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Background@#Recent research on occupational injuries in companies has faced difficulties in obtaining representative data, leading to studies relying on surveys or case studies. Moreover, it is difficult to find studies on how a company's industry characteristics affect occupational injuries. This study aims to address these limitations. @*Methods@#We collected 11 years of disclosure data from 1,247 listed companies in the Korean stock market and combined it with their occupational injury histories collected by the Republic of Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) to build a dataset. We attempted to analyze a linear panel model by dividing the dataset into manufacturing, construction, and other industries. @*Results@#The higher proportion of full-time employees and better job skills correlate with lower occupational injuries in other industries. The wage increase reduces occupational injuries in manufacturing and other industries, but the substitution effect produces the opposite outcome in construction. Also, foreign ownership and credit ratings increase effectively reduce occupational injuries mainly in the manufacturing industry. @*Conclusion@#Our results suggest that in explaining the relationship between corporate characteristics and occupational injuries, it is necessary to consider the nature of the industry more closely, and in particular, employment and labor policies for preventing occupational injuries need to be selectively applied according to industry. In addition, to improve the limitations and increase the usability of the research results, further detailed studies are needed in the future.
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Background@#We hypothesized that the growing demand of Korean workers for work–life balance would change the factors influencing job satisfaction. We sought to verify our hypothesis by conducting a conjoint analysis based on the Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). @*Methods@#We analyzed the raw data of the KWCS, conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute from 2006 to 2017. To complete the analysis, we counted on a conjoint model of analysis, typically used in the analysis of customer satisfaction. The dependent variable was the satisfaction of workers with their working conditions, and the independent variables were the job quality indicators identified by Eurofound. @*Results@#The factors that have the greatest impact on working conditions satisfaction are summarized as follows: “physical environment” for the first wave, “adverse social behavior” for the second wave, “occupational status” for the third and fourth waves, and “management quality” for the fifth wave. “Earnings” were not a major factor in determining employee job satisfaction, and the relative importance index is decreasing. @*Conclusion@#According to the results of the analysis of the tendencies of Korean workers, the factors that affect the satisfaction with the working conditions have changed over time. It is crucial to identify factors that affect working conditions to assure the health and productivity of workers. The results of this study demonstrate that policymakers and employers are required to attentively consider human relations and social environment at work to improve working conditions in the future.
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Objectives@#Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first line treatment for insomnia. However, many patients remain with sleep disturbances even after undergoing CBT-I, and those with short sleep durations have shown fewer gains. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is one of the third wave of behavioral therapies, and it is useful in helping patients get flexibility of mind. Therefore, we incorporated its components into CBT-I, came up with an advanced CBT-I program that involves cognitive behavior therapy based on ACT, and examined its efficacy in comparison to that of CBT-I. @*Methods@#Patients with chronic primary insomnia were recruited at the memory center of CHA University Hospital from June to August 2020. To examine the efficacy of advanced CBT-I compared to that of CBT-I, the patients (n=16) were assigned to two groups (CBT-I: n=6; advanced CBT-I: n=10). The patients in each group were treated for 4 weeks (8 sessions). The quality of sleep, severity of insomnia, sleepiness, depression, anxiety, acceptance, efforts to sleep, and dysfunctional beliefs concerning sleep were assessed with self-report questionnaires. @*Results@#The severity of insomnia, quality of sleep, depression, anxiety, acceptance, efforts to sleep, and dysfunctional beliefs concerning sleep improved after both CBT-I and advanced CBT-I treatment. @*Conclusions@#This study examined the efficacy of advanced CBT-I in improving the severity of insomnia, sleep quality, and other symptoms related to sleep. The results suggest that components of ACT were useful for insomnia.
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The therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) have been verified in many human and animal studies. Although some tissues contain MSCs, the number of cells harvested from those tissues and rate of proliferation in vitro are not enough for continuous transplantation. In order to produce and maintain stable MSCs, many attempts are made to induce differentiation from pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into MSCs. In particular, it is also known that the paracrine action of stem cell-secreted factors could promote the regeneration and differentiation of target cells in damaged tissue. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), one of the secreted factors, are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the translation of a gene. It is known that miRNAs help communication between stem cells and their surrounding niches through exosomes to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. While studies have so far been underway targeting therapeutic miRNAs of MSDs, studies on specific miRNAs secreted from MSCs are still minimal. Hence, our ultimate goal is to obtain sufficient amounts of exosomes from iPSC-MSCs and develop them into therapeutic agents, furthermore to select specific miRNAs and provide safe cell-free clinical setting as a cell-free status with purpose of delivering them to target cells. This review article focuses on stem cell therapy on MSDs, specific microRNAs regulating MSDs and updates on novel approaches.
