Genome-Wide Approach of Gene-Nutrient Intake Interaction Study for Essential Hypertension in a Large Korean Cohort (KoGES).

There is limited evidence on gene-nutrient interaction associated with hypertension (HTN). We examined interactions between genotypes and various nutrients that influenced high blood pressure (BP). Data were obtained from a total of 50,808 participants from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).

Factors Affecting Life Satisfaction Among People With Physical Disabilities During COVID-19: Observational Evidence from a Korean Cohort Study.

Objective: To determine the factors influencing the life satisfaction of people with physical disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering demographics, disability-related characteristics, health behaviors, and psychosocial characteristics.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 301 respondents of the 2021/2022 survey of the Korean Health Cohort Study for People with Physical Disabilities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the research subjects' characteristics, and chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the determinants of life satisfaction.

Neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of the RIPK3 inhibitor GSK872 in an MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder triggered by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Recent studies have demonstrated that necroptosis is involved in dopaminergic neuronal cell death and the resulting neuroinflammation. During the process of necroptosis, a necrosome complex is formed consisting of the proteins receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL).

Detection of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease from foot-pressure sensing insoles using a temporal convolutional neural network.

Backgrounds: Freezing of gait (FoG) is a common and debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that can lead to falls and reduced quality of life. Wearable sensors have been used to detect FoG, but current methods have limitations in accuracy and practicality. In this paper, we aimed to develop a deep learning model using pressure sensor data from wearable insoles to accurately detect FoG in PD patients.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms of coniferaldehyde in lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation: Involvement of AMPK/Nrf2 and TAK1/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways.

Microglia are primarily involved in inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress in the brain; as such reducing microglial activation has been proposed as a potential therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disorders. Herein, we investigated the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of coniferaldehyde (CFA), a naturally occurring cinnamaldehyde derivative, on activated microglia to evaluate its therapeutic potential. CFA inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglial cells.

Testing the Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Using Fitbit Devices: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: Sleep disorders and insomnia are prevalent worldwide, with negative health outcomes. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a widely used self-report assessment tool for evaluating sleep quality, comprising seven subdomains. The Korean version of the PSQI (PSQI-K) has been tested for reliability and validity in small sample sizes but lacks large-scale validation using objective measures.

A Preliminary Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of a Smartphone-Based Machine Learning-Assisted System for Evaluation of Clinical Activity Score in Digital Images of Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy.

We previously developed a machine learning (ML)-assisted system for predicting the clinical activity score (CAS) in thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) using digital facial images taken by a digital single-lens reflex camera in a studio setting. In this study, we aimed to apply this system to smartphones and detect active TAO (CAS ≥3) using facial images captured by smartphone cameras. We evaluated the performance of our system on various smartphone models and compared it with the performance of ophthalmologists with varying clinical experience.

Metabolic Obesity Phenotypes and Incident Cardiovascular Outcomes in Middle-Aged and Older Korean Adults: A Longitudinal 10-Year Analysis of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.

This study investigated the association of four metabolic obesity phenotypes with incident coronary artery disease and stroke in a large-scale, community population-based, prospective Korean cohort observed for over 10 years. The study participants included 7374 adults aged 40-69 years, drawn from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Participants with different metabolic obesity phenotypes were categorized according to body weight and metabolic health status into four groups: metabolically healthy nonobese (MHNO), metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy nonobese (MUHNO), and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUHO).

COVID-19 Mortality and Severity in Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors.

Background: We aimed to investigate mortality, severity, and risk of hospitalization in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with cancer.

Methods: Data of all patients aged 40-79 years from the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID19-National Health Insurance Service who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022, in Korea were included. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 397,050 patients with cancer and 397,050 patients without cancer were enrolled in the main analysis.

Impedance spectroscopy of SbSe photovoltaics consisting of (SbSe) nanoribbons under light illumination.

SbSe, consisting of one-dimensional (SbSe) nanoribbons has drawn attention as an intriguing light absorber from the photovoltaics (PVs) research community. However, further research is required on the performance-limiting factors in SbSe PVs. In this study, we investigated the charge carrier behavior in SbSe PVs by impedance spectroscopy (IS) under light illumination.

A machine learning-assisted system to predict thyrotoxicosis using patients' heart rate monitoring data: a retrospective cohort study.

Previous studies have shown a correlation between resting heart rate (HR) measured by wearable devices and serum free thyroxine concentration in patients with thyroid dysfunction. We have developed a machine learning (ML)-assisted system that uses HR data collected from wearable devices to predict the occurrence of thyrotoxicosis in patients. HR monitoring data were collected using a wearable device for a period of 4 months in 175 patients with thyroid dysfunction.

