PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between acculturation, social network, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Korean-Chinese immigrants. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 147 Korean-Chinese immigrants who were residing more than 1 year in Korea. Physical and mental dimensions of HRQOL were assessed by Short Form-12 Health Survey that consisted of a physical component summary (PCS) and a mental component summary (MCS). Data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation and multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean PCS score was 41.14+/-10.72 and the mean MCS score was 49.09+/-11.31 (possible range 10-70). Depression (beta=-6.43) and Social network frequency (beta=2.44) explained 28.4% of the variance in PCS while depression (beta=-11.54) and visiting clinic/hospital (beta=-4.00) explained 34.3% of the variance in MCS. Acculturation was not significantly associated with HRQOL. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the social network frequency influences HRQOL among Korean-Chinese Immigrants. The findings suggest that social network analysis should be considered in the process of developing health intervention strategies for Korean-Chinese immigrants.
Acculturation* ; Depression ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Quality of Life*

Purpose: With an increase in the aging population, the number of patients with degenerative spinal diseases undergoing surgery has risen, as has the incidence of postoperative delirium. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors affecting postoperative delirium in older adults who had undergone spine surgery and to identify the associated biomarkers. Methods: This study is a prospective study. Data of 100 patients aged ≥ 70 years who underwent spinal surgery were analyzed. Demographic data, medical history, clinical characteristics, cognitive function, depression symptoms, functional status, frailty, and nutritional status were investigated to identify the risk factors for delirium. The Confusion Assessment Method, Delirium Rating Scale-R-98, and Nursing Delirium Scale were also used for diagnosing deliri-um. To discover the biomarkers, urine extracellular vesicles (EVs) were analyzed for tau, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1),neurofilament light, and glial fibrillary acidic protein using digital immunoassay technology. Results: Nine patients were excluded, and data obtained from the remaining 91 were analyzed. Among them, 18 (19.8%) developed delirium. Differences were observed between partici-pants with and without delirium in the contexts of a history of mental disorder and use of benzodiazepines (p = .005 and p = .026, respectively). Tau and UCH-L1—concentrations of urine EVs—were comparatively higher in participants with severe delirium than that in partici-pants without delirium (p = .002 and p = .001, respectively). Conclusion These findings can assist clinicians in accurately identifying the risk factors before surgery, classifying high-risk patients, and predicting and detecting delirium in older patients. Moreover, urine EV analysis revealed that postoperative delirium following spinal surgery is most likely associated with brain damage.

Korea has the highest suicide rate amongst the OECD countries. Yet, its research on suicidal behaviors has been primitive. While the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide has gained global attention, there has only been a few researches, which examined its applicability in Korea. In this article, we review the previous studies on suicide and examine the association between the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide and traditional Korean culture, with an emphasis on Collectivism and Confucianism. We propose that pathways to suicide might vary depending on cultural influences. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research will be discussed.
Confucianism ; Korea* ; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ; Psychological Theory* ; Suicide*

Tracheopathia osteoplastica(TO) is a rare, clinical and pathologic benign condition of unknown cause and characterized by submucosal cartilaginous or bony projections into tracheobroncheal lumen, usually not involved posterior membranous portion of tracheobroncheal tree. We report two cases of tracheopathia osteoplastica that involved trachea and both main bronchus, diagnosed by chest CT, fiberoptic bronchoscopic biopsy.
Biopsy ; Bronchi ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Trachea

OBJECTIVE: Based on the constant associations made between major depressive disorder (MDD) and alpha asymmetry, and MDD and suicide, this study aimed to examine the relationship between frontal alpha asymmetry and suicide in MDD patients. METHODS: Sixty-six MDD patients, of whom fifteen were male and fifty-one were female, were recruited. Independent groups were created based on the median score of frontal alpha asymmetry: the left dominant (LD) group and the right dominant (RD) group. The alpha band (8–12 Hz) and its sub-bands (i.e., low alpha band: 8–10 Hz; high alpha band: 10–12 Hz) were of interest. Source level alpha asymmetry was calculated as well. RESULTS: Suicidal behavior was positively correlated with the asymmetry indices of the low alpha band and the alpha band in the LD group and that of the high alpha band in the RD group. Source level analysis revealed positive correlations between suicidal behavior and the asymmetry index of the low alpha band in the LD group. CONCLUSION: Frontal alpha asymmetry, especially that of the low alpha band, might reflect the cognitive deficits associated with suicidal behaviors in MDD patients.
Cognition Disorders ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Suicide

