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Objective@#To evaluate the efficacy of light-emitting diode (LED) and their dual-wavelengths as a treatment strategy for osteoarthritis. @*Methods@#We induced osteoarthritis in male Sprague-Dawley rats by intra-articular injection of sodium iodoacetate into the right rear knee joint. The animals with lesions were divided into an untreated group and an LED-treated group (n=7 each). In the LED-treated group, the lesioned knee was irradiated with lasers (850 and 940 nm) and dose (3.15 J/cm2) for 20 minutes per session, twice a week for 4 weeks. Knee joint tissues were stained and scanned using an in vivo micro-computed tomography (CT) scanner. Serum interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-18 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay. Several functional tests (lines crossed, rotational movement, rearing, and latency to remain rotating rod) were performed 24 hours before LED treatment and at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after treatment. @*Results@#LED-treated rats showed improved locomotor function and suppressed matrix-degrading cytokines. Micro-CT images indicated that LED therapy had a preserving effect on cartilage and cortical bone. @*Conclusion@#LED treatment using wavelengths of 850 and 940 nm resulted in significant functional, anatomical, and histologic improvements without adverse events in a rat model. Further research is required to determine the optimal wavelength, duration, and combination method, which will maximize treatment effectiveness.
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Many of early findings regarding intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and their niche in the human intestine have relied on colorectal cancer cell lines and labor-intensive and time-consuming mouse models. However, these models cannot accurately recapitulate the physiologically relevant aspects of human ISCs. In this study, we demonstrate a reliable and robust culture method for 3D expanding intestinal spheroids (InSexp ) mainly comprising ISCs and progenitors, which can be derived from 3D human intestinal organoids (HIOs). We did functional chararcterization of InSexp derived from 3D HIOs, differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells, and optimization culture methods. Our results indicate that InSexp can be rapidly expanded and easily passaged, and show enhanced growth rates via WNT pathway activation. InSexp are capable of exponential cell expansion and cryopreservation. Furthermore, in vitro-matured HIO-derived InSexp proliferate faster than immature HIO-derived InSexp with preservation of the parental HIO characteristics. These findings may facilitate the development of scalable culture systems for the long-term maintenance of human ISCs and provide an alternative platform for studying ISC biology.
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Anaphylaxis is an acute serious systemic allergic reaction that can lead to death, requiring immediate diagnosis and treatment. In particular, food is the most common cause in children, adolescents, and young adults. In addition to physical contact between food and skin, anaphylaxis can also be induced by exposure other than ingestion, such as inhalation of aerosolized food proteins. Korean males undergo medical screening prior to a compulsory military service. A history of possible food allergy requires referral to a specialized allergy clinic. A 19-year-old male patient enlisted in the military was referred to the allergy clinic for an oral provocation test. It was confirmed that anaphylaxis was caused not only by walnut intake, but also by skin contact or by inhaling walnut particles. We report the case with the literature review.
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Innovative advances in stem cell research have resulted in the development of organoids, which are widely used as in vitro models of human organ development and for disease. The long-term goals of scientists include the generation of high-quality organoids with properties like those of native organs, and to expand their use to a variety of applications such as drug discovery and organoid-based cell therapy. In particular, the combination of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids with the recently developed genome engineering, biotechnology serve as an attractive platform in precision medicine. This review briefly summarizes the generation of organoids derived mostly from iPSCs without ethical issues, and describes the applications and technological advances of organoids under their differentiation and culture conditions. We also discuss the approaches to improve the organoid models, and how organoids can recapitulate mature organ systems of the human body for regenerative medicine. Finally, the future perspectives and remaining challenges in the field have been discussed to provide a better understanding of the potential applications of organoids.
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Purpose@#This study was conducted to develop a unified structural model that defines relationships among the factors that affect happiness in adolescents in South Korea. @*Methods@#This study was performed using the dataset from the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). The study participants were 2590 adolescents recruited through probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling to determine the factors that influence adolescents' happiness. @*Results@#Our proposed structural model demonstrated a fine fitness level. Our proposed structural model was also able to describe happiness for adolescents with 68.2% accuracy. Positive social support, high self-esteem, and low depression were confirmed as key factors that influence happiness among adolescents. Meanwhile, physical symptoms were not shown to influence happiness for adolescents in South Korea. @*Conclusion@#We suggest that intervention is required to increase happiness in adolescents. Specifically, there is a need for combinational interventions that help adolescents in South Korea increase their social support and self-esteem while reducing their depression.
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Purpose@#This study was conducted to develop a unified structural model that defines relationships among the factors that affect happiness in adolescents in South Korea. @*Methods@#This study was performed using the dataset from the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). The study participants were 2590 adolescents recruited through probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling to determine the factors that influence adolescents' happiness. @*Results@#Our proposed structural model demonstrated a fine fitness level. Our proposed structural model was also able to describe happiness for adolescents with 68.2% accuracy. Positive social support, high self-esteem, and low depression were confirmed as key factors that influence happiness among adolescents. Meanwhile, physical symptoms were not shown to influence happiness for adolescents in South Korea. @*Conclusion@#We suggest that intervention is required to increase happiness in adolescents. Specifically, there is a need for combinational interventions that help adolescents in South Korea increase their social support and self-esteem while reducing their depression.
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Purpose@#The objective of this phenomenological study was to explore senior nursing students' experiences with the process of getting a job. @*Methods@#Twenty-one nursing students participated in the study. The data were collected from May 2018 to October 2018 using focus group interviews and later analyzed using Colaizzi's method. @*Results@#In our study, four categories, 11 theme clusters, and 32 themes were identified. The four categories were change in becoming a senior, losing strength in own heart, slightly recovering strength, and expectations and wishes from others. @*Conclusion@#This study is meaningful because it provides basic data for multidisciplinary alternatives and the evolution of present senior nursing students to reduce job stress by understanding personal, relational, and social experiences in preparation for employment.
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Gymnophalloides seoi (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) is a human intestinal trematode contracted by eating raw oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Republic of Korea (=Korea). It has been known to be highly endemic in Aphae Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Province). However, recent epidemiological status of G. seoi has not been reported since the 1990s. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of G. seoi metacercariae in natural and cultured oysters collected from 3 islands and 2 coastal areas in western parts of Korea. The oysters were examined using the artificial digestion method followed by stereomicroscopy. The overall positive rate of G. seoi metacercariae in natural oysters was 66.0% (99/150), and the oysters collected from Yubu Island showed the highest infection rate (74.0%). However, the metacercarial density per oyster was relatively low (1.5–2.4 per oyster). By contrast, no metacercaria was found in cultured oysters purchased from 2 coastal areas in Chungcheongnam-do. Thus, we could confirm that natural oysters produced from 3 western coastal islands are infected with G. seoi metacercariae, whereas cultured oysters purchased from 2 coastal areas were free from infection.
Subject(s)
Humans , Digestion , Eating , Islands , Korea , Metacercariae , Methods , Ostreidae , Prevalence , Republic of KoreaABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop a structural model based on Bronfenbrenner's ecology of human development theory, that illustrates relationships of happiness and associated factors among Korean college students. METHODS: Study participants were 357 college students recruited from five universities throughout the convenience sampling. Self-reported data were collected from November, 2018 to January, 2019. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and a structural equation modeling in order to identify factors associated with college students' happiness. RESULTS: The tested model demonstrated the acceptable model fit compared to the hypothesized model, that explained college students' happiness with 68.7% accuracy. Positive family function, high self esteem and ego-resilience were significant factors associated with happiness for college students. However, positive friend support was not significant in our model. CONCLUSION: Our study findings suggest that both family and individual interventions are required to reduce negative emotions and increase happiness of college students. In particular, multicomponent interventions should include the concepts of self esteem, ego-resilience, and family function in terms of assessment and intervention contents tailored to Korean college students.
