• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2000

There have been some reports about the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody among Koreans, and most of all data were taken from patients visiting hospitals. However, the epidemiological data of the community-based study in Korea are rare. This study was performed to evaluate the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among the inhabitants of the rural area Okcheon-gun, Korea. A total of 1,109 serum samples (499 males, 610 females) were examined for the IgG antibodies by ELISA. To set up the cut-off point for ELISA, we used a commercial latex agglutination (LA) kit. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA against LA test were 89.5%, and 98.6% respectively. Among 1,109 sera, 6.9% showed seropositivity by ELISA. The positive rates of males and females were 6.0% and 7.2%, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between sexes. Comparing the age groups, the highest seropositive rate showed in the seventies or higher, and their rates had a tendency to increase with age (0.05 < p < 0.3). These results revealed that the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in rural inhabitants is similar to previous reports in Korea; however we need further investigation to clarify the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the general population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.343-346
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• 2012

Two methods of identifying smokers with high nicotine dependence, the heaviness of smoking index (HSI) and number of cigarettes per day (CPD) were compared with the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND). The HSI, CPD and the FTND were administered to 316 adult Malaysian male, daily smokers aged between 25-64 years old in the Malaysian NCD Surveillance-1 Survey using a two-stage stratified random sampling of enumeration blocks and living quarters, via an interview based on a validated questionnaire. The cut-off point for classification of high nicotine dependence on the HSI was a score of four or higher, and for the heavy smoking category, smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. Classification using each method was compared with classification by the FTND (score of six or more) as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity and kappa statistics for concordance between both measures and the FTND were evaluated. The HSI gave a similar prevalence rate of high nicotine dependence as the FTND. There was substantial agreement between the HSI and the FTND (kappa=0.63.), with moderate sensitivity (69.8%) and high specificity (92.5%). However, prevalence of high nicotine dependence using the CPD was 7% lower than the FTND. The heavy smoking category also showed fair agreement with the FTND (kappa=0.45) and moderate sensitivity (67.0%), but specificity was high (86.9%). The findings indicate that the HSI can be used as an alternative to the FTND in screening for high nicotine dependence among daily smokers in large population-based studies, while CPD may not be a suitable alternative to the FTND.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.266-274
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• 2011

Accurate assessment of nutrient adequacy of a population should be based on usual intake distribution of that population. This study was conducted to adjust usual nutrient intake distributions of a single 24-hour recall in 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Surveys (KNHNS) in order to determine the magnitude of limitations inherent to a single 24-hour recall in assessing nutrient intakes of a population. Of 9,960 individuals who provided one 24-hour recall in 2001 KNHNS, 3,976 subjects provided an additional one-day 24-hour recall in 2002 Korean National Nutrition Survey by Season (KNNSS). To adjust for usual intake distribution, we estimated within-individual variations derived from 2001 KNHNS and 2002 KNNSS using the Iowa State University method. Nutritionally at risk population was assessed in reference to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs). The Korean Estimated Average Requirement (Korean EAR) cut-point was applied to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes except for iron intakes, which were assessed using the probability approach. The estimated proportions below Korean EAR for calcium, riboflavin, and iron were 73%, 41%, and 24% from usual intake distribution and 70%, 51%, and 39% from one-day intake distribution, respectively. The estimated proportion of sodium intakes over the Intake Goal of 2,000 mg/day was 100% of the population after adjustment. The energy proportion from protein was within Korean Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (Korean AMDR), whereas that of carbohydrate was higher than the upper limit and that of fat was below the lower limit in the subjects aged 30 years or older. According to these results, the prevalence of nutritional inadequacy and excess intake is over-estimated in Korea unless usual intake distributions are adjusted for one-day intakes of most nutrients.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2013

There is a lack of data on metabolic risk factors during pre-puberty, which is important for identifying the subgroups of youth, at whom early interventions should be targeted. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of metabolic risk factors and its subsequent relations with dietary patterns in Korean pre-pubertal children through a cross-sectional sample (n = 1,008; boys = 513) of pre-pubertal children (aged 8-9 years) from a sub-study of the Korea Metabolic Syndrome Research Initiatives (KMSRI) in Seoul, Korea. Measures of anthropometry and blood pressure as well as fasting blood samples were used in the analysis. A three-day food records were collected. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the age-adjusted National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. An added metabolic risk score was calculated for each subject by summing the quintile values of the five individual risk factors. Among the 5 risk components of metabolic syndrome, high waist circumference (WC) was the major factor (P < 0.001). A significant increasing trend of the added metabolic syndrome risk score was observed with the increase of WC (P (trend) < 0.001) among both genders. The cutoff point for high WC for pre-pubertal children was 61.3 cm for boys and 59.9 cm for girls. The prevalence of high triglyceride (TG) values was significantly higher in girls than it was in boys (P < 0.01). Girls in the highest quintile of balanced dietary pattern scores had lower TG values (P (trend) = 0.032) than did those in the lowest quintile. Moreover, girls in the highest quintile of western dietary pattern scores showed increasing trend for the added metabolic risk score (P (trend) = 0.026) compared with those in the lowest quintile. Adverse associations exist between western dietary patterns and the accumulation of metabolic risks among girls, not in boys, even during pre-puberty.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.180-193
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• 2008

Objectives: We intended to identify factors related to the severity of hot flush of climacteric women from an East-West medical point of view. Methods: We surveyed 446 climacteric women who had received Korean oriental medical questionnaires about clinical symptom patterns and health medical examinations at Kyung-Hee University Medical Center over 1 year, from June 2007 to May 2008. Then, we compared hot flush with clinical symptom pattern and health medical examination result. Results: As the severity of hot flush increased, hypnagogic disorder in sleep pattern, abdominal gaseous distention in digestion pattern, tenesmus in evacuation pattern, yellow or reddish urine in voiding pattern, spontaneous sweating in sweating pattern, chest oppression in psychologic pattern, not-pulling-bedclothes in cold-heat pattern and mouth dryness in craniocervical symptom increased (p<0.05). In relation to digestion pattern, the severity of hot flush showed statistical significance according to prevalence of gastritis diagnosed by gastroscopy and upper GI series(p<0.01). In relation to voiding pattern, the severity of hot flush showed statistical significance according to prevalence of urine protein diagnosed by urinalysis (p<0.05). In relation to sweating, psychologic & cold-heat pattern, triiodothyronine (T3) increase and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) decrease were significantly correlated as the severity of hot flush increased (p<0.01). Conclusions: The result showed that hot flush of climacteric women had to be considered in respect of digestion disorder related to gastritis and sweating psychologic cold-heat disorder related to thyroid hormone.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 2004

Despite the universal recommendation to eat a variety of foods, we still do not know whether and to what extent the variety affects dietary quality. This study was performed to evaluate the dietary variety scores as tools for assessing the dietary quality of Korean young adults. The 1-day dietary intake data were collected from 144 male and 214 female college students (>18 years) using the 24-hour recall method Relative nutrient intake compared to Korean Recommended Dietary Allowance (KRDA) as the nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), were computed Also, the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) was calculated. Dietary variety score (DVS) was determined by counting the number of food items consumed daily, and the dietary diversity score (DDS) by counting the number of food groups consumed daily. Results showed that DVS, DDS and MAR were significantly correlated to each other. The MAR score significantly increased as DDS increased in both men and women. When different DVS (20$\leqDVS\leq$ 30) was evaluated for its sensitivity, specificity, measured prevalence, true prevalence, and positive and negative predictive values towards MAR, DVS 21 was revealed to be optimal dietary variety score as a cutoff point to differentiate Korean young adults with or without an adequate and balanced diet. Nutrient intakes of subjects who had DVS<21 were significantly lower than those of subjects with DVS$\qeq$ 21. These results indicate that the dietary variety score appeared to be an effective tool for evaluating the adequacy of diet in Korean young adults.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.235-248
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• 1994

There were many studies that distribute the partial edentulous states and examine the removable partial denture designs in the planning of removable partial denture treatment. This study was performed in the point of removable partial denture prescription to evaluate partial edentulism and its removable partial denture designs. The data was collected from the dental laboratory of each three dental colleges in Seoul and from two dental laboratories only for removable partial dentures as a prescription form. A total of 1411 cases with prescription form collected from dental laboratories were distributed for this study, then 788 cases were selected for this study. The case selection was done according to the contents of prescription form. The selected cases were divided into maxillary arch and mandibular and classified in terms of types of major connector and direct retainer, unbroken anterior teeth, Kennedy classification, the number of remaining teeth, and distribution of age and sex. The analyzed results were as follows : 1. The Kennedy classification I showed highest frequency both in maxilla and mandible. 2. The arch distribution of removable partial denture was 50.08% for maxilla and 49.92% for mandible. 3. The highest frequency in the distribution of direct retainer was the RPA clasp design. 4. The frequency of unbroken anterior 6 was 73.36% for maxilla and 82.30% for mandible. 5. The design of broad palatal strap and lingual bar revealed the highest prevalence in the major connector construction. 6. The mean number of remaining teeth per arch was 8.25 for maxilla and 8.37 for mandible. 7. The mean age of the patients supplied with removable partial denture was 52.25 years for men, 51.68 years for women, 52.11 years for maxilla, and 51.76 years for mandible and women showed more prevalence.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.121-130
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• 1984

Childrens between the ages of 13 and 15 years, living in Seoul, were examined in order to determine the prevalence and severity of malocclusion in the permanent dentition. This survey encompassed 981 children and an individual chart was prepared for each subject recording an original HMAR score and classification of occlusion according to Angle. Also, subjective evaluation of "treatment needs" was carried out in 581 children. The results were as follows: 1. Of the 981 children in this survey, 12,1 percent showed excellent occlusion. (0 point) 2. The 14 percent of the children who had a score of 24 and above all appeared to belong to the "treatment highly desirable" or "treatment mandatory" category. 3. The incorporation of SAR (Supplementary Assessment Record) into the HMAR can provide more sensitive method for evaluating severity of malocclusion. 4. According to Angle's classification 77.4 percent of all malocclusion belonged to Class I, 1.3 percent to Class II, Division 1, 0.9 percent to Class II, Division 2, and 11.3 percent to Class III. 5. The mean HMAR score for Class I was significantly lower than for either Class II, Division 1 or Class III. (P < 0.05) 6. A close relationship was found between the degree of "treatment needs" and the value obtained by the HMAR scoring. (chi-square test, p < 0.05) The differences between the mean HMAR scores of the various subjectively defined categories were statistically significant. (P < 0.001)

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.379-384
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• 2012

Resistance of Plasmodium spp. to anti-malarial drugs is the primary obstacle in the fight against malaria, and molecular markers for the drug resistance have been applied as an adjunct in the surveillance of the resistance. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of mutations in pvmdr1, pvcrt-o, pvdhfr, and pvdhps genes in temperate-zone P. vivax parasites from central China. A total of 26 isolates were selected, including 8 which were previously shown to have a lower susceptibility to chloroquine in vitro. For pvmdr1, pvcrt-o, and pvdhps genes, no resistance-conferring mutations were discovered. However, a highly prevalent (69.2%), single-point mutation (S117N) was found in pvdhfr gene. In addition, tandem repeat polymorphisms existed in pvdhfr and pvdhps genes, which warranted further studies in relation to the parasite resistance to antifolate drugs. The study further suggests that P. vivax populations in central China may still be relatively susceptible to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.371-378
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• 2016

An aim of current study was to investigate the prevalence and the mechanism of quinolone-resistance in E. coli isolates obtained from chicken cecum in Korea. In addition, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was also performed for the molecular characterization of E. coli isolates. In an antimicrobial susceptibility test by the disk diffusion method, the 63.5% (54/85) of E. coli isolates showed the resistance to quinolone group of antimicrobial agents. All of the 54 E. coli isolates showing resistant to quinolone group had sense mutations in gyrA gene and point mutations at the $57^{th}$, $80^{th}$, or $84^{th}$ residues in parC gene were detected in 90.7% of the isolates. Interestingly, E. coli ST was closely related to amino acid substitutions in parE gene. Our results indicated that the long-term use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals was strongly associated with a prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting the need for continuous surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant determinants in bacterial isolates from food animals.