Awareness, Intention to Use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and Factors Associated with Awareness among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Republic of Korea.

This study assessed pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness, knowledge, and attitudes in a sample of 1389 men who have sex with men (MSM). Using a self-report survey, we measured PrEP knowledge mean scores, attitudes toward PrEP, and awareness rates to identify the key influences on PrEP uptake. PrEP awareness among participants was 66.

Assessing Maternal Satisfaction: Patient-Centered Care, Hospital Environment, and Information-Seeking in Chanika Hospital in Tanzania.

This study examined the impact of patient-centered care, satisfaction with the hospital environment, and maternal information-seeking on maternal healthcare satisfaction in Tanzania. A total of 707 mothers who delivered at Chanika Hospital in Tanzania were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify factors related to maternal satisfaction.

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire for Assessing Drug Use Motives in the General Population in South Korea.

Drug use is increasing in South Korea, necessitating evidence-based policy interventions. However, there is a dearth of reliable tools for identifying the personal and psychological factors that drive drug use among Korean adults. In this study, we developed and validated an instrument based on a motivational model to measure drug use motivation in the Korean context.

Trends in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Related Knowledge and Stigma among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Republic of Korea from 2012 to 2022.

To evaluate the trends in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related knowledge and stigma among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Republic of Korea between 2012 and 2022, five cross-sectional surveys were conducted. Though general knowledge of HIV infections is high, some misconceptions persist. The initial set of five questions in the survey maintained consistent levels of understanding throughout the five recurring surveys.

Living arrangements and metabolic syndrome: a national cross-sectional study in the Republic of Korea.

Background: This study investigated the relationship between living arrangements and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in the adult population in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: The samples were derived from the data collected during the second year of the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study targeted a total of 6,265 adults who were aged 20 years and above, and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted.

The Association of Gender Role Attitudes and Risky Drinking: Changes in the Relationship between Masculinity and Drinking in Korean Young Men.

Recently, younger men in Korean society tend not to view drinking as a proud feature of men who work. The relationship between gender role attitudes and high-risk drinking is expected to change accordingly. An online survey was conducted in January-February 2022, and the frequency of drinking, the amount of drinking, and traditional gender role attitudes, such as "men should be independent and women should take care of the children", were measured.

Do Drinking Norms, Motives, and Drinking Behaviors Differ by Age Group among Korean Women?

Background: Drinking norms and motives accumulate with drinking experience; thus, it is likely that related drinking behaviors will differ with age. This study aimed to predict drinking behaviors by age based on drinking norms and motives in a sample of Korean women. Methods: This exploratory study used a nationwide demographically stratified sample including 1057 women aged 19−59 years.

Solitary and Social Drinking in South Korea: An Exploratory Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify differences in drinking norms, heavy drinking, and motives between types of drinkers (abstainers, solitary, and social drinkers) in a representative sample of Korean adults.

Methods: An online survey of people registered on the electoral roll were randomly invited to be part of the "National Korean Drinking Culture Study" conducted in 2018 ( = 3,015). Participants included 1,532 men and 1,469 women aged 19-60 years.

Predictors Affecting the Elderly's Use of Emergency Medical Services.

Objectives: Elderly adults are the demographic most likely to utilize emergency medical services (EMS). This study aimed to examine the difference in EMS utilization in subgroups of the elderly population by assessing the predictors for using EMS.

Methods: Using both descriptive and logistic regression analyses, this study analyses data from the 2014 Korean Health Panel Survey ( = 3,175).

The Role of Social Media Content on Solitary Drinking Among Korean Adults.

This study aims to provide explanations for how exposure to social media content on solitary drinking influences the frequency and quantity of solitary drinking, and posting about solitary drinking on social networking sites (SNS). An online survey was conducted with 506 Korean adults who had consumed alcohol at least once while alone in the previous year. The study showed the following results: First, exposure to social media content related to solitary drinking was positively associated with both descriptive norms and negative alcohol expectancies, both of which increased solitary drinking and posting on SNS.

Behaviors and Culture of Drinking among Korean People.

Background: The objective of this study was to identify behaviors and culture of drinking alcohol in Korean people.

Methods: Among a panel of subjected enrolled in existing domestic survey companies, adults aged 19 to 59 yr old who replied that their drinking frequency was more than once a month for the past one year were selected in 2017. Sample size and methods used for analysis were determined by considering demographically proportioned stratified sampling and monthly alcohol drinking rate.

Activation of the dopamine D receptor can extend long-term spatial memory persistence via PKA signaling in mice.

Many works have been performed to understand the mechanisms of the formation and persistence of memory. However, it is not fully understood whether the decay of long-term memory can be modulated by the activation of dopamine D receptor. A Barnes maze task was employed to measure long-term spatial memory.

