Two Cases of Lichen Planus Pigmentosus Presenting with a Linear Pattern

We report two cases of lichen planus pigmentosus (LPP) that developed in a unilateral linear pattern. The patients presented with unilateral linear brown macules on the extremities. Skin biopsy showed orthokeratosis, basal hydropic degeneration with scarce lymphohistiocytic infiltrates, and numerous melanophages in both patients. These patients, to the best of our knowledge, are the first cases of LPP presenting with a linear pattern. LPP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of linear hyperpigmented skin lesions

Malakoplakia of the Kidney Extending to the Descending Colon in a Patient with Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency: A Case Report

Malakoplakia is an uncommon but distinctive type of chronic granulomatous inflammation that occurs most commonly in the genitourinary tract, especially the urinary bladder. Most patients have associated conditions characterized by some degree of immunosuppression, as seen in solid-organ transplants, autoimmune diseases requiring steroid use, chemotherapy, chronic systemic diseases, alcohol abuse and poorly controlled diabetes. We report an unusual case of the renal malakoplakia that involved the perirenal space, extending to the descending colon in a 65-year-old Korean woman with secondary adrenal insufficiency and diabetes mellitus

Short- and Long-Term Structural Characterization of Cured-in-Place Pipe Liner with Reinforced Glass Fiber Material

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), as a kind of trenchless sewer rehabilitation technology, is a method to repair sewer pipe using unsaturated polyester resin. This study develops a CIPP liner using hot water or steam curing as well as glass fiber, in contrast to traditional methods, which use nonwoven fabric. Composite material samples were fabricated by combining liner materials using various methods, and the structural characteristics of the liners were compared and analyzed through short- and long-term flexural strength tests. A long-term test was conducted for 10,000 h, and the results revealed 13.3 times higher flexural strength and 8 times higher flexural modulus than the American Society for Testing Materials minimum criteria for CIPP short-term properties. The maximum creep retention factor was 0.64, thereby reducing the design thickness of the CIPP by up to 54%. The structural characteristics also improved when glass fibers were mixed with traditional CIPP liner, making it possible to reduce the thickness by 30%. Glass fibers result in high structural strength when combined with unsaturated polyester resin. Structural strength increased, even when glass fibers were mixed with traditional CIPP liner. The main contribution of this research is the development of a high strength CIPP liner and improvement of the structural properties of CIPP lining without using the specially formulated resin or lining materials

Deficits of case marker processing in persons with mild cognitive impairment

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) showed deficits in processing case markers compared to normal elderly adults (NEA). Results revealed that individuals with MCI presented significantly lower accuracy than the NEA group on a case marker processing (CMP) task. Both groups showed greater difficulties in the passive sentences than sentences with the transitive verbs. The current results suggested that individuals with early stage of dementia started presenting deficits in case marker processing compared to the control group

Inhibitory effects of meju prepared with mixed starter cultures on azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium-induced colon carcinogenesis in mice

Backgrounds: Meju is the main ingredient and the starter culture of traditional Korean fermented soybean foods; these fermented soybean products are well-known for their various health benefits, including anticancer effects. We developed the grain-type meju using probiotic mixed starter cultures to improve the qualities and functionalities of fermented soybean products, as well as the meju itself. In this study, the inhibitory effects of the grain-type meju were investigated in azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colon carcinogenesis mice model. Materials and Methods: AOM and DSS colon carcinogenesis was induced in female C57BL/6 mice and meju was orally administered for 4 weeks. The body weight, colon length, and colon weight of mice were determined, and colonic tissues were histologically observed. The serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and the levels of inflammation- and apoptosis-related genes in colonic tissue were also analyzed. Results: The administration of meju using probiotic mixed starter cultures ameliorated the symptoms of colon cancer and reduced number of neoplasia, and reduced serum proinflammatory cytokine levels and iNOS and COX-2 expression levels in colonic tissue. It increased Bax and reduced Bcl-2 expression levels and increased p21 and p53 expression in colonic tissues. Conclusion: The meju showed inhibitory effects on the progression of colon cancer induced by AOM and DSS by ameliorating the symptoms of colon cancer, reducing the number of neoplasias and regulating proinflammatory cytokine levels and the expressions of inflammation- and apoptosis-related genes in the colonic tissue

Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Korean adults: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS)

*Context:* Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a combination of excess weight and reduced muscle mass and/or strength, is suggested to be associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. 
*Objectives:* To examine the prevalence and characteristics of Sarcopenic and SO defined by using different indices such as Appendicular Skeletal muscle Mass (ASM)/height^2^ and Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI (%): skeletal muscle mass (kg)/weight (kg) × 100) for Korean adults. 
*Methods:* 591 participants were recruited from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) which is an ongoing prospective observational cohort study. Analysis was conducted in 526 participants (328 women, 198 men) who had complete data on body composition using Dual X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. 
*Results:* The prevalence of sarcopenia and SO increases with aging. Using two or more standard deviations (SD) of ASM/height^2^ below reference values from young, healthy adults as a definition of sarcopenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 6.3% and 1.3% in men and 4.1% and 1.7% in women over 60 years of age. However, using two or more SD of SMI, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 5.1% and 5.1% respectively in men and 14.2% and 12.5% respectively in women. As defined by SMI, subjects with SO had 3 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-7.26) and subjects with non-sarcopenic obesity had approximately 2 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.18-3.02) compared with normal subjects. 
*Conclusion:* Obese subjects with relative sarcopenia were associated with a greater likelihood for metabolic syndrome. As Koreans were more obese and aging, the prevalence of SO and its impact on health outcomes are estimated to be rapidly grow. Further research is requested to establish the definition, cause and consequences of SO.
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Time-resolved pathogenic gene expression analysis of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Virulence of wild-type and mutant Xoo strains on rice. (DOCX 16 kb

Impacts of Detailed Land-Use Types and Urban Heat in an Urban Canopy Model on Local Meteorology and Ozone Levels for Air Quality Modeling in a Coastal City, Korea

An urban canopy model (UCM), with detailed urban land-use and anthropogenic heat information, is required to reproduce and understand the urbanization process and its impact on regional climate and urban air quality. This study investigates the UCM impact on simulated meteorology and surface ozone in the coastal city of Busan using the WRF-SMOKE-CMAQ model coupled with (UCM case), and without the UCM (NOUCM case). The UCM and NOUCM case results suggest that UCM case generally produces warmer temperatures and deeper planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights, especially in the early morning and night time, than the NOUCM case. Owing to urban heating and enhanced turbulent mixing incorporation in the center of the city, the sea breeze in the UCM case tends to penetrate faster and more strongly than in the NOUCM case. After sea breeze arrival at the urban center, the urban heat island effect prevents its penetration further inland. In the UCM case in the late afternoon, local meteorological changes induce remarkable increases in simulated O3 concentrations over the downwind (up to 17.1 ppb) and downtown (up to 10.6 ppb) areas. This is probably due to an increase in temperature in the urban areas and the wind convergence zone movement due to the sea breeze interaction and offshore flows. The increase in O3 concentration in the late afternoon results in the model bias reduction under previously underestimated O3 conditions due to high NOx emissions. The simulated O3 concentrations in the UCM case are more similar to the observed O3 concentrations compared to those of the NOUCM case