• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.110-118
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• 2022

Frequent drought damage has resulted in the polarization of water resources. In Korea, local periodic abnormal droughts continued to occur between 2011 and 2017, resulting in decreased water storage rates of small-scale reservoirs designed with a frequency of 10-year droughts. This decrease can degrade water quality and limit the use of already secured quantities. Therefore, to prepare for and overcome drought, quality management and recalculation of drought frequency are required. This study estimates the potential pollutants causing quality changes in the reservoir. In addition, it reviews the decrease in storage and consequent changes in the quality of a reservoir during drought.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.458-467
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• 2022

Background: Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods: A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records. The control group consisted of those who had not had tests for COVID-19 at all. Unspecified pain diagnoses consisted of diagnoses related to pain included in the ICD-10 Chapter XVIII. Idiopathic pain disorders included fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorders, headaches, chronic prostatitis, complex regional pain syndrome, atypical facial pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. Results: After matching, the number of participants in each group was 7,911. For most unspecified pain, the incidences were higher in the COVID-19 group (11.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0-12.5) than in the control group (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.0-7.1). For idiopathic pain, only the headaches had a significantly higher incidence in the COVID-19 group (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.1-7.2) than in the control group (3.7%; 95% CI, 3.3-4.1). However, using a different control group that included only patients who visited a hospital at least once for any reasons, the incidences of most unspecified and idiopathic pain were higher in the control group than in the COVID-19 group. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 might be at a higher risk of experiencing unspecified pain in the acute phase or after recovery compared with individuals who had not had tests for COVID-19.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.458-464
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• 2023

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex disorder characterized by widespread chronic pain and tenderness in the muscles, ligaments, and soft tissues. It is a chronic pain condition often accompanied by other symptoms and comorbidities. To effectively manage FM, it is crucial to obtain fundamental epidemiological data pertaining to the target population. Therefore, this study was conducted to elucidate the epidemiological characteristics of FM in the Korean population. Methods: Population-based medical data of 51,276,314 subscribers to the National Health Insurance Service of Korea from 2014 to 2018 were used in this study. Results: The overall incidence of FM ranged from 441 (2014) to 541 (2018) cases per 100,000 person-years, with a higher prevalence observed among female patients compared to male patients. The incidence gradually increased until middle age, followed by a decrease. The highest incidence rates were observed in the fifth decade of life for females and the sixth decade of life for males. When categorizing the affected parts of the body, the shoulder region was observed to be the most frequently affected. A comparison of the drug prescriptions based on medical specialty showed that antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed medications. The management of FM leads to consistent increases in medical expenses, regional disparities, and variations in prescription patterns across different medical specialties. Conclusions: The findings of this study will not only contribute to the understanding of FM characteristics but also provide a vital foundation for efficient management of FM in Korea.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2023

Background: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has recently gained popularity as an adjunct to resuscitation of patients with traumatic shock. However, the effectiveness of REBOA is still debated because of inconsistent indications across centers and the lack of medical records. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of REBOA by analyzing clinical results from a single center. Methods: This study included 96 patients who underwent REBOA between August 2016 and September 2021 at a regional trauma center according to the center's treatment algorithm for traumatic shock. Medical records, including the time of the decision to conduct the REBOA procedure, time of operation, type of aortic occlusion, and clinical outcomes, were collected prospectively and analyzed retrospectively. Patients were classified by REBOA protocol (group 1, 2, or 3) and survival status (survivor or non-survivor) for analysis. Results: The overall success rate of the procedure was 97.9%, and the survival rate was 32.6%. In survivors, blood pressure was higher than in non-survivors both before the REBOA procedure (p=0.002) and after aortic occlusion (p=0.03). The total aortic occlusion time was significantly shorter (p=0.001) and the proportion of partial aortic occlusion was significantly higher (p=0.014) among the survivors. The non-survivors had more acidosis (p<0.001) and higher lactate concentrations (p<0.001) than the survivors. Conclusion: REBOA may be a feasible bridge therapy for resuscitation of patients with traumatic shock. Prompt and accurate decision-making to perform REBOA followed by damage control surgery could improve survival rates and clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.117-125
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• 2023

This study aimed to analyze the recent status and changes in impervious surface areas and their ratios across regions in Gyeongsangnam-do, providing fundamental data for regional development and impervious surface management. Based on the 'Guidelines for Calculating Water Cycle Management Indicators for Nonpoint Pollution Source Control(Ministry of Environment)', we processed the land characteristics survey map(shapefile) from 2018 and 2022 to analyze impervious surface area and their rates by administrative boundaries. The impervious surface area in Gyeongsangnam-do increased from 75,652 ha in 2018 to 81,055 ha in 2022, with the rate rising by 0.51% from 7.18% to 7.69%. The average of impervious surface area across 545 eupmyeon units expanded by approximately 9 ha, from 139.8 ha in 2018 to 148.8 ha in 2022, with the rate increasing by 0.71%. Concurrently, the whole population declined by 2.8% while the number of households surged by 6.4%, correlating with the growth in impervious areas. Despite population decreases, factors such as population migration, increased household fragmentation, new residential developments, and industrial facility expansions have consistently contributed to the rise in impervious surface area. Notably, even in areas with high impervious surface area rate, significant disparities existed between urbanized areas and predominantly rural regions. Furthermore, about 333 units(61% of the whole eupmyeons), showed negligible changes in their impervious surface area rate, with an increase of less than 0.5%.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.199-210
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• 2023

This study was undertaken to analyze the growth, nutritional, and dietary risk factors of elementary school students belonging to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education and provide the basic data needed to develop an underweight and obesity prevention program. In 2021, BMI and Dietary Screening Test (DST) data of 4,046 children surveyed by the Nutrition Education Experience Center's "Diagnosis System" of the Busan Regional Office of Education were analyzed. The DST consists of 36 questions about lifestyle habits, meal quality, meal regularity, snack quality, and eating behavior. Of the children included, 6.8% were underweight, 65.4% were normal weight, 13.4% were overweight, and 14.4% were obese. Children in the obesity group had shorter sleep and meal times (P<0.001), lower vegetable and fruit consumption frequencies (P<0.001), higher fast food consumption frequencies (P<0.001), higher rates of skipping meals (P<0.01) and breakfast (P<0.001), and more frequently used smartphones and watched TV during meals (P<0.001). The underweight group had the highest scores for all eating development factors but more frequently had chewing and swallowing difficulties (P<0.001). The study confirms underweightedness and obesity are present different problems and indicates that nutrition teachers should conduct accurate studies on the eating habits and behaviors of obese and underweight students and provide individually tailored nutritional counseling.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.6_2
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• pp.1135-1144
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• 2023

In this paper, bending strength and permeability tests were conducted on concrete permeable blocks manufactured by recycling industrial by-products of oyster shell and blast furnace slag to measure and compare bending strength and permeability coefficient, and present experimental research results. To this end, a total of 54 specimens with a size of 200x200x60mm for surface layer and base layer were manufactured, and bending strength and permeability test were carried ourt accoridng to KS F 4419. Eighteen types of mixing designs were implemented by varying the mixing and replacement rates of oyster shells and blast furnace slag. As a result of the experiment, the higher the mixing ratio of oyster shell, the lower the bending strength and the permeability coefficient. Thereafter, a total of three permeable blocks with dimensions of 200x200x60mm were manufactured and subjected to bending strength and permeability tests according to KS F 4419. As a result of the test, the bending strength satisfies the standard of KS F 4419, and the permeability coefficient is 12 times higher than the standard of KS F 4419. It seems that the proper mixing of oyster shells and blast furnace slag increases the amount of air, and further research on durability and economic feasibility of materials used to manufacture permeable blocks is required.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.101-111
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical activity as a risk factor for neck pain recurrence using the National Health Insurance Data Sharing Service that utilizes a nationwide cohort in South Korea. Methods: Medical records spanning a two-year period were extracted from the National Health Insurance database for 541,937 patients who sought healthcare services for neck pain (ICD 10 codes: M54.2) in 2020 and completed the national health examination survey. Selected variables for analysis included age, gender, health insurance premium decile, regional health vulnerability index, body mass index (BMI), acuity, blood pressure, and types of physical activity. A mixed-effect multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the recurrence rate of neck pain and identify risk factors for neck pain recurrence. Results: Among the participants, 124,433 patients (23.0%) experienced a recurrence of neck pain within two years, with higher recurrence rates observed among older individuals and females. Regression analysis revealed that the risk of neck pain recurrence increased with age (OR=1.51), being female (OR= 1.10), being a medical aid recipient (OR=1.51), and having anaerobic (OR=1.04) or vigorous physical activities (OR=1.06). By contrast, an increased health insurance premium decile (OR=0.96) and having moderate physical activity (OR=0.97) were associated with a decreased risk of neck pain recurrence. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of moderate physical activity as an effective strategy for reducing the recurrence of nonspecific neck pain, underscoring the necessity for personalized physical activity programs for patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2024

Purpose: Helicopter transport with medical teams has been proven to be effective, with improvements in patient survival rates. This study compared and analyzed the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of trauma patients transported by doctor helicopters according to whether patients were transferred after a clinical evaluation or without a clinical evaluation. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed data from the Korean Trauma Data Bank of trauma patients who arrived at a regional trauma center through doctor helicopters from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2022. The patients were divided into two groups: doctor helicopter transport before evaluation (DHTBE) and doctor helicopter transport after evaluation (DHTAE). These groups were compared. Results: The study population included 351 cases. At the time of arrival at the trauma center, the systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the DHTAE group than in the DHTBE group (P=0.018). The Injury Severity Score was significantly higher in the DHTAE group (P<0.001), and the accident to trauma center arrival time was significantly shorter in the DHTBE group (P<0.001). Mortality did not show a statistically significant between-group difference (P=0.094). Surgical cases in the DHTAE group had a longer time from the accident scene to trauma center arrival (P=0.002). The time from the accident to the operation room or from the accident to angioembolization showed no statistically significant differences. Conclusions: DHTAE was associated with significantly longer transport times to the trauma center, as well as nonstatistically significant trends for delays in receiving surgery and procedures, as well as higher mortality. If severe trauma is suspected, air transport to a trauma center should be requested immediately after a simple screening test (e.g., mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Scale, or Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma), which may help reduce the time to definitive treatment.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.203-209
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of the dilution ratio of Tris diluent, storage at 0℃, and long-distance transportation on the spermatozoa of Simmental cattle. It also validated the feasibility of the regional distribution of fresh semen. Methods: In experiment 1, semen was diluted at four dilution ratios (1:6, 1:9, 1:12, and 1:15) to determine the optimal dilution ratio of Tris diluent. In experiment 2, we assessed sperm viability, progressive motility (objectively assessed by computer-assisted sperm analyzer), and acrosome intactness in Tris dilutions kept at constant 0℃ for 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days. We compared them to Tianshan livestock dilutions (Commercial diluent). In experiment 3, semen was diluted using Tris diluent, and sperm quality was measured before and after long-distance transport. Artificial insemination of 177 Simmental heifers compared to 156 using Tianshan Livestock dilution. Results: The outcomes demonstrated that 1:9 was the ideal Tris diluent dilution ratio. The sperm viability, Progressive Motility, and acrosome integrity of both Tris and Tianshan dilutions preserved at 0℃ gradually decreased over time. sperm viability was above 50% for both dilutions on d 9, with a flat rate of decline. The decrease in acrosome integrity rate was faster for Tianshan livestock dilutions than for Tris dilutions when stored at 0℃ for 1 to 6 days. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in sperm viability between semen preserved in Tris diluent after long-distance transportation and semen preserved in resting condition. The conception rates for Tris dilution and Tianshan livestock dilution were 49.15% and 46.15% respectively, with no significant difference (p>0.05). Conclusion: This shows that Tris diluent is a good long-term protectant. It has been observed that fresh semen can be successfully preserved for long-distance transport when stored under 0℃ conditions. Additionally, it is feasible to distribute semen regionally.