Gastrocnemius Medial Head Stiffness Is Associated with Potential Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

The aim of this study is to compare the muscle strength, balance ability, thickness, and stiffness of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscle in the elderly, with (fallers) and without (non-fallers) fall experience, and confirmed the correlation between the variables mentioned above and muscle stiffness in the faller. We selected 122 elderly participants, comprising 40 fallers and 82 non-fallers, and measured the muscle strength of the tibialis anterior (TA) and the gastrocnemius (GA). Balance ability was measured by the functional reach test (FRT), timed up and go test (TUG), short physical performance battery (SPPB), and gait speed (GS).

Development and Validation of the Happiness Scale for Middle-Aged Women Based on Existence, Relation, and Growth Theory.

Purpose: This study aimed at developing a happiness assessment scale for middle-aged women (HAS-MW) in Korea.

Methods: Preliminary items for the scale were drafted from the results of literature review and personal interviews and open-ended questions with women in the community. The interviews were based on the theory of existence, relatedness, and growth.

Decision between mitophagy and apoptosis by Parkin via VDAC1 ubiquitination.

VDAC1 is a critical substrate of Parkin responsible for the regulation of mitophagy and apoptosis. Here, we demonstrate that VDAC1 can be either mono- or polyubiquitinated by Parkin in a PINK1-dependent manner. VDAC1 deficient with polyubiquitination (VDAC1 Poly-KR) hampers mitophagy, but VDAC1 deficient with monoubiquitination (VDAC1 K274R) promotes apoptosis by augmenting the mitochondrial calcium uptake through the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) channel.

Genetic characteristics of Y-chromosome short tandem repeat haplotypes from cigarette butt samples presumed to be smoked by North Korean men.

Korea has been divided into South Korea and North Korea for over 70 years. DNA profiles of the North Korean population have never been reported in the Y-chromosome STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD; https://yhrd.org ).

Molecular Genealogy of a Mongol Queen's Family and Her Possible Kinship with Genghis Khan.

Members of the Mongol imperial family (designated the Golden family) are buried in a secret necropolis; therefore, none of their burial grounds have been found. In 2004, we first discovered 5 graves belonging to the Golden family in Tavan Tolgoi, Eastern Mongolia. To define the genealogy of the 5 bodies and the kinship among them, SNP and/or STR profiles of mitochondria, autosomes, and Y chromosomes were analyzed.