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Among all industrial accident-induced diseases, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are most prominently observed among nurses. The physical load of everyday tasks involved in nursing work was assessed in this study using a developed risk index, whereby the physical burden was evaluated using the exposure duration and work intensity levels. This survey targeted nine small, medium and large-sized hospitals in South Korea and categorized representative nursing tasks into six groups. The subtasks within these six categories (evaluated as high risk) included changing a patient's posture and assisting with walkers or wheelchairs, transporting/handling drug carts, bathing patients, replacing bedding, traction therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and artificial manual breathing unit, and computer work. The risk index ratio was significantly different by task type for each task. We demonstrated that the risk index developed in this study can be used to evaluate MSDs in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Kuseonwangdogo is a traditional Korean immunomodulatory polyherbal prescription. However, there are no systemic findings on its complex immunomodulatory effects on in vivo models. In this study, we observed the immunomodulatory effects of Kuseonwangdogo-based mixed herbal formula aqueous extracts (MHFe) on cyclophosphamide- (CPA-) induced immunosuppression mouse model. Methods. In total, 60 male 6-week-old ICR mice (10 mice/group) were selected based on body weight 24 h after the second CPA treatment and used in this experiment. Twelve hours after the end of the last (fourth) oral administration of MHFe, the animals were sacrificed. Results. Following CPA treatment, a noticeable decrease in the body, thymus, spleen, and submandibular lymph node (LN) weights; white blood cell, red blood cell, platelet number, hemoglobin, and hematocrit concentrations; serum interferon-γ levels; splenic tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin- (IL-) 1β, and IL-10 content; and peritoneal and splenic natural killer cell activities was observed. Depletion of lymphoid cells in the thymic cortex, splenic white pulp, and submandibular LN-related atrophic changes were also observed. However, these CPA-induced myelosuppressive signs were markedly and dose-dependently inhibited by the oral administration of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg MHFe. Conclusion. MHFe can be a promising, potent immunomodulatory therapeutic agent for various immune disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study compared foot arch height, plantar fascia thickness, a range of motion assessments of the ankle joint, strength of the ankle joint, plantar pressure, and balance between obese and normal weight young adults. Methods: Fifty-two participants were required for the present study design to achieve 80% power, 0.8 effect size (η2), and an alpha level of 0.05. The participants were categorized to normal weight or obese groups based on BMI (≤ 24 kg/m2 and ≥ 25 kg/m², respectively). The foot and ankle disability index and Sport survey were completed by the participants before the measurements. Foot arch height was measured using the navicular drop test, and plantar fascia thickness was measured using ultrasound. Plantar pressure and balance tests were also conducted, followed by ankle joint range of motion and strength tests. Results: Foot arch height and plantar fascia thickness was significantly higher in the obese group compared with the normal weight group (p < 0.01). There were significant differences in eversion of ankle strength, plantar pressure in the big toe and heel and anterior-posterior balance between normal and obese weight groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Obese young adults had more abnormalities in the medial longitudinal arch, plantar fascia, and plantar pressure as well as weakened ankle eversion strength and balance problems compared with the normal weight group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify the changes in the cervical range of motion (CROM), the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio (CFRR), and neck pain after dynamic neck training (DNT) combined with hold-relax technique (HRT) for young college students with video display terminal (VDT) syndrome. For this study, 15 young college students with VDT syndrome were recruited. DNT combined with HRT was applied to all participants in a sitting position for 15 min. Postintervention, the CROM and the CFRR were significantly higher than preintervention, and neck pain had significantly decreased. DNT combined with HRT showed immediate effects on the CROM, the CFRR, and neck pain in young college students with VDT syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to analyze how Kim Hyun-seung's thoughts about Christianity have changed throughout his poetic works. Considered to be a Puritan-like-figure, Kim Hyun-seung is regarded as the most representative Christian poet in Korea. His works, often written in a solemn mood, are characterized by prayer and devotion to God. In Autumn, the significant season for Kim, he gets immersed in religious contemplation. As a solely wandering bird in his works, the raven symbolizes his religious soul. However, Kim was skeptical about the religion during his middle period due to the limitations of Christianity. His frustration was accompanied by solid solitude with the loss of God, which is in opposition to Kierkegaardian solitude. After suffering from a crisis of death, he returned to Christianity with absolute faith in his final years. His oscillation between the religious faith and the recognition of reality reflects his persistent pursuit of religious ethics, which cannot be fully satiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea (TRCK) in 2005 marks a turning point in the history of South Korean efforts to understand the truth of the Korean War, a truth that had been remembered only selectively. As essential as the TRCK's fact finding and reparation efforts are in establishing the truth of the war, it is also important to think about the full meaning of the word 'truth' at this current juncture. This article attempts to perform this task, first by introducing the concepts of truth proposed by Heidegger and Bakhtin, and then by examining Pak Wan-so's autobiographical novels on the Korean War and the 'Still Present Pasts' multimedia exhibit on Korean American memories of the Korean War. Regarding Heidegger and Bakhtin, the author focuses on the fact that, for them, truth is both scientific and aesthetic in nature, hence dialogic and dynamic as well. Pak Wan-so's autobiographical novels are an example of this kind of dialogic and dynamic truth in that they engage in creative and critical dialogues with various discourses on the Korean War, including her own works. 'Still Present Pasts' is another example of how space for endless dialogues can be created through multimedia and interactive structures. These two examples suggest that the missions of a TRC can be achieved only when it exists as a permanent institution in which individuals and social groups and entities are provided with an appropriate level of authority and resources and can then creatively collaborate with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]