Pulse pressure as a predictor of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and cognitive decline: The moderating role of APOE ε4.

Background: Elevated pulse pressure (PP), indicative of arterial stiffness, has been implicated in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, its role in preclinical AD and interactions with genetic risk factors like apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) remain unclear.

Objectives: To investigate the association between baseline PP and AD biomarkers (amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau) and cognitive decline, and to determine whether APOE4 carrier status moderates these relationships.

Changes in Antimicrobial Prescriptions in South Korea during and beyond the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

Background: Although the coronavirus pandemic significantly affected antibiotic use, studies on the long-term effects of the pandemic on antibiotic use are lacking. We aimed to investigate the changes in antibiotic prescriptions during the pandemic and subsequent endemic period in South Korea.

Methods: For this interrupted time-series study, we used claims data from the National Health Insurance System for January 2018 to December 2023.

Workplace-related environmental exposure and its potential influence on hair mineral and gut microbiota in cloned working dogs.

Four genetically identical cloned dogs were produced from a single donor using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. They stayed in the same facility during youth period, and were later assigned to different locations according to their roles as working dogs. In this study, we report observations from four genetically identical cloned working dogs exposed to different environments, including an airport and a police station, for two years.

Gold Nanoparticle-mRNA Conjugates Encapsulated in Lipid Nanoparticles for Coordinated Codelivery of Multiple mRNAs.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be engineered to be utilized as carriers via anchoring multiple nucleic acids, including mRNAs, in specific ratios. However, the negative charge of mRNA-AuNP conjugates presents significant challenges for efficient cellular uptake and subsequent expression. To overcome this limitation, we developed a delivery system that combines mRNA-AuNP conjugation with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to enhance intracellular delivery.

JustRAIGS: Justified Referral in AI Glaucoma Screening Challenge.

A major contributor to permanent vision loss is glaucoma. Early diagnosis is crucial for preventing vision loss due to glaucoma, making glaucoma screening essential. A more affordable method of glaucoma screening can be achieved by applying artificial intelligence to evaluate color fundus photographs (CFPs).

Re-evaluation of arterial dissection as a possible major cause of lateral medullary infarction in a single-center study from South Korea.

Limited sensitivity of conventional MRI and the invasiveness of TFCA have restricted the diagnosis of arterial dissection in lateral medullary infarction (LMI), leading to its underestimation and obscuring its clinical significance. However, high-resolution vessel wall MRI (HR-VWMRI) now allows more accessible and accurate diagnosis of dissection, prompting reevaluation of its prevalence. This single-center retrospective study included the LMI patients, among whom a subset underwent advanced imaging as HR-VWMRI or TFCA to confirm definite arterial dissection, and identified clinical factors associated with dissection.

Cognitive outcomes after deep brain stimulation in drug-resistant epilepsy: A comparison of anterior thalamic and hippocampal stimulation.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) and hippocampus is an emerging therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) when resective surgery is not feasible. We aimed to evaluate the long-term cognitive outcomes of these two DBS targets, hypothesizing that both interventions preserve cognitive function.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of DRE patients who underwent ATN-DBS (n = 12) or hippocampal DBS (n = 10) and completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing before surgery and after ≥18 months of stimulation.

SARS-CoV-2 induces Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid-β pathology in ex vivo human retinal explants and retinal organoids.

While the etiology of Alzheimer's disease remains unknown, there is growing support for the amyloid-β antimicrobial hypothesis. Amyloid-β, the main component of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease, has been shown to be generated in the presence of microbes. Entrapment of microbes by aggregated amyloid-β may serve as an innate immune response to pathogenic infections.

Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Present and Future Perspectives.

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) remains a formidable clinical challenge, affecting nearly 30-40% of patients despite optimized pharmacotherapy. In patients for whom resective surgery is contraindicated or poses unacceptable risks, neuromodulatory therapies-most notably deep brain stimulation (DBS)-have emerged as viable and reversible treatment options. This narrative review critically examines the current applications of DBS for DRE, with a focus on major targets including the anterior thalamic nucleus, centromedian nucleus, hippocampus, and emerging targets such as the pulvinar.

Psychological Impact and Differences in Child and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence in South Korea: Using Data From a Sunflower Center in South Korea From 2015 to 2022.

Objective: Sexual violence against children and adolescents is a serious social problem. The characteristics of child and adolescent victims differ based on their varying developmental processes. Therefore, we conducted a comparative analysis to assess the same.

Validity and reliability of single camera markerless motion capture systems with RGB-D sensors for measuring shoulder range-of-motion: a systematic review.

Introduction: Assessing shoulder joint range-of-motion (ROM) is crucial for evaluating shoulder mobility but remains challenging due to its complexity. This review examined the potential of single-camera markerless motion capture systems with an RGB-depth (RGB-D) sensor for shoulder ROM measurements, focusing on their reliability and validity.

Methods: We systematically searched nine databases through December 2022 for studies that evaluated the reliability and validity of single-camera markerless motion-capture systems in measuring simple (one-directional) and complex (multi-directional) shoulder movements.

A practical approach for the stable isolation and cultivation of chicken gonadal primordial germ cells with mitotically inactivated STO feeder cells.

Objective: Establishing chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro is critical for producing genetically modified (GM) chickens. Efficient and reliable isolation and cultivation of PGCs remain significant challenges in advancing avian genetic modifications. To address these challenges, we employed a streamlined and practical approach for the efficient isolation and stable cultivation of chicken gonadal PGCs.

Cooperative Organosulfur/Photoredox Catalysis Enables Radical-Polar Crossover C(sp)-N Coupling via Inner-Sphere Electron Shuttling.

Radical-polar crossover (RPC) is a valuable mechanistic tool for revitalizing traditional radical and polar chemistries by integrating them. However, transitioning from radical to polar pathways across multiple redox events requires precise redox potential matching between the reaction components (catalysts and substrates), which inherently limits the scope of these transformations. Here, we present a cooperative catalytic platform that diverts the key RPC mechanism from outer-sphere to inner-sphere manifolds, enabling C(sp)-N coupling of redox active esters with otherwise oxidizable (hetero)arylamines.

Diversity and Safety of Acupotomy Treatments for Lumbar Spine Disorders in South Korea: A Review of Clinical Studies.

: Acupotomy is a modern acupuncture technique using a knife-shaped needle for pain treatment, combining traditional and anatomical knowledge. This study evaluates the diversity and safety of acupotomy procedures for lumbar spine disorders to aid in developing safety and reporting guidelines for clinical studies. : A literature search was conducted on 30 October 2023 in PubMed, five Korean databases, and relevant journals with keywords like 'low back pain' and 'acupotomy'.

Tipping the ultrafast photochemical balance of cis-stilbene.

Multi-state nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations combined with MRSF-TDDFT have revealed that the quantum yield of photoproducts in cis-stilbene is dependent on the initial temperature of the ground state, thereby resolving controversies regarding the competition between isomerization and ring-closure reactions. Specifically, 4,4-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP) is preferentially formed at low temperatures, while trans-stilbene is favored at high temperatures. The ethylenic torsional motions ( ) are particularly coupled with the initial thermal condition, tipping the balance of the competition.

IUPHAR review: Microbiota-gut-brain axis and its role in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The human gut microbiome, composed of a vast array of microorganisms that have co-evolved with humans, is crucial for the development and function of brain systems. Research has consistently shown bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain through neuronal, endocrine, and immunological, and chemical pathways. Recent neuroscience studies have linked changes in the microbiome and microbial metabolites to various neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and neurocognitive disorders.

The vision of big data recirculation for smart livestock farming in South Korea.

A smart livestock farm is a livestock farm where information and communication technology systems are used. Based on the measured data, these systems can make decisions regarding all processes, including stocking, breeding, shipping, and evaluation. The data generated from smart livestock farms have increased the complexity and diversity of phenotypes.

Sparse-DeRF: Deblurred Neural Radiance Fields From Sparse View.

Recent studies construct deblurred neural radiance fields (DeRF) using dozens of blurry images, which are not practical scenarios if only a limited number of blurry images are available. This paper focuses on constructing DeRF from sparse-view for more pragmatic real-world scenarios. As observed in our experiments, establishing DeRF from sparse views proves to be a more challenging problem due to the inherent complexity arising from the simultaneous optimization of blur kernels and NeRF from sparse view.

Reliability and Validity of the Single-Camera Markerless Motion Capture System for Measuring Shoulder Range of Motion in Healthy Individuals and Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis: A Single-Center Study.

Assessing shoulder joint range of motion (ROM) is essential for diagnosing musculoskeletal disorders and optimizing treatments. This single-center pilot study evaluated the reliability and validity of iBalance, a single-camera markerless motion capture system, for measuring shoulder ROM. Forty participants (30 healthy individuals and 10 patients with adhesive capsulitis) underwent measurements of seven shoulder joint movements.

Relationship between Density Changes and Electrical Properties of Chemically Self-Assembled Monolayer Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks by Controlling Anchoring Density.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are valued for their high carrier mobility, tunable band gaps, and strong mechanical properties, making them promising for electronic applications. However, the presence of metallic SWNTs in mixtures impairs device performance, requiring the isolation of semiconducting SWNTs (sc-SWNTs). Conjugated polymer wrapping is a leading technique for this selective separation owing to its simplicity and high selectivity; however, challenges persist in achieving optimal SWNT density, uniformity, and reproducibility.

Personality traits and their effects in patients with hemifacial spasm.

This study aimed to investigate the personality traits of patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) and their effects on depression, anxiety, social phobia, and quality of life (QoL). This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Fifty patients diagnosed with HFS and 50 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled between June and September 2023.

Associations between personality traits and pain experiences in trigeminal neuralgia.

Background: Pain is influenced by many factors such as personality traits and nociceptive stimuli. This study identified personality traits in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and investigated the relationships between personality traits and pain perception, pain acceptance, anxiety, and depression.

Methods: From March to June 2024, the personality traits of 50 patients with TN and 50 healthy controls (HC) were measured using the 50-item International Personality Item Pool representation of Goldberg markers for the Big-Five factor structure.

Efficient Grouped-Bath Ansatz for Spin-Flip Nonorthogonal Configuration Interaction in Transition-Metal Charge-Transfer Complexes.

We introduce a novel grouped-bath ansatz that approximates the spin-flip nonorthogonal configuration interaction (SF-NOCI) ansatz, named SF-GNOCI, which significantly reduces computational cost while preserving accuracy. SF-NOCI, originally developed by Mayhall et al., is a robust and nearly "black-box" electronic structure theory well suited for studying charge-transfer phenomena.

Prediction of short-term anatomic prognosis for central serous chorioretinopathy using a generative adversarial network.

Purpose: To train generative adversarial network (GAN) models to generate predictive optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) at 3 months after observation using multi-modal OCT images.

Methods: Four hundred forty CSC eyes of 440 patients who underwent Cirrus OCT imaging were included. Baseline OCT B-scan images through the foveal center, en face choroid, and en face ellipsoid zone were collected from each patient.

Secondary prevention with antiplatelet medications in patients with antiphospholipid antibody-related stroke.

Clinical guidelines recommend warfarin for patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and ischemic stroke; however, robust evidence is lacking. We investigated the clinical benefits of different categories of antithrombotic medications in ischemic stroke patients positive for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in real-world practice. We reviewed data from patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack who tested positive for aPLs.