Changes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and M2BPGi due to lifestyle intervention in primary healthcare.

Background: A healthy lifestyle is the most important method for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Mac-2-binding protein glycosylated isomer (M2BPGi) has been suggested as a biomarker for NAFLD. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of personalized lifestyle interventions on NAFLD remission.

Reference intervals of cell population data parameters in Sysmex XN-Series and its patterns of changes from early adulthood to geriatric ages in South Korea.

Introduction: Cell population data (CPD) parameters may be putative biomarkers for the screening of various diseases including some infections and myelodysplastic syndrome. This study aimed to establish the age- and sex-specific reference intervals (RIs) for the CPD parameters in the Korean population.

Methods: The reference population for the RIs of CPD parameters comprised 124 856 subjects aged 20-99 years.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response and Sustainability after a Third Dose of BNT162b2 in Healthcare Workers at Health Promotion Centers.

The aim of this study was to determine the antibody response and the sustainability of immunogenicity after a third dose of BNT162b2 (BNT) in homologous [ChAdOx1 (ChAd)/ChAd, BNT/BNT, and mRNA-1273 (Moderna)/Moderna] and heterologous (ChAd/BNT) vaccinations of two primary doses with different schemes. This prospective observational study recruited consenting healthcare workers from 16 health checkup centers in 13 Korean cities. Three-point blood tests were analyzed as the antibody response after the third vaccination: T3-1 (1 month after the third dose), T3-3 (3 months after the third dose), and T3-4-10 (4-10 months after the third dose).

Establishment and validation of reference intervals for tumor markers (AFP, CEA, CA19-9, CA15-3, CA125, PSA, HE4, Cyfra 21-1, and ProGRP) in primary care centers in Korea: A cross-sectional retrospective study.

Background And Aims: The reference interval (RI) for a tumor marker may vary between populations, detection systems, and the methods used to obtain their values. The aims of this study were to establish age- and sex-specific RIs for the following nine common tumor markers and to validate the established RIs in Korean adults: alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen (CA) 19-9, CA15-3, CA125, Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), total prostate specific antigen, cytokeratin fragment (Cyfra) 21-1, and progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP).

Methods: This cross-sectional study consecutively selected 214,159 individuals (aged 18-98 years) who underwent health checkups at 16 health-promotion centers in 13 Korean cities.

Chronic kidney disease in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at primary healthcare centers in Korea.

Background: The prevalence rates of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are expected to increase with the rising trends in diabetes and obesity associated with aging populations. Considering the impacts of coexistent NAFLD and CKD on morbidity and mortality rates, screening strategies for groups at high-risk of CKD are needed in community-dwelling individuals with NAFLD. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence and distribution of CKD in NAFLD, as well as the risk factors for CKD and the correlation with liver fibrosis in asymptomatic individuals with NAFLD at primary healthcare centers in Korea.

The usefulness of the estimated average glucose/fasting blood glucose ratio for pancreatic β-cell function assessment in hyperglycemia during health checkups.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a disease marked by inadequate insulin secretion by pancreatic beta-cell function (BCF) failure and insulin resistance (IR). Assessing and managing the BCF and IR should be started early to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of the estimated average glucose (eAG)/fasting blood glucose (FBG) ratio for pancreatic BCF in hyperglycemia.

Antibody response after two doses of homologous or heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in healthcare workers at health promotion centers: A prospective observational study.

Assaying of anti-spike-protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) antibodies are used to aid evaluations of the immune statuses of individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the antibody response after two doses of homologous or heterologous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines and to identify the factors affecting this response among healthcare workers (HCWs) at health promotion centers. In this prospective observational study, 1095 consenting HCWs were recruited from 16 health checkup centers and were tested at T0 (day of first dose), T1-1 (1 month after first dose), T2-0 (day of second dose), T2-1 (1 month after second dose), and T2-3 (3 months after second dose).

The Reproducibility and Usefulness of Estimated Average Glucose for Hyperglycemia Management during Health Checkups: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

HbA1c reflects average glucose levels over 3 months, but it does not measure glycemic variability. This study aimed to determine the reproducibility and usefulness of HbA1c-derived estimated average glucose (eAG) and to analyze the factors associated with eAG during health checkups. This cross-sectional retrospective study consecutively selected subjects who had undergone health checkups at 16 health-promotion centers in 13 Korean cities in 2020.

Relative Lean Body Mass and Waist Circumference for the Identification of Metabolic Syndrome in the Korean General Population.

Lean body mass (LBM) comprises organs and muscle, which are the primary determinants of energy expenditure and regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Excessive abdominal fat is associated with metabolic abnormality. Little is known about the relationship between metabolic abnormality and LBM and waist circumference (WC), especially in the Asian general population.

Subclinical steatohepatitis and advanced liver fibrosis in health examinees with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 10 South Korean cities: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has a risk of progressing to cirrhosis. The prevalence of NASH and its associated risk factors in community populations are relatively unknown. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NASH and advanced liver fibrosis using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and determine those risk factors in health examinees with asymptomatic fatty liver.

Prevalence of liver fibrosis and associated risk factors in the Korean general population: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The health burden of chronic liver disease is increasing worldwide. Its main histological consequence is liver fibrosis, and eventually cirrhosis. This process is rarely diagnosed at the pre-cirrhotic stage due to it being asymptomatic.

Distribution of hemoglobin levels and prevalence of anemia according to sex, age group, and region in 13 Korean cities.

Introduction: The distribution of hemoglobin (Hb) levels and the prevalence of anemia are significant public health indicators. The aims of this study were to determine the distribution of Hb levels and the prevalence of anemia according to sex, age group, and region throughout Korea.

Methods: The study analyzed data on 1 159 298 subjects who received health checkups at 16 health-promotion centers in 13 Korean cities during 2018.

Molecular Studies of the Protein Complexes Involving -Prenyltransferase in Guayule (), an Alternative Rubber-Producing Plant.

Guayule () is a perennial shrub in the Asteraceae family and synthesizes a high quality, hypoallergenic -1,4-polyisoprene (or natural rubber; NR). Despite its potential to be an alternative NR supplier, the enzymes for -polyisoprene biosynthesis have not been comprehensively studied in guayule. Recently, implications of the protein complex involving -prenyltransferases (CPTs) and CPT-Binding Proteins (CBPs) in NR biosynthesis were shown in lettuce and dandelion, but such protein complexes have yet to be examined in guayule.

Efficacy of lifestyle interventions in the reversion to normoglycemia in Korean prediabetics: One-year results from a randomised controlled trial.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of personalized lifestyle interventions on the reversion of a prediabetic state to normoglycemia compared with regular blood glucose testing alone in prediabetes.

Methods: A randomized, multicenter trial was conducted in prediabetes aged 30-70 with fasting blood glucose level of 5.6-6.

Conserved and Diverged Functions of the Calcineurin-Activated Prz1 Transcription Factor in Fission Yeast.

Gene regulation in response to intracellular calcium is mediated by the calcineurin-activated transcription factor Prz1 in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe Genome-wide studies of the Crz1 and CrzA fungal orthologs have uncovered numerous target genes involved in conserved and species-specific cellular processes. In contrast, very few target genes of Prz1 have been published. This article identifies an extensive list of genes using transcriptome and ChIP-chip analyses under inducing conditions of Prz1, including CaCl2 and tunicamycin treatment, as well as a ∆pmr1 genetic background.

A lettuce (Lactuca sativa) homolog of human Nogo-B receptor interacts with cis-prenyltransferase and is necessary for natural rubber biosynthesis.

Natural rubber (cis-1,4-polyisoprene) is an indispensable biopolymer used to manufacture diverse consumer products. Although a major source of natural rubber is the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is also known to synthesize natural rubber. Here, we report that an unusual cis-prenyltransferase-like 2 (CPTL2) that lacks the conserved motifs of conventional cis-prenyltransferase is required for natural rubber biosynthesis in lettuce.

Functional characterization of fission yeast transcription factors by overexpression analysis.

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, over 90% of transcription factor genes are nonessential. Moreover, the majority do not exhibit significant growth defects under optimal conditions when deleted, complicating their functional characterization and target gene identification. Here, we systematically overexpressed 99 transcription factor genes with the nmt1 promoter and found that 64 transcription factor genes exhibited reduced fitness when ectopically expressed.

Deciphering the transcriptional-regulatory network of flocculation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the transcriptional-regulatory network that governs flocculation remains poorly understood. Here, we systematically screened an array of transcription factor deletion and overexpression strains for flocculation and performed microarray expression profiling and ChIP-chip analysis to identify the flocculin target genes. We identified five transcription factors that displayed novel roles in the activation or inhibition of flocculation (Rfl1, Adn2, Adn3, Sre2, and Yox1), in addition to the previously-known Mbx2, Cbf11, and Cbf12 regulators.

Preferential extravasation and accumulation of liposomal vincristine in tumor comparing to normal tissue enhances antitumor activity.

To quantitatively evaluate the extravasation, accumulation and selectivity to tumor tissues of liposomal vincristine (LV), dorsal skin-fold window chambers on athymic mice with or without LX-1, a human small cell lung cancer, xenograft implants and fluorescent intravital microscopy imaging were used. In vitro studies show that minimal loss of fluorescence marker DiI from liposomes occurs after 4 days of inoculation in murine plasma, and the release profiles of DiI-LV and LV were essentially the same with approximately 40% of the encapsulated vincristine sulfate (VCR) released after 26 h. Significantly faster extravasation of DiI-LV from tumor vessels was shown compared to non-tumor tissue after single dose i.