Impact of Polyethylene-Glycol-Induced Water Potential on Methane Yield and Microbial Consortium Dynamics in the Anaerobic Degradation of Glucose.

This study investigated the relationship between water potential (Ψ) and the cation-induced inhibition of methane production in anaerobic digesters. The Ψ around methanogens was manipulated using polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a batch anaerobic reactor, ranging from -0.92 to -5.

Stressful life events and serum triglyceride levels: the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center cohort in Korea.

Objectives: Elevated serum triglyceride levels are a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. A number of studies have demonstrated a positive association between psychological stress and serum triglyceride levels. However, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of stressful life events (SLEs) on serum triglyceride levels in the healthy population.

Annual incidence and prevalence of obesity in childhood and young adulthood based on a 30-year longitudinal population-based cohort study in Korea: the Kangwha study.

Purpose: Childhood obesity is a major global issue that causes a variety of health problems and high social costs. Many previous studies have investigated childhood obesity using cross-sectional data, but few longitudinal cohort studies have been performed, especially in the Korean population.

Methods: We analyzed the incidence and prevalence of obesity and overweight in a Korean prospective cohort study of children that were followed-up from age 7 to age 36.

Effect of Smartphone-Based Lifestyle Coaching App on Community-Dwelling Population With Moderate Metabolic Abnormalities: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Metabolic disorders are established precursors to cardiovascular diseases, yet they can be readily prevented with sustained lifestyle modifications.

Objective: We assessed the effectiveness of a smartphone-based weight management app on metabolic parameters in adults at high-risk, yet without physician diagnosis nor pharmacological treatment for metabolic syndrome, in a community setting.

Methods: In this 3-arm parallel-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial, we recruited participants aged 30 to 59 years with at least 2 conditions defined by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program expert panel (abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high fasting glucose level).

Factors Associated with Awareness, Treatment, and Control Rate of Hypertension among Korean Young Adults Aged 30-49 Years.

Background And Objectives: Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control have been substantially improved in the last decades worldwide, but hypertension management in younger adults is still challenged. We analyzed a nationally representative sample of Korea to investigate factors affecting hypertension management among the young Korean population.

Methods: Among 8,024 young adults aged 30-49 years from the 2014-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1,103 participants with hypertension were analyzed to identify factors associated with hypertension management status.

Comparison of Computed Tomography-based Abdominal Adiposity Indexes as Predictors of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Middle-aged Korean Men and Women.

Objectives: We compared the associations of 3 computed tomography (CT)-based abdominal adiposity indexes with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among middle-aged Korean men and women.

Methods: The participants were 1366 men and 2480 women community-dwellers aged 30-64 years. Three abdominal adiposity indexes-visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (VSR)-were calculated from abdominal CT scans.

Protection of Healthcare Workers Against COVID-19 at a Large Teaching Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Thirteen patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) visited a university hospital in Seoul before recognizing their disease infections, causing contact with 184 hospital workers. We classified the patients into four risk levels and provided corresponding management measures. At 31 days after the last event, all screening laboratory results were negative, and no symptoms/signs were reported.

Cost-effectiveness of para-aortic lymphadenectomy before chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nodal staging surgery before chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer in the era of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT).

Methods: A modified Markov model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of para-aortic staging surgery before definite CRT when no uptake is recorded in the para-aortic lymph nodes (PALN) on PET/CT. Survival and complication rates were estimated based on the published literature.

The cost-effectiveness of selective lymphadenectomy based on a preoperative prediction model in patients with endometrial cancer: insights from the US and Korean healthcare systems.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of selective lymphadenectomy using a preoperative prediction model compared to routine lymphadenectomy for patients undergoing surgery for endometrial cancer in the US and Korea.

Methods: We used a modified Markov model to estimate clinical and economic outcomes for newly diagnosed, apparent early-stage endometrial cancer patients under two different strategies: (1) selective lymphadenectomy, where patients classified as low risk based on the preoperative prediction model did not undergo complete surgical staging, and (2) routine lymphadenectomy, where all patients underwent complete surgical staging. Published data were used to estimate the rates of adjuvant therapy and survival.