부정교합이 성인 여자대학생의 자존감에 미치는 영향

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of malocclusion on the self-esteem of female university students. Methods: The subjects were composed of 67 female university students who showed Class I molar relation, no missing or supernumerary teeth and has had no orthodontic treatment experience. Each subject was evaluated with Rosenberg`s Self-esteem Scale to measure the level of self-esteem and also evaluated the degree of anterior crowding and lip protrusion through model analysis and cephalometric soft tissue profile analysis. Results: The results showed that a protrusive profile and crowding of upper anterior teeth had significant reducing effects on the level of self-esteem. The protrusion and crowding groups showed no significant differences in self-esteem between groups. Conclusions: Malocclusion had significant negative effects on the self-esteem of female university students. Further research to investigate the negative psychological influence of malocclusion and the education of lay people about this influence is necessary. (Korean J Orthod 2008;38(6):388-396)이 논문은 2007년도 교정학회 대국민홍보 연구비 지원에 의하여 연구되었음.

Prevalence of Adrenal Insufficiency in Korean Patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background This study investigated the prevalence of adrenal insufficiency among patients admitted for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) due to osteoarthritis and identified factors contributing to adrenal insufficiency. Methods We divided the patients into two groups based on the results of preoperative standard-dose short synchronous stimulation tests: group 1 (adrenal insufficiency) and group 2 (normal adrenal function). We also assessed the prevalence of adrenal insufficiency and compared the numbers of patients who received oral steroids, the frequency of previous steroid injection use, and the frequency of systemic symptoms of steroid depletion such as fatigue and loss of appetite between the two groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to adrenal insufficiency. Results The prevalence of adrenal insufficiency was 60.0% (120/200). Group 1 had higher numbers of previous steroid injections (12.8±10.2 vs. 6.8±7.9) and patients taking oral steroids (18/120 vs. 3/80) (p<0.001 and p=0.011, respectively). The frequency of systemic symptoms of steroid depletion, such as fatigue and loss of appetite, was also higher in group 1 (94/120 vs. 42/80, p<0.001). Recent steroid injections and loss of appetite were associated with adrenal insufficiency (p=0.002 and p=0.009, respectively). Conclusions The results of this study revealed a high prevalence of adrenal insufficiency in Korean patients hospitalized for TKA due to end-stage osteoarthritis. Recent steroid injections were causally related to the development of adrenal insufficiency. Therefore, adrenal function should be assessed preoperatively to prevent postoperative complications related to adrenal insufficiency

Effect of biochars pyrolyzed in N2 and CO2, and feedstock on microbial community in metal(loid)s contaminated soils

Little is known about the effects of applying amendments on soil for immobilizing metal(loid)s on the soil microbial community. Alterations in the microbial community were examined after incubation of treated contaminated soils. One soil was contaminated with Pb and As, a second soil with Cd and Zn. Red pepper stalk (RPS) and biochars produced from RPS in either N2 atmosphere (RPSN) or CO2 atmosphere (RPSC) were applied at a rate of 2.5% to the two soils and incubated for 30 days. Bacterial communities of control and treated soils were characterized by sequencing 16S rRNA genes using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing. In both soils, bacterial richness increased in the amended soils, though somewhat differently between the treatments. Evenness values decreased significantly, and the final overall diversities were reduced. The neutralization of pH, reduced available concentrations of Pb or Cd, and supplementation of available carbon and surface area could be possible factors affecting the community changes. Biochar amendments caused the soil bacterial communities to become more similar than those in the not amended soils. The bacterial community structures at the phylum and genus levels showed that amendment addition might restore the normal bacterial community of soils, and cause soil bacterial communities in contaminated soils to normalize and stabilize

Transient Anarthria and Quadriplegia in a Patient with Basilar Artery Hypoplasia and Coincidental Intracranial Lipoma: A Case Report

Cerebral ischemia may be rarely associated with a hypoplastic vertebrobasilar system. Intracranial lipoma is also a very rare congenital malformation. We report the case of a 52-year-old woman with vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attack associated with basilar artery hypoplasia and coincidental intracranial lipoma. She presented with sudden-onset dizziness, anarthria, and quadriplegia lasting for about 30 min. The patient’s initial blood pressure was measured at 200/120 mm Hg. The magnetic resonance and computed tomographic images showed the absence of an acute ischemic lesion in the brain but revealed a hypoplasia of the basilar artery and bilateral V4 vertebral arteries. A lipoma of 11 mm in long diameter was also found in the quadrigeminal cistern and at the superior vermis. The electroencephalography, transthoracic echocardiogram, 24-h Holter monitoring, and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, including patent foramen ovale study, were all noted as negative. The patient was treated with oral aspirin 100 mg, atorvastatin 10 mg, and antihypertensive medication. She had no symptom recurrence after the treatment. Our case suggests that hypoplasia of the vertebrobasilar arteries can be a predisposing factor for posterior circulation ischemia, especially when additional vascular risk factors coexist

Trib2 regulates the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells and enhances reprogramming efficiency

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells characterized by self-renewability and differentiation potential. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are ES cell-equivalent cells derived from somatic cells by the introduction of core reprogramming factors. ES and iPS cells are important sources for understanding basic biology and for generating therapeutic cells for clinical applications. Tribbles homolog 2 (Trib2) functions as a scaffold in signaling pathways. However, the relevance of Trib2 to the pluripotency of ES and iPS cells is unknown. In the present study, we elucidated the importance of Trib2 in maintaining pluripotency in mouse ES cells and in generating iPS cells from somatic cells through the reprogramming process. Trib2 expression decreased as ES cells differentiated, and Trib2 knockdown in ES cells changed their colony morphology while reducing the activity of alkaline phosphatase and the expression of the pluripotency marker genes Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Klf4. Trib2 directly interacted with Oct4 and elevated Oct4 promoter activity. During the generation of iPS cells, Trib2 knockdown decreased the reprogramming efficiency of mouse embryonic fibroblasts, whereas Trib2 overexpression significantly increased their reprogramming efficiency. In summary, our results suggest that Trib2 is important for maintaining self-renewal in ES cells and for pluripotency induction during the reprogramming process