• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.52-64
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• 2023

This study aimed to examine the types and characteristics of otorhinolaryngology examinations performed by clinical laboratory technologists and to investigate the working environment and scope of work of otorhinolaryngology laboratory personnel using online questionnaires. Based on the research results, constructive policy measures for the University-Association-Society were also presented. Most of the survey respondents were in their 40s (34.1%). Females accounted for 80.2% of respondents and 30.8% of them had a career spanning 15 years or more. We found that laboratory personnel had a wide scope of work, high work stress and frequently suffered occupational diseases. We observed that, to reduce stress and increase satisfaction, an expansion of the workforce was necessary. Compared to other occupations, 72% of clinical laboratory technologists occupied more senior positions, occupational distribution depended on senior positions (P<0.001). Clinical laboratory technologists performed about 26 types of otorhinolaryngology examinations. The most frequent test performed daily was pure tone audiometry, and polysomnography took the longest test time, with an average of 8 hours. In conclusion, clinical laboratory technologists were in charge of various specialized otorhinolaryngology examinations. Considering the importance of clinical laboratory technologists in otorhinolaryngology, the University-Association-Society should put in additional effort into nurturing otorhinolaryngology examination experts.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2023

Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability in more than 280 million people worldwide. Monoamine-based antidepressants are currently used to treat depression, but delays in treatment effects and lack of responses are major reasons for the need to develop faster and more efficient antidepressants. Studies show that ketamine (KET), a PCP analog, produces antidepressant effects within a few hours of administration that lasts up to a week. However, the use of KET has raised concerns about side effects, as well as the risk of abuse. 4 -F-PCP analog is a novel PCP analog that is also an NMDA receptor antagonist, structurally similar to KET, and might potentially elicit similar antidepressant effects, however, there has been no study on this subject yet. Herein, we investigate whether 4-F-PCP displays antidepressant effects and explored their potential therapeutic mechanisms. 4-F-PCP at 3 and 10 mg/kg doses showed antidepressant-like effects and repeated treatments maintained its effects. Furthermore, treatment with 4-F-PCP rescued the decreased expression of proteins most likely involved in depression and synaptic plasticity. Changes in the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT2, EAAT3, EAAT4) were also seen following drug treatment. Lastly, we assessed the possible side effects of 4-F-PCP after long-term treatment (up to 21 days). Results show that 4-F-PCP at 3 mg/kg dose did not alter the cognitive function of mice. Overall, current findings provide significant implications for future research not only with PCP analogs but also on the next generation of different types of antidepressants.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2016

A conflict of interest (COI) places people in ethical dilemma when providing consultation in a field of business, medical/pharmaceutical industry, research etc. Disclosure is a commonly adopted strategy for the adverse effect of COI, but previous studies have reported inconsistent results. This investigated whether individual differences in pursuing self-interest influence differently on consultation behavior during voluntary- or no-disclosure of COI conditions. A total of 190 adults participated in an on-line experiment which consisted of two tasks. On the 1^st task, participants were divided into either a role-oriented group or a self-interest group depending on their consultation choice on the task. On the 2^nd task, participants were required to choose whether to disclose COI to his/her virtual partner and provided consultation to them. No group differences were found in frequency of choosing voluntary disclosure. For the role-oriented group, the voluntary disclosure group provided unbiased information to the virtual partners than the no disclosure group. However, no group difference between voluntary- and no-disclosure group in the self-interest group. Implications and limitations are further discussed.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

Background: This study involved a geriatric oral care expert who developed the competencies of students in the Department of Dental Hygiene and conducted preliminary research to develop an effective curriculum. Methods: A questionnaire was conducted in the last week of class targeting students who took courses in geriatric dentistry, geriatric dental hygiene, and practice. In order to confirm the educational effect according to the differences in the geriatric dental hygiene curriculum, the differences in students' achievement of major competencies, awareness of the geriatric dental hygiene process, class satisfaction, and ageism were analyzed. Results: Regarding major competency attainment, 'communication competency' was significantly higher in PBL education that combined theory and practice than that theory-oriented PBL education (p=0.038). For ageism, the tendency to avoid older adults was low in PBL education, which combined theory and practice, and was statistically significant (p=0.040). For class satisfaction, the rate of responding 'very high' for the 'class atmosphere' was significantly high (p=0.025) for PBL education that combined theory and practice. Conclusion: The PBL teaching method can be useful as a geriatric dental hygiene curriculum. However, it would be more effective to create a curriculum so that education in geriatric dental hygiene care practice can be combined with theory rather than a theoretical education alone.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.207-215
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• 2019

This study examines the effect of the height of cane that hemiplegic patients due to stroke use on their plantar pressure in standing position, gait speed. The study suggests a new standard for appropriate cane height that considers the change of average height of population. Research subjects included 12 patients hospitalized in S Medical Care Hospital located in Gwangju Metropolitan City in South Korea who were diagnosed with stroke. Group A uses a cane of the height of the greater trochanter of femur, group B uses a cane of 5cm above the height of the greater trochanter of femur, and group C is a cane of 10cm above the height of the greater trochanter of femur. In the study result, non-affected side plantar pressure and affected side plantar pressure showed a significant difference among the cases where the cane height was the same as the A group, B group, C group. In the post-hoc analysis result, a significant difference was observed between the case of A group and C group. Gait speed showed no significant difference among the case of the A group, B group, C group. The asymmetry of the stroke affects not only the posture but also the walking that is related to daily life. Changes in the height of the cane did not affect walking speed. The change in the height of the cane showed a change in the weight support ratio, which is thought to have a positive effect on the asymmetry. In future clinical setting, this study result will be able to provide fundamental data regarding the cane height in the standing or walking therapy for hemiplegic patients due to stroke with cane application.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.79-89
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate various application methods of focused ultrasound and apply them to clinical use in Korean medicine. Methods : Search was performed using the search engines of electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ScienceON, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Japan Science Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic (J-STAGE) and Citation Information by NII (CiNii), from inception to July 2023 without language limitation. Inclusion criteria were clinical studies including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and animal experimental studies related with focused ultrasound treatments for acupoints or meridian sinews. Results : Total 17 papers, 7 for RCT, 6 for in vivo animal studies, and other experimental studies, were finally selected. Indications used in studies were shoulder pain, back pain, chronic back pain, and degenerative knee arthritis. In experimental studies, studies on animal models of hypoxic ischemic brain damage and hyperlipidemia were also conducted. As for the acupoints, LR3, LI4, and ST36 were used in clinical studies and, in animal experimental studies, GV20, KI1, and ST36 were used. As for the dose, 4 studies below 3 W/cm² and 3 studies in the range of 0.625 to 5 W/cm² in clinical studies, and all studies did not exceed 5 W/cm². In animal experimental studies, 0.5 W/cm², 2 W/cm², 7.5 WW/cm², 15 W/cm², 10~20 W/cm² were used. In all three studies describing the penetration depth during irradiation, it was less than 1 cm. Conclusions : We suggest that focused ultrasound is an appropriate treatment tool for stimulating the acupoints to transfer heat energy. Future studies with rigorous and well-designed RCTs for various diseases will be required to ascertain the focused ultrasound stimulate acupoints or meridian sinews.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2023

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has underscored the pressing need for robust infection control practices in pulmonary function laboratories (PFL). However, the existing guidelines and regulatory frameworks provided by relevant authorities in the country have revealed certain deficiencies in effectively addressing this significant public health crisis. This study surveyed the infection control regulations, disposable item usage, ventilation facilities, spatial separation, and the configuration of entrance doors in 51 domestic hospital facilities from Oct 1, 2021, to Nov 2, 2021. The survey findings revealed that while there was a relatively satisfactory adherence to airborne, droplet, and contact precautions with adequate awareness and utilization of personal protective equipment, the environmental disinfection practices exhibited a suboptimal performance rate of 39.22% per patient. Depending on the specific survey domains, substantial variations were observed in the utilization of disposable items (81.05%), ventilation systems (45.75%), dedicated testing spaces (80.39%), separation of administrative areas (15.69%), and the installation of automated doors (19.61%). This study not only highlights the paramount importance of infection control in PFLs within domestic medical institutions but also provides foundational data for developing and enhancing standardized guidelines that align with international benchmarks for infection control in these settings.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.298-305
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• 2022

Background: The concentration of air pollutants as measured by the Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) is not an accurate population exposure level since actual human activities and temporal and spatial variability need to be considered. Therefore, to increase the accuracy of exposure assessment, the population should be considered. However, it is difficult to obtain population data due to limitations such as personal information. Objectives: The existing population defined in this study is the number of people in each region's grid. The purpose is to provide a methodology for evaluating exposure to PM_2.5 through existing population data provided by the National Geographic Information Institute. Methods: The selected study period was from October 26 to October 28, 2021. Using PM_2.5 concentration data measured at the Sensor-based Air Monitoring Station (SAMS) installed in Guro-gu and Wonju-si, the concentration for each grid was estimated by applying inverse distance weights through QGIS version 3.22. Considering the existing population, population-weighted average concentration (PWAC) was calculated and the exposure level of the population was compared by region. Results: The outdoor PM_2.5 concentration as measured through the SAMS was high in Wonju-si on all three days. Wonju-si showed an average 22% higher PWAC than Guro-gu. As a result of comparing the PWAC and outdoor PM_2.5 concentration by region, the PWAC in Guro-gu was 1~2% higher than the observed value, but it was almost the same. Conversely, observations of Wonju-si were 10.1%, 11.3%, and 8.2% higher than PWAC. Conclusions: It is expected that the Geographic Information System (GIS) method and the existing population will be used to evaluate the exposure level of a population with a narrow activity radius in further research. In addition, based on this study, it is judged that research on exposure to environmental pollutants and risk assessment methods should be expanded.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.76-95
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• 2023

As information and communications technology-based "smart hospitals" and "digital healthcare" have become a hot topic in the healthcare field, hospital mobile apps are gaining attention; but, the utilization rate is low due to lack of publicity, unstable systems, and late updates. In this situation, systematic research is needed to increase the utilization rate of hospital mobile apps, but related research has been rare. Therefore, this study integrates the information systems success model (ISSM) from the technical perspective and the expectation-confirmation model (ECM) from the cognitive perspective to demonstrate the influence mechanism on the continuous use intention of hospital mobile apps. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted among 181 Korean adults who have used hospital mobile apps. The results of the structual equation modeling showed that most of the quality factors have significant effects on expectation confirmation, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction. Additionally, expectation confirmation significantly affects perceived usefulness and satisfaction, and both perceived usefulness and satisfaction significantly affect the continuous use intention of hospital mobile apps. This study is of importance in that it integrates the ISSM and ECM and applies them to the context of using hospital mobile apps, which are underutilized in the healthcare field, and provides practical implications for increasing the utilization rate of hospital mobile apps and operating effective and efficient services through the findings.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.234-239
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• 2023

Thioredoxin-like protein 1 (TXNL1), one of the thioredoxin superfamily known as redox-regulator, plays an essential in maintaining cell survival via various antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms. It is well known that relationship between ischemia and oxidative stress, however, the role of TXNL1 protein in ischemic damage has not been fully investigated. In the present study, we aimed to determine the protective role of TXNL1 against on ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo using cell permeable Tat-TXNL1 fusion protein. Transduced Tat-TXNL1 inhibited ROS production and cell death in H₂O₂-exposed hippocampal neuronal (HT-22) cells and modulated MAPKs and Akt activation, and pro-apoptotic protein expression levels in the cells. In an ischemia animal model, Tat-TXNL1 markedly decreased hippocampal neuronal cell death and the activation of astrocytes and microglia. These findings indicate that cell permeable Tat-TXNL1 protects against oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo ischemic animal model. Therefore, we suggest Tat-TXNL1 can be a potential therapeutic protein for ischemic injury.