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Purpose: Missing teeth is one of the most important indicators of oral health behavior and the result of dental caries, periodontal disease, and injuries. This study examined a trend in the incidence of severe partial edentulism (SPE) using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) data. Materials and Methods: Data of adults aged ≥20 years were obtained from the KNHIS for the 2014–2018 period. SPE was defined in dental information within a population with a treatment history of dental scaling as having 1 to 8 natural teeth. Crude incidence rates (CIRs) and age-standardized incidence rates (AIRs) with 95% confidence interval were calculated per 100000 persons. The Cochran Armitage trend (CAT) test and average annual percentage change were used to analyze SPE trends. Results: The CIRs among Korean adults were from 346.29 to 391.11 in 2014–2016 and from 391.11 to 354.09 in 2016–2018. The AIRs trend statistically increased by 4.31% from 346.29 to 376.80 and decreased by 4.72% from 376.80 to 342.10. The AIRs in men increased by 4.00% and decreased by 3.01%. The AIRs in women decreased by 2.18% and increased by 2.11% (CAT; p<0.01). The AIRs by region and income also showed trends of increase and decrease. Conclusion: The study showed that the incidence trend of SPE increased and decreased from 2014 to 2018. This result would be able to aid in the planning of public oral health, and may also serve as fundamental data for verifying the impact of the public oral health policies implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A significant amount of research has been conducted to establish the validity of acupuncture, and it has been demonstrated through animal disease model studies that acupuncture influences mitochondrial changes. However, to more accurately examine the mechanisms of acupuncture treatment effectiveness in pathological models, it is crucial to investigate changes in disease-free animals. Among various hypotheses regarding the effects of acupuncture on the body, we focused on the result that acupuncture stimulation is related to mitochondria. Objectives: We examined the effects of acupuncture mitochondrial fission and fusionrelated mediators in disease-free Sprague Dawley (SD) rats' spleen meridian acupoints. Methods: SD rats were divided into control, SP1, SP2, SP3, SP5, and SP9 acupuncture groups. Acupuncture was performed at each point for 10 minutes daily for four days. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-a (PGC-1a) and fission protein 1 (Fis1) levels were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), while dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), optic atrophy-1 (OPA1), mitofusin-1 (MFN1), and mitofusin-2 (MFN2) levels were assessed via western blotting. Mitochondria protein concentrations and NADH dehydrogenase activity in spleen tissues were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: PGC-1a expression decreased in the SP1 (p < 0.01), SP5 (p < 0.05), and SP9 (p < 0.05) groups, while Fis1 expression increased in the SP1 (p < 0.01), SP5 (p < 0.01), and SP9 (p < 0.05) groups. DRP1, OPA1, MFN1, and MFN2 levels exhibited no significant changes. Mitochondrial protein concentrations decreased in the SP2 (p < 0.01), SP3 (p < 0.01), SP5 (p < 0.01), and SP9 (p < 0.01) groups, while NADH dehydrogenase activity decreased in the SP2 (p < 0.05) and SP9 (p < 0.05) groups. Conclusion: Acupuncture at the SP9 acupoint influenced the mitochondrial fission pathway by modulating PGC-1a and Fis1 mediators in the rat spleen under non-disease conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. Radioresistance is a major challenge in the treatment of brain tumors. The development of several types of tumors, including GBM, involves the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. Upon activation, this pathway induces radioresistance. In this study, we investigated whether additional use of selective inhibitors of PI3K isoforms would enhance radiosensitivity in GBM. Materials and Methods: We evaluated whether radiation combined with PI3K isoform selective inhibitors can suppress radioresistance in GBM. Glioma 261 expressing luciferase (GL261-luc) and LN229 were used to confirm the effect of combination of radiation and PI3K isoform inhibitors in vitro. Cell viability was confirmed by clonogenic assay, and inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling activation was observed by Western blot. To confirm radiosensitivity, the expression of phospho-γ-H2AX was observed by immunofluorescence. In addition, to identify the effect of a combination of radiation and PI3K-a isoform inhibitor in vivo, an intracranial mouse model was established by implanting GL261-luc. Tumor growth was observed by IVIS imaging, and survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results: Suppression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway increased radiosensitivity, and PI3K-a inhibition had similar effects on PI3K-pan inhibition in vitro. The combination of radiotherapy and PI3K-a isoform inhibitor suppressed tumor growth and extended survival in vivo. Conclusion: This study verified that PI3K-a isoform inhibition improves radiosensitivity, resulting in tumor growth suppression and extended survival in GBM mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although traumatic diaphragmatic ruptures are rare, intra-abdominal organ herniation occurs more commonly in the left diaphragm because the right diaphragm is held by the liver and ligaments underneath. Additionally, right diaphragmatic injuries are sometimes delayed or missed because other comorbidities cover them. This study examined a 10-year experience with traumatic diaphragmatic injuries to better understand the clinical characteristics according to diaphragmatic injury location and improve future treatments. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 29 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic rupture admitted to the Chungbuk National University Hospital, South Korea, between January 2011 and December 2020. The patients' clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were analyzed using the chi-square test and independent t-test. Results: The injury severity score showed that left diaphragmatic ruptures (31.36, standard deviation [SD] 10.89) were higher than right-sided ruptures (29.33, SD 10.21), but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.61). Abdominal organ herniations were more common on the left side, and there were two cases of hollow viscus injuries as left-side ruptures and eight cases of abdominal solid organ injuries as rightside ruptures, but there was no statistical difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the state of shock during the emergency room visits, intensive care unit, and ventilator care, and no difference was observed in survival. Conclusion: Depending on the location of the diaphragmatic rupture, there were differences in the number of abdominal organ herniation and surgical methods, but there was no difference in injury severity or outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Heimlich maneuver is an effective first aid procedure to dislodge a foreign body, causing airway obstruction. However, it is associated with potentially rare and fatal complications. Herein, the authors present a case of a traumatic gastric injury as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver in a 70-year-old female patient who lost consciousness due to airway obstruction while eating tangerines. We have also reviewed relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the comprehensive risk factors for lymphedema, thereby enabling a more informed multidisciplinary treatment decision-making. Summary Background Data: Lymphedema is a serious long-term complication in breast cancer patients post-surgery; however, the influence of multimodal therapy on its occurrence remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively collected treatment-related data from 5549 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between 2007 and 2015 at ourinstitution. Individual radiotherapy plans were reviewed for regional nodal irradiation (RNI) field design and fractionation type. We identified lymphedema risk factors and used them to construct nomograms to predict individual risk of lymphedema. Nomograms were validated internally using 100 bootstrap samples and externally using 2 separate datasets of 1877 Asian and 191 Western patients. Results: Six hundred thirty-nine patients developed lymphedema during a median follow-up of 60 months. The 3-year lymphedema incidence was 10.5%; this rate increased with larger irradiation volumes (no RNI vs RNI excluding axilla I– II vs RNI including axilla I– II: 5.7% vs 16.8% vs 24.1%) and when using conventional fractionation instead of hypofractionation (13.5% vs 6.8%). On multivariate analysis, higher body mass index, larger number of dissected nodes, taxane-based regimen, total mastectomy, larger irradiation field, and conventional fractionation were strongly associated with lymphedema (all P < 0.001). Nomograms constructed based on these variables showed good calibration and discrimination internally (concordance index: 0.774) and externally (0.832 for Asian and 0.820 for Western patients). Conclusions: Trimodality breast cancer treatment factors interact to promote lymphedema. Lymphedema risk can be decreased by deintensifying node dissection, chemotherapy regimen, and field and dose of radiotherapy. Deescalation strategies on a multidisciplinary basis might minimize lymphedema risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that laparoscopic surgery has clearly shown benefits in patients with benign ovarian tumor, concerns remain regarding port site metastasis especially when final pathology reveals malignancy. Port site metastasis has been reported in early stages of malignant diseases. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports of port site implantation of malignant cells affter laparoscopic surgery for benign disease. We present a 39-year-old woman who had undergone laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for benign disease, and developed clear cell carcinoma at the site of trocar insertion 11 months affter the initial operation. It is possible that the cancer was missed at the time of the initial surgery. Numerous factors have been suggested in the development of port site metastasis including aerosolization of tumor cells, lack of local immune response by the host and unskilled surgical techniques. A careful preoperative evaluation and meticulous laparoscopic maneuvers are the best way to prevent such occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Several reports have documented the risk of fistula formation after bevacizumab in patients previously treated with radiation therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of fistula formation with bevacizumab and radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients with stage I-IV cervical cancer between January 2013 and December 2018. Patients who had a history of pelvic radiotherapy, who were treated with intracavitary brachytherapy alone, received radiotherapy at another hospital, received concurrent bevacizumab and radiotherapy, or had missing follow- up data or a short follow- up period (<6 months) were excluded. The fistula rates were compared between the groups using the Cox proportional hazards model and propensity score analyses. Results A total of 302 patients were included in the study: 249 patients were treated with definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy, and 53 patients were treated with radiotherapy before or after bevacizumab. With a median follow- up of 35.9 (IQR 22.8--53.5) months, the 3 year cumulative fistula incidence rate was significantly higher in the radiotherapy + bevacizumab group than in the radiotherapy group (27.0% vs 3.0%, p<0.001). Bevacizumab administration was significantly associated with fistula formation in the multivariable adjusted model (HR 4.76, 95% CI 1.71 to 13.23) and three propensity score adjusted model (all p<0.05). Biologically equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions for 2 cc of the rectum more than 76 Gy was also associated with fistula formation (HR 4.30, 95% CI 1.52 to 12.18). Additionally, a 10 month interval between radiotherapy and bevacizumab reduced the incidence of fistula formation in the radiotherapy + bevacizumab group (p=0.032). Conclusions In patients with cervical cancer treated with pelvic radiotherapy, the addition of bevacizumab substantially increased the risk of fistula formation. Physicians should perform pelvic radiotherapy in combination with bevacizumab with caution; moreover, close monitoring for fistula formation is warranted in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide is a major cause of death worldwide. While studies have been conducted on the predictors of suicide behaviors, these have not covered how lethality and the various predictors differ by age. We explored these age differences in the present study. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of suicidal patients in the emergency department (ED) of a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea, between September 2017 and August 2018.We extracted participants' data fromthe National Emergency Department Information System of Korea and their individual electronic medical records (EMRs), including demographic information (e.g., age, gender), details of their ED visit (e.g., suicide method), and medical history (e.g., physical illness, alcohol co-ingestion).We also used EMR data to complete the Risk-Rescue Rating Scale (RRRS). Results: Of the 499 patients referred to the ED for suicide attempts, 427 were analyzed. We found that while younger participants were more likely to have repeated attempts, older participants' attempts were more likely to be fatal (e.g., higher RRRS risk scores and lower accessibility-to-rescue scores). After adjusting for demographics, older participants showed significantly higher scores on RRRS risk, impaired consciousness, and treatment required than younger participants. Conclusion: Our findings clarified the characteristics of high-risk suicide attempters based onage, which could influence suicide-prevention policies (e.g., younger people tend to repeat suicide attempts, and thus may require continued surveillance). However, as older adults showed higher lethality and were more difficult to save, they may require suicide prevention coupled with social support interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we developed the Screening Test for At-risk Drinking in the Elderly (STAD-E), a newabbreviated version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) intended for use in the elderly populations. This test comprises three questions that reflect the structure of the AUDIT 10 questionnaire and the characteristics of the Korean population and was developed using nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods:We performed exploratory factor analysis for each question from the AUDIT questionnaire that was responded by elderly (≥ 65 years) participants of KNHANES IV-V to derive our abbreviated test based on the structure of each AUDIT item. For validation, we analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the new abbreviated test using KNHANES VI datasets (excepting KNHANES VI-2). Results:We selected question (Q) 1, Q3, and Q7 on the three-factor structure for the elderly population. The cut-off values of STAD-E were 4 for elderly males and 3 for elderly females. During the validation test, STAD-E yielded significantly greater AUROC values than AUDIT-QF and similar values to AUDIT-C. Conclusions: Unlike previous abbreviated tests, STAD-E reflects the item structure of AUDIT and the alcohol consumption patterns in an elderly population. Therefore, it can be used as a simple and reliable screening test for at-risk drinking in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term and very short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) exceeding the daily average environmental standards for Korea (=100 µg/m3 for PM10 and =50 µg/m3 for PM2.5) on on asthma- related hospital visits. Materials and Methods: This was a population-based, case-crossover study using National Health Insurance and air pollution data between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016. The event day was defined as a day when PM exceeded the daily average environmental standard (short-term exposure) or daily average environmental standard for 2 hours (very short-term exposure). The control day was defined as the same day of the week at 1 week prior to the event day. Results: Compared with control days, asthma-related hospital visits on the 24-hr event days and 2-hr