Association between retirement age and depressive symptoms among Korean retirees: Results from Korean Retirement and Income Panel Study.

BACKGROUND: The effective age of retirement in South Korea is higher than the average of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Early retirement in Asia may affect mental health differently compared to western countries. Thus, we examined the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms among South Korean retirees. METHODS: We used data from the 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Korean Retirement and Income Panel Study, including a total of 2998, 3152, 3203, 3154, and 3055 participants, respectively. We excluded those younger than 50 years, non-retirees, those without information on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, and those with other missing values. We used a generalized estimating equation model to identify the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms measured using the CES-D. RESULTS: Participants who retired at age < 50 years had significantly higher CES-D scores (ß = 1.764, P = 0.0003) compared to those who retired at age ≥ 70 years. The negative effects of early retirement on depressive symptoms were greater among male participants, heads of households, young involuntary retirees, those who retired within the past 20 years, and those who had no difficulties in activities of daily living. LIMITATIONS: Since we evaluated the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms in one direction, there is a possibility of reverse causality. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of managing depressive symptoms in early retirees, especially young involuntary retirees and those burdened with family care.

Langmuir-Blodgett Monolayer of Cobalt Phthalocyanine as Ultralow Loading Single-Atom Catalyst for Highly Efficient H2O2 Production.

The electrochemical production of H2O2 via the two-electron oxygen-reduction reaction (2e- ORR) has been actively studied using systems with atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) structures. However, the development of well-defined M-N-C structures that restrict the migration and agglomeration of single-metal sites remains elusive. Herein, we demonstrate a Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) on monolayer graphene (LB CoPc/G) as a single-metal catalyst for the 2e- ORR. The as-prepared CoPc LB monolayer has a ß-form crystalline structure with a lattice space for the facile adsorption of oxygen molecules on the cobalt active sites. The CoPc LB monolayer system provides highly exposed Co atoms in a well-defined structure without agglomeration, resulting in significantly improved catalytic activity, which is manifested by a very high H2O2 production rate per catalyst (31.04 mol gcat-1 h-1) and TOF (36.5 s-1) with constant production stability for 24 hours. To the best of our knowledge, the CoPc LB monolayer system exhibits the highest H2O2 production rate per active site. This fundamental study suggests that an LB monolayer of molecules with single-metal atoms as a well-defined structure works for single-atom catalysts.

Changes in mental health of Korean adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a special report using the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on adolescents' mental health in Korea. METHODS: We used data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2018-2021 with 227,139 students aged 12-18 years. We estimated the differences in depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and stress perception before (2018-2019) and during (2020-2021) the pandemic, as well as before (2019), the first year (2020) of, and the second year (2021) of the pandemic. We also examined whether COVID-19 is statistically associated with mental health. RESULTS: In both male and female adolescents, the prevalence of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and stress perception was higher in the "not living with family," "low household economic status," and "self-rated unhealthy status" subgroups. The prevalence of depressive symptoms and stress perception was higher in middle school students. Adolescents were less likely to experience depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 0.89), suicidal ideation (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.83), and stress perception (aOR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.79) in 2020 than in 2019. However, there were more depressive symptoms (aOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.09), suicidal ideation (aOR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.21), and stress perception (aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.23) in 2021 than in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had positive impacts on mental health of adolescents in its early stages but has had negative impacts as the pandemic continues. Attention should be paid to adolescents who are particularly vulnerable to the mental health effects of the pandemic.

Changes in health behaviors and obesity of Korean adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a special report using the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate changes in health behaviors, including cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, dietary behaviors, and obesity, before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic using the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS) database. METHODS: KYRBS data from 2015 to 2021 were used in this study. Differences in health behaviors between before (pre-pandemic period: 2018-2019) and during (pandemic period: 2020-2021) the pandemic were examined. Differences were compared using linear regression and the chi-square test considering the complex survey design after adjusting for grade level. RESULTS: The prevalence of current cigarette smoking and current alcohol drinking significantly decreased in both male and female students during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. However, the prevalence of obesity significantly increased in both male and female students during the same period. When examining physical activity and dietary behaviors closely related to obesity, fast food consumption increased and fruit consumption decreased during the pandemic in both male and female students, whereas no significant changes in physical activity were observed in either male or female students. CONCLUSIONS: The deterioration of adolescent dietary behaviors and an increase in the prevalence of obesity can increase the future disease burden, and concerted efforts at the individual and national levels are needed to reduce obesity and promote healthy dietary behaviors.

The effect of metformin or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors on clinical outcomes in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical data have shown the immunomodulatory effects of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors in patients with diabetes. However, its clinical impact remains unclear in lung cancer. METHODS: Between 2017 and 2021, 466 patients received ICI monotherapy. Patients were categorized into concurrent (MET; metformin or combination of metformin and DPP4 inhibitor) and without concomitant (NMET; nonmetformin/DPP4 inhibitors) administration of metformin and DPP4 inhibitors groups at least 8 weeks before and during ICI therapy. The primary objectives were the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). The second objective was to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and the occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). RESULTS: Among 466 patients, 89 (19.0%) and 377 (81%) were categorized into the MET and NMET groups, respectively. MET group had a significantly higher ORR (MET group: 24.7% vs. NMET group: 14.8%, p = 0.025) and longer PFS than those in the NMET group (MET group 5.1 month vs. NMET group 2.8 months, p = 0.018). After patients were stratified based on the prior line of therapy and PD L1 expression status, the PFS of the second-line therapy and PD L1 ≥50 was significantly higher in the MET than in the NMET group. The proportion of patients experiencing all-grade irAEs was numerically higher in the MET group (19.1%) than in the NMET group (14.3%), without statistical significance (p = 0.382). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent use of metformin and DPP4 inhibitors with ICIs significantly improved the clinical outcomes without increasing the incidence of irAEs in NSCLC.

Accessible Guide for People With Intellectual Disabilities in a Fitness Environment: A Delphi Study.

The purpose of this study was to draw consensus among an expert panel regarding essential elements of an accessible fitness center guide for people with intellectual disabilities that will enable them to engage in physical activity fully and effectively. The study was situated in the socioecological model of disability. Researchers drew expert consensus regarding the essential features of accessible guides in fitness environments. A three-round Delphi procedure was used, involving repeated circulation of the questionnaire to an expert panel (N = 33). The panel was asked to rate the importance and adequacy of 66 items regarding the accessible fitness guide. A consensus was reached regarding 43 items after three rounds. The items include 7 body-weight exercises, 2 machine exercises, 12 environment-related items, 15 exercise preparations, 4 social etiquettes, and 3 emergencies.

Morphologically Controlled Synthesis of Reduced-Dimensional ZnO/Zn(OH)2 Nanosheets.

Conventional two-dimensional materials either have natural layered structures or are produced, with large surface areas, via physical or chemical synthesis. However, to form a two-dimensional material from a non-layered material, a method different from the existing ones is required. In this study, a surfactant-assisted method was utilized to synthesize Zn(OH)2 (a nonlayered transition metal oxide) nanosheets. This study described the synthesis of Zn(OH)2 nanosheets using an anionic sulfate layer and demonstrated a method of controlling the thickness and shape of the synthesized nanosheets by varying the surfactant concentration. Further, the characteristics of oxygen evolution reaction using ZnO/Zn(OH)2 nanosheets, obtained by annealing the synthesized sheets, as catalysts were studied.

The Anti-Tumor Effect of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in Glioblastoma Subcutaneous Xenograft Model Using the Proton Linear Accelerator-Based BNCT System in Korea.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a radiation therapy that selectively kills cancer cells and is being actively researched and developed around the world. In Korea, development of the proton linear accelerator-based BNCT system has completed development, and its anti-cancer effect in the U-87 MG subcutaneous xenograft model has been evaluated. To evaluate the efficacy of BNCT, we measured 10B-enriched boronophenylalanine (BPA) uptake in U-87 MG, FaDu, and SAS cells and evaluated cell viability by clonogenic assays. In addition, the boron concentration in the tumor, blood, and skin on the U-87 MG xenograft model was measured, and the tumor volume was measured for 4 weeks after BNCT. In vitro, the intracellular boron concentration was highest in the order of SAS, FaDu, and U-87 MG, and cell survival fractions decreased depending on the BPA treatment concentration and neutron irradiation dose. In vivo, the tumor volume was significantly decreased in the BNCT group compared to the control group. This study confirmed the anti-cancer effect of BNCT in the U-87 MG subcutaneous xenograft model. It is expected that the proton linear accelerator-based BNCT system developed in Korea will be a new option for radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

Epitaxial single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride multilayers on Ni (111).

Large-area single-crystal monolayers of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene1-3, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)4-6 and transition metal dichalcogenides7,8 have been grown. hBN is considered to be the 'ideal' dielectric for 2D-materials-based field-effect transistors (FETs), offering the potential for extending Moore's law9,10. Although hBN thicker than a monolayer is more desirable as substrate for 2D semiconductors11,12, highly uniform and single-crystal multilayer hBN growth has yet to be demonstrated. Here we report the epitaxial growth of wafer-scale single-crystal trilayer hBN by a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. Uniformly aligned hBN islands are found to grow on single-crystal Ni (111) at early stage and finally to coalesce into a single-crystal film. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results show that a Ni23B6 interlayer is formed (during cooling) between the single-crystal hBN film and Ni substrate by boron dissolution in Ni. There are epitaxial relationships between hBN and Ni23B6 and between Ni23B6 and Ni. We also find that the hBN film acts as a protective layer that remains intact during catalytic evolution of hydrogen, suggesting continuous single-crystal hBN. This hBN transferred onto the SiO2 (300 nm)/Si wafer acts as a dielectric layer to reduce electron doping from the SiO2 substrate in MoS2 FETs. Our results demonstrate high-quality single-crystal  multilayered hBN over large areas, which should open up new pathways for making it a ubiquitous substrate for 2D semiconductors.

Association of the type of counselor with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: a survey of South Korean adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Counseling for adolescents who consider or attempt suicide may help reduce suicide rates. However, the impact of the type of counselor (e.g., father, mother, sibling, friend, teacher, other) on suicidal ideation/suicide attempts remains unclear. Therefore, we examined this association in Korean adolescents. METHODS: Using data from the 2015 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey of 65,485 adolescents, we examined risk factors for suicidal ideation/suicide attempts according to sex using a multiple logistic regression analysis. In a subgroup analysis, we investigated the associations between counselor type and suicidal ideation/suicide attempts stratified by the cause of stress for both sexes. RESULTS: Male participants were less likely to consider suicide when counseled by their mother (odds ratio [OR] 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.90) or friend (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.99) and to attempt suicide when counseled by a friend (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.60-0.92) than were those who did not receive any counseling. Female participants were less likely to attempt suicide when counseled by their mother (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.53-0.82) or friends (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.58-0.83) than when not counseled. Furthermore, adolescents with achievement/career choice-related and family problems were at a lower risk of suicide ideation/suicide attempts when counseled by their mother or friend than when they received no counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation/suicide attempts showed different associations for both sexes in accordance with the type of counselor. Even if counseling by specialists for issues such as achievement/career choice-related or family matters is needed, the risk of suicide could be reduced through counseling by the people around them. Therefore, adolescents should form mutually supportive relationships through active communication with surrounding people.

TPRG1-AS1 induces RBM24 expression and inhibits liver cancer progression by sponging miR-4691-5p and miR-3659.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Here, by performing RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) profiling, we sought to identify novel ncRNAs that potentially drive the heterogeneous progression of liver cancers. METHODS: RNA-Seq profiles were obtained from 68 HCC specimens and 10 samples of adjacent non-tumour liver tissues. The functional significance of the potential driver ncRNAs was evaluated by cell experiments. RESULTS: TPRG1-AS1 was identified as a potential driver noncoding RNA that promotes heterogeneous liver cancer progression. TPRG1-AS1 induced tumour suppressor RNA-binding motif protein 24 (RBM24), suppressing tumour growth by activating apoptotic tumour cell death. In addition, we report that TPRG1-AS1 acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for RBM24, sponging miR-4691-5p and miR-3659 to interfere with their binding to RBM24. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that TPRG1-AS1 is a novel ceRNA sponging miR-4691-5p and miR-3659, resulting in RBM24 expression and suppression of liver cancer growth. Our results provide new insights into the functions of ncRNAs in heterogeneous HCC progression.

USO1 isoforms differentially promote liver cancer progression by dysregulating the ER-Golgi network.

Alternative splicing of RNA transcripts plays an important role in cancer development and progression. Recent advances in RNA-seq technology have made it possible to identify alternately spliced events in various types of cancer; however, research on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still limited. Here, by performing RNA-seq profiling of HCC transcripts at isoform level, we identified tumor-specific and molecular subtype-dependent expression of the USO1 isoforms, which we designated as a normal form USO1-N (XM_001290049) and a tumor form USO1-T (NM_003715). The expression of USO1-T, but not USO1-N, was associated with worse prognostic outcomes of HCC patients. We confirmed that the expression of USO1-T promoted an aggressive phenotype of HCC, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, structural modeling analyses revealed that USO1-T lacks an ARM10 loop encoded by exon 15, which may weaken the dimerization of USO1 and its tethering to GM130. We demonstrated that USO1-T ensured unstacking of the Golgi and accelerated the vesicles trafficking from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi and plasma membrane in multiple liver cancer cells. ERK and GRASP65 were found to be involved in the USO1-T-mediated Golgi dysfunction. Conclusively, we provide new mechanophysical insights into the USO1 isoforms that differentially regulate the ER-Golgi network, promoting the heterogeneous HCC progression.

A Photovoice Study: The life experiences of middle-aged adults with intellectual disabilities in Korea.

BACKGROUND: As adults with intellectual disabilities approach older adulthood, they face unique physical and psychosocial challenges. This study explored the lived experiences of middle-aged adults with intellectual disabilities living in their community. METHOD: Six sessions of Photovoice were conducted with a purposeful sample of six middle-aged adults with intellectual disabilities in South Korea. Participants were involved with the theme selection, taking photographs related to the themes, group discussion of photo stories and sharing Photovoice outcomes. RESULTS: Thematic analysis yielded 11 subthemes under the five major themes selected by the participants: health, free time, time in the centre, family and my future in old age. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings showed complex issues middle-aged adults with intellectual disabilities may face in later life, including bereavement and healthy lifestyle concerns. It is important to create a space for meaningful social support and social interactions without stigma.

Synthesis of metallic mixed 3R and 2H Nb1+xS2 nanoflakes by chemical vapor deposition.

In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of mixed phase Nb1+xS2 nanoflakes prepared by chemical vapor deposition. The as-grown samples show a high density of flakes (thickness ∼50 nm) that form a continuous film. Raman and X-ray diffraction data show that the samples consist of both 2H and 3R phases, with the 2H phase containing a high concentration of Nb interstitials. These Nb interstitials sit in between the NbS2 layers to form Nb1+xS2. Cross-sectional Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analysis with transmission electron microscopy suggests that the 2H Nb1+xS2 region is found in thinner flakes, while 3R NbS2 is observed in thicker regions of the films. The evolution of the phase from 2H Nb1+xS2 to 3R NbS2 may be attributed to the change of the growth environment from Nb-rich at the start of the growth to sulfur-rich at the latter stage. It was also found that the incorporation of Nb interstitials is highly dependent on the temperature of the NbCl5 precursor and the position of the substrate in the furnace. Samples grown at high NbCl5 temperature and with substrate located closer to the NbCl5 source show higher incorporation of Nb interstitials. Electrical measurements show linear I-V characteristics, indicating the metallic nature of the Nb1+xS2 film with relatively low resistivity of 4.1 × 10-3Ω cm.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage from metastatic cardiac angiosarcoma of the lung successfully treated with paclitaxel chemotherapy: A case report and brief literature review.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening syndrome caused by various etiologies. DAH has rarely been reported to be associated with metastatic angiosarcoma. However, due to the rarity of complications, it may not be well-recognized by most clinicians. Herein, we report the case of a 70-year-old man with newly diagnosed metastatic cardiac angiosarcoma presenting with DAH. After an immediate bronchoalveolar lavage study and bronchoscopic biopsy, the patient was successfully treated with paclitaxel chemotherapy. Although most patients with this phenomenon have an extremely grave prognosis in previous literature, our experience showed that appropriate evaluation and treatment may be beneficial.

Sex-Biased Molecular Signature for Overall Survival of Liver Cancer Patients.

Sex/gender disparity has been shown in the incidence and prognosis of many types of diseases, probably due to differences in genes, physiological conditions such as hormones, and lifestyle between the sexes. The mortality and survival rates of many cancers, especially liver cancer, differ between men and women. Due to the pronounced sex/gender disparity, considering sex/ gender may be necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. By analyzing research articles through a PubMed literature search, the present review identified 12 genes which showed practical relevance to cancer and sex disparities. Among the 12 sex-specific genes, 7 genes (BAP1, CTNNB1, FOXA1, GSTO1, GSTP1, IL6, and SRPK1) showed sex-biased function in liver cancer. Here we summarized previous findings of cancer molecular signature including our own analysis, and showed that sexbiased molecular signature CTNNB1High, IL6High, RHOAHigh and GLIPR1Low may serve as a female-specific index for prediction and evaluation of OS in liver cancer patients. This review suggests a potential implication of sex-biased molecular signature in liver cancer, providing a useful information on diagnosis and prediction of disease progression based on gender.

Evidence of Rotational Fröhlich Coupling in Polaronic Trions.

Electrons commonly couple through Fröhlich interactions with longitudinal optical phonons to form polarons. However, trions possess a finite angular momentum and should therefore couple instead to rotational optical phonons. This creates a polaronic trion whose binding energy is determined by the crystallographic orientation of the lattice. Here, we demonstrate theoretically within the Fröhlich approach and experimentally by photoluminescence emission that the bare trion binding energy (20 meV) is significantly enhanced by the phonons at the interface between the two-dimensional semiconductor MoS_{2} and the bulk transition metal oxide SrTiO_{3}. The low-temperature binding energy changes from 60 meV in [001]-oriented substrates to 90 meV for [111] orientation, as a result of the counterintuitive interplay between the rotational axis of the MoS_{2} trion and that of the SrTiO_{3} phonon mode.

Single Atomic Vacancy Catalysis.

Single atom catalysts provide exceptional activity. However, measuring the intrinsic catalytic activity of a single atom in real electrochemical environments is challenging. Here, we report the activity of a single vacancy for electrocatalytically evolving hydrogen in two-dimensional (2D) MoS2. Surprisingly, we find that the catalytic activity per vacancy is not constant but increases with its concentration, reaching a sudden peak in activity at 5.7 × 1014 cm-2 where the intrinsic turn over frequency and Tafel slope of a single atomic vacancy was found to be ∼5 s-1 and 44 mV/dec, respectively. At this vacancy concentration, we also find a local strain of ∼3% and a semiconductor to metal transition in 2D MoS2. Our results suggest that, along with increasing the number of active sites, engineering the local strain and electrical conductivity of catalysts is essential in increasing their activity.