• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.900-909
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• 2013

This study purposed to analyze the determinants of length of stay for patients having alzheimer dementia in geriatric hospitals. Sample data was collected from the National Patient Sample (NPS) produced by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) in 2009. Total 538 alzheimer inpatients over 65 years were used in the analysis. Patients were classified into 5 risk groups to represent the case-mix differences of patients. Organizational characteristics of geriatric hospitals such as number of beds, doctors, and nurses were included in the analysis model. In multivariate regression analysis, hospital variables were not statistically significant in explaining the length of stay. Two risk group were statistically significant in analysis, However, their signs of relationship with the dependent variable were opposite to the expectations. These results suggest that the characteristics of patients and hospitals did not have impacts on the length of stay. There will be needs to test the effects of other factor such as social needs which represents the socio-economic status of the family for the patients.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2008

The fyn-related kinase (FRK) belongs to the tyrosine kinase family of protein kinases. Recent studies have shown that Frk affects pancreatic beta cell number during embryogenesis and promotes beta cell cytotoxic signals in response to streptozotocin. To investigate the genetic association between FRK polymorphisms and the risk of obesity in Korean population, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FRK gene region were selected and analyzed. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and biochemical data (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1C, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, and low density lipoprotein) of blood sample from each subject were also measured. One hundred fifty five healthy control and 204 overweight/obesity subjects were recruited. Genotype frequencies of six SNPs [rs6568920 (+8391G>A), rs3756772 (+56780A>G), rs3798234 (+75687C>T), rs9384970 (+68506G>A), rs1933739 (+72978G>A), and rs9400883 (+75809A>G)] in the FRK gene were determined by Affymetrix Targeted Genotyping Chip data. According to the classification of Korean Society for the Study of Obesity, control (BMI 18 to < 23) and overweight/obesity (BMI$\geq$23) subjects were recruited. For the analysis of genetic data, EM algorithm, SNPStats, Haploview, HapAnalyzer, SNPAnalyzer, and Helixtree programs were used. Multiple logistic regression analysis (codominant, dominant, and recessive models) was performed. Age and gender as covariates were adjusted. For biochemical data, Student's t test was used. The mean value of BMI in the control and overweigh/obesity groups was 21.1${\pm}$1.2 (mean${\pm}$SD) and 25.6${\pm}$2.0, respectively. All biochemical data of the overweight/obesity group were statistically significance, compared with the control group. Among six SNPs, two linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks were discovered. One block consisted of rs1933739 and rs9400883, and the other comprised rs3756772 and rs3798234. One SNP (rs9384970, +68506G>A) showed an association with overweight/obesity in the codominant model (p=0.03). Interestingly, the AA genotype distribution in the overweight/obesity group (n=7, 3.5%) was higher than those in the control group (n=1, 0.6%), which is not found in either Japanese or Chinese subjects. Therefore, the AA genotype of rs9384970 may be a risk factor for development of obesity in Korean population. The results suggest that FRK may be associated with overweight/obesity in Korean population.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.228-249
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• 2018

In 2015, the population of elderly people in Thailand was 16% of the total population and is predicted to be over 20% by 2021 and nearly 28% by 2031. The increase of the elderly population in Thailand has also increased the proportion of dependent elderly people, and caring for them poses many challenges for both families and the government. This descriptive method research aimed to survey the health status of dependent older people in the rural community of Lampang province in northern Thailand. The participants consisted of 62 older people and 62 primary family caregivers from Hong Ha Health Promoting Hospital, Lampang, Thailand (totaling 124 people). The researchers assessed the health status of older people and their activities of daily living (ADL). In addition, researchers assessed the health status and stress of caregivers. All the participants were interviewed about their experiences with caregiving. The results showed that most of the older respondents were female with an average age of 78.15 years. Based on the ADL assessment, 50 of the 62 older persons were homebound while the rest were bedridden. The majority of older people had chronic or long-term conditions that required hospitalization from time to time. Their frequent health problems included oral disorders such as tooth decay or caries/gum disease/no teeth, reduced sight, psychological disorders, knee pain and risk of falling, low BMI, risk of malnutrition, and urinary leakage and incontinence (58.06%, 66.13%, 62.90%, 70.97%, 38.71%, 66.13%, and 37.10%, respectively). Usual care provided by the family members included personal hygiene care, food preparation and feeding, medication management, housekeeping and organizing necessary equipment, supply of needed equipment, prevention of falls, helping with travel for medical checkups and treatment, and providing companionship. Families experienced shortages of medical supplies, daily use equipment, lack of employment, inadequate income, and difficulty accessing health care services due to lack of transportation. Some caregivers experienced caregiving stress related to a lack of social interactions as well as routine caregiving activities. Families need different types of support in order to promote the well-being of older people and caregivers. This highlights the need for a community participation model for the care of older people in order to reflect sustainable long-term outcomes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5721-5727
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• 2014

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of clustering methods used in the prognostic assessment of categorical clinical data for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in China, and establish a predictable prognostic nomogram for clinical decisions. Materials and Methods: A total of 332 newly diagnosed HCC patients treated with hepatic resection during 2006-2009 were enrolled. Patients were regularly followed up at outpatient clinics. Clustering methods including the Average linkage, k-modes, fuzzy k-modes, PAM, CLARA, protocluster, and ROCK were compared by Monte Carlo simulation, and the optimal method was applied to investigate the clustering pattern of the indices including platelet count, platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and serum aspartate aminotransferase activity/platelet count ratio index (APRI). Then the clustering variable, age group, tumor size, number of tumor and vascular invasion were studied in a multivariable Cox regression model. A prognostic nomogram was constructed for clinical decisions. Results: The ROCK was best in both the overlapping and non-overlapping cases performed to assess the prognostic value of platelet-based indices. Patients with categorical platelet-based indices significantly split across two clusters, and those with high values, had a high risk of HCC recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 1.42, 95% CI 1.09-1.86; p<0.01). Tumor size, number of tumor and blood vessel invasion were also associated with high risk of HCC recurrence (all p< 0.01). The nomogram well predicted HCC patient survival at 3 and 5 years. Conclusions: A cluster of platelet-based indices combined with other clinical covariates could be used for prognosis evaluation in HCC.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.637-644
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• 2011

Objective & Background: When applying various evaluation tools that analyze work posture risk through observation, accurate measurement of body flexion angle is very important. Method: This study investigated differences and appropriateness of 5 different existing reference points commonly used in the analysis of the work posture. Twenty five ergonomist and trained professionals were participated in this study. A Same flexion angle was utilized for the evaluation of risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorders using five different reference points to investigate the degree of difference between them. To investigate how different the observers' preferred flexion angle measuring methods were compared to the ISO 11226 Reference Posture, a virtual body model was constructed using the Poser 6.0 program. Six types of body flexion postures were constructed, and since neck flexion differs according to body angle, five types of neck flexion postures were constructed with the trunk bending $20^{\circ}$ forward, making up a total of 30 virtual flexion postures. Results: Results showed that the observers used personally preferred reference points instead of reference points recommend in the evaluation tools. Also the results revealed the their seems to be 6 types of flexion angle for the trunk and 11 types of measurement methods for the neck flexion angle in the form of personally preferred reference points. The results showed that a mean difference of $14^{\circ}$($4{\sim}23^{\circ}$) occurred in the trunk, and a mean difference of $20^{\circ}$($-8{\sim}51^{\circ}$) occurred in the neck. To increase accuracy when using the 5 evaluation tools in combination, the ISO 11226 standards, observers' preferred flexion posture standards, and common flexion posture standards of the evaluation tools were compared with the reference points of the 5 evaluation tools. Results showed considerable variance in angle difference for each evaluation tool. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, considering the angle difference between the flexion angle reference points of the evaluation tool and the reference points selected by the observers, it is concluded that instead of personally preferred reference points, the standardized reference points to enhance the accuracy and the objectivity. Application: The result of this study can be used as reference guide to develop the standardized reference point in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1117-1128
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• 2021

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of 4-week health promotion intervention program consisting of high-intensity aerobic exercise to improve energy consumption and cardiorespiratory capacity, circuit training to strengthen muscular strength and endurance and education for lifestyle changes on the obesity level, physical fitness, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome among overweight or obese elementary school students. Twenty three overweight or obese children as obese group and 15 normal body weight children as normal group were recruited. The health promotion program consisted of two exercise sessions and one education session, 3days/week in 4-week. Obesity level(body mass index, waist circumference, %body fat), physical fitness(muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiopulmonary fitness), insulin resistance(homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) and metabolic syndrome risk factors(blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol) were measured. There was not significant decrease in obesity level; however, there were significant improvement in physical fitness, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome risk factors after program participation among obese children. As a result, through participation in the summer camp consisting mainly of exercise, the improvement of the physical fitness level and the decrease of insulin resistance had an effect on the reduction of the metabolic syndrome frequency.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.247-261
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the association between insulin resistance and the major dietary patterns of Korean adults. Methods: This study used data from the 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The subjects were 2,276 adults aged 19 to 64 years old. Based on the food frequency questionnaire data, 112 food items were reclassified into 30 food groups. The principal component analysis method was applied to identify major dietary patterns. We used homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) value as indicators of insulin resistance. The association between major dietary patterns and insulin resistance was investigated using logistic regression analysis. Results: Three major dietary patterns were identified and assigned descriptive names based on the food items with high loadings: 'healthy Korean meal pattern', 'western meal pattern', and 'white rice, alcohol, meat pattern'. As the 'white rice, alcohol, meat pattern' score increased, significant increasing trends for fasting glucose concentration and HOMA-IR and a significant decreasing trend for QUICKI were observed after adjusting for age and sex. The odds ratio of insulin resistance according to the 'healthy Korean meal pattern' and the 'western meal pattern' were not statistically significant. the 'white rice, alcohol, meat pattern' showed a significant positive association with the risk of insulin resistance after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: These results suggest that the 'white rice, alcohol, meat pattern' is positively associated with the risk of insulin resistance. The white rice, alcohol, meat pattern was related to the high consumption of alcohol together with rice or meat. This pattern was also associated with the high intake of sodium and low intakes of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber. To confirm the association, further longitudinal studies are required.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.87-97
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the lower extremity function of stroke patients. Methods : Domestic data were gathered from studies that conducted clinical trials associated with transcranial direct current stimulation and its impact on lower extremity function of stroke patients. A total of 592 studies published between 2012 and 2020 were identified, with 7 studies satisfying the inclusion data. The studies consisted of patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) data. The search outcomes were items associated with muscle activity, balance, muscle strength and walking ability. Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) was used to evaluate the quality of 3 randomized control trials. The quality of 4 non-randomized control trials was evaluated using risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized studies (RoBANS). Effect sizes in this study were computed as the corrected standard mean difference (SMD). A random-effect model was used to analyze the effect size because of the high heterogeneity among the studies. Egger's regression and 'trim-and-fill' tests were carried out to analyze the publishing bias. Results : The following factors had a large total effect size (Hedges's g=2.10, 95 %CI=1.54~2.66) involving transcranial direct current stimulation on stroke patients: muscle activity (Hedges's g=2.38, 95 %CI=1.08~3.68), balance (Hedges's g4=2.41, 95 %CI=1.33~3.60), walking ability (Hedges's g=1.54, 95 %CI=0.49~2.59), and muscle strength (Hedges's g=2.45, 95 % CI: 0.85~4.05). Egger's regression test showed that the publishing bias had statistically significant differences but 'trim-and-fill' test showed that there was still statistical difference. Conclusion : This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation on the lower extremity in terms of muscle activity, balance, walking ability, and muscle strength in stroke patients. However, due to the low quality of studies and high heterogeneity factors, the results of our study should be interpreted cautiously.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.402-413
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• 2022

Objectives: In this study, the scale of exceeding the extreme heat exposure standard at the construction site was estimated using the nationally approved statistical data and wet bulb globe temperature modeling method. By comparing and analyzing the modeling results with the existing work environment monitoring results, the risk of heat exposure at outdoor construction sites was considered. Methods: Using the coordinates of second level administrative districts and meteorological observatories as the key, the automated synoptic observing system data and building permit data for 2021 were matched. The wet-bulb temperature was obtained using Stull's formula, and the globe temperature was obtained using the Tg_KMA2006 model. WBGT was calculated using these. Excess rates were obtained compared to exposure limits for heavy work-continuous work and moderate work-25% rest. It was compared with the results of the work environment monitoring in 2020. Results: As a result, 1,827,536 cases were estimated for 11,052 workplaces in one year. This is much higher than the 5,116 cases of 3818 workplaces of the existing work environment monitoring results. It is confirmed that the exposure limit was exceeded in 10.6~24.0% of the entire period and 70.2~84.1% of the peak period of the heat wave. It is very high compared to 0.9% of the existing work environment monitoring result. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the system of monitoring and statistics related to extreme heat. Additional considerations are needed regarding WBGT estimation methods, meteorological data, and evaluation time. Various follow-up risk assessment studies for other industries and time series need to be continued.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.106-116
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• 2024

Purpose: This paper conducts IoT and CCTV-based safety monitoring to analyze accidents and potential risks occurring at construction sites, and detect and analyze risks such as falls and collisions or abnormalities and to establish a system for early warning using devices like a walkie-talkie and chatbot service. Method: A safety management service model is presented through smart construction technology case studies at the construction site and review a relevant literature analysis. Result: According to 'Construction Accident Statistics,' in 2021, there were 26,888 casualties in the construction industry, accounting for 26.3% of all reported accidents. Fatalities in construction-related accidents amounted to 417 individuals, representing 50.5% of all industrial accident-related deaths. This study suggests implementing AI chatbot services for construction site safety management utilizing IoT-based health monitoring technologies in smart construction practices. Construction sites where stakeholders such as workers participate were demonstrated by implementing an artificial intelligence chatbot system by selecting major risk areas within the workplace, such as scaffolding processes, openings, and access to hazardous machinery. Conclusion: The possibility of commercialization was confirmed by receiving more than 90 points in the satisfaction survey of participating workers regarding the empirical results of the artificial intelligence chatbot service at construction sites.