• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.56-66
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Despite successes recorded in combating iodine deficiency, more than 2 billion people are still at risk of iodine deficiency disorders. Rural landlocked and mountainous areas of developing countries are the hardest hit, hence the need to explore and advance novel strategies such as biofortification. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We evaluated adoption, purchase, and consumption of iodine biofortified vegetable legumes (IBVL) using the theory of protection motivations (PMT) integrated with an economic valuation technique. A total of 1,200 participants from three land-locked locations in East Africa were recruited via multi-stage cluster sampling, and data were collected using two, slightly distinct, questionnaires incorporating PMT constructs. The survey also elicited preferences for iodine biofortified foods when offered at a premium or discount. Determinants of protection motivations and preferences for iodine biofortified foods were assessed using path analysis modelling and two-limit Tobit regression, respectively. RESULTS: Knowledge of iodine, iodine-health link, salt iodization, and biofortification was very low, albeit lower at the household level. Iodine and biofortification were not recognized as nutrient and novel approaches, respectively. On the other hand, severity, fear, occupation, knowledge, iodine status, household composition, and self-efficacy predicted the intention to consume biofortified foods at the household level; only vulnerability, self-efficacy, and location were the most crucial elements at the school level. In addition, results demonstrated a positive willingness-to-pay a premium or acceptance of a lesser discount for biofortification. Furthermore, preference towards iodine biofortified foods was a function of protection motivations, severity, vulnerability, fear, response efficacy, response cost, knowledge, iodine status, gender, age. and household head. CONCLUSIONS: Results lend support for prevention of iodine deficiency in unprotected populations through biofortification; however 'threat' appraisal and socio-economic predictors are decisive in designing nutrition interventions and stimulating uptake of biofortification. In principle, the contribution is threefold: 1) Successful application of the integrated model to guide policy formulation; 2) Offer guidance to stakeholders to identify and tap niche markets; 3) stimulation of rural economic growth around school feeding programmes.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.347-359
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• 2018

Purpose: Periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) share a similar inflammatory pathogenesis. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) can induce anticyclic-citrullinated peptide autoantibodies (anti-CCP antibodies), a key factor in the development of RA. This study aimed at evaluating the relationships between the 2 diseases and identifying the clinical implications thereof, with a focus on periodontal pathogens in Korean adults. Methods: A total of 260 RA patients and 86 age- and sex-matched control patients without arthritis were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study. Periodontal indices and the prevalence and amount of periodontal pathogens were compared between the groups. Correlations between periodontal and RA indices were examined, as were correlations between 9 periodontal pathogens and RA indices. Results: The RA group had significantly higher values than the control group for all investigated periodontal indices (P<0.05) except the number of teeth. The gingival index (GI) was correlated with the disease activity score 28 (DAS28) (r=0.125, P=0.049), RA disease duration (r=0.253, P<0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r=0.162, P=0.010), and anti-CCP antibody titer (r=0.205, P=0.004). Probing pocket depth (PPD) was correlated with ESR (r=0.139, P=0.027) and anti-Pg antibody titer (r=0.203, P=0.001). Bleeding on probing (BOP) was correlated with DAS28 (r=0.137, P=0.030), RA disease duration (r=0.202, P=0.001), ESR (r=0.136, P=0.030), anti-Pg antibody titer (r=0.177, P=0.005), and anti-CCP antibody titer (r=0.188, P=0.007). Clinical attachment level (CAL) and periodontitis severity were correlated with anti-Pg antibody titer (the former r=0.201, P=0.002; the latter r=0.175, P=0.006). The quantity of Pg was positively correlated with the serum anti-Pg antibody titer (r=0.148, P=0.020). Conclusions: The GI, BOP, and PPD showed positive relationships with several RA indices. The anti-Pg antibody titer had positive relationships with PPD, BOP, CAL, and periodontitis severity. Thus, increasing values of periodontal indices could be used as a risk indicator of disease development in RA patients, and an increasing anti-Pg antibody titer could be considered as a warning sign in RA patients suffering with periodontitis.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate differences in psychological characteristics between major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with and without suicide attempt using MMPI-2-RF. Methods : Subjects were 107 MDD patients who had visited the department of psychiatry of hallym university hospital and met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria of MDD by the korean version of MINI-Plus 5.0.0. The patients were divided into suicidal attempters (n=43) and non-suicidal attempters (n=64) using C-SSRS. The one-way ANOVA was used to compare MMPI-2-RF scale scores between two groups. Additionally, ANCOVA was conducted considering the severity of depressive symptom and comorbidity as covariate. Results : Our results showed that Suicide/Death Ideation (SUI), Inefficacy (NFC) and Interpersonal Passivity (IPP) scales were significantly higher in the MDD patients with suicidal attempt compared to MDD patients without suicidal attempt (p<0.05). However, after controlling for the severity of depressive symptom and comorbidity, SUI scale showed a significant tendency (p<0.10). Conclusions : The result suggests that MMPI-2-RF scales could be a useful tool for identifying patients transitioning to actual suicidal attempts in the moderate or severe major depressive disorder group. Limitations of this study and directions for further research are also discussed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2020

