• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.128-135
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• 2007

This study was designed to investigate the correlation between the expression rate of p53 and p21 proteins by immunohistochemical staining and tumor prognostic factors including the tumor size, histological differentiation and Dukes' stage of tumor prognostic factors in colon cancer, and to acquire necessary data for the presumption of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of colon cancer patients. From January 2000 to January 2003 at Hanyang University Guri Hospital, the paraffin blocks of 35 patients diagnosed with colon cancer whose pathologic reports were possible to review were selected. Harris hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemical staining by ABC (Avidin Biotin Conjugate) method were performed. The histological differentiation grade and stage were classified according to the classification of the World Health Organization (WHO) and modified Dukes's stage from H&E staining. The expression rate of p53 and p21 proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. The results was analyzed statistically by SPSS (Windows version 8.0). As a result, the expression rate of p53 protein was 11.4% (4 cases) in clear differentiation, 48.6% (17 cases) in moderate differentiation, and 17.1% (6 cases) in poor differentiation. In other words, the poorer the differentiation, the higher the expression rate of p53 protein (p<0.05). The expression rate of p21 was 17.1% (6 cases) in clear differentiation, 40.0%(14 cases) in moderate differentiation, and 8.6% (3 cases) in poor differentiation, According to the progression of histological malignant degeneration, the expression rate of p21 protein decreased distinctively (p<0.05). However, the correlation between the two above mentioned proteins and the tumor-size and Dukes' stage was not of statistical significance. In the comparison of the expression rate of p53 protein with that of p21 protein, in 10 cases, p53 protein expression was positive while p21 protein expression was negative, and in 6 cases, p53 protein expression was negative whereas p21 protein expression was positive. Consequently a statistically significant inverse correlation between the expression rate of p53 protein and that of p21 protein was observed (p<0.05). In conclusion, we found a significant correlation between histological differentiation and the expression rate of p53 and p21 proteins (p<0.05), and a significant inverse correlation between the expression rate of p53 protein and that of p21 protein (p<0.05). Also, it could be confirmed that the over expression of p53 and p21 proteins is closely associated with the occurrence of colon cancer and its progress. Therefore, it is thought that this study may be greatly beneficial to the presumption of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of colon cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2007

Backgrounds: Obesity and depression are serious health problem and also constitute cardiovascular disease risk factors. Some studies found an association between obesity and higher rates of depression in women but not in men. The current study examined the association between depressive symptoms and obesity, especially central obesity in Korean women. Methods : The participants were 4,609 Korean women aged 20-85 years. Each individual was assessed for the presence of obesity and central obesity using the criteria suggested by WPRO(World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific). Depressive symptomatology was measured by Beck Depression Inventory(BDI). Results : In obese women, rate of depressed women is significantly higher compared normal group(27.6% VS. 23.2%, p<0.01). The rates of depressed women is higher in women who had central obesity(26.9% VS. 22.7%, p<0.01). Depressed women had higher rates of central obesity(93.2% VS.86.9%, p<0.01). Conclusion Our findings show obesity especially central obesity is associated with depressed women and suggests that further investigation for interaction between depression and obesity is needed.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2016

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the effects of acupuncture stimulation on the radial artery's pressure pulse wave, along with various hemodynamic parameters, and to explore the possible underlying mechanism of pulse diagnosis in healthy participants in their twenties. Methods and analysis: This study is a prospective, single-arm, exploratory clinical study. A total of 25 healthy participants, without regard to gender, in their twenties will be recruited by physicians. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The participants will receive acupuncture once at ST36 on both sides. The radial arterial pulse waves will be measured on the left arm of the subjects by using an applicable pulse tonometric device (KIOM-PAS). On the right arm (appearing twice), electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram (PPG), respiration and cardiac output (CO) signals, will be measured using a physiological data acquisition system (Biopac module), while the velocity of blood flow, and the diameter and the depth of the blood vessel will be measured using an ultrasonogram machine on the right arm (appearing twice). All measurements will be conducted before, during, and after acupuncture. The primary outcome will be the spectral energy at high frequencies above 10 Hz ($SE_{10-30Hz}$) calculated from the KIOM-PAS device signal. Secondary outcomes will be various variables obtained from the KIOM-PAS device, ECG, PPG, impedance cardiography modules, and an ultrasonogram machine. Discussion: The results of this trial will provide information regarding the physiological and the hemodynamic mechanisms underlying acupuncture stimulation and clinical evidence for the influence of acupuncture on the pressure pulse wave in the radial artery. Ethics and dissemination: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Kyung Hee University's Oriental Medical Center, Seoul, Korea (KOMCIRB-150818-HR-030). The study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Trial registration number: This trial was registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) at the Korea National Institute of Health (NIH), Republic of Korea (KCT0001663), which is a registry in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Registry Network.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as an international health emergency. Current diagnostic tests are based on the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method, which is the gold standard test that involves the amplification of viral RNA. However, the RT-qPCR assay has limitations in terms of sensitivity and quantification. In this study, we tested both qPCR and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect low amounts of viral RNA. The cycle threshold (CT) of the viral RNA by RT-PCR significantly varied according to the sequences of the primer and probe sets with in vitro transcript (IVT) RNA or viral RNA as templates, whereas the copy number of the viral RNA by ddPCR was effectively quantified with IVT RNA, cultured viral RNA, and RNA from clinical samples. Furthermore, the clinical samples were assayed via both methods, and the sensitivity of the ddPCR was determined to be equal to or more than that of the RT-qPCR. However, the ddPCR assay is more suitable for determining the copy number of reference materials. These findings suggest that the qPCR assay with the ddPCR defined reference materials could be used as a highly sensitive and compatible diagnostic method for viral RNA detection.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.73-86
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• 2019

