• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2011

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens worldwide and the emergence of this strain has become a major clinical problem. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of MRSA and their genetic characteristics in 69 S. aureus isolated from humans and animals. In human isolates, higher antimicrobial resistance rates were observed against penicillin (80.6%), followed by erythromycin (11.9%) and tetracycline (9.0%). All of them were susceptible to clindamycin, enrofloxacin, novobiocin, pirlimycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin. The resistance patterns in animal isolates were similar to those of human isolates. Two (2.9%) MRSA strains were isolated from human (n = 1) and animal (n = 1), and these isolates were confirmed as carrying the mecA gene. One isolate originating from human was resistant to 7 drugs and the other isolate derived from animal was resistant to 11 drugs. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) variant IIIB was identified in animal isolate but SCCmec type of an isolate from human was not exactly determined. Two MRSA isolates showed unrelated PFGE pattern between them. Our results indicated although the frequency of MRSA isolates from humans and animals was low, a continuous surveillance and monitoring should be called for to prevent the contamination and spread of MRSA in the community. To our knowledge, this is the first time that SCCmec type variant IIIB was detected from animals in Korea.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2015

A demand of public using building in rural residential area changes over times. With the changes, the function and the scale of the public using building are also changed, the building is more influences on people in rural area. However, the most of facilities have been focused on the agricultural productions, and thus the facilities of health care, culture, and daylife supporting were not enough comparing to the facilities in urban area. This study surveys the facility and grasps the current status and problem of 37 rural residential area. In addition, three different revitalizing plans of public using building as a current availability and plan for use are suggested. A new community center where is expected that the public usage is increased should be managed intensively regarding an air conditioning, and waterproofing work, while an old community center and the warehouse where are expected that the public usage is decreased, but have locational advantage should be used as a rural life experience facilities and a accommodations with remodeling unless the safety matter A parking lots are considered that the availability is gradually increased and needed for public while it is difficult to get a new available site because of the ownership. Therefore, it is national decision to secure the site by removing the discarded facilities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.169-179
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• 2010

Good snack consumption behaviors are important among elementary students because snack provides additional energy and nutrients and because good dietary behaviors should be formed during early stages of life. This study investigated, among elementary school students, 1) snack consumption behaviors, 2) snack-related nutrition knowledge level, and 3) relationships between snack behaviors and snack-related nutrition knowledge. A convenience sample (N = 372), drawn from 5th and 6th graders of an elementary schools in Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, completed a pre-tested questionnaire. More than 85% of the participants snacked more than once per week. Most (77%) had their snacks at home. Fruit and fruit juice were the most frequently consumed and the most liked snack items. Taste was the most important in choosing a snack item closely followed by health/nutrition. Snack-related knowledge level was relatively high and the participants obtained their nutrition knowledge through mass media (30.4%) and family/friends (29.0%). Snack-related nutrition knowledge level and snack consumption behaviors showed positive relationships in various areas such as choosing more nutritious snack items and checking nutrition labels. Although this study was limited by its cross-sectional study design, these positive relationships suggest that better nutrition knowledge could result in better behaviors. Results of this study indicated that factual nutritional knowledge has been well transmitted to students. Therefore, future nutrition education on snacking could focus more on providing problem-solving and operational knowledge.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.324-332
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate middle school students' perception of environment-friendly agricultural products (EAPs) and the degree of confidence about the certification mark. Questionnaires were distributed to 444 students of 6 middle schools located in Daegu, and a total of 416 responses were used for analysis. 28.6% of the respondents were using EAPs at home, and 62.0% of respondents didn't know whether to use EAPs at home. The 6 items representing the perception of EAPs were analyzed, resulting in 2 distinct dimensions-'benefits of EAPs' and 'attitude toward EAPs'. Regarding Benefits of EAPs, the score of 'EAPs better for health' was the highest, followed by 'EAPs have higher quality', 'EAPs were better for environmental protection', respectively. The proportion of students responded that 'the amount of pesticides should be reduced gradually' was 65.5% and only 3.4% for 'current level of pesticide use is not a problem'. There were significant differences between male and female students with regard to an interest in EAPs (p < 0.05) and opinion on the use of pesticides (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was found between groups with different education level of mothers. The respondents who use EAPs at home showed significantly higher scores with attitude toward EAPs (p < 0.001), and higher response rate for 'pesticides should not be used even if the price increases' (p < 0.05). Degree of confidence about the EAPs certification mark also affected students' perception of EAPs (p < 0.001). Our results indicate the importance of education for students on EAPs to enhance students' attitude towards EAPs and improve school meal satisfaction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3697-3701
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• 2015

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CHCA) is serious public health problem in Thailand, especially in the northeastern and northern regions. CHCA is known as one of the most aggressive malignant tumors associated with local invasion and a high rate of metastasis. A crucial step in the invasion process is the proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basal membranes, for which several studies have shown a critical role played by matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11). Objective: This study aim to detect MMP-11 expression in CHCA specimens and any correlation with survival time. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 30 patients with CHCA in Rajvithi hospital, who had undergone immunohistochemical staining of MMP-11. Relationships between clinicopathological data and MMP-11 expression in CHCA specimens were analyzed by the ${\chi}^2$ test or Fisher's exact test. The estimated survival and the survival differences were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test, respectively. Results: MMP-11 expression was found in 15 specimens (50%). The overall mean survival time is 237.0 days (95% CI 135.4-338.5, SD 271.9). Specimens with a positive MMP-11 had an average survival time of 136.7 days (95%CI 50.3-223.1, SD 156.0). Survival differences was signficant for the positive and negative MMP-11(p=0.022), but not well differentiated tumor and moderate to poor differentiated tumor (p=0.755), CA19-9 level of >1,000 and <1,000 (p=0.488), and between advanced and non-advanced staging (p=0.388). Conclusions: The positive MMP-11 expression indicates poor prognosis in CHCA specimens.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.163-167
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• 2015

Background: Cancer is a major health problem at global level. It is increasingly registered in Iraq and Basrah but the epidemiological situation, though becoming better documented, is still questionable regarding the adequacy of data. Objective: The study aimed to measure the incidence of cancer in Basrah. Materials and Methods: The results presented in this paper are part of a large household survey carried out in Basrah governorate-southern Iraq over a 12 month period (January to December 2013). It involved a detailed interview with adult respondents from each and every household enrolled in the study during a three-year recall period about the incidence of cancer. A total of 6,999 households were covered yielding 40,684 persons. Results: The total number of new cancer cases reported over the three- year recall period (2010-2012) was 112. The average annual incidence rate of all cancers was 91.8 per 100,000 population with a higher rate for females (109.7) compared to males (74.3) The overall age standardized rate was 150.7 per 100,000. The highest incidence rate was recorded for the Southern part of the governorate (Abul-Khasib and Fao ) at 138.8 per 100,000 and the lowest was for East of Basrah (Shatt-Arab District) at 78.0 per 100,000. With respect to cancer types, the main cancers were those of breast, lung, larynx-pharynx, leukaemia, colon-rectum and urinary bladder. These six cancers accounted for 51.5% of all reported cases. Other important cancers were those of brain, bones, pancreas and liver, accounting for a further 17.9%. Conclusions: The pattern of cancer in Basrah is generally similar to the pattern at the national level in terms of age, sex and topography but the incidence rate according to the present household survey is higher than any previously reported figures. Household surveys for cancer seem feasible albeit difficult and costly.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.341-349
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• 2011

As elder abuse has become a social problem, it has drawn a great deal of attention from researchers and policy-planers. While there have been a number of studies addressing various issues related to elder abuse, the present study aims to explain whether and how the perception of elder abuse would differ among the elderly themselves. In particular, the study focuses on the differences between urban and rural areas. Family-centered culture is believed to have a stronger influence in rural areas compared to urban areas. This cultural tradition highlights the importancy of the family compared to the individuals. Thus, the elderly who experience abuse would take it as personal matter rather than publicizing it. In addition, the information and campaigns on preventing elder abuse are less prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas due to limited communication networks. For these reasons, the study suggests a hypothesis that the elderly in rural areas are less perceptive to elder abuse. Using 6,709 persons aged 65 and over from a nationwide survey conducted by the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2009, the study ran regression analysis on 4 types of elder abuse including psychological, financial, physical and neglect. The results show that regardless of types of abuse, the elderly in rural areas have lower levels of perception than the elderly in urban areas do. In addition, the frequency of social activities is positively related to the perception of elderly abuse. This is also true for the different types of elder abuse. The findings suggest that social effort to prevent elder abuse consider the urban-rural differences and their sources.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-136
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• 2009

Sodium is a necessary element for the body. Excessive intake of sodium is known as one of the risk factors for chronic diseases. Recently, increasing numbers of people in Korea are suffering from chronic diseases. Major causes of deaths were chronic degenerative disease with the rising aging population. Especially, the population of rural areas is growing older fast. In rural areas, it is known that under nutrition and high sodium intake were major nutritional problems. For sodium intake, there were some studies about contributing food items. They were not enough to show diets relate to sodium intakes. Thus, this study analyzed dishes contributing to sodium intakes of elderly living in rural areas. Dietary intakes using "the 24hour recall method" were used. For the analysis for sodium intakes, "Can-pro3.0" was used. Ranking of dishes by contributions of sodium intakes were Korean cabbage, kimchi (19.6%), seasoned soybean paste (5.3%), soybean paste (4.6%), soybean paste soup dried radish leaves (3.5%), hot pork and kimchi stew (3.4%) in order. Ranking of dish groups by sodium intakes was kimchies (28.3%), soup and hot soups (22.8%), stews and casseroles (9.7%), seasonings (8.2%),and seasoned vegetables (6.0%) in order. One-dish meals among cooked rice, wheat noodles among noodle and mandu, soups using the soybean paste, stews using soybean paste and kimchi, salted fish among grilled foods, stir-fried anchovy among stir-fried foods, seasoned spinach, and Korean cabbage kimchi contributed to sodium intakes. As the nutrition deficiency of the elderly living in rural areas could be a problem, and excessive sodium intakes is threatening to their health, it is needed for the senior citizens to have adequate knowledge for diets containing less sodium. And recipes for healthy food and nutrition education based on their diets are needed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.480-491
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• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the problems encountered when analyzing the market size, purchase, and consumption of HMR (home meal replacements) in the Republic of Korea. Methods: The macro data relevant to the market size and purchase status of HMR were critically summarized. The micro data retrieved from the 2019 & 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were analyzed to understand the consumption of HMR. Results: The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation and the Ministry of Food and Drug Administration reported the market size of HMR, whereas the Korean Rural Economic Institute and the Rural Development Administration reported the purchase expense and frequencies of HMR. Since the values on the market size and purchase status were calculated or surveyed using different scopes of HMR, there have been reliability issues for the data presented. Additionally, lack of consensus on the use of Korean terms corresponding to HMR was found to be a problem. To examine the consumption of HMR, analysis of the food intake data from KNHANES presented results with very low validity due to the inappropriate survey and coding scheme not reflecting the inclusion of new food types. Conclusions: Several problematic discrepancies were encountered in the statistics on HMR. The fundamental cause of these problems was the absence of agreement on the scope of HMR and the Korean terms corresponding to it. Considering the increasing importance of HMR in Korean diets, urgent cooperative efforts are required between the government and academia to derive an agreed Korean term and establish the scope of HMR.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.113-145
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• 2010

Nowadays, it is surely the quack which stands as one of the most controversial, problematic. the quack has been a consistent target of contested public protection strategies in the past few centuries in many countries. Recently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly utilized and accepted by patients and providers throughout the health care system in the world, most accounts attribute this growing acceptability to the shortcomings of conventional medicine, the appeal of CAM's core beliefs, and the growing body of research indicating that CAM actually works. However, the governments of western countries have called for measures to ensure that the public are protected from incompetent and dangerous practitioners. Common to these controversies has been a suggestion to ban, exclude or limit the medical practice of those deemed to be damaging rather than improving the health of individuals as a measure of public protection. This article describes the experiences of western counties' health care system which is moving in a more pluralistic direction. By examining the ways in which regulatory efforts in the countries have come to address what is invariably described as a growing interest in CAM, this study show how the problem of CAM/quackery today is increasingly located in an ethical field of practitioner competency, qualifications, conduct, responsibility and personal professional development, regardless of the form of therapy in question. Many countries developed a series of measures and strategies to contain the acceptance of CAM groups, such as insisting on scientific evidence of safety and efficacy, resisting integration of CAM with conventional medicine and opposing government support for research and education. In a sense, those countries' movements serve to protect not only patients, but the dominant position of medicine and its allied professions, and to maintain existing jurisdictional boundaries within the healthcare system. The popular support for CAM will require that health professional stakeholders continue to address the challenges this poses, and at the same time protect their position at healthcare system. To cope with the quack, professional body, public sector and health authorities should consider the safety of consumers of healthcare and responding to the demands of the community for CAM therapies as well as the claims of the established healthcare professions. Finally, some implications for future health care were suggested.