• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.501-509
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• 2016

The present study investigated the anti-atopic effects of mixed extracts from date plum, persimmon, and mulberry leaves (DPME) on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in hairless mice. The in vivo results demonstrated that DPME treatment significantly reduced the dermatitis clinical score and epidermal thickness in AD-like skin lesions. Histological analyses showed that DPME treatment strongly inhibited dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells and activity of mast cells in AD-like skin lesions. DPME treatment inhibited production of serum IgE and interluekin (IL)-4 in hairless mice with AD. Moreover, DPME treatment significantly suppressed production of tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 cytokines in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187-stimulated HMC-1 human mast cells. In addition, DPME treatment reduced production of pro-inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the anti-atopic and anti-inflammatory effects of DPME may be involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses, suggesting that DPME may be used as an anti-atopic dermatitis material and natural anti-inflammatory ingredient.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 2003

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate 1) the prevalence of depressive symptoms, 2) the severity of depressive symptoms, 3) the correlation of depressive symptoms with clinical variables, and 4) factors that contribute to depressive symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: One hundred eighteen patients with Parkinson's disease referred from the Parkinson's Disease Clinic of Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea, completed a self-administered questionnaire package, which included basic demographic data, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Parkinson's disease quality of life questionnaire, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision(SCL-90-R), and the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In addition, a structured interview and a complete neurological examination, including the Hoehn and Yahr stage, the motor part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale(some selected scales of UPDRS part III), the Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living scale(ADL), and the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination were performed. Results: 1) Based on BDI score, subjects were divided into four groups:severely(40.7%), moderately(13.6%) and mildly(12.7%) depressive and non-depressive(33.1%). 2) The severity of depressive symptom in Parkinson's disease was positively correlated with Hoehn and Yahr(H & Y) stage(r=0.34, p<0.0001), the severity of motor symptom(r=0.35, p<0.0001), and trait anxiety inventory(r=0.33, p<0.001). On the other hand, the severity of depressive symptom was negatively correlated with educational level(r=-0.34, p<0.001), ADL(r=-0.37, p<0.0001) and Parkinson's disease quality of life (PDQL)(r=-0.69, p<0.0001). Among several clinical variables, the PDQL was the most influential factor predicting whether the depressive symptom was present or not. Conclusion: This study suggests that depressive symptom is very prevalent among patients with Parkinson's disease. Data from this study indicate that medical staffs who take care of patients with Parkinson's disease should pay attention to finding and treating depressive symptom among their patients. With appropriate psychiatric intervention, patient's depressive symptom can be minimized or alleviated and thus, the quality of life in these patients is likely enhanced.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.95-113
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to investigate the state of the dental health of adults, used self-reporting qestionnaire as objects of 923 residents living in nine districts at random among the sites of eleven town located in a County. The level of knowledge on dental health of adults in a County was 65.6 points out of 100 points, comparatively low. Accodingly, it is necessary for entire adults to have a dental health-related education and get high standard of knowledge. Especially, educational approach should be performed for groups of 40-49 years old, 50-59 years old, above 60 years old, male, no educational background, having only elementary and middle school education, not having any jobs, engaging in agriculture, doing business on their own and so on. When planning the contents of health education, one actually has to include the habit of amalgam, the factor in influencing on dental health as well as show an example such as how to brush teeth, checking point of proper brushing, how to grip toothbrush. The attitude score related to dental heath was 71.2 points out of 100 points, relatively low. Consequently, the change of attitude related the dental health among entire adults is necessary, particularily, the strategical approach is essential to change dental health connected to attitude positively for groups of male, having high school education background, office workers and the civil service. Besides, among dental health related symtoms, more that 30-40％ of objects showed negative attitude toward as the following cases; in case that plaque or food debris are attached to the teeth (40.8％), upper and lower teeth do not fit together(40.3％), you cannot sleep well because of toothache(31.0％), more than one tooth fall out(31.0％), you have loosing teeth(30.6％), the approach should be conducted to form attitude that dental care is necessry. The state of dental health through dental health related symtoms was 33.3 points out of 100 points, which was fairly satisfactory. However, dental treatment for the state of dental health should be executed in case of comparison of the dental health state according to general characteristics, the group who are above 60 years old, have elementary school education background, engage in aggriculture who are not good in dental health state as opposed to other groups. Furthermore, there should be dental care needs according to dental health related symtoms, particularly, more than 60-70％ of objects have experienced symtoms that plaque or food debris attached to the teeth, tartar is on the teeth so dental treatment should be peformed for a large number of adults. In addition, for the people who have indications that there was a cavity, more than one tooth loss, chilled teeth, toothache when chewing, loose teeth, upper and lower teeth do not fit together, you cannnt sleep well due to the toothach, etc, there should be care through dental treatment. The actual conditions of the hygine of the mouth was relatively good and the difference of the actual state of dental health care in terms of general characteristics showed in only gender; female was more careful in dental health. Comparing the state of oral health synthetically, when they have symtoms, only 34.8％ of objects go to a dentist, 60.7％ are using passive or negative care such as gargling, tolerating or ignoring. There was many symtoms to care through dental therapy such as plaque or food debris get in between the teeth, tartar on the teeth, teeth are very cold, more than one tooth fallout, loose teeth, there is wrong amalgam, and so on, among symtoms to care passively or negatively. Therefore the education for proper treatment program should be performed. As a result of dental health-related knowlege, attitude, health state, verification of correlation between the actual condition of care, the higher the dental heath-related knowldege becomes, the more positive the dental health-related attitude is, and the state of dental health, that is, the standard of the symtom of dental health diminishes. the care for dental health executed through more active method and the more positive dental health-related attitude is, the more active means they performed. Consequently, the high level of dental health-related knowledge should be necessary, the more positive the dental health-related attitude was, the more active method they adopted, therefore, the program is needed to form attitude related to the dental health positively. As the knowledge on dental health is increasing, the attitude is also positive, after all, the plan to increase the standard of knowledge on dental health should be contrived through education program related to dental health.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.12
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• pp.1287-1295
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• 2006

Purpose : The importance of staphylococcal infections in NICU has been emphasized in terms of increased resistant strains and increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we inrestignted the clinical characteristics and risk factors for staphylococcal infections, and looked into sensitivity trends of antibiotics in the era of a high rate of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our society. Methods : This study included 240 neonates with positive blood, urine and other sites cultures for staphylococci who were admitted to NICU of Hanil General Hospital and Kyunghee University Hospital from January 2000 to December 2004. The analyses included clinical characteristics of staphylococcal infections and the relationship of incidence rate among various factors, including invasive procedures. Results : For 5 years, 3,593 patients were hospitalized in the NICU and 7,481 specimens were cultured from blood, urine, and other sites. During the study period, staphylococci were isolated from 240 patients, of whom 88 patients had MRSA, 41 patients methcillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), 63 patients S. epidermidis, 48 patients coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CNS) except S. epidermidis infections. The risk factors associated with staphylococcal infections were less than 37 weeks of gestational age, less than 7 on a 5 minutes Apgar score, receiving TPN, applied mechanical ventilation, use of central venous catheters and other tubes. The sensitivity to vancomycin was 100 percent. A relatively high sensitivity against teicoplanin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, clindamycin and low sensitivity against gentamicin and erythromycin were shown. Conclusion : To reduce staphylococcal infections in NICU, we need to monitor and manage premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process and to avoid as many invasive procedures as possible in NICU. Considering MRSA, control of preceding factors and early use of appropriate antibiotics is expected to reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by MRSA infections.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.507-512
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• 2006

Purpose : Early detection and intervention of hearing impairment is believed to improve speech and language development and behavior of children. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine the prevalence of hearing impairments, and to identify the association of risk factors relating to refer response in high risk neonates who were screened using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). Methods : The subjects included 871 neonates who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the Pediatric Department in Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital from May, 2001 to December, 2004. They were screened using DPOAE. Based on DPOAE, we divided the neonates in two groups : 'Pass' and 'Refer'. The differences in risk factors between the pass group and the refer group were analyzed. Results : The incidence of the refer group was 12.1 percent(106 out of 871). The bilateral refer rate was 5.4 percent(47 out of 871). And the unilateral refer rate was 6.7 percent(59 out of 871). Gender, birth place, family history of hearing loss, small/large for gestational age, obstetrical factor, hyperbilirubinemia and use of gentamicin were not statistically related to the refer rate. Statistically related to refer rate were birth weight, resuscitated neonates, Apgar score, craniofacial anomaly, mechanical ventilator application, sepsis, using of vancomycin(P<0.05). The prevalence of hearing impairment (${\geq}60dB$) in this study was 2 percent(18 out of 871). Conclusion : This study showed a higher prevalence of hearing impairment in high-risk neonates. Thus neonatal hearing screening should be carried out in high-risk neonates.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.922-929
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• 2009

Purpose : The aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics and responses to growth hormone (GH) therapy in children with attenuated growth who showed normal GH responses to GH stimulation tests (GHST). Methods : The study included 39 patients with height velocity (HV) of less than 4 cm/yr and normal GHST results. Clinical characteristics of patients were analyzed retrospectively. Results : Eleven were born as small for gestational age (SGA) and 28 as appropriate for age (AGA). In the SGA group, the standard deviation score (SDS) of age and height measured at their first visit was significantly low. Sixteen patients were treated with GH and six of 23 without GH therapy were followed for 1 year after GHST. The mean (range) of HV was 7.7 (4.9 to 11.1) cm/yr in patients with GH therapy and 3.7 (2.7 to 4.5) cm/yr in those without GH therapy, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). In the GH-treated group, HV and difference in height SDS during the treatment increased significantly (P<0.001; P< 0.001, respectively). HV increased after 1 year of GH therapy in the SGA and AGA groups (SGA, P=0.043; AGA, P=0.003). The level of Insulin-like growth factor-I was significantly lower in GH-treated patients with height SDS <-3 than those with ${\geq}3$ (P=0.023). Conclusion : In children with growth failure and normal GHST, HV increases significantly by short-term GH therapy. The assessment of long-term effects of GH therapy is necessary. Moreover, further studies should be considered to evaluate the GH-IGF-I axis due to the possibility of GH insensitivity syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.116-123
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• 1999

