Moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with improving insulin resistance in overweight and obese adults. However, effect of light physical activity on insulin resistance remains to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of light physical activity on insulin resistance in overweight and obese men. Thirty-seven overweight and obese middle-aged men (28.9 ± 1.8 kg/m², 51.0 ± 8.8 years) participated in this study. They took part in the lifestyle intervention (calorie restricted diet and exercise) for 12 weeks. Anthropometric parameters, fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR were assessed at baseline and post intervention. Physical activity was objectively measured using a triaxial accelerometer at baseline and during intervention. Light physical activity (+17.7 min/day) and moderate-vigorous physical activity (+33.2 min/day) increased significantly, while body weight (-12.4 kg), fasting glucose (-9.5 mg/ml), fasting insulin (-4.2 μU/ml), and HOMA-IR (-1.1) decreased significantly. The change in light physical activity from baseline to during intervention were inversely related to change in fasting insulin (r = 0.18, P = 0.02) and change in HOMA-IR (r = -0.16, P = 0.03), after adjustment for several confounders. These results suggest that an increase of light physical activity improves insulin resistance in overweight and obese men.

Objectives: ：Based on the fact that cognitive functions decline known as comorbid symptoms of depression can precede depression, this study seeks to observe the effects of depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms on cognitive function in healthy subjects. Methods: ：To recruit 50 general populations to evaluate cognitive and clinical symptoms and to find out the effects of clinical symptoms on cognitive functions, Pearson correlation and multivariate regression were conducted. Correlation analysis of subdomain cognitive function was conducted for reliability analysis. Results: ：Trail making test-B that evaluates the execution function correlates with depressive symptoms (r=0.300, p=0.03) and age (r=0.323, p=0.02). Depressive symptoms (β=0.304, p=0.03) and age (β=0.335, p=0.01) were significantly related to Trail making test -B (Adjusted R2 =0.148). Subjective cognitive tests correlates with anxiety symptoms (r=0.434, p=0.002). In the correlation between cognitive functional items, Subjective cognitive tests was found to be correlated with other test except Spotter. Conclusions ：In this study, depressive symptoms contribute independently to executive functions in addition to demographic characteristics such as age and duration of education. Given that cognitive decline is a common long-term clinical outcome in depression, we expect active early intervention and evaluation of cognitive function to be helpful.

We experienced a case of Xq deletion -- 46,X,del(X)(q22.3) -- detected by abnormal noninvasive prenatal screening, subsequently diagnosed by amniocentesis. Genetic counseling was a challenge because there are few reports of prenatal diagnosis of Xq deletion. In each female cell, one X chromosome is inactivated at random early in development, and there may be a preferential inactivation of the abnormal X chromosome. But some proportions of genes escape inactivation. The most common manifestation in women with Xq deletion is primary or secondary ovarian failure. Critical regions for ovarian function may be located at the long arm of the X chromosome. But, the onset and the severity of ovarian failure may vary with diverse, intricate factors. We anticipate that noninvasive prenatal screening can identify the broader range of chromosomal or genetic abnormalities with the advances in technology and analytic methods. We report our case with a brief review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is an important factor for preventing osteoporosis. This study aimed to investigate the association of work- and leisure-time physical activities with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.METHODS: Data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2015–2016. A total of 2,885 postmenopausal women were included in the analysis. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to the intensity of the work- and leisure-time physical activities. T-test, chi-square test, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used.RESULTS: No association was found between work-time physical activity and osteoporosis prevalence. However, a dose-response relationship was found in case of leisure-time physical activity. People with leisure-time physical activity of at least >1,000 MET-min/week showed lower prevalence of osteoporosis.CONCLUSION: An appropriate level of leisure-time physical activity should be recommended to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Leisure Activities ; Logistic Models ; Motor Activity ; Nutrition Surveys ; Osteoporosis ; Prevalence

Objective: To establish and evaluate the validity of the recently developed Korean version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (K-OCS), this study verified its reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Between November 2021 and December 2023, we recruited 72 patients with stroke from our hospital who agreed to participate in the study. The patients were repeatedly tested using K-OCS by the same or different assessors to estimate inter- and intra-rater reliability. To demonstrate the validity and usability of K-OCS, the test results of screening tools currently used in clinical practice, including the Korean-Mini Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, were used in comparison analyses. Results: The subtests of K-OCS demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.914–0.998) and test–retest reliability (ICC=0.913–0.994). We found moderate-to-strong correlations for convergent validity for the subsets (r=0.378– 0.979, p<0.01), and low-to-moderate discriminant validity correlations. The optimal cut-offs estimated for the subtests of the K-OCS showed a good-to-high range of specificity (94.8%– 100%). The positive predictive value was 58.2%–100% and negative predictive value was 65.6%–98.4%. Sensitivity was estimated at 25.6%–86.9%. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that K-OCS is a reliable and valid tool for screening cognitive impairment in patients post-stroke.

Objective: To establish and evaluate the validity of the recently developed Korean version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (K-OCS), this study verified its reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Between November 2021 and December 2023, we recruited 72 patients with stroke from our hospital who agreed to participate in the study. The patients were repeatedly tested using K-OCS by the same or different assessors to estimate inter- and intra-rater reliability. To demonstrate the validity and usability of K-OCS, the test results of screening tools currently used in clinical practice, including the Korean-Mini Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, were used in comparison analyses. Results: The subtests of K-OCS demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.914–0.998) and test–retest reliability (ICC=0.913–0.994). We found moderate-to-strong correlations for convergent validity for the subsets (r=0.378– 0.979, p<0.01), and low-to-moderate discriminant validity correlations. The optimal cut-offs estimated for the subtests of the K-OCS showed a good-to-high range of specificity (94.8%– 100%). The positive predictive value was 58.2%–100% and negative predictive value was 65.6%–98.4%. Sensitivity was estimated at 25.6%–86.9%. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that K-OCS is a reliable and valid tool for screening cognitive impairment in patients post-stroke.

Objective: To establish and evaluate the validity of the recently developed Korean version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (K-OCS), this study verified its reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Between November 2021 and December 2023, we recruited 72 patients with stroke from our hospital who agreed to participate in the study. The patients were repeatedly tested using K-OCS by the same or different assessors to estimate inter- and intra-rater reliability. To demonstrate the validity and usability of K-OCS, the test results of screening tools currently used in clinical practice, including the Korean-Mini Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, were used in comparison analyses. Results: The subtests of K-OCS demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.914–0.998) and test–retest reliability (ICC=0.913–0.994). We found moderate-to-strong correlations for convergent validity for the subsets (r=0.378– 0.979, p<0.01), and low-to-moderate discriminant validity correlations. The optimal cut-offs estimated for the subtests of the K-OCS showed a good-to-high range of specificity (94.8%– 100%). The positive predictive value was 58.2%–100% and negative predictive value was 65.6%–98.4%. Sensitivity was estimated at 25.6%–86.9%. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that K-OCS is a reliable and valid tool for screening cognitive impairment in patients post-stroke.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by a chronic inflammatory disease, and chemokines play an important role in both initiation and progression of atherosclerosis development. Leukotactin-1 (Lkn-1/CCL15), a new member of the human CC chemokine family, is a potent chemoattractant for leukocytes. Our previous study has demonstrated that Lkn-1/CCL15 plays a role in the initiation of atherosclerosis, however, little is currently known whether Lkn-1/CCL15 is associated with the progression of atherosclerosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in human coronary atherosclerotic lesions play a crucial role in the progression of atherosclerosis by altering the vulnerability of plaque rupture. In the present study, we examined whether Lkn-1/CCL15 modulates MMP-9 release, which is a prevalent form expressed by activated macrophages and foam cells. Human THP-1 monocytic cells and/or human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) were treated with phorbol myristate acetate to induce their differentiation into macrophages. Foam cells were prepared by the treatment of THP-1 macrophages with human oxidized LDL. The macrophages and foam cells were treated with Lkn-1/CCL15, and the levels of MMP-9 release were measured by Gelatin Zymography. Lkn-1/CCL15 significantly enhanced the levels of MMP-9 protein secretion from THP-1 monocytic cells-derived macrophages, human PBMC-derived macrophages, as well as macrophage-derived foam cell in a dose dependent manner. Our data suggest that the action of Lkn-1/CCL15 on macrophages and foam cells to release MMP-9 may contribute to plaque destabilization in the progression of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis ; Chemokines ; Foam Cells ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Macrophages ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Monocytes ; Phorbols ; Rupture ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

PURPOSE: To investigate the anti-tumor effect of capsaicin on human pharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells (FaDu). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of apoptosis/cell cycle-related proteins (or genes) was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and ELISA methods, while the apoptotic cell population, cell morphology and DNA fragmentation levels were assessed using flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Capsaicin was found to inhibit the growth and proliferation of FaDu cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Apoptotic cell death was confirmed by observing increases in nuclear condensation, nuclear DNA fragmentation and sub-G1 DNA content. The observed increase in cytosolic cytochrome c, activation of caspase 3 and PARP (p85) levels following capsaicin treatment indicated that the apoptotic response was mitochondrial pathway-dependent. Gene/protein expression analysis of Bcl-2, Bad and Bax further revealed decreased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and increased pro-apoptotic Bad/Bax expression. Furthermore, capsaicin suppressed the cell cycle progression at the G1/S phase in FaDu cells by decreasing the expression of the regulators of cyclin B1 and D1, as well as cyclin-dependent protein kinases cdk-1, cdk-2 and cdk-4. CONCLUSION: Our current data show that capsaicin induces apoptosis in FaDu cells and this response is associated with mitochondrial pathways, possibly by mediating cell cycle arrest at G1/S.
Apoptosis/drug effects ; Blotting, Western ; Capsaicin/*pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*metabolism ; Cell Cycle/drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Pharyngeal Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics/metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/genetics/metabolism ; bcl-Associated Death Protein/genetics/metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To plan the goals of the rehabilitation management after stroke, it was important to know functional prognosis of the patients. The purpose of this article was to predict functional outcomes of stroke patients by means of an analysis of the well-known prognostic factors of function at admission. METHOD: This study was performed retrospectively on 102 patients with acute stroke who were admitted to Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. The inpatients, clinical and functional evaluation were carried out at admission. Functional abilities were measured with the use of the Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC) and the modified Barthel Index (MBI). RESULTS: The significant prognostic factors of FAC improvement rate were age, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Morticity Index, MBI, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), aphasia and Trunk Control Test (TCT) (p<0.01). The most valuable single factor of FAC improvement rate was TCT. The significant prognostic factors of MBI improvement rate were age, NIHSS, Morticity Index, MMSE, aphasia and TCT (p<0.01). The most valuable single factor of MBI improvement rate was TCT. CONCLUSION: We concluded that TCT could be the most valuable prognostic factor in rehabilitation management outcome of stroke.
Aphasia ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Prognosis ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke*