• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제87권3호
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• pp.309-318
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• 2024

Background: There is limited data regarding the clinical outcomes of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of CHIP as a COPD biomarker. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients with COPD who were enrolled prospectively in the Seoul National University Hospital Airway Registry from January 2013 to December 2019 and underwent pulmonary function and blood tests. We evaluated the CHIP score according to smoking status and severity of airflow obstruction. Results: We analyzed next-generation sequencing data to detect CHIP in 125 patients with COPD. Current smokers had a higher prevalence of CHIP in combination of DNMT3A, TET2, and PPM1D (DTP), DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A), and protein phosphatase, Mg²⁺/Mn²⁺ dependent 1D (PPM1D) genes than in never- or ex-smokers. CHIP of DTP and DNMT3A genes was significantly associated with current smokers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 7.79) (aOR, 4.03; 95% CI, 1.09 to 14.0). Patients with moderate-to-severe airflow obstruction had a higher prevalence of CHIP in most of the explored genes than those with mild obstruction, although the difference was not statistically significant. CHIP in ASXL transcriptional regulator 1 (ASXL1) genes was significantly associated with history of mild, severe, and total acute exacerbation. Conclusion: Given that CHIP in specific genes was significantly associated with current smoking status and acute exacerbation, CHIP can be considered as a candidate biomarker for COPD patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.1525-1531
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• 2012

Cigarette smoking is one of the most important public health concerns in Korea and worldwide. A number of studies have been conducted to measure the health and economic burden of smoking, but these did not reflect recent changes such as the decrease in smoking rate and the increase in the incidence of cancer. The purpose of this study was to provide up-to-date estimates of the health and economic burden of cancer caused by smoking and to compare the results with those of previous studies. Cancer-related burden was assessed with nationally representative data such as claims data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, and cause of death records from the National Statistical Office and the Korea Health Panel. We determined the smoking-attributable burden by multiplying the smoking-attributable fraction by the total burden. As a result, the burden of major cancers due to smoking was found to be substantial despite a recent sharp decrease in smoking by the Korean population. The total economic cost reaches $2,234.0 million in males and $870.0 million in females. Also, the health burden of cancers due to smoking is 2,038.9 disability adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 individuals in men and 732.2 DALYs per 100,000 individuals in women. Among all cancers, cancers of the trachea, lungs and bronchus are the leading causes of health and economic burden. The huge burden caused by cancers linked to smoking makes it imperative that adequate policies to decrease the prevalence of smoking be developed, particularly considering the recent increase in smoking rate among women.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.401-410
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the prevalence of menstrual disorders in Korean women based on body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle factors, by utilizing the Korean National Health Insurance Database. Methods: A retrospective observational study design was used for the secondary data analysis. Data of women aged 15 to 49 years who were diagnosed with menstrual disorders were extracted from The National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort in Korea from 2009 to 2016. The age-standardized prevalence rate of menstrual disorders was calculated using SAS version 9.4, and a Chi-square test and Cochran-Armitage test were performed. Results: In total, 2,219,445 cases were extracted from the database. The prevalence of menstrual disorders significantly increased from 8.6% to 11.6% (Z=135.16, p for trend <.001) over the past eight years. In particular, it was higher in underweight women than in women with normal weight across all years (Z=-4.18~-14.72, p<.001). Moreover, statistically significant differences in the prevalence of menstrual disorders were found to be associated with drinking and smoking in all years and with physical activity levels in part (p<.05~.001). Conclusion: These findings present compelling evidence on the prevalence of menstrual disorders based on a national database. Since the prevalence of menstrual disorders has steadily increased and differs based on BMI and lifestyle factors, educational and clinical interventions are necessary to promote risk awareness and appropriate behavioral changes among Korean women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제26권9호
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• pp.1129-1137
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• 1993

