• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2011

Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Pediatric Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Questionnaire Brain Tumor Survivor (version 2.0) Aged 13 years and older (Parent Form) (pedsFACT-BrS parent of adolescent). Methods : The pedsFACT-BrS parent of adolescent was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Korean, following standard Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) methodology. The psychometric properties of the pedsFACT-BrS parent of adolescent were evaluated in 170 brain tumor patient's mothers (mean age=43.38 years). Pretesting was performed in 30 mothers, and the results indicated good symptom coverage and overall comprehensibility. The participants also completed the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF-50), Neuroticism in Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Karnofsky score. Results : In validating the pedsFACT-BrS parent of adolescent, we found high internal consistency, with Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.94. The assessment of test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient revealed satisfactory values with ICCs ranging from 0.84 to 0.93. The pedsFACT-BrS for parent of adolescent also demonstrated good convergent and divergent validities when correlated with the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF-50) and the Neuroticism in Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The pedsFACT-BrS parent of adolescent showed good clinical validity, and effectively differentiated between clinically distinct patient groups according to the type of treatment, tumor location, shunt, and Karnofsky score of parent proxy report. Conclusion : We confirmed that this reliable and valid instrument can be used to properly evaluate the quality of life of Korean adolescent brain tumor patients by their parents' proxy report.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.99-107
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• 2012

There has been increasing number of patients with asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis due to the atmospheric pollution and global warming. In this study, we investigated daily observed number of pollens to establish a standardized method for the impact analysis of the climate changes on the number of daily pollens in Korea. Daily observed allergenic pollens of trees, weeds, and pine were analyzed during the period of 1998 to 2010 (except 2006) in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Gangneung, and Jeju. They increased in large cities including Seoul during the last 12 years and the long-term trend may continue in the future. Daily concentration or amount of pollens was highly correlated with weather variables. Positive correlation was found between air temperature and the pollens although different relationships existed for different locations. Chill days were utilized to estimate the length of the flowering or pollen period. The pollen period of trees was shorter in the field when the winter temperature was low. This approach may be utilized to determine the quantitative change in length of the pollen season in the future.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.885-888
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• 2002

Prevalence of food allergic disease was examined by identifying the most common foods implicated in allergic reactions in Korea. Patients were subjected to test determining the amount of specific IgE antibody in serum against food allergens by CAP system. A total 9054 CAP analyses on egg white, egg yolk, cow milk, ${\alpha}-lactalbumin,\;{\beta}-lactoglobulin$, casein, wheat, rice, buckwheat, soybean, peach, crab, shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, tuna, salmon, mackerel, and food mix were undertaken. The results were considered to be positive when CAP value was same and/or greater than +2 (0.7 U/mL). Positive results of CAP analyses were 11.3% (1022/9054 cases), consisting of 336 on egg white, 266 on cow milk, 95 on egg yolk, 76 on soybean, 69 on ${\alpha}-lactalbumin$, 61 on casein, 58 on ${\beta}-lactoglobulin$, 39 on buckwheat, 12 on wheat, 3 on beef, 2 on crab, and 1 on rice, shrimp, pork, chicken or mackerel, and 0 on peach, tuna or food mix. Egg, cow milk, soybean, buckwheat, and wheat were identified as the most common allergic foods in Korea, showing an average of two different food sources for allergy per patient.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.116-121
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• 2006

Familial hypophosphatemia is the most common hereditary rickets which occur hypophosphatemia as the calcium concentration in the blood serum is normal but the phosphate concentration in the blood serum decreases by dysfunction of renaltubular phosphorus reabsorption. In spite of the low concentration of phosphate in the blood serum discharge of phosphate by urine and alkaline phosphatase increases remarkably. It is a sex-linked and normally male show severe clinical symptoms than female. This kind of familial hypophosphatemia patients show frontal bossing, square head, short of status for general finding, and for dental finding, thinning of limina dura and dental follicle, thin and hypoplastic enamel, enlarged pulp chamber and canal, high occurance rate of periapical and periodontal abscess and unknown cause of rarefying osteitis. This case is to report about the clinical finging and dental treatment of a child patient, who came to the hospital for treatment of deciduous teeth caries but was refered to pediatrics because the child showed clinically short of status, bow-leg and radiographically enlarged pulp chamber and canal, there as diagnosed as familial hypophosphatemia.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.45-68
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• 2020

Objectives : This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of manual and electroacupuncture on glaucoma. Method : We searched 11 electronic databases using index words to identify randomized clinical trials. Meta-analysis of weighted mean difference (WMD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) were used to evaluate the outcomes. Cochrane bias risk assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias in each clinical study. The collected data was analyzed using RevMan software (ver. 5.3). Results : At the initial stage of data retrieval, 549 papers were searched. After reviewing 37 full texts, a total of 10 RCT studies (426patients, 715 eyes) were selected and 8 RCT studies (357 people, 617 eyes) were involved in meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of 8 RCTs showed that acupuncture alone was more effective in reducing intraocular pressure(IOP) than conventional treatment (WMD = -5.73, 95% CI: [-12.30, 0.83], P = 0.09, I² = 97%) The combination of acupuncture or electroacupuncture with conventional treatment was also effective in lowering IOP (WMD = -1.84, 95% CI: [-2.31, -1.37], P <0.00001, I² = 45%). It was estimated that the combination of acupuncture with conventional treatment was also effective for improving visual field (VF) (WMD = -2.17, 95% CI: [-4.32, -0.02], P = 0.05, I² = 89%) but improvement in visual acuity (VA) was not significant (MD = 0.06, 95% CI: [-0.03, 0.15], P = 0.23, I² = 0%). Subgroup analyzes were performed only for the studies that used open glaucoma as the study's disease and combination of acupuncture or electroacupuncture with conventional therapy would have an effect on lowering intraocular pressure (WMD = -1.68)., 95% CI: [-2.46, -0.90], P <0.0001, I² = 29%). Conclusion : This study suggests that acupuncture treatment for glaucoma may be effective in reducing intraocular pressure and helpful in improving visual field defects. However, due to the small sample size, high risk of bias and high heterogeneity in the methodology, it is expected that further studies will be needed to verify the results. Further studies in large-scale samples based on a minimized biased methodology would be necessary.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.2 s.57
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• pp.428-436
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• 1997

Objectives : The purpose of this paper is to estimate the completeness of the Korean Medical Insurance Data in childhood asthma. Methods : Capture-recapture method was used to estimate the prevalence of childhood asthma and case ascertainment rate(completeness) of Korean Medical Insurance Data using two source model, 'Korean Medical Insurance Committee Data (KMICD)' and 'Nationwide Study of Asthma and Allergies in Korean Children'. The asthma cases were restricted to those who were born from 1981 to 1989 and were identified by their Resident Register Number. Asthma cases in Korean Medical Insurance Data were defined as cases coded by ICD-9 493 and ICD-10 J45. In 'Nationwide Study of Asthma and Allergies in Korean Children', asthma cases were defined as the children who had been diagnosed asthma and had experienced symptoms of asthma during the past 12 months. The defined cases in two data sources were matched by 13 digits Resident Register Number. The numbers of matched patients in two data sources were 245 of 32,825 eligible total subjects. Chapman and Wittes' nearly unbiased estimation was used for capture-recapture analysis of two data sources. Results : Observed prevalence rate of childhood asthma was 5.3% and estimated prevalence rate by capture-recapture analysis was 11.6%. The highest prevalence rate was observed in 6-7 age group and the older the rate decreased. The completeness (the proportion of cases ascertained by KMICD to the total observed cases by two data sources) was 20.6%, and ranged form 10.8% to 28.8% by area. Conclusions : Invalid diagnosis of cases might overestimate the prevalence of child-hood asthma and might underestimate the completeness of Korean Medical Insurance Committee Data in this study.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.269-277
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• 1989

CNS prophylaxis with 18 or 24 Gy cranial irradiation plus intrathecal methotrexate was given to 134 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients who had got bone marrow remission (M1) after remission induction chemotherapy from August 1979 to December 1986. The rate of initial total CNS relapse was 14.2% (19/134), the rate of isolated CNS relapse was 5.2% (7/134), and the rate of CNS relapse concomittantly combined with bone marrow relapse or testicular relapse was 9% (12/134). Male sex or older age was accociated with higher CNS relapes and the initial peripheral leukocyte count over 50,000/ul had higher relapse rate. Relapse with radiation dose of 18Gy was somewhat lower than that with 24Gy. Within 4 years after CNS prophylaxis occurred 89% of the total CNS relapses, 100% of the isolated CNS relapses, and 83% of the combined CNS relapses. Adjusted to exposed cases to risk of CNS relapse, the total CNS relapse rate was 11.9% during maintenance chemotherapy and 4.9% after maintenance chemotherapy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.732-736
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• 2006

Purpose : Numerous methods exist for diagnosing nonpalpable testis in treatment of cryptochidism. However, there is no clinically established data for the rational diagnostic tool of nonpalpable testis in terms of expenses. We tried to establish a current conventional diagnostic course of nonpalpable testis. We then evaluated the efficacy of ultrasonography, physical examination under general anesthesia and laparoscopy for diagnosing nonpalpable testis. Methods : Between March 2000 and February 2005, 103 boys(129 testes) with undescended testes were treated in our department. There were 31 testes(24.0%) that were not palpable at physical examination. These patients were evaluated with ultrasonography and repeated physical examination under general anesthesia. In the cases where testes could not be detected with ultrasonography and physical examination under general anesthesia, laparoscopy was performed to diagnose nonpalpable testis. Results : In 31 cases of nonpalpable testis, 13 testes were detected with ultrasonography and 15 testes became palpable with physical examination under general anesthesia. All of the remaining 16 nonpalpable testes were confirmed with laparoscopy. Conclusion : Physical examination under general anesthesia was superior to ultrasonography in making a diagnosis of nonpalpable testis. Ultrasonography and physical examination under general anesthesia could reduce the incidence of diagnostic laparoscopy. Therefore, it is recommended that ultrasonography, physical examination under general anesthesia and laparoscopy must be performed conventionally in order to diagnose nonpalpable testis.

• Endocrinology and Metabolism
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2018

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is associated with negative neonatal and obstetric outcomes. Large differences in thyroid function reference intervals exist across different populations. These differences can be explained by population-specific factors, such as iodine status. Many countries in Latin America report iodine sufficiency, but relatively few countries have published up-to-date data on iodine levels and thyroid function in the overall population, and especially in pregnant women. We evaluated the iodine status of pregnant women in Chile and determined thyroid hormone reference ranges in this population. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of healthy Chilean women at their first prenatal visit before week 14. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine ($T_4$), free $T_4$, antithyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), and iodine levels from spot urine samples were measured. Iodine status and the reference ranges for TSH were calculated. Results: A total of 1,022 pregnant women in the first trimester were selected. Urinary iodine levels were measured in 302 randomly-selected women. The median urinary iodine concentration was $173.45{\mu}g/L$ (interquartile range, 108.11 to 249.35).The reference ranges of TSH were calculated in 670 patients selected according to the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry guidelines. The median TSH level was $1.88{\mu}IU/mL$ (2.5th percentile: 0.13 to 97.5th percentile: 5.37). Using the reference range in the 1,022 women, the prevalence of clinical hypothyroidism was 1.76%, and that of subclinical hypothyroidism was 3.92%. TPOAb positivity was more common in women with TSH levels above $3.5{\mu}IU/mL$. Conclusion: We found adequate iodine intake and a right-shifted distribution of serum TSH levels in pregnant women in Chile. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in our sample of pregnant women was higher than has been described in the literature.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.193-204
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• 2021

Objectives: In January 2021, the former heads of the manufacturer SK Chemical and the vendor Aekyung were acquitted for manufacturing and selling humidifier disinfectant (HD) containing 5-chloro-2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one/2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one (CMIT/MIT). In this article, we analyzed the rationale used in this judgement in the light of scientific consideration. Methods: The sentencing document for the judgements was obtained from the Korea Supreme Court Service. In particular, the judgements made by the court related to the toxicological and individual association with HD perspectives were discussed based on scientific evidence. Results: The ruling stated that the necessary conditions for causality between CMIT/MIT and such diseases were not met based on the fact that asthma and lung damage were not found in the inhalation exposure animal experiments. The judgment overlooked the inevitable limitations of using animal experiments for verifying health effects in humans, which are often inconsistent with the observations in animals. Among 11 governmentaffirmed lung injury cases with CMIT/MIT usage, three patients' humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI) pathology proved that CMIT/MIT could cause lung injury similar to that caused by PHMG and PGH. In addition, five children showed decreased lung function related to damage caused by humidifier disinfectant exposure. Conclusions: We conclude that there is sufficient evidence supporting the assertion that HDs containing CMIT/MIT cause lung injuries, including asthma, contrary to the court's decision.