• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.259-266
• /
• 2015

Observed trends in climate change, globalization and an aging population have an effect on public health conditions in Korea, prompting a reevaluation of current environmental regulations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the total coliform (TC) standard, which is the only microbiological standard in the current regulation regime for hot spring water, by estimating correlation with the presence/absence of Legionella, a non-fecal opportunistic pathogen with heat-tolerance. Microbiological data in 7 studies that surveyed Legionella in hot spring waters were subjected to meta-analyses with the odds ratio (OR) as the effect size. The presence/absence of Legionella was significantly correlated to TC levels [OR = 3.1(1.5–6.4, 95% CI), p = 0.002]. Due to there being no direct explanation as to the reason for the occurrence of TC, mesophilic fecal bacteria, being coupled with Legionella presence, the mechanism of the correlation between the two kinds of bacteria was further investigated. Legionella presence was more prevalent with a high heterotrophic plate count [HPC; 4.0(2.2–7.2); p < 0.001] and water temperature [4.3(1.4–13.6), p = 0.011] when the temperature range was <40℃. However, it was reverse-correlated with water temperature when the temperature was >50℃ [0.2(0.1–0.4), p < 0.001]. Therefore, bacterial standing crops in hot spring waters appear to be determined by water temperature in general, and this forces TC and Legionella levels be correlated. In accordance with this relationship, HPC rather than TC reflect the levels of non-fecal contamination better. Therefore, employing HPC as the sole microbiological standard, or adding HPC into the current standard of hot spring water assessment, is suggested as a proactive measure to prevent health issues arising from contamination.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.1918-1926
• /
• 2004

Osteoporosis is defined as a progressive systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mineral density, microarchitectual deteriorations of bone and susceptibility to fracture. numerous methods have been used for quantitative assessment of the skeleton in osteoporosis. QCT has been shown to measure changes in trabecular mineral content in the spine with great sensitivity and precision. To provide the normal reference values and changes of lumbar spinal bone mineral density in korean adult spinal bone mineral density was evaluated in 451 women (229 premenopausal and 222 postmenopausal women) and 206 men, aged 20 to 74 years old in Wonkwang hospital from 2000 to 2004, which was carried out by using QCT. women with oophorectomy, vertebral compression fracture, any history of endocrine disease and use of drugs that alter bone metabolism were excluded. According to the WHO definition, a patient is osteoporotic based on a bone mineral density(BMD) measurement that is 2.5 standard deviations (SDs) below typical peak bone mass of young healthy white women. This measurement of standard deviation from peak mass is called the T score. BMD values of normal women in their 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, 40-44 years, 45-49 years, 50-54 years, 55-59 years, 60-64 years, 65-69 years, over 70 years were 168.95㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 155.41㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 166.87㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 160.67㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 154.06㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 132.04㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 114.05㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 91.78㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 78.61 ㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 61.35㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 50.53㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ Mean bone density of normal women was 115.77K₂PHO₄ K₂PHO₄. BMD values of normal men in their 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, 40-44 years, 45-49 years, 50-54 years, 55-59 years, 60-64 years, 65-69 years, over 70 years were 171.46㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 162.19㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 155.62㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 147.28㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 137.56㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 137.56㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 101.25㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 109.00㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 103.32㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 91.53㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 88.35㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ Mean density of normal men was 115.77㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄. Peak bone density of women and men was in the age group of 20-24 years and 168.95㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 171.46㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, respectively. Bone loss was increased with aging and was accelerated in postmenopausal women than that of premenopausal women. The total loss of BMD for women and men was 70.09% and 48.47%, respectively. Postmenopausal women(mean BMD : 85.83㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄) had significantly lower BMD than premenopausal women(meand BMD : 144.80㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄)(p<0.001). The annual loss of BMD of women and men was 2.702㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ and 1.795㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, respectively. This study provided the BMD reference data for normal korean adult. further studies on BMD in healthy adult and comparison with published data are needed.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.997-1003
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this study is to know the average of pint range of motion and difference according to the aging for the elderly, This study consisted of elder male(n=75) and elder female(n=l09), The result of assessment and analysis in shoulder pint range of motion are as follows: 1) The average shoulder flexion pint range of motion in 60-69(from sixty to sixty-nine)years old are 163.04(Left-Male), 162.91(Right-Male), 158.74 (Left-Female), 158.74 (Right-Female). 70-79years old are 149.40(L-M), 152.38(R-M), 153,37(L-F), 153.37(R-F). 80-89 years old are 149.57(L-M), 147.93(R-M), 151.17(L-F), 150.33(R-F). There was no significant difference among group, 2) The average shoulder extension pint range of motion in 60-69years old are 48.15(L-M), 47.20(R-M), 45.16(L-F), 44.23(R-F), 70-79years old are 37.l1(L-M), 38.70(R-M), 35.17(L-F), 36.71(R-F), 80-89 years old are 34.46(L-M). 36.71(R-M), 33.90(L-F), 33.09(R-F). There was significant difference among group(p<.05). 3) The average shoulder abduction pint range of motion in 60-69years old are 164.22(L-M), 165.96(R-M), 159.34(L-F), 159.97(R-F), 70-79years old are 152.27(L-M), 155.05(R-M), 152.32(L-F), 53.66(R-F), 80-89 years old are 152.17(L-M), 153.76(R-M), 147.53(L-F), 147.37(R-F). There was significant difference in right shoulder abduction among group(p<05). 4) The average shoulder internal rotation pint range of motion in 60-69years old are 63.52(L-M), 65.70(R-M), 64.16(L-F), 64.61(R-F), 70-79years old are 64.50(L-M), 65.81(R-M) 61.10(L-F), 61.83(R-F). 80-89 years old are 61.60(L-M), 61.66(R-M), 57.53(L-F), 57.53(R-F). There was no significant difference among group. 5) The average shoulder external rotation pint range of motion in 60-69years old are 50.87(L-M), 50.22(R-M), 51.03(L-F), 50.42(R-F), 70-79years old are 50.91(L-M), 50.20(R-M) 48.37(L-F), 50.20(R-F). 80-89 years old are 46.83(L-M), 47.93(R-M), 43.43(L-F), 43.72(R-F).There was significant difference in left shoulder external rotation among group(p<.05).

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.296-303
• /
• 2016

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of hemoglobin (Hb) on bone mineral density (BMD) in university students by performing a quantitative analysis. The subjects included healthy university students aged 20 to 30 years. Although osteoporosis has traditionally been considered as a disease of aging women, it is becoming an increasingly concerning male health problem. Diagnosis of osteoporosis is calculated with a quantitative assessment of BMD. Laboratory blood and urine tests are mainly used with low BMD or fragility fractures to identify any possible causes of bone metabolism disorders. In this study, there was no difference in BMD according to gender. The average red blood cell (RBC), Hb, and Hematocrit (HCT) were significantly higher in males (p<0.01). The correlation between lumbar spine, skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) was statistically significant (p<0.01). Hb showed a 51.7% statistical influence on BMD by multiple regression analysis. These findings are useful to understand the relationship between BMD and Hb; lower Hb level is associated with lower BMD. The Hb level was the strongest predictor of abnormal BMD. In conclusion, this study showed that a low Hb value was significantly correlated with low bone mass, suggesting that a low Hb value is a risk factor for changes in bone turnover that leads to a decrease bone density.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.517-526
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to provide convenience to the senior center staff and policy makers through a research of "Life satisfaction" in the senior centers with a systematic review and meta-analysis of the considerations of the elderly, published in foreign journals for the past 10 years. We searched published studies in the Medline Complete, Pub-med central and Scopus databases from January 2007 to November 2017. The main key words used "Elderly AND(And OR aged) AND Personal Satisfaction/ or life satisfaction" and out of 595 searched articles a total of 6 studies were selected. After qualitative analysis of the contents of the study, meta - analyzes were conducted for factors with more than three quantitative values. The factors affecting life satisfaction of the elderly were physical health (pooled effect size 0.582, p = .000), mental health (pooled effect size 0.423, p = .000), economic problems (r = .51, p =. 001), social activities, and daily living. It is expected that this study which provides an understanding of life satisfaction of the elderly would contribute to provide general information for developing social consensus on the employment in the super aging society should help improve the quality of welfare facilities for senior citizens in the future.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.279-291
• /
• 2015

Objective: The purpose of the study is to evaluate appropriate weight for aged farmers in manually handling livestock feed in bags using ergonomic methods. Background: In the livestock industry in South Korea, despite the trend of aging of labor manpower, heavy items are still manually handled in many farms. In particular, among stockbreeding works, the handling of feed in bags weighing 25~30kg is reported as a cause of frequent injuries and musculoskeletal system diseases. However, studies on the standard for recommended weight allowed considering the physical characteristics of aged farmers older than 60 years with greatly decreased physical strength and muscle strength are insufficient. Method: To evaluate appropriate weight for handling of heavy livestock feed in bags, physical techniques for measuring recognized levels of physical work loads, the NLE (NIOSH lifting equation) a method that is an observation type technique, and an ergonomic modeling technique to predict compressive force imposed on L5/S1 were used. Subjects who participated in the experiment were organized into two groups of males/females with mean age exceeding 60 years, and lifting tasks were evaluated for nine weight levels. Results: Based on the results of psychophysical measurement, females showed a tendency of more drastic increases compared to males when weight was over 19kg. The results of estimation of regression models for the weight, 18.0 kg ($r^2=0.97$) and 15.3kg ($r^2=0.97$) were evaluated as stable load for males and females, respectively. In addition, both the observation type evaluation and ergonomic model evaluation showed stable loads in a range of 15~18kg. Conclusion: Given the results of the study, the weight of the feed in bags currently distributed to farms can become a cause of not only overexertion but also farm work related disasters such as musculoskeletal disorders and safety accidents. Providing livestock feed in bags weighing not more than 19kg for aged farmers is judged desirable, and managerial improvement for this matter is considered necessary. Application: The results of the present study can be utilized as useful data for institutional improvement of the weight of livestock feed in bags.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.102-109
• /
• 2020

