Structure of AQEE-30 of VGF Neuropeptide in Membrane-Mimicking Environments.

AQEE-30 is one of the VGF peptides, which are derived from the VGF polypeptide precursor, and related to various physiological phenomena including neuroprotective effects in Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although various functions of AQEE-30 have been reported so far, the structure of this peptide has not been reported yet. In this study, the structure of human AQEE-30 was investigated in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) micelle solutions, using circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. CD results showed that AQEE-30 had a partial helical structure in aqueous buffer, and the helical structure was stabilized in the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The 3D structures determined by NMR spectroscopy showed that AQEE-30 adopted mainly α-helical structure in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The surface of AQEE-30 showed that it was predominantly negatively charged. The residues from 601 to 611 in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions showed amphiphilicity with four negatively charged residues, glutamate. The C-terminal consecutive arginine residues formed a partial positively charged surface. These results suggest an α-helical active structure of AQEE-30 in the cell-membrane environment.

Association of phthalates and early menarche in Korean adolescent girls from Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2015-2017.

BACKGROUND: Phthalates are one of renowned endocrine-disrupting chemicals, although inconsistent results are present around their effect on onset of menarche. Our hypothesis is that pre-pubertal exposure to phthalates is associated with acceleration of menarche. METHODS: We analyzed a total of 236 middle school (7th to 9th grade) girls from Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2015-2017. We used multiple linear regression to investigate impact of eight phthalate metabolites on age of menarche. We also conducted logistic regression to evaluate association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and early onset of menarche, adjusting for grade, maternal age of menarche and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: In linear regression analysis, no significant association was found for any phthalate metabolites. In logistic regression analysis, however, odds ratios (ORs) of early menarche were significantly increased for mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) and for sum of all phthalates. When compared to group with the lowest level, high concentration group for MnBP presented significantly increased odds of early menarche (OR: 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03, 4.23) after adjusting for grade, maternal age of menarche and BMI. Furthermore, high concentrations of sum of all phthalates were associated with significant increase of OR of early menarche (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.49) after adjustment, compared to the lowest concentration group. CONCLUSIONS: Results of our study suggest that exposure to phthalates around puberty may be associated with increased risk of early menarche.

Association between depression and cardiovascular disease risk in general population of Korea: results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Depression is considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated with changes in individuals' health status that might influence CVD risk. However, most studies have scrutinized this relationship on a rather narrower and specific study population. By focusing on general population of Korea, we sought to inspect the association of depression with CVD risk and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: The data from the first year (2016) of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used. Participants were classified by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score as such: normal group (PHQ-9 score 0-4), mild depression (MD) group (PHQ-9 score 5-9) and moderate and severe depression (MSD) group (PHQ-9 score 10-27). General linear model was used to analyze differences and the trend of mean CVD risk according to depression level. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were calculated by logistic regression to identify the association between depression and cardiovascular risk factors after adjusting for age. RESULTS: Mean CVD risk of MSD group was higher than that of normal group (p < 0.05). There was a tendency of CVD risk to increase as depression worsened (p < 0.01). Among men, MSD group was associated with current smoking (AOR, 2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78-4.97), taking antihypertensive medications (AOR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.26-4.66), increased fasting blood sugar (> 125 mg/dL; AOR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.25-4.50) and taking diabetes medications (AOR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.65-5.72). MD group was associated with current smoking (AOR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.18-2.17). Among women, MSD group was associated with high body mass index (≥ 25 kg/m2; AOR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.11-2.32), large waist circumference (≥ 85 cm; AOR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.12-2.37), current smoking (AOR, 5.11; 95% CI, 3.07-8.52) and taking diabetes medications (AOR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.68-4.08). MD group was associated with current smoking (AOR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.18-2.93). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that depression is associated with increased risk for CVD occurrence in general population of Korea.

Thyroid cancer among female workers in Korea, 2007-2015.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of thyroid cancer has been increasing rapidly worldwide, especially among women. There has been a debate as to whether such an increase represents consequences of over-diagnosis or a true increase. To find the occupational risk of Korean female workers in different industry sectors, we analyzed the data of Korean female workers. METHODS: National Female Worker Cohort data that contain information on total female workers were used for our analysis of prevalence of thyroid cancer (C73 according to KCD-5, 6 code) derived from National Health Insurance data. By combining industrial codes from National Health Insurance Service and those from Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, the classification of industrial codes became to consist of the total of thirty three representing both non-office (NO) and office (O) categories. Both an internal comparison among female workers within the cohort and an external comparison to compare female workers with Korean general female population were carried out. RESULTS: Among 149,258 female workers, 2,641 cases of thyroid cancers were identified. Differences in prevalence of thyroid cancer between female workers (40.5%) and general Korean female population (32.6%) were observed; however, the differences in prevalence of thyroid cancer between NO workers and O workers were not apparent. An analysis involving workers in Financial and insurance activities sector revealed that, standardized prevalence rate (SPR) of both NO (2.96, 95% CI = 2.01-4.20) and O workers (3.68, 95% CI = 3.10-4.33) increased significantly and that an AOR (adjusted odds ratio) increased marginally (1.38, 95% CI = 0.97-1.96). Further, when stratified in respect to the duration of employment, an AOR of female workers having been employed for more than 8 years showed a significant increase (1.63, 95% CI = 1.07-2.49). CONCLUSIONS: Female workers had a higher risk of thyroid cancer than general female population but the difference between NO workers and O workers was not found to be significant in most industrial sectors. Further studies using data with information regarding specific occupational exposures are needed.