• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.449-456
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• 2018

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. In lower Human Development Index countries, it has the second highest incidence and mortality among cancer in women. Therefore, better diagnosis and treatment systems are needed. Among them, estrogen receptor alpha ($ER-{\alpha}$) mRNA expression has been analyzed with RT-qPCR since several studies reported that $ER-{\alpha}$ is necessary in the maturation of the uterus and is related to cervical cancer. In this study, $ER-{\alpha}$ quantitative analysis was performed on various lesions and normal tissue samples. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, its sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 75%, respectively, showing higher or similar results to those of conventional HPV tests. In addition, its expression level was analyzed with clinical information. With regression analysis, the R square value between the $ER-{\alpha}$ mRNA expression level and menopause status was 0.5041, indicating a strong correlation. This study was performed as part of a pilot study and suggests that $ER-{\alpha}$ is related to carcinogenesis. Future studies will examine other hormones and menopausal factors with a larger sample size.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to understand the vegetation characteristics of ridges (Gyeongsusan-Seonunsan-Gaeipalsan) in the Seonunsan Provincial Park and to establish reference information for the management of the park in the future. We designated 62 plots with the area of $100m^2$ were installed and analyzed them to investigate the vegetation characteristics. The results of community classification based on TWINSPAN showed seven categories of vegetation communities in the surveyed region: Quercus dentata-Deciduous broad-leaved Community, Quercus variabilis-Pinus thunbergii-Quercus serrata Community, Pinus densiflora Community, Deciduous broad-leaved Community-I, Carpinus tschonoskii-Castanea crenata-Quercus aliena Community, Deciduous broad-leaved Community-II, and Carpinus tschonoskii-Carpinus laxiflora Community. In the vegetation of Seonunsan Provincial Park, coniferous trees such as Pinus thunbergii and Pinus densiflora have been gradually losing their population as part of ecological succession to deciduous broad-leaved trees such as Quercus spp., Carpinus tschonoskii, and Carpinus laxiflora. Moreover, Carpinus turczaninowii, Mallotus japonicus, and others were identified as vegetation reflecting the geographical characteristics of the region neighboring the west coast. The estimated age is 30-60 years, and the oldest tree Pinus densiflora is 63-years old. The index of diversity ($100m^2$) was 0.7942 for Carpinus tschonoskii-Carpinus laxiflora Community, 0.8406 for Carpinus tschonoskii-Castanea crenata-Quercus aliena Community, 0.8543 for Quercus dentata-Deciduous broad-leaved Community, 0.9434 for Quercus variabilis-Pinus thunbergii-Quercus serrata Community, 0.9520 for Deciduous broad-leaved Community-I, 0.9633 for Pinus densiflora Community, and 1.0340 for Deciduous broad-leaved Community-II in the ascending order.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.613-628
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the health anxiety issues of middle-aged women, their health-promoting behavior, and quality of life as well as to examine the relationship between these variables. Methods: The participants were 334 women in Jeonbuk area. Demographic characteristics, the status of health anxiety, health-promoting behavior, and life quality was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a t-test, analysis of variance, Duncan test, and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS ver. 24.0. Results: The score for health anxiety was 37.64 points out of a possible score of 60, and the score for health-promoting behavior was 79.18 points out of a possible score of 115. The score for the quality of life was 101.18 points out of a possible score of 150. The health anxiety scores showed significant differences, varying as per body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.05), income (p < 0.05), occupation (p < 0.05), disease (p < 0.05), satisfaction with weight (p < 0.05), and interest in weight control (p < 0.05). The health-promoting behavior showed significant differences according to age (p < 0.01), BMI (p < 0.01), income (p < 0.05), menses (p < 0.05), intake of dietary supplements (p < 0.05), perception of body image (p < 0.05), and satisfaction with weight (p < 0.05). The quality of life showed significant differences according to BMI (p < 0.05), income (p < 0.01), education level (p < 0.05), occupation (p < 0.05), disease (p < 0.05), and satisfaction with weight (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that health-promoting behavior was the most influential variable on the quality of life, followed by disease and health anxiety. Conclusion: Based on these results, we conclude that it is necessary to consider educational programs on improving the quality of life of middle-aged women according to the health anxiety levels and health-promoting behavior.

• Korean journal of health promotion
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.109-118
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• 2017

Background: Abdominal obesity as measured by waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) may have stronger and inverse associations with cardiovascular (CV) health than overall obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI). However, there was some challenges for controversies. We aimed to examine the associations of WHtR and BMI with CV health among Korean children using data of the 2010-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with the sample of 2,363 children by analyzing by gender and two-age groups (10-12 and 13-18 years). Overall obesity was categorized into 3 groups by BMI percentile: non-overweight (<85), overweight (${\geq}85$), and obesity groups (${\geq}95$). Abdominal obesity was categorized into 2 groups by WHtR: normal (<0.5) and abdominal obesity groups (${\geq}0.5$). The CV health score was defined as a z-score by calculating the sum of 7 CV factors. Results: The overweight/obesity groups had significantly lower CV health scores than the normal group (P<0.05) in boys and girls aged either 10-12 years or 13-18 years after adjusting for covariates. The abdominal obesity group also showed significantly lower CV health scores than the normal group (P<0.05) in all the groups; this significant association remained significant in boys aged 13-18 years even after further adjusting for BMI category (P<0.01). Conclusions: Among boys aged 13-18 years, abdominal obesity as measured by WHtR was significantly and inversely associated with CV health, independent of BMI category. Therefore, it should be considered to assess the level of abdominal obesity as a measure of CV health in late adolescent boys.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2021

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate quality of life, severity of depression, suicidality, subjective health and subjective stress of depression with subjective cognitive decline in Korean adults. Methods : We used the 7th KNHANES data to enroll 415 participants with a score of 10 or higher on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), aged 20-64. Depression was divided into two groups based on the presence/absence of subjective cognitive decline. Demographic and psychological characteristics were compared between two groups. Correlation analysis of subjective cognitive decline, quality of life, depression, suicidal idea was carried out. To detect which variables influenced quality of life, a multiple regression analysis was carried out. Results : Among the 415 participants, 98 had depression with subjective cognitive decline. We identified significant differences in age, marital status, education, employment between the two groups. After adjusting for these variables, depression with subjective cognitive decline had lower EuroQol-5D index scores, more severe depressive symptoms without cognition and worse subjective health than depression without cognitive decline. There was a significant correlation between subjective cognitive decline and quality of life (r=-0.236, p<0.001), suicidal idea (r=0.182, p<0.001), depression score without cognition (r=0.108, p=0.028). Through multiple regression analysis, subjective cognitive decline was predictor of reduced quality of life (β=-0.178, p<0.001). Conclusions : Depression with subjective cognitive decline has poor quality of life and severe depression. Cognitive decline should be considered to improve treatment result in depression.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.391-397
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• 2021

Purpose: Tranexamic acid (TXA) can reduce perioperative blood loss and the frequency of blood transfusions in lower extremity surgery. On the other hand, the effects of TXA on reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) remain undetermined. This study evaluated the efficacy of TXA on perioperative blood loss, transfusion requirements, and the change in the hemotologic index. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated patients who underwent rTSA from September 2009 to July 2020. The patients were classified into two groups. The TXA group were administered TXA intravenously and topical TXA during surgery. The non-TXA group was not administered TXA. The quantity of hemovac drainage, which represented the postoperative blood loss, transfusion requirements, and postoperative change in hemoglobin and hematocrit level, were recorded. Results: The TXA and non-TXA groups consisted of 93 and 84 patients, respectively. The preoperative demographics showed no significant differences in age (72.0±7.0 vs. 71.5±5.8, p=0.656), sex (male:female, 28:65 vs. 23:61, p=0.689) and the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes (hypertension:diabetes:both, 36:3:13 vs. 32:3:8, p=0.806) between the two groups. There were significant differences in the requirements of transfusion (0 vs. 9, p=0.001), hemovac drainage at the 1^st (98.8±61.2 ml vs. 162.7±98.8 ml, p<0.001), the 2^nd postoperative day (73.8±48.4 ml vs. 91.5±54.5 ml, p=0.024), hemoglobin level at the 1^st (11.7±1.2 g/dl vs. 11.2±1.4 g/dl, p=0.048), 3^rd (10.9±1.2 g/dl vs. 10.2±1.2 g/dl, p<0.001), and 6^th (11.2±1.3 g/dl vs. 10.7±1.3 g/dl, p=0.020) postoperative day, and the hematocrit level at the 1^st (35.0%±3.6% vs. 32.5%±3.8%, p=0.001), 3^rd (32.3%±5.0% vs. 29.8%±3.6%, p<0.001), and 6^th (33.5%±3.8% vs. 31.5%±3.7%, p<0.001) postoperative day between the two groups. Conclusion: Intravenous and topical intra-articular TXA can reduce the transfusion requirement and blood loss in rTSA.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.543-557
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• 2022

Purpose: Conditions that limit activity constitute one of the important factors that threaten the health of the elderly. This study sought to analyze the dietary habits and nutritional intake status of the Korean elderly who were faced with activity limitations. Methods: Utilizing data from the 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we classified 1,383 elderly people aged 65 and over into 2 groups: those with activity limitations (n = 222, LG) and those without (n = 1,161, NG). We conducted a comparative analysis of the general characteristics, dietary habits, intake of major food groups, energy, and major nutrients. The nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), index of nutritional quality (INQ), and healthy eating practices were also analyzed. Complex sampling analysis was utilized for all the analyses with energy intake and socio-demographic variables adjusted. Results: The average age (73.8 years) of members of the LG was higher than those of the NG (72.6 years; p = 0.010). A higher percentage of participants in the LG lived alone (28.1%) compared to those in NG (17.2%; p = 0.004). The LG participants tended to regard their health status as "bad" or "very bad" (62.7%) more often than those in the NG (19.3%; p < 0.001). The LG subjects ate breakfast less frequently (p = 0.054) and ate out significantly less often than the NG subjects (p < 0.001). The LG subjects ate more grain (p = 0.001), fewer seeds (p = 0.014) and vegetables (p = 0.039). Carbohydrate made up a large percentage of their energy intake (p = 0.026). The LG subjects had significantly lower NARs of energy (p = 0.021), protein (p = 0.031), and riboflavin (p = 0.037). The LG participants also had a significantly lower rate of healthy eating practices (22.7%) compared to those in the NG (37.8%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Activity-limited elderly, despite their need for appropriate dietary management, were poorly nourished. They were likely to live alone, thereby making it hard to provide them with social support. Hence, there is a need to provide nutrition education and policy support for the elderly bearing the burden of limited activity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2023

Purpose: Childhood obesity has become a social problem due to the social distancing necessitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the dietary problems of obese children through various dietary assessment methods and to confirm the usefulness of each method. Methods: The subjects were 88 students in the 4th to 6th grade of elementary school who participated in the nutrition camp organised by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, 2020. To evaluate dietary problems and assess diet quality, 24-hour meal records, monthly food intake frequency, and Dietary Screening Test (DST) data were analyzed. Results: Of the subjects, 15.7%, 30.3%, and 53.9% were normal weight, overweight, and obese, respectively. The average age was 11.77 ± 0.77 years and the average body mass index was 23.96 ± 3.01 kg/m². It was observed from the 24-hour meal record method that the overweight and obese subject groups consumed fewer green vegetables (p < 0.001) and white vegetables (p < 0.01) than the normal weight group. In the monthly food intake frequency method, the consumption of ramen (p < 0.01), snacks (p < 0.05), and sausages (p < 0.05) were high in the obese group, and that of anchovies, broccoli, and sweet pumpkin was high in the normal group (p < 0.05). The comparative data from the DST revealed that the overweight and obese groups had less vegetable intake than the normal weight group (p < 0.01) and had higher intakes of dairy products, fast food, and sweet snacks (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The usefulness of each method in the dietary evaluation of obese children was confirmed. To address the problem of obesity, it is necessary to evaluate the dietary problem and approach it with a customized solution tailor-made for the individual subject.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.327-335
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• 2019

Purpose: To investigate the radiological efficacy of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) augmentation of pedicle screw operation in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty OVCF patients, who underwent only posterior fusion using pedicle screws with PMMA augmentation, were included in the study. The mean follow-up period was 15.6 months. The demographic data, bone mineral density (BMD), fusion segments, number of pedicle screws, and amount of PMMA were reviewed as medical records. To analyze the radiological outcomes, the radiologic parameters were measured as the time serial follow-up (preoperation, immediately postoperation, postoperation 6 weeks, 3, 6 months, and 1 year follow-up). Results: A total of 20 patients were examined (16 females [80.0%]; mean age, 69.1±8.9 years). The average BMD was -2.5±0.9 g/cm². The average cement volume per vertebral body was 6.3 ml. The mean preoperative Cobb angle of focal kyphosis was 32.7°±7.0° and was improved significantly to 8.7°±6.9° postoperatively (p<0.001), with maintenance of the correction at the serial follow-up, postoperatively. The Cobb angle of instrumented kyphosis, wedge angle, and sagittal index showed similar patterns. In addition, the anterior part of fractured vertebral body height averaged 11.0±5.0 mm and was improved to 18.5±5.7 mm postoperatively (p=0.006), with maintenance of the improvement at the 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: The reinforcement of pedicle screws using PMMA augmentation may be a feasible surgical technique for OVCF. Moreover, it appears to be appropriate for improving the focal thoracolumbar/lumbar kyphosis and is maintained well after surgery.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.254-267
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Although the shortage of donor is a common problem worldwide, a significant portion of unutilized hearts are classified as marginal donor (MD) hearts. However, research on the correlation between the MD and the prognosis of heart transplantation (HTx) is lacking. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical impact of MD in HTx. Methods: Consecutive 73 HTxs during 2014 and 2021 in a tertiary hospital were analyzed. MD was defined as follows; a donor age >55 years, left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, cold ischemic time >240 minutes, or significant cardiac structural problems. Preoperative characteristics and postoperative hemodynamic data, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), and the survival rate were analyzed. Risk stratification by Index for Mortality Prediction after Cardiac Transplantation (IMPACT) score was performed to examine the outcomes according to the recipient state. Each group was sub-divided into 2 risk groups according to the IMPACT score (low <10 vs. high ≥10). Results: A total of 32 (43.8%) patients received an organ from MDs. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was more frequent in the non-MD group (34.4% vs. 70.7, p=0.007) There was no significant difference in PGD, 30-day mortality and long-term survival between groups. In the subgroup analysis, early outcomes did not differ between low- and high-risk groups. However, the long-term survival was better in the low-risk group (p=0.01). Conclusions: The outcomes of MD group were not significantly different from non-MD group. Particularly, in low-risk recipient, the MD group showed excellent early and long-term outcomes. These results suggest the usability of selected MD hearts without increasing adverse events.