Analysis of multidimensional factors in attempts to quit using tobacco by Korean adolescents

BACKGROUND@#This study aims to understand the extent of adolescents' attempts to quit using tobacco and the factors influencing such attempts in Korea, using a descriptive, cross-sectional design and secondary data analysis with the 2019 Youth Health Behavior Survey.@*METHODS@#The participants were 4028 adolescent tobacco users who had used tobacco for 1 day or more in the past 30 days. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS/WIN 26.0 program, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted using the complex sampling method module.@*RESULTS@#A total of 68.2% of the participants attempted to quit using tobacco. We analyzed the factors for adolescents' attempts to quit using tobacco by dividing them into psychological, physical, behavioral, and environmental dimensions. The factors influencing adolescents' attempts to quit using tobacco, identified through multivariable logistic regression analysis, are as follows: participation in sports activities (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.01-1.41), vigorous physical activity (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.06-1.46), and type of tobacco product used (OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.24-2.21) in the behavioral dimension; pictorial cigarette pack warnings (perceived smoking as unhealthy) (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.56-2.36), and the presence of secondhand smoking at home (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.38) in the environmental dimension.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Schools and public healthcare providers must consider multidimensional factors when providing support for successful tobacco cessation in adolescents and focus particularly on elements relating to physical activity and environmental factors.

Effects of Age and Gender on the Viability and Stem Cell Markers, mRNA, and Protein Expression of Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells Cultured in Growth Media

PURPOSE: Bone marrow has long been a source of primary cells. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of age and sex on the cellular viability and expression of stem cell markers of mRNA and on the protein expression of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) derived from healthy donors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stem cells were isolated from human bone marrow and plated in culture plates. The shape of the BMSCs was observed under inverted microscope. Quantitative cellular viability was evaluated using a Cell-Counting Kit-8 assay. The expression of stem cell surface markers was tested and a series of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot was performed to evaluate the expression in each group. RESULT: The shapes of the cells at 20s, 30s, and 50s were similar to each other. No significant changes in cellular viability were noted among different age groups or sex groups. The BMSCs expressed CD44, CD73, and CD90 surface markers but did not express CD14 and CD34. There were no noticeable differences in CD surface markers among the different age groups. The expressions of CD surface markers were similar between men and women. No significant differences in the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) were noted at Day 3 between different age groups. qRT-PCR regarding the expression showed differences between the age groups. However, Western blot analysis showed a decrease in expression but did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study clearly showed no significant differences in shape, cell viability, expression of stem cell surface markers, or secretion of human VEGF among different age groups. However, western blot analysis showed a tendency of age-related decrease which did not reach statistical significance. Collectively, autologous or allogeneic BMSCs should be meticulously applied to obtain optimal results regarding age and sex.

Reliability and Validity of Korean version of Diabetes Empowerment Scale Short Form / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Diabetes Empowerment Measurement Scale Short Form (DES-SF) for use with diabetic patients in Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was used with 107 participants. Bilingual nursing professionals performed translation and reverse translation. Reliability and validity such as face validity, construct validity, and concurrent validity were conducted. To assess the concurrent validity, the correlation coefficients between the Korean version of the DES-SF and a concurrent scale (Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale, DSES) were calculated. RESULTS: In the explanatory factor analysis, a uni-dimension was proposed, the one factor accounted for 49.4% of total variances. The Korean version of the DES-SF correlated with a concurrent variable such DSES for reliability of the Korean version of the DES-SF, Cronbach's α=.85. CONCLUSION: The findings show that the Korean version of the DES-SF is reliable and valid for evaluating empowerment in patients with diabetes in Korea.