Aberrant activation of hippocampal astrocytes causes neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in mice.

Reactive astrocytes are associated with neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in diverse neuropathologies; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We used optogenetic and chemogenetic tools to identify the crucial roles of the hippocampal CA1 astrocytes in cognitive decline. Our results showed that repeated optogenetic stimulation of the hippocampal CA1 astrocytes induced cognitive impairment in mice and decreased synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP), which was accompanied by the appearance of inflammatory astrocytes.

Perception regarding live kidney donation in the general population of South Korea.

This study aimed to know how the general population recognizes live kidney donation in Korea. Participants were randomly selected from the general population after proportional allocation by region, sex, and age. Selected participants received a questionnaire that included demographic information, socioeconomic and marital statuses, prior recognition of live donor kidney transplantation, expected changes after donation, and the need for support after donor nephrectomy.

Astrocyte-derived adenosine excites sleep-promoting neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus: Astrocyte-neuron interactions in the regulation of sleep.

Although ATP and/or adenosine derived from astrocytes are known to regulate sleep, the precise mechanisms underlying the somnogenic effects of ATP and adenosine remain unclear. We selectively expressed channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a light-sensitive ion channel, in astrocytes within the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO), which is an essential brain nucleus involved in sleep promotion. We then examined the effects of photostimulation of astrocytic ChR2 on neuronal excitability using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in two functionally distinct types of VLPO neurons: sleep-promoting GABAergic projection neurons and non-sleep-promoting local GABAergic neurons.

Periodontal ligament preloading and rapid prototyping of the donor tooth in the autotransplantation of premolars with complete root formation.

This case report describes the successful orthodontic treatment of an 11-year-old girl with skeletal Class II malocclusion and congenitally missing mandibular second premolars. To resolve her upper lip protrusion and restore the missing mandibular premolars, extraction of the maxillary first premolars and subsequent autotransplantation of the extracted premolars onto the site of the missing mandibular second premolars were performed. To ensure the success of the autotransplantation and subsequent orthodontic treatment, an orthodontic force was preapplied on the donor teeth, and the recipient sockets were prepared with the aid of replica teeth.

Metabolic risks in living kidney donors in South Korea.

Background: Considering the growing prevalence of Western lifestyles and related chronic diseases occurring in South Korea, this study aimed to explore the progression of metabolic risk factors in living kidney donors.

Methods: This study enrolled living kidney donors from seven hospitals from 1982 to 2016. The controls were individuals that voluntarily received health check-ups from 1995 to 2016 that were matched with donors according to age, sex, diabetes status, baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate, and date of the medical record.

Long-term risk of all-cause mortality in live kidney donors: a matched cohort study.

Background: Long-term outcomes of live kidney donors remain controversial, although this information is crucial for selecting potential donors. Thus, this study compared the long-term risk of all-cause mortality between live kidney donors and healthy control.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including donors from seven tertiary hospitals in South Korea.

Economic Impact of Donating a Kidney on Living Donors: A Korean Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: Although existing studies have reported adverse health outcomes after kidney donation, its socioeconomic impact on living donors requires further study.

Study Design: A retrospective observational cohort study including a matched comparison group.

Setting & Participants: 1,285 living kidney donors from 7 tertiary hospitals between 2003 and 2016, and a matched comparison group consisting of the same number of health screening examinees with similar baseline clinical characteristics and socioeconomic status.

Do Cardiac Rehabilitation Affect Clinical Prognoses Such as Recurrence, Readmission, Revascularization, and Mortality After AMI?: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on post-discharge prognoses of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: A literature search was conducted through four international medical and two Korean databases. Primary outcomes for the effectiveness of CR included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, recurrence, revascularization, major adverse cardiovascular event, major adverse cardiocerebrovascular event, and readmission.

Astrocytes in the Ventrolateral Preoptic Area Promote Sleep.

Although ventrolateral preoptic (VLPO) nucleus is regarded as a center for sleep promotion, the exact mechanisms underlying the sleep regulation are unknown. Here, we used optogenetic tools to identify the key roles of VLPO astrocytes in sleep promotion. Optogenetic stimulation of VLPO astrocytes increased sleep duration in the active phase in naturally sleep-waking adult male rats ( = 6); it also increased the extracellular ATP concentration ( = 3) and c-Fos expression ( = 3-4) in neurons within the VLPO.

Menthol facilitates excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons.

Menthol, which acts as an agonist for transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), has complex effects on nociceptive transmission, including pain relief and hyperalgesia. Here, we addressed the effects of menthol on spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs, respectively) in medullary dorsal horn neurons, using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Menthol significantly increased sEPSC frequency, in a concentration-dependent manner, without affecting current amplitudes.

Cardiac rehabilitation and 5-year mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Report from 11 tertiary hospitals in Korea (ETHIK Study).

Background: The participation rate for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains low in some Europe and Asia including Korea.

Aim: To investigate effects of CR on prognosis improvements in terms of recurrence, readmission, revascularization, and mortality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Korea.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Is Primary Androgen Deprivation Therapy a Suitable Option for Asian Patients With Prostate Cancer Compared With Radical Prostatectomy?

