Korean Center Research Articles

장애인복지관의 웹 접근성 평가

우리나라 장애인 인구는 전체 인구의 5% 이상을 차지하고 있고, 장애인들의 대다수가 장애인복지관을 이용하고 있다. 장애인복지관은 장애인을 대상으로 서비스를 제공하는 기관임에도 웹 사이트가 웹 접근성을 준수하고 있지 않아 장애인들이 웹 사이트를 이용하는데 있어서 불편함을 겪고 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 한국, 미국, 일본의 장애인복지관 웹 사이트의 웹 접근성 준수 실태를 평가하고 비교분석하여 그 결과를 제시하였다. 평가결과, 2008년 "장애인 차별금지 및 권리구제 등에 관한 법률"이 시행되어 장애인복지관은 웹 접근성을 법적으로 준수해야만 하는 사회복지시설임에도 불구하고 제대로 지켜지지 않는 곳이 다수 있었다. 또, 한국의 장애인복지관 웹 접근성 준수율은 78.77%로, 미국 85.50%, 일본 86.00%에 비해 낮은 준수율을 보였다. 본 연구는 실제 장애인들의 생활에 밀접한 관련이 있는 장애인복지관을 대상으로 웹 접근성을 평가하고, 향후 나아갈 방향을 제안함으로써, 웹 접근성 평가에 관한 연구를 위한 이론적인 기초자료로 활용될 수 있으며, 장애인의 복지에 대한 인식 제고 및 향상에 기여할 수 있을 것이다. The Korean disabled is about 5% of the population and most of them utilize welfare centers for the disabled. The disabled have difficulties in using the welfare centers' website since many centers do not comply with the website accessibility guidelines. This paper has compared, evaluated and provided the analytical results of the observance of the website accessibility guidelines of the welfare centers for the disabled in Korean, the U.S. and Japanese. The results indicated that there are many social welfare centers which do not abide by the laws even though the welfare centers for the disabled should comply with the website accessibility guidelines as required by the Law of Prohibiting Discrimination and Right of Remedy for the Disabled in 2008. In particular, Korean welfare centers for the disabled observing the website accessibility guidelines is significantly low of 78.77% to be compared with the U.S. by 85.50% and Japanese by 86.00%. This paper will provide theoretical basis for research on evaluation of website accessibility in the future and contribute to the public awareness on the social welfare of the disabled by suggesting the future direction of website accessibility evaluation on the welfare centers which are closely linked to the everyday life of the disabled.

Analysis of direct medical care costs of peptic ulcer disease in a Korean tertiary medical center

Objectives. There have been no reported data on the medical care cost of idiopathic peptic ulcer disease (PUD) compared with H. pylori (+) and/or NSAID (+) cases although H. pylori-negative idiopathic ulcers are increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct medical care costs of PUD based on whether it was H. pylori infection/from NSAIDs or idiopathic. Material and methods. One hundred and seventy three patients with PUD comprising H. pylori and/or NSAID use-associated PUD (n = 145) and idiopathic PUD (n = 28) were prospectively enrolled in this study. The direct medical care costs were analyzed retrospectively for the patients with PUD during a one-year follow-up period. Results. The recurrence rate within one year was significantly higher in idiopathic PUD than H. pylori and/or NSAID-associated PUD (p = 0.002). Direct medical care costs of idiopathic PUD ($2483.8) were higher than in patients with H. pylori and/or NSAID-associated PUD ($1751.8) resulting from longer duration of medication and higher proportion of endoscopic hemostasis and hospitalization. Conclusions. More clinical research is needed to improve outcome and reduce recurrence rate and medical care costs of idiopathic PUD.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Children with Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Report of a Korean Single Center Experience

Abstract 4500 Purpose:Accounting for 4% of childhood hematological malignancy, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is very rare in children than in adults. Therapy of these disorders has been associated with intensive treatment related toxicities and a high risk of relapse. Children with refractory anemia (RA)/refractory anemia with excess blast (RAEB) usually do not respond to acute myeloid leukemia (AML)- type chemotherapy, and chemotherapy without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) resulted in survival rates below 30%. Since failure rates after HSCT are lower in this group when treated at diagnosis, HSCT should be strongly considered, especially when a fully matched sibling donor (MSD) is available. The optimal treatment for children with RA/RAEB without matched sibling donor is presently undetermined. Some of them have stable disease course and require no therapy for years. However, aggressive treatment with HSCT using alternative donors should be considered for severe cytopenia. We analyzed the results of allogeneic HSCT in 16 children who were diagnosed with de novo MDS in a single Korean center. It is the first report about the outcome of HSCT for Pediatric MDS in Korea. Patients and Methods:Between November 1997 and June 2011, 16 children with MDS underwent allogeneic HSCT at Asan Medical Center. These patients had RA (n=7), and RAEB (n=9). Peripheral blood smears, bone marrow aspirates and biopsies of all patients were assessed by central morphology review according to the WHO classification. HSCT was recommended if the patients developed neutropenia (ANC<500/μ L) or transfusion dependency. Median age at transplant of 9 males and 7 females was 8.9 years (range 1.6–20.3). Cytogenetic analysis at diagnosis was available in 15 patients. Nine of them had a normal karyotype and 6 patients had miscellaneous chromosomal changes, but nobody had monosomy 7. Six patients (33%) were grafted from an MSD, whereas the remaining were transplanted from an unrelated donor (UD) (n=6), umbilical cord blood (n=3) or a haplo-identical family donor (n=1). All patients received myeloablative conditioning including busulfan (n=13) or total body irradiation (n=3). The median number of transfused CD34 cells was 8.2×106/kg for bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, and 1.3×105/kg for umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with cyclosporine and methotrexate was used for 14 patients, and cyclosporine and MMF were used for UCBT. Results:Sustained neutrophil engraftment was achieved in 11 patients, and five patients experienced graft failure. One patient died of subarachnoid hemorrhage on day 1 before engraftment, and 4 patients experienced primary graft failure; all patients were regrafted from haplo-identical related donors. Three patients are alive without disease, but one patient died 103 days after third HSCT from CMV pneumonia. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD in the 15 evaluable patients was 0.27, and they were all manageable. Two patients developed extensive chronic GVHD; one patient died from disease progression to AML 579 days after HSCT, the other died from fungal pneumonia and intracranial hemorrhage 113 days after HSCT. With a median follow-up of 6.0 years (range 0.1–14), the cumulative incidence of treatment related mortality (TRM) and relapse was 0.19 and 0.20, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) at 5 years were 0.64 and 0.41. The diagnosis of RAEB was positively associated with relapse (P=0.02) and significantly decreased OS (P=0.024). Donor type was not significantly associated with TRM, graft failure, relapse and outcome. While acute GVHD did not affect the outcome, chronic GVHD significantly affected OS (P=0.0013). Conclusions:Though our results showed considerable early engraftment failure rates (31.3%), most of all were successfully regrafted form haplo-identical related donors, and showed comparable treatment outcome. Allogeneic HSCT following a myeloablative conditioning can offer a high probability of cure for children with MDS, however, efforts to further reduce the rejection, relapse and TRM in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT are needed. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [Display omitted]

THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON MALARIA IN REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Background and Aims: After reemerging in 1993, Plasmodium vivax malaria has been occurred continuously in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Early after reemergence P. vivax malaria mainly occurred in the areas adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and most patients were soldiers. However, since 2003, the number of civilian patients has been more than soldiers. We aimed to investigate the relationship between malaria and environmental factors, such as climatic factors and land use. Methods: Malaria data were obtained from Korean Center for Disease Control including incidence date and residence information. Among them we selected civilian and domestic cases excluding soldiers and veterans for the year of 2001-2008. Weather information, such as temperature and rainfall, and land use information were matched with the malaria cases by 47 administrative areas. We fitted to intrinsic autoregressive model to investigate the effect of climatic factors and land use on the increase in malaria adjusting neighboring effect with random effect. Results: Total civilian cases during the study period were 6,928 showing the most value, 1,295, in 2007. Among environmental factors, temperature for warmer season (May to September), rice paddy area, and river area showed positive correlation with malaria. Gangwha county, located in adjacent to DMZ and seashore, showed the highest log relative risk after adjustment for potential confounding variables. The distances from DMZ presented deterministic to malaria incidence, which implies that malaria situation in ROK has been directly influenced by infected mosquitoes originating from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Conclusions: Climate change, such as increase in temperature, can be responsible for elevated malaria transmission risk in ROK in the future. To control malaria in ROK, Climatic factors, land use, and their combined effect should be considered and further study considering human activity is necessary.

