Gain of a New Exon by a Lineage-Specific Alu Element-Integration Event in the BCS1L Gene during Primate Evolution.

BCS1L gene encodes mitochondrial protein and is a member of conserved AAA protein family. This gene is involved in the incorporation of Rieske FeS and Qcr10p into complex III of respiratory chain. In our previous study, AluYRa2-derived alternative transcript in rhesus monkey genome was identified.

Professional Quality of Life and Clinical Competencies among Korean Nurses.

Purpose: Clinical competence among nurses is an essential requirement for the provision of safe and effective patient care. This study aims to classify types of professional quality of life experienced by Korean nurses, and examine the relationship between demographic and professional characteristics and clinical competence among nurses experiencing each type.

Methods: A total of 335 nurses completed questionnaires assessing professional quality of life, clinical competence, and demographic and professional characteristics.

Sensory Impairment and Health-Related Quality of Life.

Background: Sensory impairment is a common condition that exerts negative effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the elderly. This study aimed to determine the relationship between sensory impairment and HRQoL and identify sensory-specific differences in the HRQoL of elderly.

Methods: This study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010-2012), analyzing 5,260 subjects over 60 years of age who completed ophthalmic and otologic examinations.

Does the Degree of Perihepatitis Have Any Relevance to the Severity of the Manifestations of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease on Multidetector Computed Tomography?

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the degree of perihepatitis and the severity of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).

Methods: A total of 177 women with PID who underwent biphasic abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans were enrolled. Two reviewers retrospectively reviewed the CT scans with consensus and subjectively categorized the severity of PID into 4 grades (normal, mild, moderate, and severe).

Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Adult End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Background: The population of individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Korea is increasing rapidly, yet comprehensive research on the quality of life (QOL) of this population undergoing hemodialysis is scarce.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing QOL of Korean hemodialysis patients with ESRD.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey.

Prevalence and factors associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use in korean elders.

Background: This study examined hearing loss prevalence and hearing aid usage rates among Korean elders by comparing the differences between those with and without hearing loss, and between those who used and did not use hearing aids.

Methods: This study was based on data collected during the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010-2012). The study sample consisted of 5,447 Koreans aged ≥60 years who received a hearing assessment.

Characterization of Cerebral Damage in a Monkey Model of Alzheimer's Disease Induced by Intracerebroventricular Injection of Streptozotocin.

In line with recent findings showing Alzheimer's disease (AD) as an insulin-resistant brain state, a non-transgenic animal model with intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (icv-STZ) administration has been proposed as a representative experimental model of AD. Although icv-STZ rodent models of AD have been increasingly researched, studies in non-human primate models are very limited. In this study, we aimed to characterize the cerebral damage caused by icv-STZ in non-human primates; to achieve this, three cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were administered four dosages of STZ (2 mg/kg) dissolved in artificial cerebrospinal fluid and another three controls were injected with only artificial cerebrospinal fluid at the cerebellomedullary cistern.

The association between alcohol consumption patterns and health-related quality of life in a nationally representative sample of South Korean adults.

This study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a nationally representative sample of middle-aged to older South Koreans. Data collected from 3,408 men and 3,361 women aged ≥ 40 years were obtained from the 2010 and 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Based on the World Health Organization guidelines, the participants were categorized into zones I (0-7), II (8-15), III (16-19), or IV (20-40) according to their Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, with a higher zone indicating a higher level of alcohol consumption.

Complications related to medical devices of the abdomen and pelvis: pictorial essay.

A variety of medical devices are used to monitor or treat abdominal and pelvic diseases. They are routinely recognized on abdominal radiographs and computed tomography (CT), and complications associated with their use are not uncommon. The complications associated with the use of the medical devices are migration, malposition and fracture, which can be easily recognized on abdominal radiographs.

Quantitative expression analysis of APP pathway and tau phosphorylation-related genes in the ICV STZ-induced non-human primate model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease.

The accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins in the brain, such as amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau, is a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previously, we developed and validated a novel non-human primate model for sporadic AD (sAD) research using intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocin (icv STZ). To date, no characterization of AD-related genes in different brain regions has been performed.

The roles of the liver and pancreas in renal nutcracker syndrome.

Introduction: To assess the frequency and significance of presence of the liver and pancreas at the left renal vein (LRV) level in patients with suspected renal nutcracker syndrome (NCS).

Materials And Methods: We included 101 patients with hematuria who underwent urography three-dimensional CT between April 2009 and November 2013. These patients were divided into NCS (n=25) and non-NCS (n=76) patients according to the following CT criteria: (1) the presence of beak sign and (2) hilar-aortomesenteric left renal vein diameter ratio >4.

Korean nurses' ethical dilemmas, professional values and professional quality of life.

Background: In the changing medical environment, professional stress continuously increases as the individual's quality of life suffers. Of all the healthcare professions, nursing is especially prone to burnout, compassion fatigue and reduced compassion satisfaction, due to the tensions resulting from the physical and psychological stress of caring for extremely ill patients.

Objectives: This study examined the professional quality of life of clinical nurses in Korea and the relationship between their experiences in ethical dilemmas and professional values.

The anti-inflammatory effect of Indonesian Areca catechu leaf extract in vitro and in vivo.

Background/objectives: Overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme can cause inflammation. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is also involved in the inflammatory response through regulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Areca catechu is one of the known fruit plants of the Palmaceae family.

Developmental competence of bovine early embryos depends on the coupled response between oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The stress produced by the coupling of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been explored extensively, but little is known regarding their roles in the early development of mammalian embryos. Here, we demonstrated that the early development of in vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos was governed by the cooperative action between ROS and ER stress. Compared with the tension produced by 5% O2, 20% O2 significantly decreased the blastocyst formation rate and cell survival, which was accompanied by increases in ROS and in levels of sXBP-1 transcript, which is an ER stress indicator.

Enhanced handoff scheme for downlink-uplink asymmetric channels in cellular systems.

In the latest cellular networks, data services like SNS and UCC can create asymmetric packet generation rates over the downlink and uplink channels. This asymmetry can lead to a downlink-uplink asymmetric channel condition being experienced by cell edge users. This paper proposes a handoff scheme to cope effectively with downlink-uplink asymmetric channels.

Role of gangliosides in the differentiation of human mesenchymal-derived stem cells into osteoblasts and neuronal cells.

Gangliosides are complex glycosphingolipids that are the major component of cytoplasmic cell membranes, and play a role in the control of biological processes. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have received considerable attention as alternative sources of adult stem cells because of their potential to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. In this study, we focus on various functional roles of gangliosides in the differentiation of hMSCs into osteoblasts or neuronal cells.

Insulin/IGF signaling-related gene expression in the brain of a sporadic Alzheimer's disease monkey model induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin.

We reported previously that the intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (icv-STZ)-treated cynomolgus monkey showed regionally specific glucose hypometabolism in FDG-PET imaging, similar to that observed in the early stages of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). However, further pathological analyses of this model at the molecular level are needed to validate it as a feasible model for sAD. Two cynomolgus monkeys were injected with 2 mg/kg STZ into the cerebellomedullary cistern at day 1, 7 and 14.

Induction of autophagy during in vitro maturation improves the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes.

While a critical role of autophagy in mammalian early embryogenesis has been demonstrated, few studies have been conducted regarding the role of autophagy in in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes. In the present study we investigated the effect of rapamycin, a chemical autophagy inducer, on the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes. Rapamycin treatment led to increased expression of LC3-II, an autophagy marker.

Selection of new appropriate reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis via transcriptome sequencing of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

In the investigation of the expression levels of target genes, reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most accurate and widely used method. However, a normalization step is a prerequisite to obtain accurate quantification results from RT-qPCR data. Therefore, many studies regarding the selection of reference genes have been carried out.

RASSF1A-mediated regulation of AREG via the Hippo pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Ras association domain family 1 isoform A (RASSF1A) is a tumor suppressor that is methylated in many human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RASSF1A has been shown to suppress tumors via activation of the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway, including mammalian STE20-like kinase (MST). Amphiregulin (AREG), a target gene for Yes-associated protein (YAP), is a known oncogenic component of the Hippo pathway; however, the tumor-suppressive effect of RASSF1A on AREG in regard to regulation of the Hippo pathway remains unclear in HCC.

Valproic acid enhances early development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Despite the positive roles of histone deacetylase inhibitors in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), few studies have evaluated valproic acid (VPA) and its associated developmental events. Thus, the present study was conducted to elucidate the effect of VPA on the early development of bovine SCNT embryos and the underlying mechanisms of action. The histone acetylation level of SCNT embryos was successfully restored by VPA, with optimal results obtained by treatment with 3mM VPA for 24h.

Selection of appropriate reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis in a streptozotocin-induced Alzheimer's disease model of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) has been widely used to quantify relative gene expression because of the specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of this technique. In order to obtain reliable gene expression data from RT-qPCR experiments, it is important to utilize optimal reference genes for the normalization of target gene expression under varied experimental conditions. Previously, we developed and validated a novel icv-STZ cynomolgus monkey model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) research.

Efficient production of transgenic mice by intracytoplasmic injection of streptolysin-O-treated spermatozoa.

Many methods for efficient production of transgenic animals for biomedical research have been developed. Despite great improvements in transgenesis rates resulting from the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the ICSI-based sperm-mediated gene-transfer (iSMGT) technique is still not optimal in terms of sperm permeabilization efficiency and subsequent development. Here, we demonstrate that streptolysin-O (SLO) can efficiently permeabilize mouse spermatozoa, leading to improved developmental competence and high transgenesis rates in iSMGT embryos and pups.

Human leukocytes regulate ganglioside expression in cultured micro-pig aortic endothelial cells.

Gangliosides are ubiquitous components of the membranes of mammalian cells that are thought to play important roles in various cell functions such as cell-cell interaction, cell adhesion, cell differentiation, growth control, and signaling. However, the role that gangliosides play in the immune rejection response after xenotransplantation is not yet clearly understood. In this study, the regulatory effects of human leukocytes on ganglioside expression in primary cultured micro-pig aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) were investigated.