The intestinal area is composed of diverse cell types that harmonize gut homeostasis, which is influenced by both endogenous and exogenous factors. Notably, the environment of the intestine is exposed to several types of mechanical forces, including shear stress generated by fluid flow, compression and stretch generated by luminal contents and peristaltic waves of the intestine, and stiffness attributed to the extracellular matrix. These forces play critical roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the preferred treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but adherence remains challenging. This study identifies factors influencing CPAP adherence, including the impact of Korea's four distinct seasons. A retrospective study of 650 patients with OSA and prescribed with CPAP was conducted at a single institution from January 2018 to December 2020, and the patients' answers on various sleep questionnaires, demographic and polysomnographic data, and when and whether they returned the CPAP devices were collected and analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic radically shifted occupational patterns, leading to increased telecommuting and related stressors. Healthcare providers, among the most impacted group, faced heightened risks and workplace changes. Our study examined the efficacy of forest therapy in alleviating work-induced stress across various professions, exploring the need for profession-specific stress-relief strategies in the post-pandemic workplace.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle factors and sleep disturbances associated with the symptoms suggestive of RLS in Korean adolescents.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated a total of 25,789 adolescents (mean age, 15.
Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to various health complications, including erectile dysfunction (ED), which is more prevalent in individuals with OSA. This study explored ED in Korean OSA patients and assessed the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on ED.
Methods: A total of 87 male patients with OSA from four different sleep centers underwent physical measurements and completed sleep and mental health (MH) questionnaires, including the Korean version of the International index of erectile function (IIEF), before and three months after initiating CPAP therapy.
Hydrangenol, a dihydroisocoumarin, isolated from the leaves of Hydrangea serrata, possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-photoaging activities. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of hydrangenol (HG) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms of action in C57BL/6 mice. Oral administration of HG (20 or 40 mg/kg) significantly restored the survival rate and population of macrophages, T helper cells (CD3/CD4), and Th17 cells (CD3/CD4/CCR6) in the spleens of mice with LPS-induced endotoxemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Since the outbreak of the pandemic started, an increase in the number of sleep disorders, including insomnia and poor sleep quality, has been seen. The pattern will probably continue.
Methods: This study focuses on the preparation and clinical testing of extract in treating suboptimal sleep quality.
Leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI-1) antibody encephalitis is a type of limbic encephalitis characterized by faciobrachial dystonic seizure and short-term memory loss as initial clinical symptoms. We present a case initially misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and finally diagnosed as LGI-1 antibody encephalitis. A 41-year-old female presented to the neurology clinic with a 4-month history of anxiety and disoriented speech and a new onset headache.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFlavanones in peel (CUP) have been used as therapeutic agents to reduce intestinal inflammation; however, the anti-inflammatory effects of their biometabolites remain ambiguous. Here, we identified aglycone-type flavanones, such as hesperetin and naringenin, which were more abundant in the bioconversion of the CUP than in the ethanol extracts of the CUP. We found that the bioconversion of the CUP induced the canonical nuclear factor-κB pathway via degradation of IκB in Caco-2 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
May 2022
Sleep disorders may have various causes and can incur mental and/or physical symptoms, and affect an individual's quality of life. In this study, we confirm that the extract (PCET) can improve sleep quality and structure by promoting inhibitory neurotransmission via the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A (GABA) receptors based on the mechanisms revealed in the experiment with superior cervical ganglion neurons. Pentobarbital-induced sleep tests were conducted in order to determine whether the PCET extract improves the sleep quality and structure in normal ICR mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough periodic limb movement during sleep (PLMS) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) are common in children and adolescents, they are relatively overlooked as a target of treatment. PLMS has been evaluated as having a lower clinical significance than RLS. This study examined the relationship of socio-behavioral factors of PLMS in Korean adolescents and checked whether PLMS is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), depending on whether restless legs symptoms accompany it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
March 2022
This study targeted medical workers, who are currently being subjected to an excessive workload and emotional stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Various treatment programs, such as a relaxation program to relieve stress, a walk in the forest, and woodworking were provided to the participants as forest healing therapies. We enrolled 13 medical workers (11 females, 2 males).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biodegradable plastic with great potential for tackling plastic waste and marine pollution issues, but its commercial applications have been limited due to its poor processability. In this study, surface-modified cellulose nanocrystals were used to improve the mechanical properties of PHA composites produced via a melt-extrusion process. Double silanization was conducted to obtain hydrophobically treated CNC-based fillers, using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany previous studies have estimated the rate of dopaminergic denervation in Parkinson disease (PD) via imaging studies. However, they lack the considerations of onset age, disease duration at onset, gender, and dopaminergic denervation due to normal aging. Herein, using a large prospective cohort, we estimated the rate of dopaminergic denervation in PD patients, compared with an age- and gender-matched normal control group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntractable chronic occipital neuralgia (ON) is an uncommon type of headache often experienced by patients in outpatient neurological clinics. Among patients unresponsive to oral neuralgia medications, needling or injections with several drugs were suggested alternatives for treating chronic ON. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) injection treatments, where eight patients with unilateral chronic ON received BTX-A injections at the pain sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To evaluate whether patients with scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD) have early Parkinson's disease (PD).
