Niclosamide attenuates calcification in human heart valvular interstitial cells through inhibition of the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a considerable health burden with a lack of effective therapeutic options. There is an urgent need to develop interventions that inhibit the osteogenic transformation of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and delay the calcification process. Niclosamide, an FDA-approved anti-helminthic drug, has emerged as a promising candidate that demonstrates a negative regulatory effect on porcine VICs calcification.

Postoperative complications in patients with Behçet's disease.

Objective: To assess the proportion of postoperative complications of various surgeries in patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and compare the risk of surgical complications between BD patients and controls.

Methods: We analyzed 389 BD patients who underwent surgeries at Seoul National University Hospital between January 2003 and December 2019. Controls were 1:1 matched with BD patients based on age at surgery, sex, and type of surgery.

Survival of lung cancer patients according to screening eligibility using Korean Lung Cancer Registry 2014-2016.

This study assessed survival for lung cancer patients meeting criteria for the National Lung Cancer Screening Program in Korea launched in 2019 and updated guideline reported by the US Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF). We assessed all-cause mortality based on the Korean Lung Cancer Registry (KLCR), including lung cancer patients diagnosed in 2014-2016. We compared survival among lung cancer patients eligible for extended USPSTF criteria (age 50-80 years and ≥ 20 pack-years) and those meeting current criteria (age 54-74 years and ≥ 30 pack-years, current or within the past 15 years).

Heterogenous effect of early adulthood stress on cognitive aging and synaptic function in the dentate gyrus.

Cognitive aging widely varies among individuals due to different stress experiences throughout the lifespan and vulnerability of neurocognitive mechanisms. To understand the heterogeneity of cognitive aging, we investigated the effect of early adulthood stress (EAS) on three different hippocampus-dependent memory tasks: the novel object recognition test (assessing recognition memory: RM), the paired association test (assessing episodic-like memory: EM), and trace fear conditioning (assessing trace memory: TM). Two-month-old rats were exposed to chronic mild stress for 6 weeks and underwent behavioral testing either 2 weeks or 20 months later.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2024.

Purpose: This study aimed to report the projected cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2024 to estimate Korea's current cancer burden.

Materials And Methods: Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2021 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2022 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against their respective years and multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the anticipated age-specific population for 2024.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2021.

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2021.

Materials And Methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2021, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2022. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea.

Incidence and survival of gynecologic cancer including cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal, vulvar cancer and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia in Korea, 1999-2019: Korea Central Cancer Registry.

Objective: To investigate the incidence, trends, and survival rates of all gynecologic cancers using the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) database from 1999-2019.

Methods: Gynecologic cancer data were obtained from the KCCR database between 1999 and 2019. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs), annual percentage changes, and average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) were calculated.

Regional disparities in major cancer incidence in Korea, 1999-2018.

Objectives: This study investigated regional disparities in the incidence of 8 major cancers at the municipal level in Korea during 1999-2018 and evaluated the presence or absence of hot spots of cancer clusters during 2014-2018.

Methods: The Korea National Cancer Incidence Database was used. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by gender and region at the municipal level for 4 periods of 5 years and 8 cancer types.

A manifold neural population code for space in hippocampal coactivity dynamics independent of place fields.

Hippocampus place cell discharge is temporally unreliable across seconds and days, and place fields are multimodal, suggesting an "ensemble cofiring" spatial coding hypothesis with manifold dynamics that does not require reliable spatial tuning, in contrast to hypotheses based on place field (spatial tuning) stability. We imaged mouse CA1 (cornu ammonis 1) ensembles in two environments across three weeks to evaluate these coding hypotheses. While place fields "remap," being more distinct between than within environments, coactivity relationships generally change less.

Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection into Healed Myocardial Infarction Scar Border Zone on the Risk of Ventricular Tachycardia.

The scar border zone is a main source of reentry responsible for ischemic ventricular tachycardia (VT). We evaluated the effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injection into the scar border zone on arrhythmic risks in a post-myocardial infarction (MI) animal model. Rabbit MI models were generated by left descending coronary artery ligation.

Do Place Cells Dream of Deceptive Moves in a Signaling Game?

We consider the possibility of applying game theory to analysis and modeling of neurobiological systems. Specifically, the basic properties and features of information asymmetric signaling games are considered and discussed as having potential to explain diverse neurobiological phenomena; we focus on neuronal action potential discharge that can represent cognitive variables in memory and purposeful behavior. We begin by arguing that there is a pressing need for conceptual frameworks that can permit analysis and integration of information and explanations across many scales of biological function including gene regulation, molecular and biochemical signaling, cellular and metabolic function, neuronal population, and systems level organization to generate plausible hypotheses across these scales.

Effects of winter indoor environment on the skin: Unveiling skin condition changes in Korea.

Background: In Korea, winter can cause skin dryness due to low relative humidity (RH); moreover, indoor heating devices promote moisture loss and air pollution. If dryness persists, dead skin cells accumulate, leading to skin problems; therefore, careful skin care is required. This study aimed to compare changes in skin conditions when exposed to an indoor environment for a short period of 6 h in winter, and to suggest proper winter skin care practices.

Corrugated surface microparticles with chitosan and levofloxacin for improved aerodynamic performance.

Corrugated surface microparticles comprising levofloxacin (LEV), chitosan and organic acid were prepared using the 3-combo spray drying method. The amount and the boiling point of the organic acid affected the degree of roughness. In this study, we tried to improve the aerodynamic performance and increase aerosolization by corrugated surface microparticle for lung drug delivery efficiency as dry powder inhaler.

A Rabbit Aortic Valve Stenosis Model Induced by Direct Balloon Injury.

Animal models are emerging as an important tool to understand the pathologic mechanisms underlying aortic valve stenosis (AVS) because of the lack of access to reliable sources of diseased human aortic valves. Among the various animal models, AVS rabbit models are one of the most commonly used in large animal studies. However, traditional AVS rabbit models require a long-term period of dietary supplementation and genetic manipulation to induce significant stenosis in the aortic valve, limiting their use in experimental studies.

Annual Endovascular Thrombectomy Case Volume and Thrombectomy-capable Hospitals of Korea in Acute Stroke Care.

Objectives: Although it is difficult to define the quality of stroke care, acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with moderate-to-severe neurological deficits may benefit from thrombectomy-capable hospitals (TCHs) that have a stroke unit, stroke specialists, and a substantial endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) case volume.

Methods: From national audit data collected between 2013 and 2016, potential EVT candidates arriving within 24 hours with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥6 were identified. Hospitals were classified as TCHs (≥15 EVT case/y, stroke unit, and stroke specialists), primary stroke hospitals (PSHs) without EVT (PSHs-without-EVT, 0 case/y), and PSHs-with-EVT.

Protective effect of Buddha's Temple extract against tert-butyl hydroperoxide stimulation-induced oxidative stress in DF-1 cells.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the protective efficacy of Buddha's Temple (BT) extract against tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative stress in Gallus gallus chicken embryo fibroblast cell line (DF-1) and its effects on the cell lipid metabolism.

Methods: In this experimental study, Gallus gallus DF-1 fibroblast cells were pretreated with BT 10-7 for 24 hours, followed by their six-hour exposure to t-BHP (100 μM). Water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8 (WST-8) assays were performed, and the growth curve was computed.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2020.

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2020.

Materials And Methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2020, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2021. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2023.

Purpose: This study aimed to report the projected cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2023 to estimate Korea's current cancer burden.

Materials And Methods: Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2020 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2021 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against their respective years and then by multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the anticipated age-specific population for 2023.

Effect of Preoperative Administration of Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose in Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia after Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Patients scheduled for cardiac surgery often have anemia and iron deficiency. We investigated the effect of the preoperative administration of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (IVFC) in patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) who were due to undergo off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Patients who were due to undergo elective OPCAB between February 2019 and March 2022 who had IDA ( = 86) were included in this single center, randomized, parallel-group controlled study.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of macrophage heterogeneity and a potential function of Trem2 macrophages in infarcted hearts.

Heart failure (HF) is a frequent consequence of myocardial infarction (MI). Identification of the precise, time-dependent composition of inflammatory cells may provide clues for the establishment of new biomarkers and therapeutic approaches targeting post-MI HF. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of MI-associated immune cells in a mouse model of MI using spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq).

Current state and prospects of gout treatment in Korea.

Effective management of gout includes the following: appropriate control of gout flares; lifestyle modifications; management of comorbidities; and long-term urate-lowering therapy (ULT) to prevent subsequent gout flares, structural joint damage, and shortening of life expectancy. In addition to traditional treatments for gout, novel therapies have been introduced in recent years. Indeed, new recommendations for the management of gout have been proposed by various international societies.