• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.249-258
• /
• 2009

The objectives of this study were to compare the relative risk of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality associated with Asian dust events, and especially to investigate the effects on the susceptible population such as the elderly and children, which were based on the data in Seoul from 2000 to 2006. Both of the study periods with/without Asian dust days, respiratory-cause mortality was the highest, followed by cardiovascular-cause mortality and all-cause mortality in sequence among mortality related to air pollution for all-aged group. As to susceptible group, the relative risk of mortality is the highest for +65 yrs group among all-cause mortality. According to comparison of mortality with/without Asian dust days, the relative risk of all-cause mortality is larger in the model with Asian dust days than the one in the model without Asian dust days among all age group (except for under 15 yrs group) and all air pollutants. The relative risk of cause-specific mortality (except for ozone in under 15 yrs group in case of respiratory-cause mortality, and ozone in all age group and over 65 yrs group in case of cardiovascular-cause mortality) per IQR increase of each pollutant is larger in the model without Asian dust days.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.343-355
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of child care and the education and the influence of job-stress on job-satisfaction of child care and education teachers. 172 child care and education teachers were chosen from 40 child care centers located in Incheon, Gyeonggido, and Seoul. Data were collected using the efficacy of child care and education index, the job-stress instrument, and the job-satisfaction instrument, and were analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA(Duncan test), correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. There were significant differences in child care and education teacher's job-satisfaction according to the teacher-related variables, including the type of institution, the number of classes, the age of children, the education, the teaching experience, the income, the age of teacher, and the marital status of the teacher. Correlation analysis indicated that the teacher's efficacy of child care and education and the job-satisfaction had significant correlations, especially the satisfaction of job itself indicated high positive correlations. Job-stress and job-satisfaction of the child care and education teachers had significant negative correlations in all sub-variables, especially the stress from the working environment and the satisfaction of administration system indicated high negative correlations. It was also found that stress from the working environment, stress from the overload, stress from the peer relations, and the efficacy of child care and education were all significant predictors of the child care and education teacher's job-satisfaction.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.61 no.9
• /
• pp.291-300
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Understanding changes in pathogen and pneumonia prevalence among pediatric pneumonia patients is important for the prevention of infectious diseases. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of children younger than 18 years diagnosed with pneumonia at 117 Emergency Departments in Korea between 2007 and 2014. Results: Over the study period, 329,380 pediatric cases of pneumonia were identified. The most frequent age group was 1-3 years old (48.6%) and the next was less than 12 months of age (17.4%). Based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision diagnostic codes, confirmed cases of viral pneumonia comprised 8.4% of all cases, pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae comprised 3.8% and confirmed cases of bacterial pneumonia 1.3%. The prevalence of confirmed bacterial pneumonia decreased from 3.07% in 2007 and 4.01% in 2008 to 0.65% in 2014. The yearly rate of pneumococcal pneumonia also decreased from 0.47% in 2007 to 0.08% in 2014. A periodic prevalence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia (MP) was identified. Conclusion: The increased number of patients with pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, pleural effusion, and empyema in 2011 and 2013-2014 resulted from an MP epidemic. We provide evidence that the frequency of confirmed cases of bacterial pneumonia and pneumococcal pneumonia has declined from 2007 to 2014, which can simultaneously reflect the effectiveness of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.73-78
• /
• 2001

Yersinia enterocolitica is an inhabitant in the lower intestinal tract of many domestic and wild animals as well as in the nature. Of the several forms of diseases caused by Y. enterocolitica, an acute enteritis, especially in young children, is the most common form. Infection of the bacteria usually occurs through fecal-oral route by contaminated foods or water, especially mountainspring water. Of the domestic animals, swine has been known as one of the most important carrier in the human infection. Based on the knowledge, prevalence of antibody against Y enterocolitica was investigated with swine sera collected from Korea for the survey of Y enterocolitica infection in swine. As the first step of this survey, we analyzed outer membrane protein (OMP) profiles of the representative strains of Y enterocolitica isolated from the feces of piglets and mountainspring water in Korea. Thirty-eight kDa OMP was identified as the common OMP regardless of origin, serotype, or biotype of Y enterocolitica isolates. Presence of antibody specific for 38 kDa OMP of Y enterocolitica in 1,076 swine sera collected from November 1999 to October 2000 was analysed with ELISA. Antibody titer in sows was significantly higher than that in piglets, growing pigs and finishing pigs (p<0.05). Also, there was seasonal difference in the prevalence of antibody against Y enterocolitica. These results would provide the basic knowledge for controlling the Y enterocolitica infection in human as well as swine.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.691-702
• /
• 2015

This study examined the levels of risk perception of food risk elements by adopting a psychometric paradigm and analyzed factors affecting concerns about food risk elements to obtain basic materials for food safety policy. The data were collected from 296 housewives in Daegu, Korea, by a self-administered questionnaire. Frequency distributions, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's ${alpha}$, and multiple regression analyses were conducted by SPSS 21.0. The mean level of concern for food safety was 3.75/5.00 points, and the mean percentage of correct answers about heavy metal contamination was highest among food risk elements. The respondents perceived radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors as a new, delayed, scientifically unknown, involuntary, serious, and uncontrollable risk in risk perception. According to the result of factor analysis for risk perception, two factors such as non-controllability and dread were categorized. In the risk perception map, radioactive contaminated foods and GM foods were considered as an uncontrollable and dreaded risk, heavy metal contamination, endocrine disruptors, and pesticide residues as a controllable and dreaded risk, and foodborne illness and food additives as a controllable and less dreaded risk. On the other hand, the levels of concerns about food risk elements were higher in order of radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, concern for food safety, percentage of correct answers about food risk elements, non-controllability, and dread influenced the concerns about food risk elements. These results imply that food safety policies should consider differences in consumer's risk perception of food risk elements.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.392-400
• /
• 2005

The genes encoding the DNA gyrase A (GyrA) and B subunits (GyrB) of Methylovorus sp. strain SS1 were cloned and sequenced. gyrA and gyrB coded for proteins of 846 and 799 amino acids with calculated molecular weights of 94,328 and 88,714, respectively, and complemented Escherichia coli gyrA and gyrB temperature sensitive (ts) mutants. To analyze the role of type II topoisomerases in the intrinsic quinolone resistance of methylotrophic bacteria, the sequences of the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) in the A subunit of DNA gyrase and the C subunit (ParC) of topoisomerase IV (Topo IV) of Methylovorus sp. strain SS1, Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 NCIB 9133, Methylobacillus sp, strain SK1 DSM 8269, and Methylophilus methylotrophus NCIB 10515 were determined. The deduced amino acid sequences of the QRDRs of the ParCs in the four methylotrophic bacteria were identical to that of E. coli ParC. The sequences of the QRDR in GyrA were also identical to those in E. coli GyrA except for the amino acids at positions 83, 87, or 95. The $Ser^{83}$ to Thr substitution in Methylovorus sp. strain SS1, and the $Ser^{83}$ to Leu and $Asp^{87}$ to Asn substitutions in the three other methylotrophs, agreed well with the minimal inhibitory concentrations of quinolones in the four bacteria, suggesting that these residues play a role in the intrinsic susceptibility of methylotrophic bacteria to quinolones.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.62-66
• /
• 2011

Deletions of 14q including band 14q32.33 are uncommon. Patients with terminal deletions of chromosome 14 usually share a number of clinical features. By molecular techniques (array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we identified a young girl with 0.3 Mb terminal 14q32.33 deletion. Review of the nine cases with pure terminal 14q32.3 deletions described to date documented that our observation is the smallest terminal 14q deletion ever reported. The phenotype of our patient is much less severe than the phenotypes of the patients reported previously. We report our experience in examining the clinical, behavioral, and cognitive findings in a 5-year-old girl studied with chromosomal microarray hybridization and reviewed previously reported patients with 14q32 deletions.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.147-168
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study is to research support systems of the community child care services for optimum work-family balance. For this purpose, the questionnaire to be completed combined four areas: the workplace, school, community and home. Then questions concerning demographic factors and community-related aspects were analysed for this article. After analyzing 197 questionnaires, supplementary questions were asked, by interview to 10 samples. Full-time working wives (eg. working from 9am to 6pm) who have 1 or more children under 10 years old, living in Seoul and Gyeonggi province were collected as samples. The results were as follows: First, child care from family and relatives, and community services was properly used during the week, but dual working parents took complete charge of child care on Saturdays. Second, emergency child care was usually provided by the family, while relatives and community child care services were used less. Third, parents spent 17% of their monthly income on total child care expenditure. Fourth, community child care services were not used often, but the level of satisfaction with them was very high. Finally, they used relatives' services for safety reasons and community services for location, and only based on informed decisions. Therefore, Saturday child care programmes need to be initiated to help physically and mentally tired parents, with more general provision of positive and diverse public support systems.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.449-458
• /
• 2004

There have not been extensive studies on the objectives and contents for computer education, although the computer became a required subject in the 7th Curriculum. Since the success of education greatly depends on the established educational goals, it is important to set up refined objectives related to information communication technology and to educate children accordingly in a systematic way. In this respect, this paper analyses objectives of each elementary subject and curriculums of foreign schools, suggests new objectives for computer education, and discusses methods for selecting contents that are fit to the objectives. Our work can be used as a basis for conducting research on elementary computer education.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.297-307
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the dietary attitudes and meal management of married immigrant women according to residence period in Korea. The study was conducted by administering a questionnaire survey to 220 married immigrant women in Korea. More than one third of the immigrant women who stayed in Korea less than 3 years tended to eat a limited variety of foods. Irregularity of meal time decreased as residence time period increased (P<0.05). As immigrant women stayed longer in Korea, they became more responsible for the diet of their family (P<0.001) and had more time to share breakfast and dinner with all family members (P<0.05). Nearly half of immigrant women in all residence periods indicated their husband's family as the most influential factor in acquiring Korean foods (P<0.05). Immigrant women became more familiar with Korean cooking and recognition of nutritious foods (P<0.001) the longer they lived in Korea and more enjoyable meal times with family (P<0.05). In summary, as the period of residence in Korea increased, the dietary attitudes of immigrant women became more positive towards Korean food and diet culture. Further, immigrant women became more responsible for guiding children's dietary habits and offering healthy foods to their family as residence period increased. Therefore, the government and social programs should conduct constant and organized lessons on Korean culture and cooking according to residence period for immigrant women to build up stable and positive dietary attitudes.