Violent crimes in a community and quality of life for its inhabitants: Results of a multi-level study in South Korea.

Violent crimes have gradually been increasing in number in South Korea, and this increase is expected to affect quality of life (QOL). In this study, we investigated the relationship between a community's crime rates and its QOL that little attention has been paid. We used Community Health Survey, e-provincial indicators, and Official Crime Statistics during 2008‒2012.

A Tri-part Protein Complementation System Using Antibody-Small Peptide Fusions Enables Homogeneous Immunoassays.

Protein-fragment complementation is a valuable tool for monitoring protein interactions. In complementation assays, the reporter fragments are directly fused to the interacting proteins, eliminating the possibility of monitoring native interactions. In principle, complementation could be achieved by placing the reporter fragments on antibodies which bind to the proteins of interest, enabling the monitoring of endogenous protein interactions or detection of a single protein in a homogeneous immunoassay.

Early Impact on Outpatients of Mandatory Adoption of the Diagnosis-Related Group-Based Reimbursement System in Korea on Use of Outpatient Care: Differences in Medical Utilization and Presurgery Examination.

Objective: To explore the impact of mandatory adoption of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) on the use of outpatient care in Korea.

Data Sources: National Health Claim data from 2,022 hospitals and 1,029,101 admission cases during 2011-2014: tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, inguinal/femoral hernia operation, and hemorrhoidectomy.

Study Design: Outcome variables included probability of outpatient visit, number of outpatient visits, and outpatient medical expenditures within 30 days.

Changes in the Serotype Distribution among Antibiotic Resistant Carriage Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates in Children after the Introduction of the Extended-Valency Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.

This study investigated the serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of 3,820 nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from infants and children who presented with respiratory symptoms at Seoul National University Children's Hospital from July 2010 to June 2015 after the introduction of the extended-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). Serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility were determined using the Quellung reaction and E-test, respectively. S.

Effect of pre existing respiratory conditions on survival of lung cancer patients: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Common diseases with potential to increase the risk of death from lung cancer have so far not been studied in large populations.

Methods: We did a population-based retrospective cohort study using nationwide health insurance claims data from 2005 to 2012 in Korea including 205 403 lung cancer patients. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of lung cancer mortality by presence, time intervals with lung cancer diagnosis and combinations of pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, asthma and tuberculosis were calculated using the Cox-proportional hazards model.

Increased cathepsin S in Prdm1 dendritic cells alters the T cell repertoire and contributes to lupus.

Aberrant population expansion of follicular helper T cells (T cells) occurs in patients with lupus. An unanswered question is whether an altered repertoire of T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) is associated with such expansion. Here we found that the transcription factor Blimp-1 (encoded by Prdm1) repressed expression of the gene encoding cathepsin S (Ctss), a cysteine protease that cleaves invariant chains and produces antigenic peptides for loading onto major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules.

Effects of lamotrigine on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in pediatric epilepsy patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of lamotrigine for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children with epilepsy.

Methods: Pediatric patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy (n=90 [61 boys and 29 girls]; mean age, 9.1±3.

Mechanism Investigation of Rifampicin-Induced Liver Injury Using Comparative Toxicoproteomics in Mice.

Tuberculosis is one of the top causes of death among curable infectious diseases; it is an airborne infectious disease that killed 1.1 million people worldwide in 2010. Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury is the primary cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

Cold atmospheric plasma restores tamoxifen sensitivity in resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cell.

Cancer recurrence, which is frequently accompanied by chemotherapy, has been a challenge in cancer treatment. This study was carried out to examine the potential applications of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) to overcome the cancer cells' drug resistance, which has been emerging as an alternative therapeutic tool for cancer. For this, we developed a tamoxifen (Tam)-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/TamR) breast cancer cell model and examined the effect of CAP on the recovery of Tam sensitivity at the cellular and molecular level.

A Case Report of the Nutrition Support for a Patient with HELLP Syndrome.

A 30-year-old female patient, 18 weeks gestational age, with no prior medical history was admitted to hospital complaining severe right upper quadrant pain. The patient was admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after emergency surgery to treat intraperitoneal hemorrhage caused by rupture of liver hematoma. Despite the absence of high blood pressure, the patient was diagnosed with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome on the basis of abnormal levels of blood aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and platelet along with liver damage and proteinuria.

Silibinin downregulates MMP2 expression via Jak2/STAT3 pathway and inhibits the migration and invasive potential in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Worldwide, breast cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in women. Among its subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form associated with diminished survival. TNBCs are characterized by their absence, or minimal expression, of the estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (i.

Effect of zirconia surface treatment using nitric acid-hydrofluoric acid on the shear bond strengths of resin cements.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the surface roughness of zirconia when using Zircos E etching system (ZSAT), applying a nitric acid-hydrofluoric acid compound as a pretreatment agent, and also to compare the shear bonding strength according to different resin cements.

Materials And Methods: ZSAT, air abrasion, and tribochemical silicacoating were applied on prepared 120 zirconia specimens (10 mm in diameter, 7 mm in height) using CAD/CAM. Each 12 specimens with 4 different resin cements (Panavia F 2.

Pay-for-performance reduces healthcare spending and improves quality of care: Analysis of target and non-target obstetrics and gynecology surgeries.

