• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.79-92
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• 2014

This study investigates the influences of narcissism and emotional self-disclosure on depression and happiness levels of high school students. The participants comprised of 334 high school 1st-graders. The results indicated that: (1) Girls showed higher levels of both narcissism and emotional self-disclosure than boys, but there was no gender difference evident in the levels of depression and happiness. (2) The more the students felt depressed, the less they experienced happiness. Additionally, the more the students disclosed emotionally about themselves, the less they experienced depression. (3) High levels of narcissism and low levels of emotional self-disclosure increased depression, but the interactional effect between narcissism and emotional self-disclosure on depression was not statistically significant for either gender. Moreover, low levels of narcissism and high levels of emotional self-disclosure tended to see increased levels of happiness for both genders, however the interactional effect between narcissism and emotional self-disclosure on happiness was statistically significant only for boys. That is, for boys, the negative effects of narcissism on happiness can be reduced if the level of emotional self-disclosure is high.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 2015

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether the expression of baseline phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) levels were prognostic in terms of stage and overall survival (OS) in newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, 130 patients were selected at the time of diagnosis oflung cancer (100 with NSCLC and 30 with SCLC), before the initialization of any chemo-radiotherapy. The median age was 67 (range 29-92). IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV stages were present in 3, 4, 19, 6, 25, 8, and 65 patients, respectively. After centrifugation, the levels of serum P and Mg were measured using the nephelometric method/ photometry and evaluated before any type of treatment. Results: Higher than normal levels of P were found in 127/130 patients, while only four patients had elevated Mg serum values. In terms of Spearman test, higher P serum values correlated with either stage (rho=- 0.334, p<0.001) or OS (rho=-0.212, p=0.016). Additionally, a significant negative correlation of Mg serum levels was found with stage of disease (rho=-0.135, P=0.042). On multivariate cox-regression survival analysis, only stage (p<0.01), performance status (p<0.01) and P serum (p=0.045) showed a significant prognostic value. Conclusions: Our study indicated that pre-treatment P serum levels in lung cancer patients are higher than the normal range. Moreover, P and Mg serum levels are predictive of stage of disease. Along with stage and performance status, the P serum levels had also a significant impact on survival. This information may be important for stratifying patients to specific treatment protocols or intensifying their therapies. However, larger series are now needed to confirm our results.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.178-183
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• 2015

Purpose: Elderly people are thought to be more susceptible to periodontal disease due to reduced immune function associated with aging. However, little information is available on the nature of immune responses against putative periodontal pathogens in geriatric patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum IgG antibody responses to six periodontal pathogens in geriatric subjects. Methods: The study population consisted of 85 geriatric patients and was divided into three groups: 29 mild (MCP), 27 moderate (MoCP), and 29 severe (SCP) chronic periodontitis patients. Serum levels of IgG antibody to Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Prevotella intermedia were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared among the groups. Results: All three groups showed levels of serum IgG in response to P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. intermedia that were three to four times higher than levels of IgG to T. forsythia, T. denticola, and F. nucleatum. There were no significant differences among all three groups in IgG response to P. gingivalis (P=0.065), T. forsythia (P=0.057), T. denticola (P=0.1), and P. intermedia (P=0.167), although the IgG levels tended to be higher in patients with SCP than in those with MCP or MoCP (with the exception of those for P. intermedia). In contrast, there were significant differences among the groups in IgG levels in response to F. nucleatum (P=0.001) and A. actinomycetemcomitans (P=0.003). IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans were higher in patients with MCP than in those with MoCP or SCP. Conclusions: When IgG levels were compared among three periodontal disease groups, only IgG levels to F. nucleatum significantly increased with the severity of disease. On the contrary, IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans decreased significantly in patients with SCP compared to those with MCP. There were no significant differences in the IgG levels for P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, T. denticola, and P. intermedia among geriatric patients with chronic periodontitis.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.39-44
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• 2019

[Purpose] Weight loss can reduce obesity-induced arterial stiffening that is attributed to decreased inflammation. Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) is a pro-inflammatory adipokine that is upregulated in obesity and is important in the progression of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of dietary modification on circulating ANGPTL2 levels and arterial stiffness in overweight and obese men. [Methods] Twenty-two overweight and obese men (with mean age of 56 ± 2 years and body mass index of 28.6 ± 2.6 kg/m²) completed a 12-week dietary modification program. We measured the arterial compliance and β-stiffness index (as the indices of arterial stiffness) and serum ANGPTL2 levels before and after the program. [Results] After the 12-week dietary modification, body mass and daily energy intake were significantly reduced. Arterial compliance was significantly increased and β-stiffness index was significantly decreased after the 12-week dietary modification program. Serum ANGPTL2 levels were significantly decreased. Also, the changes in arterial compliance were negatively correlated with the changes in serum ANGPTL2 levels, whereas the changes in β-stiffness index were positively correlated with the changes in serum ANGPTL2 levels. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the decrease in circulating ANGPTL2 levels can be attributed to the dietary modification-induced reduction of arterial stiffness in overweight and obese men.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.546-554
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the levels of foodservice management activities and job satisfaction of the dietitians in elementary schools. Out of 130 questionnaires distributed to elementary school dietitians in Incheon, 127 were returned and analyzed ($98\%$ response rate). The questionnaire included two multiple-item scales for measuring foodservice management activities and job satisfaction, respectively. All the items in the scales were coded 1 to 5 for 'certainly no', 'no', 'neutral', 'yes', and 'certainly yes' and grouped by using factor analyses. Most of the responding dietitians were working for schools in urban areas and have independently managed on-site kitchens. The 19 items on food service management activities were grouped into 6 factors and the mean scores of the levels of Personnel Hygiene Management, Education & Training, Sanitation & Safety Management, Menu Quality Management, Service Management, and Environment Management were 4.76, 4.26, 4.24,4. 05, 3.61 and 3.39, respectively. The 23 items on job satisfaction were grouped into 4 factors and the mean scores of the satisfaction levels of Systematic Environment, Job Duty, Job Condition, and Physical Environment were 3.38, 2.83, 2.53, and 2.08, respectively. Overall, the levels of food service management activities and job satisfaction were positively associated with a correlation coefficient of 0.254 (p > 0.01). In particular, satisfaction levels on job duty itself and systematic environment were positively associated with the levels of overall management activities. The results suggest that improving dietitians' job satisfaction could increase the levels of management activities of school foodservice dietitians, resulting in quality improvement of school food service.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2008

Ghrelin and obestatin are a single gene products and are a multiple functional peptides that regulates energy homeostasis, and food intake. In the present work, we studied the secretion of ghrelin and its co-secreted peptide obestatin in 44 patients with ischemic heart disease with that of 27 healthy matched controls. Here we first conducted using an immunohistochemistry assay to screen whether human salivary glands have any obestatin immunoreactivity. Then, serum and saliva obestatin and acylated ghrelin levels were determined by using Radioimmunoassay. Our immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that obestatin was localized in the striated and excretory duct of human salivary gland. We also report for the first time that obestatin, like ghrelin, is present in human salivary gland and saliva. No evidence of the role of obestatin or ghrelin saliva levels in the context of ischemic heart disease was found. Salivary ghrelin and obestatin levels are correlated in controls with the blood levels. Determination of salivary values could represent a non-invasive alternative to serum ones that can be useful in clinical practice.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.981-991
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• 2010

This study investigated the structural relationships between parental attitude, social support, self-esteem, and levels of adjustment to school life of children from multicultural families. Participants were 177 elementary school children from multicultural families in 1st to 6th grade of elementary school in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area of South Korea. The major findings were as follows. 1) Parenting attitude, social support, and self-esteem had direct effects on levels of children's adjustment to school life. 2) Parental attitudes and social support had direct effects on children's levels of self-esteem. 3) Parental attitudes and social support also had indirect effects on levels of adjustment to school life of these children. This study suggested that various concern and supports from multi level of society are required to improve adjustment to school life in children from multicultural families.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.137-156
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• 2014

The current study examined the relations between sixth-grade elementary school children's perceptions of daily hassles, optimistic thinking, and subjective well-being. This study also investigated the moderating effect of optimistic thinking on the relationship between daily hassles and subjective well-being. A total of 474 sixth-grade elementary school children participated in this study. First, children's daily hassles were negatively related to optimistic thinking and subjective well-being. As children perceived higher levels of daily hassles, they showed lower levels of optimistic thinking and subjective well-being. Children's optimistic thinking was positively related to subjective well-being. Second, children's optimistic thinking moderated the relations between daily hassles and subjective well-being. Specifically, for children with higher levels of optimistic thinking, their subjective well-being decreased with increasing levels of daily hassles related to parents and teachers. However, for children with lower levels of optimistic thinking, there was no relation between daily hassles and subjective well-being. These findings suggest that optimistic thinking could be an important means by which we could improve children's subjective well-being, especially when they experience higher levels of daily hassles.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.47-61
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• 2010

This study examined the moderated effects of self-control on the relationship between elementary school children's excessive use of the Internet and their stress levels. The participants were 403 elementary school children from Chungnam-do. The instruments used were the 'Internet Addiction Autodiagnosis Scale (K-Scale)', the 'Stress Scale' and the 'Self-control Rating Scale'. The collected data were analyzed by t test, F test and the Scheffe test for a post hoc test, Pearson's partial correlation and stepwise multiple regression, and Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ for reliability by SPSS program (17.0 version). The results were as follows : First, it was found that there were significant differences in terms of excessive use of the Internet, stress levels, and self-control by gender, grade, academic achievement, the beginning year of first Internet access and the number of hours of Internet usage hours per day. Second, there were significant positive correlations between excessive use of the Internet (r = .40, p < .001) and stress levels (r = .44, p < .001) and the immediate satisfaction of self-control. Finally, the immediate satisfaction of self control was seen to moderate the relationships between the total scores for the excessive use of the Internet and stress levels and between withdrawal of excessive use of the Internet and the accompanying stress levels.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1316-1321
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• 2012

Adipokines, adipocyte-derived protein, have important roles in various kinds of physiology including energy homeostasis. Chemerin, one of adipocyte-derived adipokines, is highly expressed in differentiated adipocytes and is known to induce macrophage chemotaxis and glucose intolerance. The objective of the present study was to investigate the changes of chemerin and the chemokine-like-receptor 1 (CMKLR1) gene expression levels during differentiation of the bovine adipocyte and in differentiated adipocytes treated with tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), adiponectin, leptin, and chemerin (peptide analog). The expression levels of the chemerin gene increased at d 6 and 12 of the differentiation period accompanied by increased cytoplasm lipid droplets. From d 6 onward, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}2$ (PPAR-${\gamma}2$) gene expression levels were significantly higher than that of d 0 and 3. In contrast, CMKLR1 expression levels decreased at the end of the differentiation period. In fully differentiated adipocytes (i.e. at d 12), the treatment of TNF-${\alpha}$ and adiponectin upregulated both chemerin and CMKLR1 gene expression levels, although leptin did not show such effects. Moreover, chemerin analog treatment was shown to upregulate chemerin gene expression levels regardless of doses. These results suggest that the expression of chemerin in bovine adipocyte might be regulated by chemerin itself and other adipokines, which indicates its possible role in modulating the adipokine secretions in adipose tissues.