Modeling Population Growth under Climate Stressors Using Age-structured Matrix Models.

Climate resilience, a focus of many recent studies, has been examined from ecological, physiological, and evolutionary perspectives. However, sampling biases towards adults, males, and certain species have made establishing the link between environmental change and population-level change problematic. Here we used data from four laboratory studies, in which we administered pre- and post-natal stressors, such as suboptimal incubation temperature, heat stress, and food restriction, to zebra finches and quantified hatching success, post-hatch survival, and reproductive success, to parameterize age-structured population dynamics models with the goal of estimating the effect of the stressors on relative population growth rates. Using the same model structure, we tested the hypothesis that early life stages influence population growth rate more than later life stages. Our models suggested that stressful events during embryonic development, such as suboptimal incubation temperatures and reduced gas exchange for the embryos, have a greater total impact on population growth than post-hatch stressors, such as heat stress and food restriction. However, among life history traits, differences in hatching success and sex ratio of offspring in response to stressors changed population growth rates more than differences in any other demographic rate estimates. These results suggest that when predicting population resilience against climate change, it is critical to account for effects of climate change on all life stages, including early stages of life, and to incorporate individuals' physiology and stress tolerance that likely influence future stress responses, reproduction, and survival.

Association between hemoglobin trajectories and the incidence of dementia in a cohort of females aged 55-79 years.

PURPOSE: To assess the association between pattern changes in hemoglobin levels over time and the incidence of dementia using trajectories in females aged 55-79 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using females of aged 55-79 years from the National Health Insurance Service National Health Screening Cohort in Korea. To identify hemoglobin trajectories over eight years (2002-2009), we performed a three-step approach comprising measures of change, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the associations between hemoglobin trajectories and the incidence of dementia. RESULTS: We included 20,195 of 235,742 female participants. New dementia (N = 2664) was developed during follow-up period (2010-2015). Five hemoglobin trajectories were identified: high, mid, low, increasing, and decreasing. With high as a reference, the hazard ratios (HRs) for low and decreasing trajectories were significant, 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.45) and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.10-1.34) in univariate models, respectively. However, only the HR for the decreasing trajectory was significant, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.01-1.24) after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSION: The decreasing trajectory of hemoglobin levels within the normal range was associated with dementia. Even females aged 55-79 years without anemia might be vulnerable to dementia development risk.

Association between mechanical power and intensive care unit mortality in Korean patients under pressure-controlled ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical power (MP) has been reported to be associated with clinical outcomes. Because the original MP equation is derived from paralyzed patients under volume-controlled ventilation, its application in practice could be limited in patients receiving pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV). Recently, a simplified equation for patients under PCV was developed. We investigated the association between MP and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of Korean data from the Fourth International Study of Mechanical Ventilation. We extracted data of patients under PCV on day 1 and calculated MP using the following simplified equation: MPPCV = 0.098 ∙ respiratory rate ∙ tidal volume ∙ (ΔPinsp + positive end-expiratory pressure), where ΔPinsp is the change in airway pressure during inspiration. Patients were divided into survivors and non-survivors and then compared. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine association between MPPCV and ICU mortality. The interaction of MPPCV and use of neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) was also analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 125 patients was eligible for final analysis, of whom 38 died in the ICU. MPPCV was higher in non-survivors (17.6 vs. 26.3 J/min, P<0.001). In logistic regression analysis, only MPPCV was significantly associated with ICU mortality (odds ratio, 1.090; 95% confidence interval, 1.029-1.155; P=0.003). There was no significant effect of the interaction between MPPCV and use of NMBA on ICU mortality (P=0.579). CONCLUSIONS: MPPCV is associated with ICU mortality in patients mechanically ventilated with PCV mode, regardless of NMBA use.

Effects of age and word frequency on Korean visual word recognition: Evidence from a web-based large-scale lexical-decision task.

The present study examined age differences in word-frequency effects in Korean visual word recognition through a large-scale, web-based lexical-decision task. Four hundred ninety-seven adult Korean speakers in their 20s through 60s participated in the task, in which they decided the lexicality of 120 Korean words varying in frequency and 120 nonwords. Overall, both lexical-decision accuracy and response times increased with age, and more frequent words were recognized more rapidly than less frequent words. We also found significant effects of participants' reading skill as well as age of acquisition of words. Crucially, despite older adults' generally slower reaction times, there was no hint of any interaction between participant age and word frequency on lexical-decision times. This result adds to the literature on age-related changes in visual word recognition and provides evidence for stable word-frequency effect across the adult age spectrum. These findings are discussed with different hypotheses of lexical access and aging proposed in the literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Discovery of a peripheral 5HT2A antagonist as a clinical candidate for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) is currently the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), an advanced form of MASLD, can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on recent findings by our team that liver 5HT2A knockout male mice suppressed steatosis and reduced fibrosis-related gene expression, we developed a peripheral 5HT2A antagonist, compound 11c for MASH. It shows good in vitro activity, stability, and in vivo pharmacokinetics (PK) in rats and dogs. Compound 11c also shows good in vivo efficacy in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) male mice model and in a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) male mice model, effectively improving histologic features of MASH and fibrosis. According to the tissue distribution study using [14C]-labeled 11c, the compound was determined to be a peripheral 5HT2A antagonist. Collectively, first-in-class compound 11c shows promise as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of MASLD and MASH.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Is Associated With Decreased Exacerbation and Mortality in Patients With COPD: A Nationwide Korean Study.

BACKGROUND: Poor uptake to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is still challenging around the world. There have been few nationwide studies investigating whether PR impacts patient outcomes in COPD. We investigated the change of annual PR implementation rate, medical costs, and COPD outcomes including exacerbation rates and mortality between 2015 and 2019. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does PR implementation improve outcomes in patients with COPD in terms of direct cost, exacerbation, and mortality? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data of patients with COPD extracted from a large Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment service database (2015-2019) were analyzed to determine the trends of annual PR implementation rate and direct medical costs of PR. Comparison of COPD exacerbation rates between pre-PR and post-PR, and the time to first exacerbation and mortality rate according to PR implementation, were also assessed. RESULTS: Among all patients with COPD in South Korea, only 1.43% received PR. However, the annual PR implementation rate gradually increased from 0.03% to 1.4% during 4 years, especially after health insurance coverage commencement. The direct medical cost was significantly higher in the PR group than the non-PR group, but the costs in these groups showed decreasing and increasing trends, respectively. Both the incidence rate and frequency of moderate-to-severe and severe exacerbations were lower during the post-PR period compared with the pre-PR period. The time to the first moderate-to-severe and severe exacerbations was longer in the PR group than the non-PR group. Finally, PR implementation was associated with a significant decrease in mortality. INTERPRETATION: We concluded that health insurance coverage increases PR implementation rates. Moreover, PR contributes toward improving outcomes including reducing exacerbation and mortality in patients with COPD. However, despite the well-established benefits of PR, its implementation rate remains suboptimal.

Association between Antacid Exposure and Risk of Interstitial Lung Diseases.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms leading to lung fibrosis are still under investigation. This study aimed to demonstrate whether antacids could prevent the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: This population-based longitudinal cohort study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2010 in South Korea. Eligible subjects were ≥40 years of age, exposed to proton pump inhibitors (PPI)±histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H-2 blockers) or H-2 blockers only, and had no history of ILD between 2004 and 2005. Exposure to antacids was defined as the administration of either PPI or H-2 receptor antagonists for >14 days, whereas underexposure was defined as antacid treatment administered for less than 14 days. Newly developed ILDs, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), were counted during the 5-year observation period. The association between antacid exposure and ILD development was evaluated using adjusted Cox regression models with variables, such as age, sex, smoking history, and comorbidities. RESULTS: The incidence rates of ILD with/without antacid use were 43.2 and 33.8/100,000 person-years, respectively and those of IPF were 14.9 and 22.9/100,000 person-years, respectively. In multivariable analysis, exposure to antacid before the diagnosis of ILD was independently associated with a reduced development of ILD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45 to 0.71; p<0.001), while antacid exposure was not associated with development of IPF (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.09; p=0.06). CONCLUSION: Antacid exposure may be independently associated with a decreased risk of ILD development.

Proficiency versus lexical processing efficiency as a measure of L2 lexical quality: Individual differences in word-frequency effects in L2 visual word recognition.

This study investigated Korean-English second language (L2) speakers' recognition of high- and low-frequency English words and compared two individual difference measures in their role of representing lexical quality in L2: cloze test scores and inverse efficiency scores (IES; response latency corrected for the amount of errors committed), obtained from lexical decision on a separate set of words. Cloze test scores aimed to assess general L2 proficiency, whereas IES was purported to measure lexical processing efficiency. 109 adult Korean-English L2 speakers participated in the study. Results showed significant main effects of word frequency, cloze test scores, and IES on lexical decision times, replicating previous findings and confirming the predictions of the lexical quality hypothesis. Crucially, IES was revealed to be a better measure of individual differences in L2 lexical quality than were cloze test scores. These findings suggest that lexical quality (which can be operationalized in terms of online lexical processing efficiency) comprises a distinct subdomain of language skills on its own, which cannot be measured in full using conventional language proficiency tests.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of xanthine derivatives with phenacyl group as tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) inhibitors for obesity and fatty liver disease.

Tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) has emerged as a target for the treatment of metabolic diseases including obesity and fatty liver disease. A series of xanthine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their TPH1 inhibition. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 40 showed good in vitro activity and liver microsomal stability. Docking studies revealed that compound 40 showed better binding to TPH1 via key intermolecular interactions involving the xanthine scaffold, imidazo-thiazolyl ring, and hydroxyl-containing phenacyl moiety. In addition, compound 40 effectively suppressed the adipocyte differentiation of 3 T3-L1 cells.