Methods: The clinical characteristics, striatal specific binding ratios (SBRs), and the indices of I-123 FP-CIT SPECT images of 50 SWEDD patients, 304 PD patients, and 141 healthy controls were acquired from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) data and evaluated during a 2-year clinical follow-up period.
Results: Of the 50 subjects with SWEDD, PD was confirmed in 13 subjects (the PD-SWEDD group), while the remaining 37 subjects had other diseases (the Other-SWEDD group).
A time-restricted diet is one of the various ways to improve metabolic condition and weight control. However, until now, there have been few pieces of evidence and research to verify the methods and effectiveness of time-restricted diets on metabolic improvement and health promoting. We designed this study to make a healthy diet program and to verify the effectiveness of a time-restricted diet on general health, including sleep and metabolism, in healthy volunteers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsy is a common neurological disorder that is mainly treated using antiepileptic drugs. Several antiepileptic drugs such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, and ethosuximide were developed in the early 20th century. More than 10 types of antiepileptic drugs have been developed since the 1990s, and there are now more than 20 antiepileptic drugs in active clinical use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
September 2020
Female hormone changes during menopause can affect the autonomic nervous system, circadian rhythm, and secretion of cortisol/melatonin, resulting in a vulnerability to insomnia. In this light, therapy has been gaining attention as a way to reduce stress hormones by stabilizing the autonomic nervous system. Thus, this study aims to objectively and scientifically analyze the impact of forest therapy in postmenopausal insomnia patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
September 2020
Chemical modification of cellulose is beneficial to produce highly porous lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators, but introduction of high charge density adversely affects its electrochemical stability in a LiNiMnCoO (NMC)/graphite full cell. In this study, the influence of carboxylate functional groups in 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-mediated oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNs) on the electrochemical performances of the LIB separator was investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in operando mass spectrometry measurements were used to elucidate the cause of failure of the batteries containing TOCN separators in the presence and absence of sodium counterions in the carboxylate groups and additives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: This study was designed to investigate differences in the final recommended pressure setting between that derived from an autotitrating continuous positive airway pressure (APAP) device and manual in-laboratory continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration, as well as the factors that influence pressure differences in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Methods: This study enrolled 50 patients with OSA. All patients underwent both APAP titration and manual CPAP titration.
Botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) injection for treating chronic migraine (CM) has developed into a new technique covering distinct injection points in the head and neck regions. The postulated analgesic mechanism implies that the injection should be administered to sensory nerves rather than to muscles. This study aimed to determine the topographical site of the auriculotemporal nerve (ATN) and to propose the effective injection points for treating CM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrinary Alzheimer-associated neural thread protein (AD7c-NTP) is a potential biomarker of Alzheimer disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It is still unclear whether the urinary levels of AD7c-NTP are different between patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI) and nonamnestic MCI (naMCI). The present study aimed to explore the differences in urinary levels of AD7c-NTP between patients with aMCI and naMCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
September 2019
Objectives: Adequate awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may help in its prevention and control. Therefore, we evaluated knowledge among the general population of stroke and heart attack symptoms and determined the factors associated with poor understanding of CVD.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 228,240 adults (102,408 males, 125,832 females) who participated in the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey.