Ionically cross-linkable hyaluronate-based hydrogels for injectable cell delivery.

Although hyaluronate is an attractive biomaterial for many biomedical applications, hyaluronate hydrogels are generally formed using chemical cross-linking reagents that may cause unwanted side effects, including toxicity. We thus propose to design and prepare ionically cross-linkable hyaluronate compounds that can form gels in the presence of counter-ions. This study is based on the hypothesis that introduction of alginate to hyaluronate backbones (hyaluronate-g-alginate) could allow for gel formation in the presence of calcium ions.

Proposed treatment protocol for frostbite: a retrospective analysis of 17 cases based on a 3-year single-institution experience.

Background: This paper discusses the treatment protocol for patients with frostbite.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a series of 17 patients with second- and higher-degree frostbite who had been treated at our medical institution between 2010 and 2012.

Results: Our clinical series of patients (n=17) included 13 men and four women, whose mean age was 42.

Awareness of putative risk factors for Alzheimer's disease among elderly Koreans.

Objective: Although there are rapidly growing concerns about the high rates of cognitive dysfunction in Korea, the knowledge of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) among the general public in Korea remains to be elucidated.

Methods: A total of 2767 randomly selected subjects from the Ansan Geriatric Study were questioned on their knowledge of putative risk factors for AD. Their answers were compared with their sociodemographic data and other variables.

Morbidity and related factors among elderly people in South Korea: results from the Ansan Geriatric (AGE) cohort study.

Background: A thorough examination of the morbidity and comorbidity profiles among the elderly and an evaluation of the related factors are required to improve the delivery of health care to the elderly and to estimate the cost of that care. In South Korea where the aged population is rapidly increasing, however, to date only one study using a limited sample (84 subjects) has provided information on morbidity and related factors among the elderly. Using a large, stratified, random sample (2,767 subjects) from the population-based Ansan Geriatric study, the present study sought to assess the morbidity and comorbidity, and to determine the relationships of these variables with sociodemographic and health characteristics in elderly people in South Korea.

Body mass index cutoffs for underweight, overweight, and obesity in South Korean schoolgirls.

Objectives: To establish BMI percentiles and cutoffs for underweight, overweight, and obesity in South Korean schoolgirls.

Research Methods And Procedures: A total of 1229 South Korean schoolgirls aged 8 to 18 years were randomly selected to complete a self-administered questionnaire. BMI charts and cutoffs were constructed after analyzing data from 1107 subjects.

A survey of depressive symptoms among South Korean adults after the Korean financial crisis of late 1997: prevalence and correlates.

Purpose: We examined the prevalence of high levels of depressive symptoms and their association with sociodemographic and health characteristics in an urban Korean population following the financial crisis in late 1997.

Methods: Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Ansan-city, Korea, from June 1999 to June 2000, we examined the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in a randomly selected sample of 4897 (2531 male and 2366 female) subjects aged 18 to 92 years. The prevalence and odds ratios of "probable" and "definite" depressive symptoms, defined as a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score of > or = 16 and > or = 24, respectively, were calculated.