• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.78-90
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to propose ways of promoting medical tourism in Busan. For the purpose, this researcher made a questionnaire survey of Japanese tourists who used in Busan International Ferry Terminal between January and April 30, 2008. Findings of the study can be summarized as follows. 86.3% of all respondents had never experienced any medical service in Korea. 57.3% said that the most important thing is the level of medical technology. Most of respondents preferred massage treatment using spa and sea water, followed by Oriental medical services. To make medical conditions(price competitiveness, high-level medical technology, high-quality medical facilities) of Busan properly informed to the outside, it is required to make the city itself more internationally recognized through public relations and strengthening individual medical services provided in the city. It is also required to build up a non-stop service system that helps foreign tourists not only easily use medical institutions, but also better cope with a variety of problems that they might face during stay in the city. To be more trustable to foreign patients, medical services of Busan should be certified by JCI. Furthermore, it is very much needed to develop products which connect medicine with tourism, for example, such programs that combine medical services, tourism, recreation and leisure.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.432-437
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• 2006

Objective : In order to establish the index of degeneration, the authors performed a histochemical study with Safranin-O staining and investigated the occurrence of apoptosis in the human intervertebral disc. Methods : Eighteen intervertebral disc specimens surgically extracted from the patients and two additional specimens from the autopsied cases were stained with Safranin-O for proteoglycan according to a standard protocol. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate- biotin nick end labeling[TUNEL] was used to detect the fragmented DNA known to be associated with apoptotic cell death and classification scheme was formulated for categorization of the degree of Safranin-O staining [normal, moderate reduction, faint] by modification of Makin's histological-histochemical grading. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results : The statistical results showed a significant difference in the mean age between "normal" Safranin-O staining group and the others [19.3 versus 55, 43.4, p=0021]. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between Safranin-O staining and MR grading of disc degeneration. Only six of eighteen surgical specimens and none in autopsies showed positive apoptotic cells in TUNEL staining. Conclusion : The determination of the degree of degeneration in surgically obtained disc tissue per se by histochemical staining or by the degree of apoptosis that corresponds to its morphologic change was not feasible.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.541-545
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• 2002

Pharmacokinetic characteristics of Acebutolol and its main metabolite, diacetolol, following a single 10 mg/kg oral dose, were investigated in rabbits with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic failure. Plasma concentrations of acebutolol and diacetolol were determined by a high performance liquid chromatography assay. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) of acebutolol were significantly increased in moderate and severe carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic failure rabbits. The ratio of the diacetolol to total acebutolol in plasma (i.e., metabolite percentage rate) was significantly decreased in moderate and severe carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic failure rabbits. Volume of distribution ($V_{d}$) and total body clearance ($CL_{t}$) of acebutolol were significantly decreased in moderate and severe carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic failure rabbits. Slope of terminal phase ($\beta$) of acebutolol was significantly decreased in hepatic failure rabbits. These findings suggest that the $V_{d},{\;}CL_{t}$ and $\beta$ of acebutolol were significantly decreased as a result of inhibition of the hepatic metabolism in moderate to severe hepatic failure rabbits. Therefore, dose adjustment may be necessary for acebutolol in hypertensive patients with hepatic damage.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.101-109
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• 2018

In an age when a small quantity of sperm can lead to pregnancy through in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, selecting healthy sperm is important. Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is known to be higher in infertile men. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) and the alkaline comet test are SDF tests that directly measure DNA damage and have shown closer correlations with assisted reproduction results than indirect tools such as the sperm chromatin structure assay or the sperm chromatic dispersion test. It is difficult; however, to endorse a single test as the best test overall; instead, it is best to select a testing method based on each patient's clinical condition and goals. In a couple struggling with infertility, if the male partner has a high level of SDF, he should aim to decrease SDF through lifestyle modifications, antioxidant treatment, and ensuring an appropriate duration of abstinence, and physicians need to treat the underlying diseases of such patients. If sperm DNA damage continues despite the patient's and physician's efforts, other methods, such as micromanipulation-based sperm selection or testicular sperm extraction, should be used to select healthy sperm with nuclear DNA integrity.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.154-164
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a death preparation education program for nurses working in convalescent hospitals on death anxiety, death attitudes, and attitudes toward end-of-life care. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group, pre-test and post-test design. Among 53 participants, 26 were assigned to the non-equivalent experimental group and 27 to the control group. The program was performed in the formats of lectures, video-watching, group discussions, and sharing, and consisted of 10 sessions held twice a week, for 5 weeks (90 minutes per session). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, and the chisquare test in SPSS version 21.0. Results: Significant differences between the experimental and control groups were observed in death anxiety (t=7.62, P<0.001), death attitudes (t=-7.58, P<0.001), and attitudes to end-of-life care (t=-10.30, P<0.001). Conclusion: It was confirmed that the death preparation education program reduced death anxiety and had a positive effect on death attitudes and attitudes toward end-of-life care. Based on the results of this study, it is expected that specialized and systematic education that can increase the implementation and stability of death preparation education in various fields, including nursing, will have a positive effect on both hospice patients and members of society more broadly.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.90-97
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• 2019

Crohn disease has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and rarely can present with complications such as a bowel stricture or fistula. In this case report, we describe a 17-year-old male who presented with a history of recurrent anterior abdominal wall abscesses and dysuria. He was diagnosed with Crohn disease and also found to have a fistulous communication between the terminal ileum and a patent urachus. An ileocecectomy with primary anastomosis and complete resection of the abscess cavity was performed. He is on azathioprine for maintenance therapy and currently in remission. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for this complication in Crohn disease patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of urachal anomalies such as suprapubic abdominal pain, dysuria, umbilical discharge, and periumbilical mass.

• Kosin Medical Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.415-421
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• 2018

Cases showing complications such as esophageal injury, deep neck infection, and mediastinitis caused by accidental ingestion of fish bone are common. But ingestion of fish bone rarely causes perforation of the gastrointestinal tract or an intra-abdominal abscess. We report herein a case of a 78-year-old man with a periumbilical mesenteric abscess caused by fish bone which was ingested unconsciously. The fish bone was found in the terminal ileum and it was removed by colonoscopy. The patient improved and he was discharged after systemic antibiotic therapy. Occasionally, when patients swallow fish bone without a foreign body sensation, clinicians should suspect perforation caused by fish bone in case of an intra-abdominal abscess of unknown cause.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.861-878
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• 2021

The human genome contains many retroviral elements called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), resulting from the integration of retroviruses throughout evolution. HERVs once were considered inactive junk because they are not replication-competent, primarily localized in the heterochromatin, and silenced by methylation. But HERVs are now clearly shown to actively regulate gene expression in various physiological and pathological conditions such as developmental processes, immune regulation, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and neurological disorders. Recent studies report that HERVs are activated in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection. In this review, we describe internal and external factors that influence HERV activities. We also present evidence showing the gene regulatory activity of HERV LTRs (long terminal repeats) in model organisms such as mice, rats, zebrafish, and invertebrate models of worms and flies. Finally, we discuss several molecular and cellular pathways involving various transcription factors and receptors, through which HERVs affect downstream cellular and physiological events such as epigenetic modifications, calcium influx, protein phosphorylation, and cytokine release. Understanding how HERVs participate in various physiological and pathological processes will help develop a strategy to generate effective therapeutic approaches targeting HERVs.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.145-152
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• 2022

Colon rectal cancer is one of the frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. In recent times the drug discovery for colon cancer is challenging because of their speedy metastasis and morality of these patients. C-jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway controls the cell cycle survival and apoptosis. Evidence has shown that JNK1 promotes the tumor progression in various types of cancers like colon cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. Recent study has shown that inhibiting, JNK1 pathway is identified as one of the important cascades in drug discovery. One of the recent approaches in the field of drug discovery is drug repurposing. In drug repurposing approach we have virtually screened ChEMBL dataset against JNK1 protein and their interactions have been studied through Molecular docking. Cross docking was performed with the top compounds to be more specific with JNK1 comparing the affinity with JNK2 and JNK3.The drugs which exhibited higher binding were subjected to Conceptual - Density functional theory. The results showed mainly Entrectinib and Exatecan showed better binding to the target.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.101-111
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify levels of perception and performance of end-oflife care among nurses and to investigate correlations between perception and performance. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive survey included 321 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The participants had at least 6 months of work experience and had been involved in end-of-life care at least once, in either ward or intensive care unit settings. A structured questionnaire was utilized to assess their perception and performance of endof-life care. Results: The mean score for perception of end-of-life care was 3.23±0.34, while the score for performance of end-of-life care was 3.08±0.34. There was a significant positive correlation between nurses' perception of end-of-life care and their performance in this area (r=0.78, P<0.001). Conclusion: It is necessary to change perceptions regarding end-of-life care and to develop systematic and standardized education programs including content such as assessing the hydration status of dying patients, evaluating mental aspects such as suicidal ideation, and providing spiritual care for nurses working in end-of-life departments.