• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.521-528
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• 2023

Objective: This study investigated the effects of surgical castration on behavior, physiological and inflammatory indicators, and leukocyte cytokine mRNA levels in Korean cattle bull calves. Methods: Nineteen Korean cattle bull calves (average body weight, 254.5 kg; average age, 8.2 months) were divided into two treatment groups: control (n = 9) and castration (n = 10). Surgical castration was performed using Newberry knives and a Henderson castrating tool. Blood was obtained just before castration (0 h) and at 0.5 h, 6 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d after castration. Plasma cortisol (PC), saliva cortisol (SC), plasma substance P, and plasma haptoglobin concentrations, and the leucocyte mRNA levels of the interleukin-1-alpha (IL1A), interleukin-1-beta (IL1B), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN), and interleukin-6 (IL6) genes were analyzed. Results: Castration decreased (p<0.01) the average daily gain and gain/feed ratio. Castration reduced the time spent eating (p<0.001) and the eating frequency (p<0.01) and increased (p<0.001) the lying frequency. Castration temporarily increased (p<0.05) circulating PC and SC concentrations at 0.5 h after castration. Castration temporarily increased (p<0.05) plasma substance P concentrations at 1 d after castration. Castration increased (p<0.05) plasma haptoglobin concentrations at 1 and 3 d after castration. Castration increased (p<0.05) leukocyte mRNA levels of the IL1A, IL1B, IL1RN, and IL6 genes at 6 h after castration. Conclusion: Castration temporarily induced stress and expression of leucocyte inflammatory cytokine genes in Korean cattle bull calves.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.259-274
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide clinical evidence to support the use of auricular blood-letting therapy (ABT) for headaches. Methods: Studies were identified by a comprehensive search of five databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of the ABT for headaches were included. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using Cochrane's risk-of-bias tool. If two or more studies reported the same outcome, a meta-analysis was performed. Meta-analysis results for dichotomous variables are expressed as risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of eight RCTs were included in this review. The total effective rate (TER) was the most commonly used outcome measurement. Among the eight RCTs, five were included in the metaanalysis. The TER was not statistically significantly different in the ABT group compared to the medication group (two studies, n=55, RR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.96, p=0.36, I² =86%). However, the TER of the combined ABT and medication group was significantly different compared to the medication alone group (four studies, n=159, RR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.35, p<0.0001, I² = 0%). Pain and mental health-related outcomes in the combined ABT and medication group were significantly different from the control groups. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was generally low. Conclusions: ABT combined with medication may be effective for treating headaches. However, the number of studies included was small, so the results were insufficient, and statistically significant effects were not confirmed for a single implementation of ABT. Thus, well-designed further studies based on the findings of this study are recommended.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2023

This study investigates the current situation of medical technologists for blood collection, which is considered the most important step for diagnosis. The survey enrolled 650 medical technologists working in hospitals and medical check centers in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. We found that each medical technologist performed blood collection for about 100 patients. There was more than one blood collection failure per day, with more than one case of pain and filing of civil complaints per year. Hence, there was a high work burden on the medical technologists. Cases where a medical technologist was stabbed with a used needle occurred more than once a year, and about 15% of them received infection control and treatment because of stab wounds. Additionally, more than half of the participants suffered from musculoskeletal disorders and mental stress due to blood collection work. Unlike administering intravenous and intramuscular injections using the same needle, no fee is charged for blood collection. Based on the results of this study, it will be possible to improve the safety and rights of medical technologists by calculating the actual fee for blood collection work and assigning a relative value score.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.205-213
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• 2009

Objectives : Cancer incidence is increasing in all countries and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients undergoing chemotherapeutic agents have been a clinically serious problems. So far therapeutic options for CIPN patients are limited and no confirmed methods have yet been established for dealing with peripheral neuropathy. Therefore this review is to provide an evidence-based summary of oriental medicine and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) neuroprotective and treatment therapies which have gone through clinical trials. Methods : An overview of the domestic and international papers of adult clinical trials relating management of only CIPN symptoms through 1990 to present were searched by electronic databases. Search key words were chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, chemotherapy toxicity & herb, chemotherapy toxicity & acupuncture, chemotherapy toxicity & CAM. Only English and Korean written papers were reviewed. Total 25 papers were reviewed in this study, 18 papers were retrieved by electronic search. Results : Clinical studies of managing CIPN were rare, two acupuncture clinical studies and four herb medicinal studies were found. Rest of 19 papers were about other CAM clinical studies. Total 25 papers were analyzed, and all interventions were focused on their pain control efficacy. Other 24 trials of potential therapies except one proved to be effective for CIPN, however some described to be inadequate positive or sufficient negative. Conclusions : As most of the studies were pilot studies, interventions for the prevention and treatment of CIPN have to go through prospective confirmatory studies, such as larger scale randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trials must be done for the safe and effective use of proposed therapies. Also standard measurement scales have to be developed for the better clinical study of CIPN.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

This study aimed to verify the effects of a 4-week program of ankle-strengthening exercise and toe-taping walk exercise on the basic lower body strength and walking to examine the benefits of the two exercises. The subjects involved 30 women in their 20s enrolled in university A. The subjects were equally divided into three groups - ankle-strengthening exercise group, toe-taping walk exercise group, and control group. The subjects were instructed to massage and do ankle-strengthening exercises using a towel, massage ball, and CRT, for 60 minutes, 3 times a week. They also taped their hallux valgus using a kinesiology tape and walked for 20 minutes with white tape applied. To sum up, the 4-week ankle-strengthening exercise and toe-taping walk exercise were identified to have a partial statistical significance on the basic lower body strength (muscular strength, power, and balance) and walking (length of gait line, plantar pressure, and COP) of women in their 20s. Therefore, the study confirmed the effects of ankle-strengthening exercises and toe-taping walk exercise on the lower body exercise function, and it is considered that further studies should be conducted on more various effects of the exercises by subdividing them into different pain locations and orthomechanic findings.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.683-694
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• 2010

This study was to investigate the effects of aquarobics exercise on body composition, fitness and health related quality of life (sf-36) in elderly women and to provide basic data to exercise prescription. The subjects were the 60~70 years old seniors who participated in exercise program at health promotion center and had been divided into exercise(N=25) and control(N=30) group, respectively. Aquarobics exercise was performed twice per week for 8 weeks at 40~70% heart rate reserve(exercise intensity) and body composition, fitness and SF-36 were measured before and after exercise. In body composition, there were significance in weight(p=0.044), body mass index(p=0.038), and %fat(p=0.005) between groups before and after. In fitness, there were no significance in fitness such as chair stand, and chair sit and reach, but there were significance in 2-minute step(p<0.001), arm curl(p=0.005), back scratch(p=0.023), and 8-ft up and go(p<0.001) between groups. In SF-36, there were no significance in physical functioning, role limitation-physical, role limitation-emotional, social functioning, mental health, and vitality, but there were significance in bodily pain(p=0.039), and general health(p=0.024) between groups. It was found that aquarobics exercise was one of the good exercise types for the elderly to improve body composition and fitness. Also, there was positive effect on health-related quality of life partially.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.329-334
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• 2008

Background: Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support. (PCPS) has the potential to rescue patients in cardiogenic shock who might otherwise die. PCPS has been a therapeutic option in a variety of the clinical settings such as for patients with myocardial Infarction, high-risk coronary intervention and postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock, and the PCPS device is easy to install. We report our early experience with PCPS as a life saving procedure in cardiogenic shock patients due to acute myocardial infarction. Material and Method: From January 2005 to December 2006, eight patients in cardiogenic shock with acute myocardial infarction underwent PCPS using the CAPIOX emergency bypass system($EBS^{(R)}$, Terumo, Tokyo, Japan). Uptake cannulae were inserted deep into the femoral vein up to the right atrium and return cannulae were inserted into the femoral artery with Seldinger techniques using 20 and 16-French cannulae, respectively. Simultaneously, autopriming was performed at the $EBS^{(R)}$ circuit. The $EBS^{(R)}$ flow rate was maintained between $2.5{\sim}3.0L/min/m^2$ and anticoagulation was performed using intravenous heparin with an ACT level above 200 seconds. Result: The mean age of patients was $61.1{\pm}14.2$ years (range, 39 to 77 years). Three patients were under control of the $EBS^{(R)}$ before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), three patients were under control of the $EBS^{(R)}$ during PCI, one patient was under control of the $EBS^{(R)}$ after PCI, and one patient was under control of the $EBS^{(R)}$ after coronary bypass surgery. The mean support time was $47.5{\pm}27.9$ hours (range, 8 to 76 hours). Five patients (62.5%) could be weaned from the $EBS^{(R)}$ after $53.6{\pm}27.2$ hours. (range, 12 to 68 hours) of support. All of the patients who could successfully be weaned from support were discharged from the hospital. There were three complications: one case of gastrointestinal bleeding and two cases of acute renal failure. Two of the three mortality cases were under cardiac arrest before $EBS^{(R)}$ support, and one patient had an intractable ventricular arrhythmia during the support. All of the discharged patients are still surviving at $16.8{\pm}3.1$ months (range, 12 to 20 months) of follow-up. Conclusion: The use of $EBS^{(R)}$ for cardiogenic shock caused by an acute myocardial infarction could rescue patients who might otherwise have died. Successfully recovered patients after $EBS^{(R)}$ treatment have survived without severe complications. More experience and additional clinical investigations are necessary to elucidate the proper installation timing and management protocol of the $EBS^{(R)}$ in the future.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.227-248
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• 1990

