Influence of American Media upon Korean Broadcasting Culture - Analyzing \u27American Idol\u27 vs. \u27SuperStar K II\u27

This study examines the influence of American media on Korean broadcasting culture, based on analysis of American Idol and SuperStar K Season II. Viewer ratings were analyzed to find out the popularity of American programs in South Korea. Web-based surveys and individual interviews were analyzed to figure out the difference between both programs and its influence upon Korean viewers. The result shows that American programs currently influence the Korean media and Korean viewers, and that influence is getting more produced. With those findings, the study concludes it affects Korean viewers and Korean society as well. Audition programs become one of the strongest trends in Korean society through SuperStar K Season II, and it gives hope to people who display a growing confidence in what they really want to do with their professional lives

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Korea: Pooled Analysis

This study evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in Korea. Pooled estimates of the anti-HCV positivity were calculated using the data published in 15 reports on the general population and health check-up examinees. The overall pooled estimate of the prevalence of HCV among middle-aged adults (40 yr old and above) was 1.68% (95% confidence interval: 1.51-1.86%) during the year of 1990-2000 among the general population. Most of the published data indicated that the prevalence of anti-HCV increased with age. The anti-HCV positivity was significantly higher in females than in males. Because the risk of HCV exposure in blood recipients has decreased remarkably, the spread of HCV through means other than a transfusion must be prevented

On Stein's Identity and Near-Optimal Estimation in High-dimensional Index Models

We consider estimating the parametric components of semi-parametric multiple index models in a high-dimensional and non-Gaussian setting. Such models form a rich class of non-linear models with applications to signal processing, machine learning and statistics. Our estimators leverage the score function based first and second-order Stein's identities and do not require the covariates to satisfy Gaussian or elliptical symmetry assumptions common in the literature. Moreover, to handle score functions and responses that are heavy-tailed, our estimators are constructed via carefully thresholding their empirical counterparts. We show that our estimator achieves near-optimal statistical rate of convergence in several settings. We supplement our theoretical results via simulation experiments that confirm the theory

Leukotactin-1/CCL15-induced chemotaxis signaling through CCR1 in HOS cells

AbstractLeukotactin-1 (Lkn-1)/CCL15 is a recently cloned CC-chemokine that binds to the CCR1 and CCR3. Although Lkn-1 has been known to function as a chemoattractant for neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes, its cellular mechanism remains unclear. To understand the mechanism of Lkn-1-induced chemotaxis signaling, we examined the chemotactic activities of human osteogenic sarcoma cells expressing CCR1 in response to Lkn-1 using inhibitors of signaling molecules. Inhibitors of Gi/Go protein, phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) inhibited the chemotactic activity of Lkn-1 indicating that Lkn-1-induced chemotaxis signal is transduced through Gi/Go protein, PLC and PKCδ. The activities of PLC and PKCδ were also enhanced by Lkn-1 stimulation. Chemotactic activity of Lkn-1 was inhibited by the treatment of cycloheximide and actinomycin D suggesting that newly synthesized proteins are needed for chemotaxis. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibitor reduced chemotactic activity of Lkn-1. DNA binding activity of NF-κB was also enhanced by Lkn-1 stimulation. These results suggest that Lkn-1 transduces the signal through Gi/Go protein, PLC, PKCδ, NF-κB and newly synthesized proteins for chemotaxis

High expression of NR1D1 is associated with good prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy

Background Nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group D, member 1 (NR1D1) is a ligand-regulated nuclear receptor and transcriptional factor. Although recent studies have implicated NR1D1 as a regulator of DNA repair and proliferation in breast cancers, its potential as a therapeutic target for breast cancer has not been assessed in terms of clinical outcomes. Thus, this study aims to analyze NR1D1 expression in breast cancer patients and to evaluate its potential prognostic value. Methods NR1D1 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using an anti-NR1D1 antibody in 694 breast cancer samples. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log-rank test to investigate the association of NR1D1 expression with clinical outcome. Results One hundred thirty-nine of these samples exhibited high NR1D1 expression, mostly in the nucleus of breast cancer cells. NR1D1 expression correlated significantly with histological grade and estrogen receptor status. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) did not correlate significantly with NR1D1 expression in breast cancer patients regardless of whether they had received chemotherapy. Subgroup analysis performed according to molecular subtype of breast cancer showed a significant influence of high NR1D1 expression on OS (P = 0.002) and DFS (P = 0.007) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with chemotherapy. Conclusions High NR1D1 expression level had a favorable impact on OS and DFS in patients with TNBC treated with chemotherapy. NR1D1 should be investigated further as a possible prognostic marker in TNBC patients receiving chemotherapeutic treatment and as a target in the development of chemotherapeutic approaches to treating TNBC.This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (2014M3A9D5A01073556, 2017R1A2B3011870, 2018R1A5A2024425, and BK21 Plus program)

Comparison of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for the Detection of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in South Korea

South Korea is one of many countries with endemic Plasmodium vivax malaria. Here we report the evaluation of four rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for diagnosis of this disease. A total of 253 subjects were enrolled in the study. The sensitivities, specificities and agreement frequencies were estimated by comparing the four RDTs against the standard of nested-PCR and microscopic examination. The CareStartTM and SD Bioline had higher test sensitivities (99.4 and 98.8%, respectively) compared with the NanoSign and Asan Easy tests (93.0 and 94.7%, respectively). The CareStartTM and SD Bioline tests could detect P. vivax in samples with parasite densities <150/μl, which was a slightly better performance than the other two RDTs. The quantitative accuracy of the four RDTs was also estimated by comparing results with P. vivax counts from blood samples. Lower test price would result in increased use of these RDTs in the field. The results of this study contribute valuable information that will aid in the selection of a diagnostic method for the detection of malaria

A meta-QTL analysis highlights genomic hotspots associated with phosphorus use efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) is a complex trait, governed by many minor quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with small effects. Advances in molecular marker technology have led to the identification of QTLs underlying PUE. However, their practical use in breeding programs remains challenging due to the unstable effects in different genetic backgrounds and environments, interaction with soil status, and linkage drag. Here, we compiled PUE QTL information from 16 independent studies. A total of 192 QTLs were subjected to meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis and were projected into a high-density SNP consensus map. A total of 60 MQTLs, with significantly reduced number of initial QTLs and confidence intervals (CI), were identified across the rice genome. Candidate gene (CG) mining was carried out for the 38 MQTLs supported by multiple QTLs from at least two independent studies. Genes related to amino and organic acid transport and auxin response were found to be abundant in the MQTLs linked to PUE. CGs were cross validated using a root transcriptome database (RiceXPro) and haplotype analysis. This led to the identification of the eight CGs (OsARF8, OsSPX-MFS3, OsRING141, OsMIOX, HsfC2b, OsFER2, OsWRKY64, and OsYUCCA11) modulating PUE. Potential donors for superior PUE CG haplotypes were identified through haplotype analysis. The distribution of superior haplotypes varied among subspecies being mostly found in indica but were largely scarce in japonica. Our study offers an insight on the complex genetic networks that modulate PUE in rice. The MQTLs, CGs, and superior CG haplotypes identified in our study are useful in the combination of beneficial alleles for PUE in rice

Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (von Recklinghausen's disease, NF-1) is an autosomal-dominant neurocutaneous disorder characterized by abnormal skin pigmentation (café au lait spots and axillary freckling), cutaneous and plexiform neurofibromas, skeletal dysplasias, and Lisch nodules (pigmented iris hamartomas). Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common tumors of mesenchymal origin in the gastrointestinal tract, mesentery, omentum, and retroperitoneum. Here, we report a case of GIST in the ileum of a 76-year-old woman previously diagnosed as NF-1. She was admitted due to sudden onset of abdominal pain. Contrast enhanced CT scan revealed a moderately defined, peripherally enhanced soft tissue mass of about 8.8×7.3cm, originating from the small bowel in the left of the abdomen. Surgical excision was performed and the tumor was found to be composed of tumor cells that were positive for c-kit protein. The patient started imatinib treatment a month later, but stopped medication due to dyspepsia after a few months and eventually progressed after 18 month