• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.50-61
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to compare the temperamental differences between the normal infants and low-birth-weight infants. The subjects of this study were 70 mothers with normal infants and 62 mothers with the low-birth-weight. Convenient sampling was done at three regions. The infant temperament scale developed by Pridham & others (1994) was used. Data were analyzed by SPSS WIN program. The results were as follows; 1) There was a significant difference in total temperament score between the low-birth-weight infants and normal infants. The scores of the low-birth-weight infants were significantly lower than those of normal infants in the subscales of amenability and persistence, activity, and reactivity. In adaptability, there was no significant difference between two groups. 2) In both groups, there were no significant difference by socio-economic status of parents, delivery type, and birth order. But, in the case of low-birth-weight infants, the temperament score of infants over 6 months was significantly higher than that of infants under 6 months. 3) In the correlation analysis among subscales of the temperament, amenability and persistence, activity, and reactivity showed the significant relationship. But adaptability showed significant correlation only with the amenability and persistence. In conclusion, temperament score of low-birth-weight infants were significantly lower than that of normal infants. It was suggested that parenting education for low-birth-weight infants would be needed to understand and impact the positive infant temperament.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.64-69
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• 2017

Purpose: The goal of nutritional support for very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants from birth to term is to match the in utero growth rates; however, this is rarely achieved. Methods: We evaluated postdischarge growth patterns and growth failure in 81 Korean VLBW infants through a retrospective study. Weight and height were measured and calculated based on age percentile distribution every 3 months until age 24 months. Growth failure was defined as weight and height below the 10th percentile at 24 months. For the subgroup analysis, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants were evaluated. The growth patterns based on the Korean, World Health Organization (WHO), or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standard were serially compared over time. Results: At postconception age (PCA) 40 weeks, 47 (58%) and 45 infants (55%) showed growth failure in terms of weight and height, respectively. At PCA 24 months, 20 infants (24%) showed growth failure for weight and 14 (18%) for height. Growth failure rates were higher for the SGA infants than for the appropriate-weight-for-gestational age infants at PCA 24 months (P=0.045 for weight and P=0.038 for height). Growth failure rates were higher for the ELBW infants than for the non-ELBW infants at PCA 24 months (P<0.001 for weight and P=0.003 for height). Significant differences were found among the WHO, CDC, and Korean standards (P<0.001). Conclusion: Advancements in neonatal care have improved the catch-up growth of VLBW infants, but this is insufficient. Careful observation and aggressive interventions, especially in SGA and ELBW infants, are needed.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.255-266
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• 2018

Objectives: This study compared the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight between native-born and foreign-born women. Methods: By Using the birth registration data, every woman who gave birth between 2010 and 2016 in Korea was included in the analysis. Duration from marriage to pregnancy was measured by month and multiple socioeconomic and demographic characteristics were controlled. Preterm birth (<37 weeks) and low birth weight (<2.5 kg) were used for outcome variables. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis with Stata. Results: The risks of preterm birth and low birth weight for native-born and foreign-born women differed according to the duration of marriage or birth order. For the first infant, foreign-born women were more likely to have pereterm birth or low birth weight than the native-born in the early stage of marriage but nativeborn women had higher risks than the foreign-born in the middle and later stage of marriage. For the second infant, foreign-born women were less likely to have pereterm birth or low birth weight than the native-born regardless of the duration of marriage. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrates that the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight for foreign-born women is concentrated on the early stage of marriage. Institutional and cultural supports should be given to foreign-born women to help their early settlement in the Korean society.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.245-249
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• 2000

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the important causes of neonatal sepsis and listerial neonatal infection manifests in two forms : Early-onset sepsis syndrome, associated with spontaneous abortion, still birth, preterm labor, granulomatosis infantiseptica, respiratory distress, sepsis, hemodynamic compromise and late-onset listerosis mainly associated with meningitis. Cases of neonatal listerosis reported in Korea have been rare and all were full term newborns. We, herein, report a case of early-onset sepsis due to L. monocytogenes in a extremely low birth weight infant who were born in a critical condition and succumbed in the second day of life despite the intensive care.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.5-24
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to develop a parenting intervention program and determine the efficacy of the program with low-birth weight infants and their mothers. Nine dyads for the experimental group and twelve dyads for the control group discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a University Hospital in Seoul were recruited for the study. For the intervention group, programmed education and support which focused on the maternal sensitivity of the infant's behavior. rearing environment. motherinfant interaction and infant care were given to each subject. Individual counseling and home visits were provided at discharge, one week after discharge. and one and three months of corrected age in every infant. Structured questionaires were administered and feeding interactions were videotaped and coded by a blinded certified observer. A Quasi-experimental design was conducted for this study. Postpartum depression, maternal self esteem. infant care burden, HOME. mother-infant interaction, and infant development were measured. Results were in favor of the intervention versus the control group. On the Beck depression inventory, intervention mothers showed decreasing trends in depressive symptom vs control mothers although, there were statistically no significant differences between the two groups at each time. The mean score of experimental group was 11.55(mild depression state) at discharge and became 8,6(normal state) at 1 month of corrected age. On the other hand, the mean score of the control group was 13.92(mild depression state) at discharge and became 14.0. Maternal self esteem in both groups improved over time. Infant care burden in both groups was also shown to increase over time. There was a significant difference between the two groups in HOME(p=.0340) at 3 months of corrected age. HOME scores of the experimental group and the control's were 31.10 and 25.58, respectively. Mothers' emotional and language responses were significantly high in the intervention group compared with the control group(p=.0155). Intervention group (53.33) showed a significantly high quality of motherinfant interaction compared with the in control group (42.80)(p =.0340). Intervention group mothers appeared have a better quality of mother-infant interaction behaviors. On the other hand, there was no statistical difference in the infant part between groups. Intervention group infants had higher trends in a general developmental quotient: although, there was no statistical difference between groups. The general developmental quotient of intervention infants was 102.56 and control's was 91.28. However, the developmental quotient of the domain of 'individuality-sociality' was higher in the intervention group infants compared with the control's(p=.0155). The concerns identified by parents revealed two domains of an infants' health management -knowledge and skills in caregiving of lowbirthweight-infants, characteristics of lowbirthweight infants, identifying a developmental milestone, coping with emergency situations and relaxation strategies of mothers from the infant care burden. Interview data with the mothers of low-birth weight infants can be used to develop intervention program contents. Limited intervention time and frequency due to time and cost limitations of this study should be modified. The intervention should be continuously implemented when low-birth weight infants become three years old. An NNNS demonstration appeared to be a very effective intervention for the mothers to improve the quality of mother-infant interactions. Therefore intervening in the mothers of low-birth weight infants as early after delivery as possible is desirable. This study has shown that home visit interventions are worthwhile for mothers only beyond the approach as an essential factor in ability of facilitating a growth fostering environment. In conclusion. the intervention program of this study was very effective in enhancing the parenting for the mothers of low-birth weight infants, resulting in health promotion of low-birth weight infants. The home-visit outreach intervention program of this study will contribute to the health delivery system in this country where there is a lack of continuous follow-up programs for low-birth weight infants after discharge from NICU, if it is activated as part of the home visit programs in community health systems.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.237-242
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• 2008

To investigate the trends in the survival rate (SR) for very low birth weight infants (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Korea, a total of 43 articles pertaining to SR were analyzed, covering the years from 1967 to 2007. The changes in SR were compared using 5 year periods. The SR for VLBWI has increased remarkably, from 31.8% in early 1960 to 65.8% in early 1990 and 78.8% in early 2000. The SR for ELBWI has increased from 8.2% in early 1960 to 37.4% in early 1990 and 62.4% in early 2000. The SR has improved steeply since early 1990. When the SRs for VLBWI in Korea were compared with those in the U.S.A. and Japan, the figures were 40%, 72%, and 79% in 1985; 65.8%, 82%, and 86% in 1990; 71.3%, 86%, and 88% in 1995; 78.8%, 86%, and 89% in 2000, respectively. Although the recent SRs for VLBWI and ELBWI in Korea has improved rapidly, they have not yet reached the levels in these highly developed countries. To obtain accurate statistics that could be represented as an SR for premature infants in Korea, we have to develop a nationwide network database project.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 1997

Thin study measured dietary intakes in late pregnancy and psychological stress during the period of gestation and examined the roles of diet and psychological stress in pregnancy weight gain and infant birth weight. Study subjects were 98 pregnant women who delivered infants at 2 general hospitals in Taejon city. Mean weight gain during pregnancy was 14.6$\pm$4.89Kg. Mean infant birth weight was 3.39$\pm$0.62kg in males and 3.28$\pm$0.43Kg in females. Mean energy and protein intake levels were adequate, but mean iron and calcium intakes were only 61.2$\pm$14.9% and 79.1$\pm$18.2$\%$ of RDA, respectively. Fat intake which constitutes 22.0$\pm$4.3$\%$ of total energy intake, and animal protein intake which constitutes 22.0$\pm$4.3$\%$ of total energy intake, and animal protein intake which constitutes 53.7$\%$ of total protein intake were moderately high. Though mean energy, fat, animal protein, and meat protein intakes in the low psychological stress group were higher than those in the middle or high stress group, psychological stress did not significantly affect pregnancy weight gain and infant birth weight. High intakes of nutrients except for dairy protein, iron, and niacin were associated with higher pregnancy weight gain and high intakes of protein and meat protein were associated with higher infant birth weight. It is concluded that dietary intakes during pregnancy has effects on pregnancy weight gain and infant birth weight, and psychological stress has no direct effect on them.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.852-854
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• 2010

Testicular torsion is rare in newborn infants. However, its frequency has increased, most of which are reported in full-term infants. We diagnosed and treated testicular torsion in an extremely low birth weight infant (ELBWI). A $2{\times}2cm$ red mass was palpable in the left groin of a 24-week-old, 745 g, male newborn at 23 days of age. Left testicular torsion was diagnosed, and emergent orchiopexy was performed. Careful physical examination is needed in cases suspicious of testicular torsion in ELBWIs with cryptorchidism. Moreover, early diagnosis and emergent exploration are necessary to prevent complications such as the risk of anorchia.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.38-60
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• 1989

The present analysis was undertaken to find out the relationships between birth weight & Apgar Score of newborn infant & maternal factors. The medical records of 1436 newborn infants who had been at the Korea University III Seoul from January. 1.1984. to December. 31. 1985, were examined. Measurements include weight and Apgar Score. As the possible factors influencing the birth weight & Apgar Score of newborn infant, 9 variables such as : mother's age, frequency ·of pregnancy, frequency of fullterm delivery, frequency. of premature, frequency of abortion, mother's hemoglobin level, complications during pregnancy gestational period and infant sex at birth were selected among the items recorded in the medical records of newborn infants and their mothers. The weight & Apgar Score of newborn infants were compared separately by sex with group percent of those variables. The results were summarized as follows: 1. All of those factors chosen are supposed to be influencing upon the birth weight and Apgar Score examined at birth indirectly through inducing early termination of pregnancy. 2. The most influencing variable of birth weight of newborn infants was gestation period. The most influencing variable of Apgar Score of infant newborn was gestation period. 3. The relationships of those influencing factors are more clear on the birth weights of newborn than on the Apgar Score. 4. More then half of low birth weight infants are turned out to be physiologically normal through the evaluation by Apgar Scoring. Conclusively, All of those factors chosen are supposed to be influencing upon the birth weight and apgar score examined at birth indirectly through inducing early termination of pregnancy.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.212-216
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal periodontal disease and the health status of newborns using Apgar scores. Methods: One hundred pregnant women with periodontal disease were included in the case series and 100 pregnant women without periodontal disease were placed in the control group, respectively. The periodontal parameters of bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), birth weight, and Apgar scores were recorded in both groups. T-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to determine the birth weight odds ratio to analyze the relationship between the periodontal parameters of BOP, CAL, and PD on the one hand and an Apgar score of less than 7. An unpaired Student's t-test was used to analyze differences in means between the case and control groups using SPSS ver. 13. Results: The means of the ages, periodontal pocket depths, attachment loss, areas with BOP, Apgar score in the first 5 minutes and infant birth weight exhibited statistically significant differences between the case and control groups. The ratio of an Apgar score of <7 to periodontal disease was 3.14; the ratio of low birth weight risk in mothers with periodontal disease to that in mothers without periodontal disease was 2.74. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed a significant correlation between the infant birth weight and BOP, CAL, and PD of the mother. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the Apgar score and BOP, CAL, and PD and also between the Apgar score and infant birth weight. Conclusions: The results of this study showed a significant relationship between periodontal disease and infant birth weight; in addition, there was a significant relationship between the periodontal indexes of BOP, CAL, and PD on the one hand and the Apgar score on the other.