Improving the nutrition quotient and dietary self-efficacy through personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling among adults in their 20s and 30s / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#This study examines the effectiveness of personalized goal setting and smartphonebased nutrition counseling among adults in their 20s and 30s. @*Methods@#Nutrition counseling was conducted for a total of 30 adults through a 1:1 chat room of a mobile instant messenger, once a week for 8 weeks. The first week of counseling included a preliminary online questionnaire survey and a dietary intake survey. Based on the results of the preliminary survey, 2 dietary goals were set in the second week and the participants were asked to record their achievements on a daily checklist. From the third week onwards, counselors sent feedback messages based on the checklist and provided information on dietary guidelines in a card news format every week. Post-counseling questionnaires and dietary intake surveys were conducted in the seventh week. Changes in dietary habits during the counseling were reviewed in the eighth week, followed by a questionnaire survey on the evaluation of the counseling process. @*Results@#The nutrition quotient (NQ) scores and self-efficacy scores were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The NQ scores of consumption frequencies of fruits, milk and dairy products, nuts, fast food, Ramyeon, sweet and greasy baked products, sugarsweetened beverages, the number of vegetable dishes at meals, and breakfast frequency were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The intake of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron, and the index of nutritional quality of vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron were higher after nutrition education. The participants were satisfied with the nutrition counseling program and the provided nutrition information. @*Conclusion@#Personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling were found to be effective in improving the quality of diet and self-efficacy in young adults. Similar results were obtained in both the underweightormal weight and the overweight/obese groups.

Personal Exposure to Total VOC Is Associated With Symptoms of Atopic Dermatitis in Schoolchildren

Background@#The urinary levels of volatile organic compound (VOC) metabolites provide individual exposure levels compared to data obtained by measuring these compounds in ambient air. We aimed to investigate the association between personal urinary concentrations of VOC metabolites and symptoms of atopic dermatitis in schoolchildren. @*Methods@#Nine urinary VOC metabolites were analyzed from urine samples of 149 children. Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis was determined using standardized questionnaires. Pediatricians visited the schools and rated the severity of symptoms using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) in all children. @*Results@#Forty-five children (30.2%) had atopic dermatitis based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) results and 35 children (23.8%) had symptoms of atopic dermatitis with positive SCORAD index values (defined as SCORAD ≥ 5). Children with benzylmercapturic acid detected in personal urines were associated with presence of atopic dermatitis and positive SCORAD index values. Children in the highest quartile of mandelic acid concentration were associated with presence of atopic dermatitis and positive SCORAD results. @*Conclusion@#Personal exposure to VOCs, as indicated by urinary levels of VOC metabolites, was associated with presence of atopic dermatitis and the SCORAD index value.

Bioassay-coupled LC-QTOF MS/MS to Characterize Constituents Inhibiting Nitric Oxide Production of Thuja orientalis

The ethyl acetate fractions prepared from the leaves of Thuja orientalis significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. According to bioassay-coupled LC-QTOF MS/MS, the components near 22 and 25 mins in the mass chromatogram highly inhibited NO production and were expected to be labdane diterpenes, and the active components were characterized via further isolation. The results of the NO production inhibitory assay of the isolated compounds correlated well with the results of bioassay-coupled LC-QTOF MS/MS. Among the identified constituents, NO production inhibitory activities of 16-hydroxy-labda-8(17),13-diene-15,19-dioic acid butenolide (2) and 15-hydroxypinusolidic acid (3) were newly reported. Taken together, these results demonstrated that LC-QTOF MS/MS coupled with NO production inhibition assay was a powerful tool for accurately predicting new anti-inflammatory constituents in the extracts from natural products. Moreover, it provided a potential basis for broadening the application of bioassay-coupled LC-QTOF MS/MS in natural product research.

Robotic transoral thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) is well consistent with the primary goal of remote-access thyroid surgery, which is to avoid a visible cervical scar. Additionally, the extent of transoral thyroidectomy dissection is less than that of other remote-access surgical procedures. Owing to these merits of the transoral approach, several institutions around the world are now performing this procedure. Since transoral thyroidectomy is performed in a confined, narrow space, and is characterized by a close distance from the ports to the working space, more benefits can be derived from multiarticulation of robotic instruments. Especially when performing left lobectomy by TORT, the surgeon can use right-handed robotic instruments over the thyroid cartilage with the merits of multiarticulation. In this study, we present our unique procedure of left lobectomy by TORT in detail.

Robotic Transoral Thyroidectomy: Right Thyroidectomy and Ipsilateral Central Neck Dissection with da Vinci Si Surgical System

Transoral approach for thyroidectomy recently gains a lot of attention among the thyroid surgeons, with the merits of cosmetic outcomes and minimal flap dissection. We've successfully introduced the robotic surgical system to the transoral approach for thyroidectomy. For transoral robotic thyroidectomy, we made 3 incisions in the gingival-buccal sulcus for three intraoral ports. An additional axilla port was inserted for counter-traction and later drain insertion. Herein, our unique procedures of transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) are described in the treatment of a patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Analysis of reduced-dose administration of oxaliplatin as adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy for colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: An oxaliplatin-based regimen is the most common adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer, but many patients experience dose reduction or early termination of chemotherapy due to side effects. We conducted this study to verify the range of reduction with oncologic safety. METHODS: Patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer who received adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. The total amount of oxaliplatin administered per patient was calculated as a percentile based on 12 cycles of full-dose FOLFOX as a standard dose. The cutoff values showing significant differences in survival were calculated, and the clinicopathologic outcomes of patient groups classified by the value were compared. RESULTS: Among a total of 611 patients, there were 107 stage II patients, and 504 stage III patients. At 60% of the standard dose of oxaliplatin, the patients in the dose reduction group were older (62 years vs. 58 years, P = 0.003), had lower body mass index (BMI) (23.1 kg/m2 vs. 24.0 kg/m2, P = 0.005), and were more exposed to neoadjuvant treatment (18.0% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.003) in comparison to the standard group. At 60% of the standard dose, there were no significant differences in 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between the 2 groups (5-year DFS: 73.5% vs. 74.2%, P = 0.519; 5-year OS: 71.9% vs. 81.5%, P = 0.256, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients with old age, low BMI, and more frequent exposure to neoadjuvant treatment tended to show lower compliance with chemotherapy. More than 60% dose should be administered to patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer as adjuvant chemotherapy to achieve acceptable oncologic outcomes.

Transoral Robotic Thyroidectomy

Transoral approach for thyroidectomy recently gains a lot of attention among the thyroid surgeons, with definite merits over previously developed remote-access approaches. The approach not only resulted in the ideal cosmetic outcome but less postoperative pain with smaller dissection plane in comparison with other approaches. We have successfully introduced the robotic surgical system and its related techniques to this transoral surgical approach for thyroidectomy, which enables the surgeon to have the three-dimentional operative vision and to use the articulating instruments to enhance th eoptimal surgical outcomes. Herein, our unique procedures of transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) are described, and possible advantages and disadvantages of the operation are discussed.