• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 2014

Objectives : We aimed to explore the relationship among fatigue and perceived stress, depressive mood in the working population. We also examined associations with demographic and life style factors and investigated the effect of individual coping skills on these associations. Methods : Fatigue Severity Scale(FSS), Perceived Stress Scale(PSS), Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument - Korean version(BEPSI-K), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Stress Coping Skill Questionnaire were administered to 621 civil servants. All of above and other demographic factors are self-administered questionnaire survey and this study is cross sectional. Results : Mean FSS score was 3.04 which was lower than 3.22, the severity cut off score. FSS, PSS, BEPSI-K, BDI were all higher in female. Subjects with active coping skills showed relatively low fatigue, perceived stress, depressive mood than those with passive coping skills. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the PSS, BDI, BEPSI-K in working population increase the risk of fatigue and regular exercise lowers the risk. Conclusions : Adults who were afflicted by stress, experienced depressive mood or were physically inactive were at much higher risk of feeling fatigue. Since no other large data sets are available for fatigue, the results from this study could serve a very useful purpose, to furnish a basis for comparison with future research results based on more complete data.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.196-204
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• 2003

Objectives: It is known that sedative hypnotics would make cross tolerance with alcohol and deteriorate quality of sleep in alcoholics. Light therapy is effective non-pharmacological intervention for sleep disturbance in circadian phase disorders, jet-lag, shift-work and age-related sleep disorders. Authors would investigate the effects of morning light therapy on sleep of patients with alcohol dependence during recovery state without withdrawal symptoms. Methods: 13 patients with alcohol dependence who have not any alcohol withdrawal symptom were recruited. Light therapy during 1 hour in the morning had been administered by 2500 Lux light box through serial 3 days. Sleep state of subjects were assessed by sleep log and the subjective satisfaction at sleep was by 100 mm visual analogue scale. Sleepiness, depressive mood, anxiety were evaluated by 100mm visual analogue scale at 8 AM, 2 PM and 8 PM. For assessment of performance ability that would be associated with sleepiness and vigilance, trail making test A, B and digit symbol substitution test were performed by two times on base line and 4th day. Univariate repeated-measures ANOVAs were performed for each measures except performance tests which were analysed by paired t-test. Results: Sleep latency and sleep efficiency were significantly improved with light therapy and satisfaction at sleep was. There was no significant difference in sleepiness at 2 PM with light therapy but sleepiness at 8 AM significantly decreased and at 8 PM increased. The time to complete Trail making test and digit symbol substitution test were significantly shortened at 4th day compared with baseline. Fatigue at 8 AM were not significantly changed with light therapy but at 2 PM and 8 PM significantly decreased. Depressive mood and anxiety were not significantly changed with light therapy. Conclusion: Although this study had some limitations, it showed that light therapy would be effective modality on sleep disturbance of patients with alcohol dependence who have recovered from alcohol withdrawal symptoms. It is proposed that short term light therapy could be used clinically for alcoholics with insomnia. In the future, long term controlled studies using more objective tools for sleep are required to further investigate the effect of light therapy in alcoholics.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.597-606
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• 2016

This is descriptive research to understand the constipation rate of elementary school students due to their differences in cognition of their eating habits, hours of exercise/physical activity, stress, and school restroom environment in accordance with the matter of constipation, as well as the factors related to the constipation rate. A total of 741 students (grade3-6) from six elementary schools in Jeollanam-do were targeted; the survey was conducted from April 30th to May 12th, 2014. The frequency, percentage, ${\chi}^2$ test, independent t-test, and bivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted. The constipation rate was 23.9%, and there were factors related to the constipation rate, such as restroom preference, matter of defecation during breaks, number of meals per day, number of breakfasts skipped, size of the meal, hours of institute class, hours of internet use, stress, and cognition of school restroom environment. In particular, students with 'high' stress had a 5.44 times higher rate of constipation than students with 'low' stress. As subjective symptoms are limited in diagnosing constipation, a detailed medical examination and physical checkup should be included in the process of understanding the constipation rate, as well as in education and management to prevent elementary school students from having constipation.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 2017

Objectives : In this study I made investigations how 'strange hunger' and 'compulsive overeating' threatening the ego could be resolved and healed. And I aim to present a healing model of psychotherapy and analysis as one of methods of treatment for 'eating disorder'. Methods : The analysands of this study were outpatients who visited the department of psychiatry of Yong-In Mental Hospital from March 2008 to February 2017 with 'hunger' and 'compulsive overeating' as their chief complaints. This study is based on the detailed records of the process of analysis including dreams and visions. Results : 1) Throughout the process of analysis that explore both consciousness and unconsciousness(dream, vision), hunger and compulsive overeating is improved and healed in all analysands. 2) The Imago of 'Snake' appeared in dreams and visions of all analysands. 3) By suffering impulse rather than acting it out, impulse transformes itself into 'Imago'. As impulse transforms into 'Imago' and reveals the 'meaning' of it, ego-threatening power of impulse weakens and mood is calmed. And as a result, synthesis of consciousness and unconsciousness and creative transformation of personality can be possible. Conclusions : In some people, 'hunger' and 'compulsive overeating' are 'creative impulses' that aim 'Self-realization' which can be fruited as creative transformation of personality and as creative transformation in the relation with the world. 'Creative impulses', which often can be experienced as instinctive impulse or emotional suffering unless ego realizes the meaning, reveal the meaning in dreams or visions through 'Imago' and 'Symbol'.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 2015

This study is designed to analyze the effect of skincare using cosmetic containing ginseng extract, on improving quality of life (QOL) of healthy women, with blind testing. QOL is a concept that represents how one's disease or health condition can physically, psychologically, and socially influence his or her daily life. The study was conducted to assess the effect of a ginseng cosmetic preparation on quality of life (QOL) using the Skindex-16 score, stratified by blind versus non-blinded option. 45 healthy women aged between 30 and 49 years with no skin disease were recruited for this study. Volunteers were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 22) received anti-aging cream with ginseng extract in the original packaging, which included the brand name and logo. Group B (n = 23) received the same cream in a plain white jar without any package decoration or logo. Both groups used the cream for 8 weeks. For the skin-related QOL assessment, Skindex-16 was used at baseline, forth, and eighth week. All volunteers except two dropouts in Group A completed the dermatology-specific QOL measure, Skindex-16, at baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks of treatment with the provided samples. As a result, the mean score of 43 participants at baseline was $22.70{\pm}4.82$. There was a significant difference between the baseline score and the score after 8 weeks in both groups: The scores changed from $23.30{\pm}5.14$ to $20.20{\pm}4.83$ in Group A, from $22.17{\pm}4.58$ to $20.52{\pm}3.60$ in Group B. The "Symptom" subscale of Skindex-16 improved after 4 weeks and the "Emotion" subscale improved after 8 weeks in Group A. The "Function" subscale did not show improvement in either groups. Both groups showed no interaction effect between follow up time and groups in Skindex-16 and subscale. This research opens up the possibility of skincare using ginseng cream having a positive effect on QOL in healthy women. Moreover, one can predict that skincare ritual itself may have greater impact on the improvement of QOL, compared to the product packaging.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2001

Purpose : This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy and complication of anti-emetic drugs for prevention of nausea and vomiting after radiotherapy which has moderate emetogenic potential. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the anti-emetic efficacy of ondansetron $(Zofran^{\circledR})$ 8 mg bid dose (Group O) is better than the efficacy of metoclopramide 5 mg lid dose (Group M) in patients undergoing fractionated radiotherapy to the abdominal region. Materials and Methods : Study entry was restricted to those patients who met the following eligibility criteria: histologically confirmed malignant disease; no distant metastasis; performance status of not more than ECOG grade 2; no previous chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Between March 1997 and February 1998, 60 patients enrolled in this study. All patients signed a written statement of informed consent prior to enrollment. Blinding was maintained by dosing identical number of tablets including one dose of matching placebo for Group O. The extent of nausea, appetite loss, and the number of emetic episodes were recorded everyday using diary card. The mean score of nausea, appetite loss and the mean number of emetic episodes were obtained in a weekly interval. Results : Prescription error occurred in one patient. And diary cards have not returned in 3 patients due to premature refusal of treatment. Card from one patient was excluded from the analysis because she had a history of treatment for neurosis. As a result, the analysis consisted of 55 patients. Patient characteristics and radiotherapy characteristics were similar except mean age was $52.9{\pm}11.2$ in group M, $46.5{\pm}9.5$ in group O. The difference of age was statistically significant. The mean score of nausea, appetite loss and emetic episodes in a weekly interval was higher in group M than O. In group M, the symptoms were most significant at 5th week. In a panel data analysis using mixed procedure, treatment group was only significant factor detecting the difference of weekly score for all three symptoms. Ondansetron $(Zofran^{\circledR})$ 8 mg bid dose and metoclopramide 5 mg lid dose were well tolerated without significant side effects. There were no clinically important changes In vital signs or clinical laboratory parameters with either drug. Conclusion : Concerning the fact that patients with younger age have higher emetogenic potential, there are possibilities that age difference between two treatment groups lowered the statistical power of analysis. There were significant difference favoring ondansetron group with respect to the severity of nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. We concluded that ondansetron is more effective anti-emetic agents in the control of radiotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite without significant toxicity, compared with commonly used drug, i.e., metoclopramide. However, there were patients suffering emesis despite the administration of ondansetron. The possible strategies to improve the prevention and the treatment of radiotherapy-induced emesis must be further studied.