The Multi-targeted Effect of Fascaplysin on the Proliferation and Dedifferentiation of Schwann Cells Inhibits Peripheral Nerve Degeneration by Blocking CDK4/6 and Androgen Receptor.

Peripheral neurodegenerative diseases induced by irreversible peripheral nerve degeneration (PND), such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy, have a high prevalence worldwide and reduce the quality of life. However, there is no agent effective against the irreversible PND. After peripheral nerve injury, Schwann cells play an important role in regulating PND.

Mechanism of Action and Beneficial Effects of Probiotics in Amateur and Professional Athletes.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, provide health benefits to the host. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), probiotic supplementation can optimize the health, performance, and recovery of athletes at all stages of their careers. Recent research suggests that probiotics can improve immune system functions, reduce gastrointestinal distress, and increase gut permeability in athletes.

National validation of laparoscopic approach for locally advanced gastric cancer: Comparison of a randomized controlled trial and real-world practice results.

Objective: The laparoscopic approach for locally advanced gastric cancer has recently been adopted based on the results of several randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, findings from RCTs have not been examined at the national level. This study aimed to investigate the external validity of the Korean Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study-02 (KLASS-02) trial involving 13 tertiary hospitals, using data from the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA)-led nationwide survey involving 68 tertiary or general hospitals.

Loss of neuronal βPix isoforms impairs neuronal morphology in the hippocampus and causes behavioral defects.

βPix is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the Rac1 and Cdc42 small GTPases, which play important roles in dendritic spine morphogenesis by modulating actin cytoskeleton organization. The formation and plasticity of the dendritic spines are essential for normal brain function. Among the alternatively spliced βPix isoforms, βPix-b and βPix-d are expressed specifically in neurons.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and the Risk of Chronic Periodontitis: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Chronic periodontitis (CP) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have emerged as interconnected conditions with shared mechanisms, such as systemic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. However, the risk of CP in the newly classified subgroups of steatotic liver disease (SLD), including MASLD and metabolic alcohol-associated liver disease (MetALD), has not been extensively studied. This study investigated the association between SLD subtypes and the incidence of CP in a nationwide cohort.

A Comparative Study on the Paradoxical Relationship Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Kidney Function.

: Korea has higher levels of heavy metals compared to other countries, raising the need to study the health impacts on vulnerable populations. This study examined the effects of heavy metal exposure-lead, mercury, and cadmium-on kidney function in residents of environmentally vulnerable areas compared to the general population in Korea. : Epidemiological studies in vulnerable areas and official data from the Fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey were analyzed to assess blood levels of lead and mercury and urinary cadmium.

A scientific-article key-insight extraction system based on multi-actor of fine-tuned open-source large language models.

The exponential growth of scientific articles has presented challenges in information organization and extraction. Automation is urgently needed to streamline literature reviews and enhance insight extraction. We explore the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) in key-insights extraction from scientific articles, including OpenAI's GPT-4.

Role of parenting attitudes and basic psychological needs in life skills development and transfer among Korean student-athletes.

Recent literature on positive youth development through sports has consistently emphasized the role of parents in developing and transferring life skills of athletes. However, related research findings are still lacking, especially within Asia. This study aimed to validate a structural relationship of perceived positive and negative parenting attitudes, basic psychological needs, life skills development, and transfer among student-athletes in South Korea.

Patient satisfaction and feasibility with a novel drug-injectable urethral catheter set for hyaluronic acid administration: a multicenter randomized trial.

Reducing the risk of urethral strictures after transurethral surgery for patients with bladder cancer requires effective strategies. We compared the clinical outcomes of a novel drug-injectable urethral catheter set (NIUS) with hyaluronic acid (HA) with those of the conventional intraurethral HA injection method. This six-center, prospective, randomized, single-blind trial included 192 male patients aged ≥ 20 years scheduled to undergo transurethral surgery.

GC1126A, a novel ADAMTS13 mutein, evades autoantibodies in immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare and life-threatening blood disorder characterized by the formation of blood clots in small blood vessels. It is caused by antibodies targeting the A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats, member 13 (ADAMTS13), which plays a role in cleaving von Willebrand factor. Most patients with iTTP have autoantibodies against specific domains of the ADAMTS13 protein, particularly the cysteine-rich and spacer domains.

Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina: A case report of a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose.

Rationale: Malignant melanoma is a rare cancer that accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers. Primary malignant melanoma of the female genital tract accounts for approximately 3% to 7% of all malignant melanomas, and 0.3% to 0.

Profiling of Anti-Signal-Recognition Particle Antibodies and Clinical Characteristics in South Korean Patients With Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy.

Background And Purpose: This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of an anti-signal-recognition particle 54 (anti-SRP54) antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as the clinical, serological, and pathological characteristics of patients with SRP immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM).

Methods: We evaluated 87 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and 107 healthy participants between January 2002 and December 2023. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA for anti-SRP54 antibodies were assessed, and the clinical profiles of patients with anti-SRP54 antibodies were determined.