This study was carried out to analyze the effects of dietary and life-style factors on the prevalence of depression in Korea. Epidemiologic data from a nation-wide sample of 2,000 adults who were selected with the stratified random sampling method in Korea were interviewed by trained interviewers. Data were presented on the CES-D, a 20-items self-report depression symptom scale developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies in U.S.A. The prevalence of depression among all the respondents was 13.5%, with 13.1% in urban samples and 15.5% in rural samples. The prevalence was higher in females(15.3%) than in males(11.7%). There were highly marked differences in the prevalence of depression by sex(p<0.05), age(p<0.0001), education(p<0.001) and income(p<0.01). Respondents of 60 years and over group, the less educated group(below elementary school graduated), and the less income group(less than 400,000 won/month) reported the highest rate of depression. However subjects' occupation and residence had little relation with the prevalence of depression. Drinking and smoking habit appeared to be highly associated with depression in females(p<0.0001) but not in males. The prevalence of depression and eating behavior were highly related(p<0.005). Male respondents below 20 years, 20-29, and 60 years and over depressed group reported significantly lower energy and protein intakes compared to that of the normal group. However, in the female respondents 20-29 years and 60 years and over depressed groups showed the significantly lower energy and protein intakes compared to those of the normal groups(p<0.05), it can be concluded that the various ecological factors such as epidemiological, dietary, and health factors may affect the prevalence of depression among Korean.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• 제13권11호
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• pp.241-254
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• 2015

This study examined changes in health behavior and prevalence of hypertension and diabetes during five years and analyzed determinants affecting on geographic variations of them. Data from Korean Community Health Survey in the period of 2008 and 2013 with 246 small districts were analyzed. Data were analyzed using convergence tools such as geographic information system tool and decision tree. During the five years period, areas of the increases in smoking and drinking were southwest regions showed increased smoking and areas of increases in physical activity are western regions. Areas of the increases in the prevalence of hypertension were west and south regions and in the prevalence of diabetes were east and north regions. Determinants affecting on regional variations in the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes were drinking, physical activity, obesity, arthritis, depressive symptom and stress. Mental health program should be developed for non-communicable disease. Thus, to decrease the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, our study emphasized the necessity to develop customized mental health policies according to the region-specific characteristics.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제39권7호
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• pp.684-691
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• 2006

Abdominal obesity (AO) is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which has shown a remarkable increase in Korea. This study aimed to identify prevalence of AO and related risk factors in Korean adults. A total of 5,132 men and women aged 20-85 years old from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the analyses. AO was defined as waist circumference >=90 cm in men and >=85 cm in women as proposed by Korean Society of Obesity. Multiple logistic regression was carried out to identify risk factors for AO. Three models were specified: (i) demographic and socioeconomic factors (model 1: age, education, poverty income ratio, employment), (ii) lifestyle factors and covariates (model 2: physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary quality, type 2 diabetes, co-morbidity) and (iii) demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors (model 3). The prevalence of AO was 24.1 % in men, 23.5% in women. High poverty income ratio in men and low education attainment in women were risk factors for AO in model. 1. There was a significant association of AO with alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and dietary quality in men, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking in women. These factors except alcohol consumption in men became insignificant in model 3. This findings underscore the importance of developing AO prevention programs in Korea that target the at risk groups identified in this study. A program focusing on low income men or less educated women would be more efficient.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제51권5호
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• pp.219-226
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• 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to explain the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) gap between the poorest and the wealthiest quintiles in the capitals of Kermanshah and Kurdistan Provinces (Kermanshah and Sanandaj), in western Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1772 adults. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), lifestyle factors, body mass index, and HRQoL of participants were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The slope and relative indices of inequality (SII and RII, respectively) were employed to examine socioeconomic inequality in poor HRQoL. Blinder-Oaxaca (BO) decomposition was used to quantify the contribution of explanatory variables to the gap in the prevalence of poor HRQoL between the wealthiest and the poorest groups. Results: The overall crude and age-adjusted prevalence of poor HRQoL among adults was 32.0 and 41.8%, respectively. The SII and RII indicated that poor HRQoL was mainly concentrated among individuals with lower SES. The absolute difference (%) in the prevalence of poor HRQoL between the highest and lowest SES groups was 28.4. The BO results indicated that 49.9% of the difference was explained by different distributions of age, smoking behavior, physical inactivity, chronic health conditions, and obesity between the highest and lowest SES groups, while the remaining half of the gap was explained by the response effect. Conclusions: We observed a pro-rich distribution of poor HRQoL among adults in the capitals of Kermanshah and Kurdistan Provinces. Policies and strategies aimed at preventing and reducing smoking, physical inactivity, chronic health conditions, and obesity among the poor may reduce the gap in poor HRQoL between the highest and lowest SES groups in Iran.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.3663-3667
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• 2012

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are still public health problems in Yemen, with older individuals having much higher prevalence than younger generations. However, research on the prevalence of viral hepatitis in association with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) has not yet been undertaken in Yemen. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among HCC patients and to estimate the risk of these infections being associated with the development of HCC. A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients attending oncology outpatient in Sana'a, Yemen, through the period 2008-mid 2010 with confirmed diagnosis of HCC. A total of 88 cases were studied thoroughly with different investigations such as CT-scan, ultrasound, tumour marker, alpha-feto-protein and histopathological biopsy. A structured questionnaire was also applied and physical examination done to assess the general condition of the patients. Statistical package (SPSS version 16) was used for analysis of the data. The mean age of the cases was 61.2 years (${\pm}12.6$) with half over 60 years. There were fewer male patients (36%) compared to females and most (97%) only had basic /no formal education. Seventy nine (89%) were diagnosed as HCC cases with histopathological biopsy while the rest were diagnosed by ultrasound, CT scan, tumour marker, and alpha-feto-protein. Around one-third of the subjects were positive for HBsAg and HCV antibodies. Multivariate analysis showed infection with HCV and use of smoking was associated with HCC diagnosis. Although an association was observed between the occurrence of HCC and viral hepatitis (either HBV or HCV) and cigarette smoking, but the rate of viral infection was lower than what has been reported elsewhere.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권14호
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• pp.5861-5865
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• 2014

High risk forms of the human papilloma virus (HPV) are generally accepted as necessary causative agents for cervical cancer. Recently, a possible relation between HPV and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has also been noticed. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of HPV infection in OSCCs in Wuhan city. DNA samples were collected from fresh tissues in 200 patients with OSCC and 68 normal controls. The polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing were used to identify the HPV types in the samples. The prevalence of HPV of all types in the OSCC group was higher than in the control group (55/200 vs 2/68, OR=11.5, 95% CI=2.6-50.2). HPV16 and HPV18 were the main types detected, with HPV6 was the only low-risk type identified. High-risk HPV types HPV16 and HPV18 are prevalent in OSCC patients and may participate in the development of OSCC with traditional risk factors, tobacco and alcohol, possibly exerting synergistic effects. The results of multinomial logistic regression showed that those who smoked, consumed alcohol and with HPV infection have the highest risk of developing oral cancer (OR=13.3, 95% CI=3.1-56.8). Adjusted for age, smoking and alcohol use, HPV infection was independently associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.15-26
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• 1998

To find the prevalence of the Farmer's syndrome and the related factors, we investigated 909 farmers who and older than 30 years and live in Choongju area. The farmers were interviewed individually with a questionnaire from July 18 through 31, 1997. The results are as follows; The prevalence of Farmer's syndrome was 21.0% in male and 45.1% in female. The age prevalence of Farmer's syndrome was higher in thirties and forties than fifties and over sixties in both sex. Farmer's syndrome was significantly higher in low educational status, low income, low family members and more than 20 years of farming group. However, Farmer's syndrome was significantly higher in non smoking and non alcohol intake group, there were no significant differences according to smoking and alcohol intake after stratification by sex. The most frequent symptom in male was lumbago(60.5%), the second was numb limb(49.8%), the third was shoulder stiffness(43.2%) and the fourth was dizziness(31.5%). In female, the most frequent symptom was lumbago(81.3%), the second was numb limb(70.2%), the third was dizziness(62.2%) and the fourth was shoulder stiffness(55.9%). All of these four symptoms are significantly higher in female than in male. With multiple logistic regression for Farmer's syndrome, sex(OR of female=3.3) number of family(OR of <=1.9) and duration of farming(OR of $\geq$2.0 yr=1.5) were turned out to be significant variables.