• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2019

Objective: This study was performed to estimate the number of those who used humidifier disinfectants (HDs) and experienced health effects from exposure to HDs in Korea between 1994 and 2011. Methods: A nationwide interview survey was conducted for the representative sample to identify the proportion of those who used HDs among the general population (n=3,001). Another online survey was conducted for those exposed to HDs to find the proportion of those who experienced health effects among those who were exposed to HDs (n=3,993). Statistics for population size by region and year (1994-2011) were used to estimate the cumulative number of those exposed to HDs and those who experienced health effects. In terms of the proportion of those exposed to HDs, those less than 30 years of age were excluded due to an issue related to information bias. Various approaches for estimation included the capture-recapture method for estimation of those who experienced health effects. Results: The cumulative proportion of those exposed to HDs was 6.7% among the general population, and the proportion of those who experienced health effects among those who were exposed to HDs was 13.9%. Based on these factors, it was estimated that 3.5 to 4.0 million people were exposed to HDs and 350 to 400 thousand experienced health effects at least requiring visiting a hospital. Conclusion: It is suggested that a nationwide representative sample may be essential for population size estimation of those exposed to environmental risk factors and of those who experienced health effects.

• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1043-1052
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• 2018

Study Design: Level III retrospective cross-sectional study. Purpose: To define and characterize the presentation, symptom duration, and patient/surgical risk factors associated with 'post-decompressive neuropathy (PDN).' Overview of Literature: PDN is characterized by lower extremity radicular pain that is 'different' from pre-surgical radiculopathy or claudication pain. Although it is a common constellation of postoperative symptoms, PDN is incompletely characterized and poorly understood. We hypothesize that PDN is caused by an intraoperative neuropraxic event and may develop early (within 30 days following the procedure) or late (after 30 days following the procedure) within the postoperative period. Methods: Patients who consented to undergo lumbar laminectomy with or without an instrumented fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disease were followed up prospectively from July 2013 to December 2014. Relevant data were extracted from the charts of the eligible patients. Patient demographics and surgical factors were identified. Patients completed postoperative questionnaires 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Questions were designed to characterize the postoperative pain that differed from preoperative pain. A diagnosis of PDN was established if the patient exhibited the following characteristics: pain different from preoperative pain, leg pain worse than back pain, a non-dermatomal pain pattern, and nocturnal pain that often disrupted sleep. A Visual Analog Scale was used to monitor the pain, and patients documented the effectiveness of the prescribed pain management modalities. Patients for whom more than one follow-up survey was missed were excluded from analysis. Results: Of the 164 eligible patients, 118 (72.0%) completed at least one follow-up survey at each time interval. Of these eligible patients, 91 (77.1%) described symptoms consistent with PDN. Additionally, 75 patients (82.4%) described early-onset symptoms, whereas 16 reported symptoms consistent with late-onset PDN. Significantly more female patients reported PDN symptoms (87% vs. 69%, p=0.03). Patients with both early and late development of PDN described their leg pain as an intermittent, constant, burning, sharp/stabbing, or dull ache. Early PDN was categorized more commonly as a dull ache than late-onset PDN (60% vs. 31%, p=0.052); however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Opioids were significantly more effective for patients with early-onset PDN than for those with late-onset PDN (85% vs. 44%, p=0.001). Gabapentin was most commonly prescribed to patients who cited no resolution of symptoms (70% vs. 31%, p=0.003). Time to symptom resolution ranged from within 1 month to 1 year. Patients' symptoms were considered unresolved if symptoms persisted for more than 1 year postoperatively. In total, 81% of the patients with early-onset PDN reported complete symptom resolution 1 year postoperatively compared with 63% of patients with late-onset PDN (p=0.11). Conclusions: PDN is a discrete postoperative pain phenomenon that occurred in 77% of the patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy with or without instrumented fusion. Attention must be paid to the constellation and natural history of symptoms unique to PDN to effectively manage a self-limiting postoperative issue.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.459-473
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• 2021

Purpose: Although numerous systematic reviews or meta-analysis have reported the hypotensive effects of garlic, the application of these results in the area of functional food is limited. This is because the trials used various garlic preparations and patients with differing hypertensive intensities. To validate the use of garlic powder as a blood pressure lowering functional food, we performed the current meta-analysis, focusing on the study of prehypertensive subjects. Methods: Literature search was carried out using various database up to July 2020, including PubMed, Cochrane, ScienceDirect and Korean studies Information Service System, and each study was screened by pre-stated inclusion/exclusion criteria. We identified nine trials that met the eligibility, of which two studies with moderate or high risk of bias were excluded. Results: Meta-analysis of the seven studies revealed that an intake of garlic powder significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by -6.0 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI], -11.2, -0.8; p = 0.025) and -2.7 mmHg (95% CI, -5.3, -0.1; p = 0.046), respectively. Shapes of the funnel plot for both SBP and DBP seemed symmetrical, and the Egger's regression revealed no publication bias. Moreover, duration of the intervention period was inversely associated with the pooled effects of garlic powder on SBP (p = 0.019) and DBP (p = 0.019), and this result was supported by the subgroup-analysis. The daily dose of garlic powder, baseline value of each biomarker, and subject number, did not moderate the effects on SBP and DBP. Conclusion: Results of the present meta-analysis indicate that garlic powder supplements are superior to placebo for improving the BP in prehypertensive individuals.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.791-798
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• 2021

Objective : The period of mechanical ventilator (MV)-dependent respiratory failure after cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) varies from patient to patient. This study aimed to identify predictors of MV at hospital discharge (MVDC) due to prolonged respiratory failure among patients with MV after CSCI. Methods : Two hundred forty-three patients with CSCI were admitted to our institution between May 2006 and April 2018. Their medical records and radiographic data were retrospectively reviewed. Level and completeness of injury were defined according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) standards. Respiratory failure was defined as the requirement for definitive airway and assistance of MV. We also evaluated magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of the cervical spine. These characteristics included : maximum canal compromise (MCC); intramedullary hematoma or cord transection; and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex for assessment of the Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification (SLIC) scoring. The inclusion criteria were patients with CSCI who underwent decompression surgery within 48 hours after trauma with respiratory failure during hospital stay. Patients with Glasgow coma scale 12 or lower, major fatal trauma of vital organs, or stroke caused by vertebral artery injury were excluded from the study. Results : Out of 243 patients with CSCI, 30 required MV during their hospital stay, and 27 met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 48.1% (13/27) of patients had MVDC with greater than 30 days MV or death caused by aspiration pneumonia. In total, 51.9% (14/27) of patients could be weaned from MV during 30 days or less of hospital stay (MV days : MVDC 38.23±20.79 vs. MV weaning, 13.57±8.40; p<0.001). Vital signs at hospital arrival, smoking, the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, Associated injury with Injury Severity Score, SLIC score, and length of cord edema did not differ between the MVDC and MV weaning groups. The ASIA impairment scale, level of injury within C3 to C6, and MCC significantly affected MVDC. The MCC significantly correlated with MVDC, and the optimal cutoff value was 51.40%, with 76.9% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, MCC >51.4% was a significant risk factor for MVDC (odds ratio, 7.574; p=0.039). Conclusion : As a method of predicting which patients would be able to undergo weaning from MV early, the MCC is a valid factor. If the MCC exceeds 51.4%, prognosis of respiratory function becomes poor and the probability of MVDC is increased.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2021

The average annual rainfall in Busan to increase, and in case of Oncheon-Chen in Busan, frequent flooding occurred frequently. The middle and lower reaches of the Oncheon-Chen are relatively flat and urban areas are developed. Therefore, due to the frequent flooding of rivers and the large flood damage, a method of effectively eliminating the flow rate of Oncheon-Chen in the event of heavy rain is needed. In this study, underground waterway was established in the east of Hoedong-Reservoir as a measure to reduce floods in hot springs and simulated with EPA-SWMM. The information needed to construct the basin was utilized by GIS. In middle part of the Suyeong-Gang, there is a Hoedong-Reservoir and a dam is installed and has better conditions than the Nakdong-Gang. It also analyzed the effect of the Oncheon-Chen flow through the underground waterway on the Suyeong-Gang when it was transferred to the Hoedong-Reservoir. It was analyzed that the flood reduction rate at the flood risk points set up in this study was reduced by 24.64% on average when the underground waterway was installed, and the inflow of the water into the Suyeong-Gang increased by 1% on average when the flow rate was excluded by the Suyeong-Gang.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.197-207
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• 2021

Relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and type 2 diabetes is still inconsistent. Recently, many epidemiologic data show that fracture risk is increased in type 2 diabetic patients regardless of BMD status. In this study, we used nation-wide data from 2008 to 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to analyze the BMD status in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to non-diabetics. We included subjects aged 50 years or older in men (N=2,959, 2,430 without diabetes, 529 with type 2 diabetes) and postmenopausal women (N=2,902, 2,479 without diabetes, 423 with type 2 diabetes). Subjects with history of medication for osteoporosis or with illness or malignancy affecting bone metabolism were excluded. Data of anthropometric measurements and demographic characteristics were collected by trained examiner. Serum was separated from peripheral venous blood samples obtained after 8 hours of fasting. BMD was measured at lumbar spine and femur using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). There was a significant positive association between lumbar spine BMD and type 2 diabetes after adjusting age, gender, body mass index, monthly house income, education level, physical activity, daily calcium intake and vitamin D concentration by multiple regression analysis in all subjects. In the subgroup analysis by gender, this association was maintained both in male and female after adjusting those confounding factors. However, femur BMD was not different between type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. In conclusion, lumbar spine BMD was significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients aged 50 years or more in men and postmenopausal women compared to non-diabetic subjects.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.68
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• pp.11-40
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• 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about significant negative changes in our society to the point where it has to be divided into 'Before Corona'(BC) and 'After Corona'(AC). Typical examples include economic difficulties and medical inequality of some social excluded groups as well as individuals who die alone because they are alienated from social networks, and hate and violent discrimination against Asian immigrants, which are rapidly increasing in Western countries in these days. In addition, the pandemic is at a global level, ranging from the vaccine gap between the first and third worlds, triggered by competition for securing vaccines between countries that put their own interests first, the income gap due to changes in the economic environment and financial market, and the bankruptcy of individuals and corporations. In 'all'(pan) and 'people'(demos) became a limit situation that could not be avoided. There is also the opinion that the world could witness the worst catastrophe if the pandemic spreads to poor countries at risk of increasing violence, poverty and famine. The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in society caused by the Coronavirus pandemic and to suggest the direction of Christian education accordingly. To this end, this paper analyzes the medical, economic, and psychological crises that society faces in the post-corona era. Next, we look at the changes in Christian theology, mission, and worship, which are strongly required for fundamental changes in the context of the pandemic. Based on the above discussion, we propose a new direction for Christian education necessary in the post-corona era.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2022

The association between heavy metals in the blood and obesity has been examined in many studies. However, inconsistencies have been observed in the results from these studies. The present study was conducted using data from 119,181 participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) for 11 years in 2005 and between 2008 and 2017. The subjects with missing heavy metal blood tests, health interview data, and health examination data were excluded from the study. The study population comprised 1,844 individuals (972 men, 872 women) who were eligible for inclusion. It was found that obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with an increase in both blood mercury (P<0.001) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P<0.001). After adjusting the confounding factors, those with concurrent high levels of ALT and the highest tertile of mercury showed an increased risk of obesity (odds ratio 4.46, 95%, confidence interval 2.23~8.90, P<0.001) as well as abdominal obesity (odds ratio 5.36, 95%, confidence interval 2.57~11.17, P<0.001). The interrelationship of mercury and ALT with the parameters of body mass index (P for interaction=0.009) and waist circumference (P for interaction=0.012), respectively, have been observed to be significant, suggesting that the reciprocal relationship could contribute to obesity and abdominal obesity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.307-315
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• 2023

Korea controls the departure of vessels based on the Maritime Safety Act such that only ships with seaworthiness can navigate in bad weather, but scientific evaluation results and quantitative basis for the designation of ships subject to control are insufficient. Opinions for improvement are being raised for a reasonable departure control operation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the adequacy of the current departure control standards through actual measurement of tugboats, which are the type of vessels subject to control when a wind and wave advisory is effective, and to present quantitative grounds for improvement of controls. A sensor was installed on the tugboat to measure the ship's three-axis motion and hull acceleration, and the hull motion performance was measured by operating in the sea area with a significant wave height of 3 m. The measured values were compared and analyzed based on seaworthiness evaluation factors and limit value standards. The actual ship was excluded from the current control standard according to tonnage, but as a result of the analysis, the pitch value exceeded the operation standard, and a risk to navigation safety existed. The results of this study suggest the need for additional actual measurement studies that can represent various ship types and specifications and review ship departure control targets.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.221-240
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression in Korean American men and factors associated with the Korean American men's depression by examining how depression is affected by socio-demographic characteristics, immigration-related characteristics, and psychological and social characteristics. Socio-demographic characteristics include age, education, occupation, and monthly income. Immigration-related characteristics include years in the U. S., being U. S. citizens, and acculturation level. Psychological and social characteristics include anger, marital satisfaction, and social support. Using an availability sampling method, data were collected from 201 Korean American married men who were between the ages of 20 and 64 and resided in Los Angeles County. This study used a structured self-administered questionnaire. Due to the unreliable responses, five questionnaires were excluded from the study. Therefore 196 completed questionnaires were used for the data analyses. In order to measure the respondents' depression, the CES-D(Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression) was used in this study. In the hierarchical multiple regression analyses, monthly income, anger, marital satisfaction, and social support were significantly associated with the respondents' depression. However, there were no significant associations between depression and age, education, occupation, being a U. S. citizen, and acculturation. Implications of the findings for mental health practitioners and social works are discussed.