Analysis of Changes in Viral Load and Inflammatory Cytokines, as Well as the Occurrence of Secondary Infections, in SFTS Patients Treated with Specific Treatments: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an acute febrile illness caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). We conducted this study to propose a scientific evidence-based treatment that can improve prognosis through changes in viral load and inflammatory cytokines according to the specific treatment of SFTS patients. This prospective and observational study was conducted at 14 tertiary referral hospitals, which are located in SFTS endemic areas in Korea, from 1 May 2018 to 31 October 2020.

Bioactivity Evaluation and Phytochemical Characterization of (Thunb.) Siebold Leaf Extract.

Background: () has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes, and its leaves are considered edible. While is known for its diverse biological activities, the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects of its leaves extracted using different solvents have not been thoroughly investigated.

Methods: This study examined the antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, and life-prolonging effects of () leaf extract.

Antioxidant and anticancer effects of kiwi () fermented beverage using .

Kiwi fermented beverages utilizing lactic acid bacteria exhibit a decrease in sugar content, pH and increase in total acidity. The maximum CFU is observed in 20% kiwi fermented beverages containing . For the most efficient fermentation conditions, 20% kiwi fermented beverages fermented at 24 h was selected for use in subsequent experiments.

Therapeutic potential of anti-ErbB3 chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cells against breast cancer.

ErbB3 is markedly overexpressed in breast cancer cells and is associated with resistance and metastasis. Additionally, ErbB3 expression levels are positively correlated with low densities of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, a marker of poor prognosis. Consequently, ErbB3 is a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy.

Comparison of the prognosis and lymph node metastasis between no tumor budding and low-grade tumor budding in T1 and T2 colorectal cancer.

Tumor budding is a significant prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC) management and is graded as follows: 0-4 buds as low, 5-9 buds as intermediate, and > 10 buds as high. However, the specific prognostic difference between cases with 0 buds (BD0) and those with 1-4 buds (BD1) is not well established owing to a lack of comparative studies. This study aimed to examine and compare the rate of lymph node (LN) metastasis and prognosis by distinguishing between BD0 and BD1 within the low-grade category (0-4 buds) of tumor budding in submucosa (T1) and muscularis propria (T2) CRC.

Machine learning for early detection and severity classification in people with Parkinson's disease.

Early detection of Parkinson's disease (PD) and accurate assessment of disease progression are critical for optimizing treatment and rehabilitation. However, there is no consensus on how to effectively detect early-stage PD and classify motor symptom severity using gait analysis. This study evaluated the accuracy of machine learning models in classifying early and moderate-stages of PD based on spatiotemporal gait features at different walking speeds.

Enhancing Inflammatory Factors, Nitric Oxide, and Arterial Stiffness Through Aquatic Walking for Amelioration and Disease Prevention: Targeting in Obese Elderly Women.

In elderly women, hormonal changes lead to elevated body fat content, which results in elevated levels of vascular inflammatory factors, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) associated with endothelial dysfunction. Regular physical exercises tend to keep these in check and are protective to the body. Aerobic exercise has been reported to improve CVD in obese elderly women; in this regard, aquatic exercises have been demonstrated to be more efficient in energy metabolism than land-based exercise.

Ultrahigh concentration exfoliation and aqueous dispersion of few-layer graphene by excluded volume effect.

Colloidal properties of nanoparticles are intricately linked to their morphology. Traditionally, achieving high-concentration dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets has proven challenging as they tend to agglomerate or re-stack under increased surface contact and Van der Waals attraction. Here, we unveil an excluded volume effect enabled by 2D morphology, which can be coupled with electrostatic repulsion to synthesize high-concentration aqueous graphene dispersions.

Do Risk Factors for HCC Impact the Association of CT/MRI LIRADS Major Features With HCC? An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Guidelines suggest the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) may not be applicable for some populations at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, data assessing the association of HCC risk factors with LI-RADS major features are lacking. To evaluate whether the association between HCC risk factors and each CT/MRI LI-RADS major feature differs among individuals at-risk for HCC.

Pemetrexed Maintenance versus Observation in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma Who Completed First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy without Disease Progression (PREMIER, KCSG GU16-05).

Purpose: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC). Switch maintenance therapy after first-line (1L) treatment may delay disease progression. This study evaluated pemetrexed as switch maintenance therapy versus observation in aUC patients without disease progression after initial chemotherapy.

Development of a web-based high-throughput marker design program: CAPS (cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) Maker.

Background: Genetic markers are crucial for breeding crops with desired agronomic traits, and their development can be expedited using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics tools. Numerous tools have been developed to design molecular markers, enhancing the convenience, accuracy, and efficiency of molecular breeding. However, these tools primarily focus on genetic variants within short user-input sequences, despite the availability of extensive omics data for genomic variants.

Effects of mind-body exercise on individuals with ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To explore the effects of mind-body exercise (MBE) on ADHD through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: After identifying relevant search keywords based on the study's technical terminology, research articles were retrieved from five databases. Two researchers independently screened the results to select studies that met the inclusion criteria.