• 융합정보논문지
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• 제8권6호
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• pp.123-128
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• 2018

최근 고령인구 증가와 장기요양 보험의 도입으로 요양기관에 입주하는 고령 환자의 수가 빠른 속도로 증가하고 있다. 이러한 장기요양 환자들은 만성질환과 치매 등의 질환을 앓고 있어 거동이 불편하거나 인지력이 떨어지는 어려움을 겪을 뿐 아니라, 가족과 떨어져서 우울증에 시달리므로 심리 및 정서적인 지원이 절실하다. 그리하여, 본 논문에서는 거동이 불편한 고령 환자를 위하여 VR과 포톤네트워크를 이용하여 물리적으로 떨어져 있는 가족들과 함께 평소에 가보지 못했던 해외여행 체험을 가상으로 제공하고자 한다. 기존 VR을 이용한 여행체험 서비스는 혼자 체험하는 반면, 제안하는 콘텐츠는 포톤 네트워크를 통해 가족 및 친구들이 네트워크로 참여함으로써 여행 체험 시 대화는 물론 지인들의 옆모습을 보며 함께 경치를 즐길 수 있다. 이를 통하여 고령의 장기 요양환자로 하여금 심리적 안정감을 회복하고 치유의 의지를 높여서 투병생활에서 삶의 질을 높이는데 도움을 줄 것이라 기대한다.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.65-73
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• 2020

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a single-gene disease of the cerebral small blood vessels caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene on chromosome 19. Although CADASIL was known as a rare disease, recent research has suggested that the NOTCH variants could be found frequently even in the general population. The main clinical features included recurrent stroke, migraine, psychiatric symptoms, and progressive cognitive decline. On brain magnetic resonance imaging, patients with CADASIL showed multifocal white matter hyperintensity lesions, lacunar infarcts, microbleeds, and brain atrophy. Among them, lacunar infarcts and brain atrophy are important in predicting the clinical outcomes of patients with CADASIL. In the Jeju National University Hospital, we have diagnosed 213 CADASIL patients from 2004 to 2020. Most NOTCH3 mutations were located in exon 11 (94.4%), and p.Arg544Cys was the most common mutation. The mean age at diagnosis was 61.0±12.8 years. The most common presenting symptoms were ischemic stroke (24.4%), followed by cognitive impairment(15.0%), headache (8.9%), and dizziness(8.0%). Although the exact prevalence of CADASIL in Jeju is still unknown, the disease prevalence could be as high as 1% of the population considering the prevalence reported in Taiwan. Therefore, it is necessary to discover efficient biomarkers and genetic tests that can accurately screen and diagnose patients suspected of having CADASIL in this region. Ultimately, it is urgent to explore the exact pathogenesis of the disease to identify leading substances of treatment potential, and for this, multi-disciplinary research through active support from the Jeju provincial government as well as the national government is essential.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제85권4호
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• pp.349-357
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• 2022

Background: The most consistently identified mortality determinants for the new coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection are aging, male sex, cardiovascular/respiratory diseases, and cancer. They were determined from heterogeneous cohorts that included patients with different disease severity and previous conditions. The main goal of this study was to determine if activities of daily living (ADL) dependence measured by Barthel's index could be a predictor for COVID-19 mortality. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed with a consecutive sample of 340 COVID-19 patients representing patients from all over the northern region of Portugal from October 2020 to March 2021. Mortality risk factors were determined after controlling for demographics, ADL dependence, admission time, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, and delay-time for diagnosis. Central tendency measures were used to analyze continuous variables and absolute numbers (proportions) for categorical variables. For univariable analysis, we used t test, chi-square test, or Fisher exact test as appropriate (α=0.05). Multivariable analysis was performed using logistic regression. IBM SPSS version 27 statistical software was used for data analysis. Results: The cohort included 340 patients (55.3% females) with a mean age of 80.6±11.0 years. The mortality rate was 19.7%. Univariate analysis revealed that aging, ADL dependence, pneumonia, and dementia were associated with mortality and that dyslipidemia and obesity were associated with survival. In multivariable analysis, dyslipidemia (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.71) was independently associated with survival. Age ≥86 years (pooled OR, 2.239; 95% CI, 1.100-4.559), pneumonia (pooled OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.362-6.606), and ADL dependence (pooled OR, 6.296; 95% CI, 1.795-22.088) were significantly related to mortality (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve, 82.1%; p<0.001). Conclusion: ADL dependence, aging, and pneumonia are three main predictors for COVID-19 mortality in an elderly population.

• 한국엔터테인먼트산업학회논문지
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.441-448
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• 2019

본 연구는 경도 인지장애 환자들이 병원을 선택하는 기준에 대해 알아보고자 실시하였다. 연구는 2018년 5월 1일부터 9월 30일까지 연구참여에 동의한 36명을 대상으로 설문을 실시하였다. 자료수집은 재활병원과 요양병원에 입원한 환자를 대상으로 하였으며 K-MMSE를 이용하여 인지 선별평가를 시행하고, 병원선택요인 도구를 본 연구에 맞게 수정 보완하여 사용하였다. 연구의 결과를 종합해보면 거주지 또는 직장과의 거리가 가깝고 교통용이, 간편한 행정적 절차, 병원의 유명도, 새로운 서비스, 물리치료와 작업치료 등과 관련된 서비스 등이 경도 인지장애 환자의 병원 선택에 영향을 미쳤다(p<.05). 본 연구의 결과를 토대로 증가하는 경도 인지장애 환자의 병원 내원을 대비하여 임상가들과 환자를 유치하는 의료기관의 마케팅 전략에도 변화가 필요할 것이라 사료된다.

• 대한물리치료과학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.29-43
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• 2023

Background: In the rehabilitation of stroke patients, regular physical activity is very important not only as a treatment for maximal functional recovery but also as a strategy to prevent the recurrence of stroke. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure the amount of physical activity in people with stroke, and to examine the differences in motor and cognitive function according to a level of physical activity. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Physical activity (GENEActiv), motor function (Fugl-Meyer Assessment), cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Korean version), and the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index were evaluated in adult stroke patients with hemiplegia. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the level of physical activity according to the motor and cognitive function. There was no statistically significant difference in motor and cognitive function according to the level of physical activity, but there was a statistically significant difference in the MBI (p<.01). Conclusion: As a result of the difference in the MBI according to the level of physical activity, it was found that the more moderate to vigorous physical activities are performed, the higher the independence in daily living. These results can be interpreted as that the more often you participate in physical activities such as physical therapy (gait training), the better your independence in ADL. Since regular physical activity participation of adult stroke patients can improve daily living performance, it is considered necessary to participate in physical activities such as continuous physical therapy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.247-258
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• 2023

Objective: To localize the neuroanatomical substrate of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and to investigate the neuroanatomical locational relationship between RBD and α-synucleinopathy neurodegenerative diseases. Materials and Methods: Using a systematic PubMed search, we identified 19 patients with lesions in different brain regions that caused RBD. First, lesion network mapping was applied to confirm whether the lesion locations causing RBD corresponded to a common brain network. Second, the literature-based RBD lesion network map was validated using neuroimaging findings and locations of brain pathologies at post-mortem in patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD) who were identified by independent systematic literature search using PubMed. Finally, we assessed the locational relationship between the sites of pathological alterations at the preclinical stage in α-synucleinopathy neurodegenerative diseases and the brain network for RBD. Results: The lesion network mapping showed lesions causing RBD to be localized to a common brain network defined by connectivity to the pons (including the locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, central superior nucleus, and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray), regardless of the lesion location. The positive regions in the pons were replicated by the neuroimaging findings in an independent group of patients with iRBD and it coincided with the reported pathological alterations at post-mortem in patients with iRBD. Furthermore, all brain pathological sites at preclinical stages (Braak stages 1-2) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and at brainstem Lewy body disease in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) were involved in the brain network identified for RBD. Conclusion: The brain network defined by connectivity to positive pons regions might be the regulatory network loop inducing RBD in humans. In addition, our results suggested that the underlying cause of high phenoconversion rate from iRBD to neurodegenerative α-synucleinopathy might be pathological changes in the preclinical stage of α-synucleinopathy located at the regulatory network loop of RBD.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권11호
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• pp.1131-1141
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• 2023

Objective: Cortical iron deposition has recently been shown to occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate how cortical gray matter iron, measured using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), differs in the clinical cognitive impairment spectrum. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 73 participants (mean age ± standard deviation, 66.7 ± 7.6 years; 52 females and 21 males) with normal cognition (NC), 158 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 48 patients with AD dementia. The participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging using a three-dimensional multi-dynamic multi-echo sequence on a 3-T scanner. We employed a deep neural network (QSMnet+) and used automatic segmentation software based on FreeSurfer v6.0 to extract anatomical labels and volumes of interest in the cortex. We used analysis of covariance to investigate the differences in susceptibility among the clinical diagnostic groups in each brain region. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to study the association between susceptibility values and cognitive scores including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Among the three groups, the frontal (P < 0.001), temporal (P = 0.004), parietal (P = 0.001), occipital (P < 0.001), and cingulate cortices (P < 0.001) showed a higher mean susceptibility in patients with MCI and AD than in NC subjects. In the combined MCI and AD group, the mean susceptibility in the cingulate cortex (β = -216.21, P = 0.019) and insular cortex (β = -276.65, P = 0.001) were significant independent predictors of MMSE scores after correcting for age, sex, education, regional volume, and APOE4 carrier status. Conclusion: Iron deposition in the cortex, as measured by QSMnet+, was higher in patients with AD and MCI than in NC participants. Iron deposition in the cingulate and insular cortices may be an early imaging marker of cognitive impairment related neurodegeneration.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.63-68
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• 2016

