Kyungwoon University

Abstract This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of relaxation interventions on anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life in women with infertility. A comprehensive search of PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, CINAHL®, Google Scholar, and Korean databases was conducted for articles published through March 2025. Keywords included combinations of terms related to infertility, ART, and nursing or psychotherapeutic interventions. The search identified 759 records, of which 13 met the eligibility criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and data analysis was performed using R software (version 4.3.2). The meta-analysis included 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs), comprising 1,215 women undergoing ART. Intervention groups received relaxation programs, while comparison groups received usual care or no intervention. Relaxation interventions were associated with significant reductions in anxiety (Hedges’ g = −0.69) and depression (Hedges’ g = −0.38), and significant improvements in quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.25). No statistically significant effect was observed for stress (Hedges’ g = −0.01; 95% CI: −0.49 to 0.47). Heterogeneity and risk of publication bias were determined to be low. Overall, relaxation programs demonstrated beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, and quality of life, but not on stress levels. Relaxation interventions appear to support the psychological well-being of women undergoing ART, with particular benefit for women with a history of repeated treatment failure. Individualized, woman-centered approaches may be more responsive to the needs of this population than universal or group-based models of care.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of eccentric hamstring exercises accompanied by synergist muscle activation on muscle activity, muscle tone, and muscle strength.Although eccentric exercises are known to enhance muscle performance, the contribution of synergist activation to functional outcomes remains insufficiently understood.METHODS: Thirty healthy university students were randomly assigned to three groups: a concentric exercise group (CEG), an eccentric exercise group (EEG), and an eccentric exercise with synergist muscle group (SEG).

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the support surface height on the activation of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) during single-leg squat (SLS) exercises.A height variation is proposed as a strategy to enhance knee stabilization through selective muscle activation.Methods: Forty healthy adults participated in the study.Surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes were attached to the VMO, VL, and BF.The participants performed the SLS at three randomized support surface heights: 0 cm, 15 cm, and 25 cm after a brief practice session.Each condition was measured three times, and the average value was used for analysis.The EMG data were normalized to the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) for each muscle.One-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed for each muscle separately to analyze the differences in muscle activation according to support surface height.Results: One-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed the significant main effects of support surface height for the vastus lateralis (VL) (F= 11.514, p< 0.001) and vastus medialis oblique (VMO) (F= 30.425, p< 0.001), but not for the biceps femoris (BF) (F= 0.638, p> 0.05).Post hoc comparisons suggested that VL and VMO activation were significantly greater at 25 cm compared to the 0 cm and 15 cm conditions (p< 0.017).No significant differences were found between the 0 cm and 15 cm conditions.BF muscle activation remained unchanged across all height conditions.Conclusion: Modifying the support surface height during SLS can selectively increase activation in specific thigh muscles.These findings have practical implications for designing targeted rehabilitation and injury prevention programs.In particular, gradually increasing the squat height may enhance the activation of the VMO and VL, contributing to improved knee joint stabilization.

Purpose: This study began by investigating the similarities and differences among segmented markets within the color cosmetics industry, which are subdivided into low-cost color, high-priced, and imported color cosmetics, positioned as differentiated identities, and what are the similarities and differences between the segmented markets of the color cosmetics brand group.Methods: To perform this study, we used Python version 3.10.6 to crawl discourse from attracting value-driven consumers in the color cosmetics category on Naver Shopping Mall. After that, we completed the pre-processing steps and then conducted Word Cloud analysis, N-gram analysis, Topic Modeling analysis, Similarity analysis, and Sentiment analysis.Results: The text mining analysis showed several interesting findings. Notably, we found a new distribution channel where innovative consumers make purchases through live broadcasts performed within a short period. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that while low-priced and imported color cosmetics submarkets showed different logical results, they utilized similar discourse patterns. Furthermore, each segmented submarket was observed to possess a distinct positioning strategy.Conclusion: The consumer groups that utilized the taste value, the subject of comparative analysis, and used the low-cost, high-value, and imported color cosmetics have different identities. Consequently, the market segmentation and positioning of these brands differ, and consumer preferences vary. This allows us to outline the direction of the domestic color cosmetics industry and provide basic theoretical materials for marketing strategies. According to the research results obtained from each comparative research group, it will be possible to present a wide range of practical implications for management and marketing strategies to strengthen the market competitiveness of color cosmetics brand segments.

Background Strengthening the gluteus medius (Gmed) is vital to provide functional movement of the lower extremities and lateral stability of the pelvis. The clam exercise (CE) effectively activates the Gmed. To perform the CE effectively, it is essential to control the lumbar-pelvic movement, which is influenced by the stability of the lumbar pelvis. Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the effects on muscle activity of the internal oblique (IO), Gmed, gluteus maximus (Gmax), and tensor fascia lata (TFL) between men with weak abdominal muscles (WAM) and healthy men during the CE after performing the abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM). Study design Cross-sectional study Methods Participants in this study included 11 men with WAM and 11 healthy men. The IO, Gmed, Gmax, and TFL activities were measured on all participants using wireless electromyography during the CE before the intervention. Both groups performed ADIM for 10 minutes, and each muscle activity was measured again similarly. A paired <italic>t</italic>-test was used to compare before and after intervention within groups, and an independent <italic>t</italic>-test was used to compare between groups. Results In the intra-group comparison of the WAM group, the muscle activity of IO, Gmed, and Gmax significantly increased and the TFL activity significantly decreased during CE after performing ADIM. In contrast to groups before the intervention, TFL activity was significantly higher in the WAM group than in the control group. In a comparison between groups, the amount of change in the activity of Gmed and TFL was more significant in the WAM group than in the control group. Conclusions Results suggested that for men with WAM, performing the ADIM before the CE is an effective exercise method for reducing the compensatory action of TFL and increasing the selective activity of Gmed and Gmax.

The use of natural products in developing respiratory-function-protective pharmaceuticals is actively progressing. However, in this context, the improvement effects of young Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) extracts have not been evaluated yet. Thus, this study investigated the anti-inflammatory and lung damage improvement effects of immature Asian pear extract (IAP; 400, 200, and 100 mg/kg) using a particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5)-induced sub-acute lung injury mouse model. The experimental results were compared with dexamethasone (0.75 mg/kg), used as a control drug. After two intranasal instillations of PM2.5 and ten doses of IAP extract for eight days, changes in macroscopic lung autopsy, leukocyte fractionation from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung antioxidant defense system, lung histopathology, and mRNA expression in lung tissue were confirmed. Stress-induced inflammatory lung damage through the increased expression of PM2.5-induced PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK mRNA was significantly suppressed via the administration of IAP extract (400–100 mg/kg). Furthermore, IAP extract administration promoted serous fluid production in lung tissue, increased substance P and ACh levels, and decreased mucus-production-related expression of MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA. Interestingly, the observed effects showed a dose-dependent manner without serious hepatotoxicity. The results of this study indicate that a proper oral administration of IAP extract could be helpful in protecting against lung diseases, positioning IAP extract as a potential candidate for an alternative agent to safeguard the respiratory system.

Undaria pinnatifida (UP), commonly known as Wakame, is a brown algae belonging to the seaweed family.It has long been used as traditional medicine to relieve thrombosis and pain in Asian regions such as China, Japan, and Korea and has been reported to be effective in reducing body fat, acting as an antioxidant, and alleviating metabolic diseases.However, its anticancer activity against oral cancer remains unknown.Herein, we analyzed the anticancer activity and mechanism of U. pinnatifida methanol extract (MeUP) on oral cancer cell lines (FaDu, YD-38, and YD-10B).The MeUP inhibited oral cancer cells' viability without affecting normal cells (periodontal ligament), as demonstrated by the MTT assay.Moreover, the fluorescence staining analysis revealed that UP-induced suppression of oral cancer cell proliferation was dependent on apoptosis.Furthermore, UP-induced apoptosis of oral cancer cells by inducing the hydrolysis of extrinsic apoptotic factors via death-receptors and activation of intrinsic apoptotic factors through the mitochondrial outer membrane was determined by western blot analyses.Overall, these findings suggest that the inhibitory effects of MeUP on oral cancer cells' growth may be mediated by caspase-and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways in human oral cancer cells (FaDu, YD38, and YD-10B).Therefore, MeUP has the potential to be used as a natural chemotherapeutic drug against human oral cancer.

This study investigated the expectorant effects of immature Asian pear extract (IAP; Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) on subacute pulmonary injuries in Balb/c mice induced by particulate matter with a diameter of approximately 2.5 μm (PM2.5). IAP was administered at three doses, namely, 400, 200, and 100 mg/kg. The body weight and weight gain changes, lung weights, lung and body surface gross inspections, tracheal secretions, and substance P and ACh content in lung tissue homogenate were observed one day after the tenth IAP administration. The mRNA expression of the genes related to mucus production and lung histopathology was compared with that of the negative and positive controls. Favorable pulmonary protective effects on PM2.5-induced subacute pulmonary injuries, mucus overproduction, and respiratory acidosis were observed in groups treated with IAP at all three doses, possibly through potent anti-inflammatory and mucolytic expectorant activities mediated by the increase in the content of lung substances P and ACh and the downregulation of lung MUC5AC and MUC5B mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. The results of this study show that an appropriate oral administration of IAP has sufficient pulmonary protective effects and can be used as a candidate for the development of functional food ingredients.

Thyroid nodule refers to the pathological changes caused by abnormal proliferation of thyroid cells, and its surgical treatment has a long history and has always been regarded as an effective means to treat this disease. With the continuous development and progress of medical technology, the surgical treatment of thyroid nodules is also evolving to better meet the needs of patients and improve the treatment effect. As far as the current trend is concerned, the surgical treatment of thyroid nodules mainly focuses on refinement, minimally invasive and personalization. Among them, refined surgery refers to the use of advanced instruments and equipment, such as ultrasonic scalpel, bipolar electrocoagulation, etc., which can more accurately separate and remove diseased tissues, reduce the damage to normal tissues, and improve the surgical effect and postoperative recovery speed. Minimally invasive surgery refers to the use of various minimally invasive techniques, such as endoscope and robot, to reduce surgical trauma and risk, reduce postoperative pain and recovery time. Personalized surgery refers to adopting different surgical methods and techniques according to the specific conditions and needs of patients to achieve the best therapeutic effect. Looking forward to the future, there is still much room for the surgical treatment of thyroid nodules. With the continuous progress of medical technology and the improvement of people's requirements for quality of life, surgical treatment of thyroid nodules will pay more attention to patients' quality of life, postoperative recovery and social adaptability. At the same time, with the continuous development of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies, the surgical treatment of thyroid nodules will be more intelligent, accurate and individualized. Doctors can accurately evaluate and predict the patient's condition through artificial intelligence and other technologies, so as to formulate a more scientific and personalized treatment plan.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the similarities and differences between each area using wordcloud analysis and semantic network analysis, which are text mining techniques. Further, confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted by crawling for word-of-mouth information on attribute reviews as satisfied, normal, or dissatisfied after purchases that are subjectively given by millennial generations.Methods: The R program version 4.1.2 was used as a big data collection and analysis tool, and text mining analysis was performed through preprocessing and stopword processing on the collected data. Further, using LISREL 8.80 we conducted confirmatory factor analysis on these results.Results: Wordcloud analysis revealed that the terms “skin,” “products,” and “skin” ranked first in the evaluation area of “satisfied,” “normal,” and “dissatisfied,” respectively. Additionally, using confirmatory factor analysis, the correlation between the three latent variables of satisfaction, normal, and dissatisfaction was differentiated.Conclusion: The similarities and differences between the domains obtained through wordcloud and semantic network analyses and derived by classifying individual emotional responses of millennial consumers in social media into satisfied, normal, and dissatisfied domains are considered very meaningful. The keywords derived with high centrality in the semantic network for each domain is then refined and introduced as an observation variable for confirmatory factor analysis in accordance with the purpose of the study; this is helpful in research development for causal analysis in the future.