• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2006

Genotype of ALAD and VDR yields two alleles, respectively and it has been implicated in susceptibility to lead toxicity. Also genotype known to variety by race. To evaluate the genetic susceptibility of ALAD and VDR gene on health effect of lead exposure, this study was done with new workers who entered lead industries from 1992 to 2001. Among database of lead industries of Soonchunhyang University Institute of Industrial Medicine, only new workers were selected for this study. The total of eligible workers for this category was 3,540 workers including non lead exposed workers of same lead industries. Genotype of ALAD and VDR were measured from stored blood in specimen bank of Soonchunhyang University, blood lead and other relevant information were obtained from database of each workers which were gathered at their first year of employment. Among 3,540 new employed study subjects during period of 1992-2001, 3204 workers(90.5%) had ALAD genotype 1-1; whereas 336 workers(9.5%) had variant type of ALAD (1-2 or 2-2). Lead exposed workers, 9.8%(n=243) male and 8.1%(n=16) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 8.9%(n=67) male and 9.3%(n=10) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. For VDR genotype, 2,903 workers(89.7%) out of total tested 3,238 workers were belonged to type bb and 335 workers(10.3%) were type bB or BB. Lead exposed workers, 10.4%(n=235) male and 12.2%(n=24) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 9.2%(n=64) male and 12.5%(n=12) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. No significant differences were seen in mean blood lead levels by ALAD and VDR genotype, nor was significantly associated with blood lead except age in multiple regression analysis.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 2011

This research studied human health risk assessment of benzene from industrial complexes of Chungcheong Province (Seosan industrial complex) and Jeonla Province (Iksan industrial complex and Yeosoo industrial complex). The residents near the industrial complexes areas can be often exposed to volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes) through a number of exposure pathways, including inhalation of the organic pollutant via various environmental matrices (air, water and soil), contaminated water, and soil intake. Benzene is well known to be a common carcinogenic and toxic compound that is produced from industrial and oil refinery complexes. In this study, a number of samples from water, air, and soil were taken from the residential settings and public school zones located near the industrial complex sites. Based on the carcinogenic risk assessment, the risk estimates were slightly above $10{\times}10^{-6}$ at all three industrial sites. According to deterministic risk assessment, inhalation was the most important route. The distribution of benzene in the environment would be dependent on vapor pressure, and the physical property influencing the extent of the potential risks. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene shows that the values of Hazard Index(HI) were much lower than 1.0 at all industrial complexes. Therefore, benzene was not a cause of concern in terms of non-carcinogenic risk posed to the residents near the sites. When compared to probabilistic risk assessment, the CTE(central tendency exposure) cancer risk values of deterministic risk assessment were close to the mean values predicted by the probabilistic risk assessment. The RME(reasonable maximum exposure) values fell within the range of 95% to 99.9% estimated by the probabilistic risk assessment. Since the values of carcinogenic risk assessment were higher than $10{\times}10^{-6}$, further detailed monitoring and refined risk assessment for benzene may be warranted to estimate more reliable and potential inhalation risks to receptors near the industrial complexes.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.444-450
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• 2009

This study examined the preferred salinity levels of soups by different demographic groups in order to establish desirable serving conditions for soups with respect to customer satisfaction and health. The salinity levels were measured in August and November to determine seasonal variations using a digital salinity measuring device. Four demographic groups totaling 1,723 individuals were surveyed from institutional foodservice establishments (IFEs) in elementary schools (ES: male 202/female 194), middle-high schools (MHS: 268/216), universities (UNIV: 208/238), and companies (COM: 182/215) in Seoul. Various thin or thick soups typically offered in foodservice establishments were served salty (1.2%) and less salty (0.4%) at $55{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ in a 50 mL portion. The preferred salinities of the soups were found to be 0.71%, 0.79%, 0.76%, and 0.74% for ES, MHS, UNIV, and COM, respectively. Men had 0.02~0.08% higher preferences than women in ES, MHS and UNIV. The customers also preferred higher salinity levels in November than in August, and in thick soups than in thin soups. The salinities preferred by school children were significantly (p<0.01) lower than those of soups by the IFEs. A similar observation was made for MHS, in which each IFE served the soups with significantly (p<0.01) higher salinities than those preferred by the students. Again, at two COM IFEs, the salinities of the soups served were significantly higher than those preferred by the customers. However, for one of UNIV, the salinity of the served soup was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that preferred by the students, while in the two other UNIV no significant differences were noted between the salinity of the served soup and the level preferred by customers. The surveys showed that 9 out of 12 IFEs served soups having salinities that were significantly higher than those preferred by customers. In particular, regardless of preference, the MHS group was served soups with higher salinity levels than the other demographic groups. The salinities of the soups provided by the IFEs were unnecessarily high for the levels preferred by the customers. Therefore, IFEs should make an effort to serve soups that are less salty soups to enhance public health.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 2012

