It is aging fast in Korea like other Asian countries. Social care systems, human resources, and appropriate senior products for elderly people are important factors to keep the society ealthy and productive. In this paper, we introduce the current status of senior products and standards in Korea including the Korea Senior Product Association (KSPA); present general status of the senior industry in Korea,long-term care insurance program for the elderly as well as welfare items; discuss problems and importance of standardization in the senior industry, the scope of senior products, and the current status of standardization.

No abstract available.
Blastocyst* ; Female ; Humans ; Oocytes* ; Parturition* ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*

Diabetes is often not diagnosed until complications appear, and approximately 30% of people with diabetes may be undiagnosed. Also, complications of diabetes have become a leading cause of impairment of life quality. Therefore efficient approaches to diagnosing diabetes should be developed. The most widely used test for diagnosis of diabetes includes fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT). The international expert committee has recently recommended the use of HbA1C assay to diagnose diabetes, with a threshold of > or = 6.5%. In 2010, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) adopted the proposal and it became part of the diagnostic criteria of diabetes in the 2010 Clinical Practice Recommendations. Previously, HbA1C had been used primarily to monitor glycemic control among individuals with diabetes. However, over the last decade, the HbA1C measurement has become standardized, facilitating its recognition as an acceptable diagnostic method for diabetes. And several practical considerations favor the use of HbA1C in diagnosing diabetes. The HbA1C does not require the patient to be fasting, can be done at any time that a visit is scheduled, is simpler to perform than the 2 hr OGTT, and is less dependent on the patient's health status at the moment of the blood draw. Also HbA1C is less sensitive to several preanalytical variables, and biological variability is lower than that of both 2 hr post-load glucose and FPG. However, this advantage must be balanced by the low sensitivity of HbA1C, the limited standardization of HbA1C in certain regions, the incomplete correlation between HbA1C and glucose, and risk of misdiagnosis in patient with increased red blood cell turnover, end stage renal disease, with certain forms of hemoglobinopathies.
Diagnostic Errors ; Erythrocytes ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Hemoglobinopathies ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Nitro Compounds ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Plasma ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to determine nutritional status of elderly patients in a long-term care hospital according to meal type and eating ability. METHODS: Subjects were 47 female patients aged over 65 (79.3 +/- 7.1 years) who resided in a long-term care hospital in Seoul. Thirty seven patients who ate diet orally were grouped according to meal type (27 general diet and 10 soft diet) and eating ability (26 eating by oneself and 11 eaten with help) and 10 were on tube feeding. Nutritional status was determined by food consumption and mid-arm circumference. RESULTS: The mean adequacy ratios (MARs) of 12 nutrients (protein, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, niacin, folic acid, vitamin C) were 0.687 for general diet, 0.565 for soft diet, 0.680 for eating by oneself and 0.677 for eaten with help, which were significantly lower than 0.982 for tube feeding (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). The patients on tube feeding had significantly lower % arm circumference compared to those who ate general diet (84.0% vs. 95.4%, respectively, p < 0.05). Nutrients intakes, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) and index of nutritional quality (INQ) were not different between meal types as well as eating ability. The most insufficiently consumed nutrients by the patients on diet were folic acid, vitamin B2, and calcium (NAR 0.334~0.453, 0.515~0.539, and 0.516~0.533, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that regardless of meal type or eating ability, the subjects who were on diets in this study might have inadequate intake of folic acid as well as vitamin B2, and calcium, which need to be reflected on menu planning. The measurement of mid-arm circumference presented more risk of malnutrition of patients on tube feeding than those on diets, despite apparently better nutrient consumption.
Aged* ; Arm ; Calcium ; Diet ; Eating* ; Enteral Nutrition ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Long-Term Care* ; Malnutrition ; Meals* ; Menu Planning ; Niacin ; Nutritional Status* ; Nutritive Value ; Phosphorus ; Riboflavin ; Seoul ; Thiamine ; Vitamin A ; Vitamin B 6 ; Vitamins ; Zinc

PURPOSE: This study is to analyze the effects of medical students’ social support and career barriers on career exploration behavior mediated by career decision-making self-efficacy. METHODS: We applied the t-test to investigate the difference among the variables based on gender and admission types. Also, we performed path analysis to verify the effect of perceived career barriers and social support on career exploration behavior with career decision efficacy as a mediator. RESULTS: First, we noted statistically significant gender and admission type difference in social support, career barriers and career exploration behaviors. Second, social support and career barriers were found to influence career exploration behavior as a mediating variable for career decision-making self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Social support and career barriers as perceived by medical students influenced their career exploration behavior, with their decision-making self-efficacy serving as a full mediator. Therefore, this study has educational implications for career program development and educational training for career decision-making self-efficacy.
Humans ; Negotiating ; Program Development ; Students, Medical*

Objective:To explore the function of the bridging epithelium between maxillary process and nasal process in the devel-opment of lip and palate.Methods:The fertilized white leghorn chick eggs incubated to the appropriate Hamburger and Hamilton(H-H)stages were examined by tissue histologic studies,scanning electron microscopy observation,BrdU assay and TUNEL assay re-spectively.Results:At H-H stage 24,the epithelia between maxillary,lateral nasal and globular process were juxtaposed.At H-H stage 26-27,string-like filopodia appeared and the bridging epithelium formed,then in the bridging epithelium cell proliferation was decreased and the apoptotic cells appeared.At H-H stage 28,the apoptosis of the bridging epithelium cells increased,the full fusion of the processes was completed.Conclusion:The occurrence of bridging epithelium between maxillary process and nasal process plays an important role in the development of lip and palate.

PURPOSE: The increasing survival rate of colorectal cancer demands various nursing interventions and continuous care for patients to adapt to their psychosocial daily lives. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with psychosocial adjustment in colorectal cancer survivors. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study with face-to-face interviews was conducted of 156 colorectal cancer survivors after surgery visiting an outpatient cancer clinic at a tertiary hospital in S city, Korea. Posttraumatic growth, health-promoting behavior, length of treatment, difficulty in activities of daily living, and having a stoma were entered into the linear regression model. RESULTS: The strongest factor influencing the level of psychosocial adjustment was health-promoting behavior (β=.33, p < .001), followed by difficulty in activities of daily living (β=-.24, p=.001), posttraumatic growth (β=.20, p=.004), and having a stoma (β=-.19, p=.004). CONCLUSION: Nursing interventions for psychosocial adjustment in colorectal cancer survivors need to include the contents for posttraumatic growth, as well as health-promoting behavior, and activities of daily living.
Activities of Daily Living ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Nursing ; Outpatients ; Social Adjustment ; Survival Rate ; Survivors* ; Tertiary Care Centers

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women. This syndrome is characterized by its heterogeneous presentation including oligoovulation, hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovary morphology. Moreover, women with PCOS exhibit metabolic dysfunction and have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The treatment approach is dependent on the presenting phenotype. Hormonal contraceptives are the first-line management for menstrual abnormalities and androgen excess symptoms, whereas clomiphene is the first-line therapy for infertility. Metformin is beneficial for metabolic abnormalities and menstrual irregularities.
Clomiphene ; Contraceptive Agents ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperandrogenism ; Infertility ; Metformin ; Ovary ; Phenotype ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing decreasing depressive mood of married women with depression. METHODS: Data that integrate the Korean longitudinal survey of women and families in 2014 and 2016 were used. Subjects for this study were 974 people who participated in the fifth survey in 2014 and the sixth survey in 2016, and married women were included in the depression group in the fifth survey. The data was analyzed with χ2 test, t-test, and logistic multiple regression analysis using the SPSS 23.0 program. RESULTS: The decreased-depression group's depression decreased from 11.78 points in the fifth survey to 6.31 points in the sixth survey. This study showed that main factors such as age (OR=0.96, p=.002), educational level (OR=0.54, p=.007), economical status (OR=0.62, p=.037), satisfaction with marriage life (OR=1.15, p < .001), use of medical services (OR=1.65, p=.002), and physical activity (OR=1.08, p=.019) help decrease married women's depression. CONCLUSION: This study findings indicate a need to develop the strategies to increase satisfaction for marriage life and physical activity and to enhance health promotion to decrease depression among depressed married women.
Depression ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Marriage ; Motor Activity