• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.61-80
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• 2000

Using raw data of the 'Family income and expenditure survey,' we find that the earning distribution worsened in Korea after the financial crisis; the gap between ninetieth and tenth percentile grew larger after the crisis more than before. Such a phenomenon is apparent within narrowly defined education and labor market experience variables. We found that the increase in earning inequality came from the rapidly increasing return to the components of skill other than the schooling and experience, which is caused by the increasing demand of skill after the crisis. Therefore, we can interpret the growing demand for skill is an important factor leading the increase in the earning inequality after the Crisis. And then, we think that the reason for the increasing demand for skill after the crisis can be found in the changes of the technology, the organizational and personnel practice, the globalization, and the labor market. We can derive policy implications from this : To narrow the inequality we must invest the industrial demand-oriented education.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.80-95
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• 2015

Objectives : A safety culture is the bedrock for all patient safety improvement initiatives; thus, many resources have been invested in measuring hospital culture. However, many of these endeavors have failed to yield meaningful results. This article proposes a practical checklist to ensure successful administration of a safety culture survey and describes current methodologies for analyzing survey results to develop safety improvement programs. Methods : We reviewed currently used safety culture surveys and summarized their strengths and weaknesses. We also reviewed studies using safety culture surveys and found several pitfalls leading to failure in survey administration. With this information, we developed a checklist that covers critical items in the survey process. We also reviewed newly developed methodologies for survey results analysis and application and described them using the Korean version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire as an example. Results : The checklist consists of three steps: survey preparation, administration, and analysis and application. Each step contains clear action items. The content even describes how to get buy-in from hospital executives and manage communication channels with them. Also, common misunderstandings regarding survey scores are described and possible solutions are suggested. In the analysis section, we demonstrate new methods for obtaining more accurate survey results and how to utilize these methods to develop and implement hospital-wide safety improvement programs. Conclusion : A successful safety culture survey is the foundation of all future safety improvement projects. This review is intended to guide hospitals in enhancing safety.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.613-619
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• 2014

The optic nerve often suffers regenerative failure after injury, leading to serious visual impairment such as glaucoma. The main inhibitory factors, including Nogo-A, oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein, and myelin-associated glycoprotein, exert their inhibitory effects on axonal growth through the same receptor, the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR). Oncomodulin (OM), a calcium-binding protein with a molecular weight of an ~12 kDa, which is secreted from activated macrophages, has been demonstrated to have high and specific affinity for retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and promote greater axonal regeneration than other known polypeptide growth factors. Protamine has been reported to effectively deliver small interference RNA (siRNA) into cells. Accordingly, a fusion protein of OM and truncated protamine (tp) may be used as a vehicle for the delivery of NgR siRNA into RGC for gene therapy. To test this hypothesis, we constructed OM and tp fusion protein (OM/tp) expression vectors. Using the indirect immunofluorescence labeling method, OM/tp fusion proteins were found to have a high affinity for RGC. The gel shift assay showed that the OM/tp fusion proteins retained the capacity to bind to DNA. Using OM/tp fusion proteins as a delivery tool, the siRNA of NgR was effectively transfected into cells and significantly down-regulated NgR expression levels. More importantly, OM/tp-NgR siRNA dramatically promoted axonal growth of RGC compared with the application of OM/tp recombinant protein or NgR siRNA alone in vitro. In addition, OM/tp-NgR siRNA highly elevated intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and inhibited activation of the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA). Taken together, our data demonstrated that the recombinant OM/tp fusion proteins retained the functions of both OM and tp, and that OM/tp-NgR siRNA might potentially be used for the treatment of optic nerve injury.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 1984

At the preliminary survey of Seosan demonstration project for integration of family planning and maternal and child health service, 6 questions about morbid conditions of all household members were included. Definition of morbid condition used at the survey was self-conceived physical or mental infirmity which had been caused by diseases or accidents, resulting in obstacles to ordinary daily life for past 30 days. Analyzing those morbidity data, the following results were obtained. 1. The morbid person rate was 192.2 per 1,000 persons and the morbidity rate 214.2 per 1,000 persons. 2. The percentage of household which had at least one morbid person was 61.9% and average number of morbidity per one household was 1.1. 3. Analyzing the 1st morbid condition of the total 4,433 morbid persons, morbidity rate of male was 194.6 per 1,000 persons and that of female was 189.8 per 1,000 persons. 4. The highest age specific morbidity rate was that of $0{\sim}4$ years of age, and it was 304.3 per 1,000 persons. The lowest was that of $10{\sim}14$ years of age and the rate of 93.8 per 1,000 persons. 5. The following was the order of five major diseases which were classified according to 17 International Classification of Diseases. (1) Symptoms and Ill defined conditions : 17.3% (2) Disease of the Digestive system : 15.7% (3) Infections and Parasitic disease 14.3% (4) Disease of the Respiratory system : 13.7% (5) Disease of the Nervous system and sense organs : 9.4% 6. 30 leading morbid conditions were described in Table III-2 and which composed 70.6% of total morbid conditions. 7. The percentage of the morbid conditions of which duration was longer than 90 days was 40.5%. 8. Of the total 4,433 morbid persons, 4,394 morbid persons responded for the morbid condition management method. Of those, Hospital & clinic (35.3%), drug store (40.0%), herb drug store (3.6%), health center (2.2%) ware selected for the 1st place or method for management morbid condition, and 18.0% did not search for morbid condition management.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.123-136
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• 2012

Diseases caused by begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae, genus Begomovirus) constitute a serious constraint to tropical and sub-tropical agro-ecosystems worldwide. In recent years, they have also introduced in temperate regions of the world where they have great impact and are posing a serious threat to a variety of greenhouse crops. Begomoviral diseases can in extreme cases reduce yields to zero leading to catastrophic losses in agriculture. They are still evolving and pose a serious threat to sustainable agriculture across the world, particularly in tropics and sub-tropics. Till recently, there have been no records on the occurrence of begomoviral disease in South Korea, however, the etiology of other plant viral diseases are known since last century. The first begomovirus infected sample was collected from sweet potato plant in 2003 and since then there has been gradual increase in the begomoviral epidemics specially in tomato and sweet potato crops. So far, 48 begomovirus sequences originating from various plant species have been submitted in public sequence data base from different parts of the country. The rapid emergence of begomoviral epidemics might be with some of the factors like evolution of new variants of the viruses, appearance of efficient vectors, changing cropping systems, introduction of susceptible plant varieties, increase in global trade in agricultural products, intercontinental transportation networks, and changes in global climatic conditions. Another concern might be the emergence of a begomovirus complex and satellite DNA molecules. Thorough understanding of the pathosystems is needed for the designing of effective managements. Efforts should also be made towards the integration of the resistant genes for the development of transgenic plants specially tomato and sweet potato as they have been found to be widely infected in South Korea. There should be efficient surveillance for emergence or incursions of other begomoviruses and biotypes of whitefly. This review discusses the general characteristics of begomoviruses, transmission by their vector B. tabaci with an especial emphasis on the occurrence and distribution of begomoviruses in South Korea, and control measures that must be addressed in order to develop more sustainable management strategies.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.475-480
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• 2010

Actinomycetes are Gram-positive soil bacteria and one of the most important industrial microorganisms due to superior biosynthetic capabilities of many valuable secondary metabolites as well as production of various valuable bioconversion enzymes. Among them are cytochrome P450 hydroxylase (CYP), which are hemoproteins encoded by a super family of genes, are universally distributed in most of the organisms from all biological kingdoms. Actinomycetes are a rich source of soluble CYP enzymes, which play critical roles in the bioactivation and detoxification of a wide variety of metabolite biosynthesis and xenobiotic transformation. Cyclosporin A (CyA), one of the most commonly-prescribed immunosuppressive drugs, was previously reported to be hydroxylated at the position of 4th N-methyl leucine by a rare actinomycetes called Sebekia benihana, leading to display different biological activity spectrum such as loss of immunosuppressive activities yet retaining hair growth-stimulating side effect. In order to improve this regio-selective CyA hydroxylation in S. benihana, previously-identified several secondary metabolite up-regulatory genes from Streptomyces coelicolor and S. avermitilis were heterologously overexpressed in S. benihana using an $ermE^*$ promoter-containing Streptomyces integrative expression vector. Among tested, SCO4967 encoding a conserved hypothetical protein significantly stimulated region-specific CyA hydroxylation in S. benihana, implying that some common regulatory systems functioning in both biosynthesis and bioconversion of secondary metabolite might be present in different actinomycetes species.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.6-14
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• 2007

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the 3rd leading cause of cancer death in Korea and its prognosis is very poor. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of terminal patients with hepatocellular carcinoma on admission into a hospice unit, and to know if they had received appropriate hospice and palliative care. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records in 62 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had admitted, received palliative care, and died in a hospice unit between January 2003 and December 2005. Results: The median age of patients was 56.5 years with 50 men(80.65%) and 12 women(19.35%) and gender ratio(male to female) was 417. Child-Pugh class A, B, and C were 6(9.68%), 22(35.38%), and 34(58.84%) respectively. We divided the patients into two groups and compared, the terminal HCC patients with class C as group I and those with class A & B as group 2. The median time from hospice referral to death was significantly short in group 1 with 15.5 days compared to group 2 with 53 days. Statistically more prevalent symptoms in group I were ascites, dyspnea, peripheral edema, and hepatic encephalopathy with abnormal laboratory findings (jaundice, hypoalbuminemia, or renal insufficiency). There, however, was no significant difference in complications and managements during admission between group 1 and 2. Conclusion: Most terminal HCC patients were often accompanied with chronic liver disease. The length of hospice and palliative care for above patients was not enough to attend them. Therefore, we suggest that proper education and information should be provided to physicians, patients, and their family members for effective hospice and palliative care.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2012

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT, Osler-Weber-Rendu disease) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by heterogenous multisystemic dysplasia of the vascular tissue. Prevalence of HHT is 1 in 5,000~8,000. HHT commonly presents with recurrent epistaxis, but may have more serious consequences if visceral vascular beds are involved. Approximately 30~50% of HHT cases also present with pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). Spontaneous hemothorax is less common, and PAVM is one of the causes leading to hemothorax. Our case involved an 18-year-old female who had suddenly developed right chest pain. The reason for chest pain was due to right spontaneous hemothorax accompanied by PAVM in the right middle lobe. The patient was additionally diagnosed with HHT upon examination of her family history, specifically through her mother's symptom that included recurrent epistaxis and mucosal telangiectasia.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2011

Asthma is a chronic disease associated with airway constriction due to inflammation caused by eosinophils, mast cells, and T lymphocytes, leading to serious chronic illness in children. The eotaxin gene family has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We hypothesized that the distinctive variations among the four seasons in Korea may affect the expression of eotaxin polymorphisms, especially in children. We examined the possible effects of birth season (spring, March-May; summer, June-August; fall, September-November; and winter, December-February) on the phenotype of asthma in children. All SNP data sets of the eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 genes were collected from 78 asthma patients and 101 controls. Here, we investigated the effects of birth season on the expression of eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 in Korean children. Using the HAPLOTYPE procedure with the HTR method in SAS/Genetics, we showed that children born in spring and summer show significant haplotypes in both the eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 genes. Thus, the expression of polymorphisms in eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 may vary by season.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.35-40
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• 2010

This study collected 217 cases of court ruling statements for the cases over which administrative litigations were made regarding the acknowledgment of cerebral and cardiovascular diseases arising out of duty against Korea Labor Welfare Corporation and analyzed the factors of occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage and infarction and the Court cases of cancelation and dismissal of the litigation. As a result, due to seasonal factors, cerebral hemorrhage occurred more in the winter while cerebral infarction, in spring. The incidences for each age group were the higest in people in their 40s for cerebral hemorrhage while in those in their 50s for cerebral infarction, it turned that the incidence inside the places of business was the highest. The average days from application for care and family benefits until the confirmation of the case was 31 months on average for 34 canceled cases while 23 months for 183 dismissed ones, and the average number of months working until the occurrence of accident was 80.8 months for the 34 canceled cases while 77.6 for the 183 dismissed ones. This study has a significance in that it analyzed leading cases of confirmed administrative litigations in some cases applied for diseases due to occupational cases after the occurrence of cerebral and cardiovascular diseases but not approved, through which it is expected to be used as the basic data to reduce time and economic loss generated by the litigations to judge the acknowledgment of diseases due to occupational cases.