• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.806-813
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• 2020

Objective : Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease, and lumbar discectomy (LD) is a common neurosurgical procedure. However, there is little previous data on return to work (RTW) after LD. This study investigated the period until the RTW after LD prospectively. Clinically, the pain state at the time of RTW also checked. RTW failure rate 6 months after surgery also investigated. Methods : Patients with daily/regular jobs undergoing LD between September 2014 and December 2018 were enrolled. Pain was assessed by the Oswestri Disability Index (ODI) and the Numeric Rate Scale (NRS). Employment type was divided into self-employed, regular and contracted. Monthly telephone interviews were conducted to check RTW status and self-estimated work capability after surgery. Results : Sixty-seven patients enrolled in this study. Three patients failed to RTW, and three others resigned within 6 months after surgery. The preoperative NRS and ODI were 7.2±1.2 and 22.1±7.9, respectively. The average time to RTW was 5.1±6.0 weeks. At RTW, NRS was 1.5±1.8 and ODI was 6.3±3.9. Amongst patients that successfully returned to work were 16 self-employed workers, 42 regular employees, and three contracted workers. The time to RTW of self-employed, regular, and contracted workers were 5.9±8.8, 4.2±4.3 and 13.3±2.3 weeks, respectively (p=0.011). Thirty-six of the patients that returned to work self-reported a 22.8±15.6% reduction in work capability at 6 months. Conclusion : RTW may vary depending on the employment status. In this study, we found that while employment type may affect the length to RTW, most patients were able to RTW and >40% of patients reported no loss of work capabilities 6 months postoperatively, hopefully alleviating some patient hesitation towards LD.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-25
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic literature review focusing on international studies to identify various factors affecting the quality of life(QOL) of dementia patients admitted to long-term care facilities. Methods: From January 2000 to July 2018, the articles published in foreign journals were searched through CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. The main search terms were'dementia or Alzheimer's'. 'quality of life', 'long-term care', 'care home', 'nursing home', 'care institution', 'residential care', 'small- scale setting'. The first 1706 articles were searched, but 10 studies were selected using the selection and exclusion criteria. Results: Analysis of ten cross-sectional studies showed that factors such as physical functioning status, ability to perform activities of daily living, and cognition showed a positive correlation with QOL. Depression and anxiety, severity of dementia, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were found to be negatively correlated with QOL. In addition, two longitudinal studies have confirmed that factors affecting QOL are affected by individual functional status and social environmental factors rather than the size and form of care facilities. Conclusion: This study summarized 10 papers and analyzed them through a systematic review of literature. We found that factors such as individual characteristics and social environment determine QOL of patients with dementia. In this study, various intervention methods to improve QOL of patients with dementia should be developed and used in long-term care facilities by identifying the factors affecting QOL of dementia patients and using them.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.95-104
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• 2021

Objective : In this study, we wanted to analyzed the current status of domestic senior center programs to collect data for the development of center programs for small and medium cities. Methods : To collect data, the researchers visited small and medium cities (Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gangwon) between July and September 2019 and conducted interpersonal surveys. The study involved 183 people. Results : The users mainly used senior centers 'because they of their friends' 55% indicated that they used centers four to five times a week. 45.9% were satisfied with their center, and 20.2% indicated that 'various programs' were needed to make the centers attractive. Of the non-users, 43.5% indicated that they did not use the centers for their lack of 'enjoyable' activities, and 46.5% indicated that 'various programs' should be developed to make the centers attractive. Programs favored by both users and non-users included exercise, hobbies and entertainment and health programs. Conclusion : The study show that the general factors influencing the use of senior centers by senior citizens living in small and medium-sized cities in Korea include the purpose of use, satisfaction with the program, and improvement points and limitations. Accordingly, the limitations of the existing center programs will be identified, and the findings can be used as the basis for the development of future programs.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative radiotherapy for patients with low-grade astrocytomas and to define an optimal radiotherapeutic regimen and prognostic factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 69 patients with low-grade astrocytomas underwent surgery and postoperative radiotherapy immediately following surgery at our institution between October 1989 and September 2006. The median patient age was 36 years. Forty-one patients were 40 years or younger and 28 patients were 41 years or older. Fourteen patients underwent a biopsy alone and the remaining 55 patients underwent a subtotal resection. Thirty-nine patients had a Karnofsky performance status of less than 80% and 30 patients had a Karnofsky performance status greater than 80%. Two patients were treated with whole brain irradiation followed by a coned down boost field to the localized area. The remaining 67 patients were treated with a localized field with an appropriate margin. Most of the patients received a dose of $50\sim55$ Gy and majority of the patients were treated with a dose of 54 Gy. Results: The overall 5-year and 7-year survival rates for all of the 69 patients were 49% and 44%, respectively. Corresponding disease free survival rates were 45% and 40%, respectively. Patients who underwent a subtotal resection showed better survival than patients who underwent a biopsy alone. The overall 5-year survival rates for patients who underwent a subtotal resection and patients who underwent a biopsy alone were 57% and 38%, respectively (p<0.05). Forty-one patients who were 40 years or younger showed a better overall 5-year survival rate as compared with 28 patients who were 41 years or older (56% versus 40%, p<0.05). The overall 5-year survival rates for 30 patients with a Karnofsky performance status greater than 80% and 39 patients with a Karnofsky performance status less than 80% were 51% and 47%, respectively. This finding was not statistically significant. Although one patient was not able to complete the treatment because of neurological deterioration, there were no significant treatment related toxicities. Conclusion: Postoperative radiotherapy following surgery is a safe and effective treatment for patients with low-grade astrocytomas. The extent of surgery and age were noted as significant prognostic factors in this study. However, further effective treatment might be necessary in the future to improve long-term survival rates.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.755-760
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• 2001

Objective : To determine the feasibility of translabyrinthine approach in the vestibular schwannoma patients, the authors reviewed eighteen consecutive cases, focusing at their functional outcome and operative complications. Materials and Method : To evaluate the functional outcome, we reviewed preoperative radiological findings such as size of tumors and location of jugular bulb as well as the preoperative neurological status including audiometric analysis and cranial nerve function in 18 patients, diagnosed as vestibular schwannoma. Also the surgical outcome was evaluated according to the functional preservation of facial nerve and incidence of the surgical complication as well as the extent of surgical resection. Results : The age of patients ranged from 21 to 62 years, with a mean of 50 years. Of 18 patients operated in our center by the translabyrinthine approach, wide exposure with total removal of the mass was possible in 16 cases (88.8%). The facial nerve was anatomically preserved in 88.8%. At six-month follow-up, facial nerve function was good(Grade I-II) in 15 patients(83%) and acceptable(I-IV) in all patients. Although the jugular bulb was highly placed is five patients, gross total resection was possible without facial nerve injury in all patients by the translabyrinthine approach. One patient experienced CSF leakage after surgery, but there was no patient with disabling deficit. Conclusion : Use of the translabyrinthine approach for removal of vestibular schwannomas resulted in good anatomical and functional preservation of the facial nerve, with minimal incidence of morbidity and no mortality. In cases of high jugular bulb impacted into mastoid bone, total removal was possible by displacing the jugular bulb with Surgicel cellulose and placement of bone wax.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.299-315
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• 1993

Koreans are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in America. Stress responses and stressors among this large cultural minority has been rarely been studied by nursing researchers. Adjusting to life in foreign country produces a great deal of stress. Differences in culture, language, expectations and social behavior can lead to misunderstandings between health care providers and clients. These misunderstandings are not well accounted for in health assessment. This study investigated the relationship between life events or / and daily activities as a stressor and the symptoms of stress among a sample of Korean immigrants in America. The symptoms of stress scale (SOS) was used to identify stress responses and open-ended questions were used to identify life events and daily activities considered by the respondents to be stressful. A simple random sample of 283 subjects was selected from the Directory of the Korean Society of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle. Demographically, the subjects ranged in age from 20 to 69 years, and the percentage of women and men was approximately 50% each. Almost ninety percent of the subjects were highly educated, 17% owners of business, 19% white collar professionals, 14% employed in sales or as skilled /unskilled labor, 27% as housewives and students and 3％ had no occupation. The total group SOS mean was 0.8042 ; the SOS men for man was 0.7371, and for women was 0.8713. The stress response of this subject group was high, -the stress response of women higher than that for men. In an earlier study(June, 1992) with another sample, the total mean SOS score was similar to this one. The main stressful life events or / and daily activities were, in order, economic problems (N=97), interpersonal problems (N=68), children care problems (N=258), health problems (N=49), communication problems (N=42), family problems (N=38), worry about future career (N=36), and religious problems (N=25). There was a significant difference in the SOS means between the group that expressed life events or / and daily activities to be stressful and the group that did not. Interpersonal relationships and economic and family problems were stressors for those who complained about peripheral manifestations. cardiopulmonary symptoms, central-neurological symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle ten-sion, habitual patterns, depression, anxiety, emotional irritability and cognitive disorganization. In summary, interpersonal relationships and economic and family problems influenced stress response manifestations. Income, the number of people in the family, the year of immigration. the level of education, and marital status were related to physiological and psychosocial stress responses.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2016

