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Purpose: This study was done to identify the relationship of malnutrition, social network and health-related quality of life and to investigate the main factors influencing health-related quality of life in elders. Methods: The research design was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sampling. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires from 196 elders. Data analysis was done using SPSS 18.0 pc+ program for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The average score for health related quality of life was 3.33 (SD=0.86). Differences in health-related quality of life were statistically significant according to age, gender, occupation, presence of spouse, monthly income, source of income, economic status, medicine, and existence of chronic disease. Health-related quality of life was significantly correlated with malnutrition and social network. Major factors affecting health related quality of life for elders were malnutrition, occupation, age, social network, and economic status which explained 52.0% of the variance in health related quality of life. Conclusion: Findings provide a basis for developing nursing interventions to improve health-related quality of life. Future studies are needed a wide variety of variables that might influence health -related quality of life in elders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cottony cushion scale, Icerya purchasi Maskell (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae), is a polyphagous, cosmopolitan and destructive pest of citrus. This study was conducted to obtain the stage-specific phenology of I. purchasi for seasonal management strategies in the field. Movement of crawlers (hatched nymphs) in egg sacs of overwintered females started in late May, peaked in early to mid-June, and was completed by late June. Generally, the 1st generation occurred from late May until late September and the overlapping second generation occurred from early September. The 1st nymphs in the 1st generation peaked in mid June. The 2nd nymphs showed peak activity in late July. The 3rd nymphs showed peak population in early September. The 1st generation adults peaked in mid September. In the 2nd generation, the 1st nymphs peaked in early October, the 2nd nymphs showed peak activity in late October, and the 3rd nymphs reached a plateau after mid October. The 2nd generation adults occurred from late October. Consequently, two life cycles were competed in the Jeju area. The average fertilities of I. purchasi were 623 and 247 crawlers per female in overwintered and summer generations, respectively. An average of 20.7% of all citrus orchards was infested with I. purchasi, with a mean of 3.9% infested trees in Jeju. These results should be useful in establishing management strategies for I. purchasi in citrus orchards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To determine the association between arginine vasopressin receptor 1A gene (AVPR1A) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), we examined 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely, rs7294536, rs3759292, and rs10877969, in the promoter region of AVPR1A by using a family-based association test (FBAT) in 151 Korean trios. Our results demonstrated a statistically significant association between autism and SNPs (additive model: rs7294536, χ 2 =9.328, df =2, P =0.002; rs10877969, χ 2 =11.529, df =2, P <0.001) as well as between autism and haplotype analysis (additive model: χ 2 =14.122, df =3, P =0.003). In addition, we found that ADI-R scores calculated by using a diagnostic algorithm for failure to develop peer relationships (A2) were higher in subjects having the AA genotype than in subjects having the AG and GG genotypes of rs7294536. Thus, our study provides evidence for a possible association between these SNPs and the phenotype of ASDs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The first complete chloroplast genome sequences of Korean raspberry, oriental herbal medicinal plant of Korea, were reported in this study. The genome size was 155,714 bp, composed with one pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,781 bp, which were separated by one large single copy (LSC; 85,402 bp) and one small single copy (SSC; 18,750 bp). The genome contained 131 genes, coding for 86 proteins, eight ribosomal RNAs, and 37 transfer RNAs. The overall GC content was 37.1%. Phylogenetic analysis suggests thatR. crataegifoliusis sister toR. corchorifolius, which belongs to subgenusIdaeobatus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, one of the glutamate receptors, has a role in the regulation of synaptic activity. It functions as an ion channel in the central nervous system and its inappropriate activation has been implicated in several neurological conditions. To test the association between candidate genes related with NMDA receptors and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), we examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for GRIN2A and GRIN2B by using the family-based association test (FBAT) in 151 Korean trios. There was a statistically significant associations between ASDs and haplotypes in GRIN2B (bi-allelic mode additive model P-value=0.003; FDR P-value=0.012). This study supports a possible role of GRIN2B as a candidate gene for the etiology of ASDs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: The number of hypertensive patients achieving treatment targets is not ideal with therapies that engage a single mechanism of action, and combination therapies using different mechanisms of action can increase drug efficacy in a synergistic way. Objective: This noninferiority study compared the clinical efficacy and safety profile of fixed-dose combination of amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg and amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy in essential hypertensive patients who respond poorly to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy. Methods: This was a double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial of hypertensive patients (N = 185) aged ≥18 years taking amlodipine 5 mg during the run-in treatment period but failed to achieve sitting diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <90 mm Hg. After randomization into the amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg fixed-dose combination group (n = 92) and the amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy group (n = 93), treatment was maintained without dose escalation for 8 weeks. The noninferiority margin was prespecified as 4 mm Hg after 8 weeks of treatment for the difference of the average change in DBP between treatments. The primary efficacy evaluation of noninferiority was tested using a confidence interval approach with a 97.5% 1-sided lower confidence limit using the average difference in DBP measured at baseline and 8 weeks. Results: After 8 weeks, the DBP of both groups decreased from baseline by 8.9 (6.1) and 9.4 (7.5) mm Hg, respectively (difference = −0.5 [6.9] mm Hg, 95% CI: −2.5 to 1.5). Secondary end points of reductions in DBP after 4 weeks (−8.1 [6.7] vs −9.9 [7.3] mm Hg, difference = −1.8 mm Hg, 95% CI: −3.9 to 0.2) and sitting systolic blood pressure after 4 (−10.2 [11.8] vs −12.8 [10.2] mm Hg, difference = −2.6 mm Hg, 95% CI: −5.9 to 0.6) and 8 weeks (−12.2 [11.0] vs −13.4 [11.3] mm Hg, difference = −1.2 mmHg, 95% CI: −4.4 to 2.1) were comparable between the 2 treatment groups. There were 38 adverse events in 20 patients (21.7%) in the amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg fixed-dose combination group and 31 in 24 patients (26.1%) in the amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy group; most were mild. There were 7 adverse events in 6 patients (6.5%) related to treatment in the fixed-dose combination group and 13 in 10 patients (10.9%) in the monotherapy group (P = 0.30). Conclusions: Fixed-dose combination amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg was not inferior in terms of reductions in DBP after 8 weeks of treatment and had comparable safety profile to amlodipine 10 mg in patients who did not respond to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00940667. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Cases of stent strut fractures (SSFs) after DES implantation have been reported, but the clinical significance is uncertain. Then we sought to define the incidence and clinical implications of SSFs developed after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Methods: We gathered SSF cases from 13 centers in Korea retrospectively. SSF was defined as angiographically visible interrupted connection of stent struts or fewer visible stent struts at the suspected site than normally looking stented area on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Furthermore, we classified the SSFs cases into three patterns (disruption, avulsion, and displacement) according to the interruption site and absence or presence of displacement. Results: Thirty-seven SSFs (2 disruption, 7 avulsion, 28 displacement) were detected in 35 lesions in 35 patients. All fractured stents were sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs). The incidence of SSFs was 0.84% and the proportion of restenosis related with SSF was 6.3% after SES implantation driven from the data of 8 centers. The average length of stent used was 49 mm, overlapping stenting was performed in 19 lesions (54%), and the average maximal angulation in the initial coronary angiography was 67°. Twenty-four fractures (65%) were associated with focal in stent restenosis and 11 fractures (30%) with target lesion revascularization. No acute coronary syndrome developed. Conclusions: SSF after DES implantation might be a considerable complication after DES implantation especially after SES implantation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It was performed a family-based association study of 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the TPH2 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 151 Korean trios. We found a significant association at the rs2129575 with ASD susceptibility (corrected p=0.006). Furthermore, after conducting with the quantitative scores in the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, there were associations between restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior (preoccupation with parts of objects or nonfunctional elements of materials) in ASD and SNPs in TPH2. These results suggest that TPH2 polymorphisms influence the phenotypic impairments of ASD and enhance ASD susceptibility., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.)

Monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) has been thought to be a candidate gene implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study evaluates the relationship between ASDs and MAOA markers (i.e., uVNTR and four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) in 151 Korean family trios with children diagnosed with ASDs, and 193 unrelated Korean controls. The result of case-control global haplotype analysis also showed a statistically significant difference in haplotype frequencies between ASD patients and controls (male d.f.=5, p<0.001; female d.f.=7, p<0.001). With the specific haplotype analyses, the frequencies of the most frequent haplotype (AGG) with three SNPs (rs5906883+rs1137070+rs3027407) in ASD showed significant statistical differences between ASD patients and controls in both the male and female groups (d.f.=1, male p=0.001, female p<0.001). In a family-based association test (FBAT) analysis, it was observed that, in the dominant model, a three-repeat allele of a MAOA-uVNTR marker was preferentially transmitted in ASDs (Z=2.213, p=0.027). Moreover, in the global haplotype analysis, the statistically significant evidence of associations with ASD were demonstrated in additive and dominant models (additive chi(2)=11.349, d.f.=2, p=0.003; dominant chi(2)=6.198, d.f.=2, p=0.045).

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor 2B gene (GRIN2B) was studied as a candidate gene of alcoholism. This study aimed to investigate the association between each of the three GRIN2B polymorphisms (rs1806201, rs1805247, and rs1805502) and alcoholism. This study included 206 alcoholic patients and 189 unrelated control subjects of Korean origin. Associations between genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies of the polymorphisms and alcoholism were investigated. The genotype frequencies of rs1806201 and the haplotype analysis of SNPs in this study show significantly differences between the case and controls. These findings suggest new candidate SNPs in GRIN2B for studying the genetic susceptibility to alcoholism.