Purpose: This study analyzed the career paths of medical school graduates in the Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheongnam-do (DSC) region of South Korea, focusing on career choice factors at each career path. The ultimate goal was to derive practical insights to improve career guidance in the medical field and enhance professionalism. Methods: Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 medical school graduates working in the DSC region. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to explore their career paths, and factors influencing their career decisions. The collected qualitative data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify themes and categories. Results: The study results categorized career stages into three phases: “entering medical school,” “choosing a specialty after graduation,” and “choosing a workplace after training.” Career choice factors were classified into “personal factors,” “social factors,” and “job and work environment factors.” The factors influencing career choices differed across each career path. Conclusion This study holds significance in its in-depth analysis of career choice factors across different career paths from a long-term perspective. The findings suggest that effective support for career decision-making in the medical field requires a tailored approach that considers the distinct needs and influencing factors at each career path.

Purpose: This study analyzed the career paths of medical school graduates in the Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheongnam-do (DSC) region of South Korea, focusing on career choice factors at each career path. The ultimate goal was to derive practical insights to improve career guidance in the medical field and enhance professionalism. Methods: Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 medical school graduates working in the DSC region. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to explore their career paths, and factors influencing their career decisions. The collected qualitative data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify themes and categories. Results: The study results categorized career stages into three phases: “entering medical school,” “choosing a specialty after graduation,” and “choosing a workplace after training.” Career choice factors were classified into “personal factors,” “social factors,” and “job and work environment factors.” The factors influencing career choices differed across each career path. Conclusion This study holds significance in its in-depth analysis of career choice factors across different career paths from a long-term perspective. The findings suggest that effective support for career decision-making in the medical field requires a tailored approach that considers the distinct needs and influencing factors at each career path.

Schwann cells are the most abundant cells in the peripheral nervous system, maintaining the development, function and regeneration of peripheral nerves. Defects in these Schwann cells injury response potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common complication of diabetes mellitus. The protein p66shc is essential in regulating oxidative stress responses, autophagy induction and cell survival, and is also vital in the development of DPN. In this study, we hypothesized that p66shc mediates high glucose-induced oxidative stress and autophagic dysfunction. In Schwann cells treated with high glucose; p66shc expression, levels of reactive oxygen species, autophagy impairment, and early apoptosis were elevated. Inhibition of p66shc gene expression by siRNA reversed high glucose-induced oxidative stress, autophagy impairment, and early apoptosis. We also demonstrated that the levels of p66shc was increased, while autophagy-related proteins p62 and LC3 (LC3-II/I) were suppressed in the sciatic nerve of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mice. P66shc-deficient mice exhibited the improvement in autophagy impairment after diabetes onset. Our findings suggest that the p66 plays a crucial role in Schwann cell dysfunction, identifying its potential as a therapeutic target.

The role of acetylated apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox factor 1 (APE1/Ref-1) in ovarian cancer remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the combined effect of recombinant human APE1/Ref-1 (rhAPE1/Ref-1) and aspirin (ASA) on two ovarian cancer cells, PEO-14, and CAOV3.The viability and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells treated with rhAPE1/Ref-1 or ASA were assessed. Our results demonstrated that ASA induced rhAPE1/Ref-1 acetylation and widespread hyperacetylation in PEO-14 cells. Additionally, co-treatment with rhAPE1/Ref-1 and ASA substantially reduced cell viability and induced PEO-14 cell apoptosis, not CAOV3, in a dose-dependent manner. ASA increased the expression and membrane localization of the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGEs). Acetylated APE1/Ref-1 showed enhanced binding to RAGEs. In contrast, RAGE knockdown reduced cell death and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage caused by rhAPE1/Ref-1 and ASA combination treatment, highlighting the importance of the APE1/Ref-1-RAGE interaction in triggering apoptosis. Moreover, combination treatment with rhAPE1/Ref-1 and ASA effectively induced apoptosis in 3D spheroid cultures of PEO-14 cells, a model that better mimics the tumor microenvironment. These results demonstrate that acetylated APE1/Ref-1 and its interaction with RAGE is a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer. Thus, the combination of ASA and APE1/Ref-1 may offer a promising new strategy for inducing cancer cell death.

