• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.371-379
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the factors influencing inadequate energy intake among Korean elderly. Methods: Our study included 1,869 elderly people (over 60 years old) who completed a dietary survey from the fifth Korean NHANES (2010). Factors that could affect the nutritional status of the elderly included age, family status, socio-economic factors (education, family income, livelihood security, employment), and health related factors (having chronic disease, functional status, diet therapy, depression, and suicidal thoughts). Energy and protein intake were assessed using the dietary intake data from 24hr recall method. Results: The percentage of people who consumed energy less than 75% of EEA for Koreans was 23.7% in men, 31.1% in women. The carbohydrate contribution to the total energy intake in the inadequate energy intake group was significantly higher than that in the adequate intake group (p < 0.05). Factors significantly related to inadequate energy intake after adjusting for age, family status, education, family income, employment, functional status, and suicidal thoughts were education (OR: 1.480 in men, 1.614 in women) and employment (OR: 1.751 in men, 1.464 in women), age 70 years or older in men (OR: 1.475), and living with family but without spouse in women (OR: 1.496). Conclusion: In summary, the results imply that energy intake of elderly would be affected by the status of social environment with aging and nutrition-related policy for Korean elderly should be based on the social status as well as health related conditions.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2016

This study is to examine the effect that the degree of alcohol use and the factor of family relationship have on alcohol related problem with elderly people over 65 years old. The study utilized the data from Korea Welfare Panel Study in 2014 published in 2015, which is annually conducted nationwide study. AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) of the World Health Organization scale to assess the drinking problem in the study was used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Presenting some discussions on the basis of the results of this study is as follows. First, looking at a cross-analysis of gender differences in drinking problems, elderly men and elderly women showed different degrees of alcohol problems. Second, looking at demographic characteristics that influence whether a drinking problem, younger age showed a serious drinking problem. Third, looking at the effect that depression and family relationship have on alcohol problem, depression appeared to have relatively more serious effect than the family relationship. According to the above finding, physical and mental health for healthy aging are important factors of the quality of life so a preventive approach to maintain healthy habits is considered to be essential.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.51-64
• /
• 2003

Objective : This study investigated the alteration of neural activity and effect of Yanggyuksanhwa-tang (Lianggesanhuo-tang) on cerebral ischemia of rats. Methods : Considering age-related impact on cerebral ischemia, aged rats (18 months old) were used for this study. Ischemic damage was induced by the transient occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (BCAO) with hypotension. Yanggyuksanhwa-tang (Lianggesanhuo-tang) was administered twice a day orally. Then alterations of neural activities in the brain of aged BCAO rats were measured by the [$^{14}C$]2-deoxyglucose autoradiography method. Results : The BCAO in aged rats led to significant decrease of neural activity in the whole brain. Treatment with Yanggyuksanhwa-tang (Lianggesanhuo-tang) significantly attenuated the decrease of neural activity in the whole brain following BCAO ischemia. Treatment significantly attenuated the decrease of neural activity in the CA1, CA2, CA3, dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, activated barrel, barrel cortex, somatosensory cortex, cingulate cortex, caudate putamen, and medial septal nucleus following BCAO in aged rats. Treatment with Yanggyuksanhwa-tang (Lianggesanhuo-tang) also significantly attenuated the decrease of neural activity in the anteroventral thalamic nucleus, ventral anterior thalamic nucleus, arcuate nucleus, posterior hypothalamic area, medial mammillary nucleus, lateral periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, median raphe nucleus, and medial pontine nucleus. Conclusion : It can be suggested that Yanggyuksanhwa-tang (Lianggesanhuo-tang) has a neuroprotecuve effect on cerebral ischemia through the control of glucose metabolic rate and cerebral blood flow.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.484-494
• /
• 2019

Cardiovascular disease is caused by different factors. These factors include innateness factors such as aging, biological factors such as high blood pressure, and environmental factors such as stress. This study examined the factors associated with cardiovascular disease and the ways to reduce its prevalence by analyzing the data within the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Reports from 2013 to 2017, and particularly the survey and examination data for people over 50 years old. The study population was divided into two groups: members of the first group consumed riboflavin and niacin at the recommended rate while those in the second group did not. Riboflavin intake was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, and a low HDL-cholesterol level, whereas niacin intake was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, waist size, and a low HDL-cholesterol level. The combination of niacin and riboflavin intakes was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, waist size, and a low HDL-cholesterol level (P<0.05). The combined intake of the recommended levels of riboflavin and niacin reduced the average physiological factor abnormality rate to 80%. Taken together, the beneficial effects of riboflavin and niacin can reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.164-171
• /
• 2021

Purpose: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain atrophy in this disease spectrum begins in the medial temporal lobe structure, which can be recognized by magnetic resonance imaging. To overcome the unsatisfactory inter-observer reliability of visual evaluation, quantitative brain volumetry has been developed and widely investigated for the diagnosis of MCI and AD. The aim of this study was to assess the prediction accuracy of quantitative brain volumetry using a fully automated segmentation software package, NeuroQuant^®, for the diagnosis of MCI. Materials and Methods: A total of 418 subjects from the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease cohort were included in our study. Each participant was allocated to either a cognitively normal old group (n = 285) or an MCI group (n = 133). Brain volumetric data were obtained from T1-weighted images using the NeuroQuant software package. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to investigate relevant brain regions and their prediction accuracies. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that normative percentiles of the hippocampus (P < 0.001), amygdala (P = 0.003), frontal lobe (P = 0.049), medial parietal lobe (P = 0.023), and third ventricle (P = 0.012) were independent predictive factors for MCI. In ROC analysis, normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala showed fair accuracies in the diagnosis of MCI (area under the curve: 0.739 and 0.727, respectively). Conclusion: Normative percentiles of the hippocampus and amygdala provided by the fully automated segmentation software could be used for screening MCI with a reasonable post-processing time. This information might help us interpret structural MRI in patients with cognitive impairment.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.46-50
• /
• 2013

Some rhizobacteria producing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase can make plant to continue growth under the stress conditions through lowering the level of phytohormone, ethylene which inhibits the plant growth and accelerates plant aging. In this study, some rhizobacteria producing ACC deaminase have been isolated from the rhizosphere of plants grown at sand beaches, and identified as Escherichia hermannii m-2, Enterobacter asburiae m-4, Pseudomonas thivervalensis BD2-26 and Pseudomonas brassicacearum subsp. neoaurantiaca BD3-35 through sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Strain BD3-35 showed the highest activity of ACC deaminase among the isolates, 20.26 ${\alpha}$-ketobutyrate ${\mu}M/mg$ protein/h. Strains BD3-35 and BD2-26 secreted a phytohormone cytokinin, and strains m-4 and m-2 could produce auxin and abscisic acid, respectively. When these bacteria were applied to the 7-day old tomato plant under drought stress for 7 days, strains BD3-35, m-2, and m-4 increased the length of tomato root by 14, 15, and 35%, respectively, and strains m-2, BD2-26 and BD3-35 increased the dry weight of tomato plant by 22, 33, and 68%, respectively compared to the uninoculated control tomatoes. Therefore, these rhizobacteria may be utilized as a microbial fertilizer for the plants under drought stress.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.2 s.70
• /
• pp.213-223
• /
• 2007

Objective : Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a geriatric dementia that is widespread in old age. With an aging populace, AD is a looming problem in public health service. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by specific neuronal degeneration in certain areas of the brain. Mutations and abnormal expression of several genes are associated with ${\beta}-amyloid$ deposits and Alzheimer's disease; among them APP, PS1, and PS2, SOD, free radical, ROS. Methods:We studied herbal medicines that have a relationship to brain degeneration. From pre-modern times, although a variety of oriental prescriptions of Aster tataricus have been traditionally utilized for the treatment of AD, their pharmacological effects and action mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. Result : Based on morphological observations by phase-contrast microscope, TUNEL assay and MTT in the culture media, $H_20_2-induced$ cell death was significantly inhibited by Aticus. We examined by ROS formation, catalase activity and GSH activity. We studied the protective effect and inhibitory effects of neurotoxicity in $H_20_2-induced$ PC-12 cells by Aticus. Findings from our experiments show that Aticus inhibits apoptosis, which has neurotoxicities and cell damage in PC-12 cells. In addition, treatment with Aticus ($>25{\mu}g/ml$ for 6hrs) partially prevented $H_20_2-induced$ cytotoxicity in PC-12 cells, and induced a protective effect. Conclusion : As the result of this study, in the Aticus group, the apoptosis in the nervous system was inhibited, protected against the degeneration of PC-12 cells by $H_20_2$. Taken together, Aticus exhibited inhibition of $H_20_2-induced$ apoptotic cell death. Aticus was found to induce protective effect on GSH and catalase in PC-12 cells. Based on these findings, Aticus may be beneficial for the treatment of AD.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.69-74
• /
• 1994

Authors retrospectively analysed 20 cases of follow-up $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scans to evaluate renal function recovery after treatment in urologic disorders of infants and children. There were 20 cases with both $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scans prior to and after therapy in 15 patients below 9 years old. Among them, 10 patients underwent ureteroneocystostomy under the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux, two patients pyeloplasty because of obstructive uropathy and one was treated with antibiotics even diagnosis of UPJ stricture. We have got the quantified uptake rate of $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scan by using the regression equation as "y=0.591x-2.105" (y=the quantified uptake rate, x=the simple uptake rate). The number of kidneys performed proper therapy were 29, and the cases with more increased radiotracer uptake rate in the follow-up $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scans were 20 in number as 69% in frequency. 19 cases with improved renal function on $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scans didn't show any significant difference related to aging or recovery duration after therapy. The $^{99m}Tc$-DMSA renal scans were not useful to evaluate renal function recovery in infants and children, but could be good tests to assess residual renal function prior to or after treatment.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.387-395
• /
• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Recent studies showed vitamin D deficiency is linked to chronic diseases in addition to skeletal metabolism which could threaten the elderly. We analyzed health conditions and socio-demographic factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in community dwelling people aged 65 years and older. SUBJECTS/METHOD: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010 to 2012 were obtained. A total of 2,687 subjects aged 65 years and older were participated. The cutoff value of the Vitamin D deficiency was considered as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] ${\leq}20ng/mL$ (50 nmol/L). RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency in the elderly was 62.1%. The factors such as female, obesity, metabolic syndrome, current smoker, and skipping breakfast were positively associated with vitamin D deficiency, but high intensity of physical activity and more than 9 hours of sleep duration were negatively associated with vitamin D deficiency (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is important that health professions know that the factors proved in this study are connected to vitamin D deficiency thus provide information and intervention strategies of vitamin D deficiency to old aged people.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.169-179
• /
• 2011

Korea owns vast amount of apartment houses no less than those of world prominent countries, but did not pay enough efforts to maintain existing apartment houses and develop policies to reuse them due to growth driven policy of housing supply like construction of new houses. Korea constructed tremendous amount of houses in short period through government led forced house supplying policy, and resulted in excess houses such that present house supply rate happened to be reaching 110%. However, recently there are growing demand of change in housing policy due to social environmental changes like low birth rate and aging of society etc and nationals' demand for improvement of residential quality. When such social changes are demanded and 80% of apartment houses in Korea are less than 20 years old, renovations and remodeling of apartment houses are anticipated to emerge as important matter. In particular, the apartment houses in Seoul and the 1st generation new cities like Bundang and Ilsan etc have passed considerable period of time after construction and require safety measure, it is quite impending to raise engineers for the maintenance of existing apartment houses. Therefore, in this paper, direction for the raising of maintenance engineers in Korea was proposed through analysis of relevant qualification system for the apartment houses maintenance engineers in the U.S.