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Abstract Background There are no standard diagnostic criteria or interventions for internet gaming addiction (IGA) even though IGA is one of the most pervasive public health issues among youth worldwide. Internet gaming reasons or motivations have been studied as a potential predictor of IGA, but the results have been inconsistent and biological indicators of gaming reasons have rarely been studied. We sought to (1) identify categories of internet gaming reasons, (2) examine the relationship of gaming reasons to risk of IGA, and (3) describe biological indicators associated with reasons for gaming. Methods We used a multi-phase cross-sectional design including individual interviews; focus group discussion; and descriptive, comparative analysis. Fifteen Korean adolescent male internet gamers participated in individual interviews and eight participated in a focus group aimed at identifying reasons for internet gaming. Using the identified gaming reasons from these sources we surveyed 225 adolescent game users using a self-report questionnaire. Participants provided blood samples for assessment of norepinephrine (NE) and serum cortisol. Results We identified four major categories of internet gaming reasons: entertainment, getting along with friends, stress relief, and habitual gaming. The habitual group showed significantly greater risk of IGA than the other groups (p

Abstract Background Androgen hormone levels are strongly associated with obesity in adult mammals, especially with advanced age. We investigated androgen receptor inhibition on fat metabolism and long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) transport proteins in skeletal muscle during exercise. Methods Male ICR mice were randomly divided into three groups: CON (control), EX (exercise), and EXIN (exercise + androgen receptor inhibition). EX and EXIN groups were trained on a treadmill five times a week. After 4 weeks, the fat metabolism of each group was measured using open-circuit calorimetry during 1 hour of exercise. After the metabolism measurement, the expression levels of LCFA transport proteins (FAT/CD36, CPTI) were analyzed in skeletal muscle. Results Weight gain and final body weight were significantly lower in the EX group than in either the CON or EXIN groups. Conversely, food intake was significantly higher in the EX group than it was in the CON and EXIN groups. The total weight (CON; 2.07 ± 0.6, EX; 1.64 ± 0.2, EXIN; 1.95 ± 0.2) of the abdominal adipose tissue were significantly lower in the EX group than in the CON and EXIN groups (P

Abstract Background The prevalence of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) increases with age. Sleep disturbances in elderly individuals with OAB is a common problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a biofeedback-based sleep improvement (BBSI) program on urinary symptoms and sleep patterns in elderly Korean women with OAB. Methods A non-equivalent control group pre−/post-test design was used. Elderly women with OAB were assigned to an intervention group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 18). The BBSI program was implemented in the intervention group for 12 weeks, while two educational sessions of general sleep hygiene and lifestyle modification were provided to the control group. Using SPSS 23.0, the data were analyzed by descriptive analysis using the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test, and Wilcoxon test. Results After the 12-week BBSI program, significant improvements were found in the intervention group’s the square root of the mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (p = 0.025), low frequency/high frequency ratio (p = 0.006), and epinephrine (p = 0.039). We also observed a significant difference in urinary symptoms, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, number of awakenings, and number of awakenings within 3 h after sleep onset (p

Abstract Background The number of people with Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is increasing around the world. IGA is known to be associated with personal characteristics, psychosocial factors, and physiological factors. However, few studies have examined the genetic factors related to IGA. This study aimed to investigate the association between IGA and stress-related genetic variants. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with 230 male high school students in a South Korean city. We selected five stress-related candidate genes: DAT1, DRD4, NET8, CHRNA4, and CRHR1. The DAT1 and DRD4 genes were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction, and the NET8, CHRNA4, and CRHR1 genes were genotyped by pyrosequencing analysis. We performed a Chi-square test to examine the relationship of these five candidate genes to IGA. Results Having the AA genotype and the A allele of the CRHR1 gene (rs28364027) was associated with higher odds of belonging to the IGA participant group (p = .016 and p = .021, respectively) than to the non-IGA group. By contrast, the DAT1, DRD4, NET8, and CHRNA4 gene polymorphisms showed no significant difference between the IGA group and control group. Conclusions These results indicate that polymorphism of the CRHR1 gene may play an important role in IGA susceptibility in the Korean adolescent male population. These findings provide a justification and foundation for further investigation of genetic factors related to IGA.