Objective: The impact of the government-initiated senior employment program (GSEP) on geriatric depressive symptoms is underexplored. Unearthing this connection could facilitate the planning of future senior employment programs and geriatric depression interventions. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the possible association between geriatric depressive symptoms and GSEP in older adults. Methods: This study employed data from 9,287 participants aged 65 or older, obtained from the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey. We measured depressive symptoms using the Korean version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. The principal exposure of interest was employment status and GSEP involvement. Data analysis involved multiple linear regression. Results: Employment, independent of income level, showed association with decreased depressive symptoms compared to unemployment (p<0.001). After adjustments for confounding variables, participation in GSEP jobs showed more significant reduction in depressive symptoms than non-GSEP jobs (β=-0.968, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-1.197 to -0.739, p<0.001 for GSEP jobs, β=-0.541, 95% CI=-0.681 to -0.401, p<0.001 for non-GSEP jobs). Notably, the lower income tertile in GSEP jobs showed a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms compared to all income tertiles in non-GSEP jobs. Conclusion The lower-income GSEP group experienced lower depressive symptoms and life dissatisfaction compared to non-GSEP groups regardless of income. These findings may provide essential insights for the implementation of government policies and community-based interventions.

Objective: Contact frequency with adult children plays a critical role in late-life depression. However, evidence on possible moderators of this association remains limited. Moreover, considering alterations in contact modes after the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, there is a need to investigate this association post-pandemic to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Methods: This study included 7,573 older adults who completed the Living Profiles of the Older People Survey in Korea. Participants’ contact frequency and depressive symptoms were analyzed. Regression analysis was performed after adjusting for covariates. The moderating effects of variables were verified using a process macro. Results: Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that infrequent face-to-face (odd ratio [OR]=1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.55–2.22) and non-face-to-face contact (OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.04–1.45) in the non-cohabitating adult children group was associated with a higher risk of late-life depression compared to that in the frequent contact group. Linear regression analysis indicated consistent results for face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact (estimate=0.458, standard error [SE]=0.090, p<0.001 and estimate=0.236, SE= 0.074, p=0.001, respectively). Moderation analysis revealed that the association between late-life depression and frequency of face-toface contact was moderated by age, household income quartiles, number of chronic diseases, physical activity frequency, presence of spouse, nutritional status, and whether the effect of frequency of non-face-to-face contact on late-life depression was increased by participation in social activity, frequent physical activity, and good cognitive function (p for interaction<0.05). Conclusion Frequent contact with non-cohabitating children lowers the risk of depression later in life. Several variables were identified as significant moderators of contact frequency and depression symptoms.

Objective: We used paclitaxel and cisplatin, known to be effective in intraperitoneal chemotherapy, in a novel prototype of rotational intraperitoneal pressurized aerosol chemotherapy (RIPAC) and evaluated the pharmacokinetics, tissue concentrations, and toxicities in a pig model. Methods: We developed RIPAC, including the nozzle with the conical pendulum motion, and used 10% of intravenous doses of paclitaxel and cisplatin. We used high-performance liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry to analyze serum and tissue concentrations. We applied a non-compartment model to study pharmacokinetics to analyze the time-dependent serum concentrations measured before RIPAC to 48 hours. We evaluated the difference in tissue concentrations between twelve peritoneal regions by the modified peritoneal cancer index. For evaluating toxicities, we observed hepatic and renal function until 4 days after RIPAC. Results: Six pigs underwent RIPAC using paclitaxel (n=3) and cisplatin (n=3). The peak serum concentration (Cmax) and the area under the curve were higher for cisplatin, while the time to the peak serum concentration (Tmax) was longer for paclitaxel. Moreover, the parietal peritoneum showed higher tissue concentrations than the visceral peritoneum, and the ratio of tissue to serum concentrations using Cmax was higher for paclitaxel (172.2–6,237.9) than for cisplatin (0.1–9.3). However, there were no renal and hepatic toxicities after RIPAC with paclitaxel or cisplatin. Conclusion Delayed absorption of paclitaxel sprayed by RIPAC into the peritoneum to the bloodstream may lead to higher tissue concentrations at different regions and lower serum concentrations than cisplatin.

Kimura's disease is a rare disease of unknown etiology, commonly presenting with slow-growing head and neck subcutaneous nodules. It primarily involves the head and neck region, presenting as deep subcutaneous masses and is often accompanied by regional lymphadenopathy and salivary gland involvement. Clinically it is often confused with a parotid tumor or lymph node metastasis. It is difficult to diagnose before surgery, and fine needle aspiration cytology has only limited value. Even though this disease has not shown any malignant transformation, it is often difficult to cope with because of its high recurrence rate. Surgery, steroids, and radiotherapy have been used widely as the first-line recommendation, but none of them is standard procedure until now because of high recurrence rates. The recurrence of the disease reported up to 62%. We recently experienced a case of Kimura's disease, not accompanying peripheral eosinophilia, on the parotid gland treated by surgical resection in an 82-year-old woman with polycythemia vera. Here, we report this case with a review of the literature.

