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Background: The incidence of colic and the outcomes of colic surgery have not been surveyed in racetracks in Korea. Objectives: This study examined the incidence, mortality, and case fatality of colic and investigated the effects of age and sex after an exploratory celiotomy on the long-term survival rate (return to racing), subsequent racing performance, and career longevity. Methods: The incidence, mortality, and case fatalities of colic were examined over an 11-year period. The records of 40 horses that had undergone a celiotomy, after participating in at least one race and 75 race-matched control horses were analyzed. The racing performance and career length of the horses that returned to racing post-surgery were compared with a control group. Results: The annual incidence, fatality rate of colic, and annual mortality rate at Seoul Racecourse were 6.5, 2.8 per 100 horse-years, and 0.2 deaths cases per 100 horse-years, respectively. Of the 40 horses that underwent colic surgery, 26 (65%) returned to racing. The likelihood of returning to racing decreased with increasing age of the horses, and geldings had a lower probability of returning. While the performance in the five preoperative races between the two groups was not significantly different, a significant decrease in racing performance was observed after the surgery date (p < 0.01). Horses that underwent colic surgery did not show a significant decrease in career length. Conclusions: Surgical treatment for colic at the age of three and four years had a negative impact on the racing performance. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in career longevity between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Prejudice and negative attitudes toward mental illness are major obstacles in the rehabilitation and functional recovery of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of health-related personnel toward mentally ill patients in a local urban community in South Korea. Materials and Methods: In total, 401 participants (men, 132; women, 269; mean age, 37.3 ± 9.5 years) were recruited. The participants were health-related personnel in a district of Seoul, who were recruited from three different workplaces: a local administration office, a public health center, and a community welfare center. Sociodemographic data were gathered, and the community attitudes toward the mentally ill (CAMI) inventory were administered. Comparisons of the CAMI subscales were conducted among participants using statistical analysis. Results: Community welfare center workers showed more authoritarianism and social restriction and less community mental health ideology than the other two groups. Among the demographic variables, a shorter working career, higher education, female gender, and younger age were also related to a more negative attitude toward mentally ill patients. Conclusion: Community health-related personnel who have contact with patients with mental illness should be encouraged to have a fair, hospitable, and open-minded attitude. It is advisable for these workers to receive interventions such as regular educational programs early in their careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its significance as a contributing factor for late-life dementia risk, illiteracy is frequently underappreciated in the management of dementia. In this study, we estimated the proportion of dementia cases attributable to illiteracy using the population attributable fraction (PAF), and calculated to what extent the monetary cost of dementia could be saved in the future by reducing illiteracy from the South Korean, Latin American, South Asian/Middle Eastern, and African populations. We collected necessary data from the 2011 United Nations Human Development Report and prevalence studies conducted in these regions. Additional variables not included in the above sources were estimated using a logit model under a "trend scenario"-based assumption. Around 16% of the total number of dementia cases in South Korea in 2015 can be attributed to illiteracy, with this figure predicted to decline to around 2% by 2050. This translates to a saving in dementia care costs of approximately 52 billion USD, providing we are successful in theoretically eradicating illiteracy as of 2015, in the population aged 65 years or under. Likewise, reducing illiteracy to 50% in Latin America, South Asia/The Middle East, and Africa by 2050 could generate further cost savings of between 71 and 244 billion, 13 and 94 billion, and 17 and 78 billion USD, respectively. Even public policies aimed solely at reducing illiteracy in the childhood, adolescent, or middle-aged population could potentially have a role in the primary prevention of dementia. Moving forward, governments will need to address this issue in a purposeful and systematic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the factors associate with risk of dementia from a representative nationwide sample of Korean elders. 8,199 randomly-sampled Koreans aged 65 years or older were invited to participate in the Phase I screening assessment using Mini-Mental State Examination by door-to-door home visit, and 6,141 subjects (response rate = 74.9%) responded. Among them, 2,336 subjects were invited to participate in the Phase II diagnostic assessment for dementia and MCI, and 1,673 subjects responded (response rate = 71.6%). Diagnostic assessments were administered using the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (CERAD-K) Clinical Assessment Battery. The CERAD-K Neuropsychological Assessment Battery was used for diagnosing MCI. Age-, gender-, education-, and urbanicity-standardized prevalence of dementia was estimated to be 8.1% (95% CI = 6.9-9.2) for overall dementia and 24.1% (95% CI = 21.0-27.2) for MCI. Alzheimer's disease (AD) was the most prevalent type (5.7%) followed by vascular dementia (2.0%). Amnestic subtype (20.1%) was much more prevalent than nonamnestic subtype in MCI (4.0%). Older age, being male, lower education level, illiteracy, smoking, and histories of head trauma or depression were associated with increased dementia risk, and alcohol use and moderately intense exercise were associated with decreased dementia risk. We expect numbers of dementia patients to double every 20 years until 2050 in Korea and expect AD to account for progressively more dementia cases in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]