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Aim To investigate the relationship between knee osteoarthritis, mental health and health-related quality of life (QoL). Methods This study included 6343 men and women aged ≥50 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Osteoarthritis was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥2 in the knee on radiographic images with knee pain. Mental health and health-related QoL were assessed according to three dimensions (depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation) and five domains (impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mental health and health-related QoL were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Compared with the control group, the odds ratios for depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation in the osteoarthritis group were 2.80 (95% CI 1.31-3.31), 1.92 (95% CI 1.21-3.05) and 1.97 (95% CI 1.31-2.94) in men, and 1.51 (95% CI 1.16-1.95), 1.36 (95% CI 1.07-1.72) and 1.92 (95% CI 1.49-2.46) in women after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Similarly, the odds ratios for impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression in the osteoarthritis group were 12.37 (95% CI 8.17-18.72), 3.02 (95% CI 1.84-4.94), 7.33 (95% CI 4.89-10.98), 8.92 (95% CI 5.92-13.45) and 2.56 (95% CI 1.52-4.29) in men, and 8.29 (95% CI 6.41-10.73), 2.53 (95% CI 1.74-3.69), 4.40 (95% CI 3.33-5.80), 4.79 (95% CI 3.72-6.17) and 1.85 (1.44-2.37) in women after adjusting for the same covariables. Conclusions Knee osteoarthritis was significantly associated with deteriorated mental health and health-related QoL in middle-aged and older men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 379-383.

The ratio of triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) is positively linked to insulin resistance, and it has emerged as an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. Menopause is characterized by various detrimental metabolic and vascular changes that may lead to high TG with low HDL cholesterol and arterial stiffness. Several epidemiological studies have reported that high TG/HDL ratio has a positive association with arterial stiffness in both adult and adolescent populations; it is not known whether TG/HDL ratio is related to brachial‐ankle PWV (baPWV) in postmenopausal women. Thus, the authors aimed to investigate the association between TG/HDL ratio and arterial stiffness as measured by baPWV in 434 postmenopausal women. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for high baPWV were calculated after adjusting for confounding variables across TG/HDL ratio quartiles using multiple logistic regression analysis. The mean values of meaningful cardiometabolic variables increased with TG/HDL ratio quartiles. The adjusted baPWV (SEs) significantly increased with TG/HDL quartiles: Q1 = 1412 (22.1), Q2 = 1469 (21.4), Q3 = 1482 (21.0), and Q4 = 1505 (21.6) cm/s after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and systolic blood pressure. The OR (95% CI) of the highest TG/HDL ratio quartile as compared to the lowest TG/HDL ratio quartile for high PWV was 2.77 (1.16‐6.63) after adjusting for age, BMI, smoking status, regular exercise, mean arterial pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol level, hypertension, log‐transformed C‐reactive protein, and the use of antihypertensive and lipid‐lowering drugs. The TG/HDL ratio was positively and independently associated with arterial stiffness in postmenopausal Korean women.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between handgrip strength and pulmonary function. DESIGN Cross‐sectional study of a representative sample of older Korean women. SETTING The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PARTICIPANTS Community‐dwelling women aged 65 and older without chronic diseases or pulmonary disease (N=605). MEASUREMENTS Handgrip strength was measured using a digital hand dynamometer, and pulmonary function was tested according to guidelines of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society using a spirometry system. Impaired pulmonary function was defined as a lower limit of normal (LLN) or less of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for impaired pulmonary function according to handgrip strength quartile were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Mean FVC and FEV1 gradually increased in accordance with handgrip strength quartiles (all P

Ag+ -Exchanged LSX (Ag-LSX: Ag96 Al96 Si96 O384 ⋅n H2 O), a large pore low silica analogue (Si/Al=1.0) of faujasite, was prepared and post-synthetically modified using pressure and temperature in the presence of various pore-penetrating fluids. Using high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder and single crystal diffraction we derive structural models of the as-prepared and post-synthetically modified Ag-LSX materials. In the as-prepared Ag-LSX model, we located 96 silver cations and 245 H2 O molecules distributed over seven and five distinctive sites, respectively. At 1.4(1) GPa pressure and 150 °C in ethanol the number of silver cations within the pores of Ag-LSX is reduced by ca. 47.4 %, whereas the number of H2 O molecules is increased by ca. 40.8 %. The formation of zero-valent silver nanoparticles deposited on Ag-LSX crystallites depends on the fluid present during pressurization. Ag-nanoparticle-Ag-zeolite hybrid materials are recovered after pressure release and shown to have different chemical reactivity when used as catalysts for ethylene epoxidation.

Aims/Introduction Serum γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is positively related to cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and metabolic syndrome (MetS), in adult populations. Our aim was to investigate whether serum GGT is independently associated with MetS and its components in a nationally representative sample of Korean children and adolescents. Materials and Methods The study included data from 1,618 participants (867 boys, 751 girls) aged 10–18 years from the 2010–2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. MetS was diagnosed by the 2007 International Diabetes Federation criteria for children and adolescents. Participants were stratified using a cut-off value of the 75th percentile of serum GGT levels (19 IU/L for boys, 15 IU/L for girls). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for MetS and its components were determined with multiple logistic regression analyses. Results The mean values of most cardiometabolic variables were significantly higher in the upper stratum. Except for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in boys and elevated blood pressure in girls, participants in the upper GGT stratum had significantly higher odds of MetS and its components than those in the lower stratum. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for MetS for the upper stratum were 5.79 (95% confidence interval 1.21–27.02) in boys and 6.20 (95% confidence interval 1.71–22.47) in girls, after adjusting for age, household income and residential area. Conclusions Serum GGT was positively associated with MetS and its components in Korean children and adolescents. Serum GGT could be a useful measure for identifying children and adolescents with MetS.

Background Although a contributory role of vitamin D levels for the development of chronic hepatitis C has been suggested, the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in combination with conventional antiviral therapy consisting of pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α) injection and oral ribavirin (RBV) remains unclear. We investigated its efficacy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C via a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Methods We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov and the bibliographies of relevant articles to locate additional publications in September 2016. Three evaluators independently reviewed and selected eligible studies based on predetermined selection criteria. Results Of 522 articles meeting our initial criteria, a total of seven open-label, randomised controlled trials involving 548 participants, were included in the final analysis. Vitamin D supplementation in combination with Peg-IFN-α injection and oral RBV significantly increased the rate of viral response for hepatitis C at 24 weeks after treatment in a random-effects meta-analysis (relative risk = 1.30; 95% confidence interval = 1.04–1.62; I2 = 75.9%). Also, its significant efficacy was observed in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1, which is known to be refractory to antiviral therapy. Conclusions In summary, we observed that additional use of vitamin D has a positive effect on sustained viral response rates of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. However, we cannot establish the efficacy because of substantial heterogeneity, a small sample size and a low methodological quality.

Objective Both an elevated leukocyte count and periodontitis share well-recognized associations with cardiometabolic diseases. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify whether the leukocyte count is associated with periodontitis in a nationally representative Korean adult population. Materials and Methods Data from 9391 participants (3659 males and 5732 females) enrolled in 2012–2014 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Leukocyte quartiles were categorized as follows: 3000 ≤ Q1 ≤ 4870, 4880 ≤ Q2 ≤5790, 5800 ≤ Q3 ≤ 6840, and 6850 ≤ Q4 ≤ 10000 cells/μl. Periodontitis was defined as scoring greater than or equal to ‘code 3’ in at least one site according to the WHO's Community Periodontal Index. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for periodontitis in each leukocyte count quartile were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of periodontitis was directly correlated with increasing leukocyte quartiles: 19%, 20.4%, 24.3%, and 30.3%. Compared with the lowest leukocyte quartile group, the OR (95% CI) for periodontitis of the highest leukocyte quartile was 1.558 (1.285–1.891) after controlling for confounding factors. Conclusion An elevated leukocyte count was positively associated with the presence of periodontitis.

Stochastic inhomogeneous oxidation is an inherent characteristic of copper (Cu), often hindering color tuning and bandgap engineering of oxides. Coherent control of the interface between metal and metal oxide remains unresolved. We demonstrate coherent propagation of an oxidation front in single-crystal Cu thin film to achieve a full-color spectrum for Cu by precisely controlling its oxide-layer thickness. Grain boundary-free and atomically flat films prepared by atomic-sputtering epitaxy allow tailoring of the oxide layer with an abrupt interface via heat treatment with a suppressed temperature gradient. Color tuning of nearly full-color RGB indices is realized by precise control of oxide-layer thickness; our samples covered ~50.4% of the sRGB color space. The color of copper/copper oxide is realized by the reconstruction of the quantitative yield color from oxide pigment (complex dielectric functions of Cu2O) and light-layer interference (reflectance spectra obtained from the Fresnel equations) to produce structural color. We further demonstrate laser-oxide lithography with micron-scale linewidth and depth through local phase transformation to oxides embedded in the metal, providing spacing necessary for semiconducting transport and optoelectronics functionality., Comment: 38 pages

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is implicated in gut disturbances, both functionally and structurally. It has been noticed that the gut-liver interaction is an important feature in the prevention of systemic inflammation as well as liver health. The optimal functioning of the gut-liver axis depends on gut health. Therefore, gut problems may be important for estimating liver inflammation, while our knowledge of ALD could also provide an insight into gut health. Gut problems accompanied by ALD include gut motility and absorption problems, mucosal damage and the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Moreover, there is emerging evidence that besides direct inflammatory injury caused by alcohol, gut problems related to ALD play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and immunological disorders. In this regard, we should consider ALD in relation to both gut health and chronic systemic low-grade inflammation. Accordingly, integrative therapeutic strategies are warranted for treating and preventing ALD and systemic inflammation as well as alcohol-related gut problems.

Invited for this month’s cover features the collaboration between four different research groups at Yonsei University, Jilin University, Geophysical Laboratory, and the NanoCentre of the University of South Carolina. The image shows the framework of the small pore zeolite natrolite made up of alternating SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedral 4-rings and helical 8-rings, which can accommodate, by structural relaxations, diverse alkali, alkaline-earth as well as some heavy metals as charge-balancing extra-framework cations (EFC). Systematic structural changes have now been linked to the spectroscopic data. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/cplu.201402114

A class-D audio amplifier for a digital hearing aid is described. The class-D amplifier operates with a pulsecode modulated (PCM) digital input and consists of an interpolation filter, a digital sigma-delta modulator (SDM), and an analog SDM, along with an H-bridge power switch. The noise of the power switch is suppressed by feeding it back to the input of the analog SDM. The interpolation filter removes the unwanted image tones of the PCM input, improving the linearity and power efficiency. The class-D amplifier is implemented in a 0.13-μm CMOS process. The maximum output power delivered to the receiver (speaker) is 1.19 mW. The measured total harmonic distortion plus noise is 0.015%, and the dynamic range is 86.0 dB. The class-D amplifier consumes 304 μW from a 1.2-V power supply.

Background: It has been observed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. Pulmonary function is also known to be related with cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between NAFLD and pulmonary function. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study to examine the association of NAFLD based on abdominal sonographic findings and pulmonary function in 2119 Korean men between the ages of 30 and 75. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were compared according to the presence of NAFLD. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship of NAFLD with FVC and FEV1 as pulmonary function tests. Results: The subjects with NAFLD had lower FVC and FEV1 than their non-steatotic counterparts, and FVC and FEV1 gradually decreased according to the grade of hepatic steatosis. After adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the FVC and FEV1 were found to be inversely associated with the presence of NAFLD. Conclusion: NAFLD was independently associated with reduced pulmonary function, and the severity of NAFLD was inversely correlated with pulmonary function.

High-pressure ion exchange of small-pore zeolite K-natrolite allows immobilization of nominally non-exchangeable aliovalent cations such as trivalent europium. A sample exchanged at 3.0(1) GPa and 250 °C contains about 4.7 Eu(III) ions per unit cell, which is equivalent to over 90 % of the K(+) cations being exchanged.