The study was conceived in relation to a concern over the growing gap between the needs of chronic patients and the availability of care from the current health care system in Korea. Patients with agonizing chronic pain, discomfort, despair and disability are left with helplessly unprepared families with little help from the acute care oriented health care system after discharge from hospital. There is a great need for the development of an alternative means of quality care that is economically feasible and culturally adaptible to our society. Thus, the study was designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of home heath care as an alternative to bridge the existing gap between the patients' needs and the current practice of health care. The study specifically purports to test the effects of home care on health expenditure, readmission, job retention, compliance to health care regime, general conditions, complications, and self-care knowledge and practices. The study was guided by the operations research method advocated by the Primary Health Care Operations Research Institute(PRICOR) which constitutes 3 stages of research : namely, problem analysis solution development, and solution validation. The first step in the operations research was field preparation to develop the necessary consensus and cooperation. This was done through the formation of a consulting body at the hospital and a steering committee among the researchers. For the stage of problem analysis, the Annual Report of Seoul National University Hospital and the patients records for last 5 years were reviewed and selective patient interviews were conducted to find out the magnitude of chronic health problems and areas of unmect health care needs to finally decide on the kinds of health problems to study. On the basis of problem analysis, the solution development stage was devoted to home care program development asa solution alternative. Assessment tools, teaching guidelines and care protocols were developed and tested for their validity. The final stage was the stage of experimentation and evaluation. Patients with liver diseases, hemiplegic and diabetic conditions were selected as study samples. Discharge evaluation, follow up home care, measurement and evaluation were carried out according to the protocols of care and measurement plan for each patient for the period of 6 months after discharge. The study was carried out for the period from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1989. The following are the results of the study presented according to the hypotheses set forth for the study ; 1. Total expenditures for the period of study were not reduced for the experimental group, however, since the cost per hospital visit is about 4 times as great as the cost per home visit, the effect of cost saving by home care will become a reality as home care replaces part of the hospital visits. 2. The effect on the rate of readmission and job retention was found to be statistically nonsignificant though the number of readmission was less among the experimental group receiving home care. 3. The effect on compliance to the health care regime was found to be statistically significant at the 5% level for hepatopathic and diabetic patients. 4. Education on diet, rest and excise, and medication through home care had an effect on improved liver function test scores, prevention of complications and self - care knowledge in hepatopathic patients at a statistically significant level. 5. In hemiplegic patient, home care had an effect on increased grasping power at a significant level. However. there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the level of compliane, prevention of complications or in self-care practices. 6. In diabetic patients, there was no difference between the experimental and control groups in scores of laboratory tests, appearance of complications, and self-care knowledge or self -care practices. The above findings indicate that a home care program instituted for such short term as 6 months period could not totally demonstrate its effectiveness at a statistically significant level by quantitative analysis however, what was shown in part in this analysis, and in the continuous consultation sought by those who had been in the experimental group, is that home health care has a great potential in retarding or preventing pathological progress, facilitating rehabilitative and productive life, and improving quality of life by adding comfort, confidence and strength to patients and their families. For the further studies of this kind with chronic patients it is recommended that a sample of newly diagnosed patients be followed up for a longer period of time with more frequent observations to demonstrate a more dear- cut picture of the effectiveness of home care.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2006

