• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.589-600
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• 2022

In order to verify the reliability of Dry Test Bench (DTB) used for testing the output energy from ballistic extracorporeal shock wave therapeutic devices, the measurements with DTB were compared with the acoustic energy measured with a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) for a commercial ballistic ESWT device. It was shown that the mechanical energy detected with DTB had variability maintained within 5 % at the same output power setting and also had a linear correlation (adj. R² = 0.991) with the acoustic energy measured with the LDV for the entire output power settings. Using the correlation between the two methods and the correlation on the acoustic energy measured in between air and water with the LDV, the DTB measurement can be used to estimate the energy flux density in water with an average error of 7.85 % for the entire output power settings of the ballistic shock wave generator considered in the experiment. DTB provides information limited to the output mechanical energy and therefore it is not suitable for testing the various acoustic output parameters required in IEC61846 and IEC63045. However, DTB that is simple in measurement principles and easy to use is expected for manufacturers and clinical users to monitor the performance of ballistic Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) devices.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.464-474
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• 2022

Objectives: We introduced the cohort studies included in the Korean Cohort Consortium (KCC), focusing on large-scale cohort studies established in Korea with a prolonged follow-up period. Moreover, we also provided projections of the follow-up and estimates of the sample size that would be necessary for big-data analyses based on pooling established cohort studies, including population-based genomic studies. Methods: We mainly focused on the characteristics of individual cohort studies from the KCC. We developed "PROFAN", a Shiny application for projecting the follow-up period to achieve a certain number of cases when pooling established cohort studies. As examples, we projected the follow-up periods for 5000 cases of gastric cancer, 2500 cases of prostate and breast cancer, and 500 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The sample sizes for sequencing-based analyses based on a 1:1 case-control study were also calculated. Results: The KCC consisted of 8 individual cohort studies, of which 3 were community-based and 5 were health screening-based cohorts. The population-based cohort studies were mainly organized by Korean government agencies and research institutes. The projected follow-up period was at least 10 years to achieve 5000 cases based on a cohort of 0.5 million participants. The mean of the minimum to maximum sample sizes for performing sequencing analyses was 5917-72 102. Conclusions: We propose an approach to establish a large-scale consortium based on the standardization and harmonization of existing cohort studies to obtain adequate statistical power with a sufficient sample size to analyze high-risk groups or rare cancer subtypes.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2022

Background: The singing bowl is a bowl-shaped percussion instrument and is used in meditation and healing programs, but the mechanism of its clinical effects is unclear. Purpose: In this paper, we reviewed the peculiar acoustic property of the singing bowl sound and discussed on physical mechanisms of the clinical effects of the singing bowl sound. Methods: We studied the literature by reviewing it. Results: There are multiple pitches at adjacent frequencies in the singing bowl sound, and they give rise to the beat phenomenon. This results in a solid persisting beating felt in the singing bowl sound. Furthermore, the beat that depends on singing bowls and playing methods includes a rhythm often similar to the frequency band of brain waves (theta wave) observed in meditative states and induces a synchronization phenomenon in which the rhythm activates the brain waves in meditative states. Furthermore, we are to infer that the clinical effect of the singing bowl sound is closely associated with the synchronization of brain waves to the beat rhythm of the singing bowl sound. Conclusion: To clearly understand the clinical mechanism of the singing bowl sound, we suggest further systematic studies on the psychological and physiological responses to the beats of the singing bowl sound.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2022

