Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy that includes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancer (GBC). While BTC has a low global incidence, its regional variations are notable. Among nations, Korea has the second-highest incidence of BTC globally, with the highest mortality rate worldwide, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of this cancer. Liver fluke infection and hepatitis B virus infection are key risk factors unique to Korea, contributing to regional differences in BTC incidence. Additionally, genomic alterations in Korean patients with BTC differ from those in other populations, including lower frequencies of IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions in ICC and a higher prevalence of ERBB2 amplification in GBC. Recognizing the clinical significance of these alterations, ivosidenib and pemigatinib have been approved in Korea for BTC patients with IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions, respectively. This review explores the epidemiology, risk factors, and molecular features of BTC, along with corresponding targeted therapies. Furthermore, we compare the unique characteristics of BTC in Korea with global data to inform future research and clinical practice.

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy that includes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancer (GBC). While BTC has a low global incidence, its regional variations are notable. Among nations, Korea has the second-highest incidence of BTC globally, with the highest mortality rate worldwide, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of this cancer. Liver fluke infection and hepatitis B virus infection are key risk factors unique to Korea, contributing to regional differences in BTC incidence. Additionally, genomic alterations in Korean patients with BTC differ from those in other populations, including lower frequencies of IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions in ICC and a higher prevalence of ERBB2 amplification in GBC. Recognizing the clinical significance of these alterations, ivosidenib and pemigatinib have been approved in Korea for BTC patients with IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions, respectively. This review explores the epidemiology, risk factors, and molecular features of BTC, along with corresponding targeted therapies. Furthermore, we compare the unique characteristics of BTC in Korea with global data to inform future research and clinical practice.

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy that includes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancer (GBC). While BTC has a low global incidence, its regional variations are notable. Among nations, Korea has the second-highest incidence of BTC globally, with the highest mortality rate worldwide, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of this cancer. Liver fluke infection and hepatitis B virus infection are key risk factors unique to Korea, contributing to regional differences in BTC incidence. Additionally, genomic alterations in Korean patients with BTC differ from those in other populations, including lower frequencies of IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions in ICC and a higher prevalence of ERBB2 amplification in GBC. Recognizing the clinical significance of these alterations, ivosidenib and pemigatinib have been approved in Korea for BTC patients with IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions, respectively. This review explores the epidemiology, risk factors, and molecular features of BTC, along with corresponding targeted therapies. Furthermore, we compare the unique characteristics of BTC in Korea with global data to inform future research and clinical practice.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported sleep and cognitive function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to understand potential implications for Alzheimer’s disease prevention. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 80 patients with MCI and 70 controls. Participants completed standardized questionnaires to assess self-reported sleep quality (Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI-K]), daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), and insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Seoul Neuropsychological Test and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The Korea Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale was used to assess instrumental activities of daily living. Correlation analyses examined the relationship between sleep-related parameters and cognitive function. Results: The results indicated no significant differences in PSQI-K and ESS scores between patients with MCI and the control group. Correlation analyses revealed that poorer sleep quality was associated with reduced frontal and executive functions in patients with MCI, particularly in tests such as Controlled Oral Word Association Test (supermarket, -0.311, p<0.001) and Trail Making Test (TMT) B (0.232, p<0.001). Additionally, daytime dysfunction was associated with poorer cognitive performance across language and executive domains (e.g., Korean Boston Naming Test: -0.290, p<0.001; TMTA: 0.248, p<0.001). In both groups, ISI scores were linked to cognitive functions, particularly in attention, phonemic fluency, and executive function (e.g., digit span, backward: -0.225, p<0.01; TMTA: 0.327, p<0.01). Conclusions These findings suggest that sleep disturbances significantly impact cognitive function and daily living abilities in patients with MCI.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported sleep and cognitive function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to understand potential implications for Alzheimer’s disease prevention. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 80 patients with MCI and 70 controls. Participants completed standardized questionnaires to assess self-reported sleep quality (Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI-K]), daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), and insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Seoul Neuropsychological Test and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The Korea Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale was used to assess instrumental activities of daily living. Correlation analyses examined the relationship between sleep-related parameters and cognitive function. Results: The results indicated no significant differences in PSQI-K and ESS scores between patients with MCI and the control group. Correlation analyses revealed that poorer sleep quality was associated with reduced frontal and executive functions in patients with MCI, particularly in tests such as Controlled Oral Word Association Test (supermarket, -0.311, p<0.001) and Trail Making Test (TMT) B (0.232, p<0.001). Additionally, daytime dysfunction was associated with poorer cognitive performance across language and executive domains (e.g., Korean Boston Naming Test: -0.290, p<0.001; TMTA: 0.248, p<0.001). In both groups, ISI scores were linked to cognitive functions, particularly in attention, phonemic fluency, and executive function (e.g., digit span, backward: -0.225, p<0.01; TMTA: 0.327, p<0.01). Conclusions These findings suggest that sleep disturbances significantly impact cognitive function and daily living abilities in patients with MCI.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported sleep and cognitive function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to understand potential implications for Alzheimer’s disease prevention. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 80 patients with MCI and 70 controls. Participants completed standardized questionnaires to assess self-reported sleep quality (Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI-K]), daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), and insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Seoul Neuropsychological Test and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The Korea Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale was used to assess instrumental activities of daily living. Correlation analyses examined the relationship between sleep-related parameters and cognitive function. Results: The results indicated no significant differences in PSQI-K and ESS scores between patients with MCI and the control group. Correlation analyses revealed that poorer sleep quality was associated with reduced frontal and executive functions in patients with MCI, particularly in tests such as Controlled Oral Word Association Test (supermarket, -0.311, p<0.001) and Trail Making Test (TMT) B (0.232, p<0.001). Additionally, daytime dysfunction was associated with poorer cognitive performance across language and executive domains (e.g., Korean Boston Naming Test: -0.290, p<0.001; TMTA: 0.248, p<0.001). In both groups, ISI scores were linked to cognitive functions, particularly in attention, phonemic fluency, and executive function (e.g., digit span, backward: -0.225, p<0.01; TMTA: 0.327, p<0.01). Conclusions These findings suggest that sleep disturbances significantly impact cognitive function and daily living abilities in patients with MCI.

