• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2010

Purpose: Recently, health policy making is increasingly based on evidence. Therefore, Korean Terminal Cancer Patient Information System (KTCPIS) was developed to meet such need. We aimed to report its developmental process and statistics from 6 months data. Methods: Items for KTCPIS were developed through the consultation with practitioners. E-Velos web-based clinical trial management system was used as a technical platform. Data were collected for patients who were registered to 34 inpatient palliative care services, designated by Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs, from $1^{st}$ of January to $30^{th}$ of June in 2009. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results: From the nationally representative set of 2,940 patients, we obtained the following results. Mean age was $64.8{\pm}12.9$ years, and 56.6% were male. Lung cancer (18.0%) was most common diagnosis. Only 50.3% of patients received the confirmation of terminal diagnosis by two or more physicians, and 69.7% had an insight of terminal diagnosis at the time of admission. About half of patients were admitted to the units on their own without any formal referral. Average and worst pain scores were significantly reduced after 1 week when compared to those at the time of admission. 73.4% faced death in the units, and home-discharge comprised only 13.3%. Mean length of stay per admission was $20.2{\pm}21.2$ days, with median value of 13. Conclusion: Nationally representative data on the characteristics of patients and their caregiver, and current practice of service delivery in palliative care units were obtained through the operation of KTCPIS.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to perform quantitative comparisons of water permeable zones in both the adhesive and the hybrid layer before and after thermo cycling in order to assess the integrity of the bonding interface. Twenty eight flat dentin surfaces were bonded with a light-cured composite resin using one of four commercial adhesives [OptiBond FL (OP), AdheSE (AD), Clearfil SE Bond (CL). and Xeno III (XE)]. These were sectioned into halves and subsequently cut to yield 2-mm thick specimens; one specimen for control and the other subjected to thermocycling for 10,000 cycles. After specimens were immersed in ammoniacal silver nitrate for 24 h and exposed to a photo developing solution for 8 h, the bonded interface was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS) at five locations per specimen. Immediately after bonding. the adhesive layer of OP showed the lowest silver uptake, followed by CL, AD. and XE in ascending order (p < 0.0001); the hybrid layer of CL had the lowest silver content among the groups (p = 0.0039). After thermocycling, none of the adhesives manifested a significant increase of silver in either the adhesive or the hybrid layer. SEM demonstrated the characteristic silver penetrated patterns within the interface. It was observed that integrity of bonding was well maintained in OP and CL throughout the thermocycling process. Adhesive-tooth interfaces are vulnerable to hydrolytic degradation and its permeability varies in different adhesive systems, which may be clinically related to the restoration longevity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.366-377
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• 2002

This study investigated the ecological environment of Dongguneung, which royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty aye in. The aim of this study is to do an effective preservation, management and restoration of the royal tomb and garden of the Joseon Dynasty distributed in Seoul and Kyunggi Province through using the data of Dongguneung. In general, Dongguneung contains the predominant Oak class such as Quercus serrata-Quercus mongolica community, while a flatland surrounding its control office, which is often flooded with the rainy season in summer, is mainly Alnus japonica community, Pinus densiflora community ranges around the royal tomb. The subcommunity of Quercus serrata -Quereus mongolica community is distributed into Robinia pseudo-acacia, Pinus rigida, Pinus koraiensis, Carpinus laxiflora and typical subcommunity and so on. In particular, Robinia pseudo -acacia, Pinus rigida and Pinus koraiensis subcommunity, and Alnus japonica community were forested. The soil class of Dongguneung was mainly a sandy loam and its pH was an average of 4.67 (from 4.36 to 5.68). The content of heavy metals including Cu, Pb and Zn etc. in the soil was about twice as much as the natural content in the forest soil. The content of organism and total nitrogen in the topsoil layer was the average of 4.87% and 0.21% respectively, slightly higher than those (organism； 4.55%, total nitrogen； 0.20%) of the forest soil generated from granite bedrock. Cation exchange capacity as the indicator of soil fertility was 15.0 cmol $kg^{-1}$, higher than that in the granite forest soil. However among base exchangeable cations, contents of $Ca^{2+}$ (2.07 cmol $kg^{-1}$), $Mg^{2+}$ (0.40 cmol $kg^{-1}$) and K+ (0.25 cmol $kg^{-1}$) were slightly lower than that. The above results could reflect the need of soil fertilization and liming for the improvement of nutritional status and buffer process.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2011

This experiment was performed to evaluate the morphological responses of the gastric epithelial cells of the mouse, inoculated with Ehrlich carcinoma cells in the inguinal area, following administration of 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C or Acriflavine-Guanosine compound (AG60). In this study, each mouse was inoculated with $1{\times}10^7$ Ehrlich carcinoma cells subcutaneously in the inguinal area. From next day after inoculations, 0.2 mL of saline, 5-fluorouracil (30 mg/kg), mitomycin C ($400{\mu}g/kg$) or AG60 (30 mg/kg) were injected to the animals every other day, respectively. Each animals were sacrificed after 7th injection and tissue were taken from the gastric mucosa. Thereafter, the ultrathin sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. In the 5-fluorouracil-, mitomycin C- or AG60-treated mice, myelin figures and multivesicular bodies within the gastric mucous epithelial cells were observed more frequently than those of the normal control. In the 5-fluorouracil-treated mice, membrane structures containing a few mucous granules in the luminal space were observed. Indeed, bulging cytoplasmic process containing mucous granules protruding into the gastric lumen were observed in the mitomycin Ctreated mice. Therefore, this study suggested that AG60 as compared with 5-fluorourail and mitomycin C may effective medicine without damage to the secretion ability of gastric mucous epithelial cells.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2005

Numerous abandoned or closed mines are present in the steep mountain valleys in Korea due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From the mines, enormous amounts of wastes were dumped on the slopes causing sedimentation and acid mine drainage to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on surrounding environment. Objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of the lime cake by-product from the soda ash production (Solvay process) to neutralize the pyrophyllite mine wastes, which have discharged the acid drainage to soil and stream in the watershed. The pH of mine wastes was strongly acidic at pH 3.67 containing over 16% of $Al_2O_3$ and 11% of $Fe_2O_3$. Whereas the lime cake by-product was strongly basic at pH 9.97 due to high contents of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components. Column experiments were conducted to test the neutralizing capacity of the lime cake by-product for the acidic pyrophyllite mine wastes. The column packed with the wastes (control) was treated with the lime cake by-product, calcium carbonate, the dressing soil or combination. The distilled water was eluted statically through the column and the leachate was collected for the chemical analyses. Treatments of the mine wastes with the lime cake by-product (or calcium carbonate) as mixtures increased pH of the leachate from $3.5{\sim}4.0\;to\;7{\sim}8$. Concentrations of Fe and Al in the leachate were also decreased below 1.0 mg $L^{-1}$. A Similar result was observed at the combined treatments of the mine waste, the lime by-product (or calcium carbonate) and the dressing soil. The results indicated that the lime cake by-product could sufficiently neutralize the acid drainage from the pyrophyllite mine wastes without dressing soils.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.280-286
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• 1999

This studies were conducted to evaluate efficiency of microbial inoculator for active composting of food wastes. The Microbial inoculators used in this studies were purchased from different comparise to evaluate their effectiveness for composting of food waste in Korea. The number of bacteria growing at $30^{\circ}C$ in commercial inoculator collected were below $91.0{\times}10^8\;CFU/g$ which were counted from well cured compost made by animal manure. The number of bacteria in commercial microbial inoculator, such as FL, VP, B9, CM and GE were higher than that of composted at $50^{\circ}C$ or $60^{\circ}C$ of incubation temperature. Fungi were counted in GR, VP and B9 as over $10^3CFU/g$ at $30^{\circ}C$ of incubation temperature, while fungi of all the commercial inoculator collected could not grown at $50^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$. Actinomycetes in most of the these had higher number($10^5CFU/g$) than that of compost : however, it was not detected at $60^{\circ}C$ incubation temperature from all the samples collected. The amount of carbon dioxid production was order to VP>HU>B9>GE>CM>Control>Compost in the lab scale composting test with or without inoculation of commercial inoculators, however, but the difference in carbon dioxide production was similar among each treatments. The effect of inoculation on composting parmeter such as pH changes, temperature increasing and change of chemicals properties were a little among each treatments, with or without inoculation of commercial inoculator in active composting of food waste. Using commercial inoculator did not show any statistical difference in food waste composting process under various condition such as pH changes, temperature changes, etc.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.701-707
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• 2008

Antidiabetic effect of Korean red ginseng (RG) processed by puffing in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic (DM) rats was investigated. Five week-old SD rats were divided into four groups; normal control (NC) group, DM group, red ginseng (RG) group and puffed red ginseng (PG) group. The RG and PG groups were orally provided with RG or PG dissolved in water (500 mg/kg) respectively for seven weeks after single injection of STZ (50 mg/kg, i.v.) followed by identification of DM. NC group received saline vehicle instead of STZ. At the end of feeding of RG or PG, the changes of fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and amylase level and serum lipid profiles were evaluated. Also, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), comet assay and histopathological examination were performed. At 7th week, the fasting blood glucose levels of the RG and PG groups were reduced compared to the DM group by 11.54% and 20.22%, respectively. The result of OGTT did not show significant differences among DM and two red ginseng groups. While serum insulin and TG levels were predominantly improved in PG group (p<0.05), serum amylase level was increased in RG group. Alkaline comet assay for checking the oxidative damage of DNA showed that TL (tail length, ${\mu}m$) and TM (tail moment) in the blood lymphocyte of PG group significantly decreased in contrast with DM group. Histopathological results of pancreas showed that destruction of exocrine as well as endocrine might be cured by the administration of RG and PG. These results suggest that PG could exert more protection against STZ-induced toxicity than RG group.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.73-88
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• 2009

Objectives : Neuronal changes that result from treadmill exercise for patients with Parkinson's disease(PD) have not been well documented, although some clinical and laboratory reports suggest that regular exercise may produce a neuroprotective effect and restore dopaminergic and motor functions. However, it is not clear if the improvements are due to neuronal alterations within the affected nigrostriatal region or result from a more general effect of exercise on affect areas and motivation. In this study, we demonstrate that motorized treadmill exercise improves the neuronal outcomes in rodent models of PD. Methods : We used a chronic mouse model of parkinsonism, which was induced by injecting male C57BL/6 mice with 10 doses(Every 12 hour) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (30 mg/kg) and probenecid (20 mg/kg) over 5 days. These mice were able to sustain an exercise training program on a motorized rodent treadmill at a speed of 18 m/min, $0^{\circ}$ of inclination, 40 min/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. At the end of exercise training, we extracted the brain and compared their neuronal and neurochemical changes with the control(saline and sedentary) mice groups. Synphilin protein is the substance that manifestly reacts with ${\alpha}$-synuclein. In this study, we used Synphilin as a manifest sign of recovery from neurodegeneration. We analyze the brain stems of the substantia nigra and striatum region using the western blotting technique. Results : There were no expression of synphilin in the saline-induced groups. The addition of MPTP(1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) greatly accelerated synphilin expression which meant an aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein. But, the MPTP-induced treadmill exercise group showed significantly lower expression than the MPTP-induced sedentary group. This means treadmill exercise has a definite effect on the decrease of ${\alpha}$-synuclein aggregation. Conclusions : In this study, our results suggest that treadmill exercise promoted the removal of the aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein, resulting in protection against disease development and blocks the apoptotic process in the chronic parkinsonian mice brain with severe neurodegeneration.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2008

The flow rate measurements in a multi-phase flow pipeline were evaluated quantitatively by means of a clamp-on sealed radioisotope based on a cross correlation signal processing technique. The flow rates were calculated by a determination of the transit time between two sealed gamma sources by using a cross correlation function following FFT filtering, then corrected with vapor fraction in the pipeline which was measured by the ${\gamma}$-ray attenuation method. The pipeline model was manufactured by acrylic resin(ID. 8 cm, L=3.5 m, t=10 mm), and the multi-phase flow patterns were realized by an injection of compressed $N_2$ gas. Two sealed gamma sources of $^{137}Cs$ (E=0.662 MeV, ${\Gamma}$ $factor=0.326\;R{\cdot}h^{-1}{\cdot}m^2{\cdot}Ci^{-1}$) of 20 mCi and 17 mCi, and radiation detectors of $2"{\times}2"$ NaI(Tl) scintillation counter (Eberline, SP-3) were used for this study. Under the given conditions(the distance between two sources: 4D(D; inner diameter), N/S ratio: $0.12{\sim}0.15$, sampling time ${\Delta}t$: 4msec), the measured flow rates showed the maximum. relative error of 1.7 % when compared to the real ones through the vapor content corrections($6.1\;%{\sim}9.2\;%$). From a subsequent experiment, it was proven that the closer the distance between the two sealed sources is, the more precise the measured flow rates are. Provided additional studies related to the selection of radioisotopes their activity, and an optimization of the experimental geometry are carried out, it is anticipated that a radioisotope application for flow rate measurements can be used as an important tool for monitoring multi-phase facilities belonging to petrochemical and refinery industries and contributes economically in the light of maintenance and control of them.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.105-138
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• 2009

Although the decline in fertility rate is generally observed along the history of economic development throughout the world, the continuing decline hitting below the replacement level in Korea over the recent years gathered serious social concerns on the ground that it accelerates the process of population aging. The total fertility rate in Koreareached 2.08 in 1983, and gradually fell to the levels of 1.08 in 2005 and 1.26 in 2007. The policy debate over the role of the government has been focused mainly on the level of theoretical discussion without substantial basis on firm empirical evidence and the determinants of fertility. The objective of the paper is to empirically investigate the fertility effect of the female wage, which is understood as one of the most important determinants of fertility in Koreasince 1980 focusing on one aspect of fertility, namely birth spacing. Using the Korean National Fertility Survey conducted in 2006, I estimate a duration model of first and second births taking into account individual heterogeneity, which turned out to be an important factor to control for. Compared with previous studies in the literature on the Korean fertility, the study has an advantage of using the complete pregnancy history of women in a more representative sample. Unlike the previous studies, the analysis also deals with the endogeneity of marriage by treating a certain age, rather than age at marriage, as the time in which a woman becomes exposed to the risk of pregnancy. The study shares the common problem in the literature on birth spacing of lacking relevant wage information for respondents in a retrospective survey. I estimate the wage series as a function of the basic characteristics using the annual Wage Structure Survey from 1980 to 2005, which is considered as a nationally representative sample for wage information of employees. The results suggest that the increase in female wage by 10 percent leads to a decrease in second birth hazard by 0.56~0.92 percentage points and that the increase in spouse's wage by the equal amount is accompanied by the increase in second birth hazard by 0.36~1.13 percentage points. These estimates are more precisely estimated and of smaller magnitude than those presented by the previous studies. The results are robust to the different specifications of the wage equation. The simulation analysis based on the predicted values shows that about 17% of the change in the second birth hazard over the period 1980 to 2005 was due to the change in the female wage. Although there is some limitation in data, the results can be viewed as one estimate of the role of female wage on the recent fertility decline in Korea. The question raised by the paper is not a normative one of whether a government should promote childbearing but a positive one thatexplains fertility decline. Therefore, if there is a wide consensus on promoting childbearing, the finding suggests that the policies designed to reduce the opportunity cost of women in the labor market would be effective. The recent movement of implementing a wide range of family-friendly policies including child care support, maternity leave, parental leave and tax benefit in developed countries should be understood in this context.