Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale Short Form (K AES-10) for people with dementia. Methods: Participants in this study were 198 patients with dementia resident in two hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The AES-10 was translated into Korean through the translation and adaptation of instruments process developed by the World Health Organization. This process was carried out by three bilingual nursing professionals. Validity and reliability, such as construct validity, convergent validity, Cronbach's ⍺, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability, were evaluated. IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 and AMOS 26.0 programs were used for the data analysis. Results: A uni-dimensional model was proposed in the explanatory factor analysis; a single factor accounted for 68.0% of total variances. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the Korean version of the AES-10. The scale had a Cronbach's ⍺ of .95, inter-rater reliability of .66 (p<.001), and a test-retest reliability of .81 (p<.001). Conclusion The findings show that the Korean version of the AES-10 is both valid and reliable for measuring apathy among people diagnosed with dementia in the Republic of Korea.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) and lacunar infarcts (LIs) are mostly caused by small vessel disease (SVD). Whereas the main pathomechanism behind LIs is SVD, a variety of mechanisms could be responsible for WMLs. We tried to investigate the relationship between WMLs and LIs and the impact of subtypes of WMLs on its relationship. METHODS: We assessed 128 subjects with vascular cognitive impairment with subcortical vascular lesion (VCI-S). LI number and WML volume were determined on T1-, T2-weighted images and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images using a semiquantitative visual scale. Cognitive function and daily functional impairment were assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Seoul-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (S-IADL). RESULTS: Of the 128 patients, 106 (82.8%) had Alzheimer's disease with WML and 22 (17.2%) had subcortical vascular dementia. Seventy patients (54.7%) had at least one lacune. A univariate Poisson model showed that history of hypertension, history of stroke and WML volume (periventricular and deep subcortical) were associated with LIs. A multivariate Poisson model showed that increased WML volume of both types and history of hypertension were associated with LIs. Neither S-IADL score nor MMSE was significantly associated with WML volume of both types. CONCLUSIONS: We found that LIs were associated with WMLs regardless of their types in patients with VCI-S. These findings may suggest that periventricular and deep subcortical WMLs share the same vascular pathomechanism of SVD as LIs.
Activities of Daily Living ; Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia, Vascular ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Stroke ; Stroke, Lacunar

BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is considered a marker useful for the follow-up and diagnosis of diabetes and implies the importance of reliable assay methods that are traceable to a reference method. We evaluated analytical performance of a new high-performance liquid chromatography system for the HbA1c assay: D-100 from Bio-Rad Laboratories (USA). METHODS: We evaluated precision, linearity, and carry-over of D-100, according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute's guidelines. Comparative analysis of D-100 with Integra 800 (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) and Capillarys 3 (Sebia, France) was conducted. Additionally, we evaluated the throughput of the three instruments. RESULTS: Precision of low- and high-concentration controls in D-100 showed a CV of less than 1%. The linearity was excellent (R²=0.999) in the range of 3.51-18.7%, and carry-over was not observed. HbA1c results of D-100 (n=144) showed good correlation with those of Integra 800 (r=0.993) and Capillarys 3 (r=0.996). The % bias between D-100 and Integra 800 or Capillarys 3 was within the allowable range at all 3 medical decision levels (5.7%, 6.5%, and 10.0%). Elapsed time in the analysis of the first sample by D-100 was shorter than that of Integra 800 (2.4 vs. 11.1 minutes), but subsequent samples took more time (0.8 vs. 0.3 minutes per sample). CONCLUSIONS: D-100 showed reliable analytical performance with good precision and linearity, minimal carry-over, and acceptable comparative characteristics relative to other instruments. D-100 is expected to be useful for clinical measurements of HbA1c for diabetes diagnosis and theranostics.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Methods ; Theranostic Nanomedicine

Objectives: People-centered care and social protection are critical for improving tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether a vulnerability assessment tool, developed for an enhanced community-based care and management (ECCM) program in 2 Korean cities, could predict and improve final TB treatment outcomes based on patients’ vulnerability levels. Methods: Treatment outcomes in the ECCM group were compared with those in a control group, stratified by vulnerability level. During stage 1, one city served as the intervention region and the other as the control, with a crossover in stage 2. The vulnerability assessment included all notified patients with TB, and those identified as highly vulnerable in the intervention group received social support following a consultation with a case manager. Results: The vulnerability assessment tool demonstrated moderate predictive ability for unfavorable outcomes, with an area under the curve of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.77). The patients with high vulnerability who received ECCM treatment demonstrated a 19.8-percentage point (%p) higher treatment success rate than the high vulnerability subcategory of the control group. ECCM also appeared to reduce loss to follow-up and TB-related mortality by 8.4%p and 7.3%p, respectively, although these findings should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions The results suggest that providing social support tailored to patient vulnerability at the time of diagnosis could improve TB treatment outcomes.

Objectives: People-centered care and social protection are critical for improving tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether a vulnerability assessment tool, developed for an enhanced community-based care and management (ECCM) program in 2 Korean cities, could predict and improve final TB treatment outcomes based on patients’ vulnerability levels. Methods: Treatment outcomes in the ECCM group were compared with those in a control group, stratified by vulnerability level. During stage 1, one city served as the intervention region and the other as the control, with a crossover in stage 2. The vulnerability assessment included all notified patients with TB, and those identified as highly vulnerable in the intervention group received social support following a consultation with a case manager. Results: The vulnerability assessment tool demonstrated moderate predictive ability for unfavorable outcomes, with an area under the curve of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.77). The patients with high vulnerability who received ECCM treatment demonstrated a 19.8-percentage point (%p) higher treatment success rate than the high vulnerability subcategory of the control group. ECCM also appeared to reduce loss to follow-up and TB-related mortality by 8.4%p and 7.3%p, respectively, although these findings should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions The results suggest that providing social support tailored to patient vulnerability at the time of diagnosis could improve TB treatment outcomes.

Objectives: People-centered care and social protection are critical for improving tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether a vulnerability assessment tool, developed for an enhanced community-based care and management (ECCM) program in 2 Korean cities, could predict and improve final TB treatment outcomes based on patients’ vulnerability levels. Methods: Treatment outcomes in the ECCM group were compared with those in a control group, stratified by vulnerability level. During stage 1, one city served as the intervention region and the other as the control, with a crossover in stage 2. The vulnerability assessment included all notified patients with TB, and those identified as highly vulnerable in the intervention group received social support following a consultation with a case manager. Results: The vulnerability assessment tool demonstrated moderate predictive ability for unfavorable outcomes, with an area under the curve of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.77). The patients with high vulnerability who received ECCM treatment demonstrated a 19.8-percentage point (%p) higher treatment success rate than the high vulnerability subcategory of the control group. ECCM also appeared to reduce loss to follow-up and TB-related mortality by 8.4%p and 7.3%p, respectively, although these findings should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions The results suggest that providing social support tailored to patient vulnerability at the time of diagnosis could improve TB treatment outcomes.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative motor disease caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Because brain inflammation has been considered a risk factor for PD, we analyzed whether PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), an autosomal recessive familial PD gene, regulates brain inflammation during injury states. Using acutely prepared cortical slices to mimic injury, we analyzed expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6 at the mRNA and protein levels. Both mRNA and protein expression of these cytokines was higher at 6-24 h after slicing in PINK1 knockout (KO) slices compared to that in wild-type (WT) slices. In serial experiments to understand the signaling pathways that increase inflammatory responses in KO slices, we found that IkappaB degradation was enhanced but Akt phosphorylation decreased in KO slices compared to those in WT slices. In further experiments, an inhibitor of PI3K (LY294002) upstream of Akt increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Taken together, these results suggest that PINK1 deficiency enhance brain inflammation through reduced Akt activation and enhanced IkappaB degradation in response to brain injury.
Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Cytokines ; Dopaminergic Neurons ; Encephalitis ; Hydrazines ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Parkinson Disease ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Risk Factors ; RNA, Messenger ; Substantia Nigra ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha