• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Purpose: Immobilizations used in order to maintain the reproducibility of a patient set-up and the stable posture for a long period are important more than anything else for the accurate treatment when the stereotactic body radiotherapy is underway. So the purpose of this study is to adapt the optimum immobilizations for the stereotactic body radiotherapy by comparing two commercial immobilizations with the self-manufactured immobilizations. Materials and Methods: Five people were selected for the experiment and three different immobilizations (A: Wing-board, B: BodyFix system, C: Arm up holder with vac-lock) were used to each target. After deciding on the target's most stable respiratory cycles, the targets were asked to wear a goggle monitor and maintain their respiration regularly for thirty minutes to obtain the respiratory signals. To analyze the respiratory signal, the standard deviation and the variation value of the peak value and the valley value of the respiratory signal were separated by time zone with the self-developed program at the hospital and each tie-downs were compared for the estimation by calculating a comparative index using the above. Results: The stability of each immobilizations were measured in consideration of deviation changes studied in each respiratory time lapse. Comparative indexes of each immobilizations of each experimenter are shown to be A: 11.20, B: 4.87, C: 1.63 / A: 3.94, B: 0.67, C: 0.13 / A: 2.41, B: 0.29, C: 0.04 / A: 0.16, B: 0.19, C: 0.007 / A: 35.70, B: 2.37, C: 1.86. And when all five experimenters wore the immobilizations C, the test proved the most stable value while four people wearing A and one man wearing D expressed relatively the most unstable respiratory outcomes. Conclusion: The self-developed immobilizations, so called the arm up holder vac-lock for the stereotactic body radiotherapy is expected to improve the effect of the treatment by decreasing the intra-fraction organ motions because it keeps the respiration more stable than other two immobilizations. Particularly in case of the stereotactic body therapy which requires the maintenance of set-up state for a long time, the self-developed immobilizations is thought to more useful for stereotactic body radiotherapy rather than the rest two immobilizations with instable respiratory cycle as time passes.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.245-263
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• 2000

This study was conducted to provide the basic data about the health effects of pesticide exposure among farmers for agricultural health study. We analyzed 412 self-administered questionnaires collected from the male farmers who spray pesticides in Kyoung-ju area, Korea. Survey questions were about chronic symptoms, acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, pesticide intoxication accident, safety rules, protective equipments etc. The correlations among the variables related to pesticide exposure and the factors in acute pesticide poisoning and chronic symptoms of farmers were also analyzed. For chronic symptoms, the prevalence of 'tiredness and languor', 'lumbago', 'nocturia', 'shoulder pain', 'numbness', and, for acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, the experience rate of 'itching sense of skin', 'dizziness/headache', 'fatigue', 'eye glaring' were high compared with other symptoms. For 'experience of intoxication accident by pesticide in family', 7.1% of the subjects experienced the accident and the causes were pesticide spraying, food contamination by pesticide, suicide etc. Among safety rules, 'take a bath after spraying', 'change clothes after spraying' were kept relatively well, and, for protective equipments, hat, boots, mask, gloves, protective clothes(lower) were put on relatively well. The factors associated with acute pesticide poisoning were the extent of keeping safety rules, spraying time, orchard cultivation, agricultural area and spraying days per year etc. And the factors associated with chronic symptoms were acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, agricultural area, farming career, extent of keeping safety rules, extent of agricultural work and the pesticide exposure index etc. From these results, it is suggested that to reduce the health effects by pesticide exposure among farmers, the education to promote to keep safety rules and wear protective equipments, and information services should be recommended. And further studies on the long term health effects of pesticide exposure among farmers are required.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.428-442
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• 2011

This study investigated the actual status of constipation. In total, 978 female students in Korea participated. We identified the relationship among constipation and life style, clothing patterns, housing patterns, dietary habits, and dietary intake in a constipation symptom group and a normal group. The actual constipation rate based on the Rome II criteria was 27.0% (n = 264). Body weight (p < 0.05) and body mass index (p < 0.05) in the constipation group were significantly higher than those in the normal group. The incidence of functional bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome in the constipation group were significantly higher than those in the normal group. The discomfort of wearing underwear was significantly higher in the constipation group than that in the normal group. The constipation group revealed a significantly higher rate of irregular dietary habits than those in the normal group. The dietary diversity score of the normal group was 4.22 (p < 0.05), which was significantly higher than that of constipation group (4.12). No significant difference in life style factors was observed. It is necessary for university female students to correct their dietary habits, maintain food intake of three times per day, and select diverse foods. Furthermore, it is necessary for university female students to wear comfortable clothing to lessen symptoms and improve constipation rates.