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Background@#We hypothesized that the growing demand of Korean workers for work–life balance would change the factors influencing job satisfaction. We sought to verify our hypothesis by conducting a conjoint analysis based on the Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). @*Methods@#We analyzed the raw data of the KWCS, conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute from 2006 to 2017. To complete the analysis, we counted on a conjoint model of analysis, typically used in the analysis of customer satisfaction. The dependent variable was the satisfaction of workers with their working conditions, and the independent variables were the job quality indicators identified by Eurofound. @*Results@#The factors that have the greatest impact on working conditions satisfaction are summarized as follows: “physical environment” for the first wave, “adverse social behavior” for the second wave, “occupational status” for the third and fourth waves, and “management quality” for the fifth wave. “Earnings” were not a major factor in determining employee job satisfaction, and the relative importance index is decreasing. @*Conclusion@#According to the results of the analysis of the tendencies of Korean workers, the factors that affect the satisfaction with the working conditions have changed over time. It is crucial to identify factors that affect working conditions to assure the health and productivity of workers. The results of this study demonstrate that policymakers and employers are required to attentively consider human relations and social environment at work to improve working conditions in the future.
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Objectives@#Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first line treatment for insomnia. However, many patients remain with sleep disturbances even after undergoing CBT-I, and those with short sleep durations have shown fewer gains. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is one of the third wave of behavioral therapies, and it is useful in helping patients get flexibility of mind. Therefore, we incorporated its components into CBT-I, came up with an advanced CBT-I program that involves cognitive behavior therapy based on ACT, and examined its efficacy in comparison to that of CBT-I. @*Methods@#Patients with chronic primary insomnia were recruited at the memory center of CHA University Hospital from June to August 2020. To examine the efficacy of advanced CBT-I compared to that of CBT-I, the patients (n=16) were assigned to two groups (CBT-I: n=6; advanced CBT-I: n=10). The patients in each group were treated for 4 weeks (8 sessions). The quality of sleep, severity of insomnia, sleepiness, depression, anxiety, acceptance, efforts to sleep, and dysfunctional beliefs concerning sleep were assessed with self-report questionnaires. @*Results@#The severity of insomnia, quality of sleep, depression, anxiety, acceptance, efforts to sleep, and dysfunctional beliefs concerning sleep improved after both CBT-I and advanced CBT-I treatment. @*Conclusions@#This study examined the efficacy of advanced CBT-I in improving the severity of insomnia, sleep quality, and other symptoms related to sleep. The results suggest that components of ACT were useful for insomnia.
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The therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) have been verified in many human and animal studies. Although some tissues contain MSCs, the number of cells harvested from those tissues and rate of proliferation in vitro are not enough for continuous transplantation. In order to produce and maintain stable MSCs, many attempts are made to induce differentiation from pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into MSCs. In particular, it is also known that the paracrine action of stem cell-secreted factors could promote the regeneration and differentiation of target cells in damaged tissue. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), one of the secreted factors, are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the translation of a gene. It is known that miRNAs help communication between stem cells and their surrounding niches through exosomes to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. While studies have so far been underway targeting therapeutic miRNAs of MSDs, studies on specific miRNAs secreted from MSCs are still minimal. Hence, our ultimate goal is to obtain sufficient amounts of exosomes from iPSC-MSCs and develop them into therapeutic agents, furthermore to select specific miRNAs and provide safe cell-free clinical setting as a cell-free status with purpose of delivering them to target cells. This review article focuses on stem cell therapy on MSDs, specific microRNAs regulating MSDs and updates on novel approaches.
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Objectives@#Recent studies have reported that delayed initiation of clozapine can affect clinical response in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). This study aimed to explore the relationship between delayed initiation of clozapine and acute treatment response. @*Methods@#Sixty-five inpatients with TRS who started clozapine for the first time were included through a retrospective chart review. Acute treatment response was defined as a 30% reduction in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score or a Clinical Global Impression of Improvement score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) at 4 weeks after initiating clozapine. @*Results@#After meeting the TRS criteria, the mean delay for initiating clozapine was approximately 13.8 months. The delay was shorter in patients who showed a better response to clozapine in logistic regression analysis (p=0.037). @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that reducing the delay in initiating clozapine increases the effectiveness of clozapine in patients with TRS.
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Objectives@#：QTc prolongation due to antipsychotics is of major concern because it may lead to fatal ventricular arrhythmia such as torsade de pointes. However, few studies have been conducted on QTc prolongation due to antipsychotics, especially in South Korea. This study aimed to investigate how demographic and clinical variables affect QTc interval in patients with schizophrenia. @*Methods@#：By retrospectively reviewing medical records, we assessed QTc interval, demographic data and clinical features of 441 (175 males) patients with schizophrenia who admitted to the psychiatric ward of a general hospital. To explore the predictive factors for QTc interval, hierarchical regression analysis was performed with QTc interval as the dependent variable. @*Results@#：The mean QTc interval was 417.2±28.4 ms. In the hierarchical regression analysis, the use of shortacting antipsychotic injection was the strongest predictor of the QTc prolongation. @*Conclusions@#：This study demonstrated that the use of short-acting antipsychotic injection may affect QTc prolongation in patients with schizophrenia. This result suggests that more attention should be paid to the use of short-acting antipsychotic injection in the treatment of schizophrenia.
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Objectives@#：Delirium is a temporary brain dysfunction and systemic inflammation is important factor in its pathophysiology. Whether the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), one of the inflammatory markers, can be used as an inflammatory marker in delirium patients was investigated in comparison with C-reactive protein (CRP). @*Methods@#：We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were referred for consultation for delirium at hospital for one year. The NLR and CRP values at admission and delirium status were divided into the medical and the surgical treatment group, and the interaction between them was analyzed through repeated mea-sures ANOVA. @*Results@#：NLR was maintained without significant difference before and after delirium in the medical treat-ment group and the surgical treatment group, but CRP decreased in the medical treatment group and increased in the surgical treatment group during delirium, showing a significant interaction. @*Conclusions@#：In delirium patients, the NLR remained constant, but the CRP differed according to the treatment group and the delirium state. This suggests the possibility that NLR could be used complementary to CRP as an in-flammatory marker in delirium patients.
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Background@#Occupational accidents occur for a variety of reasons, such as unsafe behaviors of workers and insufficient safety equipment at the workplace, but there are also various economic and social factors that can impact working conditions and working environment. This study analyzed the relationship between changes in economic factors and the occurrence of occupational accidents in Korea. @*Methods@#Multilinear regression analysis was used as the analysis model. The general to specific method was also used, which consecutively removes statistically insignificant variables from a general model that includes dependent variables and lagged variables of dependent variables. @*Results@#The frequency of occupational accidents was found to have a statistically significant relationship to economic indicators. The monthly number of cases of occupational injury and disease and fatal occupational injuries were found to be closely related to manufacturing capacity utilization, differences in the production index in the services sector, and commencements of building construction. The increase in equipment investment indicators was found to reduce fatal occupational injuries. @*Conclusion@#The results of this study may be used to develop occupational accident trends or leading indicators, which in turn can be used by organizations that manage and monitor occupational accidents toward taking administrative action designed to reduce occupational accidents. The results also imply that short-term and mid- to long-term economic and social changes that can impact workers, workplaces and working conditions, and workplace organizations must be taken into account if more effective government policies are to be established and implemented toward further prevention of occupational accidents.
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Objectives@#Dehospitalization of long-term inpatients with schizophrenia can be difficult because of complex factors such as chronic symptoms and low family and social support. The aim of this study was to identify factors related to dehospitalization and readmission of long-term inpatients with schizophrenia. @*Methods@#This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of patients discharged from a psychiatric hospital in Yongin, South Korea, from February 1, 2016, to July 31, 2017. Patients who were hospitalized for over 3 months were divided into two groups: readmission (n=47) and dehospitalization (n=55). Differences in sociodemographic and clinical factors were analyzed between the two groups. @*Results@#Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, female sex, familylessness, discharge to nursing homes, and discharge after symptom improvement were more prevalent in the dehospitalization group, whereas male sex, having a sibling as next of kin, and discharge because of other problems were more prevalent in the readmission group. Among clinical characteristics, hospital stay was longer in the readmission group. @*Conclusion@#In this study, patients without a family showed a tendency to not be readmitted when they were discharged to nursing homes after symptom improvement. Expansion of social welfare support may encourage dehospitalization of long-term inpatients with schizophrenia.
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BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated risk factors for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia at the initial assessment for Alzheimer disease in large patient samples. In this study, the factors influencing Alzheimer disease were examined using the Clinical Research of Dementia of South Korea data. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted using data of 1,128 patients with Alzheimer disease. The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were examined using the Korean version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Demographic characteristics, health-related behavior, neuropsychological tests, comorbidities, blood test results, and caregiver characteristics were assessed. Median logistic regression analysis with adjustment for covariates was conducted. RESULTS: The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were negatively associated with memory (P=0.022) and frontal/executive (P < 0.001) function in the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-dementia, Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living (P < 0.001), Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination score (P=0.003), and caregiver age (P=0.005) after adjustment for confounding factors, and positively associated with the Seoul-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living score (P < 0.001), Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Box (P < 0.001), Global Deterioration Scale score (P < 0.001), abnormality of free T4 level (P < 0.001), anemia (P < 0.001), and family history of stroke (P=0.001). Patients with female caregivers exhibited more severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia than those with male caregivers. CONCLUSION: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in Alzheimer disease patients were associated with various risk factors including the inability to live independently and Alzheimer disease severity. These findings suggest that prevention and treatment strategies for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia should be comprehensive.
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Female , Humans , Male , Activities of Daily Living , Alzheimer Disease , Anemia , Behavioral Symptoms , Caregivers , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dementia , Hematologic Tests , Korea , Logistic Models , Mass Screening , Memory , Neuropsychological Tests , Risk Factors , Seoul , StrokeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Declines in naming ability and semantic memory are well-known features of early Alzheimer's disease (AD). We developed a new screening algorithm for AD using two brief language tests : the Categorical Fluency Test (CFT) and 15-item Boston Naming Test (BNT15). METHODS: We administered the CFT, BNT15, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to 150 AD patients with a Clinical Dementia Rating of 0.5 or 1 and to their age- and gender-matched cognitively normal controls. We developed a composite score for screening AD (LANGuage Composite score, LANG-C) that comprised demographic characteristics, BNT15 subindices, and CFT subindices. We compared the diagnostic accuracies of the LANG-C and MMSE using receiver operating curve analysis. RESULTS: The LANG-C was calculated using the logit of test scores weighted by their coefficients from forward stepwise logistic regression models : logit (case)=12.608−0.107×age+1.111×gender+0.089×education−0.314×HS(1st)−0.362×HS(2nd)+0.455×perseveration+1.329×HFCR(2nd)−0.489×MFCR(1st)−0.565×LFCR(3rd). The area under the curve of the LANG-C for diagnosing AD was good (0.894, 95% confidence interval=0.853–0.926 ; sensitivity=0.787, specificity=0.840), although it was smaller than that of the MMSE. CONCLUSION: The LANG-C, which is easy to automate using PC or smart devices and to deliver widely via internet, can be a good alternative for screening AD to MMSE.
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Humans , Alzheimer Disease , Dementia , Internet , Language Tests , Logistic Models , Mass Screening , Memory , SemanticsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Hemodialysis patients may have psychological distress and reduced quality of life (QoL) related to chronic physical health problems. Genetic polymorphisms associated with reduced QoL in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and variation in health-related QoL in Korean hemodialysis patients. METHODS: The 36-item Short-Form Health Survey and the Korean Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to assess health-related QoL and psychological distress, respectively. Twenty hundred and five clinically stable patients from 6 hemodialysis centers have participated with informed consents. Sociodemographic factors, clinical factors, and genotypes of serotonin 1A receptor, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, and glucocorticoid receptor were assessed. Independent t-tests, correlation analyses, multiple regression analyses were performed for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The serotonin 1A receptor CC genotype group showed significantly higher physical and mental QoL levels than those with the GG/GC genotypes. In the final linear regression analysis, serotonin 1A receptor CC genotype was significantly associated with positive physical and mental QoL levels. CONCLUSION: ConclusionaaSerotonin 1A receptor polymorphism, as well as age and depression, were significantly associated with mental and physical QoL in hemodialysis patients. Functional activity in the serotonin receptor system may have a modulating effect on health-related QoL in hemodialysis patients.
Subject(s)
Humans , Anxiety , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , Depression , Genotype , Health Surveys , Linear Models , Polymorphism, Genetic , Quality of Life , Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A , Receptors, Glucocorticoid , Renal Dialysis , SerotoninABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Based on scientific evidence, the Korean National Health Examination recommends age 40 as an appropriate time for screening. However, awareness of the health examination itself or of the appropriate age for screening has not been discussed extensively with examinees. This study aims to evaluate the perception about age at the start and end of periodic health examinations (PHE). METHODS: A self-administered survey was completed by 887 subjects who visited either the health promotion center or the outpatient clinic at a university hospital in Korea between February 15 and May 18, 2016. Participants were divided into two groups: 587 were periodic health examinees, and 300 were visitors to the family medicine clinic. Their awareness of PHE was compared using the Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Both groups had similar (P>0.05) perceptions regarding the awareness, knowledge and usefulness of the PHE. Both groups preferred to continue taking a PHE with no upper limit on the age when it could be taken. This tendency was more prominent among subjects with higher levels of education and household income. In both groups with individuals under age 50 said that the appropriate age to begin screening is 40 or younger. CONCLUSIONS: The perception regarding the ages at which to start and end the PHE was confirmed according to the subject of visit; a wider range of appropriate ages was preferred than is included in the current recommendations.
Subject(s)
Humans , Age Factors , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Education , Family Characteristics , Health Promotion , Health Services , Korea , Logistic Models , Mass Screening , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
The C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II is an unusual series of repeated residues appended to the C-terminus of the largest subunit and serves as a flexible binding scaffold for numerous nuclear factors. The binding of these factors is determined by the phosphorylation patterns on the repeats in the domain. In this study, we generated a synthetic antibody library by replacing the third heavy chain complementarity-determining region of an anti-HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) antibody (trastuzumab) with artificial sequences of 7–18 amino-acid residues. From this library, antibodies were selected that were specific to serine phosphopeptides that represent typical phosphorylation patterns on the functional unit (YSPTSPS)₂ of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD). Antibody clones pCTD-1stS2 and pCTD-2ndS2 showed specificity for peptides with phosphoserine at the second residues of the first or second heptamer repeat, respectively. Additional clones specifically reacted to peptides with phosphoserine at the fifth serine of the first repeat (pCTD-1stS5), the seventh residue of the first repeat and fifth residue of the second repeat (pCTD-S7S5) or the seventh residue of either the first or second repeat (pCTD-S7). All of these antibody clones successfully reacted to RNA polymerase II in immunoblot analysis. Interestingly, pCTD-2ndS2 precipitated predominately RNA polymerase II from the exonic regions of genes in genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analysis, which suggests that the phosphoserine at the second residue of the second repeat of the functional unit (YSPTSPS)2 is a mediator of exon definition.
Subject(s)
Antibodies , Chromatin Immunoprecipitation , Clone Cells , Complementarity Determining Regions , DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases , Exons , Peptides , Phosphopeptides , Phosphorylation , Phosphoserine , ErbB Receptors , RNA Polymerase II , RNA , Sensitivity and Specificity , SerineABSTRACT
We made a mistake in presenting author affiliations.
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We made a mistake in presenting author affiliations.
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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in infants is increasing worldwide. However, the nutrient intake status of infants with atopic dermatitis has not been studied properly. This study was conducted to compare the nutrient intake status of infants in the weaning period with atopic dermatitis by feeding type. MATERIALS/METHODS: Feeding types, nutrient intake status and growth status of 98 infants with atopic dermatitis from age 6 to 12 months were investigated. Feeding types were surveyed using questionnaires, and daily intakes were recorded by mothers using the 24-hour recall method. Growth and iron status were also measured. RESULTS: The result showed that breastfed infants consumed less energy and 13 nutrients compared to formula-fed or mixed-fed infants (p < 0.001). The breastfed group showed a significantly lower intake rate to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans than the other two groups (p < 0.001). In addition, they consumed less than 75% of the recommended intakes in all nutrients, except for protein and vitamin A, and in particular, iron intake was very low, showing just 18.7% of the recommended intake. There was no significant difference in growth by feeding type, but breastfed infants showed a significantly higher rate of iron deficiency anemia (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Continuous management programs should be prepared for breastfed infants with atopic dermatitis, who are in a period when rapid growth takes place and proper nutrient intake is essential.