• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.1082-1093
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• 2021

Objective: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive, irreversible brain damage and cognitive decline. Although the diagnosis and treatment of the prodromal symptoms of dementia are important, no treatment for mild cognitive impairment has been currently established. Herein, we report the case of an 80-year-old female patient with memory complaints treated with Gugijihwang-tang, a traditional Korean medicine herbal formula, as an add-on medication. Case Presentation: The patient was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment based on clinical examinations using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, Global Deterioration (GDR) Scale, and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale. She was treated with Gugijihwang-tang bis in die for 12 months while continuing her original medications, including 5-mg donepezil and 590-mg acetyl-l-carnitine. The MMSE score in the Korean Version of the CERAD Assessment Packet increased from 21 to 27 during the 12-month treatment period, and the CERAD 2 score increased from 33 to 62. The instrumental ADL scale score improved from 11 to 5. Other clinical examination results also showed improvement. The patient was satisfied and experienced no significant adverse events related to the Gugijihwang-tang treatment. Conclusion: This case suggests that Gugijihwang-tang could be considered as a treatment method for patients with mild cognitive impairment.

• Stress
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.259-267
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors influencing cognitive function and life satisfaction in elderly living alone. Methods: It was cross-sectional descriptive study by using secondary data from the 2014 national survey of Korean elderly. The study sample consisted of 2,249 subjects who live alone, aged 65 years old and over. Data were analyzed frequency analysis, ${\chi}^2$-test, t-test, ANOVA and Logistic regression analysis. Results: The risk factors that significantly influenced cognitive function were old age, bereavement, lack of education, no regular exercise and low socio-cultural activity satisfaction. The risk factors that significantly influenced life satisfaction were no bereavement, lack of education, no work, negative evaluation of health status, diagnosis of depression and no regular exercise. Also experience of emotional and economical abuse, neglect of financial support and low cognitive function were identified risk factors of life satisfaction. Conclusions: The elderly living alone with risk factors of cognitive decline should be interested. To prevent or delay cognitive impairment, regular exercise and socio-cultural activities were recommended. It was suggested that the promotion of cognitive function, appropriate work and exercise, and social efforts to prevent abuse and neglect can contribute to improving life satisfaction of elderly living alone.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.938-947
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• 2019

Objective: This study was performed to report the changes in symptoms and radiological consequences of a patient diagnosed with spinal neurofibroma and complaining of lower back pain. Methods: The patient was diagnosed with a spinal neurofibroma after MRI examination and was treated with traditional Korean medicine, including traditional Korean medication and acupuncture. We measured the change in symptom severity using a numerical rating scale (NRS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). We also used the EQ-5D (EuroQoL-5D) scale to assess the patient's quality of life. In addition, we examined the change in the size of the cyst by MRI twice after discharge: at about 3 months after discharge and at about 8 months after discharge. Results: After about 6 weeks of treatment, most pathological symptoms had decreased. The patient showed a decline in NRS and ODI scores and showed an increase in quality of life. The two MRI examinations after the discharge revealed a decrease in the size of the cyst. Conclusions: Traditional Korean medicine can be a solution for patients with spinal neurofibroma causing neurological pain.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.145-150
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• 2022

There is a movement to respond to the decline of the city through urban regeneration projects, and in particular, the importance of residents-led is increasing. In addition, the concept of resilience to increase the resilience of the city in response to an uncertain future is emerging around the world. This study aims to diagnose urban regeneration projects from a resilience perspective. The target site of the study was set as a selection area for general neighborhood urban regeneration projects in Seoul, and the factors affecting resilience in response to the recent coronavirus were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, it was found that among the contents of the urban regeneration project revitalization plan, the social regeneration content that can lead to residents had a positive effect on resilience. It is expected that the resilience of the city can be improved if the contents that can enhance the self-sustainability of the residents are included from the stage of the plan.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

Purpose : This study was conducted to assess the status of sarcopenia and locomotive syndrome in the Korean elderly population over 65 years of age by applying the recently updated screening tool for diagnostic evaluation of sarcopenia and locomotive syndrome. Methods : Sarcopenia and locomotive syndrome (LS) were diagnosed and evaluated in 210 Korean elderly people over 65 years of age. There were 36 patients in the "sarcopenia group", 164 in the "locomotive syndrome group", and 10 in the "normal group". The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results : The diagnostic evaluation of sarcopenia and LS showed the presence of sarcopenia in 9.05 % of males and 8.10% females among the Korean elderly population over 65 years of age. Prevalence of stage 1 locomotive syndrome (LS 1) was 95.24 %; stage 2, (LS 2) 36.19 %; and stage 3 (LS 3), 16.19 % among the study population. Both the sarcopenia diagnostic indicator and the LS evaluation indicators showed significant differences between the three groups. All the subjects in the sarcopenia group had LS; further, on comparison of the detailed composition ratio of each patient with LS, the prevalence of LS in the sarcopenia group was found to be: LS 1 41.67 %, LS 2 41.67 %, and LS 3 16.67 %, whereas in the LS group, it was found to be: LS 1 66.46 %, LS 2 16.46 %, and LS 3 17.07 %. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Conclusion : It was confirmed that sarcopenia is correlated with LS incidence. This suggests that the evaluation of motor LS can be used as a tool for the early diagnosis and prevention of sarcopenia in cases of functional decline due to aging in the elderly population.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2023

Sarcopenia is a phenomenon in which muscle function, including muscle strength, deteriorates as muscle mass decreases in the process of increasing age. The diagnosis of sarcopenia utilizes total muscle mass and limb muscle mass, and limb muscle mass is expressed as height squared, body weight, and BMI. Each divided value is used as an index, mainly less than 7.23 kg/m2 for men and less than 5.67 kg/m2 for women. Grip strength, standing up from a chair, and walking speed were mainly used as physical function factors, and grip strength less than 27 kg for men and less than 16 kg for women were used as indicators. The limb muscle mass showed a decreasing trend after peaking in the mid-20s in men, and maintaining a gradual peak in women from the mid-20s to the mid-40s, showing a more rapid decline in men. The rate of decrease in muscle mass and strength continues to increase after the age of 20, and muscle strength rapidly decreases after the age of 80. In Korean men, total muscle mass and limb muscle mass show a decreasing trend from the mid-30s, and a more markedly rapid decrease from the age of 60. For women, it remains constant from the age of 30 to the age of 50, then gradually decreases after the mid-50s, and shows a rather rapid decrease after the mid-70s, showing a more gradual decrease than that of men. Men show a sharp decrease from the mid-40s when limb muscle mass is divided by height squared, and women show a marked decrease after 70 years old when limb muscle mass is divided by height squared. Exercise for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia results in an increase in protein assimilation hormone, an increase in antioxidant activity, a decrease in inflammation, an increase in muscle insulin sensitivity, and an increase in protein synthesis. Resistance exercise is basically used, and aerobic exercise and equilibrium A combination of exercises is effective. In addition, for a more efficient effect of sarcopenia through resistance exercise, it is necessary to supplement nutrition including protein.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2023

Korea is facing a population cliff and a decline in the fertility rate, and the competition rate for recruiting officers in our military is rapidly decreasing every year. This situation is a serious problem in terms of national security and requires efforts to obtain excellent manpower. To this end, it is necessary to understand their occupational values through consideration of the MZ generation, which is the main recruitment target of the military, and to find diagnosis and solutions for each problem by closely analyzing the military's internal and external environment based on their understanding of soldiers as a job. Therefore, we diagnose the current situation in consideration of military specificity, examine the occupational values of the MZ generation, which is a resource for military officers recruitment. Since the subject of military officer acquisition is the MZ generation, efforts are needed to focus on occupational values of MZ generations.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Background: Oral frailty is defined as the functional decline of the oral function due to aging, and it is associated with frailty and chronic disease. Most of the frailty intervention is for adults aged 65 years and older. However, early intervention for preventive disorder is most important. The objective of this study was to identify the age at which oral frailty surpass the "normal" range. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 719 adults (aged 30~89 years) residing in Gangwon province in May 2023. Risk of oral frailty was assessed using criteria from The Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry including oral function such as swallowing and mastication, and frailty. Frailty was assessed using the Kihon Checklist. To determine when oral frailty surpass the "normal" status, statistical analysis including chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed using R (ver. 4.3.1). Results: There were 388 (54.0%) individuals who had a "normal" status risk of oral frailty. The risk of oral frailty was higher in the 50~54 age group compared to the 30~34 age group (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28~0.91), after adjusting for gender, education, income, occupation, and frailty (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22~0.94). This means that from 50~54 years old, regardless of gender, education, income, occupation, or frailty condition, there is a distinction from the "normal" status. Conclusion: We found that intervention for oral frailty is needed starting from age 50 years. This is the stage where early indications of oral frailty become apparent. Early intervention for oral frailty can lead to a decrease in the prevalence of diseases and medical expenditure. Therefore, early intervention in middle-aged adults of oral frailty is necessary to improve the quality of life related to oral health.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: Voice, reflecting cerebral functions, holds potential for analyzing and understanding brain function, especially in the context of cognitive impairment (CI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study used voice data to distinguish between normal cognition and CI or Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Methods: This study enrolled 3 groups of subjects: 1) 52 subjects with subjective cognitive decline; 2) 110 subjects with mild CI; and 3) 59 subjects with ADD. Voice features were extracted using Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and Chroma. Results: A deep neural network (DNN) model showed promising performance, with an accuracy of roughly 81% in 10 trials in predicting ADD, which increased to an average value of about 82.0%±1.6% when evaluated against unseen test dataset. Conclusions: Although results did not demonstrate the level of accuracy necessary for a definitive clinical tool, they provided a compelling proof-of-concept for the potential use of voice data in cognitive status assessment. DNN algorithms using voice offer a promising approach to early detection of AD. They could improve the accuracy and accessibility of diagnosis, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.42.1-42.12
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• 2024

Importance: Bovine mastitis, predominantly associated with gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, poses a significant threat to dairy cows, leading to a decline in milk quality and volume with substantial economic implications. Objective: This study investigated the incidence, virulence, and antibiotic resistance of S. aureus associated with mastitis in dairy cows. Methods: Fifty milk-productive cows underwent a subclinical mastitis diagnosis, and the S. aureus strains were isolated. Genomic DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis were performed, supplemented by including 124 S. aureus genomes from cows with subclinical mastitis to enhance the overall analysis. Results: The results revealed a 42% prevalence of subclinical mastitis among the cows tested. Genomic analysis identified 26 sequence types (STs) for all isolates, with Mexican STs belonging primarily to CC1 and CC97. The analyzed genomes exhibited multidrug resistance to phenicol, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, and cephalosporine, which are commonly used as the first line of treatment. Furthermore, a similar genomic virulence repertoire was observed across the genomes, encompassing the genes related to invasion, survival, pathogenesis, and iron uptake. In particular, the toxic shock syndrome toxin (tss-1) was found predominantly in the genomes isolated in this study, posing potential health risks, particularly in children. Conclusion and Relevance: These findings underscore the broad capacity for antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity by S. aureus, compromising the integrity of milk and dairy products. The study emphasizes the need to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotics in combating S. aureus infections.