• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.196-207
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• 2009

For the estimation of prevalence state of major chronic adult disease and their relationships with drinking and smoking habits in the Korean employees, we analyzed a medical check-up data of 155,799 subjects that was accumulated during the year of 2008. In age and sex distribution of the sample, male subjects were 106,229 and female 51,827 showing the ratio of 2:1 and the majorities were 30s and 40s covering 70.7% of the total. The prevalence rates of major chronic diseases were obesity 29.8% (male 38.3%, female 12.3%), hypertension 4.1%, HBV carrier inactive 3.3%, diabetes mellitus 2.9%, hypothyroidism 1.7% (male 1.3%, female 2.4%), hyperlipidemia 1.1%, hyperthyroidism 1.4% (male 1.1%, female 2.1%), osteoporosis 1.4% (male 1.4%, female 1.4%), anemia 0.9% (male 0.3%, female 2.0%) and renal disease 0.9%. The frequency of and volume of drinking in male group were 4.6 times and 7.5 times higher than female group respectively. The 33.8% of the workers were smoking currently. In the serological tests, all the items such as AST, ALT, ${\gamma}-GTP$, LDH for liver function, Cholesterol, TG, uric acid for hyperlipidemia and BP systolic, Fasting blood sugar, BMI for metabolic syndrome were significantly higher in the more drinking and more smoking groups than other groups (p<0.001). The higher prevalence rates in male group in the liver disease seems to be strongly related with the drinking and smoking habits in male employees. We suggest that employees should rather relying on leisure or hobbies than drinking and smoking for the stress relief.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.46-67
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• 1985

In this paper, an attempt has been made to examine the pattern of mortality in Korea during 1970~80. By applying the age-sex specific mortality rates quoted from 1978~79 life tables for Korea published by NBOS, EPB to those of the West pattern of regional model life tables and the far eastern pattern of model life tables for developing countries, life expectancy at birth were calculated. Also the author reviewed the trends of death rates, life expectancy and cause of death using vital registration data and other materials. Summarized results are as follows; 1. Crude death rates in Korea was reduced to one fifth in the 1983 compared to that in 1920's. Life expectancy also improved to almost double in 1985 compared to 1920's. But the difference in the life expectancy between male and female increased during that period and it was recorded as 6.4 years in 1985. This discrepancy was mainly due to the different tempo of decreasing in mortality level by sex, particularly, for the age 40 and above. 2. For the pattern of mortality in Korea, it showed that female mortality could accounted closer to the West pattern model life tables. There were high similarity between actual pattern prevalent in Korea and West pattern. And its coefficient of variance was also very low. However for the case of male, it was difficult to find the exact model life tables for explaining the actual situation on the male mortality pattern which means exist considerable dissimilarity in older ages. The Far eastern pattern of U.N. model life tables show better results than West pattern, however, the deviation of the pattern to actual was severe. Also in Far eastern pattern, high coefficient of variance was existed. Furthermore it was found in the paper that the mortality level of Korean male for the age 40 and above were much higher than that of Far eastern pattern which was reflected the high mortality of the male adult in Far east region. 3. The analysis of cause of death showed that circulatory disease such as cerebrovascular disease and hypertensive disease accounted for the leading cause of death in Korea for the age 40 and above. There should he paid special attention to chronic retrogressive diseases for the older age groups. For younger age groups, injury and poisoning were reported as important cause of death.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.484-494
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• 2020

Oak wilt disease caused by Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae has emerged obviously in Korea. We selected antifungal isolates against R. quercus-mongolicae among 368 endophytic fungal isolates from different parts of oak and pine trees. The experiment was conducted in the primary and secondary screenings by dual culture test. The antifungal activity of the selected isolates was assessed in culture filtrate test based on the inhibition rates in mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination of oak wilt fungus. Five isolates, E089, E199, E282, E409 and E415, showed strong antifungal activity in culture filtrate test, and their antifungal activity decreased on the culture media supplemented with heated culture filtrate. Higher mycelial growth inhibitions on the unheated media were recorded in E409 (Colletotrichum acutatum), E089 (Daldinia childiae), E415 (Alternaria alternata) and E199 (Daldinia childiae) with the inhibition rates of 79.0%, 70.1%, 68.9% and 64.5%, respectively. These isolates also had the higher sporulation inhibitions on unheated media with the rates of 96.8%, 84.2%, 82.8% and 80.5%, respectively. The spore germination of the oak wilt fungus was completely inhibited by E282 (Nectria balsamea) on both unheated and heated media. These results showed that a higher number of potent antifungal isolates against oak wilt fungus was isolated from the petiole compared to the other parts. This study could contribute to the development of biological control approaches for the management of oak wilt disease caused by R. quercus-mongolicae.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.87-99
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• 2022

A novel porcine circovirus 4 (PCV4) was recently emerged in Chinese and Korean pig herds, which provided epidemiological situation where three pathogenic PCVs, PCV2, PCV3, and newly emerged PCV4, could co-infect pig herds in these countries. In this study, a new triplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (tqPCR) method was developed for the rapid and differential detection of these viruses. The assay specifically amplified each viral capsid gene, whereas no other porcine pathogenic genes were detected. The detection limit of the assay was below 10 copies/µL and the assay showed high repeatability and reproducibility. In the clinical evaluation using 1476 clinical samples from 198 Korean pig farms, the detection rates of PCV2, PCV3 and PCV4 by the tqPCR assay were 13.8%, 25.4%, and 3.8%, respectively, which were 100% agreement with those of previously reported monoplex qPCR assays for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4, with a κ value (95% CI) of 1 (1.00~1.00). The prevalence of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 at the farm levels were 46.5%, 63.6%, and 19.7%, respectively. The co-infection analysis for tested pig farms showed that single infection rates for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 were 28.8%, 44.4%, and 9.6%, respectively, the dual infection rates of PCV2 and PCV3, PCV2 and PCV4, and PCV3 and PCV4 were 12.6%, 3.5%, and 5.1%, respectively, and the triple infection rate for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 was 1.5%. These results demonstrate that three pathogenic PCVs are widely spread, and their co-infections are common in Korean pig herds, and the newly developed tqPCR assay will be useful for etiological and epidemiological studies of these pathogenic PCVs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Background: The optimal management strategy for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) remains debatable. This study compared early and late outcomes between direct surgical bypass and kissing stents for AIOD treatment. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data, including age, sex, risk factors, comorbidities, symptoms, TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) II classification, operation time, perioperative complications, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay, from a cohort of 46 patients treated for AIOD (24 with kissing stents and 22 with direct surgical bypass) at Pusan National University Hostpital from January 2007 to December 2016. The primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in both groups were compared. Results: The hospital stay (direct surgical bypass vs. kissing stents: 16.36±5.19 days vs. 9.08±10.88 days, p=0.007) and operation time (direct surgical bypass vs. kissing stents: 316.09±141.78 minutes vs. 99.54±37.95 minutes, p<0.001) were significantly shorter for kissing stents. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in the direct surgical bypass group were 95.5%, 95.5%, and 95.5%, respectively, at 1 year; 86.4%, 86.4%, and 95.5% at 3 years; and 77.3%, 77.3%, and 95.5% at 5 years. The primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in the kissing stent group were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 100.0%, respectively, at 1 year; 95.8%, 95.8%, and 100.0% at 3 years; and 95.8%, 95.8%, and 100.0% at 5 years. Conclusion: Except for special cases wherein endovascular revascularization is difficult, kissing stents are more advantageous for TASC II C and D lesions.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.248-254
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• 2023