Purpose : Shigellosis is still an important cause of acute food-borne diarrheal diseases throughout the world. We investigated the transmission routes and clinical course through the outbreak of shigellosis in Mapo-Gu, Seoul. Methods : From October 7th to November 19th in 2005, Mapo-Gu public health center had referred 32 patients with confirmed or suspected shigellosis to the National Medical Center. We had investigated source of infection, epidemiology, laboratory findings, and clinical course of the cases occurred during this outbreak. Results : Among 32 patients, 24 patients had been confirmed with shigellosis, 8 patients had been diagnosed with suspected shigellosis. They ranged in age from 5 months to 12 years old and their mean age was 6.5 years. The clinical manifestations were as follows; diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and asymptomatic condition. Symptoms had sustained for 3.7 days on the average. S. sonnei were cultured by rectal swab and founded to be resistant to ampicillin and TMP/SMX except to 3rd generation cephalosporin. After treatment with antibiotics such as cefixime and ceftriaxone or imipenem and conservative treatment with electrolyte and fluid replacement for 5~7 days, Stool cultures of the rectal swab grew no Shigella in these cases except 3 cases. Conclusion : An outbreak of shigellosis had occurred in a preschool and elementary school children. From the same results of antimicrobial susceptibility and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns in this study, we suggest that the outbreak of shigellosis in this report had been originated from a single strain. According to all negative results about suspected food and water cultures, we couldn't find out source of infection. Through materials offerred by Mapo-Gu Public Health Center, we presumed the trasmission routes probably were person-to-person.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.100-115
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide containing nerve fibers in rat pulp after dentinl injury by means of immunohistochemistry and confocal laser scanning microscope. The Spague-Dawley rats weighing about 250-300gm were used. The animals were devided into normal control and experimental groups. Experimental animals were sacrified 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 21days after dentinal injury (dentin cutting, and then acid etching with 35% phosphoric acid) on the maxillary molar teeth. The maxillary teeth and alveolar bone were removed and immersed in the 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), then were decalcified with 15% formic acid for 10 days. Serial frozen $50{\mu}m$ thick sections were cut on a cryostat. The rabbit CGRP antibody was used as a primary antibody with a dilution of 1:2000 in 0.01M PB. The sections were incubated for 48 hours at $4^{\circ}C$, and placed into biotinylated antirabbit Ig G as a secondary anti body with dilution of 1:200 in 0.01M PB and incubated in ABC(avidin-biotin complex). The peroxidase reaction was visualized by incubating the sections in 0.05% 3,3 diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride containing 0.02% $H_2O_2$. For the confocal laser scanning microscopic examination, Primary antibody reaction was same as immunoperoxidase stainning, but fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-conjugate antirabbit IgG as a secondary antibody was used. The confocal laser scanning microscope was used for the examination. A series of images of optical sections was collected with a 20x objective at $3{\mu}m$ intervals throughout the depth of specimen. FITC fluerescence was registrated through a 488nm and 568nm excitation filter, and images were saved on optical disk. The stereoscopic images and three dimentionnal images were reconstructed by computer software, and then were analyzed. The results were as follows : 1. In normal control group, CGRP containing nerve fibers were coursed through the root with very little branching, and then formed a dense network of terminals in coronal pulp. 2. A slight increase in CGRP containing nerve fibers at 1 and 2day postinjury was noted subjacent to the injury site. In the 4day group, there were an extensive increase in the number of reactive fibers, followed by a partial return toward normal levels at 7~10 day postinjury, and return by 21days. 3. The sprouting of the CGRP containing nerve fibers was evident within 2day after dentinal injury, and by 4days there was a maximal increased, but was decreased at 7days and returned to normal 10~21 day postinjury. 4. In confocal laser scanning microscopic exammination, the distinct distribution pattern and sprouting reaction of CGRP containing nerve fibers were observed in stereoscopic images and three dimentional images. These results suggest that CGRP containing nerve fiber can be important role in the response to dental injury and pain regulation.