• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.75-84
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• 2016

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide; therefore there is a need to discover new therapeutic modules with improved efficacy and safety. Immune-(cell) therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of intractable cancers. The effectiveness of certain chemotherapeutics in inducing immunogenic tumor cell death thus promoting cancer eradication has been reported. Ginsenoside Rg3 is a ginseng saponin that has antitumor and immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we treated tumor cells with Rg3 to verify the significance of inducing immunogenic tumor cell death in antitumor therapy, especially in DC-based immunotherapy. Rg3 killed the both immunogenic (B16F10 melanoma cells) and non-immunogenic (LLC: Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells) tumor cells by inducing apoptosis. Surface expression of immunogenic death markers including calreticulin and heat shock proteins and the transcription of relevant genes were increased in the Rg3-dying tumor. Increased calreticulin expression was directly related to the uptake of dying tumor cells by dendritic cells (DCs): the proportion of CRT⁺CD11c⁺cells was increased in the Rg3-treated group. Interestingly, tumor cells dying by immunogenic cell death secreted IFN-γ, an effector molecule for antitumor activity in T cells. Along with the Rg3-induced suppression of pro-angiogenic (TNF-α) and immunosuppressive cytokine (TGF-β) secretion, IFN-γ production from the Rg3-treated tumor cells may also indicate Rg3 as an effective anticancer immunotherapeutic strategy. The data clearly suggests that Rg3-induced immunogenic tumor cell death due its cytotoxic effect and its ability to induce DC function. This indicates that Rg3 may be an effective immunotherapeutic strategy.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제35권
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• pp.10.1-10.10
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• 2023

The purpose of this paper was to review the problems relating to Korea's occupational health services and suggest ways to improve them. Korea can be classified as a welfare state type of conservative corporatism partially interwoven with liberalism. While experiencing compressed economic growth, the economic sectors of developed (excess areas) and developing (deficient areas) countries are interwoven. Therefore, it is necessary to perfect conservative corporatism along with a complementary reinforcement of liberal contents and to apply a multilayered approach focusing on complementing the deficient areas. It is essential to form a national representative indicator related to occupational health, and a strategy for selection and concentration is needed. The proposed central indicator is the occupational health coverage rate (OHCR), which is the number of workers who have applied for mandatory occupational health services under the Occupational Safety and Health Act in the numerator with the total working population in the denominator. This paper proposes ways to raise the OHCR, which is currently at the level of 25%-40%, to 70%-80%, which is the level of Japan, Germany, and France. To achieve this target, it is necessary to focus on small businesses and vulnerable workers. This is an area of market failure and requires the active input of community-oriented public resources. For access to larger workplaces, the marketability of services should be strengthened and personal intervention using digital health resources should be actively attempted. Taking a national perspective, work environment improvement committees with tripartite (labor, management, and government) participation for improvement of the working environment need to be established at the center and in the regions. Through this, prevention funds linked to industrial accident compensation and prevention could be used efficiently. A national chemical substance management system must be established to monitor the health of workers and the general public.

• 한국ITS학회 논문지
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.102-113
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• 2023

E-scooter의 사용이 증가함에 따라 관련 사고가 증가하는 실정에서 E-scooter의 주행 위험성에 관한 연구가 미비하다. 그러나 기존의 이론적 분석방법은 주로 차량 중심의 방법론으로 E-scooter의 위험성 연구를 위해서는 E-scooter의 경량 및 소형 특성 등을 반영하는 방법론 연구가 필요하다. 이에 본 연구는 E-scooter의 특성을 반영하여 경사로 주행시 운전자가 느끼는 위험속도 및 안정속도를 분석하기 위해 실도로 기반으로 분석하였다. 경사도별 위험속도는 평균 21km/h로 분석되었으며, 경사도가 급격해질수록 초기 위험속도가 감소하였다. 안정속도는 상대적으로 위험성이 낮은 경사도 1~2%를 제외하고 평균적으로 17km/h로 분석되었다. 이러한 연구 결과는 국내에서 추진 중인 개인형 이동장치의 최고속도 하향 제도의 학술적 근거로 기여할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• 대한예방한의학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.13-24
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• 2023

Objective : This study was aimed to reassess the scope of practice for medical personnel based on laws. Method : The law specifying the scope of practice for medical personnel has been selected searching Korean Law Information Center(https://www.law.gov.kr). The result was categorized as 'examination, diagnosis, treatment, procedure, prescription, and others'. Results : The laws related to medical procedures were divided into three categories: diagnosis, treatments, and public health and others. In the field of diagnosis, traditional Korean medicine practitioners are generally allowed to play a role. However, some laws specify that only medical doctors can be the primary authorities for diagnosing infectious diseases. In the area of treatments, particularly in emergency medical situations, only medical doctors or nurses are typically mentioned. There are debates in the field of public health and other areas concerning issues such as vaccination, disability diagnosis, and the qualifications for health center directors. A reevaluation is also needed for the Occupational Safety and Health Act, where only medical doctors are set as the personnel standard for workers' health examinations. Conclusion : To safeguard and promote the health of the citizens, there is a need for a clear definition of the licensure and scope of practice for healthcare professionals. Consistent interpretation of conflicting provisions among various laws and clear criteria for the term 'physician' in legal contexts are essential.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.417-426
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• 2024

Shield tunneling method is widely used to build tunnels in complex geological environment. Stability control of tunnel face is the key to the safety of projects. To improve the excavation efficiency or perform equipment maintenance, the excavation chamber sometimes is not fully filled with support medium, which can reduce the load and increase tunneling speed while easily lead to ground collapse. Due to the high risk of the face failure under non-fully support mode, the tunnel face stability should be carefully evaluated. Whether compressive air is required for compensation and how much air pressure should be provided need to be determined accurately. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, a non-fully support rotational failure model is developed in this study. The failure mechanism of the model is verified by numerical simulation. It shows that increasing the density of supporting medium could significantly improve the stability of tunnel face while the increase of tunnel diameter would be unfavorable for the face stability. The critical support ratio is used to evaluate the face failure under the nonfully support mode, which could be an important index to determine whether the specific unsupported height could be allowed during shield tunneling. To avoid of face failure under the non-fully support mode, several charts are provided for the assessment of compressed air pressure, which could help engineers to determine the required air pressure for face stability.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Individuals with visual impairments face numerous challenges in their daily lives, with navigating streets and public spaces being particularly daunting. The inability to identify safe crossing locations and assess the feasibility of crossing significantly restricts their mobility and independence. Globally, an estimated 285 million people suffer from visual impairment, with 39 million categorized as blind and 246 million as visually impaired, according to the World Health Organization. In Saudi Arabia alone, there are approximately 159 thousand blind individuals, as per unofficial statistics. The profound impact of visual impairments on daily activities underscores the urgent need for solutions to improve mobility and enhance safety. This study aims to address this pressing issue by leveraging computer vision and deep learning techniques to enhance object detection capabilities. Two models were trained to detect objects: one focused on street crossing obstacles, and the other aimed to search for objects. The first model was trained on a dataset comprising 5283 images of road obstacles and traffic signals, annotated to create a labeled dataset. Subsequently, it was trained using the YOLOv8 and YOLOv5 models, with YOLOv5 achieving a satisfactory accuracy of 84%. The second model was trained on the COCO dataset using YOLOv5, yielding an impressive accuracy of 94%. By improving object detection capabilities through advanced technology, this research seeks to empower individuals with visual impairments, enhancing their mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.256-263
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• 2024

Background: Cervical epidural block (CEB) is an effective intervention for managing cervical radicular pain. This study aimed to investigate the current status of performing CEB in South Korea. Methods: Pain physicians affiliated with the Korean Pain Society were asked to complete anonymous questionnaires regarding CEB between September and October 2022. The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions assessing the current status and methods of CEB in detail. Results: Of the 198 surveys collected, 171 physicians (86.4%) reported performing CEB. Among those, the majority (94.7%) used fluoroscopy during the procedure. The paramedian interlaminar (IL) approach was the most preferred method (50.3%). Respondents performing fluoroscopic-guided IL CEB were categorized into two groups based on clinical experience: those with ≤10 years of experience (≤10-year group, n = 91) and those with >10 years of experience (>10-year group, n = 71). The proportion of physicians obtaining informed consent in the ≤10-year group and >10-year group was 50.5% and 56.3%, respectively. When entering the epidural space during IL CEB, the contralateral oblique view was the second most frequently used in both groups (≤10-year group, 42.9%; >10-year group, 29.6%). In targeting the upper cervical lesions (C3-4), the proportion of respondents who used an IL space higher than C6-7 was 17.6% in the ≤10-year group and 29.5% in the >10-year experience group. Conclusions: This study demonstrated variability in the CEB technique used by pain physicians in South Korea. The findings highlight the need for education on informed consent and techniques to enhance safety.