Properties of Pleural Mesothelial Cells in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Profibrotic properties of pleural mesothelial cells may play an important role in the fibrosis activity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The purpose of this study was to compare the expression of pleural mesothelial cell markers in IPF and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), with an assumption that increased expression implies increase in fibrosis. METHODS: Twenty IPF lung samples were stained by immunohistochemistry for the pleural mesothelial cell markers: leucine rich repeat neuronal 4 (LRRN4), uroplakin 3B, CC-chemokine ligand 18, and laminin-5. Nine COP lung samples were used as controls. A semi-quantitative analysis was performed to compare markers expression in IPF and COP. RESULTS: LRRN4 expression was found in epithelial lining cells along the honeycombing and fibroblastic foci in IPF, but not in the fibrotic interstitial lesion and airspace filling fibrous tufts in COP. We found a significant decrease in baseline forced vital capacity when LRRN4 expression was increased in honeycombing epithelial cells and fibroblastic foci. CONCLUSION: LRRN4 expression patterns in IPF are distinct from those in COP. Our findings suggest that mesothelial cell profibrotic property may be an important player in IPF pathogenesis and may be a clue in the irreversibility of fibrosis in IPF.

Comparison of safety and efficacy between therapeutic or intermediate versus prophylactic anticoagulation for thrombosis in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections often have macrovascular or microvascular thrombosis and inflammation, which are known to be associated with a poor prognosis. Heparin has been hypothesized that administration of heparin with treatment dose rather than prophylactic dose for prevention of deep vein thrombosis in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Studies comparing therapeutic or intermediate anticoagulation with prophylactic anticoagulation in COVID-19 patients were eligible. Mortality, thromboembolic events, and bleeding were the primary outcomes. PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KMbase were searched up to July 2021. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effect model. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to disease severity. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 4,678 patients and four cohort studies with 1,080 patients were included in this review. In the RCTs, the therapeutic or intermediate anticoagulation was associated with significant reductions in the occurrence of thromboembolic events (5 studies, n=4,664; relative risk [RR], 0.72; P=0.01), and a significant increase in bleeding events (5 studies, n=4,667; RR, 1.88; P=0.004). In the moderate patients, therapeutic or intermediate anticoagulation was more beneficial than prophylactic anticoagulation in terms of thromboembolic events, but showed significantly higher bleeding events. In the severe patients, the incidence of thromboembolic and bleeding events in the therapeutic or intermediate. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that prophylactic anticoagulant treatment should be used in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 infection groups. Further studies are needed to determine more individualized anticoagulation guidance for all COVID-19 patients.

Emotionality effects in Korean visual word recognition: Evidence from lab-based and web-based lexical decision tasks.

Previous studies have shown that processes of word recognition are influenced by the emotional content of a word. This pattern is most readily explained by the motivated attention and affective states model (Lang, Bradley & Cuthbert, 1997), which states that emotional stimuli are motivationally significant and capture attention. Drawing on this theoretical account, the current study compared lexical decision response times to positive and negative emotion words versus neutral words across two experimental environments - a traditional lab-based environment and a web-based environment. In addition, the experiment was conducted using Korean words presented to native Korean speakers in order to test whether the emotionality effect emerges in a non-English language. The results revealed faster response times to emotion words versus neutral words across both experimental environments with no evidence of a difference between the two environments. These findings provide important evidence that emotion words successfully attract attention and facilitate word processing even in situations where participants might be more easily distracted than they would be in a traditional lab setting. This work also constitutes the first demonstration of an emotionality effect in Korean word recognition, thus providing further evidence that the emotionality effect may be a language-universal phenomenon.

Association between the use of statins and risk of interstitial lung disease/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: time-dependent analysis of population-based nationwide data.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to study whether statin use is associated with lowering the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). METHODS: The study population was the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort. ILD and IPF cases were identified using diagnosis codes (J84.1 for ILD and J84.1A as a special code for IPF) based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. The study participants were followed up from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2015. Statin use was defined by the cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) per 2-year interval and participants were categorised into never-users, <182.5, 182.5-365.0, 365.0-547.5 and ≥547.5 by cDDD. A Cox regression was used to fit models with time-dependent variables of statin use. RESULTS: Incidence rates for ILD with and without statin use were 20.0 and 44.8 per 100 000 person-years, respectively, and those for IPF were 15.6 and 19.3 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. The use of statins was independently associated with a lower incidence of ILD and IPF in a dose-response manner (p-values for trend <0.001). ILD showed respective adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of 1.02 (95% CI 0.87-1.20), 0.60 (95% CI 0.47-0.77), 0.27 (95% CI 0.16-0.45) and 0.24 (95% CI 0.13-0.42) according to the increasing category of statin use compared with never-users. IPF showed respective aHRs of 1.29 (95% CI 1.07-1.57), 0.74 (95% CI 0.57-0.96), 0.40 (95% CI 0.25-0.64) and 0.21 (95% CI 0.11-0.41). CONCLUSION: A population-based cohort analysis found that statin use is independently associated with a decreased risk of ILD and IPF in a dose-response manner.

COVID-19 Vaccine-Associated Pneumonitis in the Republic of Korea: A Nationwide Multicenter Survey.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have suggested that pneumonitis is a rare complication following vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, its clinical features and outcomes are not well known. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with vaccine-associated pneumonitis following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: In this nationwide multicenter survey study, questionnaires were distributed to pulmonary physicians in referral hospitals. They were asked to report cases of development or exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine. Vaccine-associated pneumonitis was defined as new pulmonary infiltrates documented on chest computed tomography within 4 weeks of vaccination and exclusion of other possible etiologies. RESULTS: From the survey, 49 cases of vaccine-associated pneumonitis were identified between February 27 and October 30, 2021. After multidisciplinary discussion, 46 cases were analyzed. The median age was 66 years and 28 (61%) were male. The median interval between vaccination and respiratory symptoms was 5 days. There were 20 (43%), 17 (37%), and nine (19%) patients with newly identified pneumonitis, exacerbation of pre-diagnosed ILD, and undetermined pre-existing ILD, respectively. The administered vaccines were BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCov-19/AZD1222 each in 21 patients followed by mRNA-1273 in three, and Ad26.COV2.S in one patient. Except for five patients with mild disease, 41 (89%) patients were treated with corticosteroid. Significant improvement was observed in 26 (57%) patients including four patients who did not receive treatment. However, ILD aggravated in 9 (20%) patients despite treatment. Mortality was observed in eight (17%) patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest pneumonitis as a potentially significant safety concern for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Clinical awareness and patient education are necessary for early recognition and prompt management. Additional research is warranted to identify the epidemiology and characterize the pathophysiology of vaccine-associated pneumonitis.

Mechanical properties of CAD/CAM polylactic acid as a material for interim restoration.

Statement of problem: Biomaterials, including polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and bisacrylate, have been widely used as conventional interim materials and may exhibit cytotoxicity or systemic toxicity. Purpose: This study was designed to compare the mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) as an alternative to conventional dental polymers for computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Material and methods: Four groups (n = 20 per group) of CAD/CAM polymers were assessed. Specimens of PLA (PLA Mill) and PMMA (PMMA Mill) for subtractive manufacturing, PLA for fused deposition modeling (PLA FDM), and bisphenol for additive manufacturing by stereolithography (Bisphenol SLA) were fabricated into 2-mm-wide, 2-mm-thick and 25-mm-long specimens using a milling machine, an FDM printer, and an SLA printer, respectively.The flexural strength (FS) and elastic modulus (EM) were calculated. The surface roughness and Shore D hardness were analyzed with a 3D optical surface roughness analyzer and a Shore durometer, respectively. Results: PLA Mill showed the lowest FS (64.9 ± 8.28), followed by PLA FDM (104.27 ± 4.42 MPa), PMMA Mill (139.2 ± 20.95 MPa), and Bisphenol SLA (171.56 ± 15.38 MPa), with statistically significant differences. PLA FDM showed the highest EM, followed by PLA Mill, Bisphenol SLA, and PMMA Mill. Significant differences were observed not only between PMMA Mill and Bisphenol SLA but also between PLA FDM and PLA Mill. The lowest Shore D hardness was observed for PLA FDM, followed by PLA Mill, PMMA Mill, and Bisphenol SLA, which showed the highest value among the 4 groups, with significance. The highest values for the surface roughness parameters were observed for PLA Mill, and the lowest were observed for Bisphenol SLA. Conclusions: Among the tested CAD/CAM polymers, Bisphenol SLA was the most durable material, and the mechanical properties of PLA FDM were within the clinically acceptable range.

Reading spaced and unspaced Korean text: Evidence from eye-tracking during reading.

In written Korean, spaces appear between phrasal units ("eojeols"). In Experiment 1, participants read sentences in which space information had been manipulated. Results indicated that removing spaces or replacing them with a symbol hindered reading, but this effect was not as disruptive as previously found in English. Experiment 2 presented sentences varying in the proportion of eojeols that ended with postpositional particles as well as the presence/absence of spaces. Results showed that space removal interfered with reading, but its effects were weaker when the sentence contained more postpositional particles. This suggests that postpositional particles provide an extra cue to word segmentation in Korean texts. These findings are discussed in relation to the unique characteristics of the Korean writing system and to the models of eye-movement control during reading in different languages.