Background: Many people use both combustible cigarette (CC) and electronic cigarette (EC). We compared nicotine dependence among CC, EC, and dual users using questionnaires and urinary cotinine levels. Methods: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014–2017) databases were analyzed; 3,917 CC, EC, and dual users were administered the urinary cotinine test, and 1,045 current CC and dual users completed the Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) questionnaires. Weighted geometric means of urine cotinine levels were compared between exclusive CC, exclusive EC, and dual users. The distribution rate, based on time to first cigarette (TTFC), cigarettes per day (CPD), and the HSI was analyzed in two weighted groups, exclusive CC and dual users. Results: Among those who currently use any type of cigarette, 89.4%, 1.4%, and 9.2% were exclusive CC, exclusive EC, and dual users, respectively. Weighted geometric means of urine cotinine were highest in dual users (1,356.4 ng/mL), followed by exclusive CC (1,270.3 ng/mL), and exclusive EC (867.7 ng/mL) with significant differences between all three groups (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in CPD between exclusive CC and dual users (P=0.626). The proportion of TTFC ≤5 minutes was 21.5% and 29.5% in the two groups, respectively (P=0.010); however, HSI differences in the two groups was marginal (P=0.557). Conclusion In this study, the urinary cotinine value could distinguish the three groups, CC, EC, and dual users, but the questionnaire using HSI could not distinguish the three groups.

Background: Many people use both combustible cigarette (CC) and electronic cigarette (EC). We compared nicotine dependence among CC, EC, and dual users using questionnaires and urinary cotinine levels. Methods: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014–2017) databases were analyzed; 3,917 CC, EC, and dual users were administered the urinary cotinine test, and 1,045 current CC and dual users completed the Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) questionnaires. Weighted geometric means of urine cotinine levels were compared between exclusive CC, exclusive EC, and dual users. The distribution rate, based on time to first cigarette (TTFC), cigarettes per day (CPD), and the HSI was analyzed in two weighted groups, exclusive CC and dual users. Results: Among those who currently use any type of cigarette, 89.4%, 1.4%, and 9.2% were exclusive CC, exclusive EC, and dual users, respectively. Weighted geometric means of urine cotinine were highest in dual users (1,356.4 ng/mL), followed by exclusive CC (1,270.3 ng/mL), and exclusive EC (867.7 ng/mL) with significant differences between all three groups (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in CPD between exclusive CC and dual users (P=0.626). The proportion of TTFC ≤5 minutes was 21.5% and 29.5% in the two groups, respectively (P=0.010); however, HSI differences in the two groups was marginal (P=0.557). Conclusion In this study, the urinary cotinine value could distinguish the three groups, CC, EC, and dual users, but the questionnaire using HSI could not distinguish the three groups.

In this paper, ethical principles and practice guidelines concerning the usage of public database for medical researches were developed and proposed. Although there are several personal health databases with comprehensive information of each individual, researches aiming at public good are often hindered because of legal, managerial and technical barriers to the usage of public databases. Ethical principles and guidelines are indispensible to promote medical research that will benefit society while protecting personal information from bleaching and abuse. These principles and guidelines should be a basis of trust and supports from society. For this purpose, the meaning of public good was given, and the current status of the linkage and usage of public databases were explored. As a result, three ethical principles-guaranteeing public good, protecting personal information, and transparency were established and eight recommendations were proposed.
Codes of Ethics ; Database Management Systems ; Ethics, Medical ; Humans ; Medical Record Linkage

Attending conferences is important for doctors and residents in family medicine. Nevertheless, departments of family medicine at many hospitals find it difficult to hold regular conferences. Holding joint videoconferences between Family Medicine Departments of several hospitals through a videoconferencing system could solve this problem. Therefore, Family Medicine Departments of Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Kangwon National University Hospital decided to hold regular joint videoconferences via a videoconferencing system. Eighty-one joint videoconferences were held from April 1 to October 29, 2010. PowerPoint slideshows were transferred to the other two locations in the same resolution as presenter's monitor. Image and voice of the speaker were transferred in real time and in acceptable quality. Joint videoconferences are feasible, satisfactory and useful for medical education, especially when individual family medicine departments are small and lack resources to hold face-to-face conferences. We expect that more family medicine departments will choose to participate in implementing similar joint videoconferencing systems in the future.
Congresses as Topic ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Joints ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Videoconferencing ; Voice

Influenza vaccination is important for cancer survivors, a population with impaired immunity. This study was designed to assess influenza vaccination patterns among Korean cancer survivors. In this cross-sectional analysis, data were obtained from standardized questionnaires from 943 cancer survivors and 41,233 non-cancer survivors who participated in the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007-2011). We identified the adjusted influenza vaccination rates and assessed factors associated with influenza vaccination using multivariate logistic regression. Cancer survivors tended to have a higher adjusted influenza vaccination rate than the general population. The rates for influenza vaccination in specific cancer types such as stomach, hepatic, colon, and lung cancers were significantly higher than non-cancer survivors. Among all cancer survivors, those with chronic diseases, elderly subjects, and rural dwellers were more likely to receive influenza vaccination; those with cervical cancer were less likely to receive influenza vaccination. Cancer survivors were more likely to receive influenza vaccinations than non-cancer survivors, but this was not true for particular groups, especially younger cancer survivors. Cancer survivors represent a sharply growing population; therefore, immunization against influenza among cancer survivors should be concerned as their significant preventative healthcare services.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Comorbidity ; Disease Susceptibility/mortality ; Educational Status ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Influenza Vaccines/*therapeutic use ; Influenza, Human/*mortality/*prevention & control ; Male ; Mass Vaccination/*utilization ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/*mortality ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sex Distribution ; Social Class ; Survival Rate ; Survivors/*statistics & numerical data

Since bone matrix is known to contain osteoinductive substance, many studies have been carried out for its clinical applications. But there are still controversies about its regeneration effects and bone induction. This study was performed to compare the bone induction and regeneration between bone matrix particles (BMP) and demineralized bone matrix particles (DMP). About 700 mm BMP and DMP were made from long bone of adult rabbit. They were allografted into the artificial defect formed at medial surface of tibia and observed using LM and fluorescent microscopy. More fibrin networks and osteoblasts were formed in the graft groups than in control group after 3 days of graft. At one week after graft active endochondral and intramembranous ossification were taking place by osteoinduction around the DMP, whereas osteoinduction is rarely seen around the BMP. Most of regenerated trabecular bone was replaced by immature lamellar bone in DMP group, while some amount of fibrous and trabecular structures still remained in the defect in BMP group at 4 weeks after graft. More rapid bone regeneration and maturity were seen in DMP grafted group than in BMP grafted and control groups in fluorescent microscopy at each week after graft. These results suggest that demineralized bone matrix graft is more effective than that of mineralized bone matrix in regeneration of bone defect and endochondral bone formation is not necessary in osteoinduction.
Adult ; Allografts* ; Bone Matrix ; Bone Regeneration ; Fibrin ; Humans ; Microscopy ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Rabbits* ; Regeneration* ; Tibia ; Transplants

With society's increasing interest in weight control and body weight, we investigated the association between psychological factors and body image misperception in different age groups of adult Korean women with a normal weight. On a total of 4,600 women from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009, a self-report questionnaire was used to assess body weight perception and 3 psychological factors: self-rated health status, stress recognition, and depressed mood. Through logistic regression analysis, a poor self-rated health status (P = 0.001) and a higher recognition of stress (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with body image misperception and this significance remained after controlling for several sociodemographic (Model 1: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.00), health behavior and psychological factors (Model 2: aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.29-1.96; Model 3: aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.84). Especially, highly stressed middle-aged (50-64 yr) women were more likely to have body image misperception (Model 2: aOR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.30-6.26). However, the correlation between depressed mood and self-reported body weight was inconsistent between different age groups. In conclusion, self-rated health status and a high recognition rate of severe stress were related to body weight misperception which could suggest tailored intervention to adult women especially women in younger age or low self-rated health status or a high recognition rate of severe stress.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aging/psychology ; Body Dysmorphic Disorders/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Body Image/*psychology ; *Body Weight ; Comorbidity ; Depression/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Psychology ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Self Report ; Women's Health/statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a disease with high social burdens and is expected to increase gradually. A long-term management is essential for the treatment of diabetes, requiring patient self-cares. Diabetes education is important for such self-cares, but it does not sufficiently take place. In addition, little studies have been conducted on the barriers to the completion of diabetes education. This study, thus, aimed to analyze the factors related to the completion of diabetes education and investigate its barriers. METHODS: Of 50,405 respondents to the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a total of 3,820 were selected for the analysis, excluding those aged 29 or younger and those with missing values. The completion of diabetes education was set as a dependent variable and an analysis was made on the factors that affect the dependent variable. A multivariable logistic regression was employed for the analysis. RESULTS: Lower educational level was associated with less diabetes education, and the degree of diabetes education was lower in the group with male, the group that didn't have a family history or was not aware of a family history, the group that was not currently aware of diabetes and the group without a spouse. There was no difference in the completion of diabetes education by underlying diseases, family income level, age, residing area, economic activity status, insurance coverage, smoking, and drinking. CONCLUSION: Diabetes education is of importance for the treatment and management of diabetes. Currently, however, diabetes education is not sufficiently carried out in Korea. The completion rate of diabetes education was low in male, patients without or not knowing a family history, patients who were not currently aware of their diabetes, patients without a spouse, and patients with low educational level. Therefore, encouraging these patients to take the education will be a more effective approach to increase the completion rate of diabetes education.
Adult* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drinking ; Education* ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spouses

BACKGROUND: The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test is an effective screening test for the early detection of uterine cervical cancer. The Pap test still plays an important role in Korean elderly women, as uterine cervical cancer remains a frequent form of cancer and an important cause of death. However, the participation rate and other factors related to the Pap test in Korean elderly women have been studied insufficiently. METHODS: This study included 654 individuals aged 65 and over who completed a cervical cancer screening questionnaire from the Third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005. Using multiple logistic regression, odds ratios and confidence intervals for the association between attendance of the Pap test and sociodemographic or health-related factors were calculated. RESULTS: One hundred and eleven individuals (17.0%) of the study population showed compliance with Pap testing within the previous 2 years. We recognized that the most elderly women (75 years and over) or those with lower levels of education were less likely to have had the test. CONCLUSION: Primary health care providers need to make efforts to improve attendance rates of Pap smear screening in Korean elderly women, individually taking into account previous Pap results, life expectancy, risk factors for cervical cancer, and preferences. More attention will especially be needed among the eldest elderly or less educated elderly women.
Aged ; Cause of Death ; Compliance ; Female ; Health Services for the Aged ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Primary Health Care ; Risk Factors ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vaginal Smears

As prevalence of metabolic syndrome has rapidly increased over the past decade, lifestyle changes including dietary habits are considered as a therapeutic cornerstone for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular complications and type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered nutrition education to improve metabolic parameters compared with a single-visit with a dietitian in subjects with metabolic syndrome. A total of seventy-one adults who met diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to either the single-visit group or the in-depth nutrition education group during a 3-month intervention study period. The in-depth telephone-delivered nutrition education group had an initial visit with a dietitian and additional two telephone counseling during the first 4 weeks of the study periods. Sixty-six subjects completed a 3-month intervention study. The trial examined participant's anthropometric changes and dietary intakes as well as changes in the metabolic syndrome factors. At the end of the trial, the in-depth nutrition education group showed significantly higher reduction in weight, body fat and abdominal circumference compared with the other group (p < 0.05). In the in-depth nutrition groups, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was decreased to 45.5%, while 69.7% of the subjects were metabolic syndrome patients in the single-visit group (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that the telephone-intervention counseling is a feasible mean to deliver dietary intervention in patients with metabolic syndrome.
Adult ; Body Weight ; Counseling ; Education* ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Clinical Trial ; Life Style ; Nutrition Therapy ; Prevalence ; Telephone