No abstract available.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation* ; Methotrexate*

The study aimed to analyze the lifestyles, weight control behavior, dietary habits, and depression of female university students. The subjects were 532 students from 8 universities located in 4 provinces in Korea. According to percent ideal body weight, 33 (6.4%), 181 (34.0%), 283 (53.2%), 22 (4.1%) and 13 (2.5%) were severely underweight, underweight, normal, overweight and obese, respectively, based on self-reported height and weight. As much as 64.1% and only 2.4%, respectively, overestimated and underestimated their body weight status. Six overweight subjects were excluded from overestimation group for the purpose of this study, resulting in overestimation group consisting of only underweight and normal weight subjects. Compared to those from the normal perception group, significantly more subjects from the overestimation group were currently smoking (P = 0.017) and drank more often than once a week (P = 0.015), without any significant differences in dietary habits. Despite similar BMIs, subjects who overestimated their own weight statuses had significantly higher weight dissatisfaction (P = 0.000), obesity stress (P = 0.000), obsession to lose weight (P = 0.007) and depression (P = 0.018). Also, more of them wanted to lose weight (P = 0.000), checked their body weights more often than once a week (P = 0.025) and had dieting experiences using 'reducing meal size' (P = 0.012), 'reducing snacks' (P = 0.042) and 'taking prescribed pills' (P = 0.032), and presented 'for a wider range of clothes selection' as the reason for weight loss (P = 0.039), although none was actually overweight or obese. Unlike the case with overestimating one's own weight, being overweight was associated with less drinking (P = 0.035) and exercising more often (P = 0.001) and for longer (P = 0.001) and healthier reasons for weight control (P = 0.002), despite no differences in frequency of weighing and depression. The results showed that weight overestimation, independent of weight status, is associated with risky lifestyles, weight control behaviors, and mental conditions. Preventive interventions should focus not only on obesity, but also on body weight overestimation.
Body Weight ; Depression ; Diet ; Drinking ; Female ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Korea ; Life Style ; Meals ; Obesity ; Obsessive Behavior ; Overweight ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thinness ; Weight Loss

Purpose: This study aims to identify risk factors for falls or fractures in patients with stroke. Methods: In this secondary data analysis study, data were extracted from the 2020 patient sample dataset provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). The independent variables were categorized into 4 characteristics: 3 general characteristics, 13 diagnostic characteristics, 8 medication characteristics, and 5 treatment characteristics. The data were analyzed using SAS for Windows version 9.4 software. The frequencies of the independent variables were examined, and x 2 tests were conducted to determine whether there were significant differences between falls or fractures and the independent variables. To identify the risk factors for falls or fractures, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine hazard ratios. Results: Among 13,629 patients with stroke, 925 (6.78%) experienced falls or fractures. Eight risk factors for falls or fractures in patients with stroke were identified: elderly patients aged 75 years and above, degenerative arthritis, osteoporosis, opioid medication, antidepressant medication, fluid treatment, a history of surgery, and no specialized rehabilitation therapy Conclusion It is necessary to develop fall prevention education programs based on the identified eight risk factors, and to conduct studies to validate their effectiveness.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to develop a Personality Assessment Scale for Hospital Employees (PAS-HE). Most current personality scales for recruiting employees have focused on evaluating the negative aspects of mental health. The present study sought to develop a Self-Report Questionnaire that assessed not only mental health problems but also positive personality traits and character strengths, as well as capabilities for hospital work. METHODS: Initially, a preliminary item pool was constructed and administered to psychiatry outpatients (n=44), hospital employees (n=217), and normal adults matched to hospital employees (n=217). Using the data from the three groups, the final 250 items for the PAS-HE were selected. Next, using data from 637 normal adults, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factor structure were examined and age norms were calculated for each of four age groups (18–25, 26–35, 36–45, 46–55 years). RESULTS: The PAS-HE showed moderate to high internal consistency, good temporal stability, and good construct validity. Factor structure and t-score norms (mean=50, SD=10) for each age group were established. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated the reliability and validity of the developed PAS-HE, suggesting that the PAS-HE can be time- and cost-efficient when used for recruitment and human resource management in hospitals.
Adult ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Outpatients ; Personality Assessment* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Weights and Measures

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and dental caries by considering related factors in Korean children and adolescents. A total of 2,874 children, aged from 2 to 18, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013 – 2015 were included. BMI (kg/m²) was calculated, and participants were categorized into 4 groups using age and gender specific criteria. Decayed and filled teeth index were obtained. There were statistically significant differences in DMFT index between overweight group and other groups (p < 0.01). Underweight group showed the highest mean DMFT index compared to other groups. These findings suggest that children in obesity and underweight group tend to have more caries than normal group in this study.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; Dental Caries ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Thinness ; Tooth

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between parenting styles and childhood dental caries using a sample of 3 to 6 years old children in Korea.
The subjects were 158 children aged 3 to 6 years old and their parents in Korea. The parenting styles were divided into three groups (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) using a translated version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ).
Among the 353 parents/child dyads, 158 questionnaires were returned. Authoritative parenting style was the majority (95.6%), followed by authoritarian (3.8%), and permissive (0.6%). There were no statistically significant differences between dental caries and parenting styles. The mean of dft index in authoritative group was lower than others. In the authoritative domain, the higher the authoritative tendency, the lower the dft index.
Overall, authoritative parenting styles resulted in low rates of dental caries for the children. The stronger the authoritative tendency of the parents, the lower the experience of dental caries in the children. Therefore, parenting styles were likely to affect the oral health of a child, but it seemed necessary to supplement the evaluation tool to evaluate the parenting styles.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the success rates of the manual and motor-driven mini-screw insertion methods according to age, gender, length of mini-screws, and insertion sites. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 429 orthodontic mini-screw placements in 286 patients (102 in men and 327 in women) between 2005 and 2010 at private practice. Age, gender, mini-screw length, and insertion site were cross-tabulated against the insertion methods. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was performed to compare the success rates of the 2 insertion methods. RESULTS: The motor-driven method was used for 228 mini-screws and the manual method for the remaining 201 mini-screws. The success rates were similar in both men and women irrespective of the insertion method used. With respect to mini-screw length, no difference in success rates was found between motor and hand drivers for the 6-mm-long mini-screws (68.1% and 69.5% with the engine driver and hand driver, respectively). However, the 8-mm-long mini-screws exhibited significantly higher success rates (90.4%, p < 0.01) than did the 6-mm-long mini-screws when placed with the engine driver. The overall success rate was also significantly higher in the maxilla (p < 0.05) when the engine driver was used. Success rates were similar among all age groups regardless of the insertion method used. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the motor-driven insertion method can be helpful to get a higher success rate of orthodontic mini-screw placement.
Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla ; Private Practice ; Retrospective Studies

Background and Objectives: The relationship between metabolic stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease is being studied steadily. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of palmitate (PA) and minimally modified low-density lipoprotein (mmLDL) on macrophages and to identify the associated pathways. Methods: J774 macrophages were incubated with PA or mmLDL and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Secretion of inflammatory chemokines and the expression of corresponding genes were determined. The phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase was also assessed. RNA sequencing of macrophages was performed to identify the genes regulated by PA or mmLDL. Some of the genes regulated by the 2 agents were validated by knocking down the cells using small interfering RNA. Results: PA or mmLDL promoted the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in LPSstimulated macrophages, and this was accompanied by higher phosphorylation of ERK. RNA sequencing revealed dozens of genes that were regulated in this process, such as Csf3 and Edn1, which were affected by PA and mmLDL, respectively. These agents also increased Nlrp3 expression. The effect of Csf3 or Edn1 silencing on inflammation was modest, whereas toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 inhibition reduced a large proportion of macrophage activation. Conclusions We demonstrated that the proinflammatory milieu with high levels of PA or mmLDL promoted macrophage activation and the expression of associated genes such as Nlrp3, Csf3, and Edn1. Although the TLR4 pathway appeared to be most relevant, additional role of other genes in this process provided insights regarding the potential targets for intervention.

Background and Objectives: The relationship between metabolic stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease is being studied steadily. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of palmitate (PA) and minimally modified low-density lipoprotein (mmLDL) on macrophages and to identify the associated pathways. Methods: J774 macrophages were incubated with PA or mmLDL and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Secretion of inflammatory chemokines and the expression of corresponding genes were determined. The phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase was also assessed. RNA sequencing of macrophages was performed to identify the genes regulated by PA or mmLDL. Some of the genes regulated by the 2 agents were validated by knocking down the cells using small interfering RNA. Results: PA or mmLDL promoted the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in LPSstimulated macrophages, and this was accompanied by higher phosphorylation of ERK. RNA sequencing revealed dozens of genes that were regulated in this process, such as Csf3 and Edn1, which were affected by PA and mmLDL, respectively. These agents also increased Nlrp3 expression. The effect of Csf3 or Edn1 silencing on inflammation was modest, whereas toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 inhibition reduced a large proportion of macrophage activation. Conclusions We demonstrated that the proinflammatory milieu with high levels of PA or mmLDL promoted macrophage activation and the expression of associated genes such as Nlrp3, Csf3, and Edn1. Although the TLR4 pathway appeared to be most relevant, additional role of other genes in this process provided insights regarding the potential targets for intervention.

Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is an environmental and slow-growing atypical mycobacterium. Emerging evidence suggests that M. scrofulaceum infection is associated with cervical lymphadenitis in children and pulmonary or systemic infections in immunocompromised adults. However, the nature of host innate immune responses to M. scrofulaceum remains unclear. In this study, we examined the innate immune responses in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infected with different M. scrofulaceum strains including ATCC type strains and two clinically isolated strains (rough and smooth types). All three strains resulted in the production of proinflammatory cytokines in BMDMs mediated through toll-like receptor-2 and the adaptor MyD88. Activation of MAPKs (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, and p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and nuclear receptor (NF)-kappaB together with intracellular reactive oxygen species generation were required for the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in BMDMs. In addition, the rough morphotypes of M. scrofulaceum clinical strains induced higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, MAPK and NF-kappaB activation, and ROS production than other strains. When mice were infected with different M. scrofulaceum strains, those infected with the rough strain showed the greatest hepatosplenomegaly, granulomatous lesions, and immune cell infiltration in the lungs. Notably, the bacterial load was higher in mice infected with rough colonies than in mice infected with ATCC or smooth strains. Collectively, these data indicate that rough M. scrofulaceum induces higher inflammatory responses and virulence than ATCC or smooth strains.
Adult ; Animals ; Bacterial Load ; Child ; Cytokines ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Lung ; Lymphadenitis ; Macrophages* ; Mice ; Mycobacterium scrofulaceum* ; NF-kappa B ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Phosphotransferases ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Virulence