Citations
The Republic of Korea’s potential role in the peacebuilding process on the Korean Peninsula is explored, with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s earnest efforts to denuclearize and become a normal country. The paper focuses on the United Nations (UN) agencies in the peacebuilding process, considering the UN’s engagement in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during the sanction years with humanitarian assistance, the UN’s legitimacy as an impartial international organization for assisting developing countries in forging peace and prosperity, and recently-adopted resolutions on sustaining peace and the Sustainable Development Goals. Policy recommendations are for the Republic of Korea to actively cooperate with the UN’s development and humanitarian agencies, conduct a thorough preparatory review and conduct research, and work towards expanding its engagement and role within key UN agencies.
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Heart failure (HF) represents a serious public health concern, characterized by substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in pharmacological management, a gap persists in understanding and accounting for sex-related differences in HF treatment. This review was performed to clarify the impact of sex on the clinical outcomes of HF medications. Insights from various clinical trials and studies have highlighted differences between men and women in drug responses and adverse effects, indicating the need for a more nuanced approach to HF management. Promoting greater representation of women in clinical trials and the development of research methodologies that consider sex differences are crucial steps in advancing precision medicine. Such efforts ensure that therapeutic strategies are optimally tailored to the unique biological and genetic profiles of each person. Ultimately, this review emphasizes the vital need for a more inclusive and personalized approach to HF pharmacotherapy, underscoring the critical role of sex-related differences in shaping effective and individualized treatment pathways.
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Endocrine tumor syndromes constitute a group of disorders characterized by tumors in hormone-producing tissues. These conditions predominantly affect younger patients and often have a familial inheritance. Advances in molecular genetics in recent decades have facilitated the identification of several genes associated with these tumors. The recent World Health Organization classification of adrenocortical tumors integrates the latest developments in pathology, oncology, and molecular biology. In addition, this updated classification includes adrenal cortical diseases based on an understanding of germline susceptibility to these conditions and their clonal-neoplastic nature. Catecholamine-secreting tumors, including pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, have been found to have a genetic predisposition in as many as 80% of cases. Compared to sporadic cases, endocrine tumor syndromes are more likely to present bilaterally and show synchronous or metachronous disease. This highlights the critical need for early diagnosis, intervention, and ongoing surveillance. This review focuses on the clinical manifestations and genetic basis of endocrine tumor syndromes originating from the adrenal glands.
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The present study aims to examine the frequency of sleep disorders and the level of sleep quality, as well as their relationship with health-related quality of life in cancer patients.
This multi-center cross-sectional survey included 333 cancer patients ranging in age from 16 to 72 years, between June 15, 2017, and August 30, 2018 at the Ankara Oncology Hospital and Erciyes University Kemal Dedeman Oncology Hospital Polyclinic. Data were collected via various surveys conducted through face-to-face interviews, including following measurement tools: Short Form 36 Health Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleepiness, and the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with patients who presented for an initial examination or follow-up and were awaiting their appointments.
The most commonly reported sleep disorders were daytime sleepiness (36.9%), sleep respiratory disorders (34.8%), insomnia (29.4%), and parasomnias (28.8%). Good sleepers were found to have significantly higher physical (40.20±10.08 vs. 33.21±8.06; P<0.001) and mental component scores (43.54±8.25 vs. 38.20±7.52; P<0.001) than poor sleepers. Conversely, individuals with insomnia (P<0.01), daytime sleepiness (P<0.001), sleep-respiratory disorders (P<0.05), and bruxism (P<0.001) showed significantly lower scores in both physical and mental components. Additionally, those with restless legs syndrome had a significantly lower physical component score (P<0.001), and those with parasomnias had significantly lower mental component scores.
Cancer patients exhibited moderate average sleep quality scores, with over half of them demonstrating low quality sleep patterns. Sleep disorders significantly impacted their health-related quality of life.
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Blood and urine are commonly used specimens for clinical testing, and their contents, particularly exosomal microRNA (miRNA), are diverse, reflecting the metabolic activities of tissues and organs in the body.
Blood and urine samples were collected from six healthy adults. Exosomes were then enriched from these samples, followed by sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of exosomal miRNA.
The comparative analysis of miRNAs in blood and urine revealed that 41 miRNAs were more abundant in blood, while 61 were found at lower levels. Notably, hsa-miR-934 was among those with higher expression in blood, whereas hsa-miR-425-5p was one of the miRNAs with lower expression. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis indicated that the target mRNAs of differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs (DEexo-miRNAs) in both blood and urine are implicated in various signaling pathways, including proteoglycans in cancer, axonal guidance, and the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Additionally, the target mRNAs associated with DEexo-miRNAs in urine were also linked to processes such as ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and the phosphatidylinositol signaling system. In contrast, the target mRNAs corresponding to DEexo-miRNAs in blood were involved in the FoxO signaling pathway and chronic myeloid leukemia, among others.
This study observed differential expression of exosomal miRNAs in blood and urine, thereby enriching the available library of exosomal miRNA for these two sample types. It also lays the groundwork for the detection of exosomal biomarkers from blood and urine.
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Conventional open thyroidectomy is a safe procedure, but it has the disadvantage of leaving noticeable scars on the neck. Bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic thyroidectomy was developed as an alternative technique to remove thyroid glands without making incisions in the neck. In traditional BABA robotic thyroidectomy, dividing the isthmus is a routine step to improve the efficiency of the dissection during thyroid surgery. However, there are safety concerns when performing this procedure on patients with thyroid cancer located in the isthmus. We report a case of BABA robotic total thyroidectomy carried out without dividing the isthmus in a patient with isthmic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Our experience suggests that BABA robotic surgery can be a feasible and safe option for selected patients with isthmic papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Subepithelial tumors in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract are often detected during nationwide endoscopic gastric cancer screening in Korea. Most GI lipomas are asymptomatic and do not necessitate further treatment. However, large tumors may lead to complications such as bowel obstruction, intussusception, and bleeding. These GI lipomas require endoscopic or surgical resection. On radiological examination, GI lipomas typically manifest as hypodense lesions with similar density to that of fat tissue. White-light endoscopy generally reveals a yellowish subepithelial tumor exhibiting a positive cushion sign, while endoscopic ultrasonography shows a homogeneous hypoechoic mass within the third layer of the GI tract. We present the case of an 81-year-old woman with symptomatic duodenal lipoma following endoscopic resection.
Citations
성별(sex)과 젠더(gender)의 차이를 이해하는 것은 질병 관련 병태생리학 연구, 사회인구학적 건강결정요인, 의학적 또는 사회적 중재의
긍정적 영향 및 위해성 등을 막론하고 엄밀하고 포용적연구에 있어 필수적이다. 다양한 젠더를 포함한 연구가 활발해졌지만 성별과 젠더를 변수로
명시하는 연구는 여전히 부족하다. 2016년에 발표된 성별과 젠더 형평성(Sex and Gender Equity in Research,
SAGER) 지침은 널리 지지되고 있지만, 소수의 과학 학술지와 기관들에서만 이를 공식적인 편집 및 출판 정책에 반영하고 있다.