The Relationship between Diet Quality, Measured by the Recommended Food Score, and Depression, Assessed Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9: An Observational Study in Korea.

Background: Depression is a prevalent mental health disorder that presents substantial public health challenges. Emerging evidence underscores the role of dietary patterns in mitigating depressive symptoms. This study investigated the association between diet quality, assessed using the Recommended Food Score (RFS), and depressive symptoms, evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), in a sample of Korean adults.

CRP deposition in human abdominal aortic aneurysm is associated with transcriptome alterations toward aneurysmal pathogenesis: insights from spatial whole transcriptomic analysis.

Background: We investigated the effects of C-reactive protein (CRP) deposition on the vessel walls in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by analyzing spatially resolved changes in gene expression. Our aim was to elucidate the pathways that contribute to disease progression.

Methods: AAA specimens from surgically resected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were categorized into the AAA-high CRP [serum CRP ≥ 0.

Telomere length, in vivo Alzheimer's disease pathologies and cognitive decline in older adults.

Background: Whether telomere length (TL), an indicator of biological ageing, reflects Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neuropathological change remains unclear. We investigated the relationships between TL, in vivo AD pathologies, including cerebral beta-amyloid and tau deposition, and cognitive outcomes in older adults.

Methods: A total of 458 older adults were included, encompassing both cognitively normal (CN) individuals and those cognitively impaired (CI), with the CI group consisting of individuals with mild cognitive impairment or AD dementia.

Impact of diabetes on the progression of Alzheimer's disease via trajectories of amyloid-tau-neurodegeneration (ATN) biomarkers.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal proteins, such as β-amyloid and tau, in the brain, which precedes cognitive impairment. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) is a well-established risk factor for AD, few studies have investigated how the presence of DM affects the sequential pathogenesis of AD, specifically within the amyloid-tau-neurodegeneration (ATN) and cognition framework.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the trajectories of ATN biomarkers in relation to the presence of DM in the preclinical and prodromal stages of AD.

Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma: a single institution-based study of 29 patients by clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and genetic approaches.

Fumarate hydratase (FH)-deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a renal neoplasm associated with FH loss, aggressive behaviour, and poor survival. We present a histopathological and immunohistochemical overview of FH-deficient RCC to infer significant features for its differential diagnosis. In this study, FH-deficient RCC tissue samples from patients who underwent surgical resection or biopsy at a single institution between July 1995 and August 2022 were reviewed by conventional haematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and whole genome analyses.

Impact of amyloid and cardiometabolic risk factors on prognostic capacity of plasma neurofilament light chain for neurodegeneration.

Background: Plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a blood biomarker of neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer's disease. However, its usefulness may be influenced by common conditions in older adults, including amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and cardiometabolic risk factors like hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired kidney function, and obesity. This longitudinal observational study using the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort investigated how these conditions influence the prognostic capacity of plasma NfL.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Medical Use of Elderly Patients with Hypertension: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Korea.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare services, including chronic disease management, for vulnerable groups, such as older individuals with hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate hypertension management in South Korea's elderly population during the pandemic using treatment consistency indices such as the continuity of care (COC), modified, modified continuity index (MMCI), and most frequent provider continuity (MFPC).

Methods: This study used the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID-19-National Health Insurance Service cohort (K-COV-N cohort) from the National Health Insurance Service between 2017 and 2021.

Renal Doppler ultrasonography for predicting non-diabetic kidney disease in patients with diabetes.

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the role of renal Doppler ultrasonography (US) in predicting non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD) in patients with diabetes, using histologic findings as the reference standard.

Methods: Fifty-nine consecutive patients with diabetes who underwent renal Doppler US and native kidney biopsy were included in this retrospective, single-institutional study. Based on histologic findings, patients were classified as having diabetic nephropathy (DN) or NDKD.

Ultrasound findings of subpial hemorrhage in neonates.

Purpose: Subpial hemorrhage (SPH) is a subtype of intracranial hemorrhage characterized by damage to the adjacent brain parenchyma. The aim of this study was to describe the sonographic features of SPH in neonates.

Methods: The cranial ultrasound (US) findings of neonates with SPH confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed retrospectively.

Adjuvant Radiotherapy Versus Surveillance for Grade 2 Intracranial Meningiomas: A Multi-Institutional Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Purpose: We aimed to compare the outcomes of adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) and surveillance in patients with grade 2 meningiomas (MNG2) who underwent surgical resection.

Materials And Methods: Data from four hospitals, in which patients aged ≥18 years underwent Simpson grade 1-4 surgical resection for newly diagnosed MNG2 between 1998 and 2018, were examined in this multicenter retrospective cohort study. Patients receiving ART with conventional fractionation were compared with those undergoing surveillance.

CTRP3 exacerbates tendinopathy by dysregulating tendon stem cell differentiation and altering extracellular matrix composition.

Tendinopathy, the most common disorder affecting tendons, is characterized by chronic disorganization of the tendon matrix, which leads to tendon tear and rupture. The goal was to identify a rational molecular target whose blockade can serve as a potential therapeutic intervention for tendinopathy. We identified C1q/TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) as a markedly up-regulated cytokine in human and rodent tendinopathy.

Randomized Trial of Poloxamer 407-Based Ropivacaine Hydrogel After Thoracoscopic Pulmonary Resection.

Background: We conducted a comparative study to evaluate the efficacy of poloxamer 407-based ropivacaine hydrogel at the wound site (Gel) and continuous thoracic paravertebral block using On-Q PainBuster (On-Q; B. Braun Medical) for postoperative pain after thoracoscopic pulmonary resection.

Methods: This prospective, randomized, noninferiority study included 89 patients randomized to the Gel group (poloxamer 407-based 0.

Low Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level as a Potential Risk Factor of Erectile Dysfunction in Elderly Men with Moderate to Severe Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between vitamin D level and erectile dysfunction (ED) in male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) patients.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed data from 534 male patients who were tested for LUTS from 2014 to 2017. LUTS severity was classified into mild (≤7) or moderate to severe (≥8) based on total IPSS scores.

When do we need more than local compression to control intraoral haemorrhage?

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the effectiveness of local compression in patients presenting to the emergency room with intraoral bleeding and to identify when complex haemostatic measures may be required.

Materials And Methods: Five hundred forty patients who had experienced intraoral haemorrhage were retrospectively reviewed. The outcome variable was the haemostasis method used, i.

Association Between Postoperative Body Temperature and All-Cause Mortality After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia is common in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). We investigated the association between early postoperative body temperature and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing OPCAB.

Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records of 1714 patients who underwent OPCAB (median duration of follow-up, 47 months).

Simultaneous and synchronous bilateral endoscopic treatment of urolithiasis: a multicentric study.

Introduction: The general prevalence of bilateral urolithiasis has risen to 15% and bilateral non-simultaneous treatment has been reported to have good outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of simultaneous bilateral endoscopic surgery (SBES).

Material And Methods: An international multicenter analysis was performed between May 2015 and December 2017.

Synoptic approach to evaluate the effect of temperature on pediatric respiratory disease-related hospitalization in Seoul, Korea.

Background: The spatial synoptic classification (SSC) scheme is a daily weather-type classification scheme that is widely used in climatological and epidemiological investigations. We investigated the modification effect of temperature on respiratory disease-related hospital admissions (RAs) in children based on the SSC type.

Methods: Data on RAs among children aged ≤19 years were collected from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database between 2011 and 2015 in Seoul, Korea.

What Else Is Needed in the Korean Government's Master Plan for People With Developmental Disabilities?

On September 12, 2018, President Jae-In Moon announced the Comprehensive Plan for Lifelong Care for People with Developmental Disabilities, with representatives from the associated government branches (Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Employment and Labor) in attendance. The goals of this plan are to provide health, medical, rehabilitative, special education, and social welfare services according to the life-stages of the affected individuals; to reduce parental pressure; to promote social interventions; and to enhance community-level participation in order to create a 'welfare society in harmony.' However, in order for the plan to succeed, additional efforts must be made in the following areas.

Brain structural changes after multi-strategic metamemory training in older adults with subjective memory complaints: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Metamemory is the process of monitoring and controlling one's memory. Improving metamemory may reduce the memory problem in old age. We hypothesized that metamemory training (MMT) would improve cognition in older adults with subjective memory complaints and change the brain region related to metacognition.

The effects of social concern goals on the value of learning and on the intentions of medical students to change their majors.

Background: In the process of developing a professional medical expertise, goals can become a psychological impetus and act as a source of retaining an individual's persistency. Therefore, the goals of medical students should be considered when designing a curriculum for health professions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine relative effects of goal categories on the value of learning and intention to change one's major.

Establishment of Immortalized Primary Human Foreskin Keratinocytes and Their Application to Toxicity Assessment and Three Dimensional Skin Culture Construction.

In spite of frequent usage of primary human foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs) in the study of skin biology, senescence-induced blockage of proliferation has been a big hurdle for their effective utilization. In order to overcome this passage limitation, we first isolated ten HFK lines from circumcision patients and successfully immortalized four of them via a retroviral transduction of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7 oncogenes. We confirmed expression of a keratinocyte marker protein, keratin 14 and two viral oncoproteins in these immortalized HFKs.