• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2013

Consumer organizations usually lead the opinions of the consumers. This study was performed to investigate the perceptions and information needs of consumer organizations on food additives for the promotion of risk communication. A survey was conducted for 4 weeks in March 2012 by using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 32 questions. Total 111 responses were collected for analysis. 'Safety (91.0%)' was the most important factor influencing the purchase of processed food, and both 'food additives (24.3%)' and 'environmental pollution (23.4%)' were considered as main risk factors. The longer the career of the members had, the higher negative perceptions on food additives (p<0.01). About 70% of the respondents who had known KFDA's researches on evaluating safety of food additives answered that researches were not enough to make sure the safety. Although lectures and other domestic organization were the main channels for getting information, 'TV' was considered as the most suitable way for it. 'Poor risk communication (32.4%)' was pointed out as the serious problem of government's food safety policy. Based on these results, consumer organizations' low level of trust on government should be overcome by continuous supply of information what they need to facilitate risk communication on food additives.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.227-235
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• 2016

Objectives : The aims of this study were to know the frequency of cognitive dysfunction among patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders, and to reveal influencing factors on it, especially to clarify association with autoimmune thyroid antibodies. Methods : From sixty-five female patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders, demographic data were obtained by structured interview. Their cognitive funtions were measured using the MMSE-K and the MoCA-K tests. Depression was evaluated by the K-HDRS. Results : 1) Among patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders, 7.69% of them were below 24 on the MMSE-K, while 10.77% were below 22 on the MoCA-K. The frequency of cognitive deficit was not significantly different according to having positivity to antimicrosomal antibodies or not. 2) The antimicrosomal antibody-positive patients had significantly higher antithyroglobulin antibody titers, antimicrosomal antibody titers, and TSH concentration, while had significantly lower free T4 levels(p<0.05, respectively). 3) The total scores of the MMSE-K and the MoCA-K had significant correlation with age, marital status, antithyroglobulin antibody titers and K-HDRS(p<0.05, respectively). 4) The regression analysis revealed that variables such as age, education, autoimmune thyroid antibodies, thyroid function and depression did not influence on cognitive function of patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders. Conclusions : Our results could not support that cognitive function of patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders had correlation with autoimmune thyroid antibodies.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.812-824
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• 2013

Reserpine, an anti-hypertensive drug, is able to positively modulate several phenotypes associated with $A{\beta}$ toxicity in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated into the therapeutic effects of reserpine on mammalian neurodegenerative disorders, and found that significant alteration of the key factors influencing AD was detected in Tg2576 mice after reserpine treatment for 30 days. The aggressive behavior of Tg2576 mice was significantly improved upon reserpine treatment, whereas their social contact was consistently maintained. Furthermore, the levels of $A{\beta}$-42 peptide in the hippocampus of the brain and blood serum were lower in the reserpine-treated group than in the vehicle-treated group. Among g-secretase components, the expression levels of PS-2, Pen-2, and APH-1 were slightly lower in reserpine-treated Tg2576 mice, although a significant change in nicastrin (NCT) expression was not detected. Furthermore, the serum level of nerve growth factor (NGF) increased in reserpine-treated Tg2576 mice compared with vehicle-treated mice. Among down-stream effectors of the NGF receptor TrkA signaling pathway, reserpine treatment induced elevation of TrkA phosphorylation and reduction of ERK phosphorylation. In addition, in the NGF receptor $p75^{NTR}$ signaling pathway, the expression levels of $p75^{NTR}$ and Bcl-2 were enhanced in reserpine-treated Tg2576 mice compared with vehicle-treated mice, whereas the expression level of RhoA declined. Overall, these results suggest that reserpine can help relieve AD pathogenesis in Tg2576 mice through downregulation of $A{\beta}$-42 deposition, alteration of ${\gamma}$-secretase components, and regulation of NGF metabolism.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.961-969
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• 2015

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main catechin in green tea, has been shown to have some beneficial effects against various human diseases, including diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity. To investigate the mechanism of the suppressive effects of EGCG on inflammatory response in macrophages, alterations on the levels of nitric oxide (NO) regulatory factors and inflammatory cytokines were measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 cells. No significant toxicity was detected in RAW264.7 cells treated with 100–400 μM EGCG. Moreover, the optimal concentration of LPS was determined to be 1 μg/ml based on the results of cell viability assay, NO assay and IL-6 enzyme-linked immunsorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, NO levels decreased significantly by 68.2% in the 400 μM EGCG/LPS treated group, while the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression decreased by 12-17% in the 200 and 400 μM EGCG/LPS treated group. A significant decrease in transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF- α and IL-1β) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) was also detected in the EGCG/LPS treated group. However, IL-6 transcript and protein was maintained at a constant level when in the LPS treated group relative to the EGCG/LPS treated group. Overall, these results suggest that the differential regulation of inflammatory cytokines is an important factor influencing the suppressive effects of EGCG against LPS-activated inflammatory response in RAW264.7 cells.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2006

Objectives: Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) is the treatment of choice and has been shown to reduce the frequency of nocturnal respiratory events, improve sleep architecture, and decrease daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, little is known about the compliance of nCPAP treatment in Korea. Our objective was to look into the nCPAP compliance and examine the factors influencing it. Methods: We reviewed the records of one hundred and twenty consecutive patients with OSAS referred for nocturnal polysomnography with nCPAP pressure titration during the period of January 1995 through April 1999 to the Seoul National University Hospital. We performed a telephone interview and obtained data from eighty-three patients. Results: In sixty patients who had accepted nCPAP treatment, twenty-six patients (43.3%) were still using nCPAP device, while thirty-four patients (56.7%) stopped using it. Fifteen patients (25%) were using nCPAP device everyday. In thirty-four patients who discontinued nCPAP use, twenty-five patients (73.5%) did within the first three months, and thirty-one (91.2%) within the first year. Significant predictor of long-term nCPAP use was the presence of subjective daytime sleepiness before nCPAP application. Conclusions: Long-term compliance with nCPAP treatment appears to be associated with the presence of subjective daytime sleepiness before nCPAP application. Long-term compliance with nCPAP may be mostly predicted from the usage pattern within the first three months of use.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.815-824
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• 2015

This study aims to figure out the current state of health insurance education provided to dentists and personnel in charge of insurance claim as well as the effects of experiences in education on their knowledge of health insurance standard and actual application. As a result of analysis on 100 data sheets related to dentistry and 100 data sheets related to personnel in charge of insurance claim (a total of 200 data sheets), following results were generated. Insurance claim personnels showed higher score than dentist in knowledge of health insurance standard and it was significant statistically. Knowledge of insurance claim personnel showed significant differences in educational experiences, in health insurance for the latest three years and average hours of education per session whereas that of dentists did not indicate any significant differences. The level of practical application of dentists was significantly different (p<0.05) according to experiences in insurance claim, and that of insurance claim personnel significantly varied (p<0.05) depending on age, experiences of insurance education and average hours of education. The longer average hours of education, the higher level of practical application. Experiences of insurance education turned out to affect on the knowledge of health insurance standard significantly (p<0.05) on the part of dentists and insurance claim personnel, and the level of experiences in insurance claim and knowledge of health insurance standard on the part of dentists and insurance claim personnel turned out to affect on practical application significantly (p<0.001). Judging from the result, continuous education needs to be conducted in order to enable dentists and insurance claim personnel to maintain the level of knowledge about health insurance and practical application.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 1986

This paper aims to study the reactions of lipid or oxidized lipid with protein during drying and storing hair tail fish(Trichurus lepturus) and flounder(Kanakius kitaharai) being generally consumed as dried seafood products in Korea and their influence on the drop of in vitro protein digestibility of these fish meat. The results of the study are as follows: The digestibility of the raw materials of flounder and hair tail fish was 87.63% and 86.08% respectively, and that of sundried and hot air dried materials went down $1{\sim}2$ percent with drying process. But in case of defatted and sundried materials, the rate increased 85.15% and 87.15% respectivley. After 30 days of storage, the digestibility decreased in all materials, and hot air dried meat showed a significant decrease. Trypsin indigestible substrate (TIS) contents of flounder and hair tail fish, in case of raw materials were 0.88 and 0.96mg/g. solid repectiveiy and in case of defatted and sundried materials, TIS contents showed a low increase and digestibility showed a high increase. Brown pigment formation had a wide range of increase in case of the sundried and hot air dried materials and it was increased with duration of storage and temperature. The major fatty acids in the fats of hair tail fish and flounder were $C_{18:1},\;C_{16:0},\;C_{22:6}\;and\;C_{16:1}$ and rate of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids was 79.2:20.8 for flounder, 67.8:32.2 for hair tail fish. After 30 days of storage at room temperature. saturated fatty acids increased compared with the raw materials while unsaturated fatty acids showed a tendency to decrease. Avaialble lysine of hair tail fish was higher than that of flounder and both of them lost about 8.23% of that in raw materials after 30 days of storage.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.119-133
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• 2024

As a result of significant investments by the government in promoting public technology commercialization and fostering a venture startup ecosystem, there have been quantitative achievements, such as the registration of over 1,600 Innopolis Start-ups since 2006, generating a total revenue of 1.1 trillion won as of 2021. However, these achievements have been overshadowed by critical qualitative challenges, including a continuous decline in average revenue per Innopolis Start-up. This led to a focus on whether managers' technological and market orientations affect business performance. This study aims to provide insights into improving the qualitative growth of Innopolis Start-ups by analyzing the effects of technological and market orientations on business performance, as well as the moderating effects of adjusting marketing and research and development (R&D) costs on this relationship. Through prior research and empirical analysis, this study derives three main findings. First, technological excellence and innovation significantly influence the business performance of Innopolis Start-ups, while technological intensity does not. Second, customer orientation and competitive orientation significantly impact business performance, whereas entry barriers as a single factor do not. Third, adjusting marketing and R&D costs, as controlled variables obtained through general situations, has no direct impact on other variables. However, it interacts with entry barriers, influencing financial business performance, with R&D costs exhibiting a negative buffering effect and marketing costs showing a positive enhancing effect. This study confirms that both technological and market orientations directly influence the business performance of Innopolis Start-ups, thus being crucial factors affecting their growth. Moreover, it establishes that investments in marketing and R&D play significant roles in alleviating initial entry barriers and enhancing financial performance. Consequently, it underscores the importance of reinforcing technological and market orientations tailored to the characteristics of Innopolis Start-ups. Additionally, it proposes five theoretical contributions: strengthening institutional support systems for technology commercialization and innovation, improving qualitative evaluation criteria during the selection process of Innopolis Start-ups, conducting comprehensive analyses of technological and market aspects during startup selection, enhancing support for marketing education and consulting for smooth market entry, and supporting expenditure strategies and milestone setting tailored to the industrial characteristics of individual Innopolis Start-ups.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.163-177
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• 2024

Background: This study aims to examine changes in fraudulent claim counts and total reimbursements before and after enhancements in counterfeit claim controls and monitoring of provider claim patterns under the "Proactive self-audit pilot program of fraudulent claims." Methods: This study used the claims data and hospital information (July 2021-February 2022) of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The data was collected from 1,129 hospitals assigned to the pilot program, selected from the providers who filed a claim for reimbursement for intravenous injections. Paired and independent t-tests, along with regression analysis, were utilized to analyze changing patterns and factors influencing claim behaviors. Results: This program led to a reduction in the number of fraudulent claims and the total amount of reimbursements across all levels of hospitals in the experimental groups (except for physicians below 40 years old). In the control group, general hospitals and hospitals demonstrated some significant decreases based on the duration since opening, while clinics showed significant reductions in specified subjects. Additionally, a notable increase was observed among male physicians over the age of 50 years. Overall, claims and reimbursements significantly declined after the intervention. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between hospital opening duration and claim numbers, suggesting longer-established hospitals were more likely to file claims. Conclusion: The results indicate that the pilot program successfully encouraged providers to autonomously minimize fraudulent claims. Therefore, it is advised to extend further support, including promotional activities, training, seminars, and continuous monitoring, to nonparticipating hospitals to facilitate independent improvements in their claim practices.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.33-46
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• 2017

In Korea, small and medium sized domestic enterprises (SMEs) play an pivotal role in the national economy, accounting for 99.8% of all enterprises, 87.9% of total employment, and 48.3% of production. and SMEs were driving a real force of the development of national economy in many respects such as innovation, job creation, industrial diversity, balanced regional development. Despite their crucial role in the national development, most of SMEs suffer from a lack of R&D capabilities and equipments as well as funding capacity. Government-Supported Research Institute (GRI) can provide SMEs with valuable supplementary technological knowledges and help them build technological capacities. so, In order to effectively support SMEs, government and GRI must be a priority to know about the factors influencing the performance related to technology transfer and technological collaborations. The paper analyzes the effects of Korean IT SMEs Venture external collaborations and technology transfer on their performances, according to their collaboration activities and technology transfer experiences. The results show that there was a significant difference between '3~5times' of technology transfer experience and 'zero technology transfer experience' in the case of technology transfer experience. In case of technological collaboration type, there was a significant difference between 'R&D manpower' and 'enhancement of technological capabilities including core technologies'. The results show that the effectiveness of technology transfer of Korean IT SMEs Venture depends on experiences, types of collaboration activities. so the results of this research will be useful for Government-Supported research institute (GRI)' policy makers when establishing technology commercialization support policies and strategic planning of small and medium sized domestic enterprises.