Korean dental hygiene students' perceptions and attitudes toward artificial intelligence: An online survey.

Objectives: This study investigated Korean dental hygiene students' perceptions and attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and aimed to identify needs for education to strengthen professional competencies.

Methods: A 24-question online survey was conducted to the dental hygiene students from four Korean schools in 2021. The questionnaire included seven questions on basic characteristics and 17 AI-related questions on the student's attitudes toward AI, the confidence in AI, predictions about AI, and its future prospects.

Comparison of factor structures of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index between mid- and late pregnancy among Korean women: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Sleep disturbance in pregnant women needs to be accurately assessed in a timely manner during pregnancy, to receive assessment-driven accurate intervention. This study aims to compare the factor structure of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) among women in mid- and late pregnancy and evaluate the psychometric features of the Korean version of the PSQI.

Methods: The survey questionnaire with the PSQI, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, and pregnancy stress, was completed by 281 women in mid- or late pregnancy.

Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety during Pregnancy and Associations with Pregnancy Stress.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the trajectory groups of depressive symptoms and anxiety in women during pregnancy and to identify the factors associated with those groups. Participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a women's health hospital in Seoul, Korea. Pregnant women ( = 136) completed a survey questionnaire that included questions on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pregnancy stress; additionally, their saliva was tested for cortisol hormone levels three times during their pregnancies.

Cluster Analysis of the Combined Association of Sleep and Physical Activity with Healthy Behavior and Psychological Health in Pregnant Women.

The purposes of the study were to (1) identify clusters based on patterns of sleep quality and duration and physical activity levels of healthy Korean pregnant women, and (2) subsequently investigate the association of identified clusters with pre-pregnancy healthy behaviors, depressive symptoms, and pregnancy stress. Two hundred eighty-four pregnant women participated in the study while attending a prenatal education program provided by a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The survey questionnaire consisted of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.

Delayed Motor Development and Infant Obesity as Risk Factors for Severe Deformational Plagiocephaly: A Matched Case-Control Study.

The prevalence of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) has increased since the recommendation of positioning infants to their back during sleeping and is affected by various biological and environmental factors. This study aimed to investigate associations between DP and perinatal or infant characteristics, including obesity. This case-control study included 135 infants (81 males) aged 2-12 months who were diagnosed with DP using calculated cranial vault asymmetric index and cranial index and 135 age- and sex-matched controls.

Development of a model (SWNano) to assess the fate and transport of TiO engineered nanoparticles in sewer networks.

A new model, SWNano (Sewer-Water Nano), has been developed in the present study that quantitatively simulates the spatio-temporal changes in the concentrations of TiO ENPs of dispersed and aggregated forms in the sewage water and sediment of a sewer network. As a brief example of SWNano applications, a small section of the entire sewer network of Seoul, Korea, was chosen to study where the sewage water was experimentally characterized. The predictions of SWNano present important findings that i) heteroaggregation is the most significant process following the advective transport among the fate and transport processes in the sewer pipes, ii) the heteroaggregation of TiO ENPs with SPMs in the sewage water can substantially (a few % to more than 50%) reduce the freely dispersed TiO ENPs depending on the magnitude of attachment efficiency, and iii) accurate determination of attachment efficiency is of critical importance in predicting the quantity of individual forms of ENPs exiting the sewer system.

Incidence and Prevalence of Central Precocious Puberty in Korea: An Epidemiologic Study Based on a National Database.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of central precocious puberty in Korea using claims data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea as the population-based epidemiologic study.

Study Design: In this national registry-based, longitudinal, epidemiologic study, patients who were registered with an International Classifications of Diseases, Tenth Revision diagnosis of central precocious puberty (E22.8 according to International Classifications of Diseases, Tenth Revision) and treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist were included.

Serum alanine aminotransferase levels are closely associated with metabolic disturbances in apparently healthy young adolescents independent of obesity.

Purpose: Liver metabolism plays a pivotal role in the development of metabolic disorders. We aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory risk factors associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in young adolescents from an urban population in Korea.

Methods: A population of 120 apparently healthy adolescents aged 12-13 years was included in the cross-sectional design study; 58 were overweight or obese and 62 were of normal weight.

Blood concentrations of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, and Interleukin-6 in relation to insulin resistance in young adolescents.

Background: We assessed the association of insulin resistance as indicated by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with inflammatory molecules, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in urban young adolescents.

Methods: Seventy-six adolescents (36 subjects with HOMA-IR ≥ 2.6 and 40 subjects with HOMA-IR < 2.

Zonulin level, a marker of intestinal permeability, is increased in association with liver enzymes in young adolescents.

Background: Zonulin is acknowledged as the only physiological mediator established to reversibly regulate intestinal permeability through modulation of intercellular tight junctions. We aimed to determine whether there are differences in zonulin levels between 74 subjects with overweight or obesity and 76 with normal-weight and to assess correlations of circulating zonulin levels with anthropometric measures and obesity-related biomarkers.

Methods: We assessed anthropometric and laboratory measures, including body mass index (BMI) z-score, blood pressure, liver enzymes, lipid profiles, and insulin resistance.

A boy with 46,X,+mar presenting gynecomastia and short stature.

A 15-year-old boy was referred due to gynecomastia and short stature. He was overweight and showed the knuckle-dimple sign on the left hand, a short fourth toe on the left foot, and male external genitalia with a small phallus. His levels of estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone were increased, and his testosterone concentration was normal.

Comparison of point-source pollutant loadings to soil and groundwater for 72 chemical substances.

Fate and transport of 72 chemicals in soil and groundwater were assessed by using a multiphase compositional model (CompFlow Bio) because some of the chemicals are non-aqueous phase liquids or solids in the original form. One metric ton of chemicals were assumed to leak in a stylized facility. Scenarios of both surface spills and subsurface leaks were considered.

A 2-month-old boy with hemolytic anemia and reticulocytopenia following intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for Kawasaki disease: a case report and literature review.

Herein, we report a rare case of hemolytic anemia with reticulocytopenia following intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in a young infant treated for Kawasaki disease. A 2-month-old boy presented with fever lasting 3 days, conjunctival injection, strawberry tongue, erythematous edema of the hands, and macular rash, symptoms and signs suggestive of incomplete Kawasaki disease. His fever resolved 8 days after treatment with aspirin and high dose infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin.

Ultrasound measurement of pediatric visceral fat thickness: correlations with metabolic and liver profiles.

Purpose: Abdominal obesity is a fundamental factor underlying the development of metabolic syndrome. Because of radiation exposure and cost, computed tomography or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to evaluate abdominal adiposity are not appropriate in children. Authors evaluated whether ultrasound results could be an indicator of insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein plasma levels as a biomarker of obesity-related insulin resistance in adolescents.

Purpose: Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) is a 65-kDa acute phase protein, derived from the liver, which is present in high concentrations in plasma. Data regarding the association between circulating plasma LBP levels and obesity-related biomarkers in the pediatric population are scarce. We aimed to determine whether there was a difference in plasma LBP levels between overweight/obese and normal-weight adolescents and to assess the correlation of circulating LBP levels with anthropometric measures and obesity-related biomarkers, including insulin resistance, liver enzyme levels, and lipid profiles.

Male patients presenting with rapidly progressive puberty associated with malignant tumors.

In males, precocious puberty (PP) is defined as the development of secondary sexual characteristics before age 9 years. PP is usually idiopathic; though, organic abnormalities including tumors are more frequently found in male patients with PP. However, advanced puberty in male also can be an important clinical manifestation in tumors.

A patient with Cushing disease lateralizing a pituitary adenoma by inferior petrosal sinus sampling using desmopressin: a case report.

A 14-year-old girl was referred for evaluation of the etiology of Cushing syndrome. During the previous 2 years, she had experienced weight gain, secondary amenorrhea, growth retardation, and back pain. Random serum cortisol level, 24-hour urinary free cortisol excretion, and overnight and low-dose dexamethasone suppression tests suggested Cushing syndrome.

Turner syndrome with spinal hemorrhage due to vascular malformation.

Turner syndrome (TS) is a relatively common chromosomal disorder and is associated with a range of comorbidities involving the cardiovascular system. Vascular abnormalities, in particular, are a common finding in cases of TS. However, dissection involving the vertebral arteries is rare.

XYY syndrome: a 13-year-old boy with tall stature.

When evaluating the underlying causes of tall stature, it is important to differentiate pathologic tall stature from familial tall stature. Various pathologic conditions leading to adult tall stature include excess growth hormone secretion, Marfan syndrome, androgen or estrogen deficiency, testicular feminization, and sex chromosome anomaly, such as Klinefelter syndrome and XYY syndrome. Men with 47,XYY syndrome can exhibit multiple phenotypes.

Hypotonic hyponatremia by primary polydipsia caused brain death in a 10-year-old boy.

Hypotonic hyponatremia by primary polydipsia can cause severe neurologic complications due to cerebral edema. A 10-year-and-4-month-old boy with a psychiatric history of intellectual disability and behavioral disorders who presented with chief complaints of seizure and mental change showed severe hypotonic hyponatremia with low urine osmolality (serum sodium, 101 mmol/L; serum osmolality, 215 mOsm/kg; urine osmolality, 108 mOsm/kg). The patient had been polydipsic for a few months prior, and this had been worse in the previous few days.

Clinical manifestations of testicular adrenal rest tumor in males with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Purpose: In male patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), the presence of testicular adrenal rest tumors (TARTs) have been reported, however their prevalence and clinical manifestations are not well known. Untreated TARTs may lead to testicular structural damage and infertility. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of TARTs in male patients with CAH, and characterize the manifestations to identify contributing factors to TART.

Food allergen sensitization in young children with typical signs and symptoms of immediate-type food allergies: a comparison between monosensitized and polysensitized children.

Purpose: The clinical interpretation of children sensitized to allergens is challenging, particularly in children with food allergies. We aimed to examine clinical differences between children with monosensitization and those with polysensitization to common food allergens and to determine risk factors for polysensitization in young children <10 years of age with immediate-type food allergies.

Methods: The study included children <10 years of age with signs and symptoms indicative of immediate-type food allergies.

Clinical risk factors associated with the development of wheezing in children less than 2 years of age who required hospitalization for viral lower respiratory tract infections.

Purpose: Wheezing following viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children <2 years of age is an important risk factor for the development of asthma later in life; however, not all children with viral LRTIs develop wheezing. This study investigated risk factors for the development of wheezing during viral LRTIs requiring hospitalization.

Methods: The study included 142 children <2 years of age hospitalized for LRTIs with at least one virus identified as the cause and classified them into children diagnosed with LRTIs with wheezing (n=70) and those diagnosed with LRTIs without wheezing (n=72).