BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Lutein, a dietary carotenoid, plays a crucial role in protecting eye health as an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant. Green leafy vegetables constitute a major source of lutein; however, comparative studies on different consumption methods are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the bioavailability of lutein from lutein-rich foods, namely, raw vegetables and raw vegetable juice. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this study, 18 adults were recruited. They were randomly divided into three groups: commercial lutein supplement (LUT, 20 mg), raw vegetable (RV), and raw vegetable juice (RVJ) groups. Blood was collected at 0-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 12-, 24-, and 30-h intervals after the consumption of each test meal. Participants’ serum lutein levels were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Considering lutein’s wellestablished anti-inflammatory properties, changes in inflammatory status were assessed by measuring serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Furthermore, urinary metabolomic profiling was conducted using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to evaluate metabolic alterations. RESULTS: After consuming each lutein-rich food, participants’ blood lutein levels were analyzed, and the serum concentration peaked at 12 h (0.37 ± 0.13 μg/mL), 24 h (0.61 ± 0.18 μg/mL), and 30 h (0.42 ± 0.16 μg/mL) after RV, LUT, and RVJ consumption, respectively.Additionally, hs-CRP levels decreased following lutein-rich food consumption. Twelve hours after consumption, hs-CRP levels decreased to 0.81 and 0.83 mg/L in the RV and RVJ groups, respectively. Twenty-four hours after consumption, they further decreased to 0.68 and 0.74 mg/L in the LUT and RVJ groups, respectively. Thirty hours after consumption, a reduction to 0.61 mg/L was observed in the RVJ group. Furthermore, after consuming each luteinrich food, N-acetyl glycoprotein levels decreased at 24 h, reflecting metabolic alterations potentially associated with lutein metabolism. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the short-term consumption of lutein-rich foods, regardless of their type or source, potentially yields health benefits.

Objective: Primary frozen shoulder causes significant pain and progressively restricts shoulder movements. Diagnosis is made clinically based on patient history and physical examination. Management is mainly non-invasive owing to its self-limiting clinical course. However, clinical practice guidelines for frozen shoulder have not yet been developed in Korea. The developed guidelines aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of frozen shoulder. Methods: A guideline development committee reviewed the literature from four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KMbase). Using the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) framework, the committee formulated two backgrounds and 16 key questions to address common clinical concerns. Recommendations were made using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Results: Diabetes, thyroid disease, and dyslipidemia significantly increase the risk of developing a frozen shoulder. Although frozen shoulder is often self-limiting, some patients may experience long-term functional disabilities. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging should be used as adjunctive tools alongside clinical diagnosis, and rather than as independent diagnostic methods. Noninvasive approaches, such as medications, physical modalities, exercises, electrical stimulation, and manual therapy, may reduce pain and improve shoulder function. Other noninvasive interventions have limited evidence, and their application should be based on clinical judgment. Intra-articular steroid injections are recommended for treatment, and physiotherapy or hydrodilation with steroid injections can also be beneficial. Conclusion These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and treating primary frozen shoulder.

Adenocarcinoma occurs very rarely in the paranasal sinuses; moreover, adenocarcinoma diagnosed in the external nose is rarely reported. A 58-year-old male patient visited our hospital with an enlarged right nasal mass. On image studies, a 1.5 cm sized mass was found on the right nasolabial fold, which was surgically removed via sublabial approach. Intraoperative frozen section examination showed inflammatory tissue without tumor cells. However, adenocarcinoma showing infiltration between the skeletal muscle layers was diagnosed on the final histopathologic examination after surgery. In the immunohistochemical staining test, CK7 positive, CK20 negative, and GCDFP-15 positive were confirmed, so metastasis of adenocarcinoma was considered first rather than primary cancer of the nasolabial fold. There was no recurrence and no tumor development in other sites after postoperative chemoradiation therapy of 32 months.

Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is a rare subtype of soft tissue sarcoma, most commonly occurring in the lower extremities and rarely in the head and neck region. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of MFS originating from the maxillary sinus in Korea. Herein, we describe a case of a 61-year-old male who presented with left-sided hypoesthesia and a mass in the maxillary sinus, which was subsequently diagnosed as MFS originating from the maxillary sinus through endoscopic surgery with a prelacrimal approach. The patient was administered postoperative radiation therapy, and after two years of follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence. This report presents a case of successful treatment of MFS in the maxillary sinus.

The Korean Dementia Association (KDA) has been organizing biennial international academic conferences since 2019, with the International Conference of the KDA (IC-KDA) 2023 held in Busan under the theme ‘Beyond Boundaries: Advancing Global Dementia Solutions.’ The conference comprised 6 scientific sessions, 3 plenary lectures, and 4luncheon symposiums, drawing 804 participants from 35 countries. Notably, a Korea– Taiwan Joint Symposium addressed insights into Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Plenary lectures by renowned scholars explored topics such as microbiome-related AD pathogenesis, social cognition in neurodegenerative diseases, and genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD). On the first day, specific presentations covered subjects like the gut–brain axis and neuroinflammation in dementia, blood-based biomarkers in AD, and updates in AD therapeutics. The second day’s presentations addressed recent issues in clinical neuropsychology, FTD cohort studies, and the pathogenesis of non-AD dementia. The Academic Committee of the KDA compiles lecture summaries to provide comprehensive understanding of the advanced dementia knowledge presented at IC-KDA 2023.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Objective: Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients often find it difficult to visit hospitals because of motor symptoms, distance to the hospital, or the absence of caregivers. Telemedicine is one way to solve this problem. Methods: We surveyed 554 PD patients from eight university hospitals in Korea. The questionnaire consisted of the clinical characteristics of the participants, possible teleconferencing methods, and preferences for telemedicine. Results: A total of 385 patients (70%) expressed interest in receiving telemedicine. Among them, 174 preferred telemedicine whereas 211 preferred in-person visits. The longer the duration of disease, and the longer the time required to visit the hospital, the more patients were interested in receiving telemedicine. Conclusion This is the first study on PD patients’ preferences regarding telemedicine in Korea. Although the majority of patients with PD have a positive view of telemedicine, their interest in receiving telemedicine depends on their different circumstances.

Objective: The Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease–Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) was developed to assess cognition in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the SCOPACog (K-SCOPA-Cog). Methods: We enrolled 129 PD patients with movement disorders from 31 clinics in South Korea. The original version of the SCOPA-Cog was translated into Korean using the translation-retranslation method. The test–retest method with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used to assess reliability. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Korean version (MOCA-K) and the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) were used to assess concurrent validity. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.797, and the ICC was 0.887. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation with the K-MMSE and MOCA-K scores (r = 0.546 and r = 0.683, respectively). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the K-SCOPA-Cog has good reliability and validity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the elastic compression stockings and Kinesio taping on muscle activity and mechanical properties in healthy women during the heel raise exercise that causes muscle fatigue. Methods: Participants were divided into the elastic compression stockings group (ESG, n= 8), Kinesio taping group (KTG, n= 8), and control group (CG, n= 8). All participants performed the heel raise exercise to cause muscle fatigue. Muscle activity, stiffness, and the muscle tone of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior were measured before and after the heel raise exercise. Results: In the gastrocnemius, muscle activity was significantly increased after the heel raise exercise in both the ESG and KTG (p< 0.05).There was a significant difference in the change in the gastrocnemius muscle activity between the groups (p< 0.05). Post hoc analysis showed that the ESG exhibited a significantly greater change in gastrocnemius muscle activity than the CG (p< 0.05). The muscle stiffness of the gastrocnemius was significantly decreased after the heel raise exercise in the ESG (p< 0.05). The muscle tone of the gastrocnemius was significantly increased after the heel raise exercise in the control group (p< 0.05). There were no significant differences in the change in the gastrocnemius stiffness and muscle tone between the groups (p> 0.05). In the tibialis anterior, there were no significant differences in muscle activity, stiffness, and muscle tone between and within the groups (p> 0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the use of elastic compression stockings and Kinesio taping during the heel raise exercise are beneficial and delay muscle fatigue in the gastrocnemius.