Life satisfaction of Korean Vietnam War Veterans in later life: A lifespan approach.

The current study examined correlates of life satisfaction among Korean Vietnam War Veterans. The sample included 450 male Veterans from the Korean Vietnam War Veterans Study, surveyed by mail in 2013 (Mean age = 67.4 years old, SD = 3.0). A hierarchical analysis was conducted by entering four blocks of variables: first demographic factors, and then pre-military service, military service, and post-military service variables. Each successive regression analysis showed a significant additional contribution to the variance in life satisfaction. In the final model, Korean Veterans had higher life satisfaction when they were married, had higher monthly income and poorer childhood family environment, appraised their military service in a positive light, and had less stressors after homecoming and better perceived physical health. However, combat exposure and social support after homecoming were not independently associated with life satisfaction in the final model. These results imply that both pre- and post-military service factors, as well as cognitive appraisals of military service, should be considered in understanding the subjective well-being of Korean Vietnam War Veterans in later life.

Dermabacter jinjuensis sp. nov., a novel species of the genus Dermabacter isolated from a clinical specimen.

A Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, coryneform bacterium, designated strain 32T, was isolated from a closed pus sample from a patient having finger necrosis in Korea. Strain 32T was considered as representing a novel species according to its initial identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight MS. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 32T belonged to the genus Dermabacter and was closely related to Dermabacter hominis DSM 7083T (=ATCC 49369T) (98.34 % similarity). Optimal growth was observed at 30-40 °C and pH 7. Growth occurred in the presence of 0-6 % (w/v) NaCl. Menaquinones MK-8, MK-7 and MK-9 were the major respiratory quinones. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, glycolipid and two unknown lipids. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C17 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strain 32T was 62.58 mol%, and the mean level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain 32T and D. hominis ATCC 49369T was 49±1.6 %. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain 32T is confirmed to represent a novel species of the genus Dermabacter, for which the name Dermabacter jinjuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 32T (=NCCP 16133T=DSM 101003T).

Shear bond strength of dual-cured resin cements on zirconia: The light-blocking effect of a zirconia crown.

Abstract Background/purpose: The presence of restorative material between resin cement and the light-curing unit can reduce light transmission. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the light-blocking effect of zirconia crown on shear bond strength (SBS) between three dual-cured resin cements and the zirconia surface. Materials and methods: Sixty zirconia specimens were prepared and divided into three groups according to the type of resin cement [RXU (RelyX Ultimate); SC2 (SmartCem2); MEC (Maxcem Elite Chroma)]. Each group was further divided into two subgroups, with or without a 1-mm-thick zirconia crown (n = 10). The specimens were light-cured from five different directions for 20 s each. All specimens were thermocycled 5000 times and subjected to SBS testing, followed by scanning electron microscope examination. Results: The presence of a 1-mm-thick zirconia crown had no significant effect on the SBS in all resin cements. However, the SBS was significantly affected by type of resin cement. RXU showed the highest SBS (8.35 MPa with crown; 8.57 MPa without crown), followed by SC2 (5.48 MPa with crown; 5.57 without crown) and then MEC (3.37 MPa with crown; 4.04 MPa without crown. Fractured surfaces exhibited varying degrees of mixed failure patterns. Conclusion: A 1-mm-thick zirconia crown material between the light source and the dual-cured resin cement did not significantly influence the SBS of the resin cements on the zirconia substrates. RXU exhibited the highest SBS regardless of zirconia crown coverage. With sufficient light-curing, dual-cured resin cements can be a good choice for zirconia crown cementation.

Physical and biomimetic treatment methods to reduce microplastic waste accumulation.

Background: Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, the use of plastics has increased exponentially, so it is imperative to manage and dispose of these plastic wastes safely. Objectives: This review focuses on the management strategies governed by the policies of each country to reduce plastic waste through physical collection methods and methods that use eco-imitation technologies. Results: Thus far, physical treatment methods have been applied to sewage and drinking water treatment. The abilities of bio-inspired treatment methods are being assessed in terms of capturing microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), extracting substances from marine organisms, reducing toxicity, and developing alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Conclusions: Various post-treatment methods have been proposed to collect and remove MPs and NPs that have reached into aquatic ecosystems and subsequently reduce their toxicity. However, there are limitations that the effectiveness of these methods is hindered by the lack of policies governing the entire process of plastic use before the post-treatment. Purpose of Review: We purpose to reduce plastic waste through methods that use eco-imitation technologies. Recent Findings: These eco-imitation methods are attracting attention as viable future plastic waste treatment options in line with the goals of sustainable development.

Catheter-related bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant Leclercia adecarboxylata in a patient with breast cancer.

We report a multidrug-resistant strain of Leclercia adecarboxylata responsible for catheter-related bacteremia in a 47-year-old female with breast cancer. The isolated strain was resistant to several ß-lactams, aminoglycosides, and folate pathway inhibitors and harbored bla(TEM-1) and bla(CTX-M) group 1 and intl1 genes (dfrA12-orfF-aadA2) as genetic determinants for resistance. Based on a review of the L. adecarboxylata literature, there have been only 4 reports of antibiotic-resistant strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an L. adecarboxylata strain with simultaneous resistance to ß-lactams, aminoglycosides, and sulfonamides.

An Analysis of the Effects of Psychosocial Work Environment on the Retention Intentions of Primary Care Coordinators Nursing Patients with Chronic Illness.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of psychosocial work environment on the retention intentions of care coordinators taking care of patients with chronic illness. A descriptive survey study was conducted with a convenience sample of care coordinators who organized patients and treatment teams that offered professional and persistent treatment. A total of 132 participants were recruited from 19 October to 19 November 2020. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Scheffé post hoc, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS 26.0. The results showed that work organization and job content (ß = 0.254, p = 0.014) and value at the workplace (ß = 0.245, p = 0.034) had significant effects on the retention intentions of participants. The final model of the study explained 40.1% of participants' retention intentions (F = 11.830, p < 0.001). The development of educational programs and implementation of policies for improving the psychosocial work environment were found to be essential for increasing the retention intentions of professional care coordinators.

Can social media data be used to evaluate the risk of human interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The U.S. has taken multiple measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, including the implementation of lockdown orders and social distancing practices. Evaluating social distancing is critical since it reflects the risk of close human interactions. While questionnaire surveys or mobility data-based systems have provided valuable insights, social media data can contribute as an additional instrument to help monitor the risk of human interactions during the pandemic. For this reason, this study introduced a social media-based approach that quantifies the pro/anti-lockdown ratio as an indicator of the risk of human interactions. With the aid of natural language processing and machine learning techniques, this study classified the lockdown-related tweets and quantified the pro/anti-lockdown ratio for each state over time. The anti-lockdown ratio showed a moderate and negative correlation with the state-level social distancing index on a weekly basis, suggesting that people are more likely to travel out of the state where the higher anti-lockdown level is observed. The study further showed that the perception expressed on social media could reflect people's behaviors. The findings of the study are of significance for government agencies to assess the risk of close human interactions and to evaluate their policy effectiveness in the context of social distancing and lockdown.

Cutaneous Mycobacterium massiliense Infection Caused by Skin Coining 'Gua Sha' in Korean Healthy Female.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous environmental organisms that are rare pathogens in immunocompetent individuals. However, cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infections have been increasingly associated with invasive procedures, including surgery, liposuction, filler injection, intramuscular injection, mesotherapy, piercing, acupuncture, and cupping therapy. Herein, we report the first case of cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infection caused by the East-Asian traditional treatment 'Gua Sha', also known as scraping, coining or spooning in English. A 35-year-old healthy female presented with widespread, painful skin nodules and pustules on her upper and lower extremities that had developed after Gua Sha treatment for body contouring. Histopathologic examination of the lesions revealed granulomatous inflammation in the dermis and the culture isolates were identified as Mycobacterium massiliense with molecular identification. The patient was successfully treated with intermittent incision and drainage of persistent nodules and oral clarithromycin based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We recommend implementation of a standard safety protocol for Gua Sha practitioners to minimize the risk of infection transmission.

Slow-Motion Self-Assembly: Access to Intermediates with Heterochiral Peptides to Gain Control over Alignment Media Development.

Understanding the intermediates or transition states in organic reactions has made it possible to develop theories and to synthesize important compounds. In contrast to organic reaction intermediates and even protein folding intermediates, the intermediates of peptide/protein self-assembly are not very well understood. Here we report that the self-assembly kinetics of linear heterochiral peptides are significantly slower than those of the corresponding homochiral peptides, which enables direct microscopic observation of assembly intermediates. By designing racemic or asymmetric heterochiral peptides, we were able to discover unusual mixed helical (MP-helix) and overtwisted intermediates. The convergence of equilibrium morphology between the homochiral and heterochiral peptides enables us to reasonably deduce the unobservable intermediates of rapidly assembling homochiral peptides. By utilizing the discovered information about the assembly intermediates, we were able to develop a functional NMR alignment medium that enables the measurement of residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) in a time-dependent manner. Although much less studied than their cyclic counterparts, the linear form of heterochiral peptides provides a means of obtaining a more in-depth understanding of the self-assembly pathway and of developing sophisticated bottom-up materials.

Disaggregation of Amyloid-ß Plaques by a Local Electric Field Generated by a Vertical Nanowire Electrode Array.

The aggregation and accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides is a characteristic pathology for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although noninvasive therapies involving stimulation by electric field (EF) have been reported, the efficiency of Aß disaggregation needs to be further improved for this strategy to be used in clinical settings. In this study, we show that an electrode based on a vertical nanowire electrode array (VNEA) is far more superior to a typical flat-type electrode in disaggregating Aß plaques. The enhanced disaggregation efficiency of VNEA is due to the formation of high-strength local EF between the nanowires, as verified by in silico and empirical evidence. Compared with those of the flat electrode, the simulation data revealed that 19.8-fold and 8.8-fold higher EFs are generated above and between the nanowires, respectively. Moreover, empirical cyclic voltammetry data demonstrated that VNEA had a 2.7-fold higher charge capacity than the flat electrode; this is associated with the higher surface area of VNEA. The conformational transition of Aß peptides between the ß-sheet and α-helix could be sensitively monitored in real time by the newly designed in situ circular dichroism instrument. This highly efficient EF-configuration of VNEA will lower the stimulation power for disaggregating the Aß plaques, compared to that of other existing field-mediated modulation systems. Considering the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatibility and biocompatible strength of the EF for perturbing the Aß aggregation, our study could pave the way for the potential use of electric stimulation devices for in vivo therapeutic application as well as scientific studies for AD.

A Dodecapeptide Selected by Phage Display as a Potential Theranostic Probe for Colon Cancers.

AIM: Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. However, specific biomarkers for its diagnosis or treatment are not established well. METHODS: We developed a colon-cancer specific peptide probe using phage display libraries. We validated the specificity of this probe to colon cancer cells with immunohistochemical staining and FACS analysis using one normal cell and five colon cancer cell lines. RESULTS: This peptide probe maintained binding affinity even after serum incubation. For therapeutic applications, this peptide probe was conjugated to hematoporphyrin, a photosensitizer, which showed a significantly enhanced cellular uptake and high photodynamic effect to kill tumor cells. As another application, we made a nanoparticle modified from the peptide probe. It efficiently delivered SN-38, an anticancer drug, into tumor cells, and its tumor-targeting ability was observed in vivo after intravenous injection to the same xenograft model. CONCLUSION: The noble dodecapeptide probe can be a promising candidate for both colon tumor diagnosis and targeted drug delivery.

A CMOS VEGF Sensor for Cancer Diagnosis Using a Peptide Aptamer-Based Functionalized Microneedle.

This paper presents the first CMOS Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) sensor for cancer diagnosis directly from human blood. The sensor incorporates a peptide aptamer-based microneedle that allows the detection of electrochemical reactions with VEGF. This results in a capacitance change between the microneedles and then reads out by a two-step capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC). The proposed two-step CDC consists of a coarse 5b slope ADC and a fine 14b continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (CTDSM). During slow peptide-binding, the slope ADC performs a coarse conversion and the results are used to adjust the current level of the stimulator. After settling of the peptide-binding, based on an adjusted stimulation current, the CTDSM measures the small capacitance changes of the sensor. The prototype chip is fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process, occupying a 0.87 mm 2 active area. The power consumption is 270 muW. Thanks to the two-step approach, this work achieves a wide dynamic range of 18.3b, covering a large sensor-to-sensor variation. It also achieves a peak resolution of 13.7b, while maintaining errors in 1 to 100 nF baseline capacitance. The overall sensor system successfully detects the VEGF in both phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and human blood serum. Without the use of precision instruments, this work achieves a resolution of 15 fM [Formula: see text] in range of 0.1 to 1000 pM and denotes the clear VEGF selectivity at 40× in PBS and 5× in the blood serum compared to other proteins (IgG, Con A, and cholera toxin).

[Relation of apolipoprotein E polymorphism to clinically diagnosed fatty liver disease].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) is important in plasma lipid metabolism and is a component of several plasma lipoprotein-lipid particles. Three major Apo E isoforms are encoded by three common allelic forms, epsilon2, epsilon3, and epsilon4 at the APO E locus. The goal of this study was to examine the association between polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) and fatty liver disease. METHODS: We examined the distribution of APOE alleles from 116 fatty liver patients and 50 controls in Korea. RESULTS: The frequencies of APOE alleles in fatty liver patients were 6.5% in epsilon2, 85.7% in epsilon3 and 7.8% in epsilon4. The corresponding frequencies in control subjects were 4.0% in epsilon2, 91.0% in epsilon3 and 5.0% in epsilon4. There were no significant differences in the distribution of APOE genotypes between fatty liver patients and controls. APOE epsilon2 and epsilon4 allele frequencies in fatty liver patients were more than those in controls. However, there was no significant differences in APOE epsilon2 and epsilon4 allele frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that APOE alleles seem not to be directly associated with the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease.