Background: Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to assess whether better coping with stress, as assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), is associated with slower cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This study used 2018/2019 data and 2-year follow-up data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Of the 3,014 total participants, we included 1,826 participants (mean age, 77.6±3.7 years, 51.9% female) who completed BRS and Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Results: Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with a lesser decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination score over 2 years after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and depression (B, 0.175; 95% confidence interval, 0.025–0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (Word List Memory, Word List Recall, Word List Recognition, Digit Span, Trail Making Test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly with the BRS score at baseline. Conclusion These findings suggest that better stress-coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.

Background: Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to assess whether better coping with stress, as assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), is associated with slower cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This study used 2018/2019 data and 2-year follow-up data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Of the 3,014 total participants, we included 1,826 participants (mean age, 77.6±3.7 years, 51.9% female) who completed BRS and Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Results: Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with a lesser decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination score over 2 years after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and depression (B, 0.175; 95% confidence interval, 0.025–0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (Word List Memory, Word List Recall, Word List Recognition, Digit Span, Trail Making Test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly with the BRS score at baseline. Conclusion These findings suggest that better stress-coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.

Background: Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to assess whether better coping with stress, as assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), is associated with slower cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This study used 2018/2019 data and 2-year follow-up data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Of the 3,014 total participants, we included 1,826 participants (mean age, 77.6±3.7 years, 51.9% female) who completed BRS and Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Results: Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with a lesser decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination score over 2 years after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and depression (B, 0.175; 95% confidence interval, 0.025–0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (Word List Memory, Word List Recall, Word List Recognition, Digit Span, Trail Making Test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly with the BRS score at baseline. Conclusion These findings suggest that better stress-coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.

Background: Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to assess whether better coping with stress, as assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), is associated with slower cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This study used 2018/2019 data and 2-year follow-up data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Of the 3,014 total participants, we included 1,826 participants (mean age, 77.6±3.7 years, 51.9% female) who completed BRS and Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Results: Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with a lesser decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination score over 2 years after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and depression (B, 0.175; 95% confidence interval, 0.025–0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (Word List Memory, Word List Recall, Word List Recognition, Digit Span, Trail Making Test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly with the BRS score at baseline. Conclusion These findings suggest that better stress-coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel coronavirus identified in 2019 that exhibited an exceptionally rapid spread. Although the development and administration of COVID-19 vaccines progressed quickly, concerns about side effects and safety persisted. This study utilized data from the 2021 Community Health Survey to analyze the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and psychosocial factors, including depression and subjective health status. Methods: Analysis included 203,449 individuals, excluding those who had not received or were ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, based on the 2021 Community Health Survey. The chi-square tests assessed sociodemographic and health status differences related to vaccination status. Subjective health status was categorized based on survey responses as ‘good’ or ‘poor,’ and depression was assessed using the self-reported Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The association between depression, subjective health status, and vaccination status was examined using chi-square tests, followed by multiple logistic regression to determine independent effects. Results: Vaccination rates were higher among the elderly, those with lower education, higher income, healthcare workers, and individuals with lower depression, higher subjective health, and chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes. Significantly lower vaccination rates were observed in those with lower subjective health and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores ≥5 or ≥10. Among individuals with chronic illnesses, those with good subjective health had the lowest odds for non-vaccination (odds ratio=0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.45), while those without chronic illnesses and poor subjective health had the highest odds (odds ratio=1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.76-2.02). Conclusions This study found significantly higher odds ratios for vaccine non-receipt among individuals with lower levels of depression and subjective health status. Incorporating psychosocial factors such as depression and subjective health status may be crucial in developing strategies to enhance vaccination rates during future outbreaks of novel infectious diseases.

Objective: The impact of the government-initiated senior employment program (GSEP) on geriatric depressive symptoms is underexplored. Unearthing this connection could facilitate the planning of future senior employment programs and geriatric depression interventions. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the possible association between geriatric depressive symptoms and GSEP in older adults. Methods: This study employed data from 9,287 participants aged 65 or older, obtained from the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey. We measured depressive symptoms using the Korean version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. The principal exposure of interest was employment status and GSEP involvement. Data analysis involved multiple linear regression. Results: Employment, independent of income level, showed association with decreased depressive symptoms compared to unemployment (p<0.001). After adjustments for confounding variables, participation in GSEP jobs showed more significant reduction in depressive symptoms than non-GSEP jobs (β=-0.968, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-1.197 to -0.739, p<0.001 for GSEP jobs, β=-0.541, 95% CI=-0.681 to -0.401, p<0.001 for non-GSEP jobs). Notably, the lower income tertile in GSEP jobs showed a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms compared to all income tertiles in non-GSEP jobs. Conclusion The lower-income GSEP group experienced lower depressive symptoms and life dissatisfaction compared to non-GSEP groups regardless of income. These findings may provide essential insights for the implementation of government policies and community-based interventions.