국내 인공수정센터의 웅돈에 대한 번식 관련 바이러스 조사

Artificial insemination (AI) of swine is a very useful reproductive tool and that offers convenience in the Korean swine industry. Since many viruses have been reported to be excreted through boar semen, we investigated the presence of antibodies and antigens against viruses causing reproductive failure in semen of boar in 349 semen samples collected from six Korean AI centers. Viral antigens were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription-PCR predominantly. The results was as follows. The major reproductive failure causing factor was porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), followed by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) (χ 2 =166.64, P＜0.001). PCV2 and PRRSV, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) was detected in 73 samples (20.9%), 44 samples (12.6%), 4 samples (1.1%), 3 samples (0.9%), respectively and porcine parvovirus in one sample (0.3%) Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), bovine viral diarrhea virus and Aujeszky’s disease virus (ADV) were not detected. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out in 111 serum samples from three AI centers. In most pigs, antibodies response was showed prominently in CSFV (105 sera, 94.6%) (χ 2 =82.580, P＜0.001), followed by, in PRRSV (100 sera, 90.1%), PCV2 (92 sera, 90.1%), and PPV (8 sera, 82.9%). ADV antibody was not detected. Thus, the experimental results will be used for the base data, with respect to the state of viral stillbirth in general pig farms, as well as AI centers and breeding farms in Korea.

A study on the operation programs and spatial design of overseas Korean Cultural Centers

A study on the operation programs and spatial design of overseas Korean Cultural Centers

Multidrug-resistant Organisms and Healthcare-associated Infections

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistnat Staphlyococcus aureus (VRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), multidrugresistant Acinetobacter baumannii , and multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been a big challenge in control of healthcare-associated infec tion for a few decades in Korea. Carbapenemresistant Enterobacteriaceae was most recently added to the utmost threatening MDROs. Because of the high and ever increasing level of MDROs and their healthcare-associated infections, prevention and control of MDROs has become a national priority. The above six MDROs have been designated as legislative healthcare-associated infections, which has to be reported to the Korean Center for Disease Control since January 2011 in Korea. This paper is provided to give current perspectives of MDROs and their healthcare-associated infections in Korea. 다제내성균과 의료관련감염 Multidrug-resistant Organisms and Healthcare-associated Infections

Suitability of Endovascular Repair with Current Stent Grafts for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Korean Patients

Suitability rate of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and the anatomic features causing unsuitability have not been well determined in Asian patients who have abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). In a single Korean center, a total of 191 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (maximal diameter ≥ 4 cm) were identified. Aortoiliac morphologic characteristics in contrast-enhanced computed tomography images were retrospectively reviewed to determine suitability for EVAR with four FDA-approved stent-grafts. AAA was considered ideally suitable for EVAR in 46.6% of patients. The most frequent causes for unsuitability were common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysm (61.8%) and excessive neck angulation (52.9%). Problems such as small and/or short neck and small access were found in minor incidences. If CIA aneurysm is dealt by overstenting with sacrifice of internal iliac artery, suitability rate can increase to 65%. Larger aneurysms were more frequently unsuitable for EVAR and had more chance of having multiple unfavorable features. In conclusion, the overall feasibility rate for EVAR in Korean patients was not different from that in Western patients. However, considering the difference in the major causes of unsuitability, more attention has to be paid to neck angulation and CIA aneurysm to provide EVAR for more Korean patients especially who have large aneurysm.

Prevalence of Granular Corneal Dystrophy Type 2 (Avellino Corneal Dystrophy) in the Korean Population

Purpose: This study investigates the prevalence of granular corneal dystrophy type 2 (GCD2; Avellino corneal dystrophy) in the Korean population.Methods: GCD2 homozygotes were identified through a collaboration of Korean referral centers for corneal disease. The genetic status of the patients and their immediate families were verified by DNA analysis. A lower bound for the gene prevalence was calculated using a model based on the Hardy-Weinberg principle. A second population-based model was developed to correct for known underestimation in the primary model. The corrected model used population data from the 2005 Korean census and fertility rates from historical Korean census data.Results: We identified 21 individuals homozygous for GCD2 (R124H mutation) from 16 Korean families. From this, we estimate that the overall prevalence (combining heterozygotes and homozygotes) is at least 8.25 affected persons/10,000 persons. Our corrected estimate for overall prevalence is 11.5 affected persons/10,000 persons.Conclusion: We present the first estimate of the prevalence of GCD2. Although uncommon, the prevalence of GCD2 in Korea is greater than anticipated. We believe that our approach could potentially be applied to estimating the prevalence of other rare diseases.

Nuclear Politics, North Korea, and the Political Economy of Northeast Asia at the Dawn of the Asian Century

NUCLEAR POLITICS, NORTH KOREA, AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF NORTHEAST ASIA AT THE DAWN OF THE ASIAN CENTURY* Donald C. Hellmann* During the past two decades a China-led Northeast Asia grew explosively to become a new center of the global economy. But throughout this time the strategic agenda for the region was set by the defiant and determined effort of a small, economically failed state to become a nuclear power. This anomalous and paradoxical situation created by the “nuclear politics” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) provides an exceptionally good window through which the dynamics of international relations in the region can be examined at the dawn of the Asian century. The articles that follow analyze the protracted and varied multilateral diplomatic maneuvers over the past decade, on an * Editor’s note: The five articles that follow this introduction are the result of the organizing efforts of Professors Don Hellmann and Yong Chool Ha of the University of Washington and its Korean Center, and Dr. Park Myoung Kyu, director of the Institute for Peace and Unification of Seoul National University. They wish to thank Republic of Korea Consul General Lee Ha Ryong in Seattle for his contributions. Asian Perspective is grateful to all these colleagues, and other participants, for their efforts at the conference on North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the distinguished papers that resulted. ASIAN PERSPECTIVE, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2010, pp. 5-9. Introduction to the Special Issue agenda set largely by Pyongyang. They cast light on an array of features of the contemporary regional and global international systems. Several are quite surprising. These include: how a small semi-pariah nation could magnify its international power through “nuclear politics” in an age of globalization; how the American global hegemony was constrained from providing the effective leadership (multilateral, bilateral, or unilateral) to deal with the kinds of problems presented by the North Korea security issue; how China, the regional hegemon, was inhibited from conclusively dealing with a wayward regional “ally,” while becoming a major stakeholder in the global political economy; how South Korea, blessed with an economy thirty times that of the North, driven by existential and nationalist impulses and a flexible and innovative foreign policy, was unable to devise a strategy that produced the detente seen in Europe as the failures of communism became acute; and how, the Six Party Talks, a multilateral and multidimensional focal point in the nuclear talks with the potential to become an institution for addressing issues of conflict and cooperation in Northeast Asia, failed in the absence of strong leadership by the United States and China and the obstructionist tactics of Pyongyang. Despite the extensive literature about and discussion of the North Korean nuclear problem, these questions are rarely asked and even more rarely answered in terms of the global and regional contexts. One purpose of the conference, from which these articles were drawn—“North Korean Nuclear Politics: Constructing a New Northeast Asian Order in the Twenty-First Century” (held at the University of Washington, June 4-5, 2009) —was to place the Korean nuclear talks in the broader context of the contemporary global political economy. Somewhat paradoxically, a second purpose of the conference was to explore how the domestic decision-making processes of each country affected and was affected by the Korean nuclear issue—an inside-out, not an outside-in focus. Although no paper frontally addresses the issue of the reciprocal linkage between the international context and domestic politics in the DPRK, each of the articles explicitly references this topic—an 6 Donald C. Hellmann approach made possible because all of the contributors are distinguished scholars of both Korean politics and international relations and bring to bear a sophisticated understanding of the issues and events about which they write. Three articles concern the pivotal bilateral relationships for Pyongyang: ties with the United States, China and South Korea. The other two articles take a broader approach, analyzing the subject matter more theoretically and/or refining or redefining elements of the negotiations to provide fresh insight into the process and the policies. A third purpose of the conference and this issue is to suggest policy options that may...

Mapping the e-science landscape in South Korea using the webometrics method

There is a burgeoning interest among social scientists in the development of e-science technologies and research practices around world. However, the international social science research literature has not systematically examined e-science approaches in Asia in general and Korea in particular. This article presents empirical findings from a webometrics analysis of the semantic variation, disciplinary scope, and institutional structure of e-science programs in South Korea. The findings suggest that some e-science terms, including cyberinfrastructure, have prominent Korean web presences. At the same time, Korean government-sponsored national e-science centers and their affiliates do not have a strong web presence and do not actively participate in the hyperlink network that connects e-science-related institutional websites. Instead, they have a closed network among themselves. This result stems from the institutional dynamics within Korea's public and private e-science research communities.

A Comparative Study of Youth Health Risk Behaviors by Region: Focused on Metropolitan Areas, Medium Sized and Small City Areas, and Rural Areas

This study was done to compare health risk behavior prevalence for youth living in metropolitan, medium sized and small cities or rural area, in order to enhance understanding regional differences. For this study, data from the 2006 Youth Health Risk Behavior Online Survey collected by the Korean Center for Disease Control were analyzed using SPSS. In the metropolitan areas, prevalence for disease and perceived obesity were higher than in other areas. Lack of intense or moderate physical activity, obesity, fast food intake, and insufficient sleep showed higher prevalence than in rural areas. Prevalence of lifetime smoking, lifetime alcohol consumption, present alcohol use, fruit intake less than once a day, and not wearing a seat belt were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Gender, smoking, and alcohol use were correlated. Spearman correlation between living with parent and skipping breakfast were significant. Smoking, alcohol use, and sexual behavior were correlated. As significant differences in prevalence of youth health risk behaviors exist between regional areas, health education and health promotion programs considering these differences have to be developed and implemented for adolescents. Programs for prevention of smoking and alcohol use, programs for improvement of fruit intake and safety are suggested for adolescents in rural areas, whereas programs to enhance physical activity and obesity management are suggested for adolescents in metropolitan areas.

Analysis of the Korean Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System: Mass Type Acute Diarrheal Syndrome

ObjectivesThis study was designed to compare the data from the emergency department syndromic surveillance system of Korea in detection and reporting of acute diarrheal syndrome (mass type) with the data from the Korea Food and Drug Administration. And to offer fundamental materials for making improvements in current surveillance system was our purpose.MethodsA study was conducted by reviewing the number of cases reported as acute diarrheal syndrome (mass type) from the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention between June, 2002 and July, 2008. And the data were compared with the number of mass food poisoning cases during the same period, reported from the Korea Food and Drug Administration. The difference between two groups was measured and their transitions were compared.ResultsThe emergency department syndromic surveillance system's reports of the numbers of acute diarrheal syndrome (mass type) cases were different from the transition of mass food poisonings, reported by the Korea Food and Drug Administration. Their reports were not accurate and they could not follow the trends of increase in mass food poisonings since 2002.ConclusionsCurrent problems in the emergency department syndromic surveillance system in Korea are mostly related to inaccuracies of daily data reporting system. Manual data input by the reporters could play a big role in such inaccuracies. There need to be improvements in the ways of reporting data, such as automated information transport system linking electronic medical record.

A Study about the Factors Affecting the Suicidal Thought in Korean Elders

Purpose:This study wasdone toidentify therisk factors influencingsuicidal ideation in Korean elders. Methods: Data from the Korean national health & nutrition examination survey 2007 collected by the Korean Center for Disease Control were analyzed using x 2 test and t-test. Results: Differences in suicidal ideation according to individual factors wereas follows: gender, educationstatus, recognitionof stress, experience of depression, and smoking. Differences in suicidal ideation according to health related factors were as follows: subjective health status, EQ-5D (EuroQoL-5 Dimensions), and restriction of activity. Differences in suicidal ideation according to family related factors were as follows: spouse, and status of dietary life. Conclusion: The findings suggest that boardinterventionprogramsshould beprovided to prevent problems of suicidal ideation. It isalsorecommended that programs bedeveloped that can help control thevariables identified in thisstudy along with follow up study to verify the model.

