• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.341-357
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• 2019

Acanthamoeba, one of free-living amoebae (FLA), remains a high risk of direct contact with this protozoan parasite which is ubiquitous in nature and man-made environment. This pathogenic FLA can cause sight-threatening amoebic keratitis (AK) and fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) though these cases may not commonly be reported in our clinical settings. Acanthamoeba has been detected from different environmental sources namely; soil, water, hotspring, swimming pool, air-conditioner, or contact lens storage cases. The identification of Acanthamoeba is based on morphological appearance and molecular techniques using PCR and DNA sequencing for clinico-epidemiological purposes. Recent treatments have long been ineffective against Acanthamoeba cyst, novel anti-Acanthamoeba agents have therefore been extensively investigated. There are efforts to utilize synthetic chemicals, lead compounds from medicinal plant extracts, and animal products to combat Acanthamoeba infection. Applied nanotechnology, an advanced technology, has shown to enhance the anti-Acanthamoeba activity in the encapsulated nanoparticles leading to new therapeutic options. This review attempts to provide an overview of the available data and studies on the occurrence of pathogenic Acanthamoeba among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members with the aim of identifying some potential contributing factors such as distribution, demographic profile of the patients, possible source of the parasite, mode of transmission and treatment. Further, this review attempts to provide future direction for prevention and control of the Acanthamoeba infection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.841-847
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• 2018

Since global energy consumption and demand for energy have dramatically risen, a focus on environmental problems and sustainability has become more important. Clean and renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power generation have received attention among new renewable energy options as alternative energy resources. Due to maintenance and operational perspectives, offshore wind farms have been planned for installation in many coastal waters. However, development of offshore wind farms faces interference from existing maritime traffic along the planned areas. In order to safely and effectively govern marine traffic in the vicinity of wind farms and inner areas, standard criteria are suggested to allow vessels to sail the internal waters of offshore wind farm areas. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to establish allowable criteria for sailing vessels and safety zones for offshore wind farms by investigating the local regulations of various offshore wind farm cases overseas. The commended inner safety zone of wind farms is proposed to be a distance of 150 % of the rotation diameter of the wind turbine rotor and a distance of 200 m from the outer wind turbine for the outer safety zone. Besides this, the allowable criteria for sailing vessels within a wind farm is proposed to have an air draft of 14.47 m south-west wind farm sea areas for a minimum margin to avoid hull contact through evaluation of the tide and height of a wind turbine. further studies will be needed to establish vessel sailing criteria among adjacent offshore wind farms as well as vessel sailing criteria within a single offshore wind farm.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Urban Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.401-408
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• 2018

EQPS (Effluent Quality Prediction System, Dynamita, France) was applied to analyze the appropriateness of the design of a bioreactor in A sewage treatment plant. A sewage treatment plant was designed by setting the design concentration of the secondary clarifier effluent to total nitrogen and total phosphorus, 10 mg/L and 1.8 mg/L, respectively, in order to comply with the target water quality at the level of the hydrophilic water. The retention time of the 4-stage BNR reactor was 9.6 hours, which was 0.5 for the pre-anoxic tank, 1.0 for the anaerobic tank, 2.9 for the anoxic tank, and 5.2 hours for the aerobic tank. As a result of the modeling of the winter season, the retention time of the anaerobic tank was increased by 0.2 hours in order to satisfy the target water quality of the hydrophilic water level. The default coefficients of the one step nitrification denitrification model proposed by the software manufacturer were used to exclude distortion of the modeling results. Since the process modeling generally presents optimal conditions, the retention time of the 4-stage BNR should be increased to 9.8 hours considering the bioreactor margin. The accurate use of process modeling in the design stage of the sewage treatment plant is a way to ensure the stability of the treatment performance and efficiency after construction of the sewage treatment plant.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.466-477
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• 2018

Orthopaedics is an area where 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology is most likely to be utilized because it has been used to treat a range of diseases of the whole body. For arthritis, spinal diseases, trauma, deformities, and tumors, 3D printing can be used in the form of anatomical models, surgical guides, metal implants, bio-ceramic body reconstruction, and orthosis. In particular, in orthopaedic oncology, patients have a wide variety of tumor locations, but limited options for the limb salvage surgery have resulted in many complications. Currently, 3D printing personalized implants can be fabricated easily in a short time, and it is anticipated that all bone tumors in various surgical sites will be reconstructed properly. An improvement of 3D printing technology in the healthcare field requires close cooperation with many professionals in the design, printing, and validation processes. The government, which has determined that it can promote the development of 3D printing-related industries in other fields by leading the use of 3D printing in the medical field, is also actively supporting with an emphasis on promotion rather than regulation. In this review, the experience of using 3D printing technology for bone tumor surgery was shared, expecting orthopaedic surgeons to lead 3D printing in the medical field.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.40
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• pp.91-110
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• 2015

Both Plato and More imagined alternative ways of organizing society. What is common to both authors, then, is the fact that they resorted to fiction to discuss other options. They differed, however, in the way they presented that fiction. The concept of utopia is no doubt an attribute of modern thought, and one of its most visible consequences. But one of the main features of utopia as a literary genre is its relationship with reality. Utopists depart from the observation of the society they live in, note down the aspects that need to be changed and imagine a place where those problems have been solved. After the two World Wars, the twentieth century was predominantly characterized by man's disappointment at the perception of his own nature. In this context, utopian ideals seemed absurd and the floor was inevitably left to dystopian discourse. Both The Road by Cormac MacCarthy and The Childhood of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee can be called critical dystopia and critical utopia as they represent the imaginary place and time that author intended a contemporaneous reader to view as better or worse than contemporary society but with difficult problems that the described society may or may not be able to solve. As a changed adventure narrative, they have something in common like open ending, father and son relationship and religious allegory. But the most important thing is that they express the utopian impulse that is still energetic and transforming in the post-modern society.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2018

Purpose: Physicians' attitudes may have a strong influence on women's decision regarding prenatal screening options. The aim of this study is to assess the physicians' attitudes toward prenatal screening for fetal aneuploidy including non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in South Korea. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were distributed and collected at several obstetrics-gynecological conferences and meetings. The questionnaire included 31 multiple choice and 5 fill-in-the-blank questions. Seven questions requested physicians' demographic information, 17 questions requested information about the NIPT with cell-free fetal DNA, and 12 questions requested information about general prenatal screening practices. Results: Of the 203 obstetricians that completed the survey. In contrast with professional guidelines recommending the universal offering of aneuploidy screening, only 53.7% answered that prenatal aneuploidy testing (screening and/or invasive diagnostic testing) should be offered to all pregnant women. Physicians tended to have positive attitudes toward the clinical application of NIPT as both primary and secondary screening methods for patients at high-risk for fetal trisomy. However, for patients at average-risk for fetal trisomy, physicians tended to have positive attitudes only as a secondary screening method. Physicians with more knowledge about NIPT were found to tend to inform their patients that the detection rate of NIPT is higher. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate expert opinion on prenatal screening in South Korea. Education of physicians is essential to ensure responsible patient counseling, informed consent, and appropriate management after NIPT.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-150
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• 2019

Though, fishing vessel accidents account for 70 % of all maritime accidents in Korean waters, most research has focused on identifying causes and developing mitigation policies in an attempt to reduce this rate. However, predicting and evaluating accident risk needs to be done before the implementation of such reduction measures. For this reasons, we havve performed a risk analysis to calculate the risk of accidents and propose a risk criteria matrix with 4 quadrants, within one of which forecasted risk is plotted for the relative comparison of risks. For this research, we considered 9 types of fishing vessel accidents as reported by Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST). Given that no risk evaluation criteria have been established in Korea, we established a two-dimensional frequency-consequence grid consisting of four quadrants into which paired frequency and consequence for each type of accident are presented. With the simple structure of the evaluation model, one can easily verify the effect of frequency and consequence on the resulting risk within each quadrant. Consequently, these risk evaluation results will help a decision maker employ more realistic risk mitigation measures for accident types situated in different quadrants. As an application of the risk evaluation matrix, accident types were further analyzed using accident causes including human error (factor) and appropriate risk reduction options may be established by comparing the relative frequency and consequence of each accident cause.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2019

