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The effect of body mass index (BMI) changes and variability on the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains unclear. We analyzed 45,076 participants, whose BMI were measured on phase 1 (2002–2003), phase 2 (2004–2005), and phase 3 (2006–2007), of the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort. We evaluated the effect of 2- and 4-year BMI changes and BMI variability on the risk of AD using Cox regression models. In men, association between 2-year BMI changes, BMI variability, and the risk of AD was not significant. Risk of AD was higher in men whose BMI had decreased 10.1–15.0% over 4 years. In women, aHRs and 95% CIs for AD were 1.14 (1.02–1.29), 1.44 (1.17–1.79), and 1.51 (1.09–2.09) when 2-year BMI loss was 5.1–10.0%, 10.1–15.0%, and > 15.0%. The HRs for AD in women significantly increased when 4-year BMI loss was > 5.0%. The aHR and 95% CI for AD was 1.31 (1.17–1.46) in the 4th quartile of average successive variability (ASV) compared with the 1st quartile of ASV in women. BMI loss over 2- and 4-year period was associated with increased risk for AD, and risk increased in women with higher BMI variability. Appropriate body weight management is recommended to prevent AD.

Abstract Purpose This study investigated radioactive iodine treatment (RAIT) patterns and the secondary cancer incidence among children and young adults receiving RAIT after thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. Methods This population-based cohort study used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database of South Korea to identify a total of 18 617 children and young adults (0–29 years) who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer between 2008 and 2018. We recorded age at surgery, sex, the interval from surgery to RAIT, the doses of RAI, the number of RAIT sessions, and secondary cancer incidence. Results A total of 9548 (51.3%) children and young adults underwent 1 or more RAIT sessions. The initial dose of RAIT was 4.35 ± 2.19 GBq. The overall RAIT frequency fell from 60.9% to 38.5%, and the frequency of high-dose RAIT (>3.7 GBq) fell from 64.2% to 36.5% during the observational period. A total of 124 cases of secondary cancer developed during 120 474 person-years of follow-up; 43 (0.5%) in the surgery cohort and 81 (0.8%) in the RAIT cohort. Thus, the RAIT cohort was at an increased risk of secondary cancer (adjusted hazard ratio 1.52 [95% confidence interval 1.03–2.24], P = 0.035). Conclusion The proportion of children and young adults receiving RAIT, and the RAI dose, fell significantly over the observational period. RAIT was associated with secondary cancers. This is of major concern in the context of child and young adult thyroid cancer survivors.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and abnormal sleep duration are known risk factors for hypertension. However, evidence regarding their combined effect on hypertension is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to examine the independent and interactive associations of OSA risk and sleep duration with hypertension in Korean adults. Methods: We analyzed data from 14,579 adults aged ≥40 years who participated in the 2019–2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. OSA risk was assessed using the STOP-Bang questionnaire and classified as low (0–2), moderate (3–4), or high (5–8). Sleep duration was self-reported and categorized as <6, 6–<7, 7–<8, 8–<9, and ≥9 h. Hypertension was defined based on measured blood pressure and antihypertensive medication use. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the associations. Results: A dose–response association was observed between OSA risk and hypertension prevalence: adjusted ORs (95 CIs) were 9.69 (8.37–11.23) for moderate and 36.58 (29.35–45.59) for high OSA risk. Sleep duration alone was not significantly associated with hypertension. However, interaction models showed a U-shaped relationship, with the lowest hypertension prevalence in those sleeping 7–<8 h. Among participants with high OSA risk, both short (<7 h) and long (≥9 h) sleep durations were associated with significantly higher hypertension risk (OR 48.49, 95% CI 19.68–119.50 for ≥9 h). Conclusions: OSA risk and sleep duration jointly affect hypertension risk. Individuals with high OSA risk who are short or long sleepers may require targeted interventions to improve blood pressure control.

Sediments are considered as suitable matrices to study the contamination levels of aquatic environment since they represent a sink for multiple contaminant sources. In this study, the influence of sediment characteristics on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its potential risk in euryhaline, freshwater and humic aquatic bodies of Douglas/Stubbs creek, Ikpa River and Eniong River, respectively, were investigated. The level of PAHs in sediment was quantified using GC–MS, while sediment properties including total organic carbon (TOC) content and grain size were determined by the wet oxidation and hydrometer methods, respectively. The results revealed that the total levels of PAHs in sediment varied significantly between the euryhaline, freshwater and humic freshwater ecosystems. In Ikpa River freshwater ecosystem, a total PAHs load of 1055.2 ng/g was recorded with the suites concentration ranging from 13.0 ng/g (for acenaphthylene) to 161 ng/g (for pyrene). The humic ecosystem of Eniong River had a total PAH load of 11.06 ng/g, while the suites level recorded ranged from 0.04 ng/g for acenaphthene to 2.65 ng/g for chrysene. The total level of PAHs detected in the euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs creek was 14.47 ng/g, and suite concentrations varied between 4.27 ng/g for naphthalene and 5.13 ng/g for acenaphthylene. This shows variation in quantity and quality of PAH contaminants with the nature of ecosystems. It implies complex and diverse contamination sources as well as different capabilities to recover from PAH contamination. Correlation analysis has shown that sediment particle and TOC content influenced PAHs burden in bottom sediments, but the effects varied with the molecular weight of PAHs and the nature of the ecosystems. The TOC was the most significant determinant of PAHs load and distribution in sediment of the freshwater Ikpa River and euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs but had little or no influence in the humic sediment of Eniong River, while the influence of particle size was generally indefinite but slightly associated with PAHs accumulation in the euryhaline sediment. Generally, the total PAH levels (11.0–1055.2 ng/g) recorded were low and below the allowable limit for aquatic sediments. The ecological risk assessment revealed that these levels were lower than the effects range low and effects range medium values. This indicates no acute adverse biological effect although the accumulation of PAHs in freshwater ecosystem of Ikpa River may pose ecological risks as most of the carcinogenic PAH suites had relatively high pollution indices compared to other ecosystem types studied.

IntroductionAlthough early detection and successful gastrectomy have improved the survival of patients with gastric cancer, long-term health problems remain troubling. We evaluated the prevalence of osteoporosis and its risk factors in long-term survivors of gastric cancer after gastrectomy.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of a tertiary hospital between 2007 and 2014 to identify survivors of gastric cancer who had visited our center at around 5 years after gastrectomy. We evaluated their health status, including bone mineral density (BMD). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the BMD of the lumbar spine and femur (total and neck area). The prevalence of osteoporosis, defined by a BMD T score <−2.5, was investigated, and clinical variables associated with the presence of osteoporosis were identified.ResultsA total of 250 survivors were included. The mean age was 54.6 years old, and the median follow-up was 6.0 years. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 34.0% (27.4% for men and 43.6% for women). Older age [odds ratio (OR) 5.50, 95% CI 2.33–13.00], higher alkaline phosphatase levels before gastrectomy (OR 5.67, 95% CI 1.36–23.64), and marked weight loss (≥20%) after gastrectomy (OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.32–9.77) were independently associated with the presence of osteoporosis.ConclusionsIn our cohort, osteoporosis was commonly observed in long-term survivors of gastric cancer, and several risk factors for it were identified. To reduce the risk of osteoporosis after gastrectomy, maintaining adequate body weight may be necessary.

In this study, the levels of 16 USEPA-prioritized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in various environmental matrices in Ikpa River Basin and nearby dumpsites using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The levels of the contaminants were further subjected to models to estimate possible sources and potential risks. The results obtained revealed that nearby dumpsites could be the major source of contamination of the Ikpa River Basin. The total sum of PAHs in water and sediment samples gave 926.6 μg/l and 1099.7 μg/kg, respectively. Higher concentrations, 3025.8 μg/kg, 3645.7 μg/kg, and 2457.2 μg/l, were recorded for nearby municipal dumpsite soil, hospital dumpsite soil, and landfill leachates, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and PAH molecular diagnostic ratios (MDRs) suggest that PAH loading in the river basin were mostly of pyrogenic origin. The risk assessment indicated that exposure to PAHs through dermal contact with sediments was most significant than oral ingestion of water and children were the most vulnerable group. Non-cancer (toxic) risks due to exposure to PAHs by oral ingestion of water from Ikpa River were within acceptable limits as the calculated hazard quotients (HQs) and hazard indexes (HIs) were below unity, suggesting negligible or no toxic risk. However, toxic risks through dermal contact with sediments reached unacceptable limits as HI values exceeded unity for all sample stations. Estimated cancer risks due to oral ingestion of water reached the USEPA minimum risk level (3.14 × 10⁻⁵) requiring public notification while risks due to dermal adsorption of PAHs from the sediments reached levels (2.10 × 10⁻¹) requiring remediation actions.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin that is omnipresent in food and feed. Therefore, this study has focused on discovery, molecular characterization, and engineering of DON degrading enzymes, based on a DON isomerizing enzyme (e.g., the specialized glyoxalase I from Gossypium raimondii (Gr‐SPG)). A molecular phylogeny‐based sequence and structure analysis elucidated the evolutionary trajectory of the DON degrading enzymes. Ancestral sequence reconstruction led to the generation of thermostable evolutionary intermediates of SPG (e.g., Anc216). Molecular modeling and consensus protein design allowed to understand the structure and function relationships and also identify the key conserved mutations that influence catalytic activity and thermostability. Ultimately, a highly active and thermostable SPG (e.g., a quintuple mutant of Anc216 (Anc216_M5)) was constructed from a newly discovered extant SPG enzyme (OR9). The Anc216_M5 exhibited a T5010 $T_{50}^{10}$of 68 °C, which is 16.3 °C higher than that of the wild‐type enzyme. Furthermore, the engineered enzyme showed 40% greater DON degrading activity than OR9, which is significantly higher than that of Gr‐SPG. Therefore, it is assumed that Anc216_M5 is promising as a DON‐detoxifying biocatalyst. Deoxynivalenol (DON), a prevalent food mycotoxin, is an important risk factor in global food safety. A molecular phylogeny‐guided engineering approach is devised to repurpose specialized glyoxalase I (SPG) as a DON deactivator. Engineered SPG variants demonstrate superior stability and are highly capable of converting DON into less toxic products, offering a promising solution for DON detoxification.

Although metabolic intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) gives important value on treatment responses and prognoses, its association with treatment outcomes have not been reported in gastric cancer (GC). We aimed to evaluate temporal changes in metabolic ITH and the associations with treatment responses, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in advanced GC patients. Eighty-five patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic GC were prospectively enrolled before the first-line palliative chemotherapy and underwent [ 18 F]FDG PET at baseline (TP1) and the first response follow-up evaluation (TP2). Standardized uptake values (SUVs), volumetric parameters, and textural features were evaluated in primary gastric tumor at TP1 and TP2. Of 85 patients, 44 had partial response, 33 had stable disease, and 8 progressed. From TP1 to TP2, metabolic ITH was significantly reduced ( P  < 0.01), and the degree of the decrease was greater in responders than in non-responders ( P  < 0.01). Using multiple Cox regression analyses, a low SUV max at TP2, a high kurtosis at TP2 and larger decreases in the coefficient of variance were associated with better PFS. A low SUV max at TP2, larger decreases in the metabolic tumor volume and larger decreased in the energy were associated with better OS. Age older than 60 years and responders also showed better OS. An early reduction in metabolic ITH is useful to predict treatment outcomes in advanced GC patients.

1,9-Nonanedioic acid is one of the valuable building blocks for producing polyesters and polyamides. Thereby, whole-cell biosynthesis of 1,9-nonanedioic acid from oleic acid has been investigated. A recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum, expressing the alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenases (ChnDE) of Acinetobacter sp. NCIMB 9871, was constructed and used for the production of 1,9-nonanedioic acid from 9-hydroxynonanoic acid, which had been produced from oleic acid. When 9-hydroxynonanoic acid was added to a concentration of 20 mM in the reaction medium, 1,9-nonanedioic acid was produced to 16 mM within 8 h by the recombinant C. glutamicum. The dicarboxylic acid was isolated via crystallization and then used for the production of biopolyester by a lipase. For instance, the polyesterification of 1,9-nonanedioic acid and 1,8-octanediol in diphenyl ether by the immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica led to formation of the polymer product with the number-average molecular weight (Mn) of approximately 21,000. Thereby, this study will contribute to biological synthesis of long chain dicarboxylic acids and their application for the enzymatic production of long chain biopolyesters.

IntroductionHeated tobacco products (HTPs) have been available in the Korean market since June 2017. In this study, we examined the prevalence and predictors of HTP use among Korean adolescents and the association between HTP and electronic cigarette (EC) use and attempts to quit conventional cigarette (CC) smoking.MethodsWe analysed the data of a representative sample (n=60 040) of 13–18-year-old middle-school and high-school students in Korea who had participated in the 14th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 2018.ResultsThe prevalence of ever HTP use among Korean adolescents was 2.9% (men: 4.4%, women: 1.2%), a year after the introduction of HTPs in the Korean market. Furthermore, 81.3% of the 1568 ever HTP users were triple users of HTPs, ECs and CCs. Multivariate analysis revealed that ever HTP use was greater among men, higher-grade students, current CC and/or EC users and risky alcohol drinkers. Among current CC smokers, ever users of ECs (28%–30%) and ever HTP users and current EC users (48%) were more likely to have attempted to quit CC smoking than those who had never used HTPs and ECs. However, there were fewer HTP and/or EC ever users among ever CC smokers who successfully quit smoking.ConclusionsMany adolescents, especially CC and EC users, had already used HTPs shortly after the introduction of HTPs in Korea. The use of newer types of tobacco products is associated with lower odds of abstinence from CCs; therefore, it is important to protect adolescents from them.