BACKGROUND: Weight overestimation of Korean Americans may be associated with dietary habits and preferences for foods and tastes. METHODS: The subjects were 100 Korean Americans in New York City and LA and 100 Koreans in Seoul, who were 20-29 years old. Self-reported questionnaire consisted of age, height, weight, length of residence in US, preferences for 10 foods and 5 tastes, dietary habits and perception of self body image. Korean Americans were further divided into 3 groups according to length of residence in US. RESULTS: More Korean American women underestimated (27.3% vs. 5.8%), and less overestimated their body weights, than Korean women (31.8% vs. 53.8%, P=0.008). Korean Americans who overestimated their own body weights had significantly higher preference for salty taste and significantly lower dietary habit score regarding regular meals. CONCLUSIONS: Overestimation of self body size, rather than longer residence in US may be associated with the undesirable dietary habit and taste preference of Korean Americans, highlighting the importance of correct body image.
Asian Americans ; Body Image ; Body Size ; Body Weight ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; New York City ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigatecomplementary therapiesprovided at hospice palliative care facilities in South Koreaas designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Methods: The survey was conducted via e-mail from September 2 to September 23, 2020, with responsesfrom 109 therapists and 59 managers from 55 different hospice care facilities. Results: Hospices provided an average of 3.67 different types of therapies, ranging from 1 to 7 different types. The most common types of therapies were horticultural therapy (81.4%), music therapy (79.7%), art therapy (76.3%), and aromatherapy (57.6%).The average frequency of sessions was once a week, the median duration was 60 minutes.Most therapists (96.3%) had qualifications, but the certification-issuing organizations and training intensiveness varied greatly. None of the therapists were employed on a full-time basis, and their average monthly income was KRW 270,000. Therapists and managers gave average scores of 8.90 and 8.38 out of 10, respectively, regarding the positive impact of complementary therapies on patients. Conclusion In order for patients and their families to benefit from complementary therapiesat hospice care facilities, in addition tobetter terms of employment for therapists, evidence-based guidelines for different types of therapies are needed so that therapy sessions can be conducted according to the theoretical underpinnings and characteristics of the type of therapy. It is expected that the results of this study will be used for policy-making in support of therapy as an essential hospice service.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigatecomplementary therapiesprovided at hospice palliative care facilities in South Koreaas designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Methods: The survey was conducted via e-mail from September 2 to September 23, 2020, with responsesfrom 109 therapists and 59 managers from 55 different hospice care facilities. Results: Hospices provided an average of 3.67 different types of therapies, ranging from 1 to 7 different types. The most common types of therapies were horticultural therapy (81.4%), music therapy (79.7%), art therapy (76.3%), and aromatherapy (57.6%).The average frequency of sessions was once a week, the median duration was 60 minutes.Most therapists (96.3%) had qualifications, but the certification-issuing organizations and training intensiveness varied greatly. None of the therapists were employed on a full-time basis, and their average monthly income was KRW 270,000. Therapists and managers gave average scores of 8.90 and 8.38 out of 10, respectively, regarding the positive impact of complementary therapies on patients. Conclusion In order for patients and their families to benefit from complementary therapiesat hospice care facilities, in addition tobetter terms of employment for therapists, evidence-based guidelines for different types of therapies are needed so that therapy sessions can be conducted according to the theoretical underpinnings and characteristics of the type of therapy. It is expected that the results of this study will be used for policy-making in support of therapy as an essential hospice service.

Purpose: Cystoscopy is the most common procedure used to diagnose urological diseases; however, it is invasive and can be associated with pain and anxiety. Although pain relieving medications, such as lidocaine lubricants, are used during cystoscopy, the procedure still causes discomfort. Therefore, non-medical intervention is needed to reduce pain and anxiety during the procedure and increase patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of heating therapy on pain, anxiety, physiologic measures, and satisfaction during cystoscopy. Methods: This was a single-blinded, single-center, randomized controlled trial. A total of 145 participants who underwent cystoscopy between August 2017 and October 2017 were recruited and randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Before and after cystoscopy, all the participants self-reported the degree of pain they felt, while pain was objectively assessed by trained nurses. Anxiety was evaluated using the validated Korean version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Blood pressure and pulse rate were also recorded as physiologic measures. After cystoscopy, satisfaction was measured in the experimental group only using the Korean version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results: Heating therapy reduced both subjective and objective pain and anxiety in the experimental group compared to the control group. Heating therapy also decreased the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate in the experimental group compared to the control group. Women reported significantly greater satisfaction than men. Conclusion Heating therapy during cystoscopy is a convenient and effective nursing intervention that decreases pain and anxiety and enhances patient satisfaction.

