BACKGROUND: This article intended to identify and describe areas in need of services and interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families in Seoul, Korea. METHODS: A descriptive comparison was made between available services and interventions in Seoul, Korea and Massachusetts, USA. Relevant information was obtained through sending phone/email inquiries to the governments and organizations, visiting their official websites, and searching for published articles or reports. RESULTS: In a few areas such as level of education, economy, and general quality of healthcare, Seoul was found to be similar to Massachusetts. However, in terms of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families, especially early identification and intervention, special education, care coordination, school-based programs, and transition to adulthood, Massachusetts was shown to have far more availability. CONCLUSION: The limited availability of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families in Seoul in comparison to Massachusetts, underlines target areas for further investment and development.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autistic Disorder ; Education ; Education, Special ; Humans ; Investments ; Korea ; Massachusetts ; Quality of Health Care ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to report on the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in lobstermen in the northeast USA. METHODS: Crews were randomly selected from those licensed to fish in Maine and Massachusetts and followed prospectively. The survey used a Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire format to characterize musculoskeletal disorders. RESULTS: A total of 395 individuals participated. One half of the respondents reported low back pain. Back pain was attributed to or exacerbated by lobstering. Low back pain was prevalent among both captains and sternmen, while sternmen reported more hand/wrist pain than captains. Multiple locations for pain were common in individual participants. CONCLUSION: Equipment or technology to assist material handling should be a priority, as the body segments with high prevalence of pain (back, hand/wrists, shoulders, knees) are all affected by the repetitive and forceful handling of the lobster traps.
Back Pain ; Low Back Pain ; Maine ; Massachusetts ; Musculoskeletal Pain ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Shoulder ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Suicide is a tragedy that has massive impact on society. In order to prevent suicide, active government intervention is necessary. The suicide rate in Seoul is rapidly increasing and is more than five times higher than that in the state of Massachusetts (MA) during the last decade, especially in the elderly. The suicide prevention program of MA is one of the most effective suicide prevention programs in the United States. The program views suicide as a preventable public health problem, and emphasizes treatment of depression and de-stigmatization of mental health illnesses to prevent suicide. Also, through active collaboration with mental health professionals, they try to identify at-risk populations and help them to get medical interventions. The program also actively collaborates with the regional coalition program and the Samaritans in taking care of the elderly, and supports the elderly in feeling worthwhile after retirement by helping them to work for communities as volunteers. For its part, the Seoul suicide prevention program puts more emphasis on "life respect culture" and "emotional support to high risk individuals by regular visiting". The annual budget of the Seoul suicide prevention program is one-quarter and that for mental health is about one-twentieth that of MA. Considering the high suicide rate and lower mental health service usage in Seoul, it is crucial to raise awareness of depression and decrease the stigma on mental illnesses. Furthermore, educational efforts with long-term investment in research on suicide are necessary.
Aged ; Budgets ; Cooperative Behavior ; Depression ; Humans ; Investments ; Massachusetts* ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Public Health ; Retirement ; Seoul ; Suicide* ; United States* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: By using ACL 9000 coagulation analyzer (Instrumentation Laboratory Co., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA), we tried to investigate the possibility that activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) clot waveform analysis (CWA) may provide additional information on patients with hemophilia A.METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from 35 patients with hemophilia A. The factor VIII levels of those patients were measured by a conventional one-stage factor VIII:C clotting assay and a factor VIII antigen assay. The data were applied to a Microsoft excel program calculating the index of the second derivative, and the time at point b (Min2), the point in time that clotting is initiated was also calculated.RESULTS: The corresponding aPTT clotting times were prolonged in all 9 patients with severe hemophilia A. The CWA could further discriminate between different levels of FVIII:C in the patients (n=20), with a FVIII:C level <4 IU/dL by conventional assay. The correlation between FVIII:C and the recalculated aPTT using Min2 was very high in patients with FVIII:C < or =4 IU/dL (r=0.952). Among the 9 patients who showed a lot of discrepancy from the FVIII:C level, there was 8 patients with mild hemophilia and 1 patient with moderate hemophilia (FVIII:C level 4.5%).CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that CWA and Min2 values might have greater discriminatory power in assessing low clotting factor activity. Further study is needed, including more patients with hemophilia A using CWA, correlation according to the severity group, a lower limit of detection for VIII:C, and a multiple one-stage assay.
Factor VIII ; Hemophilia A ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Massachusetts ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Plasma

An attenuated vaccine strain AVR1/08 of Korean respiratory type of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was developed by 89th passages of IBV D85/06 strain in chicken eggs. The AVR1/08 strain had higher virus titer at least 20 times (10(1.3)) than the parent virus D85/06 by egg inoculation method. The AVR1/08 strain had a single point mutation (S to Y) at position 56 of spike protein of IBV compared to parent virus IBV D85/06 strain. The mutation was observed consistently at viruses after 47th passage in chicken eggs. The AVR1/08 strain showed no virulence even after 6 passages in chickens and all chickens inoculated induced anti-IBV antibody 14 days after vaccination. The AVR1/08 strain had broad protective efficacy against QX type Korean nephropathogenic virus (Q43/06 strain), KM91 type Korean nephropathogenic virus (KM91 strain) and Korean respiratory virus (D85/06 strain). In contrast, Massachusetts (Mass) type attenuated vaccine strain H120 showed protection of 37.5 to 50% against these three viruses. Our results indicate that the AVR1/08 strain has potential as an attenuated vaccine effective in controlling IBVs circulating in Korea.
Chickens ; Eggs ; Humans ; Infectious bronchitis virus ; Korea ; Massachusetts ; Ovum ; Parents ; Point Mutation ; Sprains and Strains ; Vaccination ; Viral Load ; Viruses

Biological Science Disciplines ; history ; China ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Internationality ; Massachusetts

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To standard test method of Korean speech audiometry, we developed an audio compact disk, the KsoM-07 (Korean Society of Otolaryngolgy, Monosyllabic, 2007) word lists and evaluated them for clinical usage. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The monitored live voice (MLV) of a female talker was digitally recorded with a Beltone audiometer and the GoldWave program. The calibration for each word was done by calculating the root-mean-square (RMS) at the moving time of 300 ms using MATLAB(R) (7.0 version, The MathWorks, Inc. Natick, Massachusetts, USA) and the GoldWave (v 5.25 GoldWave Inc. St. John's, NL, Canada) program. The discrimination score was measured in 20 normal subjects to obtain psychometric function curve of each word and to compare the homogeneity of two lists. The first verification methods for new speech materials were done by comparing the discrimination scores of the flat type and the descending types at 150 sensorineural hearing loss with similar pure tone threshold. RESULTS: 44% of MLV recording was above +/-3 dB deviation and had to be recalibrated. Two lists showed equal difficulty or homogeneity in normal subjects. Discrimination scores were statistically different among the groups with respect to hearing level and the slope of audiogram. CONCLUSION: KsoM-07 word lists were relatively homogeneous and showed differences between the descending type and the flat type of hearing loss. Therefore, KsoM-07 word lists can be useful in evaluating the impairment found in the descending type of sensorineural hearing loss as well as in serving as a new speech test material for Korean monosyllabic words.
Audiometry, Speech ; Calibration ; Compact Disks ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Massachusetts ; Psychometrics ; Speech Discrimination Tests ; Speech Intelligibility ; Voice

STATEMENTS OF PROBLEM: The fracture of acrylic resin dentures remains an unsolved problem. Therefore, many investigations have been performed and various approaches to strengthening acrylic resin, for example, the reinforcement of heat-cured acrylic resin using glass fibers, have been suggested over the years. Silane is important for bonding between glass fiber and resin. PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of various silane on the strength of PMMA resin and roughness of resin-glass fiber complex after abrasion test. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 3mm glass fiber (Chopped strand, Hankuk fiber Co., Milyang, Korea) was treated with 3 kinds of silane (MPS, EPS, APS) (Sila-ace, Chisso chemical, Tokyo, Japan) and mixed with PMMA resin(Vertex RS, Vertex Dental B.V., Zeist, Netherlands). Transverse strength and Young's modulus was measured using Instron (Instron model 4466, Instron, Massachusetts, USA). After abrasion test (The 858 Mini Bionix II Test System, MTS System Co., Minnesota, USA) surface roughness was evaluated using tester (Form Talysurf plus, Taylor Hopson Ltd., Leicester, England). Examination of scanning electron microscope was also performed RESULTS: Within this study, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. Surface treatment of glass fiber with MPS and APS increased transverse strength of PMMA resin complex, but surface treatment with EPS decreased transverse strength of PMMA resin complex (p<0.05). 2. Silane treated glass fiber increased Young's modulus of PMMA resin complex compared to desized glass fiber (p<0.05). 3. Roughness increased after abrasion test in case of PMMA resin reinforced with desized glass fiber (p<0.05). 4. Roughness change was not observed after abrasion test in case of PMMA resin reinforced with silane treated glass fiber (p>0.05).
Dentures ; Elastic Modulus ; Glass* ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Massachusetts ; Minnesota ; Polymethyl Methacrylate*

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Elastomeric impression materials have been widely used to obtain an accurate impression. However there have not been enough studies on the influence of the thickness of the tray adhesives on the bonding strength between the trays and the elastomeric impression materials. PURPOSE: In order to understand the relationship between the thickness of the tray adhesive and the tensile bond strength and to suggest the thickness at which the bonding strength is strongest, tensile bond strength related to the thickness of adhesives of 3 different elastomeric impression materials were tested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3 impression materials, Permlastic(R) Regular Set(Kerr Corp., Romulus, Michigan, U.S.A.), Impregum(TM) Penta(TM)(3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany), and Aquasil Ultra Monophase Regular Set Smart Wetting(R) (Dentsply Caulk, Milford, Delaware, U.S.A.), were used in this study, and tray adhesives from the same manufacturers of the impression materials were used, which were Rubber Base Adhesive, Polyether Adhesive, and Silfix, respectively. The tray specimens were prepared by autopolymerizing the tray material(Instant Tray Mix, Lang, Wheeling, Illinois, U.S.A.), and a PVC pipe was used to house the impression material. In group A, tray adhesives were applied in multiple thin layers of 1 to 5 and in group B, adhesives were applied only once, in the thickness equivalent to several applications. Lightness(L*) of the adhesion surface was measured with a spectrophotometer (CM-3500d, Konica Minolta, Sakai, Osaka, Japan). The tensile bond strength of the elastomeric impression material and the tray resin was measured with universal materials testing machines(Instron, Model 3366, Instron Corp, Nowood, Massachusetts, U.S.A.). A formula between the number of adhesive application layers and the lightness of the adhesion surface was deduced in group A, and the number of adhesive layers in group B was estimated by applying the lightness(L*) to the deduced formula. RESULTS: 1. In group A, a statistically significant increase in tensile bond strength appeared when the number of application layers increased from 1 to 2 and from 4 to 5, and no significant difference was present between 2, 3, and 4 layers in Permlastic. In Impregum, the tensile bond strength was significantly increased when the number of adhesive layers increased from 1 to 3, but no significant difference after 3 layers. In Aquasil, the tensile bond strength significantly increased as the number of application layers increased up to 4 but showed no significant difference between 4 and 5. 2. In group B, the tensile bond strength was decreased when the thickness of the adhesive increased in Permlastic. Impregum showed an increased tensile bond strength when the thickness of the adhesive was increased. In Aquasil, the tensile bond strength increased as the number of adhesive application layers increased up to approximately 2.5 layers but it sharply decreased after approximately 4.5. CONCLUSION: From the study, the common idea that it is better to apply a thin and single coat of tray adhesive needs correction in more detailed ways, and instructions on some of the tray adhesives should be reconsidered since there were several cases in which the tensile bond strength increased according to the increase in the thickness of the adhesives.
Adhesives* ; Delaware ; Elastomers* ; Illinois ; Massachusetts ; Materials Testing ; Michigan ; Rubber

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to make a comparison of motor function according to the age group after the rehabilitation management in poststroke hemiplegic patients. METHOD: We examined 23 cases of young age stroke with hemiplegia aged < or =50 years and 24 cases of old age stroke aged > or =70 years. Motor power of affected side was measured by Motricity Index (MI) and Trunk Control Test (TCT). Level of ambulation was determined by Massachusetts General Hospital Functional Ambulation Classification (MGHFAC). Scores of each scale at admission and reassessment were obtained after rehabilitation management to compare the level of motor function in each age group and according to the age group. RESULTS: Scores of MI, TCT and MGHFAC scale were significantly increased after rehabilitation management in each group. Although both groups differed regarding to those of MGHFAC, there was no difference for the increment of MI and TCT according to the age group after rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Both age group showed significant improvement of the motor function and ambulation level after rehabilitation management. Ambulation level improvement of younger patient was greater than that of older patients. However, there was no difference in the extent of motor function improvement of affected side according to the age groups.
Classification ; Hemiplegia ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Massachusetts ; Rehabilitation* ; Stroke* ; Walking