• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.475-486
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• 2009

Regular activity program is needed for managing chronic disease and obesity and preventing falls as a nursing intervention. It seems that serious game will be very important for older people to keep them active with fun to improve their health. This study was conducted to explore the correlations between health problems and computer game needs in the elderly. This was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was developed and administered to a convenience sample of adults who are older than 55 years, recruited from several places through trained research assistants and research center that has online pools in Korea. 778 subjects (mean age: $61.4\;{\pm}\;5.6$) were participated in this study. The majority of subjects was male (68.6%). We found that there was higher needs for exercise or serious game in the group of ma1e(55.4%), below undergraduate(66.2%), under two family members(32.5%), over 350,000 won of pocket money/month (40.1%), mild depressive symptom (51.7%), and online responser(68%). Especially, they wanted to overcome physical limitations through games. Higher education, more experiences and skills of using computer/internet was statistically and positively significant to the needs for exercise or serious game. In conclusion, there exists a potential market within this demographic group for the use of serious games. Thus, we need to develop senior games in Korean to improve quality of life and health promotion.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.599-605
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• 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate suppressive effects of black rice aleurone layer extract (BRE) on body fat, serum lipid, and hormone levels in ovariectomized rats. The rats were divided into five groups (n=8/group): sham operated group (S); ovariectomized control group (OVX); ovariectomized group treated with isoflavone 10 mg/kg B.W. (IF); ovariectomized group treated with BRE 30 or 90mg/kg B.W. (BRE-30 or -90). High fat diet (45% calories from fat) was fed to all rats for 12 weeks. Body weight gain, body fat weight, and adiposity index increased in the OVX group, but they significantly decreased in IF or BRE supplementation. Serum triacylglycerol and leptin levels decreased in BRE groups while serum adiponectin level significantly increased compared to that of the OVX group. Hepatic total lipid, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels increased in the OVX group, but they decreased in BRE supplementation (p>0.05). These data suggest that black rice aleurone layer may be a useful food source to decrease obesity and its related diseases by modulating lipid metabolism in estrogen-deficiency model.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1693-1706
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• 2019

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of mainly infants and children. Currently, the development of safe and effective treatments for AD is urgently required. The present study was conducted to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of yeast-extracted β-1,3/1,6-glucan and/or Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) LM1004 against AD-like symptoms. To purpose, β-1,3/1,6-glucan and/or L. plantarum LM1004 were orally administered to AD-induced animal models of rat (histamine-induced vasodilation) and mouse (pruritus and contact dermatitis) exhibiting different symptoms of AD. We then investigated the treatment effects on AD-like symptoms, gene expression of immune-related factors, and gut microbiomes. Oral administration of β-1,3/1,6-glucan (0.01 g/kg initial body weight) and/or 2 × 10¹² cells/g L. plantarum LM1004 (0.01 g/kg initial body weight) to AD-induced animal models showed significantly reduced vasodilation in the rat model, and pruritus, edema, and serum histamine in the mouse models (p < 0.05). Interestingly, β-1,3/1,6-glucan and/or L. plantarum LM1004 significantly decreased the mRNA levels of Th2 and Th17 cell transcription factors, while the transcription factors of Th1 and Treg cells, galactin-9, filaggrin increased, which are indicative of enhanced immunomodulation (p < 0.05). Moreover, in rats with no AD induction, the same treatments significantly increased the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and the genus Bacteroides. Furthermore, bacterial taxa associated with butyrate production such as, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae at family, and Roseburia at genus level were increased in the treated groups. These findings suggest that the dietary supplementation of β-1,3/1,6-glucan and/or L. plantarum LM1004 has a great potential for treatment of AD as well as obesity in humans through mechanisms that might involve modulation of host immune systems and gut microbiota.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2015

Purpose: There is a fair amount of evidence indicating that increased risk of obesity and insulin resistance is associated with postmenopausal state, but can be modulated by diet and exercise. In this study, we explored whether a Pueraria lobata root-based supplement containing Rehmannia glutinosa (PR) and/or aerobic treadmill exercise can modify the metabolic changes associated with estrogen deficiency. Methods: Seventy rats were randomly assigned to the following groups for 8 weeks (n=10 per group): SHAM, sham-operated; PR0, ovariectomized (OVX) control; PR200, OVX with PR200 mg/kg B.W; PR400, OVX with PR400 mg/kg B.W; EPR0, OVX with exercise; EPR200, OVX with exercise and PR200 mg/kg B.W; EPR400, OVX with exercise and PR400 mg/kg B.W. Results: OVX induced significant increases in body weight, food intake, fat mass, LDL-cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose, confirming induction of menopausal symptoms. PR supplementation or exercise significantly suppressed the above mentioned changes through different regulatory elements in adipose tissue: PR supplement upregulated adiponectin gene expression and aerobic exercise upregulated adiponectin and insulin receptor gene expression and a combination of PR supplement and aerobic exercise showed an additive effect on adiponectin gene expression. Conclusion: Taken together, the results of this study suggest that PR supplement has a potential to provide health benefits in OVX rats through leptin and adiponectin secretion. In addition, the data suggest that combination of exercise and PR would have additive effects on metabolic dysfunction associated with estrogen deficiency.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.80-93
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• 2012

Recent studies have reported that the glycemic index (GI) has an effect on developing the risk for metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. As there are no reliable GI values for common Korean foods, only a few studies have been carried out using the dietary GI for Korean adults. The aim of this study was to establish a table of GI values for common Korean foods and evaluate dietary glycemic index (DGI) and dietary glycemic load (DGL) among the Korean adult population. International tables of GI values and other published values were used to tabulate GI values for common Korean foods. Among 653 food items, 149 (22.8%) were adapted from published data, 60 (9.2%) were imputed from similar foods, and 444 (68.0%) were assigned a zero. Data from 7,940 subjects aged 20 years and older in the 2007-2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were obtained, and DGI and DGL were calculated. The average DGI was 60.0 and the average DGL was 182.5 when the reference food GI value was glucose. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, DGI and DGL increased significantly according to age group (p for trend < 0.001). The food group that contributed most to DGL was grain and its products supplying 85.3% of total DGL, whereas the mean GI value in grain and its products was 72.6. Fruits and potatoes also contributed to DGL (5.8 and 2.9%, respectively), and their GIs were high (67.7 for potatoes and 45.8 for fruits). For individual food items, white rice supplied 66.7% of total GI followed by glutinous rice (2.3%) and steamed white rice cakes (2.0%). In conclusion, a table of GI values for 653 common food items was established in which white rice was the most contributing item to DGL. Our results will be useful to examine the relationships between DGI, DGL, and metabolic abnormalities in the Korean population.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.150-158
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between knowledge of nutrition labeling and the effect on eating habits with 300 high school boys in Seoul. The subjects were divided into an underweight (UW) group (BMI < $18.5kg/m^2$, n = 42), a normal weight (NW) group ($18.5kg/m^2\;{\leq}\;BMI\;<\;23kg/m^2$, n = 129) and an overweight (OW) group (BMI ${\geq}\;23kg/m^2$, n = 79) based on their body mass index (BMI). The average age of participants was 17.8 years old and their mean height and weight were 174.9 cm and 66.5 kg. The mean BMI of subjects was $21.7kg/m^2$ which fell within the normal range. Seventy six point four percent of subjects perceived nutrition labeling and they acquired the information pertaining to it through TV and internet. The UW group and the OW group obtained it from their parents, relatives and friends, while NW group acquired it from school. There were significant differences among groups in the acquired source of the information on nutrition labeling (p < 0.05). The NW group and the OW group trusted nutrition labeling more than the UW group, but there were no significant differences among them. Forty five point five percent of the UW group and 40.7% the NW group were satisfied with nutrition labeling education, while only 15.8% of the OW group did it. The OW group checked nutrition labeling more than the UW group and the NW group at the point of food purchase. The primary reason for examining nutrition labeling was 'to check nutrient contents' in the UW group and the NW group, while the OW group examined it to improve health including regulation of body weight. There were significant differences among groups with regards to the reason for examining nutrition labeling (p < 0.001). The OW group was aware that nutrition labeling affected their eating ha-bits significantly more than the other groups (p < 0.05). Therefore, application-centered education on nutrition labeling and the strong support of the government is needed in order to improve nutrition labeling use and to apply the information from nutrition labeling into student dietary life.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2012

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become a global epidemic. In particular, it is known that there is a dramatic increase in the prevalence of MetS among women during the postmenopausal period. Recently, accumulating studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency may be inversely associated with the risk factors regarding MetS. However, evidence from postmenopausal women is limited. In this study, we examined the association between the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and the MetS in Korean adult women aged 20-69 years (n = 2,618) by using the 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The geometric mean of plasma 25(OH)D were $17.16{\pm}6.28\;ng$/mL and $20.20{\pm}7.69\;ng$/mL for premenopausal and postmenopausal women, respectively. The percentages of vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D < 12 ng/mL] were 22.5% and 14.4%, respectively. MetS was more prevalent in postmenopausal women (43.0%) compared with premenopausal women (11.2%). When serum concentrations of 25(OH)D were categorized in quintiles, there was no relationship in the prevalence of MetS in both premonopausal and postmenopausal women. However, in premenopausal women, compared with the lowest 25(OH)D quintile, the odds ratio for hypertriglyceridemia in the highest quintile was 0.57 (95% CI 0.34-0.95, $P_{trend}$ = 0.041) and for low serum HDL cholesterol 0.60 (95% CI 0.42-0.85, $P_{trend}$ = 0.014) after adjusting for all potential confounders. On the other hand, we observed the tendency of an inverse relationship for 25(OH)D regarding low serum HDL cholesterol (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.50-1.22, $P_{trend}$ = 0.029) and a direct relationship with abdominal obesity (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.01, 3.74, $P_{trend}$ = 0.049) in postmenopausal women. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings in other research settings.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2018

This study investigated 2,088 economically active workers aged 20 to 65 years selected from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to evaluate the relationship between chronic diseases and oral health behaviors among economic workers and examine the risk factors for oral diseases. The results of the study were as follows. Dental caries were related to subjective oral health status, toothache experience, orthodontic treatment experience, chewing problems, speaking problems, oral examination, and dental clinic use. Periodontal disease was associated with oral health status, toothache experience, orthodontic experience, and chewing and speaking problems. The risk factors for chronic diseases and oral health behavior were as follows. Hypertension, 1.37 times; obesity, 1.48 times; diabetes, 1.5 times; low HDL-cholesterol, 1.31 times; hepatitis A antibody, 1.53 times higher. Health status was found to be 1.70 times higher in dental caries and 2.10 times higher in periodontal disease. The tooth experience was 1.30 times higher in dental caries and 1.35 times higher in periodontal disease. Problems chewing were 1.76 times for dental caries and 1.78 times for periodontal disease. The possibility of dental caries and periodontal disease was 1.44 times higher. Smokers were 1.61 times more likely to have dental caries and 1.63 times more likely to have periodontal disease. These results suggest that periodontal diseases increase the risk of chronic diseases and oral health behavior increases the risk of dental caries and periodontal disease. Although dental caries seem to have a lower risk of becoming a chronic disease if only oral health care is good, it is considered that both chronic disease and oral health care are important for periodontal disease.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.342-352
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• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of physical activity practice rates and knowledge related to cardiocerebrovascular disease prevention on the health behavior of middle aged women. Data were collected from Oct to Nov 2017 from 142 middle-aged women living in 24 Eup, Myeon, and Dong areas in North Gyeongsangbuk-do Province using a structured questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The major factors influencing health behavior were found to be alcohol consumption (${\beta}=0.15$, p=0.009), diet (${\beta}=0.16$, p=0.003), vigorous intensity (${\beta}=0.14$, p=0.011), marriage (${\beta}=0.19$, p<0.001), interest in one's own health (${\beta}=0.23$, p<0.001), and health recognition (ill: ${\beta}=0.31$, p<0.001). Alcohol consumption and diet were factors of cardiocerebrovascular knowledge, vigorous intensity was a factor of physical activity practice rate, marriage and interest in one's own health were factors of general characteristics, and health recognition was a factor in health-related characteristics. Health-promotion activity was positively correlated with knowledge regarding cardiocerebrovascular disease prevention (r=0.41, p<0.001) and physical activity practice rate (r=0.44, p<0.001). It will be necessary to develop and apply practical intervention programs based on disease prevention knowledge and physical activity to enhance the health behavior of middle aged women.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2009

The study found out developmental factors of the liver diseases in 29, 531 cases of the healthy adults who were diagnosed by using ultrasound at domestic healthcare centers in 6 cities. The results are as follows. Based on the result of the study, the liver diseases diagnosed by using ultrasound was revealed to show 43.1% of prevalence, and the occurrence was significantly higher in male (23.3%) than in female (19.8%). The prevalence of hepatic diseases related to the BMI was revealed to show highest prevalence of the fatty liver in obese group (BMI $\geqq$ 25) by recording 44.3%. Smoking contributed to the high prevalence of all liver diseases. Although the fatty liver was the most frequently occurred form of liver diseases by recording the prevalence of 49.1% (22.2% in male, 26.9% in female), the significant difference was found only in female (p < 0.05), but male group did not show significant difference (p > 0.05). The prevalence of hepatic diseases related to the hypertension was revealed to show highest prevalence of the fatty liver in hypertension group by recording 67.7%. The prevalence of hepatic diseases related to the diabetes was revealed to show highest prevalence of the fatty liver in diabetes group by recording 66.2%. The high prevalence of all hepatic diseases was related to diabetes mellitus with statistical significance (p < 0.001). The multiple regression analysis for the related factors which affect the prevalence of the liver diseases showed the higher prevalence by age. Sex, obesity and diabetes mellitus were positively related to the prevalence (p < 0.05) while hypertension and smoking showed no significant relationship to the prevalence of the disease (p > 0.05).