• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.141-148
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate on the application of the yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) lasers for acupoints irradiation. Methods : We conducted a systematic search for peer-reviewed studies published from inception to November 2023, in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in English, Science ON, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS) and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS) in Korean, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang in Chinese, and Japan Science Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic (J-STAGE) and Citation Information by NII (CiNii) in Japanese. Inclusion criteria were original articles including clinical and experimental studies related with YAG lasers for acupoints including Ashi or meridian sinews. Results : Among the 8 selected studies, there were 7 studies on human subjects and 1 study on animals, 7 studies on Nd:YAG (1,064 nm) laser, and 1 study on Er:YAG (2,940 nm) laser. A total of 16 acupoints were used, 15 of which were in the face and 1 of which was located in the foot. In addition, there were two studies using Ashi. 4 studies looked at the effect of pain relief, 2 studies looked at safety, 1 study looked at changes in blood flow, and 1 study looked at the effect of skin care. There were no reported adverse events, and the YAG laser was confirmed to be safe and effective in pain relief, beautifying the skin, and increasing blood flow. Conclusions : We suggest that high intensity YAG lasers can be applied to laser acupuncture or laser moxibustion. YAG lasers are considered to be worth using for various clinical indications of Korean medicine because of photobiomodulation effects, analgesic action, and deep penetration depth. Further scientific research and clinical evidences should be warranted.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

Frailty is a clinical syndrome as an increased vulnerability to stressors, leading to a decrease in physiologic reserves and a decline in the ability to maintain a good homeostasis. This condition leads to an increased risk of hospitalization, disability and mortality. Frailty occurs due to various causes and requires a multidimensional approach. It is also important to detect and manage it early. Frailty is also deeply related to neuropsychiatric problems such as pain and depression. In evaluating frailty, it is desirable to comprehensively consider not only physical areas such as disease, nutrition, movement, and sensory functions, but also psychosocial areas, and representative scales include Fried's physical frailty phenotype and Rockwood's frailty index. Physical activity and appropriate protein intake are important for frailty management, and inappropriate drug use should be reduced and oral care, cognitive function, and falls should also be noted. Frailty and pain can affect each other, and pain can promote frailty. Evidence has been published that hormone and protein abnormalities, immune system activity and inflammatory response, and epigenetic mechanisms work in common in the field of frailty and pain. More extensive and high-quality research should be conducted in the future, and the quality of life will be improved if the results are applied to the suppression and treatment of old age and pain.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.68-76
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• 2022

Objective: Percutaneous portal vein (PV) stent placement can be an effective treatment for symptoms associated with portal hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of PV stenting on the overall survival (OS) in patients with malignant PV stenosis. Materials and Methods: Two groups of patients with malignant PV stenosis were compared in this retrospective study involving two institutions. A total of 197 patients who underwent PV stenting between November 2016 and August 2019 were established as the stent group, whereas 29 patients with PV stenosis who were treated conservatively between July 2013 and October 2016 constituted the no-stent group. OS was compared between the two groups before and after propensity score matching (PSM). Risk factors associated with OS were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Procedure-associated adverse events were also evaluated. Results: The stent group finally included 100 patients (median age, 65 [interquartile range, 58-71] years; 64 male). The no-stent group included 22 patients (69 [61-75] years, 13 male). Stent placement was successful in 95% of attempted cases, and the 1- and 2-year stent occlusion-free survival rate was 56% (95% confidence interval, 45%-69%) and 44% (32%-60%), respectively. The median stent occlusion-free survival time was 176 (interquartile range, 70-440) days. OS was significantly longer in the stent group than in the no-stent group (median 294 vs. 87 days, p < 0.001 before PSM, p = 0.011 after PSM). The 1- and 3-year OS rates before PSM were 40% and 11%, respectively, in the stent group. The 1-year OS rate after PSM was 32% and 5% in the stent and no-stent groups, respectively. Anemia requiring transfusion (n = 2) and acute thrombosis necessitating re-stenting (n = 1) occurred in three patients in the stent group within 1 week. Conclusion: Percutaneous placement of a PV stent may be effective in improving OS in patients with malignant PV stenosis.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.431-439
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• 2023

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the essential services, importance, interval of examinations, and role of dental hygienists in children's family dentistry program. Methods: A total of 124 participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using independent t-test, and ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: All participants stated that oral examination and panoramic radiography are required; children should be educated about brushing, use of oral products, and regular check-ups; and preventive treatments such as molar sealants and prophylaxis should be offered. They stated that light-curing resins and glass ionomer fillings should be offered in treatment services. They stated that examination intervals should be shorter for education and prevention rather than treatment. Dental hygiene students were more likely than dentists and dental hygienists to say that the program was more important. There was a correlation between oral examinations and education and treatment, and between essential services and their importance. Conclusions: Services considered essential and important should be provided first, education and prevention should be provided more frequently than treatment, and their importance should be emphasized not only to dental hygiene students but also to dental hygienists and dentists who are the main providers of services.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.314-323
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• 2023

This study assessed the desired wage guidelines for medical technologists (MTs), mainly primary care providers and those in secondary medical institutions, in 16 cities and provinces in Korea. A survey of 1,327 MTs was conducted using a structured Google questionnaire from August 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. The wage levels differed according to gender, age, education, career, region, and employment status. There were differences in wage levels according to gender and region with less than one year of career, and the wage gap was relatively larger for woman than man. An awareness of wage compensation appropriate for work performance, and technology value compensation were low at 2.01, 2.23, and 2.30, respectively. This study suggests that primary and secondary medical institutions should provide reasonable wages compensation for MTs' work in order to create an environment where MTs can receive stable jobs and work. Moreover, the Korean Association of Medical Technologists should establish a cooperative system so that the starting wage of MTs in primary and secondary medical institutions can receive the desired wage of 34 million won.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Since the List of Plant Diseases in Korea (DisList) was first published in 1986, the 6th edition appeared 36 years later. In 2023, the 6.1 edition, a revised and improved version of the 6th edition, was released to the public on the web free of charge. The contents of DisList increased, with the number of hosts increasing from 437 taxa to 1,420 taxa and the number of disease species increasing from 1,539 to 6,680. Among these, tree diseases are 3,586 species and their hosts include 504 taxa, providing much help to experts who need them. Meanwhile, the importance of accurate disease names continues to grow with the legalization of tree care, but many disease names are still inappropriate or misused, causing confusion. Disease names that do not follow the naming regulations are still registered, and even if the same pathogen infects hosts of the same taxa, the disease names are given differently, and there are many disease names that do not indicate the characteristics of the disease. Also, there are diseases reported without Korean names. In order to make DisList better, the review committee for disease names should establish the regulations to review and register disease names, and establish a system to review new disease names before publishing papers.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.258-265
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• 2024

Purpose: To date, there is no region-specific guideline for pediatric endoscopy training. This study aimed to illustrate the current status of pediatric endoscopy training in Asia-Pacific region and identify opportunities for improvement. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using a standardized electronic questionnaire, was conducted among medical schools in the Asia-Pacific region in January 2024. Results: A total of 57 medical centers in 12 countries offering formal Pediatric Gastroenterology training programs participated in this regional survey. More than 75% of the centers had an average case load of <10 cases per week for both diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies. Only 36% of the study programs employed competency-based outcomes for program development, whereas nearly half (48%) used volume-based curricula. Foreign body retrieval, polypectomy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, and esophageal variceal hemostasis, that is, sclerotherapy or band ligation (endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy and endoscopic variceal ligation), comprised the top four priorities that the trainees should acquire in the autonomous stage (unconscious) of competence. Regarding the learning environment, only 31.5% provided formal hands-on workshops/simulation training. The direct observation of procedural skills was the most commonly used assessment method. The application of a quality assurance (QA) system in both educational and patient care (Pediatric Endoscopy Quality Improvement Network) aspects was present in only 28% and 17% of the centers, respectively. Conclusion: Compared with Western academic societies, the limited availability of cases remains a major concern. To close this gap, simulation and adult endoscopy training are essential. The implementation of reliable and valid assessment tools and QA systems can lead to significant development in future programs.

• Journal of the Health Care and Life Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2022

This study is a study on the possibility of using big data-related education programs in health and medical administration-related departments using health and medical big data. This paper intends to examine the health and medical big data from five perspectives. 1st, in addition to the aforementioned 'Health and Medical Big Data Open System', I would like to examine the characteristics and application technologies of public big data disclosed by 'Korea Welfare Panel', 'Public Big Data', 'Seoul City Big Data', 'Statistical Office Big Data', etc. 2nd, it is intended to examine the appropriateness of whether the applicable health and medical big data can be used as living data in regular subjects of health and medical administration and health information related departments of junior colleges. 3rd, we want to select the most appropriate tool for classroom lectures using existing statistical processing packages and programming languages. Fourth, finally, by using verified health and medical big data and appropriate tools, we want to test the possibility of expressing graphs, etc. in class and the steps from writing a report. 4th, I would like to describe the relative advantages of R language that can satisfy portability, installability, cost effectiveness, compatibility, and big data processing potential.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.99 no.2
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• pp.84-95
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• 2024

In Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, human understanding is emphasized as one of three necessary characteristics that a physician must have. Inflammation, which is caused by inflammatory inducers (inf-ids), is a fundamental feature of disease at the cellular and molecular levels. Inflammation protects the body, but excessive or prolonged inflammation can be damaging and can cause disease. Humans are repeatedly exposed to external and internal environmental factors that generate inf-ids throughout their lives. External environmental factors include microbial and non-microbial inf-ids, as well as stressors that inevitably arise during social interactions. Internal environmental factors include the adaptive physiological response that is present from birth. Inf-ids may also be produced by the four-step habit loop, which consists of a cue (e.g., stressor), emotions, routine act (adaptive response), and a reward. Immune cells in the circulatory system and in tissues may have positive and negative effects in inflammatory responses. However, low-grade inflammation may be difficult to detect. We propose a model of disease development that integrates external and internal environmental factors from the perspective of human understanding.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.86-94
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• 2024

In this study, an attempt was made to approximate the main characteristic values of Bi_0.5(Na_0.78K_0.22)_0.5TiO₃ (= BNKT) depending on the content of Fe₂O₃ additives, aiming to approach the values of lead(Pb) piezoelectric ceramic materials (PZT). Specifically, when the piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) value of lead(Pb) piezoelectric ceramic material (PZT polycrystalline ceramic powder) is 300[pC/N] or higher, it is applied for hard purposes such as ultrasonic welding machines and cleaning machines, and when it exceeds 330[pC/N], it is applied for soft purposes like piezoelectric sensors. In this study, research and development were conducted for devices with a piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) of 300[pC/N] or more for actuators. For this purpose, K⁺ exceeding 0.02 to 0.12 mol% was added to (Na_0.78K_0.22)_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ to analyze structural changes due to K⁺ excess, and (Na_0.78K_0.22)_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ + 8mol% K₂CO₃ Ti⁴⁺ was substituted with Fe³⁺ to manufacture lead-free piezoelectric materials. As a result, ceramics with Fe³⁺ substitution at x = 0.0075 yielded an average value of d₃₃ = 315[pC/N]. Furthermore, for ceramics with Fe³⁺ substitution at x = 0.0075, the average values of maximum polarization (P_max), residual polarization (P_rem), and coercive field (E_c) were found to be 39.63 μC/cm², 30.45 μC/cm², and 2.50 kV/mm, respectively. The reliable characteristic values obtained from the research results can be applied to linear actuator components (such as the zoom function of mobile cameras, LDM for skin care, etc.) and ultrasonic vibration components.