Brain energy homeostasis: the evolution of the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis.

The brain's substantial metabolic requirements, consuming a substantial fraction of the body's total energy despite its relatively small mass, necessitate sophisticated metabolic mechanisms for efficient energy distribution and utilization. The astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) hypothesis has emerged as a fundamental framework explaining the metabolic cooperation between astrocytes and neurons, whereby astrocyte-derived lactate serves as a crucial energy substrate for neurons. This review synthesizes current understanding of brain energy metabolism, focusing on the dual roles of lactate as both an energy substrate and a signaling molecule.

Internal structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This review aimed to evaluate the internal structure (structural validity, internal consistency, and measurement invariance) of the Patient Health Questionnire-9 (PHQ-9), which is one of the most widely used self-administered instruments for assessing and screening depression.

Methods: The updated COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology for a systematic review of self-reported instruments was used. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from their inception up to February 28, 2023.

High p16 expression in glioblastoma is associated with senescence phenotype and better prognosis.

Glioblastoma, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype (GBM), is the most malignant brain tumor in adults, with limited therapeutic intervention. Previous studies have identified a few prognostic markers for GBM, including the methylation status of O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter, TERT promoter mutation, EGFR amplification, and CDKN2A/2B deletion. However, the classification of GBM remains incomplete, necessitating a comprehensive analysis.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Over a Million Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Seven Countries: Multinational Cohort Study and Open Data Resource.

Background And Aims: Observational healthcare data are an important tool for delineating patients' inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) journey in real-world settings. However, studies that characterize IBD cohorts typically rely on a single resource, apply diverse eligibility criteria, and extract variable sets of attributes, making comparison between cohorts challenging. We aim to longitudinally describe and compare IBD patient cohorts across multiple geographic regions, employing unified data and analysis framework.

Correlation between individual thigh muscle volume and grip strength in relation to sarcopenia with automated muscle segmentation.

Introduction: Grip strength serves as a significant marker for diagnosing and assessing sarcopenia, particularly in elderly populations. The study aims to explore the relationship between individual thigh muscle volumes and grip strength, leveraging advanced AI-based UNETR segmentation techniques for accurate muscle volume assessment.

Methods: The study included 49 participants from a cohort of 478 patients diagnosed with hip fractures at Gyeongsang National University Hospital.

Control of Electrolyte Desolvation Energy Suppressing the Cointercalation Mechanism and Organic Electrode Dissolution.

Despite numerous studies aimed at solving the detrimental dissolution issue of organic electrode materials (OEMs), a fundamental understanding of their dissolution mechanism has not yet been established. Herein, we systematically investigate how changes in electrolyte composition affect the ion-solvent interactions propagating to OEM dissolution by changing the cation. The cyclability of OEM is significantly different by alkali cations, where the OEM with K is stable even after 300 cycles and that with Li is drastically decayed within 100 cycles.

A Three-In-One Heptamethine Cyanine Dye Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer.

One of the most significant challenges for image-guided cancer-targeted therapy is to develop multifunctional optical contrast agents enabling simultaneous targeting and therapy. Herein, a feasible strategy is based on the incorporation of therapeutic moieties into the non-delocalized structure of polymethine indocyanines, known as the "structure-inherent targeting" concept. By possessing a rigid chloro-cyclohexenyl ring in the heptamethine cyanine backbone, a new type of multifunctional near-infrared fluorescent dye, Ph790H, that targets tumor without the need for additional targeting ligands is synthesized.

Characteristics of Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis at Diagnosis in Korea: Results From a Multicenter, Registry-Based, Inception Cohort Study.

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) at diagnosis in Korea.

Methods: This was a multicenter, registry-based, inception cohort study conducted in Korea between 2021 and 2023. Children and adolescents newly diagnosed with UC < 18 years were included.

Clinical Implications of the Obstructive Pattern on Chest Radiography in Children Aged 3-59 Months With Severe Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical implications of the obstructive pattern on plain chest radiography, defined as peribronchial cuffing or hyperinflation, in young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).

Methods: We reviewed all children aged 3‒59 months with LRTIs who underwent radiography and polymerase chain reaction in a Korean emergency department from 2016 through 2020. The radiographs were read as consolidation, peribronchial cuffing, or hyperinflation, with each interrater reliability computed.

Impact of disease-related indicators on pain measures in rheumatoid arthritis: a biopsychosocial perspective.

Objective: Pain is a significant and debilitating symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that significantly affects the quality of life and functional ability of patients. In the present study, we examined the association between pain variables and disease activity markers in patients with RA.

Methods: We enrolled 133 patients with RA and assessed their clinical characteristics, socioeconomic and psychological factors, and pain measures.

Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters During Turning and Imbalance in Parkinson's Disease: Video-Based Analysis from a Single Camera.

Objectives: This study aims to objectively evaluate turning gait parameters in Parkinson disease (PD) patients using 2D-RGB video-based analysis and explore their relationships with imbalance.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled PD patients for clinical assessments, balance analysis and gait with 180' turning. Spatiotemporal gait parameters during turning were derived based on video-based analysis and correlated with modified Hoehn and Yahr (mHY) stages and center of pressure (COP) oscillations.

Quality of life outcomes in terminal cancer patients attending regional cancer centers in South Korea: protocol for a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Patients with cancer experience physical, mental, and social pain that affects themselves and their families. The increasing cancer incidence and advances in treatment have increased the number of cancer survivors in Korea, and there is an influx of patients in Seoul and other metropolitan areas, leading to shortages of continuous care and comprehensive life support facilities. Patients must travel long distances for treatment, which poses logistical and quality-of-life challenges.

Alternative assessment of machine learning to polynomial regression in response surface methodology for predicting decolorization efficiency in textile wastewater treatment.

This study investigated the potential of machine learning (ML) as a substitute for polynomial regression in conventional response surface methodology (RSM) for decolorizing textile wastewater via a UV/HO process. While polynomial regression offers limited adaptability, ML models provide superior flexibility in capturing nonlinear responses but are prone to overfitting, particularly with constrained RSM datasets. In this study, we evaluated decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models with respect to a quadratic regression model.

Association of urinary levels of trace metals with type 2 diabetes and obesity in postmenopausal women in Korea: A community-based cohort study.

Several toxic metals have been associated with metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes mellitus (DM) in humans. However, knowledge regarding the influence of many trace elements, especially in combination with essential elements is limited. This study aims to address this research gap by investigating the associations of both non-essential and essential inorganic trace elements in urine with DM and obesity, employing a group of postmenopausal women (n = 851) from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) cohort.

Hypersensitive meta-crack strain sensor for real-time biomedical monitoring.

Real-time monitoring of infinitesimal deformations on complex morphologies is essential for precision biomechanical engineering. While flexible strain sensors facilitate real-time monitoring with shape-adaptive properties, their sensitivity is generally lower than spectroscopic imaging methods. Crack-based strain sensors achieve enhanced sensitivity with gauge factors (GFs) exceeding 30,000; however, such GFs are only attainable at large strains exceeding several percent and decline below 10 for strains under 10, rendering them inadequate for minute deformations.

Initial experience of a novel ureteral silicon-covered metallic mesh stent in malignant ureteric obstruction: a single-center retrospective study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate initial experiences and outcomes of a retrograde inserted new silicone-covered metallic ureteric stent (Urexel™) for malignant ureteric obstruction.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records for 12 consecutive patients who underwent Urexel™ stent placement for malignant ureteric obstruction from March 2020 to March 2021. The Urexel™ stent is a segmental metallic ureteric stent composed of a nitinol mesh covered with a silicone membrane.

Release-modulating mechanism and comparative pharmacokinetics in beagle dogs of bethanechol-loaded oral dosage forms.

Bethanechol chloride (BTC), a quaternary ammonium compound used in bladder dysfunction treatment, requires challenges in developing optimal oral dosage forms due to its high water-solubility, short half-life, rapid elimination and four times a day administration. The aim of this study was to develop optimal BTC-loaded oral dosage forms that could provide both rapid onset and sustained therapeutic effects while reducing the frequency of conventional four-times-daily dosing (Mytonin® tablets). Four different BTC-loaded oral dosage forms were designed including gastro-retentive tablet (GRT), controlled-release tablet (CRT), bilayer tablet (BLT), and tablet-in-tablet (TIT).

Comparison of outcomes between anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies for intracranial arterial dissections.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate real-world data on the differences in outcomes between antiplatelet (AP) and anticoagulation (AC) therapies for intracranial arterial dissection (IAD).

Methods: This study included patients with symptomatic unruptured IAD between 2010 and 2021 that were treated with anti-thrombotics. Patients were dichotomized to AC and AP based on a treatment policy analysis.

Long-term treatment outcomes of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome by the Korean Rare Vascular Ailment Research Experts.

Objective: Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) results from an anomalous relationship between the popliteal artery and the myofascial structures of the popliteal fossa. The long-term treatment outcomes are not well-known because of the rarity of the disease. This study aimed to establish a nationwide collective dataset and analyze treatment outcomes.

Assessing diagnostic accuracy of intravascular imaging for functionally significant coronary stenosis: updated findings from a meta-analysis.

Background: Accurate discrimination of functionally significant coronary stenosis using intravascular imaging remains uncertain, particularly with regard to vessel size. This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic performance of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for identifying functionally significant coronary stenosis as confirmed by fractional flow reserve (FFR).

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar identified studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of IVUS and OCT by minimal luminal area (MLA) with FFR as the reference standard.

Gut-brain axis and environmental factors in Parkinson's disease: bidirectional link between disease onset and progression.

Parkinson's disease has long been considered a disorder that primarily affects the brain, as it is defined by the dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra and the brain accumulation of Lewy bodies containing alpha-synuclein protein. In recent decades, however, accumulating research has revealed that Parkinson's disease also involves the gut and uncovered an intimate and important bidirectional link between the brain and the gut, called the "gut-brain axis." Numerous clinical studies demonstrate that gut dysfunction frequently precedes motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients, with findings including impaired intestinal permeability, heightened inflammation, and distinct gut microbiome profiles and metabolites.

The effect of heated tobacco products on metabolic syndrome: A cohort study.

Introduction: Evidence concerning the health effects of using heated tobacco products is needed. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of conventional cigarettes (CCs), electronic vaping cigarettes (EVCs), and heated tobacco products (HTPs) on the development of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study in South Korea using data from the Korea Medical Institute.

Age-Related Differences in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Responses During the Head-Up Tilt Test: An Exploratory Study Using Continuous Biosignal Data.

The head-up tilt (HUT) test assesses both cardiovascular autonomic regulation and cerebral autoregulation. This exploratory study examined age-related changes in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses during the HUT test in three healthy cohorts (young, middle-aged, and elderly). We recruited 2342 neurologist-diagnosed 'normal' individuals from 18 June 2014 to 25 February 2022.