Attachment to Peers and School: Longitudinal Moderators of the Relation Between Caregiver Psychological Distress and Adolescent Hopelessness.

Research has yet to determine how relationships outside of the family system may buffer negative outcomes associated with hopelessness among racial minority youth. In a sample of Black American youth (N = 512; 49% females) and their parents or caregivers, this study used longitudinal growth models to explore whether youth relationships (attachment to peers and attachment to school) moderated the association between caregiver distress (depressive symptoms and traumatic stress), and youth hopelessness. Adolescents' gender was examined to determine if there were gender differences present in these associations. Four linear growth models showed a significant change in levels of hopelessness over time for youth and a significant positive relation between caregiver distress and youth level of hopelessness. Attachment to peers and attachment to school did not equally moderate the relation between caregiver psychological distress and youth hopelessness. The type of caregiver distress had a differential effect on youth hopelessness in the context of the moderation models and based on gender. The type of caregiver distress had a differential effect on youth hopelessness in the context of the moderation models and based on gender. Implications for the importance of non-familial attachments among Black American youth with distressed parents are discussed.

First recognized n-butanol concentration may be simple and useful index for assessing olfactory dysfunction in geriatric patients.

The KVSSII is widely used to evaluate olfactory function in the Korean population. We evaluated the usefulness of the first recognized n-butanol concentration, which is obtained at the beginning part of KVSS II, in predicting olfactory dysfunction. Three hundred seventy two subjects were enrolled in our study. The results of KVSS II and the demographic characteristics were statistically analyzed. The first recognized n-butanol concentration was positively correlated with the result of KVSS II. The mean value of first recognized n-butanol concentration was 5.59 ± 1.42 in normosmia, 4.10 ± 1.40 in hyposmia, and 0.84 ± 1.68 in the anosmia group. By ROC curve, cut-off value of 2.5 showed sensitivity of 85.9% and specificity of 90.6% for anosmia, and cut-off value of 4.5 showed sensitivity of 77.6% and specificity of 69.8% for hyposmia. Consequently, we suggest that it may be useful in assessing olfactory function, in geriatric patients who are not able to tolerate conventional KVSS II.

Non-Linear Cellular Dielectrophoretic Behavior Characterization Using Dielectrophoretic Tweezers-Based Force Spectroscopy inside a Microfluidic Device.

Characterization of cellular dielectrophoretic (DEP) behaviors, when cells are exposed to an alternating current (AC) electric field of varying frequency, is fundamentally important to many applications using dielectrophoresis. However, to date, that characterization has been performed with monotonically increasing or decreasing frequency, not with successive increases and decreases, even though cells might behave differently with those frequency modulations due to the nonlinear cellular electrodynamic responses reported in previous works. In this report, we present a method to trace the behaviors of numerous cells simultaneously at the single-cell level in a simple, robust manner using dielectrophoretic tweezers-based force spectroscopy. Using this method, the behaviors of more than 150 cells were traced in a single environment at the same time, while a modulated DEP force acted upon them, resulting in characterization of nonlinear DEP cellular behaviors and generation of different cross-over frequencies in living cells by modulating the DEP force. This study demonstrated that living cells can have non-linear di-polarized responses depending on the modulation direction of the applied frequency as well as providing a simple and reliable platform from which to measure a cellular cross-over frequency and characterize its nonlinear property.

Ethnic differences in bullying victimization and psychological distress: A test of an ecological model.

This study examines ethnic differences in the prevalence of bullying victimization by peers as well as the associations between bullying victimization and psychological distress with relevant ecological factors including parental supervision, school support, and community safety. The study utilized the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Adolescents Data, which was collected in the United States using a multi-stage stratified sampling design with a Random Digit-Dial method. The final study sample contained a total of 2367 adolescents, comprised of 48.7% Whites, followed by 35.8% Latinos, 11.1% Asians, and 4.4% African Americans. About 49.3% were males with an overall mean age of 14.6 (sd = 1.7). Results showed that there were significant differences in rates of bullying victimization among the four surveyed ethnic subgroups of adolescents. Black adolescents reported the highest and Asian adolescents the lowest level of victimization. The results of the SEM test using the calibration sample revealed an adequate fit to the data (CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.04, Δχ2/Δdf = 2.99). Separate model tests with the four subgroups of adolescents revealed good fits with the subsample data with the exception of the subsample of African Americans. Additionally, results show that factors associated with psychological distress vary widely among the White, Latino and Asian subgroups.

Impact of control of blood glucose level during treatment of sudden deafness in diabetics: relationship with prognosis.

