• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.211-227
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• 2024

Introduction: Seaweed is a sustainable and underexplored source of bioactive compounds with potent anti-inflammatory activities. However, studies on the interaction between seaweed and genes on inflammation are limited. Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the relationships between seaweed consumption and the polygenic risk scores (PRS) and their interactions with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Methods: Information on seaweed consumption was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, which included laver, kelp, and sea mustard among the items consumed. A total of 31 hs-CRP-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected using genome-wide association studies and clumping analysis, and the individual PRS were calculated by weighting the effect size of each allele in the selected SNPs of 39,369 middle-aged (≥40 years) Koreans using the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)-Health Examinees (HEXA) cohort data. To investigate the interaction between seaweed intake and the PRS on hs-CRP levels >1 mg/L, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 4.8 years, we recorded 436 patients with elevated hs-CRP levels. Women in the highest tertile of the PRS with the lowest quartile of seaweed intake had an increased incidence of elevated hs-CRP levels compared with women in the lowest tertile of the PRS with the lowest seaweed intake quartile (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.23-4.45). No significant association was observed among the men. Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified a new interaction between the PRS, seaweed intake, and inflammation in Korean women, and this study suggests that the interaction between the identification of genetic predisposition and dietary seaweed intake may have an impact on determining the risk of developing hyperinflammation in the future.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to explore high school science teachers' perceptions and practices regarding the implementation of achievement standards-based assessment (ASA) in their science teaching. To achieve this, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 20 science teachers who had implemented ASA. The participating teachers were asked to share their opinions on ASA implementation, the effects of ASA on changes in their teaching, and students' reactions to ASA. The results were as follows. Most of the teachers recognized that the initial intention behind ASA implementation began to be realized in schools only after course rankings were no longer required to be indicated. Some teachers felt that ASA allowed them to focus on students' progress, rather than evaluating them by achievement scores. It also helped some teachers identify students who were experiencing learning difficulties and offer appropriate support. In addition, some teachers acknowledged being able to reorganize their science lessons according to the essential goals of science subjects in the curriculum and provide more detailed feedback on students' achievements. However, some teachers expressed difficulties in setting an appropriate level of achievement for their lessons or in evaluating students' progress using qualitative methods. Lastly, the teachers expressed concerns about the remarkably lower motivation of some students for learning science after the indication of course ranking was no longer required.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2024

Background: This study investigated a safe and effective bolus dose and lockout time for patient-controlled sedation (PCS) with dexmedetomidine for dental treatments. The depth of sedation, vital signs, and patient satisfaction were investigated to demonstrate safety. Methods: Thirty patients requiring dental scaling were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups based on bolus doses and lockout times: group 1 (low dose group, bolus dose 0.05 ㎍/kg, 1-minute lockout time), group 2 (middle dose group, 0.1 ㎍/kg, 1-minute), and group 3 (high dose group, 0.2 ㎍/kg, 3-minute) (n = 10 each). ECG, pulse, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, end-tidal CO₂, respiratory rate, and bispectral index scores (BIS) were measured and recorded. The study was conducted in two stages: the first involved sedation without dental treatment and the second included sedation with dental scaling. Patients were instructed to press the drug demand button every 10 s, and the process of falling asleep and waking up was repeated 1-5 times. In the second stage, during dental scaling, patients were instructed to press the drug demand button. Loss of responsiveness (LOR) was defined as failure to respond to auditory stimuli six times, determining sleep onset. Patient and dentist satisfaction were assessed before and after experimentation. Results: Thirty patients (22 males) participated in the study. Scaling was performed in 29 patients after excluding one who experienced dizziness during the first stage. The average number of drug administrations until first LOR was significantly lower in group 3 (2.8 times) than groups 1 and 2 (8.0 and 6.5 times, respectively). The time taken to reach the LOR showed no difference between groups. During the second stage, the average time required to reach the LOR during scaling was 583.4 seconds. The effect site concentrations (Ce) was significantly lower in group 1 than groups 2 and 3. In the participant survey on PCS, 8/10 in group 3 reported partial memory loss, whereas 17/20 in groups 1 and 2 recalled the procedure fully or partially. Conclusion: PCS with dexmedetomidine can provide a rapid onset of sedation, safe vital sign management, and minimal side effects, thus facilitating smooth dental sedation.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.27.1-27.12
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• 2024

Background: A urethral obstruction (UO) is an emergency commonly observed in male cats, which can result in significant clinical and laboratory alterations, leading to complications and death. Objectives: This study aimed to correlate symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) with the urea, creatinine, potassium, and bicarbonate levels in cats with UO. In addition, the correlation between clinical score and time of obstruction was evaluated. Methods: Thirty male cats were selected and allocated into a control group (CG, n = 13) and an obstruction group (OG, n = 17). The laboratory analyses were conducted before treatment (M0) and at different times after treatment (12 h [M12], 24 h [M24], and 48 h [M48]). Correlations were established between SDMA and creatinine, urea, bicarbonate, potassium, time of obstruction, and the clinical score. Results: A strong correlation (r > 0.6) was observed between SDMA and creatinine, urea, and potassium in the OG. Furthermore, there was substantial agreement (kappa value) between SDMA and creatinine at M24. A higher clinical score was associated with a longer time of obstruction. In the OG, at M48, the SDMA and creatinine levels were 50% and 41.2% higher, respectively. Conclusions: A correlation was observed between SDMA and creatinine in obstructed cats, and significant agreement between these values was observed 24 h after the unblocking treatment. A correlation among SDMA, urea, and potassium was observed. Approximately 9% more cats continued to have elevated SDMA levels after 48 h of treatment compared to creatinine. This suggests a slightly lower sensitivity of the latter biomarker but does not exclude the possibility of congruent and normalized values after a longer evaluation period.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.81-100
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• 2024

This study analyzed the national diversity of journal editors and authors, focusing on international journals in library and information science, and quantified it through Simpson's Diversity Index. In addition, LIS journals were clustered according to diversity indicators and their characteristics were analyzed, and it was also confirmed whether nationality diversity of editorial members could induce nationality diversity of authors. As a result of the analysis, first, the diversity index of the editors of the LIS (Library & Information Science) international journal was found to be 0.64, which is less than the diversity of the authors, which is 0.76. It was confirmed that as the diversity of nationalities among editorial committee members increases, it is possible to attract authors of various nationalities (r = .79). Second, journals in the IS (Information Science) field showed a high index before or after 0.8 for both editorial members and author contributing countries, but those in the LS (Library Science) field showed relatively low scores, especially among the editorial members, with a very low index of 0.48. Third, the United States has the highest share of both authors and editors, and in particular, it has been confirmed that the LS field has an overwhelming share of 53.39% of editors. On the other hand, in Asian countries, including Korea, the ratio of contributions as editors compared to contributions as authors was found to be lower than in the United States and European countries.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.225-249
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to develop an evaluation tool for map-based data visualization platforms and to conduct heuristic usability evaluations on existing platforms representing inter-regional information. We compared and analyzed the usability evaluation criteria of map-based platforms from the previous studies along with Nielsen's (1994) 10 usability evaluation principles. We proposed nine evaluation criteria, including (1) visibility, (2) representation of the real world, (3) consistency and standards, (4) user control and friendliness, (5) flexibility, (6) design, (7) compatibility, (8) error prevention and handling, and (9) help provision and documentation. Additionally, to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed criteria, four experts was invited to evaluate five domestic and international map-based data visualization platforms. As a result, the experts were able to rank the usability of the five platforms using the proposed map-based data visualization usability evaluation criteria, which included quantified scores and subjective opinions. The results of this study are expected to serve as foundational material for the future development and evaluation of map-based visualization platforms.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.134-143
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• 2024

Backgrounds/Aims: The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is classified as the advanced stage (BCLC stage C) with extremely poor prognosis, and in current guidelines is recommended for systemic therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis after hepatic resection (HR) for patients who have HCC combined with PVTT. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 332 patients who underwent HR for HCC with PVTT at ten tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea. Results: The median overall and recurrence-free survival after HR were 32.4 and 8.6 months, while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 75%, 48%, and 39%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, tumor number, tumor size, AFP, PIVKA-II, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade were significant prognostic factors. The risk scoring was developed using these seven factors-tumor, inflammation and hepatic function (TIF), to predict patient prognosis. The prognosis of the patients was well stratified according to the scores (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Conclusions: HR for patients who have HCC combined with PVTT provided favorable survival outcomes. The risk scoring was useful in predicting prognosis, and determining the appropriate treatment strategy for those patients who have HCC with PVTT.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.497-507
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• 2024

Objectives: This study investigated the treatment response to Korean medicine of a paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) patient with dysarthria and weakness of distal extremity. Case presentation: A 53-year-old female diagnosed with PCD complained of dysarthria and weakness of distal extremity. During 32-day hospitalization, she was treated with Korean medicine, namely, herbal medicine (modified Gamiguibi-tang), acupuncture (15 minutes twice a day at CV23, HT7, LI4, LR3, ST36, SP6, GB20, TE17, PC6, GV20, Ex-HN1, GV24 etc.), moxibustion, and cupping, combined with Western medicine (prednisolone, azathioprine) and physical therapy. Post-treatment, the patient global assessment (PGA) score of dysarthria fell from 100 to 60; grasp power rose from 15 kg to 19 kg and 13 kg to 17 kg in the right and left hands, respectively; and the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L), EQ visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS), and Beck depression inventory (BDI-II) scores changed from 10 to 8, 0 to 80, and 34 to 7 respectively. Follow-up visits continued for about a month after discharge, improvement in symptoms maintained, and there were no significant side effects. Conclusions: Given the lack of standard treatment for PCD, Korean medicine can be tried clinically for the treatment of PCD patients with dysarthria and weakness of distal extremity. However, further studies with control groups are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.519-531
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• 2024

Objectives: This case study reports the effectiveness of Korean medical treatment in a patient with cyclic vomiting syndrome. Methods: A 29-year-old female Korean patient with cyclic vomiting syndrome received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion for 2 weeks in hospital. Changes in symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Index for Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), Nausea Severity Scale (NSS), Nepean Dyspepsia Index-Korean version (NDI-K), quality of life using the Functional Dyspepsia Related Quality of Life questionnaire (FD-QoL), and gastric motility using electrogastrography (EGG). Results: Post-treatment, the patient showed high satisfaction and improvement in symptoms of nausea and vomiting. The following changes were observed in scores: GSRS: 23 to 19; VAS of nausea: 88 to 95; VAS of dyspepsia: 95 to 12; INVR: 13 to 1; NSS: 17 to 5; NDI-K: 107 to 78; and FD-QoL 84 to 27. We also found positive results in Channel 3 of EGG parameters, implying the improvement of gastric motility disorder. Conclusion: Korean medical treatment can be a therapeutic option for cyclic vomiting syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.683-696
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• 2023

The conservation of wetland ecosystems has a significant role in climate change. Notably, the Han River Protected Area, including the Siam-ri wetland and Janghang wetland, provides high biodiversity value. Thus, it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the function and value of wetland ecosystems. This study evaluated the ecosystem services of Siam-ri and Janghang Wetlands located in the Han River Protected Area using the Rapid Assessment Wetland Ecosystem Services approach, a function-oriented ecosystem analysis. The results were calculated using the Ecosystem Services Index formula to analyze wetland ecosystem services. We also assessed the key ecosystem services based on a focus group interview. We identified that the supporting and cultural services index scores were relatively high in the study area. The results can provide helpful information for sustainable wetland conservation, conservation planning as primary data, and raising awareness for the Han River Protected Area.