• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the sources of vitamin D (duration of exposure to sunlight, intake of major food sources for vitamin D or vitamin D supplements) on the serum 25-(OH) $D_3$ levels, and the physical growth of a child. Methods: Subjects were 296 children aged 1 to 5 years who visited S hospital located in Changwon City. Survey data collection was carried out by direct interview method, and the biochemical data were collected using hospital records. Results: The study subjects were divided into three groups according to their levels of serum 25-(OH) $D_3$ (deficient, relatively insufficient, sufficient) and their percentage were 48.3%, 44.3% and 7.4% respectively. The average concentration of serum 25-(OH) $D_3$ was $20.41{\pm}6.55ng/mL$, which was relatively insufficient. The average duration of exposure to sunlight was $58.86{\pm}49.18minutes/day$. A total score of vitamin D major food sources was 46.71 points (full marks 153), and the most frequently consumed food items were milk, eggs, and cheese. Thirty-four percent of the subjects took vitamin D supplements and their dose were $11.96{\mu}g/day$. Three vitamin D sources in sufficient group were higher than deficient or relatively insufficient group significantly. Intake of vitamin D supplements showed positive relation (+) and high explanation power ($R^2=0.288$) on serum 25-(OH) $D_3$ concentration, but intake of vitamin D major food sources (+) and the duration of exposure to sunlight (+) had a low explanation power ($R^2=0.068$). The relations between serum 25-(OH) $D_3$ concentration and physical growth (height and weight) were shown as negative (-), and their explanation powers were low as 7.3% and 5.9% respectively. Conclusions: This study results can be useful when discussing the intake standard of vitamin D and the effective intake method for children. In addition, it will be helpful to build the children's nutrition policy and to plan the nutrition education program to improve the vitamin D status in children.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.182-190
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• 2015

Objectives: To introduce a protocol of Mobi-kids study which was aimed to examine an association between radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure by mobile phone use and brain tumor risk in children and adolescents. Methods: The Mobi-kids study was a multinational matched case control study using a standardized protocol with the number of subjects targeted about 1,000 cases and 2,000 controls aged 10 to 24. In Mobi-Kids Korea, the source population was restricted to Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do province. Eligible cases of primary brain tumor (glioma, meningioma, and others) were diagnosed from January 2012 to June 2015. Eligible controls were appendicitis patients operated during the study period. Two controls were matched on age, gender, and study region for 1 case. Information about pattern and history of mobile phone use and other covariates were obtained by face to face interview by trained interviewer. The Mobi-kids study has been involved in Mobi-expo as a validation study about mobile phone use, XGridmaster to localize tumor in the brain for RF energy calculation, and histological review for validation of diagnosis. Results: The Mobi-kids was the first and largest study in children and adolescents to estimate risk of brain tumor in association with the RF energy absorption in the brain estimated by mobile phone use. Forty-six-cases and 54 controls were collected as of September 2014 in Korea. Conclusions: The meaningful results of the study were expected because of the largest sample size, high validity of EMF exposure assessment as well as the susceptible study populationof children and adolescents.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2018

Patients with double-inlet left ventricle usually have a small ascending aorta. In the Norwood procedure, which involves a staged operation, a neoaorta is constructed with a homograft, and the pulmonary artery plays a role in the systemic circulation. Dilatation or aneurysmal changes can occur over time due to the exposure of the neoaorta to systemic pressure, which may induce adverse effects on adj acent structures. We report a rare case of surgical repair for neoaortic root dilataiton with aortic regurgitation, compressing the left pulmohary artery, in a patient who underwent the Norwood procedure.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2020

Examination with medical radiography is the most significant advances in medicine in the 21st century. Diagnostic imaging occupies an important position in all medical subjects, surgical and internal medicine, including radiology, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. However, the invention associated with conventional radiography devices has focused only on emphasizing the efficient aspects of the examination or obtaining clearer images without considering the age and disease-induced constraints of the patient's posture. The newly developed X-ray aids to solve this problem can effectively perform X-ray imaging of children's who have difficulty communicating and controlling. It is also thought to be a good way to provide accurate imaging information and minimize radiation exposure for children.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.105-120
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate children's abilities of self-control and visual information processing based on their experience with video games. Participants, divided by prior exposure to video games, were 44 seven-year-old and 48 eleven-year-old boys. The impulsive tendency of children was measured through the MFFT and The delayed satisfaction test. Visual information processing ability was assessed through perceptual speed, mental rotation, and spatial visualization tasks. No differences were found between more-and less-video-game-experienced boys. Significant differences, however, were found in visual information processing abilities. More experienced boys performed better in mental rotation and spatial visualization tasks than less experienced boys.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.180-187
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• 2016

Purpose: This study described the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and secondary varicella infection in children inadvertently exposed to varicella zoster virus (VZV) in the hospital. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with VZV infection who were initially not properly isolated, as well as children exposed to VZV at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between January 2010 and December 2015. The PEP measures were determined by the presence of immunity to VZV and immunocompromising conditions. Patient clinical information was reviewed via medical records. Results: Among 147 children hospitalized between 2010 and 2015, 13 inadvertent exposures were notified due to VZV infection. Five index children had a history of VZV vaccination. Eighty-six children were exposed in multi-occupancy rooms and 62.8% (54/86) were immune to VZV. The PEP measures administered to 27 exposed patients included varicella zoster immunoglobulin and VZV vaccination. Four children developed secondary varicella, which was linked to a single index patient, including one child who did not receive PEP and three of the 27 children who received PEP. The rates of secondary varicella and prophylaxis failure were 4.7% (4/85) and 11.1% (3/27), respectively. The secondary varicella rates were 1.9% (1/54) and 9.7% (3/31) among immunocompetent and immunocompromised children, respectively. Conclusions: Delayed diagnosis of VZV infection can lead to unexpected exposure and place susceptible children and immunocompromised patients at risk for developing varicella. The appropriateness of the current PEP strategy based on VZV immunity may require re-evaluation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2022

Background: Various types of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) exist in the public's living environment. They occur in different forms in terms of their physical and chemical properties and partition coefficients. As a consequence, indoor exposure to SVOCs occurs via various routes, including inhalation of air and airborne particles, skin contact, and dust intake. Objectives: To propose a method for assessing human exposure to the SVOCs occurring in the air of an indoor environment, the concentrations of SVOCs in house dust and organic films measured in a real residential environment were estimated in terms of gas-phase concentration using the partition coefficient. Assessment of inhalation exposure to SVOCs was performed using this method. Methods: Phthalates were collected from samples of house dust and organic films from 110 households in a real residential environment. To perform an exposures assessment of the phthalates present in organic films, gas-phase concentration was calculated using the partition coefficient. The airborne gas-phase concentrations of phthalates from the house dust and organic films were estimated and exposure assessment was performed based on the assumption of inhalation exposure from air. Results: As a result of the exposure assessment for gas-phase phthalates from house dust and organic films, preschool children showed the highest level of inhalation of phthalates, followed by school children, adults, and adolescents. Conclusions: This study includes the limitation of not considering different SVOCs exposure pathways in the health impact assessment, including those of phthalates in the indoor living environment. However, this study has the significance of performing exposure assessment based on exposure to SVOCs present in indoor air that originated from organic films in the indoor residential environment. Therefore, the results of this study should be useful as basic data for exposure and health risk assessments of SVOCs associated with organic films in the indoor environment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.310-319
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• 2021

Background: Humidifier disinfectant exposure is an ongoing issue, and there is still considerable related controversy. Various approaches are needed to secure scientific evidence on the extent of the victims' damages and for the determination of appropriate compensation. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between humidifier disinfectant (HD) use and academic achievement in Korean children. Methods: This study used data from the 8th Panel Study on Korean Children in 2015. For the final study, 1,598 cases were used. T-tests and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine whether the use of humidifier disinfectant is a factor that affects academic ability. Results: Children in groups using humidifier disinfectant showed statistically significantly lower scores in all areas of language, including reading, speaking and writing, and statistically lower scores in all areas of mathematics, including counting, addition and subtraction. In the multiple regression analysis results, which control for the effects of various demographic/social variables, the use of humidifier disinfectants showed statistically significant beta coefficients (β: -0.357, p<0.001), negatively affecting children's language ability. As for the 'math' variable, which was created by combining counting, addition, and subtraction scores, the use of humidifier disinfectants as independent variables also showed statistically significant beta coefficients (β: -0.200, p<0.001), negatively affecting children's math ability. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that depending on whether or not humidifier disinfectants were used, there are differences in children's language abilities, such as reading, speaking, and writing, as well as in their mathematical abilities, such as counting, adding, and subtracting numbers. These findings are thought to serve as a scientific basis for extending the perspective from health effects to more diverse areas of demographic and social impact related to humidifier disinfectant damage and compensation.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3_4
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• pp.47-56
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• 1990

