• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1376-1383
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• 2023

Recent studies have confirmed that gut microbiota differs according to race or country in many diseases, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease. However, no study has analyzed the characteristics of Korean MCI patients. This study was performed to observe the association between gut microbiota and MCI in the Korean elderly and to identify potential markers for Korean MCI patients. For this purpose, we collected fecal samples from Korean subjects who were divided into an MCI group (n = 40) and control group (n = 40) for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Although no significant difference was observed in the overall microbial community profile, the relative abundance of several genera, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Akkermansia, showed significant differences between the two groups. In addition, the relative abundance of Prevotella was negatively correlated with that of Bacteroides (r = 0.733). This study may provide Korean-specific basic data for comparing the characteristics of the gut microbiota between Korean and non-Korean MCI patients.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.154-164
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• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study is to select a cognitive training game that can evaluate five cognitive domains and to study their validity with existing cognitive evaluation tools. Design: Methods: Delphi survey was conducted through the 2nd questionnaire for 30 experts to select games suitable for training 5 cognitive domains. Five cognitive training games and Mini Mental State Examination - Korea(MMSE-K), and cognitive impairment screening test(CIST) were conducted for 82 elderly in the community. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to find out the correlation of the three tests. The ROC curve was used to calculate the selection criteria for the game results for the screening evaluation of the presence or absence of mild cognitive impairment. Results: The coefficient of variation to evaluate the stability of the Delphi survey was less than 0.50 in most game items. The 'correct answers' and 'level' of the five final selected game items showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the CIST and MMSE-K scores. CIST score and 'time' of all game items except 'number making_time' showed a statistically significant negative correlation. Conclusions: The validity of the cognitive training program using smart devices was evaluated, and the criteria for classifying the cognitive domain and distinguishing the presence or absence of cognitive impairment were confirmed.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.656-664
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• 2015

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the rate of reversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognition (NC) among the community-dwelling elderly and to determine if there were differences in cognitive function, leisure activities, and exercises between the group with MCI-maintained and the group with reversion to NC. Methods: This study utilized a longitudinal descriptive comparative design. A total of 346 subjects over age 65 was recruited from public health center at baseline. Finally 152 elderly were enrolled at 1 year follow-up. Data were collected through MoCA-K, K-MMSE, KDSQ-C5 and questionnaires on leisure activities and exercises. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 using descriptive statistics, $x^2$ test, and t-test. Results: The rate of reversion from MCI to NC among the subjects was 44.1%. At baseline, the group with MCI-maintained had lower cognitive function than the group with reversion to NC. At 1 year follow-up, the group with reversion to NC had higher subjective cognitive function than the group with MCI-maintained. Regarding leisure activities, there were differences between the groups at baseline and 1 year follow-up. Conclusion: It is suggested that age, education year, subjective cognitive function, and leisure activities should be considered at planning a nursing intervention for MCI.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.603-610
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• 2019

This pilot study investigated the effects of a portable computerized cognitive training system on the visual-perceptual function of stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment. Subjects were twelve stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment, who were assigned to an experimental group (n=6) or a control group (n=6). All subjects were trained in their respective groups for 30 min/day, five times a week, for four weeks. In each session, the experimental group received a portable computerized cognitive training program, and the control group received conventional cognitive training. The Motor-Free Visual Perception-3 (MVPT-3) was used to measure subjects' visual-perceptual ability. The MVPT-3 total scores for both groups significantly improved after the intervention (p<.05). The total score on the MVPT-3 and the score on the visual short-term memory subcategory of the MVPT-3 significantly improved for the experimental group compared to the control group (p<.05). These findings suggest that the portable computerized cognitive training system might be effective to improve the visual-perceptual function of stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.449-457
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• 2016

