Reduction in urban atmospheric CO enhancement in Seoul, South Korea, resulting from social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the spread of the COVID-19 virus globally, cities worldwide have implemented unprecedented social distancing policies to mitigate infection rates. Many studies have demonstrated that improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, questions remain regarding changes in atmospheric CO concentrations because of the complex cycles involving the interaction of CO with the natural environment.

Preliminary Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Needle-Embedding Therapy with Acupuncture for Atopic Dermatitis Patients.

Objectives: Among Traditional Korean Medicine approaches, needle-embedding therapy is used in various fields and consistently studied; however, there have been no clinical studies of the treatment of adult atopic dermatitis (AD) with needle-embedding therapy. Thus, there is a need to investigate the effects of needle-embedding therapy for treatment of AD. This study was performed to identify possible effects of needle-embedding therapy at Quchi acupoint (LI11) on AD and to compare these effects with those of acupuncture therapy.

Gallstone prevalence and risk factors in patients with ulcerative colitis in Korean population.

This study aims to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and relative risk of gallstones and associated disease in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Medical records of 311 patients diagnosed with UC between January 2004 and February 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. To assess relative risk, 622 patients matched by age, sex, and body mass index were included as a control group.

Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection by Age Group.

Background/aims: Advanced age is a known risk factor of poor outcomes for colitis, including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The present study compares the clinical outcomes of young and old patients hospitalized for CDI.

Methods: The clinical records of patients admitted from January 2007 to December 2013 with a diagnosis of CDI were analyzed.

Effectiveness of combined biliary and duodenal stenting in patients with malignant biliary and duodenal obstruction.

Introduction: Concomitant biliary and duodenal obstructions are not uncommon complications in patients with gastroduodenal or pancreatobiliary malignancies. Alleviation of obstruction is very important for the palliation of inoperable patients. We studied the clinical outcomes of combined biliary and duodenal stenting.

Identification of chicken nebulin isoforms of the 31-residue motifs and non-muscle nebulin.

Nebulin is a very large (M(r) 600-900kDa) actin-binding protein that is specific to skeletal muscle, and which is thought to act as a molecular template that regulates the length of sarcomere thin filaments. The 31-residue motif of nebulin contains a unique PEhXRVKXNQ consensus sequence. We have previously identified 11 different human nebulin isoforms of these 31-residue motifs.