• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2011

Purpose : Pneumococcus is one of the most important causes of invasive infection through the childhood period. In January 2008, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) published revised penicillin breakpoints for Streptococcus pneumoniae and penicillin susceptibility rates of S. pneumoniae increased in Korea. This study was performed to determine the probability of oral amoxicillin for the empirical treatment achieving bactericidal exposure against pneumococcus using pharmacodynamics model. Methods : Twenty-three isolates of pneumococci were subjected to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for ${\beta}$-lactams and macrolide. For the ${\beta}$-lactams, exposure of fT >MIC (time that free drug concentrations remain above the MIC) for 50% of the administration interval have determined the probability of target attainment (PTA), and regimens that had a PTA >90% were considered optimal. An analysis was performed by applying MIC of 23 isolates to a 5000-patient Monte Carlo simulation model. Results : Among 23 isolates from healthy children, 7 (30.4%) isolates were MIC ${\leq}$1.0 ${\mu}g$/mL and 19 (82.6%) were MIC ${\leq}$2 ${\mu}g$/mL for amoxicillin. Amoxicillin 40 mg/kg/day achieved PTA >90% at MIC ${\leq}$1.0 ${\mu}g$/mL but PTA decreased to 52% at MIC 2 ${\mu}g$/mL, whereas amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day can predict 97% of PTA at MIC 2 ${\mu}g$/mL. Overall, oral amoxicillin 90 mg/ kg/day for the empirical treatment against pneumococcus can expect more successful response in Korean children. Conclusion : Considering the resistantce pattern of pneumococci in Korean children, we estimate that oral amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day will provide a pharmacodynamic advantage for the empirical treatment against pneumococcus. And low dose amoxicillin or macrolide are expected to have higher chance of treatment failure than high dose oral amoxicillin.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.59 no.12
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• pp.1152-1159
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• 2018

Purpose: We prospectively investigated clinical changes and long-term outcomes after administration of the drugs recommended by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study-2 to patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: This prospective multicenter study enrolled 79 eyes of 55 patients taking lutein and zeaxanthin. The primary endpoint was contrast sensitivity; this was checked every 12 months for a total of 36 months after treatment commenced. The secondary endpoints were visual acuity, central macular thickness, and drusen volume; the latter two parameters were assessed using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Results: The mean patient age was $72.46{\pm}7.16years$. Contrast sensitivity gradually improved at both three and six cycles per degree. The corrected visual acuity was $0.13{\pm}0.14logMAR$ and did not change significantly over the 36 months. Neither the central macular thickness nor drusen volume changed significantly. Conclusions: Contrast sensitivity markedly improved after treatment, improving vision and patient satisfaction. Visual acuity, central retinal thickness, and drusen volume did not deteriorate. Therefore, progression of AMD and visual function deterioration were halted.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2015

Moisturizers are the most prescribed products in dermatology. Treatment with moisturizers aims to maintain skin integrity and overall well-being by providing a healthy appearance. Moisturizers perform very important functions in baby care; however, there are few studies on the effects of moisturizers on the skin of infants. To investigate the effects of moisturizers on the skin of healthy full-term infants and toddlers, thirty-one healthy, full-term, 6- to 36-month-old infants and toddlers without any dermatologic conditions received moisturizer applied to the whole body except the eyes and diaper area after bathing twice daily for 4 weeks. Clinical assessments were conducted before treatment, immediately after the treatment period, and 1 and 4 weeks after treatment. At all visits, skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin pH, and skin roughness were measured, the skin surface was photographed, and any adverse events were recorded. After using moisturizer, skin hydration significantly increased and TEWL and roughness significantly decreased. The skin pH was modified to mildly acidic and the skin surface was visually smoother than before treatment. There were no statistical significant differences of effects of moisturizers according to age and sex, and adverse events were not observed. The results of moisturizer application on the skin were increased skin hydration, recovery of barrier function, balancing skin pH within a mildly acidic range, and increasing the smoothness of the skin surface for 4 weeks.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.74-81
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• 2018

Objectives: Insomnia is one of the major concerns in the elderly population. Cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia is the first line treatment option, but there are some limitations including time and cost burdens and the requirement for sufficient cognitive resources to obtain a proper treatment effect. The Brief intervention for insomnia (BII) is a treatment that focuses on behavioral aspects of insomnia in primary care practices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of BII in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A total of 47 older adults with insomnia were enrolled from community centers between May 2016 and January 2018. They participated in the BII program for three weeks. We gathered sleep-related participant information with using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the Sleep hygiene index, and a sleep diary. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by comparing total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), waking after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE) before and after the treatment. Results: There was significant improvement in sleep-related features after BII. Global score and sleep quality from the PSQI, freshness, and WASO from the sleep diary showed statistically significant improvement. Conclusion: We found BII showed positive clinical efficacy in community dwelling older adults, especially from the perspective of subjective sleep quality and WASO. This finding implies that BII can be effectively applied for the managment of elderly insomnia patients in a community setting.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.303-320
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• 2019

Plants interact with various biotic and abiotic environmental factors. It requires much information to understand the traits of a plant species. A shortage of information would restrict the assessment, especially in the evaluation of what kind of factors influence a plant species to face extinction. Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. is one of the northern plants of which Korea is the southern distribution edge. The Korean Ministry of Environment had designated it to be the endangered species until December 2015. Although it is comparatively widespread, and a large population has recently been reported, it is assessed to be vulnerable due to the low population genetic diversity. This study evaluated the current distribution of Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. We investigated the vegetational environment, population structures, phenology, soil environment, and self-incompatibility based on the results. Lastly, we evaluated the current threats observed in the habitats. The habitats tended to be located in the areas where the masses at the edge of the stream accumulated except for those that were located on slopes of some mountainous areas. Most of them showed a stable population structure and had re-established or recruited seedlings. Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. had the difference in time when the shoots appeared above the ground depending on the depth of the rhizome located in the underground. In particular, the seedlings and juveniles had their rhizome located shallow in the soil. Visits by pollinator insects and success in pollination were crucial factors for bearing of fruits by Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. The threats observed in the habitat of Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. included the expansion of cultivated land, construction of new buildings, and construction of river banks and roads. Despite such observed risk factors, it is not likely that there would be rapid population reduction or extinction because of its widespread distribution with the total population of more than 2.7 million individuals and the new populations established by the re-colonization.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.59-70
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• 2022

Background: Diabetes education is an important factor in blood glucose control. Reinforced education is necessary for effective diabetes education. However, it is difficult to provide reinforced diabetes education within Korea's medical environment. Therefore, we want to analyze the effect of continuous diabetes education using mobile health care that can effectively provide repeated education without having to face the patient. Methods: This study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled, pre-post design study conducted to analyze the effect of a continuous diabetes education method. A total of 109 people were registered at five hospitals in south Korea, and they were randomly assigned to the app group (34 people) who received real-time coaching and repetitive training, the logbook group (37 people) who received face-to-face training after writing a blood glucose logbook, and the general group (38 people) who received a one-time diabetes education. The study was conducted for a total of 24 weeks. Twenty-one patients withdrew their consent and failed to perform an HbA1c. A final 88 patients were analyzed. The difference in HbA1c, Self-management behavior, and Quality of life before and after education was analyzed. Results: The study involved 51 (58%) male subjects, mean age was 55.8 years and mean duration of diabetes was 7.6 years. After 24 weeks of intervention, there was no significant difference in self-care behavior and quality of life between the three groups, but the HbA1c of the app group significantly decreased after education compared to the logbook group and the general group (F=4.62, p=.013). Conclusion: It can be seen through the app group that receiving real-time education is more effective in improving blood glucose management and continuous diabetes education is important.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.397-406
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• 2022

This study is an experimental study on the single group pre-post test design for the effects of the exercise program combined with telephone coaching on postural balance, grip strength and depression of the elderly living alone. The subjects of this study were 20 elderly living alone who registered at a senior welfare center located in S City, Gyeonggi-do. A total of 12 session programs were applied from July 3 to October 14, 2021. Before and after the program, the participant's home was visited and 4 stage standing balance test(4 SBT), grip strength and depression were measured. The contents of the intervention consisted of elastic bands and grip balls, and weekly telephone coaching interventions were provided. In the result of this study, the exercise program combined with telephone coaching were statistically significant differences in 4 SBT(3stage)(t=-2.37, p=.029), 4 SBT(4stage)(t=-2.46, p=.024), right grip strength(t=-2.18. p=.042) and depression(t=2.82, p<.001). Therefore, it is expected that the exercise program combined with telephone coaching can be applied as a nursing intervention to improve postural balance, grip strength and reduce depression in the elderly living alone in the community.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2023

This study is an experimental study on the single group pre-post test design for the effects of the aroma inhalation method with roll-on on stress, pain, depression and blood pressure of the elderly. 33 elderly people who met the selection criteria participated among the elderly using the senior citizen clubs located in S city, Gyeonggi-do. The data collection period was from November 14, 2022 to December 19, 2022. A questionnaire consisting of stress, pain, depression, and blood pressure was measured before and after the aroma roll-on inhalation intervention. The components of aroma essential oil included Marjoram, Geranium, Peppermint and Orange sweet that were diluted in Jojoba oil which was the carrier oil. The aroma inhalation method with roll-on was carried out 3 times day for 4 weeks. In the result of this study, the aroma inhalation method with roll-on were statistically significant differences in stress(t=2.63, p=.013), pain(t=2.46, p=.019), and systolic blood pressure(t=3.01, p=.005) of the participants. Therefore, aroma roll-on therapy is expected to be available as a useful nursing intervention method for reducing stress, relieving pain, and managing blood pressure in the elderly using the senior citizen clubs.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1155-1167
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of falls, fear of falling, perceived health status, and number of disease according to cognitive function in community-dwelling the elderly women. This study utilized a descriptive survey design. Data were collected for six months with 311 elderly women who visited in public health center at S city. After obtaining Institutional Review Board(IRB) approval, a face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant who was eligible and agreed to participate in this study by trained graduate-level nursing students. The questionnaires consisted of MoCA-K, K-MMSE, Fall Efficacy Scale, PHS scale. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 17.0 program, which was used descriptive statistics, Chi-Square test and t-test, Correlation. The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) The average age of the subjects was 71.68±5.13 and cognitive function score was 22.14±4.32. approximately 35% of participants had fallen within one year. 2) there were significant differences in perceived health status according to cognitive function. 3) fear of fall and cognitive function, perceived health status and cognitive function were significant correlation. In conclusion, this study will contribute to establish strategies for preventing fall. Interventions for fall prevention and fear of fall enhancement should be developed with the consideration of the level of cognitive function in the elderly. Reducing the fear of falling through the comprehensive nursing intervention will ultimately improve the quality of life in the elderly.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.537-553
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of complementary baby food products sold in Korea according to the baby food stages and food composition. Methods: A total of 1,587 complementary food products sold online and offline between March and December 2021 were investigated. They ranged from liquid meals to solid rice for babies aged 5 to 36 months. Results: The number of intakes per packaged volume was 2.8 in Stage 1, 1.9 in Stage 2, 1.4 in Stage 3, and 1.1 in Stage 4 (p < 0.0001). The dietary variety scores (DVS) of the complementary baby food products were 3.4 in Stage 1, 5.5 in Stage 2, 7.1 in Stage 3, and 9.7 in Stage 4 (p < 0.0001) and showed a significant increase in the later stages. The Korean dietary diversity score (KDDS) significantly increased from 2.3 in Stage 1, to 2.8 in Stage 2, 3.0 in Stage 3, and 3.4 in Stage 4 (p < 0.0001). The higher the baby food stage, the higher the proportion of grains/meat/vegetable ingredients. The ratio of protein intake to Adequate Intake (AI) or Recommended Nutrition Intake (RNI) was higher in products with a KDDS of 3 points or more, or in products with 2 points or fewer in Stages 1 and 2 (p < 0.0001, respectively). The ratio of protein intake to RNI increased as the KDDS score increased in Stages 3 and 4 (p < 0.0001, respectively). For all stages of baby foods, the ratio of protein intake to AI or RNI was high in products that included the meat group (beans, nuts, meat, eggs, fish, and shellfish) (p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: Continuous research and nutritional evaluation are required for establishing nutrient content standards for commercially available baby foods, considering breast milk intake.