• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8735-8740
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• 2014

Background: Previous studies for non-communicable disease cotrol, including cancer, have mostly relied on health literacy in adults. However, limited studies are available for adolescents. This study aimed to assess the status and determinants of health literacy in in-school adolescents in Guangdong, China. Materials and Methods: A total of 3,821 students aged 13-25 years were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. After the questionnaire of health literacy was answered, the total scores for health knowledge (18 questions), skills (5 questions) and behaviors (14 questions) were determined. The total scores for health literacy and each subscale were recoded into adequate and inadequate subgroups, and logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with each outcome variable. Results: The prevalence of adequate health literacy was 14.4%, and the prevalences for adequate knowledge, skills and behavior were 22.4%, 64.7% and 6.6%, respectively. Students coming from prestigious schools and having parents with higher education had higher odds of having adequate knowledge, skills and behaviors. Female students had higher odds of having adequate knowledge and behaviors. Students in grade 7-8 had higher odds of having adequate knowledge and skills. The health knowledge was positive associated with health skills (odds ratio [OR] =2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-2.5) and behaviors (OR=3.0, 95%CI 2.3-4.0), and health skills were positive associated with health behaviors (OR=2.6, 95%CI 1.8-3.8). Conclusions: Further efforts should be made to increase adolescents' health knowledge and behaviors, especially for low grade and male students in non-prestigious schools.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.665-670
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• 2010

Pollutants from urban pavement consists various kinds of substances which are originated from dry deposition, a grind out tire, corrosive action of rain to pavement and facilities and raw materials of the road etc.. These are major pollutants of urban NPS (Non-point source) during rainfall period. However there is not enough information to control such pollutants for appropriate management of natural water quality. In this study of transportation areas, three monitoring stations were set up at trunk road, urban highway and national road in Gyeongnam province. Runoff flow rate was measured at every 15minutes by automatic flow meters installed at the end of storm sewer pipe within the road catchment area for water quality analysis. Data was collected every 15 minutes for initial two hours of rainfall. Additional samples were collected 1-4 hours interval till the end of rainfall. The monitoring parameters were $COD_{Mn}$, SS, T-N & T-P and heavy metals. The average EMCs of TSS and $COD_{Mn}$ were 62.0 mg/L and 24.2 mg/L on the city trunk road, which were higher than those of urban highway and national road, indicating higher pollutant loads due to activities in the city downtown area beside the vehicle. On the other hand, the average EMC of T-N and T-P were in the range of 2.67-3.23 mg/L and 0.19-3.21 mg/L for all the sampling sites. Heavy metals from the roads were mainly Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn, showing variable EMCs by the type of road. From the TSS wash-off analysis in terms of FF(first flush) index, first flush phenomenon was clearly observed in the trunk road(FF : 0.89-1.43). However, such mass delivery behavior was not apparently shown in urban highway(FF : 0.90-1.11) and national road(FF : 0.81-1.41).

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.268-277
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• 2020

Purpose: Many home care treatments can be used to promote the health and longevity of dental implants; however, few studies are available to support the concept that self-performed oral hygiene behaviors are an essential tool for improving and maintaining oral health. We investigated age-stratified associations between dental health behaviors related to tooth brushing (TB) and oral hygiene product use in Korean adults with implants. Methods: A total of 1,911 subjects over 19 years of age who had 1 or more implants and who participated in the 2013 to 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were reviewed. Periodontal status was assessed using Community Periodontal Index (CPI) scores, and periodontitis was defined as a CPI greater than or equal to 3. The complex sampling design of the survey was utilized to obtain the variance and individual weight of each analyzed factor. A high CPI was the outcome variable, and the main explanatory variables were oral hygiene behaviors, such as TB, dental floss (DF), interproximal brushing, and mouth rinsing. Results: Almost all individuals with a lower CPI brushed their teeth twice or more per day, in contrast to those with a higher CPI, and were likely to use DF. The adjusted odds ratio of not using DF for a higher CPI was 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.49). Conclusions: TB was implemented more than twice a day by patients with good oral health, and the combination of TB and DF significantly reduced the prevalence of a higher CPI. Self-performed oral hygiene practices combining TB and DF were significantly related to a low prevalence of periodontitis in implant patients.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.273-294
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• 2023

Background: Most developed countries are working to improve their universal health coverage systems. This study investigates regional disparities in unmet healthcare needs and their causes in South Korea. Additionally, it compares the unmet healthcare needs rate in South Korea with that of 33 European countries. Methods: The analysis incorporates information from 13,359 adults aged 19 or older, using data from the Korea Health Panel. The dependent variables encompass the experience of unmet healthcare needs and the three causes of occurrence: "burden of medical expenses," "time constraints," and "lack of care." The primary variable of interest is the region of residence, while control variables encompass 14 socio-demographic, health, and functional characteristics. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, accounting for the sampling design, is conducted. Results: The rate of unmet healthcare needs in Korea is 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0%-13.3%), which is approximately 30 times higher than that of Austria (0.4%). The causes of unmet healthcare needs, ranked in descending order, are "lack of care," "time constraints," and "burden of medical expenses." Predictive probabilities for experiencing unmet healthcare needs and each cause differ significantly between regions. For instance, the probability of experiencing unmet healthcare needs due to "lack of care" is approximately 10 times higher in Gangwon-do (13.5%; 95% CI, 13.0%-14.1%) than in Busan (1.3%; 95% CI, 1.3%-1.4%). The probability due to "burden of medical expenses" is approximately 14 times higher in Seoul (4.1%; 95% CI, 3.6%-4.6%) compared to Jeollanam-do (0.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-0.4%). Conclusion: Amid rapid sociodemographic transitions, South Korea must make significant efforts to alleviate unmet healthcare needs and the associated regional disparities. To effectively achieve this, it is recommended that South Korea involves the National Assembly in healthcare policy-making, while maintaining a centralized financing model and delegating healthcare planning and implementation to regional authorities for their local residents-similar to the approaches of the United Kingdom and France.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2024

Vancomycin is a frequently used antibiotic in intensive care units, and the patient's renal clearance affects the pharmacokinetic characteristics of vancomycin. Several advantages have been reported for vancomycin continuous intravenous infusion, but studies on continuous dosing regimens based on patients' renal clearance are insufficient. The aim of this study was to develop a vancomycin serum concentration prediction model by factoring in a patient's renal clearance. Children admitted to our institution between July 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022 with records of continuous infusion of vancomycin were included in the study. Sex, age, height, weight, vancomycin dose by weight, interval from the start of vancomycin administration to the time of therapeutic drug monitoring sampling, and vancomycin serum concentrations were analyzed with the linear regression analysis of the mixed effect model. Univariable regression analysis was performed using the vancomycin serum concentration as a dependent variable. It showed that vancomycin dose (p < 0.001) and serum creatinine (p = 0.007) were factors that had the most impact on vancomycin serum concentration. Vancomycin serum concentration was affected by vancomycin dose (p < 0.001) and serum creatinine (p = 0.001) with statistical significance, and a multivariable regression model was obtained as follows: Vancomycin serum concentration (mg/l) = -1.296 + 0.281 × vancomycin dose (mg/kg) + 20.458 × serum creatinine (mg/dl) (adjusted coefficient of determination, R² = 0.66). This prediction model is expected to contribute to establishing an optimal continuous infusion regimen for vancomycin.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.203-209
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• 2009

Yield monitoring is one of a precision agriculture technology that is used most widely. It is spatial variability analysis of yield information that should be attained with yield monitoring system development. This experiment was conducted to evaluate spatial variability of yield and grain moisture content in rice paddy field, and their relationships to rice productivity. It is necessary to minimize sampling interval for accurate yield map making or to control cutting width of rice combine. Considering small rice plots such as $0.2{\sim}0.4$ ha, optimum size of sampling plot was below 15 m more than 5 m in with and length. In variable rate treatment field, average yield was similar, but yield variation was reduced than conventional field. Gap of yield by another plot in same field was bigger than half of average yield than yield variation was significantly big. Therefore yield measuring flow sensor must be able to measure at least 300 kg/10a more than 1000 kg/10a. Variation of moisture content in same field was not big and spatial dependance did not appear greatly. But, variation between different field is appeared difference according to weather circumstance before harvesting. Change of spatial dependence of yield was not big, because of field variation of moisture content is not big.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the number of existing permanent teeth is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a representative sample of Korean adults. Data from 3,107 subjects who participated in the 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. The dependent variable was COPD and the independent variable was the number of existing permanent teeth. Spirometry results were classified into three groups (normal pattern, restrictive pattern, and obstructive pattern) by trained technicians. We used dichotomized COPD variables (no vs. yes). The number of existing permanent teeth was evaluated by oral examination and divided into 3 groups (0~19, 20~27, and 28). Demographic factors (age group and sex group), socioeconomic status (education and income), health behaviors (smoking and drinking), oral health and behavior (frequency of toothbrushing; periodontitis; decayed, missing, filled, permanent teeth index; and denture status), and general health status (body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension) were included as confounders in the analysis. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analyses including confounders were applied, and all analyses considered a complex sampling design. Stratified analysis was performed by smoking status. After controlling for various confounders, there was a significant association between the number of existing permanent teeth and COPD (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20~3.00 for the 20~27 group; OR, 3.93; 95% CI, 1.75~8.84 for the 0~19 group). The association was more significant in current smokers (OR, 8.90; 95% CI, 2.53~31.33). Our data indicate that the number of existing permanent teeth was independently associated with COPD, especially in current smokers. Further longitudinal research is needed to determine whether oral health promotion plays a role in the improvement of lung function and prevention of COPD.