Clinical Manifestations and Genotype of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Diagnosed in Korea: Multicenter Study.

Purpose: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder that leads to secondary ciliary dysfunction. PCD is a rare disease, and data on it are limited in Korea. This study systematically evaluated the clinical symptoms, diagnostic characteristics, and treatment modalities of pediatric PCD in Korea.

Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Cyclosporine Relative to Immunomodulatory Drugs Used in Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is effective in treating moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effectiveness and safety of low-dose (<4 mg/kg) versus high-dose (≥4 mg/kg) CsA and other systemic immunomodulatory agents in patients with AD. Five randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria.

Clinical characteristics of pediatric patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 versus common human coronaviruses: a national multicenter study.

Background: Human coronaviruses (HCoV) cause mild upper respiratory infections; however, in 2019, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged, causing an acute respiratory disease pandemic. Coronaviruses exhibit marked epidemiological and clinical differences.

Purpose: This study compared the clinical, laboratory, and radiographic findings of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 versus HCoV.

Assessment of variables associated with prolonged admission duration in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Introduction: Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) has become prevalent in children. This study investigated the clinical and laboratory variables of MRMP and macrolide-sensitive M. pneumoniae (MSMP) and identified factors associated with prolonged hospital admission in children.

Classification of atopic dermatitis phenotypes according to allergic sensitization by cluster analysis.

A cluster study to classify atopic dermatitis (AD) phenotypes into subgroups is required to better understand and manage the disease owing to the heterogeneity of its clinical features. This study aimed to identify the phenotypic subgroups of childhood AD according to allergic sensitization. In 258 children with AD, hierarchical cluster analysis based on specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E sensitization revealed four distinct clusters.

Characteristics of anaphylaxis patients who visited emergency departments in Korea: Results from a national emergency department information system.

Background: Anaphylaxis is an allergic disease with fatal respiratory or cardiovascular symptoms that require immediate emergency treatment. We aimed to understand the characteristics and frequency of emergency department (ED) visits of patients with anaphylaxis in Korea.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2013, using data from 147 ED from the National Emergency Department Information System in Korea, we retrospectively evaluated patients with a primary diagnosis of anaphylaxis.

Analysis of national surveillance of respiratory pathogens for community-acquired pneumonia in children and adolescents.

Background: Respiratory infections among children, particularly community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), is a major disease with a high frequency among outpatient and inpatient visits. The causes of CAP vary depending on individual susceptibility, the epidemiological characteristics of the community, and the season. We performed this study to establish a nationwide surveillance network system and identify the causative agents for CAP and antibiotic resistance in Korean children with CAP.

Source tracking of dissolved organic nitrogen at the molecular level during storm events in an agricultural watershed.

Accelerated export of nitrogen-containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) or dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) to streams and rivers from agricultural watersheds has been reported worldwide. However, few studies have examined the dynamics of DOM molecular composition with the attention paid to the relative contributions of DON from various sources altered with flow conditions. In this study, end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) was conducted with the optical properties of DOM to quantify the relative contributions of several major organic matter sources (litter, reed, field soil, and manure) in two rivers of a small agricultural watershed.

Investigation of adverse events following bacille Calmette-Guérin immunization using immunization safety surveillance system in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Purpose: The report of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Korea has continued since 1994, and the most frequently reported cases of AEFI of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Meanwhile, various inoculation methods and strains have been used in the past 6 years in Korea. Therefore, we investigated AEFI of BCG by strain types and inoculation methods using immunization safety surveillance of KCDC.

Tracking the evolution of particulate organic matter sources during summer storm events via end-member mixing analysis based on spectroscopic proxies.

Despite the growing attention to the effects of hydrological precipitation on organic carbon export along the continuum land-river-ocean, limited effort has been made to understand the export and the reactivity of particulate organic carbon (POC) compared to those of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Yet, further understanding of the controlling mechanisms on the export of particulate organic matter (POM) from terrestrial systems is fundamental. In this study, we assessed the temporal changes of the source contributions to riverine POM in two adjacent rivers of the same watershed during two summer storm events, which included the early and the late events, using end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) based on spectroscopic proxies.

Immigration history, lifestyle characteristics, and breast density in the Vietnamese American Women's Health Study: a cross-sectional analysis.

Purpose: Breast density is an important risk factor for breast cancer and varies substantially across racial-ethnic groups. However, determinants of breast density in Vietnamese immigrants in the United States (US) have not been studied. We investigated whether reproductive factors, immigration history, and other demographic and lifestyle factors were associated with breast density in Vietnamese Americans.

Biochar-induced metal immobilization and soil biogeochemical process: An integrated mechanistic approach.

The nature of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) has a crucial role in the interactions between biochar and metal immobilization, carbon dynamics, and microbial communities in soil. This study utilized excitation-emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) modeling to provide mechanistic evidence of biochar-induced influences on main soil biogeochemical processes. Three biochars produced from rice straw, wood, and grass residues were added to sandy and sandy loam soils and incubated for 473 d.

Enhancing copper binding property of compost-derived humic substances by biochar amendment: Further insight from two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy.

Little is known about the environmental impacts of biochar (BC) amendment on the immobilization of heavy metals in compost-treated fields. In consequence, this study was designed to explore the effects of BC amendment on the copper (Cu) binding properties of compost-derived humic substances (HS). To this end, unamended and 4.

Evaluating the contributions of different organic matter sources to urban river water during a storm event via optical indices and molecular composition.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in river water dynamically changes with respect to its major sources during heavy rain events. However, there has been no established tool to estimate the relative contributions of different organic sources to river water DOM. In this study, the evolution in the contributions of ten different organic matter (OM) sources to storm water DOM was explored with a selected urban river, the Geumho River in South Korea, during storm events via an end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) based on fluorescence indices and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS).

Photochemical release of dissolved organic matter from particulate organic matter: Spectroscopic characteristics and disinfection by-product formation potential.

In this study, we investigated the photochemical release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the particulate organic matter (POM) of soil and litter leaves (broad leaves; coniferous leaves) and compared the releasing characteristics of the DOM using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. The disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP) of the released DOM was also examined. Additional dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was released by UV irradiation for all POM sources (10.

A potential dermal substitute using decellularized dermis extracellular matrix derived bio-ink.

Upon bioprinting, cells are mixed with a biomaterial to fabricate a living tissue, thus emphasizing the importance of biomaterials. The biomaterial used in this study was a bio-ink prepared using skin decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM). Skin dECM was extracted by treating the dermis with chemicals and enzymes; the basic structural and functional proteins of the ECM, including collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), bioreactive materials and growth factors, were preserved, whereas the resident cells that might cause immune rejection or inflammatory responses were removed.

Using fluorescence surrogates to track algogenic dissolved organic matter (AOM) during growth and coagulation/flocculation processes of green algae.

Tracking the variation of the algogenic organic matter (AOM) released during the proliferation of green algae and subsequent treatment processes is crucial for constructing and optimizing control strategies. In this study, the potential of the spectroscopic tool was fully explored as a surrogate of AOM upon the cultivation of green algae and subsequent coagulation/flocculation (C/F) treatment processes using ZrCl and Al(SO). Fluorescence excitation emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) identified the presence of three independent fluorescent components in AOM, including protein-like (C1), fulvic-like (C2) and humic-like components (C3).

A new molecular weight (MW) descriptor of dissolved organic matter to represent the MW-dependent distribution of aromatic condensation: Insights from biodegradation and pyrene binding experiments.

In this study, we utilized a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) system that was equipped with a fluorescence emission scanning mode to explore the heterogeneous distribution of the humification index (HIX) values within bulk dissolved organic matter (DOM). The HIX-based SEC chromatograms showed that the molecular weight (MW)-dependent distribution of aromatic condensation was heavily affected by the DOM sources and the progress of biodegradation. The HIX heterogeneity across different MW was more pronounced for terrestrial versus aquatic DOM sources.

New insight into the applicability of spectroscopic indices for dissolved organic matter (DOM) source discrimination in aquatic systems affected by biogeochemical processes.

Despite numerous studies on changes to optical proxies of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by biogeochemical processing, the applicability of commonly-used spectroscopic indices has not been explored as DOM source tracking tools under conditions where biogeochemical processes may alter them. For this study, two contrasting DOM end members, Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and algogenic DOM (ADOM), and their mixtures, were used to examine the potential changes in the conservative mixing behaviors of several well-known optical indices via end member mixing analysis under the influence of biodegradation, UV irradiation, and clay mineral (kaolin) adsorption. Most of the source tracking indices exhibited large deviations from conservative mixing behavior between the two end-members.

The changes of prevalence and etiology of pediatric pneumonia from National Emergency Department Information System in Korea, between 2007 and 2014.

Purpose: Understanding changes in pathogen and pneumonia prevalence among pediatric pneumonia patients is important for the prevention of infectious diseases.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of children younger than 18 years diagnosed with pneumonia at 117 Emergency Departments in Korea between 2007 and 2014.

Results: Over the study period, 329,380 pediatric cases of pneumonia were identified.

Dynamic variations in dissolved organic matter and the precursors of disinfection by-products leached from biochars: Leaching experiments simulating intermittent rain events.

Biochar-leached dissolved organic matter may have a substantial impact on the water quality of receiving water surrounded by biochar-amended fields. In this study, we tracked variations in the spectroscopic characteristics and the disinfection by-products formation potentials of dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached during sequential extraction for three different biochars (BCs), which simulates DOM from BC-amended fields during intermittent rain events. The optical properties of DOM were more dependent on the BC types with different origins (sludge, corn, and rice) rather than on the extraction time.

Quality of life, effects on Asian Lifestyle, and perceived satisfaction after total hip arthroplasty in Japan and Korea.

Background: The Asian lifestyle requires deep hip flexion, which increases the risk of dislocation. Hence, Asian total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients may have problems postoperatively. This study aimed to 1) document quality of life (QoL), Asian lifestyle-related items (five postures that require deep hip flexion), and perceived satisfaction in patients who underwent THA in Japan versus Korea, 2) assess the differences in QoL and Asian lifestyle-related items by patient lifestyle, and 3) identify the factors predicting QoL.

Noble Metal Nanocluster Formation in Epitaxial Perovskite Thin Films.

We studied the synthesis of nanocomposite materials consisting of noble metal clusters embedded in an oxide semiconductor matrix. The embedded nanostructures form in a simple self-organized single-step growth process. The primary interest is in developing materials for photo-electrochemical energy conversion where spatially inhomogeneous band structures can enhance photogenerated charge separation and carrier extraction from a semiconductor.

The age-related characteristics of adults with asthma who visited emergency departments in Korea from 2007 to 2012.

Background: Understanding the patterns of emergency department (ED) visits of patients with asthma is important for disease control and prevention of exacerbations.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of adult patients who visited EDs because of their asthma.

Methods: Patients with asthma, ages ≥19 years old, who visited 117 EDs throughout Korea between January 2007 and December 2012 were identified in the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) data base using the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, codes J45 (asthma) and J46 (status asthmaticus).