Establishment and long-term expansion of adult hepatobiliary organoids co-cultured with liver endothelial cells.

The liver has a unique ability to regenerate in response to injury or disease with hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (BECs) driving the regenerative response. Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) also play role in regeneration with the ability to differentiate into either hepatocytes or BECs. However, during chronic liver disease, the regenerative capacity of the liver is impaired.

Development of an Automated Free Flap Monitoring System Based on Artificial Intelligence.

Importance: Meticulous postoperative flap monitoring is essential for preventing flap failure and achieving optimal results in free flap operations, for which physical examination has remained the criterion standard. Despite the high reliability of physical examination, the requirement of excessive use of clinician time has been considered a main drawback.

Objective: To develop an automated free flap monitoring system using artificial intelligence (AI), minimizing human involvement while maintaining efficiency.

Reliability and Safety of Super-Thin ALT Flap: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Perfusion-Related Complications and Donor Morbidity.

Background: With an increasing need for thin flap, the use of super-thin anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps, raised above the supra-superficial fascia, has drawn great attention. Controversy remains regarding whether such thin flap elevation could affect postoperative outcomes, encompassing perfusion-related complications (PRC) and donor morbidities. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of super-thin ALT flap-based reconstruction compared with those of suprafascially elevated flaps.

Adaptation and validation of a Korean version of the speaking up about patient safety questionnaire (KSUPS-Q).

Background: Speaking up by healthcare providers is an essential assertive communication strategy for ensuring patient safety and preventing incidents. However, more is needed to know about speaking up and instruments to assess it in the Korean context. Therefore, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Speaking Up about Patient Safety Questionnaire (KSUPS-Q) for measuring speaking up-related behavior and climate among nurses.

Thin Free Perforator Flap as a Viable Option for Forefoot Reconstruction: Comprehensive Evaluation of Outcomes.

Background: Reconstruction of forefoot defects often necessitates free tissue transfer due to the limited availability of local tissue. Microsurgical reconstruction of the forefoot remains challenging, as it requires durable yet thin soft-tissue coverage for functional restoration. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of free thin perforator flaps for forefoot reconstruction, with a focus on functional outcomes.

Comparison of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease-related Cognitive Impairment: A Single Clinic-based Study in South Korea.

We examined whether there were differences in the presence of centrum semiovale-enlarged perivascular spaces (CSO-ePVS) and basal ganglia-ePVS (BG-ePVS) among patients with Alzheimer disease-related cognitive impairment (ADCI) based on their age of onset. Out of a total of 239 patients with cognitive impairment, 155 with positive amyloid-PET results were included. Among these, 43 had early-onset ADCI (EOADCI) and 112 had late-onset ADCI (LOADCI).

S6K1 deficiency in tumor stroma impairs lung metastasis of melanoma in mice.

Accumulating data suggest that ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), an effector in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, plays pleiotropic roles in tumor progression. However, to date, while the tumorigenic function of S6K1 in tumor cells has been well elucidated, its role in the tumor stroma remains poorly understood. We recently showed that S6K1 mediates vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) production in macrophages, thereby supporting tumor angiogenesis and growth.

Association Between Oral Health Status and Survival Time in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients.

Introduction: Patients with terminal cancer often experience various oral problems. Whether oral health status is associated with the survival of terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care remains unclear.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 59 Korean patients with terminal cancer receiving palliative care, including their oral health status, using a modified Korean version of the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT).

Activation of Lysosomal Function Ameliorates Amyloid-β-Induced Tight Junction Disruption in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.

Accumulation of pathogenic amyloid-β disrupts the tight junction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), one of its senescence-like structural alterations. In the clearance of amyloid-β, the autophagy-lysosome pathway plays the crucial role. In this context, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibits the process of autophagy and lysosomal degradation, acting as a potential therapeutic target for age-associated disorders.

Factors influencing shared decision-making in long-term care facilities.

Background: Shared decision-making, a communicative process to reach decisions based on informed preferences, evidence, and co-created goals, improves care satisfaction and patients' quality of life. However, shared decision-making has not been widely implemented in long-term care facilities, and few studies have examined how to promote the shared decision-making practice. This study aimed to identify the influencing factors of shared decision-making based on the Person-centered Practice Framework in long-term care facilities.

Non-Directional Property of Human-Body Communication Channel for Implantable Device Application.

In this paper, we present the properties of a communication channel used for implantable devices. The human-body communication (HBC) channel was proposed for data communication in implantable devices. The impulse response was measured using a channel-mimicking model, which mimics electrical losses caused by human body tissues.

Machine learning models of plasma proteomic data predict mood in chronic stroke and tie it to aberrant peripheral immune responses.

Post-stroke depression is common, long-lasting and associated with severe morbidity and death, but mechanisms are not well-understood. We used a broad proteomics panel and developed a machine learning algorithm to determine whether plasma protein data can predict mood in people with chronic stroke, and to identify proteins and pathways associated with mood. We used Olink to measure 1,196 plasma proteins in 85 participants aged 25 and older who were between 5 months and 9 years after ischemic stroke.

Fully stretchable textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators with crepe-paper-induced surface microstructures.

Currently, major energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fuels face various issues such as resource depletion, environmental pollution, and climate change. Therefore, there is increasing interest in technology that converts mechanical, heat, vibration, and solar energy discarded in nature and daily life into electrical energy. As various wearable devices have been released in recent years, wearable energy-harvesting technologies capable of self-power generation have garnered attention as next-generation technologies.

Comparison of Retinal Structural and Neurovascular Changes between Patients with and without Amyloid Pathology.

To evaluate whether an impaired anterior visual pathway (retinal structures with microvasculature) is associated with underlying beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathologies in patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), we compared retinal structural and vascular factors in each subgroup with positive or negative amyloid biomarkers. Twenty-seven patients with dementia, thirty-five with MCI, and nine with cognitively unimpaired (CU) controls were consecutively recruited. All participants were divided into positive Aβ (A+) or negative Aβ (A-) pathology based on amyloid positron emission tomography or cerebrospinal fluid Aβ.

PLK1-mediated phosphorylation of β-catenin enhances its stability and transcriptional activity for extracellular matrix remodeling in metastatic NSCLC.

β-catenin is a component for cell adhesion and a transcriptional coactivator in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Previously we found that catalytically active PLK1 drives EMT in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), upregulating extracellular matrix factors including TSG6, laminin γ2, and CD44. To understand the underlying mechanism and clinical significance of PLK1 and β-catenin in NSCLC, their relationship and function in metastatic regulation were investigated.

Relative Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination in Healthcare Workers: 3-Dose Versus 2-Dose Vaccination.

The omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is known to have high infectivity and is more likely to evade vaccine immunity. However, booster vaccination is expected to strengthen cross-reactive immunity, thereby increasing the vaccine effectiveness (VE). This study aimed to evaluate the relative VE of the 3-dose (booster) vaccination compared with the 2-dose primary series vaccination in healthcare workers during omicron variant-dominant periods.

Problematic smartphone use and functional somatic symptoms among adolescents: Mediating roles of depressive symptoms and peer relationships by gender.

This study explored the relationship between problematic smartphone use and depressive symptoms, peer relationships, and functional somatic symptoms with a representative sample of Korean male and female adolescents using serial multiple mediation models. The results identified the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and peer relationships for males in the association between problematic smartphone use and FSS. The serial mediating effect of the two mediators was also verified in the model for males.

Plk2-mediated phosphorylation and translocalization of Nrf2 activates anti-inflammation through p53/Plk2/p21 signaling in acute kidney injury.

The Plk2 is a cellular stress-responsive factor that is induced in response to oxidative stress. However, the roles of Plk2 in acute kidney injury (AKI) have not been clarified. We previously found that Plk2 is an interacting factor of Nrf2 in response to cellular stress, since Plk2 is upregulated in the Nrf2-dependent network.

Mitotic protein kinase-driven crosstalk of machineries for mitosis and metastasis.

Accumulating evidence indicates that mitotic protein kinases are involved in metastatic migration as well as tumorigenesis. Protein kinases and cytoskeletal proteins play a role in the efficient release of metastatic cells from a tumor mass in the tumor microenvironment, in addition to playing roles in mitosis. Mitotic protein kinases, including Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and Aurora kinases, have been shown to be involved in metastasis in addition to cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, depending on the phosphorylation status and cellular context.

Bovine colostrum derived-exosomes prevent dextran sulfate sodium-induced intestinal colitis suppression of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Despite the rise in the global burden of inflammatory bowel disease, there is a lack of safe and effective therapies that can meet the needs of clinical patients. In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of bovine milk, especially colostrum-derived exosomes (Col-exo) in a murine model of ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Col-exo activated the proliferation of colonic epithelial cells and macrophages, and created an environment to relieve inflammation by effectively removing reactive oxygen species and regulating the expression of immune cytokines.

The Potential of Bovine Colostrum-Derived Exosomes to Repair Aged and Damaged Skin Cells.

In this study, we examined the potentially beneficial effects of bovine colostrum-derived exosomes on UV-induced aging and damage in three major resident skin cells including keratinocytes, melanocytes, and fibroblasts. The treatment with colostrum exosomes prevented the UV-induced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species in epidermal keratinocytes. In UV-stimulated melanocytes, colostrum exosomes could also significantly reduce the production of the protective skin-darkening pigment melanin, which may help to reduce the risk of excessive melanin formation causing skin hyperpigmentation disorders.

Types of social activities associated with fewer insomnia symptoms and the mediating role of loneliness in older adults.

Background: A positive association has been known to exist between social activity engagements and fewer insomnia symptoms in later life. However, little is known about which social activities are associated with insomnia symptoms. Investigating mediating factors in this relationship may contribute to developing effective strategies for the reduction of sleep complaints in older adults.