Myoung-Hee Kim

Bio: Myoung-Hee Kim is an academic researcher from Eulji University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Cohort study. The author has an hindex of 23, co-authored 76 publications receiving 1972 citations. Previous affiliations of Myoung-Hee Kim include Seoul National University.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Korean version of the EQ-5D in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to determine the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Korean version of the EQ-5D in rheumatic conditions. Methods: Translation, back-translation and cognitive debriefing were performed according to the EuroQol group’s guidelines. For validity, 508 patients were recruited and administered the EQ-5D, Short-Form 36 and condition-specific measures. Construct validity and sensitivity were evaluated by testing a-priori hypotheses. For reliability, another 57 patients repeated the EQ-5D at 1-week interval, and intra-class correlations (ICC) and kappa statistics were estimated. For responsiveness, another 60 patients repeated it at 12-week interval within the context of clinical trial, and standardized response mean(SRM) were calculated. Results: The cross-cultural adaptation produced no major modifications in the scale. The associations of the EQ-5D with the generic- and condition-specific measures were observed as expected in hypotheses the higher: EQ-5Dindex and EQ-5DVAS scores, the better health status by generic- or condition-specific measures, and the better functional class. The ICCs were 0.751 and 0.767, respectively, and kappa ranged from 0.455 to 0.772. The SRM were 0.649 and 0.410, respectively. Conclusion: The Korean EQ-5D exhibits good validity and sensitivity in various rheumatic conditions. Although its reliability and responsiveness were not excellent, it seems acceptable if condition-specific measures are applied together.

A nationwide survey on the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in South Korea.

Abstract: We investigated the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the factors associate with risk of dementia from a representative nationwide sample of Korean elders. 8,199 randomly-sampled Koreans aged 65 years or older were invited to participate in the Phase I screening assessment using Mini-Mental State Examination by door-to-door home visit, and 6,141 subjects (response rate = 74.9%) responded. Among them, 2,336 subjects were invited to participate in the Phase II diagnostic assessment for dementia and MCI, and 1,673 subjects responded (response rate = 71.6%). Diagnostic assessments were administered using the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (CERAD-K) Clinical Assessment Battery. The CERAD-K Neuropsychological Assessment Battery was used for diagnosing MCI. Age-, gender-, education-, and urbanicity-standardized prevalence of dementia was estimated to be 8.1% (95% CI = 6.9-9.2) for overall dementia and 24.1% (95% CI = 21.0-27.2) for MCI. Alzheimer's disease (AD) was the most prevalent type (5.7%) followed by vascular dementia (2.0%). Amnestic subtype (20.1%) was much more prevalent than nonamnestic subtype in MCI (4.0%). Older age, being male, lower education level, illiteracy, smoking, and histories of head trauma or depression were associated with increased dementia risk, and alcohol use and moderately intense exercise were associated with decreased dementia risk. We expect numbers of dementia patients to double every 20 years until 2050 in Korea and expect AD to account for progressively more dementia cases in the future.

Long-Term Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Major Depressive Disorder in a Community-Based Urban Cohort.

Abstract: Background:Previous studies have associated short-term air pollution exposure with depression. Although an animal study showed an association between long-term exposure to particulate matter ≤ 2.5 ...

Vitamin D deficiency.

Abstract: admission. This proportion could already be greater in some parts of the country and may increase if referrals of cases of self-poisoning increase faster than the facilities for their assessment and management. The provision of social work and psychiatric expertise in casualty departments may be one means of preventing unnecessary medical admissions without risk to the patients. Dr Blake's and Dr Bramble's figures do not demonstrate, however, that any advantage would attach to medical teams taking over assessment from psychiatrists except that, by implication, assessments would be completed sooner by staff working on the ward full time. What the figures actually suggest is that if assessment of overdoses were left to house doctors there would be an increase in admissions to psychiatric units (by 19°U), outpatients (by 5O°'), and referrals to social services (by 140o). So for house doctors to assess overdoses would provide no economy for the psychiatric or social services. The study does not tell us what the consequences would have been for the six patients who the psychiatrists would have admitted but to whom the house doctors would have offered outpatient appointments. E J SALTER

Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.

Abstract: In 2 meta-analyses on gender differences in depression in nationally representative samples, we advance previous work by including studies of depression diagnoses and symptoms to (a) estimate the magnitude of the gender difference in depression across a wide array of nations and ages; (b) use a developmental perspective to elucidate patterns of gender differences across the life span; and (c) incorporate additional theory-driven moderators (e.g., gender equity). For major depression diagnoses and depression symptoms, respectively, we meta-analyzed data from 65 and 95 articles and their corresponding national data sets, representing data from 1,716,195 and 1,922,064 people in over 90 different nations. Overall, odds ratio (OR) = 1.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.88, 2.03], and d = 0.27 [0.26, 0.29]. Age was the strongest predictor of effect size. The gender difference for diagnoses emerged earlier than previously thought, with OR = 2.37 at age 12. For both meta-analyses, the gender difference peaked in adolescence (OR = 3.02 for ages 13-15, and d = 0.47 for age 16) but then declined and remained stable in adulthood. Cross-national analyses indicated that larger gender differences were found in nations with greater gender equity, for major depression, but not depression symptoms. The gender difference in depression represents a health disparity, especially in adolescence, yet the magnitude of the difference indicates that depression in men should not be overlooked. (PsycINFO Database Record

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome defined by the International Diabetes Federation among adults in the U.S.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has proposed a new definition of the metabolic syndrome that emphasizes central adiposity as determined by ethnic group–specific thresholds of waist circumference. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of this syndrome using the IDF definition among U.S. adults and to compare it with the prevalence estimated using the definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A total of 3,601 men and women aged ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002 were included in the analyses. RESULTS —Based on the NCEP definition, the unadjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 34.5 ± 0.9% (percent ± SE) among all participants, 33.7 ± 1.6% among men, and 35.4 ± 1.2% among women. Based on the IDF definition, the unadjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 39.0 ± 1.1% among all participants, 39.9 ± 1.7% among men, and 38.1 ± 1.2% among women. The IDF definition led to higher estimates of prevalence in all of the demographic groups, especially among Mexican-American men. The two definitions similarly classified ∼93% of the participants as having or not having the metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS —In the U.S., the use of the IDF definition of the metabolic syndrome leads to a higher prevalence estimate of the metabolic syndrome than the estimate based on the NCEP definition.

Mild cognitive impairment: A concept in evolution

Abstract: The construct of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has evolved over the past 10 years since the publication of the new MCI definition at the Key Symposium in 2003, but the core criteria have remained unchanged. The construct has been extensively used worldwide, both in clinical and in research settings, to define the grey area between intact cognitive functioning and clinical dementia. A rich set of data regarding occurrence, risk factors and progression of MCI has been generated. Discrepancies between studies can be mostly explained by differences in the operationalization of the criteria, differences in the setting where the criteria have been applied, selection of subjects and length of follow-up in longitudinal studies. Major controversial issues that remain to be further explored are algorithmic versus clinical classification, reliability of clinical judgment, temporal changes in cognitive performances and predictivity of putative biomarkers. Some suggestions to further develop the MCI construct include the tailoring of the clinical criteria to specific populations and to specific contexts. The addition of biomarkers to the clinical phenotypes is promising but requires deeper investigation. Translation of findings from the specialty clinic to the population setting, although challenging, will enhance uniformity of outcomes. More longitudinal population-based studies on cognitive ageing and MCI need to be performed to clarify all these issues.