• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 2011

Dengue is an acute febrile viral disease which is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. Dengue fever has steadily increased in both incidence and distribution over the past 50 years. Even though Korea is not an endemic country for dengue fever, with the increasing numbers of overseas travelers in Korea, the numbers of imported dengue cases are steadily increasing. Here, we report a case of imported dengue hemorrhagic fever in a Korean child presenting with fever and epistaxis. Dengue fever should be considered if a patient who has a recent travel history to endemic areas showed classical symptoms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.523-532
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• 2023

Objectives: During the second coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge, cases increased sharply due to low awareness and compliance with measures to limit disease spread. Health literacy (HL) is an important component of public health initiatives, and schools are potential sources of health education to increase HL via the presentation of COVID-19 educational modules. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved an online questionnaire administered to students from 5 high schools in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, Indonesia, 6-7 weeks after the start of government-issued directives restricting public gatherings. We collected data on each respondent's age, gender, parental education, and socioeconomic variables. HL was determined by the Health Literacy Measure for Adolescents. We additionally measured their attitudes and behaviors related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. The students were asked if they watched the COVID-19 module at school, their feelings about vaccination, and preferred online sources of COVID-19-related information. Results: Most of the 432 respondents had viewed COVID-19 modules at school. Module exposure was associated with significantly higher total and domain-specific HL and more positive attitudes toward government-issued COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings (p<0.05). However, behaviors to prevent COVID-19 spread and vaccine acceptance were not associated with module exposure. Most students chose social media as their source of COVID-19-related information. Conclusions: Schools can provide information to increase adolescents' HL and the public's support for health initiatives to prevent or limit the spread of COVID-19.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.98-104
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• 2013

Dengue fever is an important health problem for international travelers to all endemic areas. The steadily increasing numbers of tourists visiting endemic areas raise the risk of exposure, and imported dengue cases are increasingly observed in nonendemic area. Dengue has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, often with unpredictable clinical evolution and outcome. While most patients recover following a self-limiting, non-severe clinical course, a small proportion progress to severe disease such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Therefore, it is important to suspect dengue fever in every febrile patient returning from the tropics. Whenever it is suspected, a quick diagnosis and adequate managements are essential to avoid complications. We report two cases of imported dengue fever in Korean children presenting with fever, headache, nausea, and rash.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.307-310
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• 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, even in advanced economies. While the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa compared to other continents has so far been low, there are concerns about under-reporting, inadequate diagnostic tools, and insufficient treatment facilities. Moreover, proactiveness on the part of African governments has been under scrutiny. For instance, issues have emerged regarding the responsiveness of African countries in closing international borders to limit trans-continental transmission of the virus. Overdependence on imported products and outsourced services could have contributed to African governments' hesitation to shut down international air and seaports. In this era of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, we recommend that African nations should consider self-sufficiency in the health sector as an urgent priority, as this will not be the last outbreak to occur. In addition to the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement fund (US$600 million) provided by the World Bank for strengthening health systems and disease surveillance, each country should further establish an epidemic emergency fund for epidemic preparedness and response. We also recommend that epidemic surveillance units should create a secure database of previous and ongoing pandemics in terms of aetiology, spread, and treatment, as well as financial management records. Strategic collection and analysis of data should also be a central focus of these units to facilitate studies of disease trends and to estimate the scale of requirements in preparation and response to any future pandemic or epidemic.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.177-186
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• 2013

Objectives This study is to evaluate the current situation of Russian tourists for medical tourism of Spine Specialty Korean Medicine Hospital. Methods 133 Russian tourists visiting Spine Specialty Korean Medicine Hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012, were analysed in the statistics. Their data was sourced from the computerized medical records. And 87 of them answer a questionnaire about reasons for selection of Spine Specialty Korean Medicine Hospital and satisfactory for medical service. Results A total of 133 Russian visited Spine Specialty Korean Medicine Hospital for medical service, consisting of 73 females (54.8%), the fourties to fifties 58.9% by age. They avoided visiting in the winter. The average number of visiting was 7.1 times. The average treatment period was 9.9days. Majority of the elapsed time from the onset to the arrival was more than 1 year (56.6%). Low back pain (56.4%) is the most in musculoskeletal disorders and obesity (21.7%) and gynecological diseases (30.4%) were the most in a non-musculoskeletal disorders. Medication and acupuncture was the major treatment. 89.2% of the prescribed medication was the efficacy of musculoskeletal. Russian medical tourists most visited by support of travel agent (58.6%). The main reason of their visiting was non-surgical treatment for spinal disorder (31%). 96.6% of them were satisfied because rapid pain relief and kindness. Conclusions For this study, we confirmed a possibility for the Korean medical treatment of Russian tourists for medical tourism. Still, more research and goverment support for the expansion of Korean medical tourism is needed.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.10 no.1_2
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• pp.27-32
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• 1980

A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis developed in a 48 year old Korean male who returned from middle east was studied by light and electron microscopic observations. Light microscopically, the lesion consisted of heavy chronic ill-defined granulomatous inflammation involving entire thickness of the dermis, composed of mainly histiocytic and small mononuclear cell infiltrations without evidence of necrosis or giant cell formation. Giemsa staining revealed numerous intracellular micro-organisms within histiocytes, showing dark stained central dot surrounded by light stained cytoplasm. Electron microscopically, the organisms were observed mostly ovoid in shape and frequently binary mitotic features within the host cells. follicle consisted of double unit membranes and microtubules, which are immediately below these membrnae. A long kinetoplast was noted within a very elongated mitochondrion at the center of the organisms and a flagella rose in front of the kineoplast but ended within the cytoplasm. Large numbers of free ribosomes, occasional Golgi complex and SER were also noted, but RER was seldom found. These ultrastructural features corresponded to promastigote stage of Leishmania tropica. In principle, leishmaniasis is a tropical disease and can not be found in temperate zone. However, travel to mideast by many Koreans may contract this disease while they are in endemic regions.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2009

Objectives : The aim of this study was to observe the effect of acupuncture and high frequency electroacupuncture at $ST_{39}$ on intestinal motility in rats. 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 electroacupuncture at $ST_{39}$ or sham point in rat divided into pre-treatment group and post-treatment group. We fed charcoal to them after the treatment and measured the travel rate of charcoal in the gastrointestinal tract to observe intestinal motility. Results : Examining intestinal motility of normal rat treated with needle retention acupuncture at $ST_{39}$ significantly suppressed intestinal motility. Pre-treatment of needle retention acupuncture significantly suppressed intestinal motility in rat which over-activated with carbachol. Pre-treatment and post-treatment of high frequency electroacupuncture significantly suppressed intestinal motility in rat which over-activated with carbachol. All of the pre-treatment and post-treatment of needle retention acupuncture, high frequency electroacupuncture showed no significant effect than control group on intestinal motility of rat which was suppressed with loperamide. Conclusions : These results suggest that acupuncture and high frequency electroacupuncture at $ST_{39}$ have preventive and therapeutic effects on over-activated intestinal motility, and high frequency electroacupuncture is more effective.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4901-4903
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• 2015

The gynecologic oncology patients surveillance network program was conducted with the collaboration of 5 provincial hospitals located in the north of Thailand (Chiang Rai, Lamphun Nan, Phayao and Phrae). The aim was to identify ways of reducing the burden and the cost to the gynecologic cancer patients who needed to travel to the tertiary care hospital for follow up. The clinical data of each patient was transferred to the provincial hospital by the internet via the website www.gogcmu.or.th. All the general gynecologists who participated in this project attended the training course set up for the program. From January 2011 to February 2014, 854 patients who were willing to have their next follow-up at the network hospitals close to their home were enrolled this project. Almost of them were residents in Chiang Rai province and the most common disease was cervical cancer. After the project had been running for 1 year, 604 of the enrolled patients and 21 health-care personnel who had participated in this project were interviewed to assess its success. Some 85.3% of the patients and 100% of the health-care personnel were satisfied with this project. However, 60 patients had withdrawn, the most common reason being the lack of confidence in the follow up at the local provincial hospital. In conclusion, it is possible to initiate a gynecologic oncology patients' surveillance network program and the initiation could reduce the problems associated with and the cost the patients incurred as they journeyed to the tertiary care hospital.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.20-32
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture (EA) of low and high frequencies at Haegye (ST41) in rats. Methods: The intestinal motility of rats was experimentally suppressed with loperamide. Acupuncture, low frequency EA and high frequency EA were carried out before the loperamide administration in the pre-treatment group, and after the loperamide administration in the post-treatment group. The rats were fed charcoal and the travel rate of charcoal in the gastrointestinal track was measured to analyze the effect of acupuncture, low frequency EA and high frequency EA on the intestinal hypo-motility. Results: 1. None of acupuncture, low frequency EA or high frequency EA at ST41 showed significant influences on intestinal motility of rats in normal status. 2. Pre-treatment with acupuncture at ST41 showed no significant effect on the intestinal hypo-motility induced by loperamide in rats. 3. Pre-treatment with low frequency EA and high frequency EA at ST41 significantly reduced the suppression of intestinal motility by loperamide in rats. 4. Post-treatment of acupuncture, low frequency EA and high frequency EA at ST41 had no significant influences on the intestinal hypo-motility induced by loperamide in rats. Conclusions: These results suggest that low and high frequency EA at ST41 may be effective to prevent gastric disorders such as intestinal hypo-motility.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.146-155
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• 1995

Jet lag can be defined as the cumulative physiological and psychological effects of rapid air travel across multiple time zone. The consequences of jet lag include fatigue, general malaise, sleep disturbances, and reductions of cognitive and psychomotor performance, all of which have been documented in experimental biological and air crew personnel studies. Thus authors tried to study the jet lag of natural travellers by modified self reporting sleep log. Total 61 healthy travellers was studied for 3 days before and 7 days after jet-flights across seven to ten time zone. The eastbound travelling group was 38 persons, aged 19 -70 and westbound travelling group was 23 persons, aged 13 - 69. Sleep onset time, wake-up time, sleep latency, awakening frequency on night sleep, awakening duration on night sleep, sleepiness at wake-up and nap length were evaluated. Our results suggested that the 7 to 10 time zone shift gave significant influence to traveller's sleep-wake cycles. The date which subjective physical condition was recovered on was $5.16{\pm}1.50$ day after arrivals for eastbound, while for westbound, $4.91{\pm}1.62$ day. In eastbound travelling, sleep onset time became later than baselines and could not recover until 7th day. But in westbound, it became earlier than baseline and could recover until 6th day. The mean score of 24-hour sleepiness was greater in eastboumd than westbound. Therefore the eastbound travelling caused more sleep-wake cycle disturbance and daytime dysfunction than westbound travelling. In other parameters, there was no definite difference between east and westbound. From our results, it was suggested that the symptom severity of jet lag was dependent on the travelling direction. To demonstrate more definite evidence, large sized data collections and comparision by age difference were needed.