• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2005

Purpose :Rotavirus is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections among children. The aim of this study is to determine the risk of nosocomial rotavirus infections and to evaluate the effectiveness of breast-feeding and probiotics in the prevention of nosocomial rotavirus infections. Methods : This study was carried out on admitted children without diarrhea between March 1, 2003 and February 29, 2004. Three hundred ninety patients aged 4 days to 13 years during this study were available. We examined the feces of all children for rotavirus by latex agglutination on admission, during hospital, and after discharge, to see whether they developed diarrhea or not. Results : Nosocomial rotavirus infections was significantly increased with children under 12 months of age(P=0.008). The monthly attack rate was great between December and March(P=0.046). Prolonged hospital stay was associated with an increased attack rate of nosocomial rotavirus infections (P=0.003). The risk of nosocomial rotavirus infections was not associated with the number of roommates and whether or not they were breast-fed or fed on probiotics. Conclusion : Nosocomial rotavirus infections are significantly more likely to occur in children under 12 months of age, admitted between December and March, and with prolonged hospital stays. Prompt identification and isolation of children with nosocomial rotavirus infections, even without diarrhea, may decrease rates of nosocomial rotavirus infections.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.4
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• pp.399-408
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• 2009

We investigated the improvement of immuno-modulatory activities of sap of Acer mono and A. okamotoanum encapsulated with edible polymers. Anticancer activities and immune activities such as human B and T cell growth, secretion of cytokines and natural killer cell growth were observed. Both human immune B and T cells were increased up to 30~50% by the addition of nano particle sap of Acer mono and A. okamotoanum. The secretion of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) from human immune B and T cells were also significantly increased compare to the control. Natural Killer (NK) cell growth was enhanced to $19.4{\times}10^5$ cells/mL in adding nano encapsulated sap of A.okamotoanum. The cytotoxicity of the sample on normal human lung cell (HEL299) was below 19.8% in adding 1.0 mg/mL of the nano particle sap of A. okamotoanum. Generally, the growth of all three human lung adenocarcinoma, human stomach adenocarcinoma and human liver adenocarcinama was inhibited up to 85% in adding 1.0 mg/mL of the encapsulated sap. Interestingly enough, the encapsulated sap was completely penetrated into human cancer cells within 30 min after addition. It showed that the encapsulation of the sap definitely increased its biological activities, which can expand its use to wide range of food industries.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.304-314
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• 2004

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of organic materials (compost, straw, green manure, pig manure, seed production oil cake, and industrial by products including municipal sewage sludge, industrial sewage sludge, leather processing sludge, and alcohol fermentation processing sludge) on physical properties of soils in seven paddy and four upland fields with differential soil textures, sandy loam, loam, or clay loam, etc. The investigated physical parameters were bulk density (BD), air permeability (AP), macroporosity, hardness, shear resistance, frictional resistance, water stability aggregate (WSA), and Middleton's dispersion ratio. Except for coarse sandy loam field with weak structure, a decrease in BD and shear resistance, and an increase in macroporosity and AP in plots with applying organic materials compared to plots without applying organic materials appeared. In upland fields, the positive effect of organic materials on WSA, BD, and air permeability was higher than in paddy fields. The combined plot of NPK and compost had lower BD, hardness, and shear resistance, and higher macroporosity and WSA than plot with compost. Green manure had higher positive effect on physical properties of soils compared to other organic materials and the extent of positive effect had no significant correlation with soil organic matter content. Of industrial byproducts applied in coarse sandy loam soil under upland condition, municipal sewage sludge and pig manure compost had higher effect on increase of WSA than leather processing sludge and alcohol fermentation processing sludge. Unlike WSA, there were no significant differences between industrial byproduct types in other physical properties. in silty clay loam soil under the upland condition, straw had more positive effect on soil physical parameters than hairy vetch and pig manure. Therefore, different organic materials had differently active effect on physical parameters depending on types of soil and land use. Especially, it could be thought that well-decomposed organic materials have the advantage of an increase in organic matter content, while coarse organic materials of an increase in WSA.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.1228-1233
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• 2009

Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate whether a shorter time from the arrival at a hospital to delivery is related to the occurrence of cerebral palsy in premature infants of less than 34 weeks of gestational age. Methods : We studied 142 newborns of less than 34 weeks of gestational age. The time from the arrival at the hospital to delivery was measured. The correlation between the time required for delivery and the occurrence of cerebral palsy was elucidated by diagnosing cerebral palsy in neonates using the Korean Infant Development Screening Test and neurological examination. Results : Preliminary result suggested that a shorter time from hospital arrival to delivery was related to a lower development score for gross motor activity and to a higher frequency of cerebral palsy occurrence. Moreover, it was responsible for a tendency of obtaining lower Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes. The shorter delivery time was associated with a higher probability of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurrence when the length of delivery time was less than 6 hours and there was a higher probability of a shorter gestation period. However, the multifactor analysis revealed that there was little impact of delivery time on the occurrence of cerebral palsy. Conclusions : The length of hospital arrival time to delivery did not significantly influence the occurrence of cerebral palsy in premature infants of less than 34 weeks of gestational age.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.1249-1259
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• 2009

Purpose:From a societal perspective, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a novel sustained-release injection of recombinant human growth hormone (GH) administered on a weekly basis compared with that of the present daily GH injection for the treatment of children with GH deficiency. Methods:Health-related utility for GH therapy was measured based on the visual analogue scale. During July 2008, caregivers of 149 children receiving GH therapy form 2 study sites participated in a web-based questionnaire survey. The survey required the caregivers to rate their current subjective utility with daily GH injections or expected utility of weekly GH injections. Because there was no difference in the costs of the daily and weekly therapies, for the purposes of this study, only drug acquisition costs were considered. Results:Switching from daily to weekly injection of GH increased the utility from 0.584 to 0.784 and incurred an extra cost of 4,060,811 Korean won (KW) per year. The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) for a base case was 20,305,055 KW per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Scenario analyses showed that the ICUR ranged from 15,751,198 to 25,489,929 KW per QALY. Conclusion:The ICUR for a base case and worst case scenario analyses ranged from 0.85 to 1.37-times per capita gross domestic product of Korea, which is considered to be within the generally accepted willingness-to-pay threshold. Thus, it is concluded that switching from daily to weekly injection of GH would be cost-effective.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.162-169
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• 2008

Purpose : Oxcabarzepine (OXC), newly recommended antiepileptic drug, has been prescribed for patients with partial seizures and generalized tonic clonic seizures in Korea from 1999. There are limited reports about an efficacy of OXC therapy in epileptic children in Korea. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of OXC in the light of our experience. Methods : The patients, who had visited the pediatric neurology clinic of Korea University Guro Hospital from January 2001 to December 2006, were included. The data of 144 patients who were administrated OXC as monotherapy or polytherapy, was summarized retrospectively and we evaluated the efficacy and safety of OXC. Results : After 6 months of OXC therapy, 77 patients (53.5%, n=144) achieved seizure freedom, 48 patients (33.3%) experienced >50% improvement. After 12 months of OXC therapy, cessation of seizure was observed in 88 patients (61.1%, n=133), and 27 patients (18.8%) manifested an improvement. Monotherapy group showed superior efficacy to polytherapy one. The frequent side effects of OXC were drowsiness (20.1%), headache (12.5%), dizziness (9.7%) and rash (8.3%). They did not related to patient's age or sex, and dosage of OXC. Twenty four patients (16.7%) experienced hyponatremia, but which were neither symptomatic nor significant one. Conclusion : The efficacy and safety of OXC in our patients were excellent and had less significant side effects than established international one. We expect this report contributes toward OXC therapy in epileptic children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2007

Purpose : Child sexual abuse is a significant and serious problem that affects public health and society. Pediatricians are responsible for preventing and detecting sexual abuse of children. The aim of this study was to examine clinical findings of child sexual abuse. Methods : The authors retrospectively studied 292 patients between the ages of 0 and 18 who were referred for evaluation of sexual abuse to the Emergency Department of the National Police Hospital from Oct 1, 2001 to May 5, 2005. Results : Sixty three (21.6 percent) of sexual abuse victims were younger than 6 years of age; 89 (30.5 percent) were 6-12 years of age; and 104 (47.9 percent) were 12-18 years of age. Attack time was the most common between noon and 6 pm. Victims were attacked in their home or nearby (51.4 percent). One hundred fifty six (53.6 percent) offenders were accquaitances, thirty nine (13.4 percent) of whom were family members. The disclosure of attack by parents with abnormal physical symptoms was more common in younger children than in adolescence. Eighty nine (30.5 percent) victims had no specific physical findings, 51 percent had injury to the hymen, 37.3% had injury to external genitalia, and 4 percent had anal injury. One case of gonorrhea and thirteen cases of chlamydia were found. Sperm was found in 19 cases and acid phosphatase was positive in 28 cases. The absence of physical findings and laboratory findings was more common in younger children than in those in adolescence. The time interval from attacks to hospital visits had a significant negative correlation with age. Conclusion : For younger victims, the time interval from attack to hospital visitis was more prolonged. Victims may have no physical evidence of sexual abuse. Therefore, a careful history should be obtained and a through physical examination should be performed. Pediatricians must play a leading role in evaluation and treatment of sexually abused children, considering children,s growth and development. Coordination with other professionals is necessary to provide consultation, medical treatment, and legal assistance for the sexually abused children and families.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.266-275
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• 2005

Purpose : Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in children. The great majority of these infections involving lower respiratory tracts infections(LRTIs) are caused by respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), parainfluenza virus(PIV), influenza virus (Flu), and adenovirus(ADV), etc. Our purpose was to determine seasonal epidemiology and clinical characteristic features of each viral infection. Methods : Nasopharyngeal aspirate(NPA)s were collected from 4,554 hospitalized children diagnosed as LRTIs on the first day of admission. The study period was from September 1998(Autumn) through May 2003(Spring). Respiratory viruses were detected in 881(19 percent) cases by isolation of the virus or by antigen detection method using indirect immunofluorescent staining. We reviewed the medical records of 837 cases retrospectively. Results : The identified pathogens were RSV in 485 cases(55 percent), PIV in 152 cases(17 percent), FluA in 114 cases(13 percent), ADV in 79 cases(9 percent) and FluB in 51 cases(6 percent). Outbreaks of RSV occurred every year, mostly in the November through December period and of PIV in the April through June period. LRTIs by FluA reached the highest level in January, 2002. FluB infection showed an outbreak in April, 2002. The clinical diagnoses of viral LRTIs were bronchiolitis in 395 cases(47 percent), pneumonia in 305 cases(36 percent), croup in 73 cases(9 percent) and tracheobronchitis in 64 cases(8 percent). Conclusion : Viruses are one of the major etiologic agents of acute LRTIs in chidren. Therefore, we must continue to study their seasonal occurrence and clinical features to focus on management, and also for reasons of prevention.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2005

Sheep production is affected by genetic and non-genetic factors. A knowledge of these factors is essential for efficient management and for the accurate estimation of breeding values. The objective of this study was to establish the non-genetic factors which affect birth weight and weaning weight in Dorper, Mutton Merino and indigenous Sabi sheep breeds. A total of 2,625 birth and weaning weight records from Grasslands Research Station collected from 1991 through 1993, were used. The records were collected from indigenous Sabi (939), Dorper (807) and Mutton Merino (898) sheep. A mixed classification model containing the fixed effects of year, birth status and sex was used for identification of non-genetic factors. Sire within breed was included as a random effect. Two factor interactions and three factor interactions were important in indigenous Sabi, Mutton Merino and Dorper sheep. The mean birth weights were 4.37${\pm}$0.04 kg, 4.62${\pm}$0.04 kg and 3.29${\pm}$0.04 kg for Mutton Merino, Dorper and Sabi sheep, respectively. Sire had significant effects (p<0.05) on birth weight in Mutton Merino and indigenous Sabi sheep. Year of lambing had significant effects (p<0.05) on birth weight in indigenous Sabi, Mutton Merino and Dorper sheep. The effect of birth status was non significant in Dorper and Mutton Merino sheep while effect of birth status was significant on birth weight in indigenous Sabi sheep. In Indigenous Sabi sheep lambs born as singles (3.30${\pm}$0.05 kg) were 0.23 kg heavier than twins (3.07${\pm}$0.05 kg), in Mutton Merino lambs born as singles (3.99${\pm}$0.08 kg) were 0.07 kg heavier than twins (3.92${\pm}$0.08 kg) and in Dorper lambs born as singles (4.41${\pm}$0.04 kg) were 0.02 kg heavier than twins (4.39${\pm}$0.04 kg). On average males were heavier than females (p<0.05) weighing (3.32${\pm}$0.04 kg vs. 3.05${\pm}$0.07 kg) in indigenous Sabi, 4.73${\pm}$0.03 kg vs. 4.08${\pm}$0.05 in Dorper and 4.26${\pm}$0.07 kg vs. 3.66${\pm}$0.09 kg in Mutton Merino sheep. Two way factor interactions of sire*year, year*sex and sex*birth status had significant effects (p<0.05) on birth weight in indigenous Sabi, Mutton Merino and Dorper sheep while the effect of year*birth status was non significant on birth weight in Indigenous Sabi sheep. The three way factor interaction of year*sex*birth status had a significant effect (p<0.01) on birth weight in indigenous Sabi and Mutton Merino. Tupping weight fitted as a covariate had significant effects (p<0.001) on birth weight in indigenous Sabi, Mutton Merino and Dorper sheep. The mean weaning weights were 17.94${\pm}$0.31 kg, 18.19${\pm}$0.28 kg and 14.39${\pm}$0.28 kg for Mutton Merino, Dorper and Indigenous Sabi sheep, respectively. Effects of sire and sire*year were non significant on weaning weight in Dorper and Mutton Merino while year, sex and sex*year interaction had significant effects (p<0.001) on weaning weight. On average males were heavier than females (p<0.001) at weaning. The respective weaning weights were 18.05${\pm}$0.46 kg, 18.68${\pm}$0.19 kg, 14.14${\pm}$0.15 kg for males and 16.64${\pm}$0.60 kg, 16.41${\pm}$0.31 kg, 12.64${\pm}$0.32 kg for females in Mutton Merino, Dorper and Indigenous Sabi sheep. Lambs born as singles were significantly heavier at weaning than twins, 0.05 kg, 0.06 kg and 0.78 kg for Mutton Merino, Dorper and Indigenous Sabi sheep, respectively. Effect of tupping weight was highly significant on weaning weight. The three way factor interaction year*sex*birth status had a significant effect (p<0.01) on weaning weight. Correction for environmental effects is necessary to increase accuracy of direct selection for birth weight and weaning weight.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.736-745
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper was to develop and execute self-appraisal test items on secondary science teachers. Test items included 6 sub-fields-subject knowledge, teaching strategies, teaching skills, assessment, laboratory management, and professional development - and 77 items. Using these test items, science teachers were able to evaluate their ability as prescribed by a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, teachers were able to comprehend fields showing their highest and lowest scores among the 6 sub-fields. They could then place special attention on the lowest field insuring self-growth as a science teacher. Self-appraisal test items were developed by analyzing related references on teacher evaluation criteria and standards. 220 subjects composed the sample on which these test items were executed. The results of this study were as follows. First, content validity of the test items was 80.8%. The range of sub-field reliabilities was .76 - .86 and the reliability coefficient of the entire test was .95. The range of correlation coefficient between each subfield was .54 - .69 and that of subfields and entire test was .54 - .79. The correlation coefficient between professional development and the whole test was .79, the highest coefficient observed. Second, significant difference was found according to teaching experience. More experienced teachers had higher scores in all 6 sub-fields (p<.05). In addition, a significant difference according to gender was observed in subject knowledge and laboratory management (p<.05); male teachers had higher scores than female teachers. Also, the higher the level of experience, the higher the scores for subject knowledge (p<.05). Lastly, the teacher's major did not result in any significant differences.