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The objective of this study was to examine whether fucosterol, a phytosterol of marine algae, could ameliorate skeletal muscle atrophy in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-treated C2C12 myotubes and in immobilization-induced C57BL/6J mice. Male C57BL6J mice were immobilized for 1 week to induce skeletal muscle atrophy. Following immobilization, the mice were administrated orally with saline or fucosterol (10 or 30 mg/kg/day) for 1 week. Fucosterol significantly attenuated immobilization-induced muscle atrophy by enhancing muscle strength, with a concomitant increase in muscle volume, mass, and myofiber cross-sectional area in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle in mice. In both the TNF-α-treated C2C12 myotubes and the TA muscle of immobilized mice, fucosterol significantly prevented muscle protein degradation, which was attributed to a reduction in atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger 1 gene expression through an increase in forkhead box O3α (FoxO3α) phosphorylation. Continuously, fucosterol stimulated muscle protein synthesis by increasing the phosphorylation of the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR), 70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase, and 4E binding protein 1, which was mediated through the stimulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. Thus, fucosterol alleviated skeletal muscle atrophy in TNF-α-treated C2C12 myotubes and immobilized C57BL/6J mice through the regulation of the Akt/mTOR/FoxO3α signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze hospital-discharged acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in Korea (2006– 2020) to understand how pre-existing conditions affect mortality rates. Participants and Methods: This study utilized the 2006– 2020 Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey data. A weighted frequency analysis estimated discharged AMI patients and calculated age-standardized discharge and mortality rates, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score distribution, and general patient characteristics. Weighted logistic regression analysis examined influencing mortality factors. Results: There were 486,464 AMI patients (143,751 female), with AMI-related mortality rates at 7.5% (36,312): 5.7% for males (19,190) and 11.8% for females (17,122). The highest mortality rate was among individuals aged 70– 79 years (25%). Factors influencing mortality included sex, insurance type, admission route, hospital bed count, region, operation status, and CCI score. Mortality risk at discharge was 1.151 times higher in females than males (95% CI: 1.002– 1.322), 0.787 times lower among those with national health insurance than Medicaid recipients (95% CI 0.64– 0.967), 2.182 times higher among those admitted via the emergency department than the outpatient department (95% CI 1.747– 2.725), and 3.402 times higher in patients with a CCI score of 3 points than those with 0 points (95% CI 1.263– 9.162). Conclusion: The number of discharged AMI patients and related mortality rates increased, underscoring the need for proactive management of chronic diseases, particularly for those with higher CCI scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigated the risks for all-cause death and death from cancer or cardiovascular diseases due to smoking status and behavior, focusing on differences in smoking duration and amount stratified by sex. Methods: The integrated Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study provided data for 209770 individuals who were classified as never, former, or current smokers, based on their current smoking status. Pack-years were computed using daily average smoking amount and total smoking duration, and were categorized into quantiles separately for men and women. Based on the number of deaths in 2018, hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for all-cause mortality, as well as for death caused by all cancers, lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases according to pack-years adjusted for age, household income, marital status, body mass index, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. Results: A significant increase in the risk of all-cause mortality was observed for current smokers (men HR=1.90; 95% CI: 1.69–2.14; women HR=2.25; 95% CI: 1.68–2.99) and former smokers (men HR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.17–1.47; women HR=2.35; 95% CI: 1.63–3.39) compared with that for those who had never smoked. Among men, HR for death from lung cancer was 3.13 (95% CI: 2.06– 4.75) in former smokers and tended to increase with each pack-year quantile (range HR: 5.72–17.11). Among women, the HR was estimated to be 17.20 (95% CI: 6.22–47.57) only for >3rd quantile. Conclusions: Smoking increases the risks of all-cause death. Considering the persistent risks post-smoking cessation, it is vital to focus on preventing smoking initiation and providing proactive support for successful smoking cessation and maintenance of a smoke-free lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Numerous studies of school-based smoking prevention programs (SSPPs) exist; however, most have been conducted from the students' perspective, and insufficient research has explored teachers' perceptions. Our study aimed to identify factors affecting overall satisfaction and operational status from the perspective of teachers participating in the SSPP. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study analyzing data from a survey regarding the operation of an SSPP conducted by the Korea Health Promotion Institute in 2022. The study sample comprised 669 teachers involved in the SSPP: 215 from elementary schools, 212 from middle schools, and 242 from high schools. To identify factors influencing teachers' overall satisfaction, independent variables were categorized into three types of factors: personal, school, and teacher perceptions. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed for each factor to test the independent association. Results: For elementary school teachers, as the necessity of smoking prevention and cessation education (β=0.292; 95% CI: 0.182–0.382) increased, the overall satisfaction with the operation of the SSPP significantly improved. Similarly, for middle school teachers, as the necessity of smoking prevention and cessation education (β=0.231; 95% CI: 0.104–0.336) increased, the overall satisfaction significantly improved. Conversely, for high school teachers, the effectiveness (β=0.347; 95% CI: 0.184–0.520) was the variable that significantly improved overall satisfaction with the SSPP operation. The variables affecting teacher satisfaction across all school levels were the necessity of smoking prevention and cessation education, the effectiveness of the SSPP, and its impact on smoking cessation among smoking students, all of which belonged to the teacher perceptions factor. Conclusions: Smoking education in schools requires teachers to play a crucial role. Among participating teachers, overall satisfaction with SSPP operations and the influencing factors differed according to school level, highlighting the importance of careful consideration to establish a more effective operational environment tailored to each school level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hypothermia upon admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) contributes significantly to various neonatal complications, particularly in preterm infants. This study aimed to assess the impact of quality improvement (QI) interventions, including using plastic bags and head caps, and adjusting delivery room temperatures, on improving the admission body temperature and reducing hypothermia in infants born at less than 32 weeks or weighing 1,500 g. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of infants born at less than 32 weeks or weighing 1,500 g who admitted to the NICU at Samsung Medical Center from January 2022 to February 2024. The QI program that was initiated in April 2023 focused on managing admission temperatures using plastic bags and head caps, and maintaining delivery room temperatures at ≥25 °C. The admission temperature and short-term outcomes pre- and post-QI were compared. Results: In a study of 270 patients, implementing QI initiatives significantly raised the admission temperature from 36.2±0.5 to 36.4±0.4 °C (p<0.01), particularly impacting infants weighing ≥1,000 g, in whom mild hypothermia occurrences dropped from 76.3% to 43.9% (p<0.01). This improvement in temperature management significantly decreased both mild and severe hypothermia rates post-QI. Additionally, implementing all three initiatives was more effective than when two or fewer initiatives were implemented. Conclusion: Simple and cost-effective QI interventions can increase admission temperatures and decrease hypothermia in neonates. Further research is essential to explore the long-term outcomes and develop effective hypothermia management strategies in neonatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the risk factors associated with hypospadias in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (VLBWIs). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 729 infants born at ≥24 weeks of gestational age and weighing <1,500 g from January 2012 to December 2022. We assessed the prevalence of hypospadias by birth weight percentiles and also compared the demographics and placental histopathology of the infants with hypospadias (n=52) and those without hypospadias (n=677). Results: Of the 729 patients analysed, hypospadias was recorded in 26 (20.3%), 14 (26.9%), and 12 (2.5%) infants in the <3rd, ≥3rd–<10th, and ≥10th–<90th percentiles, respectively. Of all of the patients with hypospadias, 50% had birth weights <3rd percentile (p<0.001). The hypospadias group demonstrated a longer mean gestational age (30.1 weeks vs. 27.9 weeks, p<0.001), lower incidence of maternal pregnancy-induced hypertension (48.1% vs. 17.3%, p<0.001), lower incidence of premature rupture of membrane (11.5% vs. 27.1%, p=0.013), lower acute chorioamniotic maternal response (9.1% vs. 35.2%, p<0.001), and higher maternal underperfusion (95.5% vs. 71.9%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The frequency of hypospadias was found to be the highest among VBLWIs <3rd percentile, who were severely small for their gestational age (SGA). Additionally, the incidence increased with a decreasing birth weight. Physical examination is necessary at birth for VLBWIs classified as SGA. Moreover, the data on the incidence of hypospadias among VLBWIs in neonatal intensive care units can assist in tracking counseling from the prenatal to the postnatal period for patients born <3rd percentile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most previous studies examining M&As (mergers and acquisitions) have focused on the post-merger integration process. While there have been studies that have partially investigated the importance of deal completion, we argue that firms could learn to increase their deal completions by leveraging their experience from prior successful acquisitions and that their cumulative success could reduce the deal completion time; that is, the time from the announcement of the deal to its resolution. To address this unexplored issue about M&As, we investigated whether prior intra- and/or inter-industry acquisition experiences helped accelerate subsequent focal acquisitions in the semiconductor industry, which is characterized by rapid technological innovation. We tested our hypotheses on data consisting of 323 acquisition deals in the US semiconductor industry between 2000 and 2013. The results showed that both prior intra- and inter-industry acquisition experiences significantly reduced deal completion time. JEL CLASSIFICATION M10 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]