The Impact of Spectral and Temporal Degradation on Vocoded Speech Recognition in Early-Blind Individuals.

This study compared the impact of spectral and temporal degradation on vocoded speech recognition between early-blind and sighted subjects. The participants included 25 early-blind subjects (30.32 ± 4.

Effect of spectral degradation on speech intelligibility and cortical representation.

Noise-vocoded speech has long been used to investigate how acoustic cues affect speech understanding. Studies indicate that reducing the number of spectral channel bands diminishes speech intelligibility. Despite previous studies examining the channel band effect using earlier event-related potential (ERP) components, such as P1, N1, and P2, a clear consensus or understanding remains elusive.

Pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis in two neonates: Early recognition and use of corticosteroids.

Pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis (PIG) is known to be associated with a wide variety of congenital conditions, though the extent to which PIG contributes to clinical presentation and outcomes in infants remains controversial. We describe two cases of infants with congenital anomalies and respiratory distress at birth who were diagnosed with PIG with differing clinical courses and response to methylprednisolone therapy. These cases highlight the importance of improved recognition of PIG and uncertainties about which patients may benefit from treatment.

Effect of face masks on speech perception in noise of individuals with hearing aids.

Although several previous studies have confirmed that listeners find it difficult to perceive the speech of face-mask-wearing speakers, there has been little research into how masks affect hearing-impaired individuals using hearing aids. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of masks on the speech perception in noise of hearing-impaired individuals and normal-hearing individuals. We also investigated the effect of masks on the gain conferred by hearing aids.

Association Between Enlarged Perivascular Spaces and Cognition in a Memory Clinic Population.

Background And Objectives: Although enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) have been suggested as an emerging measure of small vessel disease (SVD) in the brain, their association with cognitive impairment is not yet clearly understood. We aimed to examine the relationship between each EPVS in the basal ganglia (BG-EPVS) and centrum semiovale (CSO-EPVS) with cognition in a memory clinic population.

Methods: Participants with a diverse cognitive spectrum were recruited from a university hospital memory clinic.

ERRγ Ligand Regulates Adult Neurogenesis and Depression-like Behavior in a LRRK2-G2019S-associated Young Female Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Adult neurogenesis, a process controlling the proliferation to maturation of newly generated neurons in the post-developmental brain, is associated with various brain functions and pathogenesis of neuropsychological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and depression. Because orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) plays a role in the differentiation of neuronal cells, we investigated whether an ERRγ ligand enhances adult neurogenesis and regulates depressive behavior in a LRRK2-G2019S-associated mouse model of PD. Young female LRRK2-G2019S mice (7-9 weeks old) showed depression-like behavior without dopaminergic neuronal loss in the nigrostriatal pathway nor motor dysfunction.

Association of Retinal Changes With Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Cognitively Normal Individuals.

Importance: Retinal biomarkers reflecting in vivo brain Alzheimer disease (AD) pathologic abnormalities could be a useful tool for screening cognitively normal (CN) individuals at the preclinical stage of AD.

Objectives: To investigate the association of both functional and structural alterations of the retina with in vivo AD pathologic abnormalities in CN older adults and model a screening tool for detection of preclinical AD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included a total of 49 CN individuals, and all assessment was done at the Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.

Sorting Nexin 27 Regulates the Lysosomal Degradation of Aquaporin-2 Protein in the Kidney Collecting Duct.

Sorting nexin 27 (SNX27), a PDZ (Postsynaptic density-95/Discs large/Zonula occludens 1) domain-containing protein, cooperates with a retromer complex, which regulates intracellular trafficking and the abundance of membrane proteins. Since the carboxyl terminus of aquaporin-2 (AQP2c) has a class I PDZ-interacting motif (X-T/S-X-Φ), the role of SNX27 in the regulation of AQP2 was studied. Co-immunoprecipitation assay of the rat kidney demonstrated an interaction of SNX27 with AQP2.

Comparison of the characteristics and injury severity of passengers in motor vehicle accidents between urban and rural cities in South Korea.

Objective: To analyze motor vehicle accidents in two different traffic environments and compare differences in severity between both regions.

