Lactobacillus salivarius HHuMin-U attenuates vulvovaginal candidiasis via vaginal epithelial immune enhancement mediated by NF-κB activation.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), primarily caused by Candida albicans infection, is one of the most common diseases among women and leads to various symptoms that adversely impact quality of life. VVC is conventionally treated with antifungal agents, but the high recurrence rates and the risk of inducing vaginal microbiome dysbiosis pose major concerns in effective treatment. Probiotics with immune-enhancing properties can be an effective strategy by strengthening mucosal immunity and reducing susceptibility to infection.

Exploring the Role of Social Welfare Expenditures in Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the role of community-level social welfare expenditures in depressive symptoms among older adults in Korea, with a particular focus on living arrangements.

Methods: Multi-level data-comprising individual-level data from the 2019 Community Health Survey and regional-level data from the Korean Statistical Information Service-were analyzed using multi-level ordered logistic regression. The dependent variable was the severity of depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, and the primary independent variables were per capita social welfare expenditure, living arrangements, and their cross-level interaction term.

Digital-based Living Lab intervention to promote healthy dietary behaviours in adolescents.

Digital health interventions are increasingly used to promote behaviour change in adolescents. The Living Lab approach, fostering collaboration with users and stakeholders to identify real-life problems and co-create sustainable solutions, is gaining traction in health interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the usability of a novel Digital-based Living Lab (D-LLab) designed to promote healthy dietary behaviour in adolescents.

Modulation of Gut Microbial Composition by subsp. CKDB001 Supplementation in a High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

subsp. CKDB001 (LL) has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and lipid-regulatory effects in vitro and in vivo, including attenuation of hepatic steatosis and modulation of lipid metabolism. Given the known interactions between host metabolism and gut microbiota, these findings suggest a potential role for LL in modulating microbial composition under conditions of diet-induced obesity.

Subtle Differences in Physician Communication and Substantial Impacts on Patient Decision-Making About Low-Value Care: An Experimental Vignette Study.

Rational, Aims And Objectives: While low-value care may have multiple contributing factors, it ultimately arises within patient-physician interactions, often influenced by communication. This study examines whether and the extent to which physician communication factors influence patients' willingness to undergo low-value care using hypothetical vignettes in South Korea.

Methods: We utilised data from a total of 1229 South Korean adults that included hypothetical vignettes on low-value care.

Development of prediction models for screening depression and anxiety using smartphone and wearable-based digital phenotyping: protocol for the Smartphone and Wearable Assessment for Real-Time Screening of Depression and Anxiety (SWARTS-DA) observational study in Korea.

Introduction: Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent mental health conditions that significantly affect quality of life and cause societal burdens. However, their detection and diagnosis rates remain low owing to the limitations of the current screening methods. With rapid technological advancements and the proliferation of consumer-grade wearable devices and smartphones, their integration into digital phenotyping research has enabled the unobtrusive screening for depression and anxiety in natural settings.

Methodological evaluation of ultrasound-guided modified traumatic catheterization in dogs with suspected urothelial carcinoma.

Importance: Bladder tumors in dogs, particularly urothelial carcinoma (UC), pose a diagnostic challenge due to overlapping imaging features with benign conditions. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate treatment and prognosis.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a modified traumatic catheterization technique using a 4-hole catheter for cytological sampling in dogs with bladder masses.

Green Synthesis of Vanadium Dioxide Nanoparticles by sp. Strain HN-41.

Vanadium dioxide (VO) nanoparticles have various application potentials such as smart windows and electronic devices due to their unique phase transition properties. However, conventional VO synthesis methods require harsh conditions and toxic reducing agents, leading to environmental problems. In this study, we developed an eco-friendly method to biosynthesize VO nanoparticles using sp.

Unravelling the key factors for the dominance of Leuconostoc starters during kimchi fermentation.

Recent studies aim to prevent kimchi spoilage and enhance the sensory and nutritional qualities using lactic acid bacteria, particularly Leuconostoc species, as kimchi starters. However, the factors enabling the successful adaptation and predominance of Leuconostoc species remain unclear. This study investigates the factors that contribute to the successful adaptation of Leuconostoc starter strains WiKim32, WiKim33, WiKim0121 and CBA3628 during kimchi fermentation using a comprehensive multi-omics approach.

Machine learning assessment of zoonotic potential in avian influenza viruses using PB2 segment.

Background: Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major global health threat, causing seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics. Particularly, Influenza A viruses from avian species pose significant zoonotic threats, with PB2 adaptation serving as a critical first step in cross-species transmission. A comprehensive risk assessment framework based on PB2 sequences is necessary, which should encompass detailed analyses of specific residues and mutations while maintaining sufficient generality for application to non-PB2 segments.

The inclusion of implementation outcomes in digital health interventions for young adults: A scoping review.

Objective: Implementation outcomes are important in intervention research as a necessary precursor to achieving desired health outcomes. Considering the critical role of implementation outcomes, this study involved a comprehensive review of implementation outcome measures used in digital health interventions specifically targeting young adults.

Methods: This scoping review was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews, and the search incorporated the elements of population, concept, and content framework in three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL).

Intramolecular Double Activation by Biligands Sharing a Single Metal Atom for Preferred Two-Electron Oxygen Reduction.

It is challenging to selectively promote the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) since highly ORR-active electrocatalysts are not satisfied with 2e-ORR and are most likely to go all the way to 4e-ORR, completely reducing dioxygen to water. Recently, however, the possibility of a 2e-ORR preference over 4e-ORR was raised by extensively considering multiple ORR mechanisms and employing a potential-dependent activity measure for constructing volcano plots. Here, we realized the preferred 2e-ORR via an intramolecular double activation of the peroxide intermediate (*OOH) by allowing the intermediate to be easily desorbed before proceeding to 4e-ORR.

Preparation of cellulose microfibrils from Gelidium amansii relieving ocular endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammatory responses in human retinal pigmented epithelial cells.

This study investigated the physicochemical properties of cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) derived from Gelidium amansii (GA) and their potential functionality in preventing retinal pathologies. GA was subjected to microwave-assisted extraction, microfibrillation, centrifugation, and autoclave sterilization, yielding G, GM, GC, and GS, respectively. Each processing steps induced distinct microstructural modifications affecting the final functional properties of the CMFs.

Inter-regional patient outmigration to Seoul in South Korea: the role of regional healthcare quality perceptions.

Background: Public perception of healthcare quality reflects a people-centered approach to evaluating quality and influences healthcare utilization. Patient choice of healthcare providers is not solely based on objective measures, but varies with perceived quality factors such as experiences and trust. In South Korea, a large number of patients with severe diseases bypass their regional tertiary hospitals and receive treatment from a few tertiary hospitals located in the capital city Seoul: that is, they outmigrate.

Neuroprotective Effects of Thunberg Extract Against Corticosterone-Induced Dysfunctions in PC12 Cells.

Chronic stress in the central nervous system can lead to neurological dysfunction characterized by spontaneous neuronal cell death. This study investigated the neuroprotective potential of an aqueous extract of Thunberg (ELL) against corticosterone (CORT)-induced pathophysiology in PC12 cells. To assess the neuroprotective effects of ELL, PC12 cells were pretreated with 50 g/mL of ELL before being exposed to CORT.

Anti-inflammatory effects of rutin in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated canine macrophage cells.

Background/objectives: Inflammatory responses are key pathological factors in various canine diseases, making the control of inflammatory responses vital for canine health. This study examined the anti-inflammatory effects of rutin on DH82 cells, a type of canine macrophage, against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses.

Materials/methods: The inflammatory experimental model was established by stimulating canine macrophage DH82 cells with LPS.

subsp. CKDB001 Ameliorates Metabolic Complications in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Background/objectives: Functional probiotics, particularly subsp. CKDB001, have shown potential as a therapeutic option for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, their effects have not been confirmed in in vivo systems.

Targeting the Epigenetic Regulator CBX5 Promotes Fibroblast Metabolic Reprogramming and Inhibits Lung Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by the sustained activation of interstitial fibroblasts leading to excessive collagen deposition and progressive organ failure. Epigenetic and metabolic abnormalities have been shown to contribute to the persistent activated state of scar-forming fibroblasts. However, how epigenetic changes regulate fibroblast metabolic responses to promote fibroblast activation and progressive fibrosis remains largely unknown.

sp. nov., isolated from kimchi, a fermented vegetable.

The novel strain CBA3628 was isolated from kimchi, a Korean fermented vegetable. CBA3628 is a cocci-shaped, Gram-stain-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative and facultatively anaerobic bacterium. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that CBA3628 represented a member of the genus of the family .

Navigating healthier beverage consumption in adolescents using the "R-Ma Bot" chatbot: A usability and evaluation study.

Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of a behavior change technique (BCT)-based chatbot developed to promote healthier beverage consumption among adolescents.

Methods: The Read and Manage your health roBot ("R-Ma Bot"), designed with 13 BCTs, was tested with 42 adolescents (13 men, 29 women, mean age 15.0 ± 0.

Effects of gnotobiotic fermentation on global gene expression of germ-free vegetables.

Existing research has underscored the vital interplay between host organisms and their associated microbiomes, which affects health and function. In both plants and animals, host factors critically shape microbial communities and influence growth, health, and immunity. Post-harvest plants, such as those used in kimchi, a traditional Korean dish, offer a unique avenue for exploring host-microbe dynamics during fermentation.

Infection Dynamics of Dengue Virus in Caco-2 Cells Depending on Its Differentiation Status.

Dengue virus (DENV), from the Flaviviridae family, is the causative agent of dengue fever and poses a significant global health challenge. The virus primarily affects the vascular system and liver; however, a growing body of evidence suggests its involvement in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, contributing to clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, the mechanisms underlying DENV infection in the digestive system remain largely unexplored.