• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.114-125
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• 2024

Objectives: Network pharmacology is an analysis method that explores drug-centered efficacy and mechanism by constructing a compound-target-disease network based on system biology, and is attracting attention as a methodology for studying herbal medicine that has the characteristics for multi-compound therapeutics. Thus, we investigated the potential functions and pathways of Myrrha on Allergic Rhinitis (AR) via network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking. Methods: Using public databases and PubChem database, compounds of Myrrha and their target genes were collected. The putative target genes of Myrrha and known target genes of AR were compared and found the correlation. Then, the network was constructed using STRING database, and functional enrichment analysis was conducted based on the Gene Ontology (GO) Biological process and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathways. Binding-Docking stimulation was performed using CB-Dock. Results: The result showed that total 3 compounds and 55 related genes were gathered from Myrrha. 33 genes were interacted with AR gene set, suggesting that the effects of Myrrha are closely related to AR. Target genes of Myrrha are considerably associated with various pathways including 'Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway' and 'JAK-STAT signaling pathway'. As a result of blinding docking, AKT1, which is involved in both mechanisms, had high binding energies for abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid, which are components of Myrrha. Conclusion: Through a network pharmacological method, Myrrha was predicted to have high relevance with AR by regulating AKT1. This study could be used as a basis for studying therapeutic effects of Myrrha on AR.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

The Korean heliospheric community, led by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), is currently assessing the viability of deploying a spacecraft at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L4 in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The aim of this mission is to utilize a combination of remote sensing and in situ instruments for comprehensive observations, complementing the capabilities of the L1 and L5 observatories. The paper outlines longterm scientific objectives, underscoring the significance of multi-point in-situ observations to better understand critical heliospheric phenomena. These include coronal mass ejections, magnetic flux ropes, heliospheric current sheets, kinetic waves and instabilities, suprathermal electrons and solar energetic particle events, as well as remote detection of solar radiation phenomena. Furthermore, the mission's significance in advancing space weather prediction and space radiation exposure assessment models through the integration of L4 observations is discussed. This article is concluded with an emphasis on the potential of L4 observations to propel advancements in heliospheric science.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between health information literacy and life satisfaction according to households type of the elderly targeting 9,820 people aged 65 or older using data from the 2021 Community Health Survey. Methods: This study used SPSS 27.0 to conduct logistic regression analysis to analyze the relationship between the study subjects' health literacy and life satisfaction. Results: Single-person households had higher life satisfaction when they perceived written health literacy to be easy to understand, and multi-person households had higher life satisfaction when they perceived health information explained verbally by medical staff to be easy to understand. Conclusions: There is a need to develop customized education programs and elderly health policies that take into account the characteristics of each households type.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.223-233
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• 2024

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has exacerbated the rate of tuberculosis (TB) infection among close contacts of TB patients in remote regions. However, research on preventive behaviors, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), among household contacts of TB cases is scarce. This study aimed to employ the HBM as a framework to predict TB preventive behaviors among household contacts of TB patients in the border areas of Northern Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study with multi-stage random sampling was conducted in Chiang Rai Province. The study included 422 TB patients' household contacts aged 18 years or older who had available chest X-ray (CXR) results. A self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct the survey. Results: The participants' mean age was 42.93 years. Pearson correlation analysis showed that TB preventive behavior scores were significantly correlated with TB knowledge (r=0.397), perceived susceptibility (r=0.565), perceived severity (r=0.452), perceived benefits (r=0.581), self-efficacy (r=0.526), and cues to action (r=0.179). Binary logistic regression revealed that the modeled odds of having an abnormal CXR decreased by 30.0% for each 1-point score increase in preventive behavior (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.61 to 0.79). Conclusions: HBM constructs were able to explain preventive behaviors among TB patients' household contacts. The HBM could be used in health promotion programs to improve TB preventive behaviors and avoid negative outcomes.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.109-120
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• 2007

In this study, a bridge maintenance system is developed to generate performance-based optimum maintenance strategy by considering the life-cycle cost. A multi-objective combinatorial optimization problem is formulated to generate a tradeoff maintenance scenarios which satisfies the balance among the conflicting objectives such as the performance and cost during the bridge lifetime and a genetic algorithm is applied to the system. By using the developed program, this study proposes a process of optimum maintenance scenario applying to the steel girder bridge of national road. The developed system improves the current methods of establishing the bridge maintenance strategy and can be utilized as an efficient tool to provide the optimum bridge maintenance scenario corresponding to the various constraints and requirements of bridge agency.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.216-221
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate a model to predict the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients with dental infections using an automated machine learning (ML) program called H2O-AutoML. Materials and Methods: Two models were created using only the information available at the initial examination. Model 1 was parameterized with only clinical symptoms and blood tests, excluding contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) images available at the initial visit, whereas model 2 was created with the addition of the MDCT information to the model 1 parameters. Although model 2 was expected to be superior to model 1, we wanted to independently determine this conclusion. A total of 210 patients who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Dankook University Dental Hospital from March 2013 to August 2023 was included in this study. The patients' demographic characteristics (sex, age, and place of residence), systemic factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus [DM], kidney disease, liver disease, heart disease, anticoagulation therapy, and osteoporosis), local factors (smoking status, site of infection, postoperative wound infection, dysphagia, odynophagia, and trismus), and factors known from initial blood tests were obtained from their medical charts and retrospectively reviewed. Results: The generalized linear model algorithm provided the best diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic values of 0.8289 in model 1 and 0.8415 in model 2. In both models, the C-reactive protein level was the most important variable, followed by DM. Conclusion: This study provides unprecedented data on the use of ML for successful prediction of ICU admission based on initial examination results. These findings will considerably contribute to the development of the field of dentistry, especially oral and maxillofacial surgery.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.30.1-30.12
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• 2024

