Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM) adopted a criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) system in 2014. Six cohorts have graduated over the past decade under CRA. Positive impacts on student wellness and academic achievement were observed during the system’s initial years, and this study therefore aimed to analyze the changing perceptions of graduating students who experienced CRA to reflect YUCM’s experience of CRA implementation and suggest future directions and insights. Utilizing self-reporting graduation survey data of 621 graduates from 2018 to 2023, eight items regarding perceptions of CRA were examined with analysis of variance to explore changes in perceptions among the graduates, and short answers were also reviewed to investigate keywords and main themes. The CRA grading system positively influenced students’ learning motivation, level of class participation, cooperative attitudes, and self-directed attitudes. In particular, students’ perceptions of cooperative attitudes significantly improved from 2018 (3.97) to 2023 (4.46). The system also had a positive impact on students’ interest in conducting research from 2018 (3.04) to 2023 (3.56). Students’ perceptions of validity significantly increased from 2018 (3.40) to 2023 (3.92), and the perceptions of reliability also increased from 2018 (3.38) to 2023 (3.65), although the inter-year changes were not statistically significant. This study on graduating students’ changing perceptions of the CRA at YUCM aligned with the intended goals and context of its introduction and implementation. Ongoing improvements in fairness and reliability are required to enhance students’ perceptions of the system’s credibility, necessitating ongoing education and improvement efforts. Further studies on the positive and negative factors influencing perceptions of CRA are required to derive insights for system improvement.

Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM) adopted a criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) system in 2014. Six cohorts have graduated over the past decade under CRA. Positive impacts on student wellness and academic achievement were observed during the system’s initial years, and this study therefore aimed to analyze the changing perceptions of graduating students who experienced CRA to reflect YUCM’s experience of CRA implementation and suggest future directions and insights. Utilizing self-reporting graduation survey data of 621 graduates from 2018 to 2023, eight items regarding perceptions of CRA were examined with analysis of variance to explore changes in perceptions among the graduates, and short answers were also reviewed to investigate keywords and main themes. The CRA grading system positively influenced students’ learning motivation, level of class participation, cooperative attitudes, and self-directed attitudes. In particular, students’ perceptions of cooperative attitudes significantly improved from 2018 (3.97) to 2023 (4.46). The system also had a positive impact on students’ interest in conducting research from 2018 (3.04) to 2023 (3.56). Students’ perceptions of validity significantly increased from 2018 (3.40) to 2023 (3.92), and the perceptions of reliability also increased from 2018 (3.38) to 2023 (3.65), although the inter-year changes were not statistically significant. This study on graduating students’ changing perceptions of the CRA at YUCM aligned with the intended goals and context of its introduction and implementation. Ongoing improvements in fairness and reliability are required to enhance students’ perceptions of the system’s credibility, necessitating ongoing education and improvement efforts. Further studies on the positive and negative factors influencing perceptions of CRA are required to derive insights for system improvement.

Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM) adopted a criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) system in 2014. Six cohorts have graduated over the past decade under CRA. Positive impacts on student wellness and academic achievement were observed during the system’s initial years, and this study therefore aimed to analyze the changing perceptions of graduating students who experienced CRA to reflect YUCM’s experience of CRA implementation and suggest future directions and insights. Utilizing self-reporting graduation survey data of 621 graduates from 2018 to 2023, eight items regarding perceptions of CRA were examined with analysis of variance to explore changes in perceptions among the graduates, and short answers were also reviewed to investigate keywords and main themes. The CRA grading system positively influenced students’ learning motivation, level of class participation, cooperative attitudes, and self-directed attitudes. In particular, students’ perceptions of cooperative attitudes significantly improved from 2018 (3.97) to 2023 (4.46). The system also had a positive impact on students’ interest in conducting research from 2018 (3.04) to 2023 (3.56). Students’ perceptions of validity significantly increased from 2018 (3.40) to 2023 (3.92), and the perceptions of reliability also increased from 2018 (3.38) to 2023 (3.65), although the inter-year changes were not statistically significant. This study on graduating students’ changing perceptions of the CRA at YUCM aligned with the intended goals and context of its introduction and implementation. Ongoing improvements in fairness and reliability are required to enhance students’ perceptions of the system’s credibility, necessitating ongoing education and improvement efforts. Further studies on the positive and negative factors influencing perceptions of CRA are required to derive insights for system improvement.

Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM) adopted a criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) system in 2014. Six cohorts have graduated over the past decade under CRA. Positive impacts on student wellness and academic achievement were observed during the system’s initial years, and this study therefore aimed to analyze the changing perceptions of graduating students who experienced CRA to reflect YUCM’s experience of CRA implementation and suggest future directions and insights. Utilizing self-reporting graduation survey data of 621 graduates from 2018 to 2023, eight items regarding perceptions of CRA were examined with analysis of variance to explore changes in perceptions among the graduates, and short answers were also reviewed to investigate keywords and main themes. The CRA grading system positively influenced students’ learning motivation, level of class participation, cooperative attitudes, and self-directed attitudes. In particular, students’ perceptions of cooperative attitudes significantly improved from 2018 (3.97) to 2023 (4.46). The system also had a positive impact on students’ interest in conducting research from 2018 (3.04) to 2023 (3.56). Students’ perceptions of validity significantly increased from 2018 (3.40) to 2023 (3.92), and the perceptions of reliability also increased from 2018 (3.38) to 2023 (3.65), although the inter-year changes were not statistically significant. This study on graduating students’ changing perceptions of the CRA at YUCM aligned with the intended goals and context of its introduction and implementation. Ongoing improvements in fairness and reliability are required to enhance students’ perceptions of the system’s credibility, necessitating ongoing education and improvement efforts. Further studies on the positive and negative factors influencing perceptions of CRA are required to derive insights for system improvement.

Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM) adopted a criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) system in 2014. Six cohorts have graduated over the past decade under CRA. Positive impacts on student wellness and academic achievement were observed during the system’s initial years, and this study therefore aimed to analyze the changing perceptions of graduating students who experienced CRA to reflect YUCM’s experience of CRA implementation and suggest future directions and insights. Utilizing self-reporting graduation survey data of 621 graduates from 2018 to 2023, eight items regarding perceptions of CRA were examined with analysis of variance to explore changes in perceptions among the graduates, and short answers were also reviewed to investigate keywords and main themes. The CRA grading system positively influenced students’ learning motivation, level of class participation, cooperative attitudes, and self-directed attitudes. In particular, students’ perceptions of cooperative attitudes significantly improved from 2018 (3.97) to 2023 (4.46). The system also had a positive impact on students’ interest in conducting research from 2018 (3.04) to 2023 (3.56). Students’ perceptions of validity significantly increased from 2018 (3.40) to 2023 (3.92), and the perceptions of reliability also increased from 2018 (3.38) to 2023 (3.65), although the inter-year changes were not statistically significant. This study on graduating students’ changing perceptions of the CRA at YUCM aligned with the intended goals and context of its introduction and implementation. Ongoing improvements in fairness and reliability are required to enhance students’ perceptions of the system’s credibility, necessitating ongoing education and improvement efforts. Further studies on the positive and negative factors influencing perceptions of CRA are required to derive insights for system improvement.

Breast cancer is one of the major causes of cancer death in women. Many studies have sought to identify specific molecules involved in breast cancer and understand their characteristics. Many biomarkers which are easily measurable, dependable, and inexpensive, with a high sensitivity and specificity have been identified. The rapidly increasing technology development and availability of epigenetic informations play critical roles in cancer. The accumulated data have been collected, stored, and analyzed in various types of databases. It is important to acknowledge useful and available data and retrieve them from databases. Nowadays, many researches utilize the databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER), and Embase, to find useful informations on biomarkers for breast cancer. This review summarizes the current databases which have been utilized for identification of biomarkers for breast cancer. The information provided by this review would be beneficial to seeking appropriate strategies for diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Biomarkers* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Epigenomics ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Genome ; Humans ; Industrial Development ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale Short Form (K AES-10) for people with dementia. Methods: Participants in this study were 198 patients with dementia resident in two hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The AES-10 was translated into Korean through the translation and adaptation of instruments process developed by the World Health Organization. This process was carried out by three bilingual nursing professionals. Validity and reliability, such as construct validity, convergent validity, Cronbach's ⍺, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability, were evaluated. IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 and AMOS 26.0 programs were used for the data analysis. Results: A uni-dimensional model was proposed in the explanatory factor analysis; a single factor accounted for 68.0% of total variances. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the Korean version of the AES-10. The scale had a Cronbach's ⍺ of .95, inter-rater reliability of .66 (p<.001), and a test-retest reliability of .81 (p<.001). Conclusion The findings show that the Korean version of the AES-10 is both valid and reliable for measuring apathy among people diagnosed with dementia in the Republic of Korea.