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We isolated 5 highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4.b viruses from wild waterfowl feces in South Korea during November 2022. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed novel genotypes produced by reassortment with Eurasian low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses. Enhanced surveillance will be required to improve prevention and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many investigations on phytoplankton from the Nakdong River carried out. However, since the weirs were constructed, only changes in phytoplankton biomass and dominant species have been restrictively studied in phytoplankton investigations in the Nakdong River. Added to this, any investigation on the phytoplankton flora has not been done in the Nakdong River. The aim of this study is to elucidate the characteristics of phytoplankton communities in the Nakdong River with the weirs built in it. Results: We observed a total of 103 taxa of Euglenophytes belonging to 8 genera from middle-lower part of the Nakdong River. The genus Trachelomonas was the most abundant group making up 40 taxa, followed Lepocinclis (20), Phacus (17), Strombomonas (14), Euglena (5), Colacium (3), Monomorphina (3) and Menoideum (1). Among them, a total of 22 taxa including Colacium (1), Lepocinclis (8), Phacus (4), Strombomonas (4) and Trachelomonas (5) were reported for the first time in Korea, and 86 taxa including those new to Korea were first recorded in the Nakdong River. All the species are illustrated with photomicrographs, and new to Korean species briefly discussed with regard to their taxonomy together with photomicrographs. Conclusions: The present study, a total of 22 taxa including one species of Colacium, 8 taxa of Lepocinclis, 4 taxa of Phacus, 4 taxa of Strombomonas and 5 taxa of Trachelomonas were reported for the first time in Korea, and 86 taxa including those new to Korea were first recorded in the Nakdong River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An avian influenza A(H6N5) virus with all 8 segments of North American origin was isolated from wild bird feces in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that this virus may have been introduced into Asia by wild birds, highlighting the role of wild birds in the dispersal of these viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: BRAF and KRAS mutations are well-established biomarkers in anti-EGFR therapy. However, the prognostic significance of these mutations is still being examined. We determined the prognostic value of BRAF and KRAS mutations in Korean colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.Methods: From July 2010 to September 2013, 1096 patients who underwent surgery for CRC at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital were included in the analysis. Resected specimens were examined for BRAF, KRAS, and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. All data were reviewed retrospectively.Results: Among 1096 patients, 401 (36.7%) had KRAS mutations and 44 (4.0%) had BRAF mutations. Of 83 patients, 77 (92.8%) had microsatellite stable (MSS) or MSI low (MSI-L) status while 6 (7.2%) patients had MSI high (MSI-H) status. Patients with BRAF mutation demonstrated a worse disease-free survival (DFS, HR 1.990, CI 1.080-3.660, P = 0.02) and overall survival (OS, HR 3.470, CI 1.900-6.330, P < 0.0001). Regarding KRAS status, no significant difference was noted in DFS (P = 0.0548) or OS (P = 0.107). Comparing the MSS/MSI-L and MSI-H groups there were no significant differences in either DFS (P = 0.294) or OS (P = 0.557).Conclusions: BRAF mutation, rather than KRAS, was a significant prognostic factor in Korean CRC patients at both early and advanced stages. The subgroup analysis for MSI did not show significant differences in clinical outcome. BRAF should be included in future larger prospective biomarker studies on CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a serious complication resulting from herpes zoster infections, and it can impair the quality of life. In order to relieve pain from PHN, various treatments, including pharmacological and interventional methods have been used. However, little information on the recommendations for the interventional treatment of PHN, along with a lack of nation-wide surveys on the current status of PHN treatment exists. This multicenter study is the first survey on the treatment status of PHN in Korea. Methods: Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on the entire patients who visited the pain clinics of 11 teaching hospitals from January to December of 2011. Co-morbid disease, affected site of PHN, routes to pain clinic visits, parenteral/topical medications for treatment, drugs used for nerve block, types and frequency of nerve blocks were investigated. Results: A total of 1,414 patients' medical records were reviewed. The most commonly affected site was the thoracic area. The anticonvulsants and interlaminar epidural blocks were the most frequently used pharmacological and interventional methods for PHN treatment. For the interval of epidural block, intervals of 5 or more-weeks were the most popular. The proportion of PHN patients who get information from the mass media or the internet was only 0.8%.The incidence of suspected zoster sine herpete was only 0.1%. Conclusions: The treatment methods for PHN vary among hospitals. The establishment of treatment recommendation for PHN treatment is necessary. In addition, public relations activities are required in order to inform the patients of PHN treatments by pain clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the research related to the application of a regionalized Clark instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH) model with limited hydrologic data availability. It gives the details on how the study was done. The regionalized Clark IUH was applied to the Wi River basin in South Korea, and showed that the proposed Clark IUH is an effective method to achieve representative IUH estimation. Furthermore, several suggestions and remarks have been made based on the results obtained in the study.

Background and Objectives: Compensation for increasedmedical services from reimbursement systems are sometimes insufficient. Generally, appendectomies are performed by individual surgeons with their preferred instrument. Surgical equipment standardization is known to reduce medical cost without compromising patient safety. Hence, we investigated the effectiveness of surgical equipment standardization to reduce the required operative cost for laparoscopic appendectomy at our tertiary hospital. Methods: Nine surgeons at our tertiary hospital agreed to use standardized equipment for laparoscopic appendectomy. We compared outcomes among patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy between December 2012 and June 2013 before standardization (control group) and between August 2015 and February 2016 after standardization. Participating provider and staff convenience was also surveyed using a questionnaire. Results: The implementation of standardized equipment for laparoscopic appendectomy decreased intraoperative supply cost from US $552.92 to $450.17. Operative times also decreased from 73.8 to 53.3 minutes. However, hospital days and complication rates remained unchanged. Participants responded that surgical equipment standardization improved efficiency in the operating room and reduced the cost. Conclusion: Surgical equipment standardization in laparoscopic appendectomy is effective in reducing intraoperative supply cost without compromising patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]