• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.309-317
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• 2008

For this study, the Chuna Manual Relaxation Therapy, a therapeutic procedure in Oriental Medicine was carried out on patients suffering from insomnia following hospitalization. If a patient with no prior medical history in insomnia should suffer from insomniac symptoms, the following procedure was carried out on thos patients showing 15 points on the Insomnia Severity Index starting on the day when the patient first complains of symptoms associated with insomnia, stages 1, 2 & 3 of the 'JS Cervical Shinyoun Therapy' in accordance with the Korea Chuna medical Index standard was carried out on the patient's bed from 8pm to 9pm everyday for 1 week. After the 1 week procedure, a medical examination by interview was carried out the following day, and the Insomnia Severity Index measured again. (1 being when the patient's state of sleep is at its worst, and 10 being when it is the most satisfactory. In case of 5 patients, Insomnia is disappeared, and the quality of sleep improved. In regards to insomnia suffered after hospitalization, Stage 1,2 and 3 of "JS Cervical Shinyoun Therapy" for relaxing tension showed effective results to the patient.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2018

Background: Pulsatility of cerebral arteries and aortic stiffness have been associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMH). We explored which is better correlated with the severity of WMH in a population with acute lacunar infarct. Methods: We included patients with acute small subcortical infarcts who underwent transcranial Doppler (TCD) and brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Exclusion criteria were any stenosis or occlusion on major cerebral arteries on magnetic resonance angiography; poor temporal insonation windows; ankle brachial index < 0.9; and atrial fibrillation. We assessed the performance of the pulsatility index of bilateral middle cerebral arteries (PI-MCA) and baPWV for predicting moderate-to-severe WMH, defined as an Age Related White Matter Changes score > 5, and then sought to find independent predictors using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Eighty-three patients (56 males, mean age $61.5{\pm}11.4$) participated in the study. Uni-variate analysis showed old age and high PI-MCA were significantly correlated with moderate-to-severe WMH. However, baPWV was not associated with the severity of WMH. Multivariate analysis revealed old age (odds ratio per 1-year increase, 1.068; p = 0.044) and upper tertile of PI-MCA (odds ratio, 5.138; p = 0.049) were independently associated with moderate-to-severe WMH. Receiver-operating characteristics showed PI-MCA differentiated those with and without moderate-to-severe WMH with an area under the curve of 0.719. Conclusions: PI-MCA derived from TCD was better correlated with the severity of WMH than baPWV in a population with lacunar infarction. Pulsatility of cerebral arteries may better predict cerebral small vessel disease than the aortic stiffness index.

• Journal of Sleep Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2018

Objectives: Despite the accumulating evidence of the effectiveness of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, adherence to PAP therapy is not high. Several factors reportedly affect PAP adherence; however, it remains unclear whether patients' symptoms were detrimental to adherence rate. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between insomnia symptoms and adherence. Methods: Retrospective analyses were performed in 359 patients with OSA (mean age $58.4{\pm}13.2$ years; females, n=80). Logistic regression analyses were performed between PAP adherence with clinical factors and questionnaires, such as Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: PAP adherence was defined as the use of PAP for ${\geq}4h$ per night on 70% of nights during 30 consecutive days. The median follow-up time was 55 days (interquartile range, 30-119 days), and 54.3% showed poor adherence. Non-adherent patients showed more severe sleep onset insomnia, higher BDI, and higher nadir oxygen saturation ($SaO_2$). Patients with good adherence had higher apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index, and respiratory arousal to total arousal ratio. Sleep onset insomnia [odds ratio (OR)=1.792, p=0.012], BDI (OR = 1.055, p=0.026), and nadir $SaO_2$ (OR=1.043, p=0.040) were independently associated with PAP non-adherence. Conclusions: Not the severity of insomnia but sleep onset insomnia was associated with PAP adherence, as well as depressive mood. It suggests that different interventions for reducing insomnia and depressive mood are needed to increase PAP adherence in patients with OSA.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.158-158
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• 2022

Ecological drought consequences have received a lot of attention in recent years. Thus, ecological drought was proposed as a new drought category to characterize the impact of drought on ecosystems. The current study used a unique drought index, the standardized supply-demand water index (SSDI), and a run theory to detect ecological drought occurrences and characteristics such as drought-affected area, drought severity, drought duration, drought frequency, and drought orientation in the Hwang River, an environmentally valuable region. Hence, to assess drought-prone areas, the bivariate probability and return period will be calculated using a two-dimensional joint copula. The core results show that (a) the Spatio-temporal characteristics of ecological drought were successfully recognized using the spatial and temporal identification approach; (b) in comparison to the SPEI meteorological drought index, the SSDI is more credible and can more readily and effectively capture the entire properties of ecological drought information; (c) the Hwang river had seen the most severe drought occurrences between the late 1990s and the mid-2020s, with 48.3 percent occurring before the twenty-first century; (d) Severe ecological drought occurrences occurred more frequently in most areas of the Hwang River (e) Only the drought duration and severity in the Hwang area were more responsive to temperature when temperatures rise around 1.1℃, the average drought duration and severity rise around 16 % and 26 %, respectively. This suggested that the Hwang River has been exposed to more severe heat stress in the twenty-first century. Thereupon droughts in the twenty-first century occurred with bigger affected regions, longer durations, higher frequency, and more intensity.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.150-165
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• 2008

Objective : An adequate measurement for Atopic Dermatitis(AD) is essential for studies about the treatment of AD. To establish a new and adequate scoring system for AD in Korean medicine, we reviewed existing studies on AD outcome measurement in Korean medicine. Method : We searched for reviews on measurements of AD or studies which used an AD outcome measurement at the Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal from 1995 to June, 2008. And then we reviewed the pattern identification in AD patients and the outcome measurements for AD in each study. Results : 1. Among 25 studies, the most common measurement for AD was SCORAD(the severity SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis index), there were 16 studies. There was one study which used the Jakob T scoring system, one study which used ADSI(the Atopic Dermatitis Severity Index), and there were 7 studies which established or used a new severity scoring system for AD. 2. In Korean medicine, AD caused by Damp-Heat is accompanied by erythema, papulation, oozing and crust, Damp-Heat accompanied by Spleen-Gi deficiency is frequently found in pediatric patients, and in adults who have indigestion. Symptoms of AD caused by blood deficiency and Wind-Dryness include lichenification, dryness, scale and pigmentation. AD caused by toxic Heat in the blood system has symptoms similar to some Damp-Heat pattern along with symptoms of blood deficiency and Wind-Dryness. Conclusion : We need to establish a new severity scoring system which reflects pattern identifications and treatments with Korean medicine, and we should assess the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the new scoring system.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2015

Although a considerable part of climate change can be explained by temperature change, hydrological change such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff impact more on society. For the ascertain a hydrological change in agriculture sector, this study estimate evapotranspiration of cropland in the Korean peninsula, and then to assess the drought severity in the past 30 years through the estimated potential evapotranspiration and observed precipitation. The potential evapotranspiration is estimated by EPIC model and Penman-Monteith method and the drought severity in cropland of the Korean peninsula is assessed using Normalized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (NPEI) based on the difference in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. In North Korea, the estimated evapotranspiration tends to increase even though a significant change is not found due to the change of climate. Although a time series change in drought severity in the past 30 years is not pronounced, a deviation by year and difference between South and North Korea is certain. One reason of this is difference in precipitation and evapotranspiration change according to the latitude. The result including expansion of facilities for water management in North Korea can be used for agricultural decision making, as well as base data of climate change adaptation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.244.2-244.2
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• 2010

Biological conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals requires hydrolysis of the polysaccharide into monomeric sugars. In this study, dilute sulfuric acid used as a catalyst for the pretreatment of rapeseed straw. Hydrolysis can be performed enzymatically, and with dilute or concentrate mineral acids. Dilute-acid hydrolysis of rapeseed straw was optimized through the utilization of combined severity. Evaluation criteria for optimization of the pretreatment conditions were based on high xylose recovery and low inhibitor contents in the hydrolyzates. In addition, this paper reports the compositional analysis of hydrolyzate liquors and solid residues, xylose and glucose mass balance closures, and digestibility results of the acid pretreated rapeseed straw.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.187-189
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• 2020

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a material that generates free radicals through the ionization of air. Despite the application in various medical fields, the efficacy and safety of CAP on post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to atopic dermatitis have not been reported. Herein, we report the improvement in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation of atopic dermatitis, after CAP treatment of three sessions weekly, 10 minutes per session. We examined the clinical severity indexes before and after treatment, including the Investigator's Global Assessment, modified Atopic Dermatitis Antecubital Severity, Eczema Area and Severity Index, and pruritus visual analogue scores. Our results indicate that CAP alleviates the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and clinical severity of atopic dermatitis, and effectively improves the atopic skin lesion without severe safety issues. We believe that the previously reported anti-bacterial effects and production of interleukin-6 after CAP treatment are probably responsible for the underlying mechanisms leading to clinical improvement.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.170-181
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• 2011

Purpose: There is considerable variability in rates of hospitalization for patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in part because of physicians' uncertainty in assessing the severity of illness at presentation. The purpose of the study was to examine the current treatment patterns and factors influencing the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and clinical outcomes in the patient with CAP. Method: The retrospective data collection of the patients with CAP was conducted and the data were reviewed. The collected data included demographic, clinical, laboratory and microbiological medical information. All patients were stratified into three risk groups according to PSI: low risk (PSI score I-II), moderate risk (III) and high risk (IV-V) groups. The examined treatment patterns were the appropriateness of admissions, category of antibiotics used. The prognostic factors associated with PSI and clinical outcomes were examined. Results: One hundred and six patients' medical data were reviewed. The overall appropriateness of admissions was low presenting many of patients were admitted or intensely treated in the hospital despite of lower risk of prognosis and treated with intravenous antibiotics instead of oral fluoroquinolones. Primary pneumonia pathogens were Klebsiella pneumoniae (27%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (21.6%). Mean LOS was 8.5 days and was significantly longer (10.0days) (p<0.001) in high risk group. The patients with age >65 (p<0.001), diabetes mellitus (p<0.001), mental alteration (p<0.001), and/or $PaO_2$ <60 mmHg (p<0.001) had a tendency to have higher PSI. The prognostic factors associated with longer LOS were age >65 years (p=0.008), mental status alteration (p<0.001), dyspnea (p=0.002) and PSI score (p=0.001). The prognostic factors associated with mortality were congestive heart failure (p=0.038), systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg (p=0.002) and arterial pH <7.35 (p=0.013). Conclusion: Most of patients were found to over-utilize medical service according to appropriateness of admissions. The elderly, mentally altered patients with low $PaO_2$ had higher PSI score with increased risk of LOS. The mortality could be increased in the patient with disease state of congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and/or acidosis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.107-116
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• 2002

Crash Cushion is a kind of safety facilities on roadside which acts the role of absorbing impact energy when vehicles are driven out of normal route such as Gore area of freeway off ramp. Criteria for severity index considering accident occurrence possibility are needed to have strong effect on installing the facilities. However, present criteria for establishing crash cushion design do not include such processes. Therefore, the paper presents two kinds of study to develop criteria for severity index. First of all, development of accident forecasting model on freeway off ramp is presented. The module is a relationship between accidents and road environment by negative binomial distribution (NB) which is called to reflect very well quality of accidents at Gore of crash cushion installed freeway Secondly, freeway exiting behavior model is developed because the human factor is the most important one. However, many literatures have shown between road environment and accidents which are more quantitative than human factor. The study supposed advanced process steps on actual freeway and analysed correlation between variables and accidents. The criteria for severity index is presented to determine whether to install or not by benefit cost analysis for each module. The standard for severity index will help to determine whether to install the crash cushion or not and to estimate severity for freeway and off ramp.