Blockchain Token-Based Wild-Simulated Ginseng Quality Management Method.

Countries require measures to prevent food fraud, such as forgery of certificates or content change during production, which can occur throughout the supply chain, even if they have a certification system for quality food management. Therefore, there are recent cases of the introduction of blockchain tokens for quality and supply chain management; however, there are difficulties in introducing tokens in food fields, such as forest and agricultural products. To introduce tokens in the food sector, we selected wild-simulated ginseng, subject to quality management in Korea, analyzed the quality management process of wild-simulated ginseng, and selected the target for blockchain token introduction. We then identified potential token-related issues from consumers and suggested possible solutions.

Region-Specific Differences in the Apoe4-dependent Response to Focal Brain Injury.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays a role in various physiological functions including lipid transport, synaptic plasticity, and immune modulation. Epidemiological studies suggest that the apoE4 allele increases the risk of post-traumatic sequelae. This study was performed to investigate regionspecific effects of the apoE4 isoform on post-traumatic neurodegeneration. Two focal brain injuries were introduced separately in the motor cortex and hippocampus of apoE4 knock-in, apoE3 knock-in, apoE knockout, and wild-type (WT) mice. Western blotting showed that the expression levels of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic markers at the recovery stage were lower in the hippocampal injury core in apoE4 mice, compared with apoE3 and WT mice. Fast glial activation (determined by immunohistochemistry with glial fibrillary acidic protein, ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1, and cluster of differentiation 45 antibodies) was characteristic of apoE4 mice with hippocampal injury penumbra. apoE4-specific changes were not observed after cortical injury. The intensity of microglial activation in the hippocampus was inversely correlated with the volume of injury reduction on sequential magnetic resonance imaging examinations, when validated using matched samples. These findings indicate that the effects of the interaction between apoE4 and focal brain damage are specific to the hippocampus. Manipulation of inflammatory cell responses could be beneficial for reducing post-traumatic hippocampal neurodegeneration in apoE4 carriers.

Do we need colonoscopy verification in patients with fundic gland polyp?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of colorectal neoplasia in subjects with fundic gland polyps (FGPs) and the relationship between FGPs and colorectal neoplasia in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed 128 consecutive patients with FPGs who underwent colonoscopy between January 2009 and December 2013. For each case, age- (±5 years) and sex-matched controls were identified from among patients with hyperplastic polyps, gastric neoplasms, and healthy controls. Clinical characteristics were reviewed from medical records, colonoscopic findings, pathologic findings, and computed tomography images. The outcome was evaluated by comparison of advanced colonic neoplasia detection rates. RESULTS: Of the 128 patients, seven (5.1%) had colon cancers and seven (5.1%) had advanced adenomas. A case-control study revealed that the odds of detecting a colorectal cancer was 3.8 times greater in patients with FGPs than in the age- and sex-matched healthy controls (odds ratio [OR], 3.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-13.24; P =0.04) and 4.1 times greater in patients with FGPs than in healthy controls over 50 years of age (OR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.16-14.45; P =0.04). Among patients with FGPs over 50 years old, male sex (OR, 4.83; 95% CI, 1.23-18.94; P =0.02), and age (OR, 9.90; 95% CI, 1.21-81.08; P =0.03) were associated with an increased prevalence of advanced colorectal neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS: The yield of colonoscopy in colorectal cancer patients with FGPs was substantially higher than that in average-risk subjects. Colonoscopy verification is warranted in patients with FGPs, especially in those 50 years of age or older.

The relevance of the primary prevention criteria for implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation in korean symptomatic severe heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy is recommended as the primary tool for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in symptomatic patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. There is a paucity of information on whether this recommendation is appropriate for the Korean population with severe heart failure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 275 consecutive patients (mean age 65 years, 71% male) who met the ICD implantation criteria for primary prevention (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% and New York Heart Association functional class II or III). We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of an ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) group (n=131) and a non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICMP) group (n=144). The outcomes of these 2 groups were compared with the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT-II) conventional and Defibrillators in the Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy Treatment Evaluation (DEFINITE) standard therapy groups, respectively. RESULTS: Eighty patients (29%) died during a follow-up period of 40±17 months. The NICMP group had better all-cause mortality rates than the ICMP group (19% vs. 40%, p<0.001), however both groups had a similar incidence of SCD (7% vs. 10%, p=0.272). The 2-year all-cause mortality and SCD for the ICMP group were similar to those of the MADIT-II conventional therapy group (20% vs. 20%, 7% vs. 10%, respectively, all p>0.05). All-cause mortality and the incidence of SCD in the NICMP group were comparable to those of the DEFINITE standard therapy group (13% vs. 17%, 6% vs. 6%, respectively, all p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Korean patients with severe heart failure in both the ICMP and NICMP groups had all-caused mortality and risk of SCD comparable to patients in the MADIT-II and DEFINITE standard therapy groups. Therefore, the primary prevention criteria for ICD implantation would be appropriate in both Korean ICMP and NICMP patients.

Wolff-Parkinson-white syndrome in a patient with mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes syndrome.

Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a multisystem disorder, which is clinically characterized by encephalopathy, dementia, seizures and stroke-like episodes. Multiple organs can be affected and cardiac involvement often dominates the clinical picture because of its high energy requirement. We report a case of a 21-year-old woman with MELAS syndrome who had pre-excitation ECG and one episode of tachycardia attack.

Cardiac myxoma originating from the anterior mitral valve leaflet.

Primary cardiac tumors are rare and myxoma is the most common tumor among them. Cardiac myxoma usually occurs in the left atrium. Myxoma originating from mitral valve is extremely rare. We report a case of mitral valve myxoma. The tumor originated from the anterior mitral valve leaflet. The tumor was completely removed and replacement of the mitral valve was not done.