Objectives: Measuring the quality of care is paramount to inform policies for healthcare services. Nevertheless, little is known about the quality of primary care and acute care provided in Korea. This study investigated trends in the quality of primary care and acute care. Methods: Case-fatality rates and avoidable hospitalization rates were used as performance indicators to assess the quality of primary care and acute care. Admission data for the period 2008 to 2020 were extracted from the National Health Insurance Claims Database. Case-fatality rates and avoidable hospitalization rates were standardized by age and sex to adjust for patients' characteristics over time, and significant changes in the rates were identified by joinpoint regression. Results: The average annual percent change in age-/sex-standardized case-fatality rates for acute myocardial infarction was -2.3% (95% confidence interval, -4.6 to 0.0). For hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, the age-/sex-standardized case-fatality rates were 21.8% and 5.9%, respectively in 2020; these rates decreased since 2008 (27.1 and 8.7%, respectively). The average annual percent change in age-/sex-standardized avoidable hospitalization rates ranged from -9.4% to -3.0%, with statistically significant changes between 2008 and 2020. In 2020, the avoidable hospitalization rates decreased considerably compared with the 2019 rate because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Conclusions: The avoidable hospitalization rates and case-fatality rates decreased overall during the past decade, but they were relatively high compared with other countries. Strengthening primary care is an essential requirement to improve patient health outcomes in the rapidly aging Korean population.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.220-227
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess how different social determinants of health (SDoH) may be related to variability in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rates in cities and towns in Massachusetts (MA). Methods: Data about the total number of cases, tests, and rates of COVID-19 as of June 10, 2020 were obtained for cities and towns in MA. The data on COVID-19 were matched with data on various SDoH variables at the city and town level from the American Community Survey. These variables included information about income, poverty, employment, renting, and insurance coverage. We compared COVID-19 rates according to these SDoH variables. Results: There were clear gradients in the rates of COVID-19 according to SDoH variables. Communities with more poverty, lower income, lower insurance coverage, more unemployment, and a higher percentage of the workforce employed in essential services, including healthcare, had higher rates of COVID-19. Most of these differences were not accounted for by different rates of testing in these cities and towns. Conclusions: SDoH variables may explain some of the variability in the risk of COVID-19 across cities and towns in MA. Data about SDoH should be part of the standard surveillance for COVID-19. Efforts should be made to address social factors that may be putting communities at an elevated risk.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2016

Background: This study purposed to analyze the relationship between spatial distribution of Diabetes prevalence rates and regional variables. Methods: The unit of analysis was administrative districts of city gun gu. Dependent variable was the age- and sex- adjusted diabetes prevalence rates and regional variables were selected to represent three aspects: demographic and socioeconomic factor, health and medical factor, and physical environment factor. Along with the traditional ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis, geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied for the spatial analysis. Results: Analysis results showed that age- and sex-adjusted diabetes prevalence rates were varied depending on regions. OLS regression showed that diabetes prevalence rates had significant relationships with percent of population over age 65 and financial independence rate. In GWR, the effects of regional variables were not consistent. These results provide information to health policy makers. Conclusion: Regional characteristics should be considered in allocating health resources and developing health related programs for the regional disease management.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.515-522
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• 2023

Objectives: The pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exerted an unprecedented impact on the health of populations worldwide. However, the adverse health consequences of the pandemic in terms of infection and mortality rates have varied across countries. In this study, we investigate whether COVID-19 mortality rates across a group of developed nations are associated with characteristics of their healthcare systems, beyond the differential policy responses in those countries. Methods: To achieve the study objective, we distinguished healthcare systems based on the extent of healthcare decommodification. Using available daily data from 2020, 2021, and 2022, we applied quantile regression with non-additive fixed effects to estimate mortality rates across quantiles. Our analysis began prior to vaccine development (in 2020) and continued after the vaccines were introduced (throughout 2021 and part of 2022). Results: The findings indicate that higher testing rates, coupled with more stringent containment and public health measures, had a significant negative impact on the death rate in both pre-vaccination and post-vaccination models. The data from the post-vaccination model demonstrate that higher vaccination rates were associated with significant decreases in fatalities. Additionally, our research indicates that countries with healthcare systems characterized by high and medium levels of decommodification experienced lower mortality rates than those with healthcare systems involving low decommodification. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that stronger public health infrastructure and more inclusive social protections have mitigated the severity of the pandemic's adverse health impacts, more so than emergency containment measures and social restrictions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1960-1965
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• 2015

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is highly contagious and often causes fatal disease that affects both wild and domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. A highly pathogenic RHDV variant (RHDVa) has been circulation in the Korean rabbit population since 2007 and has a devastating effect on the rabbit industry in Korea. A highly pathogenic RHDVa was isolated from naturally infected rabbits, and the gene encoding the VP60 protein was cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector and expressed in insect cells. The hemagglutination titer of the Sf-9 cell lysate infected with recombinant VP60 baculovirus was 131,072 units/50 μl and of the supernatant 4,096 units/50 μl. Guinea pigs immunized twice intramuscularly with a trial inactivated RHDVa vaccine containing recombinant VP60 contained 2,152 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) geometric mean titers. The 8-week-old white rabbits inoculated with one vaccine dose were challenged with a lethal RHDVa 21 days later and showed 100% survival rates. The recombinant VP60 protein expressed in a baculovirus system induced high HI titers in guinea pigs and rendered complete protection, which led to the development of a novel inactivated RHDVa vaccine.