• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.228-240
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cocoa consumption is associated with health benefits due to its high content of polyphenols. However, the effects of short-term cocoa consumption remain unclear. We aimed to determine the effects generated by cocoa consumption (for 7 days) in young adults in normoweight and class II obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Before-and-after study was carried out in normoweight (NW) (n = 15) and class II obesity (CIIO) (n = 15) young adults. The NW and CIIO participants consumed 25 and 39 g of cocoa, respectively, per day for 7 days. The effect of cocoa consumption was evaluated on the lipid profile, insulin resistance (IR), and inflammation. Oxidative damage was also examined by assessing the biomarkers of oxidative damage in plasma. In addition, recombinant human insulin was incubated with blood obtained from the participants, and the molecular damage to the hormone was analyzed. RESULTS: Cocoa consumption resulted in decreased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in both groups (P = 0.04), while the total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were maintained at the recommended levels. Initially, IR was detected in the CIIO group (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA] = 4.78 ± 0.4), which is associated with molecular damage to insulin. Interestingly, intervention with cocoa resulted in improved IR (HOMA = 3.14 ± 0.31) (P = 0.0018) as well as molecular damage to insulin. Finally, cocoa consumption significant decreased the arginase activity (P = 0.0249) in the CIIO group; this is a critical enzymatic activity in the inflammatory process associated with obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term consumption of cocoa improves the lipid profile, exerts anti-inflammatory effects, and protects against oxidative damage. Results of this study indicate that cocoa consumption can potentially improve IR and restore a healthy redox status.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.2
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• pp.59-68
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• 2023

Sweet corn is widely consumed due to its high nutritional content and diverse phytochemical composition, including carotenoids and phenolic compounds, which have several benefits for human health. This study aims to identify breeding materials for developing high-functional sweet corn varieties by evaluating the phytochemical and antioxidant activities of 37 Korean sweet corn inbred lines. The results revealed genetic variation in various components, such as carotenoid content (range of 120.7~1239.3 mg 100 g^-1), polyphenol content (490.5~740.6 mg gallic acid equivalent 100 g^-1), and flavonoid content (7.3~68.6 mg catechin equivalent 100 g^-1). In addition, the free radical scavenging capacity, measured using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), also varied among the inbred lines. Therefore, in this study, we identified Korean sweet corn inbred lines with high phytochemical content and excellent antioxidant activity. The development of sweet corn varieties with improved functionality is expected to further expand the role of sweet corn as a source of antioxidants in the Korean diet.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.7 no.11
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• pp.525-536
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• 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing ICU (intensive care units) length of stay of adult patients with critical illness. Methods: This study was adopted descriptive design. 270 patients who were admitted to ICU in general hospital, Seoul were analyzed. Results: A total of 270 patients, 116 (43%) patients had stayed more than 5 days. The length of stay of intensive care unit was significant positive correlation with the FCI(Functional Comobidity Index) score(r=0.33, p<.001) and APACHE(Aacute Physiology and Chronic Health Evlauaion) II(r=0.19, p=.001). In multiple logistic regression, the predictors of ICU length of stay were admission route (p=0.013), FCI score (p<0.001), APACHE II(p=0.012). Conclusions: Heatlh care providers in ICU should be aware that patients who admit to emergency departments and have higher disease severity are more considered to reduce their ICU length of stays.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.111-116
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• 2023

Background: In Indonesia, the prevalence of cleft lip and palate increased from 0.08% to 0.12% between 2013 and 2018. Children with cleft deformities typically undergo staged surgery. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had negative impacts on the healthcare sector, including the suspension of elective procedures; this has raised concerns about the safety of performing surgery and the functional consequences of delaying treatment, the latter of which is associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to report the characteristics of clefts treated by the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center team during the pandemic period. Methods: This brief comparative study based on a chart review was conducted at the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center. We statistically evaluated data from all patients treated between September 2018 and August 2021. Frequency analysis was performed to analyze the average number of each procedure by age before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Data from 18-month periods before (n= 460) and during (n= 423) the pandemic were compared. Cheiloplasty procedures were examined (pre-pandemic, n= 230; pandemic, n= 248); before the pandemic, 86.1% were performed according to the treatment protocol (patient < 1 year old), and this proportion non-significantly dropped to 80.6% during the pandemic (p= 0.904). Palatoplasty procedures were also compared (pre-pandemic, n= 160; pandemic, n= 139); the treatment protocol (patient 0.5-2 years old) was followed for 65.5% of procedures before the pandemic and 75.5% during the pandemic (p= 0.509). Additionally, 70 (mean age, 7.94 years) revision and other procedures were performed before the pandemic and 36 (mean age, 8.52 years) during the pandemic. Conclusion: The cleft procedures performed at the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center did not significantly change during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.9-18
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• 2022

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the world is in unexpected chaos. In particular, the Korean economy, which has a large number of self-employed people, is experiencing enormous damage from COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to analyze the causal impact of start-ups and closures by industry due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For the causal impact analysis, we collected and analyzed 8,312,224 cases of start-up and closure of 190 businesses that occurred on the local administrative license data public site for 11 years from 2010 to 2020. As a result of the analysis of the causal impact of COVID-19, there were 29 industries in which start-ups increased(increase rate 313.14% ~ 6.39%), 23 industries in which start-ups decreased(decrease rate 70.62% ~ 11.27%), 21 industries in which closures increased(increase rate 157.55% ~ 13.57%), and 18 industries in which business closures decreased(reduction rate 49.45% ~ 12.91%). The industries in which start-ups increased and closures decreased due to the COVID-19 outbreak were disinfection, food transportation, and general sales of health functional food. The industries in where start-ups decreased and closures increased due to the COVID-19 outbreak were youth game providing industry, danran pub business, and general game providing industry. It is expected that the results of this study will help practitioners who manage various infectious diseases to understand the causal impact of infectious disease outbreaks and to prepare countermeasures.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1083-1101
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to describe how the structural and functional features of social network change among widowed middle and older adults and to examine the effect of personal predictors of the social network change. Data was obtained from men and women between 45 to 98 years of age(N=118) who were bereaved by the death of their spouse since the first wave survey and participated in the second wave survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA). The main findings are as follows: First, their social network after the bereavement was strengthened centered around children; for example, the number of adult children living in proximity to the parent, frequency of contact with children, and the financial and non-financial support from children generally increased. Second, the social network change pattern was categorized into four types such as "overall increased type," "children-centered increased type," "children/close relationship-centered increased type," and "stagnation type." Finally, the health condition of the widowed middle and older adults was a strong predictor of the social network change.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.37-60
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• 2019

This study was attempt to derive the aging trajectories of Korean elderly people and identify its characteristics. In particular, this study used the successful aging model of Rowe and Kahn as an analytical framework. Using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA), this study applied group-based multi-trajectory analysis to identify multiple aging trajectories in sample of Korean elder aged 65~74(n=2,682). This study also used several demographic characteristics as baseline predictors to identify the characteristics of each aging trajectory. Five dimensions were analyzed in the multi-trajectory model: chronic disease, physical functional limitation, cognitive functioning, depressive symptom and social engagement. As a result of the analysis, five aging trajectories were identified: successful aging(17.8%), usual aging (33.9%), health declining aging(18.2%), pathological aging(7.9%), and aging with mild cognitive impairment(22.1%). In general, the odds of experiencing successful aging were high in men, low-aged, highly educated, high-income, and spousal elderly. On the other hand, for the elderly, who are under-educated, low-income, and high-aged, there was a high probability of experiencing a relatively difficult aging process. In particular, the odds of experiencing a mild cognitive impairment aging was high in older, lower-income women without a spouse.

• Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to use of restraints for older adults with dementia in long-term care settings. Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from the Nationwide Survey on Dementia Care in Korea (NaSDeCK). Demographic characteristics, disease characteristics, and functional characteristics were analyzed. Data were analyzed with χ² test, t-test, ANOVA, and logistic regression analysis. Results: Among participants, 8.2% experienced use of restraints. 'Strap' (78.3%) was the most commonly used restraint and 'Behavioral problem' (51.3%) was a major reason for the restraint. Persons who have low levels of daily activity and cognition deficits, higher levels of dependence, histories of falls within the past 3 months, and living in long-term hospitals have greater probability of restraint experience. Conclusion: Developing interventions for older adults who have a high risk of being restrained is essential to minimize unnecessary restraint use among older adults with dementia in long-term care settings. Further study exploring the interacting roles of organizational and staff factors related to use of physical restraints would provide more comprehensive perspectives in understanding this phenomenon.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.93-101
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• 2023

Climate change has emerged as a global problem, with frequent temperature increases, droughts, and floods, and it is predicted that it will have a great impact on the characteristics and productivity of crops. Cnidium officinale is used not only as traditionally used herbal medicines, but also as various industrial raw materials such as health functional foods, natural medicines, and living materials, but productivity is decreasing due to threats such as continuous crop damage and climate change. Therefore, this paper proposes a model that can predict the physiologically active ingredient index according to the climate change scenario of Cnidium officinale, a representative medicinal crop vulnerable to climate change. In this paper, data was first augmented using the CTGAN algorithm to solve the problem of data imbalance in the collection of environment information, physiological reactions, and physiological active ingredient information. Column Shape and Column Pair Trends were used to measure augmented data quality, and overall quality of 88% was achieved on average. In addition, five models RF, SVR, XGBoost, AdaBoost, and LightBGM were used to predict phenol and flavonoid content by dividing them into ground and underground using augmented data. As a result of model evaluation, the XGBoost model showed the best performance in predicting the physiological active ingredients of the sacrum, and it was confirmed to be about twice as accurate as the SVR model.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

In a reality where negative perceptions and social prejudices towards individuals with mental illnesses persist, the absence and lack of social support systems acquired through personal intimate social networks can be considered a significant hindrance to the quality of life for those with mental disorders. Therefore, this study examined the impact of the characteristics of social networks and social support on the life satisfaction of individuals with mental illnesses. A survey was conducted with 180 patients from seven mental health treatment facilities in the Daegu area. The data were analyzed using MANOVA, hierarchical multiple regression analysis, and Sobel test for mediation analysis with SPSS 25 software. The key findings of the study revealed that the intimacy aspect of social networks had a positive and significant effect on social support and life satisfaction. On the other hand, the size of the social network showed a negative influence on social support. Furthermore, social support partially mediated the relationship between the intimacy of social networks and life satisfaction, and it fully mediated the relationship between the size of social networks and life satisfaction. Based on these research outcomes, practical and policy-related recommendations are provided to enhance life satisfaction through increased social support for this population.