• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2012

This study examined intakes of nutrients, carotenoids and polyphenols according to lens turbidity levels among adults visiting a cataract clinic. A total of 102 males and females aged 40 years or higher agreed to participate in the study, and a face-to-face survey interview was conducted to obtain information on general characteristics, health behaviors, and dietary intakes of each participant. The dietary data were collected by a food frequency questionnaire which was previously validated in a Korean population. In addition to essential nutrients, intakes of a total of 10 carotenoids and polyphenols were calculated based on the tables of food functional composition developed by National Academy of Agricultural Science. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to turbidity levels (< 16, ${\geq}16$ and < 25, ${\leq}25$), and health behaviors and dietary intakes were compared among the turbidity groups. Data showed seemingly higher energy intake and lower dietary antioxidant (i.e., vitamin A, ${\beta}$-carotene, lutein, zeazanthin, lycopene, cryptozanthin) intakes in the highest turbidity group. However, no statistically significant findings were found in all the comparative analysis on characteristics of health behavior and intakes of nutrients, carotenoids and polyphenols. The current study findings should be cautiously interpreted in consideration of several limitations including a cross-sectional study design, a small sample size, uneven sample size distribution across turbidity groups, and limited generalizability due to using a convenience sample. Therefore we cannot conclude that the risk of cataract is unrelated with dietary antioxidant intakes based solely on the results of this study.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.82-89
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• 2021

Purpose: This study is to investigate the muscle activity based on real-time visual feedback training methods by rehabilitative ultrasound image in elderly and correlation between Heckmatt scale grade, muscle tone and thickness. Design: Cross-sectional study: Pilot study Methods: 6 elderly participated in the study with 2 conditions. Under the condition of rehabilitation ultrasound imaging equipment, all subjects performed voluntary maximal muscle contraction of the quadriceps 3 times using visual feedback based on Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging 1.0 (RUSI 1.0). Under the condition of only ultrasound images, all subjects performed voluntary maximal muscle contraction of the quadriceps 3 times using ultrasound image-based visual feedback. The muscle thickness and tone of the quadriceps were measured and the grades were classified by Heckmatt scale and all variables were comparative analyzed. Results: Heckmatt scale grade showed a negative correlation with muscle thickness at relaxation (p<0.05), and a negative correlation with the difference value obtained by subtracting muscle thickness at relaxation from muscle thickness at contraction in ultrasound image condition (p<0.05). The muscle tone during relaxation showed a negative correlation with the muscle thickness during relaxation (p<0.05). Conclusion: In the case of voluntary maximum muscle contraction of the quadriceps muscle in the elderly, it can be seen that the muscle thickness is getting larger when the RUSI 1.0-based visual feedback is provided than with only ultrasound image provided. And the lower Heckmatt scale grade is, the thicker the muscle is, and the lower the muscle tone is.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.140-147
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: Intensity of dysmenorrhea was evaluated by scoring system of Andersch and Milsom. Anger state, trait, expression of the patients suffering from dysmenorrhea was measured by STAXI-K. And each value was analyzed by ANOVA testm as to intensity of dysmenorrhea, student t test as to existence of dysmenorrhea. Results: The numerical value of anger expression in the primary dysmenorrhea existent group was significantly higher than that in the primary dysmenorrhea non-existent group. There were significant differences among the numerical value of anger expression in the groups classified as intensity of primary dysmenorrhea, the value of three positive group() was significantly higher than that of negative group(-). Conclusion: This study showed the relationship between anger expression and primary dysmenorrhea. But there was no clue to find out their causal relationship, because this study was cross-sectional. So further study will be needed to prove the causality between them. And more precise scale has to been developed to evaluate various type of anger accurately.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2024

Background: Sleep accounts for approximately one-third of a person's lifetime. It is a relaxing activity that relieves mental and physical fatigue. Pillows of different sizes, shapes, and materials have been designed to improve sleep quality by achieving an optimal sleep posture. Objects: This study aimed to determine which pillow provides the most comfortable and supports the head and neck during sleep, which may enhance sleep quality. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy adults (19 males and 9 females) with an average age of 29 years participated in this cross-sectional study. This experiment was conducted while the participants laid down for 5 minutes in four different pillow conditions: (1) no pillow (NP), (2) neck support foam pillow (NSFP), (3) standard microfiber filled pillow (SFP), and (4) hybrid foam pillow (HFP). The head-neck peak pressure, cranio-vertebral angle in supine (CVAs), cranio-horizontal angle in supine (CHAs), chin-sternum distance (CSD), and muscle tone of sternocleidomastoid were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The head-neck peak pressure was the highest in the NSFP condition, followed by the NP, SFP, and HFP conditions. The CVAs, CHAs, and CSD of the SFP were lower than those of the other pillows. Muscle tone was the highest in the NP condition, followed by the of NSFP, HFP, and SFP conditions. The participants subjective comfort level in both the supine and side-lying postures was highest in the HFP condition, followed by the SFP and NSFP conditions. Conclusion: This study can be used to establish the importance of pillow selection for high-quality sleep. The results of this study, suggest that a hybrid pillow with a good supportive core and appropriate fluffiness can maintain comfort and correct cervical spine alignment during sleep.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.448-464
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• 2012

Objectives : This study reviews the latest articles in Korea and other countries that studied oriental medicine treatment on poststroke depression. Methods : Korean articles were retrieved from the 9 major Korean web article search engines. Foreign articles were retrieved from PubMed. Article published date was from 2000 up to September 2012. There were no restrictions on the types of publication, but articles not available in full text were excluded. The methodological quality was assessed according to Cochrane's assessment of risk of bias and Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. Results : Twenty-two articles were included in this study. Eleven articles were published in Korea, the rest were published in China. Nine articles were randomized controlled trials (RCT), one article was a non-randomized study (NRS), four articles were case reports, three articles were cross-sectional studies, two articles were comparative studies. In RCT articles, risk of selection bias and performance bias were generally high, risk of detection bias was unclear. The NRS article took four stars in Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment. Comparison Hamilton rating scale for depression score between oriental medicine treated group and western medicine treated group revealed that there was no remarkable difference in mean score changes after treatment on PSD. Conclusions : The results of this study suggest that oriental medicine treatment is as effective as western medicine treatment for PSD. In the future, more rigorous oriental medicine treatment studies should be conducted.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.301-315
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate characteristics of hydromorpological structures that affect landscape preference and visual characteristics on the sections of the designated streams where have dynamic ecological characteristics. We evaluated the ecological status of the streams utilizing LAWA to assess hydromorpological structures of streams. We also investigated preference and visual characteristics of stream landscapes through Semantic Differential Scale(SD scale). The differences of visual images according to the characteristics of hydromorpological structures in the sites were analyzed by descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, and t-test. As a result, this study showed that sections represented as "good" ecological status are shown to be harmonious, beautiful, natural, and clean comparing to sections represented as "poor" ecological status. The hydromorpological structures that have significant impacts on the visual characteristics are considered as riparian vegetation, cross-sectional shape, and the artificial structures. Results of this study can help guide the stream restoration of the damaged stream to improving ecological function and positive landscape.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.422-430
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• 2021

Objectives: Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but insufficient research has investigated pregnancy and its outcomes in women with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study compared birth outcomes related to COVID-19 between Bangladeshi pregnant women with and without COVID-19. Methods: The study was conducted at 3 tertiary referral hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from March to August 2020. Pregnant women admitted for delivery at these hospitals with laboratory results (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) were analyzed. Using convenience sampling, we included 70 COVID-19-positive and 140 COVID-19-negative pregnant women. Trained and experienced midwives conducted the interviews. Data were analyzed using the t-test, the chi-square test, and univariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression. Results: Pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 4.37) and undergo a cesarean section (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.51 to 7.07). There were no significant differences in birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, and the Apgar score at 1 minute or 5 minutes post-delivery between women with and without COVID-19. All the newborn babies who were born to COVID-19-positive women were COVID-19-negative. Conclusions: Our study suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby and undergo a cesarean section. For this reason, physicians should be particularly cautious to minimize adverse birth outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborn babies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4321-4326
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• 2012

The current study aimed at exploring the knowledge and beliefs of men aged forty years and over towards prostate cancer screening and early detection in three Arab countries. The field work was conducted in three countries; Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, during the period February through December 2011. Our target population were men aged 40 years and over. It was a population-based cross sectional study comprising 400 subjects at each site. In addition to socio-demographic data, history of the present and past medical illness, practice history of prostatic cancer examination, family history of cancer prostate; participants were inquired about their knowledge and attitude towards prostate cancer and screening behavior using two different likert scales. The percentage of participants who practiced regular prostate check up ranged from 8-30%. They had poor knowledge and fair attitude towards prostate cancer screening behavior, where the mean total knowledge score was $10.25{\pm}2.5$, $10.76{\pm}3.39$ and $11.24{\pm}3.39$ whereas the mean total attitude score was $18.3{\pm}4.08$, $20.68{\pm}6.4$ and $17.96{\pm}5.3$ for Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan respectively. The respondents identified the physicians as the main sources of this information (62.4%), though they were not the main motives for regular checkup. Knowledge was the only significant predictor for participants' attitude in the multiple regression models. Participants' attitudes depends mainly on level of knowledge and quantity of information provided to the patients and their families. Such attitudes should rely on a solid background of proper information and motivation from physicians to enhance and empower behaviors towards prostate cancer screening practices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.75-88
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• 2008

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the contraceptive knowledge, self-efficacy according to the career tract of high school female students. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional, correlational design using an exploratory survey methodology through self-reported questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered to 369 high school female students using a convenience sampling. Results: In the experience of sexual behaviors(grasping hand, hugging, petting, deep petting, sexual intercourse), technical female high school students showed more experiences than female high school students. In the contraceptive knowledge, the score of high school students' contraceptive knowledge was higher than technical female high school students. In the contraceptive self-efficacy, there was not a significant difference between the technical female high school students and female high school students. In the female high school students, there were significant differences in the contraceptive knowledge according to grade, academic record, sex education experience and there were significant differences in the contraceptive self-efficacy according to grade, academic record, parents' attitude about acquaintance of the opposite sex. In the technical female high school students, there was not significant difference in the contraceptive knowledge according to demographic, sexual behavior, and contraceptive related characteristics but there were significant differences in the contraceptive self-efficacy according to grade, parents' attitude about acquaintance of the opposite sex, contraceptive education experience at school. There was positive relationship between contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive self-efficacy. Conclusion: Further research is needed to identify the prevalence rate of contraceptive attitude using more reliable variables. A sex education program should be developed for promoting use of contraceptive measure and formation of positive contraceptive attitude among high school female students.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.195-199
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• 2007

Objective : Bilateral laminotomy and unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression are becoming the minimally invasive procedures for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). With the aim of less invasiveness and better preservation of spinal stability. these techniques have been developed. But there are no large randomized studies to show the surgical results between these two techniques. The objective of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of these two minimally invasive techniques. Methods : A total of 80 patients were included in this study (Group I : bilateral laminotomy, Group II : Unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression). Perioperative parameters and complications were analyzed. Symptoms and scores such as visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and SF-36 scores of prospectively accrued patients were assessed preoperatively and at 1 month and 12 months after surgery. Paired-t test, two-sample student-t tests, and non parametric tests were used to determine cross-sectional differences between two groups. Results : No major complications such as spinal instability or deaths occurred during follow-up periods. VAS, ODI scores and SF-36 body pain and physical function scores showed statistically significant improvements in both groups (p<0.001). The significant widening of the spinal canal diameter was also noted in both groups. But, in Group II. there were minor postoperative complications such as dural tear (2 cases 5.0%), fracture of ipsilateral inferior facet (1 case 2.5%), and 5 cases of transient leg symptoms of contralateral side. Conclusion : Both bilateral laminotomy and unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression allow achievement of adequate and long-lasting operative results in patients with LSS. But postoperative complications are more frequent in Group II (unilateral laminotomy and bilateral decompression). These results indicate that bilateral laminotomy is the preferred minimally invasive technique to treat symptomatic LSS.