Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop a model for predicting the positivity of hepatitis A antibody based on nationwide health information using a machine learning technique. Methods: We used a data set that included the records of 4,626 samples. the data was randomly divided into a training set 80% (3,701) and validation set 20% (925).Customized sequential convolutional neural network (CNN) model was used to predict the positivity of hepatitis A antibody. The loss and accuracy of this model was calculated. Results: This model has 12-input and 2-concatenate and 3-dense layers. The total parameters of this model were 1,779. The accuracy quickly reached to over 85% validation accuracy in 50 epochs. The train loss, train accuracy, validation loss and validation accuracy of this model were 25.4%, 89.5%, 29.0%, and 87.2%, respectively. Conclusion The model derived from the sequential CNN model exhibited a high level of accuracy. This model is a useful tool for predicting the positivity of hepatitis A antibody.

Sleep disturbance is a one of common complaints among patients with panic disorder. However, clinicians and researchers did not give much attention to the sleep symptoms of panic disorder yet. Several previous studies suggested that the sleep disturbance in panic disorder is mediated by nocturnal panic attack. In terms of the pathophysiology of panic disorder, nocturnal panic attack seems to be closely associated with the sleep problems in panic disorder. In this article, the authors reviewed various previous studies about sleep of panic disorder and intended to give importance of evaluating sleep disturbances and nocturnal panic attack in panic disorder for both clinical and research purpose.
Humans ; Panic ; Panic Disorder

Purpose: The United States of America have pre-migration screening program are mandated through legislation. The one of purpose of this program is to prevent the importation of certain communicable diseases. Examinations of migration applicants are performed by panel physicians who are licensed physicians in the countries of origin that have agreements with the government departments of the country of destination to undertake this activity. In recent decades, the number of US migrants has increased, however COVID-19 impacted this trend of international migrants. The Aim of this study is to examine trends of US applicants and outcomes of tuberculosis and sexual transmitted infections (STIs) screening in South Korean applicants for US visa. Methods: A total of 4,442 applicants participated in US visa health check-up in 2016 to 2020. Results: The numbers of applicant for US visa in males and females was 1,814 and 2,628. The positive results in tuberculosis and STIs screening was noted with 0.66% in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), 0.03% in tuberculosis, 0.03% in gonorrhea, 0.08% in syphilis, and 0.74% in chlamydia. The age groups of 2 to 14 years showed higher positive rate (13.89%) in tuberculin skin test (TST) tests compared to the rate of interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) tests (0.44%, P<0.001). The positive ratio of NTM and abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) which required sputum tests among the applicants over 15 years old has trends to increase with age. The age groups of over 70 years showed high positive rate in NTM and abnormal CXR (4.10%, 20.51%). However, ages 15 to 49 years groups showed 0.00% to 0.30% in NTM and 1.08% to 3.91% in abnormal CXR. In the study population, the positive rates of STIs were 0.03%, 0.08%, and 0.74% in gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia, respectively. Among the participants who underwent sputum smears and cultures were just 1 case of active tuberculosis (0.03%) and 25 cases of NTM infection (0.66%). Conclusion This study found that rate of positivity in tuberculosis and STIs screening among South Korean applicants for US visa in 2016 to 2020. Regarding tuberculosis, the positivity of CXR among the aged 15 to 59 years applicants was lower than that among over 60 years old. Among 2 to 14 years, positivity of IGRA was very low. And IGRA test can reduce effort of further evaluation compared to TST test in South Korea, so IGRA test among young adults can be useful. High positive rates in STI among young adult could result in high active sexuality, especially chlamydia infection is most common. Therefore Chlamydia polymerase chain reaction should be considered formal protocol among the Korean applicant for US visa.

Purpose: Aviation medical exams are pivotal for health management in aviation professionals, ensuring safety. Despite their importance, a gap exists in literature detailing the dynamics of these exams, especially during the COVID-19 era. Methods: Longitudinal data assessed distribution and trends based on sex, age, and qualification. A segment analyzed the pandemic’s influence, and a correlation between pilot age and disqualification rate was evaluated. Results: Males represented 95.5% (124,751) of total applicants; females 4.5% (5,861).Age distribution: under 40 (53.2%), 40s (26.4%), 50s (16.1%), and over 60 (4.2%).The majority (94.7%) had class 1 type. The fit rate was 87.4%, with conditional fit at 11.9%. Exams increased from 2,529 in 2000 to 15,149 in 2019, then decreased during COVID-19, with an expected recovery in 2023. Pilots’ trend mirrored this, with projections to exceed 12,000 exams in 2023. Of the pilots, 0.15% were deemed unfit, with age correlating with disqualification. Conclusion This study illuminates the evolution and impact of aviation medical examinations over 24 years, accentuating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study offers a comprehensive analysis comparing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status between Korean and foreign patients. Methods: The analysis used data from 30,216 patients treated at Seoul National University Hospital from January 2017 to June 2023. It examines variations in the rate of vaccine administration by nationality, sex, age, and vaccination date. Results: Despite observing an overall increase in HPV vaccination rates in both Korean and foreigners, the study found the impact of COVID-19 was significantly more severe on foreign patients, particularly those over the age of 30. Additionally, a larger sex discrepancy in HPV vaccine uptake was noticed among foreign patients compared to Korean. A considerable number of foreign vaccine recipients were in their 20s, suggesting a predisposition to seek health care abroad. Conclusion The study emphasizes the importance of further research and policy adjustments to encourage HPV vaccination uptake across diverse demographics. The value of multi-institutional studies is also highlighted to improve the applicability of these findings.

In Vol. 32, No. 1, our journal prepared 1 review article, 4 original articles, and 2 case reports. First, the Biomathematical Models for Aviation Fatigue Risk Management were introduced. Among the four original articles, it is possible to get insights into the management of cancer diseases in aviation workers, and it is expected to solve various problems in aerospace medicine through a research case using machine learning techniques. A similar trend was observed in the medical tourism along with the decrease of the aviation industry due to COVID-19. Hepatitis E infection can be occurred in both the public and aviation workers, and the management system was established in 2020 as a second-grade legal infectious disease in Korea. In two case reports, we introduced a case of the Phakic intraocular lenses insertion and a case of the acute myocardial infarction and pericardial effusion.

Purpose: As it becomes difficult to move between countries due to the spread of COVID-19, it can be expected that the number of foreign patients entering Korea for treatment will decrease significantly. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of hospitalization of foreign patients over the past 6 years and the impact of COVID-19. Methods: The sex, age, nationality, and histories of foreign patients who visited the International Medical Center from 2016 to 2021 were collected. A total of 25,569 subjects were analyzed. Results: For six years from 2016 to 2021, the number of foreign patients increased steadily before COVID-19 but decreased significantly after COVID-19. Overall, it was analyzed that the average annual growth rate of foreign patients from 2016 to 2019 was about 6%. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of patients in 2020 decreased by about 57% compared to the previous year and by about 1% in 2021 compared to the previous year. Conclusion It is believed that the decrease in foreign patients in a situation such as Corona 19 is due not only to the risk of infection, but also to the difficulty of moving between countries. In other words, it can be said that the driving force for the movement due to the medical skill gap still exists. Therefore, if this situation improves, it is judged that the phenomenon of moving abroad in search of medical care is inevitable.

In Vol. 32, No. 2, our journal prepared 3 original articles, 3 review articles, and 1 brief report. A Survey of the laboratory tests item was conducted during aviation medical examination based on the 27 hospitals. The following items were implemented in all institutions, but other items was different by institution. Urine test, ophthalmic test (except fundus test), fasting blood sugar, complete blood cell count, electrocardiogram, electoencephalography, chest X-Ray, pure tone audiometry, and total cholesterol. The impact of COVID-19 on the flight training of student pilots was analyzed through a survey. On the positive side, fewer commercial flights and fewer flights mean more opportunities for students to train. Fewer face-to-face classes have freed up more time for self-care. In other words, students were able to plan and control their exercise, self-study, rest, and sleep time on their own. On the negative side, social distancing prevented them from riding in the back seat, leaving them less chance to get used to the cockpit.