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Background: Percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) is the most common metric used after bariatric surgery. However, there has been consistent argument against its use since it varies significantly by initial body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to validate the newly suggested percentage of alterable weight loss (%AWL) metric in Korean patients.Methods: A retrospective review of the prospectively established database at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital identified 165 patients who underwent primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and had at least 2-year follow-up weight loss results after surgery. Patients were classified into subgroups based on initial BMI, and their weight loss results expressed as BMI, %EWL, %AWL, and percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) were compared in terms of nadir weight and weight loss trajectory.Results: The study cohort included 27 male (16.4%) and 138 female (83.6%) patients with a mean baseline BMI of 38.1 ± 5.4. Nadir weight was achieved at mean 24.1 ± 10.6 months postoperatively. Female patients required significantly longer to achieve nadir weight than male patients (16.2 vs. 22.4 months, p = 0.001), and they achieved less weight loss expressed as nadir BMI, %EWL, and %AWL. Of these metrics, only %AWL was not significantly influenced by preoperative BMI and showed the least variation (25.2%) for reporting weight loss.Conclusion: The AWL metric can report weight loss regardless of baseline BMI in Korean patients undergoing RYGB; however, it must be validated in a larger population involving multiple centers from the Asia-Pacific area before being used clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined the number of suicides in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces and compared the relative suicide risk of military personnel with that in the general population.Methods: Age-, sex-, and calendar year-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to compare the number of suicides between the ROK Armed Forces and the general population.Results: Between 2011 and 2016, there were 405 suicides by ROK Armed Forces Personnel. The ROK Armed Forces had significantly fewer suicides than expected compared with the general population (SMR = 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.41~0.50, based on 405 deaths). This was evident for both rank groups (soldiers and officers). In addition, a significant decrease was observed in the soldier group when comparing the SMR in 2016 with the previous 5-year average.Conclusions: Overall, during the period 2011-2016, the ROK Armed Forces had fewer suicides than expected when compared with the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A traditional herb, Yi-Gan San, has been widely used for the management of neurodegenerative disorders in traditional East Asian Medicine. Aim of the study: The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Yi-Gan San in 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine/1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo and sought to clarify its underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods: The effect of Yi-Gan San on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine was measured in terms of 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays, caspase-3 activity, and western blot analysis of phosphorylated Akt, one of the survival-related signaling proteins in SH-SY5Y cells. The effects of Yi-Gan San were also confirmed in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinsonian mouse model using a rotarod test and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunohistochemistry. Results: Pretreatment of Yi-Gan San with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine showed a significant protective effect on SH-SY5Y cells and significantly decreased the level of caspase-3 activity compared to the values for the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine-treated cells. This process increased the protein expressions of phosphorylated Akt, and an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, LY294002, significantly decreased this protective effect of Yi-Gan San. In the mouse Parkinson''s disease model, treatment with Yi-Gan San also significantly improved motor functioning and prevented dopaminergic loss related to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine challenge. Conclusion: Using both in vitro and in vivo methods, this study revealed that Yi-Gan San has neuroprotective effects and rescues dopaminergic neurons from 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine/1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine toxicity, possibly via the PI3K/Akt pathway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]