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Urban regeneration by participatory methods is being discussed in many parts of the world, but conflicts between stakeholders emerge as a major challenge. In order to address this problem, a new approach to urban regeneration has been attempted in Korea. By targeting towns with university campuses, this project encourages active participation from university students as well as local residents. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the project adopted an online-based communication strategy. First, the online data was collected; second, the data for each participant was classified through data refinement; and third, the data analysis and data visualization were carried out at each stage using program R. The results revealed that the stakeholders exhibited different perceptions about the process, indicating a potential benefit of distinct role division for the success of the multiparty project. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it analyzes participants' perceptions of urban regeneration using a text-mining process. The results of the study can serve as the basis for minimizing conflict and planning effective urban regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are among the most common companion animals in the Republic of Korea. Recently, there have been many criminal cases of dog cruelty, injury, and theft, among others. This has increased the importance of dog‐related biological evidence at crime scenes. The National Forensic Service of the Republic of Korea conducts short tandem repeat (STR) analysis using the Thermo Scientific Canine Genotypes™ Panel 2.1 Kit (Canine Kit) to identify individual dogs through forensic analysis. The Canine Kit was developed as a forensic STR kit for the identification of individual dogs. However, an allelic ladder was neither developed nor included in the commercial kit, leaving an issue of accurate genotyping. Primer details for the 18 markers used in the Canine Kit are proprietary information, and thus, unavailable to end‐users. In this study, an allelic ladder was constructed with 160 fragments by combining 158 fragments of STR alleles obtained by nested PCR and two fragments artificially obtained from the sex‐determination marker. By including the new allelic ladder in analysis of samples amplified with the Canine Kit, the accuracy and reliability of data analysis were improved. Application of this allelic ladder would be helpful for interlaboratory data sharing and standardization of canine genotype databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This qualitative study identifies difficulties and unmet needs in psychosocial aspect that Korean cancer survivors reported. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 18 cancer survivors who agreed to participate in the focus groups. Each focus group consisted of four to six cancer survivors, considering homogeneity of sex and age. Participants were asked to freely describe the practical difficulties they faced and their unmet needs when living as cancer survivors. A cross-case interview analysis was used to identify major themes. Consensual qualitative research analysis was applied to complement the objectivity of results obtained from participants' interviews. Results: We identified three major themes: 1) shifts what cancer connotes, 2) development of government policies regarding integrative management for cancer survivors, and 3) preparing for cancer survivors' future through vocational rehabilitation or career development. Conclusion: Korean cancer survivors had difficulties in psychosocial adjustment even after the completion of anti-cancer treatments. We identified several unmet needs among participants who were living as cancer survivors. This qualitative study may expand the view of cancer survivorship in Korea by incorporating their voices and experiences to facilitate the development of a more holistic cancer survivorship program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When using non‐FTA cards in commercial multiplex STR kits for direct PCR, pretreatment steps with specific buffers are recommended. Here, we designed a rapid direct PCR method utilizing a non‐FTA card, Oral Cell Sampling Kit, by omitting the pretreatment step involving Prep‐n‐Go™ Buffer, and it showed compatibility with the GlobalFiler™ Express PCR Amplification Kit, GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit, and PowerPlex® Fusion system. To optimize the PCR conditions, we tested the method with different final PCR volumes and cycles. Finally, we conducted a performance test using 50 Korean buccal samples and confirmed the high performance of the method, detecting more than 90% of the samples with full profiles when using GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit and PowerPlex® Fusion system at 29 cycles in a 10 μL final PCR volume. Thus, we report a simple direct PCR set‐up to analyze reference samples collected using a non‐FTA card manufactured in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco smoking is established as a cofactor of human papillomavirus (HPV) for cervical cancer risk. However, the role of secondhand smoking in cervical carcinogenesis is controversial. We aimed to assess the association between secondhand smoking and high risk- (HR-) HPV persistence, a pivotal event in development of cervical cancer. In total, 9,846 women who underwent health-screening examinations from 2002 to 2011 at the National Cancer Center, Korea, were included. Secondhand smoking was defined as being exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risks of HR-HPV infection at baseline (N, 9,846, negative vs. positive), 1-year persistence (n, 1,237, 1-year negative vs. 1-year persistence), and 2-year persistence (n, 481, 2-year negative vs. 2-year persistence). Active smoking, secondhand smoking, and secondhand smoking in nonactive smokers had no association with these risks. Among alcohol drinkers, secondhand smoking in nonactive smokers had higher risks of HR-HPV infection at baseline (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.05–1.48, p for multiplicative interaction = 0.003), 1-year persistence (1.75, 1.14–2.68, 0.004), and 2-year persistence (2.96, 1.42–6.15, 0.006), when compared to HR-HPV negative, 1-year negative, and 2-year negative categories, respectively. However, among nonalcohol drinkers, there was no association between smoking or secondhand smoking status and these risks. These findings suggest that women exposed to secondhand smoking at home or in the workplace might be at high risk of HR-HPV persistence when it is combined with alcohol drinking, even though neither active smoking nor secondhand smoking independently affects the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: This study's objectives were to examine the effects of depression on the distress of caregivers of children with brain tumors and to identify the factors moderating depression and caregiver distress.Methods: Participants were 82 caregivers of children with brain tumors undergoing treatment in the National Cancer Center of South Korea. The depression subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and the Burden of a Primary Caregiver (BPC) Scale were used to measure participants' depression and caregiver distress, respectively. The Korean version of the Parenting Sense of Competence (K-PSOC) Scale, Family Environmental Scale-Revised (K-FES-R), and the DUKE-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire-S (DUKE-UNC-FSSQ) were used to assess parental efficacy, family relationships, and perceived social support, respectively.Results: Younger patient age, lower family income, and caregivers' greater number of years of education significantly predicted caregiver distress. Caregivers with depression experienced significantly more distress than those without depression. The interaction of depression with parenting efficacy and social support affected caregiver distress. For highly depressed caregivers, parental efficacy, social support, and family relationships played weaker roles as protective factors against caregiver distress. High parental efficacy and social support were protective factors against distress in caregivers without depression.Conclusions: A multi-dimensional assessment of the psychosocial factors that may affect caregivers of children with brain tumors should precede interventions for distress management. Interventions tailored to individuals' psychosocial factors are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opium poppy, a member of the Papaveraceae family, is an ancient herbaceous plant and well-known medical resource in the pharmaceutical industry. However, opium poppies are grown worldwide for producing illicit drugs, significantly increasing the incidence of narcotic drug abuse. Since the narcotic poppy has not yet been genetically investigated, we characterized a novel variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) marker of forensically important poppy species based on the genetic analysis of 164 samples collected from two locations spanning the Jeolla province and Jeju island of South Korea. Comparing analysis of the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences for four representative species of Papaver (Papaver somniferum , Papaver somniferum subs. setigerum , Papaver orientale , and Papaver rhoeas) revealed a unique region with 1–3 repeats for 16 nucleotide motifs in the genome inverted repeat A (IRA, positions 128,651 to 128,698) region. For 16 nucleotide motifs, 3 repeats were found in P. somniferum , and 2 repeats were found in P. somniferum subs. setigerum. Therefore, 10 known and the 133 unknown, seized Papaver species were compared to determine whether the species could be identified via variations in the repeat units. The sizes of a novel VNTR ranged from 181 to 252 bp between the species. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that a novel VNTR, which we named Pscp1, could clearly distinguish between the narcotic and non-narcotic types of Papaver species based on the patterns of sequence variation. Interestingly, we found that Pscp1 could also distinguish between P. somniferum and P. somniferum subs. setigerum. The regions of eight non-narcotic species displayed similar patterns and also differences were found due to the nucleotide substitution and deletion events. The structural differences of Pscp1 were observed within the two narcotic species or between the narcotic and non-narcotic species, suggesting that these variations may act as a genetic marker. We, therefore, developed a new Pscp1 PCR-capillary electrophoresis (CE) method that can reliably identify the narcotic type of Papaver species. Taken together, our findings suggest that the newly developed Pscp1 can be used as an identification marker of opium poppy, and establish that the Pscp1 genotyping method by PCR-CE is an effective primary screening tool that can also contribute to species discrimination in the field of forensic diagnosis and applications. • The novel VNTR Pscp1 varies between 181 and 252 bp sizes in various Papaver species. • Pscp1 has two variants differing in the number of repeats and deletion events. • Pscp1 shows structural variation owing to species-specific length polymorphism. • Pscp1 distinguishes the narcotic and non-narcotic types of Papaver species. • The new PCR-CE method using Pscp1 validates the narcotic types of Papaver species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we analyzed the association between antibiotic use and obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) in a Korean adult population. Methods: Subjects using the Korean National Health Insurance Service sample cohort were retrospectively analyzed in 2015. The differences in obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) status were compared and analyzed according to duration of systemic antibiotic treatment in the previous 10 years (non-users, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tertile). Results: Subjects who used systemic antibiotics for longer periods were older, satisfied more criteria for MS, and had more comorbidities than non-users (non-users vs. 3rd tertile, p < 0.0001 for all). After adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of obesity was higher in subjects who used systemic antibiotics for longer periods than in non-users (non-users vs. 3rd tertile, OR (odds ratio) (95% CI (confidence interval)); 1.20 (1.12–1.38)). The criteria for MS were more satisfied in the 3rd tertile than in non-users. A higher obesity risk was also found in subjects treated with antibiotics targeting Gram-negative organisms than in those targeting Gram-positive organisms. Conclusion: The risk of obesity was higher in subjects who took systemic antibiotics more frequently. The risk was more prominent when they took antibiotics targeting Gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IPNB is very rare disease and most previous studies on IPNB were case series with a small number due to low incidence. The aim of this study is to validate previously known clinicopathologic features of intraductal papillary neoplasm of bile duct (IPNB) based on the first largest multicenter cohort. Among 587 patients previously diagnosed with IPNB and similar diseases from each center in Korea, 387 were included in this study after central pathologic review. We also reviewed all preoperative image data. Of 387 patients, 176 (45.5%) had invasive carcinoma and 21 (6.0%) lymph node metastasis. The 5-year overall survival was 80.9% for all patients, 88.8% for IPNB with mucosal dysplasia, and 70.5% for IPNB with invasive carcinoma. According to the "Jang & Kim's modified anatomical classification," 265 (68.5%) were intrahepatic, 103 (26.6%) extrahepatic, and 16 (4.1%) diffuse type. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor invasiveness was a unique predictor for survival analysis. (p = 0.047 [hazard ratio = 2.116, 95% confidence interval 1.010–4.433]). This is the first Korean multicenter study on IPNB through central pathologic and radiologic review process. Although IPNB showed good long-term prognosis, relatively aggressive features were also found in invasive carcinoma and extrahepatic/diffuse type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Why did we undertake this study? • We aimed to investigate the possibility of a difference in the AF preventive effect of antidiabetic drugs through a national cohort-based real-world data analysis that classifies the entire adult population. • What is the specific question(s) we wanted to answer? • Which antidiabetic drugs are most effective in preventing AF? • What did we find? • The combination therapy of MET and TZD is the most effective antidiabetic drug for preventing AF in patients with type 2 diabetes. • What are the implications of our findings? • Through this study, real world evidence was prepared for the effective results of MET and TZD combination therapy, which is widely used in clinical practice, for AF. Although diabetes is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), studies on the AF risk according to the antidiabetic drugs are lacking. This study evaluated the effects of antidiabetic drugs on AF incidence in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. We included 2,515,468 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Korean National Insurance Service database without a history of AF who underwent health check-ups between 2009 and 2012. Newly diagnosed AF incidence was recorded until December 2018 according to the main antidiabetic drug combinations used in the real world. Of the patients included (mean age, 62 ± 11 years; 60 % men), 89,125 were newly diagnosed with AF. Metformin (MET) alone (hazard ratio [HR] 0.959, 95 % CI 0.935–0.985) and MET combination therapy (HR < 1) significantly decreased the risk of AF compared to the no-medication group. The antidiabetic drugs consistently showing a protective effect against AF incidence were MET (HR 0.977, 95 % CI 0.964–0.99) and thiazolidinedione (TZD; HR 0.926, 95 % CI 0.898–0.956), even after adjusting for various factors. Moreover, this protective effect was more remarkable with MET and TZD combination therapy (HR 0.802, 95 % CI 0.754–0.853) than with other drug combinations. In the subgroup analysis, the preventive effect of MET and TZD treatment against AF remained consistent, regardless of age, sex, duration, and diabetes severity. The combination therapy of MET and TZD is the most effective antidiabetic drug for preventing AF in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]