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Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and surgical outcomes of patients with external auditory canal (EAC) and temporal bone (TB) malignancy with dura invasion. Methods The medical records of patients with EAC and TB malignancy with dura invasion were retrospectively reviewed. Survival outcomes (overall survival [OS], disease‐specific survival [DSS], recurrence‐free survival [RFS], and distant metastasis‐free survival [DMFS]) were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results A total of eight patients were included in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 49.5 years (range 12–74 years). The median follow‐up periods were 46.5 months. Histologically, four out of eight patients were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; 50%). The 2‐year OS and DSS rates of all patients were 62.5%, and those of EAC SCC patients were 50% and 66.7%, respectively; while the 2‐year RFS and DMFS rates of all patients were 37.5%. There was one local recurrence at the resection site (12.5%), two regional neck nodal recurrences (25%), and two distant metastases (25%). Dura resection and duroplasty areas were not involved in the local recurrence case. Conclusion In EAC and TB cancer with dura invasion, radical surgery with dura resection may show similar survival outcomes to previous studies without recurrence at the dura resection site. Level of evidence: IV

Objective: Bilateral ureteral calculi, hydronephrosis, pyometra, pyocolpos, vestibulovaginal steno¬sis, and imperforate hymen in a dog are uncommon and can be difficult to diagnose. The aim of this article is to report diagnostic challenges and successful surgical treatment of this rare event and the long-term outcomes. Materials and methods: A 5-year-old, spayed (partial ovariohysterectomy) female dog was pri¬marily diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis and ureter obstruction due to urolithiasis along with pyometra. The urolith was removed carefully by the right-side ureterectomy, an appropriate ureteral stent was inserted from the bladder to the right kidney, and then, a vasectomy and hys¬terectomy were performed. The dog improved and was discharged. However, 50 days after surgery, pyocolpos due to imperforate hymen and vestibulovaginal stenosis were diagnosed and sur¬gically corrected, and the ureteral stent was removed because the ureter had completely healed. Results: During the first admission, serum biochemistry results revealed the increased blood urea nitrogen (5.9 mg/dl), creatinine (116.2 mg/dl), amylase (1,345 U/l), and lipase (141 U/l) values. After surgical correction, all parameters returned to normal. However, 50 days after surgery, the C-reactive protein concentration (143 mg/l) and white blood cell level increased (18.4 × 109/l). After a second surgical correction, the dog recovered fully within 10 days, and no postoperative complications were observed during the follow-up of 6 months. Conclusion: This report provides diagnostic assistance and surgical treatment options for a com¬plex urogenital case. Careful examination during puberty is recommended to prevent the associ¬ated complications of this disorder. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(3.000): 384-390]

Sinus disease: nasal bacteria linked to manifestations of chronic disease Microbes living in the sinonasal cavity seem to affect the immune responses and clinical outcomes of patients with an inflammatory disease that can cause lasting pain, pressure, and swelling in the sinuses. Ji Heui Kim from the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues collected nasal swabs and blood from 31 people suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and from six healthy control individuals. They identified several specific bacterial groups whose presence or absence was associated with the abundance of certain white blood cell populations, a sign of inflammation. Some of these groups were linked to patient outcomes after nasal surgery but additional groups were also observed. The findings could help lead to new treatment strategies or diagnostic biomarkers for patients with this sinus disorder.