Objectives : To identify the relationship between somatization, stress, depression, anxiety, and psychological symptoms risk for nurses working in the intensive care unit. Create clinical evidence of psychosomatic medicine research and complement the meaning of somatization. Methods : Seventy of the mental health checkups conducted by the National Mental Health Center among the nurses using tools including Perceived Stress scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Patient Health questionnaire-15, Korean Beck Depression Inventory, Korean Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. Results : 12.9% of the patients experienced more than moderate somatization. There was no statistical relationship between somatization and psychological stress perception, but feeling of anxiety and decreased self-confidence were related to the level of somatization. The group with severe somatization experienced more depression and anxiety. The group with high physical fatigue also had no statistical relationship with psychological stress perception, but had an effect on the feeling of tension, stress, or decreased control. Physical fatigue level was increased by experience of depression, not by anxiety. For psychological symptoms the higher the level of somatization, the higher the obsession and hostility was explored. In the linear regression model, stress, depression, and anxiety accounted for 39.3% of somatization and 16.1% of physical fatigue symptoms. Conclusions : We can estimate the decrease in stress cognitive symptoms, accompanying depression and anxiety, compulsion and hostility as characteristics of somatization. The causal relationship between somatization and psychological symptoms cannot be confirmed in this study, but the interrelationships are observed, can be referred to mediation strategies.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.861-870
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• 1997

Background : Though acute respiratory distress(ARDS) often occurs in the early stage of severe acute pancreatitis and significantly contributed to the mortality of the condition, the characteristics of the group who develops ARDS in the patients with acute pancreatitis have not been fully found. The objective of this investigation was to identify predictable factors which distinguish a group who would develop ARDS in the patients with acute pancreatitis. Method : A retrospective analysis of 94 cases in 86 patients who were admitted the Medical Intensive Care Unit with acute pancreatitis was done. ARDS were developed in 13 cases among them (13.8%). The possible clinical factors related to the development were analyzed using univariate analysis and $x^2$-test. Results : The risk of ARDS development was increased in the patients with abonormal findings of chest X-ray at admission compared to the patients with normal chest X-ray (p<0.05). The risk was also increased according to the sevecrity index score in abdominal computed tomography at the time of admission (p<0.05). The higher APACHE III score of the first day of admission, the more risk increment of ARDS development was observed (p<0.01). Patients with more than one points of Murray's lung injury score showed higher risk of ARDS compared to the patients with 0 points of that. The patients with sepsis and the patients with more than three organ dysfunction at admission had 3.5 times and 23.3 times higher risk of the development of ARDS compared to the patients without sepsis and without organ failure in each (p<0.05, p<0.01). Conclusion : The risk of ARDS development would be higher in the acute pancreatitis patients with abnormal chest X-ray, higher CT severity index, higher APACHE III or Murray's lung injury score, accompanying sepsis, and more than three organ failure at admission.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 2011

Purpose: The objectives were to identify the characteristics of neonates with hydrops fetalis, and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Methods: A retrospective review of AMC (Asan Medical Center) dataset was performed from January 1990 to June 2009. The characteristics of 71 patients with hydrops fetalis were investigated and they were divided into two groups: the survived group and the expired group. Various perinatal and neonatal factors in two groups were compared to find out risk factors associated with mortality based on univariate analysis, followed by multiple regression analyses (SPSS version 18.0). Results: Of those 71 neonates (average gestational age: 33 weeks, birth weight: 2.6 kg), 38 survived, 33 died, resulting in overall mortality rate of 46.5%. The most common etiology was idiopathic followed by chylothorax, cardiac anomalies, twin-to-twin transfusion, meconium peritonitis, cardiac arrythmias, and congenital infections. Factors that were associated independently with mortality in logistic regression analyses were low 5-minutes Apgar score, hyaline membrane disease and delayed in achieving 50th percentile ideal body weight for appropriate gestational age by 10 days. Conclusion: In this study, 5-minutes Apgar score, hyaline membrane disease and delayed in achieving 50th percentile ideal body weight for appropriate gestational age by 10 days were significant risk factors associated with mortality in hydrops fetalis. Therefore, the risk of death among neonates with hydrops fetalis depends on the illness immediately after birth and severity of hydrops fetalis. Informations from this study may prove useful in prediction of prognosis to neonates with hydrops fetalis.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.624-635
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• 2019

Bird strike accidents, a collision between aircraft and birds, have been increasing annually due to an increasing number of aircraft operating each year to meet heavier demand for air traffic. As such, many airports have conducted studies to assess and manage bird strike risks effectively by identifying and ranking bird species that can damage aircraft based on the bird strike records. This study was intended to investigate the bird species that were likely to threaten aircraft and compare and discuss the risk of each species estimated by the single-matrix and multi-matrix risk assessment models based on the Integrated Flight Information Service (IFIS) data collected in Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju Airports in South Korea from 2005 to 2013. We found that there was a difference in the assessment results between the two models. The single-matrix model estimated 2 species and 6 taxa in Gimpo and Gimhae Airports and 2 species and 5 taxa in Jeju Airport to have the risk score above "high," whereas the multi-matrix model estimated 3 species and 5 taxa in Gimpo Airport, 4 species and 5 taxa in Gimhae Airport, and 2 species and 3 taxa in Jeju Airport to have the risk score above "very high." Although both models estimated the similar high-risk species in Gimpo and Gimhae Airports, there was a significant difference in Jeju Airport. Gimpo and Gimhae Airports are near the estuary of a river, which is an excellent habitat for large and heavy waterbirds. On the other hand, Jeju Airport is near the coast and the city center, and small and light bird species are mostly observed. Since collisions with such species have little effect on aircraft fuselage, the impact of common variables between the two models was small, and the additional variables caused a significant difference between the estimation by the two models.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.352-356
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to introduce the toxicological study review to evaluate the safety of PDMS on the 69th JECFA meeting. Polydimethylsiloxane is a polymer and its ADI was established at 23rd JECFA meeting in 1979. The ADI was maintained although the specification was expanded at its 26th, 29 th, 37 th meetings. Recently, it was reported that PDMS with low molecular weight and viscosity has high absorption rate and different toxicity, so it was submitted at 69th meeting. Toxicological studies of PDMS were submitted from the sponsor and additional information is collected from a document searching. The toxicological studies were reviewed in accordance with the 'Guidelines for the preparation of toxicological working papers for the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives'. In the available acute, sub-chronic and chronic toxicity studies on PDMS, dose-related increases in incidence and severity of ocular lesions(corneal crystal, inflammation of the corneal epithelium etc.) were consistently observed after oral dosing. It seems to be a local irritant effect, but the mechanism by which the ocular lesions arose is unclear, although the lack of absorption of PDMS indicates that it is unlikely to be a direct systemic effect. Consequently, the relevance of the ocular lesions for food use of PDMS could not be determined. The ADI of PDMS was re-established from 0-1.5 mg/kg bw/day to 0-0.8 mg/kg bw/day by applying additional safety factor 2 based on its ocular toxicity. The result of 0-0.8 mg/kg bw/day is a temporary ADI until further data are provided to 2010.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.790-798
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• 1999

