Ji-Young Son

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This study examined whether animal feeding operations and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are disproportionately located near disadvantaged communities across seven U.S. states. In some states, facilities clustered near communities with higher proportions of racial and ethnic minorities and lower incomes, but patterns varied considerably by state — with some states showing the opposite trend. The inconsistent findings highlight how environmental justice concerns around industrial livestock facilities differ by geography and require state-specific policy responses.

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A small randomized trial tested whether adding stress-focused pharmacopuncture — injecting herbal extracts at acupuncture points — to standard Korean medicine treatment improved anxiety and depression in traffic accident patients. Patients who received the add-on treatment showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety and depression scores than those receiving standard care alone, with no serious side effects. The results suggest pharmacopuncture may help speed psychological recovery after traumatic accidents.

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A scoping review of 135 epidemiologic studies mapped what is known about how ambient temperature affects human fertility. Higher temperatures were consistently linked to lower sperm quality and higher odds of infertility, though findings for other outcomes like IVF success rates and pregnancy loss were mixed. The review identified significant gaps in study designs and exposure methods, pointing to the need for stronger research to guide public health recommendations.

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This study built and tested two different methods for constructing a climate health vulnerability index for New York State, using 44 health and environmental indicators. The approach based on directly combining indicators was more stable and less sensitive to methodological choices than the approach based on statistical data reduction. The findings provide guidance for building reliable vulnerability indices that can help policymakers direct resources to communities most at risk from climate change.

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Hydroxyapatite — the mineral base of bone — was combined with reduced graphene oxide and yttrium oxide to create composite materials aimed at both bone repair and cancer treatment. The resulting composites showed improved light absorption and generated reactive oxygen species capable of killing cancer cells, while also demonstrating strong antibacterial activity and remaining safe in cell toxicity tests. These dual-purpose properties make them promising candidates for integrated bone healing and localized cancer therapy.

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Researchers created a light-activated hydrogel loaded with morin, a plant compound with anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties, to treat burn wounds. In rat models, the hydrogel sped up wound closure, increased collagen formation, and reduced scarring, while in cell studies it suppressed key inflammatory signals driven by immune cells. The results support further development of this type of drug-loaded hydrogel for burn care.

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Two longitudinal studies tracked how political engagement affects people's emotional lives day to day. Rather than simply creating sustained bad moods, political engagement was linked to rapid, large swings in emotional state — affective instability — which in turn predicted higher anxiety. Strong partisans on both left and right showed the greatest emotional volatility, revealing a psychological cost of political involvement that is distinct from just feeling negative.

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This study tested two types of programs to help first-year college students navigate unspoken academic rules: one that made those rules explicit and one that featured peer stories about overcoming challenges. Both approaches improved fall semester GPA and first-year retention compared to students who received no intervention, and the benefits were not limited to first-generation college students. The results suggest that helping students understand and anticipate institutional expectations early on can meaningfully improve their chances of staying in college.

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Researchers examined county-level cancer rates in California, Iowa, and Texas in relation to how densely animal feeding operations and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) were clustered nearby. Counties with more intensive livestock facility exposure had significantly higher cancer rates in all three states — roughly 4–8% higher overall — with certain cancer types elevated depending on the state, such as bladder cancer in California and colorectal cancer in Iowa. The findings raise concern that industrial livestock facilities may contribute to cancer risk in surrounding communities.

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This study investigated how dynorphin — a naturally occurring pain-modulating molecule — affects nerve cells in the brainstem that process tooth pain signals. Applying dynorphin to individual neurons produced both inhibitory and excitatory effects: inhibition was mediated through kappa opioid receptors, while excitation was driven by NMDA receptors. These dual and opposing actions suggest dynorphin plays a complex role in modulating dental pain, with implications for understanding chronic tooth and facial pain.

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This study tracked immunocompromised patients — those with blood cancers or organ transplants — who had prolonged or recurrent COVID-19 viral shedding, and used genetic sequencing to determine whether they were infected with new virus variants. About one-third of the 20 patients with persistent or relapsed viral shedding had been reinfected with a different SARS-CoV-2 variant rather than carrying the same infection. The findings indicate that reinfection with new variants is a meaningful contributor to prolonged COVID in this vulnerable population.

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Recycled plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) was doped with increasing amounts of neodymium oxide to see how it changed the material's structure, light absorption, and electrical properties. Adding neodymium oxide narrowed the optical band gap, improved dielectric stability across temperatures, and enhanced electrical conductivity. These changes suggest neodymium-doped recycled plastic could be useful in flexible electronics and optical fiber applications.

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This study tested whether botulinum neurotoxin type E — a shorter-acting relative of the widely used type A toxin — can relieve different types of chronic facial and jaw pain in rats. Injected under the skin, botulinum toxin type E significantly reduced pain behaviors in models of inflammatory pain, heat sensitivity, and nerve injury-related pain, with effects lasting up to 48 hours. The results position botulinum toxin type E as a potential short-duration treatment option for chronic orofacial pain.

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A randomized controlled trial tested an 8-week circuit training program tailored to each participant's age, sex, and activity level in adults aged 40–69. The exercise program significantly increased abdominal muscle thickness, reduced body fat percentage and waist circumference, and improved physical fitness compared to a control group. The results support personalized exercise programs as a practical tool for building muscle and reducing fat in middle-aged adults before age-related muscle loss sets in.

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Researchers used a rat model of trigeminal neuralgia to investigate whether botulinum toxin type A (Botox) reduces facial nerve pain by suppressing an inflammatory protein complex called NLRP3. Injecting botulinum toxin reduced mechanical pain sensitivity and lowered levels of NLRP3 and associated inflammatory molecules in the trigeminal nerve ganglion. The findings identify the NLRP3 pathway as a key target through which botulinum toxin relieves trigeminal nerve pain.

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This study looked at how two physical effects — built-in polarization bias (the imprint effect) and mechanical force (the flexoelectric effect) — influence where and how ferroelectric domains switch in lead titanate thin films. The imprint effect reduced the voltage needed to switch polarization in one direction, and applying a local mechanical force further lowered the energy barrier for switching in targeted nanoscale spots. These combined effects offer a path to writing smaller, lower-power data bits in ferroelectric memory devices.

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A longitudinal study of 187 college freshmen tested whether knowing the general structure of a social network early on — who belongs to which groups and cliques — predicts becoming more socially influential over time. Students who later rose to central positions in the network had an early grasp of broad community structure, not detailed knowledge of specific friendships. These findings show that understanding the big picture of social structure is a key factor in gaining social influence.

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Researchers tracked immune signaling molecules in 79 COVID-19 patients over the months after infection to understand what drives persistent long-COVID symptoms. Symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, chest pain, and gastrointestinal problems were associated with elevated levels of specific inflammatory proteins — including IL-6, IL-8, and others linked to immune cell recruitment and blood vessel leakage — while other symptoms like chronic cough and hair loss showed no such immune pattern. The results suggest that at least some long-COVID symptom clusters share a common inflammatory mechanism involving T-cell activity and vascular disruption.

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A study of nearly 800,000 births across three U.S. states examined whether living in greener areas during specific weeks of pregnancy lowered the risk of having a low birth weight baby at full term. More greenspace was protective mainly in the first seven weeks and in the final ten weeks of pregnancy, with little effect during the middle months. The findings suggest that early and late pregnancy may be critical windows when access to green environments matters most for birth weight.

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This study examined how oxygen-deficient layers in lead titanate thin films affect the stability and direction of electrical polarization — a property relevant to memory and energy storage devices. Thicker oxygen-deficient layers caused the films to lock into a preferred polarization direction, confirming that built-in structural asymmetry drives this imprint effect. These findings suggest a design route for engineering ferroelectric films with more controlled and stable electrical behavior.

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A scoping review examined how researchers have defined and measured urban versus rural settings in U.S. studies of temperature and health, finding 23 different metrics drawn from 10 data sources. Population size and density from the Census were most commonly used, but many studies chose their metric without explaining why. The review calls for clearer justification of urban-rural metric choices to better understand how geography shapes temperature-related health risks.

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This study analyzed death records from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to assess whether living near animal feeding operations or CAFOs increased the risk of dying from specific diseases. Proximity to these facilities was associated with higher odds of death from cerebrovascular disease and diabetes across all three states, with the elevated risk consistent even after accounting for individual and community characteristics. Some population groups — particularly racial minorities and lower-income communities in certain states — faced a disproportionate share of this elevated risk.

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Two previously unknown bacterial species were isolated from construction site soil in South Korea and classified using genetic, biochemical, and structural analysis. Both belong to the genus Hymenobacter within the family Cytophagales, with DNA profiles distinct enough from known relatives to qualify as new species. The strains are proposed as Hymenobacter cheonanensis and Hymenobacter convexus.

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Researchers substituted small amounts of gadolinium into barium titanate — a widely used ceramic material — and studied how this changed its crystal structure and electrical behavior. Increasing gadolinium content shifted the crystal structure and progressively lowered the dielectric constant across a range of temperatures and frequencies. These findings offer a way to fine-tune the electrical properties of barium titanate for use in advanced electronic components.

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Thin films of sodium bismuth titanate were engineered with excess sodium and bismuth, plus lanthanum doping, to improve their electrical and solar energy properties. The modifications substantially increased the films' electrical polarization and reduced electrical leakage, both of which are key for ferroelectric photovoltaic devices. These results point toward a design strategy for making high-performance materials that convert light into electricity.

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This study investigated the role of ULK1 — a protein that triggers a cellular self-recycling process called autophagy — in pancreatic cancer. Removing ULK1 in mouse models slowed tumor growth and extended survival, partly by reshaping the immune environment around the tumor to allow cancer-killing immune cells to take over. Blocking ULK1 could become a treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer by simultaneously starving tumor cells and enabling the immune system to fight them.

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Researchers tested whether it was feasible to track physical activity and sedentary behavior in older assisted living residents using wearable devices over six months. Most residents completed the study with acceptable dropout, and there were small declines in activity and small increases in sedentary time over the period, with more notable changes in residents with cognitive impairment. The study demonstrates that this type of longitudinal monitoring is practical in assisted living settings.

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A survey of 89 military personnel in South Korea with jaw joint discomfort examined whether stress level was linked to harmful oral habits — like teeth clenching — and temporomandibular joint symptoms. Higher stress was associated with more oral habits, and more oral habits were associated with more severe jaw symptoms, with the lowest-ranking soldiers showing the highest stress and oral habit scores. The findings suggest that managing stress in military populations could help prevent stress-driven oral behaviors that contribute to jaw disorders.

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This study tested whether measuring heart rate variability — fluctuations in the time between heartbeats — could predict which dialysis patients would experience dangerous blood pressure drops during treatment. An index combining multiple heart rate variability measures predicted episodes of intradialytic hypotension with good accuracy, and the test results were highly reproducible when repeated on the same patients. Heart rate variability testing holds promise as a non-invasive screening tool to identify dialysis patients at high risk for this common complication.

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This review summarizes evidence for botulinum toxin type A (Botox) as a treatment for chronic pain in the face, jaw, and mouth — including temporomandibular joint pain, trigeminal neuralgia, and neuropathic pain. The toxin works by blocking nerve signaling molecules at synapses, and studies in both animals and humans show it can reduce pain that does not respond to standard painkillers. While its peripheral mechanism is well understood, exactly how it suppresses pain signals in the central nervous system remains an open question.

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This study used South Korean national health survey data to examine whether young adults who exercise intensely are more likely to have experienced tooth injuries from physical activity. High-intensity exercisers had significantly more exercise-related dental injuries than those who exercised moderately, and the risk increased with the number of vigorous exercise days per week. Young men, college students, and higher-income individuals were the most frequent high-intensity exercisers and thus faced the greatest dental injury risk.

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A systematic review of 76 studies on animal feeding operations and CAFOs found that research on who is most exposed and who bears the greatest health burden remains limited and inconsistent. Most studies measured exposure simply as the presence or distance to a facility, and only 20 of the 76 studies directly examined environmental justice dimensions like race or income. The review finds suggestive evidence of disproportionate exposure and health effects in some subgroups but calls for better-designed studies to draw firm conclusions.

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This study analyzed 68,159 full-term births in Connecticut to assess whether residential exposure to radon gas during pregnancy raised the risk of having a low birth weight baby. Even at levels below the EPA's action guideline, exposure to basement radon during the first trimester was associated with 22–26% higher odds of term low birth weight. Mothers with lower incomes, less education, or urban residency faced even higher risks, raising questions about whether current radon guidelines adequately protect pregnant women.

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In a rat model of facial nerve injury pain, this study examined how the fine branches of astrocytes — brain support cells — rearrange themselves around synapses in the brainstem pain-processing region. After nerve injury, astrocyte branches dramatically increased their coverage of nearby synapses, and this structural change was reversed by blocking a specific receptor (mGluR5). The findings reveal a physical remodeling process in the brain's pain circuitry following nerve injury, pointing to mGluR5 as a potential treatment target.

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Researchers created a library of 30 categories of 3D-printable novel objects and ran three experiments to confirm the objects were genuinely unfamiliar and had a meaningful internal structure based on shape. Adults rated the objects as unfamiliar and showed consistent shape-based categorization, and two clustering approaches agreed on the underlying organization of the objects. The ALICE database gives researchers a practical, customizable set of physical stimuli for studies of object learning and categorization.

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An experiment tested whether watching a video of hands physically manipulating objects helps students learn a coding concept better than watching a dynamic digital animation of the same process. Only students who watched the hands-on video outperformed both the digital animation group and a control group that watched a standard coding demonstration. The result demonstrates that sensorimotor engagement — seeing human hands in action — adds a unique learning benefit beyond simply showing dynamic visual movement.

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A randomized trial in South Korea tested whether adding pharmacopuncture — injection of herbal extracts into suboccipital neck muscles — to standard Korean medicine treatment improved outcomes for traffic accident patients with acute tension headaches. Patients who received the add-on treatment reported significantly less head and neck pain and better function by the fourth day of hospitalization, with higher headache recovery rates still evident at two months. Pharmacopuncture appears to be a useful complement to standard care for post-accident headaches.

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A large study of Pennsylvania birth records from 2003 to 2020 examined whether living near concentrated animal feeding operations increased the risk of preterm birth or low birth weight. Proximity to these facilities was associated with a 2–7% higher odds of preterm birth depending on exposure level, with the risk rising as the number of nearby facilities increased. Certain maternal characteristics — including race and ethnicity, education, and urban or rural location — were linked to heightened vulnerability to this effect.

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Using eight years of national data on older adults in assisted living, this study identified which factors predicted transfer to a nursing home. Better physical fitness and staying physically active over time were the strongest protective factors against transfer, regardless of age or education level, while difficulty with daily activities raised the risk. The findings point to physical activity programs in assisted living as a practical way to help residents remain in place longer.

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Different metal oxide particles — silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, and aluminum oxide — were each added to a blend of two common plastics (PMMA and PEG) to test how they changed the materials' optical and electrical properties. All three dopants narrowed the band gap and altered dielectric behavior, with aluminum oxide producing the most dramatic changes. The results suggest these composite materials could serve different roles in flexible electronics and optical fiber manufacturing.

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This study compared a standard pathology stain for the p53 protein against genetic sequencing in 112 breast cancer patients to see how well the stain predicts the underlying gene mutation. The two methods agreed in about 88% of cases, and both abnormal p53 staining and the actual gene mutation were linked to worse survival outcomes. The p53 protein stain alone — without sequencing — predicted worse disease-free and overall survival, making it a practical and accessible tool for identifying high-risk breast cancers.

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A study of college students learning a new social network found that people who later become the most connected individuals first develop an accurate mental map of the network's broad group structure — who belongs to which communities — rather than memorizing specific individual friendships. Overnight rest appeared to sharpen these abstract mental maps, particularly improving the ability to identify efficient communication paths between people in different social clusters. The findings reveal that building social influence depends on forming and refining high-level structural knowledge of one's social world.

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Researchers genotyped blood samples from 70 South Korean patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome — a serious tick-borne illness — to see whether the virus strain affected disease outcomes. Genotype B was by far the most common strain, but patients infected with genotype B did not have significantly different survival rates, disease severity, or immune response profiles compared to those infected with other genotypes. In South Korea, SFTS virus genotype does not appear to be a major driver of how severely patients get sick.

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This study described seven cases of an extremely rare and hard-to-diagnose stomach cancer whose cells look almost identical to normal stomach lining under the microscope. Eleven pathologists reviewed pre-surgery biopsy slides and correctly identified definitive cancer in only 15% of cases, with an overall diagnostic agreement rate of just 35%. Despite the deceptively normal appearance, more than half of patients had advanced cancer with lymph node spread by the time of surgery.

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A rat study tested whether blocking Piezo2 — a protein that detects mechanical force in nerve cells — could reduce inflammatory and nerve injury pain in the face and jaw. Injecting a Piezo2 inhibitor significantly reduced pain sensitivity in both an inflammation model and a dental implant nerve injury model, with elevated Piezo2 protein confirmed in the relevant nerve tissue after injury. The results identify Piezo2 as a promising target for new treatments for orofacial pain conditions.

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This study examined how shrinking the size of metal electrodes on a nickel oxide memory device (a type of resistive RAM) changes the voltages required to form, set, and reset the device's memory state. Smaller electrodes required lower voltages, because fewer possible paths exist for the conductive channels that form inside the material. The findings provide practical design guidelines for scaling down resistive memory devices for use in electronics.

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Researchers developed an injectable hydrogel that encases tiny particles loaded with ranibizumab — a drug used to treat blinding retinal diseases — to extend how long the drug stays active in the eye. In animal experiments, the system maintained therapeutic drug levels in the eye for more than 120 days, roughly ten times longer than the drug alone. This approach could dramatically reduce the frequency of painful eye injections required for patients with retinal vascular disease.

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Machine learning models using satellite and land-use data were built to estimate daily air pollution levels across neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, then linked to neighborhood demographics. Socially disadvantaged neighborhoods and those with more children had higher exposure to ozone and fine particles, and were more likely to exceed national air quality standards on more days per year. The study adds South American evidence to the pattern seen globally that pollution burdens fall disproportionately on poorer and younger communities.

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A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence from 76 studies on how ambient temperature affects mental and neurological health in adults aged 60 and older. Higher temperatures and heat waves were consistently associated with increased hospital visits and deaths related to mental health disorders, while cold temperatures also increased risk across multiple neurological conditions. The review highlights the need to protect older adults' mental and neurological health as climate change intensifies temperature extremes.

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Trained individuals with no dental disease visited 196 South Korean dental clinics posing as patients requesting a cavity check. In about two-thirds of visits, dentists diagnosed at least one cavity in these cavity-free patients, and nearly 21% were told they had five or more cavities. The findings indicate widespread overdiagnosis of dental caries in South Korea, with smaller solo practices more likely to recommend treatment rather than prevention.