• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.337-344
• /
• 2007

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the level of quality of life (QOL) and to identify its related factors among the elderly using a hall for the aged. Methods: The study subjects were 350 elderly people living in Nam Gu, Gwangju City. They were interviewed by questionnaire to collect information on social-demographic characteristics, health behaviors, health-related characteristics and QOL. We used statistical analysis methods such as T-test, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis to find which factors affected QOL. Results: The characteristics relating to physical functions were as follows: presence of spouse, education, alcohol drinking, teeth condition, arthritis, frequency of visiting the hall for the aged, and depression. Age, arthritis and depression were significantly related to role limitation due to physical problems. General health was related to gender, age, and depression, and vitality was related to education, frequency of visiting the hall, and depression. Role limitation due to emotional problems was related to age and depression, and mental health was related to age, hypertension, arthritis and depression. Conclusions: This study showed QOL of the elderly was significantly influenced by socio-demographic factors, and physical or emotional conditions. To improve QOL of the elderly, we need to develop programs to promote health and to manage chronic diseases of the elderly.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.119-126
• /
• 2014

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disorder that primarily affects the flexible joints and may also affect a number of tissues and organs. The progression of RA involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joint, swelling of synovial cells with excess synovial fluid (SF), and the development of fibrous tissue in the synovium. Since the progressive pathology of the disease often leads to the irreversible destruction of articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joint, early diagnosis of RA is essential. Thus, we undertook a comparative proteomic approach to investigate novel biomarkers for early diagnosis using SFs and serums from RA patients. As a result, we identified 32 differentially expressed spots in SFs and 34 spots in serums. The differential expression of the STEAP4 and ZNF 658 proteins were validated using immunoblotting of the SFs and serums, respectively. These data suggest that differentially expressed proteins in SFs and serums could be used as RA-specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of RA. Furthermore, these findings advance our understanding of the molecular etiopathogenesis of RA.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2009

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that is characterized by inflammation of the synovial tissue and deterioration of the joint and bone. A recent study reported a potential gene-environment interaction between HLA-DR and smoking. The present study investigated whether a specific gene was related to the association between smoking and the severity of RA (rheumatoid factor levels > 20 IU/ml). We used the resources of the NARAC family collection of GAW 15 databases, and 1139 subjects with RF>20 IU/ml were included in the current analysis. The linkage panel contained 5858 SNP markers, and 5744 SNPs passed quality control criteria. Linear regression analyses, using PLINK software and generalized estimating equation regression models, were used to test for associations between the SNPs and the severity of RA according to smoking groups. Two major findings were established. First, the severity of RA in smokers was associated with rs703618 (p=$6{\times}10^{-5}$), which lies in the intronic region of the stabilin 2 (STAB2) gene on chromosome 12. Second, there were significant differences in the levels of RF between 'ever smokers' and 'never smokers' according to the rs703618 genotype (G/G, A/G, A/A). We investigated whether a specific gene acts as a mediator between smoking and the severity of RA and found that the STAB2 gene could affect this relationship. Our finding indicates that smoking may mediate RA severity by affecting the expression level of a specific gene.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.53-57
• /
• 2008

Purpose: We analyzed the clinical results after arthroscopic treatment in acute pyogenic arthritis of the knee. Materials and Methods: From July 2000 to January 2005, we reviewed 16 cases(15 patients) of acute pyogenic arthritis of the knee on which arthroscopic treatment was done. The mean age was 61.9 years and the mean follow-up period was 30.5 months. There were 8 cases with diabetes or degenerative osteoarthritis and 14 cases with acupuncture or intraarticular injection history. Results: Causative organisms were identified in 7 cases. The average postoperative antibiotics were used intravenously for 25.5 days and per orally for 22.5 days. There were 11 complications; 5 cases of partial ankylosis, 2 cases of secondary arthritis, 1 case of chronic osteomyelitis and 3 cases of death. Patients with over 3 week immobilization had higher rate of stiffness of knee joint(p=0.032) but there was no significant difference between the symptom to treatment duration and the incidence rate of complications(p=0.293). The cases of which the causative organism was detected had higher incidences of complications(p=0.034). Conclusion: The incidence of joint stiffness was higher in the patients of longer immobilization. More complications were detected in the cases of which the causative organism is detected.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.147-159
• /
• 1995

Although there are many research studies on the effectiveness of heat and cold therapy for patients with arthritis at home or health care center, little attention has been paid to determining which therapy associates with season is effective for patients with chronic arthritis. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of heat and cold therapy associated with season for patients with arthritis. An experimental design using replications with intervention was employed. A total of 27 female arthritic patients were selected. Data were collected in summer and winter. Hot bag and ice bag were applied on each patient's knee for each 20 minutes alternatively. Joint pain, discomfort and range of motion were measured. Data were analyzed using paired t-test, and two-way ANOVA. The results of this study were ; 1. Joint pain Heat therapy was effective for pain relief, as compared with cold therapy. Heat therapy was more effective for pain relief in winter than in summer. Cold therapy was effective for pain relief, but there was no statistically significant difference of pain relief between summer and winter. 2. Discomfort Discomfort was decreased using heat therapy, whereas it was increased using cold therapy. Although discomfort was decreased using heat therapy in both summer and winter, there was no statistically significant difference of discomfort between summer and winter. Using cold therapy, discomfort was decreased in summer, but increased in winter. and season had effect on discomfort. 3. Range of motion Although there was no statistically significant difference between the range of motion for both heat and cold therapy, range of motion was Increased using both heat and cold therapy. In winter, range of motion was increased rather than in summer by using heat therapy. Using cold therapy, The range of motion was decreased in both summer and winter. There was no stastistically significant difference of range of motion between heat therapy and cold therapy. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference of range of motion between summer and winter. In conclusion, both heat and cold therapy were effective for pain relief, discomfort, and range of motion, especially heat therapy. Heat therapy was effective for pain relief, discomfort, and range of motion in winter, as compared with summer. Cold therapy, however, was effective for only pain relief in winter, The findings suggest the use of heat therapy for patients with arthritis especially in winter.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.81-94
• /
• 2008

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a general, chronic, inflammatory and auto-immune disease and it can lead to joint edema, pain, stiffness which are caused by an inflammation in synovium covering our joints. Ulmus davidiana Planchon is a traditional herb used for the treatment on various inflammations, gastrointestinal trouble, ENT(ear, nose, and throat) disease, edema, cancer etc. and it works effectively on arthritis as well. In these study to search for the treatment efficacy of Ulmus davidiana Planchon in RA, I measure manifestation of cytokine gene in synoviocyte treated with Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture and in EL-4 cell, manifestation of cytokine gene cell related to T-cell. And after Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture treatment in Collagen induced arthritis(CIA) which has been known by a general model of RA, DBA mice, I observed foot thickness, general shape of synovium, early cytokine induce CIA and, generation and mutation of cytokine related to the control of T-cell specialization. It comes to conclusion as belows. 1. In synovium treated with Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture, there was the decrease in MIF mRNA does-dependently. Incase of CIA mice treated with Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture, there were the decrease in the damage in synovium and generation of the MIF which is related to induction of the early RA cytokine and IL-6 proinflammatory cytokine. 2. In case of EL-4 treated with Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture, there were decrease in the manifestation of the IL-2 mRNA, but the increase in the manifestation of the IL-4 does-dependently. 3. In the synovium of CIA mice treated with Ulmus davidiana Planchon herbal acupuncture, there were the decrease in generation of IL-2, IL-12 and CD-28, but the increase in generation of IL-4. These result suggest that Ulmus davidiana Planchon can block the process of the early RA by Inhibiting MIF activation, and mitigate Rheumatoid Arthritis by controlling Tcell specialization.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.76-93
• /
• 1998

Three hundred sixty-two(male 131, female 231) elderly aged over 65 in Chungb- uk area were interviewed to determine the disease states and drug usage patterns. The prebalence of disease was 78% and women reported more chronic diseases(83%) than men(71%). Elderly who live with spouse and have an occupation have a lower rate of disease. Average number of diseases of the elderly was $1.8\pm{1.1}$, and women$(2.1\pm{1.3)}$ have significantly higher average number of diseases than that of men$(1.4\pm{0.7)}$. Also the elderly in urban areas$(2.1\pm{1.4)}$ have significantly higher number of diseases than that of the elderly in rural areas$(1.6\pm{0.9)}$. Arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular and gastric diseases were the most frequently listed chronic diseases in order for both men and women. Anemia and fracture of bone were relatively higher in women than in men. Particularly, the arthritis of the urban elderly have a rate of 1.5 times higher than that of the rural elderly. Fifty-two percent of the elderly were currently using drugs ; among drug users 71.2% used prescription drugs and 20.5% used nonprescription drugs. The average number taken per person was 2.1$\pm$1.4 and there was no sex or age difference. However, the elderly in rural areas $(2.7\pm{1.7)}$ consumed a significantly higher number of drugs than those in urban areas$(1.7\pm{0.7)}$. The average number of prescripti- on drugs taken was 2.0$\pm$1.4 while the average of nonprescription drugs taken was $(1.3\pm{0.6)}$. Analgesics and antihypertensive drugs were most commonly used. Vitamin and analgesics were the most frequently used self-prescribed drugs. It was noted that potential adverse drug interaction by concominant drug consumption for arthritis and antihypensive drug, abuse of digestants and antiacid without treatment of the underlying disease, and misuse of quick-acting bowel medications were problematic for the elderly. In addition drugs used for the elderly have some adverse effect on the digestive system. The types and composition of drugs used by the elderly were identified and presented. Medication compliance was poor and 13.5% reported adverse reactions such as edema, heartburn, nausea, and difficulty with eating. Seventeen percent of the elderly obtained drugs arranged by those other than medical staff. Also, even among those elderly who obtained drugs prescribed by a doctor, 69.1% of subjects had not receive instruction about potential adverse reactions. These results suggest that nutritional problems related to drug usage might exist and so dietitians, either individually or as members of health teams, need to have a better understanding of drug-nutrient interaction and closer supervision, and drug information/education service should therefore be provided to prevent or minimize adverse drug reaction in elderly users of medication.

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

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.11 no.8
• /
• pp.160-167
• /
• 2021

This study was conducted to empirically analyze the prevalence and risk of chronic diseases in the family history of chronic diseases using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019. Based on 5,691 people, after controlling for socio-demographic variables that were related to family history of chronic diseases, logistic regression analysis was performed to verify the odds ratio, which was the risk of family history of chronic diseases for the prevalence of chronic diseases. The main results were founded that Odds ratio, which was the risk of chronic diseases in groups with a family history compared to those without a family history, was statistically significant at hypertension(2.623), dyslipidemia(1.868), diabetes(1.964), and arthritis(1.435) when gender, age, income status, education level and residence were controlled. These results suggest that it is not only necessary to develop a standardization tool for family history tests, but also a health and disease management system for members with a family history in terms of preventive medicine in health care. This study is significant in that it proposed a practical plan in terms of health care by controlling variables that affect the prevalence of chronic diseases and empirically identifying the risk of family history of chronic diseases.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.71-92
• /
• 2005

This study investigated social support, quality of life, and the impact of social support on quality of life among medicaid recipient with chronic illness such as hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, and stroke in Dec, 2003(N=221). Subjects were collected using stratified sampling by sex, age, diagnosis, and domicile on national data from National Health Insurance Corporation. Descriptive analysis and regression were performed. Results showed social support and quality of life was very low and social support was different in diagnosis and domicile, and social support, especially emotional support from family members, positively impacted on quality of life. The relationship of the two variables showed the differences in sex, diagnosis and domicile. This study will be used as theoretical bases for enhancing social support and quality of life among medicaid recipient with chronic illness.