Intratumoral delivery of mRNA encoding the endogenous TLR2/6 agonist UNE-C1 induces immunogenic cell death and enhances antitumor activity.

Introduction: Recent investigations have highlighted the intratumoral administration of Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands as a promising approach to initiate localized immune responses and enhance antitumor immunity. However, the clinical application of these ligands is limited by their rapid dissemination from the tumor microenvironment, raising concerns about reduced effectiveness and systemic toxicity.

Methods: To address these challenges, our study focused on the intratumoral delivery of mRNA encoding UNE-C1, a TLR2/6 ligand known for its efficacy and low toxicity profile.

Bile acids, fibroblast growth factor-19, and glucagon-like peptide-1 levels in the long term after bariatric surgery.

Objectives: Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) is a hormone often measured in the short-term following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) due to its elevation and association with improvement of glucose metabolism. We examined the durability of this effect in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in the long term after RYGB.

Methods: Obese patients with type 2 DM who had received RYGB 10 years ago (n = 10) were enrolled and a meal tolerance test (MTT) was performed.

All-cause and cause-specific mortality risks in individuals with diabetes living alone: A large-scale population-based cohort study.

Aims: The rise in one-person households is a global trend. We aimed to investigate mortality risk in individuals with diabetes living alone (IDLA) using a large-scale population-based database.

Methods: A total of 2,447,557 adults with type 2 diabetes were identified from the Korean National Health Information Database.

Fenofibrate to prevent amputation and reduce vascular complications in patients with diabetes: FENO-PREVENT.

Background: The potential preventive effect of fenofibrate on lower extremity amputation (LEA) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not fully elucidated.

Methods: We selected adult patients ≥ 20 years of age with T2D from the Korean National Health Insurance Service Database (2009-2012). The fenofibrate users were matched in a 1:4 ratio with non-users using propensity scores (PS).

Germline Mutations and Phenotypic Associations in Korean Patients With Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma: A Multicenter Study and Literature Review.

Genetic testing is recommended for all patients with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) to establish genotype-phenotype associations. We investigated germline mutations in 59 patients with PPGL at six Korean university hospitals using next-generation sequencing (NGS) targeting 38 PPGL-associated genes, including those recommended by the Korean PPGL Task Force. Germline mutations were identified in 13 patients (22%), and affected four genes: , , , and .

Association between serum uric acid levels and dietary fiber intake in adults: the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (KNHANES VII, 2016-2018).

Background: Hyperuricemia could be a risk for various chronic diseases, and it could be largely corrected by diet control. This study was a nationwide cross-sectional study to investigate the association between serum uric acid level and dietary fiber intake.

Methods: This study analyzed data based on the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2016 to 2018.

Higher body mass index increases the risk of shoulder adhesive capsulitis in young adults: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The impact of overweight on the incidence of shoulder adhesive capsulitis (AC) has not been clearly proven. This study aimed to investigate the association between overweight and AC by age using a large-scale nationwide population-based cohort in Korea.

Methods: We analyzed clinical data from 3,517,066 individuals older than 20 years who had undergone a National Health Insurance Service health checkup in 2009.

A multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel comparison, phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone add-on therapy in type 2 diabetic patients treated with metformin and dapagliflozin.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone compared to placebo when added to metformin plus dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Materials And Methods: In a multicentre study, with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 249 Korean patients with T2DM suboptimally managed on metformin and dapagliflozin were assigned to receive either pioglitazone (15 mg daily) or placebo for 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week pioglitazone extension. Primary outcomes included changes in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), with secondary outcomes assessing insulin resistance, adiponectin levels, lipid profiles, liver enzymes, body weight and waist circumference.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in young Korean adults.

Aims: To investigate the impact of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in young Korean adults.

Methods: Data were sourced from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort, comprising adults aged 20-39 who underwent health examinations between 2009 and 2012. Participants were grouped based on the presence of MAFLD and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), both individually and in combination.

Diabetes severity and the risk of depression: A nationwide population-based study.

Background: In consideration of the substantial occurrence rates of diabetes mellitus (DM) and depression, it is imperative to identify patients with DM who are at an elevated risk of developing depression. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine whether the risk of depression escalated proportionally with the severity of diabetes.

Methods: 2,067,017 adults diagnosed with type 2 DM, with the exception of those diagnosed with depression either before or within one year of the index date, were identified from a nationwide population-based cohort in Korea.

Fabrication of Al-Ni Alloys for Fast Hydrogen Production from Hydrolysis in Alkaline Water.

Hydrogen generation through the hydrolysis of aluminum alloys has attracted significant attention because it generates hydrogen directly from alkaline water without the need for hydrogen storage technology. The hydrogen generation rate from the hydrolysis of aluminum in alkaline water is linearly proportional to its corrosion rate. To accelerate the corrosion rate of the aluminum alloy, we designed Al-Ni alloys by continuously precipitating an electrochemically noble AlNi phase along the grain boundaries.

Association between Smoking Status and the Risk of Hip Fracture in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Backgruound: Limited longitudinal evidence exists regarding the potential association between smoking status and hip fracture among individuals with type 2 diabetes. We investigated this association using large-scale, nationwide cohort data for the Korean population.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study included 1,414,635 adults aged 40 and older who received Korean National Health Insurance Service health examinations between 2009 and 2012.

Weight change in patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus and its association with remission: Comprehensive real-world data.

Aims: We aimed to investigate weight change in patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus and the association of weight loss on diabetes remission in Korean adults.

Materials And Methods: We used the health examination database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled and followed to 2017.

Long-Term Cumulative Exposure to High γ-Glutamyl Transferase Levels and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Backgruound: Elevated γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GTP) levels are associated with metabolic syndrome. We investigated the association of cumulative exposure to high γ-GTP with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large-scale population.

Methods: Using nationally representative data from the Korean National Health Insurance system, 1,640,127 people with 4 years of consecutive γ-GTP measurements from 2009 to 2012 were included and followed up until the end of 2019.

The Risk of Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis in Individuals with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Backgruound: This study aimed to investigate the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and shoulder adhesive capsulitis (AC) using a large-scale, nationwide, population-based cohort in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: A total of 3,471,745 subjects aged over 20 years who underwent a National Health Insurance Service medical checkup between 2009 and 2010 were included in this study, and followed from the date of their medical checkup to the end of 2018. Subjects were classified into the following four groups based on the presence of dysglycemia and history of diabetes medication: normal, prediabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM (new-T2DM), and T2DM (claim history for antidiabetic medication).

Repeated detection of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases the incidence risk of type 2 diabetes in young adults.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of repeated detection of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the incidence risk of type 2 diabetes in young adults.

Materials And Methods: In this nationwide population-based observational study using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, approximately 1 125 015 young adults aged 20-39 years who underwent health screening four times between 2009 and 2013 were included. NAFLD was defined as a fatty liver index (FLI) of ≥60.

Optimal LDL cholesterol levels in young and old patients with type 2 diabetes for secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases are different.

Objective: Real-world-based population data about the optimal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level for preventing cardiovascular disease in very high-risk populations is scarce.

Methods: From 2009 to 2012, 26,922 people aged ≥ 40 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who had a history of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were analyzed. Data from the Korean National Health Insurance System were used.

Diabetes Mellitus in the Elderly Adults in Korea: Based on Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019 to 2020.

Backgruound: We evaluated the prevalence and management of diabetes mellitus (DM) in elderly Korean patients based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

Methods: A total of 3,068 adults aged 65 years and older (19.8% of total population) were analyzed using KNHANES from 2019 to 2020.

Physical activity and reduced risk of fracture in thyroid cancer patients after thyroidectomy - a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: Levothyroxine suppressive therapy following thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer patients is considered as a risk factor for osteoporosis and fragility fractures. We evaluated the association of regular exercise and exercise habit change with fracture risk in adults older than 40 years who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer.

Methods: We enrolled the patients who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer older than 40 years between 2010 and 2016 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service data, and they were followed through 2019.

Advances in laser speckle imaging: From qualitative to quantitative hemodynamic assessment.

Laser speckle imaging (LSI) techniques have emerged as a promising method for visualizing functional blood vessels and tissue perfusion by analyzing the speckle patterns generated by coherent light interacting with living biological tissue. These patterns carry important biophysical tissue information including blood flow dynamics. The noninvasive, label-free, and wide-field attributes along with relatively simple instrumental schematics make it an appealing imaging modality in preclinical and clinical applications.

Risk of Pancreatic Cancer and Use of Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Propensity Score-Matching Analysis.

Backgruound: The effects of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors over the course of long-term treatment remain unclear, and concerns have been raised regarding the role of DPP-4 inhibitors in carcinogenesis in the pancreas. Earlier studies of pancreatic adverse events have reported conflicting results.

Methods: This study analyzed Korean National Health Insurance Service data from January 2009 to December 2012.

Photobiomodulation Therapy Restores Olfactory Function Impaired by Photothrombosis in Mouse Olfactory Bulb.

An ischemic stroke typically accompanies numerous disorders ranging from somatosensory dysfunction to cognitive impairments, inflicting patients with various neurologic symptoms. Among pathologic outcomes, post-stroke olfactory dysfunctions are frequently observed. Despite the well-known prevalence, therapy options for such compromised olfaction are limited, likely due to the complexity of olfactory bulb architecture, which encompasses both the peripheral and central nervous systems.