• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.370-380
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• 2019

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the distribution of individual exposure characteristics according to an exposure assessment classification for humidifier disinfectant and to identify the factors that influence assessment classification. Methods: We examined the exposure characteristics of 4,482 subjects who applied for the 4-1 and 4-2 assessments of environmental exposure to humidifier disinfectant conducted by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). Environmental exposure assessment classification was assessed using the following seven criteria: 1) Distance from humidifier to face; 2) Spray direction; 3) Time used, daytime 4) Time used, during sleep; 5) Time used, cumulative; 6) Exposure intensity; and 7) Cumulative exposure level. Each criteria was then classified as 'high' or low'. When participants answered for more than four criteria, exposure assessment was determined as 'definite,' 'probable,' or 'possible' depending on the ratio of 'high' responses. If participants' responses were inconsistent, exposure assessment was listed as 'unlikely.' If participants answered for less than four criteria, exposure assessment was considered 'indeterminate.' Results: For the exposure assessment classes, definite was assigned to 38.5% (1,725 subjects), probable assigned to 32.9% (1,474 subjects), 25.0% (1,122 subjects) were assigned to as possible, unlikely assigned to 0.1% (3 subjects), and indeterminate assigned to 3.5% (158 subjects). Overall, participants who used 'Oxy Ssakssak New Gaseupgi Dangbun,' 'Aekyung Gaseupgi Mate,' 'Homeplus Gaseupgi Chungjungje,' and 'E-Mart Gaseupgi Salgyunje' totaled 2,996, 557, 176, and 162 subjects, respectively. There was a statistical difference in the type of humidifier disinfectant products between high-exposed and low-exposed participants. Based on the assessment criteria of humidifier disinfectant exposure, subjects were likely to be in the highly exposed classes (definite and probable) when the subjects were exposed 1) for more than ten hours per day and 2) for more than four hours at night 3) when the total cumulative exposure time was higher than the average, 4) when the direction of humidifier spray was toward the face, 5) when the respiratory position was less than 1 meter of distance from the humidifier, 6) when the concentration of indoor contaminants (ug/m3) was higher than the average exposure intensity, and 7) when overall exposure level ($ug/m3^*hr$) was higher than the average exposure level. Conclusion: This study suggests that each exposure assessment criteria was able to appropriately estimate cumulative exposure levels.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.271-278
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of virtual reality training on upper extremity function and activities of daily living in patients with sub-acute stroke. The present study enrolled 18 patients with sub-acute stroke. All subjects were assigned into either the experimental group (n=9) or control group (n=9). Both groups received conventional occupational therapy for 30 minutes/day, 5 times a week, for 4 weeks. Additionally, the experimental group performed virtual reality training in each session for 30 minutes/day, and the control group conducted conventional occupational therapy in each session for 30 minutes/day. The outcome measures were performed through the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and the Korean-modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) before and after intervention. In results, the experimental group showed significant improvements in the scores of FMA and K-MBI after intervention (p<.05). The control group showed significant improvements in the shoulder/elbow/forearm, wrist, and hand sub-domains of the FMA and K-MBI (p<.05). After intervention, the experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in the total score and in the wrist and hand sub-domains of the FMA than control group (p<.05). These findings suggest that virtual reality training may have positive effects on the improvements of upper extremity function in patients with sub-acute stroke.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.292-299
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of therapeutic climbing training on upper limb function and quality of life of stroke patients and to suggest possibilities for clinical intervention. This study investigated 14 stroke patients who were assigned to either a treatment climbing training group or a control group (n=7 each). The experimental groups performed general physical therapy and occupational therapy. In addition, therapeutic climbing training using the Potsdam model was conducted for 30 minutes three times a week for 6 weeks. The control group performed general physical therapy and occupational therapy. A manual function test was used to evaluate upper limb function, and a short form 36-item questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of life. The results showed that there was a significant difference in upper limb function of the experimental group according to time (p<0.05). There was also a significant difference in the quality of life according to time in the experimental group, and a significant difference in quality of life between the experimental group and the control group (p<0.05). Therapeutic climbing training by stroke patients positively affected quality of life by increasing the SF-36 scores and upper limb function. Taken together, these findings confirmed that training using therapeutic climbing is valuable for rehabilitation and clinical intervention of stroke patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.261-270
