• Journal of the Korean society of biological therapies in psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.194-201
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• 2018

Objectives : Some studies have reported that chronotypes, among several factors, could contribute to problematic drinking. However, there is little evidence confirming this relationship between chronotype and problematic drinking based on gender differences in mood disorder. This study is to investigate the difference of the relationship between chronotype and problematic drinking according to gender differences in mood disorder. Methods : Two hundred fifteen patients with mood disorder were recruited. Problematic drinking and chronotypes were assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test in Korea(AUDIT) and the Korean translation of composite scale of morningness(KtCS). We analyzed the correlation between KtCS and AUDIT using Pearson's correlation, and compared AUDIT scores according to chronotypes classified by KtCS between male and female patients using analysis of variance(ANOVA). Results : There was no significant difference in AUDIT scores between the male and female patients(t=0.91, p=0.183). In female patients, eveningness had significantly higher AUDIT scores than other chronotypes(F=0.199, p=0.033). Meanwhile, in male patients, there was no significant difference in AUDIT score among chronotypes(F=0.008, p=0.933). Conclusion : This study suggests that eveningness might be associated with problematic drinking in female patients who suffer from mood disorder. It also suggests that chronotherapeutical treatment might be able to help improve the course in female patients with mood disorder. In the future, a large-scale prospective study is needed to confirm these results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6571-6574
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• 2014

Background: Alcohol is well established as a risk factor for cancer development in many organ sites. To assess the reliability and validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C) for detecting alcohol use disorders or risky drinking in Japanese adults the present study was conducted. Materials and Methods: A test-retest method was applied with a 2-week interval with 113 health care employees. The k coefficient, Cronbach's coefficient alpha, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were determined and the validity of the AUDIT-C was analyzed using the data from a nationwide survey on adult alcohol use conducted in 2008 (n=4,123). Results: The reliability of the AUDIT-C score was high (${\kappa}$ coefficient=0.63, Cronbach's alpha=0.98, correlation coefficient=0.95, and ICC=0.95). According to the likelihood ratio and Youden index, appropriate cutoffs for the AUDIT-C were ${\geq}5points$ in men and ${\geq}4$ points in women. The sensitivity and specificity of these cutoffs for identifying ${\geq}8$ points on the AUDIT were 0.88 and 0.80, respectively, for men (positive likelihood ratio [LR+]=4.5) and 0.96 and 0.87, respectively, for women (LR+=7.7). The sensitivity and specificity of the cutoffs for identifying ${\geq}12$ points on the AUDIT were 0.90 and 0.84, respectively, for men (LR+=5.8) and 0.93 and 0.94, respectively, for women (LR+=15.8). The sensitivity and specificity of the cutoffs for identifying ${\geq}16$ points on the AUDIT were 0.93 and 0.80, respectively, for men (LR+=4.7) and 0.92 and 0.98, respectively, for women (LR+=55.6). With higher scores on the AUDIT, the specificity decreased and false-positives increased. The appropriate cutoffs for identifying risky drinking were the same for both genders. Conclusions: The reliability and validity of the AUDIT-C are high, indicating that it is useful for identifying alcohol use disorders or risky drinking among the general population in Japan, a group at high risk of cancer development.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.16-19
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• 2024

A new E_n score of the proficiency test (PT) is formulated; it is applicable when a correlation exists between the reference and participant's values. Based on the uncertainty propagation rule given in ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (GUM:1995), the E_n score covering the correlation case is newly developed for the PT. The new E_n score will be applied in a future PT organized by the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) dosimetry team. The new E_n score will enhance measurement traceability and contribute to improving the quality management system of participants in the KRISS PT by avoiding performance underestimation.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2023

Purpose: To obtain fundamental data on selection tools for an internal audit and develop a new guideline. We scored the indicated points from the internal audit, identified the research progress and problems that occurred, and confirmed the validity of the risk factors involved. Methods: Of the 63 internal audits conducted by Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital from 2014 to 2021, we analyzed 55 clinical trials with an inspection checklist. We excluded 8 that failed to transfer data and refused to comply with the internal audit. The statistical summary of the collected data was verified and interpreted by using frequency analysis and a chi-square test. Result: Of total 55 cases included in the internal audit, sponsor-initiated trial (SIT) was 63.6% (vs. investigator-initiated trial [IIT]), clinical trial for investigational drug was 71.0% (vs. nonclinical or clinical trial for investigational device), domestic multicenter trial was 60.0% (vs. single center or multinational multicenter trial), and trial requisition for MFDS approval was 69.1% (vs. exception for MFDS approval). The 10 areas of the clinical trial inspection checklist (reports, protection of subjects, compliance with protocols, records, management of investigational drug and/or device, delegation of duties, qualification of investigators, management of specimen, contract-agreement and approval of protocols, and preservation of recorded documents) were weighted between 2 to 5 points. The average of the total points was 16.09±13.2 and 20 clinical trials were above the average. As a result of comparing the average of the total points weighted by year, the highest score was in 2020. The 4 factors that play significant roles in determining the internal quality were (1) principal subjects that initiated the clinical trials (p=0.049), (2) type (p=0.003), (3) phase of clinical trials (p=0.024), and (4) number of registered subjects reported at the time of continuing deliberation (p=0.019). Of the 10 areas of the clinical trial inspection checklist, 'record' was the most inappropriate and insufficient. We found more indicated points; the quality of performance declined in IIT, nonclinical trials, and other clinical trials that were not in phase I1-IV4, and the study of more than 30 registered subjects at the time of continuing review. Conclusion: If an institution has an internal audit selection tool that reflects the aforementioned risk factors, it will be possible to effectively manage high-risk studies; thereby, contributing to an efficient internal audit and improving the quality of clinical trials.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.127-144
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the drinking behavior of university students in Jeju for the safe campus life. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 549 students in 4 universities in Jeju. The data were analyzed by t-test, one way ANOVA, and multiple regression using SPSS Win 19.0 program. The questionnaire instruments consisted of Alcohol Use Disorders of Identification Test-Korea (AUDIT-K) and Life Stress Scale for College Students adapted by Chon. Results: The alcohol consumption rate of participants accounted for 96.2%. The binge drinking rate in female students were 33.9% and that in male students was 29.5%. The result by scoring AUDIT showed that 30.7% of participants were normal drinking group, 36.0% were hazardous drinking group, and 33.3% were estimated alcohol abuse group. The average score of stress was 1.45 by Likert 4 point scale. The female students tended to have more stresses than male. The most important influencing factors on drinking behavior were the first alcohol drinking(${\beta}=-.250$, p< .001), gender(${\beta}=.202$, p< .001), and relationship problem(${\beta}=.116$, p < .05). Conclusion: The drinking rate of university students revealed higher than that in other age groups. So the early systematic education is strongly recommended to prevent the physical and mental side effects.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.4412-4420
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• 2013

Alcohol affects human body very seriously by causing different types of disease. Therefore, a great deal of studies on alcohol addiction have been conducted. There is little, however, on skin problem in relation to alcohol abuse in domestic researches. This study, with this reason, has been conducted on alco holic women, especially who have sensitive skin, with pruritus. From May 1st until 20th, 2013, surveys using same questionnaires had been carried out for the two different groups. one with 114 female alcoholics from four different clinics for acoholics through the nation, the other with 106 residents without alcoholic problems in Cheong-ju and Seong-nam city. From the comparative study of those surveys, alcohol addicts showed higher scores on pruritus than those without alcoholic problems. In addition, Audit-K score had positive correlation with pruritus score, and drinking cycle and quantity, too, had been found related to pruritus. It is expected that the findings will be used as a fundamental data for treating alcohol addicts with skin disease and leading more active researches on this field for the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.575-583
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• 2022

Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has revealed the disruption of brain white matter microstructure in normal aging and alcoholism undetectable with conventional structural MR imaging. we plan to analyze the FA measurements of the ROI of dangerous drinkers selected from Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Tract-Based Spatial Statics (TBSS) tool was used to extract FA values in the ROI from the image acquired through the pre-processing process. TBSS has a higher sensitivity of the FA value and MD value in the white matter than the brain gray matter, and has the advantage of quantitatively deriving the unlimited degree of brain nerve fibers, and more specialized in the brain white matter. We plan to analyze the fractional anisotropy (FA) measurement value for damage by selecting the center of the anatomical structure of the white matter region of the brain with high anisotropy among the brain neural networks that are particularly vulnerable to alcohol as the region of interest (ROI). In this study, we expected that alcohol causes damage to the brain white matter microstructure from FA value in various areas including both Choroid plexus. Especially, In the case of the moderate drunker, the mean value of FA in Lt, Rt. Choroid plexus was 0.2831 and 0.2872, whereas, in the case of the severe drunker, the mean value of FA was 0.1972 and 0.1936. We found that the higher the score on the AUDIT scale, the lower the FA value in ROI region of the brain white matter. Using the AUDIT scale, the guideline for the FA value of DTI can be presented, and it is possible to select a significant number of potentially severe drinkers. In other words, AUDIT was proved as useful tool in screening and discrimination of severe drunker through DTI.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.181-193
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• 2020

This study examines the relationship between gender diversity (women on the board and women on the audit committee) and a firm's financial stability. The ordinary least square analysis was used to determine the relationship. To measure the financial stability of Malaysian suspect firms, i.e., firms with the lowest positive earnings, the Altman (1993) Z-Score measurement was utilized. The results indicate that women on the board are significantly and negatively associated with the firm's financial stability. That is, they are related to low financial stability, which contradicts the agency and resource dependence theories. Regarding women directors on the audit committee, there is no significant relationship with financial stability, meaning that they cannot protect the company against financial distress. These results are robust and do not change when using different measurements of gender diversity, one-year lag of independent variables, and other methods of analysis, namely random effect panel data. This study is the first to alert policymakers, stakeholders, researchers, and society in general to the need to re-evaluate and strengthen the role of women directors in improving firms' financial stability, particularly in emerging economies like Malaysia.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.277-283
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• 2001

Objectives : To investigate the prevalence of hazardous and harmful alcohol use, which are a subthreshold of alcohol related disorders, Methods : Direct-interview questionnaires to 1,183 rural persons (489 male, 694 female) were conducted in Chungju-city from July 2 to 20, 1998. As a screening instrument, the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) was used. Results : The prevalence of alcohol use was 41.7%. In males, it was 66.3% and in females, it was 24.4%. The mean of the AUDIT score of males and females was 13.2 and 5.6, respectively. As WHO guideline, the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use in males and females was 80.3% and 20.7%, respectively. This suggests that the prevalence of 'hazardous drinking' and 'harmful drinking' was 45.4% and 29.3% for males and 1.2% and 2.4% for females, respectively. Conclusions : This study presented the prevalence of hazardous and harmful drinking of a rural population in Korea and reviewed those health problems. Further evaluation to detect and treat lower alcoholic drinkers is recommended.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.245-254
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• 2021

This paper examines the impact of corporate governance strength on capital structure in an emerging country, namely, Jordan, by constructing a corporate governance score that captures both internal monitoring mechanisms (foreign ownership and institutional ownership) and external monitoring mechanism (audit fees). In addition, this study uses profitability as control variable. This paper uses data of non-financial companies (industrial and services) of 87 listed firms on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) from 2011 to 2019. Using the random-effects generalized least square (GLS) regression model, the findings reveal that foreign ownership significantly and negatively influences the level leverage, while institutional ownership has a positive and insignificant association with level leverage. Further, audit fees have a positive and strong significant association with level leverage in Jordan. In addition, profitability has a positive and significant association with leverage. These outcomes suggest that foreign ownership should be encouraged in listed companies as it can replace the weakness of other corporate governance mechanisms in Jordan. The outcomes of the current study should be of great interest to regulators and policy-makers. The results, which are robust to a range of alternative proxies and to additional tests, provide new insights into the determinants of level leverage.