A three-dimensional mouse liver organoid platform for assessing EDCs metabolites simulating liver metabolism.

Hepatic metabolism is an important process for evaluate the potential activity and toxicity of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) metabolites. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has advocated the development of in vitro assays that mimic in vivo hepatic metabolism to eventually replace classical animal tests. In response to this need, we established a 3D mouse liver organoid (mLO) platform that mimics the animal model and is distinct from existing models.

Trend of Metabolic Syndrome Indicators in Working Korean Women According to Smoking Status and Workplace Size: A Population-Based Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

Objective: Smoking, a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, is associated with stress relief and pleasure among women, which can hinder efforts to quit smoking, particularly in workplaces. We investigated the metabolic syndrome indicators among working Korean women based on smoking status and workplace size to devise tailored smoking cessation policies.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal study.

Platelet-rich plasma protects hippocampal neurons and memory functions in a rat model of vascular dementia.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a promising biomaterial rich in bioactive growth factors, offering potential as a therapeutic agent for various diseases. However, its effectiveness in central nervous system disorders like vascular dementia (VaD) remains underexplored. This study investigated the potential of PRP to mitigate VaD progression .

Characteristics and Trends of Pediatric Trauma in Jeju Island, South Korea: A Community Level Serial Cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and epidemiological trends of pediatric injuries among patients visiting emergency departments (EDs) on Jeju Island.

Method: Employing a community-level serial cross-sectional analysis, we targeted pediatric patients aged 18 years or younger who visited EDs for injuries over a ten-year period. The data, sourced from the Jeju Injury Surveillance System (JISS), facilitated a comprehensive examination of injury characteristics and epidemiological trends.

Salutogenesis intervention improves cardio-cerebrovascular health in at-risk office workers: A quasi-experimental study.

Objective: Cardio-cerebrovascular disease is the major cause of work-related deaths. Salutogenesis indicates individual differences in health levels occur owing to differences in the sense of coherence (SOC). A salutogenesis-based intervention may promote cardio-cerebrovascular health at work.

Sense of coherence promotion and occupational and family stress mitigation may improve heart health behaviors in middle-aged working women: a structural equation modelling approach.

Aims: This study aimed to construct a model that describes heart health behaviors in middle-aged working women and verify the goodness-of-fit of the model based on Salutogenesis.

Methods And Results: This study adopted a cross-sectional design. Participants were 330 middle-aged working women in South Korea.

Molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory and skin protective effects of in human skin keratinocytes.

Unlabelled: Irradiation injury, especially caused by UVB, of the skin is one of the critical reasons for skin inflammation and damage. The present study aimed to explore the protective effect of leafy extract (SFLE) and its mechanism of action against UVB-induced damages of human keratinocytes. In this study, SFLE was prepared from 100 kg dried leaves using industrial-scale processes.

Age-Related Changes in Low Serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in Female Adolescents: A Single-Center Retrospective Pilot Study.

Study Objective: Available data on the clinical significance of low serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in female adolescents are limited. The aim of this study was to elucidate age-related changes in low serum AMH levels in adolescents and to identify predictive factors for AMH progression.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on a series of female adolescents aged 11-19 years with low serum AMH levels (<1.

Curcumol metabolized by rat liver S9 fraction and orally administered in mouse suppressed the proliferation of colon cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Following 3R (reduction, refinement, and replacement) principles, we employed the rat liver S9 fraction to mimic liver metabolism of curcumol having high in vitro IC on cancer cells. In HCT116 and HT29 colon cancer cells, the metabolites of curcumol by S9 fraction exerted more enhanced activity in inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via regulating the expression of cyclin D1, CDK1, p21, PARP and Bcl-2 than curcumol. In addition, oral administration of curcumol at 4 mg/kg BW significantly suppressed the development of colon tumor induced by azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in tumor tissues.

Systemic multiomics evaluation of the therapeutic effect of species on liver cirrhosis in male mice.

The human gut microbiome mediates bidirectional interaction within the gut-liver axis, while liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis, are very closely related to the state of the gut environment. Thus, improving the health of the gut-liver axis by targeting the intestinal microbiota is a potential therapeutic approach in hepatic diseases. This study examines changes in metabolomics and microbiome composition by treating bacteria derived from the human gut in mice with liver cirrhosis.

Predicting mid-pelvic interspinous distance in women using height and pubic arch angle.

Objective: To predict the interspinous distance (ISD) using the relationship between female height and pelvimetric measures on magnetic resonance (MR) images.

Methods: We obtained measurements of the pubic arch angle (PAA), inlet-anteroposterior (AP) distance, mid-pelvis AP distance, outlet-AP distance, ISD, and ischial tuberosity distance using 710 pelvic MR images from nonpregnant reproductive-aged (21-50 years) women from January 2014 to June 2020. Patient height was also assessed from medical records.

Comprehensive Evaluation System for Post-Metabolic Activity of Potential Thyroid-Disrupting Chemicals.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are compounds that disturb hormonal homeostasis by binding to receptors. EDCs are metabolized through hepatic enzymes, causing altered transcriptional activities of hormone receptors, and thus necessitating the exploration of the potential endocrine-disrupting activities of EDC-derived metabolites. Accordingly, we have developed an integrative workflow for evaluating the post-metabolic activity of potential hazardous compounds.

Multi-strain probiotics alleviate loperamide-induced constipation by adjusting the microbiome, serotonin, and short-chain fatty acids in rats.

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorders worldwide. The use of probiotics to improve constipation is well known. In this study, the effect on loperamide-induced constipation by intragastric administration of probiotics Consti-Biome mixed with SynBalance® SmilinGut ( PBS067, LRH020, subsp.

Clinical features at the time of non-hysteroscopic myomectomy before pregnancy, which affect adverse pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: To investigate the association of clinical characteristics at the time of non-hysteroscopic myomectomy before pregnancy and adverse obstetric outcomes in the next pregnancy.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 248 women who underwent abdominal or laparoscopic myomectomy for intramural (IM) and/or subserosal (SS) uterine myomas in Bundang CHA Medical Center before pregnancy and delivered at the same hospital between 2010 and 2020. The association between clinical characteristics at the time of myomectomy and subsequent obstetric outcomes was analyzed using the Chi-square test, the Student t-test or one-way ANOVA, and multivariable analysis.

Association between weekend catch-up sleep and the risk of depression among Korean middle-aged adults.

Unlabelled: Determining whether weekend catch-up sleep (CUS) is related to high risk of depression in the general middle-aged population in Korea. This study is a cross-sectional study analyzing data from 2016 to 2017 collected in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VII-1, 2; less than 35 years, and more than 65 years were excluded. Interviews on sociodemographic characteristics, mood and sleep-related profiles, and comorbid medical conditions were conducted.

Effects and Mechanism of Particulate Matter on Tendon Healing Based on Integrated Analysis of DNA Methylation and RNA Sequencing Data in a Rat Model.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been linked with the severity of various diseases. To date, there is no study on the relationship between PM exposure and tendon healing. Open Achilles tenotomy of 20 rats was performed.

Suppression of Adipogenesis and Fat Accumulation by Vitexin Through Activation of Hedgehog Signaling in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

Many studies have demonstrated that adipogenesis is associated with obesity, and the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway regulates adipogenesis and obesity. Following the screening study of the chemical library evaluating the effect of vitexin on Gli1 transcriptional activity, vitexin was chosen as a candidate for antiadipogenic efficacy. Vitexin significantly reduced lipid accumulation and suppressed C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ) and PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ) expression, which are known as key adipogenic factors in the early stages of adipogenesis by activating Hh signaling.

Living and eating alone on depressive symptoms by physical frailty status: A cross-sectional study based on the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study.

Background: General health conditions in older adults, including their mental health, differ greatly based on their physical health conditions rather than age. Thus, we evaluated how lifestyle factors, which included eating and living, affected depressive symptoms in older adults based on their physical frailty status.

Methods: We included older adults aged 70-84 years from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS).

Seroreactivity to in an Agricultural Population and Prevalence of Infection in Ticks of a Non-Endemic Region for Q Fever in South Korea.

infects humans and wild and domesticated animals. Although reported cases on Jeju Island, off the coast of South Korea, are rare, the region is considered to have a high potential for Q fever. We investigated the seroprevalence of antibodies to in 230 farmers living in ten rural areas on Jeju Island between January 2015 and December 2019.

Caudatin suppresses adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and reduces body weight gain in high-fat diet-fed mice through activation of hedgehog signaling.

Background: The regulative effects of caudatin, a C-21 steroid that is identified from Cynanchum bungee roots, on adipogenesis and obesity have not been studied. Many studies have demonstrated that the activation of hedgehog (Hh) signaling can help prevent obesity. Therefore, we hypothesized that caudatin can inhibit adipogenesis and obesity via activating the Hh signaling pathway.

Freeze-Dried Powder of Miquel Ameliorates Isoproterenol-Induced Oxidative Stress and Tissue Damage in Rats.

Miquel (bokbunja), Korean black raspberry, is known to possess various phytochemicals that exert antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, most studies on Miquel have been performed with the solvent extracts and/or a single component to demonstrate the efficacy, while studies evaluating the effect of the whole fructus of Miquel are limited. In this study, therefore, we employed the isoproterenol (IPN)-induced myocardial infarction model and investigated the effect of freeze-dried powder of Miquel (RCP) on oxidative stress and prevention of organ damage.

Water Extract of Mixed Mushroom Mycelia Grown on a Solid Barley Medium Is Protective against Experimental Focal Cerebral Ischemia.

Although the individual consumption of medicinal mushrooms, including (PL), (GL), and (IO), is known to be neuroprotective, the associated mechanisms underlying their therapeutic synergism on focal cerebral ischemia (fCI) have yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of mixed mushroom mycelia (MMM) against experimental fCI. The water-fractions, ethanolic-fractions, and ethyl acetate-fractions of the MMM (PL, GL, and IO) grown in a barley medium using solid-state fermentation techniques were prepared and their protective effects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity were compared in PC-12 cells.

A systematic approach to metabolic characterization of thyroid-disrupting chemicals and their in vitro biotransformants based on prediction-assisted metabolomic analysis.

Thyroid-disrupting compounds (TDCs) are chemicals that modify thyroid gland function and disrupt hormonal homeostasis. Like other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), TDCs often show altered activities following post-metabolic modification via endogenous enzymatic reaction. Hence, we developed evaluation system consisting of (1) in vitro metabolic reaction module, (2) high-resolution mass-spectrometry, and (3) human cell-based reporter gene assay.