Kimura's disease is a rare disease of unknown etiology, commonly presenting with slow-growing head and neck subcutaneous nodules. It primarily involves the head and neck region, presenting as deep subcutaneous masses and is often accompanied by regional lymphadenopathy and salivary gland involvement. Clinically it is often confused with a parotid tumor or lymph node metastasis. It is difficult to diagnose before surgery, and fine needle aspiration cytology has only limited value. Even though this disease has not shown any malignant transformation, it is often difficult to cope with because of its high recurrence rate. Surgery, steroids, and radiotherapy have been used widely as the first-line recommendation, but none of them is standard procedure until now because of high recurrence rates. The recurrence of the disease reported up to 62%. We recently experienced a case of Kimura's disease, not accompanying peripheral eosinophilia, on the parotid gland treated by surgical resection in an 82-year-old woman with polycythemia vera. Here, we report this case with a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Depression is known to affect family function and communication. However, the distress experienced by those who have spouse with depression has not been properly assessed to date. This study attempted to examine the effect of depression on family function and communication as reported by the spouses of the depressed patients. METHODS: The participants of this study were 445 couples who visited 28 family doctors from April 2009 to June 2011. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES-III) was used to evaluate the family function, and the family communication scale in FACES-IV was used to evaluate communication among family members. A score of more than 21 points on the CES-D scale was used to indicate depression. The relationships between family type, family communication, and the depression of one's spouse were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression. RESULTS: The odds ratios, indicating how the family is heading towards an extreme level, were statistically significant in all male and female respondents (male: odds ratio [OR] 3.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.73-5.48; female: OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.02-4.27). On the other hand, only female respondents with depressed spouses reported their family communication not to be good (male: OR 1.65, 95% CI 0.88-3.07; female: OR 2.48, 95% CI, 1.25-4.93). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed people perceive their family function and communication not good when they have spouses with depression. There was no gender difference in the evaluation of their family function, but the perception on their family communication were different by gender.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Depression* ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Spouses

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects not only an individual's health but also their family. This study was conducted to examine effects of a spouse's AUD on family functioning and family communication. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 890 participants (445 couples) in a Korean family cohort in primary care. Participants with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in Korea scores of 8 or greater were classified into an AUD group. Family functioning was classified into three groups (balanced, midrange, and extreme) using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES)-III questionnaire, and then reclassified into two groups (appropriate and extreme groups) for binominal analyses. Family communication was classified into three groups (high, moderate, and low) using the Family Communication Scale, FACES-IV, and also reclassified into two groups (good and poor). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in adaptability and cohesion between both male and female participants with a spouse with AUD and participants with a spouse without AUD. Using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, there was no significant difference in family type and communication between the two groups in males. However, there was a significant decrease in family communication (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.29 to 3.58) in females with a spouse with AUD compared to females with a spouse without AUD, even after adjusting for the participant's own AUD. CONCLUSION: In females, family communication is significantly worse when spouses have AUD. This suggests that a husband's alcohol consumption has negative effects on his wife's family communication.
Alcohol Drinking ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Primary Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Spouses

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of hippotherapy for adult patients with brain disorders. METHOD: Eight chronic brain disorder patients (7 males, mean age 42.4+/-16.6 years) were recruited. The mean duration from injury was 7.9+/-7.7 years. The diagnoses were stroke (n=5), traumatic brain disorder (n=2), and cerebral palsy (n=1). Hippotherapy sessions were conducted twice a week for eight consecutive weeks in an indoor riding arena. Each hippotherapy session lasted 30 minutes. All participants were evaluated by the Berg balance scale, Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment, 10 Meter Walking Test, Functional Ambulatory Category, Korean Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. We performed baseline assessments twice just before starting hippotherapy. We also assessed the participants immediately after hippotherapy and at eight weeks after hippotherapy. RESULTS: All participants showed no difference in balance, gait function, and emotion between the two baseline assessments before hippotherapy. During the eight-week hippotherapy program, all participants showed neither adverse effects nor any accidents; all had good compliance. After hippotherapy, there were significant improvements in balance and gait speed in comparison with the baseline assessment (p<0.05), and these effects were sustained for two months after hippotherapy. However, there was no significant difference in emotion after hippotherapy. CONCLUSION: We could observe hippotherapy to be a safe and effective alternative therapy for adult patients with brain disorders in improving balance and gait function. Further future studies are warranted to delineate the benefits of hippotherapy on chronic stroke patients.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cerebral Palsy ; Compliance ; Depression ; Equine-Assisted Therapy ; Gait ; Humans ; Male ; Pilot Projects ; Stroke ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the etiology of non-traumatic plexopathy and clarify the clinical, electrophysiological characteristics according to its etiology. METHOD: We performed a retrospective analysis of 63 non-traumatic plexopathy patients that had been diagnosed by nerve conduction studies (NCS) and needle electromyography (EMG). Clinical, electrophysiological, imaging findings were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: We identified 36 cases with brachial plexopathy (BP) and 27 cases with lumbosacral plexopathy (LSP). The causes of plexopathy were neoplastic (36.1%), thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) (25.0%), radiation induced (16.7%), neuralgic amyotrophy (8.3%), perioperative (5.6%), unknown (8.3%) in BP, while neoplastic (59.3%), radiation induced (22.2%), neuralgic amyotrophy (7.4%), psoas muscle abscess (3.7%), and unknown (7.4%) in LSP. In neoplastic plexopathy, pain presented as the first symptom in most patients (82.8%), with the lower trunk of the brachial plexus predominantly involved. In radiation induced plexopathy (RIP), pain was a common initial symptom, but the proportion was smaller (50%), and predominant involvements of bilateral lumbosacral plexus and whole trunk of brachial or lumbosacral plexus were characteristic. Myokymic discharges were noted in 41.7% patients with RIP. Abnormal NCS finding in the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve was the most sensitive to diagnose TOS. Neuralgic amyotrophy of the brachial plexus showed upper trunk involvement in all cases. CONCLUSION: By integrating anatomic, pathophysiologic knowledge with detailed clinical assessment and the results of ancillary studies, physicians can make an accurate diagnosis and prognosis.
Abscess ; Adult ; Brachial Plexus ; Brachial Plexus Neuritis ; Brachial Plexus Neuropathies ; Electromyography ; Electrophysiology ; Humans ; Lumbosacral Plexus ; Needles ; Neural Conduction ; Prognosis ; Psoas Muscles ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

