• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Objectives: By the end of the 2000s, the economic situation in many European countries started to deteriorate, generating financial uncertainty, social insecurity and worse health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the recent financial crisis has affected the lifestyle health determinants and behaviours of older adults living in the Mediterranean islands. Methods: From 2005 to 2015, a population-based, multi-stage convenience sampling method was used to voluntarily enrol 2749 older adults (50% men) from 20 Mediterranean islands and the rural area of the Mani peninsula. Lifestyle status was evaluated as the cumulative score of four components (range, 0 to 6), that is, smoking habits, diet quality (MedDietScore), depression status (Geriatric Depression Scale) and physical activity. Results: Older Mediterranean people enrolled in the study from 2009 onwards showed social isolation and increased smoking, were more prone to depressive symptoms, and adopted less healthy dietary habits, as compared to their counterparts participating earlier in the study (p<0.05), irrespective of age, gender, several clinical characteristics, or socioeconomic status of the participants (an almost 50% adjusted increase in the lifestyle score from before 2009 to after 2009, p<0.001). Conclusions: A shift towards less healthy behaviours was noticeable after the economic crisis had commenced. Public health interventions should focus on older adults, particularly of lower socioeconomic levels, in order to effectively reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disease at the population level.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the attributes of self-help groups, their antecedents and consequences relating to self-help groups. Methods: We used the Walker and Avant (2010) method using the key word "self-help groups" the Korea Education and Research Information Service (www.riss4u.net), Pubmed, CINAHL and ProQuest for articles on this topic published between January 2000 and March 2013 were searched. Ultimately, 64 domestic and 21 foreign papers were selected for in-depth analysis. Results: The attributes of self-help groups are as follows: 1) members share common experiences and are supportive of each other; 2) members set goals for individual change; 3) groups are self-monitoring; 4) groups learn problem-solving processes through voluntary and active participation; and 5) groups are small and meet regularly. The antecedents of self-help groups are as follows: 1) an intervention by an expert; 2) a diagnosis of their illness; 3) motivation to change individuals' state; and 4) educational desire. The consequences of self-help groups are the relief of symptoms, the improvement of physiological parameters and quality of life, the decrease in depression, stress, and anxiety, the improvement of illness-related knowledge and self-help activity, and a change in beliefs. Conclusion: Self-help groups can be used as an intervention strategy to help people with chronic illness manage their own problems.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.197-220
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• 1997

The lack of a comprehensive theory describing the mechanism of adaptation scientifically has been one of the limiting factors for the development of nursing intervention of patients with chronic illness. Since Roy's theory provides the general conceptual framework depicting adaptation process with structural stimuli and control mechanism, it is appropriate to understand the process of adaptation. But in Roy's theory, the propositions about cognator and regulator as control mechanisms are not clearly defined. For this reason, most of the previous researches applying the Roy's theory have disregarded the study of cognator and regulator. For the patients with chronic illness such as rheumatoid arthritis, it was reported that adaptation states were different for the same stimuli due to the difference of the control mechanism. Moreover in nursing it is important to identify the control mechanism which can be and must be intervened by nurses. It was the Lazarus and Folkman's theory that proposed the control mechanism. They suggested that individual differences in the reaction against the perceived stress are due to the difference in appraisal and coping. Therefore, the synthesis of Roy's and Lazarus and Folkman's propositions might help to clearly understand the mechanism of adaptation. From this point, a theoretical framework has been developed and tested. The subjects were the 297 patients who had been diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and attended the outpatient clinic. A hypothetical prediction model of adaptation was tested by the covariance structure analysis with PC-LISREL 7.13. As a result, the overall fit was good($x^2$=78.83, p=0.00 ; GFI=0.96 : AGFI=0.90 ; RMR=0.04) for the hypothetical model. In the final model added GA(5, 1), the overall fit was increased ($x^2$=57.82, p=0.003 ; GFI=0.97 ; AGFI=0.93 : RMR=0.036). Except the fact that illness symptoms affected physical adaptation directly, it was supported that focal and contextual stimuli affected physical and psychosocial adaptation through appraisal and coping. Therefore, it was asserted that the synthesis of two theory's propositions was appropriate. So this model would be useful for the theoretical framework in the nursing practice. And this study synthesizing and testing the theory might contribute to establish nursing's scientific base.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.49-70
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• 2021

Objectives : This study was conducted to approve the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine on presbycusis with kidney deficiency. Methods : We searched randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on presbycusis patients diagnosed with kidney deficiency through 10 electronic databases from the start to Sep 7, 2021. Study collection and data extraction, and evaluation of risk of bias were conducted by two independent collaborator. The evaluation of the risk of bias in included RCTs was carried out by using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. And the data synthesis was conducted by using Review Manager(RevMan, ver.5.4). Results : 1. The treatment group which used herbal medicine(HM) alone was more effective than the control group which used only western medicine(WM) on effective rate of hearing loss. 2. In 3 studies comparing the HM-WM combination treatment group with the control groups using the same WM treatment, the effective rate was statistically significantly higher in the HM-WM combination treatment group. 3. Of the 5 studies that reported adverse reactions, one study reported mild nausea and dizziness, but the difference between the HM treatment group and the WM control group was not statistically significant, and no side effects occurred in other 3 studies. 4. In studies comparing HM and WM, the HM treatment group improved hearing loss, whole blood viscosity, serum TNF-𝛼, IL-1𝛽, IL-6, and oxidative stress indicators better than the WM control group, and there was no significant difference. 5. In studies comparing the HM-WM treatment group with the WM control group, the severity of tinnitus, quality of life, and feelings of anxiety and depression were better in the treatment group than the control group. Conclusions : This study shows that the herbal medicine can improve symptoms of presbycusis with kidney deficiency.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2023

Urinary incontinence (UI), affecting 3%-11% of males and 25%-45% of females globally, is expected to rise with an aging population. It significantly impacts mental health, causing depression, stress, and reduced quality of life. UI can exacerbate psychiatric conditions, affecting treatment compliance and effectiveness. It is categorized into transient and chronic types. Transient UI, often reversible, is caused by factors summarized in the acronym DIAPPERS: Delirium, Infection, Atrophic urethritis/vaginitis, Psychological disorders, Pharmaceuticals, Excess urine output, Restricted mobility, Stool impaction. Chronic UI includes stress, urge, mixed, overflow, functional, and persistent incontinence. Drug-induced UI, a transient form, is frequently seen in psychiatric treatment. Antipsychotics, antidepressants, and other psychiatric medications can cause UI through various mechanisms like affecting bladder muscle tone, altering nerve reflexes, and inducing other conditions like diabetes or epilepsy. Specific drugs like lithium and valproic acid have also been linked to UI, though mechanisms are not always clear. Managing UI in psychiatric patients requires careful monitoring of urinary symptoms and judicious medication management. If a drug is identified as the cause, options include discontinuing, reducing, or adjusting the dosage. In cases where medication continuation is necessary, additional treatments like desmopressin, oxybutynin, trihexyphenidyl, or amitriptyline may be considered.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.419-430
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• 2016

Powdery mildew disease caused by Podosphaera xanthii is a major concern for Cucumis melo production worldwide. Knowledge on genetic behavior of the related genes and their modulating phytohormones often offer the most efficient approach to develop resistance against different diseases. Mildew Resistance Locus O (MLO) genes encode proteins with seven transmembrane domains that have significant function in plant resistance to powdery mildew fungus. We collected 14 MLO genes from ‘Melonomics’ database. Multiple sequence analysis of MLO proteins revealed the existence of both evolutionary conserved cysteine and proline residues. Moreover, natural genetic variation in conserved amino acids and their replacement by other amino acids are also observed. Real-time quantitative PCR expression analysis was conducted for the leaf samples of P. xanthii infected and phyto-hormones (methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid) treated plants in melon ‘SCNU1154’ line. Upon P. xanthii infection using 7 different races, the melon line showed variable disease reactions with respect to spread of infection symptoms and disease severity. Three out of 14 CmMLO genes were up-regulated and 7 were down-regulated in leaf samples in response to all races. The up- or down-regulation of the other 4 CmMLO genes was race-specific. The expression of 14 CmMLO genes under methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid application was also variable. Eleven CmMLO genes were up-regulated under salicylic acid treatment, and 7 were up-regulated under methyl jasmonate treatments in C. melo L. Taken together, these stress-responsive CmMLO genes might be useful resources for the development of powdery mildew disease resistant C. melo L.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.199-210
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• 2006

The epidemiological researches on the inpatients hospitalized at the oral medicine ward have been continuously carried out since 1970, and most researches have been performed by centering around the oral medicine wards of college hospitals. Numerous specialists have been produced after the establishment of oral medicine, and they have been active in various fields. As dental clinics have gotten bigger, the function of oral medicine in the secondary clinics is being brought out. As admissive channel, case features, case composition and otherwise have not been researched for a long time, the related researches should be carried out from now on. Hereupon, this study was carried out by targeting the 100 inpatients hospitalized at the oral medicine ward of Sun Hospital located in Daejeon Korea, through questionnaire. As the result, the following results were derived. 1. The ages of the inpatients in Sun Hospital were $29.21{\pm}11.31$ on the average; 71 females' mean average was $29.63{\pm}11.29$ and 29 males' mean average was $28.17{\pm}11.48$. In regard of school career, the patients who finished high-school course or higher accounted for 78%; the patients' school career seemed to be relatively high. The patients who complained of temporomandibular pain accounted for the highest proportion with 65%. In motivation to visit this hospital, internet surfing was 11%, mass media was 10%, acquaintance's introduction was 38%. The patients, who were hospitalized at another hospital due to the same symptom, accounted for 56%. The dental clinics, which made the patients visit this hospital, accounted for 20%. The patients, who were previously aware that the present symptom should be treated by oral medicine, accounted for 38%. The patients, who were not aware of the fact in advance, were 62%. The respondents of 51% answered that they were aware of the fact one month or below before hospitalization. 2. The patients, who complained of craniocervical ache, accounted for 58%; the patients, whose ache aches affect dailylife, were 22%. Continuous ache was 14% and intermittent ache was 68%, and dull pain was 23%. 3. Life variations were compared with each other by using SRRS (Social Readjustment Rating Scale). In consequence, the variation within 3 years indicated a significant difference in the both groups but the variation within 6 months did not indicate any differences. 4. In regard of the questionnaire on the incidents happened for a week, the ache-group was compared with the group free from the ache. As the result, the number of strain arisen for a week, the decrease of favorite works and sudden fear indicated a significant difference. Pleasant feeling and the decrease of interests in looks did not indicate a significant difference, but came close to the significance. 5. In the questionnaire on impatience, the ache-group indicated higher value but there was not a significant difference. 6. In the questionnaire on the symptoms caused by stress, the two groups indicated significant differences in the item of 'the teethridge itches and feels a tooth rising' and 'the occiput or the nape is stiff.' In the item 'the inside of the cheek or the teethridge are widely peeled off, accompanied with ache and hemorrhage', 'the face has acne or pimple' and 'headache frequently attacks', a significant difference was not observed but the two groups came close to the significance.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.391-400
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• 2005

Special Practitioner exists based on the need for special fields that are required to manage difficult patients with specialized skills distinguished from General practitioner. The purpose of dental specialist system is to manage patients who are not treatable by general practitioner by training doctors specializing in one specific field, thereby, enhancing health of the public. Oral Medicine deals with orofacial pain, oral soft tissue disease, forensic dentistry, oral diagnosis. In these days, living environments of city life bring about increase in stress which ultimately lead to increase in prevalence of temporomandibular disorder, oral soft tissue disease, neuropathies such as trigeminal neuralgia, and hence, the number of patients seeking help of those symptoms tend to increase. The purpose of this study was to analyze the rate of referrals and the routes of patients seeking help by investigating 3,707 patients who visited Department of Oral Medicine, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, from August, 2004 to April, 2005. The results were as follows: 1. The types of disease referred to the Department of Oral Medicine were orofacial pain, oral soft tissue disease, forensic dentistry, oral diagnosis. 2. The rate of referrals was 58.51% which implies that more than half of the patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine were referred. 3. The types of institution which made referrals were analyzed, and as a result, dental clinics made most of the referrals with the rate of 83.23%, while that from medical or oriental medical institutions was 16.78%. 4. Among the patients who visited the Department of Oral Medicine on their own, 30.52% gained the information about the Department of Oral Medicine from internet and mass media, and from neighbors. From the above results, most of the patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine were found to be referred not only from the field of dentistry but also from the field of medicine. These suggest that Oral Medicine manages patients who are not treatable by general dental practitioners, and medical specialists tend to cooperate with the Department of Oral Medicine to manage diseases associated with Oral Medicine. Therefore, the role of Oral Medicine can be considered to be important as a special field, and the results of this study should be considered when working out a policy of Dental specialist system on demand and supply of residents in the future.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.122-136
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• 2000

Chronic illness requiring attention and management during a long period of time puts great burden onto patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing social support is the most important, and the fundamental support comes from their spouses. Amount and quality of support from spouses seems to differentiated according to the sex of patients. Female patients tend to believe that their spouses are not very supportive. Therefore, the researchers assessed the burden of husbands of female arthritis patients to discover the factors that result in greater burden. Also, they developed a theoretical model of husbands′ care for their wives through a qualitative research into husbands′ experience. Method 1: The study material was 650 female arthritis patients registered in an arthritis clinic. The questionnaire about the disease experience of female arthritis patients and the burden of husbands were sent. Returned questionnaires numbered 210(32.3%) and 27 were excluded because of inadequate answers. The remaining 183 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 51 years and the mean age of spouses was 55 years. The mean marital period was 28 years. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.1 years. Education level was varied from primary school to graduate school, and average income/month was 1,517,300 won. Method 2: Initial questionnaire studies on the burden of husbands were performed. Among 183 responding husbands, 23 consented to participate for a qualitative research. Data was obtained by direct and telephone interviews. The mean age of participants was 58 years, and the educational level and socioeconomic status also varied. Result: 1. Husbands′ burden: The average burden was 57.68 with a range of 6-96. 2. Burden and general characteristics: The husband′s burden correlated with the age of the patients, numbers in the family, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and the husband′s understanding of the level of severity. 3. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands′ burden is explained in 22.5% by husband′s recognition of level of severity and husbands′ age. 4. There were four patterns of the burden on husbands: both objectve burden and subjective burden were high(pattern I), both of objectve burden and subjective burden were low(pattern II), objective burden was high but subjective burden was low(pattern III), objective burden was low but subjective burden was high(pattern IV). The pattern was correlated with the family income, educational level of the patients and their husbands, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and husband′s understanding of level of severity. 5. The core category of the caring experience of the husbands with arthritis patients was "companionship". The causal factor was the patients′ experience due to symptoms : physical disfigurement, pain, immobility, limitation of house chores, and limitation of social activities. Contextural factors are husbands′ identification of housework and husbands′ concern about the disease. The mediating factors are economic problems, fear of aging, feeling of limitation and family support. The strategy for interaction is mind control and how to solve emotional stress. The "companionship" resulted from caring activities, participation of household activities, helping patients′ to coping with emotional experience. 6. Companionship is established through the process of entering intervention, and caring state of mind. Entering intervention is the phase of participation of therapy and involvement of houseworks. The caring phase consists of decision on therapy, providing therapy, providing direct care, and taking over the household role of wife. Through caring phase, the changing phase set a stage in which husbands consolidate the relationship with their wives, and are reminded of the meaning of marriage. As a result, in changing phase, husbands′ companionship is enhanced. In conclusion, nursing care of chronic illnesses should include a family member especially the spouse. All information on disease shoud be provided to patients and whole family member. Strong support should also be provided to overcome difficulties in taking over role of other sex. Then the quality of life of patients and families will be much improved.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.199-212
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• 2001

This research, aiming at analyzing the Emergency Medical Technicians' duties prior to establishing a baseline for question development in the national exams to qualify for the EMTs, investigated the importance and frequency per unit specified in the description with the EMTs to be subjects working on the task spot by means of questionnaires. The EMT duties were classified into 9 items like 1) the notification and response, 2) the scene size-up, 3) the patient assessment, 4) the emergency care, 5) the patient transport, 6) the duties at hospital clinics, 7) the operational management, 8) the receiving and responding to a call, 9) the self-development, and put the functional tasks into 52 items, describing the task elements into 177 items, and then questioned 112 EMTs working on the spot from July 21 through August 30, 2000, which showed the following results. 1) The distribution of subjects' career showed the highest rate with 33.9% for those who careered "less than a year", only 13.4% for those with more than 4 years and the highest rate with 43.8% for those who aged at 20-25. And 70.5% of all those who were questioned was the junior college graduates, 58.9% for those working at fire station and 29.5% working at hospital clinics. 2) Looking at the distribution of frequency and importance for each task element, questioning 'the patients main symptoms', 'accidental type', 'place of the patients identification' showed the highest rate in both frequency and importance in the field of "notification and response". 3) In the "scene size-up", identifying the patients showed the highest rate of frequency and importance, compared to other field of tasks, among which "identifying the patients' state" showed the highest rate of frequency (2.66) and importance (2.81). 4) In the "patient assessment", "identifying the patients" showed the high rate of frequency and importance in most elements of task, especially the importance showed the highest rate with 2.83 for the task of airway management and the cervical immobilization during "the primary assessment", and the frequency showed the highest rate for questioning the past case of the task of grasping the patients' history. 5) In the "emergency care", "the management of the heart attacked patients" and "the advanced cardiac life support" showed a high rate in the importance, whereas the frequency showed a very low rate. The high rate of frequency during the emergent task was the management of "musculoskeletal system injury patients" and of "the gastro-intestinal and urinary genital system injury patient support." In care of the patients with heart attack, the management of the airway showed the highest rate with 2.95, whereas the management of alcoholic abused patients and of dying patients, showed comparatively lower rate of assessment in the importance. The frequency of tasks showed the highest rate with 2.69 in the control of bleeding and the lowest with 0.47 in the management of abnormal delivery of child. 6) As to the patient transport, "the emergency transport" showed the highest rate with 2.74 and the unemergent transport with 2.55 in the importance, and the task importance at hospital showed the highest rate with 2.89 in managing the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and with 2.60 in identifying the patient state. 7) Of all the tasks related with "operational task", the high importance was to "educate for the management of the first responder", but the frequency of tasks mostly showed a low rate and "receiving and responding to a call" showed relatively a high rate of importance and frequency. And related with "the self-development", "the health care management" and "the stress control" on working spot showed a high rate, but the frequency mostly showed a low rate.