Since it was first recognized in bacteria and archaea as a mechanism for innate viral immunity in the early 2010s, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) has rapidly been developed into a robust, multifunctional genome editing tool with many uses. Following the discovery of the initial CRISPR/Cas-based system, the technology has been advanced to facilitate a multitude of different functions. These include development as a base editor, prime editor, epigenetic editor, and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activator (CRISPRa) gene regulators. It can also be used for chromatin and RNA targeting and imaging. Its applications have proved revolutionary across numerous biological fields, especially in biomedical and agricultural improvement. As a diagnostic tool, CRISPR has been developed to aid the detection and screening of both human and plant diseases, and has even been applied during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. CRISPR/Cas is also being trialed as a new form of gene therapy for treating various human diseases, including cancers, and has aided drug development. In terms of agricultural breeding, precise targeting of biological pathways via CRISPR/Cas has been key to regulating molecular biosynthesis and allowing modification of proteins, starch, oil, and other functional components for crop improvement. Adding to this, CRISPR/Cas has been shown capable of significantly enhancing both plant tolerance to environmental stresses and overall crop yield via the targeting of various agronomically important gene regulators. Looking to the future, increasing the efficiency and precision of CRISPR/Cas delivery systems and limiting off-target activity are two major challenges for wider application of the technology. This review provides an in-depth overview of current CRISPR development, including the advantages and disadvantages of the technology, recent applications, and future considerations.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats ; Crops, Agricultural/genetics* ; Gene Editing/methods* ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; Nobel Prize ; Plant Breeding

Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Nobel Prize ; Sensation ; TRPV Cation Channels

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. PURPOSE: To compare Patients' and parents’ perceptions of physical attributes (PAs) of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients and to report any correlations between their perceptions and Scoliosis Research Society-22r (SRS-22r) scores. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Few studies have looked into the differences between Patients' and parents’ perceptions of their appearance. METHODS: AIS patient–parent pairs (n=170) were recruited. The Patients' and parents’ perceptions of six PAs were evaluated: waist asymmetry (WA), rib hump (RH), shoulder asymmetry (SA), neck tilt, breast asymmetry (BrA), and chest prominence. These PAs were ranked, and an aggregate PA (Agg-PA) score was derived from a score assigned to the attribute (6 for the most important PA and 1 for the least important). The patients also completed the SRS-22r questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients (58.2%) and 71 patients (41.8%) had thoracic and lumbar major curves, respectively. WA was ranked first by 54 patients (31.8%) and 50 parents (29.4%), whereas RH was ranked first by 50 patients (29.4%) and 38 parents (22.4%). The overall Agg-PA scores were similar for patients and parents (p>0.05). However, for thoracic major curves (TMCs) >40°, a significant difference was noted between the Agg-PA scores of patients and parents for SA (3.5±1.6 vs. 4.2±1.6, p=0.041) and BrA (3.0±1.6 vs. 2.2±1.3, p=0.006). For TMCs <40°, a significant difference was found between the Agg-PA scores of patients and parents for WA (3.7±1.6 vs. 4.4±1.5, p=0.050). BrA was negatively correlated with total SRS-22r score. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences between patients and parents in their ranking of the most important PAs. For TMCs >40°, there were significant differences in the Agg-PA for SA and BrA. Pa¬tients were more concerned about BrA and parents were more concerned about SA. Patients' perception of the six PAs had weak correlation with SRS-22r scores.
Adolescent ; Awards and Prizes ; Body, Physical Appearance ; Breast ; Humans ; Neck ; Parents ; Prospective Studies ; Ribs ; Scoliosis ; Shoulder ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the fate of abstracts presented at scientific meetings of the Korean College of Rheumatology (KCR). METHODS: This study examined the abstracts presented at annual meetings of the KCR from 2005 to 2014. Only original studies were selected, excluding case reports. A manual search was conducted using PubMed, KoreaMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase to track the published articles. The abstracts were considered to have been published if the authors, title, study design, and results were the same for a published article. In addition, they were considered published if the author and the study design matched, even if the results of the abstract and the results of the published articles were not identical. RESULTS: A total of 928 abstracts from 2005 to 2014 were analyzed. Of the 928 abstracts, 468 (50.43%) abstracts were published in a peer-reviewed journal and the mean time to publication was 19 months. Of the 468 abstracts, 414 were published in a science citation index extended (SCI[E]) journal, and 54 were published in non-SCI(E) journals. The proportion of SCI(E) articles increased annually. The average impact factor for the SCI(E) journals was 2.93. In subgroup analysis, the abstracts that were awarded the best oral or best poster presentation were more likely to be published as full-length articles with a higher impact factor than the abstracts not awarded. CONCLUSION: Half of the abstracts presented in the KCR annual meetings were published in a peer-reviewed journal. Approximately 90% of the articles were published in a SCI(E) journal.
Awards and Prizes ; Korea ; Publications ; Rheumatology*

