• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.263-267
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• 2023

Climate change is a global emergency. Consequently, current global targets to combat the climate crisis include reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and keeping global temperature increases below 1.5 ℃. In 2014, the healthcare carbon footprint was 5.5% of the total national footprint. Gastrointestinal endoscopy (GIE) has a large carbon footprint compared to other procedures performed in healthcare facilities. GIE was identified as the third largest generator of medical waste in healthcare facilities for the following reasons: (1) GIE is associated with high case volumes, (2) GIE patients and relatives travel frequently, (3) GIE involves the use of many nonrenewable wastes, (4) single-use devices are used during GIE, and (5) GIE is frequently reprocessed. Immediate actions to reduce the environmental impact of GIE include: (1) adhering to guidelines, (2) implementing audit strategies to determine the appropriateness of GIE, (3) avoiding unnecessary procedures, (4) using medication rationally, (4) digitalization, (5) telemedicine, (6) critical pathways, (7) outpatient procedures, (8) adequate waste management, and (9) minimizing single-use devices. In addition, sustainable infrastructure for endoscopy units, using renewable energy, and 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) programs are necessary to reduce the impact of GIE on the climate crisis. Consequently, healthcare providers need to work together to achieve a more sustainable future. Therefore, strategies must be implemented to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the healthcare field, especially from GIE, by 2050.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.545-549
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• 2013

A 12-year-old spayed female mixed-bred dog presented with nasal bleeding of 2 days duration and a skin nodule in the left flank. No abnormalities were found in coagulation profiles and blood pressure. Cytological evaluation of the nodule revealed numerous characteristic round organisms having a nucleus and a bar within macrophages and in the background, consistent with leishmaniasis. In vitro culture was unsuccessful but PCR of the nodular aspirate identified the organisms as Leishmania infantum, and the final diagnosis was canine leishmaniasis. No history of travel to endemic countries was noted. Because the dog had received a blood transfusion 2 years before the illness, serological screening tests were performed in all donor dogs of the commercial blood bank using the commercial Leishmania ELISA test kit, and there were no positive results. Additional 113 dogs with hyperglobulinemia from Seoul were also screened with the same kits but no positive results were obtained. To the best of the author's knowledge this is the first autochthonous case of canine leishmaniasis in Korea.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2022

Jeju is the largest island in Korea and one of its key tourist attractions. As the number of foreign tourists steadily increases, so does the number of injuries incurred there. Accordingly, this study aimed to describe and compare the characteristics of injuries suffered by foreign tourists versus those of domestic tourists. As a cross-sectional study of a retrospective medical record survey, the study was conducted with reference to the Jeju Injury Surveillance System from the 11-year period of January 2008 to December 2018. The following factors were investigated: demographic data, mechanism of injury, place of occurrence, activity when injured, patient outcome, and mortality. A total of 92,095 injured Jeju Island visitors was recorded during this time, a number that included 88,050 Koreans and 4,045 foreigners. The gender ratio showed similar patterns between the two groups and there were no significant age differences. In both groups, the most common mechanism of injury was collisions/cuts. Also, more foreigners experienced falls than Koreans. Regarding the location, Koreans had the most road accidents, while foreigners were most likely to be injured at outdoor locations, such as seas and rivers. Furthermore, more foreigners experienced severe injuries requiring hospitalization. Notably, this study showed the differences in injury between foreign and Korean tourists visiting Jeju Island and its findings lend support to targeted safety promotion programs.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2023

Few studies have examined the basilar venous plexus (BVP) and to our knowledge, no previous study has described its histology. The present anatomical study was performed to better elucidate these structures. In ten cadavers, the BVP was dissected. The anatomical and histological evaluation of the intraluminal trabeculae within this sinus were evaluated. Once all gross measurements were made, the clivus and overlying BVP were harvested and submitted for histological analysis. A BVP was identified in all specimens and in each of these, intraluminal trabeculae were identified. The mean number of trabeculae per plexus was five. These were most concentrated in the upper half of the clivus and were more often centrally located. These septations traveled in a posterior to anterior direction and usually, from inferiorly to superiorly however some were noted to travel horizontally. In a few specimens the trabeculae had wider bases, especially on the posterior attachment to the meningeal layer of dura mater. More commonly, the trabeculae ended in a denticulate form at their two terminal ends. The trabeculae were on average were 0.85 mm in length. The mean width of the trabeculae was 0.35 mm. These septations were consistent with the cords of Willis as are found in the lumen of some of the other intradural venous sinuses. An understanding of the internal anatomy of the BVP can aid in our understanding of venous pathology. Furthermore, this knowledge will benefit patients undergoing interventional treatments that involve the BVP.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.343-347
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• 2013

Autochthonous human gnathostomiasis had never been reported in the Republic of Korea. We report here a case of Gnathostoma spinigerum infection in a 32-year-old Korean woman, presumed to have been infected via an indigenous route. The patient had experienced a painful migratory swelling near the left nasolabial fold area of the face for a year, with movement of the swelling to the mucosal area of the upper lip 2 weeks before surgical removal of the lesion. Histopathological examinations of the extracted tissue revealed inflammation with heavy eosinophilic infiltrations and sections of a nematode suggestive of a Gnathostoma sp. larva. The larva characteristically revealed about 25 intestinal cells with multiple (3-6) nuclei in each intestinal cell consistent with the 3rd-stage larva of G. spinigerum. The patient did not have any special history of travel abroad except a recent trip, 4 months before surgery, to China where she ate only cooked food. The patient is the first recorded autochthonous case of G. spinigerum infection in Korea.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2016

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate both cancer patients' willingness to participate (WTP) in clinical trials and its associated factors. Methods : We searched MEDLINE (PubMed) for studies that had investigated cancer patients' WTP in clinical trials. Search terms included 'willingness to participate', 'cancer' and 'trial'. Studies published within the last five years up to July 26, 2016 were potentially eligible. Results : Of 44 initial hits, 14 studies (12 quantitative and 2 qualitative) were included. Two out of the 14 studies investigated WTP in an acupuncture trial. Study designs, such as WTP measurement methods, investigation settings, and type of cancer, varied. The proportion of participants with a WTP was widely distributed between the studies (median 48.6 %, range 11.1 % to 88.3 %). Factors associated with WTP included various socio-demographic factors, clinical factors, participants' knowledge/attitudes toward clinical trials, travel distance, information from physicians, and trust toward physicians. Conclusion : WTP and its associated factors were variable across the reviewed studies, which might be due to different research methods and contexts. Whether or not common factors associated with cancer patients' WTP in clinical trials exist remains unclear and thus warrants further research.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.27-42
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• 2008

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture at $LR_3$ on intestinal motility in rat. Methods : We made over-activated state of intestinal motility with carbachol and suppressed state of intestinal motility with loperamide in rat and carried out needle retention acupuncture and high frequency electro-acupuncture at $LR_3$ in rat devided into pre-treatment group and post-treatment group. The charcoal travel rate was measured to evaluate the intestinal motility. Results : 1. High frequency electro-acupuncture at $LR_3$ have significant influences on intestinal motility of rat in normal state. 2. Pre-treatment of needle retention acupuncture, high frequency electro-acupuncture significantly decreased intestinal motility in rat which over-activated with carbachol. 3. Post-treatment of high frequency electro-acupuncture significantly increased intestinal motility in rat which suppressed with loperamide. Conclusions : These results suggest that acupuncture and electro-acupuncture at $LR_3$ are effective on intestinal motility in rat.

• Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.61-63
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• 2021

In Vol. 31, No. 3, our journal prepared three review articles, an original paper, and two case reports. First, as COVID-19 continues for a long time, aviation workers, including pilots, are also experiencing mental problems such as depression. Therefore, we have compiled the basic principles for improving the mental health of pilots. Next, it is difficult to properly perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when a cardiac arrest situation occurs in an aircraft. Moreover, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, CPR is more difficult because medical staff and other passengers may also be exposed to infections. Therefore, we have summarized the principles of CPR on board and ways to perform CPR while keeping the safety of medical staff and other passengers in the COVID-19 situation. The sudden change of gravity caused by space travel has various effects on the human body, and among them, the effect on the immune system is profound. Therefore, we reviewed the research methods to study the effect of gravity on the immune system and the results. In addition, we analyzed the demographic characteristics and health status of immigrant visa applicants who intended to immigrate to the United States over the past five years. Next, through two case reports, we reported cases of determining physical fitness for aviation service in patients who recovered after receiving appropriate treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia or renal cell carcinoma.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.161-165
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• 2010

Echinococcus granulosus, an intestinal tapeworm of dogs and other canids, infects humans in its larval stage and causes human echinococcosis or hydatid disease. In the Republic of Korea, 31 parasite-proven human echinococcosis cases have been reported, most of which were imported from the Middle East. We recently examined a 61-year-old Korean man who had a large cystic mass in his liver. ELISA was negative for tissue parasitic infections, including echinococcosis, cysticercosis, paragonimiasis, and sparganosis. The patient underwent surgery to remove the cyst, and the resected cyst was processed histopathologically for microscopic examinations. In sectioned cyst tissue, necrotizing protoscolices with disintegrated hooklets of E. granulosus were found. In some areas, only freed, fragmented hooklets were detected. The patient had traveled to western and central Europe in 1996, and had no other history of overseas travel. We report our patient as a hepatic echinococcosis case which was probably imported from Europe.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.2 s.53
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• pp.215-225
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• 1996

Decentralization to local governments and amending of Health Center Law are to promote the efforts of health planning at the level of local agencies. In the health facility planning, it is important to take into account that what to be built, where to be located, how far should be service area and so forth, because health facilities are immovable, and require capital as well as personnel and consumable supplies. The aim of our study, answering to the question of 'where to be located?', is to determine the best location of urban health sub-center. At the local level, planning is the matter of finding the best location of specific facilitiy, in relation to population needs. We confine the accessibility, which is basic to location planning, to geographic one. Location-Allocation Model is used to solve the problem where the location is to maximize geographic accessibility. To minimize the weighted travel distance, objective function, $R_k=\sum{\sum}a_{ij}w_{i}d_{ij}$ is used. Distances are measured indirectly by map measure-meter with 1:25,000 Suwon map, and each potential sites, 10 administrative Dongs in Kwonson Gu, Suwon, are weighted by each number of households, total population, maternal age group, child age group, old age group, Relief for the livelihood, and population/primary health clinics. We find that Kuwoon-Dong, Seodun-Dong, Seryu3-Dong, according the descending orders, are best sites which can minimize the weighted distance, and conclude that it is reasonable to determine the location of urban health sub-center among those sites.