Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of both the presence and size of posterior subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage (PS-GMH), considered a mild form of hemorrhage, on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 extremely preterm infants, assessing their initial and term-equivalent age (TEA) cranial ultrasound (cUS) examinations from 2016 to 2021. Infants were classified based on the presence and size (small/large) of PS-GMH. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages of 18-24 months were analyzed in 135 infants. Results: PS-GMH was identified in 86.9% (192/221) of the infants, with 13.5% (26/192) exhibiting large PS-GMH. Among the 135 infants who were followed up, those with PS-GMH were found to have younger gestational ages (P<0.001) and a higher incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis (P=0.016) than those without PS-GMH. Significant differences were observed in the incidence of grade II intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial cUS (P=0.003) and ventriculomegaly at TEA cUS (P=0.026) across the groups with no PS-GMH, small PS-GMH, and large PS-GMH. The large PS-GMH group exhibited a higher occurrence of grade II IVH than the small PS-GMH group (P=0.006). However, ventriculomegaly incidence did not significantly vary with PS-GMH status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were also not significantly different across PS-GMH statuses. The adjusted odds ratios for any neurodevelopmental impairment, compared to the no PS-GMH group, were 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 7.26; P=0.471) for all PS-GMH, 1.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 6.93; P=0.526) for small PS-GMH, and 3.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 24.00; P=0.150) for large PS-GMH. Conclusion PS-GMH was frequently observed in extremely preterm infants; however, it did not independently predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background: The World Health Organization has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. However, this did not indicate the end of COVID-19. Several months after the infection, numerous patients complain of respiratory or nonspecific symptoms; this condition is called long COVID. Even patients with mild COVID-19 can experience long COVID, thus the burden of long COVID remains considerable. Therefore, we conducted this study to comprehensively analyze the effects of long COVID using multi-faceted assessments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and September 2021 in six tertiary hospitals in Korea. Patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after discharge. Long COVID was defined as the persistence of three or more COVID-19-related symptoms. The primary outcome of this study was the prevalence of long COVID after the period of COVID-19. Results: During the study period, 290 patients were enrolled. Among them, 54.5 and 34.6% experienced long COVID within 6 months and after more than 18 months, respectively. Several patients showed abnormal results when tested for post-traumatic stress disorder (17.4%) and anxiety (31.9%) after 18 months. In patients who underwent follow-up chest computed tomography 18 months after COVID-19, abnormal findings remained at 51.9%. Males (odds ratio [OR], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05–0.53; P=0.004) and elderly (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.00–1.09; P=0.04) showed a significant association with long COVID after 12–18 months in a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Many patients still showed long COVID after 18 months post SARS-CoV-2 infection. When managing these patients, the assessment of multiple aspects is necessary.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of both the presence and size of posterior subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage (PS-GMH), considered a mild form of hemorrhage, on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 extremely preterm infants, assessing their initial and term-equivalent age (TEA) cranial ultrasound (cUS) examinations from 2016 to 2021. Infants were classified based on the presence and size (small/large) of PS-GMH. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages of 18-24 months were analyzed in 135 infants. Results: PS-GMH was identified in 86.9% (192/221) of the infants, with 13.5% (26/192) exhibiting large PS-GMH. Among the 135 infants who were followed up, those with PS-GMH were found to have younger gestational ages (P<0.001) and a higher incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis (P=0.016) than those without PS-GMH. Significant differences were observed in the incidence of grade II intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial cUS (P=0.003) and ventriculomegaly at TEA cUS (P=0.026) across the groups with no PS-GMH, small PS-GMH, and large PS-GMH. The large PS-GMH group exhibited a higher occurrence of grade II IVH than the small PS-GMH group (P=0.006). However, ventriculomegaly incidence did not significantly vary with PS-GMH status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were also not significantly different across PS-GMH statuses. The adjusted odds ratios for any neurodevelopmental impairment, compared to the no PS-GMH group, were 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 7.26; P=0.471) for all PS-GMH, 1.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 6.93; P=0.526) for small PS-GMH, and 3.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 24.00; P=0.150) for large PS-GMH. Conclusion PS-GMH was frequently observed in extremely preterm infants; however, it did not independently predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of both the presence and size of posterior subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage (PS-GMH), considered a mild form of hemorrhage, on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 extremely preterm infants, assessing their initial and term-equivalent age (TEA) cranial ultrasound (cUS) examinations from 2016 to 2021. Infants were classified based on the presence and size (small/large) of PS-GMH. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages of 18-24 months were analyzed in 135 infants. Results: PS-GMH was identified in 86.9% (192/221) of the infants, with 13.5% (26/192) exhibiting large PS-GMH. Among the 135 infants who were followed up, those with PS-GMH were found to have younger gestational ages (P<0.001) and a higher incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis (P=0.016) than those without PS-GMH. Significant differences were observed in the incidence of grade II intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial cUS (P=0.003) and ventriculomegaly at TEA cUS (P=0.026) across the groups with no PS-GMH, small PS-GMH, and large PS-GMH. The large PS-GMH group exhibited a higher occurrence of grade II IVH than the small PS-GMH group (P=0.006). However, ventriculomegaly incidence did not significantly vary with PS-GMH status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were also not significantly different across PS-GMH statuses. The adjusted odds ratios for any neurodevelopmental impairment, compared to the no PS-GMH group, were 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 7.26; P=0.471) for all PS-GMH, 1.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 6.93; P=0.526) for small PS-GMH, and 3.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 24.00; P=0.150) for large PS-GMH. Conclusion PS-GMH was frequently observed in extremely preterm infants; however, it did not independently predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background: The World Health Organization has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. However, this did not indicate the end of COVID-19. Several months after the infection, numerous patients complain of respiratory or nonspecific symptoms; this condition is called long COVID. Even patients with mild COVID-19 can experience long COVID, thus the burden of long COVID remains considerable. Therefore, we conducted this study to comprehensively analyze the effects of long COVID using multi-faceted assessments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and September 2021 in six tertiary hospitals in Korea. Patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after discharge. Long COVID was defined as the persistence of three or more COVID-19-related symptoms. The primary outcome of this study was the prevalence of long COVID after the period of COVID-19. Results: During the study period, 290 patients were enrolled. Among them, 54.5 and 34.6% experienced long COVID within 6 months and after more than 18 months, respectively. Several patients showed abnormal results when tested for post-traumatic stress disorder (17.4%) and anxiety (31.9%) after 18 months. In patients who underwent follow-up chest computed tomography 18 months after COVID-19, abnormal findings remained at 51.9%. Males (odds ratio [OR], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05–0.53; P=0.004) and elderly (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.00–1.09; P=0.04) showed a significant association with long COVID after 12–18 months in a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Many patients still showed long COVID after 18 months post SARS-CoV-2 infection. When managing these patients, the assessment of multiple aspects is necessary.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of both the presence and size of posterior subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage (PS-GMH), considered a mild form of hemorrhage, on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 extremely preterm infants, assessing their initial and term-equivalent age (TEA) cranial ultrasound (cUS) examinations from 2016 to 2021. Infants were classified based on the presence and size (small/large) of PS-GMH. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages of 18-24 months were analyzed in 135 infants. Results: PS-GMH was identified in 86.9% (192/221) of the infants, with 13.5% (26/192) exhibiting large PS-GMH. Among the 135 infants who were followed up, those with PS-GMH were found to have younger gestational ages (P<0.001) and a higher incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis (P=0.016) than those without PS-GMH. Significant differences were observed in the incidence of grade II intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial cUS (P=0.003) and ventriculomegaly at TEA cUS (P=0.026) across the groups with no PS-GMH, small PS-GMH, and large PS-GMH. The large PS-GMH group exhibited a higher occurrence of grade II IVH than the small PS-GMH group (P=0.006). However, ventriculomegaly incidence did not significantly vary with PS-GMH status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were also not significantly different across PS-GMH statuses. The adjusted odds ratios for any neurodevelopmental impairment, compared to the no PS-GMH group, were 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 7.26; P=0.471) for all PS-GMH, 1.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 6.93; P=0.526) for small PS-GMH, and 3.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 24.00; P=0.150) for large PS-GMH. Conclusion PS-GMH was frequently observed in extremely preterm infants; however, it did not independently predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background: The World Health Organization has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. However, this did not indicate the end of COVID-19. Several months after the infection, numerous patients complain of respiratory or nonspecific symptoms; this condition is called long COVID. Even patients with mild COVID-19 can experience long COVID, thus the burden of long COVID remains considerable. Therefore, we conducted this study to comprehensively analyze the effects of long COVID using multi-faceted assessments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and September 2021 in six tertiary hospitals in Korea. Patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after discharge. Long COVID was