Dementia-Free Survival and Risk Factors for Dementia in a Hospital-Based Korean Parkinson's Disease Cohort

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few studies of dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD) have had long-term follow-ups. Moreover, information on the duration from the onset to the development of dementia in patients with PD is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the median dementia-free survival time from the onset of PD to the development of dementia. METHODS: In total, 1,193 Korean patients with PD were recruited and assessed at regular intervals of 3–6 months. We interviewed the patients and other informants to identify impairments in the activities of daily living. The Hoehn and Yahr stage and scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and Mini Mental State Examination were evaluated annually. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to estimate the cumulative proportion of dementia-free patients over time. Risk factors predicting dementia were also evaluated using Cox proportional-hazards regression models. RESULTS: The median dementia-free survival time in the Korean PD population was 19.9 years. Among the 119 patients who subsequently developed dementia, the mean duration from the onset of PD to the development of dementia was 10.6 years. A multivariate analysis identified age at onset and education period as the significant predictors of dementia. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on dementia-free survival in patients with PD based on longitudinal data analysis from the disease onset. The median dementia-free survival time in Korean PD patients was found to be longer than expected.

A Study on the Performance Level, the Awareness of the Importance, and Improvement of School Health Promotion Programs

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to suggest methods for improving school health promotion programs by investigating the daily activities and the performance level of environment management, the awareness of importance, and opinions on the revision of and knowledge about laws and regulations related to school health promotion programs. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 289 school nurses in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey used a questionnaire containing 90 questions developed by the present researcher. Data were collected from July 5 to July 21, 2006 and analyzed using SPSS 12.0 for Windows. RESULT: 1. Regular check-up and drinking water management got the highest score in performance level. Sexual health and drinking water management got the highest score in the awareness of importance. 2. School nurses were aware of laws and regulations related to their clients (0.93), and the revision opinion was high on the whole (3.58). 3. According to general characteristics, the more educated school nurse were (F=6.80, p=.001) and the fewer students their school had (F=4.66, p=.010), the higher their performance level in daily activities was. The shorter their career in their work was (F=4.86, p=.008), the fewer classes their school had (F=5.04, p=.007) and the fewer students their school had (F=3.83, p=.023), the higher their awareness of importance was. 4. There was not any difference in the performance level of environment management according to general characteristics. The awareness of importance was highest in school nurses with experience less then ten years (F=3.66, p=.027). 5. There was not any difference in knowledge about laws and regulations according to general characteristics. The revision opinion was high in school nurses at schools with less than 18 classrooms (F=6.04, p=.003) and less than 500 students (F=4.24, p=.015). CONCLUSION: When school nurses perform school health promotion programs actively and vigorously, the students can be healthy and national health promotion can be actualized fundamentally.

The effort of various mixing methods on dynamic viscoelasticity of a temporary soft lining material; coe-comfort / 대한치과보철학회지

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Temporary soft relining materials are used in a diverse clinical situations such as tissue conditioner, relining material, functional impression by varying its viscoelasticity. However, reproduction of consistent viscoelasticity has been not possible. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Considering setting mechanism of this material, this study has measured the effect of varying amount of void in dynamic viscoelasticity of soft relining material, with three different mixing methods. In each methods 10 specimens were made and subjected to dynamic viscoelastic test which were measured at specific times over period of 72 hours. RESULTS: The analysis of the result shown that there was no statistically significant differences between different mixing methods. CONCLUSION: Different mixing methods had no effect over control of viscoelasticity of soft lining material. Further research is recommended for under similar oral environmental condition.