Potential Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Treatment and Computational Approach for Future Drug Development.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by swelling in at least one joint. Owing to an overactive immune response, extra-articular manifestations are observed in certain cases, with interstitial lung disease (ILD) being the most common. Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the interstitial space, which causes fibrosis and the scarring of lung tissue. Controlling inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in RA-ILD is important because they are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pirfenidone and nintedanib are specific drugs against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and showed efficacy against RA-ILD in several clinical trials. Immunosuppressants and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with anti-fibrotic effects have also been used to treat RA-ILD. Immunosuppressants moderate the overexpression of cytokines and immune cells to reduce pulmonary damage and slow the progression of fibrosis. DMARDs with mild anti-fibrotic effects target specific fibrotic pathways to regulate fibrogenic cellular activity, extracellular matrix homeostasis, and oxidative stress levels. Therefore, specific medications are required to effectively treat RA-ILD. In this review, the commonly used RA-ILD treatments are discussed based on their molecular mechanisms and clinical trial results. In addition, a computational approach is proposed to develop specific drugs for RA-ILD.

In Situ Confocal Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Nanopore Electrode Arrays with Redox Active Fluorogenic Amplex Red.

Direct imaging of electrochemical processes on electrode surfaces is a central part of understanding spatially heterogeneous electrochemical processes on the surfaces. Herein, we report a strategy for the spatially resolved imaging of local faradaic processes on nanoscale electrochemical interfaces. This strategy is based on fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) with the use of Amplex Red as a fluorogenic redox probe. After verifying the capability of Amplex Red for fluorescence lifetime imaging, we demonstrated the turn-on FLIM-based imaging of faradaic processes on the electrochemical interfaces of different dimensions. In particular, we achieved spatially resolved visualization of the local electrochemical processes occurring on even nanopore electrode arrays as well as conventional microelectrodes, including disk-shaped ultramicroelectrodes and interdigitated array microelectrodes.

Etiology and Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Interstitial Lung Disease.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most serious extra-articular complications of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which increases the mortality of RA. Because the pathogenesis of RA-ILD remains poorly understood, appropriate therapeutic strategies and biomarkers have not yet been identified. Thus, the goal of this review was to summarize and analyze the reported data on the etiology and pathogenesis of RA-ILD. The incidence of RA-ILD increases with age, and is also generally higher in men than in women and in patients with specific genetic variations and ethnicity. Lifestyle factors associated with an increased risk of RA-ILD include smoking and exposure to pollutants. The presence of an anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, high RA disease activity, and rheumatoid factor positivity also increase the risk of RA-ILD. We also explored the roles of biological processes (e.g., fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and immunological processes), signaling pathways (e.g., JAK/STAT and PI3K/Akt), and the histopathology of RA involved in RA-ILD pathogenesis based on published preclinical and clinical models of RA-ILD in animal and human studies.

Role of electrochemical reactions in the degradation of formamidinium lead halide hybrid perovskite quantum dots.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites are widely utilized in solar driven chemistry such as photocatalysis, hydrogen evolution, and oxygen reduction. Hybrid perovskites contain various components with high polarity and/or charge values, which undergo transformations due to ion exchange, photoinduced phase segregation, or ion migration. These variable characteristics make perovskites "soft materials". Meanwhile, optoelectronic devices often operate under electrochemical reactions in the presence of an electrical field. To examine the effect of this field on the material/photophysical properties of hybrid perovskites, hybrid FAPbBr3 (FA+: CH(NH2)2+) perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) were synthesized. In this study, we report the spectroelectrochemical investigation of the hybrid FAPbBr3 PQDs to understand the electrochemical stability and degradation process. We also found that the electrochemical condition played an important role in inducing defect-mediated oxidation/reduction reactions, changing the photophysical properties of hybrid PQDs, and causing their irreversible transformations to various lead halide plumbate complexes. These findings can help develop a strategy for enhancing the operational performance of PQDs for the solar driven chemistry.

Lanthanum-catalysed synthesis of microporous 3D graphene-like carbons in a zeolite template.