defined as the persistence of three or more COVID-19-related symptoms. The primary outcome of this study was the prevalence of long COVID after the period of COVID-19. Results: During the study period, 290 patients were enrolled. Among them, 54.5 and 34.6% experienced long COVID within 6 months and after more than 18 months, respectively. Several patients showed abnormal results when tested for post-traumatic stress disorder (17.4%) and anxiety (31.9%) after 18 months. In patients who underwent follow-up chest computed tomography 18 months after COVID-19, abnormal findings remained at 51.9%. Males (odds ratio [OR], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05–0.53; P=0.004) and elderly (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.00–1.09; P=0.04) showed a significant association with long COVID after 12–18 months in a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Many patients still showed long COVID after 18 months post SARS-CoV-2 infection. When managing these patients, the assessment of multiple aspects is necessary.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of both the presence and size of posterior subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage (PS-GMH), considered a mild form of hemorrhage, on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 extremely preterm infants, assessing their initial and term-equivalent age (TEA) cranial ultrasound (cUS) examinations from 2016 to 2021. Infants were classified based on the presence and size (small/large) of PS-GMH. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages of 18-24 months were analyzed in 135 infants. Results: PS-GMH was identified in 86.9% (192/221) of the infants, with 13.5% (26/192) exhibiting large PS-GMH. Among the 135 infants who were followed up, those with PS-GMH were found to have younger gestational ages (P<0.001) and a higher incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis (P=0.016) than those without PS-GMH. Significant differences were observed in the incidence of grade II intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on initial cUS (P=0.003) and ventriculomegaly at TEA cUS (P=0.026) across the groups with no PS-GMH, small PS-GMH, and large PS-GMH. The large PS-GMH group exhibited a higher occurrence of grade II IVH than the small PS-GMH group (P=0.006). However, ventriculomegaly incidence did not significantly vary with PS-GMH status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were also not significantly different across PS-GMH statuses. The adjusted odds ratios for any neurodevelopmental impairment, compared to the no PS-GMH group, were 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 7.26; P=0.471) for all PS-GMH, 1.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 6.93; P=0.526) for small PS-GMH, and 3.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 24.00; P=0.150) for large PS-GMH. Conclusion PS-GMH was frequently observed in extremely preterm infants; however, it did not independently predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of Capsosiphon fulvescens (C. fulvescens) ethanolic extract on inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW296.7 macrophages. Methods: The protective effects of C. fulvescens ethanolic extract on LPS-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophages were assessed using biochemical analysis, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. To examine reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, flow cytometry analysis, and immunofluorescence staining were used. Furthermore, the modulatory effect of C. fulvescens ethanolic extract on NF-κB activation was investigated. Results: C. fulvescens ethanolic extract significantly attenuated LPS-induced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and notably reduced the secretion and mRNA levels of LPS-mediated matrix metalloproteinases. In addition, C. fulvescens ethanolic extract decreased ROS production and suppressed the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusions: C. fulvescens ethanolic extract alleviates inflammation as well as oxidative stress by modulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. C. fulvescens can be used as a potential therapeutic agent to suppress inflammation and oxidative stress-associated diseases.

Background: The clinical implications of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein autoantibodies (MOG-Abs) are increasing. Establishing MOG-Ab assays is essential for effectively treating patients with MOG-Abs. We established an in-house cell-based assay (CBA) to detect MOG-Abs to identify correlations with patients’ clinical characteristics. Methods: We established the CBA using HEK 293 cells transiently overexpressing fulllength human MOG, tested it against 166 samples from a multicenter registry of central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory disorders, and compared the results with those of the Oxford MOG-Ab-based CBA and a commercial MOG-Ab CBA kit. We recruited additional patients with MOG-Abs and compared the clinical characteristics of MOG-Ab-associated disease (MOGAD) with those of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Results: Of 166 samples tested, 10 tested positive for MOG-Abs, with optic neuritis (ON) being the most common manifestation (4/15, 26.7%). The in-house and Oxford MOG-Ab CBAs agreed for 164/166 (98.8%) samples (κ = 0.883, P < 0.001); two patients (2/166, 1.2%) were only positive in our in-house CBA, and the CBA scores of the two laboratories correlated well (r = 0.663, P < 0.001). The commercial MOG-Ab CBA kit showed one falsenegative and three false-positive results. The clinical presentation at disease onset differed between MOGAD and NMOSD; ON was the most frequent manifestation in MOGAD, and transverse myelitis was most frequent in NMOSD. Conclusions The in-house CBA for MOG-Abs demonstrated reliable results and can potentially be used to evaluate CNS inflammatory disorders. A comprehensive, long-term study with a large patient population would clarify the clinical significance of MOG-Abs.