• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 1987

This study was performed as a part of survey for the operation and interim evaluation of the on-going pilot project of community health in Jeomdong-Myon, Yeoju-Gun, Kyunggi-Province since 1982. Seven Villages (Ri) were selected purposively for the survey from a total of 26 villages in Jeomdong-Myon, target area, under the consideration of the socio-economic background and the distribution of health resources. The target population was the women in age group of 15-44 years in that area and a total of 156 women were interviewed. This study was done by the interview survey using questionnaire which was composed with questions about MCH and FP. The results were as follows; 1) ln the status of maternal health, (1) the proportion of receiving antenatal care was relatively high (67.1%) in this area, but the starting time of antenatal care was delayed to 7 months or more of gestational period in 22 percent. Therefore some intervention would be necessary for advancing the time of antenatal care. (2) The proportion of home delivery was decreased according to the rank of birth-order. And more than 50 percent of delivery attendants were mothers-in-law or neighbors. The fact indicates that the health education for non-professional delivery attendents would be necessary for improving home delivery and the content of education would be preferable to focussing to the method of hygienic delivery attending. (3) The comprehensive health service and education would be recommended for the postnatal care, because of the extremely low rate of postnatal care in this area. 2) In the status of child health, (1) the pro-portion of breast feeding was 90.2 percent, and the weaning started after 12 months of birth in 12.7 percent. This indicates the necessity of education about the weaning program. (2) The proportion of completed basic vaccination was 39.6% and the main reason of missing vaccination was poor accessibility in terms of time. For that, the supply of vaccine to primary health care units (health subcenters) should be continuous, not infrequent nor occassional. 3) The proportion of respondants who were using contraceptive methods currently was 79.8 percent and in 44.7 percent they accepted the permanent contraceptive methods. Those results are distinct in this area. But it seems a serious health problem that 53.2 percent of respondants were experienced the induced abortion for birth control.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5867-5870
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• 2013

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Malaysian women with an ASR of 17.9 and a mortality rate of 5.6 per 100,000 population in 2008 (GLOBOCAN, 2008). The 5 year prevalence was estimated to be 14.5 per 100,000 population. As the second most common cancer affecting productive females, cervical cancer imposes an impact to the socioeconomic aspect of the country. However, the poor uptake of cervical cancer screening is a major problem in detecting early pre-cancerous lesions and thus, delay in initiating treatment for cervical cancer. Realizing the urgency to increase the uptake of PAP smear, besides enhancing the promotion of PAP smear screening for women above 35 years old, the call-recall system for pap smear screening had been piloted in one of the suburban districts which aimed to improve regular participation of women for cervical and breast cancer screening. This is of public health importance as identifying the best feasible option to increase patient's respond to participate in the screening program effectively in our setting will be helpful in implementing an organized regular population based screening program tailored to our setting. The pilot program of cervical cancer screening in Klang was an opportunity to assess different options in recalling patients for a repeat pap smear to increase their participation and adherence to the program. Methods and Results: This was a population based randomized control trial. Women aged 20-65 years in the population that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria were re-called for a repeat smear. There are four different intervention groups; letter, registered letters, short messages services (SMS) and phone calls where 250 subjects were recruited into each group. Samples were generated randomly from the same population in Klang into four different groups. The first group received a recall letter for a repeat smear similar to the one that has been given during the first invitation. The intervention groups were either be given a registered letter, an SMS or a phone call to re-call them. The socio-demographic data of the patients who came for uptake were collected for further analysis. All the groups were followed up after 8 weeks to assess their compliance to the recall. Conclusions: The study will provide recommendations about the most effective methods for recall in a population based pap smear screening program on two outcomes: i) patients response; ii) uptake for repeat pap smear.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.120-130
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• 2002

This study was attempted to identify and compare in developing a health promotion program for extending healthy life expectancy of the middle-aged women and protecting health of women in the vulnerable class by comparing and researching life-style and actual conditions of health for the middle-aged women in rural and urban areas. Subjects of this study were 160 middle-aged urban women in Seoul city and chongju city and 155 middle-aged rural women in rural community goisangun. For collecting data, questionnaire was performed with structured questionnaires was used to know their actual conditions of health and life-style. Findings of this study were as follows. 1. In comparing life-style of the urban middle- aged women with the rural community, the percentage of regularly checked-up were higer urban women (46.4%) than the rural women (35%); women who have not checked up were 21.3% and 11.4% in the rural community and cities respectively, but it had a statistically significant difference (p=0.009). For the types of checkup, the rate of uterine cancer checkup than that of breast cancer self-examination or cholesterol test was higher both in the rural community(75.6%) and cities(77.4%). 2. The results of comparing actual conditions of the middle-aged women in the rural urban area were as follows; the recognition of health of the urban women was 'Very healthy (7.2%),' 'Healthy (35.5%),' 'Moderate (46.5%),' and 'Not healthy (10.3%), while the recognition of the rural women was 'Very healthy (2.5%),' 'Healthy (30.0%),' 'Moderate (36.3%),' and 'Not healthy (30.6%)'. These results showed a statistically significant difference (p=.000). Women having any problems in health were 48.1% and 36.8% in the rural and the urban respectively and it had a statistically significant difference (p=.042). For the most of health problems, arthritis accounted for 29.4% in the rural community and arthritis and constipation accounted for 21.3% in the urban. According to findings of this study, it can be concluded that rural women had more health problems, felt they were not healthy themselves and were checked up regularly less than the urban women, and their health care was poor. Therefore, more effective nursing intervention plans should be designed to enhance the performance level of health promotion for rural women.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the Fukiage sand dunes of southern Kyushu, Japan. We surveyed the status of recovery of coastal Japanese black pine forests damaged by pine wilt disease and their disaster prevention capability. We placed two transects: Transect 1, in an area that was severely damaged (80-90% damage rate) by pine wilt disease, and Transect 2, in an area that was mostly undamaged (<10% damage rate). Then, we installed survey lines, carried out vegetation surveys, and measured the depth and pH of humus soil. The survey lines were placed perpendicular to the coastline from the top of the fore-dune to the inland area, and divided into five 50 m sections. Before the point 100 m inland from the top of the fore-dune, the number of invasive hardwoods and of Japanese black pines were small because of the poor growth environment in both transects. Past the 100 m point, the species and number of Japanese black pines and broad-leaved trees increased further inland because the growth environment improved. In addition, the recovery metrics of tree height, diameter at breast height, age, and number in Transect 1 were much lower than those in Transect 2, and the basal area of broad-leaved trees and the depth of humus soil in Transect 1 were lower than in Transect 2, and the soil pH of humus soil in Transect 1 was higher than that of Transect 2. The shape ratio of the Japanese black pine forests indicated that they were insufficient for disaster prevention. Therefore, in order to fully promote the disaster prevention capability of coastal Japanese black pine forests, we should not only focus on prevention of pine wilt disease but also undertake continuous control efforts taking into consideration the sound growth environment such as appropriate density and soil management and removal of invasive broad-leaved trees.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2001

Taxol, a natural product extracted from the Taxus brevifolia, is known to have significant anti-tumor activities against many common cancers, including ovarian and breast cancers. Despite the pronounced anti-tumor activity of this compound, its poor solubility in aqueous solutions hampers its clinical applications. We studied the anticancer mechanisms of the water-soluble taxol diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA) used for radiolabeling, and compared it to that of taxol. In vitro cytotoxicities of taxol and taxol-DTPA conjugate were tested in HT29 human colorectal cancer cells by the MTT method. As the result, the $IC_{50}$ value of the taxol-DTPA conjugate was about three fold higher than that of taxol. When analyzed by an agarose gel electrophoresis, the DNA ladders became evident after the incubation of cells with the taxol-DTPA conjugate for 24 h. We also found morphological changes of the cells undergoing apoptosis with electron microscopy Next, we examined the signal pathway of taxol-DTPA conjugate-induced apoptosis in HT29 cells. The activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) occurred at 10, 30, 60 and 120 min after 200 nM taxol-DTPA conjugate treatment. The pretreatment of the MEK inhibitor (PD98059) completely blocked the taxol-DTPA conjugate-induced ERK1/2 activation. The activated ERK1/2 translocated into the nucleus at the same time and phosphorylated its transcriptional factor, c-Jun. These results suggest that the taxol-DTPA conjugate has an apoptotic activity in HT29 cells, and that its proapoptic activity might be related with the signal transduction via ERK1/2 and c-Jun similar to that of taxol.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2597-2606
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• 2014

Background: There is a scarcity of information about the proportion of the adult Saudi population that meet the recommended guidelines of physical activity (PA) to reduce cancer risk. Moreover, their awareness about the role of PA in cancer prevention is unclear. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed at estimating the proportion of adult Saudis meeting the PA guidelines, specifically those recommended by American Cancer Society (ACS) for cancer prevention, and to assess the public awareness about the role of PA in cancer prevention. Materials and Methods: Using a multistage sampling method, 2,127 adult Saudis of both genders were recruited from 6 urban and 4 rural primary health care centers in Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Participants were personally interviewed to gather information about their sociodemographic characteristics, searching activity about PA and cancer, and the time spent in leisure time PA (moderate and vigorous)/week using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire with show cards. Finally, items about the role of PA in cancer risk reduction were inquired. Results: Of the included participants, 11.6% met the recommendations for cancer prevention (${\geq}45$ minutes of moderate-vigorous PA activity/${\geq}5$ days/week or 225 minutes/week). Multivariate regression showed that being male (AOR=1.49, CI=1.09-2.06), <20 years of age (AOR=3.11, CI=2.03-4.76), and unemployed (AOR=2.22, CI=1.57-3.18) were significant predictors for meeting PA recommendations for cancer prevention. Only 11.4% of the sample indicated correctly the frequency and duration of PA required for an average adult to be physically active and while >70% of them indicated the role of PA in prevention of hypertension, coronary heart disease and lowering elevated blood cholesterol, only 18.6% and 21.7% correctly mentioned the role of PA in reducing colon and breast cancer risk, respectively. Poor knowledge was found among those with less than college education and aged ${\geq}50$ years. The level of knowledge was significantly positively correlated with total leisure time PA of the participants. Conclusions: A minority of adult Saudis in Al Hassa was aware about the role of PA in cancer prevention and engaged in sufficient LTPA for cancer risk reduction benefits, highlighting the need for public health actions to include policies and programs that address factors deterring their participation in LTPA and increasing their awareness with remedies to manage the prevalent misconceptions.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1006-1017
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to provide basic information for developing a nursing intervention that helps patients learn how to acquire coping to reduce post operation uncertainty and anxiety by investigating the level of uncertainty and anxiety experienced by mastectomy patients. The subjects were 134 patients selected from St. Mary's Kangnam and St. Mary's hospital, and the data collection period was from October to December of 1998. Uncertainty was measured by using Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS), anxiety measured by using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI), and coping by using a questionnaire developed by Kim & Yoo (1996). Data were analyzed with SAS program by t-test, ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. The results were as follows : 1. The mean uncertainty score was 57.6. The results of the correlation between the compliance of medical regimen and demographic characteristics were as follows ; Those who monthly income over 2,010,000 won had lower than above 1,000,000 won, and those with the experience of chemotherapy had higher than those without, and the patient who has 7∼12 months(1 yr.) post operation period had higher than the one below 6months, 25∼36 months(3 yrs.), 37∼60 months(5 yrs.), and over 61 months. 2. The mean anxiety score was 45.9. Anxiety tended to be increased slightly in subjects with low educational background, poor monthly income, experience of chemotherapy, and 7∼12 months(1 yr.) post operation period, but there was no significant difference by general characteristics 3. The mean value of the coping score was 100.7. The study revealed higher score in problem-focused coping than emotion-focused coping. In regard to coping by demographic characteristics were as follows ; those who had monthly income over 2,010,000 won had higher level of coping than those whose monthly income was between 1,010,000 and 2,000,000 won. In terms of problem- focused coping, those who had 25∼36 months of post operation period showed significantly lower level of coping than those below 6 months or 37∼60 months(5 yrs.) or over 61 months of post operation period. Regarding the emotion-focused coping, those with the christianity had significantly lower level of coping than those without it. Also, those whose monthly income over 2,010,000 won had significantly higher coping level than those with income of between 1,010,000 and 2,000,000 won. 4. A positive relationship was found between uncertainty and anxiety. Patients who experienced more uncertainty also showed more anxiety. Problem-focused coping was inversely related to uncertainty and anxiety. 5. The major variable that affected uncertainty was anxiety, explaining 63.3% of the uncertainty. In addition to this, it would explain 66.4% in total when experience of chemotherapy was added.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2020

Background: The Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status of Larix (Larix griffithiana and Larix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms. Results: The results showed that the population structure of Larix in terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 7.813, df = 2, p = 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 5.9829, df = 1, p = 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 134.23, df = 2, p < 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 128.01, df = 1, p < 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species, Larix griffithiana has clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but not Larix himalaica. Conclusion: The varied responses of Larix manifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration of Larix is found to be problematic and specifically for Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

With a view to developing a database of death years of Korean firs (Abies koreana) at Yeongsil in Mt. Halla and investigating their abrupt inter-annual growth reduction tree-ring analysis was employed. To this end, 10 living trees (YSL) were selected to establish a master chronology and 20 dead trees were used to date their dead years. To investigate the difference in death years by death types, 10 trees, which remained standing (YSSD) out of the 20 dead trees were selected. The rest 10 dead trees were already fallen (YSFD). Two increment cores per tree at breast height were extracted in contour direction using an increment borer. A 106-year master chronology (1911-2016) was successfully established from the 10 YSLs. Through cross-dating between individual YSSD time series and the master chronology, it was verified that 1 YSSD was dead in summer 1978, 1 YSSD between autumn 1999 and spring 2000, 2 YSSDs in summer 2007, 1 YSSD in summer 2010, 1 YSSD in summer 2012, and 1 YSSD in summer 2013. The youngest tree rings of 2 YSSDs having no bark were in 1977 and 2002. For the YSFDs, it was verified that 1 YSFD was dead between autumn 1997 and spring 1998, 1 YSFD between autumn 2001 and spring 2002, 2 YSFDs between autumn 2009 and spring 2010, 1 YSFD in summer 2010, and 2 YSFDs between autumn 2012 and spring 2013, while the youngest tree rings of 2 YSFDs having no bark were in 1989 and 2004. To note, the death years of two trees, one from each death type (YSSD and YSFD), could not be verified due to poor cross-dating with the master chronology. The inter-annual growth reductions of YSSD and YSFD occurred more frequently and intensively than YSL. Typically, the YSFD showed the most frequent and intensive inter-annual growth reduction. On comparing the inter-annual growth reductions with the corresponding records of typhoons however we could not find any reliable relationship. Finally, from prior reports and results of the current study it can be concluded that the death and abrupt growth reduction of korean fir at Yeongsil in Mt. Halla are not caused by only a certain environmental factor but various factors.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.353-366
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• 2016

The effect of different environmental conditions and altitudes on the growth and reproductive characteristics in 12 teak plantations at 4 different blocks (Cauvery canal bank, Topslip and Parambikulam (Tamil Nadu), Nilambur and Wayanad (Kerala) of Southern India was investigated. The annual rainfall and mean monthly temperature of the study areas varied significantly from 1390 to 3188 mm and 16 to $38^{\circ}C$ respectively. The teak plantations in Cauvery canal bank which grow in continuous moisture condition (8-10 months) retain the leaf for longer period due to moisture resulting continuous supply of photosynthates leads to fast and outstanding growth. The girth at breast height (GBH) of 34-years-old tree in canal area was similar to that of 40 to 49-years-old trees in other locations, indicating that teak plantations with regular watering and silvicultural practices may be harvested at the age of 30 years. The leaf fall, flowering and fruiting showed significant variations in different teak plantations due to environmental factors and altitudes. It was found that increase of rainfall enhances number of flowers in the inflorescence in teak. Tholpatty (block-IV) showed more flowering in a inflorescence (3,734-3,744) compared to other plantations (1,678-3,307). Flowering in Nilambur and Wayanad coincided with heavy rainfall resulting low fruitset (1.1-2.3%) probably heavy rainfall ensuing restriction of pollinators for effective pollination. On the other hand, flowering in Cauvery canal bank (Block-I) was not coincided with high rainfall exhibited high fruitset (2-3%). About 66 to 76% of the fruits in different plantations were empty, and it is one of the main reasons for poor germination in teak. The seeds of Topslip and Parambikulam (Block-II) showed higher seed weight, maximum seed filling and good germination indicating that the environmental factors and altitude play significant role in fruit setting and seed filling in teak. In addition, the teak plantations in Topslip and Parambikulam showed good growth suggesting that plantations in the altitude range of approximately 550-700 m may be suitable for converting into seed production areas for production of quality seeds.