Cognitive decline is observed in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia. Intracellular energy produced via mitochondrial respiration is used in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and structure, including dendritic spine length and density, as well as for the release of neurotrophic factors involved in learning and memory. To date, a few synthetic agents for improving mitochondrial function have been developed for overcoming cognitive impairment. However, no natural compounds that modulate synaptic plasticity by directly targeting mitochondria have been developed. Here, we demonstrate that a mixture of Schisandra chinensis extract (SCE) and ascorbic acid (AA) improved cognitive function and induced synaptic plasticity-regulating proteins by enhancing mitochondrial respiration. Treatment of embryonic mouse hippocampal mHippoE-14 cells with a 4:1 mixture of SCE and AA increased basal oxygen consumption rate. We found that mice injected with the SCE-AA mixture showed enhanced learning and memory and recognition ability. We further observed that injection of the SCE-AA mixture in mice significantly increased expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), an increase that was correlated with enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. These results demonstrate that a mixture of SCE and AA improves mitochondrial function and memory, suggesting that this natural compound mixture could be used to alleviate AD and aging-associated memory decline.

Thyroidectomy is a safe procedure that is frequently performed for benign or malignant thyroid disease. Complications after thyroidectomy occur in approximately 3%–5% of patients. Tracheal perforation is a very rare post-thyroidectomy complication, and delayed tracheal perforation without intraoperative tracheal injury is even rarer; only 25 case reports have been published globally, with varied management. We present the case of a 36-year-old man presenting with dyspnea and cough 2 weeks after left thyroidectomy. A defect measuring approximately 2 cm was confirmed on the anterior wall of the trachea by computed tomography and flexible laryngoscopy. The patient’s symptoms improved with conservative treatment including systemic steroids, and surgical treatment was not required. Even in the absence of unusual intraoperative events, delayed tracheal necrosis and perforation should be considered as possible postoperative complications following thyroidectomy.

Background and Objective Although numerous studies have reported surgical results of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, efficacies of extended uvulopalatal flap (EUPF) surgery have only been reported in a few studies. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the success rate of EUPF and investigate the advantage and practicality of this surgery.Methods Medical records of patients who underwent EUPF surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Through medical record analysis, demographic information was confirmed. Postoperative polysomnography (PSG) results were divided into a surgical ‘success’ group and a ‘failure’ group. Patients’ PSG results, questionnaires, and cephalometry were comparatively analyzed.Results All sleep parameters of PSG except rapid eye movement latency and hypopnea index were significantly improved after surgery. Ten patients were in the success group (success rate, 33.3%) and 20 patients were in the failure group. Among preoperative PSG parameters, apnea-hypopnea index, apnea index, and number of awakenings showed significant differences between the two groups. However, there were no significant differences in results of cephalometry or Friedman stage between the two groups.Conclusions The EUPF surgery can change sleep factors and improve subjective symptoms in obstructive sleep apnea patients. It could be considered as one of the treatment options for patients with surgical indications, although its success rate was only 33.3%.