• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.415-421
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• 2018

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social skills and communication with repetitive behaviors. Etiology is still unclear although it is thought to develop with interaction of genes and environmental factors. Oxytocin has extensive effects on intrauterine brain development. Vitamin D, affects neural development and differentiation and contributes to the regulation of around 900 genes including oxytocin receptor gene. In the present study, the contribution of D vitamin receptor and oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms in the development of ASD in Turkish community was investigated. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining these two associated genes together in the literature. Methods: Eighty-five patients diagnosed with ASD according to DSM-5 who were referred to outpatient clinics of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Başkent University and Mersin University and 52 healthy, age and gender-matched controls were included in the present study. Vitamin D receptor gene rs731236 (Taq1), rs2228570 (Fok1), rs1544410 (Bsm1), rs7975232 (Apa1) polymorphisms and oxytocin receptor gene rs1042778 and rs2268493 polymorphisms were investigated using real time polymerase chain reaction method. Results: No significant difference between groups in terms of distribution of genotype and alleles in each of polymorphisms for these genes could be found. Conclusion: Knowledge of genes and polymorphisms associated with the development of ASD may be beneficial for early diagnosis and future treatment. Further studies with larger populations are required to demonstrate molecular pathways which may play part in the development of ASD in Turkey.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.461-471
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a health promotion program utilizing action planning strategy for young adults. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pre-post-test design was used. One hundred three university students participated in the study. Participants in the experimental group (n=51) were provided the health promotion program utilizing action planning strategy for five weeks. The program consisted of weekly sessions that included action planning and group feedback. The control group (n=52) was provided with health information every week for 5 weeks. Program outcomes, including self-efficacy, physical activity health behaviors, total exercise time per week, daily cigarette consumption, frequency of alcohol drinking per month, nutritional health behaviors, and subjective health status, were assessed at baseline and at follow-up after 5 weeks. Results: The participants in the experimental group demonstrated significant increases in self-efficacy, physical activity health behaviors, weekly exercise time, and nutritional health behaviors and significant decreases in daily cigarette consumption than those in the control group. Conclusion: The health promotion program utilizing action planning strategy is a brief and effective intervention to promote health behaviors among young adults. Further investigation is warranted to assess the program's effectiveness among other age groups and populations at high risk for chronic illness.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.225-229
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• 2021

Background: The socioeconomic burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is significant, and kitchen work is a high-risk occupation for MSDs due to the intensive manual workload and repetitive movements that are involved. However, there are very few studies on MSDs and rest breaks as a workplace intervention among kitchen workers. This study examined the relationship between insufficient rest breaks and increased MSD risk among Korean kitchen workers. Methods: Sociodemographic and occupational factors of 1,909 kitchen workers were collected from the 3rd-4th Korean Working Conditions Survey data. Five items on rest breaks at work were categorized into two groups, "sufficient" and "insufficient." The number of MSDs and work-related MSDs (WMSDs), an outcome variable, was obtained from the sum of MSDs/WMSDs in three anatomical sites (back, neck, and upper limb, lower limb). The association between rest breaks and MSDs was estimated using zeroinflated negative binomial analyses, with adjustments for age, education level, and weekly working hours, and the analyses were stratified by sex. Results: After adjustment, significant associations were found between insufficient rest breaks and an increased risk of MSDs (odds ratio [OR] 1.68 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-2.54) and WMSDs (OR 1.40 95% CI 1.01-1.96) among female kitchen workers. Insufficient rest breaks were significantly associated with MSDs in female kitchen workers in all three anatomical sites. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for rest breaks as a workplace intervention for preventing MSDs in kitchen workers. Further studies to reveal the causality of this relationship are required.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.137-147
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• 2021

Objectives Domestic acupuncture research is being actively conducted in various fields. The aim of this study is to systematically analyze the current acupuncture randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted on healthy volunteers. Methods We searched RCTs by the search terms of (acupuncture & random & healthy) in 10 electronic databases and related journals. Then, we analyzed the characteristics and assessed the risk of bias by Cochrane tool. Results Finally, 49 acupuncture RCTs on health volunteers were included in our analysis. The purpose of research could be classified into five major categories: (1) checking the effects on physiological function, (2) comparing the effects of different acupuncture/acupuncture methods, (3) a study confirming improvement after inducing a specific condition, (4) a sham acupuncture study, and (5) a comparison of acupuncture sense. The Cochrane risk of bias was generally high, especially only 1 trial adopted allocation concealment (1/49, 2.0%) and 9 ones with assessor blinding (9/49, 18.4%). Conclusions Acupuncture RCTs in healthy subjects have confirmed various effects in various age/sex groups. However the research quality should be updated for future clinical research and to draw clear conclusion within rigorous methodology.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.884-891
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• 2022

Objective: Free-range systems have been increasingly available to the consumer due to increased demand for more sustainable meat-products. In the current study, the effect of free-range (FR) and cage system (CS) was explored on growth performance, meat quality and oxidation products in Italian White breed rabbits during the growing-fattening phase (5 to 13 weeks of age). Methods: Forty rabbits were randomly allotted to two treatment groups according to the rearing system, and each treatment group was replicated five times with four subjects in each replicate (20 rabbits per treatment-group). All rabbits fed the same diet as pelleted, and under FR system, no additional feeds were available to animals. Results: Rearing system had significant effect on rabbit growth performance, where CS group resulted in higher final body weight (p<0.045) and gain (p<0.029) and better feed efficiency (p<0.025) compared to FR rabbits. Most carcass traits were not affected by rearing system; however, a reduction of abdominal fat content (p<0.015) and meat lipids (p<0.034) was observed in FR rabbits. Rearing system had no effects on meat fatty acid profile, whereas meat from FR rabbits resulted less susceptible to lipid and protein oxidation compared to caged animals. Conclusion: In overall, FR system could be suggested as a substitute for conventional caged system because of FR system preserved rabbit meat from oxidation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2023

Background: We analyzed our experience with descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) treatment and investigated the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for mediastinal drainage. Methods: This retrospective analysis included patients who underwent surgical drainage for DNM at our hospital from 2005 to 2020. We analyzed patients' baseline characteristics, surgical data, and perioperative outcomes and compared them according to the mediastinal drainage approach among patients with type II DNM. Results: Twenty-five patients (male-to-female ratio, 18:7) with a mean age of 54.0±12.9 years were enrolled in this study. The most common infection sources were pharyngeal infections (60%). Most patients had significantly increased white blood cell counts, elevated C-reactive protein levels, and decreased albumin levels on admission. The most common DNM type was type IIB (n=16, 64%), while 5 and 4 patients had types I and IIA, respectively. For mediastinal drainage, the transcervical approach was used in 15 patients and the transthoracic approach (VATS) in 10 patients. The mean length of hospital stay was 26.5±23.8 days, and the postoperative morbidity and in-hospital mortality rates were 24% and 12%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found among patients with type II DNM between the transcervical and VATS groups. However, the VATS group showed shorter mean antibiotic therapy duration, drainage duration, and hospital stay length than the transcervical group. Conclusion: DNM manifested as severe infection requiring long-term inpatient treatment, with a mortality rate of 12%. Thus, active treatment with a multidisciplinary approach is crucial, and mediastinal drainage using VATS is considered relatively safe and effective.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.243-257
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• 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution characteristics, source identification, and health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in particulate matter 10 (PM-10), in Gwangju. PM-10 samples were collected from September 2021 to August 2022 from three sampling sites, one located in each of the following areas: green, residential, and industrial. The average concentrations of PAHs were found to be higher in the industrial area (9.75±6.51 ng/㎥) than in the green (6.90±2.41 ng/㎥) and residential (6.74±2.38 ng/㎥) areas. Throughout the year and across all sites, five-ring PAHs accounted for the largest proportion (29.8-34.5%) of all PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs showed distinct seasonal variations, with the highest concentration observed in winter, followed by autumn, spring, and summer. Source apportionment analyses were performed using diagnostic ratios and principal component analyses, which indicated that coal/biomass combustion and vehicle emissions were the primary sources of PAHs in PM-10. The incremental lifetime cancer risk was estimated for all age groups at all sampling sites, and the results revealed a much lower risk level than the standard acceptable risk level (1×10^-6).

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.101-109
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• 2023

According to data released by the Covid 19 Self-Employed Emergency Response Committee, 95.6% of small business sales due to Covid 19 have decreased over the past two years, and the damage has further increased due to social distancing for quarantine. However, as all social distancing guidelines have rebeen lifted, and the commercial district has been revitalized, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is pushing for a project to foster local brand commercial districts so that small business owners or prospective founders who have closed their businesses due to the prolonged COVID-19. Therefore, this study propose the model that recommends alley commercial districts suitable for founders among the five alley commercial districts selected for the project to foster local brand commercial districts in Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government's local brand alley commercial recommendation system recommends major population age groups and major industries in the commercial district by combining the population perspective model using Xgboost and the commercial district characteristic model using Decision Tree.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.199-209
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• 2023

This study identified design elements of the functions required for children's ski pants. Data for this study were collected through questionnaire surveys conducted among children's ski instructors and children's sportswear developers. Five functionalities of children's skiwear were evaluated: mobility, stability, comfort, protection, and convenience. A total of 25 functional design elements related to the patterns, design details, and physical characteristics of fabrics for ski garments, were evaluated. The results of this study are as follows. First, children's sportswear developers evaluated that the pattern elements were important. Most of the pattern design elements highly related to mobility. Children's ski instructors' appraisal was that the height of the back waist was the important feature. Second, regarding the design details, children's ski instructors evaluated the size adjustment function and ventilation system as important elements. Many design detail elements were highly related in respect of stability, comfort, protection, and convenience. Third, the physical characteristics of fabric were strongly associated with mobility, comfort, and protection. As regards the physical characteristics of fabric, children's ski instructors valued anti-fouling highly, but children's sportswear developers attached more importance to the weight of the fabric. The results of this study will be useful in designing functional ski pants for children of elementary and intermediate ski levels. Since there may be limitations related to the ski level and age of children wearing ski pants, it is suggested that follow-up studies according to various groups of the ski pant wearers should be done.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.428-455
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• 2010

Radish kimchi is a typical side-dish in Korean traditional food and is a way of keeping vegetables for a extended period using fermentation. This study examined the classification, usage, eating history, variety, and recipes of Korean radish kimchi through ancient and modern era literature. The Korean radish kimchi were categorized into six groups: kkakttugi, seokbakji (or nabakkimchi), dongchimi, jjanji, jangachi, and jangkwa. According to the record, the eating history of radish kimchi comes from before the age of the Three Kingdom period. Radish was preserved in salt, vinegar, soybean paste or lees of fermented liquor in the early times. This pickled radish was not supposed to be watery. Radish kimchi was divided into watery kimchi (dongchimi) during the period of United Silla and the Koryo Dynasty. Kimchi was mixed with Chinese cabbage to make seokbakji or nabakkimchi. Up to the early Chosun Dynasty, the key ingredient of kimchi was radish. After the middle of the Chosun Dynasty, kimchi was mixed with red pepper powder, salted fish, soybean sauce, and various ingredients. There were many kinds of radish kimchi during the late Chosun Dynasty. In the 11 Korean recipe books published within the past 100 years, there are nine kinds of kkakttugi, three kinds of seokbakji, four kinds of dongchimi, three kinds of jjanji, nine kinds of jangachi, and five kinds of jangkwa. Kkakttugi (cubed, sliced or julienne radish) was pickled with salt, red pepper powder, garlic, green onion, oyster, sugar, salted fish, and more. Seokbakji and nabakkimchi were not as salty, so they could not be preserved as long. Dongchimi (watery radish kimchi without red pepper powder) was made of radish, water, salt, 18 side ingredients, 13 condiments, and seven garnishes. Jjanji was pickled to be very salty and was eaten during summer. Jangachi can be used as a regular side dish and is made of radish or dried radish slices pickled or seasoned with salt, soy sauce, vinegar, soybean paste, lees of fermented liquor, and spices. Jangkwa is used as a stir-fry method and has been segregated from jangachi relatively recently.