The efficacy of water soluble formulation of diclazuril (Coccimuel-S 0.5%) was tested against $Eimeria$ spp. infection broiler chickens. The experiment was performed both experimentally infection and in the field test. Coccimuel-S composed with diclazuril induced a marked inhibitory effect on the different stages of $Eimeria$ life cycle in experimentally infected broiler chickens treated with the drug. The tested dosage levels of Coccimuel-S (0.5 ml/L, equivalent to diclazuril 2.5 ppm) in drinking water showed the significant effect compared with the control group in controlling coccidial infection and reducing the total oocyst numbers, lesion and fecal scores ($p$ < 0.001). In addition, testing of Coccimuel-S (0.25 and 0.5 ml/L) in naturally infected poultry farms (1,200 broiler chickens), showed the significant anticoccidial effect compared to control ($p$ < 0.001). In conclusion, addition of Coccimuel-S at the dose of 0.25 and 0.5 ml/L in the drinking water, induced efficacious effect for the treatment of coccidiosis in naturally coccidia infected broiler chickens.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-144
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• 2009

Recently, a long strike by hospital labor union emerged as a serious social issue. During the Worldcup Games in June, 2002, labor strikes broke up at 'C', 'K' and other hospitals, and in 2007, 'Y' hospital suffered much from a strike. Such series of extreme labor disputes have awakened people of importance of a more stable labor-management relationship for the medical institutions responsible for people's health than any other business organization. The purpose of this study was to examine the labor-management disputes at 'Y' hospital in 2007 and 'C' and 'K' hospitals in 2002. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; First, requests of the labor union such as pay raise, reemployment of the irregular workers as regular employees and participation of the labor union in personnel affairs are the long-held or core issues suffered by the medical institutions. Such issues are not independent from each other but complicated with each other surrounding the pay raise. Accordingly, it is not easy to determine the genuine bone of issue for labor-management disputes. Second, the model type of disputes between labor and management at medical institutions may be strike. However, it is conceived that the type of disputes would be subject to change as the essential medical service area system began to be operated since 2008. Third, the common characteristic of the labor strike among the 3 sample hospitals was occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike to maximize the negative effects of strike. Article 42 (Prohibition of Violence) of Labor Union and Labor Relation Coordination Act prohibits occupation of production or other important business facilities. In addition, since Ministry of Labor interprets that the hospital lobby belongs to the important business facilities enumerated by Article 42 of the above act, occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike may be too controversial to be admitted as a fair act of labor dispute when its legitimacy should be judged. Fourth, the counter-measures taken by the hospitals against the strike were observance of the principle 'no labor no pay,' closure, legal action, accusation, claim for recovery of damage, provisional seizure, disciplinary punishment, etc., but the principle of 'no labor, no pay' was not applied in a fair manner by 'C' and 'K' hospitals. However, 'Y' hospital applied this principle thoroughly to the strike; the hospital conduced to correction of the wrong labor-management relationship by refusing inclusion in the labor collective agreement of a provision about payment of wage during the period of strike or labor union's request to that effect during a strike. In addition, 'Y' hospital took an effective measure to end the strike earlier by notifying the labor union of cancellation of the collective agreement and banning the unionists from entering the hospital.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.495-513
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• 2004

As this study is the descriptive research study that tries to present the basic data aiming to establish a role of nurses for the Community Welfare Center, by surveying the role expectation and the degree of role performance towards nurses for the Community Welfare Center that nurses for the Community Welfare Center and social workers recognize, it carried out the Questionnaire research targeting nurses who are working for the Community Welfare Center located in Seoul and social workers of institutions where nurses are working, and then analyzed the results, and the study results are as follows. Both the group of nurses and the group of social workers were highly recognizing the necessity and the importance of nurses for the Community Welfare Center, and expected that more effective services will be possible to be offered by means of that nurses do work for the Community Welfare Center. However, compared to the degree that social workers recognize a nurses specialty, the nurses thought that their specialty is not acknowledged in the Community Welfare Center, and even in case of duty friction between groups being felt while social workers and nurses are working together, nurses were experiencing further friction of duties. While nurses are well recognizing their roles, they are statistically and significantly recognizing the degree of role performance lower than expected, thus the difference between the role expectation and the role performance could be seen. Also, the group of nurses showed the higher role expectation towards nurses than the group of social workers, and in relation to roles of a counselor, referral resource, an advocator, an educator, a case manager, a and a coordinator, the degree of role expectation by the group of nurses is statistically and significantly higher than the group of social workers, thus it could be seen that there is difference in the expectation degree between both groups, as to a role of nurses for the Community Welfare Center. In particular, as to a role of universally medical services, the expectations between nurses and social workers showed mutual agreement, but in relation to a role of nurses for community in the more expanded sphere, social workers did not show a receptive attitude, thus it was indicating that there exists an element of role conflict. In relation to the role performance of nurses for the Community Welfare Center, nurses were feeling the disorder degree more than social workers, in all items of disorder factors, and there was difference in recognition between nurses and social workers, as to the priority of disorder factors. Because of, through this study, having been found the difference in recognition of role expectation, the degree of role performance, and a disorder factor between nurses and social workers, as to the nurses for the Community Welfare Center, it is required a study with a more diversified method on a role of nurses for the Community Welfare Center.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.70-92
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• 2003

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting organizational citizenship behavior of hospital employees, and based on the investigation, to suggest some implications for effective human resources management of hospitals. For this purpose, physical therapists were selected as the subject of the research. Using their individual characteristics, job characteristics, professionalism and group cohesiveness as the variables affecting organizational citizenship behavior, an empirical model was constructed and tested. A survey was conducted through structured and self-administered questionnaire for the physical therapists working at hospitals of Busan-Kyongnam area, and data from 240 therapists were utilized in the final analysis. Major results of the empirical analysis are as follows: First, perception on professionalism and the degree of organizational citizenship behavior were higher for male, older, relatively more-educated and higher-grade employees. It is necessary to develope some measures to educate and motivate the employees who are in lower state of professionalism and organizational citizenship behavior. Second, among the individual characteristics, need for growth was found to have significant, positive influence on professionalism and group cohesiveness, but no direct effect on organizational citizenship behavior. On the other hand, extroversion had direct, positive effect on organizational citizenship behavior, as well as on professionalism and group cohesiveness. This result suggests that personnel selection and personality education should be conducted carefully. Third, job characteristics appeared to have very large, positive effect on professionalism, but not directly on organizational citizenship behavior. Fourth, professionalism was found to have very large, positive influence on group cohesiveness and direct, positive effect on organizational citizenship behavior. This implies that enhancing professionalism of physical therapists can strengthen organizational citizenship behavior in hospitals, and hence top management should actively support the programs for job re-design, skill education and quality improvement to enhance professionalism of their employees. Fifth and last, as an intervening factor, group cohesiveness appeared to have the largest, direct, positive effect on organizational citizenship behavior. It is, therefore, important for top management to improve group cohesiveness by exploring ways toward greater harmony and solidarity among the members of physical therapy department.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.62-68
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• 2016

