data integration and coordinated observations. To overcome these limitations, we developed a KEON plan focused on multidisciplinary monitoring of the physiochemical, meteorological, and biological components of ecosystems to deepen process-based understanding of ecosystem functions and detect changes. KEON aims to answer nationwide and long-term ecological questions by using a standardized monitoring approach. We are preparing three types of observatories: two supersites depending on the climate-vegetation zones, three local sites depending on the ecosystem types, and two mobile deployment platforms to act on urgent ecological issues. The main observation topics were species diversity, population dynamics, biogeochemistry (carbon, methane, and water cycles), phenology, and remote sensing. We believe that KEON can address environmental challenges and play an important role in ecological observations through partnerships with international observatories.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.23-30
• /
• 2021

Korea currently provides long-term care benefits for the elderly with poor functionality, but most of the service providers are private businesses. This is the time when quality management of care services is required, which is just around the corner of the super-aged era. In this study, we would like to look at the case in which 'A company', which operates a long-term care institution, attempted to make voluntary changes ahead of social demands. The company tried to transform the social needs of quality management by judging them as opportunities, not threats, and establishing an integrated database of centers. First, the company processed data and built a cloud-based database system. Second, the company automatically linked data from existing systems for the efficiency of data utilization. Third, the company pursued visualization for the convenience of data utilization. This allowed the company to make data-driven strategic decisions internally. This is expected to increase sales as it will soon lead to securing new customers and pioneering new markets. It is also significant in that it can provide best practices for the long-term care industry.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.258-271
• /
• 2022

The rapidly aging trend of Korea is a major factor that threatens the sustainability of the long-term care insurance system. Therefore, looking at how Japan and Germany mitigated the financial burden when they managed similar long-term care insurance systems will provide important implications for improving the Korean system in the future. The study was conducted using the literature review method, and the "country" was set as a unit for the case analysis. The three countries selected are Korea, Japan, and Germany. Recently in Korea, the insurance premium rates of all subjects have been rapidly rising, which can exacerbate the issue of intergenerational equity. On the other hand, Japan has responded to the aggravating finances for long-term care insurance due to aging by raising coinsurance for selected groups like the wealthy elderly. Germany is selectively raising the insurance premium rates by additionally increasing the premium rate for childless recipients. A more preventive and quality-oriented care service plan can be promoted by referring to the recent changes in Japan and Germany. In addition, a more effective and selective increase in payment burden in Japan and Germany could be considered in response to a recent equity issue in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.224-229
• /
• 2014

Objective : To report long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy (MI-PCF) performed in patients with unilateral single-level cervical radiculopathy. Methods : Of forty-six patients who underwent MI-PCF for unilateral single-level radiculopathy between 2005 and 2013, 33 patients were included in the study, with a mean follow-up of 32.7 months. Patients were regularly followed for clinical and radiological assessment. Clinical outcome was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) for the neck/shoulder and arm, and the neck disability index (NDI). Radiological outcome was measured by focal/global angulation and disc height index (DHI). Outcomes after MI-PCF were evaluated as changes of clinical and radiological parameters from the baseline. Mixed effect model with random patients' effect was used to test for differences in the clinical and radiological parameters repeat measures. Results : There were no complications and all patients had an uneventful recovery during the early postoperative period. VAS scores for neck/shoulder and arm improved significantly in the early postoperative period (3 months) and were maintained with time (p<0.001). NDI improved significantly post-operatively and tended to decrease gradually during the follow-up period (p<0.001). There were no statistically significant changes in focal and global angulation at follow-up. Percent DHIs of the upper adjacent or operated disc were maintained without significant changes with time. During the follow-up, same site recurrence was not noted and adjacent segment disease requiring additional surgery occurred in two patients (6%) on the contra-lateral side. Conclusion : MI-PCF provides long-term pain relief and functional restoration, accompanied by good long-term radiological outcome.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.101-112
• /
• 2021

The long-term trend of surface wind speed in Korea is examined for 31 KMA weather stations from 1985 to 2019. Most stations, except Daegwallyeong, have several times of anemometer height changes from tens of centimeters to several meters. To minimize such height change effect on long-term wind trend, the present study adjusts anemometer height in each station to the standard height of 10 m using the power-law wind profile. This adjustment results in non-negligible trend change. For instance, the increasing surface wind speed at Suwon station, which has six times of anemometer height changes in a range of 0.8 m to 20 m, is weakened up to 67% and becomes statistically insignificant. Likewise, the decreasing trend at Andong station, with three times of anemometer height changes in a range of 10 m to 15.5 m, is weakened up to 66%. A similar weakening in long-term trend is observed in most stations regardless of positive and negative trends. However, due to the cancellation between weakened negative trends and weakened positive trends, the station-averaged wind speed trend in Korea does not change much. This result suggests that anemometer height adjustment is crucial for evaluating local wind speed trend but its impact on nation-wide wind speed trend is rather minor.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.49-62
• /
• 2023

Background: Over the past three decades, gradual eustatic sea-level rise has been considered a primary exogenous factor in the increased frequency of flooding and biological changes in several salt marshes. Under this paradigm, the potential importance of short-term events, such as ocean storminess, in coastal hydrology and ecology is underrepresented in the literature. In this study, a simulation was developed to evaluate the influence of wind waves driven by atmospheric oscillations on sedimentary and vegetation dynamics at the Skallingen salt marsh in southwestern Denmark. The model was built based on long-term data of mean sea level, sediment accretion, and plant species composition collected at the Skallingen salt marsh from 1933-2006. In the model, the submergence frequency (number yr^-1) was estimated as a combined function of wind-driven high water level (HWL) events (> 80 cm Danish Ordnance Datum) affected by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and changes in surface elevation (cm yr^-1). Vegetation dynamics were represented as transitions between successional stages controlled by flooding effects. Two types of simulations were performed: (1) baseline modeling, which assumed no effect of wind-driven sea-level change, and (2) experimental modeling, which considered both normal tidal activity and wind-driven sea-level change. Results: Experimental modeling successfully represented the patterns of vegetation change observed in the field. It realistically simulated a retarded or retrogressive successional state dominated by early- to mid-successional species, despite a continuous increase in surface elevation at Skallingen. This situation is believed to be caused by an increase in extreme HWL events that cannot occur without meteorological ocean storms. In contrast, baseline modeling showed progressive succession towards the predominance of late-successional species, which was not the then-current state in the marsh. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that variations in the NAO index toward its positive phase have increased storminess and wind tides on the North Sea surface (especially since the 1980s). This led to an increased frequency and duration of submergence and delayed ecological succession. Researchers should therefore employ a multitemporal perspective, recognizing the importance of short-term sea-level changes nested within long-term gradual trends.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.386-389
• /
• 2019

The development of breast implant technology continues to evolve over time, but changes in breast shape after implantation have not been fully elucidated. Thus, we performed computerized finite element analysis in order to better understand the trajectory of changes and stress variation after breast implantation. The finite element analysis of changes in breast shape involved two components: a static analysis of the position where the implant is inserted, and a dynamic analysis of the downward pressure applied in the direction of gravity during physical activity. Through this finite element analysis, in terms of extrinsic changes, it was found that the dimensions of the breast implant and the position of the top-point did not directly correspond to the trajectory of changes in the breast after implantation. In addition, in terms of internal changes, static and dynamic analysis showed that implants with a lower top-point led to an increased amount of stress applied to the lower thorax. The maximum stress values were 1.6 to 2 times larger in the dynamic analysis than in the static analysis. This finding has important implications for plastic surgeons who are concerned with long-term changes or side effects, such as bottoming-out, after anatomic implant placement.