Quality of Life in Food Allergy: Validation of the Korean Version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire Parent Form (K-FAQLQ-PF) and Risk Factor Analysis

Kim Sukyung,Kim Minji,Kim Jiwon,Park Boram,Min Nuri,Jung Minyoung,Yu Seoyoung,Lee Ji Young,Yoo Hye Won,Kim Hye-Young,Ahn Kangmo,Kim Jihyun 대한천식알레르기학회 2023 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.15 No.1

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Parent Form (K-FAQLQ-PF) and to identify clinical characteristics related to low quality of life (QoL) in Korean children with food allergy (FA). Methods: Parents of 0–12-year-old patients with FA were enrolled. The English version of FAQLQ-PF was translated into Korean. Construct validation was confirmed by the Food Allergy Independent Measure-Parent Form (FAIM-PF) and the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 28 (CHQ-PF28). Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between potential risk factors and QoL outcomes. Results: A total of 182 patients with a median age of 5.0 years were enrolled in the study. Cronbach’s α coefficient values indicating internal consistency were higher than 0.8. Intraclass correlation coefficient values for test-retest reliability were good for all age groups (r > 0.6). Total K-FAQLQ-PF scores were positively correlated with the FAIM-PF (r = 0.56, P < 0.05) and were negatively correlated with the parental impact-emotional domain in the CHQ-PF28 (r = −0.44, P < 0.05). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, low QoL was significantly associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–4.18), age ≥ 5 years (aOR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.31–6.16), FA diagnosis before the age of 3 years (aOR, 3.96; 95% CI, 1.13–13.93), the presence of atopic dermatitis (aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.07–4.57), and residence in non-metropolitan areas (aOR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.73–6.85). Conclusions: According to parental perceptions, the K-FAQLQ-PF is a valid and reliable tool to assess psychosocial QoL in Korean children with FAs. Age, sex, residential area, and comorbid AD can affect the QoL of pediatric patients with FA.

Bifidobacterium longum and Galactooligosaccharide Improve Skin Barrier Dysfunction and Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin

Kim Sukyung,Han Song-Yi,Lee Jinyoung,Kim Na-Rae,Lee Bora,Kim Hyunmi,Kwon Mijeoung,Ahn Kangmo,Noh Youngbae,Kim Sang Jong,Lee Phyrim,Kim Dongki,Kim Byung Eui,김지현 대한천식알레르기학회 2022 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.14 No.5

Purpose: The beneficial effects of a combination therapy using Bifidobacterium longum and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) have not been elucidated. Methods: Gene expressions of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and fecal abundance of B. longum from 12-month-old infants were evaluated. Human primary epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) and hairless mice were treated with B. longum, GOS, B. longum-derived extracellular vesicles (BLEVs), dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), or a synbiotic mixture of B. longum and GOS. Expression of epidermal barrier proteins and cytokines as well as serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were analyzed in HEKs and mice. Dermatitis scores, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), epidermal thickness, and fecal B. longum abundance were evaluated in mice. Results: Fecal abundance of B. longum was negatively correlated with blood IL-13 expression in infants. B. longum or BLEVs increased expression of filaggrin (FLG) and loricrin (LOR) in HEKs. B. longum increased the efficacy of GOS to upregulate FLG and LOR expressions in HEKs. Oral administration of GOS increased fecal abundance of B. longum in mice. Oral administration of B. longum attenuated DNCB-induced skin inflammation, abnormal TEWL, AD-like skin, and deficiency of epidermal barrier proteins. Moreover, the combination of B. longum and GOS showed greater effects to improve DNCB-induced skin inflammation, abnormal TEWL, AD-like skin, serum IgE levels, IL-4 over-expression, and the deficiency of epidermal barrier proteins than the administration of B. longum alone. Conclusions: B. longum and GOS improve DNCB-induced skin barrier dysfunction and AD-like skin.

최근 12년간 아까시나무 만개일의 변화와 과정기반모형을 활용한 지역별 만개일 예측

김수경 ( Sukyung Kim ),김태경 ( Tae Kyung Kim ),윤석희 ( Sukhee Yoon ),장근창 ( Keunchang Jang ),임혜민 ( Hyemin Lim ),이위영 ( Wi Young Lee ),원명수 ( Myoungsoo Won ),임종환 ( Jong-hwan Lim ),김현석 ( Hyun Seok Kim ) 한국산림과학회 2021 한국산림과학회지 Vol.110 No.3

최근 급격한 봄철 기온 상승과 기후변화의 영향으로 한반도에 분포하고 있는 아까시나무의 개화 시기가 변화하면서 지역간에 동시 개화 현상(simultaneous blooming)이 관측되고 있다. 이러한 변화는 국내 양봉 산업에 큰 변화를 초래하였고, 이로 인해 정확도 높은 아까시나무 개화시기 정보에 대한 수요가 증가하고 있다. 따라서, 본 연구를 통해 아까시나무의 지역별 개화 시기 변화를 잘 설명할 수 있는 신뢰도 높은 개화 시기 예측 모형을 개발하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 지난 12년(2006~2017년)간 전국 26개 지점에서 관측된 아까시나무 만개일 자료와 과거 일기온 복원 자료를 활용하여 봄철 기온 및 아까시나무 만개일 변화의 경향성을 권역별로 파악하고, 과정기반모형을 활용하여 지역 통합 모형(SM)과 함께 지역적 특성을 반영하는 세 모형-SM에 지점별 보정계수를 도입한 수정 통합 모형(MSM), 권역별로 모수를 추정하는 권역별 통합 모형(GM), 관측 지점별로 모수를 추정하는 지역 모형(LM)-을 도출, 성능을 비교하였다. 기온 및 만개일의 경향 분석 결과, 남부 지역에 비해 봄철 기온 상승률이 2배 이상 높았던 중북부 내륙 지역의 경우 만개일이 빠른 속도로 앞당겨져, 결과적으로 남서부 해안 지역과의 만개일 차이는 1년에 0.7098일씩 감소하였다(p-value=0.0417). 전체 지역에 대한 모형의 성능 비교결과, 지역 특이성이 반영되지 않은 SM에 비해서 MSM은 24% 이상, LM은 15% 이상 감소한 RMSE 값을 나타냈다. 또한 LM과 MSM의 예측 알고리즘을 전국 범위로 확대하여 4년 간(2014~2017년) 16개의 추가 관측 지점을 대상으로 검증한 결과, LM에 코크리깅(Co-kriging)기법을 적용한 방법이 보정계수 전국 분포도를 추정하여 SM을 보정하는 방법보다 예측력이 더 뛰어났으며, 오차의 분포는 두 모형 간에 통계적으로 유의한 차이를 보였다(RMSE: p-value=0.0118, Bias: p-value=0.0471). 본 연구는 아까시나무의 개화 시기 예측에 있어 지역 단위 예측의 신뢰도를 향상시키고 모형을 넓은 지역 범위로 확대, 적용하기 위한 방안을 제시하였다. Due to climate change and its consequential spring temperature rise, flowering time of Robinia pseudoacacia has advanced and a simultaneous blooming phenomenon occurred in different regions in South Korea. These changes in flowering time became a major crisis in the domestic beekeeping industry and the demand for accurate prediction of flowering time for R. pseudoacacia is increasing. In this study, we developed and compared performance of four different models predicting flowering time of R. pseudoacacia for the entire country: a Single Model for the country (SM), Modified Single Model (MSM) using correction factors derived from SM, Group Model (GM) estimating parameters for each region, and Local Model (LM) estimating parameters for each site. To achieve this goal, the bloom date data observed at 26 points across the country for the past 12 years (2006-2017) and daily temperature data were used. As a result, bloom dates for the north central region, where spring temperature increase was more than two-fold higher than southern regions, have advanced and the differences compared with the southwest region decreased by 0.7098 days per year (p-value=0.0417). Model comparisons showed MSM and LM performed better than the other models, as shown by 24% and 15% lower RMSE than SM, respectively. Furthermore, validation with 16 additional sites for 4 years revealed co-krigging of LM showed better performance than expansion of MSM for the entire nation (RMSE: p-value=0.0118, Bias: p-value=0.0471). This study improved predictions of bloom dates for R. pseudoacacia and proposed methods for reliable expansion to the entire nation.

