Antiobesity effects of kimchi added with Jeju citrus concentrate on high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Citrus fruits contain an abundance of nutrients, including vitamins C and B6 and hesperidin, which attribute to its beneficial health effects. Previously, kimchi with Jeju citrus concentrate (CK) elicited anti-obesity effects in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Here, we aimed to investigate whether CK exhibits anti-obesity effects by reducing serum and hepatic lipid concentrations and anti-obesity-associated gene expression in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6N mice. Low-dose CK (LDCK, 50 mg/kg) and high-dose CK (HDCK, 200 mg/kg) were orally administered 3 times per week over 8 weeks with HFD diet. Body weight gain, food efficiency ratio, and tissue weight were measured. Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, leptin, and adiponectin concentrations were also assessed. The effect of CK on the lipid profile and lipid accumulation was analyzed. Body and white adipose tissue masses were significantly lower in the LDCK and HDCK groups than in the HFD group. Orally administered CK significantly decreased serum lipid, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and glutamic pyruvic transaminase levels. Hepatic lipid content also decreased in the LDCK and HDCK groups. Serum leptin concentrations decreased, whereas serum adiponectin concentrations increased, confirming the anti-obesity effects of LDCK and HDCK. The decrease of hepatic vacuoles and stained lipid droplets indicated inhibition of lipid accumulation. These results support the hypothesis that CK exhibits anti-obesity effects in vivo by reducing lipid accumulation and by regulating anti-obesity-related genes.

Estimating the Composition of Food Nutrients from Hyperspectral Signals Based on Deep Neural Networks.

There is an increasing demand for acquiring details of food nutrients especially among those who are sensitive to food intakes and weight changes. To meet this need, we propose a new approach based on deep learning that precisely estimates the composition of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats from hyperspectral signals of foods obtained by using low-cost spectrometers. Specifically, we develop a system consisting of multiple deep neural networks for estimating food nutrients followed by detecting and discarding estimation anomalies. Our comprehensive performance evaluation demonstrates that the proposed system can maximize estimation accuracy by automatically identifying wrong estimations. As such, if consolidated with the capability of reinforcement learning, it will likely be positioned as a promising means for personalized healthcare in terms of food safety.

Comparison of Various Implant Provisional Resin Materials for Cytotoxicity and Attachment to Human Gingival Fibroblasts.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the responses of human gingival fibroblast (HGF-1) in contact with provisional materials with various chemical compositions and fabricated using different methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 210 specimens in eight experimental groups were used. Groups were divided by chemical compositions (poly[ethyl methacrylate], poly[methyl methacrylate], bis-acryl, and hybrid ceramic) and fabricating methods (direct, indirect, and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing [CAD/CAM]). To evaluate the surface characteristics of each group, roughness, water contact angle, and degree of conversion were measured. The responses of HGF-1 to provisional materials were evaluated with cytotoxicity and cell attachment assay. The roughness, surface energy, degree of conversion, level of cytotoxicity, and cell attachment were compared between groups using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's multiple comparison (α = .05). RESULTS: The poly(ethyl methacrylate)-direct/indirect and poly(methyl methacrylate)-direct/indirect groups showed higher roughness than the bis-acryl-direct/indirect, poly(methyl methacrylate)-CAD/CAM, and hybrid ceramic-CAD/CAM groups with statistical significance (P < .05). The poly(ethyl methacrylate)-direct group showed the significantly highest water contact angle, and the hybrid ceramic-CAD/CAM group showed the lowest water contact angle (P < .05). The groups that used indirect fabrication methods showed a higher degree of conversion than those that used direct fabrication methods, regardless of chemical composition (P < .05). The poly(ethyl methacrylate) groups showed significantly lower cell viability than the other groups regardless of fabricating methods (P < .05). The poly(ethyl methacrylate)-direct method group showed the lowest cell attachment, and the hybrid ceramic-CAD/CAM method group showed the highest cell attachment (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Poly(methyl methacrylate) and bis-acryl have lower cytotoxicity to HGF-1 than poly(ethyl methacrylate). Indirect fabrication and CAD/CAM are recommended to prevent residual monomer and achieve high cell attachment. To use direct fabrication methods, the auto-mix system is beneficial for the favorable cell response, as it derives a smooth surface.

Customized Locator abutment fabrication on inclined implants: A clinical report.

Implant parallelism is rarely achieved, particularly when anatomic limitations are present. The problem of nonparallel implants has been addressed by using angled or bar abutments to compensate for the implant angulation. However, an angled abutment or bar attachment has disadvantages in terms of cost, laboratory process, and the maintenance of oral hygiene. In this clinical report, a solution for the management of an inclined implant is presented by using customized Locator abutment fabricated by computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM).

A Challenge to the Social Work Profession? The Rise of Socially Engaged Art and a Call to Radical Social Work.

In this era of neoliberalism, social work in the United States is arguably overly professionalized and privatized, and has almost lost its activists roots in working for social justice. Radical social work rooted in macro-level community-based practice has been in crisis over the past three decades. The rise of socially engaged art has become more prominent in the United States even as social work has strayed away from its basic tenets such as community practice, advocacy, and social action. How should the social work profession interpret the rise of socially engaged art-already a trend in the art world-whose modality and purpose resembles radical social work? By comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between radical social work and socially engaged art, this article examines the possibility of consilience between the two and the implications for the social work profession.

Micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy comparisons of two nickel-titanium rotary root canal instruments used with reciprocating motion.

The single-file root canal instrumentation technique using reciprocating motion has been gaining concern. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the shaping ability of single ProTaper F2 file and WaveOne Primary file when they were used in the curved root canal with reciprocation motion and to investigate the durability of the file after use with a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Changes in structure model index (SMI), root canal volume, curvature, surface area, and degree of transportation were measured from the cross-sectional images of the prepared canals using the micro-CT system with an isotropic resolution of 16 µm. Results showed that there were no differences in the changes of root canal volume, surface area, and SMI between the two file groups after the preparation (p > 0.05). The ProTaper group showed a curvature straightening value of 25.45 ± 12.51%, while the WaveOne group showed 27.30 ± 10.91%, and there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). The transportation values between the two groups showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). SEM revealed that 60% of ProTaper files showed initiation of microcracks on the surface while those were detected on the only one WaveOne file. The single-file technique using either WaveOne Primary or ProTaper F2 can be safely used under each reciprocating motion without creating an increased apical transportation in curved canals. However, the metallurgic property resists cyclic fatigue was more favorable with WaveOne under the scanning evaluation.

Effect of simultaneous therapy of arthrocentesis and occlusal splints on temporomandibular disorders: anterior disc displacement without reduction.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the effect of simultaneous application of arthrocentesis and occlusal splint. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 43 patients (3 males, 40 females) whose symptoms had improved was conducted at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dong-A University Hospital between 2008 and 2010. Subjects were divided into three groups: Group A (17 patients with arthrocentesis and occlusal splints simultaneously applied), Group B (13 patients whose symptoms did not improve with occlusal splints, undergoing arthrocentesis after occlusal splint use for 8 weeks), and Group C (13 patients that only used occlusal splints). We compared these groups in maximum comfortable opening (MCO) and the visual analogue scale of pain and noise. Follow-up was performed at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: The improvement of symptoms was noted in all three groups, but Group A had a quicker improvement than the other groups, in terms of pain reduction and MCO increases. CONCLUSION: The simultaneous application of arthrocentesis and occlusal splints can reduce patient discomfort more quickly.

lymph node ratio as a prognostic factor in patients with stage III rectal cancer treated with total mesorectal excision followed by chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic impact of lymph node ratio (LNR) on survival in the patients with Stage III rectal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 421 consecutive patients who underwent total mesorectal excision followed by chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer from 1996 to 2006. The 232 patients with positive lymph nodes (LNs) were divided into four groups according to LNR quartiles: LNR 0.4 (n = 60). The association between LNR and survival was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis with covariates of prognostic significance in univariate analysis. RESULTS: The median numbers of examined and positive LNs were 17 and 3, respectively, and the median LNR was 0.20 (range, 0.03-1). There was a strong correlation between the number of positive LNs and LNR (r = 0.724, p < 0.001). After a median follow-up of 53 months (range, 9-138 months), the actuarial overall survival and disease-free survival rates at 5 years were 69% and 56%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate decreased as LNR increased (0.4, 50%; p < 0.001). Lymph node ratio was also a significant prognostic factor on Cox regression analysis (0.4, HR = 3.7, p = 0.005). Lymph node ratio had a prognostic effect on overall survival in subgroups of patients with N1 (p = 0.032) and N2 (p = 0.034) tumors. CONCLUSION: Lymph node ratio was the most significant predictor of survival in the patients with Stage III rectal cancer who had undergone postoperative chemoradiation.

[Comparison of cardiovascular risk factors between normotension and prehypertension].

BACKGROUND: The individuals with prehypertension are known to progress to hypertension, one of the risk factors of cardiovascular disease, more readily than the group of normal blood pressure. This study was performed to investigate the differences in the risk factors of cardiovascular disease between normotensive and prehypertensive groups, and to identify the determinants of prehypertension. METHODS: Normotensive (N=3,732) and prehypertensive individuals (N=676) were selected from the people who underwent routine medical checkups at the Health Promotion Center (Seoul, Korea). The age, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol (C), HDL-C, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], and the number of white blood cell were compared between the normotensive and prehypertensive groups. RESULTS: The age, BMI, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were higher in the males and females in the prehypertensive group than in the normotensive group. LDL-C, however, was higher and HDL-C was lower in the females in the prehypertensive group than in the normotensive group. The determinants of prehypertension were found to be age, BMI, and triglyceride. CONCLUSIONS: There were differences in the risk factors of cardiovascular disease between the prehypertensive and normotensive groups.

Three-dimensional structure of the human transglutaminase 3 enzyme: binding of calcium ions changes structure for activation.

Transglutaminase (TGase) enzymes catalyze the formation of covalent cross-links between protein-bound glutamines and lysines in a calcium-dependent manner, but the role of Ca(2+) ions remains unclear. The TGase 3 isoform is widely expressed and is important for epithelial barrier formation. It is a zymogen, requiring proteolysis for activity. We have solved the three-dimensional structures of the zymogen and the activated forms at 2.2 and 2.1 A resolution, respectively, and examined the role of Ca(2+) ions. The zymogen binds one ion tightly that cannot be exchanged. Upon proteolysis, the enzyme exothermally acquires two more Ca(2+) ions that activate the enzyme, are exchangeable and are functionally replaceable by other lanthanide trivalent cations. Binding of a Ca(2+) ion at one of these sites opens a channel which exposes the key Trp236 and Trp327 residues that control substrate access to the active site. Together, these biochemical and structural data reveal for the first time in a TGase enzyme that Ca(2+) ions induce structural changes which at least in part dictate activity and, moreover, may confer substrate specificity.