OBJECTIVES: This research was conducted to identify the consumers' food choice factors that affect the consumers' replacement of soft drinks with carbonated water. METHODS: The present study used secondary data from a consumer panel survey conducted by the Rural Development Administration of Korea, and the data included the panel members' purchase records based on their monthly spending receipts. The survey asked the participants about their food choice factors and their personal responsibility for their health. This survey included independent variables for the consumers' food purchase factors. As a dependent variable, two types of groups were defined. The replacement group included those people who increased their purchase of carbonated water and decreased their purchase of soft drinks. The non-replacement group included those people who did not change their purchase patterns or they increased their purchase of soft drinks and they decreased their purchase of carbonated water. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the consumers' food choice factors that were associated with replacing soft drinks with carbonated water. RESULTS: The replacement group was significantly associated with (1) a younger age (OR=0.953), (2) being a housewife (OR=2.03), (3) higher income (OR=1.001) and (4) less concern about price (OR=0.819) when purchasing food. This group also showed (5) higher enjoyment (OR=1.328) when choosing food and (6) they took greater responsibly for their personal health (OR=1.233). CONCLUSIONS: This research is the first study to mainly focus on soft drinks and carbonated water. The result of this research showed that young, health-conscious consumers with a higher income and who are more interested in food have more possibilities to replace soft drinks with carbonated water. These research findings may be applied to consumers who have characteristics that are similar to the young health-conscious consumers and the results can help to suggest ways to reduce sugar intake and improve public health. However, this research has a limitation due to the application of secondary data. Therefore, a future study is needed to develop detailed survey questions about food choice factors and to extend these factors to all beverages, including soft drinks made with sugar substitutes, so as to reflect the growth of alternative industries that use artificial sweeteners or different types of sugar to make commercially available drinks.
Beverages ; Carbon ; Carbonated Beverages ; Carbonated Water ; Consumer Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Public Health ; Social Planning ; Sweetening Agents

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: While many obesity studies have pointed out the importance of meal regularity, few have conducted empirical analyses using data from food diaries. We examined the association between meal regularity (i.e., meal time regularity [MTR] and calorie intake regularity [CIR]) and weight loss. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We collected food diary data from 637 women who had participated in commercial weight loss programs for 28–168 days (4–24 weeks). This study defined “meal regularity” in terms of two concepts: MTR and CIR. MTR refers to how regularly people eat their meals (i.e., at certain times each day), whereas CIR refers to how regularly people consume a certain amount of calories at each meal. We conducted multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: MTR (model 1: β = −2,576.526, P < 0.001; model 2: β = −1511.447, P < 0.05; model 3: β = −1,721.428, P < 0.05) and CIR (model 1: β = −1,231.551, P < 0.01; model 2: β = −2,082.353, P < 0.001; model 3: β = −1,343.490, P < 0.01) turned out to be significant determinants of the amount of weight loss in breakfast, lunch, and dinner contexts. While meal regularity (i.e., MTR and CIR) was significantly associated with weight loss, daily calorie intake from meals was not significantly associated with the amount of weight loss (model 1: β = 0.13, P > 0.05; model 2: β = 0.11, P > 0.05; model 3: β = 0.14, P > 0.05). Subjects who consumed an equal amount of calories per meal throughout the day lost more weight than those who did not (model 4: β = −3,675.51, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Eating each meal (i.e., breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at a certain time every day may increase weight loss success. Also, consuming the same amount of calories at each meal may help weight loss success.

Purpose: The main goal of this study was to identify the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on grocery purchases (i.e., fresh and processed foods by grain, vegetable, fruit, seafood, and meat categories) in Korea. To understand the specific impact of COVID-19, the study period was divided into 3 segments: PRE-COVID-19, INTER-COVID-19, and POST-COVID-19. Methods: We used the microdata of household income and expenditure from Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), representing households across the country. The data comprised monthly grocery expenditure data from January 2019 to September 2022. First, we compared the PRECOVID-19 period to INTER-COVID-19 and then INTER-COVID-19 to POST-COVID-19 and used multiple regression analysis. The covariates used were the gender and age of the head of the household, the household’s monthly income, the number of family members, the price index, and the month (dummy variable). Results: The expenditures on all grocery categories except fresh fruit increased from PRE-COVID-19 to INTER-COVID-19. From INTER-COVID-19 to POST-COVID-19, almost all grocery category spending declined, with processed meat being the only exception.Most purchases of protein sources, increased during INTER-COVID-19 compared to PRECOVID-19, while ham/sausage/bacon for meat protein, fish cakes and canned seafood for seafood protein, and soy milk for plant-based protein did not decrease during POSTCOVID-19 compared to INTER-COVID-19. Conclusion These results show an overall increase in in-home grocery expenditure during COVID-19 due to an increase in eating at home, followed by a decrease in this expenditure in the POST-COVID-19 period. Among the trends, the protein and highly processed convenience food categories did not see a decline in spending during the POST-COVID-19 period, which is a reflection of the preferences of consumers in the post-COVID-19 period.

OBJECTIVE: To identify different contributions of motor and sensory variables for independent ambulation of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), and reveal the most significant contributors among the variables. METHODS: The retrospective study included 30 patients with incomplete SCI and lesions were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Motor and sensory scores were collected according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. The variables were analyzed by plotting ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves to estimate their differential contributions for independent walking. The most significant functional determinant was identified through the subsequent logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Motor and sensory scores were significantly different between the ambulators and non-ambulators. The majority was associated to the function of lower extremities. Calculation of area under ROC curves (AUC) revealed that strength of hip flexor (L2) (AUC=0.905, p < 0.001) and knee extensor (L3) (AUC=0.820, p=0.006) contributed the greatest to independent walking. Also, hip flexor strength (L2) was the single most powerful predictor of ambulation by the logistic regression analysis (odds ratio=6.3, p=0.049), and the model fit well to the data. CONCLUSION: The most important potential contributor for independent walking in patients with incomplete SCI is the muscle strength of hip flexors, followed by knee extensors compared with other sensory and motor variables.
Classification ; Gait* ; Hip ; Humans ; Knee ; Locomotion ; Logistic Models ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscle Strength ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Walking

Development of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, after blood transfusion, is a rare but potentially leading cause of mortality from blood transfusion. We report on a case of TRALI in a 51-year male with acute calculous cholecystitis and liver cirrhosis. As preoperative treatment, he was given ten units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for 3 days before the operation. During the transfusion of the 10th unit of FFP, he experienced a sudden onset of hemoptysis, tachypnea, tachycardia, and cyanosis. Bilateral pulmonary infiltration not observed on the chest X-ray at the visit was newly developed. There was no evidence of volume overload but severe hypoxemia. Blood transfusion was stopped and he recovered fully after 8 days of oxygen therapy through a nasal cannula. Although HLA and HNA antibodies were not detected in the donor's blood, HLA antibodies (A2, B57, B58) were detected in the patient's blood. We reported this meaningful case of TRALI that occurred after transfusion of only fresh frozen plasma which did not contain human leukocyte antibody in a patient with HLA antibody.
Acute Lung Injury* ; Anoxia ; Antibodies ; Blood Transfusion ; Catheters ; Cholecystitis ; Cyanosis ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Male ; Mortality ; Oxygen ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Edema ; Tachycardia ; Tachypnea ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of intensive rehabilitation to support recovery of neurological function after brain tumor surgery and assess long-term satisfaction. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with neurological impairment after brain tumor surgery who underwent intensive rehabilitation therapy between December 2013 and May 2017. To assess effectiveness of rehabilitation, functional outcomes (motor, cognition, and activities of daily living [ADL]) were compared between brain tumor group and a control group enrolling stroke patients who received equivalent rehabilitation during the study period. Long-term satisfaction with rehabilitation was evaluated by surveying family caregivers. RESULTS: This study included 21 patients with benign brain tumor, 14 with malignant brain tumor, and 108 with stroke. Significant and similar improvement in motor, cognition, and ADL function were noted in both the brain tumor group and the stroke group. Malignancy status did not influence the extent of functional improvement. According to medical records and surveys, 9 (69.2%) patients with malignant tumor and 2 (11.8%) with benign tumor had expired by the time of the survey. Most family caregivers confirmed that rehabilitation was effective for functional improvement (>60%), expressing overall satisfaction and stating they would recommend such therapy to patients with similar conditions (approximately 70%). CONCLUSION: Intensive rehabilitation may help promote functional improvement following brain tumor surgery regardless of malignancy compared with stroke patients. Family caregivers expressed overall satisfaction with rehabilitation at long-term follow-up. These findings support the provision of intensive rehabilitation therapy for neurologic function recovery following brain tumor surgery.
Activities of Daily Living ; Brain Neoplasms ; Brain ; Caregivers ; Cognition ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neurological Rehabilitation ; Pilot Projects ; Recovery of Function ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; Treatment Outcome

Background and Objectives: Studies evaluating the nature of ischemic burden of chronic total occlusion (CTO) vessels are still lacking. Methods: A total of 165 patients with single vessel CTO >2.5 mm in an epicardial coronary artery who underwent single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were enrolled in the study. Ischemic burden was calculated with the use of semi-quantitative SPECT analysis, and was defined as the summed difference score (SDS) divided by the maximal limit of the score (=SDS/68). Results: The mean age of the participants was 59.5 years and the CTO of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), left circumplex coronary artery (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA) accounted for 93 (56.4%), 18 (10.9%), and 54 (32.7%) patients, respectively. The median ischemic burden of the total population was 8.8%, and it was highest in the LAD CTO (10.3%) compared with the LCX (5.9%) and RCA CTO (5.9%, p<0.001). High-ischemic burden (ischemic burden >10%) was observed in 66 patients (40.0%), and in 47 patients (50.5%) of the LAD CTO. Ischemic burden was different according to the CTO location only in LAD CTO. The statistically significant predictors for high-ischemic burden were hypertension, baseline ejection fraction >45%, LAD CTO, proximal CTO location, and de novo CTO. Japanese-CTO score and Rentrop scale collateral grade were not associated with high-ischemic burden. Conclusions Only 40% of patients with single vessel CTO had ischemic burden >10%. For CTO vessels, measurement of ischemic burden using SPECT prior to revascularization may be helpful in identifying beneficial subjects.