Three-dimensional graphene architectures with periodic nanopores­reminiscent of zeolite frameworks­are of topical interest because of the possibility of combining the characteristics of graphene with a three-dimensional porous structure. Lately, the synthesis of such carbons has been approached by using zeolites as templates and small hydrocarbon molecules that can enter the narrow pore apertures. However, pyrolytic carbonization of the hydrocarbons (a necessary step in generating pure carbon) requires high temperatures and results in non-selective carbon deposition outside the pores. Here, we demonstrate that lanthanum ions embedded in zeolite pores can lower the temperature required for the carbonization of ethylene or acetylene. In this way, a graphene-like carbon structure can be selectively formed inside the zeolite template, without carbon being deposited at the external surfaces. X-ray diffraction data from zeolite single crystals after carbonization indicate that electron densities corresponding to carbon atoms are generated along the walls of the zeolite pores. After the zeolite template is removed, the carbon framework exhibits an electrical conductivity that is two orders of magnitude higher than that of amorphous mesoporous carbon. Lanthanum catalysis allows a carbon framework to form in zeolite pores with diameters of less than 1 nanometre; as such, microporous carbon nanostructures can be reproduced with various topologies corresponding to different zeolite pore sizes and shapes. We demonstrate carbon synthesis for large-pore zeolites (FAU, EMT and beta), a one-dimensional medium-pore zeolite (LTL), and even small-pore zeolites (MFI and LTA). The catalytic effect is a common feature of lanthanum, yttrium and calcium, which are all carbide-forming metal elements. We also show that the synthesis can be readily scaled up, which will be important for practical applications such as the production of lithium-ion batteries and zeolite-like catalyst supports.

Nanocage-Confined Synthesis of Fluorescent Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Zeolite.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) attract much attention for applications to organic light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and photovoltaic cells. The current synthetic approaches to PAHs involve high-temperature flash pyrolysis or complicated step-by-step organic reactions, which lead to low yields of PAHs. Herein, we report a facile and scalable synthesis of PAHs, which is carried out simply by flowing acetylene gas into zeolite under mild heating, typically at 400 °C and generates the products of 0.30 g g-1 zeolite. PAHs are synthesized via acetylene polymerization inside Ca2+-ion-exchanged Linde type A (LTA) zeolite, of which the α-cage puts a limit on the product molecular size as a confined-space nanoreactor. The resultant product after the removal of the zeolite framework exhibits brilliant white fluorescence emission in N-methylpyrrolidone solution. The product is separated into four different color emitters (violet, blue, green, and orange) by column chromatography. Detailed characterizations of the products by means of various spectroscopic methods and mainly mass spectrometric analyses indicate that coronene (C24H12) is the main component of the blue emitter, while the green emitter is a mixture of planar and curved PAHs. The orange can be attributed to curved PAHs larger than ovalene, and the violet to smaller molecules than coronene. The PAH growth mechanism inside Ca2+-exchanged LTA zeolite is proposed on the basis of mass spectral analyses and density functional theory calculations.

Effect of N-(D-Ribopyranosyl) Taurine Sodium Salt on the Differentiation of Human Preadipocytes and Expression of Adipokines Through Inhibition of STAT-3 Signaling in Differentiated Human Adipocytes.

We investigated whether a taurine-ribose derivative, N-(D-ribopyranosyl)taurine sodium salt, inhibits the differentiation process of preadipocytes or modulates the expression of cytokines from adipocytes as does taurine chloramine (TauCl) in vitro. To know the inhibitory effects of taurine-ribose (Tau-Ribose) on differentiation process and adipokine expression, preadipocytes were incubated with Tau-Ribose in differentiation medium for 14 days. Differentiated adipocytes were also stimulated at the concentration of IL-1ß 1 ng/ml with addition of Tau-Ribose. After 7 days of incubation, the levels of adiponectin, leptin, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured from the culture supernatants. At concentrations of 10-40 mM, Tau-Ribose dose-dependently inhibited the process of adipogenesis. The treatment of Tau-Ribose decreased the expression of transcription factors, which are necessary for adipogenesis and are known as adipocyte marker. Treatment with Tau-Ribose significantly modulated the production of IL-8 and IL-6. However, it did not modulate the production of adiponectin and leptin in IL-1ß-activated adipocytes. As with taurine chloramine, Tau-Ribose also inhibited STAT-3 signaling, independent of MAPK signaling. In conclusion, Tau-Ribose inhibits the signaling pathway of STAT-3 and can change adipokines production; thus, it may have a potential as an agent for treating obesity-related diseases.

Vitamin D3 Exerts Beneficial Effects on C2C12 Myotubes through Activation of the Vitamin D Receptor (VDR)/Sirtuins (SIRT)1/3 Axis.

The onset of sarcopenia is associated with a decline in vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression, wherein reduced VDR levels contribute to muscle atrophy, while heightened expression promotes muscle hypertrophy. Like VDR, the age-related decline in protein deacetylase sirtuin (SIRT) expression is linked to the development of sarcopenia and age-related muscle dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate whether the VDR agonist 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25VD3) exerts beneficial effects on muscles through interactions with sirtuins and, if so, the underlying molecular mechanisms. Treatment of 1,25VD3 in differentiating C2C12 myotubes substantially elevated VDR, SIRT1, and SIRT3 expression, enhancing their differentiation. Furthermore, 1,25VD3 significantly enhanced the expression of key myogenic markers, including myosin heavy chain (MyHC) proteins, MyoD, and MyoG, and increased the phosphorylation of AMPK and AKT. Conversely, VDR knockdown resulted in myotube atrophy and reduced SIRT1 and SIRT3 levels. In a muscle-wasting model triggered by IFN-γ/TNF-α in C2C12 myotubes, diminished VDR, SIRT1, and SIRT3 levels led to skeletal muscle atrophy and apoptosis. 1,25VD3 downregulated the increased expression of muscle atrophy-associated proteins, including FoxO3a, MAFbx, and MuRF1 in an IFN-γ/TNF-α induced atrophy model. Importantly, IFN-γ/TNF-α significantly reduced the mtDNA copy number in the C2C12 myotube, whereas the presence of 1,25VD3 effectively prevented this decrease. These results support that 1,25VD3 could serve as a potential preventive or therapeutic agent against age-related muscle atrophy by enhancing the VDR/SIRT1/SIRT3 axis.

Cobalt-molybdenum-selenide nanoflowers for bifunctional visible light photocatalysis.

The renewability and zero carbon emissions of hydrogen make it a promising clean energy resource to meet future energy demands. Owing to its benefits, photocatalytic water-splitting has been extensively investigated for hydrogen production. However, the low efficiency poses a serious challenge to its implementation. Herein, we attempted to synthesize bimetallic transition metal selenides, namely Co/Mo/Se (CMS) photocatalysts, with varying atomic compositions (CMSa, CMSb, and CMSc) and investigated their photocatalytic water splitting efficiencies. The observed hydrogen evolution rates were as follows: 134.88 µmol g-1 min-1 for CoSe2, 145.11 µmol g-1 min-1 for MoSe2, 167.31 µmol g-1 min-1 for CMSa, 195.11 µmol g-1 min-1 for CMSb, and 203.68 µmol g-1 min-1 for CMSc. Hence, we deemed CMSc to be the most potent photocatalytic alternative among the compounds. CMSc was also tested for its efficiency towards degradation of triclosan (TCN), and results substantiated that CMSc succeeded degrading 98% TCN while CMSa and b were able to degrade 80 and 90% TCN respectively-the attained efficiency being exponentially higher than CoSe2 and MoSe2 taken for comparative analysis in addition to complete degradation of the pollutants leaving no harmful intermediaries during the process. Thus, CMSc shall be identified as a highly potential photocatalyst with respect to both environmental and energy applications.

Unexpected Penetration of CO Molecule into Zeolitic Micropores Almost Plugged by CuCl via π-Complexation of CO-CuCl.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a key reactant in several Fischer-Tropsch processes, including those used in light olefin and methanol syntheses. However, it is highly toxic and causes serious poisoning of noble metal catalysts. Thus, a solid adsorbent that can selectively capture CO, especially at low concentrations, is required. In this study, zeolite Y-based adsorbents in which Cu(I) ions occupy the supercage cation sites (CuCl/Y) are prepared via solid-state ion exchange. Volumetric adsorption measurements reveal that the Cu(I) ions significantly enhance CO adsorption in the low-pressure range by π-complexation. Furthermore, unexpected molecular sieving behavior, with extremely high CO/CO2 selectivity, is observed when excess CuCl homogeneously covers the zeolite pore structures. Thus, although CO has a larger kinetic diameter, it can penetrate the zeolite supercage while smaller molecules (i.e., Ar and CO2) cannot. Density functional theory calculations reveal that CO molecules can remain adsorbed in pseudoblocked pores by CuCl, thanks to the strong interaction of C 2p and Cu 3d states, resulting in the high CO/CO2 selectivity. One of the prepared adsorbents, CuCl/Y with 50 wt % CuCl, is capable of selectively capturing 3.04 mmol g-1 of CO with a CO/CO2 selectivity of >3370.

Oligonucleotide-Based Reusable Electrochemical Silver(I) Sensor and Its Optimization via Probe Packing Density.

We report herein a selective, sensitive, and reusable electrochemical sensor for the detection of silver(I) ions. This sensor detects Ag+ through a structure-switching electrode-bound DNA by measuring the changes in the electron-transfer efficiency. A single-stranded DNA, featuring a methylene blue (MB)-tagged DNA hairpin structure, strategically provides selective binding for the silver-mediated coordination of cytosine-Ag+-cytosine complexes. The DNA-modified electrode produces a change in the electrochemical signal due to the redox current of the surface-confined MB tag. The "turn-on" signaling upon silver(I) ion binding could be attributed to a conformational change in the MB-tagged DNA from an open structure to a target-induced folding structure. Differential pulse voltammetry of the DNA-modified electrode showed that the MB reduction signal increased linearly with an increase in Ag+ concentrations in a range of 10-200 nM, with a detection limit of 10 nM. The structure-switching silver(I) ion sensor was amenable to regeneration by simply unfolding the electrode-bound MB-tagged DNA in 100 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and it could be regenerated with no loss in signal gain upon subsequent silver(I) ion binding. We also demonstrated that by controlling the probe packing density on the electrode surface, the fabrication parameters can be varied to achieve optimal sensor performance.

Aqueous adsorption of sulfamethoxazole on an N-doped zeolite beta-templated carbon.

A zeolite beta-templated carbon (BTC) and its N-doped form (nBTC) were prepared and used for the adsorptive removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotic from water. Both demonstrated excellent adsorption properties, and the maximum adsorption capacity of nBTC (1367 mg/g) was exceptionally high, and surpassed those of other adsorbents reported to date. Adsorption kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption was efficient, and adsorption equilibrium was reached within 10 min. The excellent adsorption performance of nBTC was attributed to the high-surface-area hydrophobic carbons with strong π-π interactions and H-bonding in the uniform microporous geometry of the material. The effect of the solution pH and thermodynamics of the adsorption process were subsequently investigated. nBTC was easily regenerated by washing with acetone, and a recyclability test confirmed that ~88% of the initial SMX adsorption capacity of nBTC was retained after the fifth adsorption-desorption cycle. Moreover, nBTC presented excellent capacity for the adsorptive removal of bisphenol A from water.

Physical properties and color stability of injection-molded thermoplastic denture base resins.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare mechanical and physical properties of injection-molded thermoplastic denture base resins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, six commercially available products (VA; Valplast, LC; Lucitone, ST; Smiltone, ES; Estheshot-Bright, AC; Acrytone, WE; Weldenz) were selected from four types of thermoplastic denture base materials (Polyamide, Polyester, Acrylic resin and Polypropylene). The flexural properties and shore D hardness have been investigated and water sorption and solubility, and color stability have evaluated. RESULTS: For the flexural modulus value, ES showed the highest value and WE showed significantly lower value than all other groups (P<.05). Most of experimental groups showed weak color stability beyond the clinically acceptable range. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of this study, thermoplastic denture base resin did not show sufficient modulus to function as a denture base. In addition, all resins showed discoloration with clinical significance, and especially polyamides showed the lowest color stability.

