• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.4 no.4 s.12
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• pp.50-57
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• 2000

Past accidents have shown that vapor cloud explosions are the predominant cause of the largest losses in the chemical and petrochemical industries due to the generation of significant overpressures. Prediction of such overpressure is of great concern and a knowledge of the likely overpressure is needed for the design of equipment, safety cases and emergency planning. For these reasons, risk assessment for vapor cloud explosion is crucial and this assessment can be carried out using the different models including TNT-Equivalency, TNO Hemispherical, TNO Multi-Energy and CFD models. Accordingly, in this paper, the published VCE prediction models are reviewed to provide a critical comparison of the different models used for the quantification of explosion hazards, in terms of the fundamental assumptions employed, and their predictive accuracy

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to review model algorithms and input parameters applied to some exposure models and to compare the simulated estimates using an exposure scenario from each model. Methods: A total of five exposure models which can estimate inhalation exposure were selected; the Korea Ministry of Environment(KMOE) exposure model, European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals Targeted Risk Assessment(ECETOC TRA), SprayExpo, and ConsExpo model. Algorithms and input parameters for exposure estimation were reviewed and the exposure scenario was used for comparing the modeled estimates. Results: Algorithms in each model commonly consist of the function combining physicochemical properties, use characteristics, user exposure factors, and environmental factors. The outputs including air concentration ($mg/m^3$) and inhaled dose(mg/kg/day) are estimated applying input parameters with the common factors to the algorithm. In particular, the input parameters needed to estimate are complicated among the models and models need more individual input parameters in addition to common factors. In case of CEM, it can be obtained more detailed exposure estimates separating user's breathing zone(near-field) and those at influencing zone(far-field) by two-box model. The modeled exposure estimates using the exposure scenario were similar between the models; they were ranged from 0.82 to $1.38mg/m^3$ for concentration and from 0.015 to 0.180 mg/kg/day for inhaled dose, respectively. Conclusions: Modeling technique can be used for a useful tool in the process of exposure assessment if the exposure data are scarce, but it is necessary to consider proper input parameters and exposure scenario which can affect the real exposure conditions.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.5-18
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• 2019

Purpose: Frailty is associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. We aimed to review the relationships between frailty and health outcomes in community-dwelling Korean elderly individuals. Methods: Whittemore and Knafls' framework for conducting integrative reviews was used. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and six Korean databases were searched. For analysis, the study included articles written in English and Korean published between January 1960 and June 2018. Of the total 1,488 studies found in the databases, we analyzed 15 studies that met the quality of the evaluation criteria. Results: The prevalence of frailty in Korean elderly individuals ranged from 6.5% to 11.7% when divided into three levels of frailty. The health outcomes assessed in relation to frailty were divided into five domains: quality of life, physical health, psychosocial health, health behavior, and health care quality. Frailty was negatively associated with all five domains. Conclusions: Our study suggested that nurses should be aware of the limitations in the physical and cognitive functions of frail elderly individuals and provide tailored interventions for Korean elderly individuals. Furthermore, a large-scale study is needed to develop the Korean model of the frailty assessment tool and to verify the conceptual model of this study.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.432-439
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• 2009

This research project was carried out to develop the technique to assess quantitatively and rapidly the stability of a tunnel by using the measured displacement at the tunnel construction site under excavation. To achieve this purpose, a critical strain concept was introduced and applied to an assessment of a tunnel under construction. The new technique calculates numerically the strains of the surrounding ground by using the measured displacements during excavation. A numerical practical system was developed based on the proposed analysis technique in this study. The feasibility of the developed analysis module was verified by incorporating the analysis results obtained by commercial programs into the developed analysis module. To verify the feasibility of the developed analysis module, analysis results of models both elastic and elasto-plastic grounds were investigated for the circular tunnel design. Then the measured displacements obtained in the field are utilized practically to assess the safety of tunnels using critical strain concept. It was verified that stress conditions of in-situ ground and ground material properties were accurately assessed by inputting the calculated displacement obtained by commercial program into this module for the elastic ground. However for the elasto-plastic ground, analysis module can reproduce the initial conditions more closely for the soft rock ground than for the weathered soil ground. The stability of tunnels evaluated with two types of strains, that is, the strains obtained by dividing the crown displacement into a tunnel size and the strains obtained by using the analysis module. From this study, it is confirmed that the critical strain concept can be fully adopted within the engineering judgment in practical tunnel problems and the developed module can be used as a reasonable tool for the assessment of the tunnel stability in the field.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.285-293
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• 2023

