The impact of weight misperception on health-related quality of life in Korean adults (KNHANES 2007–2014): a community-based cross-sectional study

Weight perception, especially misperception, might affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL); however, related research is scarce and results remain equivocal. We examined the association between HRQoL and weight misperception by comparing obesity level as measured by body mass index (BMI) and weight perception in Korean adults

An integrated database-pipeline system for studying single nucleotide polymorphisms and diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies on the relationship between disease and genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are important. Genetic variations can cause disease by influencing important biological regulation processes. Despite the needs for analyzing SNP and disease correlation, most existing databases provide information only on functional variants at specific locations on the genome, or deal with only a few genes associated with disease. There is no combined resource to widely support gene-, SNP-, and disease-related information, and to capture relationships among such data. Therefore, we developed an integrated database-pipeline system for studying SNPs and diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To implement the pipeline system for the integrated database, we first unified complicated and redundant disease terms and gene names using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) for classification and noun modification, and the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) and NCBI gene databases. Next, we collected and integrated representative databases for three categories of information. For genes and proteins, we examined the NCBI mRNA, UniProt, UCSC Table Track and MitoDat databases. For genetic variants we used the dbSNP, JSNP, ALFRED, and HGVbase databases. For disease, we employed OMIM, GAD, and HGMD databases. The database-pipeline system provides a disease thesaurus, including genes and SNPs associated with disease. The search results for these categories are available on the web page <url>http://diseasome.kobic.re.kr/</url>, and a genome browser is also available to highlight findings, as well as to permit the convenient review of potentially deleterious SNPs among genes strongly associated with specific diseases and clinical phenotypes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our system is designed to capture the relationships between SNPs associated with disease and disease-causing genes. The integrated database-pipeline provides a list of candidate genes and SNP markers for evaluation in both epidemiological and molecular biological approaches to diseases-gene association studies. Furthermore, researchers then can decide semi-automatically the data set for association studies while considering the relationships between genetic variation and diseases. The database can also be economical for disease-association studies, as well as to facilitate an understanding of the processes which cause disease. Currently, the database contains 14,674 SNP records and 109,715 gene records associated with human diseases and it is updated at regular intervals.</p

Fine-Dusty: Gamification of Particulate Matter Risk Communication

With the increasing severity of particulate matter problems, the current media have begun to deal with this issue. Yet awareness of the problem is still very low among many people. In this study, we applied gamification methods to risk information communication to overcome the limitations of information from the previous particulate matter media. Via a design science research methodology and design process of the gamification, user needs regarding risk communication were defined and gamification was identified as a promising design alternative. Attributes of information design extracted from user research were implemented to guide the game elements. Effectiveness of the gamified application was evaluated through presurvey and postsurvey using remote unmoderated user testing. Based on self-determination theory, the relationship between game elements and required information design aspects, the effect of game elements on user motivation was evaluated. As a result, the effect of using the particulate matter game application was verified to bring affordance and internal and external motivation to users. In the case of internal motivation, autonomy was affected but competence and relatedness were not. Furthermore, the gamification application influenced users’ reduction action, knowledge of the problem, and empowerment regarding particulate matter after using the prototype

Akt1-Inhibitor of DNA binding2 is essential for growth cone formation and axon growth and promotes central nervous system axon regeneration.

Mechanistic studies of axon growth during development are beneficial to the search for neuron-intrinsic regulators of axon regeneration. Here, we discovered that, in the developing neuron from rat, Akt signaling regulates axon growth and growth cone formation through phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) on Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2). This enhances Id2 protein stability by means of escape from proteasomal degradation, and steers its localization to the growth cone, where Id2 interacts with radixin that is critical for growth cone formation. Knockdown of Id2, or abrogation of Id2 phosphorylation at S14, greatly impairs axon growth and the architecture of growth cone. Intriguingly, reinstatement of Akt/Id2 signaling after injury in mouse hippocampal slices redeemed growth promoting ability, leading to obvious axon regeneration. Our results suggest that Akt/Id2 signaling is a key module for growth cone formation and axon growth, and its augmentation plays a potential role in CNS axonal regeneration

A Case of More Abundant and Dysplastic Adenomas in the Interposed Colon than in the Native Colon

We report a 60-year-old woman with intramucosal adenocarcinoma arising in the interposed colon, 40 years after the esophageal reconstruction for lye induced esophageal stricture. Although synchronous adenomas were also found in the native colon where the graft was taken, the number of adenomas was greater in the interposed colon and more dysplastic, even progressed to adenocarcinoma, than that of the native colon. The microsatellite instability-testing performed in the intramucosal carcinoma from interposed colon showed absence of microsatellite instability. Changing of location and functional deman]d of colonic segment, and the exposure to different intraluminal contents might have facilitated the adenomacarcinoma transformation in the interposed colon

An immunoassay using biotinylated single-walled carbon nanotubes as Raman biomarkers

A new immunoassay with biotinylated single-walled carbon nanotubes as persistent, non-photobleaching Raman biomarkers demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity.Shvedova AA, 2009, PHARMACOL THERAPEUT, V121, P192, DOI 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.10.009Choi JH, 2007, APPL PHYS LETT, V90, DOI 10.1063/1.2745228True LD, 2007, J MOL DIAGN, V9, P7, DOI 10.2353/jmoldx.2007.060186Tian FR, 2006, TOXICOL IN VITRO, V20, P1202, DOI 10.1016/j.tiv.2006.03.008Hwang ES, 2006, NANOTECHNOLOGY, V17, P3442, DOI 10.1088/0957-4484/17/14/016Jeng ES, 2006, NANO LETT, V6, P371, DOI 10.1021/nl051829kHeller DA, 2006, SCIENCE, V311, P508, DOI 10.1126/science.1120792REDDEHASE MJ, 2006, CYTOMEGALOVIRUSES MOHeller DA, 2005, ADV MATER, V17, P2793Varnum SM, 2004, J VIROL, V78, P10960, DOI 10.1128/JVI.78.20.10960-10966.2004Zheng M, 2003, SCIENCE, V302, P1545Saxena V, 2003, J PHARM SCI, V92, P2090, DOI 10.1002/jps.10470Zheng M, 2003, NAT MATER, V2, P338, DOI 10.1038/nmat877Jaiswal JK, 2003, NAT BIOTECHNOL, V21, P47, DOI 10.1038/nbt.767Dresselhaus MS, 2002, ACCOUNTS CHEM RES, V35, P1070, DOI 10.1021/ar0101537O`Connell MJ, 2002, SCIENCE, V297, P593MCCREERY RL, 2002, HDB VIBRATIONAL SPEC, V1, P71Hwang ES, 2000, MICROBIOL IMMUNOL, V44, P827DRESSELHAUS MS, 2000, CARBON, V44, P2000