Family caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD) may experience mental and physical health issues. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with family caregiver outcomes and to describe their interrelationships. Methods: Grounded in the stress process model, path analysis was conducted using secondary data from 178 dyads of community-dwelling PLWD and family caregivers in Korea. Caregiver outcome was assessed through caregivers’ health status and stress due to behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Agitation and depression were specified as primary stressors, and PLWD factors were included as background factors associated with BPSD, with separate symptom models. Results: Agitation and depression showed the strongest associations with family caregiver stress related to BPSD. Agitation explained 45.1% of caregiver stress related to BPSD variance (β=.66, p<.001), while depression explained 41.5% (β=.63, p<.001). Agitation and depression were related to caregiver health status (β=.17, p=.006; β=.18, p=.017). In both agitation and depression models, female caregivers (β=.19, p=.008, in both models), older age (β=.21, p=.007, in both models), and lower economic status (β=.32, p<.001, in both models) were associated with poorer caregiver health status. Dementia severity and patient age showed indirect associations with caregiver stress related to BPSD through agitation and depression. Conclusion: Agitation and depression were associated with caregiver stress related to BPSD, while caregiver characteristics were associated with health status. These findings highlight the need for tailored interventions to address BPSD and support caregivers. Family-centered and system-level approaches are essential for improving outcomes for PLWD and their families.

Conjugate upward and downward gaze palsy related to unilateral midbrain infarction is a rare neurological symptom, as there were few reported cases worldwide. Here, we report a case of 55-year-old male patient presenting with conjugate vertical gaze palsy. In this case, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images demonstrated a localized infarction in the right rostral midbrain.

The manifestation of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) poses a considerable care burden and precipitates adverse health outcomes. Despite the increasing development of digital interventions, their application in the dementia population, specifically regarding their effectiveness in addressing BPSD, remains limited. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to describe a study protocol for evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile app-based individualized non-pharmacological intervention to improve BPSD in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Employing a randomized control group pretest-posttest design, 36 dyads comprising people living with dementia (PLWD) and their family caregivers will be assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group will engage in a 4-week regimen using a mobile app-based individualized non-pharmacological intervention, which includes recording and predicting BPSD. The control group will use the BPSD record system without accessing the individualized interventions. Both groups will continue with their usual care practices throughout the study period. Subsequently, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the mobile app-based individualized non-pharmacological intervention on BPSD will be conducted, which will serve as the primary outcome. Discussion: We hypothesize that the implementation of the mobile app-based individualized non-pharmacological intervention will alleviate BPSD. However, the research team may encounter several challenges owing to the novelty of digitalized interventions. Nevertheless, the results of this study will provide robust evidence regarding the efficacy of mobile app-based individualized non-pharmacological interventions for community-dwelling older PLWD.Trial registration: This trial has been registered with the Clinical Research Information Service in South Korea (CRIS No. KCT0008713; registered August 18, 2023).

Conjugate upward and downward gaze palsy related to unilateral midbrain infarction is a rare neurological symptom, as there were few reported cases worldwide. Here, we report a case of 55-year-old male patient presenting with conjugate vertical gaze palsy. In this case, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images demonstrated a localized infarction in the right rostral midbrain.

Conjugate upward and downward gaze palsy related to unilateral midbrain infarction is a rare neurological symptom, as there were few reported cases worldwide. Here, we report a case of 55-year-old male patient presenting with conjugate vertical gaze palsy. In this case, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images demonstrated a localized infarction in the right rostral midbrain.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) against skin flap necrosis in a murine skin flap model.Materials and Method Twenty mice with rectangular skin flaps on the dorsum were randomly divided into the PDRN (n=10) and pentobarbital sodium (PBS) (n=10) injection groups. PDRN (8 mg/kg) was subdermally injected at 12 different points immediately after the operation. After 7 days, the flap perfusions were evaluated using a laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) system, and specimens were collected for immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: The percentage of survival area relative to the total flap area was significantly higher in the PDRN group (60.87%±7.63%) than in the PBS group (45.23%±10.72%) (p<0.05). The mean LSCI perfusion signal of the distal part of the skin flap in the PBS group was 0.57±0.12, and that in the PDRN group was 0.74±0.13 (p<0.05). The PDRN group had a significantly lower interleukin 1 beta expression than the PBS group and higher vascular endothelial growth factor α expression than the PBS group (p<0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that subdermally injected PDRN is more effective in enhancing flap survival during necrosis.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are associated with a high risk of systemic embolization in spite of benign nature. We report a case of 85-year-old patient with left supraclinoid internal carotid artery occlusion who treated with aspiration thrombectomy. Despite of the absence of residual mass on echocardiography, we could analyze pathologic specimens using retrieved embolus and confirmed cardiac papillary fibroelastoma as a rare cause of stroke.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the level of chewing and swallowing function (CSF) and the factors related to CSF among elderly vendors in a conventional market. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted between August 10 through September 8, 2020, using a self-reporting questionnaire to collect data. The study sample comprised 61 elderly vendors aged 65 years and over, from a conventional market at Jeju-si. CSF was measured using the Questionnaire for Chewing and Swallowing Function of the elderly, and depression was assessed by applying the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Chewing and swallowing dysfunctions were reported by 34.4% of elderly vendors. CSF was significantly associated with the current smoking status (β=0.39, P=0.001) and depression (β=0.33, P=0.006). Conclusion These results indicate that current smoker and depression are significant factors affecting CSF. The factors determined in this study may be used in community health programs for preventing and managing chewing and swallowing dysfunction among the elderly vendors in a conventional market.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the level of chewing and swallowing function (CSF) and the factors related to CSF among elderly vendors in a conventional market. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted between August 10 through September 8, 2020, using a self-reporting questionnaire to collect data. The study sample comprised 61 elderly vendors aged 65 years and over, from a conventional market at Jeju-si. CSF was measured using the Questionnaire for Chewing and Swallowing Function of the elderly, and depression was assessed by applying the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Chewing and swallowing dysfunctions were reported by 34.4% of elderly vendors. CSF was significantly associated with the current smoking status (β=0.39, P=0.001) and depression (β=0.33, P=0.006). Conclusion These results indicate that current smoker and depression are significant factors affecting CSF. The factors determined in this study may be used in community health programs for preventing and managing chewing and swallowing dysfunction among the elderly vendors in a conventional market.

Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is an important, emerging, and universal hallmark of cancer which has received considerable attention during the recent era of cancer research. Cancer cells show characteristic alterations in glucose metabolism in order to fulfill the needs of biosynthesis for tumor proliferation and growth. However, under certain circumstances such as invasion and metastasis, cancer cells are prone to metabolic stress and will require different strategies to meet the high energetic demand from cancer progression. From various metabolic rewiring mechanisms, cancer cells adopt other metabolic pathways with alternative nutrient sources. Therefore, targeting cancer metabolism holds promising but great challenge caused by the metabolic plasticity of cancer cells. This review will discuss characteristic cancer metabolism in detail with special focus on lipid metabolism which is gathering increasingly keen interest, in order to find novel therapeutic approaches to head and neck cancer. By understanding and exploiting the synthesis, oxidation, and storage of fatty acids, we could investigate potential strategies to block cancer proliferation and progression.