Objective : The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of auditory stimulus using music on unilateral neglect in patients with stroke. Methods : This study used a single subject (ABA) design. The subject who showed unilateral neglect caused by stroke received auditory stimulus using music for 60 minutes per sessions. A total of 20 sessions were conducted. The unilateral neglect was measured by the Star cancellation test and Line bisection test during each session, and Catherine Bergego Scale was used to evaluate the degree of unilateral neglect in daily life pre-and post-test. Also, Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule was used to test subject's emotional status. Results : During the intervention period, the results of the Star cancellation test and Line bisection test showed the trend of reduction of unilateral neglect symptom and the effects of intervention were maintained after intervention. After intervention, the results of CBS indicated decreased unilateral neglect symptom in activities of daily living and the results of PANAS indicated increased positive affect. Conclusions : The result of this study indicate that auditory stimulus has a positive effect on the unilateral neglect, and may be considered as alternative choice in clinical occupational therapy for reducing unilateral neglect.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1491-1498
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• 2000

Objectives : Embolization of intracranial aneurysms by using Guglielmi detachable coils(GDC) is proving to be a safe method of protecting aneurysms from rupture. Occasionally, patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms present with symptoms related to the aneurysm's mass effect on either the brain parenchyma or cranial nerves. In the present study, the authors conducted a retrospective review to evaluate the response to GDC embolization in a series of 6 patients presenting with cranial nerve dysfunction due to mass effect. Patients and Methods : Aneurysms were classified by size, shape, and amount of intraluminal thrombus. Patients were classified by duration of symptoms prior to GDC treatment(range<1 month to>4 years). Clinical assessment was performed within days of the GDC procedure and at later follow-up appointments(range 5-16 months, mean 9 months). Results : In the immediate post-GDC embolization period, one of the five patients had transient worsening of third nerve palsy, which later improved to better than baseline status. Two patients who presented with third nerve deficit from a internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery junction aneurysm had complete recovery. One patient who presented with hemiparesis and dysarthria from a giant mid-basilar aneurysm showed improvement of these symptoms. One patient who presented with sixth cranial nerve deficit from a cavernous aneurysm showed no change at the 8-months follow-up examination. Conclusion : The endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms by using GDC is suggested as an alternative therapeutic method for improving or alleviating neurological deficits produced by mass effect.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.111-117
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• 1999

Free radicals are thought to be the most important cause of the reperfusion injury subsequent to ischemia. The antioxidant status of the tissue affected by ischemia-reperfusion is of great importance for the primary endogenous defense against the free radical induced injury. Therefore, antioxidant therapy has been shown to be beneficial in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and cerebral ischemia. In this study, the protective effects of Chungpesagan-tang (CST) was investigated against ischemia/reperfusion-induced cytotoxicity in SK-N-MC neuronal cells It was found out that low concentration of CST was highly effective in protecting neuronal cells against ischemia/reperfusion-induced cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effect of CST on malondialdehyde formation during ischemia/reperfusion-induced oxidative stress in SK-N-MC cells showed obvious dose-dependent responses. Also, CST showed relatively high inhibitory activity to xanthine oxidase induced by ischemia/reperfusion environment Therefore, it is thought that CST has both antioxidant and xanthine oxidase inhibitory effect and can be used for clinical applications for protection of neuronal cells from ischemia-reperfusion injury.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.16-26
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• 2007

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease catalyzing the proteolytic conversion of plasminogen into plasmin, which is involved in thrombolysis. During last two decades, the role of tPA in brain physiology and pathology has been extensively investigated. tPA is expressed in brain regions such as cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum, and major neural cell types such as neuron, astrocyte, microglia and endothelial cells express tPA in basal status. After strong neural stimulation such as seizure, tPA behaves as an immediate early gene increasing the expression level within an hour. Neural activity and/or postsynaptic stimulation increased the release of tPA from axonal terminal and presumably from dendritic compartment. Neuronal tPA regulates plastic changes in neuronal function and structure mediating key neurologic processes such as visual cortex plasticity, seizure spreading, cerebellar motor learning, long term potentiation and addictive or withdrawal behavior after morphine discontinuance. In addition to these physiological roles, tPA mediates excitotoxicity leading to the neurodegeneration in several pathological conditions including ischemic stroke. Increasing amount of evidence also suggest the role of tPA in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis even though beneficial effects was also reported in case of Alzheimer's disease based on the observation of tPA-induced degradation of $A{\beta}$ aggregates. Target proteins of tPA action include extracellular matrix protein laminin, proteoglycans and NMDA receptor. In addition, several receptors (or binding partners) for tPA has been reported such as low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) and annexin II, even though intracellular signaling mechanism underlying tPA action is not clear yet. Interestingly, the action of tPA comprises both proteolytic and non-proteolytic mechanism. In case of microglial activation, tPA showed non-proteolytic cytokine-like function. The search for exact target proteins and receptor molecules for tPA along with the identification of the mechanism regulating tPA expression and release in the nervous system will enable us to better understand several key neurological processes like teaming and memory as well as to obtain therapeutic tools against neurodegenerative diseases.