No abstract available.
Awards and Prizes

Academic medicine is built from a foundation of education, research, and patient care. Since good patient care results from the application of medical research and continuous education, these three components cannot be separated for medical development to occur. In Korea, many obstacles hinder the achievement of academic medicine, such as an inefficient medical delivery system, limitations of primary care, low insurance prices, and no long-term health care plan. Medical education has changed to outcome-based education, but presented temporal integration status. Governance of healthcare research is not centralized, and Korea is awarded relatively fewer grants than other countries. Medical professors have reached a burnout state due to patient care responsibilities in addition to research and education duties. Many medical systems, including the medical delivery system and insurance problems, may contribute to distrust between doctors and patients. The government is not involved in a long-term health care policy. The multitude of factors mentioned here are hindering the achievement of academic medicine in Korea.
Awards and Prizes ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Financing, Organized ; Health Services Research ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Patient Care ; Primary Health Care

No abstract available.
Nobel Prize ; Physiology

The Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy introduced the Accredited Endoscopy Unit Program to enhance endoscopy unit quality through systematic quality management in 2012. It was gradually expanded from training hospitals to institutions with 100+ beds, and the criteria for certification were applied according to the actual conditions of each institution. On the basis of the continuous communication with the institutions and feedback, the Accredited Endoscopy Unit Program certification criteria were revised in 2019 and introduced as follows: (1) the qualification criteria for endoscopy doctors and nurses; (2) facilities and equipment; (3) endoscopic examination process; (4) performance; (5) disinfection and infection control; and (6) endoscopic sedation. The assessment items consist of essential and recommended items. All essential items must be met for accreditation to be awarded. The assessment criteria for each evaluation area were revised as follows: (1) upgrading assessment criteria; (2) qualification of endoscopists and reinforcement of quality control education; (3) detailed standards for safety, disinfection, endoscopic sedation, and management instructions; and (4) presentation of new performance measurement of endoscopy and colonoscopy.
Accreditation ; Awards and Prizes ; Certification ; Colonoscopy ; Disinfection ; Education ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Infection Control ; Korea ; Quality Control

Osteoporosis and its associated fragility fractures are becoming a severe burden in the healthcare system globally. In the Asian-Pacific (AP) region, the rapidly increasing in aging population is the main reason accounting for the burden. Moreover, the paucity of quality care for osteoporosis continues to be an ongoing challenge. The Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) is a program promoted by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) with a goal to improve quality of postfracture care and prevention of secondary fractures. In this review article, we would like to introduce the Taiwan FLS network. The first 2 programs were initiated in 2014 at the National Taiwan University Hospital and its affiliated Bei-Hu branch. Since then, the Taiwan FLS program has continued to grow exponentially. Through FLS workshops promoted by the Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association (TOA), program mentors have been able to share their valuable knowledge and clinical experience in order to promote establishments of additional programs. With 22 FLS sites including 11 successfully accredited on the best practice map, Taiwan remains as one of the highest FLS coverage countries in the AP region, and was also granted the IOF Best Secondary Fracture Prevention Promotion award in 2017. Despite challenges faced by the TOA, we strive to promote more FLS sites in Taiwan with a main goal of ameliorating further health burden in managing osteoporotic patients.
Aging ; Awards and Prizes ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Financing, Organized ; Humans ; Mentors ; Osteoporosis ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Taiwan

The Korean Thyroid Association (KTA) is a multi-disciplinary organization founded by various Korean societies involved in thyroid disease. The KTA has become a foundation stone of the rapid development of the thyroidology in Korea by utilizing the characteristic of multi-discipline for the past 10 years. On February 16, 2008, the inaugural conference was held with great success. Since then, in a short period of 10 years, the number of lifetime members of the KTA reached 623. On March 29, 2012, the KTA became an approved organization by Korean Medical Association within the record time of 4 years after its establishment. In terms of patient care, mutual cooperation among experts in the various fields of thyroid disease have been promoted based on the KTA. On the academic side, the number of papers were awarded and published at international conferences or international academic journals has increased dramatically, and finally, the research on thyroid disease in Korea has reached the global level. The KTA is a multi-disciplinary society consisting of experts from various fields such as internal medicine, surgery, otolaryngology, nuclear medicine, radiology, and pathology. The reason why the KTA has achieved unparalleled growth is that all the KTA members, including senior professors who served as the president and vice president, and incumbent executives, have been harmonized and developed together. Here, we review the activities of the KTA for 10 years from its establishment, and present the future direction of the KTA.
Awards and Prizes ; Congresses as Topic ; Internal Medicine ; Korea ; Nuclear Medicine ; Otolaryngology ; Pathology ; Patient Care ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland