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Breast cancer brain metastases remain largely incurable. Although several mouse models have been developed to investigate the genes and mechanisms regulating breast cancer brain metastasis, these models often lack clinical relevance since they require the use of immunocompromised mice and/or are poorly metastatic to brain from the mammary gland. We describe the development and characterisation of an aggressive brain metastatic variant of the 4T1 syngeneic model (4T1Br4) that spontaneously metastasises to multiple organs, but is selectively more metastatic to the brain from the mammary gland than parental 4T1 tumours. As seen by immunohistochemistry, 4T1Br4 tumours and brain metastases display a triple-negative phenotype, consistent with the high propensity of this breast cancer subtype to spread to brain. In vitro assays indicate that 4T1Br4 cells have an enhanced ability to adhere to or migrate across a brain-derived endothelial monolayer and greater invasive response to brain-derived soluble factors compared to 4T1 cells. These properties are likely to contribute to the brain selectivity of 4T1Br4 tumours. Expression profiling and gene set enrichment analyses demonstrate the clinical relevance of the 4T1Br4 model at the transcriptomic level. Pathway analyses implicate tumour-intrinsic immune regulation and vascular interactions in successful brain colonisation, revealing potential therapeutic targets. Evaluation of two histone deacetylase inhibitors, SB939 and 1179.4b, shows partial efficacy against 4T1Br4 metastasis to brain and other sites in vivo, and potent radio-sensitising properties in vitro. The 4T1Br4 model provides a clinically relevant tool for mechanistic studies and to evaluate novel therapies against brain metastasis. This article has an associated First Person interview with Soo-Hyun Kim, joint first author of the paper., Summary: The authors introduce a new syngeneic mouse model of spontaneous breast cancer brain metastasis, demonstrate its phenotypic, functional and transcriptomic relevance to human TNBC brain metastasis, and test novel therapies.

Background Various methods have been used to control body temperature in targeted temperature management (TTM), but few studies have compared specific subtypes of surface cooling systems. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiencies and neurological outcomes between hydrogels pad and water-circulating blanket cooling methods. Methods We conducted a multicentre, prospective, registry-based study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM between 2015 and 2018. We compared the neurological outcomes, efficacies for cooling, and adverse events between patients who received TTM using a hydrogel pad and water-circulating blanket cooling. Patients were one-to-one matched using propensity scores to adjust for differences in the baseline characteristics of each cooling method. The primary outcome was a favourable neurological outcome at 6 months. Results We included 1,132 patients in the analysis, 870 of whom underwent hydrogel pad cooling, and the remaining 262 underwent water-circulating blanket cooling. In the unmatched cohort, a greater number of adverse events occurred in the water-circulating blanket group. The favourable neurologic outcome rates at 6 months were similar between the hydrogel pad group and the water circulating blanket group (30.2% vs. 29.8%, p = 0.939). In the propensity-matched cohort, which included 184 pairs, the rates of adverse events between the two groups were similar. The similarity of favourable neurologic outcome rates at 6 months between the two groups persisted (28.8% vs. 29.9%, p = 0.819). Conclusion Neurological outcomes and adverse events between the hydrogel pad cooling and water-circulating blanket cooling groups were similar.

BACKGROUND Globally, breast cancer has been identified as the most common cancer among women. The clinical efficacy of adjuvant oral antiestrogen therapy-including tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors-has been proven to be clinically efficacious for breast cancer survivors. However, medication adherence for these therapies remains suboptimal among breast cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a reminder intervention-a smart pill bottle paired with the Pillsy mobile application-on medication adherence, medication self-efficacy, and depression, among breast cancer survivors who were undergoing oral antiestrogen therapy. METHODS This study is a randomized controlled trial. Sixty-one women were allocated to an experimental group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 30). The experimental group received the reminder intervention of a smart pill bottle for 4 weeks. Study outcomes were identified as medication adherence, medication self-efficacy, and depression. RESULTS Fifty-seven women completed the follow-up measurement. Significant differences in favor of the experimental group were noted for medication adherence (P = .004) and medication self-efficacy (P = .004). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to depression (P = .057). CONCLUSIONS Reminder intervention using smart pill bottles was effective in improving medication adherence and medication self-efficacy among breast cancer survivors undergoing oral antiestrogen therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE A smart pill bottle method of intervention can be a useful reminder strategy to improve medication adherence among breast cancer survivors.

Objective Dystrophinopathy is an X-linked recessive muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the DMD gene. Herein we describe the prenatal detection of DMD gene mutations in a patient with no family history, by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) after noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS). Case report A 41-year-old woman underwent NIPS owing to an advanced maternal age. A copy number variation was detected in the maternal X chromosome, and uninformative results were obtained for the fetal sex chromosomes. Following amniocentesis, a duplication was identified in exons 1–29 of the dystrophin gene by MLPA. After interviewing her family members it was confirmed that the patient is a de novo carrier of DMD duplications, and her daughter is a carrier of the same mutation. Conclusion his is the first case report to describe the prenatal diagnosis of duplications in the DMD gene by MLPA following NIPS in a patient with no family history.

Purpose: This study was performed to determine the relationship between oral-mucosal pressure ulcer (PU) stage and mechanical conditions and individual susceptibility in intubated patients. Methods: We collected 80 patient-days data from an intensive care unit of a 700-bed hospital in Korea. We analyzed oral-mucosal PUs, medical records, amount of saliva, and oral mucosal swabs. Bacterial abundance was enumerated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The χ2 or Fisher’s exact test, t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman’s rho correlation analysis were performed. Results: The incidence of overall oral-mucosal PUs was 31.3%, and in the maxillary and mandibular sites were 16.3% and 26.3%, respectively. There were significant correlations between the maxillary site PU stage and restraint use (r = .43, p < .001), albumin level (r = −.22, p = .046), and relative abundance of P. aeruginosa (r = .45, p < .001) and S. aureus (r = −.24, p = .033). In the mandibular sites, there were significant correlations between PU stage and restraint use (r = .30, p = .008), level of consciousness (r = .31, p = .005), and relative abundance of P. aeruginosa (r = .25, p = .028) and S. pneumoniae (r = .22, p = .046). Conclusions: Frequent monitoring and repositioning the mechanical pressure on the oral-mucosa could be an effective preventive strategy against the development and advancement of oral-mucosal PUs. Additionally, monitoring the oral microorganisms can prevent advanced stage oral-mucosal PUs in intubated patients.

Background We investigated the feasibility of the clinical application of non‐invasive transthoracic echocardiography for diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension induced by dasatinib (D‐PAH) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Methods A total of 451 CML patients who were examined by 2D‐echocardiography at least once at baseline and/or during dasatinib therapy as frontline (n = 196) and subsequent line (n = 255) therapies were included in this study. D‐PAH was defined as right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) >40 mm Hg with relevant symptoms and the absence of other specific etiologies. Results A total of 847 echocardiographies were performed including at baseline (n = 255) and during dasatinib treatment (n = 592). During the median of 36.2 (0.1–181.8) months of dasatinib therapy, the level of RVSP gradually increased (Spearman's r = 0.2819, p 40 mm Hg without (asymptomatic, n = 27, 48.2%) or with symptoms (D‐PAH, n = 29, 51.8%). All asymptomatic patients maintained dasatinib therapy without further symptoms and the D‐PAH patients ultimately switched to other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. After dasatinib discontinuation, 13 (45%) and 15 (52%) patients showed RVSP normalization and gradual decrease, respectively. Conclusions Our large cohort study demonstrated that the gradual increment of RVSP might be induced by dasatinib and non‐invasive echocardiography can be fast way for early diagnosis as well as for monitoring of D‐PAH., (a) The aim of this study was to investigate the fidelity of 2D‐echocardiography for diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension induced by dasatinib (D‐PAH) in chronic myeloid leukemia. (b) The gradual increment of right ventricular systolic pressure might be induced by dasatinib and non‐invasive echocardiography can be fast way for early diagnosis as well as for monitoring of D‐PAH.

Tibiofemoral synchronization technique matches the rotational alignment of the tibial component to the femoral component during the total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The rotational axis of the proximal tibia can be changed by this technique, which affects tibial torsion postoperatively. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the tibiofemoral synchronization technique affect the tibial torsion, and the lower limb rotation after primary TKA. It was hypothesised that the tibial torsion would change after primary TKA. Ninety-three posterior stabilised TKAs from 89 patients were included from January 2017 to December 2018. Mechanical hip–knee–ankle axis (mHKA), in plain radiographs, femoral anteversion, tibial torsion, femoral neck-malleolar angle (FNMA), and rotational alignment of the femoral and the tibial components in pre- and postoperative CT scans were measured by two blinded observers. The primary outcome was a postoperative change in femoral anteversion, tibial torsion and FNMA. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the American Knee Society Knee Score (AKSKS)/Function Score (AKSFS), and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) preoperatively and at 1 year after TKA. Patients’ perception of changes in the foot progression angle after TKA was investigated. Statistical significance was set at p

Objective: The aim of this study is (1) to describe the prevalence and correlates of unmet needs among esophageal cancer survivors (ECS) in Korea and (2) to identify the association between unmet needs and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods: We used a cross-sectional descriptive study design. Participants were 118 ECS from a hospital in Korea who received surgery at least 12 months before participating. We collected data including the Supportive Care Needs Survey-short form 34 and to measure HRQOL, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 with a self-report questionnaire. Results: Participants' mean age was 65.2 years, and 92.4% were male. Among five domains of supportive care needs, unmet need prevalence ranged from 0.8% to 50%. The most commonly reported domains of unmet needs were Health System and Information and Physical and Daily Living. Participants with unmet needs in Psychological Needs, Physical and Daily Living Needs, and Patient Care and Support Needs demonstrated significantly poorer HRQOL in almost all measured domains. Conclusions: Our finding suggests that Korean ECS had substantial unmet needs, especially in the Health System and Information domain. Psychological, Patient Care and Support, and Physical and Daily Living Needs were related to HRQOL. The study can advance understanding of priority issues in ECS.

Objective High-quality intensive care, including targeted temperature management (TTM) for patients with postcardiac arrest syndrome, is a key element for improving outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to assess the status of postcardiac arrest syndrome care, including TTM and 6-month survival with neurologically favorable outcomes, after adult OHCA patients were treated with TTM, using data from the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry. Methods We used the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry, a web-based multicenter registry that includes data from 22 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea. Adult comatose OHCA survivors treated with TTM between October 2015 and December 2018 were included. The primary outcome was neurological outcome at 6 months. Results Of the 1,354 registered OHCA survivors treated with TTM, 550 (40.6%) survived 6 months, and 413 (30.5%) had good neurological outcomes. We identified 839 (62.0%) patients with preClinsumed cardiac etiology. A total of 937 (69.2%) collapses were witnessed, shockable rhythms were demonstrated in 482 (35.6%) patients, and 421 (31.1%) patients arrived at the emergency department with prehospital return of spontaneous circulation. The most common target temperature was 33°C, and the most common target duration was 24 hours. Conclusion The survival and good neurologic outcome rates of this prospective registry show great improvements compared with those of an earlier registry. While the optimal target temperature and duration are still unknown, the most common target temperature was 33°C, and the most common target duration was 24 hours.

Purpose Oral-mucosal pressure injury (PI) is the most commonly encountered medical device-related PIs. This study was performed to identify risk factors and construct a risk prediction model for oral-mucosal PI development in intubated patients in the intensive care unit. Methods The study design was prospective, observational with medical record review. The inclusion criteria stipulated that 1) participants should be > 18 years of age, 2) there should be ETT use with holding methods including adhesive tape, gauze tying, and commercial devices. Data of 194 patient-days were analysed. The identification and validation of risk model development was performed using SPSS and the SciKit learn platform. Results The risk prediction logistic models were composed of three factors (bite-block/airway, commercial ETT holder, and corticosteroid use) for lower oral-mucosal PI development and four factors (commercial ETT holder, vasopressor use, haematocrit, and serum albumin level) for upper oral-mucosal PI development among 10 significant input variables. The sensitivity and specificity for lower oral-mucosal PI development were 85.2% and 76.0%, respectively, and those for upper oral-mucosal PI development were 60.0% and 89.1%, respectively. Based on the results of the machine learning, the upper oral-mucosal PI development model had an accuracy of 79%, F1 score of 88%, precision of 86%, and recall of 91%. Conclusions The development of lower oral-mucosal PIs is affected by immobility-related factors and corticosteroid use, and that of upper oral-mucosal PIs by undernutrition-related factors and ETT holder use. The high sensitivities of the two logit models comprise important minimum data for positively predicting oral-mucosal PIs.

Achieving temporally precise, noninvasive control over specific neural cell types in the deep brain would advance the study of nervous system function. Here we use the potent channelrhodopsin ChRmine to achieve transcranial photoactivation of defined neural circuits, including midbrain and brainstem structures, at unprecedented depths of up to 7 mm with millisecond precision. Using systemic viral delivery of ChRmine, we demonstrate behavioral modulation without surgery, enabling implant-free deep brain optogenetics. Optogenetic control of neural activity in the deep brain is achieved without intracranial surgery using ChRmine.

CIGS-based thin film solar cell (TFSC) technology is emerging as a promising contributor to the solar photovoltaic industry next to the presently leading Si-based technology. Although the theoretical limit of power conversion efficiency (PCE) is as high as 33.5%, the highest experimental PCE so far just exceeded 20% in the past several years. Therefore, significant efforts are still continuing for further performance enhancement of these cells. Considering that the buffer layer has been identified as one of the key factors, the efforts to replace state-of-the-art but toxic CdS buffer layer have yielded promising results. Several studies showed that the alternative buffer layers grown with environmentally benign materials could even produce a better performance than the CdS-based TFSCs. In this regard, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been proved as one of the best techniques for depositing the alternative buffer layers. Several Zn-based ternary and few other binary (e.g. In2S3) compounds have been investigated to realize an optimum ALD-grown buffer layer. In the recent year, a record PCE of 23.35% was achieved using ALD-grown ZnMgO buffer layer along with chemical bath deposited Zn(O,S,OH) for CIGSSe TFSC. However, in general the ALD-grown buffer layers only could provide PCEs well below 20%. The article presents a comprehensive survey on rapid increase in PCE for several ALD-grown buffer layers during the early period followed by a trend of saturation. Finally, the article discusses the current challenges and future scopes/possibilities for the ALD-grown buffer layers as potential alternatives of CdS toward practical applications of CIGS TFSC.

Objective This study aimed to identify communication preferences for receiving a cancer diagnosis in South Korean patients and explore differences depending on cancer stage-with or without recurrence/metastasis. Methods A total of 312 patients from five cancer centers in South Korea completed the Korean version of the Measure of Patients' Preferences questionnaire, Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results Among patients without recurrence/metastasis, four factors were indicated: "additional information," "medical information," "emotional support," and "supportive environment." Among patients with recurrence/metastasis, five factors were indicated: "medical information and explanation," "emotional support," "supportive environment," "additional information," and "informing family." In the group without recurrence/metastasis, a positive attitude was a significant predictor of the preference for all four factors and a lower anxiety level was a predictor of the preference for additional information. Patients who reported a high level of anxious preoccupation preferred supportive environments. In the group with recurrence/metastasis, patients who showed a high level of cognitive avoidance preferred to receive medical and additional information and emotional support. Conclusions Cancer patients' preferences for communication when receiving bad news differ whether recurrence/metastasis or not in South Korea. Especially, patients with recurrence/metastasis preferred a clear explanation of medical information, and physicians informing patients' families about their diagnosis and prognosis. Thus, physicians should take patients' medical and psychological characteristics into consideration when delivering the news regarding their condition.

In this letter, to improve data rate over wireless communication channels, we propose a deep Q network (DQN)-based adaptive modulation scheme by using Markov decision process (MDP) model. The proposed algorithm makes the reinforcement learning agent to select rate region boundaries as the states, which divide signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) range into rate regions. The simulation results show that spectral efficiency can be improved on the average by 0.5395 bps/Hz in wide SNR range.

