• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2005

This study was done to investigate effects of antioxidant supplementation on phytohemagglutinin (PHA) -stimulated interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in elderly women. This study was designed as a placebo-controlled, single-blinded, randomized intervention trial. Twenty four elderly women aged over 60 years, visitings social welfare center in Seoul were divided into 3 groups, placebo (n = 8), vitamin C supplemented (n = 8) , and vitamin E supplemented (n = 8) groups. Experimental groups were given either 1000mg of L-ascorbic acid or 400 ill of d- $\alpha$-tocopherol for 4 weeks. There was no significant difference in antioxidant vitamins intakes and their plasma levels among pre-intervention groups. Plasma vitamin C or E levels was significantly increased after vitamin C or E sup-plementations. The increases of plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels in the placebo group were significantly higher than those of the supplemented 2 groups. There were no significant differences in the changes of plasma IL-2 level between pre- and post-intervention among the 3 groups. However there was a significant increase in PHA­stimulated IL-2 production by PBMCs after 4-week vitamin E or vitamin C supplementation. Particularly, vitamin E supplemented group showed a higher PHA-stimulated IL-2 production than vitamin C supplemented group. These results indicate that vitamin E or vitamin C supplementation might enhance mitogen-stimulated cytokine production by immune cells, which could be one of the factors to improve health status in the elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.206-214
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• 2018

Background: Immune responses appear to be affected by anesthetics and analgesics. We investigated the effects of caudal tramadol on the postoperative immune response and pain management in pediatric patients. Methods: Sixty ASA-I pediatric patients aged 3-10 years undergoing lower abdominal surgery. Patients were randomly assigned either to a caudal bupivacaine (0.25%) group (group B), or a group that received caudal tramadol (1 mg/kg) added to the bupivacaine (0.25%) (group T). Both were diluted in a 0.9% NaCl solution to a total volume of 1ml/ kg. The systemic immune response was measured by collecting blood samples preoperatively, at the end of anesthesia, and at 24 and 72 hours postoperatively, and studied for interleukin IL-6, C-reactive proteins (CRP) cortisol levels, and leucocytes with its differential count. Postoperative pain was assessed along with sedation scales. Results: Postoperative production of IL-6 was significantly higher in group B at the end of anesthesia, than at the $24^{th}$ hour, and at the $72^{nd}$ hour in group B and group T, respectively. The immune response showed leukocytosis with increased percentages of neutrophil and monocytes, and a decreased lymphocyte response rate within both groups with no significant differences between the groups. Cortisol and CRP were significantly higher in group B. Conclusions: Adding tramadol to a caudal bupivacaine block can attenuate the pro-inflammatory cytokine response, Cortisol, and CRP in children undergoing lower abdominal surgery.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.371-378
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group combined intervention that combined animal-assisted therapy and integrated elderly play therapy on the depression, self-esteem, and emotional expression of geriatric patients residing in nursing homes. This was achieved by providing cognitive, physical, and emotional activities and social interaction at the same time. The group combined intervention method was applied to twelve elderly patients (six in the control group, six in the experimental group) aged 65 or older who live in a nursing home for the elderly in C province, from May 3, 2019 to June 21, 2019, for a total of 8 times (once a week, 50 minutes at a time). The quantitative evaluation was analyzed through SPSS 21.0 for comparison before and after the program was implemented, using the Korean version of the depression and the self-esteem scale. The qualitative evaluation compared emotional expression pre-test and post-test. The major results of the study were as follows: First, the group combined intervention was effective in reducing depression levels of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Second, it was effective in improving the self-esteem of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Third, it showed a significant difference in the emotional expression of the experimental group among the elderly patients. Therefore, it was found that group combined intervention reduces depression and improves self-esteem and emotional expression of the elderly. Based on these results, it is hoped that this study will be a cornerstone in the development of concrete programs for the benefit of elderly patients living in facilities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.393-399
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Thin children may have insufficient intake of energy and nutrients, resulting in reduced immune function and growth. This study aimed to identify the effects of multiple herb formula SEC-22 supplementation on growth, dietary changes, and picky eating behaviors in thin children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 79 children aged 2-5 years with poor appetites, BMI percentile < 25, and without any illness. Subjects were given either SEC-22 (n = 35) or placebo (n = 44) for 2 months and followed for an additional 2 months. Three-day dietary records, questionnaires on picky eating behaviors, and anthropometric measures were collected. RESULTS: Energy, carbohydrate intake, and feeding difficulty improved in both groups during the intervention period. However, changes were maintained only in the SEC-22 group after 2 months of follow-up post-supplementation. 'Frequency of trying to feed' was improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of follow-up (P < 0.05). Intakes of potassium and thiamine were improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of intervention (P < 0.05). 'Frequency of food reward', eating amount, and intakes of carbohydrate, potassium, and vitamin C showed significant improvement compared to the placebo group after the second month of follow-up (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SEC-22 supplementation can improve parental feeding difficulty resulting from insufficient eating amount or picky eating as well as increase nutrient intake in thin children. Although these improvements were observable at least 2 months after supplementation, effects beyond this time frame need to be confirmed.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2020

