• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2013

Purpose: Recently, bacterial contamination of equipment and accessories required for vision correction has become a main causal factor in ophthalmic diseases. Thus, We investigated on both the actual condition of bacterial contamination from glasses of vision correction. Methods: Investigation of microorganisms was carried out with a group of 145 glasses wearers, composed of 36 elementary school students, 37 middle school students, 38 high school students, 10 college students, and 32 aged men. Results: Seventeen species of bacteria are detected from glasses of vision correction: B. cereus, B. licheniformis, Bacillus sp., CNS, Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Proteus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Serretia sp., Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus hemolyticus,, Acinetobacter sp., Enterobacter cloacae, GNR, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among 17 species of bacteria, there are some potential causative agents for keratitis, corneal ulcer, Acute dacryocystitis, Orbital cellulitis, Periphlebitis retinae, Marginal blepharitis, and Acute conjunctivitis. Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis cause keratitis. Pseudomonas sp., and Staphylococcus aureus cause corneal ulcer. Staphylococcus aureus causes acute dacryocystitis, orbital cellulitis, periphlebitis retinae, marginal belpharitis. Streptococcus hemolyticus causes acute conjunctivitis. Conclusions: In summation, it is verified that hazardous, opportunistic and infectious microorganisms exist in glasses for vision correction. Ophthalmic diseases are predicted. Therefore, supplementary research on the development of a cleaning solution to cleanse the infection and of an effective method to remove microorganisms is required.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.498-506
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• 2011

This study examined the relationship among plasma homocysteine, folate, and vitamin $B_{12}$ levels and neurocognitive function in 118 community-dwelling elderly subjects (mean age, $75.1{\pm}6.7$ years). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC) was used to screen and assess neurocognitive function in the participants. Dietary intake data including the use of dietary supplements were obtained using the 24-hour recall method by well-trained interviewers. Plasma folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ concentrations were analyzed by radioimmunoassay, and homocysteine was assessed by a high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence method. The proportions of participants with suboptimal levels of plasma folate (< 3 ng/mL), vitamin $B_{12}$ (< 221 pmol/mL), and homocysteine (> $15{\mu}mol/L$) were 16.1%, 5.9%, and 21.2%, respectively. A multiple regression analysis showed that plasma homocysteine was negatively associated with plasma folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ levels. The MMSE-KC test scores were significantly associated with plasma homocysteine and folate, but not with vitamin $B_{12}$, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, living with spouse, education, current smoking, energy intake, and chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, dyslipidemia, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. A general linear model adjusted for covariates revealed that MMSE-KC test scores increased from the lowest to the highest quartiles of vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, vitamin $B_6$, vitamin $B_{12}$, and vitamin C intake (p for trend = 0.012, 0.039, 0.014, 0.046, 0.026, respectively). These results indicate that the problem of folate inadequacy and hyperhomocysteinemia are highly prevalent among community-dwelling elderly people and that dietary intake of the B vitamins and vitamin C is positively associated with cognitive function scores.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.13-24
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• 2013

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the availability of diagnosis of Yin-deficiency in the elderly with xerostomia and factors influencing subjective oral dryness. Methods: We surveyed 50 patients recruited by the clinical trial, 'Efficacy of Yukmijihwang-tang on Xerostomia in the Elderly: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Two-center Trial'. The subjects were assessed on their subjective oral dryness using the Dry Mouth Symptom Questionnaire (DMSQ). Their salivary functions were measured by Unstimulated Salivary Flow Rate (USFR) measurements. In addition, the subjects were evaluated on their Qi-stagnation and Yin-deficiency conditions using the Qi-stagnation questionnaire and Yin-deficiency questionnaire. Results: There were statistically significant correlations between three variables (USFR, DMSQ score and Qi-stagnation score) and Yin-deficiency score. In the multiple regression analysis, the regression model was statistically significant (F = 10.273, p < .001). The factor most strongly influencing the subjective oral dryness was USFR (${\beta}$ = -0.386). Yin-deficiency had the next strongest impact on the subjective oral dryness (${\beta}$ = 0.371). Qi-stagnation affected the subjective oral dryness weakly (${\beta}$ = 0.075). In the simple regression analysis, Yin-deficiency had a statistically significant effect on each of six subscales of DMSQ (p < .01). Among the six subscales, DMSQ-1 ('Oral dryness at night or on awakening') was the most strongly influenced by Yin-deficiency. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the diagnosis of Yin-deficiency in the elderly with xerostomia was available and Yin-deficiency was an important factor influencing the subjective oral dryness. Therefore, the consideration of Yin-deficiency is significant for diagnosis and treatment in the elderly with xerostomia.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.735-754
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• 2012

Korean society in the 2000 has experienced new many social and spatial issues such as the process of neoliberalism and changes in urban and spatial policies, the development of information and communication technology and reconfiguration of informational social space, radically increasing foreign immigrants and transformation to multicultural society, global warming and environmental injustice, and these new issues have promoted development of social geography in Korea. In addition to a review on them, this paper provides a review on empirical researches on traditional issues which have been dealt with in social geography in the 2000 in Korea. Even though there have been numerous sub-issues, they can be divided into two categories: one is urban and communal social geography including urban housing and residential segregation, urban social problems such as poverty, crime, education, health care, social welfare, urban and rural community building, identity, sense of place, and social movement; the other is social geography of population and migration, including population movement, aged society and social welfare for elderly people, and foreign immigrants and formation of multicultural social space. As some difficult conditions such as path-dependent process of neoliberalism, transformation toward informational, aged, and multicultural society would continue, so social geography in Korea to tackle with these external conditions should deepen its theoretical insights and widen its research issues.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.226-235
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• 2020

Objectives: Decreasing muscle strength in old age has become a significant health problem because it increases the risk of falls or fractures and transfers to other diseases. The precise role of dietary protein intake in preventing or reducing muscle weakness is unclear. This study examined the relationship between handgrip strength and protein intake in Korean female elderly. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used data from the Seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) on female subjects aged 65 years and older. Low handgrip strength (LHGS) was defined as a handgrip strength below than 18 kg. Dietary intake data were obtained using the 1-day 24-hour recall method. Multiple regression was performed to test whether there is an independent relationship between the grip strength and protein intake, and the association between protein intake and LHGS was confirmed through multiple logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the 2,083 elderly females was 73.3 ± 0.1 years, and the prevalence of LHGS was 35% (n=734). Elderly women with an LHGS consumed less energy, total protein, and animal-based protein than those in the normal group. A multiple regression analysis after adjusting for covariate revealed a significant positive association between the handgrip strength and energy, protein, and animal-based protein intake. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) of LHGS in female elderly with the highest quartiles of consumption of energy [OR, 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43-0.82; P for trend=0.004], and animal-based protein [OR, 0.59; CI, 0.40-0.87; P for trend=0.037] were significantly lower than those in the lowest quartiles. Conclusions: The energy intake and animal-based protein intake were negatively associated with the LHGS. These results suggest that adequate energy intake and protein intake, particularly those from animal-based sources, for elderly women in Korea are beneficial in lowering the risk of LHGS.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.22-29
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• 2018

Background: Deficits of both ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM) and dynamic balance are shown in persons with chronic ankle instability and the elderly, with the risk of falls. Objects: This study aims to investigate the relationship between DFROM and dynamic balance in elderly subjects and young adults. Methods: Fifty-nine subjects were divided into three groups: ankle stability young group (SY), ankle instability young group (IY) and ankle stability older group (SO). We recruited three old subjects with ankle instability, but excluded them during a pilot testing due to the safety issue. DFROM was measured by weight bearing lunge test (WBLT) and dynamic balance was measured via star excursion balance test (SEBT) in anteromedial, medial, and posteromedial directions. The group differences in WBLT and SEBT and each group's correlation between WBLT and SEBT were detected using the R statistical software package. Results: The dorsiflexion range of motion was significantly different between the SY, IY, and SO groups. The SO group showed the highest DFROM and IY group showed the lowest DFROM (SY: $45.88{\pm}.66^{\circ}$, IY: $39.53{\pm}1.63^{\circ}$, SO: $47.94{\pm}.50^{\circ}$; p<.001). However, the SO group showed the lowest dynamic balance score for all SEBT directions (SY: $87.24{\pm}2.05cm$, IY: $83.20{\pm}1.30cm$, SO: $77.23{\pm}2.07cm$; p<.05) and there was no relationship between the dorsiflexion range of motion and dynamic balance in any group. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that ankle DFROM is not a crucial factor for dynamic stability regardless of aging and ankle instability. Other factors such as muscle strength or movement coordination should be considered for training dynamic balance. Therefore, we need to establish the rehabilitation process by measuring and treating ROM, balance, and muscle strength when treating young adults with and without ankle instability as well as elderly people.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2014

Objectives : Mild cognitive impairment(MCI) and dementia of Alzheimer's type(AD) are characterized by progressive decline of cognitive abilities and a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms like depression. Among various diagnostic tools of AD, many studies showed that elevated levels of serum total homocysteine are associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. We investigated whether elevated homocysteine concentrations are associated with depressive symptoms in MCI and AD. Methods : A total of 86 patients diagnosed with MCI or AD participated. Total serum homocysteine levels in fasting blood samples were measured. We examined cognitive symptoms by MMSE-KC, Global Deterioration Scale(GDS), Clinical dementia rating(CDR) and depressive symptoms by Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale(K-GDS). Results : The total serum homocysteine levels were significantly higher in MCI with depression than in MCI without depression. There was no significant difference in the mean homocysteine levels between AD patients with depression and AD patients without depression. The total homocysteine levels showed a negative correlation with MMSE-KC and a positive correlation with CDR, GDS. Conclusions : These findings suggest that elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor for the decline of cognitive function and depression. We found a significant relationship between elevated serum homocysteine level and depressive symptoms in MCI. But our study had several limitations, thus more research is needed to confirm this finding.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.603-620
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• 2015

The National Pension of Korea is a public social security system designed to alleviate social risks and poverty that has had a major impact on the quality of life for the aging population. However, a rapidly aging population and low fertility threaten the sustainability of national pension in Korea. The National Pension Research Institute publishes a nancial projection every ve years; consequently, the government has lowered the entitlements for the sustainability of national pension based on the projection results. The current reform of the pension system that arbitrarily reduces the entitlements might detract from the income security role of the national pension for pensioners without accounting for the highest elderly poverty rate in the OECD countries. We first discuss methods for the financial projection of the national pension in terms of population, subscribers, and pensioner projections in order to estimate the pension reserve fund and the financial depletion year. We also conduct a sensitivity analysis for population variables, institutional variables, and economic variables based on pension reserves and the financial depletion year. We evaluate intergenerational fairness between the income hierarchy by conducting a money's worth analysis. Finally, we investigate the possibility of the sustainability of national pension by adjusting pension contributions and entitlements (income replacement rate). A new dependency ratio shows that a simple reform of the national pension does not secure the sustainability of the national pension without adapting a pay-as-you-go system.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.205-217
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• 2001

This survey was carried out to study the difference of nutrient intake, food behavior and health condition according to food intake diversity in the elderly(age 65 year over and 74 year under) in a local city. A diet survey with one day 24-recall method was used for 216 subjects(65 male & 151 female). Based on a food intake diversity examination, including an evaluation of KDDS(Korean's Dietary Diversity Score ; counts the number of food groups consumed daily from total five food groups(cereal, meat, vegetable, dairy, and oil groups)), Meal Balance(apply the KDDS at breakfast, lunch and dinner), and DVS(Dietary Variety Score ; total number of foods consumed), subjects were clustered according to food intake diversity. Food intake diversity patterns of male and female clusters were classified each into threes(Male-low group(24.6%), middle group(33.8%), and high group(41.5%)/Female low group(41.7%) middle group(37.1%), and high group(21.2%). The averages of KDDS, Meal Balance and DVS were 3.0, 7.5, 14.8 in the male middle group, and 4.5, 10.2, 25.7 in the male high group, 2.7, 6.3, 14.3 in the female low group, 4.0, 8.6, 18.0 in the female middle group, and 4.5, 10.5, 25.7 in the female high group respectively. The average dairy intake of nutrients below the RDA were energy, protein, Ca, Fe, Vitamin A, Vitamin B$_2$and niacin in the male low group, energy, protein, Ca, Fe, Vitamin A, Vitamin B$_2$in the male middle group and energy, Ca, Vitamin B$_2$in the male high group but a little. Also the female low group had intakes of all nutrients except Vitamin C, the middle group had intakes of energy, protein, Ca, Fe, Vitamin A, Vitamin B$_2$, and the female high group had intakes of energy, Ca, Vitamin A below the RDA respectively. Food intake diversity increasing, nutrient intake, food behavior and health condition proved to be good. This study explored the usefulness of cluster analysis in identifying food intake diversity of three groups of the elderly in relation to their nutrient intake, food behavior and health conditions.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.165-193
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• 2013

This study purposes to explore the growing process through spousal bereavement in later life, and to develop the theory. A qualitative research was conducted, and the participants were 17 seniors. The analysis according to Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory(1998), resulted in 143 concepts, 43 subcategories, and 19 categories. Range analysis according to paradigm showed that the causal conditions were 'marital relationships', 'independent/dependent tendencies', and 'emotional readiness for the death of a spouse', and the phenomena were 'depression', 'hopelessness', 'daily stress', 'psychological intimidation', 'regret', and 'sense of being freed'. The contextual conditions that affect these phenomena were 'desire for intimate personal relationships' and 'desire to maintain independence'; the action/interaction strategies to manage the phenomena were 'facing reality' and 'efforts for construction of the new life'; and the mediating conditions that promote or suppress these action/interaction strategies were 'social support' and 'spirituality'. The results were 'reconstruction of the meaning in life', 'increase in self-esteem', 'reinforcement of social network' and 'embrace and acceptance'. Furthermore, when personal growth after bereavement of a spouse was analyzed focusing on changes over time, the growth process consisted of three steps: 'sadness and despair', 'embracing and moving forward', and 'personal growth'. The pattern analyses were performed to typify recurring relations by category, and 5 types were derived. The results of our study show that personal growth after spousal loss is an integrative process in life after crisis, and can be conceptualized as the process of overcoming the despair that immediately follows the death of a spouse, seeking a new life by actively taking control, and discovering a strengthened self.