Seafaring is an important occupation that requires stringent hand hygiene practices as a basic method for preventing food-borne illness and infectious diseases when the diseases occur on board. The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental data for the prevention of food-borne illness and infectious disease on the ship by investigating the level of hand hygiene practices and influencing factors. A total of 222 seafarers were surveyed at a seafarers' educational institution between July and August 2017. Their hand hygiene practice were examined by a modified method using the guidelines which are recommended by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Hand Hygiene Australia. The mean of hand hygiene practice was 47.97 out of 75 points. By category, the most frequent hand hygiene practice was measured as 4.04 on a 5-point scale as 'after working'. Factors affecting hand hygiene practices were ship tonnage relating to in job characteristics, exercise in health-related characteristics, and soap in relation to the characteristics of the hand hygiene environment on board. To improve hand hygiene among seafarers, it is necessary to raise awareness of hand hygiene among seafarers who work on small ships in particular, and to improve the systems of hand hygiene on ships with continuous education, hygiene practice evaluation and feedback.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.293-303
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• 2020

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a typical health hazard, resulting in about 7 million premature deaths each year. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of the major air pollutants, and the combustion process with sulfur-containing fuels generates it. Measuring SO2 generation in large combustion environments in real time and optimizing reduction facilities based on measured values are necessary to reduce the compound's presence. This paper describes the concentration measurement for SO2, a particulate matter precursor, using a wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). This study employed a quantum cascade laser operating at 7.6 ㎛ as a light source. It demonstrated concentration measurement possibility using 64 multi-absorption lines between 7623.7 and 7626.0 nm. The experiments were conducted in a multi-pass cell with a total path length of 28 and 76 m at 1 atm, 296 K. The SO2 concentration was tested in two types: high concentration (1000 to 5000 ppm) and low concentration (10 ppm or less). Additionally, the effect of H2O interference in the atmosphere on the measurement of SO2 was confirmed by N2 purging the laser's path. The detection limit for SO2 was 3 ppm, and results were compared with the electronic chemical sensor and nondispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.383-400
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• 2023

Air pollution-related diseases are escalating worldwide, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating approximately 7 million annual deaths in 2022. The rapid expansion of industrial facilities, increased emissions from various sources, and uncontrolled release of odorous substances have brought air pollution to the forefront of societal concerns. In South Korea, odor is categorized as an independent environmental pollutant, alongside air and water pollution, directly impacting the health of local residents by causing discomfort and aversion. However, the current odor management system in Korea remains inadequate, necessitating improvements. This study aims to enhance the odor management system by analyzing 1,010,749 data points collected from odor sensors located in Osong, Chungcheongbuk-do, using an Ensemble-Based Multi-Region Integrated Odor Concentration Prediction Model. The research results demonstrate that the model based on the XGBoost algorithm exhibited superior performance, with an RMSE of 0.0096, significantly outperforming the single-region model (0.0146) with a 51.9% reduction in mean error size. This underscores the potential for increasing data volume, improving accuracy, and enabling odor prediction in diverse regions using a unified model through the standardization of odor concentration data collected from various regions.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2019

