• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제82권4호
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• pp.298-305
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• 2019

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) causes substantial health burden to the Korean military. This study aims to assess the impact of infectious TB cases on close and casual contacts in the Korean Army settings based on contact investigation data. Methods: Six Army units with infectious TB cases from September 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the clinical data from close and casual contacts screened using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube to identify latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) cases. For the control group, 286 military conscripts with no reported TB exposure were tested by TST only. Results: Of the 667 contacts of index cases, LTBI cases identified were as follows: 21.8% of close contacts of smearpositive cases (71/326), 8.5% of casual contacts of smear-positive cases (26/305), and 2.8% of close contacts of smearnegative cases (1/36). In the control group, 16.8% showed positivity in TST. In a multivariate analysis, having stayed in the same room or next room with TB patients was identified as a risk factor of LTBI. Conclusion: Using the data from TB contact investigations in the Korean Army units, we found an overall LTBI rate of 14.7% among the contacts screened. This study demonstrates that contacts living in the same building, especially the same room or next room, with TB patients are at a high risk of acquiring LTBI, serving as additional evidence for defining close and casual contacts of a TB patient with regard to Army barrack settings.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제20권7호
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• pp.127-132
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• 2019

인플루엔자는 인플루엔자 바이러스에 의해 발생하는 급성 호흡기 질환으로 고열, 두통 등을 유발하는 질병이다. 인플루엔자는 특히 변이를 통하여 다 종의 아형을 만들어, 스페인 독감과 같이 수천만 명의 사망자를 내는 등 인류에 심각한 위협을 미치고 있다. 이러한 인플루엔자는 감염 이후에 신속한 진단 검사를 통하여 항바이러스 사용이 필수적인데, 이를 위하여 일반적으로 응급 상황에서 신속하게 진단을 할 수 있는 면역크로마토그래피 기반의 인플루엔자 간이 진단 키트를 사용한다. 본 논문에서는 응급상황에서 준 의료인 등이 인플루엔자 감염이 의심되는 다수의 환자 검진을 가능하게 할 수 있도록 영상 기반의 인플루엔자 판독 기법을 개발한다. 특히 영상 기반의 인플루엔자 판독 시, 판독하는 광원 환경에 따라 발생하는 오류를 최소화하기 위하여 결합 누적 분포 함수 기반의 색상 변환을 통하여 광원의 영향을 최소화하는 알고리즘을 제안한다. 다양한 밝기 변환, 색 온도 등의 환경 조건을 가지는 90개의 실험군에 대하여 본 연구에서 제안하는 알고리즘이 다양한 광원 환경에서 강인함을 확인한다.

• 대한치과의사협회지
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.149-160
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• 2019

Atrophic alveolar ridge of maxillary anterior area is commonly observed after the extraction of teeth in patients with severely compromised periodontal disease, causing difficulties with implant placement. Successful esthetics and functional implant rehabilitation rely on sufficient bone volume, adequate bone contours, and ideal implant positioning and angulation. The present case report categorized the ridge augmentation techniques using guided bone regeneration (GBR) on the maxillary anterior site by Seibert classification. Case I patient presented for implant placement in the position of tooth #11. The alveolar ridge was considered a Seibert classification I ridge defect. Simultaneous implant placement and GBR were performed. Eight months after implantation, clinical and radiological examinations were performed. Case III patient presented with discomfort due to mobility of the upper maxillary anterior site. Due to severe destruction of alveolar bone, teeth #11 and #12 were extracted. After three months, the alveolar ridge was considered a Seibert classification III ridge defect. A GBR procedure was performed; implantation was performed 6 months later. Approximately 1-year after implantation, clinical and radiological examinations were performed. During the whole treatment period, healing was uneventful without membrane exposure, severe swelling, or infection in all cases. Radiographic and clinical examinations revealed that atrophic hard tissues and buccal bone contour were restored to the acceptable levels for implant placement and esthetic restoration. In conclusion, severely resorbed alveolar ridge of the maxillary anterior area can be reconstructed with ridge augmentation using the GBR procedure so that dental implants could be successfully placed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.291-299
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• 2019

Background: Ginsenosides of Korean Red Ginseng extracts (RGE) and its saponin components suppress secretion of inflammasome-mediating cytokines, whereas the nonsaponin fraction (NS) of RGE oppositely stimulates cytokine secretion. Although direct exposure of NS to macrophages in mice induces cytokine production, oral administration of NS has not been studied in inflammasome-related disease in animal models. Methods: Mice were fed RGE or NS for 7 days and then developed peritonitis. Peritoneal cytokines were measured, and peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) were collected to assay expression levels of a set of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cytokines in response to NS ingestion. In addition, the role of intestinal bacteria in NS-fed mice was assessed. The effect of preexposure to NS in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) on cytokine production was further confirmed. Results: NS ingestion attenuated secretion of peritoneal cytokines resulting from peritonitis. In addition, the isolated PECs from NS-fed mice presented lower TLR transcription levels than PECs from control diet-fed mice. BMDMs treated with NS showed downregulation of TLR4 mRNA and protein expression, which was mediated by the $TLR4-MyD88-NF{\kappa}B$ signal pathway. BMDMs pretreated with NS produced less cytokines in response to TLR4 ligands. Conclusion: NS administration directly inhibits TLR4 expression in inflammatory cells such as macrophages, thereby reducing secretion of cytokines during peritonitis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.90-97
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• 2021

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation causes DNA base modifications. One of these changes leads to the generation of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) due to oxidative stress. In human skin, this modification may induce sunburn, inflammation, and aging and may ultimately result in cancer. We investigated whether phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene), by enhancing the expression and activity of 8-oxoG DNA glycosylase 1 (Ogg1), had an effect on the capacity of UVB-exposed human HaCaT keratinocytes to repair oxidative DNA damage. Here, the effects of phloroglucinol were investigated using a luciferase activity assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions, western blot analysis, and a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Phloroglucinol restored Ogg1 activity and decreased the formation of 8-oxoG in UVB-exposed cells. Moreover, phloroglucinol increased Ogg1 transcription and protein expression, counteracting the UVB-induced reduction in Ogg1 levels. Phloroglucinol also enhanced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) as well as Nrf2 binding to an antioxidant response element located in the Ogg1 gene promoter. UVB exposure inhibited the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB or Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk), two major enzymes involved in cell protection against oxidative stress, regulating the activity of Nrf2. Akt and Erk phosphorylation was restored by phloroglucinol in the UVB-exposed keratinocytes. These results indicated that phloroglucinol attenuated UVB-induced 8-oxoG formation in keratinocytes via an Akt/Erk-dependent, Nrf2/Ogg1-mediated signaling pathway.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.20-35
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• 2021

Objectives: Waste treatment by incineration is gradually increasing as the emission of harmful substances has decreased owing to developments in incineration technology. However, residents living near incinerators continue to express anxiety regarding the effects on their health. Therefore, we attempted to summarize the health impact of incinerators by comprehensively reviewing the recently reported literature. Methods: Sixty-two epidemiological research papers related to incineration and health effects were selected from the Google Scholar database and analyzed (from between January 2001 and December 2019). Results: When compared to older incinerators, newer incinerators established after 2000 are considered relatively safe in terms of health effects. Nevertheless, there have been some studies that have linked them to various diseases, such as malignant tumors including soft tissue cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, reproductive disorders, respiratory diseases, and more. In addition, incinerator workers and local residents are considered to be exposed to dioxins and some heavy metals from the incinerator. Since most studies included subjects exposed to older incinerators, it is difficult to apply these results to the health impact assessment of new incinerators. However, it is not appropriate to conclude that new incinerators made with state-of-the-art technology are safe, as chronic environmental diseases caused by hazardous substances tend to appear only after prolonged exposure. Conclusions: In terms of environmental health, it is necessary to continuously monitor the health effects of incinerators. Also, there is a need to develop a research methodology that can minimize various confounders in incineration-related epidemiological study.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.261-267
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• 2021

As the number of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) patients increases in a global pandemic situation, the usefulness of mobile computed tomography (CT) is gaining attention. Currently, mobile CT follows the basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria of whole-body or limited-view X-ray CT in order to obtain device approval and evaluation in the Republic of Korea. Unlike stationary CT, mobile CT is not operated in shielded areas but rather areas such as intensive care units, operating rooms, or isolation rooms. Therefore, it requires a different basic safety and essential performance evaluation standard than stationary CT. In this study, four derived basic safety evaluation criteria related to electrical, mechanical, and radiation safety were included (dose indication test, protection against stray radiation, safety measures against excessive X-rays, half-value layer measurement); and seven essential performance evaluation criteria were included (tube voltage accuracy, mAs accuracy, radiation dose reproducibility, CT number of water, noise, uniformity, and spatial resolution); total eleven basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria were selected. This study aims to establish appropriate basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria for simultaneously obtaining images with diagnostic value and reducing the exposure of nearby patients, medical staff, and radiologic technologists during the use of mobile CT.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

코로나19에 대한 전세계적 팬데믹이 진행되고 있는 상황에서 잘못된 정보가 대중에게 노출되었을 경우 발생할 수 있는 잠재적인 문제에 대한 우려와 함께 현재 주요 앱 마켓에서 민간 애플리케이션에 대한 차단 조치도 단행되고 있다. 그러나 감염병 상황에서 중앙집중식의 일방적인 정보 전달보다 대중이 스스로 정보를 공유하는 것이 효과적인 측면도 동시에 존재한다. 본 연구는 텍스트마이닝을 이용해 감염병 상황에서 민간 주도의 정보제공에 대한 이용자 반응을 분석한다. 이를 위해 정부와 민간이 현재 한국의 구글 플레이스토어에서 제공하고 있는 모든 코로나19 애플리케이션에 대한 이용자들의 반응에 대한 토픽 모델링과 감성분석을 실시한다. 분석 결과, 이용자들은 정보의 신뢰성, 위험회피, 실시간성, 유용성, 안정성 등 모든 차원에서 정부 대비 민간 애플리케이션에 대해 더 긍정적인 반응을 보이는 것으로 분석되었다. 분석 결과를 바탕으로 민간 애플리케이션에 대한 일방적인 차단이 아닌, 사후적인 모니터링 시스템을 도입하는 방안 등을 제안한다.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.255-260
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• 2022

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing strategic management that prioritizes the safety of frontline nurse professionals. In this sense, this research was aimed at identifying factors associated with the illness of nursing professionals caused by COVID-19 according to socio-demographic, clinical, and labor variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Brazilian university hospitals with 859 nursing professionals, which include nurses, technicians, and nursing assistants, between November 2020 and February 2021. We present data using absolute and relative frequency. We used Chi-square test for hypothesis testing and multiple logistic regression for predictive analysis and chances of occurrence. Results: The rate of nursing professionals affected by COVID-19 was 41.8%, and the factors associated with contamination were the number of people in the same household with COVID-19 and obesity. Being a nurse was a protective factor when the entire nursing team was considered. The model is significant, and its variables represent 56.61% of the occurrence of COVID-19 in nursing professionals. Conclusion: Obesity and living in the same household as other people affected by COVID-19 increases the risk of contamination by this new coronavirus.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.279-285
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• 2022

Background; In the event of an industrial accident, the appropriate choice of hospital is important for worker health and prognosis. This study investigates whether the choice of hospital by the employer in the case of industrial accidents affects the prognosis of injured employees. Methods; Data from the 2018 Panel Study of Workers' Compensation Insurance in Korea were used in an unmatched case-controlled study. The exposure variable is "hospital selection by an employer," and the outcome variable is 'worker's disability." Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by modified Poisson regression and adjusted for age, gender, underlying disease, injury severity, and workplace size and stratified by industrial classification. The group at increased risk was analyzed and stratified by age, gender, and area. Results; In the construction industry, hospital selection by the employer was significantly associated with increased risk of disability (adjusted OR 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.20-1.32) and severe disability (adjusted OR 1.38; 95% CI; 1.08-1.76) among the injured. Female and younger workers not living in the Seoul capital area were more at risk of disability and severe disability than those living in the Seoul capital area. Conclusions; Hospital selection by employers affects the prognosis of workers injured in an industrial accident. For protecting workers' health and safety, workplace emergency medical systems should be improved, and the selection of appropriate hospitals to supply treatment should be reviewed.