• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.73.1-73.16
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• 2023

Background: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is considered a global threat to both human health and the poultry industry. MicroRNAs (miRNA) can modulate the immune system by affecting gene expression patterns in HPAIV-infected chickens. Objectives: To gain further insights into the role of miRNAs in immune responses against H5N1 infection, as well as the development of strategies for breeding disease-resistant chickens, we characterized miRNA expression patterns in tracheal tissues from H5N1-infected Ri chickens. Methods: miRNAs expression was analyzed from two H5N1-infected Ri chicken lines using small RNA sequencing. The target genes of differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were predicted using miRDB. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis were then conducted. Furthermore, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we validated the expression levels of DE miRNAs (miR-22-3p, miR-146b-3p, miR27b-3p, miR-128-3p, miR-2188-5p, miR-451, miR-205a, miR-203a, miR-21-3p, and miR-200a3p) from all comparisons and their immune-related target genes. Results: A total of 53 miRNAs were significantly expressed in the infection samples of the resistant compared to the susceptible line. Network analyses between the DE miRNAs and target genes revealed that DE miRNAs may regulate the expression of target genes involved in the transforming growth factor-beta, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, all of which are related to influenza A virus progression. Conclusions: Collectively, our results provided novel insights into the miRNA expression patterns of tracheal tissues from H5N1-infected Ri chickens. More importantly, our findings offer insights into the relationship between miRNA and immune-related target genes and the role of miRNA in HPAIV infections in chickens.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to identify various psychiatric symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms caused by COVID-19 infection and investigate their long-term impact. Methods : A systematic literature review was conducted, selecting papers from domestic and international databases using keywords such as "COVID-19" and "psychosomatic." A total of 16 papers, including those using structured measurement tools for psychosomatic symptoms, were included in the final analysis. Results : Psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms have been reported in acute COVID-19 infection, while long-term post-COVID symptoms include chest pain and fatigue. The frequency of long-term psychosomatic symptoms has been estimated to be 10%-20%. Factors contributing to these symptoms include psychological and social stress related to infectious diseases, gender, elderly age, a history of psychiatric disorders, and comorbid mental illnesses. It is suggested that systemic inflammation, autoimmune responses, and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system may be involved. Conclusions : Psychosomatic symptoms arising after COVID-19 infection have a negative impact on quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Understanding and addressing psychiatric aspects are crucial for symptom prevention and treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.993-999
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• 2023

Bio materials of fibrinogen and collagen are widely used in tissue regeneration engineering. In this study, I aim to create a new dual-structure support using these two materials. Strategically, tissue regeneration takes priority over blood vessel regeneration, so by forming a fibrinogen support that helps blood vessel formation on the outside of the double support and placing collagen, which is more effective in tissue regeneration, in the center, a synergistic effect in new tissue regeneration is expected. Although these two materials have been used interchangeably in previous studies, there has been no report yet on making a support through the formation of a support structure for the core system. Therefore, the core of this study, the double scaffold, is to propose a method for manufacturing a core structure with a collagen scaffold on the inside and fibrinogen on the outside. The experimental results showed that the fibrinogen located on the outside of the scaffold resulted in rapid biodegradation and drug release due to strategic biodegradation of the dual structure scaffold. On the other hand, collagen scaffolds were found to be able to maintain drug release time relatively longer than fibrinogen scaffolds. In conclusion, it is believed that applying the method of creating a double scaffold will have a synergistic effect on defective tissue regeneration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1067-1073
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• 2023

Breast cancer is one of the top three most common cancers in modern women, and the incidence rate is increasing rapidly. Breast cancer has a high family history and a mortality rate of about 15%, making it a high-risk group. Therefore, breast cancer needs constant management after an early examination. Among the various equipment that can diagnose cancer, ultrasound has the advantage of low risk and being able to diagnose in real time. In addition, breast ultrasound will be more useful because Asian women's breasts are denser and less sensitive. However, the results of ultrasound examinations vary greatly depending on the technology of the examiner. To compensate for this, we intend to incorporate motion tracking technology. Motion tracking is a technology that specifies and analyzes a location according to the movement of an object in a three-dimensional space. Therefore, real-time control is possible, and complex and fast movements can be recorded in real time. We would like to present the production of an ultrasound examination guide using these advantages.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.6
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• pp.681-689
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• 2023

Objective : Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a condition characterized by bleeding in the subarachnoid space, often resulting from the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. Delayed cerebral ischemia caused by vasospasm is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in SAH patients, and inflammatory markers such as systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), systemic inflammatory index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and derived NLR (dNLR) have shown potential in predicting clinical vasospasm and outcomes in SAH patients. This article aims to investigate the relationship between inflammatory markers and cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmatic SAH (aSAH) and evaluate the predictive value of various indices, including SIRI, SII, NLR, and dNLR, in predicting clinical vasospasm. Methods : A retrospective analysis was performed on a cohort of 96 patients who met the inclusion criteria out of a total of 139 patients admitted Trakya University Hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of aSAH between January 2013 and December 2021. Diagnostic procedures, neurological examinations, and laboratory tests were performed to assess the patients' condition. The Student's t-test compared age variables, while the chi-square test compared categorical variables between the non-vasospasm (NVS) and vasospasm (VS) groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of laboratory parameters, calculating the area under the ROC curve, cut-off values, sensitivity, and specificity. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results : The study included 96 patients divided into two groups : NVS and VS. Various laboratory parameters, such as NLR, SII, and dNLR, were measured daily for 15 days, and statistically significant differences were found in NLR on 7 days, with specific cut-off values identified for each day. SII showed a significant difference on day 9, while dNLR had significant differences on days 2, 4, and 9. Graphs depicting the values of these markers for each day are provided. Conclusion : Neuroinflammatory biomarkers, when used alongside radiology and scoring scales, can aid in predicting prognosis, determining severity and treatment decisions for aSAH, and further studies with larger patient groups are needed to gain more insights.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.165-187
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• 2002

