• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1713-1716
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• 2016

Background: Liver fluke infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma; the bile duct cancer found frequently in the northeast and north of Thailand. Prevention and control particularly requires health education and behavior change. Objective: This study aimed to improve health behavior among village health volunteers (VHV) regarding liver fluke exposure in an epidemic area. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed during July 2015 to January 2016 in Sang Kha district of Surin province, Thailand. A total of 67 VHVs underwent a health education program (HEP) and data were collected on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) before and after participation for HEP 3 months with a pre-designed questionnaire. The Students paired T-test was used for comparisons of mean KAP levels before/after the intervention. Results: The results revealed that knowledge (P-value=0.004), attitude (P-value=0.004), and practice level (P-value=0.000) were significantly improved after participation in the HBP. Attitude was significantly associated with knowledge (r=0.266, p<0.05), and practice (r=0.348, p<0.01). Conclusions: The implementation of health education among VHVs is feasible and increases their KAP. This improvement should have potential in liver fluke prevention and control in local communities in rural Thailand.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.38-52
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to suggest the main functions and implications of public hospitals to effectively respond to the future epidemic crisis based on analyzing the accessibility to designated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) medical institutions of Seoul and examining the main features of the quarantine of Seoul municipal hospitals. Method: To analyze the response and function of Seoul municipal hospitals, we reviewed the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention ACT, 258 articles of Seoul Metropolitan Government press releases from January to the end of April, 48 articles of Seoul Metropolitan Government's daily newsletters, 2019 Health Bureau Budget report. We also referred to internal data of Seoul Children's Hospital, Seoul Seobuk Hospital, and Seoul Eunpyeong Hospital during the same period. Besides, the accessibility to medical institutions was analyzed by using the COVID-19 data which was announced daily basis. Results: The accessibility of COVID-19 patients living in the Southeastern part of Seoul to a medical institutions was 16.2km on a distance basis, and it was the lowest accessibility among four regions of Seoul since it took about 40 minutes by car. On the other hand, patients living in the Northeast part had the highest accessibility, as the access to medical institutions was 10.7km and 27 minutes by car. Also, the main functions of the municipal hospital of Seoul against COVID-19 were to shift the public hospital function to COVID-19 patients only hospitals, to perform the epidemiological investigation by medical doctors, and to support the operation of self-isolation facilities, community treatment centers and triage rooms of community health centers. Conclusion: Through the experience of COVID-19, we suggested that the functions of public hospitals will be reorganized as the reinforcement of infectious disease treatment and mental health for quarantined patients, cooperation with private hospitals, supporting for strengthening community health capacity and preparation for another epidemic.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.350-362
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• 2015

A disease forecast model for bacterial grain rot (BGR) of rice, which is caused by Burkholderia glumae, was developed in this study. The model, which was named 'BGRcast', determined daily conduciveness of weather conditions to epidemic development of BGR and forecasted risk of BGR development. All data that were used to develop and validate the BGRcast model were collected from field observations on disease incidence at Naju, Korea during 1998-2004 and 2010. In this study, we have proposed the environmental conduciveness as a measure of conduciveness of weather conditions for population growth of B. glumae and panicle infection in the field. The BGRcast calculated daily environmental conduciveness, $C_i$, based on daily minimum temperature and daily average relative humidity. With regard to the developmental stages of rice plants, the epidemic development of BGR was divided into three phases, i.e., lag, inoculum build-up and infection phases. Daily average of $C_i$ was calculated for the inoculum build-up phase ($C_{inf}$) and the infection phase ($C_{inc}$). The $C_{inc}$ and $C_{inf}$ were considered environmental conduciveness for the periods of inoculum build-up in association with rice plants and panicle infection during the heading stage, respectively. The BGRcast model was able to forecast actual occurrence of BGR at the probability of 71.4% and its false alarm ratio was 47.6%. With the thresholds of $C_{inc}=0.3$ and $C_{inf}=0.5$, the model was able to provide advisories that could be used to make decisions on whether to spray bactericide at the preand post-heading stage.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.150-154
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• 2003

