Smoking and sodium intake (SI) have been evaluated as risk factors for kidney disease; however, the data are inconsistent. We assessed the association between SI and cotinine-verified smoking status and the risk of albuminuria. Methods: An observational study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008–2011 and 2014– 2018) was performed. We included 37,410 adults with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The smoking status was assumed based on the urine cotinine/creatinine ratio (Ucot/Ucrea). SI was estimated from spot urine sodium using the Kawasaki formula. Results: Ucot/Ucrea levels were significantly higher in current smokers (920.22 ± 9.00 ng/mg) than in ex-smokers and nonsmokers (48.31 ± 2.47 and 23.84 ± 1.30 ng/mg) (p < 0.001). Ucot/Ucrea levels were significantly higher in second-hand smokers than in participants without a history of smoking (p < 0.001). Ucot/Ucrea levels were positively associated with SI (p for trend < 0.001). Smoking status was not associated with albuminuria. SI had a linear relationship with albuminuria (p < 0.001). In groups with the highest Ucot/Ucrea levels, the highest SI quartile indicated a significantly higher risk of albuminuria than that in the lowest quartile (risk ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–3.92; p = 0.006). The risk of albuminuria was not significant in groups with the lowest and middle tertile adjusted for multiple risk factors. Conclusion: Smokers consume higher dietary sodium and dietary SI was positively related to the risk of albuminuria. Smoking is not associated with albuminuria as a single factor. The risk of albuminuria is the higher in participants with smoking and high SI.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ankle dorsiflexion, neutral, and plantarflexion on lower extremity muscle activity and break point angle (BPA) during Nordic hamstring exercises. Methods: Twenty-four members of a college soccer club (age, 21.68±2.39 years; height, 175.63±4.76 cm; weight, 71.88±6.29 kg) were recruited to participate in the experiment, and all subjects were measured three times in triplicate for Nordic hamstrings at three different ankle angles with all subjects in one group. Surface electromyography equipment (miniDTS, Noraxon Inc.) was used to acquire 3 seconds of muscle activity data at the starting point (90°) during exercise, and motion analysis software (Kinovea version 0.9.5, Kinovea) was used to collect kinematic data at the point where knee strike angular velocity exceeded 30°/sec for BPA data acquisition. Results: The results of this study, lower extremity muscle activity was not significantly different in the three variants of Nordic hamstring exercises, but BPA was significantly lower in the dorsiflexion position (60.28°±6.35°) compared to the neutral position (65.32°±6.35°) and plantarflexion position (63.82°±7.01°) (p＜ 0.001). Conclusion These results suggest that the dorsi flexion position of the ankle during Nordic hamstring exercises allows the body to maintain the position for a longer period of time against eccentric forces in situations where the body is moving forward. This suggests that the ankle dorsi flexion position can be used as a position for effective Nordic hamstring exercises in amateur soccer players.

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) at diagnosis in Korea. Methods: This was a multicenter, registry-based, inception cohort study conducted in Korea between 2021 and 2023. Children and adolescents newly diagnosed with UC < 18 years were included. Baseline clinicodemographics, results from laboratory, endoscopic exams, and Paris classification factors were collected, and associations between factors at diagnosis were investigated. Results: A total 205 patients with UC were included. Male-to-female ratio was 1.59:1, and the median age at diagnosis was 14.7 years (interquartile range 11.9–16.2). Disease extent of E1 comprised 12.2% (25/205), E2 24.9% (51/205), E3 11.2% (23/205), and E4 51.7% (106/205) of the patients. S1 comprised 13.7% (28/205) of the patients. The proportion of patients with a disease severity of S1 was significantly higher in patients with E4 compared to the other groups (E1: 0% vs. E2: 2% vs. E3: 0% vs. E4: 24.5%, P < 0.001). Significant differences between disease extent groups were also observed in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (median 25 vs. 35 vs. 40 vs. 45, respectively, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (median 13.5 vs.13.2 vs. 11.6 vs. 11.4 g/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), platelet count (median 301 vs. 324 vs. 372 vs. 377 × 103 /μL, respectively, P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (median 0.05 vs. 0.10 vs. 0.17 vs. 0.38 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (median 4 vs. 4 vs. 4 vs. 5, respectively, P = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in factors between groups divided according to sex and diagnosis age. Conclusion This study represents the largest multicenter pediatric inflammatory bowel disease cohort in Korea. Disease severity was associated with disease extent in pediatric patients with UC at diagnosis.

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) at diagnosis in Korea. Methods: This was a multicenter, registry-based, inception cohort study conducted in Korea between 2021 and 2023. Children and adolescents newly diagnosed with UC < 18 years were included. Baseline clinicodemographics, results from laboratory, endoscopic exams, and Paris classification factors were collected, and associations between factors at diagnosis were investigated. Results: A total 205 patients with UC were included. Male-to-female ratio was 1.59:1, and the median age at diagnosis was 14.7 years (interquartile range 11.9–16.2). Disease extent of E1 comprised 12.2% (25/205), E2 24.9% (51/205), E3 11.2% (23/205), and E4 51.7% (106/205) of the patients. S1 comprised 13.7% (28/205) of the patients. The proportion of patients with a disease severity of S1 was significantly higher in patients with E4 compared to the other groups (E1: 0% vs. E2: 2% vs. E3: 0% vs. E4: 24.5%, P < 0.001). Significant differences between disease extent groups were also observed in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (median 25 vs. 35 vs. 40 vs. 45, respectively, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (median 13.5 vs.13.2 vs. 11.6 vs. 11.4 g/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), platelet count (median 301 vs. 324 vs. 372 vs. 377 × 103 /μL, respectively, P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (median 0.05 vs. 0.10 vs. 0.17 vs. 0.38 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (median 4 vs. 4 vs. 4 vs. 5, respectively, P = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in factors between groups divided according to sex and diagnosis age. Conclusion This study represents the largest multicenter pediatric inflammatory bowel disease cohort in Korea. Disease severity was associated with disease extent in pediatric patients with UC at diagnosis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ankle dorsiflexion, neutral, and plantarflexion on lower extremity muscle activity and break point angle (BPA) during Nordic hamstring exercises. Methods: Twenty-four members of a college soccer club (age, 21.68±2.39 years; height, 175.63±4.76 cm; weight, 71.88±6.29 kg) were recruited to participate in the experiment, and all subjects were measured three times in triplicate for Nordic hamstrings at three different ankle angles with all subjects in one group. Surface electromyography equipment (miniDTS, Noraxon Inc.) was used to acquire 3 seconds of muscle activity data at the starting point (90°) during exercise, and motion analysis software (Kinovea version 0.9.5, Kinovea) was used to collect kinematic data at the point where knee strike angular velocity exceeded 30°/sec for BPA data acquisition. Results: The results of this study, lower extremity muscle activity was not significantly different in the three variants of Nordic hamstring exercises, but BPA was significantly lower in the dorsiflexion position (60.28°±6.35°) compared to the neutral position (65.32°±6.35°) and plantarflexion position (63.82°±7.01°) (p＜ 0.001). Conclusion These results suggest that the dorsi flexion position of the ankle during Nordic hamstring exercises allows the body to maintain the position for a longer period of time against eccentric forces in situations where the body is moving forward. This suggests that the ankle dorsi flexion position can be used as a position for effective Nordic hamstring exercises in amateur soccer players.

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) at diagnosis in Korea. Methods: This was a multicenter, registry-based, inception cohort study conducted in Korea between 2021 and 2023. Children and adolescents newly diagnosed with UC < 18 years were included. Baseline clinicodemographics, results from laboratory, endoscopic exams, and Paris classification factors were collected, and associations between factors at diagnosis were investigated. Results: A total 205 patients with UC were included. Male-to-female ratio was 1.59:1, and the median age at diagnosis was 14.7 years (interquartile range 11.9–16.2). Disease extent of E1 comprised 12.2% (25/205), E2 24.9% (51/205), E3 11.2% (23/205), and E4 51.7% (106/205) of the patients. S1 comprised 13.7% (28/205) of the patients. The proportion of patients with a disease severity of S1 was significantly higher in patients with E4 compared to the other groups (E1: 0% vs. E2: 2% vs. E3: 0% vs. E4: 24.5%, P < 0.001). Significant differences between disease extent groups were also observed in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (median 25 vs. 35 vs. 40 vs. 45, respectively, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (median 13.5 vs.13.2 vs. 11.6 vs. 11.4 g/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), platelet count (median 301 vs. 324 vs. 372 vs. 377 × 103 /μL, respectively, P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (median 0.05 vs. 0.10 vs. 0.17 vs. 0.38 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (median 4 vs. 4 vs. 4 vs. 5, respectively, P = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in factors between groups divided according to sex and diagnosis age. Conclusion This study represents the largest multicenter pediatric inflammatory bowel disease cohort in Korea. Disease severity was associated with disease extent in pediatric patients with UC at diagnosis.

SMARCB1 or SMARCA4-deficient sinonasal carcinoma or thoracic undifferentiated tumor has aggressive nature with a poor prognosis. Patients with this disease were diagnosed by immunohistochemistry or next-generation sequencing. Those who were able to receive a surgery tended to be cured, while the others treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immune checkpoint inhibitor were often insensitive to these therapies. However, one having CD274 (PD-L1) amplification showed the response to immune checkpoint inhibitor and a good prognosis. We believed that this report could provide promising information for determining the optimal treatment option.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) at diagnosis in Korea. Methods: This was a multicenter, registry-based, inception cohort study conducted in Korea between 2021 and 2023. Children and adolescents newly diagnosed with UC < 18 years were included. Baseline clinicodemographics, results from laboratory, endoscopic exams, and Paris classification factors were collected, and associations between factors at diagnosis were investigated. Results: A total 205 patients with UC were included. Male-to-female ratio was 1.59:1, and the median age at diagnosis was 14.7 years (interquartile range 11.9–16.2). Disease extent of E1 comprised 12.2% (25/205), E2 24.9% (51/205), E3 11.2% (23/205), and E4 51.7% (106/205) of the patients. S1 comprised 13.7% (28/205) of the patients. The proportion of patients with a disease severity of S1 was significantly higher in patients with E4 compared to the other groups (E1: 0% vs. E2: 2% vs. E3: 0% vs. E4: 24.5%, P < 0.001). Significant differences between disease extent groups were also observed in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (median 25 vs. 35 vs. 40 vs. 45, respectively, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (median 13.5 vs.13.2 vs. 11.6 vs. 11.4 g/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), platelet count (median 301 vs. 324 vs. 372 vs. 377 × 103 /μL, respectively, P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (median 0.05 vs. 0.10 vs. 0.17 vs. 0.38 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.001), and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (median 4 vs. 4 vs. 4 vs. 5, respectively, P = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in factors between groups divided according to sex and diagnosis age. Conclusion This study represents the largest multicenter pediatric inflammatory bowel disease cohort in Korea. Disease severity was associated with disease extent in pediatric patients with UC at diagnosis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ankle dorsiflexion, neutral, and plantarflexion on lower extremity muscle activity and break point angle (BPA) during Nordic hamstring exercises. Methods: Twenty-four members of a college soccer club (age, 21.68±2.39 years; height, 175.63±4.76 cm; weight, 71.88±6.29 kg) were recruited to participate in the experiment, and all subjects were measured three times in triplicate for Nordic hamstrings at three different ankle angles with all subjects in one group. Surface electromyography equipment (miniDTS, Noraxon Inc.) was used to acquire 3 seconds of muscle activity data at the starting point (90°) during exercise, and motion analysis software (Kinovea version 0.9.5, Kinovea) was used to collect kinematic data at the point where knee strike angular velocity exceeded 30°/sec for BPA data acquisition. Results: The results of this study, lower extremity muscle activity was not significantly different in the three variants of Nordic hamstring exercises, but BPA was significantly lower in the dorsiflexion position (60.28°±6.35°) compared to the neutral position (65.32°±6.35°) and plantarflexion position (63.82°±7.01°) (p＜ 0.001). Conclusion These results suggest that the dorsi flexion position of the ankle during Nordic hamstring exercises allows the body to maintain the position for a longer period of time against eccentric forces in situations where the body is moving forward. This suggests that the ankle dorsi flexion position can be used as a position for effective Nordic hamstring exercises in amateur soccer players.