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As the number of hypertension cases in the pediatric population is growing, we aimed to investigate the parent-offspring association of hypertension in Korea. We performed a cross-sectional analysis using the data of children and adolescents aged 10–18 years and their parents extracted from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008–2018). We analyzed the correlation of blood pressure (BP) between offspring and their parents and investigated the odds ratio (OR) of having hypertension in offspring based on parental hypertensive status. A total of 3996 children and adolescents (2224 boys and 1772 girls) aged 10–18 years and their parents (3197 fathers and 3197 mothers) were evaluated. Both boys and girls had positive associations with both parents for systolic and diastolic BP. When neither parent, only the father, only the mother, or both parents were hypertensive, 6.6%, 10.4%, 13.3%, and 25.3% of boys and 6%, 12%, 12.7%, and 22.1% of girls had hypertension, respectively. The risk of having hypertension among offspring was approximately two times higher when one parent was hypertensive and over four times higher when both parents were hypertensive compared to that among controls whose parents were not hypertensive (OR: 2.230, 1.655, and 5.021 in boys with hypertension and 2.321, 2.169, and 4.554 in girls with hypertension in the mother only, the father only, and both parents, respectively). We identified familial aggregation of hypertension in Korea. As there was an increased likelihood of having hypertension in children with parental hypertension, parental hypertension may be utilized as a screening tool for hypertension in children.

Hypertension is a major health problem in most developed and developing countries. Worldwide, approximately 1 billion people have hypertension, and 13% of all deaths are closely related to hypertension. Recently, the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents has increased, probably due to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among youths. Increasing evidence suggests that adult hypertension has its antecedents in childhood, as childhood BP predicts adult BP. Additionally, pediatric hypertension may cause premature atherosclerosis and early development of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the identification and treatment of hypertension in childhood is likely to have an important impact on long-term outcomes of cardiovascular disease. International hypertension guidelines for children and adolescents have recently been significantly revised, especially regarding the diagnosis of hypertension. This review presents the recent guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation, management, and treatment of hypertension in children and adolescents.

We aimed to investigate the association between nutrition and blood pressure and the role that body composition plays in this relationship. Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from the years 2008–2020 were reviewed. A total of 11,234 subjects (5974 boys and 5260 girls) aged 10–18 years of age were selected. We analyzed the correlation between nutrition (intakes of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, saturated fatty acid (SFA), unsaturated fatty acid (USFA), and dietary fiber (DF)) and body composition (height, weight, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and waist to height ratio (WHtR)), and performed multiple regression analysis to find the independent correlation between body composition and blood pressure (BP). We then compared the correlation between nutrition and BP, with or without adjustment for body composition. The intakes of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, and USFA had positive associations with height, weight, WC, and BMI. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were independently positively correlated with height and BMI. The intakes of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, and SFA had positive correlations with SBP and DBP, which disappeared when additionally adjusted for BMI and height. In conclusion, nutrition seems to affect BP via height and BMI in Korean children and adolescents.

Transparent and conductive IGZO/Ni/IGZO tri-layer films were deposited on a poly-carbonate substrate using RF and DC magnetron sputtering in order to achieve high transmittance in the visible range and low emissivity in the infrared range. The influence of the Ni interlayer on the structural and optical properties of the films was then investigated. Although the observed XRD pattern indicates that the IGZO films are amorphous structures, the surface roughness and electrical conductivity increased as the thickness of the Ni interlayer increased. In addition, the rough surface and enhanced carrier density of the films due to the Ni interlayer results in the decreased visible transmittance and low emissivity of the films.

BTG 1 (B-cell translocation gene 1) gene was first identified as a translocation gene in a case of B-cell chronic lympocytic leukemia. BTG1 is a member of the BTG/TOB family with sharing a conserved N-terminal region, which shows anti-proliferation properties and is able to stimulate cell differentiation. In this study, we identified and characterized the pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas BTG1 (cg-BTG1) gene from the gill cDNA library by an Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) analysis and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The cg-BTG1 gene encodes a predicted protein of 182 amino acids with 57% 56% identities to its zebrafish and human counterparts, and is an intron-less gene, which was confirmed by PCR analysis of genomic DNA. Maximal homologies were shown in conserved Box A and B. The deduced amino acid sequence shares high identity with other BTG1 genes of human, rat, mouse and zebrafish. The phylogenic analysis and sequence comparison of cg-BTG1 with other BTG1 were found to be closely related to the BTG1 gene structure. In addition, the predicted promoter region and the different transcription-factor binding site like an activator protein-1 (AP-1) response element involved in negative regulation and serum response element (SRE) were able to be identified by the genomic DNA walking experiment. The quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the mRNA of cg-BTG1 gene was expressed in gill, heart, digestive gland, intestine, stomach and mantle. The cg-BTG1 gene was expressed mainly in heart and mantle.

Background Adults with unoperated congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries are rare but form a distinct group among adults with congenital heart disease. Patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries often have one or more associated cardiac anomalies that dictate the need for, and timing of, surgical intervention in childhood. However, in a proportion of patients, the hemodynamics does not require surgical attention during childhood, and, in some patients, a correct diagnosis is not established until adulthood. Here we report an adult case of unoperated congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries with a large ventricular septal defect and probable pulmonary arterial hypertension. Case presentation Our patient was a 46-year-old Korean man. Transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac catheterization demonstrated hemodynamically balanced ventricles with a non-regurgitant systemic atrioventricular valve, normal pulmonary arterial pressure, and a reasonable difference between the oxygen saturation values of the aorta and pulmonary trunk, even with the presence of a large ventricular septal defect. Further morphological assessments using cardiac computed tomography and three-dimensional modeling/printing of his heart revealed that the mitral valve was straddling over the posteriorly positioned ventricular septal defect, which could explain the functional and anatomical subvalvular pulmonary stenosis and a small amount of shunt flow through the large ventricular septal defect. We interpreted this combination of cardiac defects as able to sustain his stable cardiac function. Thus, we decided to maintain his unoperated status. Conclusion A detailed anatomical understanding based on transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, and three-dimensional printing can justify a decision to not operate in cases of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries with hemodynamically balanced pulmonary stenosis and a ventricular septal defect, as observed in the present case. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13256-019-2145-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background and objectives Hypertension is becoming one of the most common health conditions in children and adolescents due to increasing childhood obesity. We aimed to provide the auscultatory blood pressure (BP) normative reference values for Korean non-overweight children and adolescents. Methods BP measurements in children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were performed in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 1998 to 2016. BP was measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer. Sex-, age- and height-specific systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) percentiles were calculated in the non-overweight children (n=10,442). We used the General Additive Model for Location Scale and Shape method to calculate BP percentiles. Results The 50th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of SBP and DBP tables and graphs of non-overweight children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were presented by age and height percentiles. We found that the SBP and DBP at the 95th percentile were well correlated with height. The BP tables presented by height contained BP values from 124 cm to 190 cm for boys and from 120 cm to 178 cm for girls. Boys had higher SBP and DBP. Conclusions We provided the sex-, age- and height-specific auscultatory BP values using the KNHANES big data. These may be useful in diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in Korean children and adolescents.

The noble gas helium (He) induces cardioprotection in vivo through unknown molecular mechanisms. He can interact with and modify cellular membranes. Caveolae are cholesterol and sphingolipid-enriched invaginations of the plasma-membrane-containing caveolin (Cav) proteins that are critical in protection of the heart. Mice (C57BL/6J) inhaled either He gas or adjusted room air. Functional measurements were performed in the isolated Langendorff perfused heart at 24 h post He inhalation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry (EPR) of samples was carried out at 24 h post He inhalation. Immunoblotting was used to detect Cav-1/3 expression in whole-heart tissue, exosomes isolated from platelet free plasma (PFP) and membrane fractions. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy analysis of cardiac tissue and serum function and metabolomic analysis were performed. In contrast to cardioprotection observed in in vivo models, the isolated Langendorff perfused heart revealed no protection after He inhalation. However, levels of Cav-1/3 were reduced 24 h after He inhalation in whole-heart tissue, and Cav-3 was increased in exosomes from PFP. Addition of serum to muscle cells in culture or na&iuml, ve ventricular tissue increased mitochondrial metabolism without increasing reactive oxygen species generation. Primary and lipid metabolites determined potential changes in ceramide by He exposure. In addition to direct effects on myocardium, He likely induces the release of secreted membrane factors enriched in caveolae. Our results suggest a critical role for such circulating factors in He-induced organ protection.

We have considered the influence of electron irradiation on the optical and electrical properties ofIn 2 O 3 /Ti bi-layered films prepared with RF and DC magnetron sputtering. The In 2 O 3 /Ti thin films irradiated at 600eV shows the lowest resistivity of 6.9×10 −4 Ωcm. The optical transmittance in a visible wave length region alsoinfluenced with the electron irradiation energy. The film that electron irradiated at 600 eV shows 82.9% of opticaltransmittance in this study. By comparison of figure of merit, it is concluded that the opto-electrical performance ofIn 2 O 3 /Ti bi-layered film is improved with electron irradiation.(Received October 13, 2015; Revised October 19, 2015; Accepted October 29, 2015)Key words : In 2 O 3 , Ti, Magentron sputtering, Electron irradiation, Figure of Merit 1. 서론 산화인듐(In 2 O 3 ) 박막은 높은 가시광 투과도와 낮은 전기비저항을 동시에 갖는 투명전극재(Trans-parent Conducting Oxide; TCO)로서 박막형 태양전지(Solar cell) 및 다양한 디스플레이 소자의 전극재로 활용되고 있다[1]. 최근에는 유연성을 갖는 표시소자에 다양한 TCO 박막을 적용하기 위하여 유리기판 대신 Poly Carbonate(PC), Poly EthyleneTerephthalate(PET) 그리고 Poly Ether Sulfon(PES)기판을 이용한 투명전극 증착에 대한 연구가 보고되고 있다[2-4]. 그러나 PC, PET, PES 등의 고분자기판을 사용한 TCO 증착은 열처리 온도에 제약을받기 때문에 박막의 전기적, 광학적 물성을 개선시키는 방법으로 TCO/metal[2], TCO/Oxide[5], TCO/Metal/TCO[6] 등의 적층형태의 증착기술이 연구되고있으며, 전자빔(Electron Irradiation) 표면조사를 이용한 표면개질 기술 또한 제시되고 있다[7].본 연구에서는 박막의 증착율과 화학적 조성비를용이하게 조절 할 수 있는 Direct current(DC) 및Radio Frequency(RF) 마그네트론 스퍼터를 이용하여 유리기판에 10 nm의 Ti 완충막을 증착하고 상부에 90 nm의 In

Background and objectives High waist circumference (WC) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk (CVR) in adulthood. We investigated this association in adolescents. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data for 10-18-year-olds included in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) (2005-2014). The association between WC and CVR factors was evaluated. We analyzed this relationship according to age. Results We analyzed 8,153 participants (4,319 boys and 3,834 girls) from the KNHANES. High WC was associated with increased incidence of CVR factors: hypertension (odds ratio [OR], 3.5 in boys, 1.9 in girls), high total cholesterol (OR, 3.9 in boys, 1.9 in girls), high triglycerides (OR, 4.9 in boys, 3.2 in girls), high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (OR, 5.0 in boys, 1.8 in girls), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (OR, 2.6 in boys, 3.0 in girls), and hyperglycemia (OR, 2.8 in girls). In boys, the association between high WC and hypertension, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol was noted in early adolescence. High WC was associated with high total cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol in middle adolescence. In girls, high WC was correlated with high total cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol in early adolescence. High WC was shown to be associated with hyperglycemia in middle adolescence, and with hypertension and high LDL cholesterol in late adolescence. Conclusions High WC in adolescents is associated with increased CVR. The timing of this association differs according to sex and CVR factors.

Background Although oseltamivir is a common influenza treatment, there is a lack of data on the economic benefits of timely oseltamivir treatment. Methods From February 2004 through June 2007, 116 hospitalized children ≤15 years of age with laboratory-confirmed influenza who received oseltamivir were identified via retrospective medical chart review. Demographic, clinical, and cost data were abstracted and multivariate linear regression was used to assess the association between oseltamivir time to treatment and treatment-related costs among hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Results Overall, 28% (n = 33) of patients were treated with oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission. Rapid influenza diagnostic test was used in a significantly lower proportion of patients treated with oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission compared with those who received oseltamivir earlier. On multivariate linear regression, initiation of oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission was associated with a 60.84% increase (95%CI: 32.59–95.11) in treatment-related hospital costs, compared with initiation on admission. Conclusion Delayed initiation of oseltamivir was found to be associated with increased treatment-related hospital costs among children hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza.

There has been a wide range of inter-individual variations in platelet responses to clopidogrel. The variations in response to clopidogrel can be driven by genetic polymorphisms involved in the pathway of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and the target receptor P2Y12. A set of genetic variants known for causing variations in clopidogrel responses was selected, which included CYP2C19*2, *3, *17, CYP2B6*4, *6, *9, CYP3A4*18, CYP3A5*3, MDR1 2677G &gt, T/A, 3435C &gt, T, and P2Y12 H2 (742T &gt, C). The simultaneous detection of these 10 variants was developed by using a multiplex PCR and single-base extension (MSSE) methodology. The newly developed genotyping test was confirmed by direct DNA sequencing in the representative positive control samples and validated in an extended set of 100 healthy Korean subjects. Genotyping results from the developed MSSE exhibited a perfect concordance with the direct DNA sequencing data and all of variants tested in 100 healthy Korean subjects were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p &gt, 0.05). The present molecular diagnostic studies provide an accurate, convenient, and fast genotyping method for the detection of multiple variants. This would be helpful for researchers, as well as clinicians, to use genetic information toward more personalized medicine of clopidogrel and other antiplatelet drugs in the future.

In an ongoing search of compounds from natural sources that exhibit anti-allergic properties, 3 flavonoids were isolated from the ethyl acetatefraction of methanol extracts of gujeolcho (Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum), with guided histamine release inhibitory effects. The isolated compounds were identified as eriodictyol-7-O-β-d-glucuronide, 5,7-dihydroxy-4-chromene, and 6-methoxyluteolin based on spectroscopic evidences including NMR and MS spectra. These results suggest that gujeolcho extracts and 3 compounds would be candidates as therapeutic or preventive agents for allergic reaction.

Antifreeze protein type IV (AFPIV) cDNAs and genomic DNAs from the Antarctic fishes Pleuragramma antarcticum (Pa) and Notothenia coriiceps (Nc) were cloned and sequenced, respectively. Each cDNA encoded 128 amino acids, with 94% similarity between the two and 83% similarity with AFPIV of the longhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus. The genome structures of both genes consisted of four exons and three introns, and were highly conserved in terms of sequences and positions. In contrast, the third intron of PaAFPIV had additional nucleotides with inverted repeats at each end, which appeared to be a MITE-like transposable element. Comparative analysis revealed that fish AFPIVs were widely distributed across teleost fishes, well conserved in their intron positions, but more variable in intron sequences and sizes. However, the intron sequences of two Antarctic fishes were highly conserved, indicating recent radiation of notothenioids in the evolutionary lineage. The recombinant PaAFPIV and NcAFPIV were expressed in E. coli, and examined antifreeze activity. PaAFPIV and NcAFPIV gave ice crystals with star-shaped morphology, and thermal hysteresis (TH) values were 0.08°C at the concentration of 0.5mg/ml.

The effect of blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) root methanolic extract (BRM) on the A23187 plus phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced degranulation in human basophilic KU812F cells was investigated. The total phenolic content (TPC) was 170±1.9 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g BRM. BRM reduced levels of histamine and β-hexosaminidase released from stimulated KU812F cells. Intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were determined by spectrofluorometric analysis using Fura 2-AM was found to be reduced by BRM with dose-dependent manner. Moreover, Western blot analysis revealed that protein kinase C (PKC) translocation was inhibited by BRM with dose-dependent manner. These results indicated that BRM inhibited histamine and β-hexosaminidase through the suppression of Ca2+ influx and PKC translocation. Therefore, we suggest that BRM is potent inhibitor of degranulation in mast cells and basophils, and may be useful in preventing the allergic reactions.

A psychrophilic yeast was isolated from an Arctic pond and its culture supernatant showed ice-binding activity. This isolate, identified as Leucosporidium sp. based on an analysis of the D1/D2 and ITS regions of its ribosomal DNA, produced a secretory ice-binding protein (IBP). Yeast IBP was purified from the culture medium to near homogeneity by the ice affinity method and appeared to be glycosylated with a molecular mass of approximately 26 kDa. In addition, the yeast IBP was shown to have thermal hysteresis (TH) and recrystallization inhibition (RI) activities. The full-length cDNA for yeast IBP was determined and was found to encode a 261 amino acid protein with molecular weight of 26.8 kDa that includes an N-terminal signal peptide and one potential N-glycosylation site. The deduced protein showed high sequence identity with other IBPs and hypothetical IBPs from fungi, diatoms, and bacteria, clustering with a class of ice-active proteins.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose structural heart disease (SHD) and perform transcatheter treatment. This study aimed to evaluate complications of cardiac catheterization and the associated risk factors in a tertiary center over 10 years. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Total 2071 cardiac catheterizations performed at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January 2004 to December 2013 were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS The overall complication, severe complication, and mortality rates were 16.2%, 1.15%, and 0.19%, respectively. The factors that significantly increased the risk of overall and severe complications were anticoagulant use before procedure (odds ratio [OR] 1.83, p=0.012 and OR 6.45, p

Objective To investigate the effect of medium- or higher-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for treating acute-phase Kawasaki disease to prevent coronary artery aneurysm (CAA). Study design Among the children with acute Kawasaki disease investigated in the eighth nationwide survey in the Republic of Korea, 8456 children with adequate data were included in this study. The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the use of medium- or higher-dose ASA (≥30 mg/kg/day), or-low dose ASA (3-5 mg/kg/day) during the acute febrile phase. Both z- score–based criteria and Japanese criteria for CAA were used. Results The prevalence of CAA based on z -score (24.8% vs 18.3%; P = .001) and on the Japanese criteria (19.0% vs 10.4%; P z -score: OR, 1.472, 95% CI, 1.169-1.854, P = .001; based on Japanese criteria: OR, 2.013, 95% CI, 1.507-2.690, P P = .003 and OR, 2.198, 95% CI, 1.563-3.092, P Conclusions The use of medium- or higher-dose ASA in acute Kawasaki disease did not prevent CAA. A future randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the optimum dose of ASA.

Hirame rhabdovirus (HIRRV) was first reported from flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in Japan, and has recently been isolated from an aquaculture farm in the Tongyoung area of Korea. Total RNA isolated from RTG-2 cells infected with HIRRV was used in RT-PCR to obtain a cDNA coding for the glycoprotein of HIRRV Korean strain, CA-9703. Around half sized G protein in the C-terminal region was expressed as glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein, and used as viral vaccine against HIRRV. Flounder fry were vaccinated with low (50μg/mL) and high (300μg/mL) doses of vaccine by immersing them for 7 min in vaccine solution. After 1 month, the fish were challenged with HIRRV either by immersion or intraperitoneal injection. Specific losses of fish treated with low and high vaccine doses by intraperitoneal injection challenge were both 6.7%, in contrast to 43.3% in non-vaccinated fish. Losses of vaccinated fish by immersion challenge were 1.7% and 0% for low and high vaccine doses, respectively, and 15% for the non-vaccinated control.

