The Committee of Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Korean Diabetes Association revised and updated the 6th Clinical Practice Guidelines in 2019. Targets of glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were updated. The obese and overweight population is increasing steadily in Korea, and half of the Koreans with diabetes are obese. Evidence-based recommendations for weight-loss therapy for obesity management as treatment for hyperglycemia in T2DM were provided. In addition, evidence from large clinical studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes following the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in patients with T2DM were incorporated into the recommendations.

This clinical practice position statement, a product of the Fatty Liver Research Group of the Korean Diabetes Association, proposes recommendations for the diagnosis, progression and/or severity assessment, management, and follow-up of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with both T2DM and NAFLD have an increased risk of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetic complications compared to those without NAFLD. With regards to the evaluation of patients with T2DM and NAFLD, ultrasonography-based stepwise approaches using noninvasive biomarker models such as fibrosis-4 or the NAFLD fibrosis score as well as imaging studies such as vibration-controlled transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter or magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction are recommended. After the diagnosis of NAFLD, the stage of fibrosis needs to be assessed appropriately. For management, weight reduction achieved by lifestyle modification has proven beneficial and is recommended in combination with antidiabetic agent(s). Evidence that some antidiabetic agents improve NAFLD/NASH with fibrosis in patients with T2DM is emerging. However, there are currently no definite pharmacologic treatments for NAFLD in patients with T2DM. For specific cases, bariatric surgery may be an option if indicated.

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In 2017, the Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) published a position statement on the use of antihyperglycemic agents for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The KDA regularly updates its Clinical Practice Guidelines, but since the last update in 2015, many results from clinical trials have been introduced, and domestic data from studies performed in Korean patients with T2DM have been published. Recently, evidence from large clinical studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes following the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in patients with T2DM were incorporated into the recommendations. Additionally, new data from clinical trials using dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors and thiazolidinediones in Korean patients with T2DM were added. Following a systematic review and assessment of recent evidence, the KDA updated and modified its clinical practice recommendations regarding the use of antihyperglycemic agents and revised the treatment algorithm for Korean adult patients with T2DM.

Ecofriendly procedure for silver–silver chloride nanoparticle synthesis with different reaction parameters tested.

Advancements in metal nanoparticle synthesis using plant extracts and their anticancer activity have received significant attention in recent years. The green approach for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using leaf extract of Sasa borealis is reported in this study. Synthesis of AuNPs was performed at 50 °C, and nanoparticle formation was observed after 20 min incubation. AuNPs formation was confirmed by the UV-visible spectrum peak at 542 nm. The synthesized AuNPs were oval, spherical with sizes around 10-30 nm observed using the transmission electron microscope. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis was utilized for the detection of elemental compound. The face centered cubic structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction pattern. The reduction of tetrachloroauric acid into AuNPs by the phytochemical compounds of S. borealis extract was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the presence of biomolecules was studied by GC-MS. The synthesized AuNPs was tested for toxic effect on HEK293 cells and anticancer activity on AGS cells by WST-1 assay. Condensation or fragmentation is a characteristics of apoptosis, which was confirmed by 4,6-diamidino-2-pheynylindole dihydrochoride (DAPI) staining. The S. borealis-mediated AuNPs have good activity as an anticancer agent and it will be beneficial in cancer therapeutics.

DNA-PCR and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for the 18-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae were used to examine the efficacy of multi-drug therapy (MDT) in leprosy. MDT was administered for 0-24 months. Fourteen (63.6%) of 22 patients showed positive PCR results after treatment for 12 months and the positive results decreased to 30% after 24 months of MDT. These results did not correlate with the bacterial index (BI) or the IgM antibody titre for the phenolic glycolipid (PGL)-1. One-dimensional densitometric analysis of agarose gels from PCR from the longitudinal study showed a gradual reduction of the 360-bp band after 12-24 months of MDT. RT-PCR for mRNA of the 18-kDa protein successfully tracked bacterial RNA changes in the biopsies and confirmed a decrease in the RNA of M. leprae in patients after MDT for 12 months. Thus, DNA-and RT-PCR for the 18-kDa protein of M. leprae are effective in assessing the efficacy of MDT for leprosy.

The MYC family of transcriptional regulators play significant roles in animal development, including the renewal and maintenance of stem cells. Not surprisingly, given MYC’s capacity to promote programs of proliferative cell growth, MYC is frequently upregulated in cancer. Although members of the MYC family are upregulated in nervous system tumours, the mechanisms of how elevated MYC promotes stem cell-driven brain cancers is unknown. If we are to determine how increased MYC might contribute to brain cancer progression, we will require a more complete understanding of MYC’s roles during normal brain development. Here, we evaluate evidence for MYC family functions in neural stem cell fate and brain development, with a view to better understand mechanisms of MYC-driven neural malignancies.