• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 2016

Objectives : This study analyzed the differences of body mass index(BMI) in Korean patients with Alzheimer's diseases(AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI), and healthy controls to verify whether low BMI is associated with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, this study also sought to examine any association between BMI and Mini Mental State Examination-Korean version(MMSE-K), Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR), and Global Deterioration Scale(GDS). Methods : A total of 257 subjects were included in the study. History taking, mental status examination, physical examination and neurocognitive function test were carried out for the diagnosis of AD and MCI. The subjects' demographic data and presence of diseases were also surveyed. The overall cognitive function and severity of diseases were assessed using MMSE-K, GDS, and CDR. Results : The order of BMI was found to be healthy controls>MCI>AD, with statistically significant differences among the groups. The order of MMSE-K scores was similar, with healthy controls>MCI>AD in statistically significant differences. The healthy controls had the lowest CDR and GDS scores, and AD patients had the highest scores. There was a significant positive correlation between BMI and MMSE scores(r=0.238, p=0.000). BMI was negatively correlated with CDR(r=-0.174, p=0.008) as well as with GDS(r=-0.233, p= 0.000). Conclusions : Measuring BMI of patients with AD or MCI is expected to be meaningful in that BMI could be a clinical indicator of AD. We expect this to be beneficial for the diagnosis, prevention, and therapeutic approach of AD and also expect large-scale, long-term longitudinal studies to follow.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2018

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) could be one of risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between PLMS and blood pressure changes during sleep. Methods: We analyzed data from 358 adults (176 men and 182 women) aged 18 years and older who were free from sleep apnea syndrome (Respiratory Disturbance Index < 5) and sleep disorders such as REM sleep behavior disorder or narcolepsy. Demographic characteristics, polysomnography records, and clinical variable data including blood pressure, body mass index, alcohol, smoking, and current medications were collected. In addition, self-report questionnaires including the Beck Depression Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were completed. Blood pressure change from bedtime to awakening was compared between the two periodic limb movement index (PLMI) groups [low PLMI ($PLMI{\leq}15$) and high PLMI (PLMI > 15)]. Blood pressure change patterns were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Systolic blood pressure in the high PLMI group was lower than that in the low PLMI group (p = 0.036). These results were also significant when adjusted for gender and age, but were not statistically significant when adjusted for BMI, alcohol, smoking, anti-hypertension medication use and sleep efficiency (p = 0.098). Systolic blood pressure dropped by 9.7 mm Hg in the low PLMI group, and systolic blood pressure in the high PLMI group dropped by 2.9 mm Hg. There was a significant difference in delta systolic blood pressure after sleep between the two groups in women when adjusted for age, BMI, alcohol, smoking, antihypertensive medication use and sleep efficiency (p = 0.023). Conclusion: PLMS was significantly associated with a decreasing pattern in nocturnal BP during sleep, and this association remained significant in women when adjusted for age, BMI, alcohol, smoking, antihypertension medication use and sleep efficiency related to blood pressure. We suggest that PLMS may be associated with cardiovascular morbidity.

• Journal of the HCI Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.5-12
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• 2019

Social exclusion, which does not fulfill the desire for respect as one of the most basic human desires, makes those who perceive themselves to be socially excluded seek physical warmth. However, very few studies have examined whether this phenomenon-wherein social exclusion develops a preference for warmth-can be generalized to the emotional or symbolic aspects, such as the color of lighting. This study aimed to verify the effects of perceived social exclusion on warm lighting preferences, and two experiments were performed for this purpose. In Experiment-1, participants who were respected by people the previous day were assigned to the group that did not perceive social exclusion (non-perceived social exclusion group), and those who were not respected were assigned to the group that perceived social exclusion (perceived social exclusion group). Following this, their preference for warm lighting (3000K), neutral lighting (4000K), and cold lighting (6000K) was measured. The results showed that the perceived social exclusion group had a stronger preference for warm lighting and a weaker preference for cold lighting than did their counterparts. Moreover, the perceived social exclusion group showed a strong preference for warm lighting over neutral lighting; they also showed a weak preference for cold lighting. In Experiment-2, after assigning the participants into groups as in Experiment-1, the participants' preference for a space with warm lighting, neutral lighting, and cold lighting was measured. The results showed that the perceived social exclusion group had a stronger preference for the space with warm lighting and a weaker preference for cold lighting than did their counterparts. Further, the perceived social exclusion group showed a strong preference for the space with warm lighting over the space with neutral lighting; they also showed a weak preference for the space with cold lighting. The findings of this study have implications that can be applied to designing living spaces for people who experience social exclusion, such as handicapped individuals, multicultural families, or immigrant workers, as well as developing artificial intelligence services and cyber-friend characters for this demographic.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.47-68
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• 2020

Since the early 2000s, Korea has continued to increase the proportion of the elderly population due to low fertility and increased life expectancy. As a result, Korea has now entered the aging society. Because of this demographic change, proportion of active elderly have increased, and many academics, such as sociology, economics, and psychology, have conducted various studies on the active elderly. This study focused on active elderly based on the activity theory of old age and the positive effect of small community participation activity on the elderly. The purpose of this study is to examine whether active elderly' participation in everyday activities, small community participation of the elderly affect citizen participation actively in society as a citizen, and in the process, mediates the effect of small community cohesion and the moderating effect of small community selfishness. This study performed a stepwise regression analysis and a hierarchical regression analysis of 700 elderly people who are participated actively in various small communities. As a result, the partial mediating effect of small community cohesion was shown in the relationship between participation in everyday activities and citizen participation, and the moderating effect of small community selfishness was also shown. These findings suggest that government and interested parties need to develop and implement policies for the small community participation of elderly citizens in consideration of their small community activities, small community cohesion and small community egoism.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the etiology and risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospitalization in Korean children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Clinical information of children admitted with CAP to Seoul National University Children's Hospital (SNUCH) between January 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, was retrospectively collected and analyzed. In addition, the etiologic diagnosis and demographic data of children with CAP who were discharged at the other seven hospitals between January and February 2022 were collected. Pneumonia was diagnosed using strict criteria comprising clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, and chest radiographic findings. Results: Among 91 children hospitalized with CAP at SNUCH during the 14-month period, 68.4% were aged <5 years and 79.1% had underlying diseases. Among the 95 CAP cases, respiratory assistance was required in 70.5%, and the use of a ventilator was required in 20.0%. A total of five patients expired, all of whom were either immunocompromised or had underlying neurological diseases. Neurological diseases and immunosuppression were significantly correlated with respiratory assistance (P=0.003) and death (P=0.014). A total of 55% of the detected respiratory pathogens were viruses, the most common of which was rhinovirus at 35.9%. Among the 169 children hospitalized for CAP at the eight institutions, ≥1 respiratory virus was detected in 92.3%, among which respiratory syncytial virus (79.8%) was the most prevalent. Conclusions: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean children were hospitalized with CAP caused by seasonal respiratory viral pathogens. Although atypical and pyogenic bacteria were not detected, continuous clinical monitoring and further prospective studies should be conducted.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.19-37
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• 2008

The youth unemployment issue has not shown any improvement in years. The purpose of this study was to observe how employment issues affecting university students influence their life aims, self-efficacy, view of reality, view of the future, and life satisfaction. 239 students from three universities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province were assessed through the instrument FLL and questions about employment issues, their life aims, life satisfaction and also their employment perspective. A total of 34 items of the FLL were divided through factor analysis into six higher life aims, self-love, family love and interpersonal aims, personal-financial aims, social-public aims, moral aims and political and ideological aims. Using Cluster analysis, three group profiles were found depending on the employment perspective such as a better view of reality, better self-efficacy, and better life satisfaction. A t-test was conducted in order to compare the two groups classified according to favorable or unfavorable employment perspectives. No significant differences existed between the groups in the perception of youth unemployment or in social-demographic factors, such as gender, age, and academic year. However, in life aims, the unfavorable group showed significantly higher interest in the domains of family love and interpersonal aims, personal -financial aims, and social-public aims than the favorable perspective group. Conversely, this group showed a significantly greater negative view of reality in most life domains, as it evaluated that its aims are more poorly achieved than the comparable group. Also, the unfavorable perspective group showed a lesser degree of self-efficacy in most life domains and the same in the category of life satisfaction, i.e., lesser satisfaction in all life domains except for family love, and moral aims. However, no significant difference existed between the groups in the view of the future. The results were discussed in relation to other social-cognitive factors for life satisfaction found in preceding studies.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2024

Purpose: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ended, the number of patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia increased during the spring/summer of 2022. This study aimed to analyze the clinical features and antibiotic usage of children hospitalized for RSV pneumonia in a recently established general hospital in Sejong city. Methods: In this retrospective review, we included inpatients of the Pediatric Department of Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital diagnosed with RSV pneumonia between March 2022 and April 2023. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with and without antibiotic treatment. Demographic data, initial presentations, and clinical courses were reviewed. Results: A total of 116 patients with RSV pneumonia were hospitalized during this period, of which 102 were analyzed, excluding 14 with underlying diseases or who did not fall within the definition of pneumonia. The median age was 17 months. Diagnoses of bacterial infections (acute otitis media and sinusitis) were documented in 9.8% of cases. Intravenous (IV) antibiotics were administered in 46% of cases. The group receiving IV antibiotics showed higher inflammatory levels (C-reactive protein; CRP), more infiltration on initial chest X-rays, and longer fever duration. There was no difference in the length of hospitalization between the groups with and without IV antibiotics. Conclusions: This study showed a tendency for the attending physician to prescribe IV antibiotics to patients with longer fever duration, pulmonary infiltrations on the initial chest X-ray, and higher CRP levels. However, given the high rate of IV antibiotic usage compared to previous studies, care should be taken in antibiotic use.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2024

Background: Oral health has a significant impact on systemic health, and the close association between oral and systemic diseases has been continuously reported. To prevent oral diseases, the role of oral hygiene products such as dental floss and interdental brushes, in addition to tooth brushing, is becoming increasingly important. This study aims to analyze the effect of using oral hygiene products on the lifetime prevalence of systemic diseases among Korean adults. Methods: This study utilized data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2018). The study population consisted of 13,199 adults aged 19 years and older. The independent variable was the use of oral hygiene products, and the dependent variable was the prevalence of systemic diseases diagnosed by a physician. Demographic variables, health status, and behavioral variables were included as covariates, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: The use of dental floss showed no significant association with the prevalence of systemic diseases. However, those who did not use interdental brushes had a 22% lower likelihood of dyslipidemia (OR 0.777, 95% CI 0.660-0.913). Among participants with periodontal disease, those who did not use dental floss had a significantly higher risk of myocardial infarction (OR 11.488, 95% CI 1.438-91.772). Conversely, those who did not use interdental brushes had lower risks of dyslipidemia, myocardial infarction, and angina, particularly among women and individuals under 65 years of age. Conclusion: This study found a low overall association between the use of oral hygiene products and the prevalence of systemic diseases, but there was a notable association with cardiovascular diseases. To reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, along with proper oral hygiene management, are crucial. Future prospective studies are needed to clearly establish the causal relationship between oral hygiene and systemic diseases.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 1999

Purpose : The hospice movement began about 30 years ago in Korea. However, basic studies have seldom been conducted about the general public's knowledge concerning hospice care and their needs for it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the general public's knowledge of and attitude toward hospice, and their needs for hospice care, and to analyze the needs for hospice care in relation to their knowledge and attitude in residents from a specific community. Methods : The survey was conducted with 924 people randomly selected from a district in Seoul. The data were collected through a self-reporting questionnaire constructed by the authors. With 30 items given in the questionnaire, the level of hospice needs showed Cronbach's alpha .89 in a pilot study and .92 in this study and the items were classified into four areas by a factor analysis. The data collected were analyzed by means of t-test and ANOVA. Results : 1) The average age of the respondents was 38. The majority of the respondents were well-educated. 2) Regarding awareness of hospice care, 54%(501 people) indicated they have heard of hospice. About 74% thought that people should be able to prepare for death in advance. About 83% wanted to be informed when they have life threatening illnesses such as terminal cancer. Also, about 63% responded that patients with terminal diseases should be provided with physical, spiritual, and psychological care for minimizing pain and peaceful death. Regarding the attitude toward hospice care, 74% responded that they would use hospice care if needed. The number of the respondents who preferred home visitation by the hospice team to care for the terminally ill ranked first with 34%. Concerning needs for hospice care : 1) By needs area, physical need showed highest mean(M=4.37), followed by social need(M=3.96), emotional need(M=3.87), and the spiritual need(M=3.79). The overall need level showed the mean value of 4.00 which reflects a considerable need for hospice care. 2) By demographic characteristics, people age over 50, the married, and the unemployed indicated higher level of needs for hospice care. Women showed higher level of needs than did men, and Catholics demonstrated higher level of needs than believers of other religion(P<0.0001). 3) As for the knowledge of and attitude toward hospice rare, the level of hospice care needs was significantly higher in the following groups: those who have heard of hospice, those who are aware of death preparation, those who want information on terminal diseases, those who want to use every method to sustain life, and those who are aware of hospice needs(P<0.001). Conclusion : It is assumed that the findings of this study on the knowledge, attitude, and needs for hospice care in the public can contribute to planning a successful hospice care program. Furthermore, the findings of this study will serve as useful data for the promotion of home hospice care to improve the quality of life of community residents, and contribute to the development of hospice care as a whole.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.25-57
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• 2012

