• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.142-161
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to report the effect and safety of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) for enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) after gynecological surgery. Methods: The study is conducted by analyzing the medical records of the hospitalized patients in TKM hospital. Eighty-six patients were enrolled who received TKM for ERAS after gynecological surgery from January 2015 to April 2018. We performed statistical analysis by using SPSS ver. 25.0. To prove the effect and safety of TKM for ERAS, we analyzed symptoms and Hemoglobin (Hb), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and serum creatinine (Cr) with glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In addition, we checked other adverse reactions that the patients complained to prove the safety of TKM for ERAS. Results: Among symptoms of pain, there was a statistically significant decrease in abdominal pain, lower back pain, and shoulder pain. Other symptoms showed statistically significant improvement in fatigue, abdominal tympanosis, operation-site discomfort, dizziness, urinary discomfort, throat discomfort, constipation, dyspepsia and colporrhagia. Anemia in both ferritin combination treatment group and herbal medicine only group showed significant improvement. There was no liver damage or renal damage by TKM. Conclusions: The result has shown that TKM for ERAS after gynecological surgery is effective and safe. The further study of TKM for ERAS with more patients is needed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.171-177
• /
• 2019

Parasitic infections have remained a significant burden on human and animal health. In part, this is due to lack of clinically-approved, novel antimicrobials and a lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry. An alternative approach is to modify existing clinically-approved drugs for efficient delivery formulations to ensure minimum inhibitory concentration is achieved at the target site. Nanotechnology offers the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs through modification of nanoparticles with ligands. Amphotericin B, nystatin, and fluconazole are clinically available drugs in the treatment of amoebal and fungal infections. These drugs were conjugated with gold nanoparticles. To characterize these gold-conjugated drug, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed. These drugs and their gold nanoconjugates were examined for antimicrobial activity against the protist pathogen, Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype. Moreover, host cell cytotoxicity assays were accomplished. Cytotoxicity of these drugs and drug-conjugated gold nanoparticles was also determined by lactate dehydrogenase assay. Gold nanoparticles conjugation resulted in enhanced bioactivity of all three drugs with amphotericin B producing the most significant effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii (p < 0.05). In contrast, bare gold nanoparticles did not exhibit antimicrobial potency. Furthermore, amoebae treated with drugs-conjugated gold nanoparticles showed reduced cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. In this report, we demonstrated the use of nanotechnology to modify existing clinically-approved drugs and enhance their efficacy against pathogenic amoebae. Given the lack of development of novel drugs, this is a viable approach in the treatment of neglected diseases.

• Korean journal of dermatology
• /
• v.56 no.9
• /
• pp.543-547
• /
• 2018

Wolf's isotopic response is defined as the occurrence of a new skin disorder at the site of another unrelated skin disease that has already healed. In most cases of isotopic response, the initial dermatosis is herpes infection, and the most frequent second dermatoses are granulomatous reactions. Various interpretations of this phenomenon have been attempted. However, the exact mechanism has not been identified yet. Herein, we report a case in which the secondary disease was segmental vitiligo that appeared over the same dermatomes of herpes zoster. A 71-year-old woman presented with well-defined, depigmented patches on the left chest and back. She had been diagnosed with herpes zoster on the same dermatomes and treated with an antiviral agent 3 years ago. Histological examination showed decreased basal melanin pigments and melanocytes. Consequently, the patient was diagnosed with segmental vitiligo based on the clinical and histological findings.

• Journal of architectural history
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.45-54
• /
• 2021

In 2020, Yi Hunwoo was discovered as one of the earliest modern architects in Korea. However, his personal life was yet mostly unknown, including the time of his death. The research team ('the team' hereafter) searched for the records of his personal life and professional career. First, his family genealogical chart revealed that he died in 1937. Having located and contacted Yi's direct descendents, the team was able to clarify his family background with the descendants' testimonies. They possess the photographs of him and his family members, including Yi's picture when he was a freshman at the Nagoya Higher Technical School in Japan. The team also identifies his birthplace and the location of his grave as Hadong, Gyeongsangnamdo, Korea. The team visited his project site in Jinju, Gyeonsangnamdo, Korea and obtained more detailed information about the Ilshin Girls' High School, which he designed in 1928. Gyohoan, the congregation records of Cheondogyo, one of the leading religions in Korea during Yi's times, confirmed that he was one of the congregation members. The field research also discovered the house he designed and built in his hometown of Hadong, probably the only surviving architectural project by him. This paper is to report the result of the research on Yi's life and career with the aim of providing materials for further studies in identifying and positioning him more properly in the early 20th century Korean architectural scene.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.164-169
• /
• 2021

Neuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1) is a GPI-anchored membrane protein that is involved in neural cell adhesion and communication. Multiple genome wide association studies have found that NEGR1 is a generic risk factor for multiple human diseases, including obesity, autism, and depression. Recently, we reported that Negr1-/- mice showed a highly increased fat mass and affective behavior. In the present study, we identified Na/K-ATPase, beta1-subunit (ATP1B1) as an NEGR1 binding partner by yeast two-hybrid screening. NEGR1 and ATP1B1 were found to form a relatively stable complex in cells, at least partially co-localizing in membrane lipid rafts. We found that NEGR1 binds with ATP1B1 at its C-terminus, away from the binding site for the alpha subunit, and may contribute to intercellular interactions. Collectively, we report ATP1B1 as a novel NEGR1-interacting protein, which may help deciphering molecular networks underlying NEGR1-associated human diseases.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.566-577
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the correlation between job performance difficulties and job satisfaction that novice health teachers experienced in a new school environment, and provide the basic data necessary for policy development. Methods: Data were collected from 196 novice health teachers without in-service training program for the qualification of 1st grade and with less than four years of work experience in Korea. The self-report questionnaire consisted of general characteristics, perception of difficulties in job performance, and job satisfaction. The data were analyzed using the x² test, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Novice health teachers had the most difficulty in health education during their job performance, whereas teachers without hospital clinical experience encountered difficulties in health management. Those with less than two years of teaching experience or no experience of being contract health teachers had higher job performance difficulties. The results revealed that the lack of experience in performance at a school site had a considerable influence on the difficulty in job performance. In terms of job satisfaction, novice health teachers had the highest satisfaction with status recognition and the lowest satisfaction with their tasks in charge. Additionally, as the difficulty in job performance increased, job satisfaction decreased. Conclusion: The study results indicated the need for training to provide novice health teachers with sufficient experience in job performance before being placed in a school. The provision of support to respond to difficulties in job performance will improve job satisfaction and contribute not only to the development of novice health teachers, but also to the improvement of the quality of school health.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.23-29
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study is to reduce the probability of occurrence of electric fires as a preemptive preventive measure, and to strengthen the capability of preventing electric fires by strengthening the cooperative function between electric fire-related departments and establishing a cooperative system. In this study, the general aspects of electric fires were identified by reviewing the literature such as ignition mechanisms of electric fires. And the major electrical fires that occurred in the last 10 years were classified into ignition factors (short circuit, overload/overcurrent, and earth leakage/ground fault) and ignition sources (wiring/wiring appliances, electrical equipment/household appliances). And the 4M technique was used to analyze the potential causes of ignition at the fire site and to suggest preventive measures. In the case In this study, out of 48 electrical fires in the past 10 years, 16 short-circuit fires, 3 overload/overcurrent fires, 3 short-circuit and earth fault fires, 16 fires in wiring/wiring appliances, and 10 fires in electrical equipment/home appliances classified as cases. And prevention measures were presented in terms of human, machine, media, and management by using the 4M technique. For the preemptive prevention of electric fires, strengthening the compulsory electrical safety inspection and making it mandatory to report when new or expanding electric facilities, charging a fee for electric safety inspection for detached houses and granting benefits subject to inspection completion, improvement of the electric safety voluntary inspection table and safety indications; It was suggested as a policy to organize and operate electrical safety inspection personnel in a two-person team (mixed), establish a close work cooperation system with related organizations, and strengthen electrical safety education and publicity.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.375-386
• /
• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to summarize current clinical study trends and results regarding transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment for xerostomia. Methods: Studies published from 2017 to 2022 were searched on domestic databases and PubMed. The included studies were analyzed according to the year, language, study design, diagnosis xerostomia method, and TENS treatment method. Results: Nine studies were included. There were three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), three case series, one case report, one case-control study, and one cross-sectional study. Conventional TENS was used in seven studies, and acupuncture-like TENS (ALTENS) was used in one study. The most common TENS attachment site was externally on the skin overlying the parotid gland region, and the setting of TENS was 50 Hz-250 μs the most. In all nine studies, TENS was effective for xerostomia as assessed by salivary flow rate or quality of life questionnaire. Additionally, no persistent adverse events were reported after TENS treatment. Conclusions: TENS treatment for xerostomia can be considered effective and safe, so it can be used in clinical practice.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.459-465
• /
• 2022

This paper reports a method to use a wireless sensor network deployed in the field to real-time monitor soil moisture, warning when the moisture level reaches a specific value, and wirelessly controlling an additional device (LED or water supply system, etc.). In addition, we report all processes related to wireless irrigation system, including field deployment of sensors, real-time monitoring using a smartphone, data calibration, and control of additional devices deployed in the field by smartphone. A commercially available open-source Internet of Things (IoT) platform, NodeMCU, was used, which was combined with a 9V battery, LED and soil humidity sensor to be integrated into a portable prototype. The IoT-based soil humidity sensor prototype deployed in the field was installed next to a tree for on-site demonstration for the measurement of soil humidity in real-time for about 30 hours, and the measured data was successfully transmitted to a smartphone via Wifi. The measurement data were automatically transmitted via e-mail in the form of a text file, stored on the web, followed by analyses and calibrations. The user can check the humidity of the soil real-time through a personal smartphone. When the humidity of a soil reached a specific value, an additional device, an LED device, placed in the field was successfully controlled through the smartphone. This LED can be easily replaced by other electronic devices such as water supplies, which can also be controlled by smartphones. These results show that farmers can not only monitor the condition of the field real-time through a sensor monitoring system manufactured simply at a low cost but also control additional devices such as irrigation facilities from a distance, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption and helping improve agricultural productivity.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report on the treatment of wound dressing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers in the dermatology clinic of Korean medicine. Methods : First, sufficient marginal resection of the ulcer and necrotic tissue on the foot of a patient with diabetic peripheral neuropathy was performed. Inflammation was treated with Anti-inflammatory pharmacopuncture solution, and dressings were applied for one month using Cornu Cervi Parvum pharmacopuncture solution, and Haeboo ointment for granulation tissue formation and skin regeneration. Results : After 10 days of the treatment, the formation of new granulation tissue was observed in the necrotic tissue area, and the extent of the lesion decreased sharply from the 14th day. On the 40th day, epithelialization progressed so that the treatment was terminated, and complete keratinization of the site was observed at follow-up 3 weeks after the end of the treatment. Conclusions : In the treatment of wound dressings in diabetic foot ulcer patients, marginal resection treatment with the application of pharmacopuncture solution and herbal ointment showed good effect.