• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1-19
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• 2005

This study has attempted to investigate the time use of the elementary school students and their satisfaction levels by their general characteristics for the educational guidance. The sample of this study consisted of 387 elementary school students on Jeju Island who are in the fifth or sixth year. The data were analysed by frequency, percentage, mean, t-test, ANOVA and Duncan's test. The major results of this study were as follows; The results of this study showed that the students spent much time for studying including extra programs as like their ages. Also, their leisure time focused on watching TV or doing computer. The levels of satisfaction according to the time use were slightly high although their time allocation was not various. The time use of the students and their satisfaction levels were significantly affected by the general family situation related to parents as well as their own characteristics. The variables such as the student's sex, parent's educational level, whether the mother is employed or not, and monthly allowance were important to result in the differences of the time use and satisfaction levels among the students. The leisure time was strongly related with the satisfaction levels.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.713-722
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• 2009

Vitamin D levels have been reported to be associated with diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. There have been studies on the nutritional status of vitamin D in postmenopausal women at Seoul and premenopausal women at Busan, and these studies showed that nearly no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index existed. However, there have been no studies that examined about the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance in Korea. In this study, we investigated serum vitamin D levels and the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), obesity index (body mass index, percentage of body fat and waist circumference) in 180 premenopausal women (non-obese women 87.8%, obese women 12.2%) in spring (March~April), fall (September~October) and winter (January~February) at Daejeon. Serum vitamin D levels were lower in winter than in spring-fall, after adjusting for age and the obesity index. The frequency of vitamin D inadequacy (serum vitamin D levels were $\leq$ 20 ng/mL) was 45.5% in winter and, 23.5% in spring-fall, and which showed that vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Multiple regression analysis showed that serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance. There was no difference in the obesity index or insulin resistance between the vitamin D inadequacy and normal group, and there was no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index or insulin resistance in non-obese and obese premenopausal women, respectively. In conclusion, serum vitamin D levels in premenopausal women at Daejeon were lower in winter than in spring-fall, and the frequency of vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance in premenopausal women, most of whom were not obese.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.2 s.86
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• pp.47-58
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games and adaptation to school in accordance with their frequency levels of playing internet games. Participants were 236 children from grades 4, 5, and 6 in two elementary schools and 237 adolescents from grades 1, 2, and 3 in one middle school. They were measured on frequency levels of playing internet games, motives for playing internet games, and adaptation to school. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS WIN 12.0 for reliability, frequency, Chi-square test, t-test, Pearson's correlation, and one way ANOVA. Major findings of the research are as follows: First, children's/adolescents' frequency levels of playing internet games differed by their gender. The male ratio was much higher than the female ratio in the potential risk group and the high risk poop. In contrast, no grade differences on the frequency levels of playing internet games were found. Second, children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games differed by their gender. Especially, among the motives the greatest difference between male and female was marked for 'Social Relationship'. Third, children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games differed by their frequency levels of playing internet games. For 'Conformity,' the low risk group differed from the high risk group. For 'Spending Time', 'Benefit', 'Competition', and 'Social Relationship', the low risk group differed from the potential risk group and also from the high risk poop. Fourth, children's/adolescents' adaptation to school differed by their frequency levels of playing internet games. The high risk group exhibited a low level of adaptation in 'Academic Activities', 'a subcategory of adaptation to school.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.22.1-22.15
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• 2023

Alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) is caused by chronic alcohol overconsumption and might be linked to dysregulated immune responses in the gut-liver axis. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on levels and functions of innate lymphocytes including mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, NKT cells, and NK (NK) cells in ALC patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the levels and function of these cells, evaluate their clinical relevance, and explore their immunologic roles in the pathogenesis of ALC. Peripheral blood samples from ALC patients (n = 31) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 31) were collected. MAIT cells, NKT cells, NK cells, cytokines, CD69, PD-1, and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) levels were measured by flow cytometry. Percentages and numbers of circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells were significantly reduced in ALC patients than in HCs. MAIT cell exhibited increased production of IL-17 and expression levels of CD69, PD-1, and LAG-3. NKT cells displayed decreased production of IFN-γ and IL-4. NK cells showed elevated CD69 expression. Absolute MAIT cell levels were positively correlated with lymphocyte count but negatively correlated with C-reactive protein. In addition, NKT cell levels were negatively correlated with hemoglobin levels. Furthermore, log-transformed absolute MAIT cell levels were negatively correlated with the Age, Bilirubin, INR, and Creatinine score. This study demonstrates that circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells are numerically deficient in ALC patients, and the degree of cytokine production and activation status also changed. Besides, some of their deficiencies are related to several clinical parameters. These findings provide important information about immune responses of ALC patients.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2022

Background: A previous study reported that hyperlipidemia increases the incidence of tears in the rotator cuff tendon and affects healing after repair. The aim of our study was to compare the gene and protein expression of torn rotator cuff tendons in patients both with and without hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Thirty patients who provided rotator cuff tendon samples were classified into either a non-hypercholesterolemia group (n=19, serum total cholesterol [TC] <200 mg/dL) and hypercholesterolemia group (n=11, serum TC ≥240 mg/dL) based on their concentrations of serum TC. The expression of various genes of interest, including COL1A1, IGF1, IL-6, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, MMP13, TNMD, and TP53, was analyzed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, Western blot analysis was performed on the proteins encoded by interleukin (IL)-6 and TP53 that showed significantly different expression levels in real-time qRT-PCR. Results: Except for IGF1, the gene expression levels of IL-6, MMP2, MMP9, and TP53 were significantly higher in the hypercholesterolemic group than in the non-hypercholesterolemia group. Western blot analysis confirmed significantly higher protein levels of IL-6 and TP53 in the hypercholesterolemic group (p<0.05). Conclusions: We observed an increase in inflammatory cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels in hypercholesterolemic patients with rotator cuff tears. Increased levels of IL-6 and TP53 were observed at both the mRNA and protein levels. We suggest that the overexpression of IL-6 and TP53 may be a specific feature in rotator cuff disease patients with hypercholesterolemia.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.199-217
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• 2010

This study investigated the effects of an after-school picture-book program on the happiness and socio-emotional ability levels of first graders. The subjects consisted of 44 elementary school first graders; of these, 22 formed the experimental and 22 formed the control group. A detailed analysis of both happiness and socio-emotional ability levels was undertaken to determine the homogeneity of the two groups. A broad variety of activities using 12 picture-books were applied to the experimental group for twelve-week periods. The results of this study were as follows; the after-school program using picture books was effective in strengthening children's levels of both happiness and socio-emotional ability.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1339-1344
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• 2014

Aims: Alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been implicated in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. We here evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic potential of mtDNA as a biomarker for breast cancer. Methods: Using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction, nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mtDNA levels in serum, buffy coat, tumor, and tumor-adjacent tissue samples from 50 breast cancer patients were determined and assessed for associations with clinicopathological features. To evaluate mtDNA as a biomarker for distinguishing between the four sample types, we created receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The mtDNA levels in buffy coat were significantly lower than in other sample types. Relative to tumor-adjacent tissue, reduced levels of mtDNA were identified in buffy coat and tumor tissue but not in serum. According to ROC curve analysis, mtDNA levels could be used to distinguish between buffy coat and tumor-adjacent tissue samples with good sensitivity (77%) and specificity (83%). Moreover, mtDNA levels in serum and tumor tissue were positively associated with cancer TMN stage. Conclusions: The mtDNA levels in blood samples may represent a promising, non-invasive biomarker in breast cancer patients. Additional, large-scale validation studies are required to establish the potential use of mtDNA levels in the early diagnosis and monitoring of breast cancer.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.293-295
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in the serum malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NO) levels between normal and T. gondii-infected patients. To this end, MDA, GSH, and NO levels in the sera of 37 seropositive patients and 40 participants in the control group were evaluated. In Toxoplasma ELISA, IgG results of the patient group were $1,013.0{\pm}543.8$ in optical density (mean ${\pm}$ SD). A statistically significant difference was found between patients and the control group in terms of MDA, GSH, and NO levels. A decrease in GSH activity was detected, while MDA and NO levels increased significantly. Consequently, it is suggested that the use of antioxidant vitamins in addition to a parasite treatment shall prove useful. The high infection vs control ratio of MDA and NO levels probably suggests the occurrence as a mechanism of tissue damage in cases of chronic toxoplasmosis. Moreover, it is recommended that the patient levels of MDA, GSH, and NO should be evaluated in toxoplasmosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.74-80
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular diseases is a major cause of death and is responsible for 23.8% of deaths in Korea. Clinical symptoms manifest in adulthood, but susceptibility begins in utero. Elevated homocysteine levels and adiposity might be linked to a greater risk in children as well as adults. We hypothesized that those who have simultaneous risk for folate and adiposity would be affected with elevated homocysteine levels at 3 years of age. SUBJECTS/METHODS: From the ongoing birth cohort at Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital, we compared adiposity parameters, serum homocysteine, and folate levels in 238 children (118 boys and 120 girls) at three years of age. The relationship between birth outcome, current weight and body mass index (BMI), postnatal growth, and homocysteine level were assessed using correlation and general linear model. Additionally, we assessed the combined effect between blood folate status and adiposity on current homocysteine levels. RESULTS: Birth characteristics were not correlated with homocysteine. Current weight, BMI, upper-arm circumference, skinfold thickness, waist circumference, and hip circumference were positively correlated with homocysteine at three years of age (P < 0.05). Folate level was negatively correlated with homocysteine at three years of age (P < 0.0001). A relative high anthropometric measure which is compatible with adiposity and low folate level was associated with high homocysteine levels. CONCLUSION: We found a combined effect of adiposity and folate levels with homocysteine levels at three years of age. This implicates the beneficial role of folate supplementation in the high-risk population at an early age.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.39-57
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• 2016

The present study aims to examine whether the gender and school of students affect smart media literacy in South Korea. For the purpose of this study, data in Korea Youth Competency Measurement and International Comparative research II was analyzed. The data was nationwide data collected from 11,284 students in elementary, middle, high, and undergraduate school in South Korea. The participants were asked to answer 18 items of smart media literacy questionnaire (SMLQ) that consisted of four factors; ability to learn using smart media, ability to operate smart devices, ability to use smart applications, and positive perception of using smart media. As a result, statically significant differences were observed in the participants' gender and school levels. In relation to the gender level, female students scored higher than male students on the smart literacy survey. With regard to the school level, middle school students scored the highest while elementary school students scored the lowest. In addition, a statistically significant difference was found in the gender level of smart media literacy on two dependent measures in terms of the interaction effect of gender and school levels. Based on the findings of the present study, strategies to improve smart media literacy according to students' gender and school levels have been made and suggestions for further research have been proposed in detail.