Objective: In Korea, small dogs are more common than large breeds. This study was performed to measure the influence of body weight, sex, breed, age, and cranial cruciate ligament rupture (RCCL) on the tibial plateau angle (TPA) in small-breed dogs. Materials and methods: A total of 274 dogs (221 normal dogs and 53 RCCL dogs) were selected for this study based on medical records. The TPA was measured from stifle joint radiographs. The dogs were divided according to body weight, sex (male and female; normal and neutered), age, breed, and RCCL, and the TPAs of the dogs were compared. Results: In general, the TPAs of male dogs were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of female dogs, and those of healthy neutered dogs were higher than those of healthy intact dogs. The TPA had a tendency to increase along with the animals age but was not significantly different among the four age groups. In general, the TPA of RCCL dogs was 27.12° ± 0.62°, which was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of normal dogs (20.21° ± 0.32°), indicating that an increased TPA is associated with a higher risk for RCCL. Similar results were also observed among dogs with similar body weights, breeds, and ages for male and female RCCL dogs. Conclusion: This study suggested that the sex and neutering status of dogs could affect the TPA. This study also confirmed the use of TPA in the veterinary clinic as a possible indicator of RCCL, as the TPA is higher in RCCL dogs than in normal dogs. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(2.000): 220-228]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of surgical decompression and rehabilitation therapy in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk herniation (IVDH). Materials and Methods: After surgery, physiotherapeutic rehabilitation was performed by a combination of electrotherapy, infrared therapy, training for standing, deep tendon reflex, and aquatic treadmill exercise. A total of 186 dogs were selected from the hospital records and included in two groups: the rehabilitated group (RG, n = 96) and non-rehabilitated group (NRG, n = 90). Dogs in each group were subdivided into three groups based on a pre-operative clinical severity grading system and those in grades 24 were included in this study. Post-operative neurologic functions, unassisted standing, walking, and the success rate of both groups were evaluated and compared Results: Overall, 86.46% (83/96) of dogs had a successful neurologic outcome in the RG group, which was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than the NRG group 52.22% (47/90). Interestingly, the success rate differed when the preoperative grading system was considered. The success rates of grades 2, 3, and 4 were 97.14% (34/35), 97.33% (42/45), and 43.75% (7/16), respectively, in the rehabilitated groups, whereas in the non-rehabilitated groups, success rates were 82.35% (28/34), 51.85% (14/27), and 17.24% (5/29), respectively. The differences in success rates among the groups according to grading were 14.79%, 41.48%, and 26.51%, respectively, indicating that the proposed rehabilitation therapy is remarkably advantageous for increasing the success rate. Conclusion: Rehabilitation therapy after surgical decompression of thoracolumbar IVDH improves neurologic functions and increases the success rate, especially when the preoperative pathological condition is severe. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2019; 6(3.000): 394-402]

Objective: Postoperative complication of extramural ectopic ureters (EEUs) with persistent urinary incontinence (UI) is common in Siberian Huskies. This case report was aimed at reporting the successful correction procedure of EEU in Siberian Huskies by surgical procedure. Materials and methods: A three-month-old and weighing 7.9 kg Siberian Husky dog was presented with history of an acute dermatitis around the genitals, swelling of the genitals and dribbling urination. Abdominal radiographs, ultrasonography, and 3D computed tomography scanning revealed presence of the ectopic ureter with urinary incontinence. Ureteroneocystostomy was applied as the first choice of corrective procedure in this case, and clinical sings were corrected apparently after surgery. Unfortunately, UI with cystitis was developed two months postoperatively. To correct the condition, surgical procedure of colposuspension with ovarianhystectomy and cystopexy was opted. Results: Post-operative progression showed good prognosis and the dog recovered fully. Follow up checkup of the patient after 4 months postoperative and follow up phone call 27 months later did not reveal any abnormalities. Conclusion: This case report recommends surgical procedure of modified colposuspension following ureteroneocystostomy to correct EEUs and its postoperative complication. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(3.000): 301-306]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits of the clinical outcome of meniscal injury diagnosis and surgical management during the reconstruction of cranial cruciate ligament rupture (RCCL) in dogs. Materials and methods: For these purpose two groups with 2 different surgery regimens; group 1 (G1), RCCL was corrected with partial meniscectomy and tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), and another one (group-2, G2) only with TTA. Long-term follow-up about postoperative complications and any recurrence of signs were recorded by referring veterinarians by medical questionnaire over telephone contact and radiographic postoperative follow-up of bone healing was evaluated. Results: Meniscal injuries were diagnosed arthroscopically in five dogs out of six dogs, and corrected by partial meniscectomy arthroscopically. The percentage of presence of meniscal injury was 83%. It was found that clinical outcomes were superior in G1 than G2 group both walking starting time (4.6±2.5 and 6.4±2.9 days, respectively) or full recovery time (39.2±26.9 and 58.1±24.5 days, respectively) was significantly shortage (P

Abstract Sageretia thea, a notable species within the mock buckthorn genus, is recognized for its intriguing biogeographical distribution and diverse medicinal properties. Despite this significance, genomic studies on S. thea are still in the nascent stages. We present the first chromosome-level genome assembly of S. thea that was generated using a combination of Oxford Nanopore long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing technologies complemented by Pore-C chromatin conformation capture. The genome assembly had a size of 197.8 Mb with 12 chromosomal scaffolds and a scaffold N50 length of 15.9 Mb. A total of 25,434 protein-coding genes were identified and functionally annotated, and the gene model indicated 96.5% complete eukaryotic BUSCOs. Additionally, orthologous gene profiling and synteny analysis were performed to elucidate the evolutionary relationships within the Rhamnaceae family and Rosales. This high-quality chromosomal genome is the first genomic view of S. thea, which will serve as the basis for future studies on its biological and medicinal properties, and evolutionary history.

This study is the first to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Perforatus perforatus Bruguière, 1789 (Balanomorpha: Balanidae). The 15,536-bp long P. perforatus mitogenome contained a typical set of animal mitochondrial genes, along with one control region. The P. perforatus mitogenome had an inverted gene block (trnP-ND4L-ND4-trnH-ND5-trnF) between trnS(gct) and trnT. This inverted gene block had been detected six species in three subfamilies of the Balanidae family (Balaninae, Acastinae and Megabalaninae), but our results show that it is also present in Concavinae, in which P. perforatus is included. The phylogenetic tree based on the concatenated sequences of the 13 protein-coding genes and two rRNA genes showed that P. perforatus is closely associated with Acasta sulcate and Balanus trigonus within Balanidae.

Diabetes induces a range of macrovascular and microvascular changes, which lead to significant clinical complications. Although many studies have tried to solve the diabetic problem using drugs, it remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether resistance exercise affects cardiovascular factors and inflammatory markers in diabetes. The study subjected Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, which have genetically induced diabetes mellitus, to a resistance exercise program for 12 weeks and assessed the levels of cardiovascular factors and inflammatory markers using western blotting analysis, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. During the training period, OLETF + exercise (EX) group exhibited lower body weight and reduced glucose levels when compared with OLETF group. Western blotting analysis, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry revealed that the levels of PAI-1, VACM-1, ICAM-1, E-selectin, TGF-β, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α were decreased in OLETF + EX group when compared with the OLETF group. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory markers, IL-4 and IL-10, were highly expressed after exercise. Therefore, these results indicate that exercise may influence the regulation of cardiovascular factors and inflammatory markers, as well as help patients with metabolic syndromes regulate inflammation and cardiovascular function.

Abstract Cu/SiO2 hybrid bonding presents a promising avenue for achieving high-density interconnects by obviating the need for microbumps and underfills. Traditional copper bonding methods often demand temperatures exceeding 400 °C, prompting recent endeavors to mitigate bonding temperatures through investigations into metal passivation bonding. In this study, we scrutinized the diffusion behavior associated with various metal passivation layers (Platinum, Titanium, Tantalum, and Chromium) in the context of low-temperature direct copper bonding and delved into the essential bonding mechanisms. We observed a deviation from conventional metal–metal bonding factors, such as surface roughness and grain size, in the diffusion behavior. Remarkably, our analysis revealed a pronounced correlation between the crystallinity of the metal passivation layers and diffusion behavior, surpassing the influence of other experimental factors. Subsequent post-bonding examinations corroborated consistent diffusion behavior in Pt and Cr passivation samples with disparate crystallinities, reinforcing the significance of crystallinity in the bonding process. Our findings underscore crystallinity as a pivotal factor governing diffusion behavior, even under varied bonding conditions. These insights are instrumental in achieving exceptional bonding characteristics at lower temperatures in Cu/SiO2 hybrid bonding. Implications of this study extend to the prospect of advancing highly integrated systems through die-to-wafer bonding, marking a substantial stride toward future applications.

