• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.32-38
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• 2005

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has drawn increasing attention as medical community has become to be aware of its co-morbidities and complications, especially cardiovascular complications and excessive daytime sleepiness with accident proneness. As of now, polysomnography is the standard tool to diagnose sleep apnea and estimate the treatment validity. However, its being rather expensive and inconvenient, alternate diagnostic tools have been proposed including wrist actigraphy. So far, actigraphies have been adopted usefully to field-survey sleep apnea prevalence. In this study, we attempted in a sleep laboratory setting to assess the supplemental value of actigraphy in diagnosing OSAS. Methods: This study was done at the Division of Sleep Studies, the Seoul National University Hospital. Thirty-seven clinically suspected cases of OSAS underwent the one-night polysomnography, simultaneously wearing an actigraphy on non-dominant wrist. We analyzed the data of 27 polysomnographically-proven OSAS patients (male：female 20： 7；age $47.6{\pm}12.9$ years old；age range 23 to 72 years) with no other sleep disorders. We calculated RDI (respiratory disturbance index) from the polysomnography data and FI (fragmentation index) from the actigraphy data. Pearson correlation was calculated in order to compare FI with RDI and to evaluate the supplemental diagnostic value of the actigraphy. Results: Mean total sleep time on polysomnography was $401.4{\pm}57.8\;min$ (range of 274.0 to 514.1 min). Mean RDI was $21.7{\pm}20.4/hour$. Mean FI was $21.9{\pm}13.0/hour$. RDI and FI showed significant correlation (r=0.55, p<0.01). Conclusions: Wrist actigraphy in OSAS patients generates a comparable outcome to polysomnography, in measuring the nocturnal sleep fragmentation. The actigraphy could be used supplementally in inpatients, outpatients, and field survey subjects, if polysomnography is unavailable or impossible. In follow-ups related with nasal CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), upper airway surgery, and oral appliance in OSAS patients, the actigraphy might play a more dominant role in the future.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.392-398
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• 2005

Background : The last national tuberculosis survey was carried out in 1995. In 2000, the KTBS(Korean Tuberculosis Surveillance System) replaced a previous national survey. However, the KTBS does not show some of the important epidemiological indexes such as the prevalence of positive tuberculosis or the drug resistance rate. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical features of pulmonary tuberculosis patients admitted to a national tuberculosis hospital in 1995 and 2002. From this study, the authors expect to estimate the trend of the clinical features of tuberculosis in Korea even though it can not represent the Korean tuberculosis situation as a whole. Method : A cross sectional analysis of the clinical features for 331 pulmonary tuberculosis in-patients admitted to the National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital as of Dec. 2002, was carried out and these results were compared with those reported in 1995. Results : In comparison with the data reported in 1995, the mean age was increased by 3.6 years ($44.1{\pm}14.6$ vs $47.7{\pm}16.4$, p<0.01). The number of past tuberculosis history and used anti-tuberculous drugs prior to admission decreased from $2.0{\pm}1.7$ and $6.1{\pm}2.3$ to $1.7{\pm}1.8$ and $4.6{\pm}3.6$(p<0.05, p<0.001), respectively. While the resistance rate for anti-tuberculous drugs was similar (81.0% vs 77.6%), the initial resistance rate(10.5% vs 21.4%) and initial MDR rate(2.4% vs 16.5%) increased significantly(p=0.012, p=0.001, respectively). In 1995, the public health communities were in charge of approximately 65% of newly diagnosed tuberculosis cases, but this reduced to 40.5% in 2002(p<0.001). Conclusion : The existing national TB program (NTP) needs to be revised and strengthened in order to cope with the unfavorably changing situation of the domestic TB problem because the number of TB patients has not decreased and the initial resistance rate has increased greatly. Furthermore, the public and private sectors should cooperate each other to control the TB problem effectively because the private sector is now managing more than half of the TB patients.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2012

This study surveyed for the prevalence of parasites, bacteria and viruses in four fish species, olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), red sea bream (Pagrus major), black sea bream (Acathopagrus schlegeli) and black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) in 2010. The survey was aimed to compare the pathogens detected from wild and cultured fish for an epidemiological study. Anisakis sp. was predominantly detected from wild olive flounder and red sea bream (58.6% and 41.7% respectively), but not from the cultured fishes, suggesting anisakid infection is rare in cultured fish. The wild fish get in contact with the anisakids through their prey such as small fishes or crustaceans which carry the anisakids; whereas the cultured fish are fed with formulated feed, free of anisakids. Bacterial detection rates from the wild fishes examined in the study were lower than those of cultured fishes. Vibrio sp. dominated among detected bacterial population in cultured olive flounder (18%). Since vibriosis is known as a secondary infection caused by other stressful factors such as parasitic infections, handling and chemical treatment, it seems that cultured olive flounder are exposed to stressful environment. Viruses diagnosed in the study showed difference in distribution between wild and cultured fishes; hirame rhabdovirus (HRV) (0.1%) and lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) (3.9%) were detected in the cultured olive flounder, but not in the wild fish, and marine birnavirus (MBV) (1.7%) and red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) (3.2%) were detected from the wild and cultured red sea bream, respectively. From the survey conducted, it can be concluded that even though some pathogens (Trichodina sp., Microcotyle sp., etc.) are detected from both the wild and cultured fish, pathogens such as Anisakis sp., Vibrio sp. and LCDV showed difference in distribution in the wild and cultured host of same fish species and this can be attributed to their environmental condition and feeding.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.1151-1157
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• 1998

Many type II diabetic patients use folk remedies to. treat diabetes in Korea. The physiology, pathology, usage, and prescriptions of folk remedies are not well established, and the effects of those remedies were handed down by word of mouth of experienced persons. Most of these remedies can cause unexpected side effects if consumed in large amounts since patients lack scientific backgrounds and the precise effects as well as the possible side effects have not been proven. The purpose of this survey was to investigate the prevalence of diabetic f31k remedies used by adult diabetic patients who use diet therapy to treat diabetes. This information can be used for a basic scientific approach to diabetic f31k remedies. The results of the survey were as follows : 1) Thiry-nine patients(53.4%) out of a total of 75 patients, answered that they used folk remedies. 2) There were 54 kinds of folk remedies f3r diabetes, and the most popular ones are silk worm powder, red jinseng, silkworm pupa, raw lentils, and cabbage, that to accounted for 97.4% of the experienced group. 3) The most common way to be exposed to folk remedies were recomnendations by friends and relatives, and through the mass communication such as TV, newspaper, magazine. As fir as the effects of the flok remedies goes, 17% answered that they experienced positive effects in controlling blood glucose levels and 5.7% reported negative effects. Moreover, 17.1% answered that they experienced side effects like stomach ache and bloating. 4) The 82.9% of the experienced group answered that they used silkworm powder, which was the most popular one in folk remedies. 5) 75% of the experienced group patients showed positive responses to folk remedies, saying that they will try new folk remedies if introduced. Even 66.7% of inexperienced group showed their interest saying that they will try new folk remedies.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.227-241
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between caffeine intake and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults using the 2013 ~ 2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (KNHANES). Methods: The caffeine database (DB) developed by Food and Drug Safety Assessment Agency in 2014 was used to estimate the caffeine consumption. The food and beverage consumption of the 24 hr recall data of 2013 ~ 2016 KNHANES were matched to items in the caffeine DB and the daily caffeine intakes of the individuals were calculated. The sample was limited to non-pregnant healthy adults aged 19 years and older, who were not taking any medication for disease treatment. Results: The average daily caffeine intake was 41.97 mg, and the daily intake of caffeine of 97% of the participants was from coffee, teas, soft drinks, and other beverages. Multivariate analysis showed that the caffeine intake did not affect metabolic syndrome, hypertension, low HDL-cholesterol, and abdominal obesity. Diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia, however, were 0.76 (95% CI: 0.63 ~ 0.93), and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.77 ~ 0.98) in third quintile (Q3), and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.53 ~ 0.82) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73 ~ 0.94) in fourth quintile (Q4) compared to Q1, respectively. Therefore, caffeine intake of 3.66 ~ 45.81 mg per day is related to a lower risk of diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusion: The study showed that adequate caffeine intake (approximately 45 mg) was associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia. Therefore, it can be used as a guideline for the adequate level of caffeine intake for maintaining health.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.702-713
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• 2023

Purpose: Depression is a prevalent mental health concern globally including South Korea. Given the growing interest in the relationship between diet and mental health, this study aimed to investigate the association between seafood consumption and depression among Korean adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2014-2020). The study included 18,149 participants (7,541 men and 10,608 women) aged 19 years and older who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Seafood intake levels were assessed using a oneday 24-hour dietary recall, and participants were categorized into three tertiles by gender. Depression status was determined using the PHQ-9 scores and the self-report of the doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between seafood consumption and depression in both genders. Results: Participants with a higher seafood intake had a significantly lower nutritional density of total fat, while the nutritional density of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly higher. The prevalence of depression was significantly lower in the highest tertile of seafood consumption compared to the lowest tertile in both men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest tertile of seafood consumption demonstrated a decreased risk of depression compared to the lowest tertile in men (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.99; p-trend = 0.020) and women (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91; p-trend = 0.004). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that consuming seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids may potentially reduce the risk of depression in the adult population.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 1997

This study was carried out to reveal the status of health examination among farmers and to attract more attention to the health care system for farmers. Ten pre-trained medical students interviewed the rural residents 18 years of age and older in eight villages which were randomly selected from a county near Taegu city in Korea, in August 1996. Finally 751 persons were interviewed of whom the percentages of male and female were 41.8%, 58.2% respectively. Among the subjects, 361(48.3%) were fully engaged in farming, 184(24.4%) were partly engaged, and the remaining 206(27.3%) were not engaged in farming at all. The overall prevalence of farmer's disease was 23.0% and there was no significant difference between the group of fully engaged in farming(23.3%) and the group of not-fully engaged(22.9%). But the prevalence of farmer's disease in female subjects(27.8%) was significantly higher than that in male(16.2%)(p<0.01). Among the 288 farmer engaged in spraying pesticide, 113(39.2%) had experienced one or more pesticide related symptoms during last one year, but only 18(15.9%) of them had visited medical facilities due to their symptoms. The experience of receiving education about pesticide was significantly correlated with the degree of wearing protectors during pesticide spraying(p<0.001). Among the 736 persons excluding non-respondents, 281(38.2%) received health examination during last one year ; 176(62.6%) of them received free health examination, and 105(37.4%) received charged one. Among the 533 persons 40 years age and older, only 124(23.3%) had received the 'health examination for the elderly' during last one year, which is provided for the 40 years age and older by Korea medical insurance corporation and medical insurance societies. Most of all beneficiaries of self-employed medical insurance thought the imposed contributions as very expensive(77.4%) or moderately expensive(13.2%). The great majority of farmers are exposed to various health risk factors including pesticide, high temperature, overwork etc. comparable to industrial workers. But farmers are excluded from the regular yearly worker's health examination because of not belonging to a company despite they pay relatively more medical insurance contributions compared with the industrial workers and the urban self-employed medical insureds. It is necessary to develop special health management program for farmers such as the special health examination for the industrial workers exposed harmful agents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.48-59
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• 1999

Objectives. This study was conducted to evaluate the association between upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment(RULA) in vehicle assembly line workers. The goal of this study is to show the feasibility of RULA as a checklist for work related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSDs) in Korean workers. Methods. The total number of 199 people from the department of assembly and 115 people from the department of Quality Control(QC) in automotive plant were subjects for this cross sectional study. A standard symptom questionnaire survey has been used for the individual characteristics, work history, musculosketal symptoms and non-occupational covariates. The data were obtained by applying one-on-one interview for the all subjects. RULA has been applied for ergonomic work posture analysis and the primary ergonomic risk sure was computed by RULA method. Association between upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and RULA were assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results. A total of 314 workers was examined. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms by NIOSH case definition was 62.4%. The distribution of musculoskeletal symptoms by the part of the body turned out to be following; back:41.4%, neck: 32.8%, shoulder: 26.4%, arm: 10.5% and hand:29.3%. The relationship of the individual RULA scores were statistically significant for the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms. As the result of the multiple logistic regressioin analysis, grand final score (OR=2.250 95% CI: 1.402-3.612) was associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in any part of the body.; upper arm score(OR=1.786 95% CI: 1.036-3.079) and posture score A(OR=1.634 95% CI: 1.016-2.626) in neck; muscel use score(OR=3.076 95% CI:1.782-5.310) and posture score A(OR=1.798 95% CI: 1.072-3.017) in shoulder; upper arm score(OR=1.715 95% CI: 1.083-2.715) and muscel use score(OR=2.057 95% CI:1.303-3.248) in neck & shoulder; muscle use score(OR=10.662 95% CI: 3.180-35.742) in arm; writst/wist score(OR=2.068 95% CI: 1.130-3.786) and muscle use score(OR=2.215 95% CI: 1.284-3.819) in hand & wrist.; muscle use score of trunk (OR=2.601 95% CI: 1.147-5.901) in back. Conclusions. Musculoskeletal symptoms of the extremities were strongly associated with individual RULA body score. These results show that RULA can be used as a useful assessment tool for the evaluation of musculoskeletal loading which is known to contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. RULA also can be used as a screening tool or incorporated into a wider ergonomic assessment of epidemiological, physical, mental, environmental and organizational factors. As shown in this study, complement of the analysis system for the other risk factors and characterizing between the upper limb and back part will be needed for future work.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.86-108
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• 2001

This study was performed to examine the annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom and its related factors in rural farmers. Six-hundred and sixty one rural farmers were investigated by questionnaire survey through interview from July 1 to July 31 in 2000. The results were as follows; The rural farmers who had experienced musculoskeletal symptom during recent 1 year was 82.7% in male, 92.1% in female. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom by part of the body in male were turned out as back; 42.3% leg and knee; 36.4%, shoulder; 21.4%, arm and hand; 12.7%, elbow; 7.7%, hip; 6.8% neck; 6.4%, ankle and foot; 6.4% in order. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom by part of the body in female were turned out as back; 59.4%, leg and knee; 48.5%, shoulder; 20.2%, arm and hand; 13.8%, hip; 10.7%, neck; 6.8%, ankle and foot; 6.3%, elbow; 5.0% in order. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom, back pain, and pain on leg and knee were significantly higher in female. In male, the experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was different significantly according to educational level, family size, economic status, status of smoking, duration of farming, type of major agricultural affairs. By the multiple logistic regression analysis for experience of musculoskeletal symptom, family size and economic status were the significant variables. It was higher in male with no or one family living together and low economic status. In female, the experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was different significantly according to body mass index, perceived health status, type of agricultural affairs. By the multiple logistic regression analysis for experience of musculoskeletal symptom, body mass index, perceived health status, and type of major agricultural affairs were the significant variables. It was higher as female farmer's body mass index was increasing and when female farmer's perceived health status was not healthier, and it was lower when female farmer did livestock farming as major agricultural affair. The experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was higher in the busy season for farmers and treatment methods for musculoskeletal symptom were physical therapy, medication, herb medical treatment, etc. In conclusion, because most of farmers experience musculoskeletal symptom, continuous systematic study on musculoskeletal symptom of farmers and active effort to prevent and manage musculoskeletal symptom of farmers are necessary.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.43-63
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• 2004

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to classify the patterns of health behaviors of some rural residents in Korea by sub-grouping them into populations with similar patterns of diet quality, physical activity, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking, and then to investigate the relationship between these health behavior patterns and health status or health management of them. Methods: The study subjects were 722 rural residents above 20 years old on a typical rural district in Korea, and the data used in this study was from the survey data for health planning of a health center. Study questionnaire for this survey was developed from modifying the questionnaire for 'National Nutrition and Health Study' conducted in 1998. To classify health behavior patterns, cluster analysis was conducted. And to test the association of health behavior patterns with health status or health management, multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted. Results: The results and their implications of this study were as follows: 1. We identified six health behavior typologies : 67.8% of the sample had a good diet quality but showed sedentary activity level(good diet lifestyle) and 10.9% had heavy smoking behavior(smoking lifestyle). Individuals included in fitness lifestyle cluster(6.2%) had high physical activity level and those in drinking life style(2.6%) had had mainly large amount of alcohol. Zero point six percent of sample were included in hedonic lifestyle cluster, who showed poor health behaviors in all. Those included in passive lifestyle(11.9%) had no active health promoting activities but tended to avoid risk taking health behavior such as cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. 2. As a result of logistic regression analysis, to compare with the individuals in good diet lifestyle, the prevalence of chronic diseases of those in fitness lifestyle showed higher and that of those in smoking lifestyle, drinking lifestyle, hedonic lifestyle, passive lifestyle showed lower than them, retrospectively. 3. Adjusting with general characteristics and health status, to compare with the individuals in good diet lifestyle, the proportion of those who had good health management practices in fitness lifestyle was higher, and the proportion of those who had health check in past 2 years was lower than them, retrospectively. Conclusions: There were some differences in health behavior patterns between rural population and national population, which influenced significantly on health status and health management practice of them. We suggested that the health promotion program for them be developed with considering these points.