• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.68 no.3
• /
• pp.155-161
• /
• 2010

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) has limitations in diagnosing a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) was introduced to middle- and high-school students since 2009 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The aim was to evaluate the utility of IGRA in diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students. Methods: From August 2007 to July 2009, among suspected LTBI students showing TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over with a normal chest x-ray in school students of Jeju city, 341 students underwent a Quanti FERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) test to confirm LTBI. Results: From 348 students showing a positive TST, a QFT-IT test was carried out on 341 students. The positive QFT-IT rate was 52.8% (=180/341). The positive QFT-IT rate was higher in high-school boys with a 15~19 mm diameter of induration in TST. Conclusion: With the introduction of IGRA for diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students, approximately 47% of students who show a TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over can avoid taking unnecessary preventive chemotherapy. These results suggest that IGRA is useful for diagnosing and controlling LTBI in Korean students.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.333-338
• /
• 2015

Background: Oral health professionals are responsible in Iran for providing a brief tobacco cessation program to smoker patients. The aim of this study was to assess Iranian dental student and dentist practice, knowledge and attitudes toward smoking cessation programs. Materials and Methods: A valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed to 150 dentists working in Isfahan-Iran and 60 dental students. Some questions were developed based on the expected 5A tobacco cessation protocol. Statements on attitudes focused on professional responsibility towards smoking cessation and its effectiveness. Chi-square, ANOVA, and t test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The cessation program in dental settings covers a small group of patients (18%). Some 69.1% (n=96) of dentists reported asking their patients about tobacco use, 64% (n=83) advising their patients to quit, 33.8% (n=47) assessing their patients willingness to quit and 20% (n=28) reported helping their patients in changing their behavior. A far lower percentage reported active involvement in arranging assistance for smokers to quit (4.3%, n=5). Some 22% of students and 26% of dentists disagreed that the tobacco cessation programs should be as part of dentists' professional responsibility and 70% of them were willing to follow the protocol of tobacco cessation for patients. Conclusions: Iranian dentist performance regarding tobacco cessation is weak. Dentists and students indicated their lack of knowledge as the major reason for non-adherence to the protocol. Therefore, planning to encourage dentist to follow the protocol needs continuous educational programs.

• CELLMED
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.5.1-5.5
• /
• 2016

Combating anaemia is a global public health challenge of the developing world. Nutritional anaemia is a serious health problem faced by Indian school children. An investigation was taken up to study the effect of non iron containing Ayurvedic preparation Sootshekhar Rasa (SR) plus Sitopaladi Churna (SC) along with iron and folic acid (IFA) for improving nutritional anaemia among adolescent school going students of Dehradun district in Northern India. The blinded, controlled randomized trial comprised of 820 adolescents anaemic students aged 11 - 18 years. The anaemic students were randomly divided into 4 groups, students of group I (control) received starch, group II, III, and IV students received daily dose of (SR 250 mg + SC 400 mg), IFA and (SR 250 mg + SC 400 mg) + IFA, respectively. All the students received treatment for 90days and were followed up for next 180days. At the end of follow-up (day 270), significant increase of haemoglobin (Hb) level from the base line was recorded in all treatment groups. The maximum gain in Hb concentration was noted in group IV (10.1 ± 0.6 g/L), which was significantly higher than any other group. There were 123 drop-outs; however, no major side effect of treatment was noted in any student. We conclude that daily dose of (SR 250 mg + SC 400 mg) along with IFA can produce sustainable improvement of nutritional anaemia in adolescent students.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.312-320
• /
• 2004

Objectives : An outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) caused by coxsackie A24 (CA24) virus occurred in South Korea in 2002. CA24 was isolated for the first time from patients with AHC. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the transmission routes and prevent another AHC outbreaks. Methods : The authors conducted a questionnaire survey among 1,730 students from 2 middle schools and 1 technical high school in Gyeongju city. For statistical analysis the chi-square test was used, and chi-square for trend method showing a level of significance less than p<0.05 was proven to be significant. Variables which were proven to be significant in univariate analysis were analysed by multiple logistic regression. Results : The attack rate was 57.1%. The student groups with rubbing one s own eyes, computer usage, and sharing cellular phone had a significantly higher AHC attack rate (p<0.05). According to the multiple logistic regression, the odds ratios for male, high school, computer use, sharing cellular phone, and rubbing one s own eyes were significant (p<0.05). Conclusion : The most significant feature of this outbreak was that many students rubbed their own eyes following contact with AHC patients in a deliberate attempt to avoid going to school. Other transmission methods were computer usage and sharing cellular phone. In the future, health and school authorities must plan new strategies for the prevention of AHC.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.232-237
• /
• 2004

Objectives : The study was designed to test if alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among adolescent females are related to their parents' level of alcohol problems. Methods : In 2001, a stratified sample of 2077 adolescent females, grades 10-11, from twelve female-only high schools located in a large metropolitan city in the Republic of Korea completed a questionnaire about alcohol use, parental attention, and parental alcohol consumption, and other risk and protective factors. Data were analyzed with chi-square and regression analyses. Results : Nearly 63% of the student drinkers had experienced at least one to two alcohol-related problems in their lives. Two-thirds of all 2077 students indicated that at least one of their parents had an alcohol-related problem and that approximately 29% had experienced several problems. Results of random effects ordinal logistic regression analyses suggest a dose-response relationship between parental and youth alcohol-related problems. Youth who report having parents with some and many alcohol problems were 30% (Odds Ratios [OR] = 1.30; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.10 - 1.53) and 55% (OR = 1.55; 95%CI = 1.23 - 1.95) more likely to experience alcohol-related problems than youth whose parents do not have alcohol problems, respectively, after statistically adjusting for important covariates. Conclusions : This study presents evidence that alcohol-related problems among adolescent female students is highly prevalent. Also, the study findings reveal a high percentage of parents with alcohol problems, as reported by students. This study presents evidence of what might be a hidden problem among adults and youths in the Republic of Korea that merits serious attention.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.746-755
• /
• 2009

This study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education program to reduce dietary sodium. The school children (218 boys, 226 girls), from 8 elementary schools in the city of Daegu, Korea, were involved in this study. This research was based on the data from two groups of elementary school children, the "education" group (n = 240), and "no-education" group (n = 204). Educational media and programs were developed to educate the education group for four weeks and were presented on the web (www.saltdown.com). After education, the preference for a non-salty taste in the education group increased 10%, compared with those who preferred a non-salty taste before education. There was a significant change away from a preference for a salty taste and a rise in the mean score for nutrition knowledge and dietary attitude in the education group compared to the no-education group (p < 0.05). This study indicates that school children can reduce their dependency on preference for a salty taste and change their high-salt dietary behavior after the education.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.162-170
• /
• 2021

This study attempted to grasp the causal relationship, focusing on the double mediating effect of career identity and career decision self-efficacy in the relationship between grit and career preparation behavior. Data were collected by a self-entry method using structured questionnaire for dental hygiene student in area B. And it was analyzed using SPSS and Process Macro. The biggest factor directly influencing career preparation behavior was career identity, followed by grit and career decision self-efficacy. Through path analysis, grit indirectly had a significant influence on career preparation behavior through the mediating sense of career identity and the sense of career identity and career decision self-efficacy. This suggests that grit and career identity should be enhanced for active career preparation behavior, so it is intended to be used as basic data for career education contents development for college students majoring in dental hygiene.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.51 no.1
• /
• pp.28-41
• /
• 2024

Objective: Chronic scrotal hyperthermia (SHT) can lead to serious disorders of the male reproductive system, with oxidative stress playing a key role in the onset of these dysfunctions. Thus, we evaluated the impact of caffeine, a potent antioxidant, on cellular and tissue disorders in mice with chronic SHT. Methods: In this experimental study, 56 adult male NMRI mice were allocated into seven equal groups. Apart from the non-treated control group, all were exposed to heat stress. Two groups, termed "preventive" and "curative," were orally administered caffeine. The preventive mice began receiving caffeine immediately prior to heat exposure, while for the curative group, a caffeine regimen was initiated 15 consecutive days following cessation of heat exposure. Each treated group was subdivided based on pairing with a positive control (Pre/ curative [Cur]+PC) or a vehicle (Pre/Cur+vehicle). Upon conclusion of the study, we assessed sperm characteristics, testosterone levels, stereological parameters, apoptosis, antioxidant and oxidant levels, and molecular markers. Results: Sperm parameters, testosterone levels, stereological parameters, biochemical factors (excluding malondialdehyde [MDA]), and c-kit gene expression were significantly elevated in the preventive and curative groups, especially the former, relative to the other groups. Conversely, expression levels of the heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) and nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κβ) genes, MDA levels, and apoptotic cell density were markedly lower in both caffeine-treated groups relative to the other groups, with more pronounced differences observed in the preventive group. Conclusion: Overall, caffeine attenuated cellular and molecular abnormalities induced by heat stress in the testis, particularly in the mice treated under the preventive condition.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.57 no.1
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2024

Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of comorbid conditions in patients exposed to ionizing radiation and those who were involved in the Soviet-Afghan war. Methods: This study analyzed the frequency and spectrum of morbidity and comorbidity in patients over a long-term period (30-35 years) following exposure to ionizing radiation at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site or the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and among participants of the Soviet-Afghan war. A cohort study, both prospective and retrospective, was conducted on 675 patients who underwent comprehensive examinations. Results: Numerical data were analyzed using the Statistica 6 program. The results are presented as the mean±standard deviation, median, and interquartile range (25-75th percentiles). The statistical significance of between-group differences was assessed using the Student t-test and Pearson chi-square test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We found a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (55.0%) and cardiac ischemia (32.9%); these rates exceeded the average for this age group in the general population. Conclusions: The cumulative impact of causal occupational, environmental, and ultra-high stress factors in the combat zone in participants of the Soviet-Afghan war, along with common conventional factors, contributed to the formation of a specific comorbidity structure. This necessitates a rational approach to identifying early predictors of cardiovascular events and central nervous system disorders, as well as pathognomonic clinical symptoms in this patient cohort. It also underscores the importance of selecting suitable methods and strategies for implementing treatment and prevention measures.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2024

Obesity and overweight pose a significant public health problem, as they are associated with an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Several studies have shown that diet quality is associated with the development of MetS risk factors. Analyzing dietary patterns may be more helpful in determining the relationship between eating habits and chronic diseases compared to focusing on single foods or nutrients. In this study, our objective was to evaluate the association of food quality score (FQS) with risk factors for MetS in individuals with obesity and overweight. The participants in this cross-sectional study were 340 adults with overweight and obesity. Participants' food intake was measured using a Food Frequency Questionnaire, then the FQS was calculated. A fasting blood sample assessed serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum insulin levels. Fat-free mass, height, basal metabolic rate, socio-economic score, and waist-to-hip ratio significantly differed among FQS tertiles. TC, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose were significantly lower in the highest tertile of FQS. After multivariable adjustment, our results showed that individuals in the third tertile of FQS had reduced risk of higher levels of TC (odds ratio [OR], 0.982; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.970-0.984) and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR, 0.974; 95% CI, 0.974-0.999). Our findings demonstrate an inverse relationship between diet quality, as measured by FQS, and MetS risk factors. However, further experimental and longitudinal investigations are warranted to elucidate the causal nature of this association.