Reversible compromise of physiological resilience by accumulation of heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations.

Somatically acquired mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate with age, but the mechanisms and consequences are poorly understood. Here we show that transient injuries induce a burst of persistent mtDNA mutations that impair resilience to future injuries. mtDNA mutations suppressed energy-intensive nucleotide metabolism.

Hearing changes and trajectories during the menopausal transition and their association with metabolic factors.

Background: Hearing loss is an emerging public health concern, with women typically experiencing deterioration during menopause; however, longitudinal studies across this transition are limited. This study examined hearing changes across the menopausal transition in order to identify distinct patterns of hearing decline from 11 years before to 9 years after the final menstrual period, with the goal of informing strategies for early detection and intervention.

Materials And Methods: We followed 4448 women aged 42-52 years who underwent regular health exams at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centers (2014-2018) through 2023.

Menopausal stage transitions and associations with overall and domain-specific perceived stress in middle-aged Korean women.

Background: The menopausal transition, closely linked to later-life health, involves substantial physiological and psychological changes, potentially increasing perceived stress. However, longitudinal studies have reported inconsistent results, with limited data for Asian women, despite the potential for perceived stress to vary with both race and socioeconomic status. Therefore, this study investigated the longitudinal association between menopausal transition and perceived stress among middle-aged Korean women.

Deleterious mitochondrial heteroplasmies exhibit increased longitudinal change in variant allele fraction.

A common feature of human aging is the acquisition of somatic mutations, and mitochondria are particularly prone to mutation, leading to a state of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy. Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that detection of heteroplasmy increases with participant age, a phenomenon that has been attributed to genetic drift. In this large-scale longitudinal study, we measured heteroplasmy in two prospective cohorts (combined = 1404) at two time points (mean time between visits, 8.

Impact of tumor size by clinical N subclassification and histology in trimodality-treated N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

The evolving TNM classification has emphasized the tumor size's role in NSCLC prognosis, reclassifying stage IIIA patients from the previous edition as stage IIIB (T3-4N2M0, 8th edition). However, the prognostic implications of tumor size and survival in stage III NSCLC patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy remain unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the association between tumor size and mortality in N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (trimodality therapy), considering the number of metastatic N2 stations and histology.

Clinical N Staging Subclassification for Stage III-N2 NSCLC Patients Undergoing Trimodality Therapy: A Good Beginning Is Half the Battle.

Background: Lung cancer patients with stage III-N2 disease may benefit from the subclassification of nodal involvement before decision-making. We aimed to evaluate whether the clinical N descriptor subclassification predicts prognosis in patients undergoing trimodality therapy for stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Using our institutional registry between 2003 and 2019, we analyzed 899 consecutive patients with stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer undergoing neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery.

Longitudinal changes of automated volumetric breast density with postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Objective: To evaluate how volumetric percent density (VPD) changes longitudinally with postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT).

Study Design: Medical records of 297 women who visited the outpatient clinic in a tertiary medical center between 2011 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Study participants were postmenopausal hormone never-users (n = 103), estrogen therapy (ET) users (n = 95), and estrogen plus progestogen (EPT) users (n = 99).

Comparison of the efficacy of vaginal micronised progesterone tablet and gel for fertilisation.

Background: Luteal phase support (LPS) with progesterone is a generally accepted practice after controlled ovarian stimulation, although the best protocols for LPS have been debated. We aimed to compare the efficacy of vaginal micronised progesterone tablets and 8% vaginal progesterone gel for LPS using real-world data.

Methods: This retrospective study included 459 fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles performed at a university hospital from 2005 to 2019.

Planned Immediate Chemotherapy and Cryopreservation of Oocytes or Embryos for Fertility Preservation in Women with Malignancies.

Oocyte and embryo cryopreservation before gonadotoxic treatment are established methods to increase the likelihood of live births. Although several sociodemographic factors were found to be associated with undergoing fertility preservation (FP) treatment, clinical characteristics such as planned immediate chemotherapy were not fully investigated. We aimed to investigate whether the planned immediate chemotherapy is related to the decision to undergo oocyte/embryo cryopreservation for FP with adjustment for other clinical characteristics.

Menopausal stages and overactive bladder symptoms in middle-aged women: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) according to menopausal stages in middle-aged women.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Total Healthcare Center in South Korea.

Overactive bladder and cognitive impairment in middle-aged women: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition in middle-aged and older women. It has been reported to be potentially linked to cognitive decline, particularly in older adults. This study investigated the association between OAB symptoms and cognitive impairment in middle-aged women.

The association of blood eosinophil counts and FEV decline: a cohort study.

Background: Accelerated lung function decline is characteristic of COPD. However, the association between blood eosinophil counts and lung function decline, accounting for current smoking status, in young individuals without prevalent lung disease is not fully understood.

Methods: This is a cohort study of 629 784 Korean adults without COPD or a history of asthma at baseline who participated in health screening examinations including spirometry and differential white blood cell counts.

Longitudinal change in mitochondrial heteroplasmy exhibits positive selection for deleterious variants.

A common feature of human aging is the acquisition of somatic mutations, and mitochondria are particularly prone to mutation due to their inefficient DNA repair and close proximity to reactive oxygen species, leading to a state of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy. Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that detection of heteroplasmy increases with participant age, a phenomenon that has been attributed to genetic drift. In this first large-scale longitudinal study, we measured heteroplasmy in two prospective cohorts (combined n=1405) at two timepoints (mean time between visits, 8.

Early-onset vasomotor symptoms and development of depressive symptoms among premenopausal women.

Background: We investigated the association between vasomotor symptoms (VMSs) and the onset of depressive symptoms among premenopausal women.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 4376 premenopausal women aged 42-52 years, and the cohort study included 2832 women without clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline. VMSs included the symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Influence on Intracranial Aneurysm.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with cerebrovascular disease, which can lead to life-threatening outcomes. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between OSAS and comorbid intracranial aneurysms. We retrospectively reviewed 564 patients who underwent a polysomnography and brain magnetic resonance angiography as part of their health checkup.