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of control of blood glucose level during treatment of sudden deafness. A retrospective study was performed involving 197 patients from January, 2011 to September, 2015. All patients were administrated prednisolone (Pharmaprednisolone tab®, 5 mg/T; KoreaPharma) p.o under the following regimen: 60 mg/day for 4 days, 40 mg/day for 2 days, 30 mg/day for 1 day, 20 mg/day for 1 day, and 10 mg/day for 2 days. During treatment, pure tone audiometry and blood glucose level were investigated for each patient and the results were statistically analyzed. Mean hearing improvement was 19.2 dB for the non-diabetes group and 24.8 dB for the diabetes group. The greater improvement for diabetics was not statistically significant (p = 0.146). Hearing improvement was 25.1 dB for subjects with mean blood glucose <200 mg/dl and 24.6 dB for subjects with mean blood glucose >200 mg/dl; the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.267). Mean blood glucose level was 200.8 mg/dl for subjects with hearing improvement >20 dB and 181.8 mg/dl for subjects with hearing improvement <20 dB; the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.286). Control of blood glucose level during treatment of sudden deafness does not have a direct effect on prognosis.

The Possible Role of Endoscopy in Diagnosis of Benign Tumors of the Nasal Cavity.

BACKGROUND: Benign tumors of the nasal cavity represent a large variety of different histopathological entities. Although advances in nasal endoscopy over the past couple of decades have made it possible to detect the vast majority of these lesions, accurate diagnosis and proper management can be delayed since they are misdiagnosed as inflammatory paranasal sinus disease or simple epistaxis. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study are to determine the relative incidence of benign tumor of the nasal cavity and to provide typical endoscopic features of common tumors. This information can potentially improve clinicians' comprehension of benign tumors of the nasal cavity and be helpful in making provisional diagnosis. RESULTS: The present study included 32 patients (25 males, 7 females) with benign tumor of the nasal cavity, which was pathologically confirmed. The most common symptom was nasal obstruction (12/37.5%), followed by recurrent epistaxis (7/21.9%). The most common involving site was anterior nasal septum (17/53.1%), followed by nasal vestibule (7/18.8%) and inferior turbinate (4/12.5%). The most common pathology was squamous papilloma (12/37.5%), followed by lobular capillary hemangioma (7/21.9%). The provisional diagnosis was easily made by nasal endoscopy in 19 (59.4%) patients with typical endoscopic features, especially squamous papilloma, lobular capillary hemangioma, and verruca vulgaris. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should keep in mind that benign tumors of the nasal cavity are included in the differential diagnosis of unilateral nonspecific nasal symptoms such as nasal obstruction and epistaxis. Also, clinicians should be familiar with the endoscopic findings of various benign tumors and perform the diagnostic approaches with the provisional diagnosis on the basis of those findings.

Automated Dielectrophoretic Tweezers-Based Force Spectroscopy System in a Microfluidic Device.

We reported an automated dielectrophoretic (DEP) tweezers-based force spectroscopy system to examine intermolecular weak binding interactions, which consists of three components: (1) interdigitated electrodes and micro-sized polystyrene particles used as DEP tweezers and probes inside a microfluidic device, along with an arbitrary function generator connected to a high voltage amplifier; (2) microscopy hooked up to a high-speed charge coupled device (CCD) camera with an image acquisition device; and (3) a computer aid control system based on the LabVIEW program. Using this automated system, we verified the measurement reliability by measuring intermolecular weak binding interactions, such as hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals interactions. In addition, we also observed the linearity of the force loading rates, which is applied to the probes by the DEP tweezers, by varying the number of voltage increment steps and thus affecting the linearity of the force loading rates. This system provides a simple and low-cost platform to investigate intermolecular weak binding interactions.

Detection of Silver Ions Using Dielectrophoretic Tweezers-Based Force Spectroscopy.

Understanding of the interactions of silver ions (Ag+) with polynucleotides is important not only to detect Ag+ over a wide range of concentrations in a simple, robust, and high-throughput manner but also to investigate the intermolecular interactions of hydrogen and coordinate interactions that are generated due to the interplay of Ag+, hydrogen ions (H+), and polynucleotides since it is critical to prevent adverse environmental effects that may cause DNA damage and develop strategies to treat this damage. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously detect Ag+ satisfying the above requirements and examine the combined intermolecular interactions of Ag+-polycytosine and H+-polycytosine DNA complexes using dielectrophoretic tweezers-based force spectroscopy. For this investigation, we detected Ag+ over a range of concentrations (1 nM to 100 µM) by quantifying the rupture force of the combined interactions and examined the interplay between the three factors (Ag+, H+, and polycytosine) using the same assay for the detection of Ag+. Our study provides a new avenue not only for the detection of heavy metal ions but also for the investigation of heavy metal ions-polynucleotide DNA complexes using the same assay.

Characterization of the Stiffness of Multiple Particles Trapped by Dielectrophoretic Tweezers in a Microfluidic Device.

Characterization of the stiffness of multiple particles trapped by tweezers-based force spectroscopy is a key step in building simple, high-throughput, and robust systems that can investigate the molecular interactions in a biological process, but the technology to characterize it in a given environment simultaneously is still lacking. We first characterized the stiffness of multiple particles trapped by dielectrophoretic (DEP) tweezers inside a microfluidic device. In this characterization, we developed a method to measure the thermal fluctuations of the trapped multiple particles with DEP tweezers by varying the heights of the particles in the given environment at the same time. Using the data measured in this controlled environment, we extracted the stiffness of the trapped particles and calculated their force. This study not only provides a simple and high-throughput method to measure the trap stiffness of multiple particles inside a microfluidic device using DEP tweezers but also inspires the application of the trapped multiple particles to investigate the dynamics in molecular interactions.

The Significance of Rhinologic Evaluation and Pretreatment for Patients Undergoing Two-Jaw Surgery Through Nasotracheal Intubation.

The aim of this study is to determine whether rhinologic preoperative evaluation and pretreatments reduce intranasal trauma and decrease postoperative complications, such as nasal obstruction and epistaxis, in patients undergoing 2-jaw surgery with nasotracheal intubation. This study included 360 patients with malocclusion (Class III) who underwent 2-jaw surgery under general anesthesia via nasotracheal intubation in our hospital from January to December 2013 and categorized into 3 groups. Nasotracheal intubation was performed according to the nasal cavity the patient was able to breathe comfortably (Group I). The site of nasotracheal intubation was decided by 1 rhinologic specialist who evaluated preoperative dental computed tomography (Group II). The site of nasotracheal intubation was decided upon nasal endoscopic findings, dental computed tomography evaluation, and rhinologic pretreatment (Group III).Group II and Group III showed less damage to the nasal mucosa compared with the nasal status of Group I. Upon comparing Group II and Group III, Group III showed better overall status of the nasal mucosa compared with Group II. Visual analogue scale scores for nasal obstruction were pretty similar for all groups on the first postoperative day. In Group III, the nasal mucosa, however, was improved to that of preoperative status on the third postoperative day.In conclusion, it may be useful to pre-evaluate the mucosal and anatomical status of the nasal cavity to select patients requiring rhinologic pretreatment and decide the site for nasotracheal intubation to minimize complications arising from nasotracheal intubation.

Real-Time Analysis of Cellular Response to Small-Molecule Drugs within a Microfluidic Dielectrophoresis Device.

Quantitative detection of the biological properties of living cells is essential for a wide range of purposes, from the understanding of cellular characteristics to the development of novel drugs in nanomedicine. Here, we demonstrate that analysis of cell biological properties within a microfluidic dielectrophoresis device enables quantitative detection of cellular biological properties and simultaneously allows large-scale measurement in a noise-robust and probeless manner. Applying this technique, the static and dynamic biological responses of live B16F10 melanoma cells to the small-molecule drugs such as N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and [(dihydronindenyl)oxy]alkanoic acid (DIOA) were quantitatively and statistically examined by investigating changes in movement of the cells. Measurement was achieved using subtle variations in dielectrophoresis (DEP) properties of the cells, which were attributed to activation or deactivation of K(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter channels on the cell membrane by the small-molecule drugs, in a microfluidic device. On the basis of quantitative analysis data, we also provide the first report of the shift of the complex permittivity of a cell induced by the small-molecule drugs. In addition, we demonstrate interesting quantifiable parameters including the drug effectiveness coefficient, antagonistic interaction coefficient, kinetic rate, and full width at half-maximum, which corresponded to changes in biological properties of B16F10 cells over time when NEM and DIOA were introduced alone or in combination. Those demonstrated parameters represent very useful tools for evaluating the effect of small-molecule drugs on the biological properties of cells.

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Potential impact and correlation with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented globally to control the COVID-19 pandemic and have been shown to alleviate both allergies and respiratory infections. Although mask-wearing is an accepted non-pharmaceutical intervention, the effects of social distancing have not been thoroughly evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of social distancing on asthma trends in Seoul, South Korea. METHODS: This study included data from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea, covering approximately 10 million people in Seoul. Daily and monthly data of patients with asthma from 2018 to 2021 were examined, and the degree of social distancing performance was measured using the number of subway users as an index. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the two indices. The change-point detection technique, cross-correlation, and Granger causality method were used to assess the temporal causality between social distancing and asthma. RESULTS: The number of patients with asthma decreased by 42.4 % from 2019 to 2020, while that of subway users decreased by 26.3 % during this period. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations. Asthma and subway users showed a significant change in incidence following the implementation of social distancing; subway users showed a causal relationship with patients with asthma. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the number of subway users decreased after the implementation of strict social distancing, coinciding with a decrease in the number of patients with asthma. These findings suggest that social distancing measures implemented to control COVID-19 may reduce the incidence and exacerbation of asthma.

Cellular subpopulations identified using an ensemble average of multiple dielectrophoresis measurements.

While the average value measurement approach can successfully analyze and predict the general behavior and biophysical properties of an isogenic cell population, it fails when significant differences among individual cells are generated in the population by intracellular changes such as the cell cycle, or different cellular responses to certain stimuli. Detecting such single-cell differences in a cell population has remained elusive. Here, we describe an easy-to-implement and generalizable platform that measures the dielectrophoretic cross-over frequency of individual cells by decreasing measurement noise with a stochastic method and computing ensemble average statistics. This platform enables multiple, real-time, label-free detection of individual cells with significant dielectric variations over time within an isogenic cell population. Using a stochastic method in combination with the platform, we distinguished cell subpopulations from a mixture of drug-untreated and -treated isogenic cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our platform can identify drug-treated isogenic cells with different recovery rates.

Therapeutic effect of oncolytic adenovirus expressing relaxin in radioresistant oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Radioresistance is one of the main determinants of treatment outcome in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and treatment of radioresistant OSCC is difficult due to cross resistance to other conventional treatments. We aimed to identify whether genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus expressing relaxin (RLX), which affects collagen metabolism, can effectively inhibit growth of the radioresistant OSCC. Therapeutic effect of oncolytic adenovirus was compared between radiosensitive and radioresistant OSCC cell lines in vitro and in vivo, and spread of adenovirus throughout the tumor mass was verified by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Oncolytic adenovirus effectively killed cancer cells and there was no significant difference in the cytotoxic effect between radiosensitive and radioresistant OSCC cell lines. In animal experiments, the adenovirus significantly reduced the size of tumor, and there was no significant difference between radiosensitive and radioresistant OSCC. In IHC, RLX expressing adenovirus showed better proliferation and eliminated collagens more effectively compared to RLX nonexpressing adenovirus. These findings suggested that genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus can effectively inhibit growth of the radioresistant OSCC and might be a new therapeutic option in radioresistant OSCC.

Clinical outcomes of transoral robotic surgery for head and neck tumors.

OBJECTIVES: In order to reduce treatment-related morbidity rates and increase patients' quality of life, robot-assisted surgery using the da Vinci surgical system (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Sunnyvale, California) has been studied actively in the field of head and neck surgery. This study analyzes our experiences therewith in order to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach in the head and neck area. METHODS: Between April 2008 and December 2011, 141 patients were treated with robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach. RESULTS: Robot-assisted surgeries were successfully completed via a transoral approach in all patients. The mean robotic operative time was 69.3 minutes, and the mean time for setup of the robotic system was 10.4 minutes. The average blood loss during the operation was 29.6 mL (range, 0 to 300 mL). Patients who underwent robot-assisted surgery were satisfied with their cosmetic results and treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted surgery via a transoral approach was confirmed to be feasible and efficient in the field of head and neck surgery. Further research is needed to investigate the long-term functional and oncological results of robot-assisted surgery.

Integrin ß1 regulates the perineural invasion and radioresistance of oral squamous carcinoma cells by modulating cancer cell stemness.

Perineural invasion and radioresistance are the main determinants of treatment outcomes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but the exact mechanism is still unknown. We conducted an in vitro experiment to evaluate the role of integrin ß1 (ITGB1) in the perineural invasion, radioresistance, and tumor aggressiveness of OSCC. Two OSCC cell lines (SCC25, SCC15) and radiation-induced radioresistant OSCC cell lines were used in this study. The expression of ITGB1 was compared between control radiosensitive and radioresistant OSCC cell lines. ITGB1 was inhibited by small hairpin RNA, and then the adhesion to neuronal cells, responsiveness to radiation, and aggressiveness of both OSCC cell lines were evaluated. Expression of ITGB1 and adhesion to neuronal cells were increased in radioresistant OSCC compared with control radiosensitive OSCC, and increased ITGB1 expression was more prominent in cancer stem cell-like cells. When the expression of ITGB1 was inhibited, the adhesion to neuronal cells, resistance to radiation, and invasion and migration of radioresistant OSCC were significantly reduced. Moreover, the expression of cancer stem cell markers and size of spheroid formations were also significantly attenuated by inhibiting ITGB1. These findings suggest that ITGB1 may be a significant contributor to perineural invasion and the maintenance of radioresistance in OSCC cells, and is associated with cancer stem cell-like cells. Furthermore, our results suggest a possible relationship between perineural invasion and radioresistance of OSCC. More detailed research is warranted to evaluate the role of ITGB1 as a novel emerging therapeutic target for radioresistant OSCC.

Association between Tonsillectomy and Cardiovascular Diseases in Adults.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between tonsillectomy and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the Korean adult population. Using data from the 2002-2015 Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort, a total of 1082 participants aged 40 years or older who had undergone tonsillectomy were matched with 4328 control individuals for age, sex, income, and region of residence. We evaluated the incidence of CVDs in both the tonsillectomy and control groups and calculated the hazard ratios (HRs) of stroke, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and heart failure (HF) for participants who underwent tonsillectomy using a stratified Cox proportional hazard model. The incidence rates of stroke (81.3 vs. 46.6 per 10,000 person-years) and IHD (112.3 vs. 64.9 per 10,000 person-years) were significantly higher in patients who had undergone tonsillectomy than in the control group. After adjustment, the tonsillectomy group exhibited a 1.78-fold and 1.60-fold higher occurrence of stroke (CI = 1.32-2.42, p < 0.001) and IHD (CI = 1.24-2.08, p < 0.001), respectively, compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of tonsillectomy and control groups (11.1 vs. 6.1 per 10,000 person-years). The HR of HF did not differ significantly between the tonsillectomy and control groups in the adjusted model (p = 0.513). We identified a significant relationship between a history of tonsillectomy and occurrence of stroke/IHD in the Korean adult population.

Differential polyubiquitin recognition by tandem ubiquitin binding domains of Rabex-5.

Linkage-specific polyubiquitination regulates many cellular processes. The N-terminal fragment of Rabex-5 (Rabex-5(9-73)) contains tandem ubiquitin binding domains: A20_ZF and MIU. The A20_ZF-MIU of Rabex-5 is known to bind monoubiquitin but molecular details of polyubiquitin binding affinity and linkage selectivity by Rabex-5(9-73) remain elusive. Here we report that Rabex-5(9-73) binds linear, K63- and K48-linked tetraubiquitin (Ub(4)) chains with K(d) of 0.1-1 µM, determined by biolayer interferometry. Mutational analysis of qualitative and quantitative binding data reveals that MIU is more important than A20_ZF in linkage-specific polyubiquitin recognition. MIU prefers binding to linear and K63-linked Ub(4) with sub µM affinities. However, A20_ZF recognizes the three linkage-specific Ub(4) with similar affinities with K(d) of 3-4 µM, unlike ZnF4 of A20. Taken together, our data suggest differential physiological roles of the two ubiquitin binding domains in Rabex-5.

A Novel Device for Blood Drainage after Le Fort I Osteotomy: Maxillary Sinus Ventilation Drainage (MSVD).

The purpose of this study is to present a novel maxillary sinus ventilation drainage (MSVD) device which facilitates blood drainage and nasal breathing after Le Fort I osteotomy. One hundred patients who underwent bimaxillary orthognathic surgery from January 2016 to June 2016 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chung-Ang University Hospital were retrospectively selected and divided into two groups. MSVD was applied in 50 patients, who were allocated to the MSVD group, while the remaining 50 patients, in whom MSVD was not applied, were allocated to the non-MSVD group. All patients underwent a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan before and 2 days after surgery. CBCT was used to analyze middle meatus patency and the percentage of hematoma volume per entire maxillary sinus volume. Statistical comparisons between the two groups were performed using the Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests to investigate the clinical effectiveness of MSVD. The MSVD group showed significantly higher maintenance ratio of the middle meatus patency and a higher percentage of maxillary sinus air volume (p < 0.05) than the non-MSVD group. MSVD facilitated nasal breathing after Le Fort I osteotomy by reducing hematoma inside the maxillary sinus and promoting middle meatal patency.