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Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is an air pollutant that causes severe lung injury. We investigated the effects of Jujuboside B (JB), a component of Zizyphi Spinosi Semen, on lung toxicity caused by PM 2.5 , and we identified the mechanism of its protective effect. Lung injury in an animal model was induced by intratracheal administration of a PM 2.5 suspension. After 2 days of PM 2.5 pretreatment, mice were administered JB via the tail vein three times over a 2-day period. JB significantly reduced the histological lung damage as well as the lung wet/dry weight ratio. JB also considerably reduced PM 2.5 -induced autophagy dysfunction, apoptosis, inflammatory cytokine levels, and the number of PM 2.5 -induced lymphocytes in the bronchial alveolar fluid. We conclude that by regulating TLR2, 4-MyD88, and mTOR-autophagy pathways, JB exerts a protective effect on lung injury. Thus, JB can be used as a potential therapeutic agent for PM 2.5 -induced lung damage.

The mitochondrial genome of Dendronephthya putteri (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) which is an endangered species was completely sequenced. It is 18,853 bp in length and identical to those of Dendronephthya species in its gene arrangement and genome organization. Nucleotide sequence comparison of the mitochondrial genomes of the two D. putteri individuals obtained from this study and the previously reported one (GenBank accession number JQ290079) showed that they are identical perfectly. We found useful candidate for DNA barcode markers for D. putteri species identification.

The mitochondrial genome of Korean reeves's turtle Mauremys reevesii (Reptilia, Testudines, Geoemydidae) was studied. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of M. reevesii was 16,784 bp in length and its gene arrangement pattern, gene content and gene organization is identical to those of geoemydids. The control region (CR) was located between the tRNA(Pro) and tRNA(Phe) genes and is 1253 bp in length. The typical conserved domains such as TAS and CSB-F, and CSB1, CSB2 and CSB3 were identified in the CR of geoemydids.

It has frequently been reported that exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) may cause negative health effects, such as breast cancer, circadian phase disruption and sleep disorders. Here, we reviewed the literature assessing the effects of human exposure to ALAN in order to list the health effects of various aspects of ALAN. Several electronic databases were searched for articles, published through August 2014, related to assessing the effects of exposure to ALAN on human health; these also included the details of experiments on such exposure. A total of 85 articles were included in the review. Several observational studies showed that outdoor ALAN levels are a risk factor for breast cancer and reported that indoor light intensity and individual lighting habits were relevant to this risk. Exposure to artificial bright light during the nighttime suppresses melatonin secretion, increases sleep onset latency (SOL) and increases alertness. Circadian misalignment caused by chronic ALAN exposure may have negative effects on the psychological, cardiovascular and/or metabolic functions. ALAN also causes circadian phase disruption, which increases with longer duration of exposure and with exposure later in the evening. It has also been reported that shorter wavelengths of light preferentially disturb melatonin secretion and cause circadian phase shifts, even if the light is not bright. This literature review may be helpful to understand the health effects of ALAN exposure and suggests that it is necessary to consider various characteristics of artificial light, beyond mere intensity.

Objective: This article was intended to introduce the Korean Surveillance System for Childhood Asthma (KSSCA) and also to determine the factors that increase the risk for the development of asthma and allergic diseases in preschool children in Korea based on the study results., Methods: The KSSCA pilot study was a web-based, cross-sectional survey that sampled 1002 parents with a biological child aged 2-6 years that visited the website and participated in the survey. This website consisted of a questionnaire designed to measure the history and prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases, the characteristics of dwelling, lifestyle, and the socioeconomic status of the subjects. Using logistic regression analysis, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between each risk factor and disease development were calculated., Results: The rate of a family where a child had asthma was 7.4%, while 34.7% and 35.9% for allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, respectively. The OR (95% CI) that a child whose parents had an allergic disease and was also diagnosed with an allergic disease was 2.86 (2.20-3.72). Children who lived in the first floor or basement of apartments had a higher risk of atopic dermatitis, as well as children from socioeconomically vulnerable families. Upon analysis of allergic reaction tests and disease development, it was found that asthma was associated with the positive reaction of cockroaches and food, allergic rhinitis with mites, and atopic dermatitis with mold and food., Conclusion: The study indicated that genetic and some environmental or socioeconomic factors might be important in the development of asthma and allergic diseases among preschool children in Korea through the web-survey.

Background: Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is one of the most widely used scales for assessing Internet addiction., Aims: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the value of IAT for subjects clinically diagnosed with Internet addiction., Methods: A total of 52 subjects, whose chief complaint and most serious behavioral problem was Internet addiction, were enrolled at an Internet-addiction clinic associated with a university hospital. The IAT was administered to assess the existence and severity of Internet addiction. Subjects were classified according to the severity guidelines of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) and according to the duration of their Internet addiction., Results: The mean IAT score of our clinical subjects was 62.8 ± 18.2, which was below 70, the cut-off point indicating significant problems. The IAT detected only 42% of the clinical subjects as having significant problems with Internet addiction. No significant differences in IAT scores among those with mild, moderate and severe degrees of Internet addition were found, and no association between IAT scores and duration of illness was observed., Conclusions: IAT scores were not significant correlated with clinical severity and duration of illness in a clinical population. This instrument had limited clinical utility for evaluating the severity of Internet addiction. Considerable caution is required in interpretations of IAT scores.

Liobagrus obesus (Siluriformes, Amblycipitidae) is an endemic, endangered species in South Korea. Throughout this study, complete mitochondrial genome of L. obesus was sequenced, which is 16,506 bp in length. Its detail characteristics were described in this study.

Acheilognathus signifer (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) is an endemic, endangered fresh water fish species in the Korean peninsula. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of A. signifer was completely sequenced, which is 16,566 bp in length. The characteristics of the complete mitochondrial genome were described in detail.

The mitochondrial genome of Bewick's swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii was completely sequenced and then the resultant data were compared with those of the whistling swan Cygnus columbianus columbianus. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of C. c. bewickii was 16,727 bp in length and its gene arrangement pattern, gene content, and genome organization were identical to those of Cygnus species. The similarities of nucleotide and amino acid sequences between the two swans were 99.1% and 99.6%, respectively. Out of the 13 protein-coding genes and 2 rRNA genes, COIII showed the lowest nucleotide sequence similarity with 98.0%. On the other hand, in amino acid sequence similarities, both COII and ATP6 showed the lowest with 98.7% in common. The control region has the 97.8% nucleotide sequence similarity.

The peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus (Aves, Falconiformes, Falconidae) is one of the most common and widespread raptor species in the world. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of F. peregrinus from Korea, which is one of the breeding ranges, was sequenced and characterized in detail.

Saunders's gull Chroicocephalus saundersi (Aves, Charadriiformes, Laridae) is a small-sized gull having black-colored head. In this study, the entire mitochondrial genome of C. saundersi is sequenced, which is 16,725 bp in length. The detailed characteristics of the mitochondrial genome are described here.

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the cockscomb pearl mussel Cristaria plicata, which is an endangered species in South Korea, was sequenced. The circle genome (15,708 bp in size) consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. There were 26 noncoding regions (NCs) found throughout the mitogenome of C. plicata, ranging in size from 2 to 327 bp, and the two largest NC regions, NC286 and NC326, were found between ND5 and tRNA(Gln) (286 bp) and between tRNA(Glu) and ND2 (326 bp), respectively. The 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes of a female individual of C. plicata collected from Korea (15,708 bp) were compared to those of the Chinese individual (15,712 bp) published before. The result showed that ND3 is the most conserved with 100% nucleotide similarity, and each of the other protein-coding genes has ca. 99%, respectively. The two largest NCs among 26 NCs have totally 98% nucleotide similarity between Korean and Chinese ones.

The first complete mitochondrial genome (17,159 bp) of the Hodgson's bat Myotis formosus, which is an endangered species in South Korea, was sequenced and characterized. The genome included 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. It has high AT content and the same gene arrangement pattern as those of typical vertebrate mitochondrial genome. Within the control region, a 80 bp tandem repeat unit was iterated five times which was found in Domain I. It has been observed only in the vespertilionid bat group, and could contribute to identifying the species or genus, and also distinguishing it from other bat families.

The Baikal teal Anas formosa (Aves, Anseriformes, Anatidae) is classified as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. Here, whole mitochondrial genome of A. formosa was amplified and sequenced. The total length of the Baikal teal mitochondrial genome is 16,594 bp, which consists of 13 protein-coding, 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA genes and 1 control region. The characteristics of the mitochondrial genomes were analyzed and discussed in detail.

Here, we have sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the Seoul frog Rana chosenica (Amphibia, Ranidae), which is known as a Korean endemic species. It is listed as a vulnerable species by IUCN Red List and also an endangered species in South Korea. The complete mitochondrial genome of R. chosenica consists of 18,357 bp. Its gene arrangement pattern was identical with those of other Rana frogs. We compared the mitochondrial genome of R. chosenica with that of the Peking frog Rana plancyi that has been known closely related to R. chosenica. Nucleotide sequence similarity between the two whole mitochondrial genomes was 95.7%, and the relatively low similarity seems to indicate that the two species are distinctly separated on the species level. The information of mitochondrial genome comparison of the two species was discussed in detail.

We describe the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Korean stumpy bullhead Pseudobagrus brevicorpus, which is an endangered species in Korea. The circle genome (16,526 bp) consists of 13 protein coding, 22 tRNA, 2 rRNA genes and 1 control region. It has the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement.

The complete mitochondrial genome (16,824 bp) of an Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus ussuricus (Mammalia, Carnivora, Ursidae) was newly sequenced and characterized in detail. It is the second mitochondrial genome from this subspecies which has been completely sequenced. The two U. t. ussuricus individuals were compared with each other and then with individuals from the other four U. thibetanus subspecies and the other nine ursid species, focusing especially on the control regions in the 14 mitochondrial genomes. Within these control regions, tandem repeats of basically 10 bp (5'-ACGCACGTGT-3' or its derivatives) were found in Domain II. Plausible secondary structures of the repeat region were compared between the North and South Korean individuals of U. t. ussuricus. According to the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference trees inferred from the nucleotide sequences of 13 protein-coding and two rRNA genes, the ursine members within the monophyletic ursid clade can be divided into at least three groups: A, B, and C. According to this analysis, U. thibetanus subspecies were found with Ursus americanus and Ursus malayanus within Group A, showing the following relationships with nodal bootstrap values above 91% and Bayesian posterior probabilities of 1.00: ([(U. t. thibetanus, U. t. formosanus), U. t. spp.], U. t. ussuricus), U. t. mupinensis. In addition, we present a hypothetical scenario of the evolution of the major repeat motifs in the control region.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between blood pressure (BP), insulin resistance as determined by a homeostasis model (HOMA-IR), and body fat distribution., Methods: Anthropometric indices of adiposity, metabolic variables (fasting serum insulin and a homeostasis model assessment [HOMA] index of insulin sensitivity), BP and several cardiovascular risk factors were measured during a cross sectional survey of 53477 apparently healthy Korean subjects who requested a health status check. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP > or = 140 mmHg or a diastolic BP > or = 90 mmHg and we excluded the subjects taking BP-lowering medication., Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were positively and significantly associated with age, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist/hip ratio. In addition, SBP and DBP were positively associated with fasting serum insulin levels and the HOMA index. By multiple regression analysis age, waist circumference, body mass index, HOMA index and female sex were independently associated with either increased SBP or DBP. When the population is divided into quintiles according to insulin resistance (measured by HOMA analysis) prevalence of hypertension in the second, third, fourth and fifth quintiles compared to subjects in the first quintile are 1.004(95% CI 0.875-1.152, p = 0.957), 1.200(95% CI 1.052-1.369, p = 0.007), 1.312(95% CI 1.151-1.494 p < 0.001 ), and 1.603(95% CI 1.408-1.825 p < 0.001). In addition age, sex, body mass index and waist circumference were found to be significantly associated with hypertension., Conclusion: Our results showed that insulin resistance, body mass index and waist circumference are independent risk factors of a high BP in Koreans.