Cancer risk in individuals with psychiatric disorders: population-based cohort study.

Background: The risk of cancers associated with psychiatric disorders is understudied.

Aims: To investigate whether cancer risk varies with the presence of psychiatric disorders.

Method: Patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders in South Korea between 1 January and 31 December 2017 were included in the study and referred to as the psychiatric disorder group.

Childhood trauma is associated with perceived stress and hair cortisol levels characterized by the BDNF Val66Met genotype and sex.

Introduction: Childhood trauma increases the risk of mental disorders by affecting both psychological and physiological stress responses in adulthood, including perceived stress and long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The mechanisms underlying these effects may involve gene-environment (G × E) interactions, with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism and sex playing important roles. This study aims to investigate how childhood trauma influences stress responses, considering the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and sex differences.

Development of the Korean Version of the Meaning in Life Scale for Cancer Patients.

Objective: This study aims to understand the structure of meaning in life among patients with cancer through the validation of the Meaning in Life Scale among Korean patients (K-MiLS) with cancer.

Methods: From August 2021 to November 2022, participants were recruited from multiple sites in South Korea. Participants completed related questionnaires, including the MiLS, on the web or mobile.

Epigenetic modulation of social cognition: exploring the impact of methylation in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and oxytocin receptor genes across sex.

Social cognition, which ranges from recognizing social cues to intricate inferential reasoning, is influenced by environmental factors and epigenetic mechanisms. Notably, methylation variations in stress-related genes like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) are linked to distinct social cognitive functions and exhibit sex-specific differences. This study investigates how these methylation differences affect social cognition across sexes, focusing on both perceptual and inferential cognitive levels.

Application of machine learning for delirium prediction and analysis of associated factors in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A comparative study using the Korean Multidisciplinary cohort for delirium prevention (KoMCoDe).

Background: The incidence of delirium in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is linked to adverse health outcomes. Predicting the occurrence and risk factors of delirium is key to preventing its sudden onset.

Aims: To explore the factors associated with delirium in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and to compare the performance of various machine learning (ML) techniques for future use in predicting delirium.

Survival Is Just the Beginning of Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Survivors' Experiences after Severe Injury.

Purpose: Patients experience severe physical trauma every year. However, studies on survivors' experiences after severe injury are limited. Previous studies have mainly focused on time spans of trauma treatment.

Integration of Palliative Care in Neurosurgical Critical Care : Insights from a Single-Center Perspective.

Objective: Palliative care is a specialized approach designed to enhance the quality of life for both patients and their families, offering patient-centered care through comprehensive assessment and care planning. However, the integration of palliative care within neurocritical care settings has been relatively understudied. This descriptive study aims to identify the characteristics, palliative care needs, and outcomes of patients referred to palliative care services during admission to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NS-ICU).

Decoding Arc transcription: a live-cell study of stimulation patterns and transcriptional output.

Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) plays a crucial role in synaptic plasticity, a process integral to learning and memory. Arc transcription is induced within a few minutes of stimulation, making it a useful marker for neuronal activity. However, the specific neuronal activity patterns that initiate Arc transcription have remained elusive due to the inability to observe mRNA transcription in live cells in real time.

Incidence of psychiatric disorders after total knee or hip arthroplasty by anesthesia type: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: Evidence is lacking of an association between anesthetic choice and the risk of psychiatric disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of regional anesthesia (R/A) versus general anesthesia (G/A) on the occurrence of psychiatric disorders in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: Data for this population-based cohort study were sourced from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea.

Public and Clinician Perspectives on Ventilator Withdrawal in Vegetative State Following Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Vignette Survey.

Background: The vegetative state (VS) after severe acute brain injury (SABI) is associated with significant prognostic uncertainty and poor long-term functional outcomes. However, it is generally distinguished from imminent death and is exempt from the Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) Decisions Act in Korea. Here, we aimed to examine the perspectives of the general population (GP) and clinicians regarding decisions on mechanical ventilator withdrawal in patients in a VS after SABI.

Beyond Legal Boundaries: Public and Clinician Perspectives on Treatment Withdrawal in Infants With Poor Neurological Prognosis.

Background: Despite medical advancements in neonatal survival rates, many children have poor neurological outcomes. Because the law in Korea restricts the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment to only cases of imminent death, treatment discontinuation may not be an option, even in patients with poor neurological prognosis. This study investigated the opinions of the general population and clinicians regarding life-sustaining treatment withdrawal in such cases using hypothetical scenarios.

Investigating the association of opioid prescription with the incidence of psychiatric disorders: nationwide cohort study in South Korea.

Background: The relationship between opioid use and the incidence of psychiatric disorders remains unidentified.

Aims: This study examined the association between the incidence of psychiatric disorders and opioid use.

Method: Data for this population-based cohort study were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea.

Optogenetic control of mRNA condensation reveals an intimate link between condensate material properties and functions.

Biomolecular condensates, often assembled through phase transition mechanisms, play key roles in organizing diverse cellular activities. The material properties of condensates, ranging from liquid droplets to solid-like glasses or gels, are key features impacting the way resident components associate with one another. However, it remains unclear whether and how different material properties would influence specific cellular functions of condensates.

Association of hair cortisol concentration with brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene methylation: The role of sex as a moderator.

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) reflects the long-term activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to stress. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor DNA methylation (BDNF DNA) may affect HCC, and sex and Val66Met may contribute to this association. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the associations between HCC and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) DNA, and the moderating effects of Val66Met and sex.

New-onset mental illness and long-term survival in survivors of critical illness: population-based cohort study in South Korea.

Background: Critical care unit (CCU) survivors have a high risk of developing mental illness.

Aims: We aimed to examine the incidence and associated factors of newly developed mental illness among CCU survivors of critical illness. Moreover, we examined the association between newly developed mental illness and 2-year all-cause mortality.

Thermodynamic modulation of gephyrin condensation by inhibitory synapse components.

Phase separation drives compartmentalization of intracellular contents into various biomolecular condensates. Individual condensate components are thought to differentially contribute to the organization and function of condensates. However, how intermolecular interactions among constituent biomolecules modulate the phase behaviors of multicomponent condensates remains unclear.

Insomnia disorder and cancer mortality in South Korea: a secondary analysis of musculoskeletal disease cohort.

Purpose: The association between insomnia disorder and cancer-related mortality risk remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between insomnia disorder and cancer-related mortality.

Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with musculoskeletal disease (MSD) between 2010 and 2015 were included in this study as a secondary analysis of a patient cohort with MSD in South Korea.

Predicting delirium and the effects of medications in hospitalized COVID-19 patients using machine learning: A retrospective study within the Korean Multidisciplinary Cohort for Delirium Prevention (KoMCoDe).

Objective: Delirium is commonly reported from the inpatients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. As delirium is closely associated with adverse clinical outcomes, prediction and prevention of delirium is critical. We developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict delirium in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and to identify modifiable factors to prevent delirium.

Spiritual Care Guide in Hospice∙Palliative Care.

The Spiritual Care Guide in Hospice∙Palliative Care is evidence-based and focuses on the universal and integral aspects of human spirituality-such as meaning and purpose, interconnectedness, and transcendence-which go beyond any specific religion. This guide was crafted to improve the spiritual well-being of adult patients aged 19 and older, as well as their families, who are receiving end-of-life care. The provision of spiritual care in hospice and palliative settings aims to assist patients and their families in finding life's meaning and purpose, restoring love and relationships, and helping them come to terms with death while maintaining hope.