• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the degree of senile macular degeneration in elders aged 65 or older and identify factors associated with senile macular degeneration in elders within communities. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional descriptive study were 388 elders without cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Data were collected through face to face interviews using a questionnaire in an urban area from June 2010 to December 2011. To detect senile macular degeneration, the participants' self-tests were carried out with Amsler grid testing. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the effects of health behavior and knowledge about eye health on senile macular degeneration. Results: The proportion of participants with senile macular degeneration was 11.6%. Factors that significantly increased the risk of senile macular degeneration included eye discomfort and history of ophthalmic examination (p<.05). Factors that significantly decreased the risk of senile macular degeneration included regular change of magnifiers, non-use of magnifiers, and knowledge about preventive effects of non-smoking and antioxidant vitamin intake on senile macular degeneration (p<.05). Conclusion: This study showed that programs for preventing senile macular degeneration were necessary for elders within communities and the results of this study can be used for developing those programs.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.8
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• 2023

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness, and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type. Due to inadequate diagnosis, treatment is often not administered until symptoms occur. Hence, approaches enabling earlier prediction or diagnosis of POAG are necessary. We aimed to identify novel drugs for glaucoma through bioinformatics and network analysis. Data from 36 samples, obtained from the trabecular meshwork of healthy individuals and patients with POAG, were acquired from a dataset. Next, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. In both stages, the genes were enriched by studying the critical biological processes and pathways related to POAG. Finally, a drug-gene network was constructed, and novel drugs for POAG treatment were proposed. Genes with p < 0.01 and |log fold change| > 0.3 (1,350 genes) were considered DEGs and utilized to construct a PPI network. Enrichment analysis yielded several key pathways that were upregulated or downregulated. For example, extracellular matrix organization, the immune system, neutrophil degranulation, and cytokine signaling were upregulated among immune pathways, while signal transduction, the immune system, extracellular matrix organization, and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling were downregulated. Finally, novel drugs including metformin hydrochloride, ixazomib citrate, and cisplatin warrant further analysis of their potential roles in POAG treatment. The candidate drugs identified in this computational analysis require in vitro and in vivo validation to confirm their effectiveness in POAG treatment. This may pave the way for understanding life-threatening disorders such as cancer.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2019

Acanthamoeba castellanii has ubiquitous distribution and causes primary acanthamoebic keratitis (AK). AK is a common disease in contact lens wearers and results in permanent visual impairment or blindness. In this study, we observed the cytopathic effect, in vitro cytotoxicity, and secretion pattern of cytokines in human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) induced by A. castellanii trophozoites and/or cysts. Morphological observation revealed that panked dendritic HCECs co-cultured with amoeba cysts had changed into round shape and gradually died. Such changes were more severe in co-culture with cyst than those of co-cultivation with trophozoites. In vitro cytotoxicity assay revealed the highest cytotoxicity to HCECs in the co-culture system with amoeba cysts. A. castellanii induced the expression of $IL-1{\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-8, and CXCL1 in HCECs. Secreted levels of $IL-1{\alpha}$, IL-6, and IL-8 in HCECs co-cultured with both trophozoites and cysts were increased at an early incubation time (3 and 6 hr). These results suggested that cytopathic changes and pro-inflammatory cytokines release of HCECs in response to A. castellanii, especially amoebic cysts, are an important mechanism for AK development.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.35-43
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• 2022

It was to test the efficiency of essence containing scalp derived Leuconostoc mesenteroides extract on relieving hair loss and the possibility of the usage as the functional cosmetic's material. 41 subjects were classified as the control and test group and for 24 weeks, from Apr. 15th 2021 to Nov. 4th 2021, they were double blindness, contrast samples, single organs, and randomized human applicating tests were performed. The amount of hair had meaningful change (p<0.001) seen through phototricogram in 8,16,24 weeks each, and could tell the difference by researcher's bare eye after 24 weeks. Since there were meaningful changes (p<0.017) in subjective evaluation of the subject on after 8,16,24 weeks time, Essence which contains 1% of L. mesenteroides has efficiency on hair loss. Therefore, L. mesenteroides is expected to be used as various cosmetics to prevent hair loss.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.95-99
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• 2007

This study performed apreliminary test with male high school students in Gwangju metropolitan city in order to determine visual function information of high school students. For the items in this preliminary test, there were inquiry, test for long distance unaided visual acuity, pinhole visual acuity test, colour vision test, cover test and stereo test. Most complaint related to eye was about blurred vision (28.4%) and over 90% of subjects had one or more, and among them, over 50% appealed two or more complaints. 76.1% of all subjects showed less than 0.7 in unaided distance visual acuity. In pinhole visual acuity test, 98% had an improved unaided pinhole visual acuity and most of them experienced an improvement and 2% had no change or dropped. The students with normal stereoscopic vision test were 85.6% and the students under normal range were 14.4%. In colour vision test, 7.9% of them were protanomaly and deuteranomaly and none of them had trichromasy and total color blindness. In cover test, it showed 30.2% of orthophoria, 8.2% of esophoria and 61.5% of exophoria, and none of them had strabismus.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2011

Modern medicine has early experienced the absence of mimesis and has been trying to replace the absence with objective grounds and experimental data. However, as medicine became science, the crisis of medicine spread more widely. Microscopic powers and violences are invisible, but individuals are powerless and vainly unable to resist. The anguish or introspection about the situation is sometimes described in stories such as An Engagement by Lee Eung Jun. An Engagement is mentioned in this article due to the writer's attitude, which shows his introspection and desire for harmony through the wounds of each trivial character. The writer is unceasingly talking about suffering people in his story and his seriousness enables readers to find his stronger sympathy over life and death than in any other medical stories. In fact, it is impossible for readers to comprehend the confusing propositions which the writer pours out, and even uncomfortable to read the story. Nevertheless, the propositions are always in contact with reality. Perhaps it is not the writer's confusing propositions that make us uncomfortable. It might be ourselves who are always alienated and starved. We can say that the characters' pains and wounds are phantom pains caused by the absence of mimesis. Since there is no affected area, their pains cannot be measured by only scientific medicine. However, the current medical profession regards objective research evidences as absolute truth and allows them to be the sole criterion. Although scientific skills such as DNA analysis and MRI scan can be the substitutes for doctors' judgment, so much of medicine is still interpersonal relationships. An Engagement. As a person promises to marry another, as all beings together in the world promise to subordinate to one another, every subject is consistently a valuable part of each other for the writer's eyes. He is aware that it is originally impossible to get engaged to the world, but he does not give up the possibility of genuine communication. In today's post-modernism society, where a large number of pathological views define the members and the world itself, endless questioning of existence and digging into pathology will be the only way to reduce the gap between individuals and their world. This article does not say that a literary work will lead the change of medical paradigm. It sprang from a desire for medical humanities to gain more interest of the medical field, where the encounter between literature and medicine is still unfamiliar, and to make medical education recognize the importance of humanities. Starting with this work, I believe that the humanities will help us to find the solution to the age of absence of mimesis and to the crisis of medicine.

• Journal of the HCI Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.13-19
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• 2015

Display technology has recently made enormous progress. In particular, display companies are competing each other to develop flexible display. Curved display, as a precursor of flexible display, are now used for smart phones and TVs. Curved monitors have been just introduced in the market, and are used for office work or entertainment. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the curvature of a 42" multi-monitor affects postural control when it is used for entertainment purpose. The current study used two curvature levels (flat and 600mm). Ten college students [mean(SD) age = 20.9 (1.5)] with at least 20/25 visual acuity, and without color blindness and musculoskeletal disorders participated in this study. In a typical VDT environment, each participant played a car racing video game using a steering wheel and pedals for 30 minutes at each curvature level. During the video game, a pressure mat on the seat pan measured the participant's COP (Center of Pressure), and from which four measures (Mean Velocity, Median Power Frequency, Root-Mean-Square Distance, and 95% Confidence Ellipse Area) were derived. A larger AP (Anterior-Posterior) RMS distance was observed in the flat condition, indicating more forward-backward upper body movements. It can be partly due to more variability in visual distance across display, and hence longer ocular accommodation time in the case of the flat display. In addition, a different level of presence or attention between two curvature conditions can lead to such a difference. Any potential effect of such a behavioral change by display curvature on musculoskeletal disorders should be further investigated.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.181-192
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to look at the fun that high school students from blind schools feel in sports programs. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 10 out of 12 blind schools nationwide, including 122 male and 102 female students. Research tools are open questionnaires and questions are as follows. - Questionnaire: "Write down three of the most interesting things about sports programs." The data analysis was done with frequency analysis and the following conclusions were drawn. First, male high school students at blind schools are able to build up their physical strength in the area of competent factors (control-self) (23, 21.5%), in the area of competent factors (7, 77.8%) and in the area of motion-related factors (competition) (24, 15.1%), and in the area of non-execution factors (26, 37.7%), Second, high school girls with visual impairments did not respond in the areas of proficiency (control-self) because of stress release (25, 26.6%), in the areas of control-tain), in the areas of movement (competition) because they were able to do various exercises (22, 15.7%), and in the areas of non-watering (environmental) (18, 37.5%). Third, in the sports program comparative analysis of high school students between genders of blind schools, boys are interested in health and physical fitness in the field of competent factors (control-self) and girls are considered to be a means of relieving stress. In the field of competent factors (control-others), boys and girls can react to a variety of sports opportunities. In the future, by studying the fun of students in the physical education program through research to find out more fun in the school physical education program, we will explore practical ways to maximize student participation and increase motivation level The educational aspect of the process, that is, the educational value provided by the physical education, should be composed of content that can change the thinking and behavior of the teacher and the student so that the program contents and operation method.