Smoking damages nonsmoker's health who have been exposed to passive smoking as well as smoker's own health. Passive smoking can cause serious health damage to particular groups, such as the old aged, children and pregnant women. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between nicotine concentrations in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and urinary cotinine concentrations of nonsmokers exposed to ETS, and to provide basic information related to health risk assessment. The results of this study were summarized as follows: 1. When 180 cigarrette were smoked during S hours (high concentrations exposure) in 132 m$^3$chamber, mean concentrations of nicotine in ETS showed 263.52 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m$^3$${\pm}$51.93. When 45 cigarretts were smoked (low concentrations exposure), it was 69.43${\pm}$8.96 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m$^3$. 2. The urinary cotinine concentrations of each times (0, 2.5, 5, 17 and 24 hours) in nonsmokers ranged from 0.27∼12.52 ng/ml in high concentrations exposure and 0.22∼2.28 ng/ml in low concentrations exposure. Mean while the total urinary cotinine concentrations during 24 hours ranged from 11.62∼31.65 ng/ml in high concentrations exposure and 3.45∼5.64 ng/ml in low concentrations exposure. 3. The correlation equation and coefficient between cotinine concentrations in nonsmokers' urine (y) and nicotine concentrations in ETS (x) was y=0.421+0.0171x and 0:875 (p<0.01) respectively, 4. The quantity of nonsmokers' smoking exposure by passive smoking can be assumed as based on the estimation of nicotine concentrations in ETS by measuring cotinine concentrations of nonsmokers' urine.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.330-341
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• 2004

Parental smoking status and smoking environment do not only affect children's health through exposure to nicotine, but are also related to children's smoking attitude, intention and knowledge of smoking. Since this study was conducted to examine a relationship between family members smoking and smoking attitude, intention and knowledge of their children, little is known about psychosocial factors influencing smoking among Korean preschool children. This study aimed to determine the psychosocial factors (sociodemographic factors, education for smoking cigarette, knowledge about smoke cigarette) influencing smoking attitude and smoking intention, with a purpose of providing directions for future education programs for Korean preschool children. A cross sectional sample of 840 children, ages 4-7 years, living in a rural district were interviewed during August 6 - November 14, 2003. Among them, 834 children whose missing data were less than $10\%$ were included the analysis. The independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics and education for smoking cigarette, while the dependent variables were knowledge about smoking, the children's smoking attitude and their intention of smoking. The data on sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The correlations between the independent variables and attitude and intention of smoking were analyzed using chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression. The results of this study were s follows. The factors that were found to be significantly correlated to smoking attitude include mother's smoking $(x^2=4.86,\;p=.03)$, grandmother's smoking $(x^2=5.56,\;p=.02)$, and knowledge of smoking cigarette $(x^2=-5.13 p<.01)$. The factors that were significantly correlated to the intention of smoking include gender $(x^2=.08,\; p=.02)$, education for smoking$(x^2=17.65,\;p<.01)$, mother's smoking $(x^2=19.05,\; p<.01)$, grandmother's smoking $(x^2=17.67,\; p<.01)$, and knowledge$(x^2=-2.17,\;p=.03)$. The children who had non smoking mother were more likely to have negative attitude (OR=2.29). The children who had a higher knowledge about smoking were more likely to have negative attitude (OR=1.58). The findings suggest that a smoking prevention program specific for preschool children is necessary to prevent early onset of smoking. The findings also suggest that the program should involve children's family members who influence their smoking attitude and intention.