• 여성건강간호학회지
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.101-106
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• 2024

This paper discusses the implications of the birth notification system and the Protected Birth Act in Korea. Aiming to prevent infanticide and abandonment of infants, the law will enter into force on July 19, 2024 in South Korea. The birth notification system mandates that both parents and the head of the medical institution where the birth occurred must report the event. In parallel, the Protected Birth Act will be implemented, allowing pregnant women in crisis who wish to remain anonymous, the option to give birth outside of a hospital setting in a way that safeguards the life and health of the child. However, many issues are being raised in Korean society in advance of the implementation of the Protected Birth Act. There is widespread concern that the Protected Birth Act fails to protect either women or children, especially as it raises issues regarding the need for legislation to protect children with disabilities and to address gaps for migrant women and children. This paper examines the gender and healthcare issues relating to the Protected Birth Act, focusing on women's health and human rights. The Act continues to perpetuate discrimination against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and upholds the ideology of the traditional family model. Furthermore, the legislative process did not address protective measures for the various reasons behind child abandonment. Critical issues such as women's autonomy, safe pregnancy termination, and paternal responsibility in childbirth are also notably absent. However, with the Act set to take effect soon, it is crucial for healthcare providers to comprehend the rationale and procedures associated with birth notification and the Protected Birth Act, and to prepare for its nationwide implementation. The law defines the socially vulnerable as its main beneficiaries, and it is necessary to strengthen social safety nets to improve their access to healthcare, eliminate prejudice and discrimination against out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and embrace the diversity of our society. We eagerly anticipate future discussions on gender and healthcare issues, as well as amendments to the law that reflect real-world circumstances to provide genuine protection for pregnant women in crisis and their infants.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.27-41
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• 2024

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for rotator cuff disorder. Methods We searched nine online databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Academic Journals, Korean studies Information Service System, Rsearch Information Sharing Service, ScienceON, KMbase, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System) and two related journals up to April 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials that applied electroacupuncture to rotator cuff disorder. Selected studies were analyzed for risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and a meta-analysis was performed with RevMan version 5.4.1. Results Out of 175 studies, eleven randomized controlled trials were selected for final analysis. Most studies showed that electroacupuncture had effect on rotator cuff disorder. In the meta-analysis, electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation treatment was significantly more effective than rehabilitation treatment alone in improving visual analog scale (p<0.00001). Almost studies did not report any side effects or adverse reactions to electroacupuncture treatment. Conclusions This systematic review suggests that electroacupuncture is an effective treatment for pain management in rotator cuff disorder. However, the lack of adverse effect reporting and a high risk of bias indicate the need for high-quality randomized controlled trials from various countries.

• 대한영양사협회학술지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.161-180
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• 2024

Social and environmental changes, such as the rise of single-person households and advances in the food industry, have led to the replacement of home-cooked meals with home meal replacements products (HMRs). This study compared the nutrient content of a total of 1,680 HMRs and 158 restaurant foods by collecting data on the nutrient content of comparable food types from the Food composition data for restaurant foods published by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and evaluating the calorie and nutrient content of HMRs based on nutrition labeling through market research from May 2022 to May 2024, focusing on rice, porridge, noodles, soup/stew. The nutritional content and price of the HMRs varied widely, even for similar foods, depending on the detailed food type. Therefore, it is necessary to make an appropriate choice based on nutrition labeling according to the purpose of consumption. The HMRs had a lower calorie and nutrient content due to the smaller serving size when compared with restaurant foods. However, when the same weights were compared, the sugar and sodium content in the rice and soup/stew were higher in the HMRs than in the restaurant foods. In addition, due to the wide variety of HMRs available, many HMRs that can replace restaurant foods are being produced. However, even for the same type of food, the serving sizes of the HMRs and the restaurant foods were widely different, suggesting the need for a study to examine the appropriateness of the serving sizes of HMRs and restaurant foods.