• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.33-44
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• 2023

Objective : The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries and to explore the correlation between shoulder pain and quality of life. Methods : Out of 182 participants initially included, 168 were selected for analysis. The questionnaire had 41 questions, with 15 on the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) and 26 on the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Results : It was found that participants' scored 50.75 in the WUSPI, whereas they scored higher in mobility and overhead activity. In addition, participants' WHOQOL-BREF scored 70.48, with a mean score of 2.71, which was lower than ordinary adults' WHOQOL-BREF (mean: 3.11) and that of older people suffering from chronic musculoskeletal system pain (total score: 77.92). Conclusion : The participants' WUSPI showed negative correlations with all items, including the total scores on the WHOQOL-BREF. This suggests that the participants' shoulder pain had a negative impact on their quality of life. Therefore, clinical experts, including occupational therapists, should provide manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries with programs aimed at preventing and managing shoulder pain, thereby contributing to improving their quality of life.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.229-238
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate trends in ankyloglossia and its surgical treatment among pediatric patients in South Korea from 2011 to 2020. Data from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)'s Healthcare Bigdata Hub were used for analysis of the ankyloglossia diagnosis rate and frenum surgery rate. Considering annual population change, crude rates per 100,000 were calculated and analyzed. To investigate other factors of frenum surgery incidence besides gender and age, pediatric patient sample data from HIRA were used. The diagnosis rate of ankyloglossia increased from 204.4 in 2011 to 356.6 per 100,000 people in 2020, while the frenum surgery rate increased from 26.8 to 34.3 per 100,000 people. Males were more likely to receive frenum surgery than females. Surgeries were more likely to be done at a hospital instead of a clinic or a general hospital. In the age group of 0 - 4 years, the largest number of frenum surgeries were performed in pediatrics, and in the age group of 5 - 9 years, the largest number of surgeries were conducted in pediatric dentistry. In the older age groups, the largest proportion of frenum surgeries were performed in the departments of conservative dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery. The diagnosis of ankyloglossia and the operation of frenum surgery among South Korean children increased during the last decade. Since the function of the tongue can affect maxillofacial development in many aspects, pediatric dentists should pay more attention to the functional management of intraoral soft tissue in growing children.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.139-143
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to assess the association of vitamin D and urine microalbumin/creatinine (uACR) and obesity. The study subjects were Korean adults 20 years or older (n = 4,948) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012. Analysis of covariance test adjusted for covariates were performed for uACR levels in relation to vitamin D status [vitamin D deficient, 25(OH)D < 10 ng/dL; vitamin D insufficient, 25(OH)D ≥ 10, < 20 ng/dL; vitamin D sufficient, 25(OH)D ≥ 20 ng/dL]. The key study results were as follows: First, in the populations without obesity (BMI < 25 kg/m²), uACR levels were decreased with the increasing of vitamin D status (p < 0.001) after adjusting for relevant variables. Second, in the populations with obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²), the association between uACR levels and vitamin D status was not significant (p = 0.659). In conclusion, urine microalbumin/creatinine levels were inversely associated with vitamin D status in Korean adults without obesity, but not in Korean adults with obesity.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.385-400
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• 2019

We reviewed existing studies and proposed future research on the sustainability of short-term effects, and of the Yongin Emotion Management Training program (Y-EMT). In this study, we conducted Y-EMT to verify its effectiveness in relation to affective disorders associated with chronic schizophrenia. Thirty-five patients were assigned to the experimental group, and 35 to the control group. First, results of repeated-measures analysis supported the effectiveness of Y-EMT. Comparisons of the results on the pre-test with those for the 5-month and 1-year post-training tests showed significant differences in mean scores between the experimental and control groups. Furthermore, these differences persisted at the 2-year follow-up. Second, in the experimental group, interactions between emotional behavior and expression, self-efficacy, and changes in interpersonal relationships showed significant effects at 5 months after the program ended, and these effects continued to increase up to 1 year post-training. Taken together, the findings indicate that, to maintain the effects of therapy in patients with chronic schizophrenia, patients should undergo Y-EMT along with cognitive rehabilitation training and social skills training. Human relations training such as Y-EMT is most helpful for rehabilitation when it is paired with high levels of medication.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.132-142
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• 2023

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing was performed in the diagnostic immunology laboratory of the Seoul National University Hospital. Among 611 HLA-DR tests, specific bead reactions suspected of being false positive and false negative in Lot 20 reagents were found. Therefore, we aimed to identify the factors causing cut-off corrections by examining cases where cut-off corrections were not made for 533 test results and cases where cut-off corrections were made for 78 cases after the cut-off corrections of specific beads. Frequency analysis was conducted to verify the demographic characteristics, and descriptive statistics were used to assess the humidity in the laboratory as a variable. Cross-tabulation was done to examine the association between cut-off corrections and demographic characteristics. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to verify the difference in humidity based on cut-off corrections. Finally, logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between humidity levels and the rate of cut-off corrections, and results showed as the humidity level in the laboratory highs, the number of cut-off corrections decreased by a factor of 0.986. This suggests cut-off corrections rate increases when the humidity lowers. Therefore, it indicates that humidity in the laboratory is also a factor that affects HLA typing results.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2023

