• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.189-199
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the occupational performance of Korean workers with and without hearing loss and analyze the hearing-related difficulties in the working environment. Subjects and Methods: The Amsterdam checklist for hearing and work was used for the analyses and the occupational environments of the Korean workers were investigated. Out of 129 total participants, 86 workers experienced severe to profound hearing loss and 43 had the normal hearing ability. The hearing-impaired workers were recruited from two leading vocational centers and normal-hearing workers were their colleagues. Results: The hearing-impaired workers were found to take fewer sick leaves and exhibited higher rates of permanent job statuses compared to the normal-hearing workers. Workers with hearing loss rarely detected background sound; however, they could perceive reverberation more frequently. They felt more satisfied with their careers than the normal hearing workers as they received social support and needed to put their effort into hearing for most hearing activities. Furthermore, the effort in hearing increased with the increase in job demand, job control, social support, and career satisfaction. The working hours per week increased with the increase in age, education level, job demand, job control, and social support. Different trends were observed in 9 out of 12 variables while comparing the data from the present study with that obtained from the hearing-impaired workers of the Netherlands, indicating a large difference between countries. Conclusions: Although the hearing-impaired Korean workers operate diligently with good job positions, it is necessary to enhance their acoustic environment and provide them social support. Considering the cultural background of the hearing-impaired workers, the development of suitable vocational rehabilitation programs and specific questionnaires is strongly recommended worldwide.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.904-911
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• 2012

Yacon has been used in folk medicines as a medicinal tea for hypoglycemia treatment. In a recent study described herein, antioxidative, antibacterial, antifungal activities, and cell-protective functions of yacon leaves have been reported. To evaluate the effects on fibrosis on pancreatitis, the efficacy of 1% of yacon extract (YE) on dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) (8 mg/kg)-induced pancreatitis in rats was examined. On the 21st day after the DBTC treatment, a large increase in collagen was observed in the pancreas in the DBTC-treatment group (DT). But this was noticeably decreased with YE. In relation to the expression of COX-2, there was no response or a very weak response in the pancreas of the control group (CON). However, in DT, strong expression of COX-2 was observed in the pancreas on the 14th day, and COX-2 was present in inflammatory cells in the pancreas of the DT, especially on the 21st day. The expression was decreased for YE compared with DT. A remarkable increase in TGF-${\beta}1$ expression was observed in inflammatory cells in the pancreas in DT on the 21st day, whereas the expression was not found in YE after 21 days. However, on the 21th day, TGF-${\beta}1$ expression was increased in acinar cells of YE compared with DT. VEGF expression was very similar to the expression of in the pancreas. These results suggest that YE has an inhibitory effect on DBTC-induced pancreatic fibrosis.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.123-149
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• 1991

This study has been attempted to be helpful for the back rehabilization of Korean workers by analyzing the general, occupational, social aspects of low back pain and to identify possible risk factors for back pain in White and Blue collar workers. The primary data were collected from 380 workers in Seoul city by means of a Questionnaire with random which was distributed from March 10 to 31, 1990. For the test of statistical significance, chi-square analysis was used to compare the back pain characteristics between above two groups. The results were as follows : 1. The incidence of low back pain in all walkers studied was $79.7\%$. The incidence of Blue collar with low back pain $(87.2\%)$ was higher than that of White collars $(75.0\%)$. 2. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the occupational characteristics, statistically significant differences were observed between workers with and without back pain concerning the job factors on work-time, job satisfaction, mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, work rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive movements, vibration, and heavy noise (p<0.05). 3. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the social characteristics, there were no differences with respect to having car, personality types, drinking habits, and leisure-time activities. However, significant differences were showed between no pain and pain groups for the using bed, sleeping posture, traffic time amount, walking health state, smoking habits, and physical exercise (p<0.05). 4. The comparative analysis of back pain related to work factors showed highly significant differences with respect to mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive work in White collar group (p<0.01) ; and job satisfaction, mental stress, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonus repetitive work, exposure to vibration and heavy noise in Blue collar group(p<0.01). 5. The comparative analysis of social factors in two groups showed differences with respect to the using bed, sleeping posture, walking amount, health state, physical exercise, smoking habits in White cellar group (p<0.05) ; and walking amount, traffic time amount, health state, smoking habits, physical exercise in Blue cellar group (p<0.05). 6. In regard to the general aspects of back pain between two groups, there were differences concerning etiolgy of back pain, counselling partners, treatment types, and sick-leaves(p<0.05), except pain duration, and awareness of back pain.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.4 no.3_4
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• pp.93-108
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• 1981

This investigation includes the sick soil phenomenon caused by the self-poisoning of Setaria italica, Sorghum nervosum, Zea mays and Miscanthus sinensis among Poaceae. It elucidates whether the poison is directly excreted from the root or the secondary product resulting from the decomposition in the soil; the effect of Miscantus sinensis on the germination and growth of other plants, and the effect of Zea mays grown between furrows to shade Angelica gigas on its growth. The results obtained are as follows; Supplied with the leakage water from the pots, in which the same plants as the test ones were grown, in anticipation of the poison to be directly excreted from their roots, Sataria itlaica and Zea mays exhibited the growth inhibition more than 30%, whereas Sorghum nervosum and Miscanthus sisnensis were not effected in growth at all. When cultivated in the soils mixed with the roots of the some plants as the test ones, in anticipation of the poison to be the secondary product resulting from the decomposition in soil, Setaria italica and Zea mays showd growth inhibition of more than 50%, which is greater than that of the case of the leakage water, and Miscanthus sinensis exhibited no inhibition either, whereas Sorghum nervosum in the 50% plot showed heavy growth inhibition of more than 80% to the case of the leakage water. The common or uncommon plants found easily in the group of Misscanthus scinenis were not affected by the extracts of the steam and leaves of Miscanthus sinensis in germination and growth. Supplied with the leakage water from the pots in which Miscanthus sinensis was grown, among Lespedeza crytobotrya, Oenothera odorata, Raphanus sativus val'. acarlthiformis, Zoysia japonica, Patrinia scabiosaefolia. which are easily found in the group of Miscanthus sinensis, only Patrinia scabiosaefolia was slightly inhibited in growth in the 100% plot, whereas the others did not show any inhibition at all. Mean while, Amaranthus patulus. Solanum nigrum, Capsella bursa-pastoris val'. triangularis, Alopecurus amurensis, Chenopodium album val'. centrorubrum, which could not be found in the group of Miscanthus sinensis, were all distinctly inhibited. In the experiment on the effect of Zea mays on the growth of Angelica gigas, its growth was severely inhibited by one-half to two thirds with the increased concentration in both the cases of growing in the mixture of the soil and the powdered root of Zea mays and being supplied with the leakage water from the pot in which Zea mays was grown.