The present study investigated the concomitants of menopause-specific quality of life among premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Based on the Wilson and Cleary model of quality of life, this cross-sectional study recruited 329 women of age 40-65 years following operational convenience. The study was conducted in the office of the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association (KPHWA) in Incheon, South Korea. Data collected on sociodemographic characteristics, social support, biological/physiological characteristics, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-K), and self-rated health. Menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL) was used in this study. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The study found that social support and self-rated health were negatively correlated with MENQOL in premenopausal women, while the income level and self-rated health were negatively associated with MENQOL in postmenopausal women. Sleep quality was positively correlated with MENQOL in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The study results indicate the need for tailored approaches based on menopausal status. Especially, social support may help improve the MENQOL of premenopausal women, while in postmenopausal women, improved sleep quality may enhance their menopause-specific quality of life.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of deep learning-based image conversion to improve the reproducibility of computed tomography (CT) radiomics features. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted using an abdominal phantom with liver nodules. We developed an image conversion algorithm using a residual feature aggregation network to reproduce radiomics features with CT images under various CT protocols and reconstruction kernels. External validation was performed using images from different scanners, consisting of 8 different protocols. To evaluate the variability of radiomics features, regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn by targeting the liver parenchyma, vessels, paraspinal area, and liver nodules. We extracted 18 first-order, 68 second-order, and 688 wavelet radiomics features. Measurement variability was assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), compared with the ground-truth image. RESULTS In the ROI-based analysis, there was an 83.3% improvement of CCC (80/96; 4 ROIs with 3 categories of radiomics features and 8 protocols) in synthetic images compared with the original images. Among them, the 56 CCC pairs showed a significant increase after image synthesis. In the radiomics feature-based analysis, 62.0% (3838 of 6192; 774 radiomics features with 8 protocols) features showed increased CCC after image synthesis, and a significant increase was noted in 26.9% (1663 of 6192) features. In particular, the first-order feature (79.9%, 115/144) showed better improvement in terms of the reproducibility of radiomics feature than the second-order (59.9%, 326/544) or wavelet feature (61.7%, 3397/5504). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that a deep learning model for image conversion can improve the reproducibility of radiomics features across various CT protocols, reconstruction kernels, and CT scanners.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to disruption of the blood-spinal cord barrier, hemorrhage and tissue edema, which impair blood circulation and induce ischemia. Angiogenesis after SCI is an important step in the repair of damaged tissues, and its extent strongly correlates with neural regeneration. Various biomaterials have been developed to promote angiogenesis signaling pathways, and angiogenic self-assembling peptides are useful for producing diverse supramolecular structures with tunable functionality. RADA16 (Ac-RARADADARARADADA-NH2), which forms nanofiber networks under physiological conditions, is a self-assembling peptide that can provide mechanical support for tissue regeneration and reportedly has diverse roles in wound healing. In this study, we applied an injectable form of RADA16 with or without a neuropeptide, substance P, to the contused spinal cord in rats and examined angiogenesis within the damaged spinal cord and subsequent functional improvement. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the inflammatory cell population in the lesion cavity was decreased, whereas the vessel number and density around the damaged spinal cord were increased, and neurofilaments within the lesion cavity were increased in SCI rats that received RADA16 and RADA16 with substance P (RADA16/SP group). Moreover, real-time PCR of the damaged spinal cord showed that IL-10 expression was increased, and locomotor function (assessed by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scale and the horizontal ladder test) was significantly improved in the RADA16/SP group compared to the control. Our findings indicate that RADA16 with substance P effectively stimulates angiogenesis within the damaged spinal cord and is a possible candidate for post-SCI functional recovery. Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) (2019R1A6A1A11034536, 2020R1A2C2004764); the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korean government (the Ministry of Science and ICT; the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; the Ministry of Health & Welfare; the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (202017D01); the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) (20008686); and the KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology Program, Republic of Korea. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Dankook University (Approval No. 19-010).

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) started to spread in Daegu from the end of February 2020. IgG and IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were measured in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with moderate to severe symptoms to improve the understanding of antibody responses.Methods: We enrolled 312 patients with COVID-19 admitted to seven hospitals located in Daegu. Using serum (or plasma) samples from patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, both IgG and IgM antibodies were measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (R-FIND COVID-19 ELISA, SG medical, Seoul, Korea). Results: The median value from the initial diagnosis by confirming SARS-CoV-2 PCR to the sampling date was 24 days (day -1 to 88). The total positive rate of IgG was 93.9% and the positive IgM rate was 39.4%, without considering the elapsed period after diagnosis. Positive IgG and IgM rates were highest at 100.0% and 59.0% in 3 weeks (15–21 days), respectively. IgG showed a high positive rate of 79.3% even within 7 days after the initial diagnosis of the disease and maintained a positive rate of 97.8% until after 8 weeks. Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, IgG was detected from the beginning of the diagnosis and persisted for an extended time period.

Objective The National Early Warning Score (NEWS), based on the patients’ vital signs, detects clinical deterioration in critically ill patients and is used to reduce the incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrest. However, although mortality prediction based on vital signs may be difficult in older patients, the effectiveness of the NEWS has not yet been evaluated in this population. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that an elevated NEWS at admission increases the mortality risk in older patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). Methods We conducted a single-center retrospective study, including patients admitted to the ED between November 2016 and February 2017. We included patients aged >65 years who were admitted to the ED for any medical problem. The NEWS was calculated at the time of ED admission. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results In total, 3,169 patients were included in this study. Median age was 75 years (interquartile range [IQR], 70 to 80 years), and 1,557 (49.1%) patients were male. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.1% (161 patients). Median NEWS was higher in non-survivors than in survivors (5 [IQR, 3–8] vs. 1 [IQR, 0–3], P65 years.

The aim of this study was to examine pharmacopuncture treatment for lateral epicondylitis, and to contribute to developing a standardized treatment regimen by reviewing trends in clinical trials. Five randomized controlled trials, 1 case-control study, and 8 cohort studies published after 1999, that involved pharmacopuncture for lateral epicondylitis, were selected from Korean and international online databases (n = 8). The type of pharmacopuncture, dose, frequency, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. Seven types of pharmacopuncture were used, namely Bee Venom, Illicium henryi Diels, Akebiae Caulis, Angelicae sinensis Diels, Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort, Hominis Placenta, and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix. Dose, treatment duration, and treatment frequency varied widely. One study assessed the treatment efficacy according to frequency. Nine studies lacked data on adverse events. The quality of 5 randomized controlled trials was low. Although pharmacopuncture treatment appeared to be effective for lateral epicondylitis, it was difficult to standardize the regimen for lateral epicondylitis.

Safety and efficacy outcomes of imatinib treatment were evaluated using extensive clinical data collected from a total of 1003 patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase between 2001 and 2018. By 12 months of imatinib treatment at a fixed dose of 400 mg/day, 45.4% of patients experienced at least one type of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). The DLTs that frequently occurred first were thrombocytopenia (40.0%), neutropenia/leukopenia (14.3%) and dermatological reactions (12.1%). Patients with lighter body weight (≤ 64 kg) and older age (> 43 years) experienced a markedly higher occurrence of first DLTs by 12 months than heavier and younger patients (57.9% vs. 30.1%, p

Aims We compared long-term clinical outcomes between patients treated with Orsiro sirolimus-eluting stent (O-SES) and those treated with durable biocompatible polymer Resolute Integrity zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES). Methods and results The ORIENT trial was a randomized controlled noninferiority trial to compare angiographic outcomes between O-SES and R-ZES. We performed a post hoc analysis of 3-year clinical outcomes and included 372 patients who were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to O-SES (n = 250) and R-ZES (n = 122) groups in a 2:1 ratio. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure defined as a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. At 3 years, target lesion failure occurred in 4.7% and 7.8% of O-SES and R-ZES groups, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence intervals, 0.24-1.41; p = .232 by log-rank test). Secondary endpoints including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization showed no significant differences between the groups. Stent thrombosis occurred in two patients in R-ZES group (0.0% vs. 1.6%, p = .040). Conclusion This study confirms long-term safety and efficacy of the two stents. We found a trend for lower target lesion failure with O-SES compared to R-ZES, although statistically insignificant.

Background. Recent studies have presented the effects of cardiac arrest on long-term cognitive function and quality of life. However, no study has evaluated cognitive function in the early stage after regaining consciousness. Purpose. The objectives of this study were to analyse the incidence, clinical course, and associated factors of cognitive impairment of cardiac arrest survivors in intensive care unit (ICU). Patients and methods. We administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to cardiac arrest survivors who were treated with targeted temperature management (TTM) immediately after regaining consciousness. Patients whose MMSE scores indicated impaired cognitive function (MMSE Results. In 92 patients, the median MMSE score was 21.0 (interquartile range (IQR), 16.0–24.0), and cognitive impairment was found in 64 patients. Fifty-three patients completed follow-up MMSEs, and the median scores were 20.0 (IQR, 13.5–23.0) for the first and 25.0 (IQR, 21.5–28.0) for the last test. Of the specific domains, recall (0.0 (IQR, 0.0–1.0) to 2.0 (IQR, 1.0–3.0)) and attention/calculation (3.0 (IQR, 1.0–4.0) to 4.0 (IQR, 2.0–5.0)) were the most affected domains until ICU discharge. The factors that were correlated with cognitive impairment on the last MMSE were older age (OR, 1.07 (95% CI, 1.01–1.14), p=0.016), increased time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (OR, 1.08 (95% CI, 1.02–1.15), p=0.012), and length of hospital stay (OR, 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00–1.14), p=0.044). Conclusions. Cognitive impairments were common immediately after patients regained consciousness but recovered substantially before ICU discharge. Recall and attention/calculation still were impaired until ICU discharge, and older age, increased time to ROSC, and LOS were associated with this cognitive decline.

Background Several factors contribute to differences in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype distribution. We investigated the serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of S. pneumoniae isolated between 2014 and 2016 in Korea. Methods We collected a total of 1,855 S. pneumoniae isolates from 44 hospitals between May 2014 and May 2016, and analyzed the serotypes by sequential multiplex PCR. We investigated the distribution of each serotype by patient age, source of the clinical specimen, and antimicrobial resistance pattern. Results The most common serotypes were 11A (10.1%), followed by 19A (8.8%), 3 (8.5%), 34 (8.1%), 23A (7.3%), and 35B (6.2%). The major invasive serotypes were 3 (12.6%), 19A (7.8%), 34 (7.8%), 10A (6.8%), and 11A (6.8%). Serotypes 10A, 15B, 19A, and 12F were more common in patients ≤5 years old, while serotype 3 was more common in patients ≥65 years old compared with the other age groups. The coverage rates of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)7, PCV10, PCV13, and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine 23 were 11.8%, 12.12%, 33.3%, and 53.6%, respectively. Of the 1,855 isolates, 857 (46.2%) were multi-drug resistant (MDR), with serotypes 11A and 19A predominant among the MDR strains. The resistance rates against penicillin, cefotaxime, and levofloxacin were 22.8%, 12.5%, and 9.4%, respectively. Conclusions There were significant changes in the major S. pneumoniae serotypes in the community. Non-PCV13 serotypes increased in patients ≤5 years old following the introduction of national immunization programs with the 10- and 13-polyvalent vaccines.

Deposition providing precise control of the film thickness, low deposition temperature, and noncorrosive byproducts is essential for the efficient fabrication of barrier layers in semiconductor dev...

Introduction. It is well known that hypoalbuminemia is associated with adverse outcomes in various critical illnesses. However, there are few studies specifically measuring the association between albumin level and neurologic outcomes after CA treated with TTM. The aim of this study was to assess whether serum albumin concentration on admission had prognostic value for OHCA patients treated with TTM. Methods. We included adult patients aged ≥18 years with nontraumatic OHCA treated with TTM whose serum albumin concentration was available and who were admitted from 2009 to 2016. Serum albumin was measured within 1 h after ROSC, and hypoalbuminemia was defined as admission serum albumin Results. A total of 255 patients were eligible for analysis, of whom 106 (41.6%) survived to 6 months; 84 (32.9%) of these patients achieved favorable neurologic outcomes. The mean albumin values were significantly lower in patients with poor neurologic outcomes than the values in those with good neurologic outcomes (3.3 ± 0.6 vs. 3.9 ± 0.4, respectively, p<0.001). After adjusting the crude model, patients in the hypoalbuminemia group were 3.5 times more likely to have poor neurologic outcome than were those in the normal albumin group (OR 3.526, 95% CI 1.388–8.956, p=0.008). Conclusions. Hypoalbuminemia was common after CA, and the serum albumin level at admission was associated with poor neurological outcomes at 6 months after CA in patients treated with TTM.

