• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2008

Asthma and allergic diseases are one of the most common disorders in children. Due to its increased prevalence, as well as the increased morbidity and mortality from these diseases, asthma and allergic diseases have come to be recognized as a major worldwide public health issue. In addition, socioeconomic burden of asthma and allergic diseases has increased in Korea also. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) investigated the worldwide prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases using simple standardized methods because of the comparison of asthma and allergic diseases between the countries. In Korea, several epidemiologic studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of asthma in children. Although these studies showed increased prevalence of asthma among Korean children (from 3.4% in 1964 to 10.1% in 1989), these findings were based on data from small numbers of subjects. The first Nationwide Study of Asthma and Allergies in Korean Children, which utilized the Korean version of ISAAC written and video questionnaire, was conducted in 1995 and the second Nationwide Study of Asthma and Allergies in Korean Children was conducted in 2000, directed by the Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Diseases. We report here the prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases in Korean children and adolescents, and show the changes that occurred over this 5 year period. We also describe the risk factors for development of these diseases in Korean children. We developed Korean versions of the ISAAC written (WQ) and video (AVQ) questionnaires for allergic diseases. In 1995, the enrolled population consisted of 25,117 children selected from 34 elementary school and 14,946 children selected from 34 middle school across the nation, the response rate was 94.8%. In 2000, 27,831 children selected from 34 elementary school and 15,214 children selected from 34 middle school, and the response rate was 96.4%. From these studies, we can confirm that increase of the prevalences of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in Korea, except the prevalence of food allergy. Especially, the video questionnaire showed increases in the lifetime and 12 month prevalence rates of wheeze at rest, exercise-induced wheeze, nocturnal wheeze, nocturnal cough, and severe wheeze over this period of time in middle school children. In addition, the increase of prevalences of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis was noted significantly. Risk factor analysis showed that body mass index (BMI), passive smoking and living with a dog or cat were associated with higher risk of wheeze. Also the occurrence of fever during infancy and the frequent use of antibiotics were associated with the risk of wheeze. In conclusion, during the 5 year period from 1995 to 2000, the prevalences of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis has increased in Korean children. BMI, passive smoking, living with a dog or cat, the fever episodes in infancy, and the frequent use of antibiotics in infancy are important risk factors to development of asthma and atopic dermatitis. In the near future, the birth cohort study will be needed to investigate the causes of this increase and the natural course of allergic diseases, then we develop the methods to control asthma and allergic diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2004

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the association of the COMT polymorphism with the TD in Korean sample of families with TD probands. The relationship between risk alleles and specific clinical features (tic severity, comorbidity, drug response) was also explored. Method : Patients were recruited from the Tic Disorder clinic at the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Division of Seoul National University Hospital and assessed through 2 stage evaluation. Firstly, all the patients and parents received semistructured interview using Korean version of K-SADS-PL. Secondly all the patients received clinical interview and tic severity assessment with Korean version of YGTSS. The subjects in control group were recruited from the health promotion center in out hospital and were evaluated by SCL-90 and SCID-IV. Through these process, total of 42 children and adolescents with TD, their 84 parents and 86 control subjects were finally recruited. Genotyping for The Val158Met polymorphism of the COMT gene was done by standardized method. After collection of genetic data of all the patients, parents and control subjects, case-control comparison and tranmission dysequilibrium test was executed by SPSS version 11. Result : From the case-control comparison, the frequency of L-allele and LL genotype was significantly higher in TD group. However, no differences were found from the TDT. No significant differences were found in in family history of tic, ADHD, OCD, drug response and comorbid conditions among the three different genotypes in patients with TD. Conclusion : Though this study results should be interpreted cautiously due to small sample size and negative finding in TDT test, this study is the first report that there is positive association between the functional polymorphism of COMT gene the TD.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.51-66
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• 2014

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the differences of sodium intake in the diet according to the kind of meal, food group, and dish group. Methods: A dietary survey was conducted using the 24-hour recall method from April to May, 2009. The study subjects consisted of 701 elementary and 1,184 middle school students in the Jeju area. Mean sodium intake and the percentage contribution of meals and each dish and food group to daily sodium intake were calculated. Results: The daily sodium intake was 2,868.4 mg and 3,032.5 mg in elementary and middle school students. For elementary school students, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack provided approximately 18.0%, 35.1%, 32.8%, and 14.1% of total daily sodium intake, and for middle school students, 15.3%, 40.2%, 29.1%, and 15.5%, respectively. Major food groups for sodium intake were spices (1,252.5 mg in elementary, 1158.0 mg in middle school students), vegetables and their products (409.0 mg, 495.6 mg), cereal and grain products (322.4 mg, 647.8 mg), and fish and shellfish (255.3 mg, 336.6 mg). Except cereal and grain products, sodium intake of the food groups mentioned above was greater at lunch and dinner than at breakfast and snack. And, the elementary and middle school students obtained 5.9% and 9.8% of total daily sodium intake from cereal and grain products at snack. Among the 29 dish groups, the highest dish groups contributing to dietary sodium intake were soup and stew and tang/jeongol, consuming 19.8% (elementary school students) and 25.4% (middle school students) of daily sodium intake. The following major dish groups contributing to dietary sodium intake, in order, were kimchi, seasoned vegetables, grilled dish, stir-fried dish, and $\grave{a}$ la carte. By meals, the percentage of sodium intake from soup, kimchi, stew, fried dish, and stir-fried dish at school lunch was high, from noodles, grilled dish, and $\grave{a}$ la carte at dinner, and from bakery/snacks and noodles at snack. Conclusion: Sodium intake from the various side dishes at school lunch was high and noodles and bakery/snacks were popular snack foods in elementary and middle school students in Jeju area. In order to lower the intake of sodium, students need to be educated about eating less soup and choosing better snacks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.735-744
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sweets preference, food frequency, dietary habits, and nutrition knowledge of middle school students who like sweets. A survey instrument consisted of a self-administered questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements. Three hundreds thirty five students aged 13 to 15 years old were divided into two groups, Sweets Liking Group (SLG) and a control group based on the subjects' scores for dietary habits, sweets preference, and food frequency. For dietary habits, the score for meal regularity was significantly lower in the SLG group compared to the control (p<0.001). In addition, the SLG group was more likely to skip breakfast (p<0.001), eat inadequate amount of meals (p<0.001), and consume yellow-green vegetables less frequently (p<0.001) than the control. The subjects' nutrition knowledge was assessed using 20 questions representing five categories, including functions of nutrients, nutrition and health, food pyramid and food groups, healthful snacking and the right dietary attitude. The total scores for nutrition knowledge indicated that the SLG had a poorer nutrition knowledge for all five categories than the control (boys p<0.05, girls p<0.01). For food frequency, the SLG consumed more sweets but less grains, cereals, fishes, beans, vegetables, and milk and milk products than the control (p<0.001). Strong positive correlations appeared between sweets preference, sweets frequency, and sweets-related dietary habits; and all were negatively correlated to nutrition knowledge. Sweets frequency was negatively related to meal regularity, breakfast consumption, meal adequacy, and balanced meals. The findings suggest that nutrition education is necessary to improve the dietary pattern, especially sweets consumption, of Korean young adolescents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.1397-1407
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• 2017

The aim of a school attendance policy (SAP) is to ensure breakfast time for school-aged adolescents. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of SAP on dietary behavior, particularly breakfast consumption, among adolescent middle school students (n=426) in the Ansan area of Gyeonggi-do. After implementation of the SAP, the response rates for eating breakfast every-day among boys (P>0.05) and girls (P<0.05) slightly increased by 44.6% and 35.8%, respectively, compared to before the SAP. Further, the degree of satisfaction with breakfast increased among both boys ('satisfied' and 'strongly satisfied'; 32.4% and 21.6%, respectively) (P<0.01) and girls ('satisfied' and 'strongly satisfied'; 32.8% and 14.2%, respectively) (P<0.001) compared to before the SAP. Moreover, boys (56.8%) and girls (53.9%) were aware that the SAP increased breakfast-eating frequency. Increases in deep sleep as a result of the SAP were high in both boys (39.2%) and girls (47.1%), and sleeping hours among boys (P<0.05) and girls (P<0.01) increased compared to before the SAP. The respondents were aware of the positive effects on physical function such as reduction of physical fatigue (boys 40.1%, girls 38.2%) and improvement of physical health (boys 36.5%, girls 32.8%). Thus, systematic and sustained political support at the national level is required to encourage healthy breakfast eating and physical activity in middle school students.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.383-398
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• 2019

Purpose: This study investigated an association between dietary quality and use of convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students. Methods: A total of 474 high school students (225 boys and 249 girls) residing in Incheon participated in this questionnaire survey in June 2018. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores; less than once a week, 1 ~ 2 times a week, and more than 3 times a week. Dietary quality was assessed using a nutrient quotient for adolescents (NA-Q). Logistic regression was used to investigate an association between dietary quality and use of convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students. Results: For boys and girls, higher monthly allowance was significantly associated with the higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores, whereas school grade, mother's occupational status, family size, extracurricular study, and eating speed were not significantly associated with the frequency of consumption of convenience foods. Higher intake frequency of cookies or sweet and greasy bread, processed beverage, Ramyon, night-time snack, and street food was significantly associated with the higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods for boys or girls. Boys and girls, who had a higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores had significantly greater odds for being in the low grade of dietary quality, especially in the moderation factor. Conclusion: The students who used convenience stores more often appeared to have more monthly allowance and to consume undesirable foods more often. Higher frequency of using convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students was associated with lower dietary quality. These study results can support efforts to provide nutrition education programs and guidelines to students who frequently use convenience foods at convenience stores.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2020

Objectives: Brain maturation involves brain lateralization and asymmetry to achieve efficient information processing and cognitive controls. This study elucidates normal brain maturation change during the gap between ages 6-9 and age 14-17 using resting EEG. Methods: An EEG dataset was acquired from open source MIPDB (Multimodal Resource for Studying Information Processing in the Developing Brain). Ages 6-9 (n = 24) and ages 14-17 (n = 26) were selected for analysis, and subjects with psychiatric illness or EEG with severe noise were excluded. Finally, ages 6-9 (n = 14) and ages 14-17 (n = 11) were subjected to EEG analysis using EEGlab. A 120-sec length of resting EEG when eyes were closed was secured for analysis. Brain topography was compartmentalized into nine regions, best fitted with brain anatomical structure. Results: Absolute power of the delta band and theta band in ages 6-9 was greater than that of ages 14-17 in the whole brain, and, also is relative power of delta band in frontal compartment, which is same line with previous studies. The relative power of the beta band of ages 14-17 was greater than that of ages 6-9 in the whole brain. In asymmetry evaluation, relative power of the theta band in ages 14-17 showed greater power in the left than right frontal compartment; the opposite finding was noted in the parietal compartment. For the alpha band, a strong relative power distribution in the left parietal compartment was observed in ages 14-17. Absolute and relative power of the alpha band is distributed with hemispheric left lateralization in ages 14-17. Conclusion: During the gap period between ages 6-9 and ages 14-17, brain work becomes more complicated and sophisticated, and alpha band and beta band plays important roles in brain maturation in typically developing children.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 2023

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics of pediatric dental patients who underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia (DTGA) at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital from January 2011 through December 2020 and compare the patterns of repeated DTGA between dental patients with severe disabilities (DSD) and non-DSD (healthy or medically compromised patients without DSD). There were 1,857 DTGAs among 1,719 patients (mean age = 5.1 years; males = 59.3%; ASA 2 or above = 52.9%; DSD = 26.8%). Overall, 6.6% of patients underwent repeated DTGA, and the rate of repeated DTGA over a 10-year period was 7.4%. ASA 2 or above (p < 0.0001) and DSD (p < 0.0001) were more likely to undergo repeated DRGA compared to ASA 1 and non-DSD. At both GA1 and GA2, DSD received significantly more restorative treatment on permanent teeth than non-DSD (p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively). There has been an increasing demand for DTGA in pediatric dentistry over the last 10 years. Regular check-ups and preventive oral health care are necessary for pediatric dental patients with severe disabilities to reduce the possibility of repeated DTGA.