• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.50
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• pp.318.1-318.10
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• 2018

Background: In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the association between fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in meconium as biomarkers of prenatal ethanol exposure and growth deficits, as birth outcomes, that constitute several of the key cardinal features of fetal alcohol syndrome. Methods: A total of 157 meconium samples were collected from enrolled infants within 24 hours of birth, and nine FAEEs were quantified using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The relationships between cumulative concentrations of nine species of FAEEs in meconium and birth parameters of growth (age-sex-specific centiles of head circumference [HC], weight, and length) and respective and combined birth outcomes of growth deficits (HC ${\leq}10th$ centile, weight ${\leq}10th$ centile, and length ${\leq}10th$ centile) were determined. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher cumulative concentrations of meconium FAEEs correlated with elevated risks for HC and length, both, 10th percentile or less (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-7.74; P = 0.029) and HC and weight and length, all of them, 10th percentile or less (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.12-9.59; P = 0.031). Conclusion: The elevated cumulative FAEEs in meconium were associated with combined growth deficits at birth, specifically HC and length, both, 10th percentile or less, which might be correlated with detrimental alcohol effects on fetal brain and bone development, suggesting a plausible alcohol-specific pattern of intrauterine growth restriction.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.445-450
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• 2023

Background: The impact of COVID-19 infection on workers' work function persists even after the acute phase of the infection. We studied this phenomenon in Japanese workers. Methods: We conducted a one-year prospective cohort study online, starting with a baseline survey in December 2020. We tracked workers without baseline work functioning impairment and incorporated data from 14,421 eligible individuals into the analysis. We estimated the incidence rate ratio for new onset of work functioning impairment due to COVID-19 infection during follow-up, using mixed-effects Poisson regression analysis with robust variance. Results: Participants reporting infection between January and December 2021 showed a significantly higher incidence of new work functioning impairment (adjusted incidence rate ratio: 2.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.75-2.71, p < 0.001). The formality of the recuperation environment correlated with a higher risk of work functioning deterioration in infected individuals (p for trend <0.001). Conclusion: COVID-19-infected workers may continue to experience work difficulties due to persistent, post-acute infection symptoms. Companies and society must urgently provide rehabilitation and social support for people with persistent symptoms, recognizing that COVID-19 is not just a transient acute infection.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.95-102
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• 2018

Background: Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality, and postmenopausal women are at a high risk of hypertension. We aim to investigate the hypotensive effect and safety of acupuncture, focusing on postmenopausal women with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension. In addition, we aim to investigate whether the effect of acupuncture treatment differed, depending on Sasang Constitution and cold-heat pattern. Methods: This study is designed as an intervention cohort study. Two hundred postmenopausal women aged <65 years with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension living in Daejeon city in Korea will be recruited, and randomly assigned to either an acupuncture or no-treatment control group. The intervention will consist of four sessions; one session will include acupuncture performed 10 times for 4 weeks. There will be a 20-week observation period after each session, and the total study duration will be 96 weeks. Acupuncture will be applied at the bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Quchi (LI11), Zusanli (ST36), and Sameumgyo (SP6) acupoints. The effect of acupuncture will be evaluated by comparing the change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the acupuncture and control groups every 4 weeks until the end of the study. Discussion: To evaluate the success of blood pressure management, long-term observation is required, but no long-term studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on blood pressure in postmenopausal women. To our knowledge, this study will be the first long-term study to investigate this issue for more than 6-8 weeks.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2017