Rotenone (ROT), the most significant rotenoid, which has shown anticancer activity, has also been reported to be toxic to normal cells, inducing Parkinson’s disease (PD)-like neuronal loss with aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn). To reduce the adverse effects of ROT, its derivative, rotenoisin A (ROA), is obtained by directly irradiating a ROT solution in methanol using γ-rays, which has been reported for potential anticancer properties. However, its PD-inducing effects have not yet been researched or reported. This study sought to compare the activities of ROA and ROT on the aggregation of α-syn, apoptosis, and autophagy in SH-SY5Y cells. ROA decreased cell survival less when compared with ROT on SH-SY5Y cells at 48 h in a dose-dependent manner. ROT (0.5 and 1 μM) and ROA (4 and 5 μM) decreased the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase. Western blot analysis of the Triton X-100 insoluble fraction revealed that both ROT and ROA significantly increased the levels of oligomeric, dimeric, and monomeric phosphorylated Serine129 α-syn and total monomeric α-syn. Moreover, both compounds decreased the proportion of neuronal nuclei, the neurofilament-heavy chain, and β3-tubulin. The phosphorylation of ERK and SAPK were reduced, whereas ROA did not act on Akt. Additionally, the increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio further activated the downstream caspases cascade. ROT promoted the LC3BII/I ratio and p62 levels; however, different ROA doses resulted in different effects on autophagy while inducing PD-like impairments in SH-SY5Y cells.

An ischemic stroke, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, is caused by ischemia and hemorrhage resulting in impeded blood supply to the brain. According to many studies, blueberries have been shown to have a therapeutic effect in a variety of diseases. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether blueberry-treated mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (B-EVs) have therapeutic effects in in vitro and in vivo stroke models. We isolated the extracellular vesicles using cryo-TEM and characterized the particles and concentrations using NTA. MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (A-EVs) and B-EVs were round with a lipid bilayer structure and a diameter of ~150 nm. In addition, A-EVs and B-EVs were shown to affect angiogenesis, cell cycle, differentiation, DNA repair, inflammation, and neurogenesis following KEGG pathway and GO analyses. We investigated the protective effects of A-EVs and B-EVs against neuronal cell death in oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) cells and a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) animal model. The results showed that the cell viability was increased with EV treatment in HT22 cells. In the animal, the size of the cerebral infarction was decreased, and the behavioral assessment was improved with EV injections. The levels of NeuN and neurofilament heavy chain (NFH)-positive cells were also increased with EV treatment yet decreased in the MCAo group. In addition, the number of apoptotic cells was decreased with EV treatment compared with ischemic animals following TUNEL and Bax/Bcl-2 staining. These data suggested that EVs, especially B-EVs, had a therapeutic effect and could reduce apoptotic cell death after ischemic injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from sudden accidents, leading to brain damage, subsequent organ dysfunction, and potentially death. Despite extensive studies on rodent TBI models, there is still high variability in terms of target points, and this results in significantly different symptoms between models. In this study, we established a more concise and effective TBI mouse model, which included locomotor dysfunctions with increased apoptosis, based on the controlled cortical impact method. Behavioral tests, such as elevated body swing, rotarod, and cylinder tests were performed to assess the validity of our model. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of injury, we analyzed the expression of proteins associated with immune response and the apoptosis signaling pathway via western blotting analysis and immunohistochemistry. Upon TBI induction, the mouse subjects showed motor dysfunctions and asymmetric behavioral assessment. The expression of Bax gradually increased over time and reached its maximum 3 days post-surgery, and then declined. The expression of Mcl-1 showed a similar trend to Bax. Furthermore, the expression of caspase-3, ROCK1, and p53 were highly elevated by 3 days post-surgery and then declined by 7 days post-surgery. Importantly, immunohistochemistry revealed an immediate increase in the level of Bcl-2 at the lesion site upon TBI induction. Also, we found that the expression of neuronal markers, such as NeuN and MAP2, decreased after the surgery. Interestingly, the increase in NFH level was in line with the symptoms of TBI in humans. Collectively, our study demonstrated that the established TBI model induces motor dysfunction, hemorrhaging, infarctions, and apoptosis, closely resembling TBI in humans. Therefore, we predict that our model may be useful for developing effective treatment option for TBI.

