Health Behaviors Before and After the Implementation of a Health Community Organization: Gangwon's Health-Plus Community Program.

OBJECTIVES: Community organization is a resident-led movement aimed at creating fundamental social changes in the community by resolving its problems through the organized power of its residents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of health community organization (HCO), Gangwon's Health-Plus community program, implemented from 2013 to 2019 on residents' health behaviors. METHODS: This study had a before-and-after design using 2011-2019 Korea Community Health Survey data. To compare the 3-year periods before and after HCO implementation, the study targeted areas where the HCO had been implemented for 4 years or longer. Therefore, a total of 4512 individuals from 11 areas with HCO start years from 2013 to 2016 were included. Complex sample multi-logistic regression analysis adjusting for demographic characteristics (sex, age, residential area, income level, education level, and HCO start year) was conducted. RESULTS: HCO implementation was associated with decreased current smoking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 0.95) and subjective stress recognition (aOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.97). Additionally, the HCO was associated with increased walking exercise practice (aOR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.71), and attempts to control weight (aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.64). No significant negative changes were observed in other health behavior variables. CONCLUSIONS: The HCO seems to have contributed to improving community health indicators. In the future, a follow-up study that analyzes only the effectiveness of the HCO through structured quasi-experimental studies will be needed.

Plasmonic quenching and enhancement: metal-quantum dot nanohybrids for fluorescence biosensing.

Plasmonic metal nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are two of the most widely applied nanomaterials for optical biosensing and bioimaging. While their combination for fluorescence quenching via nanosurface energy transfer (NSET) or Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) offers powerful ways of tuning and amplifying optical signals and is relatively common, metal-QD nanohybrids for plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) have been much less prevalent. A major reason is the competition between fluorescence quenching and enhancement, which poses important challenges for optimizing distances, orientations, and spectral overlap toward maximum PEF. In this feature article, we discuss the interplay of the different quenching and enhancement mechanisms (a mixed distance dependence of quenching and enhancement - "quenchancement") to better understand the obstacles that must be overcome for the development of metal-QD nanohybrid-based PEF biosensors. The different nanomaterials, their combination within various surface and solution based design concepts, and their structural and photophysical characterization are reviewed and applications toward advanced optical biosensing and bioimaging are presented along with guidelines and future perspectives for sensitive, selective, and versatile bioanalytical research and biomolecular diagnostics with metal-QD nanohybrids.

Nanoparticle-based computing architecture for nanoparticle neural networks.

The lack of a scalable nanoparticle-based computing architecture severely limits the potential and use of nanoparticles for manipulating and processing information with molecular computing schemes. Inspired by the von Neumann architecture (VNA), in which multiple programs can be operated without restructuring the computer, we realized the nanoparticle-based VNA (NVNA) on a lipid chip for multiple executions of arbitrary molecular logic operations in the single chip without refabrication. In this system, nanoparticles on a lipid chip function as the hardware that features memory, processors, and output units, and DNA strands are used as the software to provide molecular instructions for the facile programming of logic circuits. NVNA enables a group of nanoparticles to form a feed-forward neural network, a perceptron, which implements functionally complete Boolean logic operations, and provides a programmable, resettable, scalable computing architecture and circuit board to form nanoparticle neural networks and make logical decisions.

Standardization of the Discrimination and Stigma Scale-Korean Version (DISC 12-K) in Patients with Depressive Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC 12), which assesses behavioral and experienced stigma, has not been translated into Korean. We developed and standardized the Korean version of the DISC 12 (DISC 12-K) in patients with depressive disorders. METHODS: The study included 230 patients with depressive disorders who were assessed on the four subscales of the DISC 12-K: Unfair Treatment, Stopping Self, Overcoming Stigma, and Positive Treatment. Additionally, stigma was assessed using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale, depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory, level of functioning using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and quality of life was assessed using the EuroQol-5D. The reliability of DISC 12 was assessed by internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and estimating the intercorrelation of items and corrected item-total correlations; interrater reliability and test-retest reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients at the item and subscale levels; and the concurrent validity of the DISC 12-K relative to the other assessment scales was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: All of the DISC 12-K subscales had high reliability. The validity was good for the Unfair Treatment and Stopping Self subscales, but only fair for the Overcoming Stigma and Positive Treatment subscales. CONCLUSION: The Unfair Treatment and Stopping Self subscales of the new DISC 12-K are reliable and valid measures of stigma in patients with depressive disorders. Future studies are needed to test the validity of this scale in other mental disorders.

Plasmonic Nanoparticle-Interfaced Lipid Bilayer Membranes.

