• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2020

Purpose: Purpose: This study was to study the effect of foot bathing on menopausal symptoms and sleep disorders in female subjects in their 50s with menopausal symptoms. Methods: After 12 weeks of foot bath therapy three times a week, pre- and post-menopausal signs were measured. Results: Subjects with hot flashes, heart discomfort, sleep problems, depression, irritability, anxiety, physical and mental fatigue, sexual problems, urination problems, vaginal dryness, and joint and muscle discomfort significantly improved after than before(p < .001). Subjective sleep quality, sleep incubation period, sleep duration, sleep disturbance score, sleep drug use, and sleep dysfunction significantly decreased after foot bath than before(p < .001). Habitual sleep efficiency increased considerably. Conclusions: The subjects showed overall improvement in menopausal symptoms and sleeping quality after a foot-bath. Therefore, foot bath therapy is evaluated as a natural healing therapy suitable for improving menopausal symptoms and sleep.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.116-123
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• 1999

Objectives : The authors attempted to assess how much the mechanism of dissociation affects somatization disorder patients psychopathologically, and explore the relationship between sexual or physical abuse and somatic symptoms in somatization disorder patients. Methods : The authors administered the Dissociative Experiences Scales-Korean version(DESK) and Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule to 25 patients with somatization disorder and 51 normal subjects. Results : There were no significant demographic differences between patient and control groups. The mean score of DES-K for patient group was 18.2, and 10.0 for the control group. The percentage of the individuals with high scores(20 and over) was 36.0 in the patient group and 7.8 in the control group, respectively. The percentage of the individuals with sexual and/or physical abuse was 16.0 in the patient group and zero in the control group. Our results showed that DES-K scores were not influenced by the factor of age or religion in either group, but the scores of the patients with somatization disorder were significantly higher than those in the normal subjects. Conclusion : There was an implication that the mechanism of dissociation affects issues of psychopathogenesis and psychopathology in Korean patients with somatization disorder, even though they have different sociocultural backgrounds in comparison to Western patients. The authors suggest it is useful to focus attention on childhood abuse and dissociation in the evaluation and dynamic psychotherapy of patients with somatization disorder.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2004

Objectives : Child and adolescent onset obsessive compulsive disorder(C-OCD) is known to be associated with poor drug response, high comorbid rate and strong genetic tendencies. Till now studies for C-OCD have been very rare in Korea. We conducted this study to investigate the informations about clinical features, familial psychiatric loading, treatment profiles and course of server C-OCD from the retrospective analysis of inpatient data of Seoul National University Children's Hospital. Method : Retrospective chart review and data analysis was performed. Twenty(male 16 : female 4) patients with final C-OCD diagnosis by DSM-IV at discharge from 1994 to 2002 were found and their medical chart, psychological data, family interview data and nursing reports were collected and analyzed. Results : 1) The sex ratio of C-OCD was male dominant(4:1). 2) Phenomenological, most common obsession was pathologic doubt, contamination fear, followed by aggressive obsession, need for symmetry, sexual obsession, most common compulsion was checking and washing, followed by breathing, movement, symmetry, repetitive asking, hoarding, mental compulsion. 3) Most common comorbid diagnosis was depression. Other axis-I diagnosis associated OCD were anxiety disorder, tic disorder, conduct and oppositional defiant disorder and psychosis. 4) Regarding psychiatric familial loadings, 17 patients(85%) had relatives with psychiatric disorders, OC-spectrum disorders(OCD or OCPD) were found in 9 patients(45%). 5) The majority of patients(75%) have received SSRI and antipsychotics treatment. The response rate above 'moderate improved" by CGI was 75%. 6) During follow-up period in outpatient clinic, five patients(25%) showed continuous complete remission, 10 patients (50%) did residual symptoms with chronic course. Conclusion : This seems to be the first systemic investigation of severe pediatric OCD patients in Korea. The children & adolescents with severe OCD in inpatient-setting showed the high comorbid rate, familial psychiatric loading, and combined pharmacotherapy with antipsychotics, As for symptoms, high rate of aggressive-sexual obsession and atypical compulsions like breathing and moving was reported in this study. Severe pediatric OCD patients, however, responded well to the combined SSRI and antipsychotics regimen.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2008

The efficient strategies to cope with unpredictable and/or harmful environmental changes have been developed by every organism in order to ensure its survival and continuity of it's own species. As a results, all living things on earth maintain dynamically internal stability via a process termed 'homeostasis' among physiological parameters despite of external environment changes. Stress is an emotional and physical response to threat homeostasis. Stress may have not only transient but rather permanent effect on the organism; recent evidence clearly show that prenatal stress could organize or imprint permanently physiological systems without any change in genetic codes, a process known as 'epigenetic programming'. In this review, a series of reproduction-associated events occurred in prenatally stressed male rats such as alteration in the structure of sexually dimorphic brain regions, modification of neurotransmitter metabolism, changes in reproductive endocrine status, and finally, disorders of sexual behavior will be introduced. The fetal brain is highly sensitive to prenatal programming and glucocorticoids in particular have powerful brain-programming properties. The chronic hyperactivation of fetal brain by maternal stress-induced glucocorticoid input will provide new program via increasing the neuroplasticities. This 'increased neuroplasticities' will be the basis for the 'increased phenotypic plasticities' rendering the organism's better adaptation to environmental challenges. In conclusion, organism who experienced 'harsh' environment in his fetal life seems to give up a certain portion of reproductive competence to make good chance of survival in his future life by epigenetic (re)programming.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 1997

Objective：This study was performed to identify and understand the characteristics of adolescents who had a history of police arrest and/or were adjudicated unruly/delinquent by the juvenile court. Method：The study employed a retrospective reivew of coumputer-recorded data set on 210 consecutive admissions to an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit. Three groups(No Police Contact, N=115；Police Contact Only, N=60；Adjudicated, N=35) were compared on the areas of a) cognitive and educational performance b) emotion：anxiety, depression, suicidality c) personality d) family and life experiences. Standardized assessments were administered to all subjects using WISC-Ⅲ, Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory, Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, Revised-Chilren’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, Suicide Ideation Questionnarie, Suicide Behavior Interive, Life Events Checklist, and Family Environmental Scale. A subgroup of the subjects, 60 cases also received a standardized interview by Child Assessment Schedule. Results：The characteristic findings of the delinquent group(the police contact only and adjudicated subjects combined) included (1) a high rate of adoption, sexual promiscuity, out of home placement, and repeated psychiatric hospitalization, (2) low verbal IQ scores and educational achievements, (3) high impulsivity, low social conformity, and high forcefulness in personality inventory, (4) low activityrecreation orientation and low moral religious emphasis in family environment, (5)a high frequency of adverse life experiences, (6) among 3 groups, the Police Contact Only group showed the lowest depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation scores, (7) a high diagnostic frequency of conduct disorder, ODD, and ADHD. Conclusions：The adolescent psychiatric inpatients with a delinquent history presented with a certain clinical, family, psychometric characteristics that warrant specific clinical intervention strategies for their cognitive deficits, an impulsive personality style, family dysfunction with adverse life experiences and disruptive behavioral disorders, different from the rest of adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.5917-5935
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• 2012

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infected. Humans are the natural hosts of HCV and this virus can eventually lead to permanent liver damage and carcinoma. HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family and Hepacivirus genus. The diameter of the virus is about 50-60 nm and the virion contains a single-stranded positive RNA approximately 10,000 nucleotides in length and consisting of one ORF which is encapsulated by an external lipid envelope and icosahedral capsid. HCV is a heterogeneous virus, classified into 6 genotypes and more than 50 subtypes. Because of the genome variability, nucleotide sequences of genotypes differ by approximately 31-34%, and by 20-23% among subtypes. Quasi-species of mixed virus populations provide a survival advantage for the virus to create multiple variant genomes and a high rate of generation of variants to allow rapid selection of mutants for new environmental conditions. Direct contact with infected blood and blood products, sexual relationships and availability of injectable drugs have had remarkable effects on HCV epidemiology. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from hepatitis and liver cancer caused by HCV virus infection. Approximately 80% of patients with acute hepatitis C progress into a chronic disease state leading to serious hepatic disorders, 10-20% of which develop chronic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation period of HCV is 6-8 weeks and the infection is often asymptomatic so it is very hard to detect at early stages, making early treatment very difficult. Therefore, hepatitis C is called a "silent disease". Neutralizing antibodies are produced against several HCV proteins during infection but the virus mutates to escape from antibodies. Some patients with chronic hepatitis C may have some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and pain. Autoimmune and immunecomplex-mediated diseases have also been reported with chronic HCV infection.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.345-354
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• 2019