Methods: Injury data were collected by the Emergency Medicine and Traffic Accident Research Team as part of the Korean In-Depth Accident Study. Patients admitted to emergency medical centers located in Wonju, Gangwon province (population 345,143, rural, group A) and Bucheon, Gyeonggi province (population 870,735, urban, group B) between January 2011 and December 2017 were included for analysis.

Regulation of aquaporin-2 by RNA interference.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that interact with 3'-untranslated regions of mRNAs. miRNAs modulate gene expression by regulating mRNA translation and provide novel insights into the complex regulation of protein expression and function. In this chapter, we describe the general features of RNA interference, identification of miRNAs, and interaction of miRNAs with their target genes.

Exosomes co-expressing AQP5-targeting miRNAs and IL-4 receptor-binding peptide inhibit the migration of human breast cancer cells.

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) plays a role in breast cancer cell migration. This study aimed to identify AQP5-targeting miRNAs and examine their effects on breast cancer cell migration through exosome-mediated delivery. Bioinformatic analyses identified miR-1226-3p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-19b-3p as putative regulators of AQP5 mRNA.

Vasopressin-Independent Regulation of Aquaporin-2 by Tamoxifen in Kidney Collecting Ducts.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) mediates water reabsorption in the kidney collecting ducts through regulation of aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Also, estrogen has been known to regulate AQP2. Consistently, we previously demonstrated that tamoxifen (TAM), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, attenuates the downregulation of AQP2 in lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI).

Region-specific association between basal blood insulin and cerebral glucose metabolism in older adults.

Background: Although previous studies have suggested that insulin plays a role in brain function, it still remains unclear whether or not insulin has a region-specific association with neuronal and synaptic activity in the living human brain. We investigated the regional pattern of association between basal blood insulin and resting-state cerebral glucose metabolism (CMglu), a proxy for neuronal and synaptic activity, in older adults.

Method: A total of 234 nondiabetic, cognitively normal (CN) older adults underwent comprehensive clinical assessment, resting-state 18F-fluodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) and blood sampling to determine overnight fasting blood insulin and glucose levels, as well as apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping.

The emerging role of xanthine oxidase inhibition for suppression of breast cancer cell migration and metastasis associated with hypercholesterolemia.

Hypercholesterolemia is reported to increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to promote breast cancer progression. ROS play an important role in tumor biology, and xanthine oxidase (XO) is an enzyme that generates ROS. The effects of febuxostat (FBX), an XO inhibitor, on breast cancer cell migration under LDL stimulation and metastasis of breast cancer associated with hypercholesterolemia were studied.

Influence of hypertension on brain amyloid deposition and Alzheimer's disease signature neurodegeneration.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of hypertension with beta-amyloid (Aβ) and neurodegeneration biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the modulating effect of apolipoprotein E-ε4 (APOE4). In total, 259 cognitively normal (CN) and 79 AD dementia older adults received clinical assessments including the evaluation for the presence of hypertension, [C]-Pittsburgh-compound-B-positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and APOE genotyping. We used a clinical stage-specific approach, separately focusing on CN and AD dementia stages.

Bile Acid G Protein-Coupled Membrane Receptor TGR5 Modulates Aquaporin 2-Mediated Water Homeostasis.

Background: The bile acid-activated receptors, including the membrane G protein-coupled receptor TGR5 and nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR), have roles in kidney diseases. In this study, we investigated the role of TGR5 in renal water handling and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods: We used tubule suspensions of inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells from rat kidneys to investigate the effect of TGR5 signaling on aquaporin-2 (AQP2) expression, and examined the effects of TGR5 in mice with lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) and knockout () mice.

Synergistic interaction between APOE and family history of Alzheimer's disease on cerebral amyloid deposition and glucose metabolism.

Background: Recently, the field of gene-gene or gene-environment interaction research appears to have gained growing interest, although it is seldom investigated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hence, the current study aims to investigate interaction effects of the key genetic and environmental risks-the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4) and family history of late-onset AD (FH)-on AD-related brain changes in cognitively normal (CN) middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: [C] Pittsburg compound-B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging as well as [F] fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) PET that were simultaneously taken with T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained from 268 CNs from the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis and Prediction of AD (KBASE).

The Mental Health Status and Intellectual Ability of Unwed Mothers Dwelling in Korean Shelter Homes.

Although many unwed mothers have issues concerning mental health and intellectual ability, little research has focused on their mental and cognitive status. Due to the public stigma attached to unwed mothers in South Korea, they tend to conceal their status and are less likely to seek psychiatric and psychological help. In this context, this study aims to assess the current status of their mental health and intellectual characteristics.

Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease: Methodology and Baseline Sample Characteristics.

Objective: The Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's disease (KBASE) aimed to recruit 650 individuals, aged from 20 to 90 years, to search for new biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate how multi-faceted lifetime experiences and bodily changes contribute to the brain changes or brain pathologies related to the AD process.

Methods: All participants received comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluations, multi-modal brain imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, [C]Pittsburgh compound B-positron emission tomography (PET), and [F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, blood and genetic marker analyses at baseline, and a subset of participants underwent actigraph monitoring and completed a sleep diary. Participants are to be followed annually with clinical and neuropsychological assessments, and biannually with the full KBASE assessment, including neuroimaging and laboratory tests.

A new approach of digital PCR system for non-invasive prenatal screening of trisomy 21.

Background: Non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) of trisomy 21 (T21) using digital PCR (dPCR) with several advantages will be very effective. Here, we developed a dPCR system for T21 screening which allows high sensitivity and real-time diagnosis and thus overcome sequence based analysis.

Methods: Cut-off value was established using DNA extracted from all 157 T21 negative samples including 47 pregnant woman samples and 3 T21 positive pregnant woman samples extracted from 4 different sample types.

miR-34c-5p and CaMKII are involved in aldosterone-induced fibrosis in kidney collecting duct cells.

Mineralocorticoids trigger a profibrotic process in the kidney. In mouse cortical collecting duct cells, the present study addressed two main questions: 1) what are microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes that are changed by aldosterone? and 2) what do miRNAs, in response to aldosterone, regulate regarding signaling pathways related to fibrosis? A microarray chip assay was done in cells in the absence or presence of aldosterone treatment (10 M; 3 days). The candidate miRNAs were identified by the criteria of >30% of fold change among the significantly changed miRNAs ( P < 0.

Screening Ability of Subjective Memory Complaints, Informant-Reports for Cognitive Decline, and Their Combination in Memory Clinic Setting.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the accuracy of subjective memory complaints, informant-reports for cognitive declines, and their combination for screening cognitive disorders in memory clinic setting.

Methods: One-hundred thirtytwo cognitively normal (CN), 136 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 546 dementia who visited the memory clinic in the Seoul National University Hospital underwent standardized clinical evaluation and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ) and the Seoul Informant Report Questionnaire for Dementia (SIRQD) were used to assess subjective memory complaints and informant-reports for cognitive declines, respectively.

Clinical Dementia Rating Orientation Score as an Excellent Predictor of the Progression to Alzheimer's Disease in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the usefulness of each subscale score of the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) for predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia progression in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) elderly subjects.

Methods: Fifty-nine elderly MCI individuals were recruited from a university dementia and memory disorder clinic. Standardized clinical and neuropsychological tests were performed both at baseline and at the time of 2 years follow-up.

Associations of thyroid hormone serum levels with in-vivo Alzheimer's disease pathologies.

Background: The present study investigated the relationships between thyroid hormone serum levels or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and two Alzheimer's disease (AD)-specific biomarkers, cerebral amyloid beta (Aβ) burden and glucose metabolism, in AD-signature brain regions in cognitively normal (CN) middle-aged and older individuals.

Methods: This study assessed 148 CN individuals who received comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments that included C-Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB)-positron emission tomography (PET) scans, F-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scans, and the quantification of serum triiodothyronine (T3), free T3, free thyroxine (fT4), and TSH levels.

Results: All participants were clinically euthyroid.