Health Behaviors and Academic Performance Among Korean Adolescents

SummaryPurposeThis study aimed to examine the most prominent health-related behaviors impacting the academic performance of Korean adolescents.MethodsThe 2012 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey data were analyzed using an ordinal regression analysis after adjusting for general and other health behaviors.ResultsBefore adjustment, all health behaviors were significantly associated with academic performance. After adjustment for other health behaviors and confounding factors, only smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.98, 2.16), p < .001], alcohol consumption [OR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.18, 1.27), p < .001], and physical activity [OR = 1.09, 95% CI (1.06, 1.13), p < .001] were associated with lower academic performance, and engaging in a regular diet [OR = 0.65, 95% CI (0.65, 0.62), p < .001] was associated with higher academic performance.ConclusionsRegular diet, reducing smoking and alcohol drinking, and physical activity should be the target when designing health interventions for improving academic performance in Korean adolescents

The Effects of DMPF on Honey Bee Pathophysiology

Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that is the leading cause of honey bee colony loss in the United States. To mitigate these losses, beekeepers apply acaricide treatments. N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl) formamide (DMPF), the active metabolite in amitraz, was the highest detected pesticide in the 2017 US National Honey Bee Survey (NHBS), where samples of bees and wax were taken from 300 different apiaries across the United States. Although amitraz is relatively non-toxic to bees, very little is known about its effects on honey bee physiology, which has shown to be a useful tool in predicting overall colony health. This study investigates the potential effects of DMPF in adult honey bees across 19 pathophysiological traits. Samples of adult bees were necropsied from colonies with known levels of DMPF in the comb wax and compared to bees from colonies with no DMPF detections. The statistical results indicate potential associations between physiological symptoms in honey bee organs such as the ventriculus, Malpighian tubules, rectum, sting gland, and venom sac to varying DMPF concentrations. These findings serve to identify preliminary evidence for future work quantifying the overall effects of DMPF on colony health.vanEngelsdorp Bee La

Toll-like Receptors and Antimicrobial Peptides Expressions of Psoriasis: Correlation with Serum Vitamin D Level

To evaluate the association of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and vitamin D receptors (VDRs) in psoriasis, lesional (PP) and perilesional skin (PN) from psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and healthy controls (NN) were studied by immunohistochemistry. Compared with PN, AD and NN skin, dysregulated expression of TLRs, AMPs and VDR was detected in PP skin. Noteworthy, our results showed altered correlation between TLR2 and VDR expression in PP and PN skin. Human beta defensin 2 (HBD2) and cathelicidin (LL-37) expressions in the PP skin were higher in serum vitamin D sufficient (VDS) groups than serum vitamin D deficient (VDD) groups. Negative correlation was found between TLR2 and VDR expression in the PP skin of VDD groups. However, positive correlation was noted in the PP skin of VDS groups. Based on the present results, therapies targeting the activity of TLRs, AMPs and vitamin D, including modulation of the TLR-VDR pathways, might provide new therapeutic approaches to the psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases

The function of a novel guidance molecule, Plexin-A1, on immune dendritic cells

Plexins (Plxns) and their ligand molecules, semaphorins were originally known as axonal guidance factors in neurons. PlxnA1, in particular, was discovered in neurons along with its soluble ligand Sema3A, another neuronal guidance cue. Since then, it has also been implicated in a variety of contexts such as cardiovascular development, carcinogenesis, or immune responses. In the immune system, PlxnA1 was originally detected in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs), regulated by Class II Transactivator (CIITA), the master regulator of MHC class II molecules. PlxnA1 expression was shown highly upregulated in mature DCs where it appeared to play a crucial role in T cell priming. The work presented here demonstrates a dual role of PlxnA1 on the surface of DCs in cognate T cell priming upon conjugation as well as in chemokine-induced DC migration. The mechanism by which PlxnA1 stimulates T cell activation upon contact involves small GTPases. PlxnA1 stimulates naïve T cell activation in an antigen-dependent manner, and augments chemotaxis of DCs towards defined chemokines attracting mature DCs, such as CCL19/21, and CXCL12, as demonstrated using DCs lacking PlxnA1. It was observed that upon T cell engagement, PlxnA1-deficient DCs contained significantly reduced levels of Rho-GTPase, leading to a defect in the polarization of actin filaments towards the interface with T cells downstream of Rho. As also suggested by a previous observation that plxnA1-/- mice showed reduced symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis upon challenge, PlxnA1 presents its potential to be a target for developing therapeutics against autoimmune disorders among others

Describing Gambling Affinity: The Role of Personality Traits

This study was undertaken to determine the degree to which personality dimensions provide insights into who is likely to gamble a significant dollar amount at a casino. Using measures of the Big Five, respondents were grouped into one of the following four personality clusters: (a) Moderate Trait Scores, in which no trait dimension was dominant; (b) Elevated Trait Scores, where a respondent scored highly across trait dimensions; (c) Agreeably Conscientious, in which a respondent scored highly on the agreeableness and conscientious trait domains; and (d) Highly Extraverted, where a respondent’s dominant trait dimension was extraversion. Respondents who were classified as Highly Extraverted were the most likely to gamble a day’s wages at a casino. Those classified into the Moderate Trait Scores cluster also exhibited a gambling affinity. Other factors associated with gambling affinity included subjective financial knowledge, financial satisfaction, and risk tolerance. Results from this study show that personality traits are important descriptors of gambling affinity; however, rather than there being a direct relationship with individual trait factors, the willingness to gamble appears to be based on unique combinations of personality. Findings from this study provide direct insights into who is more likely to require financial advice regarding gambling expenditures at the household level

Numerical simulation of the heavy rainfall caused by a convection band over Korea: a case study on the comparison of WRF and CReSS

This study investigates the capability of two numerical models, namely the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and Cloud Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS), to simulate the heavy rainfall that occurred on September 21, 2010 in the middle of the Korean peninsula. This event was considered part of the typical rainfall caused by intense quasi-stationary convection band, leading to a large accumulated rainfall amount within a narrow area. To investigate the relevant characteristics of this heavy rainfall and the feasibility of the numerical models to simulate them, the experiments using both numerical models were designed with a focus on Korea with a horizontal grid spacing of 2 km. The initial and later boundary conditions were interpolated using the output of the mesoscale model of Japan Meteorological Agency and integration spanned the 24-h period from 2100 UTC on September 20, 2010 when the rainfall started in the Yellow Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the rainfall simulated by CReSS are closer than those of the WRF to the in situ observations (655 stations). The WRF simulation reveals the deficiency in capturing the unusual stagnant behavior of this event. The spatial and vertical patterns of reflectivity are consistent with the rainfall pattern, supporting that strong reflectivity coincides with the convective activity that accompanies excessive rainfall. The thermodynamic structure is the main driver of the different behavior between both simulations. The higher equivalent potential temperature, deep moist absolutely unstable layer and strong veering wind shear seen in the CReSS simulation play a role in the development of a favorable environment for inducing convection.National Institute of Meteorological Research (Korea) (Grant (NIMR-2012-B-7))Korea. Meteorological Administratio

Effect of natural antioxidants on the aggregation and disaggregation of beta-amyloid

Purpose: To examine the relationship between higher antioxidant activity and aggregation or disaggregation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) for 21 plants.Methods: Twenty-nine natural plant extracts and their antioxidant activities were analyzed using DPPH assay. The aggregation and disaggregation of Aβ were analyzed using Thioflavin-T assay.Results: Eleven plant extracts exhibited high antioxidant activities with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values &lt; 20.0 μg/mL. Furthermore, the plant extracts efficiently inhibited Aβ aggregation with a mean IC50 value of 17.0 μg/mL. However, four plant extracts exhibiting low antioxidant activities (IC50 &gt; 80.0 μg/mL) inhibited Aβ aggregation less efficiently with a mean IC50 value of 75.7 μg/mL. Furthermore, plant extracts with high antioxidant activities were not invariably efficient for disaggregating pre-formed Aβ aggregates.Conclusion: High antioxidant activities were positively correlated with the inhibition of Aβ aggregation, although not with the disaggregation of pre-formed Aβ aggregates. Nevertheless, potent antioxidants may be helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, β-Amyloid, Aggregation, Disaggregation, Antioxidant

What motivates people to post comments online?

Cyberbullying, i.e., posting malicious comments online, has been identified as a critical social issue in the online and social media context. As a way to prevent cyberbullying, it is important to promote online prosocial behavior. This study examines what motivates people to post benevolent comments as online prosocial behavior in the online context. For this purpose, we first adopt an exploratory study to identify decision factors in terms of social exchange decision making. We then undertake a main study by developing a theoretical research model based on the identified decision factors. The testing results explain what and how those explored factors affect the posting of benevolent comments online in the social media context. The study has its theoretical contribution in demonstrating the decision factors leading to the posting of benevolent comments by extending the social exchange theory. It also has its practical implications by providing guidance for promoting online prosocial behavior

Long-term risks of complicated grief and insomnia in student survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea: A four-year observational follow-up study

Background: The Sewol ferry disaster in April 2014 resulted in the drowning of 304 people. Of the 325 students on board, 250 died and 75 were rescued. The measure of stress caused by bereavement and sleep problems is common and can be a chronic health concern for disaster survivors. The aim of this study was to determine longitudinal predictive factors of complicated grief and insomnia among student survivors of the disaster. Methods: This study centered on 67 student survivors who were enrolled in the disaster registry after graduating from high school. The self-report data as presented by the participants were collected at baseline (27 months after the disaster, T1) and again at two years later (51 months after the disaster, T2). Thirty-one participants completed both T1 and T2 surveys. The noted predictive variables, in this case, were event-related rumination, coping strategy, social support, attachment, meaning in life, and adverse childhood experiences. The outcome variables were complicated grief and insomnia. Results: Dysfunctional coping (T1) was positively associated with complicated grief (T2) (coefficient = 0.070; p&lt;0.001). Intrusive rumination (T1) (coefficient = -0.114; p&lt;0.001), social support (T1) (coefficient = -0.031; p&lt;0.001), and meaning in life – search (T1) (coefficient = -0.082; p&lt;0.001) were negatively associated with insomnia (T2). In contrast, dysfunctional coping (T1) (coefficient = 0.041; p = 0.012), adverse childhood experiences (T1) (coefficient = 0.280; p = 0.007), and insomnia (T1) (coefficient = 0.166; p&lt;0.001) were positively associated with insomnia (T2). Conclusions: Dysfunctional coping influenced how student survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster suffered from complicated grief and insomnia over time. In this case, the findings from the current study indicate that interventions that target coping strategies should be provided to improve the resolution of grief and sleep among survivors. [Ethiop.J. Health Dev. 2020;34(Special issue-3):97-106] Keywords: Sewol ferry disaster, student survivors, coping strategy, complicated grief, insomni