A Study on the Actual Situation of High-speed Ship Transport in Northeast Asia and the Competitive Advantage ： Comparison of the Container Ship Transport and High-speed Ship Transport

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Hippocampal atrophy is associated with hearing loss in cognitively normal adults

Objectives: A growing body of evidence suggests that age-related hearing loss (HL) is associated with morphological changes of the cerebral cortex, but the results have been drawn from a small amount of data in most studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between HL and gray matter volume (GMV) in a large number of subjects, strictly controlling for an extensive set of possible biases.// Methods: Medical records of 576 subjects who underwent pure tone audiometry, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the Korean Mini-Mental State Exam (K-MMSE) were reviewed. Among them, subjects with normal cognitive function and free of central nervous system disorders or coronary artery disease were included. Outliers were excluded after a sample homogeneity check. In the end, 405 subjects were enrolled. Pure tone hearing thresholds were determined at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear. Enrolled subjects were divided into 3 groups according to pure tone average: normal hearing (NH), mild HL (MHL), and moderate-to-severe HL (MSHL) groups. Using voxel-based morphometry, we evaluated GMV changes that may be associated with HL. Sex, age, total intracranial volume, type of MRI scanner, education level, K-MMSE score, smoking status, and presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia were used as covariates. // Results: A statistically significant negative correlation between the hearing thresholds and GMV of the hippocampus was elucidated. Additionally, in group comparisons, the left hippocampal GMV of the MSHL group was significantly smaller than that of the NH and MHL groups. // Conclusion: Based on the negative correlation between hearing thresholds and hippocampal GMV in cognitively normal old adults, the current study indicates that peripheral deafferentation could be a potential contributing factor to hippocampal atrophy

Permanent Pacemaker for Syncope after Heart Transplantation with Bicaval Technique

Sinus node dysfunction occurs occasionally after heart transplantation and may be caused by surgical trauma, ischemia to the sinus node, rejection, drug therapy, and increasing donor age. However, the timing and indication of permanent pacemaker insertion due to sinus node dysfunction following heart transplantation is contentious. Here, we report a case of a permanent pacemaker insertion for syncope due to sinus arrest after heart transplantation, even with a bicaval technique, which has been known to associate with few incidences of sinus node dysfunction

Acute Myocardial Infarction due to Polyarteritis Nodosa in a Young Female Patient

Coronary artery aneurysms are uncommon, are usually associated with atherosclerosis, and rarely involve all three major coronary arteries. The present report describes a rare case of a young female patient presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Coronary angiography revealed multiple severe aneurysmal and stenotic changes. Based on clinical feature and angiographic findings, it was strongly suspected that the patient had polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) complicated by AMI. The patient was treated with standard cardiac medications and immunosuppressive agents and has remained stable without further complications during a follow-up period of 6 months

Comparative Analysis Of Energy Expenditure Assessments From The Graded Exercise Test Vs. Galaxy Watch And Apple Watch In Korean College Students During A 30-minute Workout: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES In the modern era, there is heightened interest in understanding energy expenditure during exercise. Consequently, wearable devices such as the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch have emerged as pivotal tools for daily health monitoring, given their convenience and increasing popularity. This study aimed to compare the calculated energy expenditure derived from the graded exercise test with readings from Galaxy and Apple Watches during a 30-min exercise session among Korean university students. Through this, we anticipate offering both motivation and clear insights into energy expenditure, thereby potentially aiding in weight management strategies for contemporary individuals. METHODS This study involved 27 college students from Korea National University of Transportation in Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. We utilized COSMED's exercise load respiratory gas analysis system (Quark-CPET, COSMED, Rome, Italy), along with the Galaxy Watch (Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung, Seoul, Korea) and the Apple Watch (Apple watch series 5, Apple, Cupertino, USA) for measurements. Energy expenditure was monitored in real-time every 5 min throughout the 30-min exercise session. For statistical evaluations, we employed a one-way analysis of variance. Subsequent post-tests utilized the Tukey post-hoc test and Pearson correlation, with a significance level set at p0.05). Conversely, a notable difference was observed when comparing energy expenditure data from the graded exercise test to that of the Apple Watch for time intervals of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min (p>0.05), although the 5-min interval did not exhibit a significant difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, a robust positive correlation was evident between the energy expenditure values derived from the graded exercise test and those from both the Galaxy Watch (r=0.952, p<0.001) and the Apple Watch (r=0.917, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both devices demonstrated high reliability in calculating energy expenditure. Notably, the Galaxy Watch exhibited a more precise calculation compared to the Apple Watch, with a relative reliability margin of 3.5% higher. For individuals, especially those struggling with obesity, precise wearable devices that accurately reflect energy consumption can significantly boost motivation for exercise. Consequently, this study lays a foundation for future advancements in energy expenditure measurement tools, emphasizing enhanced convenience, reliability, and mobility

Endovascular Treatment of Isolated Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms With Short Necks Using Bifurcated Stent-Grafts

Elective surgical repair has traditionally been considered to be the treatment of choice for the exclusion of isolated iliac artery aneurysms (IAAs). Recently, endovascular repair has evolved as an alternative to surgical repair, especially in patients at high surgical risk. However, in the absence of sufficient proximal necks, iliac artery aneurysms are not suitable for direct deployment of a tubular-shaped endograft. Here we report two cases of IAAs with short proximal necks that were excluded using an endovascular bifurcated stent-graft. The bifurcated stent-graft was successfully deployed with complete exclusion of the aneurysm. In neither case was there evidence of procedural failures. There were no signs of significant complications. We conclude that endovascular repair of IAAs with short proximal necks is feasible and efficient using an endovascular bifurcated stent-graft

Photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy study of electron-doped colossal magnetoresistance manganite: La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 film

The electronic structure of La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 (LCeMO) thin film has been investigated using photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The Ce 3d core-level PES and XAS spectra of LCeMO are very similar to those of CeO2, indicating that Ce ions are far from being trivalent. A very weak 4f resonance is observed around the Ce 4d $\to$ 4f absorption edge, suggesting that the localized Ce 4f states are almost empty in the ground state. The Mn 2p XAS spectrum reveals the existence of the Mn(2+) multiplet feature, confirming the Mn(2+)-Mn(3+) mixed-valent states of Mn ions in LCeMO. The measured Mn 3d PES/XAS spectra for LCeMO agrees reasonably well with the calculated Mn 3d PDOS using the LSDA+U method. The LSDA+U calculation predicts a half-metallic ground state for LCeMO.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure