• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2015

Background: Induced sputum (IS) has been used to collect airway secretions in subjects who have inadequate sputum production. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of IS for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in adults unable to expectorate sputum. Methods: Medical records of 39 PTB patients who underwent IS due to absence of spontaneous sputum production between January 2011 and March 2014 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea were reviewed. Results of acid fast bacilli smear, Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and polymerase chain reaction assay for M. tuberculosis (TB-PCR) of IS specimens from these patients were analyzed. Clinical and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) characteristics were also analyzed to find characteristics associated with IS culture positivity. Results: Of the 39 IS specimens from PTB patients, 7 (17.9%) were smear positive and 31 (79.5%) were culture positive. Twenty-four IS specimens were tested for TB-PCR and 13 (54.2%) were positive on TB-PCR. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age (p=0.04) and presence of tree-in-bud appearance on HRCT (p=0.03) were independent predictors of IS culture positivity. Conclusion: IS is useful for the diagnosis of PTB in adults unable to expectorate sputum. Younger age and tree-in-bud appearance on HRCT were associated with IS culture positivity in these patients.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.380-389
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• 2021

Metabolic syndrome (MS) refers to a clustering of at least three of the following medical conditions: high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia, low high-density lipoprotein level, and high serum triglycerides. MS is related to a wide range of diseases which includes obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. There remains an ongoing need for improved treatment strategies for MS. The most important risk factors are dietary pattern, genetics, old age, lack of exercise, disrupted biology, medication usage, and excessive alcohol consumption, but pathophysiology of MS has not been completely identified. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) refers to steamed/dried ginseng, traditionally associated with beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation, anti-fatigue, anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer effects. KRG has been often used in traditional medicine to treat multiple metabolic conditions. This paper summarizes the effects of KRG in MS and related diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease based on experimental research and clinical studies.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.481-490
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• 2014

This study aims to identify depressive symptoms status and factors to affect depressive symptoms in the elderly. The research selected 1,429 adults aged over 65, who appeared with depressive symptoms, from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012. We analyzed states of depressive symptoms using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the main factors associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly. The result shows that depressive symptoms in the elderly is significantly associated with gender, age, income level, subjective health status, smoking and the number of chronic diseases. Females, higher age, lower income, lower subjective health status, smoking and the higher the number of chronic diseases were the significant factors of higher depressive symptoms. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective social programs and individualized approach to improve the quality of life in the elderly. In the future, these findings can be used as important data for health care policy and assessment.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.166-176
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the effect of household types on the occurrence of chronic diseases depending on gender and to identify the factors associated with chronic disease occurrence in one-person households. Methods: Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted using the data of 15,949 adults with the age of 19 years or older from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013~2015). Results: For male, the risk of chronic disease occurrence was higher in one-person households than in multi-person households, and the same held true after adjusting for the confounding factors. For female, no significant relationship was found between household types and chronic disease occurrence. Factors associated with chronic disease occurrence were age, employment state, marital state, smoking, perceived stress, and depression in male, and age, employment state, physical activity, and obesity in female. Conclusion: It is necessary to monitor the disparity in health depending on household types in male. Additionally, providing a gender specific chronic disease prevention and health enhancement program is required.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.140-148
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• 2012

Background: Detection and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) infection with contact investigation is a key component of TB control program. I evaluated the prevalence and risk factors for TB infection among contacts of recently diagnosed pulmonary TB patients in a tertiary hospital in Korea. Methods: 206 contacts of 90 adult pulmonary TB patients underwent tuberculin skin tests (TST) and chest radiography. The TST results were considered positive with an induration of 10 mm or more, suggesting TB infection. A standardized questionnaire was used to assess risk factors associated with TB infection. Results: TST was positive in 97 of 206 contacts of TB patients (47.1%) and positive rate of TST increased with age. The risk of TB infection was significantly associated with close contact with TB patients (sleeping in the same room) (odd ratio [OR], 4.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43~17.00). Conclusion: TB infection rate was higher in the elderly, and the risk of TB infection was significantly increased with close contact of TB patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.7
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• pp.239-244
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• 2015

The complement system is part of the innate immune response and as such defends against invading pathogens, removes immune complexes and damaged self-cells, aids organ regeneration, confers neuroprotection, and engages with the adaptive immune response via T and B cells. Complement activation can either benefit or harm the host organism; thus, the complement system must maintain a balance between activation on foreign or modified self surfaces and inhibition on intact host cells. Complement regulators are essential for maintaining this balance and are classified as soluble regulators, such as factor H, and membrane-bound regulators. Defective complement regulators can damage the host cell and result in the accumulation of immunological debris. Moreover, defective regulators are associated with several autoimmune diseases such as atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, dense deposit disease, age-related macular degeneration, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which the complement system is regulated is important for the development of novel therapies for complement-associated diseases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.827-832
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• 2008

Many age-dependent neurodegenerative diseases are associated with the accumulation of abnormally folded proteins within neurons. One of the major proteolytic pathways in the cell is the autophagy pathway, which targets cytoplasmic contents and organelles to the lysosomes for bulk degradation under various physiological and stressful conditions. Although the importance of autophagy in cellular physiology is well appreciated, its precise roles in neurodegeneration remain largely unclear. Recent studies indicate that components of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) are important in the autophagy pathway. Reduced activity of some ESCRT subunits leads to the accumulation of autophagosomes and failure to clear intracellular protein aggregates. Interestingly, rare mutations in CHMP2B, an ESCRT-III subunit, are associated with frontotemporal dementia linked to chromosome 3 (FTD3). Mutant CHMP2B proteins seem to disrupt the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes in cell culture models. These findings suggest a potential mechanism for the pathogenesis of FTD3 and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases as well.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.140-148
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine the current status of allergic diseases associated with the housing environment and the psychological attitude of residents towards relevant risk factors. This study surveyed 1,200 people. In the first round, 200 participants were questioned through direct survey methods, while 1,000 participants filled out an online survey in the second round. Selected study subjects consisted of allergic diseases known to be closely related to housing environment factors. With advice from medical experts, the analysis included the examination of the prevalence status regarding five types of allergy-related diseases-allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic dermatitis, asthma and headache-with the range of disease incidence set within the past ten years. The survey was conducted on all age groups except those nine years old and younger, and the findings are as follows. Allergic diseases were found to be more prevalent among women than men. Residents identified effective methods for the alleviation and treatment of allergic diseases as ventilation, use of environmentally-friendly finishing materials, maintenance of a clean living space through cleaning or washing, and sunlight exposure. Residents' understanding of allergic diseases varied depending on their experience with such diseases and residential characteristics.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.490-500
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• 2022

Aging is defined as physiological dysfunction of the body and a key risk factor for human diseases. During the aging process, cellular senescence occurs in response to various extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as radiation-induced DNA damage, the activation of oncogenes, and oxidative stress. These senescent cells accumulate in many tissues and exhibit diverse phenotypes, such as resistance to apoptosis, production of senescence-associated secretory phenotype, cellular flattening, and cellular hypertrophy. They also induce abnormal dysfunction of the microenvironment and damage neighboring cells, eventually causing harmful effects in the development of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, pharmacological interventions targeting senescent cells, called senotherapeutics, have been extensively studied. These senotherapeutics provide a novel strategy for extending the health span and improving age-related diseases. In this review, we discuss the current progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of senotherapeutics and provide insights for developing senotherapeutics.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2023

Ion channels regulate a large number of cellular functions and their functional role in many diseases makes them potential therapeutic targets. Given their diverse distribution across multiple organs, the roles of ion channels, particularly in age-associated transcriptomic changes in specific organs, are yet to be fully revealed. Using RNA-seq data, we investigated the rat transcriptomic profiles of ion channel genes across 11 organs/tissues and 4 developmental stages in both sexes of Fischer 344 rats and identify tissue-specific and age-dependent changes in ion channel gene expression. Organ-enriched ion channel genes were identified. In particular, the brain showed higher tissue-specificity of ion channel genes, including Gabrd, Gabra6, Gabrg2, Grin2a, and Grin2b. Notably, age-dependent changes in ion channel gene expression were prominently observed in the thymus, including in Aqp1, Clcn4, Hvcn1, Itpr1, Kcng2, Kcnj11, Kcnn3, and Trpm2. Our comprehensive study of ion channel gene expression will serve as a primary resource for biological studies of aging-related diseases caused by abnormal ion channel functions.