Various methodologies for the genetic analysis of longitudinal data have been proposed and applied to data from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with traits of interest and to detect SNP-time interactions. We recently proposed a grid-based Bayesian mixed model for longitudinal genetic data and showed that our Bayesian method increased the statistical power compared to the corresponding univariate method and well detected SNP-time interactions. In this paper, we further analyze longitudinal obesity-related traits such as body mass index, hip circumference, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio from Korea Association Resource data to evaluate the proposed Bayesian method. We first conducted GWAS analyses of cross-sectional traits and combined the results of GWAS analyses through a meta-analysis based on a trajectory model and a random-effects model. We then applied our Bayesian method to a subset of SNPs selected by meta-analysis to further discover SNPs associated with traits of interest and SNP-time interactions. The proposed Bayesian method identified several novel SNPs associated with longitudinal obesity-related traits, and almost 25% of the identified SNPs had significant p-values for SNP-time interactions.

Purpose: Sitting time, smoking, and perceived stress strongly influence physical health independent of physical activity. However, the associations among perceived stress, sedentary behavior, and smoking are poorly understood. Therefore, we examined the relationships between sitting time, smoking, and perceived stress in Korean adults aged < 65 years. Methods: We analyzed data from the seventh National Health and Nutrition Survey. In this cross-sectional study, data from 6,890 Korean adults aged < 65 years were analyzed. Complex-sample logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between sitting time, smoking, and perceived stress. Results: The group with a high sitting time (≥ 8 h/day) and those who smoked had significantly higher odds of experiencing stress than the low sitting time (< 8 h/day) and non-smoking groups (odds ratio: 1.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.42-2.50). Conclusion Perceived stress was positively correlated with current smoking status and increased sitting time. High sitting time (≥ 8 h/day) and current smoking were associated with a higher risk of perceived stress in Korean adults aged < 65 years.

The electrical burn or amputation of fingers gives damages not only to the soft tissue, but also to the bone, tendon and joint structure and causes severe deformity. To correct severe deformity, surgeons perform osteoplasty, tenolysis, capsulotomy, arthro- plasty, and flap surgery. However, such surgery can not be performed under some circumstances because patients wish to undergo surgery step-by-step, in stead of taking all at once. The deformity would have been more severe if the corrective surgery had been delayed without any treatment. The authors have reconstructed only soft tissue using the preserved superficial fat skin graft taken from the medial side of the foot or great toe. Nine patients who had deviated fingers were corrected from June 2001 to June 2002. Seven patients had deformity due to electrical burn, one due to amputation and the other due to congenital syndactyly. The period of follow-up was from 19 to 31 months. At surgery, a skin incision on the scar vertical to the finger and release of contraction of the deviated finger was performed. The soft tissue defect was reconstructed with a composite graft taken from medial side of the foot or great toe, with a preserved superficial fat layer. To accelerate healing of the grafted tissue, antibiotic ointment was applied to preserve the moisture environment. The composite graft was well taken without complication, and especially, there was no necrosis although the composite tissue was as big as 18x15mm to 33x11mm. The preoperative deformity was corrected better than we expected after surgery. The color and tissue texture were excellent and well harmonized with the surrounding skin, and the donor site healed without complication. We also observed a new bone formation in some cases.
Amputation ; Burns ; Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Fingers* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Humans ; Joints ; Necrosis ; Osteogenesis ; Skin* ; Syndactyly ; Tendons ; Tissue Donors ; Toes ; Transplants*

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is the portion of the cell-free DNA in the blood of cancer patients released from tumor cells via apoptosis, necrosis, or active release. From 10 mL of blood, the 4-5 mL of plasma obtained from a cancer patient contains 5-10 ng/mL of ctDNA. The plasma contains not only ctDNA of tumor origin, but also DNA from normal cells or clonal hematopoiesis. Another characteristic of ctDNA is its rapid clearance from circulation; it has a half-life of 16 minutes to 2.5 hours. Obtaining reliable results from ctDNA requires the application and approval of standardized clinical validation guidelines; however, the status of numerous ctDNA tests currently varies. The clinical use of ctDNA testing should be carefully considered based on the test’s specific needs and characteristics. Here we provide the different characteristics of ctDNA tests and information regarding their validation and approval status.

Glue, a volatile substance that is illegal as a recreational drug, has been popularly used for decades, and it can serve as a stepping stone for harder drugs. Chronic exposure can lead to substantial damage to several organs, including central and peripheral nervous systems. Glue-sniffing neuropathy has been reported since the 1960s, but with a lower frequency in recent years. We report a 45-year-old man who sniffed glue and presented with symmetrical distal motor weakness and paresthesia. Based on the patient’s inhalation history and initial electrodiagnostic study, we considered toxic neuropathy and demyelinating polyneuropathy in the differential diagnosis. He became chair-bound with repeating glue sniffing, and a following nerve conduction study showed the progression of motor-dominant polyneuropathies with markedly reduced amplitudes. An incomplete response to steroid therapy and recovery with inhalant cessation confirmed the diagnosis of glue-sniffing neuropathy. We conclude that glue, a neurotoxic volatile inhalant, produced glue-sniffing neuropathy with characteristic clinical and electrodiagnostic features.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Onion, particularly onion peel, is a quercetin-rich food with, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, the effect of onion peel extract (OPE) in humans is unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate whether OPE improves natural killer (NK) cell activity and cytokine concentration in a randomized doubleblind placebo-controlled trial. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eighty participants aged 19–64 yrs old with a white blood cell count of 4,000–10,000 cells/µL, symptoms of upper respiratory infection at least once within the previous 12 mon, and perceived stress scale (PSS) over 14 were included. Participants were randomly assigned to take either 1,000 mg/day OPE or a placebo for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Compliance were 87.4 ± 8.6% and 86.9 ± 79.0% in OPE and placebo groups.Compared to the placebo, OPE supplementation improved “Hoarseness” (P = 0.038) of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS)-21 symptom, and stress scores (P = 0.001; 0.021) of PSS. Supplementation of OPE had no significant effect on NK cell activity and concentrations of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-1β, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α. At baseline, the WURSS-21 symptom and PSS score (P = 0.024;0.026) were higher in the OPE group than the placebo group. Among participants with higher than median WURSS-21 symptom score, OPE supplementation increased NK cell activity (P = 0.038). Supplementation of OPE had no significant effects on safety measurements and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggested that OPE supplementation improves NK cell activity in participants with moderate upper respiratory symptoms without any significant adverse effects.

Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is mediated by self-reactive CD4+ T cells that produce inflammatory cytokines. TGF-beta2-treated tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (Tol-APCs) are known to induce tolerance in various autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated whether collagen-specific Tol-APCs could induce suppression of CIA. We observed that Tol-APCs could suppress the development and severity of CIA and delay the onset of CIA. Treatment of Tol-APCs reduced the number of IFN-gamma- and IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells and increased IL-4- and IL-5-producing CD4+ T cells upon collagen antigen stimulation in vitro. The suppression of CIA conferred by Tol-APCs correlated with their ability to selectively induce IL-10 production. We also observed that treatment of Tol-APCs inhibited not only cellular immune responses but also humoral immune responses in the process of CIA. Our results suggest that in vitro-generated Tol-APCs have potential therapeutic value for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis as well as other autoimmune diseases.
Animals ; Antigen-Presenting Cells/*drug effects/*immunology ; Arthritis, Experimental/*immunology ; Chickens ; Collagen Type II/immunology ; Immune Tolerance/drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Ovalbumin/immunology ; Th1 Cells/drug effects/immunology ; Th2 Cells/*drug effects/*immunology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta2/*pharmacology

PURPOSE: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECT) or benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) is not always benign in clinical or neuroimaging features. Recent studies have reported atypical forms of rolandic epilepsy with abnormal neurologic and/or neuroimaging findings, sometimes, also with poor seizure control. We investigated whether there are any differences in linear and nonlinear EEG analysis in typical and atypical rolandic epilepsies of childhood. METHODS: Ten patients with typical BRE group and seven patients with atypical BRE group were included in this study. We selected artifact-free 10-second epochs from 19 electrodes of 10-20 international EEG system from each patient. The power spectrum was calculated in delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency ranges. The fractal dimension was analyzed as a nonlinear EEG analysis. We analyzed both EEGs with interictal spikes and without focal slowing or epileptiform activities. RESULTS: The spectral EEG analysis showed a significant increase of absolute and relative power of delta with decrease of alpha bands in atypical BRE group compared to typical group. There was no statistical difference in fractal dimension between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Atypical BRE group showed enhanced delta and decreased alpha power, suggesting a cortical dysfunction in this group with poor clinical outcome.
Electrodes ; Electroencephalography* ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Rolandic* ; Fractals ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Seizures

Background: In 2015, tobacco prices significantly increased in Korea as part of the government’s smoking cessation policy. This study examined the changes in the stages of smoking cessation among Korean male smokers before and after the implementation of the tobacco price policy, and identified the predictors of such changes. Methods: The study population comprised 3,533 male current smokers (age ≥19 years) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Current smokers were defined as persons who had smoked ≥100 cigarettes during their lifetime and are continuing to smoke. In accordance with the transtheoretical model, smokers were classified into the precontemplation stage (no plan to quit), contemplation stage, and preparation stage (planning to quit within 6 months). We examined the changes in the smoking cessation stages before and after the implementation of the policy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to the likelihood of continuing smoking, after adjustments for potential confounders. Results: Immediately after the policy implementation, the percentage of smokers in the precontemplation stage decreased from 65.6% to 60.8% (P=0.014). However, this effect was temporary. Significant risk factors for remaining in the precontemplation stage were older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.010; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002–1.018; P=0.004), being in the lowest income quartile (OR, 1.226; 95% CI, 1.001–1.502; P=0.049), and manual worker or unemployed status (OR, 1.256; 95% CI, 1.036–1523; P=0.020). Conclusion Increasing tobacco prices only temporarily change the stage of smoking cessation among Korean male smokers.

Background: Cancer survivors experience decreased physical function and reduced muscle strength, which leads to lower quality of life (QOL). The hand grip strength (HGS) can be a predictor of poor health-related QOL as a parameter of sarcopenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between low HGS and QOL in cancer survivors and healthy controls. Methods: We analyzed 392 cancer survivors and 1,176 healthy controls from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2014–2017. We defined low HGS as 2 standard deviation values for healthy young Korean adults from a previous study. QOL was evaluated using the European Quality of Life Scale-Five Dimensions. A complex sample logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between each dimension of low HGS and QOL. Results: The odds ratios (ORs) for decreased QOL were significantly higher in male cancer survivors with low HGS on self-care (OR, 8.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69–42.83) and usual activities (OR, 6.63; 95% CI, 1.22–36.03). The ORs for problems in mobility (OR, 5.87; 95% CI, 2.04–16.91), usual activities (OR, 14.46; 95% CI, 3.84–54.44), pain/discomfort (OR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.00–12.01), and anxiety/depression (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 2.16–19.12) were significantly high in female cancer survivors with low HGS. However, healthy controls showed no significant relationship between low HGS and QOL. Conclusion For cancer survivors, low HGS was associated with poor QOL in some domains. Strategies to increase muscle strength must be considered to improve the QOL of cancer survivors.