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of polishing systems and surface sealant on the color stability and whiteness index of single-shade resin composites after staining and bleaching. Materials and Methods: Three single-shade (Omnichroma, Charisma Diamond One, Zenchroma) and one multi-shade (Filtek Z250) materials were tested. From each resin composite, 40 specimens were prepared. The specimens were divided into 4 subgroups (n = 10) according to the surface treatments: 1-step polishing, 1-step + Biscover LV, 2-step polishing, and 2-step polishing + Biscover LV. Color differences (ΔE₀₀) were calculated after being immersed in the coffee solution for 12 days. After the staining, the specimens were immersed in a whitening mouthrinse (Crest-3D White) for 12 hours. Whiteness index differences (ΔWI_D = WI_D after staining - WI_D after bleaching) values were recorded. The generalized linear model was used for analysis (p< 0.05). Results: The lowest and highest ΔE₀₀ values were found for Zenchroma and Charisma Diamond One respectively. Sealed groups indicated higher ΔE₀₀ values than nonsealed groups with significant differences (p = 0.008). The lowest and highest ΔWI_D values were found for Zenchroma and Charisma Diamond One respectively. Sealed groups indicated lower ΔWI_D values than nonsealed groups with significant differences (p = 0.022). Conclusions: The use of surface sealant increased the discoloration and showed less whiteness change in resin materials. When the 1-step was compared with the 2-step polishing, the effects on the color stability and whiteness index values of the resin materials were similar.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.443-450
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• 2024

Objectives: Lack of physical activity has a critical effect on the physical and mental health of adolescents. This study examined the influence of family adversities on the longitudinal changes in physical inactivity among adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The study used multi-wave data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, including 2590 Korean adolescents aged 12-14 years. The longitudinal trajectory of physical inactivity among adolescents and the effects of related factors were estimated using a latent growth modeling method. Results: Our results revealed a significant increase in physical inactivity among adolescents over time. At the onset of the pandemic, approximately one-seventh of Korean middle schoolers reported a lack of physical activity. However, 3 years later, during the quarantine, nearly one-fifth of these adolescents reported a significant increase in their physical inactivity. Initially, low level parental education was predictive of adolescents' physical inactivity, but this effect diminished over time, becoming statistically insignificant by the end of the 3-year period. Moreover, the increase in physical inactivity over the 3 years was significantly influenced by parental rejection. Conclusions: These findings suggest that adolescents who experience parental rejection are more likely to report an increase in sedentary behaviors in contexts such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.66-78
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• 2014

Objectives : The specificity of acupuncture point has been a highly controversial subject. Existing researches said that ion-distribution differences are observed on the acupuncture point. This study was conducted under the assumption that multiple ionic changes induced by muscle fatigue would be different between the acupuncture point with non-acupuncture point. Methods : To induce the identical fatigue, twenty subjects performed the knee extension/flexion exercise using the Biodex System 3. ST32 and ST33 as well as adjacent non-acupuncture points were selected. We measured blood lactate and analyzed the median frequency(MF) and peak torque. To obtain the information on the extracellular fluid(ECW), intracellular fluid(ICW) and cell membrane indirectly, we used the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis(MF-BIA) method. Results : MF, peak torque and blood lactate level of all measurement sites were gradually returned to normal. Re resistance of ST32 had a stronger response, but a non-acupuncture point adjacent to ST33 had a larger response up to 20 minutes post exercise. Ri resistances were similar for both acupoints and non-acupoints. The $C_m$ capacitance of ST32 had a stronger response after inducing fatigue, but ST33 had a smaller response than a non-acupuncture point adjacent to it. Conclusions : In comparison with before and after inducing fatigue, the specificity of acupuncture points was not clearly observed. Hence, we concluded that the body composition factors extraction method had the limitation as a method of finding the specificity of acupuncture points by inducing fatigue.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2000

Objectives: To investigate the airway narrowing patterns by multi-level airway pressure(MAP) monitoring during sleep and to evaluate the value of CT scan taken during waking and sleep apneic periods to identify the level of airway narrowing(LAN) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS). Methods: Eleven patients with OSAS underwent a night polysomnography with continuous MAP monitoring by 4-sensor(placed at nasopharynx, caudal-uvula, hypopharynx, esophagus) or 2-sensor(placed at caudal-uvula and esophagus) catheter. All patients had cine CT at five levels of high retro and alatal, low retropalatal, retroglossal, epiglottis and hypopharynx during awake and sleep periods. In each patient, LAN determined by CT scan($LAN_{CT}$) during sleep apnea was compared with LAN by MAP monitoring($LAN_{MAP}$). Results: MAP monitoring showed that four patients(36%) had a single pattern of LAN while the other seven patients(64%) showed two or more different LANs in different apneic episodes. Velopharynx was the most common level of frequently observed airway narrowing during sleep apnea(63.6%). However, a single pattern of airway narrowing was more frequent(72.7%) in airway CT during sleep apnea. Velopharynx was the most common narrowest level also in apneic CT(66%). In comparing $LAN_{CT}$ with $LAN_{MAP}$, the $LAN_{CT}$ of five patients(45.5%) were high-concordant, those of another five(45.5%) low-concordant, and that of one(9%) discordant with $LAN_{MAP}$. Conclusions: Cine CT scan during the awake state or sleep apnea may not reflect the LAN correctly in OSAS because most patients showed two or more different airway narrowing patterns during different episodes of sleep apnea in each patient.