Newly Developed Sex-Specific Z Score Model for Coronary Artery Diameter in a Pediatric Population.

Background: This study aimed to generate a Z score calculation model for coronary artery diameter of normal children and adolescents to be adopted as the standard calculation method with consensus in clinical practice.

Methods: This study was a retrospective, multicenter study that collected data from multiple institutions across South Korea. Data were analyzed to determine the model that best fit the relationship between the diameter of coronary arteries and independent demographic parameters.

Rational Approach to Improve Detergent Efficacy for Membrane Protein Stabilization.

Membrane protein structures are essential for the molecular understanding of diverse cellular processes and drug discovery. Detergents are not only widely used to extract membrane proteins from membranes but also utilized to preserve native protein structures in aqueous solution. However, micelles formed by conventional detergents are suboptimal for membrane protein stabilization, necessitating the development of novel amphiphilic molecules with enhanced protein stabilization efficacy.

sp. strain GJW24 ameliorates drought resistance in and .

Candidate strains that contribute to drought resistance in plants have been previously screened using approximately 500 plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) obtained from Gotjawal, South Korea, to further understand PGPR associated with plant drought tolerance. In this study, a selected PGPR candidate, sp. strain GJW24, was employed to enhance plant drought tolerance.

Foldable Detergents for Membrane Protein Stability.

Detergents are widely used for membrane protein structural study. Many recently developed detergents contain multiple tail and head groups, which are typically connected via a small and branched linker. Due to their inherent compact structures, with small inter-alkyl chain distances, these detergents form micelles with high alkyl chain density in the interiors, a feature favorably associated with membrane-protein stability.

A Genome-Wide Screen Reveals That Endocytic Genes Are Important for Pma1p Asymmetry during Cell Division in .

An asymmetry in cytosolic pH between mother and daughter cells was reported to underlie cellular aging in the budding yeast ; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Preferential accumulation of Pma1p, which pumps cytoplasmic protons out of cells, at the plasma membrane of mother cells, but not of their newly-formed daughter cells, is believed to be responsible for the pH increase in mother cells by reducing the level of cytoplasmic protons. This, in turn, decreases the acidity of vacuoles, which is well correlated with aging of yeast cells.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Neurofeedback and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Patients: Pilot Study.

Insomnia is a common disease that negatively affects patients both mentally and physically. While insomnia disorder is mainly characterized by hyperarousal, a few studies that have directly intervened with cortical arousal. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a neurofeedback protocol for reducing cortical arousal on insomnia compared to cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I).

Glyco-Steroidal Amphiphiles (GSAs) for Membrane Protein Structural Study.

Integral membrane proteins pose considerable challenges to high resolution structural analysis. Maintaining membrane proteins in their native state during protein isolation is essential for structural study of these bio-macromolecules. Detergents are the most commonly used amphiphilic compounds for stabilizing membrane proteins in solution outside a lipid bilayer.

[Effects of Early Oral Feeding versus Delayed Oral Feeding on Bowel Function, Gastrointestinal Complications and Surgical Recovery after Cesarean Section under Regional Anesthesia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis].

Purpose: This study aimed to assess combined effects of early oral feeding after Cesarean section (C/S) under regional anesthesia on bowel function, gastrointestinal complications and surgical recovery.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using KISS, RISS, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL and Google Scholar to identify randomized clinical trials comparing early oral feeding (EOF) with delayed oral feeding (DOF) after C/S. Outcome variables were bowel function and gastrointestinal complications and surgical recovery.

Performance of APACHE IV in Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients: Comparisons with APACHE II, SAPS 3, and MPM III.

Background: In this study, we analyze the performance of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3, and Mortality Probability Model (MPM) III in order to determine which system best implements data related to the severity of medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Methods: The present study was a retrospective investigation analyzing the discrimination and calibration of APACHE II, APACHE IV, SAPS 3, and MPM III when used to evaluate medical ICU patients. Data were collected for 788 patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.

Cyclo-(l-Phe-l-Pro), a Quorum-Sensing Signal of Vibrio vulnificus, Induces Expression of Hydroperoxidase through a ToxR-LeuO-HU-RpoS Signaling Pathway To Confer Resistance against Oxidative Stress.

, an opportunistic human pathogen, produces cyclo-(l-Phe-l-Pro) (cFP), which serves as a signaling molecule controlling the ToxR-dependent expression of innate bacterial genes, and also as a virulence factor eliciting pathogenic effects on human cells by enhancing intracellular reactive oxygen species levels. We found that cFP facilitated the protection of against hydrogen peroxide. At a concentration of 1 mM, cFP enhanced the level of the transcriptional regulator RpoS, which in turn induced expression of , encoding hydroperoxidase I, an enzyme that detoxifies HO to overcome oxidative stress.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Translation of Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: A Preliminary Study.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the Korean version of the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT).