Objectives: It is well-known that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among firefighters contributes to their job-related stress. However, the relationship between burnout and PTSD in firefighters has rarely been studied. This study therefore explored the association between burnout and its related factors, such as trauma and violence, and PTSD symptoms among firefighters in Korea. Methods: A total of 535 firefighters participated in the Firefighter Research on Enhancement of Safety & Health study at 3 university hospitals from 2016 to 2017. The 535 participants received a baseline health examination, including questionnaires assessing their mental health. A Web-based survey was also conducted to collect data on job-related stress, history of exposure to violence, burnout, and trauma experience. The associations among burnout, its related factors, and PTSD symptoms were investigated using structural equation modeling. Results: Job demands (${\beta}=0.411$, p<0.001) and effort-reward balance (${\beta}=-0.290$, p<0.001) were significantly related to burnout. Burnout (${\beta}=0.237$, p<0.001) and violence (${\beta}=0.123$, p=0.014) were significantly related to PTSD risk. Trauma (${\beta}=0.131$, p=0.001) was significantly related to burnout; however, trauma was not directly associated with PTSD scores (${\beta}=0.085$, p=0.081). Conclusions: Our results show that burnout and psychological, sexual, and physical violence at the hands of clients directly affected participants' PTSD symptoms. Burnout mediated the relationship between trauma experience and PTSD.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.251-263
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review the clinical research trends in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean medicine (KM). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Google Scholar and five Korean databases through May 2019, for studies on KM to treat PTSD. Clinical research that conducted KM treatment of PTSD patients were included. Two researchers independently conducted study selection and data extraction process. Results: Totally, eight studies were included in this review. Types of traumatic events that patients experienced included physical violence/threatening, traffic accidents, sexual violence and personal tragic events. KM interventions performed included acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, physical therapy, and KM-based psychotherapy. Treatment duration varied from two days to more than five months. Follow-up began at least one week to three months after the end of treatments. It was reported that the major psychological and/or somatic symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and musculoskeletal pain, subjectively improved, as well as other objective outcomes: Impact Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hwabyung Symptoms/characters, Electroencephalography (EEG) change, etc. Statistical studies were conducted in three studies only. Outcomes such as Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), BDI, and IES-R-K showed statistically significant improvement after KM treatments. There was no study reporting adverse events during or after the interventions. Conclusions: According to this review, diverse types of KM treatments have been used among PTSD patients in eight studies. The KM treatments effectively improved psychological and somatic symptoms of PTSD patients. However, the lack of high quality research as well as the lack of standardization of KM treatments for PTSD are limitations. Further methodologically robust clinical trials should be performed, and the standardization of KM treatments for PTSD should be sought.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.34-44
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• 2023

The tetraploid Solanum hjertingii, a wild tuber-bearing species from Mexico is a relative of potato, S. tuberosum. The species has been identified as a potential source of resistance to blackening for potato breeding. It does not exhibit enzymatic browning nor blackspot which are physiological disorders. However, due to their sexual incompatibility, somatic hybridization between S. hjertingii and S. tuberosum must be used to introduce various traits from this wild species into potato. After somatic hybridization, molecular markers are essential for selecting fusion products. In this study, the chloroplast genome of S. hjertingii was sequenced by next-generation sequencing technology and compared with those of other Solanum species to develop specific markers for S. hjertingii. The chloroplast genome has a total sequence length of 155,545 bp, and its size, gene content, order and orientation are similar to those of the other Solanum species. Phylogenic analysis including 15 other Solanaceae species grouped S. hjertingii with S. demissum, S. hougasii, and S. stoloniferum. After detailed comparisons of the chloroplast genome sequence with eight other Solanum species, we identified one InDel and seven SNPs specific to S. hjertingii. Based on these, five PCR-based markers were developed for discriminating S. hjertingii from other Solanum species. The results obtained in this study will aid in exploring the evolutionary aspects of Solanum species and accelerating breeding using S. hjertingii.

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.389-409
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting female college students' behaviors in seeking reproductive health information on the Internet and to explore the relationships among these factors. Based on the Health Belief Model(HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB), perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and affective evaluation were defined as key factors, and the study was designed accordingly. An online survey was distributed to female college students in Seoul through the university student's online community, 'Everytime.' The results showed that the intention of female college students to seek reproductive health information via the Internet was associated with higher perceived sensitivity, perceived benefit, and subjective norms, and lower perceived barriers. There were statistically significant differences between groups in terms of sexual experiences, experience with reproductive system disorders, and the level of health interest. We believe that this research outcome will contribute to assessing the level of awareness regarding reproductive health among female college students, thereby aiding in the development of online health information literacy education or related service programs by university libraries, health institutions, and similar entities targeting female college students.