This study aims to examine the effect of Convergence Tailed Occupational Therapy Activities Program (CTOTAP) which is customized to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment on their mental stability and social participation. A total of thirty elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into a test group and a control group of 15 patients each, undergoing a total twelve sessions of the program (two sessions per week for six weeks) in three steps. In order to investigate the mental stability of the patients before and after the program, the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) was used while the Frenchay Activity Index (FAI) was used to explore the social participation of the patients. According to the findings of this study, there appeared to be an increase in the mental stability, social participation of the test group after the program. In addition, after the program there were differences between the test group and the control group in all of the mental stability and social participation. Therefore, the study has shown that the CTOTAP with customization has positive impact on the mental stability and social participation of patients with mild cognitive impairment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.191-199
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare sociodemographic characteristics of a normal cognitive group and mild cognitive impairment group, and establish prediction models of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis research using data from "the 4th Korea Longitudinal Study of Ageing" of the Korea Employment Information Service. A total of 6,405 individuals, including 1,329 individuals with MCI and 5,076 individuals with normal cognitive abilities, were part of the study. Based on the panel survey items, the research used 28 variables. The methods of analysis included a χ²-test, logistic regression analysis, decision tree analysis, predicted error rate, and an ROC curve calculated using SPSS 23.0 and SAS 13.2. Results: In the MCI group, the mean age was 71.4 and 65.8% of the participants was women. There were statistically significant differences in gender, age, and education in both groups. Predictors of MCI determined by using a logistic regression analysis were gender, age, education, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL), perceived health status, participation group, cultural activities, and life satisfaction. Decision tree analysis of predictors of MCI identified education, age, life satisfaction, and IADL as predictors. Conclusion: The accuracy of logistic regression model for MCI is slightly higher than that of decision tree model. The implementation of the prediction model for MCI established in this study may be utilized to identify middle-aged and elderly people with risks of MCI. Therefore, this study may contribute to the prevention and reduction of dementia.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.673-684
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although adherence to a higher diet quality may help prevent cognitive decline in older adults, literature for this in a Korean population is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the association between diet quality indices and the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Korean older adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 806 community-dwelling people aged 60 yrs and over in Korea. Diet quality was assessed via the revised Recommended Food Score (RFS) and alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMDS). Cognitive function was measured using a Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). Associations between diet quality indices and MMSE-KC score were assessed with a general linear model after adjusting for covariates. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between diet quality indices and the risk of MCI. RESULTS: The prevalence of MCI was 35.3%. There were no significant trends between MMSE-KC scores and RFS and aMDS after adjusting for age, gender, education, exercise, living status, social activity, and alcohol drinking. Among total subjects, RFS was inversely associated with the risk of MCI after adjusting for covariates (Q5 vs. Q1; odds ratio [OR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.83). Among total subjects and men, aMDS was inversely related to the risk of MCI after adjusting for covariates (Q5 vs. Q1; OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.89 for total subjects; Q5 vs. Q1; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.83 for men). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that high diet quality evaluated by RFS and aMDS is inversely associated with the risk of MCI. Thus, high quality diet may reduce or retard cognitive decline in the old population. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the causal relationship between diet quality and the risk of MCI in the elderly.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder that usually occurs in the elderly, leading to dementia in some progressive cases. The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of central auditory processing tests as early diagnostic tools for identifying the elderly with MCI. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 20 elderly patients with MCI and 20 healthy matched peers. The speech perception ability in a quiet environment and in the presence of background noise and also temporal resolution were assessed by using Speech Perception in Noise (SPIN) and Gap in Noise (GIN) tests, respectively. Results: The results indicated that the ability to understand speech in a quiet environment did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, SPIN at the three signal-to-noise ratios and the temporal resolution scores were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001). Conclusions: Individuals with MCI appear to have poorer speech comprehension in noise and a lower temporal resolution than those of the same age, but without cognitive defects. Considering the utility of these tests in identifying cognitive problems, we propose that since the GIN test seems to be less influenced by intervening factors, this test can therefore, be a useful tool for the early screening of elderly people with cognitive problems.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder that usually occurs in the elderly, leading to dementia in some progressive cases. The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of central auditory processing tests as early diagnostic tools for identifying the elderly with MCI. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 20 elderly patients with MCI and 20 healthy matched peers. The speech perception ability in a quiet environment and in the presence of background noise and also temporal resolution were assessed by using Speech Perception in Noise (SPIN) and Gap in Noise (GIN) tests, respectively. Results: The results indicated that the ability to understand speech in a quiet environment did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, SPIN at the three signal-to-noise ratios and the temporal resolution scores were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001). Conclusions: Individuals with MCI appear to have poorer speech comprehension in noise and a lower temporal resolution than those of the same age, but without cognitive defects. Considering the utility of these tests in identifying cognitive problems, we propose that since the GIN test seems to be less influenced by intervening factors, this test can therefore, be a useful tool for the early screening of elderly people with cognitive problems.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.622-631
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to analyze the factors that influence the life satisfaction of the elderly according to their cognitive impairment level. Methods: This study was conducted by dividing 3,012 elderly residents of a regional community into three groups based on the scores of the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination: a normal group without any cognitive impairment, a suspicious group with a mild level of cognitive impairment, and a high risk group with a high level of cognitive impairment. Researchers made phone calls, house calls, and personal visits to health centers and shelters for the elderly to gather the information required for this study. Results: The results of this study revealed that social relationships, depression, and activities of daily living had a significant impact on life satisfaction for the normal group, while social relationships and depression had a high impact on life satisfaction for the suspicious group, and social relationships had high impact on the life satisfaction of the high risk group. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we suggest that programs that promote development of the social relationship networks of the elderly should be established to promote their life satisfaction.