Gender and Age Differences in the Relationship Between Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Duration in Korean Children: A Panel Quantile Regression Study.

Purpose: This study analyzed the longitudinal relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep duration to investigate the factors contributing to sleep deprivation in Korean children.

Methods: To overcome the limitations of previous studies, panel quantile regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep duration. Key variables were smartphone addiction, sleep duration, gender, and age.

Hearing loss phenotypes in Alport syndrome: experience in a tertiary referral center.

Background: Despite previous reports of auditory phenotypes in Alport syndrome (AS), there have been no studies specifically addressing audiological phenotypes in South Korea. Herein, we elaborated on the audiological characteristics associated with AS based on their genotypes.

Methods: We reviewed data from in-house AS patients between March 2014 and February 2023, excluding those without audiological documentation or genetic diagnoses.

Quality of life, physical symptoms, and psychological symptoms according to the status of chronic vestibulopathy.

Objectives: Symptomatic vestibulopathy impairs patients' lives. However, few studies have explored the lives of patients with compensated or asymptomatic vestibulopathy. This study investigated the quality of life (QOL), psychological health, and physical function of patients with vestibulopathy.

Comparative study on structural and functional brain differences in mild cognitive impairment patients with tinnitus.

Objective: Tinnitus may be associated with various brain changes. However, the degenerative changes in patients with tinnitus have not been extensively investigated. We aimed to evaluate degenerative, structural, and functional brain changes in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who also suffer from tinnitus.

Efficacy of biologics for eosinophilic otitis media.

Background: Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is an intractable condition primarily treated with steroids. Recently, biologics targeting IgE or IL-5 have been introduced.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of biologics for EOM.

Fully tunable Fabry-Pérot cavity based on MEMS Sagnac loop reflector with ultra-low static power consumption.

The Fabry-Pérot interferometer, a fundamental component in optoelectronic systems, offers interesting applications such as sensors, lasers, and filters. In this work, we show a tunable Fabry-Pérot cavity consisting of tunable Sagnac loop reflectors (SLRs) and phase shifters based on electrostatic microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuator. The fabrication process of the device is compatible with the standard wafer-level silicon photonics fabrication processes.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation can modulate fronto-parietal brain networks.

Objective: Recent studies have shown that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) holds promise as a treatment for neurological or psychiatric disease through the ability to modulate neural activity in some brain regions without an invasive procedure. The objective of this study was to identify the neural correlates underlying the effects of tVNS.

Methods: Twenty right-handed healthy subjects with normal hearing participated in this study.

Associations Between Tinnitus and Systemic Disease in Adolescents: Implications of Vitamin D Deficiency and Anaemia.

Objectives: Tinnitus is one of the irritating symptoms that should be addressed in adolescents. Since tinnitus affects mental health, it is important to treat it. However, identifying the cause of tinnitus is very challenging and the treatment strategies of tinnitus are controversial.

Physical Inactivity and Sedentariness in Older Hearing Loss patients: Restoration With Hearing Aids.

Objectives: Hearing loss causes numerous functional deficits. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the association between hearing loss and physical inactivity. This study aimed to evaluate the physical activity and sedentary behavior of hearing loss patients and their relation with the use of hearing aids.

Higher exposure to 1,3-butadiene is associated with more severe hearing loss.

While volatile organic compounds (VOCs) impair various organs, their influence on hearing loss (HL) has not been extensively researched. We aimed to identify the association between VOCs and HL or high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). We extracted data on age, sex, pure tone audiometry, hypertension, occupational noise exposure, and creatinine-corrected urine VOC metabolite concentrations from the eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey.

Myosin-independent stiffness sensing by fibroblasts is regulated by the viscoelasticity of flowing actin.

The stiffness of the extracellular matrix induces differential tension within integrin-based adhesions, triggering differential mechanoresponses. However, it has been unclear if the stiffness-dependent differential tension is induced solely by myosin activity. Here, we report that in the absence of myosin contractility, 3T3 fibroblasts still transmit stiffness-dependent differential levels of traction.

Societal and community factors facilitating cultural adaptation and mental health of North Korean refugee women in South Korea.

North Korean (NK) refugee women face unique challenges in their acculturation process in South Korea (SK), often leading to higher rates of depression among them. This study uses the Multidimensional Individual Difference Acculturation (MIDA) model to examine the role of societal and local community factors in facilitating cultural adaptation and influencing mental health issues, such as depression, among NK refugee women. The study focuses on three predictors from the MIDA model: out-group social support, attachment to NK culture, and daily life experience of discrimination.

Insufficient nutrient intake in individuals with disabling hearing loss and the restoration of nutritional sufficiency in hearing aid users.

Hearing loss affects some nutrient intake. Disabling hearing loss may exacerbate these issues. We aimed to evaluate nutrient intake and assess deficiencies based on functional hearing status.

Developing and Validating the Senior Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMiLE) Scale.

The Senior Meaning in Life Evaluation scale encompasses not only older adults' personal motivation and growth but also the meaning for them in society and in their relationships: With this scale, we aimed to present their voices. A three-phase process was followed: The scale's items were developed empirically from interviews of older adults; exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to test convergent and concurrent validity; and finally, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. EFA resulted in 18 items grouped into 4 factors (i.

Transient low shear-stress preconditioning influences long-term endothelial traction and alignment under high shear flow.

Endothelial cells (ECs) within the vascular system encounter fluid shear stress (FSS). High, laminar FSS promotes vasodilation and anti-inflammatory responses, whereas low or disturbed FSS induces dysfunction and inflammation. However, the adaptation of endothelial cells (ECs) to dynamically changing FSS patterns remains underexplored.

Microalbuminuria and Functional Iron Deficiency are Risk Factors for Hearing Loss in Adolescents.

Objectives: Renal impairment and some systemic diseases are associated with hearing loss (HL) in adults. However, studies of these relationship in adolescents are rare. The objective of this study was to determine the association between HL and renal or systemic disease in adolescents.

Drebrin is Required for Myosin-facilitated Actin Cytoskeletal Remodeling during Pulmonary Alveolar Development.

Alveolar septation increases gas-exchange surface area and requires coordinated cytoskeletal rearrangement in lung fibroblasts (LFs) to balance the demands of contraction and cell migration. We hypothesized that DBN (drebrin), a modulator of the actin cytoskeleton in neuronal dendrites, regulates the remodeling of the LF cytoskeleton. Using mice bearing a transgelin-Cre-targeted deletion of Dbn in pulmonary fibroblasts and pericytes, we examined alterations in alveolar septal outgrowth, LF spreading and migration, and actomyosin function.

Fully reconfigurable MEMS-based second-order coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) with ultra-low tuning energy.

Integrated microring resonators are well suited for wavelength-filtering applications in optical signal processing, and cascaded microring resonators allow flexible filter design in coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) configurations. However, the implementation of high-order cascaded microring resonators with high extinction ratios (ERs) remains challenging owing to stringent fabrication requirements and the need for precise resonator tunability. We present a fully integrated on-chip second-order CROW filter using silicon photonic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to adjust tunable directional couplers and a phase shifter using nanoscale mechanical out-of-plane waveguide displacement.

Effects of Economic Status on Changes in Social Networks and Mental Health after Using Hearing Aids.

Objectives: Hearing impairment affects social networks and mental health. Hearing aids (HA) can improve these deficits. However, their effects might be affected by various factors such as economic status (ES).

Programmable MZI based on a silicon photonic MEMS-tunable delay line.

We report on a scalable and programmable integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with a tunable free spectral range (FSR) and extinction ratio (ER). For the tunable path of the MZI, we designed and utilized a tunable delay line having high flexibility based on silicon photonic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). By utilizing MEMS, the length of the delay line can be geometrically modified.

Low Shear in Short-Term Impacts Endothelial Cell Traction and Alignment in Long-Term.

Within the vascular system, endothelial cells (ECs) are exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS), a mechanical force exerted by blood flow that is critical for regulating cellular tension and maintaining vascular homeostasis. The way ECs react to FSS varies significantly; while high, laminar FSS supports vasodilation and suppresses inflammation, low or disturbed FSS can lead to endothelial dysfunction and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, the adaptation of ECs to dynamically varying FSS remains poorly understood.

Nascent adhesions shorten the period of lamellipodium protrusion through the Brownian ratchet mechanism.

Directional cell migration is driven by the conversion of oscillating edge motion into lasting periods of leading edge protrusion. Actin polymerization against the membrane and adhesions control edge motion, but the exact mechanisms that determine protrusion period remain elusive. We addressed this by developing a computational model in which polymerization of actin filaments against a deformable membrane and variable adhesion dynamics support edge motion.

Low Power Coherent Ising Machine Based on Mechanical Kerr Nonlinearity.

Finding a reliable Ising machine for solving nondeterministic polynomial-class problems has attracted great attention in recent years, where an authentic system can be expanded with polynomial-scaled resources to find the ground state Ising Hamiltonian. In this Letter, we propose an extremely low power optomechanical coherent Ising machine based on a new enhanced symmetry breaking mechanism and highly nonlinear mechanical Kerr effect. The mechanical movement of an optomechanical actuator induced by the optical gradient force greatly increases the nonlinearity by a few orders and significantly reduces the power threshold using conventional structures capable of fabrication via photonic integrated circuit platforms.

Investigating factors influencing post-operative growth in pre-pubertal children after adenotonsillectomy.

Purpose: To check the change in growth-for-age after adenotonsillectomy in pre-pubertal children and investigate the affecting factors.

Methods: Two hundred and six pediatric patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy by a single surgeon between January 2011 and December 2014 were included for the retrospective cohort study. The z-scores of height-, weight-, and body mass index (BMI)-for-age were measured before adenotonsillectomy and 1 year after the operation.