No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Humans

Cryptosporidium parvum is known as one of the most highly resistant parasites to gamma irradiation. To morphologically have an insight on the radioresistance of this parasite, ultrastructural changes in C. parvum sporozoites were observed after gamma irradiation using various doses (1, 5, 10, and 25 kGy) following a range of post-irradiation incubation times (10 kGy for 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hr). The ultrastructures of C. parvum oocysts changed remarkably after a 10-kGy irradiation. Nuclear membrane changes and degranulation of dense granules were observed with high doses over 10 kGy, and morphological changes in micronemes and rhoptries were observed with very high doses over 25 kGy. Oocyst walls were not affected by irradiation, whereas the internal structures of sporozoites degenerated completely 96 hr post-irradiation using a dose of 10 kGy. From this study, morphological evidence of radioresistance of C. parvum has been supplemented.
Animals ; Cryptosporidiosis/parasitology ; Cryptosporidium parvum/*growth & development/radiation effects/ultrastructure ; Female ; Gamma Rays ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Oocysts/growth & development/*radiation effects/*ultrastructure

Overactive bladder (OAB) is prevalent in men and women and negatively impacts physical and psychological health. Fluid and caffeine intake modifications, which are lifestyle modification interventions, are simple methods to manage OAB. However, studies that synthesized both interventions and found scientific evidence are scarce. This review aimed to synthesize scientific evidence on whether fluid and caffeine intake modifications are effective for OAB symptoms. PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, and RISS (Research Information Sharing Service) were used to search for studies and 8 studies were included. The Cochrane risk of bias tool (RoB 2.0) and ROBINS-I (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies - of Interventions) were used to assess the quality of selected studies. Due to the heterogeneous outcome variables, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Among the 8 included, 7 studies were randomized controlled trials and one was a quasi-experimental study. Four studies assessed urgency. Caffeine reduction was statistically effective for urgency symptoms, but increasing fluid intake was not. Frequency was assessed in 5 studies, which showed decreasing caffeine and fluid intake was effective in treating the symptoms. Urinary incontinence episodes were assessed in 6 studies, and nocturia in 2. Restricting caffeine intake was effective in treating these 2 symptoms, but restricting both caffeine and fluid intake was not. Quality of life (QoL) was examined in 5 studies, and modifying fluid and caffeine intake significantly improved QoL in 2. Although there were limited studies, our review provides scientific evidence that fluid and caffeine intake modification effectively manages OAB symptoms. Further research should examine acceptability and sustainability of interventions in the long-term and enable meta-analysis.

An organoid is a self-organized three-dimensional structure derived from stem cells that mimics the structure, cell composition, and functional characteristics of specific organs and tissues and is used for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs and the toxicity of industrial chemicals. Organoid technology is a new methodology that could replace testing on animals testing and accelerate development of precision and regenerative medicine. However, large variations in production can occur between laboratories with low reproducibility of the production process and no internationally agreed standards for quality evaluation factors at endpoints. To overcome these barriers that hinder the regulatory acceptance and commercialization of organoids, Korea established the Organoid Standards Initiative in September 2023 with various stakeholders, including industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and standard development experts, through public and private partnerships. This developed general guidelines for organoid manufacturing and quality evaluation and for quality evaluation guidelines for organoid-specific manufacturing for the liver, intestines, and heart through extensive evidence analysis and consensus among experts. This report is based on the common standard guideline v1.0, which is a general organoid manufacturing and quality evaluation to promote the practical use of organoids. This guideline does not focus on specific organoids or specific contexts of use but provides guidance to organoid makers and users on materials, procedures, and essential quality assessment methods at end points that are essential for organoid production applicable at the current technology level.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Rebamipide is an effective gastric cytoprotective agent, but there are few data on its usefulness in T2DM. The aim of this study is to evaluate the improvement of GI symptoms after rebamipide treatment in patients with T2DM. METHODS: Patients with T2DM and atypical GI symptoms were enrolled. They took rebamipide (100 mg thrice daily) for 12 weeks and filled out the diabetes bowel symptom questionnaire (DBSQ) before and after rebamipide treatment. The DBSQ consisted of 10 questions assessing the severity of GI symptoms by a 1 to 6 scoring system. Changes in the DBSQ scores before and after rebamipide treatment were analyzed to evaluate any improvements of GI symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were enrolled, and 84 patients completed the study. The mean age was 65.0±7.8, 26 patients were male (24.8%), the mean duration of T2DM was 14.71±9.12 years, and the mean glycosylated hemoglobin level was 6.97%±0.82%. The total DBSQ score was reduced significantly from 24.9±8.0 to 20.4±7.3 before and after rebamipide treatment (P<0.001). The DBSQ scores associated with reflux symptoms, indigestion, nausea or vomiting, abdominal bloating or distension, peptic ulcer, abdominal pain, and constipation were improved after rebamipide treatment (P<0.05). However, there were no significant changes in symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, and anal incontinence. No severe adverse events were reported throughout the study. CONCLUSION: Rebamipide treatment for 12 weeks improved atypical GI symptoms in patients with T2DM.
Abdominal Pain ; Constipation ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Diarrhea ; Dyspepsia ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Male ; Nausea ; Peptic Ulcer ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: This is part of a prospective study carried out as a national project to secure standardized public resources for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Korea. We compared various characteristics of long-standing T2DM patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and macular edema (ME). METHODS: From September 2014 to July 2015, T2DM patients with disease duration of at least 15 years were recruited at a single university hospital. Clinical data and samples were collected according to the common data elements and standards of procedure developed by the Korean Diabetes Association Research Council. Each participant was assessed by ophthalmologists for DR and ME. RESULTS: Among 220 registered patients, 183 completed the ophthalmologic assessment. DR was associated with longer disease duration (odds ratio [OR], 1.071; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001 to 1.147 for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy [NPDR]) (OR, 1.142; 95% CI, 1.051 to 1.242 for proliferative diabetic retinopathy [PDR]) and the use of long-acting insulin (OR, 4.559; 95% CI, 1.672 to 12.427 for NPDR) (OR, 4.783; 95% CI, 1.581 to 14.474 for PDR), but a lower prevalence of a family history of cancer (OR, 0.310; 95% CI, 0.119 to 0.809 for NPDR) (OR, 0.206; 95% CI, 0.063 to 0.673 for PDR). ME was associated with higher glycosylated hemoglobin levels (OR, 1.380; 95% CI, 1.032 to 1.845) and the use of rapid-acting insulin (OR, 5.211; 95% CI, 1.445 to 18.794). CONCLUSION: Various clinical features were associated with DR and ME. Additional epidemiological and biorepository-based studies using this cohort are being conducted to deepen our understanding of diabetic complications in Korea.
Cohort Studies ; Common Data Elements ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Diabetic Retinopathy* ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Insulin, Long-Acting ; Insulin, Short-Acting ; Korea ; Macular Edema ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies