Short-term exposure to outdoor nitrogen dioxide and respiratory mortality, with high-risk populations: a nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study.

Numerous existing studies reported the negative impacts of outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO) on respiratory mortality. However, the evidence of related high-risk populations was considerably limited, especially associated with ages, causes of death, and district-level characteristics. In addition, most earlier studies were based on monitored areas, thus previous risk estimates of NO could be biased to provide nationwide risk estimates and high-risk populations.

Association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and violence cases in South Korea: A nationwide time-stratified care-crossover study.

Several studies reported the roles of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on violent behaviors; however, existing findings had a limitation in assessing the population-representative association between violence and PM2.5 due to the limited data availability: most studies have been based on homicides in monitored urban areas.

Associations between various types of mortality and temperature variability distinguishing the intraday and interday effects in South Korea.

Background: The association between temperature variability (TV) and elevated mortality risks is widely known. Yet, few studies investigated the distinct effects of intraday and interday temperature fluctuations considering age-specific, gender-specific, and cause-specific mortality stratified by four seasons.

Objectives: We investigate the associations between total, intraday, and interday temperature variabilities and total, age-specific, gender-specific, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality year-round and also stratified by four seasons.

Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality: a national health insurance cohort study.

Background: Previous studies with large data have been widely reported that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with all-cause mortality; however, most of these studies adopted ecological time-series designs or have included limited study areas or individuals residing in well-monitored urban areas. However, nationwide cohort studies including cause-specific mortalities with different age groups were sparse.

Summer temperature and emergency room visits due to urinary tract infection in South Korea: a national time-stratified case-crossover study.

Background: Although urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common and severe public health concern, and there are clear biological mechanisms between UTI and hot temperatures, few studies have addressed the association between hot temperatures and UTI.

Methods: We designed a time-stratified case-crossover study using a population-representative sample cohort based on the National Health Insurance System (NHIS) in South Korea. We obtained all NHIS-based hospital admissions through the emergency room (ER) due to UTI (using a primary diagnostic code) from 2006 to 2019.

Timely accessibility to healthcare resources and heatwave-related mortality in 7 major cities of South Korea: a two-stage approach with principal component analysis.

Background: Due to the ongoing effects of climate change, the incidence of heatwave-related mortality is rising globally. Improved allocation and utilization of healthcare resources could help alleviate this issue. This study aimed to identify healthcare resource factors associated with heatwave-related mortality in seven major cities of South Korea.

Hepatitis C Virus Seroprevalence in Persons Who Inject Drugs in Korea, 2012-2022: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study.

Background: Limited data are available on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in persons who inject drugs (PWID) in South Korea. The present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of HCV antibodies, risk factors for HCV seropositivity, and HCV treatment status in PWID between January 2012 and May 2022.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 418 drug users who underwent HCV antibody testing in three hospitals caring for 90% of known PWID in South Korea, of whom 373 were PWID.

Association of long-term exposure to air pollution with chronic sleep deprivation in South Korea: A community-level longitudinal study, 2008-2018.

Background And Objective: Although there are many findings about the effects of fine particulate matter (PM) and sleep deprivation on health respectively, the association between PM and chronic sleep deprivation has rarely been investigated. Thus, we aimed to investigate this association using a nationwide survey in South Korea.

Method: We examined the association between long-term exposure to PM and chronic sleep deprivation using a national cross-sectional health survey covering the entire 226 districts in inland South Korea from 2008 to 2018, with a machine learning-based national air pollution prediction model with 1 km spatial resolution.

Epidemiological investigation of equine hindlimb ataxia with in South Korea.

Background: Since 2013, the number of requests for diagnosis for horses based on neurological symptoms has increased rapidly in South Korea. The affected horses have commonly exhibited symptoms of acute seasonal hindlimb ataxia. A previous study from 2015-2016 identified as the causative agent.

Individual and regional characteristics associated with changes in mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

Mental health has been a major public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and whether individual and regional characteristics are associated with the changes in mental health. We estimated district-specific changes in the prevalence of moderate stress, extreme stress, and depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic after adjusting for the time trend of mental health outcomes.

Development of an Ultrasonic Doppler Sensor-Based Swallowing Monitoring and Assessment System.

Existing swallowing evaluation methods using X-ray or endoscopy are qualitative. The present study develops a swallowing monitoring and assessment system (SMAS) that is nonintrusive and quantitative. The SMAS comprises an ultrasonic Doppler sensor array, a microphone, and an inertial measurement unit to measure ultrasound signals originating only from swallowing activities.

Effects of a Motion Seat System on Driver's Passive Task-Related Fatigue: An On-Road Driving Study.

Passive task-related (TR) fatigue caused by monotonous driving can negatively affect driving safety by impairing driver alertness and performance. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a motion seat system on the driver's passive TR fatigue in terms of driving performance, physiological response, and subjective fatigue by using automotive and physiological sensors those applicable to on-road driving environment. Twenty drivers (5 females and 15 males; age = 38.

CT and radiographic evaluation of bronchial collapsibility at forced expiration in asymptomatic brachycephalic dogs.

Bronchial collapse due to bronchomalacia is an important cause of chronic coughing in dogs. Radiographic and CT evidence of bronchial collapse has previously been reported in healthy Beagle dogs under forced expiration. However, published studies in brachycephalic dog breeds that are prone to bronchial collapse are currently lacking.

Evaluation of the radiographic liver length/11th thoracic vertebral length ratio as a method for quantifying liver size in cats.

Abdominal radiography is a standard diagnostic test for cats with suspected liver disease, however, absolute measurements of radiographic liver size can be affected by other factors such as positioning, radiographic technique, and obesity. This prospective and retrospective, analytical, cross-sectional study evaluated the liver length/11th thoracic vertebral length (LL/T11) ratio as a method for minimizing these outside effects. In a prospectively recruited sample of 25 clinically healthy cats, measurements of radiographic LL/T11 ratio were compared with CT measurements of liver volume.

Long-Term Efficacy and Tolerability of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Growth Hormone-Secreting Adenoma: A Retrospective Multicenter Study (MERGE-001).

Objective: Little is known about the long-term efficacy, prognostic factors, and tolerability of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for acromegaly. The aim of this study was to investigate long-term hormonal effects, prognostic factors, and tolerability of GKS in patients with growth hormone-secreting adenoma.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter study over 25 years with a median follow-up of 85.

Self-reverse-biased solar panel optical receiver for simultaneous visible light communication and energy harvesting.

We propose a self-reverse-biased solar panel optical receiver for energy harvesting and visible light communication. Since the solar panel converts an optical component into an electrical component, it provides both energy harvesting and communication. The signal component can be separated from the direct current component, and these components are used for communication and energy harvesting.

Inter-cell interference mitigation in multi-cellular visible light communications.

Inter-cell interference hinders multi-cellular optical wireless communication to support various applications. We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a multicarrier-based cell partitioning scheme, combined with frequency reuse, which could be effective in optical communications although it is inefficient in RF wireless communications. For multicarrier-based cell partitioning, Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-based multiple access (OFDMA) was employed to accommodate multi-cellular optical wireless communications without a large guard band between adjacent cells and without additional RF components.

Decreased cortical complexity in methamphetamine abusers.

This study aimed to investigate if methamphetamine (MA) abusers exhibit alterations in complexity of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and to determine if these possible alterations are associated with their abuse patterns. EEGs were recorded from 48 former MA-dependent males and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Approximate Entropy (ApEn), an information-theoretical measure of irregularity, of the EEGs was estimated to quantify the degree of cortical complexity.

The differences in neural network activity between methamphetamine abusers and healthy subjects performing an emotion-matching task: functional MRI study.

Methamphetamine (MA) abusers commonly exhibit socially problematic behaviors, such as diminished empathy, decreased emotional regulation and interpersonal violence, which may be attributable to alterations in emotional experience. However, few studies have used functional MRI to examine directly the emotional experience of threatening or fearful non-face images in MA abusers. In this study, we investigated possible differences in neural correlates of negative emotional experiences between abstinent MA abusers and healthy subjects using complex visual scenes depicting fear or threat derived from the International Affective Picture System.

Impairments of facial emotion recognition and theory of mind in methamphetamine abusers.

Chronic use of methamphetamine is related to behavioral disturbances including depression, aggressive behavior, and social isolation. These alterations of social behavior may be attributable to impairments in social cognition. However, few studies have evaluated social cognition in methamphetamine (MA) abusers.

Alterations in cortical activity of male methamphetamine abusers performing an empathy task: fMRI study.

Objectives: We investigate possible differences in neural correlates of empathy processing between abstinent methamphetamine (MA) abusers and healthy subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods: Nineteen abstinent MA abusers (mean age of 36.06 years, range 31-52 years) and 19 healthy subjects (mean age of 37.

Polarization splitter and polarization rotator designs based on transformation optics.

The transformation optics technique is employed in this paper to design two optical devices - a two-dimensional polarization splitter and a three-dimensional polarization rotator for propagating beams. The polarization splitter translates the TM- and the TE-polarized components of an incident beam in opposite directions (i.e.

Development of 'De novo' Aneurysm after Therapeutic Carotid Occlusion.

Carotid occlusion is an inevitable therapeutic modality for the treatment of complex aneurysms such as giant, traumatic, and intracavernous aneurysms. Late complications of carotid occlusion include 'de novo' aneurysm formation at a distant site because of hemodynamic changes in the circle of Willis. We report a case of de novo aneurysm in a vessel that appeared to be normal on initial angiography.

Analysis of clinical and radiological outcomes in microsurgical and endovascular treatment of basilar apex aneurysms.

Objective: We aimed to analyze clinical and radiological outcomes retrospectively in patients with basilar apex aneurysms treated by coiling or clipping.

Methods: Outcomes of basilar bifurcation aneurysms were assessed retrospectively in 77 consecutive patients (61 women, 16 men), ranging in age from 25 to 79 years (mean, 53.7 years) from 1999 to 2007.