• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.429-439
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• 1999

In order to assess the chronic impact of tropospheric ozone on vegetation in the Seoul metropolitan area, it is necessary to quantify ozone exposure. Two ozone indices commonly used to relate ozone exposure to injury of vegetation were calculated. SUM06(SUM of hourly concentrations at or above 0.06 ppm) and AOT40(Accumulated exposure Over a Threshold of 40 ppb) which are widely used as ozone indices in the US and Europe were calculated based on hourly ozone concentrations in 5 areas of Seoul and 5 cities of Kyunggido during 1990~1997. Most SUM06 levels were 1~5ppm.hr, however several areas in Northern and Eastern Seoul reached about 5~7 ppm.hr in 1996~1997. AOT40 values were as high as 17~24 ppm.hr. Although measured SUM06 levels would not be expected to significantly impact vegetation, the overall ozone index, as well as annual average, 95th, and 99th percentile have increased continuously over the last 8 years. Often, ozone concentrations are lower in cities where there is a significant NOx concentration, than in outlying rural agricultural areas where NOx scrubbing is not as important. Concentrations greater than 40 ppb, which can cause chronic ozone toxicity to vegetation, were found mostly in the summer and constitutued about 5~15% of total hourly ozone cocentrations.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined the impacts of action observational physical training related to stair walking on the stair walking ability and self-efficacy of chronic stroke patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 24 chronic stroke patients, who were assigned randomly to an action observational physical training group (12 persons) and a landscape observation physical training group (12 persons). To the action-observational physical training group, five videos related to stair walking were presented, and after observing them, physical training was carried out. The landscape observation physical training group observed the videos consisting of landscape, where there were no humans and animals, and then underwent physical training. This study measured the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius to examine the muscle activity of the lower limb. A timed up and go and step test was performed to examine the balance ability, and a timed stair test was conducted to examine their stair walking ability. A self-efficacy scale was measured to examine the degree of their confidence of performing stair walking. The assessment was conducted three times in total: pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys. Results: As a result of this study, the action observational physical training group significant improvement after the intervention than in the landscape observation physical training group. Moreover, the follow-up study four weeks after the intervention showed significant improvements in the action observational physical training group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results show that the action observational physical training had a positive impact on the stair walking ability and self-efficacy of chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.121-129
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to measure the effects of cervical stabilization exercises on neck pain, forward head posture, and the acoustic characteristics frequency and amplitude modulation of patients with chronic neck pain caused by forward head posture using pressure biofeedback. METHODS: 20 patients with chronic neck pain and voice disorders presenting at the S Exercise Center in Daegu, Korea, were included in the study. A cervical stabilization exercise program of 50 minutes per session was performed three times a week for eight weeks. Pressure biofeedback was utilized to determine the impact of the exercises on neck pain, forward head posture, and the acoustic characteristics of the patients. The measurements were taken prior to and after the intervention to determine any changes. RESULTS: A significant improvement in neck pain, craniovertebral angle and the acoustic characteristics frequency and amplitude modulation of the patients was demonstrated after the intervention (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Cervical stabilization exercises were demonstrated to have a significantly positive effect on neck pain, forward head posture, and vocalization stability in patients with chronic neck pain in the current study based on measurements taken using a pressure biofeedback system. This indicates that an improvement in forward head posture positively impacts postural stability and vocalization. Future studies investigating a greater range of interventions designed to improve neck pain and acoustical effects in patients with chronic neck pain and forward head posture patients are warranted.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.43-52
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• 2021

Purpose : Chronic neck pain negatively impacts the quality of life and causes various problems in daily life due to pain, insomnia, and sleep disturbances in patients with this condition. Therapeutic interventions to solve these problems in rehabilitation and physical therapy are being introduced; however, the evidence of the efficacy of myofascial release (MFR) is still insufficient. This study aimed to investigate the effects of applying MFR on pain, insomnia, and sleep disturbances in patients with chronic neck pain. Methods : Ten patients with chronic neck pain were randomly selected and grouped into the experimental group (n₁ = 10) and control group (n₂ = 10) by cross-over design. Pain was measured before and after MFR intervention. Moreover, insomnia was measured only after MFR intervention. Polysomnography was performed after MFR intervention. Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for the visual analog scale (VAS). Independent sample t-test was separately performed to measure insomnia and sleep. Results : After MFR intervention, the VAS score of the experimental group (p = 0.005) significantly decreased than that of the control group (p = 0.002). The insomnia score of the experimental group significantly decreased than that of the control group (p = 0.001). The total sleep time (p = 0.001), sleep efficiency (p = 0.001), and sleep latency (p = 0.001) of the experimental group significantly increased than those of the control group in the polysomnographic measurement. Conclusion : The application of MFR of the neck and upper trunk may have a positive effect on pain, insomnia, and sleep disturbances in patients with chronic neck pain. It was also suggested that an objective and quantitative polysomnography can be used more often in the field of rehabilitation and physical therapy.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.121-124
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• 2010

In athletes, repetitive low-energy impacts in plantar lesion lead often to tendinitis, stress fracture, or overuse syndrome. The major cause of heel pain in athletes is plantar fasciitis. And it is most often attributable to repetitive low energy impact, but the vast majority patients with heel pain achieve symptomatic relief with conservative treatment and return to full activities. Not commonly, Nerve entrapment may be occurred from repetitive low energy trauma in athletes, and is not as easily diagnosed. The authors observed a basketball player who complained of chronic heel pain that do not respond to conservative treatment, he had the lesions both plantar fasciitis and lateral plantar nerve entrapment. The authors described an unusual mechanism of entrapment of the lateral plantar nerve combined with a chronic plantar fasciitis in a basketball player and reported with review of literature.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2023

Purpose: Headache is a very common disease experienced at least once in daily life, and tension-type headaches have a high and increasing prevalence. Chronic headaches can cause functional damage and huge socioeconomic impacts. This study aimed to compare the effects of myofascial release technique with manual therapy and self-myofascial release technique using a foam roller on the pain threshold and body schema in patients with chronic tension-type headaches. Methods: The study was conducted on 20 patients living in Busan with chronic tension headaches. Myofascial release technique with manual therapy was performed on the suboccipital, sternocleidomastoid, scalene, and upper trapezius muscles. The self -myofascial release technique using a foam roller was applied to the cervical and thoracic muscles. A laterality test was performed using a recognized neck application developed to evaluate body schema ability. A pressure-pain threshold test was performed using an electronic pressure algometer to compare the results before and after the myofascial release technique. Results: After applying myofascial release with manual therapy and a foam roller, the pressure-pain threshold values showed significant changes in both groups (p<.05). As a result of the laterality test, myofascial release with manual therapy and a foam roller were applied to the painful area. The values showed significant changes in both groups (p<.05), but only the group using the foam roller showed a significant difference (p<.05) in painless areas. Conclusion: The myofascial release technique with manual therapy can be the primary treatment technique for pain control in painful areas. The self-muscle release technique using a foam roller can be an effective method when there is no pain or when maintenance is needed after pain control.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.2 s.58
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• pp.146-151
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• 2005

Recent studies indicated the utility of whole effluent assessment as a measure to control discharge of toxic effluents to receiving water in Korea. However, most studies have been focussed on acute lethal effects of toxic wastewater with little consideration of chronic sublethal impacts which are of growing concern in protecting aquatic ecosystem. We conducted acute and chronic toxicity tests with effluents discharged from five different dyeing plants in Gyeong-gi province using a marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and a freshwater macroinvertebrate Daphnia magna to demonstrate the importance of assessing chronic sublethal effects. Various levels of acute and chronic toxicities were observed in many samples tested in this study. In 21-d chronic toxicity tests using D. magna all samples showed effects on reproduction and growth. Notable mortalities were also noted in three out of five effluents. The result of the Microtox assay indicated that acute microbial toxicity existed in effluents from two out of five plants and acute daphnid toxicity was observed in only one effluent. The result of this study clearly suggests chronic toxicity tests are more suitable to assess biological effects of effluents because it was shown from this study that even an effluent with no acute toxicity could cause chronically lethal and/or sublethal adverse effects on aquatic biota which may affect the population dynamics in aquatic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2003

Debates relevant to the etiology of weight gain or obesity, i.e., the dichotomous understandings about whether obesity arises from the genetic predisposition or from the environmental influences, has long existed. This is an important issue because it is related to the therapists's prejudice when treating patients with obesity. In this review, the authors first discuss the environmental and the genetic factors that cause the obesity, and in the latter part, the interactions between genetic and environmental factors will be discussed. This issue is considered and described especially in a conceptual aspect for the therapists ultimately to understand how the genetic and the environmental factors interact to arise obesity. Conclusively, obesity is best understood as a complex, multifactorial, and chronic disabled state, which cause an individual with genetic predispostion to obesity under the environmental influences. In future, in favor of the accumulated knowledge about the genetic and environmental impacts and their interactions in detail, we will be able to provide a client-specific management or prevention of obesity.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.74 no.6
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• pp.256-263
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• 2013

Background: Health status measure is not only important for clinical research studies but also for clinical practices of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the validity of the Korean Version of COPD Assessment Test (CAT) in primary care clinics as well as in referral hospitals. Methods: Smokers or ex-smokers, aged 40 years or older, with a smoking history of >10 pack-years; and a COPD diagnosis in the past 6 months or more, were recruited from 4 primary care clinics and 2 referral hospitals. Demographic, medical, and spirometry data was collected from patients who completed the CAT and St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and had their dyspnea been assessed. The primary endpoint was the correlation between of the Korean version of CAT with SGRQ in patients with COPD. Results: A total 100 patients were enrolled. The mean age and smoking amounts were $69.2{\pm}8.4$ years and $40.6{\pm}22.3$ pack-years, respectively. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported at least one exacerbation in the past year. The mean CAT score was $16.9{\pm}8.0$. The internal consistency assessed by Cronbach's alpha was 0.85. The CAT score was positively correlated with the SGRQ score (r=0.76, p<0.0001) and each component of SGRQ: symptoms, activity and impacts; r=0.68, r=0.61, and r=0.72, respectively (all p<0.0001). These positive correlations were preserved in the different groups (r=0.86, p<0.0001 in primary care clinic group; r=0.69, p<0.0001 in hospital group). The CAT score was also positively correlated to the Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (r=0.46, p<0.0001). Conclusion: The Korean version of CAT had good internal consistency and showed good correlations with SGRQ. It can be used for assessing the impacts of COPD on the patient's health including primary care setting.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2013

Oil spills have occurred throughout the years of industrialization and represent a global challenge as they affect vast areas of the ocean. The toxicity of crude oil to aquatic organisms has been extensively investigated, but the potential impacts of crude oil on vertebrate development remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of dispersants used in treating a recent oil spill, as well as that of crude oil, on vertebrates by using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model species, which has been widely used in empirical studies of both early embryonic development and adult physiology. Chronic exposure to crude oil resulted in marked developmental abnormalities, including pericardial edema, abnormal trunk vessel development, retardation of axonal branching, and abnormal jaw development. Embryonic development was affected more severely by exposure to the oil-dispersant combination than to the oil alone. Thus, the zebrafish in vivo model system suggests that dispersant treatment can have detrimental developmental effects on vertebrates and its potential impact on marine life, as well as humans, should be carefully considered in clean-up efforts at the site of an oil spill.