• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.356-371
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the job performance, perception of job importance, and job satisfaction in dietitians working in geriatric hospitals in Busan. A survey was conducted from April 28 to June 30, 2011, and the data were analyzed using the SPSS program. The age of over 41 group showed higher job performance in terms of sanitation and safety management than the age of under 25 group but showed lower job performance in terms of nutrition management than the age of 31~40 group. The subjects who worked for shorter than 2 years at their present jobs showed the lower job performance in terms of menu management and accounting management than the other groups, whereas those who worked in 'over 200 bed' hospitals showed the higher job performance in terms of sanitation and safety management than the others. The subjects who worked for longer than 6 years showed the higher job satisfaction in terms of communication and working environment than the others. Job performance showed a significant positive correlation with perception of job importance, whereas it showed no significant correlation with job satisfaction. More work experience correlated with a higher monthly income, and younger workers showed higher job performance. Younger age and more work experience at a present job correlated with a higher perception of job importance. More work experience at a present job, higher monthly income, and shorter work experience were correlated with higher job satisfaction. These results suggest that it would be effective to adopt training programs for appropriate nutrition service and provide continuous education programs for professional development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.534-548
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• 2017

Elderly with dementia in geriatric hospitals (EDGH) are highly dependent on hospital meals. This study evaluated the foodservices satisfaction and food preference of the EDGH. The survey was conducted on 104 elderly with dementia (21 males and 83 females) in 4 geriatric hospitals in Seoul and Incheon in November, 2016. Data were collected from interviews using a questionnaire that consisted of 6 questions for foodservice satisfaction and 24 questions (10 categories) for food preference. The data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 20.0. The satisfaction with taste, saltiness, texture, and variety in foodservices was good, but the satisfaction with the amount was not, and the reason for leaving food was its large serving size. The subjects preferred soft boiled rice, noodles, porridges, meats, fish, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. Among them, they preferred more janchiguksu, red bean porridge, beef, croaker, oyster, spinach, and banana. Regarding the cooking methods, they preferred soup, grill, and boiling, but not frying. The also preferred Chinese cabbage kimchi, but they did not prefer hard kkakdugi. They did not prefer milk because of diarrhea, but they preferred yogurt. Therefore, to provide a satisfying meal for EDGH, it is necessary to develop a friendly diet considering their food preferences.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine associations between classification of the Geriatric Screening for Care-10 (GSC-10) and the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) among elderly inpatients. Methods: Among elderly inpatients aged over 65 admitted to hospital (from November 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017), the data for 5,780 patients (who were evaluated using the Morse Fall Scale and the Geriatric Screening for Care-10) were analyzed using x2-tests and t-tests to examine differences between the GSC-10 and MFS, according to general characteristics of elderly inpatients (i.e., gender) using IBM SPSS Statistics 24. Results: : Scores for the GSC-10 were significantly higher in women than men for depression (p<.001), delirium (p=.048), functional decline (p<.001), incontinence (p<.001), and pain (p<.001). Statistically significant differences in all domains of the GSC-10 for elderly hospitalized patients were found for the classification of fall risk. Conclusion: The findings of this study, as supported by the GSC-10, indicate that the most common problems experienced by the elderly are related to the risk of falling. In order to reduce the incidence of falls in elderly inpatients, customized fall prevention based on the GSC-10 results is necessary.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.412-419
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• 2016

Objective: Because the number of geriatric cancer patients is on the rise but information on treatments for this population is limited, this study aimed to analyze clinical characteristics and the factors that influence treatment decisions among elderly cancer patients.Method: Data on elderly cancer patients (≥65 years of age) who were admitted to a traditional Korean medicine hospital from March 2014 to February 2016 were collected. We compared the clinical characteristics and overall survival rates of the chemotherapy group and the non-chemotherapy group.Results: Nineteen patients were included in this study. Nine people received chemotherapy, and ten people did not receive chemotherapy due to concerns about quality of life. Age, activities of daily living (ADL) score, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status all showed differences between the two groups, although median survival times did not differ significantly between the two. Compared with chemotherapy alone, traditional Korean medicine combined with chemotherapy prolonged median survival times.Conclusion: Old age and low ECOG performance status and ADL scores appear to be influential factors for the decision to undergo chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to confirm that these factors influence decisions about cancer treatment methods among geriatric cancer patients.

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.503-511
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• 2018

Background: Sampling a healthy reference population to generate reference intervals (RIs) for complete blood count (CBC) parameters is not common for pediatric and geriatric ages. We established age- and sex-specific RIs for CBC parameters across pediatric, adult, and geriatric ages using secondary data, evaluating patterns of changes in CBC parameters. Methods: The reference population comprised 804,623 health examinees (66,611 aged 3-17 years; 564,280 aged 18-59 years; 173,732 aged 60-99 years), and, we excluded 22,766 examinees after outlier testing. The CBC parameters (red blood cell [RBC], white blood cell [WBC], and platelet parameters) from 781,857 examinees were studied. We determined statistically significant partitions of age and sex, and calculated RIs according to the CLSI C28-A3 guidelines. Results: RBC parameters increased with age until adulthood and decreased with age in males, but increased before puberty and then decreased with age in females. WBC and platelet counts were the highest in early childhood and decreased with age. Sex differences in each age group were noted: WBC count was higher in males than in females during adulthood, but platelet count was higher in females than in males from puberty onwards (P <0.001). Neutrophil count was the lowest in early childhood and increased with age. Lymphocyte count decreased with age after peaking in early childhood. Eosinophil count was the highest in childhood and higher in males than in females. Monocyte count was higher in males than in females (P <0.001). Conclusions: We provide comprehensive age- and sex-specific RIs for CBC parameters, which show dynamic changes with both age and sex.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.380-388
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• 2018

This thesis examines whether there is a correlation between emotional labor of geriatric hospital nurses and job stress. To accomplish this, a survey was conducted from January 22, 2018 to April 22, 2018, after which data from 256 out of a total of 260 questionnaires were evaluated. Specifically, SPSS 23.0 was used to conduct a hierarchical analysis to verify the meditating effects of job stress under the condition that emotional labor influences job satisfaction. A positive correlation between emotional labor and job stress was observed. In addition, there was a negative correlation between emotional labor and job satisfaction, as well as between job stress and job satisfaction. Finally, job stress partially mediates between emotional labor and job satisfaction. Overall, the results of this thesis provide basic materials that will be useful to development of a strategy for human resource management of geriatric hospital nurses.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2021

Cereblon (CRBN), a substrate receptor of cullin 4-RING E3 ligase (CRL4) regulates the ubiquitination and degradation of c-Jun, mediating the lipopolysaccharide-induced cellular response. However, the upstream signaling pathway that regulates this process is unknown. In this study, we describe how endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress reversely regulates sequestosome-1 (p62)and c-Jun protein levels. Furthermore, our study reveals that expression of p62 attenuates c-Jun protein levels through the ubiquitinproteasome system. Conversely, siRNA knockdown of p62 elevates c-Jun protein levels. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting experiments demonstrate that p62 interacts with c-Jun and CRBN to form a ternary protein complex. Moreover, we find that CRBN knockdown completely abolishes the inhibitory effect of p62 on c-Jun. Using brefeldin A as an inducer of ER stress, we demonstrate that the p62/c-Jun axis participates in the regulation of ER stress-induced apoptosis, and that CRBN is required for this regulation. In summary, we have identified an upstream signaling pathway, which regulates p62-mediated c-Jun degradation. Our findings elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism by which p62/c-Jun axis regulates the ER stress-induced apoptosis, and provide a new molecular connection between ER stress and apoptosis.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.173-180
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• 2022

Purpose: The use of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) has steadily increased over the past decade. Recent literature suggests that a larger population may benefit from SSRF, and that the geriatric population-as the highest-risk population-may receive the greatest improvement from these interventions. We sought to determine the overall utilization of SSRF in the United States. Methods: The National Trauma Database was analyzed between 2016 and 2017. The inclusion criteria were all patients ≥65 years old with rib fractures. We further stratified these patients according to age (65-79 vs. ≥80 years old), the presence of coding for flail chest, three or more rib fractures, and intervention (surgical vs. nonoperative management). The main outcomes were surgical interventions, mortality, pneumonia, length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, ventilator use, and tracheostomy. Results: Overall, 93,638 patients were identified. SSRF was performed in 992 patients. Patients who underwent SSRF had improved mortality in the 65 to 79 age group, regardless of the number of ribs fractured. We identified 92,637 patients in the age group of 65 to 79 years old who did not undergo SSRF. This represents an additional 20,000 patients annually who may benefit from SSRF. Conclusions: By conservative standards and the well-established Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma clinical practice guidelines, SSRF is underutilized. Our data suggest that SSRF may be very beneficial for the geriatric population, specifically those aged 65 to 79 years with any rib fractures. We hypothesize that roughly 20,000 additional cases will meet the inclusion criteria for SSRF each year. It is therefore imperative that we train acute care surgeons in this skill set.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.311-323
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• 2020

Older adults are at a high risk of falling, causing severe injuries and increased hospital stays and treatment costs. This can be a burden not only on the family but also on the national economy. Thus, fall prevention is very important in nurses' and nursing assistants' work. This study intended to grasp the real situation faced by nurses and nursing-assistants working at geriatric hospitals in J province, Korea. The researcher interviewed thirty-six nurses and nursing-assistants in four geriatric hospitals and performed four focus group interviews. Data were analyzed through an inductive content analysis based on Elo & Kyngäs's approach. Three categories and five subcategories were identified. Categories were patients, environmental, and personal factors. Patient factors included patients' impaired cognitive function. Environmental factors included lack of personnel support and assignment of inpatients without regard to fall risk. Personal factors included hopelessness regarding improvement and fear of being blamed. Promotion of fall prevention practice needs a gradual increase in nursing staff at geriatric hospitals, a system for assigning hospital room according to fall risk, and education and support system to reduce nursing burden.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.7-15
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted with the aim of presenting spatial planning directions for evacuation spaces based on an analysis of the performance of horizontal evacuation during the early stages of fire incidents in a geriatric hospital. Methods: Based on a review of previous studies, the research model was designed by establishing occupancy conditions, evacuation, and fire scenarios. The analysis model was developed by considering vulnerable areas in terms of evacuation movement and analyzing the results of evacuation performance. Furthermore, the study analyzed the improvement in evacuation performance by arranging refuge areas. Results: The results of the study are as follows. Firstly, vulnerability spots were identified in terms of evacuation performance by schematizing Required Safe Egress Time, Available Safe Egress Time, and their differences. Secondly, the Required Safe Egress Time in the adjacent public spaces along the escape routes of occupants was found to be higher compared to the Available Safe Egress Time. Thirdly, the results of the correlation analysis between the difference in Available Safe Egress Time and Required Safe Egress Time during the early stages of a fire, as well as their constituent factors, demonstrated that user congestion is a more significant factor in compromising evacuation safety than the physical changes in the fire condition. Fourthly, the analysis of evacuation time was conducted by designating refuge areas where occupants can evacuate within a sufficient timeframe. This led to a decrease in the Required Safe Egress Time. Implications: This study is expected to be used as data on the direction of evacuation space planning to improve the evacuation performance of Geriatric Hospital.