event days increased by 4.10% and 3.45% for PM10 and 5.66% and 3.74% for PM2.5, respectively. Asthma-related hospital visits increased from the 24-hr event day for PM10 to 4 days after the event day, peaking on the third day after the event day (1.26, 95% confidence interval, 1.22-1.30). Hospitalizations also increased on the third day after the event. While there was a difference in magnitude, PM2.5 exposure showed similar trends to PM10 exposure. Conclusion: We found a significant association between short-term and very short-term PM exposure exceeding the current daily average environmental standards of Korea and asthma-related hospital visits. These results are expected to aid in establishing appropriate environmental standards and relevant policies for PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital analbuminemia (CAA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by extremely low serum levels of albumin. CAA is caused by various homozygous or heterozygous mutations of the ALB gene. Patients often exhibit no clinical symptoms, aside from rare accompanying conditions, such as fatigue, ankle edema, and hypotension. This case report describes the case of a 28-year-old asymptomatic Korean male referred to our center with hypocalcemia, vitamin D deficiency, and hypoalbuminemia who was diagnosed with CAA. To determine the cause of hypoalbuminemia in the patient, laboratory tests, radiological examination, and DNA sequencing were performed. The patient was confirmed to not exhibit any other clinical conditions that can induce hypoalbuminemia and was diagnosed with CAA using DNA sequencing. The present case of CAA is the first to be reported in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In general, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and tooth loss increases with age. We investigated the relationship between the presence of MS, its elements, and tooth loss in middle-aged Korean adults. Materials and Methods: This study included Korean adults between 30 and 64 years of age who resided in the capital area of Seoul. From January to June 2014, individuals interested in participating in the oral health survey among those who visited the university hospital's cardiovascular center and provided informed consent were selected. Among 748 subjects who responded to the oral health questionnaires, 30 were excluded due to unclear responses; therefore, a total of 718 were included in the final analysis. Results: The crude odds ratio (OR) of ≥one MS component affecting tooth loss was 1.45 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.00]. After adjusting for sex, age, education, income level, occupation, smoking status, kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and rheumatic disease, the adjusted OR was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.06-2.05), which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The OR for tooth loss was higher in the presence of ≥one component of MS (50-64 years of age) in females. Conclusion: This study suggests that female aged 50-64 years may have higher likelihood of tooth loss upon the presence of at least one MS component. Prevention against MS among female of older age could contribute to maintenance of remaining teeth. Further well-designed studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only curative treatment for allergic diseases, but a few allergic patients receive AIT. In this multicenter cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore patient and physician perspectives on AIT through a questionnaire survey. Materials and Methods: Allergic patients who received subcutaneous immunotherapy for at least 1 year were asked to answer a questionnaire developed by an expert panel of allergen and immunotherapy workgroup in Korea. Results: A total of 267 patients (adults, 60.3%) with allergic rhinitis (91.4%), asthma (42.7%), or atopic dermatitis (20.2%) from referred hospitals completed the survey. Among patients and physicians, respectively, the overall rates of satisfaction with AIT for allergic rhinitis were 86.4% and 83.3% (kappa agreement=0.234, p<0.001), and those for asthma were 85.3% and 72.9% (kappa agreement= 0.373, p<0.001). Moreover, pediatric asthmatic patients reported a significantly higher satisfaction rate than adult asthmatic patients after AIT (p=0.040). Symptom severity (p<0.001, respectively) and drug use for allergic rhinitis and asthma decreased after AIT. However, there was no significant difference in satisfaction rates between children and adults in allergic rhinitis (p=0.736). Interestingly, 35.7% and 35% of allergic rhinitis and asthma patients, respectively, reported experiencing improvement in their symptoms within 6 months of starting AIT. Conclusion: In this study evaluating the perspectives of patients and physicians on AIT, the majority of patients were satisfied with the efficacy and safety of AIT, but not its cost. AIT should be recommended for AR and allergic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a form of radiotherapy that delivers high doses of irradiation with high precision in a small number of fractions. However, it has not frequently been performed for the liver due to the risk of radiation-induced liver toxicity. Furthermore, liver SBRT is cumbersome because it requires accurate patient repositioning, target localization, control of breathing-related motion, and confers a toxicity risk to the small bowel. Recently, with the advancement of modern technologies including intensity-modulated RT and image-guided RT, SBRT has been shown to significantly improve local control and survival outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), specifically those unfit for other local therapies. While it can be used as a standalone treatment for those patients, it can also be applied either as an alternative or as an adjunct to other HCC therapies (e.g., transarterial chemoembolization, and radiofrequency ablation). SBRT might be an effective and safe bridging therapy for patients awaiting liver transplantation. Furthermore, in recent studies, SBRT has been shown to have a potential role as an immunostimulator, supporting the novel combination strategy of immunoradiotherapy for HCC. In this review, the role of SBRT with some technical issues is discussed. In addition, future implications of SBRT as an immunostimulator are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings from this research extend the study of information behaviors in tourism research using the communicative action in problem solving (CAPS) framework. Data collected from a survey (N = 510) of mainland Chinese tourists in Macao show the effects of tourism stage (i.e., pretrip and posttrip), visiting history (i.e., first-time visit or repeat visit), and tourist loyalty (i.e., attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty) on their information behaviors (i.e., information acquisition, information selection, and information transmission). This study was undertaken in response to calls for practitioners and researchers in the tourism industry to further explore and extend the use of the CAPS framework to understand the complexity of information behaviors among tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate whether a "smoking cessation intervention" education program based on blended learning, was effective in improving nursing students' perceived competence and motivation to perform a smoking cessation intervention for smokers. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was conducted. The smoking cessation intervention education program based on blended learning, was administered to the experimental group (n = 23) in 5 sessions, consisting of 2 courses of an e-learning program and 1 course of a face-toface learning program per session. The control group (n = 21) received the opportunity to participate in an e-learning program as well as receiving material of a face-to-face learning program, after completion of the smoking cessation intervention education program. Results: The experimental group showed significant differences in autonomous motivation (t = -6.982, p < 0.001), controlled motivation (t = -3.729, p = 0.001), and perceived competence compared to the control group (t = -3.801, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that a smoking cessation intervention education program adopting blended learning, was significantly effective in enhancing nursing students' autonomous motivation and perceived competence to conduct a smoking cessation intervention. Further studies are needed to confirm longitudinal effects of this program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to investigate the effect of post-reading question-generation activities on Korean middle school students' English reading abilities with respect to cooperative learning. Two groups of students read the same reading materials; however, one group as an experimental group generated questions of three types, literal, inferential, and evaluative questions, while the other group as a control group answered comprehension questions. Each group was further divided into two sub-groups by cooperative and individual learning. A statistical analysis of the recall test scores reveals a positive effect of post-reading question-generation activities and cooperative learning on English reading abilities. The reading test scores by the three question types further illustrated variations across the question types: the experimental group outperformed the control group in the inferential and evaluative questions and individual learning was detected to be more effective than cooperative learning in the evaluative questions. Interactional effects were observed between post-reading activities and cooperative learning in the literal and evaluative questions. The findings suggest question-generation activities as a beneficial post-reading task, though their effectiveness can vary by question types and learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify and to functionally characterize genetic variants in ST3GAL5 and ST8SIA1 in Korean patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Materials and Methods: Genetic analyses were conducted using DNA samples from TAO patients (n=50) and healthy subjects (n=48) to identify TAO-specific genetic variants of ST3GAL5 or ST8SIA1. The effect of each genetic variant on the transcription or expression of these genes was examined. Additionally, correlations between functional haplotypes of ST3GAL5 or ST8SIA1 and clinical characteristics of the patients were investigated. Results: Six promoter variants and one nonsynonymous variant of ST3GAL5 were identified, and four major promoter haplotypes were assembled. Additionally, three promoter variants and two major haplotypes of ST8SIA1 were identified. All ST3GAL5 and ST8SIA1 variants identified in TAO patients were also found in healthy controls. Promoter activity was significantly decreased in three promoter haplotypes of ST3GAL5 and increased in one promoter haplotype of ST8SIA1. Transcription factors activating protein-1, NKX3.1, and specificity protein 1 were revealed as having roles in transcriptional regulation of these haplotypes. The non-synonymous variant of ST3GAL5, H104R, did not alter the expression of ST3GAL5. While no differences in clinical characteristics were detected in patients possessing the functional promoter haplotypes of ST3GAL5, exophthalmic values were significantly lower in patients with the ST8SIA1 haplotype, which showed a significant increase in promoter activity. Conclusion: These results from genotype-phenotype analysis might suggest a possible link between the ST8SIA1 functional promoter haplotype and the clinical severity of TAO. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb2Te3 and its amorphous carbon-modified nanocomposite (Sb2Te3-C) are synthesized by simple solid-state synthetic methods, and their potential as anode materials for rechargeable Na-ion batteries (NIBs) is evaluated. Ex situ X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly demonstrate the sodiation/desodiation reaction mechanism of the Sb2Te3 and Sb2Te3-C nanocomposite electrodes. In both electrodes, Sb2Te3 is converted into Na3Sb and Na2Te during Na insertion. However, Na3Sb and Na2Te in only the Sb2Te3-C nanocomposite electrode recombine into the original Sb2Te3 phase after full Na extraction. As a consequence of its interesting conversion/recombination reaction during sodiation/desodiation reaction, the Sb2Te3-C nanocomposite electrode exhibits a long cycle life with highly reversible gravimetric and volumetric capacity (373 mAh g-1 and 765 mAh cm-3 over 50 cycles) and fast rate capability (1 C: 391 mAh g-1 and 802 mAh cm-3; 2 C: 377 mAh g-1 and 773 mAh cm-3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was done to develop a strength based I-change smoking cessation program for middle school boys and identified its effects. Methods: The study design was a nonequivalent control group pre-post test design. The participants were 97 middle school students from D city, who were in school from April 6 to September 25, 2015. The experimental group participated in the strength based I-change smoking cessation program, while the comparative group participated in a general smoking cessation program. The control group did not participate in any program. Data analyses involved χ²-test, Fishers' exact test, Bonferroni test, and Repeated measures ANOVA, with the IBM SPSS for Windows (version 20.0) program. Results: Compared to the comparison and control groups, the experimental group showed significant improvement in knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, behavior change. Also cotinine in urine and modeling of social influence in the experimental group significantly decreased after the strength based I-change smoking cessation program. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the strength based I-change smoking cessation program is an effective intervention for middle school boys who smoke. The findings suggest that such programs can be used at public health centers or through school health education to decrease smoking in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate the direct and indirect contributions of Korean EFL college students' L2 receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge to their L2 writing performances by using a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with a goal to explore the pathways of vocabulary knowledge to writing. Data from 178 students were collected through tests of receptive and productive vocabulary breadth and depth, a writing test and a reading test. In testing a hypothesized model on the roles of receptive and productive vocabulary in writing, the results of the SEM analysis reveal the direct role of productive vocabulary in writing. The indirect role of receptive vocabulary on writing was observed through the mediating role of productive vocabulary or reading ability due to the direct contribution of receptive vocabulary to both productive vocabulary and reading and that of productive vocabulary and reading to writing. Findings from the study shed light on the relations of L2 receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge with L2 writing abilities, suggesting potential benefits of both receptive and productive vocabulary learning for L2 writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral hygiene care (OHC) is associated with in-hospital infection. Among the many materials used for OHC, gauze is one of the most common. However, many patients receiving OHC are in a poor state of consciousness and thus at high risk of foreign-body aspiration or ingestion. Here we present three cases of unusual foreign-body obstruction that developed in cognitively impaired patients. These cases highlight the need for increased clinical awareness regarding vulnerable patients at risk of complications related to a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract or the airway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral hygiene care by oral professionals on periodontal health in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Materials and Methods: Diabetic participants were recruited at a university hospital and matched at a 1:1 ratio by age and gender, and randomly allocated into intervention (40 people) and control groups (35 people). Tooth brushing instruction, oral health education, and supra-gingival scaling were implemented in all patients at baseline. This program was repeatedly conducted in intervention patients every month for 6 months, and twice at baseline and the sixth month in the control. Oral health was measured by decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), plaque index, calculus index, bleeding index, patient hygiene performance (PHP) index, tooth mobility, Russel's periodontal index, and community periodontal index (CPI). Diabetes-related factors, oral and general health behaviors, and sociodemographic factors were interviewed as other confounding factors. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used with SPSS for Windows 14.0. Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the two groups in average of periodontal health (calculus index, bleeding index, Russel's periodontal index, CPI, and tooth mobility), diabetes-related factors (fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, and HbA1c), and in distribution of sociodemographic factors and health behaviors. In intervention group, plaque index, dental calculus index, bleeding index, and PHP index were reduced fairly and steadily from the baseline. There were significant differences in plaque index, dental calculus index, bleeding index, PHP index, and Russel's periodontal index between the two groups at sixth month after adjusted for baseline status. Conclusion: Intensive oral hygiene care can persistently improve oral inflammation status and could slow periodontal deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR?) ligand troglitazone in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) enhances the apoptotic response of DLD-1 colon cancer cells. Materials and Methods: The effects of troglitazone, PDT, and troglitazone in combination with PDT on cell viability and apoptosis were assessed in DLD-1 cells. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated using the tetrazolium-based MTT assay, and apoptosis was evaluated via cell staining with propidium iodide (PI) and annexin V-FITC. The levels of pro-caspase-3 were measured via Western blot analyses. Results: Treatment of troglitazone and PDT induced the growth retardation and cell death of DLD-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, respectively. The combination treatment significantly suppressed cell growth and increased the apoptotic response of DLD-1 and resulted in apoptosis rather than necrosis, as shown by PI/annexin V staining and degradation of procaspase-3. Conclusion: These results document the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of PDT in combination with the PPARγ ligand troglitazone and provide a strong rationale for testing the therapeutic potential of combination treatment in colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an exploratory case study of writing strategies that Korean EFL graduate students in applied linguistics employed in the semester-long process of L2 computermode research paper writing with the use of multiple resources. Data for writing processes and strategy and resource use were largely collected from a writing strategy inventory questionnaire and writing logs, which were complemented by a keystroke logging program, video recordings and retrospective recall interviews. The results of the study reveal the influence of genre features and variations across writing stages, strategies, resources, and individual writers. Planning was intermingled with researching. The participants deployed certain strategies only at a particular stage or throughout the whole writing process. The students who had higher education in English-speaking countries used fewer strategies and preferred electronic resources to print resources than those who were educated mainly in Korea. The latter also showed a tendency of employing self-regulatory strategies. Findings from the study suggest that the research paper writing process is resourceful, strategic and individually situated, and it involves complex composing behaviors accompanied by more varied strategies and resources than shown in studies of one-time reading-to-write tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Environmentally-friendly construction material means the production and installation of the construction materials with reduced energy use and environmental load. The area includes environmentally-friendly construction finishing materials, energy-saving material technologies, etc. They try to make a growth in connection with regional industries by way of convergence industrialization of marine resource materials, getting out of the limit of utilizing the mud resource. Methods/Statistical analysis: Survey has been Step 4(Environmentally-friendly Materials, Insulation and Heat Storage Performance, Provides Comfortable Environment, Natural Deodorization Function) program. Findings: Environmentallyfriendly construction material markets grow continuously because the mud products may replace the role of red clay products in the construction material market, so we can expect demand for the mud products to be high in future. Improvements/Applications: Based on the awareness built up by the activation of mud festival, it is required to strengthen the competitiveness of the community industry using mud, the representative resource in Boryeong City, converting value added industry that is life care industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Exploration of the ability to process socially relevant events portrayed by biological motion and to identify underlying neuronal processes can provide clues for understanding the pathophysiology of psychosis. Individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) have pervasive interpersonal deficits and odd behaviors. An understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in the perception of biological motion and the relation of activity to clinical symptoms in those mechanisms is needed.Objective: To investigate the specificity of brain regions responsive to biological motion perception in individuals with SPD compared with healthy control individuals.Design, Setting, and Participants: Twenty-one patients diagnosed as having SPD and 38 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched controls underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. The SPD group completed the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire for assessment of symptom severity. During scanning, all participants were required to discriminate biological from scrambled sequences of point-light animations. Data were collected from September 21. 2011, to July 13, 2013, and analyzed from March to May 2015.Main Outcomes and Measures: Blood oxygenation level-dependent signals during event-related scanning and symptom severity in the SPD group.Results: The 21 individuals with SPD (16 men and 5 women) and 38 controls (29 men and 9 women) had a mean (SD) age, 22.8 (3.8) vs 22.2 (2.5) years and a mean (SD) IQ, 115.00 (12.55) vs 120.24 )7.68). Brain imaging revealed the presence of neuronal activation specific to biological motion within the posterior superior temporal sulcus. However, the individuals with SPD exhibited regions of neural responsiveness within brain regions forming the reward network, which consisted of the dorsal striatum and bilateral superior medial frontal cortex (all t ≥ 2.99, P of clusters <.002). The individuals with SPD also exhibited reduced activation in the anterior and middle cingulate cortices and the lingual and superior occipital gyri, which are brain areas responsive to biological motion perception and executive control of perception (all t ≥ 3.29, P of clusters <.001). In addition, significant correlations between the hyperdopaminergic clinical symptoms and enhanced neuronal activation in the caudate nucleus and frontal cortex were observed in the SPD group (all r ≥ 0.52, P < .02).Conclusions and Relevance: Individuals with SPD display heightened activation in the neural circuitry involved in reward and decision making when viewing biological motion stimuli in addition to a positive correlation between increased blood oxygenation level-dependent signal responses related to biological motions and clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that enhanced responses arise within the reward network in individuals with SPD and are possibly related to the peculiar ways that individuals with SPD behave in social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship of active and passive smoking with occupational injury among manual workers. Data from the 2011 Korean Working Conditions Survey were analyzed for 12,507 manual workers aged =15 yr. Overall, 60.4% of men and 5.8% of women were current smokers. The prevalence of injury was higher among never smokers who were exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) (7.7% in men and 8.1% in women) than current smokers (4.2% in men and 4.1% in women). After controlling for potential confounders, in men, compared to those who never smoked and were not exposed to SHS, people who never smoked and were exposed to SHS (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=3.7, 2.2-6.4) and current smokers (aOR=2.5, 1.6-3.8) were more likely to experience injury. Among women, the aORs of occupational injury were 8.4 (4.2-16.7) for never smoking women with occasional exposure to SHS and 3.5 (95% CI: 1.4-8.7) for current smokers, in comparison to never smoking women who were never exposed to SHS at work (reference group). The present study suggests that exposure to SHS is a possible risk factor of occupational injury for never smoking men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, the effectiveness of a motivational interviewing smoking cessation YOU-TURN program for adolescents was examined. The program was based on the self-determination theory. Methods: The study was carried out with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants in the present study were 136 high school students living in D city. The students were assigned to the experimental group (n=52) who participated in the motivational interviewing smoking cessation YOU-TURN program based on self-determination theory, or to the control group (n=84) who participated in a general smoking cessation program. Data were collected from September 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS PC+ 21.0 with Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Repeated Measures ANOVA, and MANOVA-Wilk's Lambda. Results: The experimental group had a significant increase in basic psychological needs, and duration of quitting-smoking in comparison with the control group. The experimental group had a significant decrease in cigarettes smoked per day and cotinine in urine in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: The motivational interviewing YOU-TURN program, when delivered to adolescents who smoked, was effective in discouraging smoking, and can be utilized as an effective nursing intervention for adolescents who smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parathyroid carcinoma is an uncommon malignancy and a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. Intrathyroidal parathyroid carcinoma is even rarer and only few cases have been reported previously. A 33-year-old woman presented with hypercalcemia. CT scan revealed a 5-cm sized intrathyroid nodule with a positive beak sign on the surface in contact with the thyroid gland. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy, and the histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma. We report a case of intrathyroidal parathyroid carcinoma with brief literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]