Background: We conducted a comparative survival analysis between primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT) and radical prostatectomy (RP) based on nationwide Korean population data that included all patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: This study enrolled 4,538 patients with prostate cancer from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database linked with Korean Central Cancer Registry data who were treated with PADT or RP between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2014. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate survival analyses stratified by stage (localized and locally advanced) and age (<75 and ≥75 years) were performed using a Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate treatment effects.

Coronary computed tomography angiography vs. myocardial single photon emission computed tomography in patients with intermediate risk chest pain: a randomized clinical trial for cost-effectiveness comparison based on real-world cost.

Aims: To compare the cost-effectiveness of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) vs. myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with stable intermediate risk chest pain.

Methods And Results: Non-acute patients with 10-90% pre-test probability of coronary artery disease from three high-volume centres in Korea (n = 965) were randomized 1:1 to CCTA or myocardial SPECT as the initial non-invasive imaging test.

Incremental Treatment Costs Attributable to Overweight and Obesity in Patients with Diabetes: Quantile Regression Approach.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate treatment costs attributable to overweight and obesity in patients with diabetes who were less than 65 years of age in the United States.

Methods: This study used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2001 to 2013. Patients with diabetes were identified by using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code (250), clinical classification codes (049 and 050), or self-reported physician diagnoses.

Comparison of mid- to long-term clinical outcomes between anatomical testing and usual care in patients with suspected coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Controversies remain regarding clinical outcomes following initial strategies of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) vs usual care with functional testing in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Hypothesis: CCTA as initial diagnostic strategy results in better mid- to long-term outcomes than usual care in patients with suspected CAD.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials comparing clinical outcomes during ≥6 months' follow-up between initial anatomical testing by CCTA vs usual care with functional testing in patients with suspected CAD.

Effects of acidic pH on voltage-gated ion channels in rat trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus neurons.

The effects of acidic pH on several voltage-dependent ion channels, such as voltage-dependent K and Ca channels, and hyperpolarization-gated and cyclic nucleotide-activated cation (HCN) channels, were examined using a whole-cell patch clamp technique on mechanically isolated rat mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus neurons. The application of a pH 6.5 solution had no effect on the peak amplitude of voltage-dependent K currents.

Reversible Induction of Pain Hypersensitivity following Optogenetic Stimulation of Spinal Astrocytes.

While glial activation is an integral part of pain pathogenesis, the existence of a causal relationship between glia and pain processing has yet to be demonstrated in vivo. Here, we have investigated whether the activation of spinal astrocytes could directly evoke pain hypersensitivity in vivo via the use of optogenetic techniques. Optogenetic stimulation of channelrhopdopsin-2 (ChR)-expressing spinal astrocytes induced pain hypersensitivity in a reversible and time-dependent manner, which was accompanied by glial activation, NR1 phosphorylation, ATP release, and the production of proalgesic mediators.

Acidic pH modulation of Na+ channels in trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus neurons.

Cell bodies of trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus (Vmes) neurons are located within the central nervous system, and therefore, peripheral as well as central acidosis can modulate the excitability of Vmes neurons. Here, we report the effect of acidic pH on voltage-gated Na channels in acutely isolated rat Vmes neurons using a conventional whole-cell patch clamp technique. Acidic pH (pH 6.

MicroRNA-205-5p is upregulated in myelodysplastic syndromes and induces cell proliferation via PTEN suppression.

Micro (mi)RNA dysregulation is implicated in the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Chromosomal abnormalities on 1q are frequently detected in Korean patients with MDS; however, how these are related to disease development is unknown. The present study compared the expression profiles of miRNAs encoded by chromosome 1q between 65 MDS patients and 11 controls.

Incidence and treatment costs attributable to medication errors in hospitalized patients.

Background: A significant financial burden arises from medication errors that cause direct injury and those without patient harm that represent waste and inefficiency.

Objective: To estimate the incidence, types, and causes of medication errors as well as their attributable costs in a hospital setting.

Methods: For a retrospective case-control study, data were collected for 57,554 patients admitted to two New Jersey (U.

Proton-induced currents in substantia gelatinosa neurons of the rat trigeminal subnucleus caudalis.

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are widely expressed in both the peripheral and central nervous system, and contribute to the modulation of central nociceptive transmission under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In this study, we characterized the proton-induced membrane currents in acutely isolated rat substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Exposure to acidic conditions (pH<6.

Contribution of persistent sodium currents to the excitability of tonic firing substantia gelatinosa neurons of the rat.

The roles of persistent Na(+) currents (INaP) in intrinsic membrane properties were examined in rat substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis using a conventional whole-cell patch clamp technique. In a voltage-clamp mode, riluzole inhibited the slow voltage ramp-induced INaP but had little effect on the peak amplitude of transient Na(+) currents in SG neurons. In a current-clamp mode, most SG neurons exhibited spontaneous action potentials and tonic firing pattern.

Enzymatic conversion of ATP to adenosine contributes to ATP-induced inhibition of glutamate release in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons.

Purine nucleotides, such as ATP and ADP, activate ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors to regulate neurotransmitter release in the peripheral as well as central nervous system. Here we report another type of ATP-induced presynaptic modulation of glutamate release in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons. Glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) induced by electrical stimulation of trigeminal tract were recorded from horizontal brain stem slices using a whole-cell patch clamp technique.