Objectives: We assessed the usefulness of ultrasonography (USG) findings of adenomyosis during pregnancy in the prediction of subsequent preterm delivery. Materials and methods: We included consecutive pregnant women who underwent first trimester ultrasonography in our institution, confirmed as having adenomyosis and subsequently delivered in our institution from January 2006 to April 2018. The subjects were classified into two groups: preterm delivery group and term delivery group. Information of maximal uterine wall thickness measured at first trimester and second trimester, maternal characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal outcomes were reviewed and compared between preterm and term delivery group. Results: A total of 57 pregnancies were included in this study, and 14 women (24.5%) delivered before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The women from the preterm delivery group had a significantly thicker uterine wall during the second trimester of pregnancy compared to the women from the term delivery group (4.49 ± 1.62 cm vs. 3.05 ± 1.6 cm, p = 0.004). From the first trimester to the second trimester of pregnancy, uterine wall thickness showed a significantly smaller decrease in the preterm delivery group than the term delivery group (−0.42 ± 0.93 cm vs. −1.04 ± 0.89 cm, p = 0.02). By receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, uterine wall thickness greater than 4.6 cm in the second trimester of pregnancy showed 57.1% sensitivity, 86.1% specificity, 57.1% positive predictive value (PPV) and 86.1% negative predictive value (NPV) for subsequent preterm delivery (area under curve = 0.758). Conclusions: Uterine wall thickness measurement in second trimester can help to identify preterm delivery in pregnant women with adenomyosis. Keywords: Adenomyosis, Preterm delivery, Ultrasonography

Aims and objectives This study aimed at examining the construct validity and reliability of the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by aneurysm rupture. Background The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score is known to be a valid and reliable consciousness assessment tool and provides comprehensive information not given by the Glasgow Coma Scale. However, the validity and reliability of this tool have not been tested in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. Design A nonexperimental, descriptive, correlational study design was adopted. Methods The STROBE statement was used for reporting this study. The study participants were 72 patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by aneurysm rupture, admitted to an intensive care unit in a university hospital between August 2016-July 2017. Data on demographic characteristics, Hunt-Hess clinical stage scores, Fisher CT stage scores, disease-related characteristics, Full Outline of UnResponsiveness scores and 1-month Glasgow Outcome Scale scores were subjected to analysis. Results Full Outline of UnResponsiveness scores were found to have significant correlations with scores on Hunt-Hess clinical or Fisher CT stage tool and adequately predict 1-month recovery. This tool also exhibited excellent inter-rater agreement and internal consistency. Conclusions The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score is valid and reliable for consciousness evaluation in spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. It has been believed that use of this tool may help prevent negative consequences arising from impaired consciousness and improve the outcomes of patients with spontaneous aneurysmatic subarachnoid haemorrhage. Relevance to clinical practice The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score is a consciousness assessment tool that provides more neurological detail because it includes consideration of brainstem reflexes, visual tracking, breathing patterns and respiratory drive, and can be applied in cases of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage and other types of brain injury, especially in patients with severe consciousness impairment.

This study evaluated whether the grey-white matter ratio (GWR) assessed via early brain computed tomography (CT) within 2 h after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following cardiac arrest is associated with poor neurological outcomes after 6 months in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted temperature management (TTM).This study used data from the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry obtained from November 2015 to October 2017 to assess patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who underwent brain CT within 2 h following the ROSC. The primary endpoint was the neurological outcome 6 months post-cardiac arrest (cerebral performance category; CPC). The GWR was measured using early brain CT images. The subgroup analysis examined the difference in GWRs obtained from early and repeated brain CT.Five-hundred-twelve patients were enrolled. Good (CPC 1-2) and poor (CPC 3-5) neurological outcomes were observed in 162 (31.6%) and 350 (68.4%) patients, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the GWR measured using early brain CT was a statistically nonsignificant predictor of poor neurologic outcomes (p = 0.727). In patients with poor outcomes, the mean GWR obtained from early and repeated CT images were 1.171 ± 0.058 and 1.091 ± 0.133, respectively (p 0.001); there was no statistically significant difference between the GWRs in patients with good outcomes.The GWR assessed via early brain CT alone is not an independent factor predictive of poor neurologic outcomes but could be useful when used with repeated CT data.

Thrombocytopenia is common and associated with mortality in critically ill patients. However, the time course of platelet counts and its association with the neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are not well known. The purpose of this study is to describe the time course of platelet counts in relation to the neurologic outcome in patients undergoing targeted temperature management (TTM) after CA.Review of consecutive patients receiving TTM after out-of-hospital CA between 2009 and 2016. The blood sample was collected daily until 7 days. The primary outcome was poor neurologic outcome at 6 months after CA defined as Cerebral Performance Category of 3-5 and secondary outcome was mortality at 6 months.A total of 261 consecutive patients treated with TTM after OHCA between 2009 and 2016. One hundred seventy-five patients (67.0%) had poor neurologic outcomes 6 months after CA. The changes in the platelet counts over time between the good and poor outcome groups were statistically significant (p 0.001). The platelet counts declined during TTM in both groups. The platelet counts recovered to the normal range at the end of the first week in the good neurologic outcome group. However, the platelet counts remained low in the poor outcome group. Low platelet counts on the 7th day were associated with poor neurologic outcomes (aOR 0.975, 95% CI, 0.961-0.989) and mortality at 6 months (aOR 0.986, 95% CI, 0.975-0.997) after adjusting for covariates.The changes in platelet counts in OHCA patients have a biphasic pattern that is significantly different in patients with good neurologic outcomes and those with poor neurologic outcomes at 6 months. A low platelet count 7 days after CA was associated with a poor neurologic outcome and mortality at 6 months.

Purpose This study attempts to evaluate the skeletal maturation patterns of the triradiate cartilage (TRC) and the posterior acetabular wall (PA), which can be easily assessed on body computerized tomography (CT). It also examines the effect of gender and age on ossification of both TRC and PA. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included a total of 1324 CT scans for children between the ages of 6 and 16 years. Depending on the extent of ossification in each right or left aspect, determined by the consensus of two observers, the TRC and PA scans were categorized into Grades 4 and 3, respectively. Results The TRC for boys began to ossify at age 10 and closed completely at 14, while the PA for boys started ossification at age 11 and entirely fused at 13. The ages of ossification center appearance and complete fusion in both TRC and PA for girls were exactly two years earlier than boys. The TRC fused within one year after the closure of the PA. Conclusion The appearance and closure of the TRC and PA ossification centers show predictable patterns of development, appearance and merger earlier in females than in males. The suggestion is that development and morphogenesis of both TRC and PA ossification centers can be adequately assessed by using 3-dimensional body CT.

Background People are generally considered overweight and obese if their body mass index (BMI) is above 25 kg/m2 and 30.0 kg/m2, respectively. The World Health Organization proposed stricter criteria for Asians (≥ 23 kg/m2: overweight, ≥ 25 kg/m2: obese). We aimed to verify whether this criteria could predict adverse pregnancy outcomes in Korean women. Methods We included 7,547 Korean women from 12 institutions enrolled between June 2016 and October 2018. Women with no pre-pregnancy BMI data, not Korean, or lost to follow-up were excluded, leaving 6,331. The subjects were categorized into underweight, normal, overweight, class I obesity, and class II/III obesity based on a pre-pregnancy BMI of < 18.5, 18.5–22.9, 23.0–24.9, 25.0–29.9, and ≥ 30.0 kg/m2, respectively. Results Overall, 13.4%, 63.0%, 11.8%, 9.1%, and 2.6% of women were underweight, normal, and overweight and had class I obesity and class II/III obesity, respectively. In the multivariable analysis adjusted for maternal age, a higher BMI significantly increased the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery caused by maternal-fetal indications, cesarean section, large for gestational age, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Conclusion Adverse pregnancy outcomes started to increase in those with a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 23.0 kg/m2 after adjusting for maternal age. The modified obesity criteria could help predict adverse pregnancy outcomes in Koreans., Graphical Abstract

We investigated mortality and predictors of mortality due to intensive care unit-associated candidemia (ICUAC) versus non-ICUAC by Candida species. This study included all candidemia cases in 11 hospitals from 2017 to 2018 in South Korea. The all-cause mortality rates in all 370 patients with ICUAC were approximately twofold higher than those in all 437 patients with non-ICUAC at 7 days (2.3-fold, 31.1%/13.3%), 30 days (1.9-fold, 49.5%/25.4%), and 90 days (1.9-fold, 57.8%/30.9%). Significant species-specific associations with 7- and 30-day ICUAC-associated mortality were not observed. Multivariate analysis revealed that ICU admission was an independent predictor of Candida glabrata- (OR, 2.07–2.48) and Candida parapsilosis-associated mortality (OR, 6.06–11.54). Fluconazole resistance was a predictor of C. glabrata-associated mortality (OR, 2.80–5.14). Lack (less than 3 days) of antifungal therapy was the strongest predictor of 7-day mortality due to ICUAC caused by Candida albicans (OR, 18.33), Candida tropicalis (OR, 10.52), and C. glabrata (OR, 21.30) compared with 30- and 90-day mortality (OR, 2.72–6.90). C. glabrata ICUAC had a stronger association with lack of antifungal therapy (55.2%) than ICUAC caused by other species (30.6–36.7%, all p &lt, 0.05). Most predictors of mortality associated with ICUAC were distinct from those associated with non-ICUAC and were mediated by Candida species.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify differences in factors affecting health-promoting behaviors according to the survival stage of thyroid cancer survivors. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study analyzed data from 354 thyroid cancer survivors after diagnosis. The survivors were divided into three stages: (1) the acute stage ( Result The factors affecting the health-promoting behavior of thyroid cancer survivors differed by survival stage. In the acute stage, the factors of health-promoting behavior were self-efficacy (t = 4.76, p t = 3.54, p t = − 3.65, p t = 2.61, p = .011), fear of recurrence (t = 2.18, p = .032), and receipt of radioiodine treatment (t = − 2.18, p = .032) were found to be significant variables that affected health-promoting behaviors. In the permanent stage, social support (t = 2.79, p = .007), receipt of radioiodine treatment (t = − 3.21, p = .002), and age (t = − 2.77, p = .007) were significant variables that affected health-promoting behaviors. Conclusion The experience of thyroid cancer survivors varies as they progress through the survival stages; thus, health-promotion interventions should be tailored to each survival stage.

As renewable energy source integration increases, P2G technology that can store surplus renewable power as methane is expected to expand. The development of a CO2 methanation catalyst, one of the core processes of the P2G concept, is being actively conducted. In this work, low-rank coal (LRC) was used as a catalyst support for CO2 methanation, as it can potentially enhance the diffusion and adsorption behavior by easily controlling the pore structure and composition. It can also improve the process efficiency owing to its simplicity (no pre-reduction step) and high thermal conductivity, compared to conventional metal oxide-supported catalysts. A screening of single metals (Ni, Co, Ru, Rh, and Pd) on LRC was performed, which showed that Ni was the most active. When Ni on the LRC catalyst was doped with a promoter (Ce and Mg), the CO2 conversion percentage increased by >10% compared to that of the single Ni catalyst. When the CO2 methanation activity was compared at 250–500 °C, the Ce-doped Ni/Eco and Mg-doped Ni/Eco catalysts showed similar or better activity than the commercial metal oxide-supported catalyst. In addition, the catalytic performance remained stable even after the test for an extended time (~200 h). The results of XRD, TEM, and TPR showed that highly efficient LRC-based CO2 methanation catalysts can be made when the metal dispersion and composition are modified.

Nearly all isolates harbored Pdr1p mutations and were associated with a high mortality rate., We investigated the clinical outcomes and molecular mechanisms of fluconazole-resistant (FR) Candida glabrata bloodstream infections. Among 1,158 isolates collected during multicenter studies in South Korea during 2008–2018, 5.7% were FR. For 64 patients with FR bloodstream infection isolates, the 30-day mortality rate was 60.9% and the 90-day mortality rate 78.2%; these rates were significantly higher than in patients with fluconazole-susceptible dose-dependent isolates (30-day mortality rate 36.4%, 90-day mortality rate 43.8%; p

The effect of early coronary angiography (CAG) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients without ST-elevation (STE) is still controversial. It is not known which subgroups of patients without STE are the most likely to benefit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between emergency CAG and neurologic outcomes and identify subgroups with improved outcomes when emergency CAG was performed. This prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study was based on data from the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry (KORHN-PRO) 1.0. Adult OHCA patients who were treated with targeted temperature management (TTM) without any obvious extracardiac cause were included. Patients were dichotomized into early CAG (&le, 24 h) and no early CAG (&gt, 24 h or not performed) groups. High-risk patients were defined as having the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score &gt, 140, time from collapse to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) &gt, 30 min, lactate level &gt, 7.0 mmol/L, arterial pH &lt, 7.2, cardiac enzyme elevation and ST deviation. The primary outcome was good neurologic outcome at 6 months after OHCA. Of the 1373 patients from the KORHN-PRO 1.0 database, 678 patients met the inclusion criteria. The early CAG group showed better neurologic outcomes at 6 months after cardiac arrest (CA) (adjusted odds ratio: 2.21 (1.27&ndash, 3.87), p = 0.005). This was maintained even after propensity score matching (adjusted odds ratio: 2.23 (1.39&ndash, 3.58), p &lt, 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, high-risk patients showed a greater benefit from early CAG. In contrast, no significant association was found in low-risk patients. Early CAG was associated with good neurologic outcome at 6 months after CA and should be considered in high-risk patients.

The gray-to-white matter ratio (GWR) has been used to identify brain damage in comatose patients after cardiac arrest. However, Hounsfield units (HUs), the measurement of brain density on computed tomography (CT) images, may vary depending on the machine type or parameter. Therefore, differences in CT scanners may affect the GWR in post-cardiac arrest patients. We performed a retrospective study on comatose post-cardiac arrest patients who visited the hospital from 2007 to 2017. Two CT, Lightspeed and SOMATOM, scanners were used. Two observers independently measured the HUs of the caudate nucleus, putamen, posterior internal capsule, and corpus callosum using regions of interest. We compared the GWR calculated from the HUs measured at different CT scanners. The analysis of different scanners showed statistically significant differences in the measured HUs and GWR. The HUs and GWR of Lightspeed were measured lower than SOMATOM. The difference between the two CT scanners was also evident in groups divided by neurological prognosis. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve to predict poor outcomes of Lightspeed was 0.798, and the cut-off value for 100% specificity was 1.172. The SOMATOM was 0.855, and the cut-off value was 1.269. The difference in scanners affects measurements and performance characteristics of the GWR in post-cardiac arrest patients. Therefore, when applying the results of the GWR study to clinical practice, reference values for each device should be presented, and an integrated plan should be prepared.

Tissue-engineered vascular microphysiological platform is applicable for evaluating immune modulation of xenograft rejection., Most of the vascular platforms currently being studied are lab-on-a-chip types that mimic capillary networks and are applied for vascular response analysis in vitro. However, these platforms have a limitation in clearly assessing the physiological phenomena of native blood vessels compared to in vivo evaluation. Here, we developed a simply fabricable tissue-engineered vascular microphysiological platform (TEVMP) with a three-dimensional (3D) vascular structure similar to an artery that can be applied for ex vivo and in vivo evaluation. Furthermore, we applied the TEVMP as ex vivo and in vivo screening systems to evaluate the effect of human CD200 (hCD200) overexpression in porcine endothelial cells (PECs) on vascular xenogeneic immune responses. These screening systems, in contrast to 2D in vitro and cellular xenotransplantation in vivo models, clearly demonstrated that hCD200 overexpression effectively suppressed vascular xenograft rejection. The TEVMP has a high potential as a platform to assess various vascular-related responses.

We introduce a soft, expandable electronic and optoelectronic system designed to monitor and cure urinary bladder diseases., Underactive bladder or detrusor underactivity (DUA), that is, not being able to micturate, has received less attention with little research and remains unknown or limited on pathological causes and treatments as opposed to overactive bladder, although the syndrome may pose a risk of urinary infections or life-threatening kidney damage. Here, we present an integrated expandable electronic and optoelectronic complex that behaves as a single body with the elastic, time-dynamic urinary bladder with substantial volume changes up to ~300%. The system configuration of the electronics validated by the theoretical model allows conformal, seamless integration onto the urinary bladder without a glue or suture, enabling precise monitoring with various electrical components for real-time status and efficient optogenetic manipulation for urination at the desired time. In vivo experiments using diabetic DUA models demonstrate the possibility for practical uses of high-fidelity electronics in clinical trials associated with the bladder and other elastic organs.