Current status of the use of validated home blood pressure monitoring devices among Korean patients with hypertension.

The implementation of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM) has improved the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Current clinical guidelines advocate the use of validated HBPM devices. However, few studies have examined the current use of validated HBPM devices.

Role of diabetes-related inflammation in pancreatic cancer evaluated by aptamer-based detection of circulating tumor cells in a streptozotocin-induced Panc02-transplanted murine model.

Backgrounds/aims: Diabetes is a recognized risk factor for pancreatic cancer; however, precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the influence of inflammation on the progression of pancreatic cancer in a diabetic murine model utilizing circulating tumor cells (CTC).

Methods: Fifty mice were randomly allocated into five groups.

NFAT5 dictates crosstalk between intestinal epithelial regenerative capacity and microbiota in murine colitis models.

Hypertonic and hyperosmolar stimuli frequently pose challenges to the intestinal tract. Therefore, a resilient epithelial barrier is essential for maintaining gut homeostasis in the presence of osmotic perturbations. NFAT5, an osmosensitive transcription factor, primarily maintains cellular homeostasis under hypertonic conditions.

Identifying dietary patterns related to metabolic syndrome using the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes and death from all causes. Dietary factors correlate with MetS, making diet a potential target for intervention. We used data from the 2012–2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 12 122) to identify a dietary pattern (DP) using thirty-nine predefined food groups as predictors.

BTX-A inhibited trigeminal neuralgia by blocking the NLRP3 pathway in rats.

Few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying the development of trigeminal neuralgia involving the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3). The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the role of NLRP3 in the antinociceptive effects of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in trigeminal neuralgia. We used a trigeminal neuralgia animal model induced by injecting 1-acyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (LPA) into the trigeminal nerve root of rats.

Validation of self-reported cancer diagnoses in the Korean Atomic Bomb Survivor Cohort study.

Background: Owing to the short history of the National Cancer Registry, self-reported cancer history is an important source of morbidity in recently constructed cohorts or cohorts of the older population. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of the self-reported cancer history gathered through the Korean Atomic Bomb Survivor Cohort (K-ABC) study compared with the Korean Central Cancer Registry (KCCR).

Methods: Among the K-ABC participants recruited from 2020 to 2024, self-reported cancer history from 1756 participants was linked to the KCCR.

Can Botulinum Toxin Type E Serve as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Managing Chronic Orofacial Pain?

The existing literature offers limited experimental evidence on the role of botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT-E) in pain transmission. The present study investigated the antinociceptive effects of subcutaneously administered BoNT-E in chronic orofacial pain conditions. This study used orofacial formalin-induced pronociceptive behavior and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced thermal hyperalgesia as inflammatory pain models in male Sprague Dawley rats.

Reagentless aptamer based on the ultrasensitive and fast response electrochemical capacitive biosensor for EGFR detection in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still the leading cause of lung cancer-related deaths globally, affecting both men and women. Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are most common among patients with NSCLC, especially Asian patients. Here, we introduce an electrochemical capacitive biosensor for the early detection of NSCLC through specific identification of EGFR.

Fucoxanthin Inhibits the NMDA and AMPA Receptors Through Regulating the Calcium Response on Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons of the Trigeminal Subnucleus Caudalis in Juvenile Mice.

Glutamate excitotoxicity is considered as the etiology of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, namely, Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and others. Meanwhile, substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc), a pivotal site in regulating orofacial nociceptive transmission via Aδ and C primary afferent fibers, majorly utilize glutamate as the principal excitatory neurotransmitter. Fucoxanthin (FCX), a carotenoid pigment extracted from brown seaweed, possesses various pharmaceutical properties including neuroprotective effect in multiple neuronal populations.

A comparison of the outcomes of families with children aged less than 2 who received universal versus sustained nurse home visiting services in Korea: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare maternal outcomes and the home environment between non‑vulnerable families with children under 2 receiving universal home visiting services and vulnerable families receiving sustained home visiting services.

Methods: This study was conducted in Seoul, Korea, where the country's first nurse‑led early childhood home visiting program was introduced. A total of 551 mother‑child dyads participated in cross‑sectional surveys conducted at various child ages (6±2 weeks, 6±1 months, 12±1 months, and 24±1 months).

Microiontophoretic Application of Dynorphin in Dental Pain: Excitatory or Inhibitory Effects.

Background: The tooth exhibits increased sensitivity to noxious stimuli due to the dense innervation of thin myelinated Aδ fibers and unmyelinated C fibers within the dental pulp. While prior research has identified dynorphin expression in layers I-II of the dorsal horn across the spinal cord in various pain models, its functional role in trigeminal nociception, including tooth pain, remains underexplored. This study examines the potential role of dynorphin in the nociceptive processing of dental stimuli.

Reducing Healing Period with DDM/rhBMP-2 Grafting for Early Loading in Dental Implant Surgery.

Background: Traditionally, dental implants require a healing period of 4 to 9 months for osseointegration, with longer recovery times considered when bone grafting is needed. This retrospective study evaluates the clinical efficacy of demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) combined with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) during dental implant placement to expedite the osseointegration period for early loading.

Methods: Thirty patients (17 male, 13 female; mean age 55.

Diet-Wide Association Study for the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Three Population-Based Cohorts.

Background: Dietary factors are well-known modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D), but many studies overlook the interrelationships between these factors, even though foods are often consumed together and contain a variety of nutrients.

Objectives: In this study, we employed a diet-wide association study approach to investigate the links between various dietary factors and T2D onset, taking into account complex dietary patterns.

Methods: We analyzed 16,666 participants without T2D from three Korean population-based cohorts: the Multi-Rural Communities Cohort ( = 8302), the Atherosclerosis Risk of a Rural Area Korean General Population cohort ( = 4990), and the Kanghwa cohort ( = 3374).

Sex-specific associations between dietary legume subtypes and type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Dietary soy, known for its high phytoestrogen content, has been suggested to exhibit a sex-specific association with type 2 diabetes. However, evidence regarding the sex-specific associations of different legume subtypes with type 2 diabetes remains scarce. We aimed to evaluate whether habitual consumption of soy and non-soy legumes (beans and peanuts) was prospectively and sex-specifically associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes incidence, taking into considering significant sex-specific genetic factors beyond legume consumption.

Blockade of Piezo2 Pathway Attenuates Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain in the Orofacial Area.

Although previous studies suggest that Piezo2 regulates chronic pain in the orofacial area, few studies have reported the direct evidence of Piezo2's involvement in inflammatory and neuropathic pain in the orofacial region. In this study, we used male Sprague Dawley rats to investigate the role of the Piezo2 pathway in the development of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. The present study used interleukin (IL)-1-induced pronociception as an inflammatory pain model.

A comprehensive analysis of fruit, vegetable, and legume consumption and the risk of hypertension: results from the KoGES_CAVAS cohort.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between total consumption of fruits (F), vegetables (V), and legumes (L) and their subgroups and hypertension risk in adults aged ≥ 40 years in the Cardiovascular Disease Association Study (CAVAS).

Methods: We analyzed data from 10,325 normotensive participants using cumulative average dietary consumption from repeated food frequency questionnaires during the follow-up. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated with a modified Poisson regression model and a robust error estimator to evaluate the association between hypertension risk and total consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as their 17 subgroups.

SARS-CoV-2 detection in COVID-19 patients' sample using Wooden quoit conformation structural aptamer (WQCSA)-Based electronic bio-sensing system.

The COVID-19 epidemic and its continuous spread pose a serious threat to public health. Coronavirus strains known as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) variants have undergone genomic changes. The severity of the symptoms, the efficiency of vaccinations, and the transmission capacity of the virus can be impacted by these alterations.

Impact of the Korea Early Childhood Home-visiting Intervention (KECHI) on child health and development and maternal health: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

Introduction: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of early childhood home-visiting interventions led by nurses have been conducted mainly in Western countries, whereas such trials have been limited in non-Western cultures, including Asia. In South Korea, a national nurse home visit programme (Korea Early Childhood Home-visiting Intervention (KECHI)) was developed in 2020 and launched throughout the country. We designed a pragmatic RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of KECHI on child health and development and maternal health.

Botulinum toxin type A is a potential therapeutic drug for chronic orofacial pain.

Background: Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A), produced by the gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum, acts by cleaving synaptosome-associated protein-25 (SNAP-25), an essential component of the presynaptic neuronal membrane that is necessary for fusion with the membrane proteins of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles. Recent studies have highlighted the efficacy of BTX-A in treating chronic pain conditions, including lower back pain, chronic neck pain, neuropathic pain, and trigeminal neuralgia, particularly when patients are unresponsive to traditional painkillers. This review focuses on the analgesic effects of BTX-A in various chronic pain conditions, with a particular emphasis on the orofacial region.

Oligomeric amyloid-β targeted contrast agent for MRI evaluation of Alzheimer's disease mouse models.

Background: Oligomeric amyloid beta (oAβ) is a toxic factor that acts in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may initiate the pathologic cascade. Therefore, detecting oAβ has a crucial role in the early diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of AD.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate MRI signal changes in different mouse models and the time-dependent signal changes using our novel gadolinium (Gd)-dodecane tetraacetic acid (DOTA)- ob5 aptamer contrast agent.

A chitosan/alginate coated nano-liposome to improve intestinal absorption of curcumin for oral administration.

Attempts to improve low absorption and rapid metabolic conversion of curcumin were made by developing curcumin-loaded bilayer nanoliposomes coated with chitosan and alginate for intestinal-specific drug delivery. A curcumin-loaded nano-liposome was prepared with optimized formulations with phosphatidylcholine, curcumin, chitosan, and alginate. The particle size of the optimized formulation was approximately 400 nm, and the encapsulation efficiency was more than 99%.

Comparisons of an automated oscillometric device with a hybrid manual auscultatory device for the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

This study evaluated an oscillometric device (OD), Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB, and a hybrid manual auscultatory device (AD), Greenlight 300TM, to determine a suitable blood pressure (BP) measurement device for the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in a mercury-free context. Adhering to the 2018 Universal Standard's suggested consensus, the study involved 800 subjects (mean age 51.2 ± 17.