Grading system for periodontitis by analyzing levels of periodontal pathogens in saliva.

Periodontitis is an infectious disease that is associated with microorganisms that colonize the tooth surface. Clinically, periodontal condition stability reflects dynamic equilibrium between bacterial challenge and host response. Therefore, periodontal pathogen assessment can assist in the early detection of periodontitis.

Vascular and cardiac autonomic function and PM constituents among the elderly: A longitudinal study.

Background: Although epidemiologic studies have shown an association between the total mass of particulate matter <2.5μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM) and cardiovascular disease, few studies have examined PM constituents associated with vascular and cardiac autonomic dysfunction.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, we investigated the relationship between PM constituents and blood pressure (BP), and markers of the autonomic nervous system.

Age-specific prevalence of serrated lesions and their subtypes by screening colonoscopy: a retrospective study.

Background: Serrated lesions of the colorectum as categorized by pathology include hyperplastic polyps, sessile serrated adenomas without dysplasia, and traditional serrated adenomas with dysplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of various subtypes of serrated lesions by age.

Methods: In this study, 28,544 consecutive asymptomatic patients (aged 22-88 years) were evaluated during health check-ups involving colonoscopies performed by gastroenterologists at a single institution from 2005 to 2012.

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Korean Health Personnel.

Background/aims: The aims of this study were to evaluate whether doctors and nurses in a single hospital were at an increased risk of acquiring Helicobacter pylori infection in 2011 and to identify risk factors for H. pylori seroprevalence.

Methods: Nurses (n=362), doctors (n=110), health personnel without patient contact (medical control, n=179), and nonhospital controls (n=359) responded to a questionnaire during a health check-up, which included questions on socioeconomic status, education level, working years, and occupation in 2011.

Neuronal synapse formation induced by microglia and interleukin 10.

Recently, it was found that microglia regulated synaptic remodeling of the developing brain, but their mechanisms have not been well understood. In this study, the action of microglia on neuronal synapse formation was investigated, and the primary target of microglial processes was discovered. When the developing microglia were applied to cultured hippocampal neurons without direct contact, the numbers of dendritic spines and excitatory and inhibitory synapses significantly increased.

Prevalence and risk factors of functional dyspepsia: a nationwide multicenter prospective study in Korea.

Goals: To evaluate the prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD) and its risk factors.

Background: FD is a common disorder, but its negative influences greatly affect the quality of life. The predictive factors of FD are still ambiguous.

Synapse formation regulated by protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor T through interaction with cell adhesion molecules and Fyn.

The receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) have been linked to signal transduction, cell adhesion, and neurite extension. PTPRT/RPTPrho is exclusively expressed in the central nervous system and regulates synapse formation by interacting with cell adhesion molecules and Fyn protein tyrosine kinase. Overexpression of PTPRT in cultured neurons increased the number of excitatory and inhibitory synapses by recruiting neuroligins that interact with PTPRT through their ecto-domains.

Clinical outcome of rumination syndrome in adults without psychiatric illness: a prospective study.

Background And Aim: This prospective study was conducted to characterize the clinical features of adult rumination syndrome, in the absence of psychiatric illness, by applying newly modified clinical criteria, and to elucidate factors influencing outcomes after treatment.

Methods: Twenty-one adult patients diagnosed with rumination syndrome at a tertiary referral center over a 2-year period were enrolled in the study. All patients received supportive psychotherapy and medical treatment.

Clinical usefulness of subgrouping of patients with non-cardiac chest pain according to characteristic symptoms in Korea.

Background: Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is a heterogeneous disorder. There is controversy about the associations between symptoms and causes in NCCP patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of subgrouping according to characteristic symptoms in NCCP patients.

Autologous allogeneic amniotic membrane grafting in Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

We describe the use of autologous allogeneic amniotic membrane in ocular surface reconstruction. A 28-year-old woman with cicatricial entropion from Stevens-Johnson syndrome had recurrent keratinization of the tarsal conjunctiva. Amniotic membrane from the patient's own conceptus was stored and successfully used in ocular surface reconstruction with improvement of ocular symptoms.

Twenty-four-hour pattern of intraocular pressure in young adults with moderate to severe myopia.

Purpose: To characterize the 24-hour change of intraocular pressure (IOP) in young adults with moderate to severe myopia.

Methods: Nineteen young adults, ages 18 to 25 years, with moderate to severe myopia (myopia group) and 17 age-matched volunteers with emmetropia or mild myopia (control group) were housed for 1 day in a sleep laboratory. An 8-hour accustomed sleep period was assigned to each volunteer.