The Ubiquitin Code in Disease Pathogenesis and Progression: Composition, Characteristics and its Potential as a Therapeutic Target.

Conjugation of substrate proteins with ubiquitin (Ub), a 76 amino acid protein, was discovered as the first major translational modification responsible for protein degradation. Ubiquitination occurs as a cascade among ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), and ubiquitin ligases (E3) enzymes that transfer and covalently conjugate Ub to the lysine (Lys) residue and α-amino group in methionine (Met) residues of substrates. Following the initial conjugation, Ub itself then undergoes ubiquitination via its seven lysine residues (K6, K11, K27, K29, K33, K48, and K63) and N-terminal methionine (M1).

Factors Influencing Person-Centered Care Among Psychiatric Nurses in Hospitals.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between psychiatric nurses' empathy, teamwork, nursing work environment, and the degree of person-centered care, as well as to identify factors influencing person-centered care (PCC).

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from 11 January to 19 January 2024, using four validated questionnaires.

Results: Participants included 167 psychiatric nurses with more than one year of clinical experience working in South Korea.

Proteomic analysis of cardiovascular disease-associated proteins in Korean patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), including in Korean patients. Previous studies on AD have primarily focused on patients of European ancestry, while the Asian endotype exhibits distinct characteristics. This study aimed to characterize the blood proteomic signature of Korean patients with moderate-to-severe AD, with an emphasis on proteins related to CVDs.

Nevus Spilus, Partial Unilateral Lentiginosis, and Linear and Whorled Nevoid Hypermelanosis: A Comparison of Clinical Features, Course, and Treatment Response.

Skin diseases manifesting as agminated pigmented lesions have overlapping clinical manifestations. Therefore, accurate differentiation is challenging. The clinical characteristics, histopathological findings, and treatment response of patients diagnosed with partial unilateral lentiginosis, nevus spilus, or linear and whorled nevoid hypermelanosis were retrospectively analysed.

Chronic ultraviolet irradiation induces memory deficits via dysregulation of the dopamine pathway.

The effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on brain function have previously been investigated; however, the specific neurotransmitter-mediated mechanisms responsible for UV radiation-induced neurobehavioral changes remain elusive. In this study, we aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying UV radiation-induced neurobehavioral changes. In a mouse model, we observed that UV irradiation of the skin induces deficits in hippocampal memory, synaptic plasticity, and adult neurogenesis, as well as increased dopamine levels in the skin, adrenal glands, and brain.

Mapping the immune cell landscape of severe atopic dermatitis by single-cell RNA-seq.

Background: Efforts to profile atopic dermatitis (AD) tissues have intensified, yet comprehensive analysis of systemic immune landscapes in severe AD remains crucial.

Methods: Employing single-cell RNA sequencing, we analyzed over 300,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 12 severe AD patients (Eczema area and severity index (EASI) > 21) and six healthy controls.

Results: Results revealed significant immune cell shifts in AD patients, including increased Th2 cell abundance, reduced NK cell clusters with compromised cytotoxicity, and correlated Type 2 innate lymphoid cell proportions with disease severity.

The reporting quality of acupuncture-related traumatic adverse events: a systematic review of case studies in Korea.

Background: Acupuncture is known for a harmless treatment when administered by well-trained clinicians. However, multiple case reports of traumatic adverse events (AEs) related to acupuncture treatments continue to be published in literature. In this review, we evaluated the reporting quality and conducted causality assessments of case studies that have reported acupuncture-related traumatic AEs in Korea.

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for fatigue after COVID-19 infection: study protocol for a pilot randomized sham-controlled trial.

Background: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread globally, its sequelae, called Long COVID, have persisted, troubling patients worldwide. Although fatigue is known to be the most frequent among Long COVID symptoms, its mechanism and treatment have not been clearly demonstrated. In 2022, we conducted a preliminary prospective case series and found that acupuncture and moxibustion were feasible interventions for fatigue.

A Study on the Monitoring of spp. in Various Children's Play Facilities in the Republic of Korea (2016-2021).

spp. is a zoonotic soil-transmitted parasite that infects canids and felids, which causes toxocariasis in humans, migrating to organ systems, including the lungs, the ocular system, and the central nervous system. Since spp.

Perianal Pseudoverrucous Papules and Nodules in an Elderly Patient.

Pseudoverrucous papules and nodules is a reaction to irritation usually associated with urostomies. We report a case of perianal pseudoverrucous papules and nodules in an elderly patient who developed a characteristic diaper dermatitis after infrequent diaper change. The perianal papulonodular lesions improved after saline wet dressing and topical steroid application.

Impact of ultraviolet radiation on cardiovascular and metabolic disorders: The role of nitric oxide and vitamin D.

Background/purpose: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has both harmful and beneficial effects on human skin and health. It causes skin damage, aging, and cancer; however, it is also a primary source of vitamin D. Additionally, UV radiation can impact energy metabolism and has protective effects on several cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in mice and humans.

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.

A Multicenter Phase II Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Botulax in Asian Patients with Benign Masseteric Hypertrophy.

Background: Benign masseteric hypertrophy (BMH) is a condition in which the thickness of the masseter muscle is increased, resulting in jawline prominence with an undesirable cosmetic appearance. Botulinum toxin type A (BTA) injection is a promising treatment option, but its effective dose remains debated.

Methods: Adults older than 19 diagnosed with BMH through visual examination and palpation related to a masseter muscle prominence were selected, and 80 patients were randomly assigned into five groups (placebo group and four groups with different doses of BTA: 24 U, 48 U, 72 U, or 96 U, on both sides of the jaw) and treated with placebo or BTA once at their baseline visit.

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.

Combined Treatment with Micro-Focused Ultrasound with Visualization and Intradermal Incobotulinumtoxin-A for Enlarged Facial Pores: A Retrospective Study in Asians.

Background: Despite the increasing need for the improvement of enlarged facial pores, the treatment remains challenging. A few previous studies have reported the effects of micro-focused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) or intradermal incobotulinumtoxin-A (INCO) on enlarged facial pores.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined treatment with superficial MFU-V and intradermal INCO for enlarged facial pores.

T Cell Microvilli: Finger-Shaped External Structures Linked to the Fate of T Cells.

Microvilli are outer membrane organelles that contain cross-linked filamentous actin. Unlike well-characterized epithelial microvilli, T-cell microvilli are dynamic similar to those of filopodia, which grow and shrink intermittently via the alternate actin-assembly and -disassembly. T-cell microvilli are specialized for sensing Ags on the surface of Ag-presenting cells (APCs).

Methods to detect AUTOphagy-Targeting Chimera (AUTOTAC)-mediated Targeted Protein Degradation in Tauopathies.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) facilitates the selective elimination of unwanted and pathological cellular cargoes via the proteasome or the lysosome, ranging from proteins to organelles and pathogens, both within and outside the cell. Currently, there are several in vitro and in vivo protocols that assess the degradative potency of a given degrader towards a myriad of targets, most notably soluble, monomeric oncoproteins. However, there is a clear deficiency of methodologies to assess the degradative potency of heterobifunctional chimeric degraders, especially those in the autophagy space, against pathological, mutant tau species, such as detergent-insoluble oligomers and high-molecular aggregates.