Molecular Epidemiology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

During the evolution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), transmissions between humans and primates resulted in multiple HIV lineages in humans. This evolution has been rapid, giving rise to a complex classification and allowing for worldwide spread and intermixing of subtypes, which has consequently led to dozens of circulating recombinant forms. In the Republic of Korea, 12,522 cases of HIV infection have been reported between 1985, when AIDS was first identified, and 2015.

Detection of Salmonella Typhimurium on Spinach Using Phage-Based Magnetoelastic Biosensors.

Phage-based magnetoelastic (ME) biosensors have been studied as an in-situ, real-time, wireless, direct detection method of foodborne pathogens in recent years. This paper investigates an ME biosensor method for the detection of Typhimurium on fresh spinach leaves. A procedure to obtain a concentrated suspension of from contaminated spinach leaves is described that is based on methods outlined in the U.

Marital status as a predictor of diurnal salivary cortisol levels and slopes in a community sample of healthy adults.

Married people tend to be healthier than both the previously (bereaved, divorced, and separated) and never married, but the mechanisms through which this occurs remain unclear. To this end, research has increasingly focused on how psychological stress experienced by unmarried versus married individuals may differentially impact physiological systems related to health. One key system that is modulated by stress is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, of which cortisol is a key hormonal product.

Synthesis and Preliminary Evaluation of 5-[18F]fluoroleucine.

Background: Amino acid transporters, such as LAT1, are overexpressed in aggressive prostate and breast carcinomas, directly influencing pathways of growth and proliferation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to synthesize and characterize a novel 18F labeled leucine analog, 5-[18F]fluoroleucine, as a potential imaging agent for aggressive tumors which may not be amenable to imaging by FDG PET.

Methods: 5-fluoroleucine was synthesized and characterized, and its 18F-labeled analog was synthesized from a mesylate precursor.

Novel Approach of a Phage-Based Magnetoelastic Biosensor for the Detection of serovar Typhimurium in Soil.

To date, there has been no employment of a magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor method to detect serovar Typhimurium in soil. The ME biosensor method needs to be investigated and modified for its successful performance. The filtration method, cation-exchange resin method, and combinations of both methods were employed for the extraction of .

FDG PET/CT Imaging of Prostate Carcinosarcoma.

We present a case of carcinosarcoma of the prostate. Workup of urinary retention after a previously treated squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate led to a transurethral prostate resection revealing carcinosarcoma of the prostate, which on F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated moderate to high avidity of this atypical prostate cancer, with partial obstruction of the urinary system and lung metastases. While FDG PET is not avid for typical prostatic adenocarcinomas, it should be considered for evaluation of atypical prostate cancers.

(18)F Sodium Fluoride PET/CT in Patients with Prostate Cancer: Quantification of Normal Tissues, Benign Degenerative Lesions, and Malignant Lesions.

Understanding the range and variability of normal, benign degenerative, and malignant (18)F sodium fluoride ((18)F NaF) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) uptake is important in influencing clinical interpretation. Further, it is essential for the development of realistic semiautomated quantification techniques and simulation models. The purpose of this study is to determine the range of these values in a clinically relevant patient population with prostate cancer.

A Quantitative Analysis of OnabotulinumtoxinA, AbobotulinumtoxinA, and IncobotulinumtoxinA: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Prospective Clinical Trial of Comparative Dynamic Strain Reduction.

Background: U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved formulations of botulinum toxin include onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox; Allergan, Inc.

Travel Pattern and Prescription Analysis at a Single Travel Clinic Specialized for Yellow Fever Vaccination in South Korea.

Background: Travel-related risks for infectious diseases vary depending on travel patterns such as purpose, destination, and duration. In this study, we describe the patterns of travel and prescription of vaccines as well as malaria prophylaxis medication (MPM) at a travel clinic in South Korea to identify the gaps to fill for the optimization of pre-travel consultation.

Materials And Methods: A cohort of travel clinic visitors in 2011 was constructed and early one-third of the visitors of each month were reviewed.

Influence of Standardized Orientation on Patient Perception of Perioperative Care Following Alveolar Cleft Repair: A Survey Based Study of Patients Treated in a Large Academic Medical Center.

Objective: This study aims to better understand patient-reported outcomes for iliac bone grafting surgery for alveolar cleft repair and to determine how standardizing perioperative patient instruction affects patient-reported outcomes.

Design: Retrospective survey-based assessment of patients undergoing iliac bone grafting with and without hospital-based systems standardization.

Setting: Academic tertiary care hospital.

Molecular epidemiology identifies HIV transmission networks associated with younger age and heterosexual exposure among Korean individuals.

To evaluate if HIV transmission networks could be elucidated from data collected in a short time frame, 131 HIV-1 pol sequences were analyzed which were generated from treatment-naïve Korean individuals who were sequentially identified over 1 year. A transmission linkage was inferred when there was a genetic distance <1.5% and a total of 16 clusters, involving 39/131 (29.

Incidental Thyroid Nodules at Non-FDG PET Nuclear Medicine Imaging: Evaluation of Prevalence and Malignancy Rate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of thyroid nodules detected incidentally on non-FDG PET nuclear medicine imaging studies, the malignancy rate, and predictors of malignancy.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of more than 10 years of patient records at an academic medical center identified the cases of 31 patients with incidental focal radiotracer-avid thyroid findings on non-FDG PET nuclear medicine studies who underwent biopsy or surgical excision. Statistical analysis of patient and imaging features was performed to identify features predictive of malignancy.

Intolerance of uncertainty and startle potentiation in relation to different threat reinforcement rates.

Fear conditioning research on threat predictability has primarily examined the impact of temporal (i.e., timing) predictability on the startle reflex.

Quantitative differences in [(18)F] NaF PET/CT: TOF versus non-TOF measurements.

[(18)F] sodium fluoride (NaF) PET/CT is a current, clinically relevant method to assess bone metastases. Time-of-flight (TOF) PET provides better statistical data quality, which can improve either lower image noise or improve resolution, or both, depending on the image reconstruction. Improved resolution can improve quantitative measurements of standardized uptake value (SUV) in small structures.

Cell swelling increases the severity of spreading depression in Locusta migratoria.

Progressive accumulation of extracellular potassium ions can trigger propagating waves of spreading depression (SD), which are associated with dramatic increases in extracellular potassium levels ([K(+)]o) and arrest in neural activity. In the central nervous system the restricted nature of the extracellular compartment creates an environment that is vulnerable to disturbances in ionic homeostasis. Here we investigate how changes in the size of the extracellular space induced by alterations in extracellular osmolarity affect locust SD.

Intraarterial Microdosing: A Novel Drug Development Approach, Proof-of-Concept PET Study in Rats.

Unlabelled: Intraarterial microdosing (IAM) is a novel drug development approach combining intraarterial drug delivery and microdosing. We aimed to demonstrate that IAM leads to target exposure similar to that of systemic full-dose administration but with minimal systemic exposure. IAM could enable the safe, inexpensive, and early study of novel drugs at the first-in-human stage and the study of established drugs in vulnerable populations.

Potential Danger of Pre-Pump Clamping on Negative Pressure-Associated Gaseous Microemboli Generation During Extracorporeal Life Support--An In Vitro Study.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between revolution speed of a conventional centrifugal pump and negative pressure at the inlet of the pump by clamping the tubing upstream of the pump, and to verify whether negative pressure leads to gaseous microemboli (GME) production in a simulated adult extracorporeal life support (ECLS) system. The experimental circuit, including a Maquet Rotaflow centrifugal pump and a Medos Hilite 7000 LT polymethyl-pentene membrane oxygenator, was primed with packed red blood cells (hematocrit 35%). Negative pressure was created in the circuit by clamping the tubing upstream of the pump for 10 s, and then releasing the clamp.

Persistent spontaneous synovial drainage from digital flexor sheath in proliferative tenosynovitis: Two case reports and a review of the literature.

Proliferative flexor tenosynovitis of the hand is an inflammatory process involving the synovial sheaths surrounding the tendons. It is most commonly caused by infection, but may also be caused by overuse, diabetes and rheumatic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and crystal arthropathies. The present report describes two patients with severe proliferative tenosynovitis, who developed a fistula between the tendon sheath and skin after instrumentation, resulting in persistent synovial drainage.

Clinical features of seizures in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have a higher burden of seizures, but few studies have examined seizures in HIV-infected individuals in Korea. A retrospective study was conducted to determine the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of seizures in patients with HIV infection. Among a total of 1,141 patients, 34 (3%) had seizures or epilepsy; 4 of these individuals had epilepsy before HIV infection, and the others showed new-onset seizures.

Digital image correlation: a novel dynamic three-dimensional imaging technique for precise quantification of the dynamic rhytid and botulinum toxin type a efficacy.

Background: Quantification of facial dynamic motion is paramount for improving cosmetic and reconstructive surgical outcomes. The authors introduce digital image correlation using speckle tracking photogrammetry and Aramis software (GOM mbH, Braunschweig, Germany) to study facial dynamics and demonstrate its application in quantifying botulinum toxin efficacy.

Methods: Fourteen subjects were evaluated using a dual camera system and three-dimensional optical analysis.

Lifetime Attributable Risk of Cancer From Radiation Exposure During Parathyroid Imaging: Comparison of 4D CT and Parathyroid Scintigraphy.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to measure the organ doses and effective dose (ED) for parathyroid 4D CT and scintigraphy and to estimate the lifetime attributable risk of cancer incidence associated with imaging.

Materials And Methods: Organ radiation doses for 4D CT and scintigraphy were measured on the basis of imaging with our institution's protocols. An anthropomorphic phantom with metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor detectors was scanned to measure CT organ dose.