This paper describes a community effort to improve earlier versions of the full-text corpus of Genomics & Informatics by semi-automatically detecting and correcting PDF-to-text conversion errors and optical character recognition errors during the first hackathon of Genomics & Informatics Annotation Hackathon (GIAH) event. Extracting text from multi-column biomedical documents such as Genomics & Informatics is known to be notoriously difficult. The hackathon was piloted as part of a coding competition of the ELTEC College of Engineering at Ewha Womans University in order to enable researchers and students to create or annotate their own versions of the Genomics & Informatics corpus, to gain and create knowledge about corpus linguistics, and simultaneously to acquire tangible and transferable skills. The proposed projects during the hackathon harness an internal database containing different versions of the corpus and annotations.

Objective: This study estimated the incidence of driving-related adverse events and examined the association of cognitive function with the risk of future driving-related adverse events in the elderly Korean male population. Methods: We analyzed 1,172 male drivers aged 60 years or older in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD). Using the data from Korean National Police Agency, we classified the participants into three groups: safe driving (drove for 2 years after baseline without a traffic accident or repeated violations), driving cessation (stopped driving), and risky driving (one or more traffic accidents or repeated violations). We estimated the incidences of driving cessation and risky driving, and examined the effect of cognitive function on their risks. Results: The incidence of driving cessation and risky driving in the Korean male drivers aged 60 years or older was 19.3 and 69.9 per 1,000 person-years respectively and increased in the late 80s. Drivers with better baseline Word List Memory Test scores showed less risky driving (OR=0.94, p=0.039). Conclusion Driving-related adverse events increased in late 80s, and better memory function was protective against these events.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are representative risk factors for the onset of cognitive decline. The purpose of this study was to confirm the relationship between diastolic blood pressure and cognitive function in elderly people in Korea. Methods: Data from subjects who were enrolled in the prospective Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia were used in this study. Data from 701 subjects whose diastolic blood pressure range did not change (≤79 mm Hg or ≥80 mm Hg) over 2 years were analyzed. To analyze the differences in cognitive function between the groups at the 2-year follow-up, an analysis of covariance was performed with covariates, which were significantly different between the two groups, and the baseline cognitive function. Results: Significant differences were observed between the two groups, and the mean scores on the constructional praxis (η2=0.010) and word list recall tests (η2=0.018) in the diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mm Hg group were higher than those in the diastolic blood pressure ≤79 mm Hg group at the 2-year follow-up. Conclusion These results indicate that maintaining a DBP below 79 mm Hg presents a greater risk of cognitive decline in Korean elderly people.

Background: and Purpose Both hypertension and hypotension increase cerebral white matter hyperintensities. However, the effects of hypotension in individuals with treated hypertension are unknown. We analyzed the association of low blood pressure with the location and amount of white matter hyperintensities between elderly individuals with controlled hypertension and those without hypertension. Methods: We enrolled 505 community-dwelling, cognitively normal elderly individuals from the participants of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia. We measured blood pressure three times in a sitting position using a mercury sphygmomanometer and defined low systolic and diastolic blood pressure as ≤110 and ≤60 mm Hg, respectively. We segmented and quantified the periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities from 3.0 Tesla fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images. Results: Low systolic blood pressure was independently associated with larger volume of periventricular white matter hyperintensity (P=0.049). The interaction between low systolic blood pressure and hypertension was observed on the volume of periventricular white matter hyperintensity (P=0.005). Low systolic blood pressure was associated with the volume of periventricular white matter hyperintensity in individuals with controlled hypertension (F1,248=6.750, P=0.010), but not in those without hypertension (P=0.380). Low diastolic blood pressure was not associated with the volumes of white matter hyperintensities regardless of presence of controlled hypertension. Conclusions Low systolic blood pressure seems to be associated with larger volume of periventricular white matter hyperintensity in the individuals with a historyof hypertension but not in those without hypertension.