Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of the Smoking Media Literacy Scale for Adolescents

Smoking media literacy has proven to be an effective competency for reducing adolescents' smoking. This study aimed to cross-culturally modify the smoking media literacy scale and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the revised Smoking Media Literacy Scale for Adolescents (K-SMLS). The translation of the K-SMLS was conducted according to the World Health Organization's guidelines. After the translation process, an online survey was conducted with convenience samples of 215 total adolescents from five high schools in the capital city of Korea. Construct validity was examined by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was examined with Cronbach's alpha. The final version of the K-SMLS consisted of 15 items. The goodness of fit, determined through a confirmatory factor analysis of the three domains, was acceptable [χ2 = 237.85 (p < 0.001), CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.09, SRMR = 0.09]. The reliability of the K-SMLS was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79). The findings provide evidence for a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess smoking media literacy in Korean adolescents. Further studies with a probability sampling design are suggested as the use of convenience samples limits the generalizability of the results to other populations

Maintained Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis among the Residents of Jeju Island, Korea

Seroepidemiological status of toxoplasmosis among the residents of Jeju island was surveyed and evaluated by ELISA with crude extract of Toxoplasma gondii. The sera of 2,348 residents (male 1,157 and female 1,191) were collected and checked for the IgG antibody titers, which showed 13.2% positive rate (309 sera). The positive rates were increasing gradually according to the age from 4.3% in teenage to 20.6% in seventies. The positive rates were significantly different between the sex by 16.2% for male and 10.2% for female (P<0.05). This positive rate of toxoplasmosis in Jeju island residents is regarded relatively higher than any other regions of Korea. And the high positive rate may be maintained continuously among Jeju island residents without any clear reasons until now but due to some parts peculiar socio-cultural tradition of Jeju island. Therefore, it is necessary to study further the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis of Jeju island

Amyloid Precursor Protein Binding Protein-1 Modulates Cell Cycle Progression in Fetal Neural Stem Cells

Amyloid precursor protein binding protein-1 (APP-BP1) binds to the carboxyl terminus of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and serves as the bipartite activation enzyme for the ubiquitin-like protein, NEDD8. In the present study, we explored the physiological role of APP-BP1 in the cell cycle progression of fetal neural stem cells. Our results show that cell cycle progression of the cells is arrested at the G1 phase by depletion of APP-BP1, which results in a marked decrease in the proliferation of the cells. This action of APP-BP1 is antagonistically regulated by the interaction with APP. Consistent with the evidence that APP-BP1 function is critical for cell cycle progression, the amount of APP-BP1 varies depending upon cell cycle phase, with culminating expression at S-phase. Furthermore, our FRET experiment revealed that phosphorylation of APP at threonine 668, known to occur during the G2/M phase, is required for the interaction between APP and APP-BP1. We also found a moderate ubiquitous level of APP-BP1 mRNA in developing embryonic and early postnatal brains; however, APP-BP1 expression is reduced by P12, and only low levels of APP-BP1 were found in the adult brain. In the cerebral cortex of E16 rats, substantial expression of both APP-BP1 and APP mRNAs was observed in the ventricular zone. Collectively, these results indicate that APP-BP1 plays an important role in the cell cycle progression of fetal neural stem cells, through the interaction with APP, which is fostered by phopshorylation of threonine 668

Suppression of lung cancer progression by biocompatible glycerol triacrylate–spermine-mediated delivery of shAkt1

Background: Polyethylenimine (PEI)-based nonviral gene-delivery systems are commonly employed because of their high transfection efficiency. However, the toxic nature of PEI is a significant obstacle in clinical gene therapy. In this study, we developed biocompatible glycerol triacrylate-spermine (GT-SPE) polyspermine as a nanosized gene carrier for potential lung cancer gene therapy. Methods: The GT-SPE was synthesized using the Michael addition reaction between GT and SPE. The molecular weight was characterized using gel permeability chromatography multiangle laser light scattering and the composition of the polymer was analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Results: The GT-SPE successfully protected the DNA from nucleases. The average particle size of the GT-SPE was 121 nm with a zeta potential of +23.45 mV. The GT-SPE was found to be less toxic than PEI for various cell lines, as well as for a murine model. Finally, our results showed that the GT-SPE/small hairpin Akt1 (shAkt1) complex suppressed lung tumorigenesis in a K-ras(LA1) lung cancer mice model by inducing apoptosis through the Akt signaling pathway and cell cycle arrest. Aerosol delivered GT-SPE/shAkt1, which reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and suppressed the expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, as well as vascular endothelial growth factors and CD31, which are known proliferation and angiogenesis markers, respectively. Conclusion: Our data suggest that GT-SPE may be a candidate for short hairpin-shaped RNA-based aerosol lung cancer gene therapy

Cordycepin Increases Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep via Adenosine Receptors in Rats

Cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) is a naturally occurring adenosine analogue and one of the bioactive constituents isolated from Cordyceps militaris/Cordyceps sinensis, species of the fungal genus Cordyceps. It has traditionally been a prized Chinese folk medicine for the human well-being. Because of similarity of chemical structure of adenosine, cordycepin has been focused on the diverse effects of the central nervous systems (CNSs), like sleep regulation. Therefore, this study was undertaken to know whether cordycepin increases the natural sleep in rats, and its effect is mediated by adenosine receptors (ARs). Sleep was recorded using electroencephalogram (EEG) for 4 hours after oral administration of cordycepin in rats. Sleep architecture and EEG power spectra were analyzed. Cordycepin reduced sleep-wake cycles and increased nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Interestingly, cordycepin increased θ (theta) waves power density during NREM sleep. In addition, the protein levels of AR subtypes (A1, A2A, and A2B) were increased after the administration of cordycepin, especially in the rat hypothalamus which plays an important role in sleep regulation. Therefore, we suggest that cordycepin increases theta waves power density during NREM sleep via nonspecific AR in rats. In addition, this experiment can provide basic evidence that cordycepin may be helpful for sleep-disturbed subjects

Development and Clinical Evaluation of a Rapid Serodiagnostic Test for Toxoplasmosis of Cats Using Recombinant SAG1 Antigen

Rapid serodiagnostic methods for Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats are urgently needed for effective control of transmission routes toward human infections. In this work, 4 recombinant T. gondii antigens (SAG1, SAG2, GRA3, and GRA6) were produced and tested for the development of rapid diagnostic test (RDT). The proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli, affinity-purified, and applied onto the nitrocellulose membrane of the test strip. The recombinant SAG1 (rSAG1) showed the strongest antigenic activity and highest specificity among them. We also performed clinical evaluation of the rSAG1-loaded RDT in 182 cat sera (55 household and 127 stray cats). The kit showed 0.88 of kappa value comparing with a commercialized ELISA kit, which indicated a significant correlation between rSAG1-loaded RDT and the ELISA kit. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the RDT were 100% (23/23) and 99.4% (158/159), respectively. The rSAG1-loaded RDT is rapid, easy to use, and highly accurate. Thus, it would be a suitable diagnostic tool for rapid detection of antibodies in T. gondii-infected cats under field conditions

Enterovirus 71-associated hand, foot and mouth diseases with neurologic symptoms, a university hospital experience in Korea, 2009

PurposeHand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness in children, which is usually mild and self-limiting. However, in recent epidemics of HFMD in Asia, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has been recognized as a causative agent with severe neurological symptoms with or without cardiopulmonary involvement. HFMD was epidemic in Korea in the spring of 2009. Severe cases with complications including death have been reported. The clinical characteristics in children with neurologic manifestations of EV71 were studied in Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.MethodsExaminations for EV71 were performed from the stools, respiratory secretion or CSF of children who presented neurologic symptoms associated with HFMD by realtime PCR. Clinical and radiologic data of the patients were collected and analyzed.ResultsEV71 was isolated from the stool of 16 patients but not from respiratory secretion or CSF. Among the 16 patients, meningitis (n=10) was the most common manifestation, followed by Guillain-Barré syndrome (n=3), meningoencephalitis (n=2), poliomyelitis-like paralytic disease (n=1), and myoclonus (n=1). Gene analysis showed that most of them were caused by EV71 subgenotype C4a, which was prevalent in China in 2008.ConclusionBecause EV71 causes severe complications and death in children, a surveillance system to predict upcoming outbreaks should be established and maintained and adequate public health measures are needed to control disease

Further Increases in Carbapenem-, Amikacin-, and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Isolates of Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa in Korea: KONSAR Study 2009

Purpose: The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria has become a serious worldwide problem. The aim of this study was to analyze antimicrobial resistance data generated in 2009 by hospitals and commercial laboratories participating in the Korean Nationwide Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance program. Materials and Methods: Susceptibility data were collected from 24 hospitals and two commercial laboratories. In the analysis, resistance did not include intermediate susceptibility. Duplicate isolates were excluded from the analysis of hospital isolates, but not from the commercial laboratory isolates. Results: Among the hospital isolates, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, penicillin G-non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae based on meningitis breakpoint, and ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium remained highly prevalent. The proportion of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium gradually increased to 29%. Ceftazidime-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae increased to 17% and 33%, respectively, and fluoroquinolone-resistant K. pneumoniae, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa increased to 33%, 67% and 39%, respectively. Amikacin-resistant Acinetobacter spp. increased to 48%. Imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa increased to 51% and 26%, respectively. Higher resistance rates were observed in intensive care unit (ICU) isolates than in non-ICU isolates among the isolates from hospitals. Resistance rates were higher in hospital isolates than in clinic isolates among the isolates from commercial laboratories. Conclusion: Among the hospital isolates, ceflazidime-resistant K. pneumoniae and fluoroquinolone-resistant K. pneumoniae, Acinetobacter spp., and P. aeruginosa further increased. The increase in imipenem resistance was slight in P aeruginosa, but drastic in Acinetobacter spp. The problematic antimicrobial-organism combinations were much more prevalent among ICU isolates.This work was supported by a grant from bioMeriux Korea

Validation study of the Dinamap ProCare 200 upper arm blood pressure monitor in children and adolescents

PurposeTo validate the Dinamap ProCare 200 blood pressure (BP) monitor against a mercury sphygmomanometer in children 7 to 18 years old in accordance with the 2010 International Protocol of European Society of Hypertension (ESH-IP2) and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) protocol.MethodsForty-five children were recruited for the study. A validation procedure was performed following the protocol based on the ESH-IP2 and BHS protocols for children and adolescents. Each subject underwent 7 sequential BP measurements alternatively with a mercury sphygmomanometer and the test device by trained nurses. The results were analyzed according to the validation criteria of ESH-IP2.ResultsThe mean (±SD) difference in the absolute BP values between test device and mercury sphygmomanometer readings was 1.85±1.65 mmHg for systolic BP (SBP) and 4.41±3.53 mmHg for diastolic BP (DBP). These results fulfilled the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation criterion of a mean±SD below 5±8 mmHg for both SBP and DBP. The percentages of test device-observer mercury sphygmomanometer BP differences within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg were 96%, 100%, and 100% for SBP, and 69%, 92%, and 100% for DBP, respectively, in the part 1 analysis; both SBP and DBP passed the part 1 criteria. In the part 2 analysis, SBP passed the criteria but DBP failed.ConclusionAlthough the Dinamap ProCare 200 BP monitor failed an adapted ESH-IP2, SBP passed. When comparing BP readings measured by oscillometers and mercury sphygmomanometers, one has to consider the differences between them, particularly in DBP, because DBP can be underestimated

A Multiinstitutional Consensus Study on the Pathologic Diagnosis of Endometrial Hyperplasia and Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the reproducibility of both the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) or adenocarcinoma, and the histologic grading (HG) of endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EC). METHODS: Ninety-three cases of EH or adenocarcinomas were reviewed independently by 21 pathologists of the Gynecologic Pathology Study Group. A consensus diagnosis was defined as agreement among more than two thirds of the 21 pathologists. RESULTS: There was no agreement on the diagnosis in 13 cases (14.0%). According to the consensus review, six of the 11 EH cases (54.5%) were diagnosed as EH, 48 of the 57 EC cases (84.2%) were EC, and 5 of the 6 serous carcinomas (SC) (83.3%) were SC. There was no consensus for the 6 atypical EH (AEH) cases. On the HG of EC, there was no agreement in 2 cases (3.5%). According to the consensus review, 30 of the 33 G1 cases (90.9%) were G1, 11 of the 18 G2 cases (61.1%) were G2, and 4 of the 4 G3 cases (100.0%) were G3. CONCLUSIONS: The consensus study showed high agreement for both EC and SC, but there was no consensus for AEH. The reproducibility for the HG of G2 was poor. We suggest that simplification of the classification of EH and a two-tiered grading system for EC will be necessary.This study was partly supported by research fund of Chungnam National University in 2007