South Korean study to prevent cognitive impairment and protect brain health through multidomain interventions via face-to-face and video communication platforms in mild cognitive impairment (SUPERBRAIN-MEET): A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: We investigated the efficacy of a multidomain intervention (MI) via face-to-face and video communication platforms using a tablet personal computer application in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Three hundred participants with MCI and ≥ 1 modifiable dementia risk factor, aged 60-85 years, were randomly assigned to either the MI group, who underwent a 24-week intervention, or the control group, who received usual care.

Results: The overall adherence rate to MI was 84.

Association between osteoporosis and the rate of telomere shortening.

A shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is reported to be associated with age-related diseases, including osteoporosis. Many studies have tried identifying the association between LTL and osteoporosis, although it remains controversial. This study aimed to determine whether osteoporosis is independently associated with LTL shortening in a prospective longitudinal cohort.

Effect of Dietary Habits on Alzheimer's Disease Progression.

Purpose: Research on the relationship between diet and dementia among Koreans are lacking. This study investigated the association between dietary habits and dementia progression over 3 years in patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD).

Materials And Methods: This study included 705 patients with mild-to-moderate ADD.

A case of hyperacute postvaccinal encephalopathy after BNT162b2 nCoV-19 vaccine.

The global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic contributed to the development of a large variety of vaccines, of which postvaccinal hyperacute encephalopathy is a very rare complication. Despite its rarity, if diagnosed properly, appropriate treatment can be rapidly applied. A healthy 53-year-old woman was admitted for a seizure on the day she received the second dose of the BNT 162b2 nCoV-19 vaccine.

The microRNA-485-3p concentration in salivary exosome-enriched extracellular vesicles is related to amyloid β deposition in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive long-term memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. Neuroimaging tests for abnormal amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition are considered the most reliable methods for the diagnosis of AD; however, the cost for such testing is very high and generally not covered by national insurance systems. Accordingly, it is only recommended for individuals exhibiting clinical symptoms of AD supported by clinical cognitive assessments.

Predicting cognitive stage transition using p-tau181, Centiloid, and other measures.

Background: A combination of plasma phospho-tau (p-tau), amyloid beta (Aβ)-positron emission tomography (PET), brain magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive function tests, and other biomarkers might predict future cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of combining these biomarkers in predicting future cognitive stage transitions within 3 years.

Methods: Among the participants in the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease (KBASE-V) study, 49 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 113 cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants with Aβ-PET and brain imaging data were analyzed.

Genetic Screening in Korean Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia Syndrome.

Background: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) syndrome is a genetically heterogeneous group of diseases. Pathogenic variants in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (), microtubule-associated protein tau (), and progranulin () genes are mainly associated with genetic FTD in Caucasian populations.

Objective: To understand the genetic background of Korean patients with FTD syndrome.

Fungal Endophthalmitis Outbreak after Cataract Surgery, South Korea, 2020.

In November 2020, an unusual increase in fungal endophthalmitis cases after cataract surgery was reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, South Korea. We initiated an outbreak investigation to identify the cause. We identified 156 cases nationwide, 62 confirmed and 94 probable.

Survival in Korean Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia Syndrome: Association with Behavioral Features and Parkinsonism.

We investigated the survival time of each clinical syndrome of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and the impacts of behavioral and motor features on survival of FTD. A total of 216 patients with FTD [82 behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD), 78 semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), 43 non-fluent/agrammatic variant PPA (nfvPPA), 13 FTD-motor neuron disease (MND)] were enrolled from 16 centers across Korea. Behaviors and parkinsonism were assessed using the Frontal Behavioral Inventory and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III, respectively.

Association between sleep parameters and longitudinal shortening of telomere length.

Background: The relationship between sleep parameters and longitudinal shortening of telomere length is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep parameters and the shortening of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) over a year.

Methods: Among the participants in the validation cohort of the Korea Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease, participants who measured both baseline and follow-up (two years later) of LTL were analyzed.

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase IIb Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of DHP1401 in Patients with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Treated with Donepezil: DHP1401 Randomized Trial in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease (DRAMA).

Background: Preclinical studies in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest that DHP1401 has neuroprotective and memory-enhancing effects.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of DHP1401 in AD patients treated with donepezilMethods:Methods: In a double-blind study, patients with mild-to-moderate AD were randomized (1:1:1) to receive a twice daily total dose of 500 mg or 1000 mg DHP1401 or placebo for 24 weeks. Tolerability and safety were monitored at baseline and weeks 12 and 24.

Association Between Body Mass Index and Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment Regardless of APOE ε4 Status.

Background And Purpose: In this study we aimed to find the association between neuropsychological performance and body mass index (BMI) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In addition, we investigated the effects of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype in the relationship between the BMI and cognition in MCI.

Methods: We enrolled a cohort of 3,038 subjects with MCI aged 65-90 from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea and a dementia cohort of the Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.

Serum neurofilament light chain level as a predictor of cognitive stage transition.

Background: Neurofilament light chain (NFL) level has been suggested as a blood-based biomarker for neurodegeneration in dementia. However, the association between baseline NFL levels and cognitive stage transition or cortical thickness is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether baseline NFL levels are associated with cognitive stage transition or cortical thickness in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants.

Honorific Speech Impairment: A Characteristic Sign of Frontotemporal Dementia.

Background: Individuals with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) exhibit various levels of abulia, disinhibition, impaired judgment, and decline in executive function. Empirical evidence has shown that individuals with bvFTD also often exhibit difficulty using honorific speech, which expresses respect to another party or addressee.

Objective: To analyze differences in the ability to use honorific speech among individuals with bvFTD, individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD dementia), and individuals with normal cognition (NC).

Cilostazol Versus Aspirin on White Matter Changes in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Purpose: Cerebral small vessel disease is characterized by progressive cerebral white matter changes (WMCs). This study aimed to compare the effects of cilostazol and aspirin on changes in WMC volume in patients with cerebral small vessel disease.

Methods: In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, participants with moderate or severe WMCs and at least one lacunar infarction detected on brain magnetic resonance imaging were randomly assigned to the cilostazol and aspirin groups in a 1:1 ratio.

Increased telomere length in patients with frontotemporal dementia syndrome.

Background: Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences of TTAGGG at the ends of chromosomes. Many studies have shown that telomere shortening is associated with aging-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, and dementia with Lewy bodies. However, changes in telomere length (TL) in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) syndrome are unclear.

Discontinuation Rate of Newly Prescribed Donepezil in Alzheimer's Disease Patients in Asia.

Background And Purpose: The rate of donepezil discontinuation and the underlying reasons for discontinuation in Asian patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are currently unknown. We aimed to determine the treatment discontinuation rates in AD patients who had newly been prescribed donepezil in routine clinical practice in Asia.

Methods: This 1-year observational study involved 38 institutions in seven Asian countries, and it evaluated 398 participants aged 50-90 years with a diagnosis of probable AD and on newly prescribed donepezil monotherapy.

Impact of an Education Program for Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease on Treatment Discontinuation and Compliance in Korea.

Background And Purpose: Reportedly 30-50% of patients being treated for chronic illnesses do not adhere to their medication regimen. We assessed the impact of a nurse-led education program for caregivers of Korean de novo Alzheimer's disease patients who had newly been prescribed donepezil.

Methods: This multicenter study analyzed 93 participants in a caregiver education group and 92 participants in a caregiver no-education group.

Identifying novel genetic variants for brain amyloid deposition: a genome-wide association study in the Korean population.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a number of genetic variants for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, most GWAS were conducted in individuals of European ancestry, and non-European populations are still underrepresented in genetic discovery efforts. Here, we performed GWAS to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with amyloid β (Aβ) positivity using a large sample of Korean population.

Cognitive trajectories of patients with focal ß-amyloid deposition.

Background: The presence of ß-amyloid (Aß) in the brain can be identified using amyloid PET. In clinical practice, the amyloid PET is interpreted based on dichotomous visual rating, which renders focal Aß accumulation be read as positive for Aß. However, the prognosis of patients with focal Aß deposition is not well established.

Alzheimer's cerebrospinal biomarkers from Lumipulse fully automated immunoassay: concordance with amyloid-beta PET and manual immunoassay in Koreans : CSF AD biomarkers measured by Lumipulse in Koreans.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker cutoffs from immunoassays with low interlaboratory variability in diverse ethnic groups are necessary for their use in clinics and clinical trials. With lack of cutoffs from fully automated immunoassay platforms in diverse races, the aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical utility of CSF AD biomarkers from the Lumipulse fully automated immunoassay based on β-amyloid (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) status comparing with these from two manual immunoassays, in Koreans.

Methods: Among 331 Korean participants enrolled from a prospective, 3-year longitudinal observational study of the validation cohort of Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of AD, 139 (29 CN, 58 SCD, 29 MCI, and 23 AD) provided CSF and 271 underwent baseline amyloid PET (n = 128 with overlapping CSF and Aβ-PET, and 143 without CSFs).

sp. nov., isolated from the sea surface microlayer in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, and emended description of the genus .

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated PAMC 28131, was isolated from a sea surface microlayer sample in the open water of the Pacific Ocean. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain PAMC 28131 revealed an affiliation to the genus with the closest species RB16-17 (sequence similarity of 98.2 %).

sp. nov., isolated from the sea surface microlayer of the Ross Sea (Antarctica).

Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated SSM26 and SSM44, were isolated from a sea surface microlayer sample from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains SSM26 and SSM44 revealed a clear affiliation with the genus . Based on the results of phylogenetic analysis, strains SSM26 and SSM44 showed the closest phylogenetic relationship with the species KCTC 22137 with the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity level of 98.

Telomere shortening reflecting physical aging is associated with cognitive decline and dementia conversion in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease.

We investigated whether telomere length (TL) reflecting physical rather than chronological aging is associated with disease progression in the different cognitive stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Study participants included 89 subjects with amyloid pathology (A+), determined through amyloid PET or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, including 26 cognitively unimpaired (CU A+) individuals, 28 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI A+), and 35 subjects with AD dementia (ADD A+). As controls, 104 CU A- individuals were selected.