The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicidal Ideation and Depression in Community-Dwelling Elderly.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on depression and suicidal ideation in community-dwelling elderly in Korea. METHODS: Data were employed from a survey on elderly mental health in Jeollanam-do (southwest province in Korea), conducted by the Jeollanam-do Provincial Mental Health and Welfare Center. A total of 2423 people were recruited from all 22 cities in Jeollanam-do from April to October, 2021. We used self-reported questionnaires including sociodemographic factors, COVID-19-related stress, the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. Logistic regression was performed to examine the factors of depression and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Of the 2423 subjects, 622 (25.7%) reported depressive symptoms and 518 (21.4%) reported suicidal ideation. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that living alone, poor perceived health status, worry of COVID-19 infection, and restriction of daily activities due to COVID-19 pandemic are significantly associated with depression. Female gender, poor perceived health status, inability to perform household chores, and depressive symptom are risk factors of suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: These findings show that old age, negative perception of health, and restriction of daily activities due to COVID-19 are risk factors of depression in community-dwelling elderly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Female gender, poor self-perceived health status, and depression increase the risk of suicidal ideation among the elderly. Social support and life satisfaction are protecting factors of both depression and suicidal ideation. Resilience decreased risk of depression but not in suicidal ideation.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and related behavioral and psychological characteristics in individuals with mental disorders in Korea.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and related factors in individuals with mental disorders in Korea. Methods: We surveyed 572 individuals with mental disorders about their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination using a 7-item self-rating questionnaire on vaccine acceptance and hesitancy. We categorized the respondents into groups based on their level of vaccine acceptance using hierarchical clustering. In addition, we evaluated the respondents' vaccination status and trust in sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, and assessed their psychological characteristics using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Gratitude Questionnaire-6, and Big Five Inventory-10. Results: Clustering revealed three groups according to vaccine acceptance: 'totally accepting' (n= 246, 43.0%), 'somewhat accepting' (n= 184, 32.2%), and 'hesitant' (n= 142, 24.8%) groups. Three quarters of all participants, who belonged to the 'totally accepting' or 'somewhat accepting' groups, were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine despite concerns about its side effects. Individuals in the high vaccine acceptance group were older (F= 12.52, p< 0.001), more likely to receive the influenza vaccine regularly, and more likely to trust formal information sources. Additionally, they had higher levels of gratitude (F= 21.00, p< 0.001) and agreeableness (F= 4.50, p= 0.011), and lower levels of depression (χ2= 11.81, p= 0.003) and neuroticism (F= 3.71, p= 0.025). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that individuals with mental disorders were generally willing to receive COVID-19 vaccination. However, they weighed its need and effectiveness against potential side effects before coming to a decision. It is important to understand the behavioral and psychological characteristics associated with vaccine acceptance, to effectively communicate its importance to individuals with mental disorders.

Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Korean Navy Trainees following a Healthy Lifestyle Change.

Environmental factors can influence the composition of gut microbiota, but understanding the combined effect of lifestyle factors on adult gut microbiota is limited. Here, we investigated whether changes in the modifiable lifestyle factors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, physical exercise, and body mass index affected the gut microbiota of Korean navy trainees. The navy trainees were instructed to stop smoking and alcohol consumption and follow a sleep schedule and physical exercise regime for eight weeks. For comparison, healthy Korean civilians, who had no significant change in lifestyles for eight weeks were included in this study. A total of 208 fecal samples were collected from navy trainees (n = 66) and civilians (n = 38) at baseline and week eight. Gut flora was assessed by sequencing the highly variable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The α-and ß -diversity of gut flora of both the test and control groups were not significantly changed after eight weeks. However, there was a significant difference among individuals. Smoking had a significant impact in altering α-diversity. Our study showed that a healthy lifestyle, particularly cessation of smoking, even in short periods, can affect the gut microbiome by enhancing the abundance of beneficial taxa and reducing that of harmful taxa.

Marine Healing, but Not Additional Intake of Undaria pinnatifida, Benefits Physical and Emotional Exhaustion Symptoms of Menopause.

Menopausal symptoms can persist or worsen even years after menopause and affect women's quality of life. We investigated whether menopausal symptoms were alleviated through a marine healing program and if sea mustard intake additionally benefits these symptoms. A total of 42 menopausal women self-selected to participate as the marine (n = 22) or city group (n = 20). The marine group participated in a 5-day marine healing program consisting of a balanced diet, exercise, and mind-body practices using ocean resources. The city group continued one's daily routine without any intervention. Within the marine group, participants were randomly assigned to consume sea mustard (Undaria pinnatifida) (15.4 g dry weight/day; n = 11) or control (n = 11). Changes in menopausal symptoms were measured using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after the end of the marine healing program. The city group completed the MRS at baseline and on day 20. Within subject differences of menopausal symptoms between baseline and immediately after the marine healing program were assessed using paired t-test. Intervention effects were assessed by mixed analysis of variance. Somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms were immediately alleviated after the marine healing program. No effect of sea mustard was detected in the marine group. After 2 weeks, the effect of marine healing persisted in physical and mental exhaustion only. A 5-day integrated marine healing program, but not additional sea mustard intake, temporarily alleviated menopausal symptoms. The reduction in physical and mental exhaustion after marine healing can be maintained for 2 weeks. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0004025.

Efficacy of Mirror Therapy Containing Functional Tasks in Poststroke Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of mirror therapy containing functional tasks on upper extremity function and activities of daily living in patients with subacute stroke. METHODS: The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: the mirror therapy group (30 patients) and the sham therapy group (30 patients). The mirror therapy group underwent a mirror therapy program together with conventional therapy for 20 minutes per day on 5 days per week for 4 weeks. The control group received a sham conventional therapy program under the same schedule as the mirror therapy group. The Fugl-Meyer Motor Function Assessment (FMA), Brunnstrom motor recovery stage, and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) were evaluated 4 weeks after the treatment. RESULTS: The upper extremity function on the affected side and ability to perform daily life activities after the intervention were significantly improved in both groups. After 4 weeks of intervention, improvements in the FMA (p=0.027) and MBI (p=0.041) were significantly greater in the mirror therapy group than the sham therapy group. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that the mirror therapy containing functional task was effective in terms of improving the upper extremity functions and activities of daily living in patients with subacute stroke.

The Relationship between Cognitive Decline and Psychopathology in Patients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The primary goals of the present study were to assess intellectual function in participants with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (BD) and to investigate the relationships between cognitive decline and the severity of each type of psychopathology. METHODS: The present study included 51 patients with schizophrenia and 42 with BD who were recruited from the psychiatry outpatient clinic of Jeju University Hospital between March 2011 and March 2014. The Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (K-WAIS) was administered to each of the 93 participants, and they were categorized into two groups based on their current intelligence quotient (IQ) and their estimated premorbid IQ: severely impaired group (SIG) and mildly impaired group (MIG). The Minnesota Multiple Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were used to assess psychopathology. RESULTS: The SIG schizophrenia participants exhibited significantly higher scores on the frequent (F) and schizophrenia (Sc) subscales of the MMPI, but significantly lower scores on the correction (K) and psychopathic deviate (Pd) subscales compared with the MIG schizophrenia participants. Furthermore, the BPRS scores were significantly higher in the SIG schizophrenia participants relative to the MIG schizophrenia participants. The SIG BD participants had significantly higher F, masculinity-femininity (Mf), paranoia (Pa), and Sc but significantly lower Pd scores compared with the MIG BD participants. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings revealed a significant discrepancy between the estimated premorbid levels of cognitive function and current cognitive function in participants with schizophrenia or BD. Moreover, this discrepancy was correlated with severity of psychopathology in both groups.

Effect of Custom-Molded Foot Orthoses on Foot Pain and Balance in Children With Symptomatic Flexible Flat Feet.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of custom-molded foot orthoses on foot pain and balance in children with symptomatic flexible flat foot 1 month and 3 months after fitting foot orthosis. METHOD: A total of 24 children over 6 years old with flexible flat feet and foot pain for at least 6 months were recruited for this study. Their resting calcaneal stance position and calcaneal pitch angle were measured. Individual custom-molded rigid foot orthoses were prescribed using inverted orthotic technique to control foot overpronation. Pain questionnaire was used to obtain pain sites, degree, and frequency. Balancing ability was determined using computerized posturography. These evaluations were performed prior to custom-molded foot orthoses, 1 month, and 3 months after fitting foot orthoses. RESULT: Of 24 children with symptomatic flexible flat feet recruited for this study, 20 completed the study. Significant (p<0.001) improvements in pain degree and frequency were noted after 1 and 3 months of custom-molded foot orthoses. In addition, significant (p<0.05) improvement in balancing ability was found after 3 months of custom-molded foot orthoses. CONCLUSION: Short-term use of custom-molded foot orthoses significantly improved foot pain and balancing ability in children with symptomatic flexible flat foot.