Purpose: This study evaluated amounts of physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns in older adults using an accelerometer and physical activity diary. Methods: Forty-nine older adults (male 26, female 23) participated in this study. They wore a triaxial accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT) for one week and wrote a physical activity diary concurrently for three days. Amounts of physical activity, sedentary behavior patterns, and percentage of meeting the World health organization (WHO) physical activity guidelines were analyzed using an accelerometer. In addition, the contents recorded in the physical activity diary were reclassified to 18 levels and the average daily times spent on each level and physical activity level (PAL) were calculated. Results: The subjects were sitting more than half of the day except for bedtime and shower time (59.2%). The numbers of prolonged ${\geq}30$, 40 minutes sedentary bouts were significantly higher in males ($3.10{\pm}1.34$, $1.78{\pm}1.09$, respectively) than in females ($2.34{\pm}1.22$, $1.32{\pm}1.07$, respectively) and the number of breaks per sedentary hour was significantly less in males ($5.74{\pm}0.89$) than in females ($6.44{\pm}0.71$). Among the activities corresponding to sedentary behavior surveyed by the physical activity diary, only the amount of time spent 'resting, speaking and watching TV' showed a significant correlation with the sedentary behavior pattern measured by the accelerometer. The persistence of sedentary behavior was interrupted primarily when low intensity activity was performed. Only 22.4% of the subjects met WHO physical activity guidelines. Conclusion: Based on these results, the physical activity guidelines for older adults should be developed that reflects the appropriate strength, including low activity level and maintenance time of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.671-689
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• 2008

The economic recession of North Korea has been prolonged, the need for humanitarian assistance for the women and children of DPRK has been raised. In March 2006, South Korean government signed MOU with World Health Organization (WHO) to financially support "Improving Women's and Children's Health in DPRK (IWCH)" project. The assistance projects through UNICEF and the non-government organizations of South Korea were also followed. IWCH project consists of three parts; nutrition, disease management, children and maternity care. The first term (2006-2007) of the project leading by WHO was finished, and the second term (2008-2010) is just begun. The projects driven by NGOs have relatively been delayed due to difficulties in negotiating on project contents and places with North Korea. Recently, however, re-modeling processes of an obstetric/gynecology hospital and a children hospital in Nampo were started. Up to recently, South Korean government has played only a limited role in the humanitarian assistance for North Korea. IWCH project is, however, a full-scale initiative driven by government based on a systematic review of need and priorities. A significant amount of budget and relatively long term (five year) project compare to the previous short term and small size programs were expected to make more meaningful achievement. Despite these positive aspects, the project remains a list of unsolved problems a lack of mutual trust, a different decision making process between South and North Korea, a lack of conflict management process, and unpredictability and complexity of international politics. In spite of such kind of political uncertainty, the health care sector will be a leading area in the process of improving relationship between South and North Korea, particularly, humanitarian assistance for women and children will play a crucial role in the process. The successful implementation of IWCH project, therefore, will contribute to provide the reference model in developing the mutually constructive relationship between South and North

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.644-663
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the safety of iodine intake based on ingestion levels and urinary iodine excretion of women of childbearing age (15-45 years old) using data from the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: Iodine intake was calculated using the 24 hours dietary recall method and urinary iodine excretion. The iodine nutrition database for the analysis of dietary iodine intake was constructed using the food composition database of the Rural Development Administration (RDA), the Korean Nutrition Society (KNS), the Ministries of Food and Drug Safety, China and, Japan. The World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation criteria and hazard quotient (HQ) calculated using biomonitoring equivalents (BE) were applied to evaluate the safety of the iodine intake. Results: Of the study subjects, 15.22% had a urinary iodine concentration level of less than 100 ㎍/L, which was diagnosed as deficient, and 48.16% had an excessive iodine concentration of over 300 ㎍/L. Urinary iodine concentration was 878.71 ㎍/L, iodine/creatinine was 589.00 ㎍/g, and iodine/creatinine was significantly higher at the age of 30-45 years. The dietary iodine intake was 273.47 ㎍/day, and the iodine intake calculated from the urinary iodine excretion was 1,198.10 ㎍/day. Foods with a high contribution to iodine intake were vegetables, seafood, seaweed and processed foods. The HQ was 1.665 when the urinary iodine content was > 1,000 ㎍/L. Conclusion: The results of this study implicate that the urinary iodine concentration, rather than the dietary iodine intake, is more appropriate to evaluate the iodine status under the current situation that a comprehensive iodine database for Koreans has not been established.