Digital Therapeutics for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Current Trends and Future Perspectives.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), which are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates and cognitive/motor dysfunction, are the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Despite strategic investigations aimed at augmenting the pharmaceutical pipeline, available drugs for AD and PD merely slow disease progression without curing or treating the underlying pathology. Recent technological advances have given rise to digital therapeutics (DTx): software systems that aim to prevent, cure, and manage specific diseases, including NDDs.

Detection of Clarithromycin Resistance in Helicobacter pylori Using the AllplexTM H. pylori & ClariR Assay and the Ezplex® HP-CLA Real-Time PCR Kit.

Objectives: The success of Helicobacter pylori eradication using clarithromycin-based triple therapy relies on the bacteria being sensitive to clarithromycin. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of two frequently used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods (AllplexTM H. pylori & ClariR Assay [Seegene] and Ezplex® HP-CLA Real-time PCR [SML Genetree]) to detect H.

Febrile Seizures at Early Childhood and Subsequent Fine Motor Skill Delays at Age Six: Insights from a Comprehensive Population-Based Cohort Study.

Introduction: Febrile seizures, the most common childhood seizures, raise concerns about their impact on neurodevelopment due to their overlap with central nervous system development. This study examined the influence of febrile seizures on neurodevelopment.

Methods: Data were analyzed from the Korean National Health Insurance System for children born between 2009 and 2011.

Carbon ion stimulation therapy reverses iron deposits and microglia driven neuroinflammation and induces cognitive improvement in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Insoluble iron deposits often exist as iron oxide nanoparticles in protein aggregates, impaired ferritin, or activated microglia and have been implicated as major causes of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease. However, no crucial evidence has been reported to support the therapeutic effects of current iron chelators on the deposition of various molecular forms of insoluble iron. We investigated the therapeutic effect of carbon ion stimulation (CIS) via a transmission beam on insoluble iron deposits, iron inclusion bodies, and the associated biological response in 5xFAD AD mouse brains.

The Association Between Respiratory Viruses and Asthma Exacerbation in Children Visiting Pediatric Emergency Department: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Respiratory viral infections are a major cause of asthma exacerbations. However, studies examining the association between symptoms, signs, treatments, outcomes of asthma exacerbations, and various respiratory viruses in children are limited. This study aims to investigate the association between respiratory viral infections and clinical symptoms and signs, treatment, and hospital admission in children with asthma exacerbations visiting the pediatric emergency department.

Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated MSH3 suppression reduces somatic CAG repeat expansion in Huntington's disease iPSC-derived striatal neurons.

Expanded CAG alleles in the huntingtin () gene that cause the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease (HD) are genetically unstable and continue to expand somatically throughout life, driving HD onset and progression. MSH3, a DNA mismatch repair protein, modifies HD onset and progression by driving this somatic CAG repeat expansion process. is relatively tolerant of loss-of-function variation in humans, making it a potential therapeutic target.

Suppressing astrocytic GABA transaminase enhances tonic inhibition and weakens hippocampal spatial memory.

Pharmacological suppression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase (GABA-T), the sole GABA-degrading enzyme and a potential therapeutic target for treating brain disorders such as epilepsy, increases not only phasic inhibition but also tonic inhibition. However, the specific cellular source, neuromodulatory effects and potential therapeutic benefits of this enhanced tonic inhibition remain unexplored due to the lack of cell-type-specific gene manipulation studies. Here we report that the increase in tonic GABA currents observed after GABA-T suppression is predominantly due to increased tonic GABA release from astrocytes rather than action-potential-dependent synaptic GABA spillover.

Long somatic DNA-repeat expansion drives neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease.

In Huntington's disease (HD), striatal projection neurons (SPNs) degenerate during midlife; the core biological question involves how the disease-causing DNA repeat (CAG) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene leads to neurodegeneration after decades of biological latency. We developed a single-cell method for measuring this repeat's length alongside genome-wide RNA expression. We found that the HTT CAG repeat expands somatically from 40-45 to 100-500+ CAGs in SPNs.

Selection of priority watershed for water environment management.

As part of the National Water Management Basic Plan, this study conducted research to identify priority management watersheds in the Yeongsan River basin to respond to changes in water environmental conditions and improve water quality. Analysis of water quality over the past decade revealed that points located in the middle and lower of the Yeongsan River exceeded the target water quality standards. As based on the results, pollution sources and loads indicated that the W-1 watershed, classified as urban areas, exhibited high levels in residential, industrial, and urban landuse characteristics, whereas the W-6 watershed, classified as rural areas, showed high levels in livestock farming, aquaculture, and agricultural landuse (wet and dry filed) categories.

Autonomous Motion of Hydrogels Driven by Semi-Interpenetrating Chemical Processing Systems.

Developing artificial autonomous materials is crucial for a deeper understanding of the emergence of life-like behavior. In nature, cells achieve autonomy through chemical processing systems incorporated into soft material-based frameworks. Inspired by natural cells, we herein describe a straightforward methodology for constructing artificial autonomous materials consisting of a polymer-based chemical processing system and a hydrogel-based soft framework.

Modulation of Amyloid and Tau Aggregation to Alleviate Cognitive Impairment in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Aggregation of misfolded amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins to plaques and tangles, respectively, is the major drug target of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as the former is an onset biomarker and the latter is associated with neurodegeneration. Thus, we report a small molecule drug candidate, DN5355, with a dual-targeting function toward aggregates of both Aβ and tau. DN5355 was selected through a series of four screenings assessing 52 chemicals for their functions to inhibit and reverse the aggregation of Aβ and tau by utilizing thioflavin T.

Post-occupancy evaluation on temporary negative pressure isolation wards with portable high-efficiency particulate air filter units used during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, in South Korea, several inpatient wards were converted to temporary negative pressure isolation (TNPI) wards by using portable high-efficiency particulate air filter units (PHUs). This study proposes improvements to the TNPI ward to prepare for airborne infections.

Methods: Existing air-conditioning systems were investigated during the pandemic in 4 hospitals through a document review and field investigation with staff interviews.

The Antecedents of Positive Emotion and Continuous Usage of In-Flight Meals with Respect to Food Quality Using Structural Equation Modeling.

This work aimed to explore the food quality attributes of in-flight meals and to examine the antecedents of positive emotion and continuous usage of these meals. As a subdimension, this study uses multiple attributes: menu diversity, familiarity, temperature, nutrition, and presentation. Another purpose of this work is to examine the moderating effect of menu diversity on the relationship between nutrition and continuance usage.

Relationship between Presentation, Attitude, and In-Flight Meal Food Healthiness: Moderating Role of Familiarity.

This work focused on the perception of the food healthiness of in-flight meals. This work adopts presentation as the determinant. This work also employs attitude as the consequence of food healthiness.

Association of fluoride exposure with disease burden and neurodevelopment outcomes in children in South Korea.

Background: Community water fluoridation is an effective public health strategy for preventing dental caries, yet. Concerns exist about potential health problems. This study explores associations between tap water fluoride levels and pediatric disease burden, as well as neurodevelopmental outcomes at 6 years of age.

Microcurrent Therapy Mitigates Neuronal Damage and Cognitive Decline in an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model: Insights into Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a significant challenge due to its multifaceted nature, characterized by cognitive decline, memory loss, and neuroinflammation. Though AD is an extensively researched topic, effective pharmacological interventions remain elusive, prompting explorations into non-pharmacological approaches. Microcurrent (MC) therapy, which utilizes imperceptible currents, has emerged as a potent clinical protocol.

Spontaneous-Spin-Polarized 2D π-d Conjugated Frameworks Towards Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Kinetics.

Alternative strategies to design sustainable-element-based electrocatalysts enhancing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics are demanded to develop affordable yet high-performance water-electrolyzers for green hydrogen production. Here, it is demonstrated that the spontaneous-spin-polarized 2D π-d conjugated framework comprising abundant elements of nickel and iron with a ratio of Ni:Fe = 1:4 with benzenehexathiol linker (BHT) can improve OER kinetics by its unique electronic property. Among the bimetallic NiFe-BHTs with various ratios with Ni:Fe = x:y, the NiFe-BHT exhibits the highest OER activity.

Temperature-Adaptative Self-Oscillating Gels: Toward Autonomous Biomimetic Soft Actuators with Broad Operating Temperature Region.

Self-oscillating gel systems exhibiting an expanded operating temperature and accompanying functional adaptability are showcased. The developed system contains nonthermoresponsive main-monomers, such as N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) or 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) or acrylamide (AAm) or 3-(methacryloylamino)propyl trimethylammonium chloride (MAPTAC). The gels volumetrically self-oscillate within the range of the conventional (20.

Rotavirus Hospitalization in Early Childhood: Fine Motor Skills and Cognition at 6 Years Old in a Population-Based Cohort Study.

Rotavirus is linked to severe childhood gastroenteritis and neurological complications, but its impact on neurodevelopment remains uncertain. We examined data from 1 420 941 Korean children born between 2009 and 2011, using the Korean National Health Insurance System. We assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 6 years using the validated Korean Developmental Test, covering 6 major domains, with propensity score-based inverse probability weighting including consideration of covariates sex, birth weight, changes in body weight from birth to 4-6 months of age, head circumference at 4-6 months of age, residence at birth, economic status, infant feeding types, and birth year.

Microcurrent therapy as the nonpharmacological new protocol against Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses an increasing global health challenge and is marked by gradual cognitive deterioration, memory impairment, and neuroinflammation. Innovative therapeutic approaches as non-pharmacological protocol are urgently needed with side effect risk of drugs. Microcurrent therapy, a non-invasive modality involving low-level electrical currents, has emerged as a potential solution to address AD's complex pathogenesis.