Osteoporosis is a medical condition of global concern, with increasing incidence in both sexes. Bone mineral density (BMD), a highly heritable trait, has been proven a useful diagnostic factor in predicting fracture. Because medical information is lacking about male osteoporotic genetics, we conducted a genome-wide association study of BMD in Korean men. With 1,176 participants, we analyzed 4,414,664 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) after genomic imputation, and identified five SNPs and three loci correlated with bone density and strength. Multivariate linear regression models were applied to adjust for age and body mass index interference. Rs17124500 ($p=6.42{\times}10^{-7}$), rs34594869 ($p=6.53{\times}10^{-7}$) and rs17124504 ($p=6.53{\times}10^{-7}$) in 14q31.3 and rs140155614 ($p=8.64{\times}10^{-7}$) in 15q25.1 were significantly associated with lumbar spine BMD (LS-BMD), while rs111822233 ($p=6.35{\times}10^{-7}$) was linked with the femur total BMD (FT-BMD). Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between BMD and five genes previously identified in Korean men. Rs61382873 (p = 0.0009) in LRP5, rs9567003 (p = 0.0033) in TNFSF11 and rs9935828 (p = 0.0248) in FOXL1 were observed for LS-BMD. Furthermore, rs33997547 (p = 0.0057) in ZBTB and rs1664496 (p = 0.0012) in MEF2C were found to influence FT-BMD and rs61769193 (p = 0.0114) in ZBTB to influence femur neck BMD. We identified five SNPs and three genomic regions, associated with BMD. The significance of our results lies in the discovery of new loci, while also affirming a previously significant locus, as potential osteoporotic factors in the Korean male population.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate radiographical and operating conditions of X-ray units and exposure doses to patients during chest radiography, so that the results could provide basic data used for reducing the exposure dose and for providing the diagnostic information with better quality. The conditions and exposure doses of 100 X-ray units mainly used for chest radiography were examined and also 100 radiological technologists mainly handling those apparatus at 76 medical facilities in Pusan were surveyed using a questionnaire from October 1 to December 31 in 1995. The following results were obtained from the study : 1. It was found that most units were capable of taking a high tube voltage radiography by showing 67% of the units equipped with the maximum tube voltage of 150 kV, 94% with more than 500 mA for the rating capacity and 85% with the full wave type of a signal phase. 2. For actual chest radiographical conditions, however, 80% of the units were operated at $60{\sim}100\;kVp$ and only 14% at 100 kVp and over for the high tube voltage. 3. The average exposure time was less than 0.1 second, and eighty four percent of the units adapted the X-ray tube currents ranging from 200 to 300 mA, 80% the focus-film distances between 180 and 210 cm, and 63% the focus sizes of more than 2.0 mm. 4. Most units(98%) employed additional filters made of aluminum, 75% the thickness of filters less than 2.0 mm, and only 2 units the compound filters. 5. Ortho chromatic system was only adopted in 13% of screen film system for the units, and 73% used the grid ratio at 8 : 1 for the low tube voltage during chest radiography. 6. The average exposure dose of all X-ray units during chest radiography was $371\;{\mu}Sv$ with a difference of about 16 times between the minimum to the maximum, and $386\;{\mu}Sv$ both at hospitals and at health centers, followed by $380\;{\mu}Sv$ at general hospitals and $263\;{\mu}Sv$ at university hospitals without showing any statistically significant differences. In conclusion, since patients during chest radiography at medical facilities in Pusan exposed to high levels of radiation, it is recommended that appropriate added filters and grids necessary for the high tube voltage radiography and high-speed screen systems should be adopted and used as soon as possible in order to reduce exposure dose to the patients.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.103-108
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to assess the effects of metabolic syndrome and its components to cataract. Methods: We investigated the relation of metabolic syndrome and its components to cataract using data for 2,120 adults, aged 60 years or older, from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005, 2007. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we presented significant odds ratio (OR) increase of cataract according to the number of metabolic abnormalities ${\leq}$1, 2, 3, ${\geq}$4). We also analyzed OR by the prevalence of metabolic components, and analyzed the effects of metabolic medication intakes to cataract prevalence using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The risk of cataract development was significantly increased according to the number of metabolic abnormalities, after adjusting for age, sex, life style, and social economic status variables (p for trend < 0.0001). In metabolic components, the disturbances of blood pressure (OR(95% Confidence Interval): 1.32(1.05,1.65)) and fasting glucose (1.35(1.09,1.67)) significantly increased the prevalence of cataract after adjusting for age and sex. Among these metabolic components, the significance of fasting glucose (1.26(1.01, 1.58)) was remained after adjusting for the other variables. Medication intake of hypertensive also increased the risk of cataract (1.49(1.14,1.96)). Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome and its components increased the risk of cataract, and some medication for treating hypertension was also associated with the cataract incidence.