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify prevalence and identify factors related to sarcopenic obesity among community-dwelling elderly women. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the prospective cohort study. Our analysis included 338 elderly women (${\geq}65$ years old) in South Korea as a part of the Community-dwelling Older Adult Health Cohort (COHC) Study (2014-2015). Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the Asian Working Group of Sarcopenia recommendations and upper two quintiles for percentage body fat. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors related to sarcopenic obesity including chronic diseases, medications, stress, fatigue, depression, exercise, level of proteins on body compositions, smoking, and alcohol use. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 6.2%. A lower protein on body compositions (OR 0.017, 95% CI 0.003-0.081, p< .001), a larger number of medications (OR 2.104, 95% CI 1.404-3.152, p< .001), and a higher level of fatigue (OR 1.255, 95% CI 1.023-1.541, p= .030) were related factors of sarcopenic obesity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that nutritional interventions focusing on protein intakes should be needed to prevent sarcopenic obesity among the elderly women. Polypharmacy issue for preventing adverse outcomes and level of fatigue as indicator for early identification are also considered to develop community prevention programs.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.397-406
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of self-ligating brackets (SBs) and other factors that influence orthodontic treatment outcomes. Methods: This two-armed cohort study included consecutively treated patients in a private practice. The patients were asked to choose between SBs and conventional brackets (CBs); if any patient did not have a preference, he or she was randomly allocated to the CB or SB group. All patients were treated using an identical archwire sequence. Evaluated parameters were as follows: treatment duration, number of bracket failures, poor oral hygiene, poor elastic wear, extraction, use of orthodontic mini-implants (OMI), OMI failure, American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) Discrepancy Index (DI), arch length discrepancy, and ABO Cast-Radiograph Evaluation (CRE) score. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to generate the equation for prediction of the CRE. Results: The final sample comprised 134 patients with an average age of 22.73 years. The average DI, CRE, and treatment duration were 21.81, 14.25, and 28.63 months, respectively. Analysis of covariance showed a significant difference in CRE between the CB and SB groups after adjusting for the effects of confounding variables. Stepwise regression analysis using four variables, namely extraction, SB use, poor elastic wear, and additional appliance use, could explain only 25.2% of the variance in the CRE. Conclusions: Although the CRE was significantly better for CBs than for SBs, the clinical significance of this result seems to be limited. Extraction, SB use, poor elastic wear, and additional appliance use may have significant effects on treatment outcomes.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.259-266
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• 2022

The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and diverse types of pain conditions have been proposed. However, no consensus on the relationship between OSA and painful temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) has been established. Therefore, this systematic review has been conducted to review the existing literatures and provide comprehensive synthesis of such literatures about OSA and painful TMDs using the evidence-based methodology. A literature search was conducted using two electronic databases, Scopus, and PubMed. Risk of bias was assessed using the risk-of-bias assessment tool for non-randomized study version 2.0. A total of 158 articles were screened from the initial search and eventually, 5 articles were included in this systematic review. One study adopted both the longitudinal prospective cohort and case-control designs and other 4 articles adopted the cross-sectional design. Two studies employed polysomnography (PSG) for the diagnosis of OSA and mentioned the results from the PSG. All cross-sectional studies demonstrated higher OSA prevalence among patients with TMD, and one cohort study suggested OSA as a risk factor for TMD. OSA appears to have potential influences on the development of TMD; however, the role of TMD in the development of OSA remains to be unknown owing to the lack of high-quality evidences.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.477-485
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the effects of antenatal depression on birth outcomes. Methods: The participants were 255 pregnant women who were followed in a prospective study. Of these, 197 cases were examined included birth weight, Apgar scores at 5 minute, premature contraction, complication of labor, delivery types and laboratory data. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Chi square test of linear by linear association, Kruskal Wallis test, Relative Risk, univariate and adjusted multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis with SPSS/Win. Results: Level of antenatal depression was associated with low birth weight ($x^2$=7.69, p=.010). High risk pregnancy was a predictor of low birth weight (OR=6.98 [1.21-40.30]) and baby's weight (OR=2.12, [1.05-4.28]). Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) was a predictor of complications in labor (OR=3.59, [1.03-12.48]). But there were no significant effects of antenatal depression on other birth outcomes. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that women with antenatal depression, high risk pregnancy, prepregnancy $BMI{\geq}23kg/M^2$ should be monitored and managed to ensure favorable birth outcomes.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2023

Purpose: This article was to collect data on the safety of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in children with underlying medical conditions. Methods: We constructed a prospective cohort of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years who had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Patients diagnosed with and treated for chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disease, or other chronic conditions at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital were recruited from June to December 2022. A mobile survey questionnaire was sent to their guardians. The presence of adverse events on the day (day 0), 3 weeks (day 21), and 6 months (day 180) after the 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine was recorded by the guardians. Results: A total of 73 children participated. The median age was 14 years, and 64.4% of the patients were male. On the day of immunization, 65.8% of the patients reported at least one adverse event. Pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, arthralgia, and myalgia were the most common symptoms. The prevalence of adverse events decreased over time (65.8% on day 0, 27.4% between days 0 and 21, and 24.6% between days 21 and 180). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection after the 1st dose occurred in 17 patients (23.3%) and one of the patients (5.88%) was hospitalized due to infection. Conclusions: Adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination were generally mild in children and adolescents with underlying medical conditions. Our findings provide evidence for the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in the vulnerable pediatric population.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2003

Objectives : This study was performed to examine the relationship between maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and pregnancy outcomes (low birth weight or preform baby) in a prospective cohort study. Methods : We made a pregnant women's cohort, and followed the pregnancy outcomes, between May 1st 2001 and August 31st 2002. We surveyed 2,250 women who visited our hospital during their 35th gestational week, with a self-administered questionnaire. The final total of mother-infant pairs analyzed in this study was 1,712. We used a multiple logistic regression analysis to analyze the effect of maternal ETS on the incidence of preform or low birth weight, and a linear regression analysis for the birth weight and gestational age. Results : Higher exposure to ETS (>=1 hours/day) during pregnancy was more negatively associated with the gestational age and birth weight, than no exposure to ETS (no or less than 1 hour). Maternal exposure to ETS was associated with preform baby(adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9, 3.3) and low birth weight (AOR 2.3; 95% CI 0.9, 5.5). In addition, we found that maternal ETS may reduce the birth weight by 70g after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Conclusions : This study suggests that maternal exposure to ETS during pregnancy may increase the frequency of low birth weights and preform births.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.230-239
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the dietary patterns (DPs) of women during pregnancy. The present study aimed to identify the DPs of pregnant Malaysian women and their associations with socio-demographic, obstetric, and anthropometric characteristics. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 737 participants enrolled in Seremban Cohort Study between 2013 and 2015. Food consumption was assessed using a validated 126-food item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) at four time-points, namely, pre-pregnancy and at each trimester (first, second, and third). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify DPs. RESULTS: Three DPs were identified at each time point and designated DP 1-3 (pre-pregnancy), DP 4-6 (first trimester), DP 7-9 (second trimester) and DP 10-12 (third trimester). DP 1, 4, and 7 appeared to be more prudent diets, characterized by higher intakes of nuts, seeds & legumes, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, eggs, fruits, and milk & dairy products. DP 2, 5, 8, and 11 had greater loadings of condiments & spices, sugar, spreads & creamer, though DP 2 had additional sweet foods, DP 5 and 8 had additional oils & fats, and DP 11 had additional tea & coffee, respectively. DP 3 and 6 were characterized by high protein (poultry, meat, processed, dairy, eggs, and fish), sugars (mainly as beverages and sweet foods), and energy (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta) intakes. DP 9 had additional fruits. However, DP 12 had greater loadings of energy foods (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta), sugars (mainly as beverages, and sweet foods), and good protein sources (eggs, nuts, seeds & legumes). Malays were more likely to have lower adherence (LA) for DP 1 and 10 than non-Malays. DP 2, 8, and 11 were more prevalent among Malays than non-Malays. Women with a higher education were more likely to have LA for DP 10, and women with a greater waist circumference at first prenatal visit were more likely to show LA for DP 11. CONCLUSIONS: DPs observed in the present study were substantially different from those reported in Western populations. Information concerning associations between ethnicity, waist circumference and education with specific DPs before and throughout pregnancy could facilitate efforts to promote healthy dietary behavior and the overall health and well-being of pregnant women.