Purpose: This study identified the effects of chronic disease number, quality of sleep and, serum serotonin concentration on the elderly’s depression in order to provide basic data for the development of intervention program to effectively prevent and manage depression of the elderly living in the community. Methods: The study surveyed 207 people aged 65 or older living in the community. The general characteristics of the subjects, the number of chronic diseases, the quality of sleep (PSQI-K), the hematological test (Serotonin) and the depression (K-GDS) were statistically analyzed using SPSS/WIN 23.0. Results It was shown that the elderly’s depression differed significantly depending on the number of chronic diseases, the quality of sleep, and serum serotonin concentration, and that the variable that most affected depression was the quality of sleep. Next, the number of chronic diseases and serum serotonin levels were the variables affecting the depression of the elderly. Conclusion: In order to prevent and manage the depression of the elderly in the future, treatment and education for diseases and depression should be provided to the subjects. In particular, nursing interventions are needed to improve the quality of sleep for the elderly. Health care programs should also be provided, such as providing nutritional supplements to provide serotonin and increasing daytime activities.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the use of health impact assessment (HIA) as a tool for intersectoral collaboration using the case of an HIA project conducted in Gwang Myeong City, Korea. METHODS: A typical procedure for rapid HIA was used. In the screening step, the Aegi-Neung Waterside Park Plan was chosen as the target of the HIA. In the scoping step, the specific methods and tools to assess potential health impacts were chosen. A participatory workshop was held in the assessment step. Various interest groups, including the Department of Parks and Greenspace, the Department of Culture and Sports, the Department of Environment and Cleansing, civil societies, and residents, discussed previously reviewed literature on the potential health impacts of the Aegi-Neung Waterside Park Plan. RESULTS: Potential health impacts and inequality issues were elicited from the workshop, and measures to maximize positive health impacts and minimize negative health impacts were recommended. The priorities among the recommendations were decided by voting. A report on the HIA was submitted to the Department of Parks and Greenspace for their consideration. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study examined only one case, it shows the potential usefulness of HIA as a tool for enhancing intersectoral collaboration. Some strategies to formally implement HIA are discussed.
*Health Policy ; Humans ; Organizational Case Studies ; Politics ; *Public Health ; Public Policy ; Urban Health

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in behavioral characteristics and parental stress between allergic and nonallergic elementary school children. METHODS: Ninety-one elementary school children who had allergic disease were enrolled (asthma, n=27; allergic rhinitis, n=35; combined, n=29). Also one hundred six nonallergic elementary school children were enrolled for the control group. The Korean Child Behavior Check List (K-CBCL) and Korean Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (K-PSI-SF) were completed by their mothers. RESULTS: According to the analysis of K-CBCL, the score for Internalizing, anxious/depressed and somatic complaints were significantly higher in the combined group than in the control group. The score for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-affective problems in the combined group and DSM-somatic problems were significantly higher in the asthma group than in the control group. According to the analysis of K-PSI-SF, the score for parental distress was significantly higher in the allergic rhinitis group than in the control group. The scores for behavioral problems and parental stress were significantly correlated to allergic disease groups. CONCLUSION: Behavioral problems and parental stress were significantly associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis. The results of this study suggest the importance of psychosocial support for mothers and children with allergic diseases.
Asthma* ; Child Behavior ; Child* ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Parents* ; Problem Behavior ; Rhinitis, Allergic*

PURPOSE: The benefits of thrombolytic treatment are time-dependent. We developed a smartphone application that aids stroke patient self-screening and hospital selection, and may also decrease hospital arrival time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The application was developed for iPhone and Android smartphones. Map data for the application were adopted from the open map. For hospital registration, a web page (http://stroke119.org) was developed using PHP and MySQL. RESULTS: The Stroke 119 application includes a stroke screening tool and real-time information on nearby hospitals that provide thrombolytic treatment. It also provides information on stroke symptoms, thrombolytic treatment, and prescribed actions when stroke is suspected. The stroke screening tool was adopted from the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale and is displayed in a cartoon format. If the user taps a cartoon image that represents abnormal findings, a pop-up window shows that the user may be having a stroke, informs the user what to do, and directs the user to call emergency services. Information on nearby hospitals is provided in map and list views, incorporating proximity to the user's location using a Global Positioning System (a built-in function of smartphones). Users can search for a hospital according to specialty and treatment levels. We also developed a web page for hospitals to register in the system. Neurology training hospitals and hospitals that provide acute stroke care in Korea were invited to register. Seventy-seven hospitals had completed registration. CONCLUSION: This application may be useful for reducing hospital arrival times for thrombolytic candidates.
*Cellular Phone ; Geographic Information Systems ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Republic of Korea ; Stroke/*diagnosis

Background: Concern about bisphosphonate-associated subtrochanteric and femoral shaft (ST/FS) fractures has been raised. However, its real risk is still debatable, because there is no study to estimate risk and benefit of bisphosphonate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of typical hip fractures and ST/FS fractures among bisphosphonate users using nationwide database. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. We evaluated occurrence of the ST/FS and femoral neck and intertrochanteric (FN/IT) fractures among female bisphosphonate new users. Incidence rate of ST/FS and FN/IT fractures were compared between long-term users (≥ 1 year) and short-term users (< 1 year). Number needed to harm (NNH) for ST/FS and number needed to treat (NNT) for typical hip fracture were analyzed. Results: Among 46,420 bisphosphonate users, we identified 14,689 long-term users and 21,840 short-term users. During the study period, 61 long-term users and 36 short-term users had ST/FS fractures, while 204 long-term users and 511 short-term users had FN/IT fractures. The long-term user showed higher incidence rate of ST/FS fractures (67.1/100,000 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 50.3–83.9) comparing with 31.2/100,000 person-years (95% CI, 21.0–41.4) in the short-term users. The incidence rate of FN/IT fractures was 225.5/100,000 person-years (95% CI, 194.6–256.5) in the long-term users and 448.6/100,000 person-years (95% CI, 409.7–487.5) in the short-term users. The NNH for ST/FS was 400, while the NNT for typical hip fracture was 105. Conclusion Our study suggested that physicians keep the significant benefit of bisphosphonate to prevent typical hip fracture in mind, even the concerns about bisphosphonate-associated ST/FS fractures.

Tumoral calcinosis (TC) is a condition resulting from extensive calcium phosphate precipitation, primarily in the periarticular tissues around major joints. Calciphylaxis is a fatal ischemic vasculopathy mainly affecting dermal blood vessels and subcutaneous fat. This syndrome is rare and predominantly occurs in patients with end-stage renal disease. Here, we report on a rare case involving a patient with TC complicated with calciphylaxis. Our patient was a 31-year-old man undergoing hemodialysis who presented with masses on both shoulders and necrotic cutaneous ulcers, which were associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism, on his lower legs. He underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy, and sodium thiosulfate (STS) was administered for 27 weeks. Twenty months after beginning the STS treatment course, he experienced dramatic relief of his TC and calciphylaxis.
Adult ; Blood Vessels ; Calcinosis* ; Calciphylaxis* ; Calcium ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; Joints ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Leg ; Parathyroidectomy* ; Renal Dialysis ; Shoulder ; Sodium* ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ulcer

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is a syndrome characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis and an inability to excrete highly acid urine, in which the impaired acid excretion is disproportional to the reduction in the glomerular filtration rate. Distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) is frequently associated with immune-mediated disease, including Sjogren's syndrome. Sjogren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease that mainly affects exocrine glands, such as the lacrimal and salivary glands, resulting in xerophthalmia and xerostomia. Extraglandular manifestations are frequent and may include renal involvement. Recently, we experienced two cases of renal tubular acidosis in patients with Sjogren's syndrome. The first patient had lower extremity weakness and hypokalemia and the second had nephrocalcinosis. We discuss the frequency and pathogenesis of dRTA in Sjogren's syndrome.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Renal Tubular* ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Exocrine Glands ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Lower Extremity ; Nephrocalcinosis ; Salivary Glands ; Sjogren's Syndrome* ; Xerophthalmia ; Xerostomia

PURPOSE: Smoking cessation is strongly recommended for every smoker after ischemic stroke, but many patients fail to quit smoking. An improved smoking cessation rate has been reported with intensive behavioral therapy during hospitalization and supportive contact after discharge. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of the timely interventions for smoking cessation in men with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Patients who participated in the timely interventions strategy (TI group) were compared with those who received conventional counseling (CC group). In the TI group, a certified nurse provided comprehensive education during admission and additional counseling after discharge. Outcome was measured by point smoking success rate and sustained smoking cessation rate for 12 months. RESULTS: Participants, 157 men (86 of the TI group and 71 of the CC group), were enrolled. Mean age was 58.25 ± 11.23 years and mean initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 4.68 ± 5.46. The TI group showed a higher point smoking success rate compared with the CC group (p= .003). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the TI group was 2.96-fold (95% CI, 1.43~6.13) more likely to sustain smoking cessation for 12 months than the CC group. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that multiple interventions initiated during hospital stay and regular follow-up after discharge are more effective than conventional smoking cessation counseling in men with acute ischemic stroke.
Behavior Control ; Cerebral Infarction ; Counseling ; Education ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Male ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Stroke*

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship of occupational class and educational background with proportional mortality ratios in Korea. METHODS: Mortality was investigated using the entire registered death data from 1993 to 2004, obtained from the Korean National Statistics Office. Proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) for specific diseases were calculated according to the occupational class and educational background of men aged 20-64. RESULTS: Manual workers were found to have higher PMRs for liver disease and traffic accidents, as did the lower educated group. Especially, this study showed trends of an increasing of the wide gap between lower and higher socioeconomic stati for liver disease, traffic accidents, diabetes mellitus and cerebral vascular disease. The mortality for cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, traffic accident and liver disease showed increasing trends according to the calendar year for the lower than the higher social class. CONCLUSIONS: The specific conditions that had higher PMRs in the Korean lower social class were liver disease and traffic accidents. Especially, there was an increasing trend for a widening of the gap between manual and nonmanual groups in relation to mortality from liver disease, diabetes mellitus and traffic accidents.
Socioeconomic Factors ; Odds Ratio ; Occupations/*classification/statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Liver Diseases/mortality ; Korea/epidemiology ; Humans ; *Educational Status ; Diabetes Mellitus/mortality ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/mortality ; Cause of Death/*trends ; Adult ; Accidents, Traffic/mortality

Cigarette smoking may be associated with the augmentation of pro-inflammatory cytokines including Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which may affect the outcomes of pharmacological agents such as TNF-alpha inhibitors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of smoking on the effectiveness of TNF-alpha inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Crohn's disease (CD). We used systematic literature review methods. A total of 1,147 articles were selected after exclusion of duplicates through a database search. Among them, 28 articles were finally selected through a review of titles and abstracts and a subsequent review of full articles. The effectiveness of TNF-alpha inhibitors in patients with RA or CD among the selected articles was summarized by their smoking status. Meta-analysis was performed with random effect model. When current smokers were compared with non-smokers for response after adjustments through meta-analysis among patients with RA, current smokers had 59% less response than non-smokers with statistical significance (Pooled adjusted OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.17-0.95). In patients with CD, current smokers tended to have lower clinical response than non-smokers, but statistical significance was not shown. In subgroup analyses for luminar CD or fistulizing CD, current smokers tended to have a lower response in luminar CD (Pooled OR=0.62, 95% CI=0.34-1.14), but smoking status was not associated with drug response in fistulizing CD. This study raises awareness of the adverse effects of smoking in terms of clinical response in patients treated with TNF-alpha inhibitors.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Crohn Disease* ; Cytokines ; Humans ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*