Impaired bone formation with a high-protein diet in rats with adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome.

Background/aim: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a high-protein (HP) diet on bone metabolism in rats with adriamycin (ADR)-induced nephrotic syndrome.

Methods: Nephrotic syndrome was established by weekly injections of ADR (2 mg/kg, i.p.

Long-term prognosis of an endoscopically treated rectal neuroendocrine tumor: 10-year experience in a single institution.

Background And Aim: The endoscopic techniques for treating a small rectal neuroendocrine tumor (NET) are performed in most large centers; however, the endoscopic management of this condition is not well established. This study was designed to determine the long-term prognosis of endoscopically resected NET.

Methods: We prospectively studied patients with endoscopically treated rectal NET in Seoul St Mary's hospital, between January 2000 and June 2010.

Human inferior turbinate: an alternative tissue source of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells.

Objective: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells in adult tissues. Current challenges for the clinical application of MSCs include donor site morbidity, which underscores the need to identify alternative sources of MSCs. This study aimed to explore potential new sources of multipotent MSCs for use in tissue regeneration and the functional restoration of organs.

Acculturation and Well-Being Among College Students From Immigrant Families.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to ascertain the associations between acculturation and well-being in first-generation and second-generation immigrant college students. Acculturation was operationalized as a multidimensional construct comprised of heritage and American cultural practices, values (individualism and collectivism), and identifications, and well-being was operationalized in terms of subjective, psychological, and eudaimonic components. METHOD: Participants were 2,774 first-generation and second-generation immigrant students (70% women), from 6 ethnic groups and from 30 colleges and universities around the United States.

Seroprevalence of hantaviruses in small wild mammals trapped in South Korea from 2005 to 2010.

The seroprevalence of Hantaan virus (HTNV) in wild rodents in South Korea was analyzed. Wild rodents were trapped in 18 cities in eight provinces during 2005-2007 and on three islands and four mountains during 2008-2010. Sera were collected from 629 out of 933 trapped wild animals and examined for immunoglobulin G antibodies to HTNV using indirect immunofluorescence assays.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor: psychosocial characteristics and considerations.

Objective: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are very rare, especially within the pediatric population. The National Institutes of Health initiated a multidisciplinary clinic to bring together a worldwide group of healthcare providers with experience in the study and treatment of GIST in order to better understand the disease and to examine whether this is a population at psychosocial risk.

Methods: Seven GIST clinics have been held to date.

Acculturation-based and everyday family conflict in Chinese American families.

Everyday conflict (studied primarily among European American families) is viewed as an assertion of autonomy from parents that is normative during adolescence. Acculturation-based conflict (studied primarily among Asian- and Latino-heritage families) is viewed as a threat to relatedness with parents rather than the normative assertion of autonomy. Our overarching goal for the chapter is to integrate our knowledge of these two types of family conflict that have been studied separately to arrive at a new understanding of what family conflict means for Chinese American adolescents and their parents.

The 677C>T mutation of the MTHFR gene increases the risk of venous thromboembolism in Koreans and a meta-analysis from Asian population.

The frequency of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutations varies between racial and ethnic groups, and there are also conflicting data regarding MTHFR gene mutations in Asian patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of this study was to examine the association between common MTHFR gene mutations (677C>T and 1298A>C) and risk of VTE in Koreans. This study was a retrospective case-control study.

Comparison of air pollution and the prevalence of allergy-related diseases in Incheon and Jeju City.

Purpose: A high level of air pollutants can increase the number of patients with allergy-related diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). To analyze the association between air pollution and allergic disease, we investigated 2 areas in Korea: Incheon, an industrial area, and Jeju, a non-industrialized area.

Methods: Second grade students at elementary schools (11 schools in Incheon and 45 schools in Jeju) were examined in a cross-sectional study.

Survival over 2 years of autosomal-recessive renal tubular dysgenesis.

Autosomal-recessive renal tubular dysgenesis (AR-RTD) is a rare disorder caused by a genetic defect in the renin-angiotensin system. Although AR-RTD has typically been known as a lethal disease due to refractory hypotension and renal failure immediately after birth, few cases have reported survival of the neonatal period. We report here an additional case of AR-RTD, who had novel ACE mutations and survived over 2 years and provide a review of the five previously reported surviving cases.

Association study of microRNA polymorphisms with risk of idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion in Korean women.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of microRNA polymorphisms (miR-146aC>G, miR-149T>C, miR-196a2T>C, and miR-499A>G) in Korean patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

Methods: We conducted a case-control study of 564 Korean women: 330 patients with at least two unexplained consecutive pregnancy losses and 234 healthy controls with at least one live birth and no history of pregnancy loss.

Results: RSA patients exhibited significantly different frequencies of the miR-196a2CC (TT+TC vs.

Phosphatidylcholine induces apoptosis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Background: Phosphatidylcholine (PPC) formulation is used for lipolytic injection, even though its mechanism of action is not well understood.

Methods: The viability of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells was measured after treatment of PPC alone, its vehicle sodium deoxycholate (SD), and a PPC formulation. Western blot analysis was performed to examine PPC-induced signaling pathways.

Improvement of anti-oxidation properties of carbon fibers by SiC/SiO2 ceramic coating.

To improve the anti-oxidation properties of carbon fibers (CFs), the sol-gel method followed by pyrolysis was used to coat CFs with SiC/SiO2 ceramic coatings. The SiO2 sol-gel coating was performed by dip coating a PAN(polyacrylonitrile)-based stabilized fiber (PSF) in a silica sol prepared by the polycondensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of an acidic catalyst. The PSF coated with SiO2 sol then underwent heat treatments at high temperatures in an inert atmosphere to deposit the SiC/SiO2 and carbonize the deposited fibers.

Special considerations in pediatric gastrointestinal tumors.

Pediatric gastrointestinal tumors are rare in children but are being increasingly recognized. These tumors have distinct biologic and clinical feature that are different from those observed in adults. This review highlights the biological and clinical characteristics of pediatric GIST and provides diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for the management these unique and challenging group of tumors.

Natural selection affects multiple aspects of genetic variation at putatively neutral sites across the human genome.

A major question in evolutionary biology is how natural selection has shaped patterns of genetic variation across the human genome. Previous work has documented a reduction in genetic diversity in regions of the genome with low recombination rates. However, it is unclear whether other summaries of genetic variation, like allele frequencies, are also correlated with recombination rate and whether these correlations can be explained solely by negative selection against deleterious mutations or whether positive selection acting on favorable alleles is also required.

Prognostic significance of syndecan-1 expression in cervical cancers.

Objective: Syndecans are reported to have variable expression in several solid tumors and blood cancers. The cause provoking altered expression of syndecans is not known to date. We studied copy number status of syndecan-1 (SDC1) and significance of SDC1 gene product (syndecan-1, SDC1) expression in cervical cancers.

Sensitization to aeroallergens in Korean children: a population-based study in 2010.

We performed this study to assess the prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens and to analyze the difference between prevalence rates according to children's ages and residential areas. In this nationwide cross-sectional study, first grade students of 45 elementary schools and 40 middle schools were randomly selected, and skin prick tests were performed for 18 inhalant allergens between October and November 2010. Of 7,829 analyzed subjects, 3,753 (47.

Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms in spontaneously aborted fetuses.

Problems: The VEGF-1154G>A polymorphism has been reported to be a genetic risk factor for recurrent spontaneous abortion in various studies; however, these studies have focused on genetic analyses of pregnant women rather than aborted fetuses. To evaluate and confirm the association between the VEGF-1154G>A polymorphism and spontaneous abortion, we focused on the relationship between four polymorphisms in the VEGF gene (-2578C>A, -1154G>A, -634G>C, and 936C>T) and spontaneously aborted fetuses (SAFs).

Method Of Study: The subjects included 118 SAFs at <20 weeks gestation and 380 normal controls consisting of children and adults.

Parent-child acculturation discrepancy, perceived parental knowledge, peer deviance, and adolescent delinquency in Chinese immigrant families.

Parent-child acculturation discrepancy has been considered a risk factor for child maladjustment. The current study examined parent-child acculturation discrepancy as an ongoing risk factor for delinquency, through the mediating pathway of parental knowledge of the child's daily experiences relating to contact with deviant peers. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal project with 4 years between data collection waves: 201 Chinese immigrant families participated at Wave 1 (123 girls and 78 boys) and 183 families (110 girls and 73 boys) participated at Wave 2.

Effects of dietary protein and fat contents on renal function and inflammatory cytokines in rats with adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome.

The effects of dietary protein and fat on renal function-related blood and urine parameters, such as albumin, urinary protein,and inflammatory cytokines were investigated in adriamycin- (ADR) induced nephrotic syndrome rats. ADR (2 mg/kg BW) was injected i.p.

Clinical features of abdominal actinomycosis: a 15-year experience of a single institute.

This study was designed to evaluate the clinical features of abdominal actinomycosis and to assess its therapeutic outcome. We reviewed patients with abdominal actinomycosis in Seoul St. Mary hospital, between January 1994 and January 2010.

A derivative of 2-aminothiazole inhibits melanogenesis in B16 mouse melanoma cells via glycogen synthase kinase 3β phosphorylation.

Objectives: We have investigated whether KHG25855 (2-cyclohexylamino-1,3-thiazole hydrochloride) affected melanogenesis in B16 mouse melanoma cells, and the mechanisms involved.

Methods: Melanin content and tyrosinase activity were measured using an ELISA reader after cells were treated with KHG25855. KHG25855-induced signalling pathways were examined using Western blot analysis.

Various computed tomography findings of 2009 H1N1 influenza in 17 patients with relatively mild illness.

Purpose: We retrospectively analyzed the computed tomography (CT) findings of H1N1 virus infection in 17 patients with relatively mild illness.

Materials And Methods: From September 2009 to January 2010, a total of 17 patients with confirmed H1N1 infection were included in the study (mean age 30.7 years).

Estimation of allele frequency and association mapping using next-generation sequencing data.

Background: Estimation of allele frequency is of fundamental importance in population genetic analyses and in association mapping. In most studies using next-generation sequencing, a cost effective approach is to use medium or low-coverage data (e.g.