Objective: The Huntington’s Disease Quality of Life Battery for Carers (HDQoL-C) is used to evaluate caregiver quality of life. This study aimed to develop and validate the Korean version of the HDQoL-C (K-HDQoL-C) to assess the burden on Korean caregivers of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients. Methods: A total of 19 HD caregivers (7 females, mean age 55.4±14.6 years) participated in this study. The K-HDQoL-C, a translation of the English version, consisted of demographic information, caring aspects, life satisfaction, and feelings about life. It was administered twice, 2 weeks apart. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s α, and test-retest reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients. The relationship with the Zarit Burden Interview-12 (ZBI-12) was analyzed. Results: The internal consistencies of the K-HDQoL-C were 0.771 (part 2), 0.938 (part 3), and 0.891 (part 4). The test-retest reliability ranged from 0.908 to 0.936. Part 3 was negatively correlated with the ZBI-12, and part 4 was positively correlated with the ZBI-12 (r=-0.780, 0.923; p<0.001). Conclusion The K-HDQoL-C effectively evaluates the challenges faced by HD caregivers, particularly in terms of care aspects and life satisfaction.

Purpose: A one-year blood analysis and dietary intake survey was conducted on postmenopausal women living in a large city in Korea to analyze the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a predictive factor for cardiovascular disease, and the relationship between the AIP and blood or nutritional indices was analyzed. Methods: The study subjects were 92 women aged 45 to 69 years who lived in Daejeon and had been through menopause for more than one year. Blood samples were collected twice a year, in the fall and spring, and dietary intake surveys were conducted four times a year, once each season, from September 2021 to August 2022. The subjects’ drinking, exercise status, supplement intake, body mass index, blood sugar, and lipid profiles were investigated. Results: The mean AIP of the study participants was −0.30±−0.55, and 76% were in the low-risk group for cardiovascular disease. The body mass index, body weight, total body fat ratio, fasting blood sugar, and glycated hemoglobin of the study participants increased as the AIP quartile increased. A lower AIP quartile means a higher nutrient intake of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and iron and a higher intake of vegetables and oily fish among food groups. Conclusion Weight and blood sugar control are essential to prevent cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal Korean women, and it is necessary to consume more than two servings (approximately 140 g) of oily fish, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, per week and at least four to five servings/day of vegetables, including kimchi.

Background: Although the presence of both obesity and reduced muscle mass presents a dual metabolic burden and additively has a negative effect on a variety of cardiometabolic parameters, data regarding the associations between their combined effects and left ventricular diastolic function are limited. This study investigated the association between the ratio of skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area (SVR) and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in patients with preserved ejection fraction using random forest machine learning. Methods: In total, 1,070 participants with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction who underwent comprehensive health examinations, including transthoracic echocardiography and bioimpedance body composition analysis, were enrolled. SVR was calculated as an index of sarcopenic obesity by dividing the appendicular skeletal muscle mass by the visceral fat area. Results: In the random forest model, age and SVR were the most powerful predictors of LVDD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that older age (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 1.15) and lower SVR (adjusted OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.57) were independent risk factors for LVDD.SVR showed a significant improvement in predictive performance and fair predictability for LVDD, with the highest area under the curve noted in both men and women, with statistical significance. In non-obese and metabolically healthy individuals, the lowest SVR tertile was associated with a greater risk of LVDD compared to the highest SVR tertile. Conclusion Decreased muscle mass and increased visceral fat were significantly associated with LVDD compared to obesity, body fat composition, and body muscle composition indices.

In this study, we investigated the effects of the flavonoid galangin on the expression of the mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) gene in airway cells. Human pulmonary epithelial NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with galangin for 30 min and then stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 24 h. We also examined the effects of galangin on the PMA-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Galangin inhibited the production of glycoproteins and the expression of MUC5AC mRNA induced by PMA via prevention of NF-κB inhibitor α degradation and NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. These findings indicated that galangin suppressed mucin gene expression by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway in human pulmonary epithelial cells.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of hederacoside C, an active compound isolated from Hedera helix, which has been used for managing inflammatory respiratory diseases, in attenuating epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced airway MUC5AC mucin gene expression. Human pulmonary mucoepidermoid NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with hederacoside C for 30 min and subsequently stimulated with EGF for 24 h. The study also examined the effect of hederacoside C on the EGF-induced mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. The results showed that hederacoside C inhibited MUC5AC mucin mRNA expression and the production of mucous glycoproteins by suppressing the phosphorylation of the EGF receptor (EGFR), as well as the phosphorylation of MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 (MEK1/2), p38 MAPK, ERK 1/2 (p44/42), and the nuclear expression of specificity protein-1 (Sp1). These findings suggest that hederacoside C has the potential to reduce EGFinduced mucin gene expression by inhibiting the EGFR-MAPK-Sp1 signaling pathway in NCI-H292 cells.