Bacterial extracellular vesicle as a predictive biomarker for postoperative delirium status after spinal surgery: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Prognostic factors significantly associated with postoperative delirium (POD) have been reported discordantly, possibly due to heterogeneous cohorts. Here, bacteria extracellular vesicles (BEVs) were introduced to predict the POD status of a unique patient cohort.

Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients who underwent spinal surgery participated in this prospective cohort study.

The Process of Cancer Prevention Behaviors in Individuals at High Risk of Hereditary Cancer: A Grounded Theory Study.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the process of cancer prevention behaviors in individuals at high risk of hereditary cancer in Korea.

Methods: We included 10 adults with pathogenic variants in genes related to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, or familial adenomatous polyposis, but who had never been diagnosed with cancer. Data were collected through in-depth interviews at the cancer prevention center of a tertiary hospital in Korea.

Cognitive Function, Physical Activity, and Sweat Cytokines in Older Adults With Dementia.

Background: Inflammatory cytokines are linked to cognitive function in older adults with dementia; however, their associations with physical activity (PA) and noninvasive biomarkers, such as sweat, remain unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationships among cognitive function, PA, and sweat cytokines, as well as the moderating effect of cognitive function on the association between PA and cytokine levels.

Methods: Data from 40 older adults with dementia were analyzed to assess correlations between cognitive function, PA measured via wearable devices and sweat cytokine levels.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Enhances Hepatic Gluconeogenesis and Reduces Lipid Accumulation via AMPK-SIRT1 Activation and Autophagy Induction.

Backgruound: Sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin, are primarily used to lower glucose in type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggest broader metabolic effects, particularly in the liver. This study explores the molecular mechanisms by which dapagliflozin influences hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism, hypothesizing that it activates the 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) pathway to promote gluconeogenesis and reduce lipid accumulation via autophagy.

Decision-making process for risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy among Korean women with hereditary breast cancer: A grounded theory study.

Purpose: To explore the decision-making process regarding Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy (RRSO) among women with hereditary breast cancer in Korea, with a focus on complex interpersonal interactions and sociocultural influences.

Method: This qualitative, grounded theory study conducted semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 17 women with hereditary breast cancer between March and December 2021. Theoretical sampling and constant comparison were utilized for data analysis.

Safety and impact of the Mediterranean diet in patients with chronic kidney disease: a pilot randomized crossover trial.

Introduction: Emerging evidence highlights the potential advantages of the Mediterranean diet (MD) in preserving kidney function and slowing chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. However, interventional studies on the MD are scarce in East Asian populations.

Methods: This randomized crossover trial aimed to assess the safety and short-term impact of the Mediterranean Proper Optimal Balance (MEDi-POB) diet in Korean patients with stage 3-4 CKD.

Trajectory classes of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults following the transition to living alone.

This study identified the trajectory classes of depressive symptoms after transitioning to living alone and the factors affecting these trajectories. Data from the initial to the seventh waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging were analyzed, focusing on four consecutive waves. We selected 369 participants aged ≥45 who transitioned to living alone between consecutive waves (T1 and T2).

Extracellular Vesicle MicroRNAs as Predictive Biomarkers in Postoperative Delirium After Spine Surgery: Preliminary Study.

Postoperative delirium (POD) can cause poor patient outcomes in older adults who undergo surgery. In this study, we tested plasma extracellular vesicle (EV) miRNAs obtained before the delirium event to find predictive POD biomarkers after spine surgery. We recruited patients who are more than 70 years old and have undergone spine surgery.

Latent class analysis of health lifestyle among older adults living alone and associations with life satisfaction and depressive symptoms.

Background: Little is known about the collective patterns of health-related behaviors of older adults living alone. We aimed to identify subgroups of older adults living alone based on their health lifestyle and examine the relationship between these subgroups and sociodemographic characteristics, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms.

Methods: A total of 3137 older adults living alone were sampled from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans.

Assessing the Feasibility and Efficacy of Pre-Sleep Dim Light Therapy for Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot Study.

: Insomnia is increasingly recognized for its marked impact on public health and is often associated with various adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular diseases and mental health disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of pre-sleep dim light therapy (LT) as a non-pharmacological intervention for insomnia in adults, assessing its influence on sleep parameters and circadian rhythms. : A randomized, open-label, two-arm clinical trial was conducted over two weeks with 40 participants aged 20-60 years, all of whom had sleep disorders (CRIS, KCT0008501).

Preoperative nutritional status and postoperative health outcomes in older adults undergoing spine surgery: Electronic health records analysis.

Aim: To examine whether a high nutritional risk status, assessed via the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), is independently associated with postoperative health outcomes, including unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, infectious complications, and prolonged length of stay in older patients undergoing spine surgery.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study analyzing electronic health records from a tertiary hospital, including data from 1,014 patients aged ≥70 undergoing elective spine surgery between February 2013 and March 2023.

Results: High nutritional risk patients had significantly higher odds of unplanned ICU admission, infectious complications, and prolonged length of stay compared to low-risk patients.

Salivary Cortisol and Melatonin, Sleep, and Behavioral Patterns in Older Adults Living With Dementia.

Background: Over half of the older adults living with dementia have behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), including sleep disturbance; however, little is known about physiological markers. Salivary cortisol and melatonin have been identified as potential biomarkers of BPSD, with evidence suggesting a relationship between these biomarkers and various behavioral factors, as well as sleep and activity patterns.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the time-dependent changes in salivary cortisol and melatonin levels in older adults with dementia, their relationship with the sleep-wake cycle, and their correlation with BPSD symptoms and behavioral factors.

Mobile Internet Use and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults: The Moderating Effect of Living Alone.

This study, informed by the principle of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, evaluated the relationships between mobile internet use frequency, living arrangement, and life satisfaction in older adults. We used data from the 2021 Digital Divide Survey in South Korea, conducting a secondary analysis on 2105 participants aged 65 or above who accessed the internet in the last month. Multiple linear regression models were performed.

Assessment of Risk Factors for Postoperative Delirium in Older Adults Who Underwent Spinal Surgery and Identifying Associated Biomarkers Using Exosomal Protein.

Purpose: With an increase in the aging population, the number of patients with degenerative spinal diseases undergoing surgery has risen, as has the incidence of postoperative delirium. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors affecting postoperative delirium in older adults who had undergone spine surgery and to identify the associated biomarkers.

Methods: This study is a prospective study.

Cytokine associated with severity of depressive symptoms in female nurses in Korea.

Background: Depression has been associated with the risk of developing physical illnesses and diseases. Inflammatory hypotheses of immunoactive and dysregulated cytokine production have been proposed to describe this association; however, data pertaining to the high prevalence of depression among nurses are limited.

Objective: This study aimed to use a comprehensive immune-profiling approach to determine whether an abnormal profile of circulating cytokines could be identified in nurses with self-reported depression and whether this profile is associated with the severity of depression.

Feasibility and Efficacy of Morning Light Therapy for Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot, Randomized, Open-Label, Two-Arm Study.

Light therapy (LT) is used as an adjunctive treatment for sleep problems. This study evaluates the impact of LT on sleep quality and sleep-related parameters in patients with sleep disorders. We performed a pilot, randomized, open-label clinical trial.

Effect of a 1-year tailored exercise program according to cancer trajectories in patients with breast cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patients with breast cancer undergo various treatments according to their tumor subtype and cancer stages within 1 year after being diagnosed. Each treatment may cause treatment-related symptoms that have negative impacts on patients' health and quality of life (QoL) The symptoms can be mitigated when exercise interventions are appropriately applied to patients' physical and mental conditions. Although many exercise programs were developed and implemented during this period, the effects of tailored exercise programs according to symptoms and cancer trajectories on patients' long-term health outcomes have not yet been fully elucidated.

Feasibility and efficacy of TouchCare system using application for older adults living alone: a pilot pre-experimental study.

Background: With the number of older people living alone continuously rising, health-monitoring systems using information and communication technology (ICT) have been developed to manage their health issues. Life logging and human body communication sensor, types of ICT, have been adapted to manage and monitor health status of the elderly. However, its feasibility and efficacy remain unclear.

The effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions using information and communication technologies for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia are a global public health challenge, non-pharmacological interventions using information and communication technologies can be an affordable, cost-effective, and innovative solution.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions using information and communication technologies on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and identify potential moderators of intervention effects.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Correlates of quality of life in South Korean patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation based on the symptom management model.

While hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has led to higher survival rates, the number of patients experiencing adverse reactions is also increasing. Based on the symptom management model, we aimed to analyze the relationships between symptom experience, symptom management strategies, self-management behavior, and quality of life among patients undergoing HSCT in South Korea and to identify the factors affecting their quality of life. The data of 67 conveniently sampled patients undergoing HSCT at a university-affiliated hospital, for the period from March 23 to June 7, 2016, were collected using a self-reported structured questionnaire.

Impact of preoperative laboratory frailty index on mortality and clinical outcomes in older surgical patients with cancer.

Frailty in older patients is associated with poor postoperative outcomes. The use of uncomplicated frailty measurement tools is preferred in busy clinical settings. Therefore, we validated the frailty index using routine laboratory data and the surgical outcomes of older patients with cancer who underwent cancer resection.