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive disorder characterized by abdominal discomfort or pain accompanied by a change in stool condition. Owing to its complicated mechanisms, a standard treatment for IBS has not yet been established. Yukgunja-tang (YGT) is a Korean herbal medicine known in Asia to be effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms. In this study, we will conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy and safety of YGT in IBS treatment. Methods and analysis: English databases, such as Embase, Medline (via PubMed), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, will be searched for articles published up to April 2023. Additional databases, such as five Korean, one Chinese, and one Japanese database, will be included. RCTs and quasi-RCTs will also be included in the assessment of the efficacy of YGT. The overall efficacy rate will be the primary outcome, and data such as IBS quality-of-life measurements, global symptom scores, and adverse events will be the secondary outcomes. Review Manager Version 5.3 will be used for evaluation, and the risk of bias (RoB) will be evaluated using Cochrane Collaboration's RoB tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach will be used to score the quality of evidence. Conclusion: This study will demonstrate the efficacy and safety of YGT for treating patients with IBS.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.201-201
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• 2023

Objectives: Cupping therapy (CT) has been widely used in traditional medicine worldwide for various indications, including stroke. The aim of this study was to systematically review the clinical evidence of CT for stroke. Methods: To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effectiveness and/or safety of CT, seven databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for articles published from January 2000 to February 2021 without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software and the results were presented as mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference (SMD) for continuous variables and odds ratio (OR) for diverse variables with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Assessment of the methodological quality of the eligible trials was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for risk of bias in RCTs. Results: Twenty-two RCTs with 1653 participants were included in the final analysis. CT provided additional benefit in improving upper limb motor function (Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper limb motor function, MD 6.91, 95% CI 4.64 to 1.67, P<0.00001) and spasticity (response rate, OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.31 to 8.22, P=0.08) in stroke survivors receiving conventional medical treatment. These findings were supported with a moderate level of evidence. CT did not significantly increase the occurrence of adverse events. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the potential of CT to be beneficial in managing a variety of complications in stroke survivors. However, to compensate for the shortcomings of the existing evidence, rigorously designed large-scale RCTs are warranted in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.726-740
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• 2023

Objectives: This review investigated the research on warm herbal foot bath therapy (WHFT) for insomnia. Methods: A search was conducted on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database to collect relevant studies published up to August 29, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing WHFT and sleeping pills in patients with insomnia were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. The results of the meta-analysis were presented as risk ratios (RRs) or mean differences (MDs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 11 RCTs were included. WHFT as monotherapy resulted in a significantly higher total effective rate (TER) (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.36; I²=25%) and an improved Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global sore (MD, -3.10; 95% CI, -4.24 to -1.95; I²=73%) compared to benzodiazepines. Additionally, WHFT as a combined therapy with benzodiazepines resulted in a significantly higher TER (RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.27; I²=0%) and an improved PSQI global score (MD, -2.23; 95% CI, -4.09 to -0.38; I²=80%) compared to benzodiazepines alone. In network analysis visualizing the components of HWFT, four clusters were discovered, and Polygoni Multiflori Ramuls and Ziziphi Spinosae Semen were the key herbs used in WHFT. Overall, the methodological quality of the included studies was poor. Conclusions: There was limited evidence that WHFT as a monotherapy or combined therapy was effective in improving insomnia. The findings can be used as basic data for future WHFT research in South Korea.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.7-21
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• 1983

For the flexible and rational distribution of limited existing health resources based on measurements of individual risk, the socalled Risk Approach is being proposed by the World Health Organization as a managerial tool in maternal and child health care program. This approach, in principle, puts us under the necessity of developing a technique by which we will be able to measure the degree of risk or to discriminate the future outcomes of pregnancy on the basis of prior information obtainable at prenatal care delivery settings. Numerous recent studies have focussed on the identification of relevant risk factors as the Prior infer mation and on defining the adverse outcomes of pregnancy to be dicriminated, and also have tried on how to develope scoring system of risk factors for the quantitative assessment of the factors as the determinant of pregnancy outcomes. Once the scoring system is established the technique of classifying the patients into with normal and with adverse outcomes will be easily de veloped. The scoring system should be developed to meet the following four basic requirements. 1) Easy to construct 2) Easy to use 3) To be theoretically sound 4) To be valid In searching for a feasible methodology which will meet these requirements, the author has attempted to apply the“Likelihood Method”, one of the well known principles in statistical analysis, to develop such scoring system according to the process as follows. Step 1. Classify the patients into four groups: Group $A_1$: With adverse outcomes on fetal (neonatal) side only. Group $A_2$: With adverse outcomes on maternal side only. Group $A_3$: With adverse outcome on both maternal and fetal (neonatal) sides. Group B: With normal outcomes. Step 2. Construct the marginal tabulation on the distribution of risk factors for each group. Step 3. For the calculation of risk score, take logarithmic transformation of relative proport-ions of the distribution and round them off to integers. Step 4. Test the validity of the score chart. h total of 2, 282 maternity records registered during the period of January 1, 1982-December 31, 1982 at Ewha Womans University Hospital were used for this study and the“Questionnaire for Maternity Record for Prenatal and Intrapartum High Risk Screening”developed by the Korean Institute for Population and Health was used to rearrange the information on the records into an easy analytic form. The findings of the study are summarized as follows. 1) The risk score chart constructed on the basis of“Likelihood Method”ispresented in Table 4 in the main text. 2) From the analysis of the risk score chart it was observed that a total of 24 risk factors could be identified as having significant predicting power for the discrimination of pregnancy outcomes into four groups as defined above. They are: (1) age (2) marital status (3) age at first pregnancy (4) medical insurance (5) number of pregnancies (6) history of Cesarean sections (7). number of living child (8) history of premature infants (9) history of over weighted new born (10) history of congenital anomalies (11) history of multiple pregnancies (12) history of abnormal presentation (13) history of obstetric abnormalities (14) past illness (15) hemoglobin level (16) blood pressure (17) heart status (18) general appearance (19) edema status (20) result of abdominal examination (21) cervix status (22) pelvis status (23) chief complaints (24) Reasons for examination 3) The validity of the score chart turned out to be as follows: a) Sensitivity: Group $A_1$: 0.75 Group $A_2$: 0.78 Group $A_3$: 0.92 All combined : 0.85 b) Specificity : 0.68 4) The diagnosabilities of the“score chart”for a set of hypothetical prevalence of adverse outcomes were calculated as follows (the sensitivity“for all combined”was used). Hypothetidal Prevalence : 5％ 10％ 20％ 30％ 40％ 50％ 60％ Diagnosability : 12% 23% 40% 53% 64% 75% 80%.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment for recovery of patients with vertebral compression fracture(VCF). Methods : We searched ten English and Chinese and seven Korean database up to April 2018. Randomised controlled trials(RCTs), quasi-RCTs, non-radomised Controlled Trials(CCTs) were eligible. Quasi-RCTs and CCTs were assessed only for safety assessment. Pain and adverse events were primary outcome of this review. Quality of life, dysfunction, patient satisfaction, incidence of new vertebral compression fracture were regarded as secondary outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed by two independent authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Level of evidence was tabulated using the GRADE methods. Results : Of 1656 screened, 15 RCTs, 1 quasi-RCT and 3 CCTs were included. Number of participants per study ranged from 45 to 135. Most of the studies had unclear or high risk of bias and considerable heterogeneity in terms of type of intervention, comparison and time-points for outcome measurement. Compared to usual care alone, acupuncture combined with usual care showed short-term favorable results for pain relief in patients with VCF(5 studies, n=252, MD -1.05 point on a 0 to 10 point scale, 95% CI -1.45 to -0.65, $I^2=74%$). Four studies reported mild and temporary adverse events, and no serious adverse events were reported. One study descriptively reported that acupuncture was effective for improving quality of life without providing numerical outcomes. There were no reports of patient satisfaction and incidence of new VCF. Conclusions : Level of evidence is very low for the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for pain, harms and other clinical outcomes in patients with VCF. Included studies suffered from incomplete reporting, high or unclear risk of bias and substantial heterogeneity between studies. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to assess whether acupuncture is beneficial for recovery of patients with VCF.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.62-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to assess the impact of acupotomy on migraine through an examination of clinical studies conducted since 2015. Methods : We conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (nRCTs) related to acupotomy treatment for migraine, utilizing five Korean online databases (OASIS, Science ON, DBPIA, KISS, RISS), as well as four foreign online databases (CNKI, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library). We identified a total of 10 relevant studies for analysis. Participants characteristics, treatment points, combination treatments, treatment cycles or frequencies, evaluation indices, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. The risk of bias in the 10 RCTs was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0). Results : A total of 931 participants were included in 10 studies. In the intervention group, the average duration of migraine morbidity ranged from 15.5±4.5 months to 15.9±4.2 years. Six studies based their diagnoses on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD), while five studies relied on Chinese diagnostic criteria. All studies specified the treatment area as the region exhibiting tenderness or induration on the head and neck. Treatment cycles ranged from a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 1 week, with the number of days per treatment course varied from 5 days to 4 weeks. The diameter of acupuncture needles used varied between 0.3 mm and 1 mm. Of the eight studies specifying needle length, the shortest was 20 mm, and the longest was 40 mm. A total of eight evaluation indices were employed, with total efficacy rate (TER) and visual analogue scale (VAS) being the most frequently used. Statistically, all intervention groups showed more significant results compared to the control groups. Adverse events were reported in only two studies within the intervention group. Overall, the risk of bias assessment for the selected RCTs ranged from 'some concerns' to 'high risk of bias.' Conclusions : This study showed that acupotomy treatments for migraine were effective.