• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.141-146
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• 2022

Purpose: Congenital tuberculosis (TB) is difficult to diagnose owing to its non-specific symptoms. Delayed diagnosis increases the risk of nosocomial infections. We examined the TB status of infants and healthcare workers who were in proximity to preterm twins diagnosed with congenital TB 63 days after birth and 48 days after admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Contact investigations were conducted on 24 staff members and 35 infants who had contact with the twins with congenital TB. Results: Two of the exposed infants, both of whom had received the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, had positive tuberculin skin test results. Four of the 24 exposed staff members had positive interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test results before exposure and were not re-tested after exposure; the remaining 20 had negative IGRA test results. All exposed staff members and infants had normal chest radiographic findings. Conclusions: Although transmission of TB in the NICU is unusual, it can occur. These results support the need for a systematic investigation of the TB status of exposed infants, their family members, and healthcare workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2023

Life expectancy is increasing due to the aging of the population, which is in turn exacerbating problems such as the prevalence of various geriatric diseases. This study was established to provide basic data for the expansion of forest healing activities for the elderly by systematically analyzing the literature on how such activities affect this age group. For the collection of studies, the Korean databases RISS, KISS, Korea Med, and Science On were used, while PubMed, Cochrane Central, MDPI, and Google Scholar were used to identify reports published elsewhere. To assess the quality of the methodology used in the collected studies, the risk of bias was analyzed using Cochrane's RoB2 and RoBANS. Among 1,856 reports initially identified, 21 were finally selected for analysis in this study, which were limited to research papers on forest healing activities for the elderly published between 2000 and January 2022. In this review, the subjects were those aged 60 or older, with a total of 750 participants, ranging from at least 7 to a maximum of 88 per study. The analysis showed that the most frequently performed tests in each category were on depression as a psychological indicator in 7 studies, MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination) as a cognitive indicator in 2 studies, on blood pressure as a physiological indicator in 4 studies, on melatonin as a biochemical indicator in 2 studies, and on body fat and muscle strength as physical indicators in 3 studies. Of the 21 studies, 19 used two or more test items, with psychological indicators being most commonly measured. For the future application of forest healing activities for the elderly, various forest healing programs to prevent cognitive function decline should be developed and distributed, and follow-up studies should be continuously presented to provide the basis for forest healing activities.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.23-35
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• 2023

Purpose : Lung cancer induces a decrease in physical activity and a deterioration of respiratory ability. Exercise is an effective treatment to reduce side effects of anti-cancer treatments, also influence the survival and successful rehabilitation in lung cancer patients. However, there is insufficient evidence to show which period is the most effective to apply exercise for lung cancer patients. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of exercise-based interventions before and after surgery. Methods : Clinical trials (CTs) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported in PubMed database were investigated. The trials investigated in this study were published for 10 years before August 20, 2022. The risk of bias was judged according to the Cochrane guideline. The materials included in this meta-analysis were 6-minute walk test (6MWT), pulmonary function, and quality of life (QOL). Results : 1 CT and 9 RCTs were selected in current study. In the meta-analysis, exercise increased 6MWT in preoperation (mean difference [MD] 29.49; 95 % confidence interval [CI] .99 to 57.99; p=.04; I²=0 %), 3 months postoperation (MD 54.97; 95 % CI 31.85 to 78.09; p<.001; I²=45 %) and 6 months postoperation (MD 85.59; 95 % CI 45.06 to 126.12; p<.001; I²=47 %). Exercise, also enhanced the lung function such as FEV₁/FVC (%) in postoperation (MD 7.64; 95 % CI 6.26 to 9.02; p<.001; I²=19 %). Additionally, exercise improved QOL, such as preoperative EORTC-QLQ-C30-LC13 in mental function (MD 3.21; 95 % CI .64 to 5.79; p=.01; I²=0 %) and postoperative SF-36 in mental component summary (MD 9.24; 95 % CI 4.94 to 13.54; p<.001; I²=0%). Conclusion : These results indicate that exercise-based intervention can elevate the ability to exercise and the mental componentof QOL within 3 months.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.55-68
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• 2023

Objective : This study aims to analyze the effects of visual perception intervention by systematically reviewing the studies that applied visual perception intervention to children with cerebral palsy. Methods : The databases used were PubMed, EMbase, Science Direct, ProQuest, Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), and the National Assembly Library. The keywords used were cerebral palsy, CP, and visual perception. According to the PRISMA flowchart, 10 studies were selected from among studies published from January 1, 2012 to March 30, 2022. The quality level of the selected studies, the demographic characteristics of study participants, the effectiveness of interventions, area and strategies of intervention, assessment tools to measure the effectiveness of interventions, and risk of bias were analyzed. Results : All selected studies confirmed that visual perception intervention was effective in improving visual perception function. In addition, positive results were shown in upper extremity function, activities of daily living, posture control, goal achievement, and psychosocial areas as well as visual perception function. The eye-hand coordination area was intervened in all studies. Conclusion : In visual perception intervention, It is necessary to evaluate the visual perception function by area, and apply systematically graded customized interventions for each individual.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.95-113
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• 2023

Objectives: To review studies evaluating effects of acupuncture on pain and depressive symptoms in fibromyalgia. Methods: Quantitative evidences (RCTs) were systematically reviewed. Literature were searched for a combination of fibromyalgia and depression (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, medline (via PubMed), Kmbase, KISS, ScienceON, OASIS, CiNii, CNKI). Quantitative research findings were critically appraised by Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool and pooled. Meta-analysis was then conducted using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. Results: Eighteen studies were selected. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Fibromyalgia Syndrome was most frequently used as diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. As for outcome measurement, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Total Effective Rate (TER) were used most commonly. Meta-analysis of ten studies revealed that both Depression and VAS scores of the Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly lower than those of Western Medicine group (Depression: SMD, -0.94, 95% CI, -1.17 to -0.70; VAS: MD, -1.51, 95% CI, -1.83 to -1.19). Also, TERs of both Acupuncture group and Acupuncture+Western Acupuncture+Western Medicine group were significantly higher than those of the Western Medicine group (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.41; and OR: 7.40, 95% CI: 3.41 to 16.07). There was no significant difference in Depression or VAS score between the Acupuncture Group and the Western Medicine Group. Conclusions: Acupuncture might be an effective option for pain and depressive symptoms of fibromyalgia when it is combined with Western Medicine treatment. For more accurate results, more types of Korean medicine treatment should be conducted.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.6-19
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• 2023

As data management and intelligence capability become proxy indicators of national power, the risk provoked by high depending on digital technology ironically increases. The quicker the changes come to be, the more important digitizing existing data and management of digital data are. The management of archaeological data could not be exceptional. It has to be performed in a more comprehensive, systematic and rapid manner. In order to perform the task, the nature of archaeological data contained in the digital archive should be properly recognized in advance: the primary data are generated by excavation as a process destroying their sources, the data are enormous in type and quantity, including long-term and various human experience, and the natural extinction of primary data in handwritten form is likely to be more crucial than in any other discipline. These characteristics of archaeological data unimaginably devastated the possibility of recovering archives, when we face a digital dark age. Considering both recent trend and the nature of archaeological data mentioned above, we can derive strategies for building a sustainable archaeological digital archive. As an archaeology-major consumer of the digital data, I propose four strategic considerations: ① establishing a system of digital data literacy; ② enhancing evaluation and capability of data reuse; ③ building an international data sharing system; ④ developing it into the platform for digital archaeology.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.141-152
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• 2023

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological results for the association between occupational exposure as a firefighter and cancer as part of the broader evidence synthesis work of the IARC Monographs program. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies of firefighters followed for cancer incidence and mortality. Studies were evaluated for the influence of key biases on results. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the association between ever-employment and duration of employment as a firefighter and risk of 12 selected cancers. The impact of bias was explored in sensitivity analyses. Results: Among the 16 included cancer incidence studies, the estimated meta-rate ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity statistic (I²) for ever-employment as a career firefighter compared mostly to general populations were 1.58 (1.14-2.20, 8%) for mesothelioma, 1.16 (1.08-1.26, 0%) for bladder cancer, 1.21 (1.12-1.32, 81%) for prostate cancer, 1.37 (1.03-1.82, 56%) for testicular cancer, 1.19 (1.07-1.32, 37%) for colon cancer, 1.36 (1.15-1.62, 83%) for melanoma, 1.12 (1.01-1.25, 0%) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.28 (1.02-1.61, 40%) for thyroid cancer, and 1.09 (0.92-1.29, 55%) for kidney cancer. Ever-employment as a firefighter was not positively associated with lung, nervous system, or stomach cancer. Results for mesothelioma and bladder cancer exhibited low heterogeneity and were largely robust across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: There is epidemiological evidence to support a causal relationship between occupational exposure as a firefighter and certain cancers. Challenges persist in the body of evidence related to the quality of exposure assessment, confounding, and medical surveillance bias.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.332-337
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• 2023

Korea is not only surrounded by the sea on three sides, but also has national and local rivers extending 26,843 km, so it has a geographical feature in which abundant sea and inland water surface coexist. As the number of ships operating in the inland waters is continuously increasing due to the improvement of national income, the risk of ship accidents and human casualties in the inland waters is also increasing. In this study, a macroscopic plan for the safety management of inland water ships was presented through investigation of inland water related laws and operation status analysis. As an improvement plan, as a hardware infrastructure it is proposed to secure sufficient inland water fire-boats to secure the golden time for early response to accidents and lifesaving, and to operate an institution specializing in the prevention of inland water ships accidents. And as a software infrastructure, establish departure control standards for inland water ships and the safety diagnosis system currently applied only to sea going ships, the introduction of a system tailored to the characteristics of inland water ships. The proposed inland water safety management policy is expected to contribute to the preparation of prompt and systematic countermeasures in the event of an inland water ship accident, and it is hoped that it will serve as an opportunity to continue to pay attention to safety-related research on inland water ships, which was briefly activated after the sinking of M/V Sewol.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.320-329
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• 2023

Background: Oral frailty has garnered considerable interest following its identification as a risk factor for physical frailty. The Korean oral frailty diagnosis criteria have emphasized the need for extensive research on oral frailty diagnostic items and interventions. Our study performed an in-depth analysis of the tongue-palate pressure patterns in healthy community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Of the 217 older adults aged ≥60 years who visited a senior center in Wonju, 205 participants who completed tongue pressure measurement were included in the final analysis. Pressure changes over time were recorded by instructing the participants to press their tongue against the hard palate with for 7 seconds per cycle. The participants were divided into the normal and abnormal tongue pressure (NTP and ATP, respectively) groups based on whether they achieved the target tongue pressure at least once; tongue pressure patterns were compared between the groups. Furthermore, the average time taken to achieve the standard tongue pressure value was calculated for the participants in the NTP group and used to evaluate the decrease in tongue pressure in the ATP group. Results: Among the 205 participants, 40.5% had ATP. The tongue pressure graph revealed a gentle and consistent incline that was maintained even after achieving standard tongue pressure in the NTP group. The graph was more extreme in the ATP group, and the changes in the pressure type varied across individuals; the tongue pressure was only 48.4%, 40.7%, 31.9%, and 22.6% of the NTP in the participants in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and ≥90s, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: Tongue pressure weakness was observed in 40.5% of the healthy community-dwelling older adults. Furthermore, ATP graphs were observed in the patients with tongue pressure weakness. Thus, activities improving the oral function in community-dwelling older adults and systematic oral rehabilitation programs should be devised to promote normal swallowing.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.225-236
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• 2023

Policy implications were derived by comparing/analyzing innovative SMEs and general SMEs that obtained innovation certification from 2015 to 2021 in terms of survival period. Work experience, scale (employment, capital and debt size, sales and operating profit) Korean standard industry classification (2 digit) was used to select general SMEs similar to innovative SMEs. Survival period was calculated by defining suspension, closure and overdue equivalent to default as events. As a result of the survival analysis, innovative SMEs showed a 9.8% reduction in the risk of delinquency compared to general SMEs, indicating that the survival period of innovative SMEs was significantly longer. In addition, it was found that the work experience and size (employment, capital) of SMEs had a positive effect on the survival period, but debt had a negative effect on the survival period. This means that the innovation certification system centered on innovation capabilities and future growth potential is a significant indicator in terms of survival period. As a result, it was concluded that the benefits and support policies provided by the innovation certification system need to be more systematic and sophisticated by reflecting the work experience and industry for the actual growth and survival of SMEs.