Effects of Sodium Selenite Injection on Serum Metabolic Profiles in Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema-Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Using Global Metabolomics.

In our previous study, intravenous (IV) injection of selenium alleviated breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). This secondary analysis aimed to explore the metabolic effects of selenium on patients with BCRL. Serum samples of the selenium-treated (SE, n = 15) or the placebo-controlled (CTRL, n = 14) groups were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS). The SE group showed a lower ratio of extracellular water to segmental water (ECW/SW) in the affected arm to ECW/SW in the unaffected arm (arm ECW/SW ratio) than the CTRL group. Metabolomics analysis showed a valid classification at 2-weeks and 107 differential metabolites were identified. Among them, the levels of corticosterone, LTB4-DMA, and PGE3-which are known anti-inflammatory compounds-were elevated in the SE group. Pathway analysis demonstrated that lipid metabolism (glycerophospholipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, or arachidonic acid metabolism), nucleotide metabolism (pyrimidine or purine metabolism), and vitamin metabolism (pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, vitamin B6 metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism) were altered in the SE group compared to the CTRL group. In addition, xanthurenic acid levels were negatively associated with whole blood selenium level (WBSe) and positively associated with the arm ECW/SW. In conclusion, selenium IV injection improved the arm ECW/SW ratio and altered the serum metabolic profiles in patients with BCRL, and improved the anti-inflammatory process in lipid, nucleotide and vitamin pathways, which might alleviate the symptoms of BCRL.

Validating machine learning approaches for prediction of donor related complication in microsurgical breast reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study.

Autologous reconstruction using abdominal flaps remains the most popular method for breast reconstruction worldwide. We aimed to evaluate a prediction model using machine-learning methods and to determine which factors increase abdominal flap donor site complications with logistic regression. We evaluated the predictive ability of different machine learning packages, reviewing a cohort of breast reconstruction patients who underwent abdominal flaps. We analyzed 13 treatment variables for effects on the abdominal donor site complication rates. To overcome data imbalances, random over sampling example (ROSE) method was used. Data were divided into training and testing sets. Prediction accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive power (AUC) were measured by applying neuralnet, nnet, and RSNNS machine learning packages. A total of 568 patients were analyzed. The supervised learning package that performed the most effective prediction was neuralnet. Factors that significantly affected donor-related complication was size of the fascial defect, history of diabetes, muscle sparing type, and presence or absence of adjuvant chemotherapy. The risk cutoff value for fascial defect was 37.5 cm2. High-risk group complication rates analyzed by statistical method were significant compared to the low-risk group (26% vs 1.7%). These results may help surgeons to achieve better surgical outcomes and reduce postoperative burden.

Molecular characterization of Penicillium oxalicum 6R,8R-linoleate diol synthase with new regiospecificity.

Diol synthase-derived metabolites are involved in the sexual and asexual life cycles of fungi. A putative diol synthase from Penicillium oxalicum was found to convert palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7), oleic acid (18:1n-9), linoleic acid (18:2n-6), and α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) to 6S,8R-dihydroxy-9(Z)-hexadecenoic acid, 6R,8R-dihydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid, 6R,8R-dihydroxy-9,12(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid, and 6S,8R-dihydroxy-9,12,15(Z,Z,Z)-octadecatrienoic acid, respectively, which were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analyses. The specific activity and catalytic efficiency of P. oxalicum 6,8-diol synthase were the highest for 18:2n-6, indicating that the enzyme is a 6R,8R-linoleate diol synthase (6R,8R-LDS) with new regiospecificity. This is the first report of a 6R,8R-LDS. LDS is a fusion protein consisting of a dioxygenase domain at the N-terminus and a cytochrome P450/hydroperoxide isomerase (P450/HPI) domain at the C-terminus. The putative active-site residues in the C-terminal domain of P. oxalicum 6R,8R-LDS were proposed based on a substrate-docking homology model. The results of the site-directed mutagenesis within C-terminal P450 domain suggested that Asn886, Arg707, and Arg934, are catalytic importance and belong to the catalytic groove. Phe794 and Gln889 were found to be involved in the regiospecific rearrangement of hydroperoxide, while the F794E and Q889A variants of P. oxalicum 6,8-LDS acted as 7,8- and 8,11-LDSs, respectively. All these mutations critically affected the HPI activity of P. oxalicum 6R,8R-LDS.

A Simulation-Based Study on the Comparison of Statistical and Time Series Forecasting Methods for Early Detection of Infectious Disease Outbreaks.

Early detection of infectious disease outbreaks is one of the important and significant issues in syndromic surveillance systems. It helps to provide a rapid epidemiological response and reduce morbidity and mortality. In order to upgrade the current system at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), a comparative study of state-of-the-art techniques is required. We compared four different temporal outbreak detection algorithms: the CUmulative SUM (CUSUM), the Early Aberration Reporting System (EARS), the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), and the Holt-Winters algorithm. The comparison was performed based on not only 42 different time series generated taking into account trends, seasonality, and randomly occurring outbreaks, but also real-world daily and weekly data related to diarrhea infection. The algorithms were evaluated using different metrics. These were namely, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), F1 score, symmetric mean absolute percent error (sMAPE), root-mean-square error (RMSE), and mean absolute deviation (MAD). Although the comparison results showed better performance for the EARS C3 method with respect to the other algorithms, despite the characteristics of the underlying time series data, Holt⁻Winters showed better performance when the baseline frequency and the dispersion parameter values were both less than 1.5 and 2, respectively.

Complete conversion of all typical glycosylated protopanaxatriol ginsenosides to aglycon protopanaxatriol by combined bacterial ß-glycosidases.

Aglycon protopanaxatriol (APPT) has valuable pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory and anti-stress activities. However, the complete conversion of all typical glycosylated protopanaxatriol ginsenosides to APPT has not been achieved to date. ß-Glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Dictyoglomus turgidum (DT-bgl) hydrolyzes the glucose residues at C-6 and the inner glucose at C-20 in protopanaxatriol (PPT), but not the outer rhamnose residues at C-6. In contrast, ß-glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Pyrococcus furiosus (PF-bgl) hydrolyzes the outer rhamnose residue at C-6 but not the inner glucose residues at C-6 and C-20 in PPT. Thus, the combined use of DT-bgl and PF-bgl resulted in the complete the conversion of all typical glycosylated PPT ginsenosides, including R1, R2, Re, Rg1, Rg2, Rh1, Rf, F1, F3, and F5, to APPT. DT-bgl combined with PF-bgl completely hydrolyzed 1.0 mg ml-1 R1 and 1.0 mg ml-1 total PPT-type ginsenosides in Panax notoginseng root extract to 0.5 and 0.63 mg ml-1 APPT for 4 and 3 h, with molar conversions of 100% and productivities of 125 and 210 mg l-1 h-1, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the complete conversion of all typical glycosylated PPT ginsenosides to APPT and the highest productivity of APPT obtained from ginseng extract achieved to date.

Self-Compassion and Cultural Values: A Cross-Cultural Study of Self-Compassion Using a Multitrait-Multimethod (MTMM) Analytical Procedure.

Self-compassion is natural, trainable and multi-faceted human capacity. To date there has been little research into the role of culture in influencing the conceptual structure of the underlying construct, the relative importance of different facets of self-compassion, nor its relationships to cultural values. This study employed a cross-cultural design, with 4,124 participants from 11 purposively sampled datasets drawn from different countries. We aimed to assess the relevance of positive and negative items when building the self-compassion construct, the convergence among the self-compassion components, and the possible influence of cultural values. Each dataset comprised undergraduate students who completed the "Self-Compassion Scale" (SCS). We used a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach to the multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) model, separating the variability into self-compassion components (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), method (positive and negative valence), and error (uniqueness). The normative scores of the Values Survey Module (VSM) in each country, according to the cultural dimensions of individualism, masculinity, power distance, long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence, were considered. We used Spearman coefficients (r s) to assess the degree of association between the cultural values and the variance coming from the positive and negative items to explain self-compassion traits, as well as the variance shared among the self-compassion traits, after removing the method effects produced by the item valence. The CFA applied to the MTMM model provided acceptable fit in all the samples. Positive items made a greater contribution to capturing the traits comprising self-compassion when the long-term orientation cultural value was higher (r s = 0.62; p = 0.042). Negative items did not make significant contributions to building the construct when the individualism cultural value was higher, but moderate effects were found (r s = 0.40; p = 0.228). The level of common variance among the self-compassion trait factors was inversely related to the indulgence cultural value (r s = -0.65; p = 0.030). The extent to which the positive and negative items contribute to explain self-compassion, and that different self-compassion facets might be regarded as reflecting a broader construct, might differ across cultural backgrounds.

Complete Biotransformation of Protopanaxatriol-Type Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng Leaf Extract to Aglycon Protopanaxatriol by ß-Glycosidases from Dictyoglomus turgidum and Pyrococcus furiosus.

Aglycon protopanaxatriol (APPT) has valuable pharmacological effects such as memory enhancement and tumor inhibition. ß-Glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Dictyoglomus turgidum (DT-bgl) hydrolyzes the glucose residues linked to APPT, but not other glycoside residues. ß-Glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Pyrococcus furiosus (PF-bgl) hydrolyzes the outer sugar at C-6 but not the inner glucose at C-6 or the glucose at C-20. Thus, the combined use of DT-bgl and PF-bgl is expected to increase the biotransformation of PPT-type ginsenosides to APPT. We optimized the ratio of PF-bgl to DT-bgl, the concentrations of substrate and enzyme, and the reaction time to increase the biotransformation of ginsenoside Re and PPT-type ginsenosides in Panax ginseng leaf extract to APPT. DT-bgl combined with PF-bgl converted 1.0 mg/ml PPT-type ginsenosides in ginseng leaf extract to 0.58 mg/ml APPT without other ginsenosides, with a molar conversion of 100%. We achieved the complete biotransformation of ginsenoside Re and PPT-type ginsenosides in ginseng leaf extract to APPT by the combined use of two ß-glycosidases, suggesting that discarded ginseng leaves can be used as a source of the valuable ginsenoside APPT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative production of APPT using ginsenoside Re, and we report the highest concentration and productivity of APPT from ginseng extract to date.

The Double Meaning of Online Social Space: Three-Way Interactions Among Social Anxiety, Online Social Behavior, and Offline Social Behavior.

The present study aimed to investigate how online and offline social behavior interact with each other ultimately to affect the well-being of socially anxious adolescents. Based on previous studies, it was assumed that there might be three-way interactive effects among online social behavior, offline social behavior, and social anxiety regarding the relationship with well-being. To measure social anxiety, online and offline social behavior, and mental well-being, self-report questionnaires such as the Korean-Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, Korean version of the Relational Maintenance Behavior Questionnaire, and Korean version of Mental Health Continuum Short Form were administered to 656 Korean adolescents. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the three-way interaction of online social behavior, offline social behavior, and social anxiety was indeed significant. First, online social behavior was associated with lower well-being of adolescents with higher social anxiety under conditions of low engagement in offline social behavior. In contrast, a higher level of online social behavior predicted greater well-being for individuals with high social anxiety under conditions of more engagement in offline social behavior. Second, online social behavior was not significantly related to well-being in youths with low social anxiety under conditions of both high and low engagement in offline social behavior. Implications and limitations of this study were discussed.

Suicidal ideation in gay men and lesbians in South Korea: a test of the interpersonal-psychological model.

Gay men and lesbians in South Korea are alienated and stigmatized due to the country's low tolerance of social differences, resulting in distress and suicidal impulses. This study investigated the predictors of suicidal ideation in a gay and lesbian group in South Korea based on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide. Differences between the gay and lesbian group and the heterosexual group were found in the direct path between perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation. The relationship was significant for both groups, but the path coefficient was greater for lesbians and gay men than for heterosexuals. These findings imply that perceived burdensomeness may be a more critical factor in suicidal ideation of lesbians and gay men.

Clinical application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in stroke rehabilitation.

Proper stimulation to affected cerebral hemisphere would promote the functional recovery of patients with stroke. Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical excitability can be can be altered by the stimulation frequency, intensity and duration. There has been no consistent recognition regarding the best stimulation frequency and intensity. This study reviews the intervention effects of repetitive transcranial stimulation on motor impairment, dysphagia, visuospatial neglect and aphasia, and summarizes the stimulation frequency, intensity and area for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to yield the best therapeutic effects.

Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), a self-report questionnaire based on Cloninger's biosocial model of personality. The TCI was translated into Korean and administered to 851 Korean college students. A test-retest study of the TCI was conducted across a 3-month interval with 130 subjects. Internal consistency was calculated by Cronbach alpha. Test-retest reliability was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Factor analyses for the temperament and character dimensions were performed using principal component analysis, rotating factors obliquely by promax. A comparison of TCI scores between Korean and United States college students was done using independent t tests. Cronbach alpha values for the TCI scales ranged from.60 to.85 for the temperament scales and from.82 to.87 for the character scales. Test-retest correlations (r) ranged from.52 to.72 for the temperament scales and from.52 to.71 for the character scales. Principal component factor analyses showed similar factor structures of four temperaments and three characters as the American version of the TCI, except for the Reward Dependence and Persistence temperament scales. Explorative factor analysis with a condition of eigenvalue greater than 1 produced five factors, as compared to seven factors extracted in Cloninger's original report. Results using a preset seven-factor solution was forced and did not successfully extract Cloninger's seven factors. Korean college students had higher mean scores on Harm Avoidance and lower mean scores on the rest of the scales as compared to a sample of US college students. The results of this study confirm that the Korean TCI has satisfactory psychometric properties and reflects Cloninger's biosocial model of personality.