Plasmonic nanoparticles are widely exploited in diverse bioapplications ranging from therapeutics to biosensing and biocomputing because of their strong and tunable light-matter interactions, facile and versatile chemical/biological ligand modifications, and biocompatibility. With the rapid growth of nanobiotechnology, understanding dynamic interactions between nanoparticles and biological systems at the molecular or single-particle level is becoming increasingly important for interrogating biological systems with functional nanostructures and for developing nanoparticle-based biosensors and therapeutic agents. Therefore, significant efforts have been devoted to precisely design and create nano-bio interfaces by manipulating the nanoparticles' size, shape, and surface ligand interactions with complex biological systems to maximize their performance and avoid unwanted responses, such as their agglomeration and cytotoxicity. However, investigating physicochemical interactions at the nano-bio interfaces in a quantitative and controllable manner remains challenging, as the interfaces involve highly complex networks between nanoparticles, biomolecules, and cells across multiple scales, each with a myriad of different chemical and biological interactions. A lipid bilayer is a membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules that forms a barrier around cells and plays structural and functional roles in diverse biological processes because they incorporate and present functional molecules (such as membrane proteins) with lateral fluidity. Plasmonic nanoparticles conjugated on lipid membranes provide reliable analytical labels and functional moieties that allow for studying and manipulating interactions between nanoparticles and molecules with single-particle resolution; they also serve as efficient tools for applying optical, mechanical, and thermal stimuli to biological systems, which stem from plasmonic properties. Recently, new opportunities have emerged by interfacing nanoparticle-modified lipid bilayers (NLBs) with complex systems such as molecular circuits and living systems. In this Account, we briefly review how plasmonic properties can be beneficially harnessed on lipid bilayer membranes to investigate the structures and functions of cellular membranes and to develop new platforms for biomedical applications. In particular, we discuss the versatility of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), which are planar lipid bilayers on hydrophilic substrates, as dynamic biomaterials that provide lateral fluidity and cell membrane-like environments. We then summarize our efforts to create a quantitative analytical platform utilizing nanoparticles as active building blocks and SLBs as integrative substrates. Through this bottom-up approach, various functionalized nanoparticles have been introduced onto lipid bilayers to render nanoparticle-nanoparticle, nanoparticle-lipid bilayer, and biomolecule-lipid bilayer interfaces programmable. Our system provides a new class of tools for studying thermodynamics and kinetics in complex networks of nanostructures and for realizing unique applications in biosensing and biocomputing.

A PDE1 inhibitor reduces adipogenesis in mice via regulation of lipolysis and adipogenic cell signaling.

Vinpocetine, a phosphodiesterase (PDE) type-1 inhibitor, increases cAMP and cGMP levels and is currently used for the management of cerebrovascular disorders, such as stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, and cognitive dysfunctions. In this study, we first determined that vinpocetine effectively suppressed adipogenesis and lipid accumulation. However, we questioned which molecular mechanism is involved because the role of PDE in adipogenesis is still controversial. Vinpocetine decreased adipogenic cell signaling, including the phosphorylation of ERK, AKT, JAK2, and STAT3, and adipokine secretion, including IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-α. Interestingly, vinpocetine increased the phosphorylation of HSL, suggesting the induction of the lipolysis pathway. Moreover, vinpocetine increased UCP1 expression via increasing cAMP and PKA phosphorylation. The administration of vinpocetine with a normal-chow diet (NFD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice attenuated body weight gain in mice fed both the NFD and HFD. These effects were larger in the HFD-fed mice, without a difference in food intake. Vinpocetine drastically decreased fat weight and adipocyte cell sizes in gonadal and inguinal white adipose tissues and in the liver in both diet groups. Serum triacylglycerol levels and fasting blood glucose levels were reduced by vinpocetine treatment. This study suggested that vinpocetine prevents adipocyte differentiation through the inhibition of adipogenesis-associated cell signaling in the early stages of adipogenesis. Moreover, upregulating cAMP levels leads to an increase in lipolysis and UCP1 expression and then inhibits lipid accumulation. Therefore, we suggest that vinpocetine could be an effective agent for treating obesity, as well as improving cognition and cardiovascular function in older individuals.

Enhanced Therapeutic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Surface-Modified Nanoporous Acupuncture Needles.

Acupuncture originated within the auspices of Oriental medicine, and today is used as an alternative method for treating various diseases and symptoms. The physiological mechanisms of acupuncture appear to involve the release of endogenous opiates and neurotransmitters, with the signals mediating through electrical stimulation of the central nervous system (CNS). Earlier we reported a nanoporous stainless steel acupuncture needle with enhanced therapeutic properties, evaluated by electrophysiological and behavioral responses in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Herein, we investigate molecular changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) rats by acupuncture treatment using the nanoporous needles. Treatment at acupoint HT7 is found most effective at reducing average tumor size, ß-catenin expression levels, and the number of aberrant crypt foci in the colon endothelium. Surface modification of acupuncture needles further enhances the therapeutic effects of acupuncture treatment in CRC rats.

Kahweol inhibits lipid accumulation and induces Glucose-uptake through activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

Weight loss ≥ 5 percent is sufficient to significantly reduce health risks for obese people; therefore, development of novel weight loss compounds with reduced toxicity is urgently required. After screening of natural compounds with antiadipogenesis properties in 3T3-L1 cells, we determined that kahweol, a coffee-specific diterpene, inhibited adipogenesis. Kahweol reduced lipid accumulation and expression levels of adipogenesis and lipid accumulation-related factors. Levels of phosphorylated AKT and phosphorylated JAK2, that induce lipid accumulation, decreased in kahweol-treated cells. Particularly, kahweol treatment significantly increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. We revealed that depletion of AMPK alleviated reduction in lipid accumulation from kahweol treatment, suggesting that inhibition of lipid accumulation by kahweol is dependent on AMPK activation. We detected more rapid reduction in blood glucose levels in mice administrated kahweol than in control mice. We suggest that kahweol has anti-obesity effects and should be studied further for possible therapeutic applications. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(11): 566-571].

Tunable plasticity in amorphous silicon carbide films.

Plasticity plays a crucial role in the mechanical behavior of engineering materials. For instance, energy dissipation during plastic deformation is vital to the sufficient fracture resistance of engineering materials. Thus, the lack of plasticity in brittle hybrid organic-inorganic glasses (hybrid glasses) often results in a low fracture resistance and has been a significant challenge for their integration and applications. Here, we demonstrate that hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films, a class of hybrid glasses, can exhibit a plasticity that is even tunable by controlling their molecular structure and thereby leads to an increased and adjustable fracture resistance in the films. We decouple the plasticity contribution from the fracture resistance of the films by estimating the "work-of-fracture" using a mean-field approach, which provides some insight into a potential connection between the onset of plasticity in the films and the well-known rigidity percolation threshold.

A case of swallow syncope associated with cold beverage ingestion.

Swallow syncope (also known as deglutition syncope) is a relatively rare type of syncope that is treatable if diagnosed correctly. We report a case of a 39-year-old man with recurrent swallow syncope. The patient did not have structural heart disease. He developed a complete atrioventricular block upon drinking a cold beverage (Chilsung cider) while undergoing a repeated head-up tilt test. The patient was advised to avoid cold beverages and has been symptom free for 5 months.

Temperature calibration for high-temperature MAS NMR to 913 K: 63Cu MAS NMR of CuBr and CuI, and 23Na MAS NMR of NaNbO3.

The solid-state phase transitions of CuBr, CuI and NaNbO(3) can be readily observed using (63)Cu and (23)Na high-temperature magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Temperature has large, linear effects on the peak maximum of (63)Cu in each solid phase of CuBr and CuI, and there is large jump in shift across each phase transition. The (23)Na MAS NMR peak intensities and the line widths in NaNbO(3) also clearly show its high-temperature transition to the cubic phase. These data can be used to calibrate high-temperature MAS NMR probes up to 913 K, which is two hundred degrees higher than the commonly-used temperature calibration based on the chemical shift of (207)Pb in Pb(NO(3))(2).

Crystal chemistry and stability of "Li7La3Zr2O12" garnet: a fast lithium-ion conductor.

Recent research has shown that certain Li-oxide garnets with high mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electrochemical stability are excellent fast Li-ion conductors. However, the detailed crystal chemistry of Li-oxide garnets is not well understood, nor is the relationship between crystal chemistry and conduction behavior. An investigation was undertaken to understand the crystal chemical and structural properties, as well as the stability relations, of Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12) garnet, which is the best conducting Li-oxide garnet discovered to date. Two different sintering methods produced Li-oxide garnet but with slightly different compositions and different grain sizes. The first sintering method, involving ceramic crucibles in initial synthesis steps and later sealed Pt capsules, produced single crystals up to roughly 100 µm in size. Electron microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements show small amounts of Al in the garnet, probably originating from the crucibles. The crystal structure of this phase was determined using X-ray single-crystal diffraction every 100 K from 100 K up to 500 K. The crystals are cubic with space group Ia3̅d at all temperatures. The atomic displacement parameters and Li-site occupancies were measured. Li atoms could be located on at least two structural sites that are partially occupied, while other Li atoms in the structure appear to be delocalized. (27)Al NMR spectra show two main resonances that are interpreted as indicating that minor Al occurs on the two different Li sites. Li NMR spectra show a single narrow resonance at 1.2-1.3 ppm indicating fast Li-ion diffusion at room temperature. The chemical shift value indicates that the Li atoms spend most of their time at the tetrahedrally coordinated C (24d) site. The second synthesis method, using solely Pt crucibles during sintering, produced fine-grained Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12) crystals. This material was studied by X-ray powder diffraction at different temperatures between 25 and 200 °C. This phase is tetragonal at room temperature and undergoes a phase transition to a cubic phase between 100 and 150 °C. Cubic "Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12)" may be stabilized at ambient conditions relative to its slightly less conducting tetragonal modification via small amounts of Al(3+). Several crystal chemical properties appear to promote the high Li-ion conductivity in cubic Al-containing Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12). They are (i) isotropic three-dimensional Li-diffusion pathways, (ii) closely spaced Li sites and Li delocalization that allow for easy and fast Li diffusion, and (iii) low occupancies at the Li sites, which may also be enhanced by the heterovalent substitution Al(3+) ⇔ 3Li.

Detection of Brønsted acid sites in zeolite HY with high-field 17O-MAS-NMR techniques.

The acidity and unique porous structures of zeolites play an important role in controlling the activity and selectivity of many zeolite-based catalysts. Although (27)Al, (29)Si and (1)H NMR spectroscopy represent standard analytical tools with which to study these materials, (17)O-NMR investigations are much less routine, owing to the very low natural abundance of (17)O (0.037%), its relatively low resonant frequency and its large quadrupole moment. (17)O-NMR resonances from framework oxygen sites in a variety of zeolites have been detected, but the (17)O-NMR resonance from oxygen directly bound to the Brønsted acid site (Si-O(H)-Al) has remained elusive. Here we report the direct observation of this resonance in dehydrated zeolite HY, by using high magnetic-field strengths. (17)O-(1)H double-resonance NMR experiments are used to prove unambiguously that the (17)O signal arises from O nearby H atoms. A large quadrupolar coupling constant, the measure of the local distortion of this site, of 6.6 MHz is determined, which is similar to that obtained in ab initio calculations of zeolite HY-like clusters; this value drops to 5 MHz on acetone binding. The results presented in this paper open up methods for characterizing zeolite acidity and investigating H(+)-sorbent interactions.

Solid-state NMR study of the anionic conductor Ca-doped Y(2)Ti(2)O(7).

Doping the pyrochlore (Y(2)Ti(2)O(7)) with the Ca(2+) has been reported to improve the oxygen ionic conductivity. (17)O and (89)Y solid-state NMR has been used in work reported here to probe the local environment of the oxygen and yttrium sites in these materials. Although the conductivity of these materials is only moderate, variable-temperature, one-dimensional (17)O NMR experiments and two-dimensional (17)O magnetization exchange spectroscopy show that oxygen-ion jumps occur between the oxygen sites nearby titanium. Motion at ambient temperatures involves the O1 and local environments created by the Ca(2+) doping; motion does not involve the O2 oxygen site coordinated to four yttrium ions.

17O MQMAS NMR studies of Na-A and Ca-A.

We report, for the first time, 17O MQMAS and 17O/23Na double resonance NMR studies on calcium-exchanged zeolite sodium-A; the results show that the isotropic shifts of the framework sites are strongly affected by factors including the hydration level and nature of the charge-balancing cations.

Probing oxygen motion in disordered anionic conductors with 17O and 51V MAS NMR spectroscopy.

Identification of the local environments of the ions in a solid-state electrolyte that contribute to the ionic conductivity or remain trapped in the lattice represents a challenge for many experimental probes of structure. We show that high-resolution 17O magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectra may be obtained even from the highly disordered, layered materials alpha-Bi4V2O11 and gamma-Bi4V1.7Ti0.3O10.85, in which the different oxide sites in the lattice may be distinguished. The sites responsible for anionic conduction were determined directly from the variable-temperature 17O NMR spectra, and correlation times for motion were estimated. Double-resonance 17O/51V NMR methods were used as confirmation of the assignments of the resonances and as a second experimental probe of motion that is sensitive to mobility involving oxide ion hops between the same crystallographic sites.