• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.293-297
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• 2022

In 2022, Korea reported a total of 224 perfusionists, employing nurses or clinical laboratory technologists (also known as medical technologists) to provide hospital self-education or reliable education. In 2021, the total number of perfusionists in Japan was 2,100, mainly supported by clinical engineering technologists. During the same period, the number of perfusionists reported in the United States was 4,212, who had received training in the master's program, post-bachelor certificate program, and bachelor's program. Most personnel in the USA were graduates of healthcare sciences or life sciences. Perfusionists must be knowledgeable in heart anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, hemodynamics, laboratory analysis, and quality assurance, as well as techniques to operate the cardiopulmonary bypass machine (heart-lung bypass machine). These are jobs similarly handled by clinical laboratory technologists. The importance of perfusionists became more prominent during two major crises: the MERS-CoV and COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, perfusionists play a significant role in the rapidly expanding field of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and extracorporeal circulation during cardiac surgery. Results of the current study indicate that hospitals offering cardiac surgery and infectious disease hospitalization need to be institutionalized to secure a certain number of qualified perfusionists. In the future, we look forward to establishing a perfusion technology association under the Korean Society for Clinical Laboratory Physiology to provide academic exchanges.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.237-255
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• 2010

The Korean Pharmacist Law has limited the sales of medicine to pharmacies. This has caused difficulty in purchasing medicine late at night or on holidays, which has limited the range of customers' selections and accelerated customers' discomfort, accordingly. Also, the rapid progress of aging has quickly boosted medical expenses for seniors, and has served as a factor that aggravates the budget of national medical insurance. Meanwhile, advanced countries, including the USA and Japan, have allowed the sales of general medicine, of which the safety and efficacy have been tested, in general retail stores such as convenience stores or super markets from the perspective of supporting self-medication. In particular, Japan, which has a strong tendency of pursuing safety in the world, diversified sales channels for general medicine in order to control quickly rising medical expenses. As a result, Japan has achieved the effect of easing various regulations as follows in the economic and social fields. First, the increasing distribution channels of general medicine from pharmacies to general retail stores provoked a potential demand, which also expanded related markets. Second, the competition between sales channels resulted in the reduction of the price of medicine. Third, the growing sales channels of medicine have extended the options of consumers and, subsequently, the convenience in the use of consumers has increased. Fourth, the creation of a competitive environment owing to the diversification of sales channels has accelerated an effort to enhance corporate competitiveness. Fifth, the foundation of enhancing the financial soundness of medical expenses has been prepared through the formation of a self-medication environment. In 2000, the Korean population aged 65 or over exceeded 7%, and it is anticipated to be over 14% by 2018; thus, the increase of national medical expenses will be sped up. As a way of being prepared for the era of aging, we, just as other advanced countries, need to create a self-treatment environment by diversifying the sellers of general medicine, and, thus, reduce spending on personal medical expenses, enhance the financial soundness of national medical insurance, and, further, promote the welfare of consumers.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.501-517
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• 2011

This research investigates a geographical issue as to which factor discovered in the only Japanese telemedicine with regard to social and medical circumstances performs a role as a determinant in regionalization, especially, local areas in Japan. According to the results, strong human networks based on regionalism are mirrored in regionalization and are associated with not only the development and management of telemedicine operations, but also the choice of telemedicine users concretely. In other words, all processes from the suggestion stage of telemedicine to the practical usage or application stage of telemedicine are involved in the existing human networks within one prefecture (the third diagnostic area); further, personal stakes are transferred to public health care services (telemedicine) and their relationships have been formulated by the telemedicine council including local government, medical association, region-rooted companies, core health centers and universities, etc. Accordingly, the telemedicine council responses to the need of telemedicine users immediately and contributes to develop regional health care. Also, telemedicine users have been connected with each other closely before operating telemedicine; accordingly, the human relationships between doctors and patients or among doctors influence the choice of telemedicine serving sites and their behaviors comes down to regional-based diagnosis via the telemedicine system.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.7-20
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the data on the medical personnel education system and license scheme and provide the basic material for an enhanced qualification system. In China, dental education reform has been underway with a view to providing an inclusive basic medical service package to the whole country by 2020. It is also estimated that the number of Korean dental medicine students in China would be fewer. And most of them desire to get a job in China after acquiring the Chinese license, suggesting little prospect of a massive inflow into Korea in the near future. In Japan, students are required to complete a clinical training program for over 1 year after receiving licenses to become an independent practitioner. But they can apply for the Korean preliminary examination without this post-graduation process. For this reason, the quality issue in license effectiveness review has been seriously discussed. It is deemed desirable to limit the Korean accreditation to Japanese graduates from the dental schools certified by the Japanese dental accreditation body.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to determine the impurity tolerance of Zanthoxylum Peel. Methods : Compare with medicinal Herb Books and the Pharmacopoeia of 6 nations. Results : Current Pharmacopoeia show different Zanthoxylum Peel's Purity, such as 2.0% of seeds and fruit stalk, etc. in North Korea, 2% of seeds in Vietnam, totally 3% in China. On the other hand, Korea and Japan set the total number 26.0% including the specific numbers such as 20.0% of seeds, 5.0% of fruit stalk, 1.0% of the other foreign matter. This Zanthoxylum Peel's Purity, 26.0%, is too high compared to that of other medical matters specified by The Korean Pharmacopoeia Ninth Edition. When The Japanese Pharmacopoeia Sixth Edition firstly set the Zanthoxylum Peel's Purity, the herbal name was Fructus. However, since the part for medical usage in origin is well-ripen pericarp, not seed, the permissible level, 30.0%, is supposed to be simple error range, 3.0%. Conclusions : As a result, I think bills concerning the Zanthoxylum Peel's Purity should be revised to the total number 3.0% or specifically set the level 2.0% of seeds, 1.0% of fruit stalk, twig and so on.

• Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.51-53
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• 2020

In commemoration of Vol. 30, Issue 2, our journal prepared three review articles, two original papers, and a case report. The first review analyzed aircraft accidents caused by pilots' fatigue and presented a protocol to measure their fatigue, such as primary background survey, subjective drowsiness/arousal evaluation, sleep and activity log, sleep data, and performance measurement. The second review analyzed shift work patterns and work characteristics that may affect the fatigue of aviation mechanics. Also, desirable work principles for aviation mechanics (restrictions on working hours, appropriate rest hours, and night shift restrictions) were presented. The third review discussed the effects that allergic rhinitis can have on pilots (drowsiness and decreased arousal) and introduced a safe treatment method that can prevent these adverse effects. In the first original article, the ratio of 'incompatible (non-fit)' result in aerospace medical examination among Korean aircraft pilots for the past five years was investigated by age group and the common causes of nonconformity were analyzed. In the second original article, the prevalence, mortality, prevalence according to age groups, and regional characteristics of severe febrile thrombocytopenia syndrome were compared and analyzed in Korea and Japan for the past five years. Finally, in the case report, the cases of a patient diagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumors who received surgical treatment and chemotherapy were discussed, and the results of the judgment were presented.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.30 no.1 s.107
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• pp.29-34
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• 2006

This study aims to provide divers with improved sqfe diving practices by analyzing reports on scuba diving casualties that recently (from 1997-2003) occurred in Korea, Japan and USA The result of this study may contribute to reduce the diving accident. The data were collected through the diving accident reports of various sources, which include reports of the KUA (Korea Underwater Association) technical committee, the accident statistical data of Korea Coast Guard, articles of domestic and foreign scuba diving magazines, accident reports of various newspapers, annual reports on decompression illness and diving fatalities by DAN (Diver Alert Network), diving accident data reported to local and national seminars, and medical treatment data of diving accident. The analysis focused on the diving casualties and the result showed that the casualty rate in Korea was 2.8 and 2.2 times higher than those in Japan and USA, respectively.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.6 no.8
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• pp.57-67
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• 2006

The motion effect of animation can be maximized by using the intended number of frame(flickering phenomena) responding to the viewer's perception in the production processes. But, the high contrast of chroma in a color arrangement can cause very dangerous situation if a particular effect(scheduled number of frame for the intended rapid flickering in a zoom-in scene of the warning light of police car and the traffic light) or a excessive visual stimulus is tried. The danger of flickering phenomena is defined as 'Flash Nervousness Attack Symptom' in medical terminology, which has received wide attention because the damage to the viewers of Pocket Monster was very serious in Japan. Producing a piece of animation work, the quality control of colors is important but the color setting considering the psychological aspects, the danger of repetitive flickering of flashes and patterns in image effect are more serious, so these factors should be checked in the production stages. After investigating the domestic and foreign prescriptions including the guidelines for animation production technique in Japan, a solution to reduce the danger of flickering phenomena of color and light was suggested through statistical comparative analysis with the test results.

• Kosin Medical Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 2018

Objectives: We investigated whether asthma attacks in asthmatic children were caused by short-term exposure to particulate $matter(PM)_{2.5}$. Methods: Subjects were 411 patients who received inhalation therapy in National Fukuoka Hospital, from March to May 2013. All subjects were outpatients. We surveyed the air quality measurement results in the stations closest to the address of the patients. Data were used from the City of Fukuoka website data on air pollution. We carried out a case-crossover study and compared $PM_{2.5}$ concentration between 7 days after asthma attack occurred and the day asthma attack occurred and 1, 2 and 3 days before asthma attack occurred. Results: Highest hourly concentration of the day (OR 1.013, 95%CI 1.000-1.025) showed a significant association with 1 day before $PM_{2.5}$ concentration statistically. And 0-1 year-old infants were more vulnerable to the highest concentration of 1 day before $PM_{2.5}$ concentration(P < 0.05). Average concentration of $NO_2$ and $O_3$ and asthma attack also showed a significant association. Conclusions: Maximal daily $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations within 24 hours prior to the attack affect asthma exacerbation. 0-1 year-old infants are particularly vulnerable to $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. Asthma exacerbation is aggravated by $NO_2$ and $O_3$ concentration on the day of the asthma attack.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.204-213
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• 2022

Background: The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant increased the level of anxiety related to the radioactive contamination of various foods sourced in Japan. Particularly, after the accident, the detection of artificial radionuclides in locally produced foods raised food safety concerns. In this study, the radioactivity concentrations and annual ingestions of ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in food products commonly and frequently consumed by the general public were investigated, and the annual effective dose of each was evaluated. Materials and Methods: The 2016-2018 data from the Radiation Safety Management Report released by the Korea Nuclear Safety Technology Center was referenced for the evaluation of the amounts of ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs contained in food. Using the food-ingestion survey mentioned above as a reference, we selected 62 foods to include in our radioactivity concentration and dose assessment. We also developed a questionnaire and evaluated the responses from the subjects who answered the questionnaire. Results and Discussion: The radioactivity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs was found to be close to or below the level of minimum detectable activity. Additionally, the annual ingestion of 62 foods was 294.77 kg/yr, the effective doses from ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were 136.4 and 0.163 μSv/yr, respectively. Conclusion: Thus, the findings confirmed that the effective dose from ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in food tends to be lower than the effective dose limit of 1 mSv/yr suggested by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 60. The questionnaire developed in this study is expected to be useful for estimating the annual effective dose status of Korean adults who consume foods containing ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs.