• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.220-225
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• 2017

Background: Benzene is a known occupational and environmental pollutant. Its urinary metabolite trans, trans-muconic acid (tt-MA) has been introduced by some environmental and occupational health regulatory associations as a biological index for the assessment of benzene exposure; however, recently, doubts have been raised about the specificity of tt-MA for low-level benzene exposures. In the present study, we investigated the association between urinary levels of tt-MA and inhalational exposure to benzene in different exposure groups. Methods: Benzene exposure was assessed by personal air sampling. Collected benzene on charcoal tube was extracted by carbon disulfide and determined by a gas chromatograph (gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector). Urinary tt-MA was extracted by a strong anion-exchange column and determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV. Results: Urinary levels of tt-MA in intensive benzene exposure groups (chemical workers and police officers) were significantly higher than other groups (urban and rural residents), but its levels in the last two groups with significant different exposure levels (mean = 0.081 ppm and 0.019 ppm, respectively) showed no significant difference (mean = $388{\mu}g/g$ creatinine and $282{\mu}g/g$, respectively; p < 0.05). Before work shift, urine samples of workers and police officers showed a high amount of tt-MA and its levels in rural residents' samples were not zero. Conclusion: Our results suggest that tt-MA may not be a reliable biomarker for monitoring low-level (below 0.5 ppm) benzene exposures.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.33-42
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• 2017

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the fumanet exercise program on the cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor in elderly people. Method: The study period was May 2-June 24, 2016. The participants included 20 elderly persons (control group 10, experimental group 10) who registered at the day-care Center in G. City. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis of the control and experimental groups' general characteristics. The chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to identify the two groups' general characteristics' and dependent variables' homogeneity. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pre-and post-intervention cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor, and a Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the rate of cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor changes between the groups after the intervention. Result: The participants' fall down-related physical fitness factors (balance, gait, leg strength) increased and memory in the cognitive function sub-area improved in the participants who participated in the fumanet exercise program. The amount of change in gait was significantly different between the control and experimental groups. Conclusion: The fumanet exercise program included gait training using the learn, remember and repeat phased steps. Therefore, this study proposes using the fumanet exercise program to improve the elderly's cognitive function and physical fitness factor.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.297-308
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• 2008

This study developed career education program applying cooperative learning structures (Kagan, 1993, 1995, 1997), and tested its effect on elementary school children's career development. Sixth grade students of 2 classes were divided into experimental and control group, and 14 sessions of the program were applied to the experimental group for 8 weeks. Career development test(Lee, 2005) were performed before and after the program. Students in both groups were retested 3 months after the post-test to test continuing effects of the program. Score tendencies and their differences between experimental group and control group of children in 3 career development areas - self-awareness, educational and occupational exploration, and career planing - were tested and the results are as follows: development of 3 areas of self-awareness, educational and occupational exploration, and career planing were consistently increasing along the experimental sequence in experimental group, while the development of 3 areas showed no changes or declining tendencies in control group. Self-awareness and educational and occupational exploration did not show the statistically significant differences between the groups. Meanwhile, the career plaining showed statistically significant difference between the groups in post-test, meaning that the career education program with cooperative structure has positive effects on the career planing in 6th grade students.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.557-557
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• 2019

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2015

Background: To investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and comorbid health problems, including depression/anxiety disorder, insomnia/sleep disorder, fatigue, and injury by accident, and to determine whether certain physical and psychological factors reduce comorbid health problems. Methods: In total, 29,711 employees were selected from respondents of the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey and categorized into two groups: Musculoskeletal Complaints or Musculoskeletal Sickness Absence. Four self-reported health indicators (overall fatigue, depression/anxiety, insomnia/sleep disorder, and injury by accident) were selected as outcomes, based on their high prevalence in Korea. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to determine the relationship between comorbid health problems, musculoskeletal complaints, and sickness absence. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and musculoskeletal sickness absence due to muscular pain was 32.26% and 0.59%, respectively. Compared to the reference group, depression/anxiety disorder and overall fatigue were 5.2-6.1 times more prevalent in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group and insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were 7.6-11.0 times more prevalent in the Sickness Absence Group. When adjusted for individual and work-related physical factors, prevalence of all four comorbid health problems were slightly decreased in both groups. Conclusion: Increases in overall fatigue and depression/anxiety disorder were observed in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group, while increases in insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were observed in the Sickness Absence Group. For management of musculoskeletal complaints and sickness absence in the workplace, differences in health problems between employees with musculoskeletal complaints and those with sickness absence as well as the physical and psychological risk factors should be considered.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.109-123
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• 2000

Inhaled halogen compound was examined through micronucleus tests and toxicity tests using SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats with repeated dosages for six hours a day, five days a week, during four weeks. In four-week repeated exposure, no specific sign caused by the $CF_3I$ compound was observed on the clinical symptoms, body weight variation, feed consumption, and urinalysis data in the testing groups with reference to the control group. In hematological and biochemical blood tests of the testing groups, the significant, but in their normal ranges, value dependencies of glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and etc., on the halogen carbohydride concentration was observed. In histo-pathological tests, no specific lesion or concentration dependent change due to the $CF_3I$ compound dosage was observed in both sexes of the female and male in the tested animals. But, micronucleus tests on marrow cells extracted from the tested animals which were repeatedly exposed in the $CF_3I$ compound during four weeks, the frequencies of micronuclei were significantly increased dose-dependently compared to the control groups.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.481-496
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to compare factors causing stress in pediatric and general dentists when treating pediatric patients and to evaluate their overall occupational stress level. A total of 191 dentists participated in the online survey, consisting of 66 pediatric dentists and 125 general dentists. The questionnaire was conducted using Google Form. Both groups were stressed due to poor cooperation of patient and caregiver, uncertain prognosis of treatment, and low cost of pediatric dental treatment. The pediatric dentists felt relatively high stress due to poor cooperation from caregivers and an uncertain prognosis of treatment (p < 0.05). Overall occupational stress was high in both groups in the order of patient, time, job environment, and income-related stress, and the degrees of pediatric dentists were lower than general dentists. Among the 3 sub-factors of occupational burnout, more than 98% of both groups showed burnout in "depersonalization", and more than 69% of both groups showed burnout in "emotional exhaustion". Both groups showed a low burnout rate in "reduced sense of accomplishment" and pediatric dentists showed a higher sense of accomplishment than general dentists (p < 0.05). This study showed that both groups were under high occupational stress due to various factors, and efforts were required to relieve stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2012

Objectives: To compare the exposure level of extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields among semiconductor workers, shipyard welders and office workers. Methods: To measure the ELF magnetic field concentration, EMDEX LITE (Enertech, USA) were used and monitored for eight hours continuously. Five companies handling the electric and magnetic field (EMF) source were investigated, which the exposure groups were classified into three groups: semiconductor workers, welders, and office workers. Welder group was chosen as a high exposed group and office group as a low exposed group. Results: The arithmetic mean (${\pm}SD$) and geometric mean (GSD) of personal exposure level of semiconductor workers were 0.73 (${\pm}1.33$) ${\mu}T$, 0.43 (2.88) ${\mu}T$, respectively. The ceiling value ranged between 0.18 and 123.2 ${\mu}T$. Welders were exposed high with the arithmetic mean value of 3.46 (${\pm}\;13.46$) ${\mu}T$ and geometric mean value of 0.45 (4.70) ${\mu}T$, respectively, and ceiling value range of 75.5~129.6 ${\mu}T$. The exposure levels of office workers were low compared to other exposed groups; the arithmetic mean 0.05 (${\pm}0.13$) ${\mu}T$, geometric mean 0.03 (2.38) ${\mu}T$ and ceiling value range 0.37~3.35 ${\mu}T$. This study revealed statistically significant differences of the mean ELF magnetic field exposure doses among three groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The average ELF magnetic field exposure doses of semiconductor workers were much higher than those of office workers in control group, but were lower than those of welders in high exposure group.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.33-46
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• 2015

This study was done on the basis that IT convergence-contents can help the elderly. The effects of IT convergence-contents were analyzed on the occupational performance of the elderly. This investigation was done with 100 elderly people above 65 years of age who lived in local community and two senior welfare centers in Busan and Kyeongbuk. The 100 elderly people were split into two groups of 50: the one group who has experience with IT convergence-contents was the experiment group, and the other group with no experience was the control group. In both groups, body functions, cognitive functions, activities of daily living and community participation were tested. The experimental group had higher scores for cognitive function, and activities of daily living than that of the control group. In conclusion, future studies can support continued IT convergence-contents at the local business community level rather than with smaller samples. This work lays the groundwork for follow-up studies to evaluate the effectiveness of IT convergence-contents.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-127
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of telerehabilitation on executive function, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and occupational performance in stroke patients. Methods : The participants of this study were 30 outpatients with stroke residing in community. Both groups underwent the intervention 3 times a week for a total of 18 sessions. For the experimental group telerehabilitation was administered at home to only fifteen participants in the experimental group schedule, and it was supervised by the caregiver. Fifteen people in the control group underwent only the traditional occupational therapy. Executive function and instrumental activities of daily living were evaluated using the Korean version of the Executive Function Performance Test (EFPT-K). The basic daily activities of living were assessed using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to evaluate the client-centered occupational performance. Results : After the intervention, the experimental and control groups showed improvements in executive function, instrumental activities of daily living and occupational performance. Occupational performance improved more significantly in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusion : Telerehabilitation and occupational therapy positively affect executive function, instrumental activities of daily living and occupational performance of patients with stroke. We suggest that telerehabilitation combined with occupational therapy is more effective in improving the occupational performance of stroke patients.