• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.386-393
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• 2016

The incidence of gallbladder polyps are increasing due to the extended use of ultrasonography. Although there are various reports on the risk of gallbladder polyps, there are few studies of the relationships among the presence of metabolic syndrome including serum biochemistry, lifestyle and the development of gallbladder polyps. The aim of this study was to determine association of the presence of metabolic syndrome, including serum biochemistry, with the development of gallbladder polyps in the Korean population. Among the health examination examinees, 596 people, who underwent abdominal ultrasonography from January, 2013 to December 2013, were included in this study. Physical measurements also taken, such as height, weight, blood pressure, waist measurement, and BMI. The general characteristics including age, sex, smoking, and drinking as the related factors were checked. At the same time, various blood tests were performed and the fasting blood sugar was analyzed through blood-gathering to determine the presence of metabolic syndrome. Regarding the factors associated with gallbladder polyps, the results showed that being male, smoking, non-drinking were significantly high. In addition, testing positive for HBsAg and an increasing BMI was apparently higher the group with metabolic syndrome than the non-metabolic syndrome group. The highest predictive factors for gallbladder polyps was being male (1.8 times), followed by metabolic syndrome (2.3 times) and testing positive for HBsAg (2.6 times).

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.262-267
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• 2007

Purpose : The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in a certain community reflects that community's living standards and hygienic conditions. And the pattern of HAV infection differs over time and geography. Recently, a shift in prevalence has been observed in cases from chilhood to adulthood. We studied the HAV antibody prevalence in the general population in Busan. Methods : From October 2004 to March 2005, total 472 subjects were tested for HAV antibodies. All samples were collected from patients in Maryknol Hospital. Results : The overall seropositive rate was 22.8% (108/472). The seropositive rates were 1.7% in subjects aged 2-5 years, 1.7% in 6-10 years, 0% in 11-20 years, 40.5% in 21-30 years, 82.1% in 31-40 years, 94.7% in 41-50 years, and 100% in subjects aged over 50 years. There was no significant gap between gender groups. Conclusion : As the socioeconomic conditions in Korea have improved, the HAV seropositive rate in school-aged children has dramatically decreased in the last 20 years. But, the seropositive rate of HAV didn't differ according to gender. The seropositive rate of HAV in the pediatric group was very low, which suggests the increasing possibility of clinical HAV infection in adults in the near future. Therefore, we should actively prevent the spread of hepatits A virus. In order to do that, we need to reorganize our lifestyle and personel hygiene and carry out active and passive immunization to high risk groups.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the resistance of Botrytis cinerea to azoxystrobin, which belongs to strobilurin fungicides. The sensitivity of B. cinerea isolates, which were collected from infected pepper, strawberry, cucumber and tomato by a single spore isolation, to the fungicide was tested through a agar dilution method on PDA amended with fungicides and $100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). All isolates of B. cinerea tested in this study were classified as a sensitive and a resistant group by $1.0{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of $EC_{50}$ value to azoxystrobin. While the sensitive isolates accounted for 46.5% of B. cinerea population, the resistant ones did for 53.5%. According to the regions isolating B. cinerea, the highest isolation frequency was showed as 81.1% in Chungnam among the all. Among 4 host plants as pepper, strawberry, cucumber and tomato, the highest isolation frequency was obtained in strawberry, while the lowest was done in pepper. The isolate resistant to azoxystrobin showed the cross resistance to other fungicides included into strobilurins as kresoxim-methyl and trifloxystrobin. In spite of an excellent efficacy of strobilurins, it should be taken care to use them in the field, because of the high risk in the fields.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was performed to examine nutrition problems and causes/contributing risk factors. Methods: This study was conducted using data 1,863 adults visited Asan health screening & promotion center located in Seoul, Korea during May to June of 2013. We used Nutrition Care Process Model developed by the International Dietetics & Nutrition Terminology (IDNT). Results: The most frequent nutrition problem in male subjects was excessive alcohol intake. Men in fifties showed the highest rate of excessive alcohol intake among the age groups examined (22.4%). By comparison, the most frequent nutrition problem in women was inadequate protein intake. Women in fifties exhibited the highest rate of inadequate protein intake (22.5%). The most common contributing factors for these observations were a low preference for dairy products followed by high preference for alcohol and a deficit in food-and nutrition-related knowledge, regardless of the sex and age. The most common nutrition problem observed among the group diagnosed with hyperglycemia or hypertriglyceridemia or hyperuricemia or fatty liver was excessive alcohol intake (p < 0.001), whereas the group diagnosed with hyperglycemia or hypercholesterolemia showed significantly higher rate of inappropriate intake of carbohydrate (fructose) compared to the group not diagnosed with such disease conditions (p < 0.05). The group diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia and fatty liver showed significantly higher occurrence of inappropriate intake of fat (saturated fat) than the group free of such diseases (p < 0.001). The osteopenia group showed higher rate of inadequate protein intake (p < 0.001) and the fatty liver group with excessive energy intake (p < 0.001). Overall, the results suggest that there is a significant relationship between nutrition problems and health conditions found in groups diagnosed with a diverse array of medical conditions. Conclusions: Therefore, we strongly suggest that dieticians should implement nutrition interventions with people visiting health screening & promotion center based on nutrition problems and the contributing factors diagnosed by dietitions in order to prevent chronic diseases in this population.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 2003

