Queer Communities and Activism in South Korea: Periphery-Center Currents.

Research into South Korea's LGBT+ communities is growing but still very limited, especially regarding communities in Busan and other urban areas outside the capital city, Seoul. We collected and analyzed responses from young LGBT+ who resided in the periphery and center and who described the two communities, their activist tactics, the connections/separations between them, and periphery-center characteristics of dialogue with opponents and participation in Korea's conservative, evangelical Christian churches. We reveal attitudinal and behavioral differences between Seoul and Busan (and other outlying areas), and we suggest that the differences reflect, in part, physical, social, and psychological distances between LGBT+ residing in the periphery and center.

Gay Seouls: Expanding Religious Spaces for Non-Heterosexuals in South Korea.

What Protestant congregations offer spaces for worship and dialogue among persons with different sexual orientations? The academic literature finds or assumes that non-heterosexuals are stigmatized or invisible in theologically conservative congregations and are welcomed in progressive, affirming congregations. This article develops an alternative claim that some conservative or evangelical congregations offer attractive spaces for non-heterosexuals to worship and dialogue. We illustrate with an exploratory study of four congregations in South Korea-two theologically progressive, two evangelical-whose pastors welcomed everybody regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Anti-HMGCR antibodies as a biomarker for immune-mediated necrotizing myopathies: A history of statins and experience from a large international multi-center study.

In an effort to find naturally occurring substances that reduce cholesterol by inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), statins were first discovered by Endo in 1972. With the widespread prescription and use of statins to decrease morbidity from myocardial infarction and stroke, it was noted that approximately 5% of all statin users experienced muscle pain and weakness during treatment. In a smaller proportion of patients, the myopathy progressed to severe morbidity marked by proximal weakness and severe muscle wasting.

Objective classification of latent behavioral states in bio-logging data using multivariate-normal hidden Markov models.

Analysis of complex time-series data from ecological system study requires quantitative tools for objective description and classification. These tools must take into account largely ignored problems of bias in manual classification, autocorrelation, and noise. Here we describe a method using existing estimation techniques for multivariate-normal hidden Markov models (HMMs) to develop such a classification.

Analysis of autoantibodies to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase using different technologies.

Diagnostic tests are needed to aid in the diagnosis of necrotizing myopathies associated with statin use. This study aimed to compare different technologies for the detection of anti-HMGCR antibodies and analyze the clinical phenotype and autoantibody profile of the patients. Twenty samples from myositis patients positive for anti-HMGCR antibodies using a research addressable laser bead assay and 20 negative controls were tested for autoantibodies to HMGCR: QUANTA Lite HMGCR ELISA and QUANTA Flash HMGCR CIA.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid preservation of photoreceptor structure and function in the rd10 mouse through postnatal day 30.

Purpose: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease resulting in blindness for which there is no current treatment. Although the members of the family of RP diseases differ in etiology, their outcomes are the same: apoptosis of rods and then by cones. Recently, the bile acid tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) has been shown to have antiapoptotic properties in neurodegenerative diseases, including those of the retina.

Status of the feline retina 5 years after subretinal implantation.

Retinal prosthetics are designed to restore functional vision to patients with photoreceptor degeneration by detecting light and stimulating the retina. Since devices are surgically implanted into the eye, long-term biocompatibility and durability are critical for viable treatment of retinal disease. To extend our previous work, which demonstrated the biocompatibility of a microphotodiode array (MPA) for 10 to 27 months in the normal feline retina, we implanted normal cats with an MPA implant backed with either an iridium oxide or platinum electrode and examined retinal function and biocompatibility for 3 to 5 years.

Retinal function after subconjunctival injection of carboplatin in fibrin sealant.

Purpose: To evaluate retinal function in a rabbit model after subconjunctival delivery of carboplatin in balanced saline solution (BSS) or fibrin sealant to determine possible retinal toxicity.

Methods: One group of rabbits (n = 5) received a unilateral subconjunctival injection of 12.2 +/- 1.