Association between plant protein intake and grip strength in Koreans aged 50 years or older: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#We investigated the association of plant and animal protein intake with grip strength in Koreans aged ≥ 50 yrs. @*SUBJECTS/METHODS@#The data was collected from 3,610 men and 4,691 women (≥ 50 yrs) from the 2016–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We calculated the total energy intake, and the intake of animal and plant protein and collected dietary data using 1-day 24-h dietary recalls. Low grip strength (LGS) was defined as the lowest quintile (men: up to 26.8 kg, women: up to 15.7 kg). The association of protein intake with grip strength was examined using Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. @*RESULTS@#The results proved that participants with LGS had lower daily energy, protein and fat intake, and percent energy from protein than those with normal or high grip strength (P < 0.0001). Total energy intake, animal protein, and plant protein were positively associated with grip strength. A higher intake of total plant protein (P for trend = 0.004 for men, 0.05 for women) and legumes, nuts, and seeds (LNS) protein (Pfor trend = 0.01 for men, 0.02 for women) was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of LGS. However, non-LNS plant protein intake was not associated with LGS (P for trend = 0.10 for men, 0.15 for women). In women, a higher total animal protein intake was significantly associated with decreased LGS (P for trend = 0.03). @*CONCLUSIONS@#Higher total plant protein and LNS protein intake are negatively associated with LGS.

Development of a Seoul-Type Housing Service Model for People With a Mental Illness

Objective@#To establish and to promote the qualitative development of a housing service model in South Korea. @*Methods@#The questionnaire was collected through the housing needs survey and the focus group interview on the mental health professions. We enrolled 365 subjects from 63 places (community conversion facilities, cohabitation, cohabitation families, hospitals, psychiatric nursing homes) to answer the questionnaires. @*Results@#The survey result confirms the needs of people with a mental illness to be self-reliant, but it shows that the economic vulnerability is a hindrance. In addition, the most necessary factor for self-reliant living is to provide services that support daily living. Therefore, the study points out that a system that guarantees self-reliance must be added in order for the housing services to be distributed throughout local communities for the people with mental illness. @*Conclusion@#The study proposes the Seoul-type housing services model to replace the housing services that functions in a fragmented manner with the provision of an integrated services through a unified channel by establishing a housing support center (tentative name). This will ultimately help people with a mental illness to live a healthy life that meets their needs as community members.

Role of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Prognosis in Cellulitis / 대한피부과학회지

Background@#Cellulitis is an inflammatory disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by bacterial infection and is one of the most common reasons for admission to the Department of Dermatology. There are many biomarkers to help diagnose inflammatory diseases, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been raised as an option. @*Objective@#This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pretreatment NLR for predicting the severity and prognosis of cellulitis. @*Methods@#We reviewed the medical records of 102 patients diagnosed with cellulitis over the past 5 years. White blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, procalcitonin level, and NLR were measured on the first day of admission. The associations of CRP, procalcitonin, and NLR ratio with body temperature and number of hospitalization days were assessed. @*Results@#The CRP level and NLR were positively correlated with body temperature. In addition, positive correlations were found between the number of hospitalization days and biomarkers (p＜0.05), with the NLR showing the highest coefficients. @*Conclusion@#In patients with cellulitis, the NLR is a helpful parameter for evaluating the severity and prognosis of the disease. However, further studies are required to confirm this.

Risk factors for the deterioration of patients with mild COVID-19 admitted to a COVID-19 community treatment center

Background@#The rapid increase in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients led to the operation of COVID-19 facilities for patients with mild COVID-19 in South Korea. We analyzed the correlation and effect of risk factors associated with the worsening of patients with mild COVID-19 leading to their transfer from a community treatment center to a hospital. @*Methods@#This retrospective cohort observational study included 1,208 COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who were admitted to the Namsan Community Treatment Center between June 2020 and January 2021. A chi-square test was performed to examine the differences in the transfer rate by age, sex, nationality, presence of symptoms at admission, and season, and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of variables to the hospitalization rate. @*Results@#Of the 1,208 patients, 212 (17.5%) were transferred to a hospital due to clinical deterioration. Increasing odds of hospital transfer were associated significantly with higher age and presentation in autumn, whereas sex and symptomatic illness at admission did not show a statistically significant association. @*Conclusion@#The findings indicate the importance of the initial risk classification of COVID-19 patients based on thorough assessment and close monitoring, timely allocation of appropriate resources to high-risk groups that are likely to develop severe disease, and reduction of medical resource wastage and limiting of administrative force to ensure that patients receive the best treatment.

Relationship between Sedentary Time and Handgrip Strength in Healthy Korean Women: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014–2016 / 가정의학회지

Background@#This study aimed to examine the association between sitting time and handgrip strength in healthy Korean women. @*Methods@#A total of 5,437 participants were included from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014–2016. The overall daily sitting time was estimated using health interview surveys, and handgrip strength was assessed using a digital hand dynamometer. The relationship between sitting time and handgrip strength was calculated with a weighted analysis of covariance after adjusting for confounding variables. @*Results@#Participants in each age group (19–39, 40–64, ≥65 years) were divided into three categories according to sitting time: ≤5, 6–9, and ≥10 h/d. The handgrip strength tended to decrease as sitting time increased after adjusting for age, body mass index, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, resistance exercise, aerobic physical activity, household income, education level, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and depression in all age groups (all P<0.001). @*Conclusion@#We observed the inverse relationship between sitting time and handgrip strength in healthy Korean women.

Prevalence of and Factors Associated with School Bullying in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis

Through this meta-analysis, we sought to examine the prevalence of, risks for, and factors associated with bullying involvement (victimization, perpetration, perpetration-victimization) among students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, we attempted to examine sources of variance in the prevalence and effect sizes of bullying in students with ASD across studies. Systematic database and literature review identified 34 relevant studies (31 for Western countries, three for Eastern countries). Pooled prevalence estimates for victimization, perpetration, and perpetration-victimization in general were 67%, 29%, and 14%, respectively.The risk of victimization in students with ASD was significantly higher than that in typically developing students and students with other disabilities. Further, deficits in social interaction and communication, externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and integrated inclusive school settings were related to higher victimization, and externalizing symptoms were related to higher perpetration. Finally, moderation analyses revealed significant variations in the pooled prevalences thereof depending on culture, age, school settings, and methodological quality and in the pooled effect sizes according to publication year and methodological quality. Our results highlight needs for bullying intervention for students with ASD, especially those who are younger, are in an inclusive school setting, and have higher social difficulties and externalizing/internalizing symptoms; for intensive research of bullying experiences among students with ASD in Eastern countries; and for efforts to improve the methodological quality of such research.

Annual Prevalence and Incidence of Schizophrenia and Similar Psychotic Disorders in the Republic of Korea: A National Health Insurance Data-Based Study

Objective@#We conducted this study to address the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and similar psychosis in South Korea with Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) database. @*Methods@#We used HIRA database, which includes diagnostic information of nearly all Korean nationals to collect number of cases with diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizophrenia-similar disorders (SSP), including schizophreniform, acute/transient psychotic disorders, schizoaffective disorders, and other/unspecific nonorganic psychosis (ICD-10 codes F20/23/25/28/29) between 2010 and 2015. The annual prevalence and incidence were calculated using the population data from the Korean Statistical Office. @*Results@#The 12-month prevalence of SSP of Korea between 2010 and 2015 were 0.48–0.66%. The 12-month prevalence of schizophrenia were 0.40–0.52%; The annual incidence rates (IR) of SSP between 2010 and 2015 were 118.8–148.7 per 100,000 person-year (PY). For schizophrenia, IR per 100,000 PY were 77.6–88.5 between 2010 and 2015. @*Conclusion@#The 12-month prevalence found in the present study was higher than that reported in community-based epidemiologic studies in South Korea but similar to those from other countries. The annual incidence of SSP and schizophrenia was found to steadily increase and was higher than that of other countries. The high incidence rate observed in the current study needs to be studied further.

Inflammatory Effect of Light-Emitting Diodes Curing Light Irradiation on Raw264.7 Macrophage / 치위생과학회지

BACKGROUND: The light-emitting diode (LED) curing light used is presumed to be safe. However, the scientific basis for this is unclear, and the safety of LED curing light is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of LED curing light irradiation according to the conditions applied for the polymerization of composite resins in dental clinic on the cell viability and inflammatory response in Raw264.7 macrophages and to confirm the stability of LED curing light. METHODS: Cell viability and cell morphology of Raw264.7 macrophages treated with 100 ng/ml of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or/and LED curing light with a wavelength of 440~490 nm for 20 seconds were confirmed by methylthiazolydiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay and microscopic observation. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was confirmed by NO assay and PGE2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in total RNA and protein was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The LED curing light did not affect the viability and morphology of normal Raw264.7 cells but affected the cell viability and induced cytotoxicity in the inflammation-induced Raw264.7 cells by LPS. The irradiation of the LED curing light did not progress to the inflammatory state in the inflammation-induced Raw264.7 macrophage. However, LED curing light irradiation in normal Raw264.7 cells induced an increase in NO and PGE2 production and mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β and TNF-α, indicating that it is possible to induce the inflammatory state. CONCLUSION: The irradiation of LED curing light in RAW264.7 macrophage may induce an excessive inflammatory reaction and damage oral tissues. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the long-term irradiation which is inappropriate when applying LED curing light in a dental clinic.

Comparative Analysis of Platelet-rich Plasma Effect on Tenocytes from Normal Human Rotator Cuff Tendon and Human Rotator Cuff Tendon with Degenerative Tears

BACKGROUND: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) stimulates cell proliferation and enhances matrix gene expression and synthesis. However, there have been no comparative study of the PRP effect on the normal and degenerative tenocytes. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of PRP on tenocytes from normal and degenerative tendon. METHODS: Tendon tissues were obtained from patients undergoing arthroscopic repair (n=9) and from healthy donors (n=3). Tenocytes were cultured with 10% (vol/vol) platelet-poor plasma, PRP activated with calcium, and PRP activated with calcium and thrombin. The total cell number was assessed at days 7 and 14. The expressions of type I and III collagen, decorin, tenascin-C, and scleraxis were evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The total collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis was evaluated at days 7 and 14. RESULTS: No differences were observed between the groups at day 7, but cell proliferation was remarkably increased in tenocytes from the degenerative tendon at day 14. In both tenocyte groups, the gene expressions of type I and III collagen were up-regulated. GAG synthesis was greater in the normal tendon, whereas the expressions of decorin and tenascin-C were increased in tenocytes from the degenerative tendon. Tenocytes from the degenerative tendon had higher fold-change of GAG synthesis and a lower collagen III/I ratio than normal tenocytes. CONCLUSIONS: PRP promoted the cell proliferation and enhanced the synthesis of tendon matrix in both groups. PRP has a greater positive effect on cell proliferation, matrix gene expression and synthesis in tenocytes from degenerative tendon.

Effect of fermented soybean products intake on the overall immune safety and function in mice

Various functional activities have been reported for the fermented soybean products doenjang (DJ) and cheonggukjang (CGJ), although no systemic investigations of their immune functions have been conducted to date. We examined the effects of an experimental diet of DJ, CGJ, or a mixture of unfermented raw material for 4 weeks on overall immunity and immune safety in mice. No significant alterations were observed in peripheral or splenic immune cells among groups. Enhanced splenic natural killer cell activity was observed in the DJ and CGJ groups compared with the plain diet group. T helper type-1 (Th1)-mediated immune responses were enhanced in the DJ and CGJ groups with an upregulated production ratio of IFN-γ vs. IL-4 and IgG2a vs. IgG1 in stimulated splenic T and B cells, respectively. Resistance to Listeria monocytogenes infection was observed in the DJ and CGJ groups. Overall, the results of this study suggest that DJ and CGJ intake consolidates humoral and cellular immunity to Th1 responses.

Current interventions, strategies, and networking of adolescent suicide

In this paper, the current status of adolescent suicide prevention and intervention are addressed, including areas related to medicine, counseling, mental health nursing, social welfare, and education. Many preventive efforts and intervention programs have been developed and implemented, but the results have been mostly minimal or unfruitful and many problems arose. First, there is a lack of epidemiological research and developmentally appropriate data on adolescent suicide. Thus evidence-based research on adolescent suicide necessary to make important decisions regarding prevention strategies and the allocation of budgets and human resources is not available. Second, there are only a handful of experts with an appropriate level of education and training. Current suicide prevention efforts are performed as a part of crisis intervention, but only a few persons know how to do so effectively. Finally, a good networking and referral system among each area of service is needed. One of the most important issues might be balancing the levels of service available to each subject and to provide a proper, systematized intervention and continuous crisis management services. In order to create an effective networking and referral system among several service providers for adolescent suicide prevention, we need robust support from the Korean government and local communities.

National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) Round-table Conference Consensus Statement: multidisciplinary responses to suicide, the first ranked cause of death in adolescents

The National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) holds the NECA Round-table Conference that not only disseminates objective and systematic information on topics of social concern in public health care but also organizes discussions on core issues under dispute in the literature through panels composed of multidisciplinary experts. Accordingly, the Round-table Conference was composed of multidisciplinary experts including medical specialists in the areas of psychiatry and preventive medicine, psychiatric and mental health nursing, psychologists, social welfare experts, consultation experts, religious leaders, and government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Round-table Conference, tasked with analysis of the actual status and causes of, and search for solutions for suicide in adolescents, has reached consensus on the current status, trend, risk factors and prevention factors, problems and issues in prevention and coping strategies, effective prevention and coping strategies and areas of research needed for the future. The Round-table Conference commented on the actual status and gravity of suicides in adolescents, and came to the agreement that mental health issues including stress from interpersonal relationships and depression are the key risk factors of suicide. It was further agreed that problems in the measures being implemented for each of the areas include lack of manpower and funding, and inadequate organic association and cooperation among relevant institutions. They also agreed that development of a government-initiated suicide prevention program for adolescents, association among relevant experts, and development, and management of practical guidelines that are of broad and practical use are important. Furthermore, the panels were in agreement that the mass media must comply with the recommended level of coverage in reporting of suicide as adolescents are greatly influenced by provocative mass media reports due to their strong impulsive dispositions.

Investigation of the Correlation between Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery Scores and the Gray Matter Volume after Correction of Covariates of the Age, Gender, and Genotypes in Patients with AD and MCI

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlations between Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB) scores and the gray matter volumes (GMV) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitively normal (CN) elderly subjects with correcting the genotypes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 75 subjects were enrolled with 25 subjects for each group. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon genotypes, SNSB scores, and the 3D T1-weighted images were obtained from all subjects. Correlations between SNSB scores and GMV were investigated with the multiple regression method for each subject group using both voxel-based and region-of-interest-based analyses with covariates of age, gender, and the genotype. RESULTS: In the AD group, Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) delayed recall scores were positively correlated with GMV. In the MCI group, Seoul Verbal Learning Test (SVLT) scores were positively correlated with GMV. In the CN group, GMV negatively correlated with Boston Naming Test (K-BNT) scores and Mini-Mental State Examimation (K-MMSE) scores, but positively correlated with RCFT scores. CONCLUSION: When we used covariates of age, gender, and the genotype, we found statistically significant correlations between some SNSB scores and GMV at some brain regions. It may be necessary to further investigate a longitudinal study to understand the correlation.

A Case of Prosopometamorphopsia Restricted to the Nose and Mouth with Right Medial Temporooccipital Lobe Infarction that Included the Fusiform Face Area

BACKGROUND: Metamorphopsia includes a broad spectrum of visual perceptual distortions, such as alteration of perceived object size or, rarely, altered perception of faces, termed prosopometamorphopsia. CASE REPORT: This report describes a patient who complained of metamorphopsia restricted to the center of the face, particularly the lower part of the face (nose and mouth), following infarction of the right medial temporooccipital lobe that included the fusiform face area. CONCLUSIONS: The fusiform face area is commonly believed to be a face-selective cortical region dedicated to the visual analysis of face stimuli. We speculate that any injury to this brain area could bring about prosopometamorphopsia involving whole or unilateral face perception, or very rarely, as in our case, distortion restricted to the central area of the face. Furthermore, there could be topographical correspondences between facial structures and the fusiform face area.

Carotid Cavernous Fistula Mimicking Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm

No abstract available.

Neurosyphilis Mimicking Temporal Arteritis

No abstract available.

Temporary Spontaneous Remission in Primary CNS Lymphoma

Spontaneous remission in untreated primary central nervous system lymphoma is rare. A 66-year-old man was admitted with dizziness and gait disturbance. Initial fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery images revealed hyperintensities in the upper brainstem, left temporal lobe, and right occipital lobe. The patient's symptoms and lesions disappeared spontaneously after 1 month. However, he was readmitted after 4 months with right hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a homogenous enhanced lesion in the left basal ganglia with a vasogenic pattern. This disease warranted biopsy, which revealed large B-cell lymphoma.

Role of Casein Kinase 2 in Parkinsonian Toxin 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-induced Cell Death

BACKGROUND: Protein casein kinase 2 is involved in signal transduction, cell growth, and apoptosis. However, it has not been elucidated whether parkinsonian toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced neuronal cell death is mediated by a casein-kinase-2-mediated pathway. METHODS: We monitored apoptosis-related protein activation, changes in the level of casein kinase 2, nuclear damage, and apoptosis in differentiated PC12 cells exposed to MPP+ in combination with casein kinase 2 inhibitor. RESULTS: Casein kinase 2 inhibitors [4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBB), 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, and apigenin] reduced MPP+- and rotenone-induced cell death in differentiated PC12 cells. TBB inhibited the MPP+-induced activation of apoptosis-related proteins (decreases in Bid and Bcl-2 levels, increase in Bax levels, cytochrome c release, and caspase-3 activation), increase in casein kinase 2 levels, and nuclear damage. CONCLUSIONS: Administering casein kinase 2 inhibitor TBB at concentrations that do not induce toxic effects may reduce MPP+-induced cell death in differentiated PC12 cells by suppressing the apoptosis-related protein activation that leads to cytochrome c release and subsequent activation of caspase-3. The results suggest that MPP+-induced cell death process is mediated by a casein kinase 2 pathway.

The effect of loading time on the stability of mini-implant / 대한치과교정학회지

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of mini-implants in relation to loading time. METHODS: A total of 48 mini-implants (ORLUS, Ortholution, Korea) were placed into the buccal alveolar bone of the mandible in 8 male beagle dogs. Orthodontic force (200 - 250 gm) was applied immediately for the immediate loading group while force application was delayed for 3 weeks in the delayed loading group. For the subsequent loading periods (3, 6, 12 weeks), BIC (bone implant contact) and BV/TV (bone volume/total volume) and mobility test were carried out. RESULTS: The immediate loading group showed no changes in BIC from 3 to 12 weeks, while the delayed loading group showed a significant increase in BIC between 3 and 12 weeks (p < 0.05). The BV/TV of the delayed loading group significantly increased from 6 to 12 weeks of loading (p < 0.05), while the BV/TV of the immediate loading group decreased from 3 to 12 weeks of loading. However, there was no significant difference in BV/TV between experimental groups. The mobility of the immediate loading group was not significantly different from that of the delayed loading group after 12 weeks of loading (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that immediate loading does not have a negative effect on the stability of mini-implants compared to the early loading method in both the clinical and histomorphometric point of view.

The effects of tooth movement after corticotomy on the surrounding bone of upper molar in rats

The aim of this study is to examine the change of the osteoclastic activity in the surrounding bone with or without tooth movement after corticotomy by histologic study. Eighteen male Sprague Dawley rats with an average body weight of 300 g(range 250-350 g) were used. The rats were divided into three groups of six animals. They were operated corticotomy-assisted tooth movement and killed after 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after tooth movement. Corticotomy was done in the surrounding of the both upper first molar. A split mouth design was used by referring to the contralateral side as control. After flap suturing, the upper left first molar was moved anteriorly by closed coil spring. The force applied was 1 N. The average of tooth movement of the 1 week group was 0.24+/-0.09 mm, 0.20+/-0.26 mm in 2 weeks group and 0.41+/-0.39 mm in 3 weeks group, respectively. The difference between the 1 week and the 2 weeks groups was very small to compare with the 3 weeks group. In the treatment group, the average numbers of cells that positively reacted to TRAP were 14.5 in the 1 week group, 12.0 in the 2 weeks group, and 6.0 in the 3 weeks group. In the control group, the numbers were 8.3 in the 1 week group, 12.8 in the 2 week group, and 1.5 in the 3 week group, respectively. The amount of tooth movement of the 3 week group was about twice as large as those of the 1 week and 2 week groups. From the standpoint of histology, the average number of cells that positively reacted to TRAP was initially larger in the treatment group than in the control group, similar in both group in 2 weeks, and became less in the treatment group in 3 weeks. Additionally, in the control group, their activity of osteoclast was higher in 2 weeks than in 1 week, and decreased rapidly in 3 weeks.