A good blend of interesting topics

As you receive this April issue the scent of spring is already in the air in the southern part of the Nordic countries, let alone more southerly parts of Europe, while further north we are still en...

Cost and effectiveness of treatments for mild‐to‐moderate bleeding episodes in haemophilia patients with inhibitors in Korea

First-line treatment for mild-to-moderate bleeding episodes in patients with haemophilia and inhibitors in Korea is currently activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) with recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) as second-line therapy or as a last resort. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost and effectiveness of aPCC vs. rFVIIa for treating mild-to-moderate bleeds in inhibitor patients from the Korean reimbursement authorities' perspective. Clinical outcomes and resource utilization data (number of doses, average dose, number of outpatient visits, inpatient stays, ambulance transport and concomitant medications) were collected from an observational study involving four Korean paediatric haemophilia centres. Cost-effectiveness was modelled using a decision analysis approach and sensitivity analyses undertaken. rFVIIa was a more effective haemostatic therapy (87.1% efficacy in bleed resolution) than aPCC (64.0%). rFVIIa effected more rapid haemostasis, resolving bleeding in a mean of 6.6 h vs. 25.2 h for aPCC. Fewer rFVIIa doses were required per bleed vs. aPCC (means 1.7 and 2.3). Mean total direct medical costs from bleed initiation to cessation were estimated at Korean Won (KRW)12 460 thousand (US$12 311) for rFVIIa given as first-line therapy and KRW18 304 thousand (US$18 085) for aPCC given as first-line therapy. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the cost-effectiveness of rFVIIa vs. aPCC given as first-line therapy. In Korea, use of rFVIIa as first-line therapy for treatment of mild-to-moderate bleeding episodes in inhibitor patients is both clinically effective and cost-effective compared with initial aPCC treatment. rFVIIa should be considered as the first-line treatment for mild-to-moderate bleeding episodes in patients with haemophilia and inhibitors in Korea.

Detection and Characterization of Integrons in Nontyphoid Salmonella Clinical Isolates

Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics 1 , University of Ulsan, Department of Infectious Diseases 2 , and Department of Laboratory Medicine 3 , University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine 4 , Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Division of Enteric Bacterial Infection 5 , Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Korea

명태(Theragra chalcogramma) 이석 내 산소동위원소 조성과 서식 수온 특성

이석(otoliths)은 경골 어류의 내이(inner ear)에 존재하는 평형석으로 어류의 성장과 함께 성장하며, 이석 내 산소동위원소는 어류가 서식했던 수온에 영향을 받으며 침전되기 때문에 어류가 서식했던 서식처의 수온을 반영한다고 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 명태 이석 내 산소동위원소(<TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX>)와 서식 수온과의 관계를 조사하여, 명태의 생활사에 따른 서식지의 변동을 비교하였다. 우리나라와 일본의 동쪽 해역에서 <TEX>$1997{\sim}1999$</TEX>년 사이에 채집된 명태로부터 이석을 채취하여 연령대 별로 산소동위원소 함량을 분석하였으며, 수온 자료는 양국의 해양자료센터(KODC, JODC)로부터 획득하였다. 명태가 서식하는 수심의 수온은 가을과 겨울에 걸쳐 연중 가장 높았고, 우리나라 동해연안은 200 m 이상의 수심에서는 계절적 변동이 거의 없이 낮은 수온이 분포하는 안정된 상태였으나, 일본 해역에서는 300 m의 비교적 깊은 수심에서도 계절적 변화를 보였다. 전반적으로 모든 수심에서 우리나라 보다 일본 연안의 수온이 높았으며, 일본 해역의 명태가 우리나라 명태보다 깊은 곳에 서식하였다. 우리나라와 일본 명태 이석의 산소동위원소 값은 대부분 시료에서 이석의 핵 부분 보다는 가장자리 부분에서 산소동위원소 값이 높아 명태가 성장하면서 수온이 낮은 깊은 수심으로 이동하는 것으로 이해된다. 또한, 3년 동안의 수온변화와 그 당시 성장하였던 이석의 산소동위원소 값은 역상관 관계를 보이고 있다. Oxygen isotopic composition(<TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX>) of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, otoliths were measured to investigate interannual and regional correlation with habitat temperature. Specimens were collected from fishermen in Korea and Japan between <TEX>$1997{\sim}1999$</TEX>, while seawater temperatures were obtained from Korean and Japanese Oceanographic Data Centers. Seawater temperature was generally lower off the eastern Korean Peninsula than off eastern Hokkaido(Japan). Sagittal otoliths were removed for measurement of <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> using a micro-drilling technique. In most cases, <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> and habitat temperature exhibited negative relationship in Korean and Japanese waters. Higher <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> was observed in Korean pollock compared to Japanese pollock. The marginal parts of otoliths exhibited higher <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> than cores from both regions. This is an indication that somatic growth of walleye pollock occurs in deeper and cooler waters. Interannual variation in <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> was also observed. Mean <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> values acquired from 1997 otoliths were lower(2.15%) than those of 1998(2.67%) and 1999 (2.65%) in Korean pollock. These measurements coincided with changes in observed temperature in Korean waters, in which mean seawater temperature was warmer in 1997 than in 1998 and 1999. In Japanese waters, mean seawater temperature was lowest in 1997, which coincided with highest <TEX>${\delta}^{18}O$</TEX> values in the same year.

The Influencing Factors on Suicide Attempt among Adolescents in South Korea

Suicide has been considered a large public health concern in recent years because suicide mortality has been increasing rapidly. This study was done to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of a suicide attempt among adolescents in South Korea. The data of the 2006 Youth Health Risk Behavior web-based Survey collected by the Korean Center for Disease Control was analyzed using logistic regression for this study. The prevalence of a suicide attempt was 5.2% in South Korea. The risk factors of a suicide attempt were suicidal ideation (odds 31.83), depression (odds 7.98), drug use (odds 4.67), currently smoking (odds 3.19), feeling unhappiness (odds 2.77), stress (odds 2.60), currently drinking alcohol (odds 2.39), sexual activity (odds 2.33), living with neither parent (odds 2.24), initial alcohol drinking by age 9 (odds 1.80), health status (odds 2.15), skipped breakfast (odds 1.75), disease (odds 1.65), and school records (odds 1.22). Suicide screening and prevention programs should be developed, considering these risk factors. Suicide prevention programs should be applied to the at risk population prior to a suicide attempt.

The methodology for developing the 2007 Korean growth charts and blood pressure nomogram in Korean children and adolescents

Purpose : This study was to provide the methods of developing the growth charts and the blood pressure nomogram among Korean children and adolescents. Methods : The growth charts were developed based on the data from the national growth surveys for children and adolescents in 1998 and 2005. The percentile charts were developed through two stages. At the first stage, the selected empirical charts were smoothed through several fitting procedures including parametric and non-parametric methods. At the second stage, a modified LMS (lambda, mu, sigma) statistical procedure was applied to the smoothed percentile charts. The LMS procedure allowed to estimate any percentile and to calculate standard deviation units and z-scores. The charts for weight- for-age, height-for-age, BMI-for-age, weight-for-height and head circumference-for-age were developed by sex. Age and normalized height controlled sex-specific nomograms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were developed by a fixed effect model of general regression using the data from 2005 national growth survey. Results : The significant systemic differences between the percentiles of growth charts and the empirical data were not found. The final output of the study is available from Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention homepage, http://www.cdc.go.kr/webcdc/. Blood Pressure nomogram was tabulated by height percentiles and age using the regression coefficients analyzed with regression model. Conclusion : 2007 growth charts and blood pressure nomogram were the first products based on the statistical modeling using the national survey data. The further study on the methodology including data collection, data cleaning and statistical modeling for representative growth charts would be needed.