• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.126-136
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• 2016

Due to poor nutrition and abnormal energy metabolism, cancer patients typically experience the loss of muscle mass. Although the diabetic conditions or dyslipidemia have been reported as a causal link of cancer but the consequence of such conditions in relation to gain or loss of skeletal muscle mass in cancer patients has not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of lean body mass and systemic parameters related to lipid metabolism in non-diabetic cancer patients using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008-2011. As results the level of serum total cholesterol (total-C) was negatively associated with both total lean body mass and appendicular lean body mass in cancer patients after adjustment for sex, physical activity, energy intake and comorbidity. The associations between consumption of dietary factors (energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat) and lean body mass were disappeared after adjusting comorbidities of cancer patients. Multivariate-adjusted linear regression analysis by quartiles of serum total-C showed that higher quartile group of total-C had significantly lower percent of lean body mass than reference group in cancer patients. The data indicate that serum lipid status can be the potential estimate of loss of skeletal muscle mass in cancer patients and be referenced in nutrition care of cancer patients under the onset of cachexia or parenteral/enteral nutrition. This data need to be confirmed with large pool of subjects and should be specified by stage of cancer or the site of cancer in future studies.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.149-158
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of ego-resilience on life satisfaction and the mediating effects of school adjustment between them among first graders, and to provide basic data for improving children's life satisfaction. For this purpose, the investigator collected data from 601 first graders at 25 elementary schools in the Jeonju area and analyzed them with the SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 statistical programs. The findings were as follows: first, there were significant correlations among the three factors of children's life satisfaction, ego-resilience, and school adjustment; and secondly, both of their ego-resilience and school adjustment had impacts on their life satisfaction, and their ego-resilience had influences on their life satisfaction via school adjustment. These findings indicate that there is a need for supports at various levels to increase the school adjustment abilities of first graders as well as their ego-resilience in order to improve their life satisfaction.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.71-80
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• 2019

This study aims to understand the research trends in visiting nursing through an analysis of 282 research papers published in Korean journals between 1993 and 2018. The number of research papers has consistently increased since 1993 while it slightly decreased in 2014-2018. Of the three types of visiting nursing in Korea, more than 50% of the studies(154, 53.5%) were conducted for hospital based home care services. For the research topics, many studies addressed visiting nursing services(40, 13.8%) and program and technology development of visiting nursing(38, 13.1%). Also, there were many quantitative studies(269, 95.4%) compared to qualitative(9, 3.2%) or mixed methods(4, 1.4%) studies. The study findings suggested the needs for further studies that develop programs for patients and strengthen competencies of visiting nurses. Also, more experimental, qualitative, or mixed methods study designs need to be applied.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2012

In modern society, the necessity of Color and Psychology Therapy is increasing for psychologically calm children who are less taken care by their parents in busy daily life, and helping them adapt to the environment. Therefore, we need to understand sensitivity status of children with paintings that they draw. Currently, most of empirical studies on their sensitivities are based on psychological and engineering perspectives. This study was designed to provide a system to extract psychological status of children from their pictures by distinguishing harmony of colors using information of solid colors and arrangement of colors in the image space. For achieving this research purpose, first of all, sensitivity database was constructed based on the image space of colors. Then, using the K-Means algorithm, the image was clustered and a wide amount of color values were divided into groups. After that, children's sensitivities were extracted by matching groups of color values with database, and color psychological status of children was observed using the color distribution chart in their paintings.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.87-96
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify the preferred materials and design characteristics of nursing home clothes in order to collect the basic data necessary for the elderly nursing home clothes. It was to utilize the elderly nursing home clothes considering elderly body shape, hand function, illness. This study was conducted by questionnaire method and SPSS ver. 20.0 program was used. The preference for nursing home clothes material was high for cotton, and it was found that they prefer soft, stretch material, warm feeling material, and lightweight material. In the hygienic aspect, they favored sweat-absorbent materials, and preferred laundry- care-resistant materials with poor wrinkles and dirtiness. The nursing home clothes preferred a two piece form consisting of a round neckline, two pockets on both sides, a waistband of rubber band, long lengths, and a waistline pants. The most important function in the nursing home clothes was recognized as wearing comfort. Aesthetics, symbolism, color and print pattern were recognized as not important functions. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the functional part such as wearing comfort in the design of the nursing home clothes. The material is also hygienic and comfortable to wear. In the case of the elderly, it is necessary to provide convenience for the wear of clothes through the development of stretchable material and detachment device since the movement range of muscles, arms, and legs is reduced. Based on this study, we will utilize it for the development of nursing home suit considering the characteristics of elderly person in the elderly society. It is to develop functional materials for the elderly in need of nursing home, to develop the pattern considering the elderly body shape, and to develop the desorption device considering the movement of the hand.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.78-91
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• 2016

Objectives: Breast cancer patients in Korea need to care about symptoms with complementary medicine including acupuncture. We reviewed the randomized controlled studies using acupuncture in breast cancer patients to establish a basic knowledge of clinical practice guidelines. Methods: We searched the following databases through July 2015: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Databases and OASIS. The articles of RCTs using acupuncture in breast cancer for all symptoms were selected and analyzed. The acupoints, treatment period, inclusion criteria of participants, follow-up period and effectiveness were extracted. Results: Three hundred fifty five records after duplicate were screened, and 14 RCTs were selected. RCTs of Hot flush, pain, fatigue were reviewed. The adverse symptoms using medical treatment in breast cancer patients were targets of acupuncture in RCTs. The acupuncture treatment was decreased the hot flush, pain and fatigue. However, the effect was not confirmed due to various study design. Conclusions: The analysis of the research would be conjugated to establish a basic knowledge of clinical practice guidelines. Well designed studies in Korea are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in patients with breast cancer.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.130-135
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• 2021

Background: The clinical significance of lip-tie, or a tethered maxillary frenulum, remains under debate. Clinicians and parents are often perplexed when deciding whether procedures available to relieve a seemingly tight or severe maxillary frenulum are needed. Purpose: No previous studies have assessed the consequences of not subjecting a tethered maxillary frenulum in newborns to surgical intervention. This study aimed to contribute the first prospective trial on this topic with a relatively extended follow-up of these newborn infants. Methods: This prospective observational questionnaire-based cohort trial was performed in a community setting and aimed to determine whether lip-tie is associated with an increased likelihood of eventual feeding or oral disorders. Results: The convenience sample comprised of 61 consecutively arriving infants with concomitant tethered frenula who were treated at the clinic for various reasons. This cohort was compared with a random sample of 66 age-matched children for a mean follow-up period of 6.42 years. Infants undergoing oropharyngeal procedures were excluded. Awareness of a deviation in oral structures was reported by 18% of the study group versus 0% of the controls. Mothers participating in the study group (24.6%) less frequently recalled painful nipples or discomfort during breastfeeding than those in the control group (47.0%) (P<0.01). There were no intergroup differences in other types of feeding difficulty, dental hygiene, pronunciation, or speech development. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a tethered labial frenulum is not associated with an increase in breastfeeding disturbances or oral disorders. These data encourage clinicians to question the need to intervene in cases of tethered maxillary frenula.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.4
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• pp.299-316
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• 2021

Background: The lack of effective medications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a trend of drug repurposing such as the case of azithromycin which shows immunomodulatory and anti-viral effect. Several clinical trials have shown conflicting results. It is currently unclear whether the available evidence is in favor or against the use of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Four independent reviewers selected relevant studies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and ProQuest published prior to March 2021. The protocol used in this study has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020224967). Results: We included 17 studies and found that the mortality rate (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.19), need of respiratory support (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.98-1.73), hospitalization rate (standardized mean difference, 0.12; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.27), and intensive care unit transfer (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.79-1.86) of azithromycin-treated group did not differ significantly (p>0.05) from those of the control group. Azithromycin treatment did not significantly increase the risk of getting secondary infection (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.83-1.82), hypoglycemia (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.38-1.40), gastrointestinal problems (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.73-1.45) or electrocardiogram abnormalities (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.94-1.42). The overall quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. Conclusion: Azithromycin did not result in a superior clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients, although it was well-tolerated and safe to use.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.461-469
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• 2021

Background: The global population is aging rapidly, and accordingly, the number of patients with dementia is increasing every year. Although the need for dental treatment increases for various reasons in patients with dementia, they cannot cooperate during dental treatment. Therefore, behavioral management, including sedation (SED) or general anesthesia (GA), is required for patients with dementia. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the trends and effects of SED or GA in patients with dementia undergoing dental treatment in South Korea based on the Korean National Health Insurance claims data. Methods: This study utilized customized health information data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Among patients with records of using sedative drugs during dental treatment from January 2007 to September 2019, patients with the International Classification of Diseases-10 code for dementia (F00, F01, F02, F03, and G30) were selected. We then analyzed the full insurance claims data for dental care. Age, sex, sedative use, and dental treatment of patients were analyzed yearly. In addition, the number of cases of GA or SED per year was analyzed, and changes in behavioral management methods with increasing age were investigated. Results: Between January 2007 and September 2019, a total of 4,383 (male, 1,454; female, 2,929) patients with dementia received dental treatment under SED or GA. The total number of SED and GA cases were 1,515 (male, 528 ; female, 987 ) and 3,396 (male, 1,119 ; female, 2,277) cases, respectively. The total number of cases of dental treatment for 4,383 patients with dementia was 153,051 cases, of which 2.22% were under GA and 0.98% were under SED. Midazolam was the most commonly used drug for SED. Conclusion: Although gingivitis and pulpitis were the most common reasons for patients with dementia to visit the dentist, GA or SED for patients with dementia was frequently used in oral and maxillofacial or periodontal surgery.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.425-430
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• 2020

Background: Asbestos exposure is associated with the development of the cancer malignant mesothelioma (MM). Measurement of soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRP) has been suggested as a method for detection of MM in its early stages. We prospectively examined SMRP levels in participants with asbestos exposure who are a group at a high risk of development of MM. Methods: This study was a follow-up of our cohort of 322 asbestos-exposed participants. No further participants developed MM or malignancy over the study period. Mean follow-up time was 22.9 months. Results: Mean (standard deviation) SMRP levels at baseline and follow-up were 0.94 (0.79) and 0.91 (0.86) nmol/L (p = 0.1033), respectively. Mean SMRP levels of the healthy individuals exposed to asbestos at baseline was significantly lower than those of participants with asbestosis and pleural plaques alone; similar patterns were found on follow-up measurements. There was a statistically significant effect of age on serial SMRP measurements. Our study confirms higher levels in participants with nonmalignant asbestos-related disorders. Levels decreased in asbestos-related disorders other than asbestosis, where a small increase was observed. We did not detect any further cases of malignancy. Conclusion: Monitoring programs for early detection of MM need to take into account increased SMRP levels found in benign asbestos-related diseases.