This study identified motives for writing apparel product reviews in online stores, and determined what motives increase the behavior of writing reviews. It also classified store customers based on the type of writing motives, and clarified the characteristics of internet purchase behavior and of a demographic profile. Data were collected from 252 females aged 20s' and 30s' who have experience of reading and writing reviews on online shopping. The five types of writing motives were altruistic information sharing, remedying of a grievance and vengeance, economic incentives, helping new product development, and the expression of satisfaction feelings. Among five motives, altruistic information sharing, economic incentives, and helping new product development stimulate writing reviews. Store customers who write reviews were classified into three groups based on their writing motive types: Other consumer advocates(29.8%), self-interested shoppers(40.5%) and shoppers with moderate motives(29.8%). There were significant differences among three groups in writing behavior (the frequency of writing reviews, writing intent of reviews, duration of writing reviews, and frequency of online shopping) and age. Based on results, managerial implications were suggested. Long Abstract : The purpose of present study is to identify the types of writing motives on online shopping, and to clarify the motives affecting the behavior of writing reviews. This study also classifies online shoppers based on the motive types, and identifies the characteristics of the classified groups in terms of writing behavior, frequency of online shopping, and demographics. Use and Gratification Theory was adopted in this study. Qualitative research (focus group interview) and quantitative research were used. Korean women(20 to 39 years old) who reported experience with purchasing clothing online, and reading and writing reviews were selected as samples(n=252). Most of the respondents were relatively young (20-34yrs., 86.1%,), single (61.1%), employed(61.1%) and residents living in big cities(50.9%). About 69.8% of respondents read and 40.5% write apparel reviews frequently or very frequently. 24.6% of the respondents indicated an "average" in their writing frequency. Based on the qualitative result of focus group interviews and previous studies on motives for online community activities, measurement items of motives for writing after-purchase reviews were developed. All items were used a five-point Likert scale with endpoints 1 (strongly disagree) and 5 (strongly agree). The degree of writing behavior was measured by items concerning experience of writing reviews, frequency of writing reviews, amount of writing reviews, and intention of writing reviews. A five-point scale(strongly disagree-strongly agree) was employed. SPSS 18.0 was used for exploratory factor analysis, K-means cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA(Scheffe test) and ${\chi}^2$-test. Confirmatory factor analysis and path model analysis were conducted by AMOS 18.0. By conducting principal components factor analysis (varimax rotation, extracting factors with eigenvalues above 1.0) on the measurement items, five factors were identified: Altruistic information sharing, remedying of a grievance and vengeance, economic incentives, helping new product development, and expression of satisfaction feelings(see Table 1). The measurement model including these final items was analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis. The measurement model had good fit indices(GFI=.918, AGFI=.884, RMR=.070, RMSEA=.054, TLI=.941) except for the probability value associated with the ${\chi}^2$ test(${\chi}^2$=189.078, df=109, p=.00). Convergent validities of all variables were confirmed using composite reliability. All SMC values were found to be lower than AVEs confirming discriminant validity. The path model's goodness-of-fit was greater than the recommended limits based on several indices(GFI=.905, AGFI=.872, RMR=.070, RMSEA=.052, TLI=.935; ${\chi}^2$=260.433, df=155, p=.00). Table 2 shows that motives of altruistic information sharing, economic incentives and helping new product development significantly increased the degree of writing product reviews of online shopping. In particular, the effect of altruistic information sharing and pursuit of economic incentives on the behavior of writing reviews were larger than the effect of helping new product development. As shown in table 3, online store shoppers were classified into three groups: Other consumer advocates (29.8%), self-interested shoppers (40.5%), and moderate shoppers (29.8%). There were significant differences among the three groups in the degree of writing reviews (experience of writing reviews, frequency of writing reviews, amount of writing reviews, intention of writing reviews, and duration of writing reviews, frequency of online shopping) and age. For five aspects of writing behavior, the group of other consumer advocates who is mainly comprised of 20s had higher scores than the other two groups. There were not any significant differences between self-interested group and moderate group regarding writing behavior and demographics.