Objective: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with T-score discordance between the spine and hip, as well as between the paretic and non-paretic hips in hemiplegic stroke patients, this study investigated bone mineral density (BMD) patterns. Bone loss predominantly affects the paretic hip after a stroke, and typical clinical assessments using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) that scan the lumbar spine (LS) and a single hip may overlook an osteoporosis diagnosis. This oversight could potentially lead to suboptimal treatment for stroke patients. Methods: This study was a multicenter retrospective analysis of 540 patients admitted for stroke rehabilitation between October 2014 and February 2022, who underwent DXA of LS and bilateral hips. Results: The prevalence rates of concordance, low LS discordance, and low hip discordance between the LS and hips were 48.2%, 12.2%, and 39.6%, respectively. The discordance rate between bilateral hips was 17.0%. The paretic side had significantly lower total hip T-scores than the non-paretic side (p<0.001). Notably low paretic hip discordance was more prevalent during the chronic phase. DXA scans of the LS and both hips revealed a 0.7%–0.9% higher major discordance compared to LS and single hip DXA scans. The multivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between a low paretic hip discordance and cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio 0.071, 95% confidence interval 0.931–1.003, p<0.05). Conclusion Since stroke survivors are at high risk for hip fractures, comprehensive BMD assessments, which include LS and bilateral hips, should be considered for post-stroke osteoporosis care to enhance diagnostic accuracy and timely treatment.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a crucial biomarker for diagnosing sepsis and managing antibiotic therapy. This study evaluated the analytical performance and comparability of the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Methods: The precision, detection capability, linearity, and reference range of both assays were assessed. A comparative analysis included 182 patient samples categorized into four risk groups to compare the results between Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Results: The Access PCT assay demonstrated precision within the manufacturer’s threshold, and its detection capabilities were verified. This assay exhibited excellent linearity and appropriate reference intervals. Comparative analysis indicated that the Access PCT assay reported higher overall PCT levels than the Elecsys BRAHMS assay, with high agreement between the assays (κ=0.941). However, the biases varied across different PCT concentration intervals. Conclusions Both the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays performed robustly with notable concordance but varying biases at different concentration intervals. The observed biases require careful consideration in clinical decision-making, especially when adopting novel assay systems. Standardizing the calibration across different platforms is recommended to improve assay comparability.

Background: Stress management is an important component of management of mental health. Stress processing can be understood as the appraisal of and coping with stress. This study aimed to compare positive and negative perceptions of stress according to patterns of coping strategies. Methods: The study recruited 116 college students who completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations using a tablet PC or smartphone application. K-means cluster analysis was used to categorize the subjects into three clusters. Results: Positive perceptions were highest in Cluster 2 (i.e., task and avoidance dominant) at 3.18±0.66 followed by 2.30±0.65 in Cluster 1 (passive coping) and lowest in Cluster 3 (emotion dominant) at 1.75±0.63. Negative perceptions were highest in Cluster 3 at 2.45±0.66 followed by Cluster 1 at 1.66±0.65 and Cluster 2 at 1.07±0.68. Conclusion Differences in coping patterns can reduce the negative effects of stress. Thus, assessing the perception and management of stress can be useful and help people change their coping styles to more adaptive ones. Toward this end, a mobile application can be an appropriate tool.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Onion, particularly onion peel, is a quercetin-rich food with, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, the effect of onion peel extract (OPE) in humans is unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate whether OPE improves natural killer (NK) cell activity and cytokine concentration in a randomized doubleblind placebo-controlled trial. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eighty participants aged 19–64 yrs old with a white blood cell count of 4,000–10,000 cells/µL, symptoms of upper respiratory infection at least once within the previous 12 mon, and perceived stress scale (PSS) over 14 were included. Participants were randomly assigned to take either 1,000 mg/day OPE or a placebo for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Compliance were 87.4 ± 8.6% and 86.9 ± 79.0% in OPE and placebo groups.Compared to the placebo, OPE supplementation improved “Hoarseness” (P = 0.038) of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS)-21 symptom, and stress scores (P = 0.001; 0.021) of PSS. Supplementation of OPE had no significant effect on NK cell activity and concentrations of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-1β, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α. At baseline, the WURSS-21 symptom and PSS score (P = 0.024;0.026) were higher in the OPE group than the placebo group. Among participants with higher than median WURSS-21 symptom score, OPE supplementation increased NK cell activity (P = 0.038). Supplementation of OPE had no significant effects on safety measurements and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggested that OPE supplementation improves NK cell activity in participants with moderate upper respiratory symptoms without any significant adverse effects.

Objective: We aimed to create an efficient and valid predicting model which can estimate individuals’ brain age by quantifying their regional brain volumes. Methods: A total of 2,560 structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, along with demographic and clinical data, were obtained. Pretrained deep-learning models were employed to automatically segment the MRI data, which enabled fast calculation of regional brain volumes. Brain age gaps for each subject were estimated using volumetric values from predefined 12 regions of interest (ROIs): bilateral frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes, as well as bilateral hippocampus and lateral ventricles. A larger weight was given to the ROIs having a larger mean volumetric difference between the cognitively unimpaired (CU) and cognitively impaired group including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia groups. The brain age was predicted by adding or subtracting the brain age gap to the chronological age according to the presence or absence of the atrophy region. Results: The study showed significant differences in brain age gaps among CU, MCI, and dementia groups. Furthermore, the brain age gaps exhibited significant correlations with education level and measures of cognitive function, including the clinical dementia rating sum-of-boxes and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Conclusion The brain age that we developed enabled fast and efficient brain age calculations, and it also reflected individual’s cognitive function and cognitive reserve. Thus, our study suggested that the brain age might be an important marker of brain health that can be used effectively in real clinical settings.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a crucial biomarker for diagnosing sepsis and managing antibiotic therapy. This study evaluated the analytical performance and comparability of the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Methods: The precision, detection capability, linearity, and reference range of both assays were assessed. A comparative analysis included 182 patient samples categorized into four risk groups to compare the results between Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Results: The Access PCT assay demonstrated precision within the manufacturer’s threshold, and its detection capabilities were verified. This assay exhibited excellent linearity and appropriate reference intervals. Comparative analysis indicated that the Access PCT assay reported higher overall PCT levels than the Elecsys BRAHMS assay, with high agreement between the assays (κ=0.941). However, the biases varied across different PCT concentration intervals. Conclusions Both the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays performed robustly with notable concordance but varying biases at different concentration intervals. The observed biases require careful consideration in clinical decision-making, especially when adopting novel assay systems. Standardizing the calibration across different platforms is recommended to improve assay comparability.

Background: Stress management is an important component of management of mental health. Stress processing can be understood as the appraisal of and coping with stress. This study aimed to compare positive and negative perceptions of stress according to patterns of coping strategies. Methods: The study recruited 116 college students who completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations using a tablet PC or smartphone application. K-means cluster analysis was used to categorize the subjects into three clusters. Results: Positive perceptions were highest in Cluster 2 (i.e., task and avoidance dominant) at 3.18±0.66 followed by 2.30±0.65 in Cluster 1 (passive coping) and lowest in Cluster 3 (emotion dominant) at 1.75±0.63. Negative perceptions were highest in Cluster 3 at 2.45±0.66 followed by Cluster 1 at 1.66±0.65 and Cluster 2 at 1.07±0.68. Conclusion Differences in coping patterns can reduce the negative effects of stress. Thus, assessing the perception and management of stress can be useful and help people change their coping styles to more adaptive ones. Toward this end, a mobile application can be an appropriate tool.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a crucial biomarker for diagnosing sepsis and managing antibiotic therapy. This study evaluated the analytical performance and comparability of the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Methods: The precision, detection capability, linearity, and reference range of both assays were assessed. A comparative analysis included 182 patient samples categorized into four risk groups to compare the results between Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays. Results: The Access PCT assay demonstrated precision within the manufacturer’s threshold, and its detection capabilities were verified. This assay exhibited excellent linearity and appropriate reference intervals. Comparative analysis indicated that the Access PCT assay reported higher overall PCT levels than the Elecsys BRAHMS assay, with high agreement between the assays (κ=0.941). However, the biases varied across different PCT concentration intervals. Conclusions Both the Access PCT and Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assays performed robustly with notable concordance but varying biases at different concentration intervals. The observed biases require careful consideration in clinical decision-making, especially when adopting novel assay systems. Standardizing the calibration across different platforms is recommended to improve assay comparability.

Background: Stress management is an important component of management of mental health. Stress processing can be understood as the appraisal of and coping with stress. This study aimed to compare positive and negative perceptions of stress according to patterns of coping strategies. Methods: The study recruited 116 college students who completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations using a tablet PC or smartphone application. K-means cluster analysis was used to categorize the subjects into three clusters. Results: Positive perceptions were highest in Cluster 2 (i.e., task and avoidance dominant) at 3.18±0.66 followed by 2.30±0.65 in Cluster 1 (passive coping) and lowest in Cluster 3 (emotion dominant) at 1.75±0.63. Negative perceptions were highest in Cluster 3 at 2.45±0.66 followed by Cluster 1 at 1.66±0.65 and Cluster 2 at 1.07±0.68. Conclusion Differences in coping patterns can reduce the negative effects of stress. Thus, assessing the perception and management of stress can be useful and help people change their coping styles to more adaptive ones. Toward this end, a mobile application can be an appropriate tool.

In the 2023 series, we summarized the major clinical research advances in gynecologic oncology based on communications at the conference of Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology Review Course. The review consisted of 1) Endometrial cancer: immune checkpoint inhibitor, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), selective inhibitor of nuclear export, CDK4/6 inhibitors WEE1 inhibitor, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. 2) Cervical cancer: surgery in low-risk early-stage cervical cancer, therapy for locally advanced stage and advanced, metastatic, or recurrent setting; and 3) Ovarian cancer: immunotherapy, triplet therapies using immune checkpoint inhibitors along with antiangiogenic agents and PARP inhibitors, and ADCs. In 2023, the field of endometrial cancer treatment witnessed a landmark year, marked by several practice-changing outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors and the reliable efficacy of PARP inhibitors and ADCs.