In South Korea, female individuals in their forties show a high rate of incidence, with approximately 13% of the patients being <40 years. This statistic is more than twice as high as that in Western countries. It is therefore necessary to identify the risk factors for breast cancer incidence by age and economic activity participation status. Women aged 30 to 59-whether breast cancer patients or those in the control group and having no breast cancer-were appraised from the sample cohort database. The data were analyzed using the statistical software R36.2. To identify the factors affecting breast cancer incidence, the degree of association was determined with HR and 95% CI by means of cox regression analysis. As for the socio-demographic variables, the older the individual, the higher the risk of breast cancer incidence becomes. As for the economic activity variables, those who were dependents (unemployed) and who had higher income (medium and high) were at higher risk of breast cancer incidence, which was statistically significant. The income-adjusted HR (model 1) for breast cancer development associated with the economic activity was 1.452 (95% CI, 1.19-1.77). The body mass index and alcohol intake-adjusted HR (model 2) was 1.431 (95% CI, 1.18-1.74). One needs to pay attention to policy plans regarding women's quality of life, as well as to the risk of breast cancer incidence by their economic activity. In other words, policies need to give post care, instead of focus on early detection and cancer treatment.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.121-129
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• 2020

Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of verifying the effectiveness of the duocock exercise, which is being utilized at the newly developed site to promote balance maintenance, basic physical strength and muscle strength among various age groups, in order to prevent fall and successfully age. Method: In this study, we conducted the duocock Exercise Program for 12 weeks (twice a week for an hour) for 10 senior citizens aged 65 or older (68.8±4.76 yrs, height: 15±6.00 cm) using Western-based health institutions in Daejeon, and compared the pre- and post- effects on basic physical strength and posture balance. All the data obtained from this study were used in statistical program SPSS 24 to perform paired t-test. The significance level for all statistical analyses was set at the level of p<0.05. Results: The 12 week duocock program showed statistically significant improvements in lower extremity muscle strength, equilibrium, agility, balance, and coordination in the basic fitness factors underlying successful aging (p<0.05). In addition, the trunk imbalance, which acts as a factor of falls and body balance, was statistically significant (p<0.05) and the posture balance of the sagittal plane also showed the effect of proper body adjustment. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, duocock provides a new exercise program in the form of a sustainable sport as a two-handed exercise, and is very effective for the elderly to improve their basic physical strength as well as to control postural imbalances, strengthen and increase muscle strength.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.99-110
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors related to prostate disease and follow-up procedure on health examination program in Gangwon-do. Methods: The studied population was 16,501 male aged 40 or more, who underwent screening tests for prostatic disease in 2011 health examination program designed for the low income residents in Gangwon-do. The screening tests included prostate specific antigen (PSA), international symptom score (IPSS), and maximal flow rate (Qmax). We conducted chi-square test for trend, two independent samples t-test, and binary logistic regression to find out the relationship between prostate cancer or benign prostatic hyperplasia and risk factors such as age, PSA level, and IPSS. Results: The number of subjects who turned out positive for PSA level (> 3.8ng/ml) was 971 men accounting for 5.9%. The result of post survey on them showed that 511 subjects (52.6%) got the urology check-up: 156 (30.5%) were diagnosed as normal, 286 (56.0%) as benign prostatic hyperplasia, and 69 (13.5%) as prostate cancer. The detection rate for prostate cancer was 8.8% when PSA level was between 3.81 and 9.99g/ml, and was 30.6% when PSA level was more than 10.00ng/ml. The rates of further testing varied depending on the communities from 26.7% to 68.2%, which was mainly affected by the role of local health center. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that enhanced quality control of local health center and empowerment of screening agency would increase the effort of coupled institutions between public and private sectors.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.380-384
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• 2011

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of topiramate monotherapy in West syndrome prospectively. Methods: The study population included 28 patients (15 male and 13 female children aged 2 to 18 months) diagnosed with West syndrome. After a 2-week baseline period for documentation of the frequency of spasms, topiramate was initiated at 2 mg/kg/day. The dose was increased by 2 mg/kg every week to a maximum of 12 mg/kg/day. Clinical assessment was based on the parents' report and a neurological examination every 2 weeks for the first 2 months of treatment. The baseline electroencephalograms (EEGs) were compared with the post-treatment EEGs at 2 weeks and 1 month. Results: West syndrome was considered to be cryptogenic in 7 of the 28 patients and symptomatic in 21 patients. After treatment, 11 patients (39%) became spasm-free, 6 (21%) had more than 50% spasms-reduction, 3 (11%) showed less than 50% reduction, and 8 (29%) did not respond. The effective daily dose for achieving more than 50% reduction in spasm frequency, including becoming spasm-free, was found to be $5.8{\pm}1.1$ mg/kg/day. Nine patients (32%) showed complete disappearance of spasms and hypsarrhythmia, and 11 (39%) showed improved EEG results. Despite adverse events (4 instances of irritability, 3 of drowsiness, and 1 of decreased feeding), no patients discontinued the medication. Conclusion: Topiramate monotherapy seems to be effective and well tolerated as a first line therapy for West syndrome and is not associated with serious adverse effects.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.177-182
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• 1994

ICR female mice aged 3 to 4 weeks, were stimulated with 7.5 IU PMS injection. At 48-52h post-PMS injection, ovaries were dissected out and oocytes-cumulus complexes(OCCs) were divided into three groups, cumulus-free oocytes(O), cumulus-free oocyte cocultured with cumulus cells(O+C) and OCC. The oocyte were cultured in TCM199 containing various protein sources, FCS, BSA or PVP with gonadotropins(Gns) for 24h. Spermatozoa were collected from cauda epididymis and capacitated in T6 + BSA for 2h. After oocyte maturation in vitro(IVM) in different experimental groups, matured oocytes were inseminated with the capacitated spermatozoa in T6 + BSA for 6h. In the groups of IVM in TCM + BSA or PVP, fertilization(IVF) did not occur efficiently. However, increased fertilization was found in TCM+ FCS group. The oocytes groups, with cumulus cells showed decreased polyspermy in FCS group (O; 31.8 %, O + C; 12.2 %, OCC; 16%), the addition of Gns did not prevent polyspermy in all three groups. The rates of fertilization increased in zona-free oocytes in PVP group. This results showed that culture system for IVM and IVF could be improved. Furthermore, PVP can be used for the substitution of protein source during maturation, and its low rate of fertilization has been found due to zona hardening which occurred in FCS-free medium.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.95-99
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiological outcomes of locking plate fixation with fibular strut allograft to manage unstable osteoporotic proximal humerus fractures. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients who underwent open reduction and locking plate fixation with fibular strut allograft for osteoporotic proximal humerus fracture between July 2011 and June 2015. For functional evaluation, we evaluated visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score, and active range of motion. For radiological evaluation, shoulder true anteroposterior (AP) and AP in $20^{\circ}$ external rotation, as well as the axillary view were taken at two weeks, six weeks, three months, six months, and one year. And the neck-shaft angle was measured on the AP view in $20^{\circ}$ external rotation view. Results: At the one-year follow-up, mean VAS pain score and all shoulder scores, including ASES score and UCLA shoulder score, exhibited satisfactory clinical outcomes. All patients obtained bone union between three and six months post-procedure. Moreover, the mean immediate postoperative neck-shaft angle was $138^{\circ}{\pm}4^{\circ}$, and at one-year follow-up, the neck shaft angle was $137^{\circ}{\pm}5^{\circ}$. There was no significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative values (p=0.105). Conclusions: For the unstable two-part and three-part osteoporotic proximal humerus fractures with medial calcar comminution, the use of fibular strut allograft with locking plate fixation was effective in maintaining the initial status of reduction and exhibiting the satisfactory functional and radiological outcomes.