The relationship between lipoprotein(a) and dyslipidemia is not clear. This study was therefore undertaken to investigate the relationship between lipoprotein(a) and dyslipidemia in elderly patients over 60 years. From 2014 to 2020, a total of 2,580 adults aged 60 years or older (73.31±7.24 years, 1,954 males) were enrolled in the study. The patients had checked into a general hospital, and data were obtained for lipoprotein(a), LDL-C, TG, HDL-C, hs-CRP, HbA1c, sex, age, BMI, dyslipidemia diagnosis, and use of lipid-lowering agents. BMI and HbA1c showed no correlation with lipoprotein(a), but hs-CRP (r=0.138), LDL-C (r=0.097), HDL-C (r=-0.089), TG (r=-0.073), and age (r=0.072) were significantly correlated to lipoprotein(a). The partial correlation between lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C, which was adjusted for variables, was significant only in the male gender (r=0.158, P<0.001). As the odds ratio of the 4^th quartile of lipoprotein(a) (OR=1.376, 95% CI=1.038~1.822) for dyslipidemia was found to be significant in this study when the level of LDL-C, the primary target, could not be reduced even by taking lipid-lowering drugs, we propose that lipoprotein(a) should also be included among the several factors considered as secondary targets. Our results indicate that studies on various lipid factors considering the sex, age, types and use of lipid-lowering agents, are warranted.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.37-45
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• 2020

Purpose: Symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) include tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity. The purpose was to explore the effects of breathing, meditation and qigong on the improving of insight, behavior, mood discomfort, depression, anxiety, and olfactory dysfunction, which are PD non-motor symptoms. Methods: Three stages of An's-4444 healing breathing, An's Gwanjeong healing meditation, and healing qigong performed 12 times for 80 minutes at a time in subjects with PD (11 patients), and pre- and post-measurements compared and evaluated. Results: The Integrated Parkinson's Rating Scale (UPDRSI) for mood discomfort after 12 healings was 69%. The Depression Scale (61%) for HAMD, and 64% for Anxiety (HAMA)), and the smell identification test (TSI) for a trial for olfactory dysfunction, improved to 82%, respectively. However, the numerical values after one month after 12 healing were almost same in all four scales. This means that the healing effect maintained until after one month. Conclusions: An's healing breathing, meditation and qigong therapy significantly improved insight, behavior, and mood discomfort, and non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and olfactory dysfunction. These results suggest that An's breathing, meditation and qigong therapy are valuable as a primary therapy to improve and heal non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients. Further research in biomedical science is needed.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2021

Purpose: This study investigated the antioxidant activities of water extracts from Hibiscus petals, Moringa oleifera gymnosperm, and Nipa fruticans wurmb. Also, the possibility of their use as a functional cosmetic material and food were searched. Methods: We extracted Hibiscus petals, M. oleifera gymnosperm, and N. fruticans wurmb with water. And then, we measured the content of total polyphenols and flavonoids and the ability to scavenging free groups of ABTS and DPPH to study the antioxidant function. The toxicity of samples evaluated by measuring cell viability. Results: The polyphenol content of the water extract of N. fruticans wurmb was 109 ㎍/mg, which was significantly higher than that of Hibiscus petals (13 ㎍/mg) and M. oleifera gymnosperm (19 ㎍/mg). Radical scavenging ability was also excellent in N. fruticans wurmb, and the cytotoxicity test results of the samples were similar. Conclusions: The water extracts showed antioxidant activity to use for cosmetic materials or natural healing foodstuff.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

Purpose: This study has proved the intervention effects of the proposed logotherapy-based music imagery (LBMI) program on the self-worth of the personal assistants for the disabled. The program, in the image activities and at the stage of postlude after listening to music, unites logodrama of logotherapy, paradoxical intention and dereflected techniques. The intervention effects of the LBMI program were tested for the 28 personal assistants for the disabled who found themselves without the value and meaning of life and were randomly equally divided into the experimental and control groups. This intervention was carried out for the six different terms, each of which was alloted 60 minutes. To evaluate the intervention effects, the self-worth scale were examined before and after the intervention for both experimental and control group. The result shows that the self-worth improved significantly in the experimental group(p < 0.001), whereas it remained unchanged in the control group(p > 0.459). This finding proves that the proposed LBMI program ameliorates the self-worth of the personal assistants for the disabled.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.331-340
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• 2022

Early afterdepolarization (EAD), a significant cause of fatal ventricular arrhythmias including Torsade de Pointes (TdP) in long QT syndromes, is a depolarizing afterpotential at the plateau or repolarization phase in action potential (AP) profile early before completing one pace. AP duration prolongation is related to EAD but is not necessarily accounted for EAD. Several computational studies suggested EAD can form from an abnormality in the late plateau and/or repolarization phase of AP shape. In this sense, we hypothesized the slope during repolarization has the characteristics to predict TdP risk, mainly focusing on the maximum slope during repolarization (dVm/dt_{max_repol}). This study aimed to predict the sensitivity of dVm/dt_{max_repol} to ion channel conductances as a TdP risk metric through a population simulation considering multiple effects of simultaneous reduction in six ion channel conductances of g_NaL, g_Kr, g_Ks, g_to, g_K1, and g_CaL. Additionally, we verified the availability of dVm/dt_{max_repol} for TdP risk prediction through the correlation analysis with qNet, the representative TdP metric. We performed the population simulations based on the methodology of Gemmel et al. using the human ventricular myocyte model of Dutta et al. Among the sixion channel conductances, dVm/dt_{max_repol} and qNet responded most sensitively to the change in g_Kr, followed by g_NaL. Furthermore, dVm/dt_{max_repol} showed a statistically significant high negative correlation with qNet. The dVm/dt_{max_repol} values were significantly different according to three TdP risk levels of high, intermediate, and low by qNet (p<0.001). In conclusion, we suggested dVm/dt_{max_repol} as a new biomarker metric for TdP risk assessment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.592-601
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• 2022

This study was attempted to suggest future directions for nursing ethics education by analyzing research trends related to ethical conflicts among nurses and the current status of nursing ethics education. In four domestic databases, it was searched as a combination of words 'nurse', 'ethics', 'moral', 'bioethics', 'conflict', 'sensitivity', 'dilemma', 'issue', and 'value'. As a result, 591 papers were confirmed from 2000 to December 2021, of which 111 papers were finally analyzed. The status of nursing ethics education was analyzed for 184 out of 203 schools that operated a four-year bachelor's degree program registered with the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education. As a result of the study, the number of studies related to ethical conflicts among nurses steadily increasing, and quantitative studies on nurses in general hospitals were the most common. The main keywords were identified as moral sensitivity, moral agony, ethical dilemma, and biomedical ethics awareness. Nursing ethics education was operated by 68% of universities as a major subject, and more than half of universities opened it in the first and second grades with one or two credits. As a result of this study, ethical conflicts experienced by nurses are increasing according to social change. Therefore, it is necessary for universities to further expand the proportion of nursing ethics education and to establish an educational model for each grade level for the continuity of the educational effect.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.263-268
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• 2022

Health care workers (HCWs) are more than ten times more likely to be infected with coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) than the general population, thus demonstrating the burden of COVID-19 among HCWs. Factors that expose HCWs to a differentially high-risk of COVID-19 acquisition are important to elucidate, enable appropriate public health interventions to mitigate against high risk and reduce adverse outcomes from the infection. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize and critically analyze the existing evidence on SARS-CoV-2 risk factors among HCWs. With no geographical limitation, we included studies, in any country, that reported (i) the PCR laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 as an independent variable (ii) one or more COVID-19 risk factors among HCWs with risk estimates (relative risk, odds ratio, or hazard ratio) (iii) original, quantitative study design, and published in English or Mandarian. Our initial search resulted in 470 articles overall, however, only 10 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Out of the 10 studies included in the review, inadequate/lack of protective personal equipment, performing tracheal intubation, and gender were the most common risk factors of COVID-19. Based on the random effects adjusted pooled relative risk, HCWs who reported the use of protective personal equipment were 29% (95% CI: 16% to 41%) less likely to test positive for COVID-19. The study also revealed that HCWs who performed tracheal intubations were 34% (95% CI: 14% to 57%) more likely to test positive for COVID-19. Interestingly, this study showed that female HCWs are at 11% higher risk (RR 1.11 95% CI 1.01-1.21) of COVID-19 than their male counterparts. This article presents initial findings from a living systematic review and meta-analysis, therefore, did not yield many studies; however, it revealed a significant insight into better understanding COVID-19 risk factors among HCWs; insights important for devising preventive strategies that protect them from this infection.