Background: Due to the aging population in Korea, knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has become an increasingly common condition. Many patients with KOA prefer analgesics, herbal medicines, acupuncture, or exercise, rather than arthroscopic surgery or a knee replacement. Gyebutang (GB) granules are a herbal extract widely used to treat KOA in traditional Korean medicine, but there is insufficient evidence of its efficacy and safety. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, assessor-blinded, 2-armed parallel, controlled clinical trial has been designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of GB combined with acupuncture for the treatment of KOA. There will be 100 patients with KOA enrolled in the study from 3 traditional Korean medicine hospitals. The participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group (GB and acupuncture) or a control group (celecoxib and acupuncture) in a 1:1 ratio. Both groups will receive acupuncture treatment once a week for 6 weeks; one group will receive GB and the other will receive celecoxib for the same duration. Results: The primary outcome will be the change of knee osteoarthritic pain, based on scores on a 100 mm visual analog scale. The secondary outcomes will be scores on a numeric rating scale, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, patient global assessment, European quality of life 5-dimension 5-level scale, and adverse events. Conclusion: The results of this study will provide evidence of efficacy and safety of GB as a treatment for patients with KOA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.116-122
• /
• 2012

Volatile flavor compounds derived from four black garlic extracts purchased in a local market were analyzed for the purpose of quality assessment. A total of 68 compounds was detected in samples using solid phase microextraction (SPME)/GC/MSD, and they were mainly sulfur-containing compounds, including three unknown compounds (21), aldehydes (10), furans (7), alcohols (6), aromatic compounds (7), ketones (4), acids (4), nitrogen-containing compounds (3), esters (2), and miscellaneous compounds (4). 2,6-Dimethyl-4-heptanone having a fruity-sweet odor was the most abundant in all of the samples. Six sulfur-containing compounds including allyl sulfide, 4-methyl-1,2,4-thiazole, 1,3,5-trithiane, unknown I (RI 1564), unknown II (RI 1565), and unknown III (RI 1613) were detected in all of the samples and appeared to contribute to the garlic-like odor. Particularly, three aldehydes (3-methylbutanal, benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde), four furans (furfural, 2-acetylfuran, 5-methyl-2-furfural, furfural alcohol), and others (2,6-dimethylpyrazine, acetic acid) formed through a Maillard reaction during garlic aging were detected in all of the samples, and they contributed to the characteristic burnt, sweet, and sour flavors of black garlic extracts.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.335-344
• /
• 2012

Osteoporosis is increasing in Korea as it becomes an aging society with the rapid economic growth and the development of medical technology. Osteoporosis also develops due to chemo and radiation therapy of cancer which also increases owing to Westernized diet. Osteoporosis is caused by reduced bone density, has close relationship with the change of geometry of proximal femur, which is a factor of hip fracture risk. The purpose of this study was the analysis of the correlations of osteoporosis and the change of geometry of proximal femur, which was observed according to T-score variance. The 350 male and female patients are chosen from D hospital in Busan, who were classified by age, sex and T-score values (normal, osteopenia, and osteo porosis). The results show that the age and gender have significant difference in the incidence of osteoporosis; the disease classification according to T-score value has significant difference in the geometry of the proximal femur such as Cortical ratio calcar, Cortical ratio shaft, Hip/shaft Angle, Strength index, Section modulus, CSMI, and CSA, and is highly correlated with the incidence of osteoporosis. Therefore, the findings of this research is that the change of the geometry of the proximal femur could be used as an indicator in the diagnosis of osteoporosis, could enhance the accuracy of the diagnosis in the future, and could be used as a clinical predictive factors through the analysis of the correlations of T-score variance and the geometry changes of the proximal femur.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.195-218
• /
• 2017

The increase in medical expenses for convalescent hospitals is increasing abnormally, which puts enormous burden on the National health insurance finances. This is a phenomenon that has been associated with the social phenomenon of rapid aging. The fact that the convalescent hospitals are paid the fixed amount per day for hospitalization became the incentive for some hospitals to use the patients as means of making money. And these hospitals intend to get regular care or take medicines at other hospitals in order to reduce medical expenses, even when the medical fee is paid. In order to prevent such financial leaks, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service adjusted the patient group for inpatients in a hospital with the above behavior, and then cut the cost of medical care benefits. However, Above decision was canceled by the court on the grounds that there was no basis rule. However, based on the above case, I think that it can be an opportunity to draw up the problem and to improve of the Medical Fee System of hospital. The modified medical fee system can strengthen the medical function of the convalescent hospital. In addition, it seems reasonable to exclude admission for "physically disabled group". Even if admission is allowed for the physically disabled group due to social needs, it should be excluded from the National health insurance for the fianacial soundness and the sustainability of the system.