This study examines Korean representation of the biotechnology and psychological factors which can influence lay people's perception and attitude about biotechnology. Korean college students(N=433) and lay adults(N=90) whom had college education participated in the study. Participants of the study 1 were asked to list words which comes to mind when associate with the biotechnology in broad sense, and several specific applications in health, medicines, agriculture and research. Participants of the study 2 were asked to list possible benefits and costs of biotechnology and their specific applications. In study 3, Participants responded the questionnaires about perceptions and attitudes of biotechnology. Korean people associated the biotechnology with its costs or risks and benefits. Korean college students mainly got the informations of the biotechnology from TV, newspapers, or internet. They trusted the scientist group and NGO group on their judgements about the assessment of risk and benefit of the biotechnology. College students showed the positive attitude with the applications in medicines and negative attitude with the applications in agriculture and public using of individual's genetic information. The radicalism, sensitivity in behavioral activation system, and trust/cynicism were to be found as a significant influencing factor for interest/knowledge and behavioral intention in related with biotechnology. Finally, more extensive knowledge of biotechnology did not lead to greater acceptance of it.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.289-309
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• 2023

While South Korea's universal healthcare system has garnered attention in public health, the issue of inequality in healthcare service provision among different age groups has incessantly become a significant concern. The focus of this concern is primarily on essential healthcare services, encompassing fundamental aspects of healthcare such as internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatric and adolescent care. This inequality is not limited to differences among age groups (both junior and senior demographics) but also extends to potential disparities in healthcare services based on geographic location, particularly in urban and rural contexts. This paper aims to investigate disparities in primary healthcare service resources in South Korea's evolving economic landscape between 1995 and 2021. We utilize a set of inequality indices with a spatial perspective through geographic cluster analysis. The findings reveal that concerns about inequality have been amplified during various economic events, including the IMF crisis in 1999, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These years are identified as significant phases that have contributed to manifesting spatial disparities in primary healthcare provisions, with a particular emphasis on the senior-aged population rather than junior or all population groups. Our findings underscore the pressing need to address the unequal distribution of essential healthcare resources as part of preparedness for potential economic impacts, requiring a comprehensive consideration of the interconnected nature of demographic and spatial dimensions in healthcare services.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2024

In this paper, we propose a method to build a sample dataset of the features of eight sensor-only facilities built as infrastructure for autonomous cooperative driving. The feature extracted from point cloud data acquired by LiDAR and build them into the sample dataset for recognizing the facilities. In order to build the dataset, eight sensor-only facilities with high-brightness reflector sheets and a sensor acquisition system were developed. To extract the features of facilities located within a certain measurement distance from the acquired point cloud data, a cylindrical projection method was applied to the extracted points after applying DBSCAN method for points and then a modified OTSU method for reflected intensity. Coordinates of 3D points, projected coordinates of 2D, and reflection intensity were set as the features of the facility, and the dataset was built along with labels. In order to check the effectiveness of the facility dataset built based on LiDAR data, a common CNN model was selected and tested after training, showing an accuracy of about 90% or more, confirming the possibility of facility recognition. Through continuous experiments, we will improve the feature extraction algorithm for building the proposed dataset and improve its performance, and develop a dedicated model for recognizing sensor-only facilities for autonomous cooperative driving.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2024

Objective : This study assessed ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence system based on a large language model, for its ability to pass the National Korean Occupational Therapy Licensure Examination (NKOTLE). Methods : Using NKOTLE questions from 2018 to 2022, provided by the Korea Health and Medical Personnel Examination Institute, this study employed English prompts to determine the accuracy of ChatGPT in providing correct answers. Two researchers independently conducted the entire process, and the average accuracy of both researchers was used to determine whether ChatGPT passed over the 5-year period. The degree of agreement between ChatGPT answers of the two researchers was assessed. Results : ChatGPT passed the 2020 examination but failed to pass the other 4 years' examination. Specifically, its accuracy in questions related to medical regulations ranged from 25% to 57%, whereas its accuracy in other questions exceeded 60%. ChatGPT exhibited a strong agreement between researchers, except for medical regulation questions, and this agreement was significantly correlated with accuracy. Conclusion : There are still limitations to the application of ChatGPT to answer questions influenced by language or culture. Future studies should explore its potential as an educational tool for students majoring in occupational therapy through optimized prompts and continuous learning from the data.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2024

In the literature, inhalation of cosmetic fragrances, including natural extracts or natural essential oils, has been reported to induce brainwave changes. Angelica gigas (AG) and Cnidium officinale (CO) are widely used in East Asian countries as traditional medicines to improve health, but there have been no previous reports of inhaling their aromas and assessing changes in brain activity through electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. In this study, the scent of natural herbal extracts such as Artemisia princeps var. orientalis (Compositae), AG, and CO was inhaled and evaluated whether emotional state changes were caused by olfactory stimuli, and brain activity was confirmed through EEG records before and after inhaling the scent of natural herbal extracts in subjects aged 20 to 30. We also used an electrocardiogram (ECG) to record the electrical activity of the heart during fragrance administration. The test results indicated that inhaling the scents of Compositae, AG, and CO extracts, as well as the positive control lavender, significantly increased the relative alpha power and the alpha/beta ratio of brain waves across the brain regions. The ECG recordings indicated that the inhalation of Compositae fragrance significantly decreased the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio, and that the inhalation of traditional herbal extract fragrances resulted in comfort and relaxation.