• 대한임상독성학회지
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.54-59
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the independent factors associated with the registration rate for the community-based post suicidal care program in the emergency department (ED). Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted between January and September 2015 at the academic ED in the tertiary urban hospital. The variables examined included gender, age, address, type of insurance, history of previous psychiatric disease, suicide methods, number of previous attempts, CES-D (The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale), and disposition at ED. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify factors affecting the registration rate for the community-based post suicidal care program. Results: Overall, 331 suicides were investigated, 61 (18.4%) of which were registered in the post-suicide care program. Factors such as a intervention by psychiatric physician (OR: 3.287, 95%; CI: 1.207-9.624) and levels of depression by CES-D score of 16-24 (OR: 3.635; CI: 1.055-12.526) were significantly correlated with registration for the program. Conclusion: The registration rate for the community-based post suicidal care program was influenced by frequent intervention by a psychiatric physician and levels of depression by CES-D score of 16-24.

• 대한임상독성학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.131-139
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of patients who visited emergency departments (EDs) after intentional poisoning in Korea. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the data of of 23 hospitals during a five-year period, between 2011 and 2015. We included patients who inflicted injury to themselves - attempt of suicide - by means of poisoning. Results: A total of 18,121 patients visited an ED after intentional poisoning. Among them, 58.3% were females; however, there were more males among those aged 60 years or older. The mortality rate for males was 8.6%, which was 3.1 times higher than that for females with 2.8%. The most common poison was pesticides (35.4%) in males and sedative-hypnotics (44.0%) in females. The most common causative agent of death was pesticide in both sexes (75.2% and 65.3%, respectively). Since the production of paraquat was discontinued in 2011, the number of deaths from pesticide poisoning has decreased. The mortality rate declined in both males and females, from 12.6% and 4.5% in 2011 to 7.1% and 2.1% in 2015, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, we analyzed the epidemiologic characteristics of intentional poisoning, especially the frequency of suicide attempts by gender and age group, the cause of suicide, and the causative agent. This can be used as basic data for establishing policies to reduce and prevent suicide attempts by poisoning.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.274-277
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• 2017

Objectives: Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe type of pneumonia caused by inhalation of aerosols contaminated with Legionella. On September 22, 2016, a single case of LD was reported from a newly built apartment building in Gyeonggi province. This article describes an epidemiologic investigation of LD and identification of the possible source of infection. Methods: To identify the source of LD, we interviewed the patient's husband using a questionnaire based on the Legionella management guidelines from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Water samples from the site were collected and analyzed. An epidemiological investigation of the residents and visitors in the apartment building was conducted for 14 days before the index patient's symptoms first appeared to 14 days after the implementation of environmental control measures. Results: Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the heated-water samples from the patient's residence and the basement of the apartment complex. Thirty-two suspected cases were reported from the apartment building during the surveillance period, yet all were confirmed negative based on urinary antigen tests. Conclusions: The likely source of infection was the building's potable water, particularly heated water. Further study of effective monitoring systems in heated potable water should be considered.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.317-322
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• 2019

Gastroenteritis with diarrhea is one of the most infectious diseases in the world following respiratory infections. Notably, diarrhea-causing viruses (DVs) cause more than 70% of such cases. In this study, 3,065 stool specimens from patients with diarrhea (median age, 1.1 years; range, 0.0-91.1 years), who were admitted to the DanKook University Hospital, were examined using multiplex reverse transcription PCR (mRT-PCR). The target viruses were astrovirus (AstV), enteric adenovirus (EAdV), group A rotavirus (RotV), norovirus GI (NoV-GI), and norovirus GII (NoV-GII). The mRT-PCR results were analyzed based on various factors such as seasonality, age, presence of co-infection, and analyzed trends. The detection rate of the DVs during the study period was found to be 30.8% (n = 943/3,065). When the detection rate was analyzed monthly, the DV detection rate was found to be highest between December to January. Of the detected DVs, NoV-GII was the most common, accounting for 45.5% of the detected viruses (n = 446/980). Notably, 86.5% (n = 848/980) of the pathogens were detected in individuals who were less than 5 years of age. During the study period, NoV-GII and RotV showed alternating trends. In addition, both the number and rate of co-infections increased.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.564-568
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• 2020

