Publications by authors named "Bora Nam"

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by ectopic bone formation. The anti-inflammatory function of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitor has been reported in bone metabolism, but its utility in AS has not previously been investigated.

Methods: We assessed DPP4 level in serum, synovial fluid, and facet joint tissue of AS patients.

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Lamium purpureum L. (purple dead-nettle), an annual herbaceous plant in the family Lamiaceae, is native to Europe and western Asia. It has become invasive in eastern Asia, including Korea and North America.

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Cerastium glomeratum Thuill., known as sticky mouse-ear chickweed, is native to Europe and has become naturalized in the wild on most continents. After its accidental introduction to Korea around the 1980s, it quickly became one of the dominant invasive weeds on the Korean peninsula and is now considered a significant threat to the Korean agroecosystem (Park et al.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study examined the reasons behind the lasting use or discontinuation of anti-TNF medications in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from 2004 to 2018, focusing on multiple factors like clinical remission and adverse effects.
  • - Out of 429 AS patients, 24% discontinued treatment, primarily due to loss of efficacy (34.9%) and clinical remission (30.1%), with those using etanercept (ETN) experiencing fewer discontinuations for clinical remission than those on adalimumab (ADA).
  • - Key findings indicated that higher disease activity at baseline increased the risk of discontinuation due to inefficacy, while older age was also associated with a greater likelihood of
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This study assessed the therapeutic potential of swimming exercise in the curdlan-injected SKG mouse model and investigated the modulatory effects of irisin on inflammation. Curdlan-injected SKG were randomly assigned to either a home-cage group or a swimming group for 6 weeks. Changes in clinical arthritis scores and ankle thickness were measured weekly.

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Background: Reports of escalated discrimination experiences among Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) continue.

Methods: Using the original and follow-up surveys of the COVID-19 Effects on the Mental and Physical Health of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) Survey Study (COMPASS I and COMPASS II) (n = 3177), we examined changes over approximately a 1-year period in discrimination experiences attributable to being AAPI and factors associated with worse mental health outcomes.

Results: Experiences of discrimination remained high in COMPASS II with 60.

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Article Synopsis
  • Unique cartilage matrix-associated protein (UCMA) is a secretory protein found mainly in adult cartilage that supports bone-building cells (osteoblasts) and reduces harmful oxidative stress from high glucose levels.
  • Experiments using recombinant UCMA (rUCMA) showed that it significantly decreased osteoclasts' formation, activity, and specific gene expression related to bone resorption.
  • Additionally, rUCMA treatment lowered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and boosted antioxidant gene expression in osteoclasts, indicating that UCMA can inhibit bone-destroying cell differentiation and oxidative stress.
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Background: Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis) have shown dramatic benefit in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Tapering of TNFi medication may be considered in patients with sustained low disease activity because continued use of TNFis at standard doses may increase the risk of side effects including infections and impose an economic burden. However, the optimal TNFi tapering strategy for SpA patients with inactive disease has not been established.

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Nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) is a subtype of SpA with undeveloped definite radiographic sacroiliitis. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors have demonstrated effectiveness in nr-axSpA patients who do not respond to first-line therapy. More recently, accumulated data from genetic, experimental, and clinical studies revealed that IL-17 is a key player in the pathogenesis of SpA, leading to development of new biologics directly inhibiting IL-17.

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Introduction: We elicited Vietnamese Americans' perspectives on culturally appropriate recruitment into a new research registry: Collaborative Approach for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) Research and Education (CARE).

Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 Vietnamese Americans. Topics included knowledge about and experiences with research, outreach and recruitment methods for research participation and registry enrollment, and views about research incentives.

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Objective: To investigate the effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment on lipid profiles and identify risk factors for an increase in total cholesterol (TC) after the anti-TNF treatment in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed AS patients who received the first-line anti-TNF treatment. Patients with at least nine months of follow-up were included; those who were under 18 years or on any lipid-lowering agent were excluded.

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species, classified under Oomycota, cause significant damage to various crops and trees. The present study introduced species, and , new to Korea, which pose notable risks to their respective host plants. Our research provided a comprehensive description of these species taking into account their cultural features, morphological characteristics, and molecular phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit mtDNA genes (1 and 2) sequences.

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Conventional and organic farming systems affect soils differently, thereby influencing microbial diversity and composition. Organic farming, which relies on natural processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, is generally known to improve soil texture and alleviate microbial diversity loss compared with that of conventional farming, which uses synthetic inputs such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides. Although they affect the health and productivity of host plants, the community dynamics of fungi and fungi-like oomycetes (under ) in organic farmland are poorly understood.

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Introduction: This discrete choice experiment (DCE) identified Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults' preferences for recruitment strategies/messaging to enroll in the Collaborative Approach for AAPI Research and Education (CARE) registry for dementia-related research.

Methods: DCE recruitment strategy/messaging options were developed in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. AAPI participants 50 years and older selected (1) who, (2) what, and (3) how they would prefer hearing about CARE.

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In this study, we investigated the effects of organic vegetable juice (OVJ) supplementation on modulating the microbial community, and how its consumption ameliorated blood-lipid profiles in diet-induced obese mice. Here, we studied the alleviating effect of hyperlipidemia via animal experiments using diet-induced obese mice and analyzed the effect of OVJ on the microbial community in continuous colon simulation system. OVJ consumption did not have a significant effect on weight loss but helped reduce the weight of the epididymis fat tissue and adipocytes.

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Protein phosphatase magnesium-dependent 1A (PPM1A), serine/threonine protein phosphatase, in sera level was increased in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Preosteoblasts were differentiated actively to matured osteoblasts by intracellular PPM1A overexpression. However, it was unclear whether extracellular PPM1A contributes to the excessive bone-forming activity in AS.

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Objectives: To identify clinical and genetic factors associated with severe radiographic damage in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: We newly generated genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data (833K) for 444 patients with AS. The severity of radiographic damage was assessed using the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS).

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Enthesophyte formation plays a crucial role in the development of spinal ankylosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We aimed to investigate the role of platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB) in enthesophyte formation of AS using in vitro and in vivo models and to determine the association between PDGFB and spinal progression in AS. Serum PDGFB levels were measured in AS patients and healthy controls (HC).

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The fungal-like family (), also called "water mold," includes mostly aquatic saprophytes as well as notorious aquatic animal pathogens. Most studies on have been biased toward pathogenic species that are important to aquaculture rather than saprotrophic species, despite the latter's crucial roles in carbon cycling of freshwater ecosystems. Few attempts have been made to study the diversity and ecology of ; thus, their ecological role is not well-known.

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Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and revealed significant health disparities with reports of increased discrimination and xenophobia. Among AAPIs, the pandemic exacerbated their social, linguistic, and geographic isolation. Social support may be especially important for AAPIs given the salience of collectivism as a cultural value.

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Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is characterized by back pain which can lead to spinal ankylosis. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) dramatically alleviates symptoms, but spinal damage can still be progressive even during anti-TNF treatment. Smoking is a one of well-known risk factors for structural damage in AS.

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) does not express estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Because TNBC lacks the expression of commonly targeted receptors, it is challenging to develop a new imaging agent for this cancer subtype. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are RNA-protein complexes that have been linked to tumor development and progression.

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Objective: To determine the relationship between inflammation and radiographic progression over time in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) attaining a Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) of < 4 during tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment.

Methods: Medical records data of patients with AS with BASDAI scores of < 4 during TNFi treatment were analyzed at 6-month intervals from January 2001 to December 2018. To determine the relationship between the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) and C-reactive protein (CRP) over time, we fitted linear mixed models with mSASSS as the response variable, baseline mSASSS and the cumulative sum of CRP with different lag times (6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months) as fixed effects, and patients as random effects.

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