Background: As the early outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG) has been stabilized, neurologic complication has now become one of the most important morbidity. The aim of this study was to find out the risk factors associated with the neurologic complications after CABG. Material and Method: In 351 patients who underwent CABG, the incidence and features of neurologic complications, with associated perioperative risk factors, were retrospectively reviewed. Neurologic complication was defined as a new cerebral infarction confirmed by postoperative neurologic examination and radiologic studies, or delayed recovery of consciousness and orientation for more than 24 hours after the operation. Result: Neurologic complications occurred in 18 patients(5.1%), of these nine(2.6%) were diagnosed as having new cerebral infarctions(stroke). Stroke was manifested as motor paralysis in four patients, mental retardation or orientation abnormality in four, and brain death in one. Statistical analysis revealed the following variables as significant risk factors for neurologic complications by both univariate and multivariate analyses: cardiopulmonary bypass longer than 180 minutes, atheroma of the ascending aorta, carotid artery stenosis detected by Duplex sonography, and past history of cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack. Age over 65 years, aortic calcification detected by simple X-ray, and intraoperative myocardial infarction were significant risk factors by univariate analysis only. Neither the severity of carotid artery stenosis nor technical modifications such as cannulation of the aortic arch or single clamp technique, which were expected to affect the inciden e of neurologic complications, had significant relationship with the incidence. Conclusion: This study confirmed the strong association between neurologic complications after CABG and atherosclerosis of the arterial system. Therefore, to minimize the incidence of neurologic complications, systematic evaluation focused on atherosclerotic lesions of the arterial system followed by adequate alteration of operative strategy is needed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.524-529
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• 2004

Background: Since the Nuss procedure for the correction of pectus excavatum is in its early stage, there have been problems that need to be solved. We examined complications in a single-institute experience of the Nuss technique in order to develop possible solutions to prevent them. Material and Method: 335 consecutive patients, who underwent the modified Nuss procedure between August 1999 and October 2002, were studied retrospectively. Median age was 8 years (range 1 to 46). 264 patients (78.8%) were in pediatric group (age$\leq$15) and 71 patients (21.2%) were in adult group (age> 15). 193 patients (57.6%) had symmetric and 142 patients (42.4%) had asymmetric pectus configurations. Risk factors predicting postoperative complications were analyzed using multi-variate logistic regression. Result: Postoperative complication rates were 18.9% (61/335) in total patients. Frequent complications were pneumothorax 24 (7.5%), bar displacement 11 (3.4%), and wound seroma 10 (3.1%) in order. Early complications (within a month, 49 cases, 15.2%) were pneumothorax (n=23, 6.9%), wound seroma (n=12, 3.6%), and bar displacement (n=8, 2.4%). Late complications (after a month, 12 cases, 3.7%) were pericarditis and pericardial effusion (n=5, 1.5%), bar displacement (n=4, 1.2%), and hemothorax (n=3, 0.9%). Techniques were modified to prevent complications especially in bar shaping and fixation, which led to decrease complication rate in later experience (Operation Date 1: 15/51 (29.4%) vs Operation Date 2: 34/284 (12.0%), p=0.004). Grand Canyon type (eccentric long canal type) showed higher complication rate than other types (GC type: 12/30(40%) vs Others: 37/305 (12.1%), p<0.001). Major risk factors are severity of pectus (OR=2.88, p=0.038), Grand Canyon type (OR=2.82, p=0.044), and Op. Date 1 (OR=4.05, p=0.001). Conclusion: Major complications were related to severe eccentric type of pectus configuration (Grand Canyon type) and lack of surgeon's experience (Op. Date 1). Com-plication rate was reduced with accumulation of experience and advancement of surgical techniques. The Nuss procedure can be performed at a low risk of complications with our current technique.