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Background: Genetic myopathy is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of genetic disorders characterized by progressive degeneration of skeletal muscles. Epidemiological studies of genetic myopathy have not yet been performed in Korea. Objectives: This study used data from the national health insurance claims database to determine the prevalence and socioeconomic status of patients with genetic myopathy in Korea. Methods: We analyzed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database from 2007 to 2011. Patients with genetic myopathy were defined based on diagnostic and procedure codes. We then evaluated the prevalence, types of health insurances, and medical expenses of these patients. Results: During the 11-year study period, 2,988 patients with genetic myopathy were enrolled. Among them, 1,762 were men and 1,226 were women. The prevalence per 100,000 population in 2017 was 3.09 (3.94 for men and 2.24 for women). The prevalence of genetic myopathy among men <35 years old (8.33 per 100,000 population) was approximately twice that among women <35 years old (4.06 per 100,000 population). However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of genetic myopathy among those ≥35 years old according to sex. The ratio of patients using medical aid among all genetic myopathy patients was approximately 4 times than that among the general population in Korea. The medical expenses per person for genetic myopathy increased from USD 2,027 in 2007 to USD 4,810 in 2017. Conclusions: Our study was the first nationwide epidemiologic study of the prevalence and socioeconomic status of patients with genetic myopathy in Korea. Our results confirmed a sex divergence in a younger population and those with low socioeconomic status among patients with genetic myopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing and magnitude of early stage of the Ordovician radiation with respect to reef consortia are still not well understood. In this study, we analysed the constructional style and environmental conditions of middle Tremadocian patch reefs in the middle Dumugol Formation of Korea, and assessed the temporal-spatial patterns of Furongian–Lower Ordovician reefs, to obtain a better insight into the transition of reef development during the Early Ordovician. The metre-scale microbial–sponge patch reefs, which are some of the oldest Ordovician reefs in this region, formed when carbonate-prevailing depositional systems were being re-established after deposition of shale-dominated outer shelf systems. These reefs and the enclosing lenses of normally graded packstone to grainstone change laterally to limestone–shale couplets, indicating that the reef-builders had settled in low-energy mid-ramp habitats. The main reef-building organisms are laminar, columnar–domal microbialites (peloidal crusts and stromatolites) and annulated obconical to cylindrical specimens of the anthaspidellid sponge Archaeoscyphia , most of which are mutually attached and form vertically and laterally connected reef frameworks. These reef attributes are comparable to those of their middle–upper Tremadocian counterparts in peri-Gondwana and Laurentia, but differ from Cambrian–lower Tremadocian microbial-lithistid sponge reefs that are largely concentrated in shallow subtidal deposits. Bio- and/or chemostratigraphic data from these Lower Ordovician successions reveal that the occupation of deeper subtidal ecospace by microbial–anthaspidellid consortia occurred rapidly at a global scale during the middle Tremadocian. This appearance, and the nearly contemporaneous emergence of novel skeletal reef-builders, may represents a pulse of the early Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, shortly after the occurrence of the Top Skullrockian Isotopic Carbon Excursion (TSICE). • Middle Tremadocian microbial–sponge reefs reported from mid-ramp successions • Annulated Archaeoscyphia was a constructor in deeper subtidal setting. • Middle Tremadocian sponge invasion of these habitats occurred across continents. • Habitat expansion correlated with advent of novel shallow subtidal reef-builders. • Near-synchronous shifts of these reef communities are a pulse of the early GOBE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perilla (Perilla frutescens) is a commonly consumed herb with various health benefits in Asia. However, the risks of food-borne illness owing to the presence of pathogens on perilla leaves have not been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the microbiota of perilla leaves harvested in South Korea using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. In total, 2,743,003 sequencing reads were obtained, and 92–437 operational taxonomic units were observed in all samples. Bacterial loads were quantified, and the diversity indices were compared. Differences in the microbiota among sampling times and regions were also investigated. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were predominant phyla at both times. At the class level, the bacterial communities were composed primarily of Alphaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Gammaproteobacteria. Diverse bacterial taxa, such as Bacillus, uncultured family Enterobacteriaceae, and Sphingomonas were detected, and the representative pathogenic species (i.e., Acinetobacter lwoffii , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Staphylococcus aureus) were quantified by qRT-PCR. The results of the co-occurrence network analysis showed characteristics of bacterial taxa in the microbiome on perilla leaves and provided insights into the roles of correlations among diverse microbes, including potential pathogens. Based on these results, the potential risk of food-borne illness from consumption of perilla leaves may be higher in July than in April. In summary, the microbial compositions determined in this study can be used as a base data for food-safety management for prediction and prevention of future outbreaks. Unlabelled Image • We evaluated the microbiota of perilla leaves (Perilla frutescens var. frutescens). • Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were predominant phyla at both sampling times. • The genera such as Bacillus , Methylobacterium , Sphingomonas , and uncultured family Enterobacteriaceae were dominant. • Risk of food-borne illness from perilla leaves may be higher in July than in April. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]