Assessment of the neurotoxicity of monosodium glutamate on neural stem cells and hippocampal neurogenesis in a rodent model.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a widely used flavor enhancer in processed foods and valued for its ability to enhance the savory taste known as umami. MSG is classified as non-toxic and recognized as a safe food additive with no specific usage restrictions in many countries. However, neurotoxic studies on MSG have primarily focused on neurons, and the effects of MSG on neural stem cells (NSCs) have not been reported.

Effects of Taekkyon-based exercise program on balance, lower extremity strength, and gait parameters in community-dwelling older women: Randomized controlled trial.

Background: As individuals age, they experience a decline in muscle strength and balance, leading to diminished functional capacity and an increased risk of falls. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of the Taekkyon-based exercise program on balance, muscle strength, and gait ability in women aged over 65-year-old residing in the local community.

Methods: Forty-eight subjects were randomly allocated into the Taekkyon-based exercise program as an experimental group (EG = 25; mean age: 71.

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Abdominal Visceral Fat in Children and Adolescents.

Purpose: Few reports have investigated the correlation between functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and the degree of obesity in children and adolescents. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between FGIDs and the degree of obesity in children and adolescents.

Methods: Children and adolescents (<19 years old) who had undergone abdominopelvic computed tomography and had been diagnosed with FGIDs from 2015 to 2016 were included in this retrospective case-control study in a ratio of 1:2.

Serious infections and tuberculosis in psoriasis patients receiving systemic therapy in Korea: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Psoriasis itself, as well as its immunomodulatory drugs, may alter the immune system, increasing the risk of infections. Recent research has indicated that patients with psoriasis are at an increased risk of developing severe infections including tuberculosis.

Objectives: To evaluate and compare the incidence of serious infectious diseases in Korea between patients with psoriasis and participants without psoriasis regarding each treatment modality.

Risk of malignancy in patients with psoriasis according to treatment modalities in Korea: a nationwide cohort study.

Intrinsic immunologic disparity of psoriasis itself, along with chronic inflammation and immunomodulatory anti-psoriatic treatments could be associated with increased risk of malignancy. We aimed to estimate the risk of malignancy in patients with psoriasis by treatment modality compared with that in individuals without psoriasis in Korea. We conducted a nationwide cohort study using the claims database of the National Health Insurance Service from January 2005 to December 2018.

Proteome Analysis of the Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus in Chronic High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity.

The hypothalamus plays a central role in the integrated regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis. The hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) contains a population of neurons that express orexigenic and anorexigenic factors and is thought to control feeding behavior via several neuronal circuits. In this study, a comparative proteomic analysis of low-fat control diet- (LFD-) and high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced hypothalamic ARC was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) related to changes in body weight.

Treatment of Extensive Spinal Epidural Abscess with Skipped Laminotomy Using a Pediatric Feeding Tube: A Case Report.

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is an unusual form of spinal infection. Performing multilevel laminectomies is controversial in cases of extensive SEA considering the long surgical time and mechanical instability. Here, we report the case of an older woman with extensive SEA and poor general condition who was successfully treated with a less invasive treatment, namely skipped laminotomy using a pediatric feeding tube.

Bactericidal effect of ultraviolet C light-emitting diodes: Optimization of efficacy toward foodborne pathogens in water.

The elimination of bacterial pathogens from water using ultraviolet C light-emitting diodes (UVC-LEDs) is a critical technology in terms of hygiene and sanitation. This technology has several advantages, such as low energy consumption, no heating requirements, and high effectiveness. Although several studies have reported the bactericidal effect of UVC-LEDs, little information is available on their bactericidal effect on water reservoirs contaminated with microorganisms.

Crystal and electronic facet analysis of ultrafine NiP particles by solid-state NMR nanocrystallography.

Structural and morphological control of crystalline nanoparticles is crucial in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and the development of "reaction specific" catalysts. To achieve this, colloidal chemistry methods are combined with ab initio calculations in order to define the reaction parameters, which drive chemical reactions to the desired crystal nucleation and growth path. Key in this procedure is the experimental verification of the predicted crystal facets and their corresponding electronic structure, which in case of nanostructured materials becomes extremely difficult.

The lower energy diffraction and scattering side-bounce beamline for materials science at the Canadian Light Source.

A new diffraction beamline for materials science has been built at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. The X-ray source is an in-vacuum wiggler with a 2.5 T peak magnetic field at 5.

The Causes and Management of Asymmetrical Double Eyelids.

Blepharoplasty is a commonly performed aesthetic surgery, especially in Asians. Nevertheless, as in all surgeries, postoperative complications still occur. Asymmetry is the most common complication after double eyelid surgery.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Korean version of the Central Sensitization Inventory in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty for knee osteoarthritis.

The purpose of this study was to establish a Korean version of the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI-K) for Korean-speaking patients facing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the CSI-K. We recruited a total of 269 patients with knee OA who were scheduled to undergo TKA for the study. CSI-K and pain-related outcomes, including the pain visual analog scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC) pain sub-scores, were measured.

The Relationship Between Cigarette Smoking and the Prevalence, Frequency and Severity of Back Pain.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between smoking and back pain in a cross-sectional analysis. Using the Osteoarthritis Initiative database, a multi-center, longitudinal, observational cohort study with 4796 participants, we examined the prevalence of back pain and of limitations in activity due to back pain, as well as the frequency and severity of back pain in participants who were current smokers compared to those who had never smoked. Data was evaluated using binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses.

Lacrimal Canalicular Reconstruction With Canalicular Transposition.

Medial eyelid defects often damage the lacrimal drainage system, and reconstruction for these patients is challenging. The purpose of this report is to describe a new surgical technique for canalicular reconstruction using canalicular transposition. A 67-year-old female patient presented with an eyelid tumor diagnosed as a sebaceous cell carcinoma at the medial left lower eyelid.

The Incremental Cost of Inpatient Venous Thromboembolism After Hip Fracture Surgery.

Objectives: To (1) identify trends in the rates of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and (2) calculate the additional incremental inpatient cost and length of stay associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) after hip fracture surgery.

Design: Retrospective database analysis.

Setting: Hospital discharge data.

Chemogenetic manipulation of parasympathetic neurons (DMV) regulates feeding behavior and energy metabolism.

Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) innervates with several peripheral organs such as liver, pancreas and regulates energy metabolism. However, the direct role of PNS on food intake has been poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of parasympathetic nervous system in regulation of feeding by chemogenetic methods.

Chemoprophylaxis for the Hip Fracture Patient: A Comparison of Warfarin and Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin.

Objective: To compare the rates of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), rates of pulmonary embolus (PE), and complication profiles of warfarin and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in patients undergoing operative fixation of hip fractures.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Insurance-based database of more than 22 million patient records.

BpeB, a major resistance-nodulation-cell division transporter from Burkholderia cenocepacia: construct design, crystallization and preliminary structural analysis.

Burkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunistic pathogen that infects cystic fibrosis patients, causing pneumonia and septicemia. B. cenocepacia has intrinsic antibiotic resistance against monobactams, aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol and fluoroquinolones that is contributed by a homologue of BpeB, which is a member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type multidrug-efflux transporters.

Optimizing the cutoff for the identification of skin sensitizers by the HaCaSens assay: Introducing an ROC-analysis-based cutoff approach.

The worldwide restricted use of animal testing makes it challenging to identify the skin sensitizing potentials of newly manufactured products. The HaCaSens assay has shown promise as an in vitro skin sensitizing assay comparable to existing assays, and is currently under pre-validation. However, there is little agreement on how to assess the results of the assay to discriminate sensitizers from non-sensitizers as the stimulation index (SI) cutoff value was arbitrarily chosen without appropriate statistical methods.

Serum Levels of PCSK9 Are Associated with Coronary Angiographic Severity in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a circulating protein that promotes degradation of the low density lipoprotein receptor. PCSK9 has emerged as a target for lipid-lowering therapy, but the predictive value of the serum level of PCSK9 for the severity of coronary disease is largely unknown.

Methods: From December 2009 to July 2012, 121 individuals who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) because of clinically suspected acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in this study.

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Blepharoptosis in Korea: A 24-year Experience including 2,328 Patients.

Purpose: To describe the demographics, relative incidence of subtypes, and clinical characteristics of blepharoptosis in Korean patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective, observational case series consisting of 2,328 patients who underwent ptosis surgery from 1991 to 2014 at a tertiary referral hospital in Korea. The patients were classified according to the type of ptosis and the evaluation of clinical characteristics including levator muscle function (LF) and degree of ptosis.

Preventive Effect of Mebicar and Ginsenoside Rg1 on Neurobehavioral and Immunological Disruptions Caused by Intermittent Unpredictable Stress in Mice.

Objectives: Ginsenoside Rg1 and mebicar have been reported to have broad efficacy spectrum, including anti-anxiety and anti-stress. These drugs have been used not only for treatment but also for the purpose of increasing resistance from disease. A specific aim of this study was to investigate whether mebicar or ginsenoside Rg1 can prevent physiological changes resulting from intermittent unpredictable stress (IUS).

Serum Levels of PCSK9 Are Associated with Coronary Angiographic Severity in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a circulating protein that promotes degradation of the low density lipoprotein receptor. PCSK9 has emerged as a target for lipid-lowering therapy, but the predictive value of the serum level of PCSK9 for the severity of coronary disease is largely unknown.

Methods: From December 2009 to July 2012, 121 individuals who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) because of clinically suspected acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in this study.