• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.328-338
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• 2018

The incidence of gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEJAC) in Western countries has increased in recent decades, in addition to a rise in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and low Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection rate have been nominated as risk factors for such cancers. Among these risk factors, the increased prevalence of GERD and obesity and the decreased prevalence of HP infection are of special interest owing to the currently increasing prevalence of GEJAC in Western countries. Although similar trends in the prevalence of GERD, obesity, and HP infection are observed in Asian countries after a time lag from Western countries, it is still uncertain if the prevalence of GEJAC in Asian countries is increasing, especially in Korea. The incidence of GERD in Korea is currently increasing; it was below 3% in the 1990s. The incidence of obesity in the Korean population is increasing owing to the adoption of westernized lifestyles, including food preferences, and the HP infection rate in Korea is known to be decreasing. Therefore, based on logical extrapolation of observations of Western countries, the incidence of GEJAC will increase in Korea. However, the proportion of GEJAC among other upper gastrointestinal malignancies in Korea appears to be currently unchanged compared with that in the 1990s. Presently, there is a lack of epidemiologic studies on this issue in this region; therefore, more studies are needed to clarify the characteristics of these tumors and to improve clinical outcomes for patients with these tumors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.96-102
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• 2021

Objectives: Sarcopenia is a common disease in the elderly population that causes disability, poor quality of life, and a high risk of death. In the current study, we conducted a meta-analysis to report basic knowledge about the prevalence of sarcopenia in the elderly in Korea. Methods: We searched for articles in the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases published until December 28, 2020. Studies investigating the prevalence of sarcopenia in elderly Koreans aged ≥65 years were included. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Publication bias was evaluated using the Egger test and funnel plots. Results: In total, 3 studies and 2922 patients were included in the meta-analysis. All 3 studies used the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. The total prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.1-14.9% in elderly men and 11.4% in elderly women. Conclusions: This meta-analysis is the first to estimate the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in elderly Koreans, and its findings suggest that sarcopenia is common in this population. Therefore, attention should be paid to the prevention and control of sarcopenia.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.141-149
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• 2024

Pediatric obesity has rapidly increased globally over the past few decades, including in Korea. We aimed to discuss trends in the prevalence of pediatric obesity and effective prevention strategies. Its prevalence has markedly increased in most high-income nations. According to recent reports, this increase has slowed in developed countries, but the levels remain alarmingly high. In Korea, the rate of pediatric obesity has surged notably since the 1990s; however, since the 2000s, this increase has become more gradual. According to recently published 2017 growth charts, the prevalence of pediatric obesity in Korea varies slightly depending on the data source. The National School Health Examination data showed that pediatric obesity gradually increase from 11.5% in 2014 to 15.1% in 2019, and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it sharply increased to 19% in 2021. Based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the prevalence of pediatric obesity gradually increased from 10.8% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2019. This trend, which accelerated sharply to 15.9% in 2020 and 19.3% in 2021, was especially severe in boys and older children. Pediatric obesity not only affects health during childhood but also increases the risk of developing obesity and associated health conditions in adulthood. Despite ongoing research on treatment options, obesity prevention and control remain challenging. Hence, prioritizing early intervention and prevention of pediatric obesity through healthy eating habits and lifestyles is crucial. This requires intervention at the individual, family, school, and community levels.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.209-220
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• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of chronic disease and utilization of medical facility in rural area. 5,797 persons were randomly selected from 28,883 rural residents who were over 30 years old and living in Moonkyung city in Kyungsangpook Province during the period October 1 1983 to February 28 1994. The person prevalence rate was 336 per 1,000. The prevalence rate in men(278 per 1,000) was higher than that(388 per 1,000) in women. The spell prevalence rate in men(367) was significantly higher than that(429) in women (p<0.05). The prevalence was increased with the age, 106 in the 30's. 223 in the40's, 336 in the 50's, 407 in the 60's, and 457 in the age group of 70 above. Of all chronic diseases, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first(128), chronic gastrointestinal disorders(64), degenerative arthritis(54). hypertension (44) and diabetes (14) were followed in descending order. In men, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first, chronic gastrointestinal disorders, degenerative arthritis, hypertension and bronchial asthma were followed in descending order. In women, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first, degenerative arthritis, chronic gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension and diabetes were followed in descending order. The prevalences of neuralgia, degenerative arthritis and hypertension were significantly higher in women than those in men, however, those of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary tuberculosis and liver cirrhosis in men were significantly higher than those in women(p<0.05). Most patients with chronic diseases were more likely to utilize hospital and/or local clinics than public health facility or community health providers. Patients with neuralgia, degenerative arthritis and bronchial asthma tended to utilizing local clinics initially, however, they were changed to visit public health facility or community health providers afterwards. Patients with hypertension or pulmonary tuberculosis were more likely to visit public health facility, however, those with diabetes, cancer, heart failure, CVD, liver cirrhosis were more likely to visit hospital.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2018

Recently, demographic studies of veterinary medical database have been conducted to understand patterns of disease occurrence. Understanding incidence of breed-related disease would provide appropriate guidance for future health care strategies and offer useful information for early diagnosis of disease. However, in veterinary medicine, theses research has not yet been investigated in the Republic of Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of common medical disorders among dog breeds examined at primary-care veterinary clinics in Jeollabuk-Do, Republic of Korea. The data were analyzed based on World Health Organization's International Classification of Disease. A total 13,176 medical records of canine patients were analyzed from six primary veterinary clinics in Jeollabuk-Do from January to December 2016. Results showed that the most common health problems were 'disease of skin' (17.7%); followed by 'diseases of digestive system' (12.26%), 'preventive medicine' (10.08%), and 'diseases of ear and mastoid process' (10.4%). In seven out of ten breeds, the most common medical disorder was skin disease. For poodle such as Pomeranian and Chihuahua, digestive system disease was most prevalent. On the other hand, respiratory system disease was found to be higher in Pomeranian than other breeds; while ear and mastoid process disease was most common for Maltese and Poodle. This study can help owners, breeders, and veterinarians prevent and manage various diseases of popular breeds in Jeollabuk-Do in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.157-163
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• 2019

This study determines the difference in prevalence of anemia and hemoglobin concentration between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and control groups in the elderly. Moreover, this study also examines the prevalence of anemia and hemoglobin concentration according to the severity of COPD in the elderly. Medical records of 8150 participants who answered the 7th National Health and Nutritional Survey conducted in 2016 were reviewed, and a total of 694 participants was included in the analysis. Participants were classified into two groups: COPD and control groups. Laboratory studies on hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell concentration and prevalence of anemia were collected. Subgroup analysis was also conducted according to the severity of COPD. No significant differences were determined for the prevalence of anemia and hemoglobin concentration between both groups. Hemoglobin concentration was significantly higher in the COPD group. Although not statistically significant, there was a tendency for decrease in the prevalence of anemia and increase in the hemoglobin concentration as the severity of COPD increased. Our findings present specific data about the prevalence of anemia and hemoglobin concentration in elderly patients with COPD. Hence, we propose that occurrence of anemia in elderly patients with COPD requires further evaluation of the causes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.186-191
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• 2009

Background: Osteoporosis is a significant comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study examined the prevalence and risk factors associated with osteoporosis in patients with COPD. Methods: The bone mineral densities (BMDs) of the lumbar spine and femoral bone were measured in 53 patients with clinically stable COPD and 41 age- and gender-matched control subjects showing a normal lung function. Osteoporosis was defined as a T-score $\leq$-2.5. The subjects' clinical characteristics and laboratory data were reviewed, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors associated with osteoporosis in COPD patients. Results: The prevalence of osteoporosis was 47% and 32% in the COPD patients and controls, respectively. In particular, using the femoral neck T-score, the prevalence of osteoporosis in COPD patients was higher than that in the controls (26% vs. 5%; p=0.006). The average T-score of the lumbar spine (p=0.025) and femoral neck of COPD patients were significantly lower than those of the controls (p=0.001). The forced expiratory volume in the 1 second ($FEV_1$) % predicted (p=0.019; odds ratio [OR], 0.955; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.919-0.993) and age (p=0.024; OR, 1.144; 95% CI, 1.018-1.287) were independently associated with osteoporosis in patients with COPD. Conclusion: Using the femoral neck T-score, the prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with COPD was higher than the age-and gender-matched controls. A lower $FEV_1$ and older age further increase the risk of osteoporosis in patients with COPD.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to analyze data from the planned national serological monitoring program for Aujeszky's disease (AD) using a simulation model to evaluate probable outcomes expected in the sample derived from the simulated herds at predefined within-herd prevalence and herd prevalence. Additionally, prevalence at animal- and herd-level estimated by the stochastic simulation model based on the distributions of the proportion of infected herds and test-positive animals was compared with those of data from a national serological survey in 2006, in which 106,762 fattening pigs from 5,325 herds were tested for AD using a commercial ELISA kit. A fixed value of 95% was used for test sensitivity, and the specificity was modeled with a minimum, most likely and maximum of 95, 97 and 99%, respectively. The within-herd prevalence and herd prevalence was modeled using Pert and Triang distributions, respectively with a minimum, most likely and maximum point values. In all calculations, population size of 1,000 was used due to lack of representative information. The mean number of infected herds and true test-positives was estimated to be 27 herds (median = 25; 95% percentile 44) and 214 pigs (median = 196; 95% percentile 423), respectively. When testing 20 pigs (mean of 2006 survey) in each herd, there was a 3.3% probability that the potential for false-positive reactions due to less than 100% specificity of the ELISA test would be detected. It was found that the model showed prevalence of 0.21% (99% percentile 0.50%) and 0.5% (99% percentile 0.99%) at animal- and herd-level, respectively. These rates were much similar to data from the 2006 survey (0.62% versus 0.83%). The overall mean herd-level sensitivity of the 2006 survey for fattening pigs was 99.9%, with only a 0.2% probability of failing to detect at least one infected herd.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.119-126
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• 2022

The reported risk factors for gallstone disease (GD) are old age, female sex, obesity, metabolic syndrome and migrants. Many younger adults tend to live in Jeju City, where transportations are convenient and commercial activities are active. Whereas, older people tend to live in Seogwipo City, because they engaged in fisheries and agriculture. Rates of migrants and old age could affect the prevalence of GD among residents in two regions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the GD prevalence and analyze risk factors affecting GD including residencies. A total of 13,050 subjects who visited a single health medical check-up center on Jeju Island between 2012 and 2019 were included. We performed univariate and multivariate analysis to identify risk factors for GD. The prevalence of GD among residents were 5.7% in Jeju City and 5.8% in Seogwipo City, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that age (P=0.008), body mass index (P=0.044), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.006) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (P=0.013) were independent factors affecting GD. The old age, mean higher body mass index, gamma-glutamyl transferase and mean lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent risk factors affecting GD. However, residencies did not affect the prevalence of GD.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.2221-2227
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• 2017

Echovirus serotype 30 (ECHO30) has been responsible for several recent worldwide outbreaks of viral meningitis. In Zhejiang Province, China, ECHO30 has been one of the main causes of viral meningitis for years. This study, using phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene, was performed to investigate the general molecular epidemiology and genetic patterns of ECHO30 circulating in Zhejiang Province between the years 2002 and 2015. The nucleotide sequences of ECHO30 VP1 showed that they were 64.8% identical with the prototype strain, Bastianni, while the amino acids were 84.9% identical. Phylogenetic analyses showed that ECHO30 in the Zhejiang area has diverged into two genotypes. Genotype I consists of strains isolated since 2002, whereas genotype II includes strains that were mainly isolated during the 2002 to 2004 outbreak. ECHO30 has been endemically circulating in both humans and the environment for a long period of time. Additionally, we evaluated the significance of recombination presented during the years 2005 to 2007 to demonstrate that recombination plays an important role in the prevalence of ECHO30 in the Zhejiang area.