There is evidence to suggest that cranberry juice supplements improve the health of the urinary tract by inhibiting the binding of fimbriated uropathogenic E. coli to the bladder mucosa. In patients with neurogenic bladders, urinary tract infections (UTI) are particularly common and often poorly managed by antibiotic treatment. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken on 29 geriatric and spinal cord injured patients with dysfunctional bladders. They received three times daily at mealtimes a 4 oz bottle of cranberry juice (Ocean Spray Cranberries, USA) or a specially prepared synthetic placebo drink. Two episodes of UTI arose in week one of cranberry intake and none thereafter, compared to four episodes of UTI in 4 placebo patients in weeks four, six and 10. Mean bacterial adhesion counts on bladder cells of the patients rose during the first month of treatment in 71 % of the placebo patients compared to only 31 % of cranberry patients (p < 0.001). The difference persisted to some extent for the second and third months. Bacterial adhesion levels correlated with culture findings (higher adhesion and higher viable counts in urine) (p < 0.001), positive leukocyte nitrite tests (136$\pm$131 bacteria per cell versus 52$\pm$86 in negative tests) (p < 0.001), and higher white blood cell counts (> 10) per high power field (126$\pm$125 versus 48$\pm$85 bacteria per cell) (p<0.001). E. coli was the most frequently isolated organism (40% samples) followed by K. pneumoniae (17%) and a number of other uropathogens. Group B Streptococci, and coagulase negative Staphylococcus were recovered from urine in 4 samples but were not associated with any red blood cell presence. The daily intake of cranberry juice, in amounts which are not detrimental to long term compliance, appeared to have a role in reducing the risk of bladder colonization and infection in a highly susceptible patient population.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2007

Purpose: Recently, trauma is more frequent due to the increases in the population, the number of traffic accident, and the incidence of violence. Especially, abdominal trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. We analyzed the clinical features and the factors associated with morbidity and mortality. Methods: We analyzed 136 patients of abdominal trauma who were admitted at the Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital, from January 2003 to June 2005. We analyzed the cause of trauma, the injured organ, combined injuries, mental status, blood pressure, laboratory findings, morbidity, and mortality. The relationships between by variable were assesed by using the independent samples test and the Kruskal?Wallis test. Results: The causes of trauma were traffic accidents (98 cases, 72%), falling accidents (9 cases, 6.6%), violence (6 cases, 4.4%), and stab injuries (6 cases, 4.4%). The injured organs were the small intestines (47 cases, 34.6%), the liver (35 cases, 25.7%), the spleen (26 cases, 19.1%), the mesentery (17 cases, 12.5%), the large intestines (15 cases, 11.0%), the pancreas (14 cases, 10.3%), etc. The most common combined injury was chest injury (53 cases, 39%). Comatose or semicomatose mental status and shock on admission (<60 mmHg in systolic) were related to high mortality (85.7%). In laboratory findings, decreased hemoglobin (<8 g/dL), and platelet count (<$50,000/mm^3$), and increased creatinine level (>1.6 mg/dL) were significant prognostic factors. The incidence of postoperative complications was 40.4%, and frequent complications were wound infection (8.1%) and re-bleeding (8.1%). The overall mortality rate was 18.4%, and most common cause was hypovolemic shock (18 cases, 13.2%), however, there was no statistical difference according to injurd organ. Conclusion: In the multivariate analysis, mental status, hemoglobin, and serum creatinine level were the most significant prognostic factors. When an abdominal trauma patient arrives at the emergency room, a rapid and accurate evaluation of the patient's status and risk factors, and resuscitation, if necessary, have to be performed to lower the morbidity and mortality.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.95-111
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• 2021

