Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is now accepted as an important clinical marker of ovarian reserve and is increasingly measured as an initial evaluation at infertility clinics. The aim of this study was to establish reference values for the revised second generation (Gen II) assay using population-based data. In this population-based cohort study, AMH data from unselected infertile women aged 25–45 years from June 2013 to June 2014 (n = 15,801) were collected. The AMH values were measured using the revised Gen II assay. We established and validated 5 AMH-age regression models. Based on the optimal AMH-age model, reference values and centile charts were obtained. The quadratic model (log AMH = 0.410 × age − 0.008 × age²− 3.791) was the most appropriate for describing the age-dependent decrease in AMH measured using the revised Gen II assay. This is the largest population-based study to establish age-specific reference values of AMH using the revised Gen II assay. These reference values may provide more specific information regarding the ovarian reserve estimation of infertile women.
Biomarkers ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Ovarian Reserve ; Reference Values*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe cleaning workers' working experiences in Korea. METHODS: The data were collected in two focus-group interviews with 9 cleaning workers. The phenomenological analytic method suggested by Colaizzi was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Five theme clusters and thirteen themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme clusters, 'Dead-end choice' included Limits of elderly women workers, Financial difficulties, Lowered self-esteem. The second theme clusters, 'Facing with discriminatory working environments' included Fear and unfair working conditions. The third theme clusters, 'Potential health problems' included Physical overload, Repeated exposure to hazardous substances and Emotional labor. The fourth theme clusters, 'Excluded from protection of the law' included Gloomy reality and Sexual harassment. The fifth theme clusters, 'Desire to get out of social isolation' included Efforts to maintain the status, Desire to live confidently and Desire to change social recognition. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study provide understanding on cleaning workers' working experiences to explain by their vision and language and should ensure proper working conditions and environment to live a better life.
Aged ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Hazardous Substances ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Occupational Health Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Sexual Harassment ; Women, Working

Advancements in digital technology have led to increased usage of digital devices among teenagers. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent implementation of social distancing policies have further accelerated this change. Consequently, a new concept called the metaverse has emerged. The metaverse is a combination of a virtual reality universe that allows individuals to meet, socialize, work, play, entertain, and create. This review provides an overview of the concept and main features of the metaverse and examples of its utilization in the real world. It also explains the unique developmental characteristics of childhood and adolescence, as well as the possible negative influences of the metaverse on them, including addiction, antisocial behavior, cyberbullying, and identity confusion.This review summarizes several suggestions for future research because the metaverse is a relatively new concept.

The majority of South Korean females use sanitary pads, which contain various organic solvents which could be excreted before and during their menstruation. However, they are not provided with findings from studies about the health effects of sanitary pads. Therefore, this study aims to establish a list of potential health hazards of sanitary pads and address the need for further extensive research by pointing out the limitations of the previous literature. A systematic review was adopted to conduct quantitative and qualitative reviews based on the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses). Studies from electronic databases such as PubMed, RISS, and Google Scholar were retrieved for the final analyses. In accordance with our findings, we proposed a set of limitations of the previous studies. A systematic review revealed that there were effects of sanitary pads on vaginal or vulvar skin, endometriosis, and vaginal microflora. The review also revealed that organic solvents, which sanitary pads are composed of, bring potential harmful effects on pregnancy, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, and neurological development. Social environments such as hygiene use or puberty education also turned out to affect female health. It was inferred that a lack of non-occupational and domestic studies reflecting the distinguishing features of sanitary pads with a reliable sample size remains as an important limitation. This study suggests that organic solvents in sanitary pads may increase some health risks bringing reproductive, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurological effects. Due to a lack of studies, a more extensive study can contribute to the public health of South Korean females.
Adolescent ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Education ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Menstrual Hygiene Products ; Menstruation ; Pregnancy ; Puberty ; Public Health ; Sample Size ; Skin ; Social Environment ; Solvents

Several studies about hospital malnutrition have been reported that about more than 40% of hospitalized patients are having nutritional risk factors and hospital malnutrition presents a high prevalence. People in a more severe nutritional status ended up with a longer length of hospital stay and higher hospital cost. Nutrition screening tools identify individuals who are malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished and who may benefit from nutritional support. For the early detection and treatment of malnourished hospital patients, few valid screening instruments for Koreans exist. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a simple, reliable and valid malnutrition screening tool that could be used at hospital admission to identify adult patients at risk of malnutrition using medical electrical record data. Two hundred and one patients of the university affiliated medical center were assessed on nutritional status and classified as well nourished, moderately or severely malnourished by a Patient-Generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) being chosen as the 'gold standard' for defining malnutrition. The combination of nutrition screening questions with the highest sensitivity and specificity at prediction PG-SGA was termed the nutrition screening index (NSI). Odd ratio, and binary logistic regression were used to predict the best nutritional status predictors. Based on regression coefficient score, albumin less than 3.5 g/dl, body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 kg/m2, total lymphocyte count less than 900 and age over 65 were determined as the best set of NSI. By using best nutritional predictors receiver operating characteristic curve with the area under the curve, sensitivity and 1-specificity were analyzed to determine the best optimal cut-off point to decide normal or abnormal in nutritional status. Therefore simple and beneficial NSI was developed for identifying patients with severe malnutrition. Using NSI, nutritional information of the severe malnutrition patient should be shared with physicians and they should be cared for by clinical dietitians to improve their nutritional status.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Hospital Costs ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Lymphocyte Count ; Malnutrition ; Mass Screening* ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support ; Nutritionists ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The purpose of this study was to analyze the nutritional status of Chinese female college students in Korea, and to investigate changes in their dietary behavior after residing in Korea. The subjects included 114 Chinese female college students currently studying in Korea. General characteristics and dietary behaviors before and after residing in Korea were investigated. Daily nutrients and food intake were assessed using a one-day 24-hour recall. Consumption of most nutrients, namely calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and folate was estimated to fall below the EAR for the Korean population. The proportions of subjects whose intake were estimated below the EAR for folate, calcium, vitamin B2, iron, zinc, and vitamin C were 93.0%, 71.9%, 66.7%, 65.8%, 65.8%, and 63.2%, respectively. In the current study, the dietary behavior scores fell significantly after Chinese students immigrated to Korea (p < 0.001); increased frequency of meal skipping, less consumption of fruits and vegetables, irregular meal pattern, and imbalanced diet were some of the significant changes among Chinese students before and after residing in Korea. In addition, consumption of most nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B group, vitamin C, and folate in the Worsened Group was significantly lower, compared with the No Change Group (p < 0.05). According to the changes in dietary behaviors, consumption of most nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B group, vitamin C, and folate in the Worsened Group was significantly lower than in the No Change Group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that Chinese students practiced more unhealthy dietary behaviors after residing in Korea and Chinese students residing in Korea showed poor nutrient-based diet quality. Conduct of a follow-up study using blood profile tests is needed in order to assess the nutritional status of Chinese students. These results would be used in planning of a nutritional surveillance program for Chinese students.
Ascorbic Acid ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Calcium ; Diet ; Dietary Fiber ; Ear ; Eating ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Fruit ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Meals ; Nutritional Status ; Riboflavin ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins ; Zinc

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiology of sepsis in Korea and identify risk factors for death in sepsis.METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, population-based epidemiological study of sepsis in Korea from 2005 to 2012 using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, a population-based cohort representing 2.2% of the Korean population. The primary objective was to assess the incidence, mortality and cost of sepsis. The secondary objective was to identify the risk factors for death in sepsis. Claim records of admitted adult patients (aged ≥15 years) were analyzed. Sepsis was defined as 1) bacterial or fungal infection or the conditions they often complicate, 2) prescription of intravenous antibiotics, and 3) presence of any organ dysfunction. Comorbidities were defined using the Charlson/Deyo method. Risk factors for 6-month mortality were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS: A total of 22,882 cases were identified. Both incidence and 6-month mortality increased from 265.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 254.7 to 277.1) to 453.1 (95% CI, 439.0 to 467.5) per 100,000 person-years (P-trend <0.001) and from 26.5% (95% CI, 24.4% to 28.8%) to 30.1% (95% CI, 28.4% to 31.9%), respectively. After standardization, the increasing trend of incidence was slower but still significant (P-trend <0.001), while that for mortality was not (P-trend 0.883). The average cost increased by 75.5% (P-trend <0.001). Multivariable logistic regression identified various risk factors for mortality.CONCLUSION: The burden of sepsis in Korea was high and is expected to increase considering the aging population. Proactive measures to curtail this increase should be sought and implemented.
Adult ; Aging ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Mortality ; National Health Programs ; Prescriptions ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to validate and verify the Korean version of the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury (ISAS) to better understand the psychopathological characteristics of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among young adults. METHODS: A total of 539 Korean adults (age: 19 to 30 years; 343 participants with a history of NSSI) completed a self-report online survey regarding NSSI validation research. The test-retest reliability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and factor analysis of the ISAS behavioral scales and the ISAS functional scales were examined. The factor structure and construct validity were evaluated by performing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). RESULTS: The results demonstrated the good internal consistency and temporal stability of the Korean version of the ISAS. The EFA revealed that the NSSI functions exhibited a two-factor structure: intrapersonal functions and interpersonal functions. The CFA also confirmed that the model fitness indicators of the 2-factor structure were appropriate. In addition, the ISAS functional scales were related to increased suicidal ideations and decreased resilience in participants with a history of NSSI. CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that the Korean version of the ISAS is a robust measure of NSSI behaviors. Further research is needed to investigate the causal relationship between clinical symptoms, given the significant correlation between self-reported NSSI and suicidal ideation and decreased resilience.
Adult ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Self-Injurious Behavior ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide ; Weights and Measures ; Young Adult