Objectives Haenyeo are Korean professional women breath-hold divers in Jeju island. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of depressed Haenyeo group, compared to non-Haenyeo depressed group. Methods This study included 75 Haenyeo and 340 non-Haenyeo with depressive disorders recruited from the Dementia Early Detection Program in Jeju island. Structural diagnostic interviews were performed using the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. All patients completed the questionnaires, including the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and the Blessed dementia scale. Depression was evaluated by the Korean version of short form the Geriatric Depression Scale (K-SGDS) and cognition was assessed by the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) assessment packet. Results Although the mean scores of the K-SGDS were similar between Haenyeo and non-Haenyeo depressed groups, the Haenyeo group showed a higher mean score on the PSQ-15 (p < 0.001, ANCOVA adjusting for age, the K-SGDS and education). The Haenyeo group showed poorer performance on the Korean Version of Frontal Assessment Batter (p < 0.001), the Mini-Mental State Examination in the Korean version of the CERAD Assessment Packet (p < 0.018), the word fluency test (p < 0.001), and the word list memory test (p = 0.012) in ANCOVA adjusting for age and education. The mean SMCQ score was higher in the Haenyeo depressed group than in the non-Haenyeo depressed group. Conclusions The Haenyeo depressed group shows cognitive dysfunction, especially frontal lobe dysfunction, compared to the non-Haenyeo depressed group, indicating the Haenyeo depressed group may have more severe frontolimbic dysfunction due to chronic exposure to hypoxia. The Haenyeo depressed group suffers more somatic symptoms than the non-Haenyeo depressed group.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.81-93
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• 2021

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is condition of cognitive decline shown in transition from normal aging to dementia. Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture (HPP) is a treatment that combines effects of medication and acupuncture by injecting Hominis placenta into acupoints. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HPP for MCI. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-center clinical trial. Eligible patients were randomly allocated to either the HPP group or the placebo group. HPP or saline as placebo was administered to participants for eight weeks. Changes in symptoms were observed. The primary outcome was difference in mean change of Korean Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) score between the HPP group and the placebo group. Cognitive function, overall status of mood and sleep, and quality of life (QoL) were also assessed. Safety assessment and economic analysis were then conducted. Results: Thirty participants were enrolled. One participant in the placebo group dropped out. The score of MoCA-K increased after treatment. Its mean change was smaller in the HPP group than in the control group. HPP ameliorated Global Deterioration Scale and Korean Dementia Rating Scale subtests for attention, organization, and memory compared to the placebo. However, none of them was significantly different between the two groups. Mood, sleep, and QoL all improved more in the HPP group than in the placebo group, although differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. There was no adverse event probably related to the drug. HPP treatment needed KRW 345,000 more than the placebo group in improving Geriatric Quality of Life scale-Dementia score by one point for one year. Conclusions: Although HPP treatment did not significantly improve cognition, it changed behavioral and psychological symptoms in MCI.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.400-414
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• 1999

Objectives: This is a descriptive study which was carried out to identify characteristics of the chronic mentally ill and their families in a rural area and the influencing factors on family burden. Methods : Data was collected for seven months beginning April 1, 1998 by questionnaire from chronic mentally ill patients and their families in two towns and seven townships of the rural areas of Kyonggi Province. In additional to the mental diagnosis of the mentally ill patients, family burden was measured by interviewing the other family members using the questionnaire developed by Pai & Kapur (1981). Of those interviewed, 103 patients were selected for final analysis. Results : Of 103 mentally ill patients, 36.1% of the subjects were not under treatment. In particular, of 29 patients with schizophrenia, 48.3% of the subjects had stopped taking medication and 6.9% of the subjects had never been treated. According to the results of a specialized examination by a psychologist, 81% of patients were in need of Hospitalization. Most primary caregivers were parents. Of the 101 primary caregivers in the study, 39.6% were over 65 years old. In case of death of the primary caregiver, 50.5% of these 101 mentally ill patients would not have anyone to care for them. Of the various kinds of family burden, primary caregivers most often reported psychological stress. Overall, the families of dementia and schizophrenia patients complained of the most family burden. Through univariative analysis, the variables of sex, education and current treatment type of the patients, the relationship with the patient and marital status of the primary caregiver and the number of people living together in the household showed significant correlation with the family burden of schizophrenia patients. Univariative analysis also showed that there were a number of variables which were correlated to the family burden in mentally retarded patients. Concerning the need for mental health services, the most common requests were for entitlement to disability benefits and housing programs. Conclusions: Community mental health services in rural areas must be developed, planned and executed in consideration of the local situation. In particular, the development of various family support programs is needed in order to mitigate emotional, mental and economic burdens and carry out a positive role to care for and rehabilitate patients.