Objectives: To compare the white matter microstructure alterations in schizophrenia with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) with normal persons using diffusion tensor imaging. Methods: Thirty-five schizophrenia patients with AVHs and 33 normal control persons were recruited from the National Forensic Hospital in Korea. The fractional anisotropy (FA) values of arcuate fasciculus (AF), Broca’s area, and Wernicke’s area were estimated from the diffusion tensor imaging data of each subject using the Johns Hopkins University-white matter tractography atlas to determine the difference in white matter integrity between schizophrenia patients with AVH and normal persons. Results: Compared to the normal control group, the FA values of AF (t=4.349, p<0.001) were higher in the normal control group. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Conclusion Microstructural changes of AF are certainly involved in schizophrenia patients with AVHs.

BACKGROUND: The sensitivities and specificities of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) vary among different population studies, and the data on the routine use of IGRAs are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study, enrolling 77 patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), at a secondary care teaching hospital in Seoul. RESULTS: In total, 12 (15.6%) patients showed indeterminate results due to positive control failure on the QFT-GIT test. Indeterminate results were significantly associated with the elderly, history of the intensive care unit stay, lymphocytopenia, especially low CD4 count, increased C-reactive protein and decreased protein levels. Of the 77 patients, 44 (57.1%) were diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis, and the percentage of false negative results of the QFT-GIT was 36.4% (vs. 31.8% with TST). In the TB group with >65 years old (n=12), the proportions of the indeterminate (33.3% vs. 3.1%) and the false negative results (58.3% vs. 25.0%) of the QFT-GIT were significantly higher than in the younger TB group (n=32). CONCLUSION: Indeterminate and false negative results of QFT-GIT test were not infrequent in tuberculosis, especially in the elderly. Care should be considered for the interpretation with the elderly, immunocompromised, chronic and severely diseased patients.
Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Lymphopenia ; Prospective Studies ; Secondary Care ; Tuberculin Test ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Purpose: This study compared the clinical and radiological results of the femoral neck system (FNS) and cannulated compression screws (CCS) for the fixation of femoral neck fractures. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent FNS or CCS internal fixation for femoral neckfractures between January 2016 and January 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The hip joint function using the Harris hip score (HHS) was evaluated three months and one year after surgery. The operation time, fracture healing time, and associated surgical complications in the two groups were compared and analyzed statistically. Results: Seventy-nine patients were categorized into 38 FNS and 41 CCS groups. The FNS group had a longer operation time and higher postoperative HHS at three months (p<0.01). Femoral neck shortening was lower in the FNS group (p=0.022). There were no significant differences in the fracture healing time and other complications. Conclusion There were no differences in most clinical outcomes and complications between the two groups except for the three-month HHS and femoral neck shortening. This study suggests that FNS could be an alternative to CCS for treating femoral neck fractures.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To encourage healthier food choices for children in fast-food restaurants, many initiatives have been proposed. This study aimed to examine the effect of disclosing nutritional information on parents' meal choices for their children at fast-food restaurants in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: An online experimental survey using a menu board was conducted with 242 parents of children aged 2-12 years who dined with them at fast-food restaurants at least once a month. Participants were classified into two groups: the low-calorie group (n = 41) who chose at least one of the lowest calorie meals in each menu category, and the high-calorie group (n = 201) who did not. The attributes including perceived empowerment, use of provided nutritional information, and perceived difficulties were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The low-calorie group perceived significantly higher empowerment with the nutritional information provided than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.020). Additionally, the low-calorie group was more interested in nutrition labeling (P < 0.001) and considered the nutritional value of menus when selecting restaurants for their children more than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.017). The low-calorie group used the nutritional information provided when choosing meals for their children significantly more than did the high-calorie group (P < 0.001), but the high-calorie group had greater difficulty using the nutritional information provided (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that improving the empowerment of parents using nutritional information could be a strategy for promoting healthier parental food choices for their children at fast-food restaurants.
Child* ; Food Labeling ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals* ; Nutritive Value ; Parents ; Power (Psychology) ; Restaurants*

A popular approach for the study of estrogen receptor α inhibition is to investigate the protein-protein interaction between the estrogen receptor (ER) and the coactivator surface. In our study, we investigated phytochemicals from Rubus coreanus that were able to disrupt ERα and coactivator interaction with an ERα antagonist. The E-screen assay and molecular docking analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of the estrogenic activity of R. coreanus extract and its constituents on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. At 100 µg/mL, R. coreanus extract significantly stimulated cell proliferation (574.57 ± 8.56%). Sanguiin H6, which was isolated from R. coreanus, demonstrated the strongest affinity for the ERα coactivator-binding site in molecular docking analysis, with a binding energy of
Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Phytochemicals ; Rubus

A wave of new technologies has created opportunities for the cost-effective generation of high-throughput profiles of biological systems, foreshadowing a "data-driven science" era. The large variety of data available from biological research is also a rich resource that can be used for innovative endeavors. However, we are facing considerable challenges in big data deposition, integration, and translation due to the complexity of biological data and its production at unprecedented exponential rates. To address these problems, in 2020, the Korean government officially announced a national strategy to collect and manage the biological data produced through national R&D fund allocations and provide the collected data to researchers. To this end, the Korea Bioinformation Center (KOBIC) developed a new biological data repository, the Korea BioData Station (K-BDS), for sharing data from individual researchers and research programs to create a data-driven biological study environment. The K-BDS is dedicated to providing free open access to a suite of featured data resources in support of worldwide activities in both academia and industry.