Although oseltamivir is a common influenza treatment, there is a lack of data on the economic benefits of timely oseltamivir treatment.From February 2004 through June 2007, 116 hospitalized children ≤ 15 years of age with laboratory-confirmed influenza who received oseltamivir were identified via retrospective medical chart review. Demographic, clinical, and cost data were abstracted and multivariate linear regression was used to assess the association between oseltamivir time to treatment and treatment-related costs among hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed influenza.Overall, 28% (n = 33) of patients were treated with oseltamivir ≥ day 3 of admission. Rapid influenza diagnostic test was used in a significantly lower proportion of patients treated with oseltamivir ≥ day 3 of admission compared with those who received oseltamivir earlier. On multivariate linear regression, initiation of oseltamivir ≥ day 3 of admission was associated with a 60.84% increase (95%CI: 32.59-95.11) in treatment-related hospital costs, compared with initiation on admission.Delayed initiation of oseltamivir was found to be associated with increased treatment-related hospital costs among children hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza.

Purpose Only a few studies have explored nationwide trends in lipid profiles among Asian adolescents. We aimed to assess trends in lipid profiles and the associated lifestyle factors among Korean children. Methods We analyzed data for 2,094 adolescents who were aged 10–18 years and had participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 1998 and 2010. Results During 1998–2010, the prevalence of obesity significantly increased in boys, but no changes were observed in girls. Over this period, there was a small but significant decrease in the mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level in boys (1998, 87.5 mg/dL; 2010, 83.6 mg/dL; P=0.019) and mean triglyceride levels in girls (1998, 90.8 mg/dL; 2010, 85.8 mg/dL; P=0.020). There were no significant changes in the prevalence of dyslipidemia in boys, but a modest decrease was noted in girls (1998, 25.1%; 2010, 18.3%; P=0.052). During the study period, the prevalence of breakfast skipping decreased, whereas that of regular exercise increased in both groups. Daily total energy intake did not change between these years. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, breakfast skipping was associated with increased risk of hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia in boys (odds ratio [OR], 5.77) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR, 2.27) in girls. Regular exercise was associated with decreased risk of hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia (OR, 0.40) in boys. Conclusion Although the prevalence of obesity in boys increased, favorable or constant trends in lipid profiles were observed among Korean adolescents during 1998–2010. Decrease in breakfast skipping and increase in regular exercise may have contributed to these trends.

Oxidative stress remodels Ca(2+) signaling in cardiomyocytes, which promotes altered heart function in various heart diseases. Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) was shown to be activated by oxidation, but whether and how CaMKII links oxidative stress to pathophysiological long-term changes in Ca(2+) signaling remain unknown. Here, we present evidence demonstrating the role of CaMKII in transient oxidative stress-induced long-term facilitation (LTF) of L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca,L)) in rat cardiomyocytes. A 5-min exposure of 1mM H(2)O(2) induced an increase in I(Ca,L), and this increase was sustained for ~1h. The CaMKII inhibitor KN-93 fully reversed H(2)O(2)-induced LTF of I(Ca,L), indicating that sustained CaMKII activity underlies this oxidative stress-induced memory. Simultaneous inhibition of oxidation and autophosphorylation of CaMKII prevented the maintenance of LTF, suggesting that both mechanisms contribute to sustained CaMKII activity. We further found that sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release and mitochondrial ROS generation have critical roles in sustaining CaMKII activity via autophosphorylation- and oxidation-dependent mechanisms. Finally, we show that long-term remodeling of the cardiac action potential is induced by H(2)O(2) via CaMKII. In conclusion, CaMKII and mitochondria confer oxidative stress-induced pathological cellular memory that leads to cardiac arrhythmia.

The Ca(2+)-dependent facilitation (CDF) of L-type Ca(2+) channels, a major mechanism for force-frequency relationship of cardiac contraction, is mediated by Ca(2+)/CaM-dependent kinase II (CaMKII). Recently, CaMKII was shown to be activated by methionine oxidation. We investigated whether oxidation-dependent CaMKII activation is involved in the regulation of L-type Ca(2+) currents (I(Ca,L)) by H(2)O(2) and whether Ca(2+) is required in this process. Using patch clamp, I(Ca)(,L) was measured in rat ventricular myocytes. H(2)O(2) induced an increase in I(Ca,L) amplitude and slowed inactivation of I(Ca)(,L). This oxidation-dependent facilitation (ODF) of I(Ca)(,L) was abolished by a CaMKII blocker KN-93, but not by its inactive analog KN-92, indicating that CaMKII is involved in ODF. ODF was not affected by replacement of external Ca(2+) with Ba(2+) or presence of EGTA in the internal solutions. However, ODF was abolished by adding BAPTA to the internal solution or by depleting sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) stores using caffeine and thapsigargin. Alkaline phosphatase, beta-iminoadenosine 5'-triphosphate (AMP-PNP), an autophosphorylation inhibitor autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide (AIP), or a catalytic domain blocker (CaM-KIINtide) did not affect ODF. In conclusion, oxidation-dependent facilitation of L-type Ca(2+) channels is mediated by oxidation-dependent CaMKII activation, in which local Ca(2+) increases induced by SR Ca(2+) release is required.

The roles of Notch signaling in cardiac differentiation from murine embryonic stem cells have been well documented. We investigated whether Notch signaling plays a similar role in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Although, as previously reported, blocking Notch signaling via the addition of γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI) alone failed to affect hESC differentiation, we found that GSI plus reduced-volume culture medium (GSI/RVCM) accelerated mesodermal differentiation. GSI/RVCM conditions simultaneously suppressed commitment toward neuroectodermal lineages. Furthermore, sustained inhibition of Notch signaling further enhanced differentiation into cardiac mesoderm. Spontaneous beating activity was typically observed from 12 days after initiation of GSI treatment in RVCM. Moreover, hESC-derived cardiomyocytes expressed connexin 43 and possessed spontaneous calcium oscillations and cardiomyocyte beats coupled to neonatal rat cardiomyocytes when cocultured. These findings strongly suggest a distinct role for Notch signaling in the induction and specification of hESC-derived cardiac mesoderm in vitro. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

As the remedy used music becomes active and meditation effect through the music is verified, people take a growing interest about psychological balance or remedy given by music. From traditional studies, it is verified that the music of which spectral envelop varies approximately as 1/f (f is frequency) down to a frequency of low frequency bandwidth gives psychological balance. In this paper, we researched signal properties of music which gives psychological balance. In order to find this, we derived the property from voice. Music composed by voice shows large value in NCSD. We confirmed the degree of deference between music by curvature of normalized cumulative spectral distribution. In the music that gives psychological balance, the curvature shows high value, otherwise, the curvature shows low value., {"references":["B. Logan and A. Salomon, \"A Music Similarity Function based on Signal\nAnalysis,\" Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on\nMultimedia and Expo (ICME2001), pp.745-748, 2001.","Beth Logan, \"Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients for music modeling,\"\nProceedings of the First International Symposium on Music Information\nRetrieval (ISMIR), 2000.","L. Rabiner and B. H. Juang, Fundamentals of speech recognition,\nEnglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.","G. Peeters, \"A Large Set of Audio Features for Sound Description\n(Similarity and Classification) in the Cuidado Project,\" IRCAM, Tech.\nRep., 2004.","S. Essid, G. Richard, B. David, \"Instrument recognition in polyphonic\nmusic based on automatic taxonomies,\" IEEE Trans. on Aidio, Speech\nand Languge processing, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 68-80, Jan. 2006","S. Essid, G. Richard, B. David, \"musical instrument recognition based on\nclass pairwise feature selection,\" in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. Music\nInformation Retrieval (ISMIR), Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 2004.","R. F. Voss and J. Clarke, \"1/f noise- in music and speech,\" Nature, Vol.\n258, Issue 5533, pp. 317-318, 1975.","R. F. Voss and J. Clarke, \"\"1/f noise\" in music: Music from 1/f noise,\" J.\nAcoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 63, pp. 258-263, Jan. 1978."]}

People have the habitual pitch level which is used when people say something generally. However this pitch should be changed irregularly in the presence of noise. So it is useful to estimate SNR of speech signal by pitch. In this paper, we obtain the energy of input speech signal and then we detect a stationary region on voiced speech. And we get the pitch period by NAMDF for the stationary region that is not varied pitch rapidly. After getting pitch, each frame is divided by pitch period and the likelihood of closed pitch is estimated. In this paper, we proposed new parameter, NLF, to estimate the SNR of received speech signal. The NLF is derived from the correlation of near pitch periods. The NLF is obtained for each stationary region in voiced speech. Finally we confirmed good performance of the estimation of the SNR of received input speech in the presence of noise., {"references":["J.S. Han, Speech Signal Processing. Seoul: Osung Media, 2000. ch . 2.","A. Caruntu, G. Toderean, A. Nica, \"Automatic Silence/Unvoiced/Voiced\nClassification of Speech Using a Modified Teager Energy Feature,\"\nWSEAS, pp. 62-65, Nov., 2005","WangRae Jo, JongKuk Kim, and Myung Jin Bae, \"A Study on Pitch\nDetection in Time-Frequency Hybrid Domain,\" Springer-Verlag, Lecture\nNotes in Computer Science, vol. LNCS 3406, pp.437-440, Feb 2005.","Hans Werner Strube , \"Determination of the instant of glottal closure from\nthe speech wave,\" J., Acoust., Soc., Am, Vol. 5, No. 5, pp. 1625-1629,\nNovember 1974.","J.K. Kim, D.S. Na, M.J. Bae \"On a pitch alteration technique in\ntransformation domain of speech signals,\" DCDIS, 2007. pp. 522-526","M. Bae, J. Rheem, and S. Ann \"A Study on Energy Using G-peak from the\nSpeech Production Model,\" KIEE, Korea, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 381-386,\nMay 1987.","L. R. Rabiner and R. W. Schafer, Digital Processing of Speech signals.\nNew Jersey: Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, 1978, ch 6, 7.","P. E. Paparnichalis, Practical Speech Processing. New Jersey:\nPrentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood Cliffs, 1987.","S. Seneff, \"Real Time Harmonic Pitch Detection,\" IEEE Trans. Acoust.\nSpeech, and Signal Processing, Vol. ASSP-26, pp. 358-365, Aug. 1978.\n[10] S. D. Stearns & R.A. David, Signal Processing Algorithms. New-Jersey:\nPrentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood Cliffs, 1988.\n[11] M.J. Bae, \"On Detecting the Steady State Segments of Speech Waveform\nby using the Normalized AMDF,\" IEEK, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 600-603, June,\n1991.\n[12] S. J. Kim. \"A Segmentation Algorithm of the Connected Word Speech by\nStatistical Method,\" IEEK, Vol.26, No. 4, pp. 151-162, Apr., 1989.\n[13] M. J. Bae, and S. Ann, \"Fundamental Frequency Estimation of Noise\nCorrupted Speech Signals Using the Spectrum Comparison,\" J., Acoust.,\nSoc., Korea, Vol. 8, No. 3, June 1989."]}

There are limited data evaluating the relationship between influenza treatment and hospitalization duration. Our purpose assessed the association between different treatments and hospital stay among Korean pediatric influenza patients. Total 770 children ≤ 15 yr-of-age hospitalized with community-acquired laboratory-confirmed influenza at three large urban tertiary care hospitals were identified through a retrospective medical chart review. Demographic, clinical, and cost data were extracted and a multivariable linear regression model was used to assess the associations between influenza treatment types and hospital stay. Overall, there were 81% of the patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza who received antibiotic monotherapy whereas only 4% of the patients received oseltamivir monotherapy. The mean treatment-related charges for hospitalizations treated with antibiotics, alone or with oseltamivir, were significantly higher than those treated with oseltamivir-only (P < 0.001). Influenza patients treated with antibiotics-only and antibiotics/oseltamivir combination therapy showed 44.9% and 28.2%, respectively, longer duration of hospitalization compared to those treated with oseltamivir-only. Patients treated with antibiotics, alone or combined with oseltamivir, were associated with longer hospitalization and significantly higher medical charges, compared to patients treated with oseltamivir alone. In Korea, there is a need for more judicious use of antibiotics, appropriate use of influenza rapid testing. Graphical Abstract