• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1338-1346
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• 1998

North Korea has been experiencing a serious food shortage. However, the extent and magnitude of malnutrition and health problems are virturally unknown because a nationwide food and nutritional survey has never been conducted. To get a better udnerstanding of the situation., an exhaustive literature search on the health and nutritiona conditions of North Koreans was performed. We also obtained anthropometric data on 274 North Korean Defectors who are recently resettlers in the South. Some(137) measurements were taken at the time of entry to the South, and the remaining data was from the health and nutrition mail survey conducted by us on North Korean refugeee re-settlers. Health and inutritional status of North Koreans was found to be less than desirable as shown in high infant mortality rates, high mortality and morbidity rates of malnutriton-related infectious deseases, and smaller body sizes. Striking differences were noted in all of the above health and nutrition indicators between north and South Koreans. Considering the fact that North and South Koreans are homogeneous in their genetic back-ground, ours study results clearly demonstrate that the health and nutrition of North Koreas has deteriorated with the dhronic food shortage, which might have sorsened with a recent food crissi. The smaller and thinner adult stature proevailing in North Korea could play a significant negative role in the country's economy, since lower lean body mass has been associated with reduced work productivity that could hinder economic growth and development.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2020

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent trends for health care indicators including maternal mortality ratio, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, life expectancy, years of life lost, and healthcare resources in South Korea, North Korea, Germany, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Vietnam, China, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Methods: We used data from five sources: World Health Organization, Federal Institute for Population Research, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development health statistics, and national statistics. Results: In the early 1990s, health indicators continued to improve in countries that switched to the health insurance system, but the gap widened in North Korea as health indicators worsened. Conclusion: The establishment of a sustainable health care system after unification of the Korean peninsula requires substantial changes in the health care system and efforts to improve the health of North Koreans.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.516-519
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• 2007

Enterobacter sakazakii is an emerging food pathogen, which induces severe meningitis and sepsis in neonates and infants, with a high fatality rate. The disease is generally associated with the ingestion of contaminated infant formula. In this study, we describe the development of a real-time PCR protocol to identify E. sakazakii using a TaqMan probe, predicated on the nucleotide sequence data of the 168 rRNA gene obtained from a variety of pathogens. To detect E. sakazakii, four primer sets and one probe were designed. Five strains of E. sakazakii and 28 non-E. sakazakii bacterial strains were used in order to ensure the accuracy of detection. The PCR protocol successfully identified all of the E. sakazakii strains, whereas the 28 non-E. sakazakii strains were not detected by this method. The detection limits of this method for E. sakazakii cells and purified genomic DNA were 2.3 CFU/ assay and 100 fg/assay, respectively. These findings suggest that our newly developed TaqMan real-time PCR method should prove to be a rapid, sensitive, and quantitative method for the detection of E. sakazakii.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.5-11
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• 2005

Breast feeding can play a very important role in the development of strong, healthy children. Many studies over the years have shown that breast milk provides defense against common ailments of childhood such as otitis media, gastrointestinal distress, and atopic diseases (allergies). For these reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast feeding for at least the first twelve months of an infant's life. Goals of the Health People 2010 Initiative include that at least 75% of mothers will be breast feeding upon discharge from the hospital and at least 50% will be still nursing at six months post-partum. Currently, about 60% of new mothers initiate breast feeding and about 26% are still breast feeding at six months. However, research has shown that breast feeding trends are below these averages in rural areas of the United States. This may be due in part to lack of breast feeding knowledge and teaching in rural areas. Rural hospitals and birthing centers have not initiated many of the breast feeding promotional programs, such as the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and Best Start, that have been successful in improving breast feeding trends in urban areas. Often new mothers who live in rural areas do not have access to a lactation consultant to help them with proper follow up. This paper will examine these concerns and propose recommendations to improve breast feeding in rural areas.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.277-281
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• 2011

Failure to thrive (FTT) is a term generally used to describe an infant or child whose current weight or rate of weight gains is significantly below that expected of similar children of the same age, sex and ethnicity. It usually describes infants in whom linear growth and head circumference are either not affected, or are affected to a lesser degree than weight. FTT is a common problem, usually recognized within the first 1-2 years of life, but may present at any time in childhood. Most cases of failure to thrive involve inadequate caloric intake caused by behavioral or psychosocial issues. The most important part of the outpatient evaluation is obtaining an accurate account of a child's eating habits and caloric intake. Routine laboratory testing rarely identifies a cause and is not generally recommended. FTT, its evaluation, and its therapeutic interventions are best approached by a multi-disciplinary team includes a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a psychologist and a gastroenterologist. Long term sequelae involving all areas of growth, behavior and development may be seen in children suffering from FTT. Early detection and early intervention by a multidisciplinary team will minimize its long term disadvantage. Appropriate nutritional counseling and anticipatory guidance at each well child visit may help prevent some cause of FTT.

• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the recognition on center-based child care health programs for parents with ill children. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study with convenient sampling method was used and 136 parents were recruited from two university hospital outpatient departments and hospitalized wards, and they completed a structured questionnaire. Results: Majority (57.4%) of parents experienced a leaving work early or being absent from their work due to children's illness. Most dissatisfying factors in child care centers were child health management. Most of parents agreed on the need for a center-based child care health program, and wanted a better management of health care by health professionals in child care centers. Conclusion: These results support that there is a great demand for center-based child care health programs. These special programs are needed for reducing a child rearing burden for working mothers and overcoming the low birthrate in Korea. Health-care programs in child-care settings can help parents meet the health needs of their children while reducing absenteeism from work, thereby contributing to job stability. These results suggest discussions of the related policy with child care centers responsible and national health and educational authorities.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2007

Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish basic data for developing education program of tailor made visiting home health care. Method: For this study, the subject was recruited in one directorial area among 14 nation-wide areas. The data collection was done using self-report questionnaire developed by Korea Health Industry Development Institute. Ninety one questionnaires were analyzed and response rare was 88.3%. Result: The major results were as follows. Aspect of education operations, the satisfaction of education space was revealed high. However, the satisfaction of education time, hour, and schedule were low. The overall satisfaction of education contents were revealed high. The most useful curriculums were found Chronic disease management, Infant & toddler health management, and Case management of tailor made visiting home health care. However the most unuseful curriculums were Nutritional management according to subject's health problem, Health promotion for poor family, and Understanding of visiting service in community health center. Conclusion: With these results, it was identified that the most needed contents of tailor made visiting home health care education program. So these results will be used to develop the more effective education program to activate tailor made visiting home health care service in community health center.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.79-83
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• 2012

Reye syndrome is a rapidly progressive encephalopathy with hepatic dysfunction, which often begins several days after apparent recovery from a viral illness, especially varicella or influenza A or B. Salicylate use was identified as a major precipitating factor for the development of Reye syndrome. With the recommendation to avoid use of salicylates in children, Reye syndrome has virtually disappeared in recent years. We report a case of Reye syndrome in a 5-month-old infant who had been treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and aspirin under the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, and showed symptoms of sudden onset of irritability, rigidity, decreased activity, vomiting, poor appetite, lethargy, liver dysfunction without jaundice, coagulopathy, and hyperammonemia.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.59-67
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• 2003

The development of science technology and high growth of economy have influenced on the change of living environment and have changed people's way of thinking and behavior. Also, apartments has appeared to solve the shortage of housing in cities. This study has a thorough grasp about problems of juvenile playground in the apartments and comes the following conclusion as a result that all sorts of details for amusement behavior have been analyzed. First, juvenile playground should be harmonized with nature, and needs a construction of amusement place that include fixed amusement facilities. Second, for a constitution of dynamic amusement place, a school playground should be opened in the public and parking lots should be utilized for dynamic amusement place in a different time. Third, juvenile playground should be classified by age, especially infant amusement facilities should be installed where a landscape architecture has placed between buildings. Also a daylight should be shined into the place, under considering the installation of bench for parents and rest space. Fourth, a location of amusement place is needed a careful consideration of the environment and building placement, in addition that suitable distance should be set up for children to come into contact easily. Fifth, insufficient things should be complemented as compared with the standards of foreign amusement facilities and guideline should be suggested for maintenance and management of amusement place.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.95-103
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• 2016

Food habit forming the basis for a lifetime of food and nutrient intake is established in early childhood and has an effect to the child's growth, sociality, and obesity. A variety of nutrition screening tools exists for assessing the health and nutrition status of children such as the Growth Curve, for determining if growth is appropriate. Body mass index(BMI) as a more reliable index of overweight to prevent childhood obesity, and Nutrition Quotient(NQ) and eating behaviors questionnaire for young children and parents to estimate their nutrient intake adequate or not. Such tools are mainly used by health practitioners, such as doctor and dietitian to provide nutrition intervention services to children at risk, especially and are not easy to use for general parents, who need assessment at any time and at any place. We propose Growth Assistance System for infants and children, which is possible to assess their physical condition, nutritional status, and eating behavior integrated. To be convenient and portable, it is implemented over the smartphone as an application. The system offers the growth charts, the BMI curves, NQ and eating behavior questionnaire to take a monitoring and the functionalities operate well. We hereby expect this system support the normal growth and development of infants and young children. And also support for the health practitioner (dietitians and nutritionists) to take a role in providing nutrition counseling and education to children needing nutrition services.