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Objective To generate a Korean version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (K-OCS) and obtain cutoff scores that determine the impairment of each subdomain. Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) negatively impacts the rehabilitation process and independence in daily life. Its obscure manifestations require effective screening for appropriate rehabilitation. However, in most rehabilitation clinics, psychological evaluation tools for Alzheimer’s dementia have been used without such considerations. The OCS is a screening assessment tool for PSCI and vascular dementia that can evaluate the cognitive domains most often affected by stroke, including language, attention, memory, praxis, and numerical cognition. It comprises 10 subtasks and enables quick and effective cognitive evaluation. Methods The K-OCS, which considers Korea’s unique cultural and linguistic characteristics, was developed with the approval and cooperation of the original author. Enrollment of participants without disabilities was announced at Duksung Women’s University, Yongin Sevrance Hospital, CHA Bundang Medical Center. The study was conducted between September 2020 and March 2022 on 97 male and female participants aged ≥30 years. Results All the 97 participants completed the task. In this study, the 5th percentile score was presumed to be the cutoff value for each score, and the values are provided here. The cutoff score for each OCS subtask was similar to that of the original British version. Conclusion We suggest the usability of the K-OCS as a screening tool for PSCI by providing the cutoff value of each subtask.

Abstract Background Frequent exposure to ultraviolet light has more detrimental and longer-term effects on the skin in early life than in adulthood. Teenagers with strong sun-seeking behaviors may be more likely to use an indoor tanning bed than those who seek less sun. We aimed to examine associations between sun-seeking behaviors and indoor tanning behavior during high school/college in US females. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used data from The Nurses’ Health Study II, a large prospective cohort of US female nurses. We included a total of 81,746 white females who provided responses on the average annual frequency of indoor tanning during high school/college. Our study exposures were number of times/week spent outdoors in a swimsuit and percentage of time wearing sunscreen at the pool/beach as a teenager, weekly hours spent outdoors in direct sunlight during the daytime during high school/college, and number of severe sunburns that blistered between ages 15–20 years. The main outcome was annual frequency of indoor tanning bed usage during high school/college. Results In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression, we demonstrated positive associations between sun-seeking behaviors and indoor tanning use. Specifically, teenagers who spent 7 times/week outdoors in a swimsuit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 95% confidence interval [CI] for daily vs.

– This paper aims to examine the time-varying preferences for environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) investing in an emerging market. The investors seek ESG-conscious investments during a positive economic outlook, reflecting the time-varying nature of ESG demand. Specifically, the author shows that high-ESG stocks have negative abnormal returns during bad economic times but turn into positive abnormal returns in good economic times. The author also suggests that the alpha spread between high-ESG and low-ESG stocks is larger in good economic times than in bad times. Furthermore, individual investors prefer high ESG scoring stocks in good economic times. The author highlights that this ESG premium is shaped by economic projection and the households' financial wealth.

Abstract Patients with alopecia areata (AA) may experience episodic disease flares characterized by increasing hair loss that follow a seasonal pattern. However, no studies have examined whether specific climate factors contribute to the seasonal pattern of AA flares. Using Spearman rank correlation analyses, we assessed the association between climate variables and AA flare frequency per month in 336 children with AA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Region-specific monthly values for average ambient temperature, air pressure, cloudiness, hours of sunlight, relative humidity, number of days with sun, number of days with rain, volume of precipitation, wind gust, wind speed, and UV index from January 2015 to December 2017 were obtained from World Weather Online. We found significant (P

In this paper, we show that there is a negative premium for MAX stocks in the Korean stock market. However, there is no evidence that the MAX effect overwhelms the effects of idiosyncratic risk. When we control for idiosyncratic risk, the negative relationship between extreme returns and future returns is less robust. Rather, the cross-effect of the extreme returns and the idiosyncratic risk factors explains the negative premium. Furthermore, our results are not fully explained by the exposure to the market timing and economic state. Overall, both the extreme return and idiosyncratic risk effects appear to coexist in the Korean stock market, but they are not independently.

Abstract Background The likelihood of inpatient mortality has been found to be reduced by increased nurse staffing in several settings, including general wards, emergency departments, and intensive care units. However, less research has investigated cases where patients die in the community setting due to a health problem that occurred after they were discharged post-surgery, because it is difficult to integrate hospital data and local community data. Therefore, this study investigated the association between the bed-to-nurse ratio and 30-day post-discharge mortality in patients undergoing surgery using national administrative data. Methods The study analyzed data from 129,923 patients who underwent surgery between January 2014 and December 2015. The bed-to-nurse ratio was categorized as level 1 (less than 2.5), level 2 (2.5–3.4), level 3 (3.5–4.4), and level 4 (4.5 or greater). The chi-square test and GEE logistic regression analyses were used to explore the association between the bed-to-nurse ratio and 30-day post-discharge mortality. Results 1355 (0.01%) patients died within 30 days post-discharge. The 30-day post-discharge mortality rate in hospitals with a level 4 was 2.5%, representing a statistically significant difference from the rates of 0.8, 2 and 1.8% in hospitals with level 1, level 2, and level 3 staffing, respectively. In addition, the death rate was significantly lower at hospitals with a level 1 (OR = 0.62) or level 2 (OR = 0.63) bed-to-nurse ratio, using level 4 as reference. Conclusion The results of this study are highly meaningful in that they underscore the necessity of in-hospital discharge nursing and continued post-discharge nursing care as a way to reduce post-discharge mortality risk. Furthermore, the relationship between nurse staffing levels and 30-day post-discharge mortality implies the need for a greater focus on discharge education. Policies are required to achieve proper nurse staffing levels in Korea, and thereby to enhance patient outcomes.

The Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) conference holds an annual competition in which indoor localization systems from different research groups worldwide are evaluated empirically. The objective of this competition is to establish a systematic evaluation methodology with rigorous metrics both for real-time (on-site) and post-processing (off-site) situations, in a realistic environment unfamiliar to the prototype developers. For the IPIN 2018 conference, this competition was held on September 22nd, 2018, in Atlantis, a large shopping mall in Nantes (France). Four competition tracks (two on-site and two off-site) were designed. They consisted of several 1 km routes traversing several floors of the mall. Along these paths, 180 points were topographically surveyed with a 10 cm accuracy, to serve as ground truth landmarks, combining theodolite measurements, differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and 3D scanner systems. 34 teams effectively competed. The accuracy score corresponds to the third quartile (75th percentile) of an error metric that combines the horizontal positioning error and the floor detection. The best results for the on-site tracks showed an accuracy score of 11.70 m (Track 1) and 5.50 m (Track 2), while the best results for the off-site tracks showed an accuracy score of 0.90 m (Track 3) and 1.30 m (Track 4). These results showed that it is possible to obtain high accuracy indoor positioning solutions in large, realistic environments using wearable light-weight sensors without deploying any beacon. This paper describes the organization work of the tracks, analyzes the methodology used to quantify the results, reviews the lessons learned from the competition and discusses its future.

Objective When performing lightwand intubation, an improper transmitted glow position before tube advancement can cause intubation failure or laryngeal injury. This study was performed to explore the transmitted glow point corresponding to a priori chosen depth for lightwand intubation. Methods Before lightwand intubation, we marked the transmitted glow point from a bronchoscope on the neck when it reached 1 cm below the vocal cords. Lightwand intubation was then performed using this marking point. The distances from the mark to the upper border of the thyroid cartilage, upper border of the cricoid cartilage, and suprasternal notch were measured. Results In total, 107 patients were enrolled. The success rate of lightwand intubation using the mark was 93.5% (95% confidence interval, 88.7%–99.2%) at the first attempt. The marking point was placed 12.0 mm (95% confidence interval, 10.6–13.4 mm) below the upper border of the cricoid cartilage. Conclusion Anaesthesiologists should be aware of the appropriate point of the transmitted glow on the patient’s neck when performing lightwand intubation. We suggest that this point is approximately 1 cm below the upper border of the cricoid cartilage. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03480035

Abstract Background Recently, the number of patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has increased in Korea. Risk factors of GERD include age, sex, medication use, lack of physical exercise, increased psychological stress, low or high body mass index (BMI), unhealthy eating habits, increased alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking. However, few studies examined the major factors affecting GERD in women of childbearing age. Therefore, this study assessed the risk factors of GERD among 20,613 female nurses of reproductive age using data from the Korea Nurses’ Health Study. Methods Participants were recruited from July 2013 to November 2014. They provided their history of GERD 1 year prior to data collection, along with information on their demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, diet, medical history, and physical and psychological factors. Of the total sample, 1184 individuals with GERD diagnosed in the year prior to the study were identified. Propensity score matching was used for analysis. Results Cigarette smoking, increased alcohol consumption, low or high BMI, depression, and increased psychosocial stress were associated with the prevalence of GERD among Korean young women. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed significant positive relationships between GERD and being a former smoker; having a low ( 23 kg/m2); and having mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. Conclusions Smoking, BMI, and depression were associated with GERD. To reduce this risk among female nurses, intervention strategies are required to help nurses maintain a normal weight and manage their depression.

Silicone rubber’s silicone-oxygen backbones give unique material properties which are applicable in various biomedical devices. Due to the diversity of potential silicone rubber compositions, the material properties can vary widely. This paper characterizes the dielectric and mechanical properties of two different silicone rubbers, each with a different cure system, and in combination with silicone additives. A tactile mutator (Slacker™) and/or silicone thickener (Thi-vex™) were mixed with platinum-cured and condensation-cured silicone rubber in various concentrations. The dielectric constants, conductivities, and compressive and shear moduli were measured for each sample. Our study contributes novel information about the dielectric and mechanical properties of these two types of silicone rubber and how they change with the addition of two common silicone additives.

(1) The incidence of skin cancer is increasing in the United States (US) despite scientific advances in our understanding of skin cancer risk factors and treatments. In vitro and in vivo studies have provided evidence that suggests that certain photosensitizing medications (PSMs) increase skin cancer risk. This review summarizes current epidemiological evidence on the association between common PSMs and skin cancer. (2) A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify meta-analyses, observational studies and clinical trials that report on skin cancer events in PSM users. The associated risks of keratinocyte carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma) and melanoma are summarized, for each PSM. (3) There are extensive reports on antihypertensives and statins relative to other PSMs, with positive and null findings, respectively. Fewer studies have explored amiodarone, metformin, antimicrobials and vemurafenib. No studies report on the individual skin cancer risks in glyburide, naproxen, piroxicam, chlorpromazine, thioridazine and nalidixic acid users. (4) The research gaps in understanding the relationship between PSMs and skin cancer outlined in this review should be prioritized because the US population is aging. Thus the number of patients prescribed PSMs is likely to continue to rise.

Risk for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is higher when there are first-degree family members with the disease. Here, Scelo and colleagues perform a genome-wide association meta-analysis and new genome-wide scan to identify seven new loci with significant RCC association.

BackgroundSeveral obesity-related factors have been associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but it is unclear which individual factors directly influence risk. We addressed this question using genetic markers as proxies for putative risk factors and evaluated their relation to RCC risk in a mendelian randomization (MR) framework. This methodology limits bias due to confounding and is not affected by reverse causation.Methods and findingsGenetic markers associated with obesity measures, blood pressure, lipids, type 2 diabetes, insulin, and glucose were initially identified as instrumental variables, and their association with RCC risk was subsequently evaluated in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 10,784 RCC patients and 20,406 control participants in a 2-sample MR framework. The effect on RCC risk was estimated by calculating odds ratios (ORSD) for a standard deviation (SD) increment in each risk factor. The MR analysis indicated that higher body mass index increases the risk of RCC (ORSD: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-1.70), with comparable results for waist-to-hip ratio (ORSD: 1.63, 95% CI 1.40-1.90) and body fat percentage (ORSD: 1.66, 95% CI 1.44-1.90). This analysis further indicated that higher fasting insulin (ORSD: 1.82, 95% CI 1.30-2.55) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; ORSD: 1.28, 95% CI 1.11-1.47), but not systolic blood pressure (ORSD: 0.98, 95% CI 0.84-1.14), increase the risk for RCC. No association with RCC risk was seen for lipids, overall type 2 diabetes, or fasting glucose.ConclusionsThis study provides novel evidence for an etiological role of insulin in RCC, as well as confirmatory evidence that obesity and DBP influence RCC risk.

Evidence from animal studies suggests that furocoumarins, compounds present in citrus products, can increase the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) when combined with ultraviolet radiation. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between citrus intake and NMSC risk among postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study, who were aged 50–79 years at enrollment (1993–1998). The consumption of citrus fruit, citrus juice, and non-citrus fruit and juice were measured at the baseline of the study using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). NMSC cases (basal or squamous cell carcinomas) were self-reported during annual follow-up surveys. The outcome data used for this analysis were collected through March 2020. The relative risk (RR) for incident NMSC by citrus consumption was calculated. Among 49,007 non-Hispanic white participants, there were 8642 cases of incident NMSC. Using less than one serving of citrus juice per week as reference, the RRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident NMSC by citrus juice intake were 1.03 (0.95, 1.10) for one serving/week, 1.06 (1.00, 1.12) for two to four servings/week, 0.98 (0.90, 1.07) for five to six servings/week, and 1.08 (1.02, 1.13) for one or more serving/day (p-trend = 0.007). Subgroup analyses did not reveal meaningful associations by sun exposure variables. In conclusion, there were indications of a slightly higher risk of incident NMSC among citrus juice consumers; however, further longitudinal and mechanistic studies are needed to confirm the key risk factors.

There is strong evidence for a role of environmental risk factors involved in susceptibility to develop multiple keratinocyte cancers (mKCs), but whether genes are also involved in mKCs susceptibility has not been thoroughly investigated. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility for mKCs. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 1,666 cases with mKCs and 1,950 cases with single KC (sKCs; controls) from Harvard cohorts (the Nurses' Health Study [NHS], NHS II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study) and the Framingham Heart Study was carried-out using over 8 million SNPs (stage-1). We sought to replicate the most significant statistical associations (p-value≤ 5.5x10-6) in an independent cohort of 574 mKCs and 872 sKCs from the Rotterdam Study. In the discovery stage, 40 SNPs with suggestive associations (p-value ≤5.5x10-6) were identified, with eight independent SNPs tagging all 40 SNPs. The most significant SNP was located at chromosome 9 (rs7468390; p-value = 3.92x10-7). In stage-2, none of these SNPs replicated and only two of them were associated with mKCs in the same direction in the combined meta-analysis. We tested the associations for 19 previously reported basal cell carcinoma-related SNPs (candidate gene association analysis), and found that rs1805007 (MC1R locus) was significantly associated with risk of mKCs (p-value = 2.80x10-4). Although the suggestive SNPs with susceptibility for mKCs were not replicated, we found that previously identified BCC variants may also be associated with mKC, which the most significant association (rs1805007) located at the MC1R gene.

We examined the substrate preference of Cuphea paucipetala acyl-ACP thioesterases, CpFatB4 and CpFatB5, and gene expression changes associated with the modification of lipid composition in the seed, using Brassica napus transgenic plants overexpressing CpFatB4 or CpFatB5 under the control of a seed-specific promoter. CpFatB4 seeds contained a higher level of total saturated fatty acid (FA) content, with 4.3 times increase in 16:0 palmitic acid, whereas CpFatB5 seeds showed approximately 3% accumulation of 10:0 and 12:0 medium-chain FAs, and a small increase in other saturated FAs, resulting in higher levels of total saturated FAs. RNA-Seq analysis using entire developing pods at 8, 25, and 45 days after flowering (DAF) showed up-regulation of genes for β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase I/II, stearoyl-ACP desaturase, oleate desaturase, and linoleate desaturase, which could increase unsaturated FAs and possibly compensate for the increase in 16:0 palmitic acid at 45 DAF in CpFatB4 transgenic plants. In CpFatB5 transgenic plants, many putative chloroplast- or mitochondria-encoded genes were identified as differentially expressed. Our results report comprehensive gene expression changes induced by alterations of seed FA composition and reveal potential targets for further genetic modifications.

PURPOSE:Although the concern about coffee-associated health problems is increasing, the effect of coffee on osteoporosis is still conflicting. This study aimed to determine the relationship between coffee consumption and bone health in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS:A population-based, cross-sectional study was performed using a nationally representative sample of the Korean general population. All 4,066 postmenopausal women (mean age 62.6 years) from the fourth and fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011), who completed the questionnaire about coffee consumption and had data of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using DXA at the femoral neck and lumbar spine and osteoporosis was defined by World Health Organization T-score criteria in addition to self-report of current anti-osteoporotic medication use. RESULTS:After adjusting for various demographic and lifestyle confounders (including hormonal factors), subjects in the highest quartile of coffee intake had 36% lower odds for osteoporosis compared to those in the lowest quartile (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43-0.95; P for trend = 0.015). This trend was consistent in osteoporosis of lumbar spine and femoral neck (aOR = 0.65 and 0.55; P for trend = 0.026 and 0.003, respectively). In addition, age- and body mass index (BMI)-adjusted BMD of the femoral neck and lumbar spine increased with higher coffee intake (P for trend = 0.019 and 0.051, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:Coffee consumption may have protective benefits on bone health in Korean postmenopausal women in moderate amount. Further, prospective studies are required to confirm this association.

Previous studies suggested a protective effect of vitamin D against skin cancer development. However, epidemiologic studies on orally taken vitamin D and risk of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma [BCC], squamous cell carcinoma [SCC], and melanoma) are few. We prospectively evaluated whether total, dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake were associated with skin cancer risk based on 63,760 women in the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2010) and 41,530 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2010). Dietary information on vitamin D intake was assessed every 2 to 4 years during the follow-up and cumulative averaged intake was used. We used Cox proportional hazard models to compute the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Pooled HR of cohort-specific results were calculated using a random-effects model. During the follow-up, we documented 20,840 BCC, 2,329 SCC and 1,320 melanoma cases. Vitamin D consumption was not associated with the risk of SCC or melanoma but was modestly positively associated with BCC; the pooled HRs of BCC for extreme quintiles of vitamin D intake were 1.10 (95%CI = 1.05-1.15; Ptrend = 0.05) for total vitamin D and 1.13 (95% CI = 1.07 to 1.20; Ptrend

To investigate associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and dry eye syndrome (DES), and to evaluate the differential effect of vitamin D on ocular diseases including age-related macular disease (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), cataract, and DES.A total of 16,396 participants aged >19 years were randomly selected from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. All participants participated in standardized interviews, blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D level evaluations, and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. DES was defined by a history of clinical diagnosis of dry eyes by a physician. The association between vitamin D and DES was compared to the associations between vitamin D and AMD, DR, cataract, and DES from our previous studies.The odds of DES non-significantly decreased as the quintiles of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels increased (quintile 5 versus 1, OR = 0.85, 95%CI: 0.55-1.30, P for trend = 0.076) after adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, and sunlight exposure times. The relative odds of DES (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.30-1.64) and cataract (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59-0.99) were relatively high, while those of DR (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18-0.76) and late AMD (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.81) were lower in men.The present study does not support an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and DES. The preventive effect of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D may be more effective for DR and late AMD than it is for cataract and DES.

To investigate the association between blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and pterygium.Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2011 were used for the present epidemiologic study. A total of 19,178 participants aged ≥ 30 years were evaluated for blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and performed ophthalmic slit lamp examinations. Pterygium was considered as a growth of fibrovascular tissue over the cornea.The average blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were 18.6 ng/mL, and prevalence of pterygium was 6.5%. The odds of pterygium significantly increased across blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D quintiles after controlling sun exposure time as well as other confounders such as sex, age, smoking, diabetes, hypertension (P < 0.001). The odds ratios (OR) for pterygium was 1.51 (95% Confidence Interval[95%CI]; 1.19-1.92) in the highest blood vitamin D quintile. Stratified analysis by sex showed a positive association between blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and pterygium in both men (quintile 5 versus 1, OR; 1.68, 95%CI; 1.19-2.37) and women (quintile 5 versus 1, OR; 1.37, 95% CI; 1.00-1.88).Even after controlling sun light exposure time, we found a positive association between blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and pterygium in a representative Korean population. The mechanism underlying this association is unknown.

ObjectivesTo develop effective ways of sharing patients' medical information, we developed a new medical information exchange system (MIES) based on a registry server, which enabled us to exchange different types of data generated by various systems.MethodsTo assure that patient's medical information can be effectively exchanged under different system environments, we adopted the standardized data transfer methods and terminologies suggested by the Center for Interoperable Electronic Healthcare Record (CIEHR) of Korea in order to guarantee interoperability. Regarding information security, MIES followed the security guidelines suggested by the CIEHR of Korea. This study aimed to develop essential security systems for the implementation of online services, such as encryption of communication, server security, database security, protection against hacking, contents, and network security.ResultsThe registry server managed information exchange as well as the registration information of the clinical document architecture (CDA) documents, and the CDA Transfer Server was used to locate and transmit the proper CDA document from the relevant repository. The CDA viewer showed the CDA documents via connection with the information systems of related hospitals.ConclusionsThis research chooses transfer items and defines document standards that follow CDA standards, such that exchange of CDA documents between different systems became possible through ebXML. The proposed MIES was designed as an independent central registry server model in order to guarantee the essential security of patients' medical information.

We report a paper-based self-powered sensor patch for prevention and management of exercise-induced hypoglycemia. The article describes the fabrication, in vitro, and in vivo characterization of the sensor for glucose monitoring in human sweat. This wearable, non-invasive, single-use biosensor integrates a vertically stacked, paper-based glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cell into a standard Band-Aid adhesive patch. The paper-based device attaches directly to skin, wicks sweat by using capillary forces to a reservoir where chemical energy is converted to electrical energy, and monitors glucose without external power and sophisticated readout instruments. The device utilizes (1) a 3-D paper-based fuel cell configuration, (2) an electrically conducting microfluidic reservoir for a high anode surface area and efficient mass transfer, and (3) a direct electron transfer between glucose oxidase and anodes for enhanced electron discharge properties. The developed sensor shows a high linearity of current at 0.02–1.0 mg/mL glucose centration (R2 = 0.989) with a high sensitivity of 1.35 µA/mM.

BackgroundThe possible effects of dairy product intake against obesity have been suggested in animal studies; however, the association is still not well established in epidemiological studies. Few studies in Asian countries with relatively low intake of dairy products exist.ObjectiveWe investigated the association between dairy products and calcium intake and obesity in Korean population with relatively low intake of dairy products.Subjects and methodsOur study population consisted of adults (n = 7173) aged 19-64 among participants of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had not made any attempt of intentional weight loss. Dietary intake data from food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour recall were used. Dairy products included milk and yogurt in the FFQ. Obesity was defined as BMI≥25 kg/m².ResultsHigher frequency of dairy product intake was associated with a reduced prevalence of obesity (OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.45-0.89 for ≥2 times/day vs. ≤1 time/month; p for trend = 0.003) using the intake data from FFQ. Similarly, high frequency of milk or yogurt intake had an inverse association with obesity. The association between milk and yogurt intake and obesity was similar when the intake from 24-hour recall was examined. Higher calcium intake from dairy products as well as total dietary calcium intake was associated with a decreased prevalence of obesity (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.71-0.98 for highest vs. lowest quintile of dairy calcium intake; p for trend = 0.02, OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.64-0.94 for highest vs. lowest quintile of total calcium intake; p for trend = 0.04). The associations appeared to be stronger in women than in men.ConclusionThese results suggest that high consumption of dairy products is associated with a lower prevalence of obesity and that calcium in dairy products may be one of the components contributing to the association. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to replicate our findings.

Abnormal one-carbon metabolism may lead to general genomic (global) hypomethylation, which may predispose an individual to the development of colorectal neoplasia.We evaluated the association between pre-diagnostic leukocyte genomic DNA methylation level and the risk of colorectal cancer in a nested case-control study of 358 colorectal cancer cases and 661 matched controls within the all-female cohort of the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Among control subjects, we further examined major plasma components in the one-carbon metabolism pathway in relation to genomic DNA methylation level. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was used to examine leukocyte genomic DNA methylation level. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using logistic regression.Overall genomic DNA methylation level was not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (p for trend, 0.45). Compared with women in the lowest quintile of methylation, the multivariate OR of colorectal cancer risk was 1.32 (95% CI, 0.82-2.13) for those in the highest quintile. We did not find significant associations between major plasma components of one-carbon metabolism or risk factors for colorectal cancer and genomic DNA methylation level (all p for trend >0.05). Also, neither one-carbon metabolism-related plasma components nor well-known risk factors for colorectal cancer modified the association between genomic DNA methylation level and the risk of colorectal cancer (all p for interaction >0.05).We found no evidence that hypomethylation of leukocyte genomic DNA increases risk of colorectal cancer among women. Additional studies are needed to investigate the association between pre-diagnostic genomic DNA methylation level and colorectal cancer risk among diverse populations.

BACKGROUND: A limited amount of research, primarily conducted in Western countries, has suggested that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher risk of eating disorders (EDs). However, little is known about this association in Asian countries. We examined the association of SES with disturbed eating behavior (DEB) and related factors in Korean adolescents. SUBJECTS: A nationwide online panel survey was conducted in a sample of adolescents (n = 6,943, 49.9% girls). DEB was measured with the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Participants who scored ≥20 on the EAT-26 were considered to have DEB. Participants' SES was determined based on self-reported household economic status. RESULTS: The prevalence of DEB was 12.7%: 10.5% among boys and 14.8% among girls. Both boys and girls with DEB were more likely to perceive themselves as obese, experience higher levels of stress, and have lower academic achievement. The risk for DEB was significantly higher in boys of higher SES than in those of middle SES (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.05-1.99 for high SES; OR = 5.16, 95%CI: 3.50-7.61 for highest SES). Among girls, higher risk of DEB was associated with the highest and lowest SES (OR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.13-2.06 for lowest SES; OR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.34-3.68 for highest SES). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lower prevalence of obesity in Korea compared with Western countries, the prevalence of DEB in Korean adolescents was high, especially among girls. Moreover, the association between SES and DEB followed a U-shaped curve for girls and a J-shaped curve for boys.

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top five most common and life-threatening malignancies worldwide. Most CRC develops from advanced colorectal adenoma (ACA), a precancerous stage, through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. However, its underlying mechanisms, including how the tumor microenvironment changes, remain elusive. Therefore, we conducted an integrative analysis comparing RNA-seq data collected from 40 ACA patients who visited Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital with normal adjacent colons and tumor samples from 18 CRC patients collected from a public database. Differential expression analysis identified 21 and 79 sequentially up- or down-regulated genes across the continuum, respectively. The functional centrality of the continuum genes was assessed through network analysis, identifying 11 up- and 13 down-regulated hub-genes. Subsequently, we validated the prognostic effects of hub-genes using the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. To estimate the immunological transition of the adenoma-carcinoma sequence, single-cell deconvolution and immune repertoire analyses were conducted. Significant composition changes for innate immunity cells and decreased plasma B-cells with immunoglobulin diversity were observed, along with distinctive immunoglobulin recombination patterns. Taken together, we believe our findings suggest underlying transcriptional and immunological changes during the adenoma-carcinoma sequence, contributing to the further development of pre-diagnostic markers for CRC.

Abstract Background Male-pattern baldness (MPB) is the most common cause of hair loss in men. It can be categorized into three types: type 2 (T2), type 3 (T3), and type 4 (T4), with type 1 (T1) being considered normal. Although various MPB-associated genetic variants have been suggested, a comprehensive study for linking these variants to gene expression regulation has not been performed to the best of our knowledge. Results In this study, we prioritized MPB-related tissue panels using tissue-specific enrichment analysis and utilized single-tissue panels from genotype-tissue expression version 8, as well as cross-tissue panels from context-specific genetics. Through a transcriptome-wide association study and colocalization analysis, we identified 52, 75, and 144 MPB associations for T2, T3, and T4, respectively. To assess the causality of MPB genes, we performed a conditional and joint analysis, which revealed 10, 11, and 54 putative causality genes for T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Finally, we conducted drug repositioning and identified potential drug candidates that are connected to MPB-associated genes. Conclusions Overall, through an integrative analysis of gene expression and genotype data, we have identified robust MPB susceptibility genes that may help uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms and the novel drug candidates that may alleviate MPB.