Objectives : The authors attempted to assess how much the mechanism of dissociation affects somatization disorder patients psychopathologically, and explore the relationship between sexual or physical abuse and somatic symptoms in somatization disorder patients. Methods : The authors administered the Dissociative Experiences Scales-Korean version(DESK) and Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule to 25 patients with somatization disorder and 51 normal subjects. Results : There were no significant demographic differences between patient and control groups. The mean score of DES-K for patient group was 18.2, and 10.0 for the control group. The percentage of the individuals with high scores(20 and over) was 36.0 in the patient group and 7.8 in the control group, respectively. The percentage of the individuals with sexual and/or physical abuse was 16.0 in the patient group and zero in the control group. Our results showed that DES-K scores were not influenced by the factor of age or religion in either group, but the scores of the patients with somatization disorder were significantly higher than those in the normal subjects. Conclusion : There was an implication that the mechanism of dissociation affects issues of psychopathogenesis and psychopathology in Korean patients with somatization disorder, even though they have different sociocultural backgrounds in comparison to Western patients. The authors suggest it is useful to focus attention on childhood abuse and dissociation in the evaluation and dynamic psychotherapy of patients with somatization disorder.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate burden, job satisfaction and quality of life of nurses who take care of cancer patients. Methods: The subjects were 237 nurses working at the oncology unit of hospitals with over 500 beds in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Data were collected using questionnaire from the February to March, 2005. Data were analyzed through t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression using SAS. Results: 1. The item that showed the highest level of burden was 'I feel limited even if I make efforts to reduce patients' pain. 'Burden was high in those group both who were younger than 35 years old and who had clinical experiences caring cancer patients for $3{\sim}4$ years. 2. The item that showed the lowest level of job satisfaction was 'the possibility of promotion'. Job satisfaction was high in those group both who had a spouse and were head nurses or incharge nurses. 3. The item that showed the lowest level of quality of life was 'I am physically exhausted'. Over 35 years old who had a spouse, and over 2,000,000 won monthly income made a high score in the quality of life. 4. There were negative correlations among burden, iob satisfaction and the quality of life. 5. The major factor affecting the quality of life was burden. Conclusion: The results of this study are expected to be utilized as basic data for developing support system to improve nurses' work conditions and quality of life.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how many of our patients who had had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction returned to their previous levels of sports and to identify why not doing so. Material and Methods: We evaluated 43 knees with a minimum of two years follow-up among whom undergoing 109 ACL reconstruction from September 2003. The mean age of patients was 26 years (17 to 45 years) Clinical results was evaluated according to the Lysholm Knee scores, Tegner activity score, subjective IKDC questionnaires, objective IKDC evaluation form and KT-1000 arthrometer. Results: The overall clinical results demonstrated significant improvement at the final follow-up comparing to preoperative data (P<0.05). Among 43 patients, 25 patients (58%) returned to their previous level of sports and 18 patients (42%) did not. Of whom, 11 patients (61%) were not able to return to sports due to fear to re-injury and 7 patients (39%) suffered from instability and pain. The differences in the Lysholm Scores, KT-1000 arthrometer and subjective IKDC in the 3 groups of patients by ANOVA test were found to be statistically significant (P<0.001). Although there is no difference in objective IKDC and KT-1000 arthrometer, the difference was observed in Tegner activities, subjective IKDC obtained by those who returned to sport and those who had fear to reinjury (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that a quater of patients could not return to their previous level of sport after ACL reconstruction because of fear to reinjury. We thought that not only improving the technique of ACL reconstruction and systemic rehabilitation but also considering psychological factor of patients could allow more patients to return to the previous level of sports.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.162-174
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• 2017

This study is descriptive research conducted to determine the levels of depression, emotional intelligence, and psychological well-being of nurses employed in small-and medium-sized hospitals, as well as to identify the correlations of these variables, predict factors influencing nurses' psychological well-being, and finally, test the mediating effects of emotional intelligence in the relationship between depression and psychological well-being. The subjects of the study included 336 nurses employed in small-and medium-sized hospitals located in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. Using a structured questionnaire, a sample was taken from December 17, 2016 to January 8, 2017. The results that the nurses showed an average level of depression with a mean score of 1.55 points, while their mean scores of emotional intelligence and psychological well-being were above average (3.05 and 3.51 scores, respectively). Depression exhibited negative (-) correlations with emotional intelligence and psychological well-being, whereas emotional intelligence had a positive (+) correlation with psychological well-being. The significant predictors of psychological well-being were found to include sleep hours (${\beta}=0.111$), working department (${\beta}=0.236$), and depression (${\beta}=-0.245$). Moreover, evaluation of the mediating effects of emotional intelligence revealed significant relationships between depression and regulation of emotion (${\beta}=0.527$) and between depression and emotional utilization (${\beta}=0.167$). In conclusion, the work environment and depression were predicted to be major factors influencing psychological well-being, while emotional intelligence was found to be a partially mediating factor. Overall, these results demonstrate that easing depression and improving emotional intelligence can be very positive countermeasures in revitalizing the hospital organization, as well as in ensuring the happiness of individual nurses. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving work environments and easing depression are required to improve nurses' psychological well-being.