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

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.74-81
• /
• 2020

As of 2020, due to the influence of fine dust from China and domestic dust, the cloudy sky of Korea has become a daily routine not only in spring but also in autumn/winter. In 2013, the International Cancer Institute under the World Health Organization designated fine dust as a group 1 carcinogen that has been confirmed to be carcinogenic to humans. The purpose of this study is to theoretically review 5 fine dust-related design studies, by analyzing the case of three types of wearable air purifiers on the market, it is to propose an improved open wearable air purifier. As a verification method, a working prototype was produced to measure the amount of fine dust reduction. Therefore, this study derived three design insights of wearable air cleaner through case analysis. First, it maximizes openness by minimizing the area touching the face. Second, the nozzle where the air comes out should be close to the respiratory organ. Third, position of the motor is to be as far away as possible from the ear considering the noise. Based on this, I suggested an open-type wearable air purifier design that maximizes the user openness and improves the wearing comfort. I hope that it will be an opportunity to increase the coverage of wearable air cleaner and protect the respiratory health of users.

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

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.439-454
• /
• 2020

This study investigates the change in the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration and World Health Organization (WHO) air quality index (AQI) in East Asia (EA) under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). AQI is an indicator of increasing levels about health concern, divided into six categories based on PM2.5 annual concentrations. Here, we utilized the ensemble results of UKESM1, the climate model operated in Met Office, UK, for the analysis of long-term variation during the historical (1950~2014) and future (2015~2100) period. The results show that the spatial distributions of simulated PM2.5 concentrations in present-day (1995~2014) are comparable to observations. It is found that most regions in EA exceeded the WHO air quality guideline except for Japan, Mongolia regions, and the far seas during the historical period. In future scenarios containing strong air quality (SSP1-2.6, SSP5-8.5) and medium air quality (SSP2-4.5) controls, PM2.5 concentrations are substantially reduced, resulting in significant improvement in AQI until the mid-21st century. On the other hand, the mild air pollution controls in SSP3-7.0 tend to lead poor AQI in China and Korea. This study also examines impact of increased in PM2.5 concentrations on downward shortwave energy at the surface. As a result, strong air pollution controls can improve air quality through reduced PM2.5 concentrations, but lead to an additional warming in both the near and mid-term future climate over EA.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.235-249
• /
• 2021

Objectives : Acupoint LU6 (Gongchoe) is known as an acupoint for the treatment of pain and bleeding caused by hemorrhoids. The purpose of this study was to critically review acupoint LU6 for treating hemorrhoids. Methods : We searched both ancient and modern literature of acupuncture and moxibustion using keywords "Gongchoe" and "hemorrhoids". We further performed an online ancient literature search for crosscheck. The searched literature was stratified by country (Korea, China, and Japan), and data were organized chronologically. Concerning literature related to hemorrhoids, data based on acupuncture treatment were compiled. Results : The bone proportional measurement of the forearm had been 12.5 cun until the Qing Dynasty but was recorded as 10 cun in "Shinkyushinzui," and the majority of modern Japanese and Korean literature indicated it as 10 cun. Gongchoe for treating hemorrhoids has been reported in the literature, including "Shinkyushinzui" (Japan, 1941), "Shiyoungzongguozhenjiujingxuexue" (Taiwan, 1963), "Gyeonghyeolhak" (Korea, 1971), and "Jinzhenmeihuashichao" (China, late Qing dynasty), but except "Jinzhenmeihuashichao", the location is different from the World Health Organization (WHO) standard acupoint location as it is 7 cun from the wrist out of 10 cun of the forearm bone proportional measurement. In addition, classical guides published until the Qing Dynasty did not report acupoint LU6 for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Conclusions : It is necessary to distinguish between Gongchoe in "Shinkyushinzui" and LU6 in WHO standard acupuncture point locations. Gongchoe (LU6)'s primary treatment for hemorrhoids has not been described in the classical literature, and further clinical evidence is needed to support it. When using Gongchoe for hemorrhoids, we should consider that the location of Gongchoe is closer to the LU5 than the standard acupuncture point locations and it is meaningful not only for treatment but also for diagnosis.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.9
• /
• pp.734-741
• /
• 2022

Currently, around 40 million people worldwide are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection making HIV a critical global health risk. Present therapies for HIV infection consist of drug cocktails that target different steps of the HIV life cycle to prevent infection, replication, and release of the virus. Due to its mutating nature, drug resistance coupled with side-effects of long-term drug use, novel strategies, and pharmaceuticals to treat and manage HIV infection are constant needs and continuously being studied. Plants allocate a major repertoire of chemical diversity and are therefore regarded as an important source of new bioactive agents that can be utilized against HIV. Since the early 1990s, upon recommendations of the World Health Organization, numerous studies reported phytochemicals from different structural classes such as flavonoids, coumarins, tannins and terpenes with strong inhibitory effects against HIV infection. The present review gathered and presented recent research (2021-present) on plant extracts and phytochemicals that exhibit anti-HIV properties with the aim of providing insights into future studies where ethnomedical and underutilized plant sources may yield important natural products against HIV. Considering the relation and importance of HIV treatment with current viral infection risks such as SARS-CoV-2, screening plants for anti-HIV agents is an important step towards the discovery of novel antivirals.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.193-201
• /
• 2023

Antimicrobials in human medicine are classified by The World Health Organization (WHO) into three groups: critically important antimicrobials (CIA), highly important antimicrobials (HIA), and important antimicrobials (IA). CIA are antibiotic classes that satisfy two main criteria: that they are the sole or the only available limited therapeutic option to effectively treat severe bacterial infections in humans (Criterion 1), and infections where bacteria are transmitted to humans from non-human sources or have the potential to acquire resistance genes from non-human sources (Criterion 2). WHO emphasizes the need for cautious and responsible use of the CIA to mitigate risk and safeguard human health. Specific antimicrobials within the CIA with a high priority for management are reclassified as "highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIA)" and include the 3^rd generation of cephalosporins and the next generation of macrolides, quinolones, glycopeptides, and polymyxins. The CIA list is the scientific basis for risk assessment and risk management policies that warrant using antimicrobials to reduce antimicrobial resistance in several countries. In addition, the CIA list ensures food safety in the food industry, including for the popular food chain companies McDonald's and KFC. The continuous update of the CIA list reflects the advancement in research and emerging future challenges. Thus, active and deliberate evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and the construction of a list that reflects the specific circumstances of a country are essential to safeguarding food security.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.383-400
• /
• 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 Korean Society of Disaster and Security
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2023

As interest in urban safety has increased since COVID-19, various institutions have developed and used indicators that evaluate the safety city model. Yongsan-gu was ranked No. 1 in 2021 by Social Safety Index evaluation and was selected as the safest city in Korea. However, the Itaewon disaster in Yongsan-gu in 2022 caused many casualties. The study of indicators for evaluating cities' safety was necessary. This study aims to examine domestic and foreign safe city models and review the differences between each model and the indicators used to evaluate safe cities. As a result of collecting 11 safe city models and analyzing each evaluation index, safe city models can be classified into program-based safe city models, such as the World Health Organization's International safe community and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's International Safe city. Considering the diversification of threats to safety, it is reasonable to comprehensively consider digital security, health safety, infrastructure safety, personal safety, environmental safety, traffic safety, fire safety, crime safety, life safety, suicide, and infectious diseases when evaluating safe cities as evaluation parameters.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.87 no.2
• /
• pp.176-184
• /
• 2024

Background: Results of studies investigating the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been conflicting. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective observational study, conducted between January 2020 and August 2021, evaluated the impact of obesity on outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 in a Korean national cohort. A total of 1,114 patients were enrolled from 22 tertiary referral hospitals or university-affiliated hospitals, of whom 1,099 were included in the analysis, excluding 15 with unavailable height and weight information. The effect(s) of BMI on patients with severe COVID-19 were analyzed. Results: According to the World Health Organization BMI classification, 59 patients were underweight, 541 were normal, 389 were overweight, and 110 were obese. The overall 28-day mortality rate was 15.3%, and there was no significant difference according to BMI. Univariate Cox analysis revealed that BMI was associated with 28-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.96; p=0.045), but not in the multivariate analysis. Additionally, patients were divided into two groups based on BMI ≥25 kg/m² and underwent propensity score matching analysis, in which the two groups exhibited no significant difference in mortality at 28 days. The median (interquartile range) clinical frailty scale score at discharge was higher in nonobese patients (3 [3 to 5] vs. 4 [3 to 6], p<0.001). The proportion of frail patients at discharge was significantly higher in the nonobese group (28.1% vs. 46.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The obesity paradox was not evident in this cohort of patients with severe COVID-19. However, functional outcomes at discharge were better in the obese group.