A disease with severe diarrhea occurred in a herd of one thousand, 1-week-old piglets in Chinju, Korea, and was diagnosed as porcine epidemic diarrhea by the detection of N gene of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) from small intestines. A PEDV, named as Chinju99, was also isolated from the intestines after two blind-passages in Vero cells supplemented with trypsin (10 ug/ml). and the biological and physicochemical properties of the isolate were characterized. The virion was roughly spherical in shape and had spike peplomers on its outer surface. The virus exhibited cytopathic effects such as rounding degeneration at initiation of infection and syncytia formation later in Vero cells. The virus was labile to 20% ether and 5% chloroform but stable in acid with pH 4-7 at $4^{\circ}C$. The infectivity of the virus was maintained at $50^{\circ}C$ for 180 min, and the buoyant density of the virus in sucrose was 1.180 g/ml. All biological and physicochemical properties of the virus were typical features of coronaviruses.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.193-202
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• 2023

Porcine epidemic diarrhea is an infectious intestinal disease caused by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). Especially, when suckling piglets are infected, the mortality rate is close to 100%. PEDV is classified into G1 and G2 types based on genetic differences. The G2 type PEDV outbreak in the United States in 2013 was highly pathogenic and contagious, and it has spread worldwide and caused continuous economic losses. Most commercial vaccines used are G1 type vaccines, and existing vaccines do not fully protect piglets due to genetic differences. In this study, we evaluated the safety of the newly developed G2 type attenuated HSGP vaccine strain by inoculating it into piglets and testing whether the vaccine virus spreads to the non-vaccinated, negative pigs and whether the vaccine reverts to its virulence during serial passage experiments. Each experiment lasted for 7 days for each passage, and fecal viral titers, clinical symptoms, and weight gain were measured daily. After the experiment, necropsy was performed to measure intestinal virus titer and pathological evaluation. As a result of the first passage, no transmission of the vaccine virus to negative pigs co-housed with vaccinated pigs was observed. In addition, after four consecutive passage experiments, the clinical symptoms and small intestine lesions were gradually alleviated, and no virus was detected in the feces in the fourth passage experiment. Therefore, it was concluded that the vaccine was safe without virulence reversion in accordance with the guidelines of the current licensing authority. However, further studies are needed on the genetic changes and biological characteristics of the mutant virus that occur during successive passages of the attenuated vaccine since the replication and clinical symptoms of the virus increased until the third passage during successive passages of the vaccine virus. Based on this study, it was concluded that virulence reversion and safety evaluation of attenuated vaccines through serial passage in target animals can be useful to evaluate the safety of attenuated viruses.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.27-27
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• 2003

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) infections are considered difficult to distinguish clinically and histopathologically. Prompt differentiation between PEDV- and TGEV-associated enteritis would greatly facilitate the management of disease in countries where PEDV and TGEV are epizootic. Rapid differential diagnosis and treatment are crucial to reducing mortality and morbidity from PEDV- and TGEV-induced enteritis in piglets. The objective for this study was to develop a protocol to differentiate between PEDV and TGEV directly from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue, using a multiplex reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) assay. (omitted)

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.202-209
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• 2003

Postpolio syndrome (PPS) refers to a constellation of neuromuscular and orthopedic symptoms and signs that have been noted to occur in patients with remote antecedent poliomyelitis. It has been increasingly recognized that individuals recovering from acute poliomyelitis develop new symptoms, most commonly weakness, fatigue, and pain that develops decades after initial disease in the region previously affected. Associated symptoms may include dysphagia, respiratory insufficiency, new muscular atrophy, dysarthria, muscle cramps, fasciculations, sleep abnormalities, and cold intolerance. Although the concepts of PPS was first described in the late 1800s, it was not until nearly 100 years later that the concept of PPS was more widely recognized and defined. This was due largely to the polio epidemic of the 1940s and 1950s that left many survivors in the world. The virtual epidemic of PPS that occurred among these polio survivors in the 1980s and 1990s has served as a catalyst to attract medical attention to this syndrome.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.311-343
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• 2004

Various aspect of epidemics broke out continually from the middle of Joseon Dynasty due to the famine and drought caused by abnormal climate of the sixteenth century and the war. Thus the Dynasty performed sacrificial rites, isolated the patients and published plenty of medical books related epidemics in order to cure of the patients, and Heojun edited 『Byeokyeoksinbang』 as 'Dangdokyeok' broke out at Gwanbuk(關北) districts in 1613, Heojun explained the cause of Dangdokyeok as meteorology under the feudal conditions, and concluded Simhwa(心火) by fever toxin, Therefore he selected the method of puting out Simhwa by attack of fever toxin. In addition he presented emergency treatment that can maintain the airway by bleeding. To treat Dangdokyeok, Heojun presented lots of prescriptions so as Seungmagalgeuntang(升麻葛根湯), Cheongyeolhaedoksan(淸熱解毒散), Yeongyopaedok-san(連翹敗毒散), Bangpungtongsaongsan(防風通聖散), Jowiseunggitang(調胃升氣湯) and Hwangryeonhaedoktang(黃連解毒湯) etc. And he proposed Samdueum (三豆飮), Realgar(石雄黃) and so on to prevent infection from that. They presume from 120 to 150 years as the period of human adaptation to the first epidemics. Dangdokyeok put a large number of people to death at first, but it wasn't referred at the history any more after Byeokyeoksinbang. So we can say that the treatment of Heojun may be effective. Common cold and dyspeptic cold broke out in our country differently from 'Shanghan(傷寒)' in the China, so we had settled 'pestilence infectious epidemic disease(瘟疫)' while 'epidemic febrile disease(溫病)' of the China. Dangdokyeok of Heojun is similar to 'Scalet fever' belonging to 'virulent heat pathogen(溫毒)', 'newly epidemic febrile disease(新感溫病)'. As a cure of Dangdokyeok, the Korean medicine uses the treatment of removing fever state whereas the western medicine uses the antibiotics to kill the streptococcus. The symptoms of Dangdokyeok are remarkably similar to those of the Scarlatina, so this occupies a high position on the world history of medicine in aspects of the period and details of symptoms. These days we have the problems that the tolerance of antibiotics increases and disease of unknown cause is prevalent. It means the western medicine get to limits. So if we progress epidemiography based on Heojun's medicine, we may contribute to the world history of medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.45-58
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• 2002

Appearance of a new disease can be seen as a raising a question to the established medicine system. If the problem can not be solved, the established medicine system becomes a degenerating program. So, the process of discovering the nature of a disease and giving a medical explanation was studied focused on smallpox. When smallpox was infected in the begining, many were killed especially mortality of young people were high. It is a general process of contagious diseases known as an epidemic. When the plague is prevalent continuously, it comes to stay and becomes a pediatric disease called smallpox. Time of discovering the nature of smallpox and giving a medical explanation and the time that came to stay are correspondant. This process of medical explanation is a dialectical process.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.10
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• pp.511-518
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• 2021

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate. While obesity is known to increase a variety of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, it also acts as a risk factor for the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). During childhood and adolescence, severe obesity is associated with an increased prevalence and incidence of the early stages of kidney disease. Importantly, children born to obese mothers are also at increased risk of developing obesity and CKD later in life. The potential mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and CKD include hemodynamic factors, metabolic effects, and lipid nephrotoxicity. Weight reduction via increased physical activity, caloric restriction, treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and judicious bariatric surgery can be used to control obesity and obesity-related kidney disease. Preventive strategies to halt the obesity epidemic in the healthcare community are needed to reduce the widespread deleterious consequences of obesity including CKD development and progression.