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sleep duration on stress and depression in college students. The results obtained will be used as a foundational framework for fostering a healthy sleep culture among college students and for formulating measures to improve the quality of their sleep. Ultimately, we intend to produce a publicity and educational material. Methods : For this study, a survey involving 100 college students was conducted, after which data based on a final total of 95 respondents were analyzed. The information on stress and depression were first analyzed in terms of general characteristics and then organized based on the data collected to investigate the effects of sleep duration on stress and depression. The participants were divided into the following groups: "less than 6 hours," "6 to 7 hours," and "7 to 8 hours." BEPSI-K (Brief encounter psychosocial instrument-Korean) was used for stress evaluation, while K-CESD-R (Korean version of center for epidemiologic studies depression scale-revised) was utilized for depression evaluation. Results : First, according to sleep duration, the BEPSI-K scores showed a statistically significant difference in each group (p<.01). In the post-hoc test, there was a difference among the "less than 6 hours" group, the "7 to 8 hours" group. A statistically significant difference was noted (p<.01). In addition, sleep duration had a statistically significant effect on the negative (-) direction of the BEPSI-K (p<.01). Second, the K-CESD-R score according to sleep duration showed a statistically significant difference in each group (p<.01). Notably, in the post-hoc test, the "less than 6 hours" group differed from the "6 to 7 hours" group, "7 to 8 hours" group. A statistically significant difference was noted (p<.01). In addition, sleep duration had a statistically significant effect on the negative (-) direction of the K-CESD-R (p<.01). Third, for the correlation between sleep duration and stress and depression, a negative (-) correlation was found between sleep duration and BEPSI-K and K-CESD-R. Meanwhile, a positive (+) correlation was found between BEPSI-K and K-CESD-R. Conclusion : Based on the findings of this study, the sleep duration of college students has an effect on stress and depression. The results of this study can be used as a foundational framework in formulating a plan for improving the quality of sleep of college students.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of paired-group sensory integration therapy on sensory processing, peer interaction, and play development of four-year-old children. Methods : This study involved 13 weekly sessions of a four-minute intervention as well as an initial 10 minutes of parental counseling for those without experience of paired-group sensory integration therapy. The intervention consisted of sensory processing activities and various occupational activities, and the children's Short Sensory Profile (SSP), Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), and Knox Preschool Play Scale-Revised (KPPS-R) were measured before and after the sessions for comparison. The results are presented using visualized data. Results : After the paired-group interventions, all subjects showed improved sensory processing ability according to their SSP scores and improved play development on the KPPS-R. Moreover, the frequency of negative interactions decreased in the PIPPS measure. Conclusion : This paired-group sensory integration therapy had a positive effect on sensory processing, peer interaction, and play for children with developmental delay. In the future, research that applies this kind of paired-group intervention in various age groups would be useful.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.464-474
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• 2022

Objectives: We introduced the cohort studies included in the Korean Cohort Consortium (KCC), focusing on large-scale cohort studies established in Korea with a prolonged follow-up period. Moreover, we also provided projections of the follow-up and estimates of the sample size that would be necessary for big-data analyses based on pooling established cohort studies, including population-based genomic studies. Methods: We mainly focused on the characteristics of individual cohort studies from the KCC. We developed "PROFAN", a Shiny application for projecting the follow-up period to achieve a certain number of cases when pooling established cohort studies. As examples, we projected the follow-up periods for 5000 cases of gastric cancer, 2500 cases of prostate and breast cancer, and 500 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The sample sizes for sequencing-based analyses based on a 1:1 case-control study were also calculated. Results: The KCC consisted of 8 individual cohort studies, of which 3 were community-based and 5 were health screening-based cohorts. The population-based cohort studies were mainly organized by Korean government agencies and research institutes. The projected follow-up period was at least 10 years to achieve 5000 cases based on a cohort of 0.5 million participants. The mean of the minimum to maximum sample sizes for performing sequencing analyses was 5917-72 102. Conclusions: We propose an approach to establish a large-scale consortium based on the standardization and harmonization of existing cohort studies to obtain adequate statistical power with a sufficient sample size to analyze high-risk groups or rare cancer subtypes.