Although studies on Hepatitis A virus (HAV) were crucial in the establishment of the HAV infection prevention programs, no systematic investigation into HAV has been conducted since 1999. We retrospectively analyzed the data between January 2010 to December 2018 from all the patients who underwent HAV antibody tests at the Dankook University Hospital Health Care Center. Data were collected from 56,204 individuals. Overall, 34,834 (62.0%) individuals from this cohort were positive for HAV antibodies and the annual rate of anti-HAV antibody positivity was highest in 2010 (68.5%) and lowest in 2013 (54.8%). The average decline in the antibody positivity rate was 0.62% per year, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). In the over 40s age group, anti-HAV antibody positivity rates decreased from 89% in 2010 to 64% in 2018 (p < 0.001), with an annual decrease of 3.1%. In the over 30s age group, it decreased from 48.2% in 2010 to 34.7% in 2018 (p < 0.001), with an annual decrease of 1.82%. This study shows that the antibody positivity rate is decreasing across age groups but given that HAV infection poses more significant risks in older patients it is important to expand the evaluations of the current and future antibody positivity rates for HAV in various age groups.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.131-137
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• 2022

Public interest has been increasing the focus on the management of exposure to pollutants and the related health effects. This study reviewed exposure assessment methodologies and addressed future directions. Exposure can be assessed by direct (exposure monitoring) or indirect approaches (exposure modelling). Exposure modelling is a cost-effective tool to assess exposure among individuals, but direct personal monitoring provides more accurate exposure data. There are several population exposure models: stochastic human exposure and dose simulation (SHEDS), air pollutants exposure (APEX), and air pollution exposure distributions within adult urban population in Europe (EXPOLIS). A South Korean population exposure model is needed since the resolution of ambient concentrations and time-activity patterns are country specific. Population exposure models could be useful to find the association between exposure to pollutants and adverse health effects in epidemiologic studies. With the advancement of sensor technology and the internet of things (IoT), exposure assessment could be applied in a real-time surveillance system. In the future, environmental health services will be useful to protect and promote human health from exposure to pollutants.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.13-18
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• 2022

African swine fever (ASF) is fatal to domestic pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa) and affects the domestic pig industry. ASF is transmitted directly through the secretions of infected domestic pigs or wild boars, an essential source of infection in disease transmission. ASFV is also very stable in the environment. Thus, the virus is detected in the surrounding environment where ASF-infected carcasses are found. In this study, ASF infection monitoring was conducted on the swab and whole blood samples from wild animals, various hematopoietic arthropod samples that could access infected wild boar carcasses or habitats to cause maintenance and spread of disease, and soil samples of wild boar habitats. ASF viral DNA detection was confirmed negative in 317 wildlife and environmental samples through a real-time polymerase chain reaction. However, ASF occurs in the wild boars and spreads throughout the Korean peninsula. Therefore, it is necessary to trace the route of ASF virus infection by a continuous vector. Additional monitoring of various samples with potential ASF infection is needed to help the epidemiologic investigation and disease prevention.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.312-321
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• 2013

Objective: In May 2011, an interview with three United States Forces Korea veterans revealed that chemicals believed to be 'Agent Orange' were buried at Camp Carroll (situated in Waegwan, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea) in 1978. Many hazardous chemicals, such as perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and organochlorines were subsequently found in a joint US-ROK environmental investigation, although dioxins or burial evidence related to 'Agent Orange' have been not uncovered. This study was carried out to investigate the relevance of hazardous chemical exposure and health effects of the residents around Camp Carroll. Methods: The authors conducted a health questionnaire survey among residents around Camp Carroll regarding Waegwan groundwater ingestion, length of residence in Waegwan, and physician-diagnosed disease history (such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes and etc.). Logistic regression was performed to identify the associations between hazardous chemical exposure and physician-diagnosed diseases. Results: Among the 5,320 residents, excluding those living outside the Waegwan area, 3,430 subjects age 30 and over were analyzed. Among females, upon correction of age, smoking history and Camp Carroll working history, a higher distribution in the Waegwan groundwater ingestion group was demonstrated for patients with physician-diagnosed cancer and hypertension. The odds ratios have a tendency to increase with increased length of Waegwan groundwater ingestion. Conclusions: This study may be limited by not adopting a cohort study for the evaluation of factors that may confound environmental exposure. Yet it is meaningful that the correlation between Waegwan groundwater ingestion and chronic diseases were found through regression analysis in female; and further, this outcome may be used as a sampling basis for a secondary epidemiologic study.

• 대한임상독성학회지
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.122-128
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Methods: We retrospectively surveyed data from the Emergency Department based Injury In-depth Surveillance of 20 hospitals (2011-2014). We included patients whose mechanism of injury was acute CO poisoning caused by inhalation of gases from charcoal or briquettes. We surveyed the annual frequency, gender, age, result of emergency treatment, rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, result of admission, association with alcohol, and place of accident. We also surveyed the cause and experience of past suicide attempts by intentional poisoning. Results: A total of 3,405 patients were included (2,015 (59.2%) and 1,390 (40.8%) males and females, respectively) with a mean age of $39.83{\pm}18.51$ year old. The results revealed that the annual frequency of CO poisoning had increased and the frequency of unintentional CO poisoning was higher than that of intentional CO poisoning in January, February and December. The mean age of intentional CO poisoning was younger than that of unintentional CO poisoning ($38.41{\pm}13.03$ vs $40.95{\pm}21.83$) (p<0.001). The rates of discharge against medical advice (DAMA), ICU care and alcohol association for intentional CO poisoning were higher than for unintentional CO poisoning (36.4% vs 14.0%, 17.8% vs 4.7%, 45.2% vs 5.6%) (p<0.001). The most common place of CO poisoning was in one's residence. Conclusion: The annual frequency of total CO poisoning has increased, and unintentional CO poisoning showed seasonal variation. DAMA, ICU care, and alcohol association of intentional CO poisoning were higher than those of unintentional CO poisoning.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.95-100
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• 2013

Background: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiologic and clinical features of acute respiratory viral infection in hospitalized children. Methods: From 2010 to 2012, we tested nasopharyngeal swab specimen in 1,584 hospitalized children with multiple real-time polymerase chain reactions to identify 10 kinds of respiratory viruses (including influenza virus A, B (FluA, FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (MPV), adenovirus (AdV), human coronavirus (CoronaV), human enterovirus (HEV), human bocavirus (HBoV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), and human rhinovirus (Rhinovirus)). We analyzed the positive rate, annual and seasonal variations, and clinical features (respiratory tract and non-respiratory tract) according to the retrospective review of medical records. Results: Respiratory viruses were detected from 678 (42.8%) of 1,584 patients. The most common detected virus was RSV (35.0%), and then AdV (19.0%), HEV (18.1%). The critical period of the respiratory viral infection was during the first 12 months of a child's life. PIV increased by 8.4%, 12.1%, and 21.1% annually. Bronchiolitis was most frequently caused by RSV, and croup was frequently caused by PIV. The most common cause of meningitis was HEV. Hepatitis-associated respiratory virus was developed 111 in 678 cases. Conclusion: Although this study was confined to a single medical center for three years, we identified the epidemiology and clinical feature of respiratory viruses in Daegu from 2010 to 2012. Future surveillance will be necessary for annual and seasonal variations.