RESULTS: Resveratrol significantly reduced cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling in aging hearts. In addition, resveratrol significantly ameliorated aging-induced mitochondrial dysfunction (e.g., decreased oxygen respiration and increased hydrogen peroxide emission) and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling (the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening sensitivity, and cleaved caspase-3 protein levels).Resveratrol also significantly attenuated aging-induced apoptosis (determined via cleaved caspase-3 staining and TUNEL-positive myonuclei) in cardiac muscles. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that resveratrol treatment has a beneficial effect on aging-induced cardiac remodeling by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the heart.

Synthetic data, generated using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, replicates the statistical properties of real-world datasets while excluding identifiable information.Although synthetic data does not consist of actual data points, it is derived from original datasets, thereby enabling analyses that yield results comparable to those obtained with real data. Synthetic datasets are evaluated based on their utility—a measure of how effectively they mirror real data for analytical purposes. This paper presents the generation of synthetic datasets through the Healthcare Big Data Showcase Project (2019–2023). The original dataset comprises comprehensive multi-omics data from 400 individuals, including cancer survivors, chronic disease patients, and healthy participants. Synthetic data facilitates efficient access and robust analyses, serving as a practical tool for research and education. It addresses privacy concerns, supports AI research, and provides a foundation for innovative applications across diverse fields, such as public health and precision medicine.

Molecular diagnostics are essential for detecting intestinal parasites, but evaluating clinical samples from low endemic areas, including Korea, is challenging. We tested the performance of the BD MAX Enteric Parasite Panel in simulated samples for clinical use. Simulated samples were prepared with residual stool samples to confirm the diagnostic performance of the kits. Standard materials for Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica were obtained for assessment. Limit of detection was determined by diluting standard materials into multiple concentrations and testing each in duplicate. Repeatability was assessed by retesting all samples twice. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing BD MAX System results with intended results. The limit of detection values obtained using standard materials were 781 cysts/ml, 6,250 oocysts/ml, and 125 DNA copies/ml for G. lamblia, C. parvum, and E. histolytica, respectively. Simulated G. lamblia-positive stool samples with concentrations above 6,250 cysts/ml consistently yielded positive results (100% concordance). However, C. parvum-positive stool samples at 6,250 oocysts/ml showed 50% concordance initially and 75% after retesting. At 62,500 oocysts/ml, the concordance rates were 89% initially and 100% after retesting. Overall agreement was 95.2%, but that for C. parvum was relatively low (82.4%). The diagnostic performances were 87.8% of sensitivity and 100% of specificity. Despite the limited clinical samples, BD MAX Enteric Parasite Panel showed good performance for clinical use, and spiked samples proved useful for evaluating protozoan PCR in low-incidence regions.

RESULTS: Resveratrol significantly reduced cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling in aging hearts. In addition, resveratrol significantly ameliorated aging-induced mitochondrial dysfunction (e.g., decreased oxygen respiration and increased hydrogen peroxide emission) and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling (the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening sensitivity, and cleaved caspase-3 protein levels).Resveratrol also significantly attenuated aging-induced apoptosis (determined via cleaved caspase-3 staining and TUNEL-positive myonuclei) in cardiac muscles. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that resveratrol treatment has a beneficial effect on aging-induced cardiac remodeling by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the heart.

Synthetic data, generated using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, replicates the statistical properties of real-world datasets while excluding identifiable information.Although synthetic data does not consist of actual data points, it is derived from original datasets, thereby enabling analyses that yield results comparable to those obtained with real data. Synthetic datasets are evaluated based on their utility—a measure of how effectively they mirror real data for analytical purposes. This paper presents the generation of synthetic datasets through the Healthcare Big Data Showcase Project (2019–2023). The original dataset comprises comprehensive multi-omics data from 400 individuals, including cancer survivors, chronic disease patients, and healthy participants. Synthetic data facilitates efficient access and robust analyses, serving as a practical tool for research and education. It addresses privacy concerns, supports AI research, and provides a foundation for innovative applications across diverse fields, such as public health and precision medicine.

Molecular diagnostics are essential for detecting intestinal parasites, but evaluating clinical samples from low endemic areas, including Korea, is challenging. We tested the performance of the BD MAX Enteric Parasite Panel in simulated samples for clinical use. Simulated samples were prepared with residual stool samples to confirm the diagnostic performance of the kits. Standard materials for Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica were obtained for assessment. Limit of detection was determined by diluting standard materials into multiple concentrations and testing each in duplicate. Repeatability was assessed by retesting all samples twice. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing BD MAX System results with intended results. The limit of detection values obtained using standard materials were 781 cysts/ml, 6,250 oocysts/ml, and 125 DNA copies/ml for G. lamblia, C. parvum, and E. histolytica, respectively. Simulated G. lamblia-positive stool samples with concentrations above 6,250 cysts/ml consistently yielded positive results (100% concordance). However, C. parvum-positive stool samples at 6,250 oocysts/ml showed 50% concordance initially and 75% after retesting. At 62,500 oocysts/ml, the concordance rates were 89% initially and 100% after retesting. Overall agreement was 95.2%, but that for C. parvum was relatively low (82.4%). The diagnostic performances were 87.8% of sensitivity and 100% of specificity. Despite the limited clinical samples, BD MAX Enteric Parasite Panel showed good performance for clinical use, and spiked samples proved useful for evaluating protozoan PCR in low-incidence regions.

Purpose: This study was conducted to update the practice guidelines for intravenous infusion therapy published in 2017, focusing on the most recent evidence for peripheral intravenous infusion therapy. Methods: The guideline update was conducted using the 22-step methodology. Results: The updated guidelines consist of 17 domains and 235 recommendations (including 284 sub-recommendations). The domains are as follows: general instructions (5 items), peripheral catheter selection (7), catheter insertion site selection (11), management during peripheral catheter insertion (10), post-insertion management (30), perfusion and locking (17), blood sampling via peripheral catheters(6), exchange and removal of peripheral catheters (6), infusion set management (14), add-on devices (32), complications (25), chemotherapy infusions (10), PCA infusions (7), parenteral nutrition (20), transfusion therapy (23), education (5), and documentation and reporting (7). The evidence levels for these recommendations are as follows: 27(9.5%) at level I, 3 (1.1%) at level I A/P, 118 (41.5%) at level II, and 136 (47.9%) at level III.Recommendation grades are categorized as follows: 30 (10.6%) at level A, 118 (41.5%) at level B, and 136(47.9%) at level C. Of these, 73 (25.7%) recommendations were newly developed, 49 (17.3%) underwent major revisions, and 147 (51.7%) underwent minor revisions. Conclusion The updated practice guideline, based on the latest evidence, is anticipated to enhance nursing practice related to peripheral intravenous infusion therapy.

Background: Shortage of organ donors in the Republic of Korea has become a major problem. To address this, it has been questioned whether heart transplant (HTx) allocation should be modified to reduce priority of older patients. We aimed to evaluate post-HTx outcomes according to recipient age and specific pre-HTx conditions using a nationwide prospective cohort. Methods: We analyzed clinical characteristics of 628 patients from the Korean Organ Transplant Registry who received HTx from January 2015 to December 2020. Enrolled recipients were divided into three groups according to age. We also included comorbidities including ambulatory status. Non-ambulatory status was defined as pre-HTx support with either extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, continuous renal replacement therapy, or mechanical ventilation. Results: Of the 628 patients, 195 were < 50 years, 322 were 50–64 years and 111 were ≥ 65years at transplant. Four hundred nine (65.1%) were ambulatory and 219 (34.9%) were nonambulatory. Older recipients tended to have more comorbidities, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and received older donors. Post-HTx survival was significantly lower in older recipients (P = 0.025) and recipients with non-ambulatory status (P < 0.001). However, in contrast to non-ambulatory recipients who showed significant survival differences according to the recipient’s age (P = 0.004), ambulatory recipients showed comparable outcomes (P = 0.465). Conclusion Our results do not support use of age alone as an allocation criterion. Transplant candidate age in combination with some comorbidities such as non-ambulatory status may identify patients at a sufficiently elevated risk at which suitability of HTx should be reconsidered.

Background: The health system's capacity to store vaccines in North Korea has been less studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate if the current vaccine cold chain in North Korea can store routine vaccines and if it has the storage capacity to handle pandemic vaccination activities (PVAs) without interrupting the country’s successful routine immunization program. Methods: We used tables extracted from an evaluation report of The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)’ Health Systems Strengthening program in North Korea from 2007 to 2014. We then used the World Health Organization’s Immunization Supply Chain Sizing Tool to estimate gaps and the cost of scaling up cold chain storage. Results: We found that the vaccine cold chain in North Korea has adequate storage capacity for routine vaccines. While we found a deficit of 7,172 L at the central medical warehouse (CMW) and 14,256 L at the provincial medical warehouses (PMWs), the storage at the county warehouses (CoMW) had a surplus. When assessed for PVA, we found an aggregated deficit of 115,574 L (CMW), 113,160 L (PMW), and 25,133 L (CoMW). To fill the gaps, investments of 229,917 USD, and 2,262,211 USD were estimated for routine and PVA vaccination programs, respectively. Conclusion As countries and the international community work to improve systems in preparation for future pandemics, there is a need to scale up the North Korean vaccine cold chain to a pandemic-ready state.

Purpose: This study aimed to adapt the Nurses Professional Values Scale-3 (NPVS-3) for Korean nursing students and assess its reliability and validity. Methods: The NPVS-3 was translated into Korean using forward and back translation with expert review. Data from 206 nursing students at four universities were analyzed to assess content, construct, discriminant, and criterion validity, as well as internal consistency. Results: The Korean version (NPVS-3K) consisted of 21 items in three subscales: caring (eight items), activism (eight items), and professionalism (five items), explaining 60.9% of the total variance. For convergent validity, standardized coefficients for the items ranged from .56 to .81, construct reliability ranged from .89 to .95, and the average variance extracted ranged from .61 to .72. The model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (χ2=526.00 [p<.001], χ2/degrees of freedom=2.83, standardized root mean residual=.03, goodness of fit index=.81, comparative fit index=.87, Turker Lewis index=.85). Discriminant validity was confirmed using a multi-trait and multi-item matrix. Criterion validity showed positive correlations between the three NPVS-3K factors and professional identity (factor 1: r=.40, p<.001; factor 2: r=.55, p<.001; factor 3: r=.43, p<.001). Internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach’s α, was .94 overall, with subscale values of .90 for caring, .92 for activism, and .78 for professionalism. Conclusion The NPVS-3K demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability, establishing it as a valuable tool for assessing the professional values of Korean nursing students. Additionally, it can aid in developing educational strategies to strengthen these values, although further research is required to confirm its broader applicability.