Subject(s)
Humans , Ecology , Ecosystem , Friends , Happiness , Human Development , Models, Structural , Self ConceptABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Authors develop a unified structural model that defines multirelationships between systematic factors causing excessive use of smartphones and the corresponding results. METHODS: A survey was conducted with adolescents who live in Seoul, Pusan, Gangneung, Donghae, and Samcheok from February to March 2016. Authors used SPSS, version 22.0, and AMOS, version 22.0, to analyze the survey results at a .05 significance level. To investigate demographic characteristics of the participants and their variations, descriptive analysis was used. The maximum likelihood estimate method was adopted to verify the fitness of the hypothetical model and the hypotheses therein. Authors used χ² statistics, goodness-of-fit index, adjusted goodness-of-fit index, comparative fit index, normed fit index, incremental fit index, root mean square residual, and root mean square error of approximation to verify the fitness of our structural model. RESULTS: (1) The proposed structural model demonstrated a fine fitness level. (2) The proposed structural model could describe the excessive use of a smartphone with 88.6% accuracy. (3) The absence of the family function and relationship between friends, impulsiveness, and low self-esteem were confirmed as key factors that cause an excessive use of smartphones. (4) Furthermore, impulsiveness and low self-esteem are closely related to the absence of family functions and relations between friends by 68.3% and 54.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Authors suggest that nursing intervention programs from various angles are required to reduce adolescents' excessive use of smartphones. For example, family communication programs would be helpful for both parents and children. Consultant programs about relationships with friends would also be helpful.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Humans , Consultants , Friends , Impulsive Behavior , Likelihood Functions , Methods , Models, Structural , Nursing , Parents , Self Concept , Seoul , SmartphoneABSTRACT
PURPOSE: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a general marker for inflammation and it has been associated with prostate cancer. We hypothesized that a correlation may exist between CRP and prostate cancer in patients undergoing transrectal biopsy of the prostate because of rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2009 to March 2012, we retrospectively reviewed 710 patients who visited our urology department and were diagnosed as having a PSA value over 4.0 ng/mL. Patients with acute infections, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, asthma, chronic lung disease, myocardial infarction, or apoplexy and those who had taken nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were exempted from the research because these variables could have impacted CRP. After we applied the exclusion criteria, we selected 63 patients with prostate cancer and 140 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). RESULTS: A total of 203 patients were observed: 140 patients had BPH, and 63 patients had prostate cancer. Prostate cancer patients were divided into two groups by tumor-node-metastasis classification. The patients below T2 were group A, and those above T3 were group B. The natural logarithm of C-reactive protein (lnCRP) differed between the BPH group and the prostate cancer group. The lnCRP also differed between the BPH group and prostate cancer groups A and B (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The serum CRP level of the prostate cancer group was higher than that of the BPH group. Inflammation may be correlated with prostate cancer according to the serum CRP level.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Asthma , Biopsy , C-Reactive Protein , Gout , Inflammation , Lung Diseases , Myocardial Infarction , Prostate , Prostate-Specific Antigen , Prostatic Hyperplasia , Prostatic Neoplasms , Retrospective Studies , Stroke , UrologyABSTRACT
Hypothalamic RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3) neurons inhibit LH secretion via a central action. A direct hypophysiotropic action on the gonadotropes has also been suggested. To assess central RFRP-3 effects on the GnRH/LH surge that induces ovulation, ovariectomized rats were subjected to an estradiol plus progesterone surge-induction protocol. Chronic infusion of RFRP-3 (2.5 or 25 ng/h, intracerebroventricularly) caused a dose-dependent 50-60% inhibition of GnRH neuronal activation (assessed by colocalization with the immediate early gene c-Fos) at the surge peak compared with vehicle-treated controls. RFRP-3 also suppressed neuronal activation in the anteroventral periventricular region, which provides stimulatory input to GnRH neurons, by 50-80% compared with control values. To test whether centrally administered RFRP-3 inhibits pulsatile GnRH/LH secretion, chronically ovariectomized, low-level estradiol-treated rats without surge induction were blood sampled every 10 min for 4 h. Bolus injection of RFRP-3 (0, 2.5, or 25 microg, intracerebroventricularly) after 1.5 h did not affect subsequent LH pulse frequency, pulse amplitude, or the mean concentrations of LH or prolactin. RFRP-3 treatment of isolated anterior pituitary cells at moderate doses of up to 10(-7) m did not significantly inhibit LH release, either with or without GnRH cotreatment. These data reveal a central inhibitory effect of RFRP-3 on the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis specifically during the estradiol-induced GnRH/LH surge. This effect may include actions of RFRP-3 on GnRH neurons and/or their anteroventral periventricular afferent inputs but is unlikely to involve direct inhibition of LH secretion at the level of the gonadotrope.