As the population decreases in an aging society, the average age of drivers increases. Accordingly, the elderly at high risk of being in an accident need autonomous-driving vehicles. In order to secure driving safety on the road, several technologies to respond to various obstacles are required in those vehicles. Among them, technology is required to recognize static obstacles, such as poor road conditions, as well as dynamic obstacles, such as vehicles, bicycles, and people, that may be encountered while driving. In this study, we propose a deep neural network algorithm capable of simultaneously detecting these two types of obstacle. For this algorithm, we used 1,418 road images and produced annotation data that marks seven categories of dynamic obstacles and labels images to indicate road damage. As a result of training, dynamic obstacles were detected with an average accuracy of 46.22%, and road surface damage was detected with a mean intersection over union of 74.71%. In addition, the average elapsed time required to process a single image is 89ms, and this algorithm is suitable for personal mobility vehicles that are slower than ordinary vehicles. In the future, it is expected that driving safety with personal mobility vehicles will be improved by utilizing technology that detects road obstacles.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2019

With the aging of the population and the slowdown of the job market, elderly workers make up a large portion of the construction workforce. Also, due to the nature of the construction industry, where outdoor work is frequent, the weather has a more sensitive impact on elderly workers than on younger ones. The study aims to analyze the degree of weather risks exposed to elderly workers in the construction industry using the measure of work loss days. To that end, construction accidents that affected 28,514 elderly workers in seven cities from 2012 to 2016 (a total of 12,789 days) were analyzed to calculate work loss days per different weather factors. The results show that the elderly workers were seriously affected when the temperature was between $-12^{\circ}C$ and $-10^{\circ}C$, humidity between 55% and 60%, precipitation between 128mm and 181mm, and wind speed between 5.5m/s and 6.5m/s, with the highest work loss days. The combined effects between the weather factors were also analyzed to identify the conditiosn that leaded to high work loss days of elderly workers. This study contributes to effective safety management and pleasant working environment between weather factors and shedding light on the relationship between weather factors and work loss days of elderly workers.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.37-45
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• 2021

Purpose : This study aimed to present normative data and cut-off points for older Korean adults completing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - Korean (MoCA-K), which is used as a screening test for mild cognitive impairment in Korea. Methods : A total of 195 healthy adults ≥60 years were recruited. All participants completed the MoCA-K and the Korean - Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) to assess their cognitive function. Participants were divided into six groups based on their age: 60-64 years, 65~69 years, 70~74 years, 75~79 years, 80~84 years, and 85~89 years. Results : The results revealed that MoCA-K score decreased significantly with age (mean score ± standard deviation [SD]; 27.63±2.80 in subjects aged 60~64 years; 27.00±2.39 in subjects aged 65~69 years; 24.94±2.96 in subjects aged 70~74 years; 24.74±3.37 in subjects aged 75~79 years; 22.59±4.72 in subjects aged 80~84 years; and 18.83±5.38 in subjects aged 85~89 years; p<.001). Additionally, MoCA-K score also increased significantly with educational level (mean score±standard deviation [SD]; 19.95±4.78 in no formal education group; 24.95±2.22 in elementary school graduated group; 26.35±2.72 in middle school graduated group; 28.32±1.36 in high school graduated group; and 28.50±1.51 in more than college graduated group; p<.001). The optimal cut-off points were 24/25 for 60~69 years old group, 21/22 for 70~79 years old group, 17/18 for 80~84 years old group, and 13/14 for 85~89 years old group. The optimal cut-off points were 15/16 for individuals who were illiterate, 22/23 for individuals with 6 years of education, 22/24 for individuals with 9 years of education, and 26/27 for individuals with 12 or more years of education. Conclusions : This study presents normative data and cut-off points for the MoCA-K in older Korean adults. This data will facilitate more accurate detection and follow-up of the risk of mild cognitive impairment in this population, taking into consideration age and education. Future studies are required that should focus on the cut-off score on the level of education according to age.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2022

The association between heavy metals in the blood and obesity has been examined in many studies. However, inconsistencies have been observed in the results from these studies. The present study was conducted using data from 119,181 participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) for 11 years in 2005 and between 2008 and 2017. The subjects with missing heavy metal blood tests, health interview data, and health examination data were excluded from the study. The study population comprised 1,844 individuals (972 men, 872 women) who were eligible for inclusion. It was found that obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with an increase in both blood mercury (P<0.001) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P<0.001). After adjusting the confounding factors, those with concurrent high levels of ALT and the highest tertile of mercury showed an increased risk of obesity (odds ratio 4.46, 95%, confidence interval 2.23~8.90, P<0.001) as well as abdominal obesity (odds ratio 5.36, 95%, confidence interval 2.57~11.17, P<0.001). The interrelationship of mercury and ALT with the parameters of body mass index (P for interaction=0.009) and waist circumference (P for interaction=0.012), respectively, have been observed to be significant, suggesting that the reciprocal relationship could contribute to obesity and abdominal obesity.