SUMMARY Troyer syndrome is a hereditary spastic paraplegia caused by human spartin (SPG20) gene mutations. We have generated a Drosophila disease model showing that Spartin functions presynaptically with endocytic adaptor Eps15 to regulate synaptic growth and function. Spartin inhibits bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by promoting endocytic degradation of BMP receptor wishful thinking (Wit). Drosophila fragile X mental retardation protein (dFMRP) and Futsch/MAP1B are downstream effectors of Spartin and BMP signaling in regulating microtubule stability and synaptic growth. Loss of Spartin or elevation of BMP signaling induces age-dependent progressive defects resembling hereditary spastic paraplegias, including motor dysfunction and brain neurodegeneration. Null spartin phenotypes are prevented by administration of the microtubule-destabilizing drug vinblastine. Together, these results demonstrate that Spartin regulates both synaptic development and neuronal survival by controlling microtubule stability via the BMP-dFMRP-Futsch pathway, suggesting that impaired regulation of microtubule stability is a core pathogenic component in Troyer syndrome.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Korean population. A total of 11,587 adults ≥30 years of age and with complete data were selected from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VI conducted from 2013 to 2015. Normal ALT and AST levels were divided into quartiles, and their associations with MS were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Elevated levels of ALT [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 7.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.50–9.60] and AST (aOR = 3.81, 95% CI = 3.10–4.74) were both significantly associated with a higher prevalence of MS. The quartile group containing the highest levels of ALT and AST within the normal range also showed an increased risk of MS and its components. Elevated levels of ALT and AST, even within the normal range, were associated with prevalence of MS.

Background A flipped classroom with team-based learning is a blended educational strategy that guides active learning inside and outside the classroom. This study aimed to verify the effects of this innovative blended educational strategy on knowledge, problem-solving ability, and learning satisfaction of undergraduate nursing students undergoing public healthcare education. Methods The subjects were undergraduate nursing students enrolled in H University in South Korea. The experiment was conducted over a period of 8 weeks in the public healthcare course. Two groups, blended learning (A flipped classroom with team-based learning) which was the experimental group and traditional lecture-based classroom group, the control group, were assessed. In the blended learning group, the students had pre-class, in-class (including team-based learning elements), and post-class learning elements. The two groups were compared on the following learning outcomes: knowledge, problem-solving ability, and learning satisfaction. Results Results showed that the blended learning instructional methods, in comparison with traditional lectures, enhanced the students’ knowledge, problem-solving ability, and learning satisfaction in the public healthcare course. Conclusions This study supports the feasibility of the flipped classroom with team-based learning as a blended learning strategy, able to produce improvements in nursing students’ learning outcomes. Blended learning approaches may be an effective alternative to conventional approaches in nursing education.

Purpose: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), an emerging infectious disease introduced in South Korea in 2020. Medically inclined college students are more susceptible to be infected by the virus. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing preventive behavior against COVID-19 among medically inclined college students.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey. Data were collected from 400 medically inclined college students from four colleges of medice. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis were conducted to analysis the data.Results: The study subjects had high knowledge and optimism related to COVID-19. Preventive behavior against COVID-19 was affected mostly by attitude (β=.32, <i>p</i><.001). Such behavior was also high in relation to knowledge (β=.17, <i>p</i><.001), and nursing students (β=.15, <i>p</i>=.002).Conclusion: Infection prevention education for medically inclined college students mainly focuses on knowledge transfer. Infection preventive education programs aimed at improving COVID-19 optimistic attitudes and knowledge are helpful for these students to maintain appropriate preventive practices. The confirmation of the importance of optimistic attitudes and risk perception toward infectious diseases through this study can provide insight into infection prevention education programs to improve practice to wards new epidemic prevention behaviors.