Yong-Jin Choi

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the responses of refractory and common Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia to macrolides differ. Hence, this study aimed to identify biomarkers that may be used to distinguish refractory and common pneumonias caused by MP in children at hospital admission. METHODS: The study included 123 children divided into five groups according to infection agent and treatment protocol: Group I included those with MP infection without documented viral infection, treated with

This paper proposes the walking pattern generation method, the kinematic resolution method of CoM (center of mass) Jacobian with an embedded motion, and the walking controller design method for humanoid robots. First, the walking pattern is generated using the simplified model for bipedal robot. Second, the kinematic resolution of CoM Jacobian with embedded motion makes a humanoid robot balanced automatically during the movement of the all other limbs. Actually, it offers the ability of whole bo

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the association between smartphone use and adverse behavioral health outcomes using nationwide Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data for 2017 and 2020. METHODS: The 2020 data (N = 54,809) were used to analyze the relationships between daily smartphone usage time (non-user, 0-2 h [hour], 2-4 h, 4-6 h, 6-8 h, and > 8 h), and adverse health outcomes (stress, sleep, depression, suicide, substance use, and smartphone overdependence). A 1:1 propensity scor

This study aimed to identify age-specific characteristics of respiratory viral infections. Hospitalized patients with confirmed viral respiratory infections were included in the sample. The patients were divided into the pediatric group (<19 years old) and the adult group (≥19 years old). The groups were then subdivided based on age: 0−6, 7−12, 13−18, 19−49, 50−64, and ≥65 years old. These groups were compared to evaluate the differences in the pattern of respiratory viral infections. Among a to

Although atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) has no apparent direct effect on human health, it does have direct effects on plants. The present study evaluated the influence of increased CO₂ levels on the concentration of allergens from common ragweed pollen by setting up a chamber study to model future air conditions and a field study to evaluate current air conditions. For the chamber study, we established 20 ragweed plants in an open-top chamber under different CO₂ levels (380-400, 500-520, 600-6

We present the first reported case of fabella syndrome in Korea, after high tibial osteotomy due to degenerative arthritis and varus deformity, rather than artificial joint surgery. Collision syndrome caused by a fabella has previously been attributed to inconsistency of the joint surface due to excessive exercise and degenerative changes due to knee instability. We report this case since it appeared to involve collision syndrome due to mechanical change of an angular deformity.

Seasonal co-exposure to air pollutants and allergenic pollens may enhance respiratory viral infection susceptibility in children. Therefore, reducing the concentrations of air pollutants and pollens may help prevent future epidemics.

Background: In Korea, the number of households with indoor pets is rapidly increasing in parallel with changes in cultural lifestyles. The sensitization rate of pet allergens is also increasing in Korea. Objective: We evaluated the effectiveness of washing machines to remove dog and cat hair and their allergens. In addition, this study aimed to investigate whether only a mechanical dryer without mechanical washing could be used for pet allergen removal. Method: We brushed cats and dogs, and ther

The atmospheric fungal concentrations decreased annually, with allergic sensitization rate decreasing over the period of 25 years. Allergenic fungal sporulation could decrease with climate changes, such as desertification and drought. Extended monitoring periods and further large-scale studies are required to confirm the causality and to evaluate the impact of climate change.

We report a case of an 8-year-old Korean girl diagnosed with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome with Q fever coinfection after playing with a dog and being bitten by a tick in a suburb in South Korea. The clinical findings and treatment were summarized. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the youngest patient reported to have been diagnosed with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and Q fever from South Korea.

Objective This study aimed to investigate whether severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) could be an association factor for neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants without other risk factors—such as congenital anomalies, birth injuries, and neurological diseases—that may cause developmental delay. Methods We used health claims data recorded between 2007 and 2018 in the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) database. We recruited a total of 18,256 premature infant born betwe

Asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD) are representative chronic diseases in childhood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of preterm birth on the incidence and severity of asthma and AD in children, as well as to identify neonatal risk factors for asthma and AD. We used health claims data recorded between 2007 and 2014 in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. We recruited 2,224,476 infants born between 2007 and 2014 and divided them into three groups: 3518 of extremely pret

CONTEXT: Preterm (PT) and full-term with low birth weight (FT-LBW) children are at a high-risk of poor growth outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to investigate the growth trajectories of PT and FT-LBW children from birth to preschool ages. METHODS: This study included 1 150 508 infants (PT, 41 454; FT-LBW, 38 250) who underwent the first 3 rounds (4-6, 9-12, and 18-24 months) of the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC). Growth measurements were obtained from the

PURPOSE: Pollen may spread indoors through clothes contaminated during outdoor activities. This study aimed to evaluate the pollen removal efficacy of a mechanical dryer. METHODS: Cotton clothes served as laundry, and fabrics measuring 2 × 5 cm served as test samples. Pollen was spread evenly on the test fabrics. The fabrics were then fixed on the cloth and left for 8 h to imitate real-life conditions. This experiment was conducted under 2 conditions, wet (after washing clothes) and dry (without