• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.444-446
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• 2001

Objectives : Toxoplasmosis is a member of the zoonosis group and may cause congenital infection . Antibody positive rates of toxoplasmosis were examined in high school students in Cheju, Korea to facilitate the study aim of examining the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in school teachers of child-bearing age in Cheju Island. Methods : The study population comprised teachers of child-bearing age in primary, middle and high schools, aged 35 years and younger, who wished to be tested for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (IgG) by the indirect latex agglutination test (ILA) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results : The overall antibody positive rate was 3.8% in the study subjects (n=314), a rate which showed no significant difference due to birth place, history of bringing up pets, or history of contacting a cat. Conclusion : We confirmed that the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in a population of child-bearing teachers in Cheju Island was the same as that previously reported in other parts of Korea.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.344-355
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• 2021

Purpose: With low birth rates and aging population problems in Korea, the number of foreign workers grows rapidly. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing physical activity of foreign workers based on a Health Promotion Model by examining relationships between acculturation, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, exercise self-efficacy, activity-related affect, social support, and physical activity. Methods: The participants were foreign workers aged 18 to 60 who were employed at eight shipyards. A questionnaire was distributed to 216 participants. Results: As a result of the multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis, factors affecting physical activity of foreign workers were perceived benefits (B=.65, 95% CI=0.08~1.22), exercise self-efficacy (B=.16, 95% CI=0.05~0.26), integration (B=.41 95% CI=0.14~0.69), and social support for physical activity (B=.48, 95% CI=0.12~0.83). The total explanatory power was 17.7% (x²=41.95, p<.001). Conclusion: Based on these results, there is a need to develop a customized program to increase physical activities of foreign workers by enhancing integration, perceived benefits, exercise self-efficacy and social support.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.376-387
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the breast feeding rate and maternal adaptation of mothers with infants and children in early childhood in a community. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from November to December 2015, and included a total of 283 mothers of infants and children in early childhood. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, the ${\chi}^2-test$, and one way ANOVA. Results: The rates of breast feeding after birth were 76.3% (1 month postpartum), 69.3% (3 months postpartum), 53.4% (6 months postpartum), 32.2% (9 months postpartum), and 22.6% (12 months postpartum). The level of maternal adaptation of subjects was $3.78{\pm}0.54$. Subjects who were breastfed until 9 months postpartum had a higher level of maternal adaptation than those who stopped breast feeding at 1 month postpartum (F=3.926, p<.002). The breast feeding rate of subjects who were educated about breast feeding after childbirth was significantly higher than that of those who did not receive breast feeding education after delivery. Conclusion: To increase the breast feeding rate and maternal adaptation, community health nurses should develop and provide breast feeding programs to mothers soon after childbirth.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate pregnancy, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes in women with small (<4 cm) unilateral endometriomas. Methods: This retrospective study included 177 patients: 91 patients with small endometriomas and 86 controls with unexplained or tubal factor infertility who were treated at the Süleymaniye Gynecology and Maternity Training and Research Hospital Infertility Unit between January 2010 and July 2015. The groups were matched with regards to demographic characteristics such as age, body mass index, and infertility duration. All of the women in this study conceived via intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We compared pregnancy, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes between these groups. Results: Women with endometriomas had a higher biochemical pregnancy rate, but lower clinical pregnancy and live birth rates than women with unexplained and tubal factor infertility (p<0.05 for all). However no significant differences were found in terms of obstetric and neonatal complications between the two groups (p>0.05 for all). Conclusion: In this study, we found that women with endometriomas less than 4 cm were more prone to early pregnancy complications. We also showed that this group did not have any increased risks of late pregnancy, obstetric, and neonatal complications.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

Recently, cultural property policies have changed from the preservation of cultural assets to the utilization of cultural assets. In historic villages, more and more traditional housings have been used as lodging facilities. On the other hand, low birth rates, aging population, declining population due to population outflow to the cities, increasing vacant houses, and aging buildings are tasks of historic villages. To be preserved the historic villages continuously, it is time to review how to regenerate and utilize the growing number of vacant houses. This study targets Tambasasayama city, which is drawing attention to the regeneration and utilization of vacant houses among historic Japanese villages. We want to analyze the operation systems and deregulation of a traditional housing regeneration project in Tambasasayama city and draw suggestions for the regeneration and utilization of vacant houses in traditional villages in South Korea.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.156-166
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• 2024

Pigs are genetically, anatomically, and physiologically similar to humans. Recently, pigs are in the spotlight as a suitable source animal for xenotransplantation. However, to use pigs as source animals, pigs should be raised in designated pathogen-free facilities. There is abundant data from embryo transfer (ET) experiments using farm pigs as surrogates, but data on ET experiments using minipigs are scarce. Eighty minipigs were used for ET experiments and after transplantation, the implantation and delivery rates were investigated. It was also confirmed whether the pregnancy rate could be increased by changing the condition or surgical method of the surrogate. In the case of minipigs that gave birth, the size of the fetal sac on the 28th day of ET was also measured. The factors that can affect the pregnancy rate such as estrus synchronization program, ovulation status at the time of ET, the number of repeated ET surgeries, and the ET sites, were changed, and the differences on the pregnancy rate were observed. However there were no significant differences in pregnancy rate in minipigs. The diameter of the implanted fetal sac on the 28th day after ET in the minipigs whose delivery was confirmed was calculated to be 4.7 ± 0.5 cm. In conclusion, there were no significant differences in pregnancy rate of minipigs in the comparative experiment on various factors affecting the pregnancy rate. However, additional experiments and analyses are needed due to the large individual differences of the minipigs.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.320-327
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• 2011

Purpose: To determine the effect of changing practice guidelines designed to avoid hyperoxia or hypoxia in very low birth weight or very preterm infants. Methods: We analyzed a database of <1,500 g birth weight or <32 weeks of gestation infants who were born and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2007 to July 2010. First, we defined the relationship between arterial partial pressure of oxygen ($PaO_2$) and pulse oxygen saturation ($SpO_2$). When we evaluated 96 pairs of $PaO_2$ and $SpO_2$ measurements, oxygen saturation was 90-94% at a $PaO_2$ of 43-79 mmHg on the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve, according to pulse oximetry. Based on this observation, a change in practice was instituted in August 2008 with the objective of avoiding hypoxia and hyperoxia in preterm infants with targeting a $SpO_2$ 90-94% (period II). Before the change in practice, high alarms for $SpO_2$ were set at 100% and low alarms at 95% (period I). Results: Sixty-eight infants the met enrollment criteria and 38 (56%) were born during period II, after the change in $SpO_2$ targets. Demographic characteristics, except gender, were similar between the infants born in both periods. After correcting for the effect of confounding factors, the rates for mortality, severe retinopathy of prematurity, and IVH attended to be lower than those for infants in period II. No difference in the rate of patent ductus arteriosus needed to treat was observed. Conclusion: A change in the practice guidelines aimed at avoiding low oxygen saturation and hyperoxia did not increase neonatal complication rates and showed promising results, suggesting decreased mortality and improvements in short term morbidity. It is still unclear what range of oxygen saturation is appropriate for very preterm infants but the more careful saturation targeting guideline should be considered to prevent hypoxemic events and hyperoxia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.1166-1171
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• 2005

Purpose : The aim of this study was to evaluate whether breast milk feeding at infancy has the effect of a programming agent preventing school-age obesity, or whether formula milk feeding is the cause of elementary school-age obesity. Methods : We randomly selected 4 elementary school in Masan and Changwon city. We calculated the BMI and obesity degree from height and weight data on the school record of 1,275 children of first and second grade. The parents of 1,275 children were asked to a questionnaire about their birth history and feeding modality during infancy. Based on these data, we categorized them into 4- different groups : breast fed for less than 2 months; breast fed for 2-6 months; breast fed more than 6 months; mixed fed. We compared the mean BMI, obesity degree and prevalence rates of obesity of each groups. Results : There was no statistical difference on the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity, which was defined by BMI, according to the duration of breast feeding. The same was true for mild obesity and moderate obesity, which was defined by obesity degree. The mean BMIs and the mean obesity degree were not different among different feeding types. Conclusion : There seems to be no protective effect of breast feeding during infancy on reducing the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity. However, even wider and larger studies considering confounding factor might be needed to reach a definite conclusion in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2531-2535
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer diagnosed in young women may be more aggressive, with higher rates of local and distant recurrence compared to the disease in older women. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that Korean women have a lower incidence of breast cancer than women in the United States, but that they present at a younger age than their American counterparts. We sought to compare risk factors and management of young women with breast cancer in Boston, Massachusetts (US) with those in Seoul, South Korea (KR). Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of consecutive patients less than 35 years old with a diagnosis of breast cancer at academic cancer centers in the US and KR from 2000-2005. Patient data were obtained by chart review. Demographic, tumor and treatment characteristics were compared utilizing Pearson's chisquare or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests where appropriate. All differences were assessed as significant at the 0.05 level. Results: 205 patients from the US and 309 from KR were analyzed. Patients in US were more likely to have hormone receptor positive breast cancer, while patients in KR had a higher rate of triple negative lesions. Patients in US had a higher mean body mass index and more often reported use of birth control pills, while those in the KR were less likely to have a sentinel node procedure performed or to receive post mastectomy radiation. Conclusions: Patients under 35 diagnosed with breast cancer in the US and KR differ with respect to demographics, tumor characteristics and management. Although rates of breast conservation and mastectomy were similar, US patients were more likely to receive post mastectomy radiation. The lower use of sentinel node biopsy is explained by the later adoption of the technique in KR. Further evaluation is necessary to evaluate recurrence rates and survival in the setting of differing disease subtypes in these patients.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 1995

For the prevention of later contralateral hernia as well as unnecessary contralateral exploration in pediatric patients with unilateral inguinal hernias, a reasonable indication of contralateral exploration is required. To examine the contralateral positivity, a prospective selective contralateral exploration has been performed by the author from Sept. 1985 to Dec. 1993, at Pediatric Surgical Section of the Department of Surgery, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College. Among the total 1200 cases of pediatric inguinal hernias, 580 cases of contralateral side were explored at hernia operations, by the indications as; male with infant onset, 2)female of all age, 3)prematurity, 4)profuse ascites due to cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, and ventriculoperitoneal shunt, and 5)remarkable silk sign. Overall positive rate was 71.4%, and positive rates of each indication were 80.7%, 70.4%, 73.1%, 66.7%, and 72.0%, respectively. Right side hernia showed 67.0%, left s ide 75.7%, and positive familial history 71.8% of contralateral positivities. In male, getting older revealed lower positive rates and the rate suddenly dropped after 12 years of age. Birth order, mother's age at delivery, postmaturity did not show any significant differences between the rates. Recurrence was seen in 3(0.5%) ipsilateral and 2(0.3%) contralateral, both of which were negative esplorations on previons operations. Overall complication rate was 3.8%, including 1 infection, 14 fluid or blood accumulation, 5 edemas, 3 temporary testicular edemas, 2 persisting fevers, 2 enures is and one delayed recovery from anesthesia. Among 38 cases with contralateral hernias developed after unilateral surgery by authors(6 cases) or surgeons in other institutions, 14 were males with infant onset, 4 were prematurities and 9 were females. Therefore, 27(71.7%) cases were originally under the contralateral exploration indications. The primary site of the hermia was right in 25 and left in 13. With above results, the following indications for contralateral exploration could be suggested ; 1)under one year of age, both sex, 2)prematurity, 3) remarkable silk sign, 4)in the double checked suspicions among males with infant onset, all age females, ascites, left hernia and familial history. After 12 years of age, exploration is not required. Considering complications, contralateral explorations could be considered only in the following situations; 1)expert, experienced pediatric surgeon, 2)experienced pediatric anesthesiologist, 3)operations could be done smoothly in an hour, 4)good general condition of the patient.