BackgroundAlthough sonication is a valuable diagnostic tool for periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), it is not commonly utilized. We analyzed sonicate and intraoperative tissue culture results obtained from three hospitals to define the microbial etiology of PJIs in Korea. Furthermore, we investigated necessity of conducting regular fungal and mycobacterial cultures.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data for patients with suspected orthopedic-related infections between 2017 and 2022, who had undergone prostheses removal surgery. We included 193 patients with suspected PJIs, and bacterial (n = 193), fungal (n = 193), and mycobacterial (n = 186) cultures were conducted on both sonicate and intraoperative tissue samples. The diagnosis of PJI was based on the European Bone and Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) criteria.ResultsOut of 193 patients, 121 (62.7%) had positive sonicate cultures, while 112 (58.0%) had positive periprosthetic tissue cultures. According to EBJIS criteria, a total of 181 patients were diagnosed with PJI, and 141 patients received microbiological confirmation through sonicate fluid culture or tissue culture. Of the 181 patients, 28 were classified with acute PJI (within 3 months of implantation) and 153 with chronic PJI. Among 141 patients, staphylococci were the most common organisms, accounting for 51.8% of cases, followed by Gram-negative organisms (15.6%), fungus (8.5%), and mycobacteria (3.5%). Nearly 91.7% of fungal isolates were Candida species, which also grew in bacterial cultures. In total, 11 cases cultured positive only in tissue culture, whereas 20 cases cultured positive only in sonicate culture. The antibiotic treatment plans were adjusted according to culture results.ConclusionsUtilizing sonicate culture has greatly assisted in identifying pathogens responsible for chronic indolent PJIs, allowing suitable antimicrobial treatment. Based on few cases involving non-Candida and mycobacterial infections, it appears that routine fungal and mycobacterial cultures may not be necessary.

Effective management of water quality in watersheds is crucial because it is directly linked to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. In conventional watershed management, best management practices (BMPs) have been instrumental in addressing deteriorating water quality issues caused by non-point source pollution. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have emerged as a global concern, necessitating immediate and diverse environmental actions to mitigate their impacts. This study aims to explore BMPs that maximize total phosphorus (TP) load removal efficiencies, while minimizing costs and GHG emissions within watersheds, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGA-III). The Yeongsan River Watershed between 2012 and 2021 was selected as the study area. Hydrological and BMP data were analyzed. Applying identical BMPs to the watershed showed that the BMPs with high TP removal efficiency may not be effective in terms of cost and GHG emissions. Therefore, the optimal combination of BMPs for the Yeongsan River Watershed was determined using NSGA-III considering TP removal efficiency, cost, and GHG emissions. This study is the first to consider GHG emissions at the watershed level when applying BMPs and is expected to contribute to the development of BMP implementation incorporating GHG emissions.

In this study, a novel systematic analysis was conducted to explore the impact of various parameters, including acceptor density (NA), individual layer thickness, defect density, interface defect density, and the metal electrode work function, on efficiency within the FTO/ZnO/CsSnI3/NiOx/Au perovskite solar cell structure through the SCAPS-1D (Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in 1 Dimension) simulation. ZnO served as the electron transport layer (ETL), CsSnI3 as the perovskite absorption layer (PAL), and NiOx as the hole transport layer (HTL), all contributing to the optimization of device performance. To achieve the optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE), we determined the ideal PAL acceptor density (NA) to be 2 × 1019 cm−3 and the optimal thicknesses to be 20 nm for the ETL (ZnO), 700 nm for the PAL (CsSnI3), and 10 nm for the HTL (NiOx), with the metal electrode remaining as Au. As a result of the optimization process, efficiency increased from 11.89% to 23.84%. These results are expected to contribute to the performance enhancement of eco-friendly, lead-free inorganic hybrid solar cells with Sn-based perovskite as the PAL.

In this study, various factors affecting the efficiency of the MAPbI3 perovskite solar cell (PSC) were analyzed using the SCAPS-1D simulation program. The basic device analyzed in this study had a structure of ITO/TiO2/MAPbI3/Cu2O/Au. The thickness of each layer (electron transport layer (ETL), perovskite absorption layer (PAL), and hole transport layer (HTL)), PAL defect density and interface defect density were investigated as parameters. The optimized parameters that yielded the highest light conversion efficiency were an ETL (TiO2) thickness of 100 nm, a PAL (MAPbI3) thickness of 1300 nm, an HTL (Cu2O) thickness of 400 nm, a PAL defect density of 1014 cm−3, and an interface defect density of 1013 cm−3 for both absorber/ETL and absorber/HTL interfaces. The optimized PSC exhibited a maximum efficiency of 19.30%. These results obtained in this study are expected to contribute considerably to the optimization and efficiency improvement of perovskite solar cells using inorganic charge-carrier transport layers.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used against several diseases. Their potential mainly appears from its secreted biomolecules. Human bone marrow-derived stem cells (hBMSC) displayed neuronal functional characteristics after differentiation by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and forskolin. PD is a chronic age-related neurodegenerative disease (NDD) characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregations. In this present study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of neural differentiated hBMSC (NI-hBMSC) conditioned medium (NI-hBMSC-CM) to a rotenone- (ROT-) induced Parkinson’s disease (PD) model in SH-SY5Y cells. NI-hBMSC-CM treatment (50% diluted) in the last 24 h of 48 h ROT (0.5 μM) toxicity showed a significant increase in cell survival. The decreased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression as a hallmark of PD was increased by NI-hBMSC-CM. The Triton X-100-soluble and Triton X-100-insoluble cell lysate fractions were used in Western blotting. The oligomeric, dimeric, and monomeric phosphorylated serine129 (p-S129) α-syn and total monomeric α-syn were decreased during ROT toxicity in the Triton X-100-soluble fraction. The Triton X-100-insoluble fraction revealed that ROT toxicity significantly increased the oligomeric but decreased the dimeric and monomeric p-S129 α-syn expressions while all forms of total α-syn were increased in SH-SY5Y cells. NI-hBMSC-CM stabilized the physiological α-syn monomers and reduced aggregated insoluble p-S129 α-syn against ROT. The cytoskeletal proteins, neurofilament-H (NF-H), β3-tubulin (Tuj1), neuronal nuclei (NeuN), and synaptophysin (SYP) were significantly decreased during ROT toxicity. In addition, proapoptotic Bax was increased by ROT with decreased antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 as well as proforms of caspase-9, caspase-3, caspase-7, and PARP-1. NI-hBMSC-CM ameliorated the neurotrophic protein expressions, controlled the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, upregulated procaspases, and inactivated PARP-1. From our results, we conclude that NI-hBMSC-CM containing released biomolecules during neural differentiation employs regenerative effects on the ROT model of PD in SH-SY5Y cells.

No studies to date have investigated the ability of sympathetic nerve entrapment point saline (SNEP) injections to achieve long-term pain relief in patients with migraine. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the safety and long-term efficacy of repeat splenius capitis (SC) SNEP injections in patients with migraine (with/without tension-type headache). This retrospective, single-arm study included 12 patients with migraine. Isotonic saline was injected into their SC approximately six times for 3 months. Headache frequency, duration (hour/week), intensity (using the visual analog scale), and quality of life (using the Headache Impact Test-6) were assessed during the follow-up visits for up to 24 months after the first injection. Changes before and after treatment were assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Significant reductions in headache frequency, duration, and intensity were observed at all assessment points after SNEP injections when compared with the baseline values (p < 0.05), while the patients' headache-related quality of life also improved. Treatment was continued for up to 3 months to maintain these improvements, and no worsening of status or adverse effects were observed in any of the patients over the following 24 months. Our results show that SNEP injections may offer persistent, substantial, and clinically relevant benefits in patients with migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the oral symptoms and subjective health perceptions of Korean adolescents due to COVID-19. Data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS; 2021) were analyzed, and 54,848 Korean middle and high school students were included in the study. Frequency, cross-tabulation, and logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS (v. 22.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The survey results on subjective health perception showed that 64.8% considered themselves "healthy", 26.1% rated themselves "moderate" in health, and 9.26% rated themselves "unhealthy." When asked about brushing their teeth after lunch at school, students answered "no" more frequently than "yes". Participants provided significantly different responses to questions related to receiving "sealant treatment", "having broken teeth", "experiencing tooth pain when eating", "having throbbing tooth pain", and "having pain and bleeding in gums". Regarding the relationship between oral symptoms and subjective health perceptions due to COVID-19, students perceived themselves as healthy when they had no throbbing tooth pain, risk of pain, bleeding in the gums, or symptoms of toothache when eating. Results reveal a relationship between oral symptoms and subjective health perceptions due to COVID-19. Thus, appropriate oral health management for adolescents is needed in response to the COVID-related changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]