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.37-45
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• 2021

Purpose : This study aimed to present normative data and cut-off points for older Korean adults completing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - Korean (MoCA-K), which is used as a screening test for mild cognitive impairment in Korea. Methods : A total of 195 healthy adults ≥60 years were recruited. All participants completed the MoCA-K and the Korean - Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) to assess their cognitive function. Participants were divided into six groups based on their age: 60-64 years, 65~69 years, 70~74 years, 75~79 years, 80~84 years, and 85~89 years. Results : The results revealed that MoCA-K score decreased significantly with age (mean score ± standard deviation [SD]; 27.63±2.80 in subjects aged 60~64 years; 27.00±2.39 in subjects aged 65~69 years; 24.94±2.96 in subjects aged 70~74 years; 24.74±3.37 in subjects aged 75~79 years; 22.59±4.72 in subjects aged 80~84 years; and 18.83±5.38 in subjects aged 85~89 years; p<.001). Additionally, MoCA-K score also increased significantly with educational level (mean score±standard deviation [SD]; 19.95±4.78 in no formal education group; 24.95±2.22 in elementary school graduated group; 26.35±2.72 in middle school graduated group; 28.32±1.36 in high school graduated group; and 28.50±1.51 in more than college graduated group; p<.001). The optimal cut-off points were 24/25 for 60~69 years old group, 21/22 for 70~79 years old group, 17/18 for 80~84 years old group, and 13/14 for 85~89 years old group. The optimal cut-off points were 15/16 for individuals who were illiterate, 22/23 for individuals with 6 years of education, 22/24 for individuals with 9 years of education, and 26/27 for individuals with 12 or more years of education. Conclusions : This study presents normative data and cut-off points for the MoCA-K in older Korean adults. This data will facilitate more accurate detection and follow-up of the risk of mild cognitive impairment in this population, taking into consideration age and education. Future studies are required that should focus on the cut-off score on the level of education according to age.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.39-47
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• 2022

Objective : This study investigated brain functional connectivity in male firefighters who showed subclinical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods : We compared the data of 17 firefighters who were not diagnosed with PTSD and 18 healthy controls who had no trauma exposure. The following instruments were applied to assess psychiatric symptoms: Korean version of the Post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5-K), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). For all subjects, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and functional connectivity was compared between the two groups (family-wise error-corrected p<0.05). Additionally, correlations between psychiatric symptoms and functional connectivity were explored. Results : The following connectivity was higher than that of healthy controls: 1) the central opercular cortex-superior temporal gyrus, 2) planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus, 3) angular gyrus-amygdala, and 4) temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus. The functional connectivity of 1) the lateral occipital cortex-inferior temporal gyrus, 2) superior parietal lobule-caudate, and 3) middle temporal gyrus-thalamus were lower in firefighters. In firefighters, the connectivity of the planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus showed a negative correlation with the severity of arousal symptoms (rho=-0.586, p=0.013). The connectivity of the middle temporal gyrus-thalamus showed a positive correlation with the severity of intrusion (rho=0.552, p=0.022) and arousal symptoms (rho=0.619, p=0.008). The connectivity of the temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus was negatively correlated with intrusion (rho=-0.491, p=0.045) and arousal (rho=-0.579, p=0.015). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the brain functional connectivity is associated with occupational trauma exposure in firefighters without PTSD. Therefore, this study provides evidence that close monitoring and early intervention are important for firefighters with traumatic experience even at a subthreshold level.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.432-438
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Lespedeza caneata extract on the livers of alcohol-administered mice. The study subjects were divided into a control (Con), alcohol administration (AL), alcohol and Lespedeza Caneata extract 200 mg/kg administration (AL-LC 200), and alcohol and Lespedeza caneata extract400 mg/kg administration (AL-LC 400) group. Distilled water was administrated orally to control and alcohol groups for ten days, while Lespedeza caneata extract was administered orally to alcohol and Lespedeza caneata extract groups for ten days. All experimental groups were fasted for twelve hours seven days after the oral administration, after which distilled water was administered orally to Con five times at twelve-hour intervals. At the same time, 50% ethanol (MERCK, USA) at 10 g/kg concentration was administered orally to AL and AL-LC groups five times at 12-hour intervals. The AST, ALT enzyme activation in blood and histology of the liver were then evaluated. AST and ALT in AL-LC groups were lower than in the AL group. Particularly, the AL-LC 200 and AL-LC 400 groups had significantly lower AST activation than the AL group. Histological results showed that most of the subjects in the AL group had necrosis and deformation in their livers, while fat droplets were accumulated in hepatic cells around the central vein. AL-LC 200 group revealed that a portion of the central vein was swollen, liver cells were expanded, and small fat droplets were accumulated. In the AL-CL 400 group, the central vein was normal and small fat droplets were accumulated in some liver cells. However, most of the liver cells appeared normal in the AL-CL 400 group. These results suggest that the extracts of Lespedeza caneata prevented alcohol induced liver damage in mice and have great potential for use as natural health products.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.1 s.56
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• pp.77-101
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• 1997

In September 1994, residents of Gozan-dong, Incheon City, made a petition to the government about their health problems which might be caused by previous glass fibre landfill nearby 'H' company. In february 1995, at regular academic meeting of occupational and environmental medicine, a research team of 'D' University presented that they had found glass fibres in groundwater of the area through their survey. They were suspicious of probable association between ingestion of groundwater contaminated with glass fibres and skin tumors among residents. A joint research team was formed and carried out the survey of environment concerning groundwater and its glass fibre existence, and health assessment of residents in the area and industrial workers of 'H' company during May to November, 1995. Analysis of groundwater flow system indicates that the flow lines from the glass fibre landfill pass through or terminate at the 6 houses around the landfill. This means that the groundwater of the 6 houses around the glass fibre landfill could be affected by some possible contaminants from the landfill, but the groundwater quality of the other houses was irrelevant to the landfill. The qualitative and qualitative analyses for glass fibres in 54 groundwater samples including those from the nearby 6 houses, were carried out using SEM equipped with EDS, resulting in no evidence for the presence of glass fibres in the waters. Major precipitates, formed in waters while boiling, were identified as calcium carbonates, in particulary, aragonites in needle form. The results of health assessments of 889 residents in Gozan-dong, participated in this study, showed statistically significant differences in past medical histories of skin tumor and respiratory disease between the exposed group (31 persons who inhabited in 6 houses around the landfill) and the control group, but no significant differences in past medical histories of other diseases, such as cancer mortality, current gastroscopic findings, current skin diseases and respiratory diseases, etc. Also, we could not prove any glass fibres in excised specimens of 9 skin tumors in both groups and there were no health problems possibly associated with glass fibres in employees of the 'H' company. After all, we could not authenticate the association, raised by prior investigators, between groundwater streams, assumedly contaminated with glass fibres or not, and specific disease morbidities or common disease/symptom prevalences. That is, we could not find any glass fibres in groundwater as the only exposure factor of this study hypothesis, and there were not enough certain evidences such as increasing disease prevalences, for examples, skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases etc, possibly related to glass fibre exposure, in exposed group. As a matter of course, the conditions for confirming causal association, for example, strength of the association, consistency of the association, specificity of the association, temporality of the association and dose-response relationship etc, have not been satisfied. In conclusion, we were not able to certify the hypothesis that contamination of groundwater with glass fibres might cause any hazardous health effects in residents who used it for drinking.