This study investigates the current situation of medical technologists for blood collection, which is considered the most important step for diagnosis. The survey enrolled 650 medical technologists working in hospitals and medical check centers in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. We found that each medical technologist performed blood collection for about 100 patients. There was more than one blood collection failure per day, with more than one case of pain and filing of civil complaints per year. Hence, there was a high work burden on the medical technologists. Cases where a medical technologist was stabbed with a used needle occurred more than once a year, and about 15% of them received infection control and treatment because of stab wounds. Additionally, more than half of the participants suffered from musculoskeletal disorders and mental stress due to blood collection work. Unlike administering intravenous and intramuscular injections using the same needle, no fee is charged for blood collection. Based on the results of this study, it will be possible to improve the safety and rights of medical technologists by calculating the actual fee for blood collection work and assigning a relative value score.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.184-194
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated whether p-anisaldehyde (PAA), the main component of essential oils derived from anise seeds, influences the differentiation of mouse C2C12 myoblasts. Cells were induced to differentiate over 5 days using a differentiation medium with or without PAA (50 or 200 mg/mL). Myotube length and diameter were measured, and the expressions of myogenic markers (myoblast determination protein 1, myogenin, myocyte enhancer factor 2, muscle creatine kinase, and myosin heavy chain) and atrophy-related genes (atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger-1 [MuRF-1]) were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation was monitored by western blotting. PAA significantly induced the formation of smaller and thinner myotubes and reduced myogenic marker expression. Furthermore, PAA increased the expressions of atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 and simultaneously reduced Akt phosphorylation. Our findings indicate that PAA inhibits the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells by reducing the phosphorylation and activation of Akt.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.205-219
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• 2022

This study is a descriptive research study to understand the effects of nurses' perception of the disabled, contact experience with the disabled, and human rights sensitivity on attitudes toward the disabled. The subjects of the study were 181 nurses working at two university hospitals in D City and one university hospital in C Special Self-Governing City. Data were collected from September 2, 2021 to October 6, 2021. The collected data wre analyzed using IBM SPSS 26.0 program, and analyzed with t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficients, and Multiple Regression Analysis. Factors affecting the subject's attitude toward people with disabilities were perception of people with disabilities(t=-3.96, p<.001), presence or absence of contact with patients with disabilities(t=3.23, p=.001), and the ability to perceive responsibility among human rights sensitivity(t=2.13, p=.035), whether or not they had completed education for improvement the awareness of the disabilities(t=2.90, p=.004), and whether they were recognized of the Act on the Right to Health and Medical Accessibility for the Disabled(t=2.44, p=.016), which showed 30% of explanatory power(F=9.36, p<.001). Accordingly, it is necessary to develop an educational program that can foster nurses' attitudes toward the disabled, including awareness of the disabled, human rights sensitivity, the Health Rights Act for the Disabled, and the experience of contact with the disabled.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.517-527
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• 2022

This study aimed to compare changes in cognitive function, depression and ability to perform activity of daily living (ADL) in patients with dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and ischemic stroke (IS) and to identify factors associated with changes in instrumental ADL. A total of 86 patients (dementia=30, MCI=32, and IS=24) were included to analyse cognitive function, depression, and basic and instrumental ADL obtained at the time of diagnosis and 1 year after baseline. Repeated measures analysis of variance and multiple linear regression were used. A significant group by time interaction was found in executive function (p=.037) and instrumental ADL (p=.023) across groups. The MCI group has little change in executive function and instrumental ADL from the baseline to 1 year after diagnosis while other two groups showed changes with the dementia group showing declines and the group of IS having improvement in these factors over time. Changes in executive function(p=.030) and basic ADL (p<.001) explained 26.9% in the variance of changes in instrumental ADL. These findings showed a different changing pattern in executive function during the first year after diagnosis of dementia, MCI, and IS which have cognitive changes as their main symptoms, probably leading to a different changing pattern in instrumental ADL. Healthcare professionals should routinely assess for executive function and instrumental ADL problems and intervene to maintain and improve these functional outcomes immediately after disease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.574-585
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• 2023

Sarcopenia is a leading cause of increased medical and nursing care costs among the elderly. In Korea, preventive measures for sarcopenia are mostly targeted toward the general elderly population without specific diseases. However, it is also necessary to implement measures for elderly individuals living in nursing homes and hospitals, where the prevalence of sarcopenia is high. Currently, computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging are considered standard diagnostic tools. However, their complexity and time-consuming nature make them unsuitable for clinical use. The exact pathophysiological mechanisms of sarcopenia are unclear, as they involve various molecular biological pathways, including decreased exercise, protein and nutrient intake, changes in testosterone and growth hormone, and inflammation. Sarcopenia symptoms can lead to several diseases, such as osteoporosis, fractures, dementia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B deficiency is a significant factor in sarcopenia induction, with B vitamins being directly involved in energy and protein metabolism and nerve function. Vitamin B deficiency can lead to neuromuscular and neurogenic disorders, which often overlap with sarcopenia. Suboptimal intake of B vitamins, malabsorption, and anorexia are common among the elderly. This study aims to provide information on the role of water-soluble B vitamins in preventing and controlling muscle mass loss and deterioration among the elderly with sarcopenia. In addition, we discuss the potential of myokines from the B vitamin family in modulating sarcopenia.