Quercetin induces pathogen resistance through the increase of salicylic acid biosynthesis in .

Quercetin is a flavonol belonging to the flavonoid group of polyphenols. Quercetin is reported to have a variety of biological functions, including antioxidant, pigment, auxin transport inhibitor and root nodulation factor. Additionally, quercetin is known to be involved in bacterial pathogen resistance in through the transcriptional increase of () genes.

α-Synuclein colocalizes with AP180 and affects the size of clathrin lattices.

α-Synuclein and family members β- and γ-synuclein are presynaptic proteins that sense and generate membrane curvature, properties important for synaptic vesicle (SV) cycling. αβγ-synuclein triple knockout neurons exhibit SV endocytosis deficits. Here, we investigated if α-synuclein affects clathrin assembly in vitro.

Dermoid cyst of the infratemporal fossa: a case report of surgical resection by infratemporal fossa type B approach.

Objective: This is a case report of a dermoid cyst located in the infratemporal fossa and its surgical removal using infratemporal fossa type B approach.

Case Report: A 15-year-old male was referred from a local clinic after an incidental finding of a mass lesion in the skull base area on computed tomography (CT). Pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging showed a large cystic mass lesion, expanding to the foramen ovale with fat component in the right infratemporal fossa region.

Wigner-molecularization-enabled dynamic nuclear polarization.

Multielectron semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) provide a novel platform to study the Coulomb interaction-driven, spatially localized electron states of Wigner molecules (WMs). Although Wigner-molecularization has been confirmed by real-space imaging and coherent spectroscopy, the open system dynamics of the strongly correlated states with the environment are not yet well understood. Here, we demonstrate efficient control of spin transfer between an artificial three-electron WM and the nuclear environment in a GaAs double QD.

Association between obesity and osteoarthritis in the South Korean older population: A nationwide population-based study.

There are few studies on the association between obesity and radiologically-confirmed osteoarthritis (OA) in the South Korean older population. We investigated the association between obesity and radiologically-confirmed OA in a nationally-representative sample of the South Korean older population. The study population comprised 5811 participants (2530 men and 3281 women) aged ≥60 years selected from the 2010 to 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Hybrid Perovskite-Based Wireless Integrated Device Exceeding a Solar to Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency of 11.

A wireless solar water splitting device provides a means to achieve an inexpensive and highly distributed solar-to-fuel system owing to its portability, flexible scale, and simple design. Here, a highly efficient hydrogen-generating artificial leaf is introduced, which is a wireless configuration for converting solar energy into chemical energy, by integrating a hybrid perovskite (PSK) as the light absorber with catalysts for electrochemical reaction. First, a single integrated photoelectrochemical photocathode, and a spatially decoupled hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst, are fabricated.

RIPK1 Regulates Microglial Activation in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation and MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease Mouse Models.

Increasing evidence suggests a pivotal role of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), an initiator of necroptosis, in neuroinflammation. However, the precise role of RIPK1 in microglial activation remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the role of RIPK1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model mice by using RIPK1-specific inhibitors necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) and necrostatin-1 stable (Nec-1s).

Fasudil alleviates the vascular endothelial dysfunction and several phenotypes of Fabry disease.

Fabry disease (FD), a lysosomal storage disorder, is caused by defective α-galactosidase (GLA) activity, which results in the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in endothelial cells and leads to life-threatening complications such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), renal failure, and stroke. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) results in Gb3 clearance; however, because of a short half-life in the body and the high immunogenicity of FD patients, ERT has a limited therapeutic effect, particularly in patients with late-onset disease or progressive complications. Because vascular endothelial cells (VECs) derived from FD-induced pluripotent stem cells display increased thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) expression and enhanced SMAD2 signaling, we screened for chemical compounds that could downregulate TSP1 and SMAD2 signaling.

Bi S -Cu BiS Mixed Phase Interlayer for High-Performance Cu BiS -Photocathode for 2.33% Unassisted Solar Water Splitting Efficiency.

To realize practical solar hydrogen production, a low-cost photocathode with high photocurrent density and onset potential should be developed. Herein, an efficient and stable overall photoelectrochemical tandem cell is developed with a Cu BiS -based photocathode. By exploiting the crystallographic similarities between Bi S and Cu BiS , a one-step solution process with two sulfur sources is used to prepare the Bi S -Cu BiS blended interlayer.