Belong Cho

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationships between two tests of stepping ability (the maximal step length (MSL) and rapid step test (RST)) and standard tests of standing balance, gait, mobility, and functional impairment in a group of at-risk older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University-based laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty-seven mildly balance-impaired older adults recruited for a balance-training and fall-reduction program (mean age 78, range 65-90). MEASUREMENT

Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17 is a probiotic strain isolated from human breast milk. Animal studies reported that BNR17 inhibited increases in body weight and adipose tissue weights. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiobesity effects of BNR17 in humans. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 90 volunteers aged 20-75 years with body mass index (BMI) from 25 to 35 kg/m² were randomized to receive a placebo, low-dose BNR (BNR-L, 10⁹ CFU/day), or

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether and how perceived social support is associated with depression and quality of life among patients with various cancer diagnoses. METHODS: Data were collected from 1930 cancer patients treated at the National Cancer Center and nine regional cancer centers across Korea. The Duke-UNC functional social support scale was used to measure the perceived social support, and the PHQ-9 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 were used to measure the cancer patients' depression levels and q

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the association between being underweight and having cardiovascular disease in the general population. We investigated the incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and all-cause mortality according to detailed underweight categories in a large population cohort. METHODS: We included 4 164 364 individuals who underwent a health examination that was conducted as part of the Korean National Health Insurance Service between January 2009 and December 201

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01344811; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01344811 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6alT2MmIB).

OBJECTIVE: A pilot randomized trial assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention combining Smartcare (activity tracker with a smartphone application) and financial incentives. METHODS: A three-arm, open-label randomized controlled trial design involving traditional education, Smartcare, and Smartcare with financial incentives was involved in this study. The latter group received financial incentives depending on the achievement of daily physical activity goals (process incentive

The stronger association between metabolic syndrome and histologic positivity than serological positivity suggests that the effects of HP infection on the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic outcomes may be reversible. Further prospective studies are needed.

Abstract In studies evaluating the association between body mass index (BMI) and risk of tuberculosis (TB), the data for the underweight population has been limited and results were conflicting. Our study aimed to evaluate whether being underweight increases the risk of TB using a nationwide representative sample from the Republic of Korea. A large population-based cohort study of over ten million subjects who participated in the health screening in 2010 was performed using the Korean National H

The Korean healthcare system is faced with a crisis caused by rapidly changing social values tending toward westernization, increasing insurance benefit requests for elder health care, financial instability of the National Health Insurance (NHI) program, and a lack of social infrastructure for the elderly. The demand for health care for the elderly has increased markedly, because of a rapidly aging population, growing female participation in the labor market, elevated expectations for health car

The national health screening program of Korea was launched in 1980. The nationwide screening program changed its target diseases to chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in 1988, and the national cancer screening program was expanded to cover a larger target population in 2004. In 2007, the national health screening program launched new programs that target those at transitional ages (40- and 66-year-olds), infants, and children. These developments have been intended to promote the

Objective To examine the associations between the allergic triad (asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis) and risk of dementia. Methods Participants comprised 6,785,948 adults aged ≥40 years who participated in a national health examination in 2009 without any history of dementia before baseline. From 2009 to 2017, we prospectively investigated the associations between physician‐diagnosed allergic diseases and risk of incident dementia (all‐cause, Alzheimer's disease [AD], vascular dementi

AIM: The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is also increasing. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the effect of T2DM on thyroid cancer. METHODS: A case-control study was performed. A total of 415 healthy controls with thyroid ultrasound screening and physician consultation were selected from the Thyroid Cancer Longitudinal Study (T-CALOS). Among patients with thyroid cancer who were enrolled in T-CALOS, 415 patients were matched to