BACKGROUND: Recent anti-cancer agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have emerged as effective agents targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway. While the administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs before cytotoxic agents is known to preserve female reproductive organ function, the potential effects of ICIs and the protective impact of GnRH analogs on female reproductive organs, especially concerning ovarian reserve and endometrial receptivity, remain unknown. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the protective or regenerative effect on the female reproductive organ of cetrorelix prior to anti-PD-L1 antibody administration.METHOD: Using a murine model, we examined the effects of Anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment on ovarian and uterine morphology, compared them with controls, and further assessed any potential protective effect of cetrorelix, a GnRH analog. Histological examinations and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were employed to study the morphological changes and associated gene expression patterns. RESULTS: Anti-PD-L1 treatment led to a significant depletion of primordial/primary ovarian follicles and impaired decidualization in uterine stromal cells. However, while pretreatment with cetrorelix could restore normal decidualization patterns in the uterus, it did not significantly ameliorate ovarian follicular reductions. Gene expression analysis reflected these observations, particularly with marked changes in the expression of key genes like Prl and Igfbp1, pivotal in uterine decidualization. CONCLUSION Our study underscores the potential reproductive implications of cetrorelix treatment prior to Anti-PDL1 therapy, shedding light on its short-term protective effects on the uterus. Further studies are necessary to understand long-term and clinical implications.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the voice of patients with vocal cord palsy using the Praat compared to Speech tool.Materials and Method The medical record of the patients with vocal cord palsy from 2013 to 2021 was analyzed retrospectively to validate Praat as a voice evaluation modality compared to the speech tool. Total 60 patients were enrolled in this study. Thirty control and 30 vocal cord palsy patients were selected to undergo recording of voice samples. The voice samples, /a/ and “Sancheck” were evaluated both groups and cepstral peak prominence was analyzed with both modalities; Praat and speech tool. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between the control and vocal cord palsy groups in the speech tool and Praat. There was also a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment values in the vocal cord palsy group. A similar change in the voice value was observed using both methods. The Praat showed a lower value in 1st visit of patients with vocal cord palsy in the vowel test. The Praat vowel test may sensitively represent voice problems in patients with vocal cord palsy. This could contribute to decision-making regarding the treatment modality for vocal cord palsy. Conclusion Praat is open-access software that is freely available. It can be easily and sufficiently used for voice evaluation in patients with vocal cord palsy.

Several medications are approved to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea including nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, remdesivir, and regdanvimab. There is potential drug-drug interaction between antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the medications used to treat COVID-19. Several AEDs such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, and primidone are strong cytochrome P450 inducers and can inhibit the drugs used for COVID-19. Particularly, these drugs are contraindicated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®). There is a weaker drug-drug interaction between the AEDs and remdesivir. No significant interaction has been reported between the AEDs and molnupiravir. Pharmacokinetic interactions of the AEDs are important in effective management of COVID-19 in patients with epilepsy.

Many monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders have been newly identified in recent years owing to the rapid development of genetic sequencing technology. These include variants of the epigenetic machinery – up to 300 known epigenetic factors of which about 50 have been linked to specific clinical phenotypes. Chromodomain, helicase, DNA binding 1 (CHD1) is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler, known to be the causative gene of the autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder Pilarowski-Bjornsson syndrome. Patients exhibit various degrees of global developmental delay, autism, speech apraxia, seizures, growth retardation, and craniofacial dysmorphism. We report the first case of Pilarowski-Bjornsson syndrome in Korea, due to a de novo missense variant of the CHD1 gene (c.862A>G, p.Thr288Ala) in a previously undiagnosed 17-yearold male. His infantile onset of severe global developmental delay, intellectual disability, speech apraxia, and failure to thrive are compatible with Pilarowski-Bjornsson syndrome. We also noted some features not previously reported in this syndrome such as skeletal dysplasia and ichthyosis. Further studies are needed to discover the specific phenotypes and pathogenic mechanisms behind this rare disorder.