Background and Aims
Little is known about the association between non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and dementia. Given that hepatic steatosis is linked to abnormal fat metabolism, and fat ...dysregulation in the brain is related to dementia, we aimed to investigate whether NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of dementia.
Methods
We conducted a nationwide cohort study involving 4 031 948 subjects aged 40–69 years who underwent ≥2 health check‐ups provided by the National Health Insurance Service in Korea between January 2004 and December 2007. Based on the hepatic steatosis index (HSI), subjects were categorized into non‐NAFLD (HSI <30 at all check‐ups) and NAFLD (HSI >36 at one or more check‐ups). Dementia defined by ICD‐10 codes with prescription data was followed up until December 2017. Cox proportional hazards regression models analysed the dementia risk.
Results
At baseline, 31.3% had NAFLD. During the median follow‐up of 9.5 years, 138 424 in NAFLD group and 69 982 in non‐NAFLD group developed dementia. NAFLD group was associated with a higher risk of dementia than non‐NAFLD group on multivariable‐adjusted analysis (hazard ratio HR, 1.05; p < .001), competing risk analysis (HR, 1.08; p < .001) and propensity‐score matched analysis (HR, 1.09; p < .001). The association between NAFLD and dementia risk was more prominent among females (HR, 1.16; p < .001). The association was stronger among non‐obese NAFLD subjects (BMI <25 kg/m2, HR, 1.09; p < .001) than obese NAFLD subjects.
Conclusions
This nationwide study found that NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of dementia. The association was prominent among females and non‐obese NAFLD subjects.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Depression in persons with physical disabilities may be more common than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical disability and ...depression by gender among adults, using a large, nationally representative sample.
This study used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, Wave one through four, and ran a series of random effect panel regression models to test the relationship between physical disability status and depression by gender. We tested the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between disability status and depression level by examining the significance of the cross-product term between disability status and gender.
After controlling for self-rated health, marital status, employment status, education, and age, subjects who were female or diagnosed as having any disability presented higher levels of depression scores. Further, the difference in terms of their depression level measured by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10) scores between those who were diagnosed as having any disability and those who were not was greater for females than for their male counterparts.
This study reaffirmed that disability is the risk factor of depression, using longitudinal data. In addition, female gender is the effect modifier rather than the risk factor. The effect of gender in the non-disability group, mostly composed of older persons, is limited. On the contrary, the female disability group showed more depressive symptoms than the male disability group. The gender difference in the disability group and the role of culture on these differences need further research.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The miniaturization of ferroelectric devices in non-volatile memories requires the device to maintain stable switching behavior as the thickness scales down to nanometer scale, which requires the ...coercive field to be sufficiently large. Recently discovered metal-free perovskites exhibit advantages such as structural tunability and solution-processability, but they are disadvantaged by a lower coercive field compared to inorganic perovskites. Herein, we demonstrate that the coercive field (110 kV/cm) in metal-free ferroelectric perovskite MDABCO-NH
-(PF
)
(MDABCO = N-methyl-N'-diazabicyclo2.2.2octonium) is one order larger than MDABCO-NH
-I
(12 kV/cm) owing to the stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the former. Using isotope experiments, the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature and coercive field are verified to be strongly influenced by hydrogen bonds. Our work highlights that the coercive field of organic ferroelectrics can be tailored by tuning the strength of hydrogen bonding.
Thin film fabrication of 2D layered organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (2D‐OIHPs) for spintronic applications has been attempted using solution‐based process like Langmuir–Blodgett technique. ...However, monolayer or few‐layered 2D magnets are not yet realized, even though a wide spectrum of 2D Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) OIHPs are known as quasi‐2D Heisenberg magnets in bulk compounds. Here, chemical exfoliation by solvent engineering is applied to successfully synthesize large‐sized, few unit‐cell‐thick 2D RP‐OIHPs. Comprehensive structural characterization reveals that binary co‐solvents with high relative polarity in spin coating technique are the most effective among nine kinds of solvents. Above all, this enables few‐layered 2D RP‐OIHP ultrathin films sustaining their intrinsic magnetic order. It is found that XY‐like magnetic anisotropy driven by Jahn–Teller effect responsible for ferromagnetism in seven‐layered (C6H5CH2CH2NH3)2CuCl4 ultrathin films remains very robust, whereas Ising‐like dipolar anisotropy responsible for canted antiferromagnetism in ten‐layered (C6H5CH2CH2NH3)2MnCl4 ultrathin films is greatly reduced. It is expected that ferromagnetism even at monolayer limit should be possible by means of further sophisticated solvent engineering as long as Jahn–Teller effect is active. The chemical exfoliation using solvent engineering unambiguously can bring about a new breakthrough in the development of 2D RP‐OIHP van der Waals magnets for ultrahigh energy‐efficient spintronic, opto‐spintronic devices.
Few‐layered, 2D Ruddlesden–Popper organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites with intrinsic magnetic moment are successfully self‐assembled via the combination of solvent engineering and spin coating techniques. Binary co‐solvent method is found to produce ultrathin films with better surface coverage and uniformity than single‐solvent method. Owing to robust Jahn–Teller effect, seven‐layered (C6H5CH2CH2NH3)CuCl4 ultrathin films have phase transition temperature and magnetization comparable to bulk counterparts.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective
To estimate the risk of developing autoimmune disease in patients diagnosed having recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) through a nationwide population‐based cohort study.
Methods
This study ...included two group of patients who had three or more episodes with aphthae diagnosed from their physician (RAS group) and a similar matched group of patients without aphthae (control group). Both groups were collected within the period of 2005–2007 from the Korean National Health Insurances claims database. Non‐RAS cohort was matched after frequency matching. The final enrolled subjects were observed during a follow‐up period from 2008 to 2015 and those who received autoimmune diseases diagnoses during follow‐up were identified. The hazard ratio (HR) for developing autoimmune diseases was estimated.
Results
A total of 4,637 patients with RAS and 4,637 controls were included. The risk of overall autoimmune diseases was significantly increased in the RAS group (adjusted HR aHR), 1.19). With regard to each disease entity, patients with RAS showed an increased risk of Behcet's disease (31.16), systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) (1.74), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (1.47), gout (1.47), Hashimoto thyroiditis (1.42), Graves' disease (1.37), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (1.19).
Conclusion
RAS‐like lesion may be an early sign of systemic autoimmune disease, as it was associated with an increased risk of Graves' disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis, SLE, AS, gout, RA, and Behcet's disease from real‐world data.
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CMK, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A balanced intake of macronutrients-protein, carbohydrate and fat-is essential for the well-being of organisms. An adequate calorific intake but with insufficient protein consumption can lead to ...several ailments, including kwashiorkor
. Taste receptors (T1R1-T1R3)
can detect amino acids in the environment, and cellular sensors (Gcn2 and Tor)
monitor the levels of amino acids in the cell. When deprived of dietary protein, animals select a food source that contains a greater proportion of protein or essential amino acids (EAAs)
. This suggests that food selection is geared towards achieving the target amount of a particular macronutrient with assistance of the EAA-specific hunger-driven response, which is poorly understood. Here we show in Drosophila that a microbiome-gut-brain axis detects a deficit of EAAs and stimulates a compensatory appetite for EAAs. We found that the neuropeptide CNMamide (CNMa)
was highly induced in enterocytes of the anterior midgut during protein deprivation. Silencing of the CNMa-CNMa receptor axis blocked the EAA-specific hunger-driven response in deprived flies. Furthermore, gnotobiotic flies bearing an EAA-producing symbiotic microbiome exhibited a reduced appetite for EAAs. By contrast, gnotobiotic flies with a mutant microbiome that did not produce leucine or other EAAs showed higher expression of CNMa and a greater compensatory appetite for EAAs. We propose that gut enterocytes sense the levels of diet- and microbiome-derived EAAs and communicate the EAA-deprived condition to the brain through CNMa.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing worldwide. We investigated the economic burden of ASD in South Korea using a nationally representative data source. The direct medical ...and non-medical costs, and indirect costs resulting from ASD were estimated. The total prevalence was 5.04 (per 100,000) in 2008, and 10.97 in 2015. The economic cost of ASD was estimated to be $2,700,596 in 2008 and $9,645,503 in 2015. Of the total economic cost in 2015, 72.3% was from direct costs and 27.7% from indirect costs, and 87.5% related to male patients and 12.5% to female patients. The results suggest that the increase in economic costs was greater than the increase in prevalence.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, ODKLJ, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a commonly diagnosed disease in elderly men, but elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia are more likely to have a lower quality of life and depressive symptoms. ...This study aims to examine the association benign prostatic hyperplasia patients with suicide death relative to a control group comprising individuals without benign prostatic hyperplasia. We used the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort from 2006 to 2015 comprising of 193,785 Korean adults ≥40 years old, and followed-up for suicide death during the 8.7 years period. Cox-proportional hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios for suicide among patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. From 2006 to 2010, a total of 32,215 people were newly diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia. The suicide rate of people without benign prostatic hyperplasia was 61.6 per 100,000 person-years, whereas that of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia was 97.3 per 100,000 person-years, 1.58 times higher than the control group (p<0.01). After adjusting for covariates, the hazard ratio for suicide among patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia was 1.47 (95% C.I. = 1.21 to 1.78; p<0.01) compared to people without benign prostatic hyperplasia. For men without mental disorders, the hazard ratio for suicide among patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia was 1.36 (95% CI = 1.05 to 1.76) compared to control group after adjusting for multiple covariates. Our study suggests that men with benign prostatic hyperplasia had a higher probability of suicide compared to men without benign prostatic hyperplasia in South Korea. This study suggests that physicians may be aware that men newly diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia had high probability of suicide.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Various Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes (above 0.80 Ni content), such as LiNi1−y−zCoyAlzO2 (NCA), are used in electric vehicles (EVs) due to their high capacity (∼200 mAh g−1 for NCA). However, to ...improve cycle performance and thermal stability and to ensure longer and safer usage, numerous studies have investigated surface modification, coating, and doping of cathode materials. In this study, we have investigated the characteristics of LiNi0.85CoxMn0.15−xO2 with various Mn to Co ratios (x = 0–0.15) synthesized by a coprecipitation method. The discharge capacities of the LiNi0.85CoxMn0.15−xO2 cathodes are similar at around 206 mAh g−1 at room temperature and 213.8 mAh g−1 at 55 °C between 2.7 and 4.3 V at a 0.2C rate, while the cyclability, thermal stability, and rate capability of all samples differ according to the Mn and Co ratio. The LiNi0.85Co0.05Mn0.10O2 cathode shows the most promising electrochemical properties under different conditions among the various cathodes evaluated; it displays a high rate capacity (approximately 163 mAh g−1 at 5C rate) at 25 °C and good thermal stability (main exothermic temperature of 233.7 °C and relatively low heat evolution of 857.3 J g−1).
•Ni-rich layered cathodes, LiNi0.85CoxMn0.15−xO2 were made by a coprecipitation.•The electrochemical and thermal properties with varying Mn and Co were evaluated.•The stable Ni-rich cathode composition with high-capacity could be accomplished.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In Korea, as in other countries, the number of confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 have been rising. This ...study aimed to calculate the burden of disease due to COVID-19 in Korea.
We used data on confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 between January 20 and April 24, 2020 provided by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the local governments and the public media to determine disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by sex and age. Morbidity was estimated directly among the confirmed, cured, and fatal cases. Disability weights were adopted from previous similar causes on the severity of COVID-19 for the years of life lived with disability (YLDs). The years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated using the standard life expectancy from the 2018 life tables for each sex and age.
The YLDs were higher in females (155.2) than in males (105.1), but the YLLs were higher in males (1,274.3) than in females (996.4). The total disease burden attributable to COVID-19 in Korea during the study period, was estimated to be 2,531.0 DALYs, and 4.930 DALYs per 100,000 population. The YLDs and the YLLs constituted 10.3% and 89.7% of the total DALYs, respectively. The DALYs per 100,000 population were highest in people aged ≥ 80 years, followed by those aged 70-79, 60-69, and 50-59 years, but the incidence was the highest in individuals aged 20-29 years.
This study provided the estimates of DALYs due to COVID-19 in Korea. Most of the disease burden from COVID-19 was derived from YLL; this indicates that decision-makers should focus and make an effort on reducing fatality for preparing the second wave of COVID-19.
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