Smoking in elderly Koreans: prevalence and factors associated with smoking cessation.

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of smoking and to explore the factors associated with smoking cessation. 1118 Koreans were randomly sampled from the residents aged 65 years or older living in Seongnam, Korea. Structured face-to-face interviews with neurological and physical examinations were conducted to the 714 respondents.

Availability of brain serotonin transporters (5-HTT) is associated with low positive mood in healthy elderly subjects.

Objective: We tried to find any significant correlation between serotonin transporter (5-HTT) availability and depressive symptoms in healthy elderly subjects.

Materials: 16 healthy elderly subjects (≥ 65 years) who were functioning independently in a community were randomly selected. An iodine-123-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4- iodophenyltropane) [123I]-b-CIT single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was administered and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS).

Validity of the telephone interview for cognitive status (TICS) and modified TICS (TICSm) for mild cognitive imparment (MCI) and dementia screening.

This study aimed to validate the TICS and modified TICS (TICSm) in Korean elderly population and to compare MCI and dementia screening ability between TICS and TICSm. TICS and TICSm were administered to 70 cognitively normal (CN), 75 MCI, and 85 dementia subjects, with mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and other cognitive and functional measures. TICS and TICSm scores were highly correlated with other global cognitive and functional scores.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in an elderly Korean population: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA).

The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in the upper extremities (UE), low back, and lower extremities (LE) in an elderly population, and to identify related factors. In this cross-sectional cohort study, 1118 Korean elderly subjects were randomly selected from residents aged ≥65 years living in an urban city of Korea. The study data included presence of MSK pain, educational levels, activity levels over a 24h, monthly income, body mass indices and presence of depression.

Prevalence, comorbidities and risk factors of restless legs syndrome in the Korean elderly population - results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, neuropsychiatric comorbidities, iron metabolism and potential risk factors of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the elderly Korean population. As a community-based epidemiological study, a simple random sample of 1118 was drawn from a roster of 61 730 adult individuals aged 65 years and older and 714 participated. The diagnosis of RLS was established in face-to-face interviews using the four minimal diagnostic criteria for RLS recommended by National Institute of Health.