This study was conducted to elucidate the biological role of the overproduced nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-l (IL-l), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) which are known to elicit inflammation, rheumatic arthritis, fever, septic shock or other fatal reactions. I investigated whether the Scarcoma 180 cells elicit NO, IL-l and IL-6 production in vivo and in vitro by measuring the NO, IL-1 and IL-6 level in the splenocyte adherent cell (AD), non-adherent cell (NAD) and whole cell (W) exposed to sarcoma 180 cells. I also measured the NO, IL-1 and IL-6 level in the plasma and peritoneal fluid of the sarcoma 180 cell-transplanted mice after 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours and 24 hours of incubation. 1. In the splenocyte exposed to sarcoma 180 cells, the NO production of AD and NAD increased after 2, 4, and 6 hours but decreased after 24 hours of incubation. In the whole cell, the NO production was variable; it showed increased level of synthesis at 2 hours, decreased level at 4 hours, increased level again at 6 hours, and decreased level at 24 hours of incubation. In the plasma of the sarcoma 180 cell-transplanted mice, the NO synthesis significantly increased from the 6 hours of incubation. In the peritoneal fluid, the NO production significantly increased until the 4 hours of incubation then decreased gradually. However, it showed higher level of NO production compared to the control group. 2. For the splenocyte AD cell exposed to saracoma 180 cells, the IL-1 level decreased after 6 hours of incubation. For the W cells, the IL-1 level decreased at 4 hours then increased until 24 hours of incubation. The NAD cell showed increased level of IL-I production from 2 to 24 hours. All these cells showed significantly increased level of IL-1 production compared to the control. In the plasma of the sarcoma 180 cell-transplanted mice, the IL-1 production increased more than twice the level of control from the beginning. In the peritoneal fluid, no IL-1 production was detected as in the control. 3. The IL-6 synthesis of the sarcoma 180 cell-exposed splenocyte singnificantly increased compared to the control: the AD cell showed increased level of IL-6 production after 4 hours of incubation. For the NAD cell, increased level of IL-6 was detected at 2 hours after the incubation. In the plasma of the sarcoma 180 cells transplanted mice, the IL-6 level at 2 hours after incubation was 64.22+/- 5.85 pg/ml. After 4 hours of incubation, the level decreased to 43.55+/-1.56 pg/ml. At six and 24 hours after the incubation, no IL-6 was detected. In the control, IL-6 production was not detected. In the peritoneal fluid, the IL-6 production level was 712.41+/-4.27 pg/ml after 2 hours and 225.71+/-9.74 pg/ml after 4 hours of incubation, producing singnificantly higher level of IL-6 compared to the control. After 6 hours of incubation, IL-6 level was 8.27+/-0.78 pg/ml. After 24 hours of incubation, it decreased to 1.38+/-0.39 pg/ml as time proceeds. After 24 hours of incubation, the IL-6 level was the same as the control. These results suggest that the mice which were exposed to sarcoma 180 cells, nitric oxide, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 which may lead to inflammation, fever, sepsis and septic shock. This study also helps us better understanding of the role of cytokines in inflammatory reaction.
Animals ; Ascitic Fluid ; Cytokines ; Fever ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-1* ; Interleukin-6* ; Mice* ; NAD ; Nitric Oxide* ; Plasma ; Rheumatic Fever ; Sarcoma 180* ; Sarcoma* ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic