Association Between Individual Air Pollution (PM, PM) Exposure and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Korea: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort, Air Pollution on Pregnancy Outcome (APPO) Study.

Background: Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution is linked to a higher risk of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. However, the association between pregnancy complications and exposure to indoor air pollution remains unclear. The Air Pollution on Pregnancy Outcomes research is a hospital-based prospective cohort research created to look into the effects of aerodynamically exposed particulate matter (PM) and PM on pregnancy outcomes.

Identification of Short-Chain Fatty Acids for Predicting Preterm Birth in Cervicovaginal Fluid Using Mass Spectrometry.

Preterm birth (PTB) refers to delivery before 37 weeks of gestation. Premature neonates exhibit higher neonatal morbidity and mortality rates than term neonates; therefore, predicting and preventing PTB are important. In this study, we investigated the potential of using short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, specific vaginal microbiota-derived metabolites, as a biomarker in predicting PTB using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Correction: Park et al. Effect of Particulate Matter 2.5 on Fetal Growth in Male and Preterm Infants through Oxidative Stress. 2023, , 1916.

In the original publication [...

Urinary metabolite biomarkers of pregnancy complications associated with maternal exposure to particulate matter.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is associated with reproductive health and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Dysbiotic Vaginal Microbiota Induces Preterm Birth Cascade via Pathogenic Molecules in the Vagina.

Dysbiotic vaginal microbiota (DVM) disturb the vaginal environment, including pH, metabolite, protein, and cytokine profiles. This study investigated the impact of DVM on the vaginal environment in 40 Korean pregnant women and identified predictable biomarkers of birth outcomes. Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) samples were collected in the third trimester using vaginal swabs, examined for pH, and stored at -80 °C for further analysis.

Intraretinal microvascular alterations in indirect traumatic optic neuropathy using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate macular and peripapillary microvascular alterations in patients with indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) compared to normal controls using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and determine their associations with other ocular parameters.

Methods: We enrolled 33 eyes of 33 patients with TON and 34 eyes of 34 healthy controls. OCT-A was used to generate microvascular structure images of the superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP), deep retinal capillary plexus (DRCP), and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) segment in the macula and peripapillary area.

A genome-wide and candidate gene association study of preterm birth in Korean pregnant women.

Preterm birth (PTB) refers to delivery before 37 weeks of gestation. Premature neonates exhibit higher neonatal morbidity and mortality rates than term neonates; therefore, it is crucial to predict and prevent PTB. Advancements enable the prediction and prevention of PTB using genetic approaches, especially by investigating its correlation with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Effect of Particulate Matter 2.5 on Fetal Growth in Male and Preterm Infants through Oxidative Stress.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM) levels are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. In this retrospective cohort study, we examined whether the concentration of indoor PM affected pregnancy outcomes.

Personal exposure of PM and metabolic syndrome markers of pregnant women in South Korea: APPO study.

We examined the association between exposure to PM, focused on individual exposure level, and metabolic dysfunction during pregnancy. APPO study (Air Pollution on Pregnancy Outcome) was a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study conducted from January 2021 to March 2023. Individual PM concentrations were calculated using a time-weighted average model.

Risk of optic neuritis in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A nationwide cohort study.

Background/purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between the time course of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and the development of optic neuritis (ON) in the Korean population aged 20 years and older.

Methods: A total of 10,069,044 subjects were included in this study, which utilized stratified random sampling from the national cohort. The hazard ratios (HRs) for incident ON were compared between subjects with normal fasting glucose (NFG) levels, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) levels, patients with new-onset DM, diabetes duration of fewer than 5 years (early DM), and diabetes duration of 5 years or more (late DM).

Probiotics Improve Vaginal Dysbiosis in Asymptomatic Women.

Vaginal dysbiosis can lead to serious infections in asymptomatic women. probiotics (LBPs) are being investigated as a promising therapy for reversing vaginal microbiota dysbiosis. This study aimed to investigate whether administering LBPs could improve vaginal dysbiosis and facilitate the colonization of species in asymptomatic women.

The introduction to air pollution on pregnancy outcome (APPO) study: a multicenter cohort study.

Objective: The air pollution on pregnancy outcome (APPO) study is a prospective hospital-based cohort study designed to investigate the maternal and fetal effects of a particulate matter with an aerodynamic below 10 μm (PM10) and PM2.5 (below 2.5 μm) exposure.

Retinal and peripapillary vascular deformations in prematurely born children aged 4-12 years with a history of retinopathy of prematurity.

In this study, foveal, parafoveal, peripapillary anatomical, and microvascular anomalies in prematurely born children aged 4-12 years with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were evaluated. Seventy-eight eyes of 78 prematurely born children ([tROP]: ROP with laser treatment, [srROP]: spontaneously regressed ROP) and 43 eyes of 43 healthy children were included. Foveal and peripapillary morphological parameters (including ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness) and vasculature parameters (including foveal avascular zone area, vessel density from superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP), deep retinal capillary plexus (DRCP), and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) segments) were analyzed.

Transition in vaginal Lactobacillus species during pregnancy and prediction of preterm birth in Korean women.

The predominance of vaginal Lactobacillus species, specifically L. crispatus, is important for pregnancy maintenance, but varies by race. The composition of the vaginal microbiome can affect susceptibility to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Predicting visual outcomes after decompression of pituitary tumours based on stratified inner-retinal layer thickness and age.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential role of stratified preoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements and age in predicting postoperative visual field (VF) improvement among adult patients with chiasmal compression due to pituitary tumours after decompression surgery.

Methods: Postoperative visual outcomes were analysed using mean deviation of the VF test. Eyes were divided into three groups based on preoperative OCT parameters including peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness: groups 1, 2 and 3 with pRNFL thickness <65 μm, 65 μm or more but <85 μm, and 85 μm or more, respectively.

Ganglion cell inner plexiform layer thickness measured by optical coherence tomography to predict visual outcome in chiasmal compression.

We evaluated the prognostic value of the preoperative macular ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness along with peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and estimated an optimal cut-off value to predict postoperative visual field (VF) recovery in adult patients with chiasmal compression after decompression surgery. Two hundred forty eyes of 240 patients aged 20 years or older for which preoperative high-definition Cirrus OCT parameters and pre- and postoperative visual function data were available. The prognostic power of pRNFL and mGCIPL thicknesses for complete postoperative VF recovery or significant VF improvement (improvement ≥ 2 dB in the mean deviation) were assessed.

Ureaplasma and Prevotella colonization with Lactobacillus abundance during pregnancy facilitates term birth.

Ureaplasma and Prevotella infections are well-known bacteria associated with preterm birth. However, with the development of metagenome sequencing techniques, it has been found that not all Ureaplasma and Prevotella colonizations cause preterm birth. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between Ureaplasma and Prevotella colonization with the induction of preterm birth even in the presence of Lactobacillus.

Neuroretinitis after the second injection of a SARS-CoV-2-vaccine: A case report.

Purpose: We report the first case of neuroretinitis after administration of a second dose of a messenger RNA vaccine for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Observations: An 83-year-old healthy woman presented with subacute, painless, and progressive visual loss in the right eye that started 2 days after the second injection of the COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty®) from Pfizer (New York, NY, USA) and BioNTech (Mainz, Germany). Visual acuities were hand motion perception in the right eye and 20/30 in the left eye.

Parafoveal and peripapillary vessel density in pediatric and juvenile craniopharyngioma patients.

We assessed the retinal microvascular alterations detected by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in pediatric and juvenile craniopharyngioma (CP) patients with chiasmal compression. We included 15 eyes of 15 pediatric or juvenile CP patients and 18 eyes of 18 healthy subjects. The evaluation of vessel density from the superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP), the deep retinal capillary plexus, and the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) segments was obtained by OCT-A.

Incidence and Characteristics of Intraocular Lens Dislocation after Phacoemulsification: An Eight-Year, Nationwide, Population-Based Study.

Background: We investigate the incidence and characteristics of IOL dislocation among the pseudophakic population after phacoemulsification.

Methods: National data were collected from the health claims recorded with the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of South Korea from 2009 to 2016. Pseudophakic patients aged 40 years or older were included.

Identification of Indicators for Preterm Birth Using Retinoid Metabolites.

Metabolites reflect the biochemical dynamics for the maintenance of pregnancy and parturition. UPLC-Q/TOF-MS and LC-MS/MS metabolomics were performed to identify and validate the plasma metabolomic signatures of preterm birth (PTB). We recruited pregnant women between 16 and 40 weeks 5 days gestational age at Ewha Womans Mokdong Hospital for a nested case-control study.

Visual impairment increases the risk of dementia, especially in young males in a 12-year longitudinal follow-up study of a national cohort.

We investigated the effect of visual impairment (VI) on dementia development in a national cohort. In this 12-year nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study, national data were collected from National Health Insurance Cooperation of South Korea from 2002 to 2017, comprising 799,074 subjects selected from the dementia-free cohort representative of the Korean population. Crude hazard ratios (HRs) as well as age- and sex-adjusted HRs and confidence intervals (CIs) for the development of dementia were estimated using multivariable Cox regression models.