The objective of this study was to assess dietary habits and nutrition knowledge of elementary school students who use community food-service centers according to family type. The subjects were comprised of 147 individuals in low-income households, aged from 7 to 12 years, and who consumed free meals at community welfare centers or at local children's centers in Seoul and Kyunggi-do, Korea. Dietary habits and dietary intake were obtained using 24-hr recall. Children in low-income single parent families skipped breakfast more frequently than children in low-income married parent families. No difference in nutrition intake or dietary habits was observed between children in low-income single parent families and children in low-income married parent families. More interest and financial support of the government are required to develop nutrition education and food assistance programs for children in low-income single parent families.
Aged ; Breakfast ; Child ; Family Characteristics ; Financial Support ; Food Assistance ; Food Habits ; Food Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals ; Nutritional Status ; Parents ; Single-Parent Family

Objective: Early detection and intervention of developmental disabilities (DDs) are critical to improving the long-term outcomes of afflicted children. In this study, our objective was to utilize facial landmark features from mobile application to distinguish between children with DDs and typically developing (TD) children. Methods: The present study recruited 89 children, including 33 diagnosed with DD, and 56 TD children. The aim was to examine the effectiveness of a deep learning classification model using facial video collected from children through mobile-based application. The study participants underwent comprehensive developmental assessments, which included the child completion of the Korean Psychoeducational Profile-Revised and caregiver completing the Korean versions of Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Korean version of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Social Responsiveness Scale, and Child Behavior Checklist. We extracted facial landmarks from recorded videos using mobile application and performed DDs classification using long short-term memory with stratified 5-fold cross-validation. Results: The classification model shows an average accuracy of 0.88 (range: 0.78–1.00), an average precision of 0.91 (range: 0.75–1.00), and an average F1-score of 0.80 (range: 0.60–1.00). Upon interpreting prediction results using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), we verified that the most crucial variable was the nodding head angle variable, with a median SHAP score of 2.6. All the top 10 contributing variables exhibited significant differences in distribution between children with DD and TD (p<0.05). Conclusion The results of this study provide evidence that facial landmarks, utilizing readily available mobile-based video data, can be used to detect DD at an early stage.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the current management status of patients with urological issues and to examine the level of knowledge and practice behaviors regarding urinary incontinence (UI) among Korean healthcare providers in long-term care hospitals. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design with a written questionnaire to assess knowledge and practice behaviors of 756 healthcare providers in 11 long-term care hospitals in Korean metropolitan areas. RESULTS: A total 42.6% of participants reported that more than 50% of patients had urologic issues, and that 68.1% of patients were regularly sent to urologists; no participants reported an on-site urologist in their facility. Participants identified collaboration with other hospitals and regular consultations by urologists as important factors in improving urologic care. Although the overall UI knowledge score was upper intermediate, a knowledge deficit was found for risk factors of UI. The knowledge level of physicians was significantly higher than that of other healthcare providers. Practice behaviors of nurses seemed to be better than those of other healthcare providers. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic collaboration between healthcare providers and urologic specialists, enhancing staff competence, and patient-tailored intervention should be recommended to improve quality of care for patients with urologic issues in long-term care hospitals.
Cooperative Behavior ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Health Personnel* ; Humans ; Long-Term Care* ; Mental Competency ; Professional Practice ; Referral and Consultation ; Risk Factors ; Specialization ; Urinary Incontinence*

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Korean Anxiety Screening Assessment (K-ANX) developed for screening anxiety disorders. METHODS: Data from 613 participants were analyzed. The K-ANX was evaluated for reliability using Cronbach’s alpha, item-total correlation, and test information curve, and for validity using focus group interviews, factor analysis, correlational analysis, and item characteristics based on item response theory (IRT). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the K-ANX were compared with those of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). RESULTS: The K-ANX showed excellent internal consistency (α=0.97) and item-total coefficients (0.92–0.97), and a one-factor structure was suggested. All items were highly correlated with the total scores of the BAI, GAD-7, and Penn State Worry Questionnaire. IRT analysis indicated the K-ANX was most informative as a screening tool for anxiety disorders at the range between 0.8 and 1.6 (i.e., top 21.2 to 5.5 percentiles). Higher sensitivity (0.795) and specificity (0.937) for identifying anxiety disorders were observed in the K-ANX compared to the BAI and GAD-7. CONCLUSION: The K-ANX is a reliable and valid measure to screen anxiety disorders in a Korean sample, with greater sensitivity and specificity than current measures of anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety* ; Focus Groups ; Mass Screening* ; Psychometrics ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ experience of falls, and their perception of the status quo of inpatient fall interventions. Methods: The participants were 28 ward nurses in a university hospital, Seoul, Korea. Five focus group interviews and three individual interviews were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings from this study suggest that nurses face limitations in providing conventional fall interventions due to patient disease related characteristics, situations in hospital, and medical devices used in the hospital settings. Although nurses adopted their own strategies to prevent falls effectively, they expressed the need for innovative approaches to overcome these limitations. Conclusion Systematic, technology-based approaches are needed to create a safer physical environment and to improve current nursing interventions to prevent falls.