USP21-EGFR signaling axis is functionally implicated in metastatic colorectal cancer.

The emerging role of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 21 (USP21) in stabilizing Fra-1 (FOSL1) highlights its involvement in promoting colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. Additionally, a reciprocal link between EGFR signaling and Fra-1 activation has been identified, mediated through matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). However, the functional implications of the USP21-EGFR signaling axis in metastatic CRC (mCRC) are not fully understood.

Does the Combination of Metabolic Syndrome and Low Fat-Free Mass Shorten an Individual's Disability-Free Life? A 12-Year Prospective Cohort Study of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).

Objective: This study aims to explore the combined risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and low fat-free mass (FFM) on an individual's disability-free survival (DFS). Disability is defined as a composite of dementia, physical disability, and mortality.

Methods: Using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, we divided 3721 participants aged 40-69 years based on their MetS status and FFM index (FFMI) score.

PTK2 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for EGFR- or TLRs-induced lung cancer progression via the regulation of the cross-talk between EGFR- and TLRs-mediated signals.

Protein tyrosine kinase 2 (PTK2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and toll-like receptor (TLRs) are amplified in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the functional and clinical associations between them have not been elucidated yet in NSCLC. By using microarray data of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor tissues and matched normal tissues of 42 NSCLC patients, the genetic and clinical associations between PTK2, EGFR, and TLRs were analyzed in NSCLC patients.

Acute Effect of Positive Airway Pressure on Heart Rate Variability in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Autonomic dysregulation is associated with cardiovascular consequences in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to investigate the effect of acute continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on autonomic activity and to identify factors contributing to heart rate variability (HRV) changes in OSA. Frequency domain HRV parameters were calculated and compared between the baseline polysomnography and during the CPAP titration in 402 patients with moderate to severe OSA.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of atrial flutter in neonates.

Background: Atrial flutter is an uncommon arrhythmia that can cause severe morbidity, including heart failure and even death in refractory cases. This study investigated the clinical characteristics, treatment, and long-term outcomes of patients with neonatal atrial flutter and its association with heart failure.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed atrial flutter cases observed in our center between 1999 and 2021 and analyzed the clinical characteristics, treatment, and recurrence according to the presence of heart failure.

Valproate use associated with frontal and cerebellar gray matter volume reductions: A voxel-based morphometry study.

Recent morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggested the possibility that valproate (VPA) use is associated with parieto-occipital cortical thinning in patients with heterogeneous epilepsy syndromes. In this study, we examined the effect of VPA on the brain volume using a large number of homogenous patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Voxel-based morphometry was used to compare regional gray matter (GM) volume between 112 patients currently taking VPA (VPA+ group), 81 patients not currently taking VPA (VPA- group), and 120 healthy subjects (control group).

A Foundation for a "Cheerful Society": The Korean War and the Rise of Psychiatry.

One of the most remarkable medical achievements of the Korean War was the development of psychiatry. During the Korean War, soldiers and prisoners of war (POWs) experienced "gross stress reaction" and manifested poor concentration and memory as well as clinical depression and social alienation. Rest and relaxation rotations served as the primary treatment for their conditions.

β-arrestin 2 negatively regulates lung cancer progression by inhibiting the TRAF6 signaling axis for NF-κB activation and autophagy induced by TLR3 and TLR4.

β-arrestin 2 (ARRB2) is functionally implicated in cancer progression via various signaling pathways. However, its role in lung cancer remains unclear. To obtain clinical insight on its function in lung cancer, microarray data from lung tumor tissues (LTTs) and matched lung normal tissues (mLNTs) of primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (n = 37) were utilized.

FFAR2 antagonizes TLR2- and TLR3-induced lung cancer progression via the inhibition of AMPK-TAK1 signaling axis for the activation of NF-κB.

Background: Free fatty acid receptors (FFARs) and toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize microbial metabolites and conserved microbial products, respectively, and are functionally implicated in inflammation and cancer. However, whether the crosstalk between FFARs and TLRs affects lung cancer progression has never been addressed.

Methods: We analyzed the association between FFARs and TLRs using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) lung cancer data and our cohort of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient data (n = 42), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed.

Family Caregivers of People with Dementia Associate with Poor Health-Related Quality of Life: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Despite the growing awareness of poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in family caregivers of people with dementia (PWD), their relationship has rarely been explored with population-based samples. The current cross-sectional study aimed to determine the detrimental impact of informal dementia caregiving on HRQoL by using nationally representative population-based samples from the Korean Community Health Survey. Demographics, socioeconomic, and physical and mental health-related characteristics as well as HRQoL measured by the Korean version of the European Quality of Life Questionnaire Five Dimension (EQ-5D) were compared between 9563 family caregivers of PWD and 186,165 noncaregivers.

A Real-World, Population-Based Retrospective Analysis of Therapeutic Survival for Recurrent Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma After Nephrectomy.

We retrospectively analyzed therapeutic strategies and risk factors for overall survival (OS) in disease recurrence following curative nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma (loRCC) using the Korean National Cancer Registry Database. We selected 1295 recurrent loRCC patients who underwent either partial or radical nephrectomy from 2007-2013. Patients were excluded for age <19 years, secondary RCC, multiple primary tumors, other SEER stages except for a localized or regional stage, postoperative recurrence within 3-month, and non-nephrectomized cases.

Validation of Cancer Diagnosis Based on the National Health Insurance Service Database versus the National Cancer Registry Database in Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of operational definitions of cancer patients in conducting cancer-related studies using the claims data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).

Materials And Methods: Cancer incidence data were obtained from the Korean Central Cancer Registry, the NHIS primary diagnosis, and from the rare and intractable disease (RID) registration program.

Results: The operational definition with higher sensitivity for cancer patient verification was different by cancer type.

"Insanity Is the Price of Modern Civilization": The Discourse of Civilization and the Asian Insane in Modern America.

Examining debates on the link between civilization and insanity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century United States, this essay engages the discourse of civilization to discuss the ways in which insanity among Asian immigrants, in particular Chinese and Japanese, was understood, defined and debated. During the period, insanity was regarded as a disease of civilization, which had been increasing due to the struggles of modern life. While Americans witnessed insanity among the "colored" and Asians, they argued that these groups had lower rates of insanity than white Americans and European immigrants because they belonged to lower positions on the civilization scale.

Role of Synovial Exosomes in Osteoclast Differentiation in Inflammatory Arthritis.

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of exosomes isolated from synovial fluid and their role in osteoclast differentiation in different types of inflammatory arthritis. Exosomes isolated from synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), gout, and osteoarthritis (OA) patients were co-incubated with CD14+ mononuclear cells from healthy donors without macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). Osteoclast differentiation was evaluated via tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and activity and F-actin ring formation.

Quantitative proteomic analyses reveal that GPX4 downregulation during myocardial infarction contributes to ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although myocardial cell death plays a significant role in myocardial infarction (MI), its underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. To understand the progression of MI and identify potential therapeutic targets, we performed tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic analysis using an MI mouse model.

Change of Ginsenoside Profiles in Processed Ginseng by Drying, Steaming, and Puffing.

Korean ginseng ( Meyer) was processed by drying, steaming, or puffing, and the effects of these processes on the ginsenoside profile were investigated. The main root of 4-year-old raw Korean ginseng was dried to produce white ginseng. Steaming, followed by drying, was employed to produce red or black ginseng.

NNMT depletion contributes to liver cancer cell survival by enhancing autophagy under nutrient starvation.

Nicotinamide N-methyl transferase (NNMT) transfers a methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to nicotinamide (NAM), producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1MNA). NNMT has been implicated in several cancer types and recently in metabolism, but its role in autophagy regulation has not yet been investigated. In this study, we determined that NNMT negatively regulated autophagy at the stage of ULK1 activation through protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity.

The efficacy and safety of Danggui-Sayuk-Ga-Osuyu-Saenggang-tang on Korean patients with cold hypersensitivity in the hands: study protocol for a pilot, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial.

Background: In recent years, cold hypersensitivity in the hands (CHH) has become a common ailment of women in Korea. It can lead to gynecological problems such as irregular menstruation, miscarriage, and infertility. Traditionally, Korean herbal medicine has been the primary treatment method used to balance thermoregulation in the human body; however, its effectiveness has not been confirmed through systematic study.

Identification of Caveolin-1 as an Invasion-Associated Gene in Liver Cancer Cells Using Dendron-Coated DNA Microarrays.

The conventional gene expression profiling approaches have been replaced with DNA microarrays with exhibiting a powerful high-throughput capacity. Most solid surfaces of DNA microarrays contain such a high area density of functional groups to immobilize capture DNAs to the surface that the hybridization of capture DNAs with cDNA can be hindered, resulting in low intensity and reproducibility. Since our previous works showed that the 9-acid dendron was able to increase the hybridization efficiency, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of 9-acid dendron-coated glass slides as an advanced microarray platform for gene expression profiling.