Syringable Microcapsules for Sustained, Localized, and Controllable siRNA Delivery.

The clinical use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotides often requires invasive routes of administration, including intrathecal or intraocular injection. Additionally, these treatments often necessitate repeated injections. While nanoparticle formulation and chemical modifications have extended siRNA therapeutic durability, challenges persist, such as the side effects of bolus injections with high toxicity and maximum exposure in the acute phase.

The association between serum free fatty acid levels and neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients: A prospective observational study.

Free fatty acids (FFA) are a known risk factor in the development of sudden cardiac death. However, the relationship between FFA and the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association between FFA and neurological outcomes in OHCA patients.

Inverse Association of the Adequacy and Balance Scores in the Modified Healthy Eating Index with Type 2 Diabetes in Women.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has markedly increased among Asians as their diets and lifestyles become more westernized. We, therefore, investigated the hypothesis that the Korean healthy eating index (KHEI) scores are associated with gender-specific T2DM risk in adults. The hypothesis was tested using the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-VI (2013-2017) with a complex sample survey design.

Association between pre-hospital National Early Warning Score and in-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between the outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and pre-hospital National Early Warning Score (NEWS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Revised Trauma Score (RTS).

Methods: This retrospective and observational study included adult patients with TBI admitted to the pre-hospital emergency medical services system between January 2019 and December 2020. TBI was considered when the abbreviated injury scale score was 3 or higher.

The Prevalence of Symptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Disease in Korea; A 15-Year Multicenter Study and Analysis of Big Data From National Health Insurance System.

The birth prevalence of symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) disease among live birth in Korea from a multicenter study was 0.06% during 2001-2015 with increasing frequency. The administrative prevalence of cCMV infection by big-data analysis from the national health insurance system was 0.

Performance of Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) for Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients.

The present study aimed to analyze and compare the prognostic performances of the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), Shock Index (SI), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) for in-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This retrospective observational study included severe trauma patients with TBI who visited the emergency department between January 2018 and December 2020. TBI was considered when the Abbreviated Injury Scale was 3 or higher.

A Healthy Diet Rich in Calcium and Vitamin C Is Inversely Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Korean Adults from the KNHANES 2013-2017.

The association between metabolic syndrome and eating patterns remains unclear. We hypothesized that Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) scores were related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in adults in a gender-dependent manner. We aimed to examine the hypothesis using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-VI (2013-2017) data with a complex sample survey design.

Cardiovascular age of workers with different employment categories.

Introduction: We compared the cardiovascular age (an indicator of cardiovascular disease risk) in workers with different employment status after adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data collected from 2007 to 2017 for the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Study participants were placed into different employment categories based on employment status and work schedule: regular full-time, regular part-time, temporary full-time, temporary part-time, daily full-time, and daily part-time.

Association of the Healthy Eating Index with Estimated Cardiovascular Age in Adults from the KNHANES 2013-2017.

In this paper, we hypothesized that the gap between estimated cardiovascular age (eCV-age) and chronological age had a gender-wise correlation with the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI). We tested the hypothesis in adults aged 20-64 years old using the KNHANES 2013-2017 data. eCV-age was estimated based on the designated risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and age-gap was calculated by subtracting the eCV-age from the chronological age in 12,317 adults.

Comparison of the physical and mental health problems of unemployed with employees in South Korea.

This study compared the physical and mental health problems of adults with standard and nonstandard employment with those who were unemployed. We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to compare adult males and females with standard and nonstandard employment with those who were unemployed. Relative to adults with standard employment, higher proportions of unemployed individuals were women, older, had low monthly incomes, and had mental health problems.

Trends in the Intake of Fatty Acids and Their Food Source According to Obese Status Among Korean Adult Population Using KNHANES 2007-2017.

Background: Increasing obesity rates are related to energy intake with carbohydrate and fat ratio. Using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2017 data, we examined the hypothesis that the fat intake and food sources of dietary fats had changed over the last 10 years according to gender and obesity status in adult population ≥19 years.

Methods: The food intake of each participant was collected by the 24-hour recall method, and nutrient intake including different fatty acids was calculated.

Relationship of Occupational Category With Risk of Physical and Mental Health Problems.

Objectives: We evaluated the physical and mental health problems of waged workers in Korea who had different classes of occupation.

Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2017) to examine 22,788 workers who were waged employees and categorized these workers into 5 occupational classes.

Results: "Unskilled manual workers" were more likely to be older, less educated, have lower monthly income, and work fewer hours per week.

Relationship between optic nerve sheath diameter measured by magnetic resonance imaging, intracranial pressure, and neurological outcome in cardiac arrest survivors who underwent targeted temperature management.

Aim: Studies on the prognostic performance of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors (OHCA) have reported conflicting results. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of ONSD measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate its association with intracranial pressure (ICP) and 6-month neurological outcomes in CA survivors treated with targeted temperature management (TTM).

Method: This retrospective study included 37 CA survivors who underwent TTM from January 2018 to December 2018.

The usefulness of neuron-specific enolase in cerebrospinal fluid to predict neurological prognosis in cardiac arrest survivors who underwent target temperature management: A prospective observational study.

Aim: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels increase ahead of serum NSE levels in patients with severe brain injury. We examined the prognostic performance between CSF NSE and serum NSE levels in out-of-cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who had undergone target temperature management (TTM).

Methods: This single-centre prospective observational study included OHCA patients who had undergone TTM.

Non-Standard Workers Have Poorer Physical and Mental Health Than Standard Workers.

Objectives: To compare the health status of workers who had non-standard and standard employment in Korea.

Methods: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2007 to 2017) were used to compare the health of workers with standard and non-standard employment.

Results: Workers with non-standard employment (rather than standard employment) were more likely to be women, older, have less education, have lower monthly income, perform manual work, and work fewer hours per week.

Changes of Atmospheric and Blood Concentrations of Lead and Cadmium in the General Population of South Korea from 2008 to 2017.

We measured changes in atmospheric and blood levels of lead and cadmium in the South Korean general population during the past decade. Blood data of 16,873 adults were taken from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2008-2017). Atmospheric data were taken from 66 air quality monitoring sites in 16 different regions in South Korea.

A Frizzled-Like Cysteine-Rich Domain in Glypican-3 Mediates Wnt Binding and Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumor Growth in Mice.

Wnt signaling is one of the key regulators of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor progression. In addition to the classical receptor frizzled (FZD), various coreceptors including heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are involved in Wnt activation. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is an HSPG that is overexpressed in HCC and functions as a Wnt coreceptor that modulates HCC cell proliferation.

Association of Blood Pressure with Blood Lead and Cadmium Levels in Korean Adolescents: Analysis of Data from the 2010-2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: We evaluated the association of blood pressure (BP) with blood levels of cadmium, lead, and cadmium and lead together (cadmium + lead) in a representative sample of adolescents from Korea.

Methods: We used 2010-2016 data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This cross-sectional study enrolled adolescents aged at 10-18 years-old who completed a health examination survey and had blood measurements of lead and cadmium.

Relationship between time related serum albumin concentration, optic nerve sheath diameter, cerebrospinal fluid pressure, and neurological prognosis in cardiac arrest survivors.

Aim: The optimal time to measure serum albumin concentration (SAC) to predict prognosis in cardiac arrest (CA) survivors has not been elucidated. We aimed to compare the relationships between time-related SAC, optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), intracranial pressure (ICP), and neurological prognosis in CA survivors.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective study examining CA patients treated with target temperature management (TTM).

Environmental exposures to lead, mercury, and cadmium among South Korean teenagers (KNHANES 2010-2013): Body burden and risk factors.

Introduction: Limited information is available on the association of age and sex with blood concentrations of heavy metals in teenagers. In addition, factors such as a shared family environment may have an association. We analyzed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2010-2013) to determine whether blood levels of heavy metals differ by risk factors such as age, sex, and shared family environment in a representative sample of teenagers.

Urinary arsenic species concentration in residents living near abandoned metal mines in South Korea.

Background: Arsenic is a carcinogenic heavy metal that has a species-dependent health effects and abandoned metal mines are a source of significant arsenic exposure. Therefore, the aims of this study were to analyze urinary arsenic species and their concentration in residents living near abandoned metal mines and to monitor the environmental health effects of abandoned metal mines in Korea.

Methods: This study was performed in 2014 to assess urinary arsenic excretion patterns of residents living near abandoned metal mines in South Korea.

High carbohydrate diets are positively associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome irrespective to fatty acid composition in women: the KNHANES 2007-2014.

We evaluated that carbohydrates and fatty acids intake modifies the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and we also determined gender-nutrient interaction in 38,766 adults in KNHANES (2007-2014). Carbohydrate intake was positively associated, and fat intake inversely associated, with the incidence of MetS. The association exhibited a gender interaction with the macronutrient intake; this association was significant in females.

Molecular Models of STAT5A Tetramers Complexed to DNA Predict Relative Genome-Wide Frequencies of the Spacing between the Two Dimer Binding Motifs of the Tetramer Binding Sites.

STAT proteins bind DNA as dimers and tetramers to control cellular development, differentiation, survival, and expansion. The tetramer binding sites are comprised of two dimer-binding sites repeated in tandem. The genome-wide distribution of the spacings between the dimer binding sites shows a distinctive, non-random pattern.

Association of Blood Pressure with Exposure to Lead and Cadmium: Analysis of Data from the 2008-2013 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

We examined the association of blood pressure with blood levels of cadmium, lead, and their combination in a representative sample of adults from South Korea (Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2013). This cross-sectional study enrolled subjects who were at least 19 years-old, completed a health examination survey, and had blood measurements of lead and cadmium. We estimated the adjusted mean differences in diastolic and systolic blood pressure associated with doubling of blood lead and cadmium by regression of blood pressure against log-transformed blood metals and their tertiles after covariate adjustment.