Objectives: Parkinson's disease is the neurodegenerative disease that affects both motor and non-motor function, including postural instability. Camptocormia is an abnormal condition in which the thoracolumbar spine bends forward during walking or standing. However, the treatment options are limited and often not effective. The purpose of this study was to report on the Korean medical treatment of a Parkinson's disease patient with postural instability who presented with camptocormia. Methods: We used Korean medical treatment including herbal medicine (Jemageopung-tang), acupuncture and pharmacopuncture therapy to the patient who was admitted to the hospital for 21 days. The clinical symptoms were assessed with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and walking time without assistance. Results: After treatment, the UPDRS Parts 2 and 3 scores were decreased from 5 to 3 and 20 to 9, respectively. Also, the walking time without assistance was improved. Conclusion: This study suggested that Korean medical treatment could be an effective option for treating Parkinson's disease with postural instability.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2019

For hospice palliative care that provides comprehensive and general care, it is necessary to use assessment tools to objectively list issues and detail care plans. The initial assessment is a process of establishing an overall direction of care by identifying the patient's symptoms, social and spiritual issues and palliative care needs on the admission day or within one day of admission. This process is also used to identify the patients' and families' awareness of the illness, prognosis, treatment options and if the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) has been drafted. Consisting of 13 simple questions regarding the physical, mental, social, and spiritual domains, the Needs at the End-of-Life Screening Tool (NEST) is recommended as an initial assessment tool. Using specific assessment tools, a care plan is established for the issues identified in the initial assessment within three days of admission. A multidisciplinary assessment tool can be helpful in the physical domain. The psychosocial domain evaluates psychological distress, anxiety and depression. The social domain examines an ability to make decisions, understanding of the socioeconomic circumstance, family relationship, and death preparedness. A spiritual evaluation is also important, for which the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual WellBeing Scale (FACIT-Sp) or the Spiritual Health Inventory (SHI) can be used. The use of an assessment tool could not only contribute to pain mitigation a better quality of life for patients, but also provide systematic training for a multidisciplinary team; And the process itself could be a stepping stone for the better care provision.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.167-179
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• 2019

Ovarian cancer is the fifth main cause of pre-senescent death in women. Although chemotherapy is generally an efficient treatment, its side effects and the occurrence of chemotherapeutic resistance have prompted the need for alternative treatments. In this study, ${\alpha}$-mangostin and apigenin were evaluated as possible anticancer alternatives to the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin, used herein as a positive control. The ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line SKOV-3 (ATCC No. HTB77) was used as model ovarian cancer cells, whereas the skin fibroblast line CCD-986Sk (ATCC No. CRL-1947) and lung fibroblast line WI-38 (ATCC No. CCL-75) were used as model untransformed cells. Apigenin and doxorubicin inhibited the growth of SKOV-3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. After 72 hr exposure, doxorubicin was mostly toxic to SKOV-3 cells, whereas apigenin was toxic to SKOV-3 cells but not CCD-986Sk and WI-38 cells. ${\alpha}$-Mangostin was more toxic to SKOV-3 cells than to CCD-986Sk cells. A lower cell density, cell shrinkage, and more unattached (floating round) cells were observed in all treated SKOV-3 cells, but the greatest effects were observed with ${\alpha}$-mangostin. With regard to programmed cell death, apigenin caused early apoptosis within 24 hr, whereas ${\alpha}$-mangostin and doxorubicin caused late apoptosis and necrosis after 72 hr of exposure. Caspase-3 activity was significantly increased in ${\alpha}$-mangostin-treated SKOV-3 cells after 12 hr of exposure, whereas only caspase-9 activity was significantly increased in apigenin-treated SKOV-3 cells at 24 hr. Both ${\alpha}$-mangostin and apigenin arrested the cell cycle at the $G_2/M$ phase, but after 24 and 48 hr, respectively. Significant upregulation of BCL2 (apoptosis-associated gene) and COX2 (inflammation-associated gene) transcripts was observed in apigenin- and ${\alpha}$-mangostin-treated SKOV-3 cells, respectively. ${\alpha}$-Mangostin and apigenin are therefore alternative options for SKOV-3 cell inhibition, with apigenin causing rapid early apoptosis related to the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, and ${\alpha}$-mangostin likely being involved with inflammation.