• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.57-60
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• 2007

Cyanide has been well known from antiquity. Cyanide poisoning causes histotoxic hypoxia--inhibition of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase with disruption of the ability of cells to use oxygen. The mortality rate is 95% within 30 minutes. Acute cyanide poisoning is mostly the result of attempted suicide, and because of the high doses typically employed it usually is lethal within minutes. Also acute cyanide poisoning leads to a very poor prognosis because medical personnel can't detect cyanide intoxication and so many hospital haven't antidote. We report two cases of cyanide poisoning which responded well to treatment with the Taylor cyanide antidote package.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

Korea is experiencing unprecedented destruction of communities and crisis of mental health represented by top suicide rate among OECD countries. Its causes are manifold of various factors. One of them is lack of social support and broken communities that are closely related to social capital that is linked to other health indicators such as mortality rates. This studies looks for ways to improve social capital through spatial structure and features especially social capital related to neighborhood. Researchers conducted research literature review and observation on physical features of neighborhood streets and alleys. Review of studies show housing types can affect social capital level. High-rise apartments are related with lower neighborhood related social capital compared to single homes and low-rise multi-housing. Studies that mainly examined the physical features such as street layout showed that social encounters happened around local stores and crossings of small roads. Researchers identified actual streets that are more likely to be related with social activities in the neighborhood. Those streets were with physical elements that helped social exchange such as narrower streets, exposed stairs, street furniture of residents, parks, crossing of streets while other streets were with wider and easier access of cars.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.315-326
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• 2000

Objectives : Health behaviors that contribute to the leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and social problems among youth and adults are mostly established during youth, extend into adulthood, and are interrelated. The purpose of this study is to investigate health behavior, juvenile delinquent behavior, mental status and to understand related factor to health behavior. Methods : The study items of life style were health related habit including smoking, drinking, breakfast, regular diet, regular exercise, sleeping time and weight status. Also, sexual evidence, violence, suicidal perceptions were surveyed. Questionnaire survey was conducted from January to February, 2000 by adolescence living in Kyunggi-Do. Data were collected by self-administered questionares. The collected data were analyzed using PC-SPSS 9.0 version. Results : Most students perceived to be healthy themselves but just two thirds students had concern for health. 64.9% ever drank alcohol, 26.4% ever smoked, and also and 2.9% had attempted suicide during preceding the survey. The rate of sleeping over 8 hours is 31.8%, 65.6% had breakfast. Multiple regression analysis to find related factor with adolescents health behavior were conducted. As a results, concern for health, sex, grade, spending money and attempt to suicide were related to health behavior. Conclusion : These results showed that many efforts to improve the health-concern are necessary and suggest the need for further studies including follow-up study, intervention study on the relationship of life style.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2007

Purpose: There have been relatively few reports of chlorophenoxy herbicide poisoning. The purpose of this study is to analyze the general characteristics and clinical aspects of the chlorophenoxy herbicide intoxicated patients in Korea. Methods: We prospectively evaluated the chlorophenoxy herbicide intoxicated patients visiting to the 38 emergency medical centers in Korea from the 1 August 2005 to the 31 July 2006. Results: 24 patients were enrolled during the study periods. Their mean age was 55.7 years old. The median amount of the chlorophenoxy herbicide intoxicated is 150 mL. The most frequent location where the patients obtained and took the chlorophenoxy herbicide was their home. Frequent compounds involving chlorophenoxy herbicide poisoning were dicamba(66.7%), MCPP(16.7%), and 2,4-D(12.5%). The most common symptom of the patients was confusion and vomiting. 16 patients(66.7%) intended to suicide. 3 patients out of 24 patients(13.0%) were died. Conclusion: There were 24 patients intoxicated by the chlorophenoxy herbicide during the study periods. The mortality rate was 13.0%. The suicidal attempts and the numbers of death involving chlorophenoxy herbicide were high in Korea.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2010

Purpose: There are an insignificant number of studies done on the demographics of intoxication patients and on the characteristics of toxic exposure on a long term basis in Korea. The objective of our survey is to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of intoxication in a metropolitan emergency department in order to more efficiently manage intoxication patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of intoxication patients who visited the emergency department of a high end medical facility between January, 1998 and June, 2009. We investigated the trend of the substances people became intoxicated with during the study period and we analyzed the age, gender, year and distribution of patients and the outcome of the patients. Results: There were 1544 cases of intoxication during the study period, and the cases made up 0.37% of the total visitors to our emergency department, which is a high end medical facility located in the city. Most of the patients were female (70%) in their twenties and thirties. The most commonly ingested intoxication substances were sedatives, analgesics and pesticides. Unlike in the province, antidepressant abuse is on the rise while pesticide abuse is falling. The overall admission rate was 24.8% and the mortality rate was 1.6%. Pesticides intoxication was the most common cause of death (76%). Pesticides intoxication, a male gender and old age were the most significant fatality-related factors. Conclusion: We think that there is a need to investigate the actual conditions of drug intoxication in the city and prepare measures to prevent drug intoxication.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2020

For the successful execution of an ODA project, it is necessary to know what areas are weak and necessary to the country of demand exactly. The health sector is also a top priority in most of developing countries. This study was carried out to introduce non-communicable disease (NCD) in Fiji for ODA projects planning. The major causes of death in Fiji in 2016 are diabetes, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, lower respiratory infect, asthma in ranking. The major causes of death in Korea in same year are cancer, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia, suicide, diabetes in the order of ranking. The chronic disease as non-communicable disease (NCD) has been increasing continuously due to changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns and population aging in prevalence rate. This global trend is also apparent in Fiji and Korea, reflected in increasing mortality and personal costs for the treatment and management of NCD. The need for a sustained comprehensive treatment tailored for individual patients has suggested from many studies and the development of a systematic program to manage NCD patients to provide such care have been recommended. The Fiji government developed Non-communicable Diseases Strategic Plan 2015-2019 and has tried to reduce the prevalence rate of non-communicable diseases by factors. The WHO global action plan guiding national-level NCD policies requires an NCD prevention and control model at the community level, presenting strategic goals and detailed options for the introduction and application of the approach to communities. It is necessary to develop an NCD prevention and control model, consisting of a strategy of community intervention, education for students and NCD patients, and the legal enactment of NCD that adequately meets the needs of community members.