Psychological Distress and Perceived Burden in Parents of Korean Children With IgE-Mediated Food Allergy

Jung Minyoung,Kang Urim,Kim Sukyung,Yoo Hye Won,Kim Hye-Young,Kim Minji,Lee Ji Young,Kim KyooSang,Lee Eunsun,Kang Byoung-Chul,Park Boram,Ahn Kangmo,Kim Jihyun 대한의학회 2023 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.38 No.27

Background: Food allergy (FA) can have a profound effect on quality of life (QoL), stress, and anxiety in the family. We aimed to validate the Korean version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden (FAQL-PB) and identify factors related to the parental psychosocial burden of caring for children with FAs. Methods: Parents of children aged between 6 months and 17 years with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated FAs from the Pediatric Allergy Department of five university hospitals in Korea were enrolled in the study. Parents were asked to complete the FAQL-PB, Food Allergy Independent Measure-Parent Form (FAIM-PF), Child Health Questionnaire-Parents Form 28 (CHQ-PF28), Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression. Statistical analyses included internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, discriminative validity, and logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 190 parents were enrolled. Social activity limitation was the item with the highest FAQL-PB scores. The Cronbach’s α for each item was higher than 0.8. The test-retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation coefficient, 0.716; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.100–0.935). An increase in the FAQL-PB was significantly associated with an increase in the FAIM-PF (β = 0.765, P < 0.001) (concurrent validity). There was a positive correlation between parental burden, anxiety, and depression, while resilience was inversely correlated with parental burden (all P < 0.001). The total FAQL-PB score in parents of children who had experienced anaphylaxis was significantly higher than that in parents of children who did not experience it (P = 0.008). When adjusting for age, sex, and underlying diseases, anaphylaxis (β = 9.32; 95% CI, 2.97 to 15.68), cow’s milk (CM) allergy (β = 8.24; 95% CI, 2.04 to 14.44), soybean allergy (β = 13.91; 95% CI, 1.62 to 26.20), higher anxiety (β = 1.05; 95% CI, 0.07 to 1.41), higher depression (β = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.61 to 2.69), and lower resilience (β = −0.42; 95% CI, −0.61 to −0.2) were significantly associated with greater parental burden in children with IgE-mediated FAs. Conclusion: FAQL-PB is a reliable and valid tool for use in Korea. Anaphylaxis, CM or soybean allergies, more anxiety and depression symptoms, and lower resilience are associated with poorer QoL in parents of children with FAs.

Melanin Bleaching and Melanogenesis Inhibition Effects of Pediococcus acidilactici PMC48 Isolated from Korean Perilla Leaf Kimchi

( Sukyung Kim ),( Hoonhee Seo ),( Hafij Al Mahmud ),( Md Imtiazul Islam ),( Omme Fatema Sultana ),( Youngkyoung Lee ),( Minhee Kim ),( Ho-yeon Song ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2020 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.30 No.7

Overproduction and accumulation of melanin in the skin will darken the skin and cause skin disorders. So far, components that can inhibit tyrosinase, a melanin synthase of melanocytes, have been developed and used as ingredients of cosmetics or pharmaceutical products. However, most of existing substances can only inhibit the biosynthesis of melanin while melanin that is already synthesized and deposited is not directly decomposed. Thus, their effects in decreasing melanin concentration in the skin are weak. To overcome the limitation of existing therapeutic agents, we started to develop a substance that could directly biodegrade melanin. We screened traditional fermented food microorganisms for their abilities to direct biodegrade melanin. As a result, we found that a kimchi-derived Pediococcus acidilactici PMC48 had a direct melanin-degrading effect. This PMC48 strain is a new strain, different from P. acidilactici strains reported so far. It not only directly degrades melanin, but also has tyrosinase-inhibiting effect. It has a direct melanin-decomposition effect. It exceeds existing melanin synthesis-inhibiting technology. It is expected to be of high value as a raw material for melanin degradation drugs and cosmetics.

<i>In vitro</i> activity of collinin isolated from the leaves of <i>Zanthoxylum schinifolium</i> against multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>

Kim, Sukyung,Seo, Hoonhee,Mahmud, Hafij Al,Islam, Md Imtiazul,Lee, Byung-Eui,Cho, Myoung-Lae,Song, Ho-Yeon Elsevier 2018 Phytomedicine Vol.46 No.-

<P>Conclusions: Collinin extracted from the leaves of Z. schinifolium significantly inhibits the growth of MDR and XDR M. tuberculosis in the culture broth. In addition, it also inhibits the growth of intracellular drug-susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis in Raw264.7 and A549 cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the in vitro anti-tubercular activity of collinin, and our data suggest collinin as a potential drug to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis. Further studies are warranted to assess the in vivo efficacy and therapeutic potential of collinin.</P>

Design and optimization of rotating triboelectric nanogenerator by water electrification and inertia

Kim, Taehun,Chung, Jihoon,Kim, Dae Yun,Moon, Joo Hyun,Lee, Sukyung,Cho, Minhaeng,Lee, Seong Hyuk,Lee, Sangmin unknown 2016 Nano energy Vol.27 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The recent energy crisis has resulted in numerous energy-harvesting methods receiving significant attention in the past decades. To overcome this crisis, we successfully develop a first-ever rotating water triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on water-electrification and rotating fluid inertia. The proposed TENG is a fully packaged design composed of partially filled cylinder and gear systems. To the best of our knowledge, the correlation of inner fluid motion and electrical voltage output performance using fluid dynamics analysis is demonstrated for the first time. In addition, we propose guidelines for optimum design and operation of a TENG using a non-dimensional factor <I>G</I>, which is based on the angular velocity of the cylinder and the volume ratio of the water and cylinder. In addition, a multiphase fluid flow simulation is introduced to demonstrate fluid dynamic motion and the electrical potential based on instantaneous water motion. Furthermore, a portable hand-driven device combined with a gear train that can light 30 LEDs instantaneously is introduced to demonstrate the wide applicability of the proposed TENG. Thus, our study supports a simple model where a rotating cylinder is filled with water and can be used effectively to expand new types of energy-harvesting methods.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> New triboelectric nanogenerator generation mechanism using water electrification and inertia. </LI> <LI> Optimization of the dimension and operating conditions for the nanogenerator using nondimensional factor G. </LI> <LI> A multiphase dynamic numerical simulation for water energy harvesting. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

In Vitro Effect of DFC-2 on Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

( Sukyung Kim ),( Hoonhee Seo ),( Hafij Al Mahmud ),( Md Imtiazul Islam ),( Yong-sik Kim ),( Jiwon Lyu ),( Kung-woo Nam ),( Byung-eui Lee ),( Kee-in Lee ),( Ho-yeon Song ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2017 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.27 No.11

DFC-2, a methyl 5-[2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy]-7,12-dioxo-7,12-dihydrodinaphtho[1,2-b:2’,3’- d]furan-6-carboxylate, is reported to have antitubercular effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. At concentrations ranging from 0.19 to 0.39 μg/ml, DFC-2 inhibited both drugsusceptible and -resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. Microarray analyses were employed to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of DFC-2’s action in M. tuberculosis. The most affected functional gene category was “lipid biosynthesis,” which is involved in mycolic acid synthesis. The decrease in transcription of genes related to mycolic acid synthesis was confirmed by RT-PCR. Furthermore, we found that DFC-2 triggered a reduction in mycolic acid levels, showing a similar pattern to that of mycolic acid synthesis inhibitor isoniazid. These results may explain how this compound kills mycobacteria efficiently by inhibiting mycolic acid synthesis.

Artificial Zinc Finger Fusions Targeting Sp1-binding Sites and the<i>trans</i>-Activator-responsive Element Potently Repress Transcription and Replication of HIV-1

Kim, Yeon-Soo,Kim, Jung-Min,Jung, Deug-Lim,Kang, Jae-Eun,Lee, Sukyung,Kim, Jin Soo,Seol, Wongi,Shin, Hyun-Chul,Kwon, Heung Sun,Van Lint, Carine,Hernandez, Nouria,Hur, Man-Wook American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Bi 2005 The Journal of biological chemistry Vol.280 No.22

Changes in the Microbiome of Vaginal Fluid after Menopause in Korean Women

( Sukyung Kim ),( Hoonhee Seo ),( Md Abdur Rahim ),( Saebim Lee ),( Yun-sook Kim ),( Ho-yeon Song ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2021 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.31 No.11

Various microorganisms reside in the human vagina; the vaginal microbiome is closely linked to both vaginal and general health, and for this reason, microbiome studies of the vagina are an area of research. In this study, we analyzed the vaginal microbiome of women before and after menopause to further increase our understanding of the vaginal microbiome and its contribution to general health. We did a 16s rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis on the vaginal fluids of 11 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women in Korea. We confirmed that the taxonomic composition was significantly different between the two groups. In postmenopausal women, species richness was significantly decreased, but species diversity was significantly increased. In particular, among the taxonomic components corresponding to all taxon ranks of the vaginal microbiome, a reduction in Lactobacillus taxa after menopause contributed the most to the difference between the two groups. In addition, we confirmed through metabolic analysis that the lactic-acid concentration was also decreased in the vaginal fluid of women after menopause. Our findings on the correlation between menopause and the microbiome could help diagnose menopause and enhance the prevention and treatment diseases related to menopause.