• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.895-898
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• 2014

Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the cytogenetic and genetic mutation features of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly Chinese patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of cytogenetics and genetic mutations was performed in 113 cases (age range 50-82 years) with de novo AML. Results: The most frequent cytogenetic abnormality was t (15;17) (q22;q21), detected in 10.0% (n = 9) of successfully analyzed cases, followed by t (8;21) (q22;q22) in 8.89% (n = 8), and complex karyotypes in 5.56% (n = 5). Those with complex karyotypes included 4 cases (4.44%) of monosomal karyotypes. The frequencies of NPM1, FLT3-ITD, c-kit, and CEBPA mutations were 27.4% (31/113), 14.5% (16/110), 5.88% (6/102), and 23.3% (7/30), respectively. The complete remission rates of patients in low, intermediate, and high risk groups were 37.5%, 48.6%, and 33.3%, respectively (${\chi}^2$ = 0.704, P = 0.703) based on risk stratification. Conclusion: Cytogenetics and genetic mutations alone may not be sufficient to evaluate the prognoses of elderly AML patients. The search for a novel model that would enable a more comprehensive evaluation of this population is therefore imperative.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.246-256
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• 2011

Due to the increasingly aging population, there is a rising demand for assistive living technologies for the elderly to ensure their health and well-being. The elderly are mostly chronic patients who require frequent check-ups of multiple vital signs, some of which (e.g., blood pressure and blood glucose) vary greatly according to the daily activities that the elderly are involved in. Therefore, the development of novel wearable intelligent systems to effectively monitor the vital signs continuously over a 24 hour period is in some cases crucial for understanding the progression of chronic symptoms in the elderly. In this paper, recent development of Wearable Intelligent Systems for e-Health (WISEs) is reviewed, including breakthrough technologies and technical challenges that remain to be solved. A novel application of wearable technologies for transient cardiovascular monitoring during water drinking is also reported. In particular, our latest results found that heart rate increased by 9 bpm (P < 0.001) and pulse transit time was reduced by 5 ms (P < 0.001), indicating a possible rise in blood pressure, during swallowing. In addition to monitoring physiological conditions during daily activities, it is anticipated that WISEs will have a number of other potentially viable applications, including the real-time risk prediction of sudden cardiovascular events and deaths.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.98-103
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• 2014

Objectives: Advanced malignant melanoma (MM) has a poor prognosis, with an expected 2-year survival rate of 10 to 20%. It has long been recognized as an immunogenic tumor, and is worse for elderly patients. Many studies have suggested that herbal treatments improve immune functions, but few clinical studies have reported on this topic. Patients and History: We present two cases of female patients (72 and 77 years old, respectively) with advanced MM. The 72-year-old female patient was, at first, diagnosed with MM with multiple bone metastases. She received resection of the primary lesion, but refused further chemotherapy. The 77-year-old female patient was diagnosed with cutaneous MM of the left heel, with suspicion of sentinel node lymphadenopathy; however, she also refused any conventional treatment due to old age. Course of Therapy and Results: Both patients were exclusively treated with standardized allergen-removed Rhus verniciflua stokes (aRVS) extract combined with Bojungikki-tang (BT, Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang in Chinese or Hochu-ekki-to in Japanese). Both patients are still alive and doing well (Feb. 2014), demonstrating that the 72-year-old patient has lived for 27 months and the 77-year-old patient has lived for 31 months without disease progression since the aRVS and BT administration. Conclusion: We suggest that the combination of aRVS extract and BT could be a candidate for overcoming the cancer's immunoediting process especially for elderly MM patients intolerant of conventional treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.114-127
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• 2003

In the process of devising an efficient meal service system for the elderly, 478 elderly were interviewed at 6 different social centers with the elderly meal service program in Seoul area to monitor degree of satisfaction and/or needs of the beneficiaries regarding the program. The survey was conducted during the month of December 2002 by well-trained interviewers using self-developed questionnaire. Results were analyzed statistically using SAS package program. Most of the beneficiaries were low economic class and 76% of them had doctor diagnosed disease(s). Among the beneficiaries of congregate meal service, mean score of 12 aspects of satisfaction was 3.72 out of 5. For most of the questions, female elderly and healthy elderly responded with higher score than male elderly and unhealthy elderly, respectively (p<0.05, p<0.01). On the other hand, beneficiaries of the home-delivered meal service were little bit less satisfied with the service (3.54 out of 5). Compared to the beneficiaries of congregate meal service, larger portion of beneficiaries of home-delivered meal service wanted more meats (28.5 % vs. 17.1 %) and vegetables (23.2 % vs. 12.3 %) as side dishes. On the other hand, the most preferred type of cooking and/or seasoning was stewing for both cases. Based on these findings, it is suggested that more fresh foods should be used than processed foods in the preparation of meals for the elderly and, more fish-, meat- and vegetable- dishes should be served to come up to the needs of the elderly. Onto this, mainly Korean style meals with some intermittent Western, Japanese or Chinese style meals served at the right temperature would suffice most of the elderly needs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.55-63
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• 2014

Cities of China have been expanding rapidly during the last 10 years and the living environment of urban population developed highly making little difference with the developed nations. However, in the case of rural area, situation is totally different from the urban area. There are some cases where the quality of life in rural areas is retreating compared to the past. Agrarian cultures of the past are remained in the rural area with only older generations and no younger generations. The difference between the rural and the urban and the movement to the cities are increasing in a rapid speed. This led to the recognition of potential danger that lies on the agricultural societies which can demolish the economic development's sustainability. Therefore, in this study, basic information about the current Chinese elderly's house circumstances and to build new houses suited for the older generations will be provided. This can not only enhance the quality of the elder citizen's life, but also can be a meaningful research for the ideal construction of future Chinese agriculture.