Knowledge and Practice on Malaria among Korean Soldiers in Nearby Demilitarized Zone in South Korea.

Background: The aim of this study was to provide evidence for developing intervention and effective management for the prevention of malaria based on epidemiological analysis and assessment of Korean soldiers' knowledge on malaria and malaria preventive behavior.

Methods: The data were collected from 294 Korean soldiers nearby the demilitarized zone in Gyeonggi Province in 2016. Multiple regression analyses were applied for statistical analysis.

Identifying Barriers to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing for Men Who Have Sex with Men in South Korea.

Objectives: The principal objective of this study was to identify the barriers to testing for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Korea, something that might prove useful in future studies of this nature.

Methods: This study was conducted at gay bars nationwide in Korea. After considering several offline locations (gay bars) where MSM candidates are commonly located, random recruitment was performed using time-location sampling.

Cigarette smoke exposure during adolescence enhances sensitivity to the rewarding effects of nicotine in adulthood, even after a long period of abstinence.

Adolescence is a period of enhanced vulnerability to the motivational properties of tobacco/cigarette smoking. Several studies have suggested that smoking initiation during this period will more likely lead to long-lasting cigarette or nicotine addiction. In the present study, we investigated the influences of adolescent cigarette smoke or nicotine exposure on the rewarding effects of nicotine, particularly whether these influences persist even after a long period of abstinence.

Epidemiological features and clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in Korea during the period 2005-2012.

Lyme borreliosis is one of the most common tick-borne infections in the northern hemisphere. However, the epidemiological features and clinical manifestations of this disease in Korea are unknown. The present study is the first to investigate the characteristics of Lyme borreliosis in Korea.

Smoking and Alcohol Drinking Related to Experience of Harmful Shops among Korean Adolescents.

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to determine any correlation between experience of harmful shops and adolescent smoking and alcohol drinking in middle and high school students.

Methods: The survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire online via the homepage of the Ministry of Education student Health Information Center; 1888 and 1563 questionnaires were used for middle and high school students, respectively, for a total of 3451 questionnaires in the final analysis. The collected data were processed using SPSS version 21.

Adolescent nicotine or cigarette smoke exposure changes subsequent response to nicotine conditioned place preference and self-administration.

Nicotine/cigarette addiction starts young. Indeed, most smokers started when they were adolescents. Adolescence has been implicated to be a critical period for nicotine/cigarette addiction, thus it is important to understand the consequences of such early exposure.

Propofol pretreatment induced place preference and self-administration of the tiletamine-zolazepam combination: implication on drug of abuse substitution.

Background: Propofol and the tiletamine-zolazepam combination are anesthetics with both sedative-hypnotic and hallucinogenic effects. In South Korea, propofol is controlled while the tiletamine-zolazepam combination is not. Thus, there is a possibility that this drug combination might be used as a substitute drug by propofol-abusers.

Prefrontal cortical and striatal transcriptional responses to the reinforcing effect of repeated methylphenidate treatment in the spontaneously hypertensive rat, animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Background: Methylphenidate is the most commonly used stimulant drug for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research has found that methylphenidate is a "reinforcer" and that individuals with ADHD also abuse this medication. Nevertheless, the molecular consequences of long-term recreational methylphenidate use or abuse in individuals with ADHD are not yet fully known.

The influence of media communication on risk perception and behavior related to mad cow disease in South Korea.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the influence of media communication on risk behavior related to mad cow disease (MCD).

Methods: Mothers of elementary school students in Seoul were recruited as the survey participants of this study.

Results: Media reports affected risk behavior related to MCD.

Trends in the incidence of scrub typhus: the fastest growing vector-borne disease in Korea.

Scrub typhus, also called tsutsugamushi disease, is classified as a Group 3 disease in Korea according to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance Systems. It is an infectious disease transmitted to humans through the bite of mites that are infected with an intracellular parasite called Orientia tsutsugamushi (Family: Rickettsiaceae). This study aims to identify the demographic characteristics of the infected cases according to profession, region, gender, and onset period and provide a basic data for prevention and control of the disease in the infected patients.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sexual Behaviors in HIV/AIDS and Predictors Affecting Condom Use among Men Who Have Sex with Men in South Korea.

Objectives: In South Korea, men who have sex with men (MSM) are rather understudied, but are known to be at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This study was to access HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors, and to identify the factors of condom use in HIV prevention.

Methods: We recruited 1070 MSM in Korea, using the Internet to maximize the confidentiality of the MSM.

Economic burden of acute coronary syndrome in South Korea: a national survey.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is highly prevalent in Korea and is the third-leading cause of death in Korea; however, the economic cost of ACS on Korean society has not been investigated. This study examined the economic effect of ACS on the Korean population during the period 2004 to 2009.

Methods: The analysis used the cost of illness (COI) framework.