Methods: The Korean version of the Q-CHAT and the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1.5-5 were completed by parents of 24 toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 80 unselected toddlers and preschoolers.

A community- based hepatitis B linkage-to-care program: a case study on Asian Americans chronically infected with hepatitis B virus.

Background: Hepatitis B is an important disease of ethnic disparity which affects Asian Americans and other minority populations disproportionately. Despite the high prevalence of hepatitis B in Asian Americans, many of them remain unscreened and untreated. A majority of the individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are not linked to care, for instance, due to a lack of culturally competent programs.

Glucose Levels in Culture Medium Determine Cell Death Mode in MPP(+)-treated Dopaminergic Neuronal Cells.

We previously demonstrated that 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)) causes caspase-independent, non-apoptotic death of dopaminergic (DA) neuronal cells. Here, we specifically examined whether change of glucose concentration in culture medium may play a role for determining cell death modes of DA neurons following MPP(+) treatment. By incubating MN9D cells in medium containing varying concentrations of glucose (5~35 mM), we found that cells underwent a distinct cell death as determined by morphological and biochemical criteria.

Predictors of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment outcomes in South Korea: a prospective cohort study, 2005-2012.

Background: Tuberculosis remains an important health concern in many countries. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of unfavorable outcomes at the end of treatment (EOT) and at the end of study (EOS; 40 months after EOT) in South Korea.

Methods: New or previously treated tuberculosis patients were recruited into a prospective observational cohort study at two hospitals in South Korea.

Teaching skills to use a computer mouse in preschoolers with developmental disabilities: shaping moving a mouse and eye-hand coordination.

We taught seven preschoolers with developmental disabilities to point-and-click with a computer mouse. The computer-based training program consisted of three parts, based on a task analysis of the behavioral prerequisites to point-and-click. Training 1 was designed to shape moving the mouse.

Serum pro-hepcidin could reflect disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between serum pro-hepcidin concentration and the anemia profiles of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to estimate the pro-hepcidin could reflect the disease activity of RA. RA disease activities were measured using Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), tender/swollen joint counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Anemia profiles such as hemoglobin, iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin, and transferrin levels were measured.

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with unresectable biliary cancer including gall bladder cancer: a Korean Cancer Study Group phase II trial.

Purpose: Chemotherapy represents a palliative treatment, with poor response rates and a median survival of less than 6 months in patients with biliary tract cancers (BTCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in patients with BTCs including gall bladder cancer.

Methods: We carried out a nationwide multicenter phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of GEMOX as first-line therapy in patients with advanced BTCs.

A multicenter phase II study of gemcitabine and S-1 combination chemotherapy in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: To confirm the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine and S-1 combination chemotherapy when used as a first-line therapy in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic or recurrent pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which was histologically or cytologically proven, with at least one measurable lesion were eligible for the study. Gemcitabine at a dose of 1,000 mg/m2 was intravenously given over 30 min on days 1 and 8, while S-1 at a dose of 40 mg/m2 was orally given twice daily from day 1 to 14, and the cycle was repeated every 3 weeks.

Enhancement of hypoxia-induced apoptosis of human breast cancer cells via STAT5b by momilactone B.

We have shown previously that hypoxia activates the cyclin D1 promoter via the Jak2/STAT5b pathway in breast cancer cells. Most solid tumors contain hypoxic components and overexpression of cyclin D1. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the molecular mechanism by which momilactone B exerts its inhibitory effects on breast cancer cells.

Stimulus-stimulus pairing and subsequent mand acquisition of children with various levels of verbal repertoires.

Effects of a stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure on the subsequent acquisition of mand operants were investigated. An attempt was made to shape novel sounds that emerged through the pairing procedure into a mand. Six children, aged two to five years, with moderate to severe language and communication delays, participated.

Difference of needs on functionality of electronic health record systems.

The study was conducted to assess needs on the functionalities of an electronic health record (EHR) system and to determine the difference of needs among MR administrators' groups and expert groups in Korea.

Activation of NF-kappaB is involved in 6-hydroxydopamine-but not MPP+ -induced dopaminergic neuronal cell death: its potential role as a survival determinant.

The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) family plays an important role in the control of the apoptotic response. Its activation has been demonstrated in both neurons and glial cells in many neurological disorders. In the present study, we specifically examined whether and to what extent NF-kappaB activation is involved in culture models of Parkinson's disease following exposure of MN9D dopaminergic neuronal cells to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)).