Objective: In Korea, the Value Incentive Program (VIP) was first applied to selected clinical conditions in 2007 to evaluate the performance of medical institutes. We examined whether the condition-specific performance of the VIP resulted in measurable improvement in quality of care and in reduced medical costs.

Design: Population-based retrospective observational study.

Comparison of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy and Surgical Gastrostomy in Severely Handicapped Children.

Purpose: Gastrostomy is commonly used procedures to provide enteral nutrition support for severely handicapped patients. This study aimed to identify and compare outcomes and complications associated with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and surgical gastrostomy (SG).

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 51 patients who received gastrostomy in a single tertiary hospital from January 2000 to May 2016 was performed.

How did market competition affect outpatient utilization under the diagnosis-related group-based payment system?

Objective: Although competition is known to affect quality of care, less is known about the effects of competition on outpatient health service utilization under the diagnosis-related group payment system. This study aimed to evaluate these effects and assess differences before and after hospitalization in South Korea.

Design: Population-based retrospective observational study.

Use of Chronic Methadone Before Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: A subset of patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are on methadone maintenance. They require more and often unpredictable quantities of opioids to function as effective painkillers. This study aims to compare the opioid requirements and the immediate postoperative course for patients on methadone maintenance with those who are not, after a TKA.

Epigenetically regulated Fibronectin leucine rich transmembrane protein 2 (FLRT2) shows tumor suppressor activity in breast cancer cells.

To identify dysregulated genes by abnormal methylation and expression in breast cancer, we genome-wide analyzed methylation and expression microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and the Cancer Genome Atlas database. One of the genes screened in silico, FLRT2, showed hypermethylation and downregulation in the cancer dataset and the association was verified both in cultured cell lines and cancer patients' tissue. To investigate the role of FLRT2 in breast cancer, its expression was knocked down and upregulated in mammary cell lines, and the effect was examined through three levels of approach: pathway analysis; cell activities such as proliferation, colony formation, migration, and adhesion; target gene expression.

The Efficacy of a Novel Tissue Grasper-Clips Technique for Large Perforations of the Sigmoid Colon in an Experimental Animal Model (Video).

Background: The incidence of iatrogenic colonic perforation has been gradually increasing. In particular, sigmoid colon perforations are difficult to handle because of excess mobility.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the twin grasper-clips technique for large perforations of the sigmoid colon.

Effect of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate-Platelet-Rich Plasma on Tendon-Derived Stem Cells and Rotator Cuff Tendon Tear.

Bone marrow aspirate concentrates (BMACs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are good sources to control the differentiation of tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs), but there has been no study about the effect of the BMAC-PRP complex on TDSCs and tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of BMAC-PRP on the TDSCs and to find the therapeutic effect of BMAC-PRP on the rotator cuff tendon tear. The chondrogenic and osteogenic potential of TDSCs decreased, but the adipogenic potential of TDSCs revealed no significant difference when they were cocultured with BMAC-PRP.

Kruppel-like factor4 regulates expression through binding to an autoimmune risk allele.

A SNP identified as rs548234, which is found in , the gene that encodes BLIMP1, is a risk allele associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). BLIMP1 expression was reported to be decreased in women with the rs548234 risk allele compared with women with the nonrisk allele in monocyte-derived DCs (MO-DCs). In this study, we demonstrate that BLIMP1 expression is regulated by the binding of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) to the risk SNP.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle phenotype by cross-regulation of krüppel-like factors.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype plays an essential role in many cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we provide evidence that krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) is essential for tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced phenotypic conversion of VSMC obtained from thoracic aorta from 4-week-old SD rats. Stimulation of the contractile phenotype of VSMCs with TNFα significantly reduced the VSMC marker gene expression and KLF8.

Nurse Staffing and 30-day Readmission of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A 10-year Retrospective Study of Patient Hospitalization.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity in many countries, and it has high rate of hospital readmissions due to recurrent exacerbations of the disease. Many previous studies have suggested further examination of the factors that contribute to hospital readmissions of COPD patients. However, evidence on the effects of nurse staffing by registered nurses (RNs) on the readmission of COPD patients is lacking in Korea.

High-Performance Flexible Thermoelectric Power Generator Using Laser Multiscanning Lift-Off Process.

Flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs) are emerging as a semipermanent power source for self-powered sensors, which is an important area of research for next-generation smart network monitoring systems in the Internet-of-things era. We report in this paper a f-TEG produced by a screen-printing technique (SPT) and a laser multiscanning (LMS) lift-off process. A screen-printed TEG was fabricated on a SiO/a-Si/quartz substrate via the SPT process, and the LMS process completely separated the rigid quartz substrate from the original TEG by selective reaction of the XeCl excimer laser with the exfoliation layer (a-Si).

Procyanidins Mitigate Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis by, at Least in Part, Suppressing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling.

Procyanidins are a family of plant metabolites that have been suggested to mitigate osteoarthritis pathogenesis in mice. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. This study aimed to determine whether procyanidins mitigate traumatic injury-induced osteoarthritis (OA) disease progression, and whether procyanidins exert a chondroprotective effect by, at least in part, suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor signaling.