National monitoring of PCDD/DFs in environmental media around incinerators in Korea.

To examine the levels of PCDD/DFs pollution in environmental samples in the vicinity of various incinerators, the levels of PCDD/DFs in air and soil samples collected near 17 incinerators and stack emission gases were investigated between 2003 and 2006. A total of 434 soil, 28 stack emission gas, and 38 air samples were analyzed for their PCDD/DFs concentrations. The PCDD/DFs concentrations in the flue gas samples ranged from 0.02 to 16.41 ng I-TEQ/Sm(3), with an arithmetical mean value of 3.13 ng I-TEQ/Sm(3). The PCDD/DFs concentrations in the air samples ranged from 0.032 to 0.965 pg I-TEQ/Sm(3). The soil samples contained between N.D. and 153.23 pg I-TEQ/g-dry, with an average of 7.36 pg I-TEQ/g-dry. These levels were generally consistent with or lower than many previous studies. The average PCDD/DFs levels in the soil samples decrease with increasing distance from the incinerator. From the PCDD/DFs level gradient from each plant, a distance of 500 m is suggested as being under the influence of an incinerator.

Organochlorine pesticides in the sediment core of Gwangyang bay, South Korea.

The nine organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the sediment samples taken from Gwangyang Bay, which is a heavy chemical industrial region in South Korea, are analyzed to evaluate their contaminations during the past 50 years. The vertical distributions of SigmaOCPs concentration in the sediment core were in good agreement with the temporal amount of pesticides used in South Korea except for the top sediment layer. The DDTs were predominant, their concentrations ranging from 78.0 to 202 pg/g dry wt and attributed more than 60% to SigmaOCPs in all the sediment layers. Based on the ratio of DDT metabolite compositions, the DDT contamination in the top layer might be caused from recent input. This is due to the highest residual concentration of OCPs in the top layer. Although HCB and mirex have been unregistered as pesticides in South Korea, two compounds were detectable in all of the sediment samples in the range from 0.243 to 16.7 pg/g dry wt in the study area. The emission source of HCB in the sediment core could be estimated to be due to incomplete combustion in the industrial chemical processes rather than pesticide application. Regarding horizontal distribution of SigmaOCPs, the concentration was slightly higher than for the inner bay than the outer bay. The OCPs in the sediments of Gwangyang Bay were compared with those of other countries by hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis.

Synthesis and characterization of highly twisted and bulky tetraoctyloxybiphenyl-containing polyfluorene copolymers: toward efficient blue polymer light emitting diodes.

We have synthesized new blue light emitting random copolymers, poly(9,9'-n-dioctylfluorene-co-2,2',6,6'-tetraoctyloxybiphenyl-3,3'-diyl)s (PFTOBPs), via Ni(0)-mediated coupling reactions. The PL emission peaks of the resulting copolymers closely resembled those of the polyfluorene (PF) homopolymer. The EL devices fabricated using these copolymers exhibited highly pure blue emission with approximate 1931 CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.15) at 1000 cd/m2. The maximum brightnesses ranged from 2000 to 12000 cd/m2 with maximum efficiencies from 0.53 to 0.97 cd/A. The efficiencies were found to increase as the fraction of TOBP in the copolymers was increased, which may result the inhibition of exciton quenching that is produced by the introduction of the highly twisted and bulky TOBP moieties into the copolymers.

Assembly of nanomaterials through highly ordered self-assembled monolayers and peptide-organic hybrid conjugates as templates.

Synthesis and processing techniques have now been established for obtaining high quality monodisperse nanocrystals of various metallic and semiconducting materials, fullerenes of distinct properties, single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes, polymeric dendrimers with tailored functionalities, as well as other nanophase constructs. The next key step towards novel applications of nanostructured materials concerns their positioning, arrangement, and connection into functional networks without mutual aggregation. In this review, we highlight the recent progress of using anthracene- and pyrene-based self-assembling molecules with tunable energetic (pi-pi interactions, hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions) and variable geometries to create stable, highly ordered, and rigid self-assembled monolayer (SAM) templates with adjustable superlattices on crystalline substrates. Based on aromatic SAM templates, stable and highly ordered self-assembled structures of optoelectronically active C60 have been obtained and shown to exhibit desirable electrical and optoelectronic properties, such as nonlinear transporting effect for molecular electronics and efficient photocurrent generation for mimicking photosynthesis in nature. By using genetically engineered polypeptides with surface recognition for specific inorganics, selective integration of nanoparticles onto aromatic SAM templates have also been realized. Through a combination of spatially confined surface chemical reaction and microcontact printing, sub-micron arrays of peptide-organic hybrid conjugates were successfully generated to serve as templates to achieve the patterned assembly of nanoparticles.

Extremely high electrical conductance of microporous 3D graphene-like zeolite-templated carbon framework.

We report the remarkably high electrical conductance of microporous 3D graphene-like carbons that were formed using lanthanum (La)-catalyzed synthesis in a Y zeolite (LaY) template investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and theoretical calculations. To uncover the relation between local electrical conductance and the microporous structures, we tuned the crystallographic ordering of LaY-templated carbon systems by changing the heating temperature. The structure of the LaY-templated carbon prepared at the higher temperature has graphene-like sp 2 hybridized bonds, which was confirmed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. C-AFM current-voltage spectroscopy revealed that the local current flow in the LaY-templated carbon depends on the quantity of C-C bonds within the narrow neck between the closed supercages (i.e. there are three types of carbon: carbon with heat treatment, carbon without heat treatment, and carbon synthesized at low temperature). The difference in electrical conductance on the LaY-templated carbon was also confirmed via theoretical computation using the Boltzmann transport theory and the deformation potential theory based on the density functional theory. These results suggest that the degree of order of the pores in the 3D zeolite-templated carbon structures is directly related to electrical conductance.

Concentration and congener patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls in industrial and municipal waste incinerator flue gas, Korea.

In the present study, individual PCB congeners were determined in the flue gases of 10 industrial and 5 municipal solid waste incinerators using HRGC/HRMS. The total PCBs concentration of all congeners (168 tetra to deca-chlorinated congeners) ranged from 26 to 343 ng/Nm(3), and from 36 to 1095 ng/Nm(3) in industrial waste incinerators (IWI) and municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI), respectively. The total TEQ concentrations of PCBs, calculated using WHO-TEF values, varied from 0.001 to 0.55 ng-TEQ/Nm(3) and from 0.001 to 8.29 ng-TEQ/Nm(3) in the industrial waste incinerators and municipal solid waste incinerators, respectively. In all samples, the contribution of PCB 126 to total TEQ of PCBs was higher than 87%. The homologue pattern of PCBs in the incinerator flue gas samples was generally dominated by tetra- and penta-CBs. The distribution of other homologues was less than 15% in most of the incinerators. The fraction of co-PCBs against to total PCBs ranged from 1% to 19% and from 2% to 31% in IWI and MSWI flue gas samples. Results of the present study reveal that the presence of non-ortho PCB congeners in the flue gas originated form the combustion process.

Overview on relative importance of house dust ingestion in human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs): International comparison and Korea as a case.

Human exposure studies to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have reached different results about the relative importance of diet intake and house dust ingestion. In the present study, concentrations of PBDEs in Korean house dust (n=15) from geographically different cities were measured, which were in agreement with a previous result, and compared with those for 22 countries of five continents collected from the most recent scientific literature. Compared with other exposure pathways, diet intake was the most important contributor to total PBDEs exposure of Korean adults (i.e., 71% of overall intake). On global comparison, total PBDE levels in house dust differed by two to three orders of magnitude among the countries investigated, with a significant relationship with gross domestic product (GDP). Whereas, dietary daily intakes exhibited a narrow difference within one order of magnitude worldwide and no relationship with GDP. Consequently, the relative importance of major two pathways depended on the contamination extent of PBDEs in house dust, which may be associated with the amount of PBDE products in use. In most countries except for UK and USA, the contribution of house dust ingestion was less important than diet intake in the current and are expected to much more mitigate in the future. However, how fast the effect of regulation will be reflected to house dust and human exposure is necessary to be monitored steadily.