Gene set analysis is a powerful tool for interpreting a genome-wide association study result and is gaining popularity these days. Comparison of the gene sets obtained for a variety of traits measured from a single genetic epidemiology dataset may give insights into the biological mechanisms underlying these traits. Based on the previously published single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data on 8,842 individuals enrolled in the Korea Association Resource project, we performed a series of systematic genome-wide association analyses for 49 quantitative traits of basic epidemiological, anthropometric, or blood chemistry parameters. Each analysis result was subjected to subsequent gene set analyses based on Gene Ontology (GO) terms using gene set analysis software, GSA-SNP, identifying a set of GO terms significantly associated to each trait (pcorr < 0.05). Pairwise comparison of the traits in terms of the semantic similarity in their GO sets revealed surprising cases where phenotypically uncorrelated traits showed high similarity in terms of biological pathways. For example, the pH level was related to 7 other traits that showed low phenotypic correlations with it. A literature survey implies that these traits may be regulated partly by common pathways that involve neuronal or nerve systems.
Genome-Wide Association Study ; Genotype ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Neurons ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Semantics

We evaluated the effects of eye movements on facial feature recognition and memory retrieval. Thirty-eight participants learned the faces of five men, including features of the faces (eyes, nose, and mouth), and then performed a recognition memory task for partially manipulated versions of the faces. Bilateral eye movements, recognition accuracy, and mean fixation duration were evaluated. We observed differences in fixation durations for the manipulated features of the faces (eyes, F(3,78)=11.95, P<0.001; and mouth, F(3,78)=21.38, P<0.001). These findings demonstrate that eye movements have a functional role in learning and recognizing human faces. Furthermore, fixation durations increased for the manipulated facial features, suggesting that eye movements during recognition are not simply patterns produced during learning.
Eye Movements* ; Humans ; Learning ; Male ; Memory* ; Mouth ; Nose

In a 3-year-old Samoyed, aortic bulging was found on radiography during a general check-up. On echocardiography, turbulent flow was found in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) with high velocity (6.1 m/s). A linear structure was attached to the interventricular septum and connected to the chordae tendineae reaching the papillary muscle. A part of the structure moved during cardiac cycle, similar to mitral motion. This dog was diagnosed with LVOT obstruction caused by accessory mitral valve tissue (AMVT). This is the first report of AMVT in veterinary medicine. AMVT should be considered as a possible cause of LVOT obstruction in dogs.

In a 3-year-old Samoyed, aortic bulging was found on radiography during a general check-up. On echocardiography, turbulent flow was found in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) with high velocity (6.1 m/s). A linear structure was attached to the interventricular septum and connected to the chordae tendineae reaching the papillary muscle. A part of the structure moved during cardiac cycle, similar to mitral motion. This dog was diagnosed with LVOT obstruction caused by accessory mitral valve tissue (AMVT). This is the first report of AMVT in veterinary medicine. AMVT should be considered as a possible cause of LVOT obstruction in dogs.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to establish a fruit-cooking method suitable for older adults with masticatory dysfunction.MATERIALS/METHODS: Five types of fruits were selected to make fruit jelly and puree:apple, sweet persimmon, mandarin, Korean melon, and watermelon. Recipes were selected based on the Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for senior-friendly foods (KS H 4897), which classifies foods into 3 levels (L1−L3) based on their hardness and viscosity. RESULTS: In South Korea, senior-friendly foods are classified into 3 stages based on their hardness. Stage 1 is for foods that are able to eat with teeth (hardness greater than 50,000 N and less than 500,000 N), Stage 2 is for foods that are able to eat with gums (hardness greater than 20,000 N and less than 50,000 N), and Stage 3 is for foods that are able to eat with the tongue (hardness less than 20,000 N). As a result of measuring the hardness by varying the shape of the fruit, it was found that nearly all fruits could be eaten fresh by chewing with the teeth (L1) but did not meet the KS for mastication using the gums (L2) or tongue (L3), so the cooking method was selected as fruit jelly and fruit puree. Only sweet persimmon, which had a hardness of 61,624–496,393 N, was not suitable for consumption in fresh fruit, unprocessed form. Based on their hardness measurements, fruit jellies (27,869 to 36,343 N) and fruit purees (315 to 1,156 N) met the L2 and L3 requirements, respectively. The viscosity results of all fruit purees met the L3 requirement. CONCLUSION These results offer a simple cooking method to prepare texture-modified fruits suitable for safe consumption by older adults living with masticatory difficulties in general households and nursing facilities.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to establish a fruit-cooking method suitable for older adults with masticatory dysfunction.MATERIALS/METHODS: Five types of fruits were selected to make fruit jelly and puree:apple, sweet persimmon, mandarin, Korean melon, and watermelon. Recipes were selected based on the Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for senior-friendly foods (KS H 4897), which classifies foods into 3 levels (L1−L3) based on their hardness and viscosity. RESULTS: In South Korea, senior-friendly foods are classified into 3 stages based on their hardness. Stage 1 is for foods that are able to eat with teeth (hardness greater than 50,000 N and less than 500,000 N), Stage 2 is for foods that are able to eat with gums (hardness greater than 20,000 N and less than 50,000 N), and Stage 3 is for foods that are able to eat with the tongue (hardness less than 20,000 N). As a result of measuring the hardness by varying the shape of the fruit, it was found that nearly all fruits could be eaten fresh by chewing with the teeth (L1) but did not meet the KS for mastication using the gums (L2) or tongue (L3), so the cooking method was selected as fruit jelly and fruit puree. Only sweet persimmon, which had a hardness of 61,624–496,393 N, was not suitable for consumption in fresh fruit, unprocessed form. Based on their hardness measurements, fruit jellies (27,869 to 36,343 N) and fruit purees (315 to 1,156 N) met the L2 and L3 requirements, respectively. The viscosity results of all fruit purees met the L3 requirement. CONCLUSION These results offer a simple cooking method to prepare texture-modified fruits suitable for safe consumption by older adults living with masticatory difficulties in general households and nursing facilities.