Normative Study of the Block Design Test for Adults Aged 55 Years and Older in Korean Aging Population

Objective@#The Block Design Test (BDT) is known to be an effective measure in diagnosing age-related cognitive decline of visuospatial function. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of age, education years, and gender on the performance of the BDT and to provide normative data in Korean community-dwelling participants who are 55 to 90 years old. @*Methods@#The participants were 432 non-demented adults aging from 55 to 90 years old. The BDT was administered to participants according to its manual. Multiple linear regressions and analyses of variance were conducted, including age, gender, and educations were used as covariates. @*Results@#Age, educational years, and gender were found to be significantly associated with performance on the BDT. As age increased, BDT performance decreased. Educational years were associated with BDT performance. Men showed higher performance (29.9±10.3) compare to women (26.1±8.7). The BDT is influenced by age, educational years, and gender. @*Conclusion@#Unlike the previous study, the current study shows that gender has a significant influence in visuospatial ability in the old population. Present normative data will be useful for clinicians in evaluating aging participants with cognitive impairment.

Effectiveness of nutrition education intervention focusing on fruits and vegetables in children aged six years and under: a systematic review and meta-analysis / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#A systematic review and meta-analysis of nutrition educational intervention studies was performed to assess the association between nutrition education intervention and fruit & vegetable (F&V) preferences and nutrition knowledge in preschool children. @*Methods@#The relevant studies of nutrition education intervention and F&V preferences and nutrition knowledge published from January 2000 to June 2020 were located using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Research Information Sharing Service, Korean Studies Information Service System databases, and lists of references. A random-effects metaanalysis was conducted to estimate the standardized mean difference with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analyses were performed to identify the association between nutrition education and F&V preferences and nutrition knowledge. @*Results@#The results show that the effect sizes (ES) of F&V preferences and nutrition knowledge of preschool children were 0.31(95% CI, 0.23, 0.39), and 1.69(95% CI, 1.27, 2.12), respectively. The result of subgroup analysis, nutrition education focused on F&V (F&V preferences, ES: 0.32; nutrition knowledge, ES: 2.09) presented a slightly larger effect than general nutrition education (F&V preferences, ES: 0.26; nutrition knowledge, ES: 1.62). As for the type of exposure to F&V, direct exposure education (F&V preferences, ES: 0.40) had a greater effect than indirect exposure (F&V preferences, ES: 0.26). This meta-analysis showed that nutrition education intervention had positive effects on the F&V preferences and nutrition knowledge in preschool children. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, from the meta-analysis and subsequent subgroup analysis, we found that varied types of nutrition education intervention had varying effects on F&V preferences and nutrition knowledge in preschool children.

Normative Study of the Block Design Test for Adults Aged 55 Years and Older in Korean Aging Population

Objective@#The Block Design Test (BDT) is known to be an effective measure in diagnosing age-related cognitive decline of visuospatial function. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of age, education years, and gender on the performance of the BDT and to provide normative data in Korean community-dwelling participants who are 55 to 90 years old. @*Methods@#The participants were 432 non-demented adults aging from 55 to 90 years old. The BDT was administered to participants according to its manual. Multiple linear regressions and analyses of variance were conducted, including age, gender, and educations were used as covariates. @*Results@#Age, educational years, and gender were found to be significantly associated with performance on the BDT. As age increased, BDT performance decreased. Educational years were associated with BDT performance. Men showed higher performance (29.9±10.3) compare to women (26.1±8.7). The BDT is influenced by age, educational years, and gender. @*Conclusion@#Unlike the previous study, the current study shows that gender has a significant influence in visuospatial ability in the old population. Present normative data will be useful for clinicians in evaluating aging participants with cognitive impairment.

Normative Data of the Phonemic Fluency Test in Korean Middle-Aged and Elderly Population

Objective@#：The available normative data for the phonemic fluency test in Korean older adults have concerns for its utility. The aim of the currently study is to provide the normative data that overcome the issues of the previous norms. @*Methods@#：Total of 443 middle- and old-aged non-demented adults participated in this study. All participants underwent comprehensive assessments conducted by trained psychiatrists and psychologists. Diagnosis was made based on formal guidelines prior to administering the phonemic fluency test. @*Results@#：The norms on two age groups (50-59 and 60-90 years) with different strata of the education levels for the age groups are provided. @*Conclusion@#：The goal of the current study, which was to overcome the shortcomings of the previously published normative data and establish an updated reference for the Korean version of the phonemic fluency test, is achieved.

High fructose and high fat diet increased bone volume of trabecular and cortical bone in growing female rats / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a high fructose and fat diet on bone growth and maturation in growing female rats. METHODS: Three-week-old female SD rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups; the control group (CON: fed control diet based on AIN-93G, n = 8); the high-fructose diet group (HFrc: fed control diet with 30% fructose, n = 8); the high-fat diet group (Hfat: fed control diet with 45 kcal% fat, n = 8); and the high-fat diet plus high fructose group (HFrc + HFat: fed diets 45 kcal% fat with 30% fructose, n = 8). Each group was assigned their respective diets for the remaining eight weeks. Bone-related parameters (bone mineral density (BMD) and structural parameters, osteocalcin (OC), deoxypyridinoline (DPD)) and morphologic changes of kidney were analyzed at the end of the experiment. RESULTS: Final body weights and weight gain were higher in the HFat and HFrc + HFat groups and showed higher tendency in the HFrc group compared with those of the CON group (p < 0.05); however, no significant difference in caloric intake was observed among the four experimental groups. The serum OC levels of the HFrc and HFrc + HFat groups were lower than those of the CON and HFat groups (p < 0.05). Urinary levels of DPD did not differ among the experimental groups. BV/TV and Tb.N of trabecular bone were higher in the HFrc + HFat group and showed a higher tendency in the HFrc group than those of the CON and HFat groups (p < 0.05). Tb.Pf of trabecular bone were lower in the HFrc + HFat group than those in the CON and HFat groups (p < 0.05). However, no difference in trabecular BMD was observed among the experimental groups. Cortical bone volume was higher in the HFat and HFrc + HFat groups than in the CON and HFrc groups (p < 0.05). No morphology change in kidney was observed among the experimental groups. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that 8 weeks of high-fructose and high fat intake could improve the bone quality (Structural parameters) of trabecular and cortical bone of tibia in growing female rats.

Nutrition Status of Elderly Female Patients in Long-term Care Hospital according to Meal Types and Eating Ability / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to determine nutritional status of elderly patients in a long-term care hospital according to meal type and eating ability. METHODS: Subjects were 47 female patients aged over 65 (79.3 +/- 7.1 years) who resided in a long-term care hospital in Seoul. Thirty seven patients who ate diet orally were grouped according to meal type (27 general diet and 10 soft diet) and eating ability (26 eating by oneself and 11 eaten with help) and 10 were on tube feeding. Nutritional status was determined by food consumption and mid-arm circumference. RESULTS: The mean adequacy ratios (MARs) of 12 nutrients (protein, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, niacin, folic acid, vitamin C) were 0.687 for general diet, 0.565 for soft diet, 0.680 for eating by oneself and 0.677 for eaten with help, which were significantly lower than 0.982 for tube feeding (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). The patients on tube feeding had significantly lower % arm circumference compared to those who ate general diet (84.0% vs. 95.4%, respectively, p < 0.05). Nutrients intakes, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) and index of nutritional quality (INQ) were not different between meal types as well as eating ability. The most insufficiently consumed nutrients by the patients on diet were folic acid, vitamin B2, and calcium (NAR 0.334~0.453, 0.515~0.539, and 0.516~0.533, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that regardless of meal type or eating ability, the subjects who were on diets in this study might have inadequate intake of folic acid as well as vitamin B2, and calcium, which need to be reflected on menu planning. The measurement of mid-arm circumference presented more risk of malnutrition of patients on tube feeding than those on diets, despite apparently better nutrient consumption.

Sugar composition and glycemic indices of frequently consumed fruits in Korea

Fruits are generally recommended for a balanced meal, as they are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which may improve blood glucose control. However, fruits have simple sugars with a wide glycemic index (GI) range. The purpose of this study was to analyze the sugar content and composition and to determine the glycemic indices of the most frequently consumed fruits in Korea, including apple, tangerine, pear, water melon, persimmon, grape, oriental melon, and peach. The sugar content and composition of the fruits were analyzed by high performance anion-exchange chromatography (Dinonex model DX-600). The GI of the fruits was measured in 13 healthy subjects (seven females and six males) after permission was received from the University Hospital institutional review board (KHU-IRB 1114-06). The subjects consumed 50 g of glucose as a reference and carbohydrate portions of eight fruits. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after consuming the fruits. The GI values for the fruits were calculated by expressing the increase in the area under the blood glucose response curve for each subject. As a result, the total sugar contents of 100 g fruits were: grape (13.9 g), apple (12.3 g), persimmon (11.9 g), oriental melon (11.2 g), watermelon (9.3 g), tangerine (8.9 g), peach (8.6 g), and pear (8.3 g). The GI values of the fruits were as follows: GI value of peach (56.5 +/- 14.17), watermelon (53.5 +/- 18.07), oriental melon (51.2 +/- 18.14), tangerine (50.4 +/- 15.16), grape (48.1 +/- 14.05), persimmon (42.9 +/- 18.92), pear (35.7 +/- 14.38), and apple (33.5 +/- 11.92). These findings will help individuals choose fruit for controlling blood sugar.