Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria related to international travel in the Republic of Korea from 2009 to 2018.

Malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium parasites, remains a significant health issue with global travel increasing the risk of imported malaria. This study investigates imported malaria cases in the Republic of Korea from 2009 to 2018 using data from the Korea National Infectious Disease Surveillance System. During this period, 601 imported cases were reported, with 82.

Assessment of the efficacy of on-demand tegoprazan therapy in gastroesophageal reflux disease through a randomized controlled trial.

In patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) whose symptoms improve with acid-suppression therapy, on-demand treatment could constitute maintenance therapy. This study investigated the comparative efficacy and safety of on-demand tegoprazan and proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in GERD. From six university hospitals in the Daejeon-Chungcheong region, we enrolled patients with GERD who had experienced symptomatic improvement with acid-suppressive therapy and, using a randomization table, randomly allocated these participants to two groups: to receive either tegoprazan 50 mg + esomeprazole placebo or tegoprazan placebo + esomeprazole 20 mg, respectively.

Elimination of nickel ions in a packed column using clamshell waste as an adsorbent.

The present investigation assessed the viability of utilizing a powdered clam shell in continuous adsorption to eliminate nickel ions from simulated wastewater. The breakthrough curves (BTC) were analyzed by altering the Q (inlet flow rate) in a glass column (ID 5 cm, H 35 cm) with a multi-port and filled with the powdered clamshell adsorbent (PCSA). The PCSA's nickel adsorption efficiency was maximum (87.

Sticky organisms create underwater biological adhesives driven by interactions between EGF- and GlcNAc- containing polysaccharides.

Marine and terrestrial organisms often utilise EGF/EGF-like domains in wet adhesives, yet their roles in adhesion remain unclear. Here, we investigate the Barbatia virescense byssal system and uncover an oxidation-independent, reversible, and robust adhesion mechanism where EGF/EGF-like domain tandem repetitions in adhesive proteins bind robustly to GlcNAc-based biopolymer. EGF/EGF-like-domain-containing proteins demonstrate over three-fold superior underwater adhesion to chitosan compared to the well-known strongest wet-adhesive proteins, mefp-5, and suckerin, when adhering to mica in an surface forces apparatus-based measurement.

Ocean's largest chlorophyll-rich tongue is extending westward (2002-2022).

Upwelling in the Equatorial Pacific nurtures an expansive, westward-stretching chlorophyll-rich tongue (CRT), supporting 18% of the annual global new production. Surrounding the CRT are the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north and south, which are suggested to be expanding under global warming. Yet, how this productive CRT has changed, expanding or contracting, remains unknown.

Transition metal vacancy and position engineering enables reversible anionic redox reaction for sodium storage.

Triggering the anionic redox reaction is an effective approach to boost the capacity of layered transition metal (TM) oxides. However, the irreversible oxygen release and structural deterioration at high voltage remain conundrums. Herein, a strategy for Mg ion and vacancy dual doping with partial TM ions pinned in the Na layers is developed to improve both the reversibility of anionic redox reaction and structural stability of layered oxides.

Time-series single-cell transcriptomic profiling of luteal-phase endometrium uncovers dynamic characteristics and its dysregulation in recurrent implantation failures.

Understanding human endometrial dynamics in the establishment of endometrial receptivity remains a challenge, which limits early diagnosis and treatment of endometrial-factor infertility. Here, we decode the endometrial dynamics of fertile women across the window of implantation and characterize the endometrial deficiency in women with recurrent implantation failure. A computational model capable of both temporal prediction and pattern discovery is used to analyze single-cell transcriptomic data from over 220,000 endometrial cells.

Spatial transcriptomics of healthy and fibrotic human liver at single-cell resolution.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of cell types and their heterogeneity within the human liver, but the spatial organization at single-cell resolution has not yet been described. Here we apply multiplexed error robust fluorescent in situ hybridization (MERFISH) to map the zonal distribution of hepatocytes, spatially resolve subsets of macrophage and mesenchymal populations, and investigate the relationship between hepatocyte ploidy and gene expression within the healthy human liver. Integrating spatial information from MERFISH with the more complete transcriptome produced by single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), also reveals zonally enriched receptor-ligand interactions.

Selective diagnostics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases with machine learning and miRNA.

The diagnosis of neurological diseases can be expensive, invasive, and inaccurate, as it is often difficult to distinguish between different types of diseases with similar motor symptoms. However, the dysregulation of miRNAs can be used to create a robust machine-learning model for a reliable diagnosis of neurological diseases. We used miRNA sequence descriptors and gene target data to create machine-learning models that can be used as diagnostic tools.

Safety of Low-Dose Quetiapine for Insomnia in Older Adults.

Background And Objective: Quetiapine is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved second-generation antipsychotic. It is also commonly used at low dose for its sedative properties to treat insomnia in the older population. Quetiapine at standard doses has been associated with increased risk of cerebrovascular events, cognitive decline, and mortality in patients with dementia, especially within older adults.

Sub-zero soil CO respiration in biostimulated hydrocarbon-contaminated cold-climate soil can be linked to the soil-freezing characteristic curve.

Extending unfrozen water availability is critical for stress-tolerant bioremediation of contaminated soils in cold climates. This study employs the soil-freezing characteristic curves (SFCCs) of biostimulated, hydrocarbon-contaminated cold-climate soils to efficiently address the coupled effects of unfrozen water retention and freezing soil temperature on sub-zero soil respiration activity. Freezing-induced soil respiration experiments were conducted under the site-relevant freezing regime, programmed from 4 to - 10 °C at a seasonal soil-freezing rate of - 1 °C/day.

Relative efficacy of systemic treatments for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a network meta-analysis according to 17p deletion/TP53 mutations.

Purpose: This network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the relative efficacy of systemic treatments in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R/R CLL), focusing on key genetic mutations, specifically the 17p deletion and TP53 mutations.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review to identify all publicly available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane database, and meeting abstracts published through December 2023. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for progression-free survival (PFS) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and to determine the ranking of the included regimens.

Viral oncogene EBNALP regulates YY1 DNA binding and alters host 3D genome organization.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen leader protein (EBNALP) is essential for the immortalization of naive B lymphocytes (NBLs). However, the mechanisms remain elusive. To understand EBNALP's role in B-cell transformation, we compare NBLs infected with wild-type EBV and an EBNALP-null mutant EBV using multi-omics techniques.

Narrative mobile video game-based cognitive training to enhance frontal function in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Although cognitive training has been proposed as a possible therapeutic modality for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), most serious games focus on specific tasks. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of narrative video game-based cognitive intervention for MCI. A four-week (± 1-week) mobile game intervention was given to 17 MCI participants (mean age (SD) = 72.

The impact of common and rare genetic variants on bradyarrhythmia development.

To broaden our understanding of bradyarrhythmias and conduction disease, we performed common variant genome-wide association analyses in up to 1.3 million individuals and rare variant burden testing in 460,000 individuals for sinus node dysfunction (SND), distal conduction disease (DCD) and pacemaker (PM) implantation. We identified 13, 31 and 21 common variant loci for SND, DCD and PM, respectively.

Nuclear speckles regulate functional programs in cancer.

Nuclear speckles are dynamic nuclear bodies characterized by high concentrations of factors involved in RNA production. Although the contents of speckles suggest multifaceted roles in gene regulation, their biological functions are unclear. Here we investigate speckle variation in human cancer, finding two main signatures.

Comparison of the prognosis and lymph node metastasis between no tumor budding and low-grade tumor budding in T1 and T2 colorectal cancer.

Tumor budding is a significant prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC) management and is graded as follows: 0-4 buds as low, 5-9 buds as intermediate, and > 10 buds as high. However, the specific prognostic difference between cases with 0 buds (BD0) and those with 1-4 buds (BD1) is not well established owing to a lack of comparative studies. This study aimed to examine and compare the rate of lymph node (LN) metastasis and prognosis by distinguishing between BD0 and BD1 within the low-grade category (0-4 buds) of tumor budding in submucosa (T1) and muscularis propria (T2) CRC.

Relationship between proximal to distal phalangeal articular angle and Hallux Pronation in Hallux Valgus deformity.

This study aimed to determine whether hallux pronation influences the proximal to distal phalangeal articular angle (PDPAA) and evaluate its relationship with postoperative recurrence. We included 94 hallux valgus (HV) patients who underwent distal chevron metatarsal osteotomy (DCMO) alone (DCMO-only group, n = 15) and DCMO with Akin osteotomy (DCMO + Akin group, n = 79). Preoperative additional toe radiographs were taken under supination stress to position the pronated toe as a true anteroposterior orientation.

Use of the Da Vinci SP surgical system in robot-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy: a single-center, retrospective study.

We investigated the safety and performance of the Da Vinci SP single-port robot (SP robot) in nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) with immediate reconstruction. Medical records of 60 women aged ≥ 19 years who had undergone SP robot-assisted unilateral or bilateral NSM with immediate reconstruction between October 2020 and August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Stage I (31, 47.

Prognostic value of [F]FDG PET/CT in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The study investigates the prognostic value of [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A total of 346 IPF patients who underwent FDG PET/CT between 2007 and 2020 were analyzed. Pulmonary FDG uptake [target to background ratio (TBR)] was binarized by optimal cut-off value based on survival analysis.

Age-related morphological changes of the pubic symphyseal surface: using three-dimensional statistical shape modeling.

Computational analysis of the pubic symphyseal surface is widely used for accurate age estimation, offering quantitative precision through the detection of subtle morphological changes. However, these methods often lack insights into the underlying morphological changes across different age groups. To bridge this gap, the study utilizes statistical shape modeling (SSM), a versatile tool capable of describing diverse morphological variations within populations.

Mechanical regulation of macrophage metabolism by allograft inflammatory factor 1 leads to adverse remodeling after cardiac injury.

Myocardial infarction (MI) mobilizes macrophages, the central protagonists of tissue repair in the infarcted heart. Although necessary for repair, macrophages also contribute to adverse remodeling and progression to heart failure. In this context, specific targeting of inflammatory macrophage activation may attenuate maladaptive responses and enhance cardiac repair.

Prognosis of patients with breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery using a 3D-printed surgical guide after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

In breast-conserving surgery (BCS), clear resection margins are crucial to prevent recurrence. Accurate imaging is vital for precise BCS, with MRI being the most accurate. However, MRI has limitations in identifying the exact extent of breast cancer in patients who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

Fish cells persistently infected with nervous necrosis virus produce a small-molecule substance for reducing cellular metabolism and suppressing viral multiplication.

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) of the genus Betanodavirus is one of the simplest RNA viruses pathogenic to a wide range of fish species. We established the SeGF, SeGE-22 and SeGB cell lines persistently infected with NNV (PI-SeGF, PI-SeGE-22 and PI-SeGB cells) by repeatedly subculturing the cells that survived NNV infection. The PI-SeGF and PI-SeGE-22 cells continued to stably yield NNV in culture fluids at 10 to 10 median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID)/ml even after 30-50 subcultures.

2 × 2 MIMO dual-wideband ground radiation antenna with a T-shaped isolator for Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 applications.

In this paper, a miniaturized 2 × 2 MIMO dual-wideband ground radiation antenna targeting Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 standards using 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands with sufficient antenna performance was designed. The proposed antenna system contains four identical 4 mm × 6 mm antennas of the internal loop type and two identical 6 mm × 6 mm isolators containing lumped LC elements.