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Race, Ethnicity, and Other Barriers to Access Dental Care During Pregnancy
No full textBackground Historically, women of color showed poorer oral health and lower dental service utilization in the USA. These barriers to dental care during pregnancy included dental coverage, primary language, dental provider availability, safety concerns, affordability of dental care, and perceived oral health benefits during pregnancy. Methods The purpose of this study is to examine whether race/ethnicity modified the associations between barriers to accessing dental care and dental service utilization during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study sample included 62,189 women aged 20 and older with a recent birth history in 21 states from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2016 to 2019. We introduced a race/ethnicity by barrier interaction term to our multiple logistic regression models. Results After adjusting for other confounders, dental insurance during pregnancy and perceived oral health benefits were associated with 4.0- and 5.6-fold higher odds, respectively, of dental service utilization during pregnancy. Statistically significant effect modification by race/ethnicity was observed in crude and adjusted analyses of the relationship between dental service utilization for all barriers included in the interaction analyses with all adjusted p-values < 0.001. Conclusion The interaction analysis found that racial/ethnic disparity in visiting dentists during pregnancy was significant among women who reported these dental barriers. In contrast, such racial/ethnic disparity was substantially attenuated among women who did not report such barriers. Practical Implications The observed racial/ethnic disparities could be mitigated by such supporting mechanisms: dental coverage, provider availability and willingness to treat pregnant women, oral health education on the safety of dental care during pregnancy, and affordable dental care costs.Y
Intensive care nurses impostor phenomenon: Associations with narcissistic personality, shame-proneness, and guilt-proneness
No full textBackground: Intensive care unit nurses commonly experience impostor phenomenon owing to constant exposure to urgent situations, high work pressure, and the demands of their professional roles. Impostor phenomenon may induce anxiety and self-doubt and adversely affect personal growth and career development. Therefore, identifying the severity of impostor phenomenon among intensive care unit nurses and its associated factors is important. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between narcissistic personality, shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, and impostor phenomenon among intensive care unit nurses in tertiary hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from 251 nurses in tertiary hospitals in Korea, in July 2022, using an online questionnaire. Narcissistic personality was assessed using the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, and shame-proneness and guilt-proneness were measured using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect. Impostor phenomenon was assessed using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the most potent factors affecting impostor phenomenon in intensive care unit nurses was shame-proneness, followed by narcissistic vulnerability and guilt-proneness. The regression model explained 65.0% of the variance. Conclusion: Nurse leaders can address impostor phenomenon among newly hired intensive care unit nurses with the goal of minimising adverse psychological outcomes. Shame-proneness, narcissistic vulnerability, and guilt-proneness require attention because of their relationship to impostor phenomenon. Additionally, it is necessary to plan and implement measures to promote awareness of self-conscious emotions, psychoeducation, and mental health intervention programs that focus on these factors.N
Innovative binding gels in diffusive gradients in thin film to detect hazardous contaminants: A critical review
No full textThis review extensively examines the utilization of diffusive gradients in thin-film (DGT) technology for evaluating hazardous contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments. It mainly probes the crucial role of binding gel materials in DGT devices, emphasizing the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and mixed hybrid nanomaterials in overcoming current challenges and improving DGT device efficiency. Specific types of binding gels are used for monitoring particular classes of contaminants such as DM-Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NP) for heavy metals, and XDA-1 for personal care products, XADTM18 for polyfluoroalkyl substances, TFN-CD for endocrine disruptors, MOF-derived porous carbon materials for antibiotics, ZIF-MOF/UiO-66 for drugs and heavy metals. Compared to traditional binding resins (Chelex (R)-100, MetsorbTM, and ferrihydrite), these hybrid binding gels offer excellent advantages such as high selectivity and sensitivity, improved adsorption capacity, precision, higher elution efficiency, and better recyclability. Thus, these innovative hybrid binding resins are potential candidates for replacing existing binding gels in DGT devices under different environmental conditions.Y
Evaluation of biomarkers that influence the freshness of beef during storage using VIS/NIR hyperspectral imaging
No full textBiomarkers influencing the freshness of beef during storage were detected using VIS/NIR hyperspectral imaging (HSI). A total of 18 cuts of eye round from three cattle were vacuum-packaged and wet-aged at 4 ± 2 °C for 27 days. Throughout this period, freshness was maintained as evidenced by a significant decrease in pH, stable color, and total bacterial count (TBC) and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) remaining below spoilage thresholds at 5.78 Log CFU/g and 14.47 mg/100 g, respectively. Metabolite profiling revealed correlations between freshness indicators-ethanol, 5′-inosine monophosphate, acetate, histamine-and TBC and VBN values, highlighting their importance in freshness. Integrating HSI with partial least squares regression (PLSR) proved more reliable than artificial neural networks for predicting metabolite profiles and correlating them with quality traits, confirming its effectiveness in meat quality monitoring. With PLSR, the model performance for TBC was similar (R2 = 0.77 from HSI and 0.74 from metabolite predictions), while VBN performance improved significantly from R2 = 0.63 to 0.81 with predicted metabolite data. This integration was essential for monitoring beef quality during wet aging and for developing effective assessment strategies.Y
Predicting Lung Cancer in Korean Never-Smokers With Polygenic Risk Scores
No full textIn the last few decades, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with more than 10,000 subjects have identified several loci associated with lung cancer and these loci have been used to develop novel risk prediction tools for cancer. The present study aimed to establish a lung cancer prediction model for Korean never-smokers using polygenic risk scores (PRSs); PRSs were calculated using a pruning-thresholding-based approach based on 11 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Overall, the odds ratios tended to increase as PRSs were larger, with the odds ratio of the top 5% PRSs being 1.71 (95% confidence interval: 1.31-2.23) using the 40%-60% percentile group as the reference, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction model being of 0.76 (95% confidence interval: 0.747-0.774). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the prediction model with and without PRSs as covariates were compared using DeLong's test, and a significant difference was observed. Our results suggest that PRSs can be valuable tools for predicting the risk of lung cancer.Y
Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase transforms carotid occlusion-mediated benign oligemia into de novo large cerebral infarction
No full textRationale: It remains unclear why unilateral proximal carotid artery occlusion (UCAO) causes benign oligemia in mice, yet leads to various outcomes (asymptomatic-to-death) in humans. We hypothesized that inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) both transforms UCAO-mediated oligemia into full infarction and expands pre-existing infarction. Methods: Using 900 mice, we i) investigated stroke-related effects of UCAO with/without intraperitoneal administration of the NOS inhibitor (NOSi) Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 400 mg/kg); ii) examined the rescue effect of the NO-donor, molsidomine (200 mg/kg at 30 minutes); and iii) tested the impact of antiplatelet medications. To corroborate preclinical findings, we conducted clinical studies. Results: UCAO alone induced infarction rarely (~2%) or occasionally (~14%) in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, respectively. However, L-NAME+UCAO induced large-arterial infarction in ~75% of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Six-hour laser-speckle imaging detected spreading ischemia in ~40% of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice with infarction (vs. none without) by 24-hours. In agreement with vasoconstriction/microthrombus formation shown by intravital-microscopy, molsidomine and the endothelial-NOS-activating antiplatelet cilostazol attenuated/prevented progression to infarction. Moreover, UCAO without L-NAME caused infarction in ~22% C57BL/6 and ~31% ApoE knock-out mice with hyperglycemia/hyperlipidemia, which associated with ~60% greater levels of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA, an endogenous NOSi). Further, increased levels of glucose and cholesterol associated with significantly larger infarct volumes in 438 UCAO-stroke patients. Lastly, Mendelian randomization identified a causative role of NOS inhibition (elevated SDMA concentration) in ischemic stroke risk (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.11–1.38; P = 7.69×10-5). Conclusion: NOS activity determines the fate of hypoperfused brain following acute UCAO, where SDMA could be a potential risk predictor.N
Phrasal Verb Usage in Korean EFL Learners Speech and Textbooks: A Corpus-Based Study
No full textThis study investigates the use of phrasal verbs (PVs) by Korean EFL learners within the speaking register, focusing on the relationship between textbook inputs and learners spoken output. Using a usage-based approach, this research analyzes spoken data from the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English (ICNALE) and dialogue scripts from six 9th-grade Korean English textbooks. The findings revealed a disparity: while textbooks provide a broader range of PVs, learners tended to use a narrower set of PVs more frequently. Despite this limited lexical variety, learners demonstrated a higher standardized frequency of PVs in their speech. Notable similarities were also observed: the adverbial particles (AVPs) of both corpora were nearly identical, and half of the top 20 lexical verbs (LV) lemmas in PV constructions were overlapped. Approximately 25% of PVs were shared across both datasets, suggesting the textbooks potential influence on learners spontaneous spoken usage. (Seoul National University
First discovery of Bruchophagus (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eurytomidae) in South Korea, with a description of new species
No full textThe genus Bruchophagous Ashmead, 1888, is newly reported in South Korea, with a new species and two new records: B. gueldenstaedtiae Park & Lee, sp. nov., B. gibbus (Boheman, 1836), and B. robiniae Zerova, 1970. Notably, B. gueldenstaedtia Park & Lee, sp. nov. emerged from seeds of Gueldenstaedtia verna (Georgi) Boriss (Fabaceae). A key to the South Korean species of Bruchophagus and the images of morphological characteristics for each species are provided.N
Comprehensive analysis of Apigetrin's effects on liver cancer cells: Insights from bioinformatics, in vitro studies, and next-generation transcriptome sequencing
No full textDespite numerous attempts to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the development of liver cancer, it continues to pose a significant worldwide health challenge. Transcriptome sequencing, a powerful tool in molecular biology, has played a pivotal role in uncovering the intricate gene expression profiles underlying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we identified a total of 808 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 584 exhibiting downregulation, and 224 showing upregulation following apigetrin treatment. We utilized a combination of bioinformatics tools and platforms, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment and mapping, Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI), and GEPIA. We found that DEGs were related to the apoptotic cell death process and identified hub genes, namely CASP8, RB1, and TGFBR2. These genes were further validated through both GEPIA analysis and western blot experiments. Our findings collectively demonstrate that apigetrin has the potential to modulate genes related to liver cancer and trigger molecular pathways that lead to apoptotic cell death in liver cancer cells. This study underscores the potential of apigetrin as an innovative treatment strategy for HCC, emphasizing the need for additional research to elucidate its mechanisms of action and evaluate its clinical efficacy.Y