A novel early imaging biomarker for glymphatic function: Cerebral cortical arterial pulsatility index from 2-Minute phase-contrast MRI.

Background: Arterial pulsatility is one of the driving forces of glymphatic flow.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of the pulsatility index (PI) of cortical arteries in the centrum semiovale (PI) as a novel non-invasive imaging biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the context of glymphatic function.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Risk Assessment for Carotid Atherosclerosis in Asymptomatic Patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Background/aims: Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of mortality in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study evaluated the association between subclinical carotid atherosclerosis (SCA) and MASLD or MASLD and increased alcohol intake (MetALD) in asymptomatic individuals.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 56,889 adults undergoing health check-ups in South Korea.

Genotypic Analysis of Candida tropicalis Clinical Isolates From Korea via Multilocus Sequence Typing.

Candida tropicalis is a clinically significant non-albicans species that has shown increasing azole resistance globally. Despite its growing clinical importance, genotypic and epidemiological data from East Asia, particularly Korea, remain limited. This study aimed to expand the global understanding of C.

Association Between Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Growth Delay in Korean Children Aged 18-36 Months: A Population-Based Study.

Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) has been linked to childhood growth. However, its effects on growth delay at different early life stages are not well understood. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and growth delay in Korean children, using data from the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children.

Effect of Eradication on Metabolic Parameters and Body Composition including Skeletal Muscle Mass: A Matched Case-Control Study.

Background/aims: Findings on the impact of eradication on metabolic parameters are inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of eradication on metabolic parameters and body composition, including body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of asymptomatic patients who underwent health screenings, including bioelectrical impedance analysis, before and after eradication between 2005 and 2021.

The Outcome of Inferior Oblique Myectomy for Apparent Inferior Oblique Overaction Associated with Craniosynostosis.

Purpose: Strabismus in patients with craniosynostosis is common, but surgical correction of strabismus in these patients remains challenging. We report our findings in six patients (four of whom were Korean) with craniosynostosis who underwent strabismus surgery to specifically address V-pattern horizontal strabismus with moderate-to-severe inferior oblique (IO) overaction, using IO myectomy at a single tertiary hospital between 2005 and 2016.

Methods: We recorded preoperative characteristics including sex, age, type of strabismus, versions grading, refractive error, and visual acuity.

Effect of perioperative intravenous ibuprofen versus acetaminophen on postoperative opioid consumption and pain after general anesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are widely used as adjuvant analgesics for postoperative pain. This meta-analysis compared the effects of intravenous (IV) ibuprofen and acetaminophen on postoperative opioid consumption and pain intensity after general anesthesia.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify relevant studies published up to May 2023.

All-in-one IQ toggle switches with high versatilities for fine-tuning of transgene expression in mammalian cells and tissues.

The transgene toggling device is recognized as a powerful tool for gene- and cell-based biological research and precision medicine. However, many of these devices often operate in binary mode, exhibit unacceptable leakiness, suffer from transgene silencing, show cytotoxicity, and have low potency. Here, we present a novel transgene switch, SIQ, wherein all the elements for gene toggling are packed into a single vector.

Risk of sleep apnea associated with higher blood pressure among Chinese and Korean Americans.

Objective: This study examines associations between sleep apnea risk and hypertension in a sample of immigrant Chinese and Korean Americans.

Design: The dataset included Chinese and Korean patients ages 50-75 recruited from primary care physicians' offices from April 2018 to June 2020 in the Baltimore-Washington DC Metropolitan Area ( = 394). Hypertension risk was determined using a combination of blood pressure measurements, self-reported diagnosis of hypertension by a medical professional, and/or self-reported use of antihypertensive medications.

A risk prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease without cirrhosis: HCC prediction for non-cirrhotic NAFLD.

Background & Aims: Although non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), HCC risk in non-cirrhotic NAFLD received little attention. We aimed to develop and validate an HCC risk prediction model for non-cirrhotic NAFLD.

Methods: A nationwide cohort of non-cirrhotic NAFLD patients in Korea was recruited to develop a risk prediction model and validate it internally (n = 409 088).

Gastrointestinal: Weight gain increases the risk of metachronous advanced colorectal neoplasm observed in post-polypectomy surveillance colonoscopy.

Background And Aim: Although obesity is a known risk factor for colorectal neoplasms, the correlation between weight change and colorectal neoplasm is unclear. Thus, we aim to evaluate the association between weight change and advanced colorectal neoplasm (ACRN) recurrence during post-polypectomy surveillance colonoscopy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 7473 participants diagnosed with colorectal neoplasms between 2003 and 2010 who subsequently underwent surveillance colonoscopies until 2020.

TDAG51 promotes transcription factor FoxO1 activity during LPS-induced inflammatory responses.

Tight regulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated inflammatory responses is important for innate immunity. Here, we show that T-cell death-associated gene 51 (TDAG51/PHLDA1) is a novel regulator of the transcription factor FoxO1, regulating inflammatory mediator production in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response. TDAG51 induction by LPS stimulation was mediated by the TLR2/4 signaling pathway in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs).

High Visceral-To-Subcutaneous Fat Ratio Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Nonobese Adults.

Introduction: Abdominal obesity increases the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aimed to determine the association between GERD and abdominal fat area quantified by computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We analyzed the effect of abdominal fat area on gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis using logistic regression models in 5,338 participants who underwent abdominal fat measurement CT and screening esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Association between vitamin D level and respiratory distress syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Growing evidence suggests an association between the vitamin D levels and respiratory outcomes of preterm infants. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore whether premature neonates with a vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up through July 20, 2021.

TDAG51 deficiency attenuates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the multifactorial etiology of IBD pathogenesis is relatively well documented, the regulatory factors that confer a risk of IBD pathogenesis remain less explored. In this study, we report that T-cell death-associated gene 51 (TDAG51/PHLDA1) is a novel regulator of the development of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice.

1,3-Dibenzyl-5-Fluorouracil Prevents Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss by Suppressing Osteoclast Differentiation.

Osteoclasts (OCs) are clinically important cells that resorb bone matrix. Accelerated bone destruction by OCs is closely linked to the development of metabolic bone diseases. In this study, we screened novel chemical inhibitors targeting OC differentiation to identify drug candidates for metabolic bone diseases.

Walnut Prevents Cognitive Impairment by Regulating the Synaptic and Mitochondrial Dysfunction via JNK Signaling and Apoptosis Pathway in High-Fat Diet-Induced C57BL/6 Mice.

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of (walnut, Gimcheon 1ho cultivar, GC) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced cognitive dysfunction in C57BL/6 mice. The main physiological compounds of GC were identified as pedunculagin/casuariin isomer, strictinin, tellimagrandin I, ellagic acid-O-pentoside, and ellagic acid were identified using UPLC Q-TOF/MS analysis. To evaluate the neuro-protective effect of GC, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorecein diacetate (DCF-DA) analysis were conducted in HO and high glucose-induced neuronal PC12 cells and hippocampal HT22 cells.

Risk factors of early pulmonary hypertension and its clinical outcomes in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the incidence and risk factors of early pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in preterm infants and evaluate the association of early PHT with morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), late PHT, and in-hospital mortality. We searched the PubMed (1980-2021), Embase (1968-2021), CINAHL (2002-2021), Cochrane library (1989-2021), and KoreaMed (1993-2021). Observational studies on the association between early PHT diagnosed within the first 2 weeks after birth and its clinical outcomes in preterm infants born before 37 weeks of gestation or with very low birth weight (< 1500 g) were included.

Efficacy of a Restrictive Diet in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Background/aims: Dietary factors can aggravate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Many IBS patients try restrictive diets to relieve their symptoms, but the types of diets with an exacerbating factor are unknown. Therefore, this paper reports the results of a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) reviewing the efficacy of food restriction diets in IBS.

Acculturation and Cardiometabolic Abnormalities Among Chinese and Korean Americans.

Background: Studies generally show that higher acculturation is associated with greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among immigrants in the United States (US). However, few studies have compared how proxies of acculturation are differentially associated with metabolic abnormalities measured using objective biomarkers, self-reported diagnosis, and medication use, particularly among East Asian Americans.

Methods: Survey data and biomarker measurements collected from random (non-fasting) blood samples of Chinese and Korean immigrants in the US (n = 328) were used to examine the associations between two proxies for acculturation (years living in the US and English speaking proficiency) with three cardiometabolic abnormalities (high triglyceride levels, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia).