A nationwide survey on the curriculum and educational resources related to the Clinical Skills Test of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Purpose: The revised Clinical Skills Test (CST) of the Korean Medical Licensing Exam aims to provide a better assessment of physicians' clinical competence and ability to interact with patients. This study examined the impact of the revised CST on medical education curricula and resources nationwide, while also identifying areas for improvement within the revised CST.

Methods: This study surveyed faculty responsible for clinical clerkships at 40 medical schools throughout Korea to evaluate the status and changes in clinical skills education, assessment, and resources related to the CST.

CD16 and CD57 expressing gamma delta T cells in acute HIV-1 infection are associated with the development of neutralization breadth.

New HIV vaccine approaches are focused on eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies. We characterized early gamma-delta (γδ) T cell responses starting from pre-acquisition and during acute HIV infection (AHI) in participants previously characterized for neutralization breadth development. We found significant differences in γδ T cell surface marker expression in participants that developed neutralization breadth compared to those that did not.

Effectiveness of Buspirone in Alleviating Anxiety Symptoms in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study in Korea.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of buspirone as an adjunctive therapy for alleviating anxiety symptoms in patients with depressive disorders who are already taking antidepressants.

Methods: This was an open-label prospective multicenter non-interventional observational study conducted over 12 weeks. We enrolled 180 patients diagnosed with depressive disorders according to DSM-5 criteria and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores ≥ 18.

Concurrent immunotherapy and radiation in cisplatin-ineligible patients with HNSCC: a systematic review & meta-analysis.

Background: Head and squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the locally advanced setting is challenging to treat and remains an area of significant morbidity and mortality. For patients who are cisplatin-ineligible and considered unresectable, there is no clear standard of care including the choice of radiosensitizer.

Methods: OVID Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched.

Adapt or Perish: Efficient Selenocysteine Insertion Is Critical for Metastasizing Cancer Cells.

During metastasis, cancer cells detach from the primary tumor, circulate through the bloodstream, and establish themselves at distant sites, facing increased levels of reactive oxygen species that act as significant barriers to metastatic progression. Adapting to and surviving in these high reactive oxygen species environments are thus crucial for successful metastasis. A recent study by Nease and colleagues identified FTSJ1 as the methyltransferase responsible for methylation of the U34 position wobble uridine modification of selenocysteine (Sec) tRNA.

Identification of risk factors and clinical outcomes for symmetric peripheral gangrene: A new scoring system using a common data model database.

Symmetrical peripheral gangrene (SPG) is a destructive clinical condition where amputation is often the final treatment option. We aimed to identify the predictors of SPG using the common data model (CDM) and propose a new scoring system for predicting hospitalized patients at risk of developing SPG. A cohort of patients treated with intravenous noradrenaline, epinephrine, and vasopressin between 2011 and 2020 was retrospectively analyzed using the CDM database.

Association between Liver Function Markers and Menstrual Cycle Irregularity in Korean Female Population.

Background: The liver plays an important role in gonadal steroid hormone metabolism, which can affect reproductive health, including the menstrual cycle. However, evidence from large population-based studies is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between liver function markers and menstrual cycle irregularities in premenopausal Korean women using nationwide data.

Long-term clinical outcomes of image-guided percutaneous coronary intervention in acute myocardial infarction from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry.

Imaging modalities for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT), have increased in the current PCI era. However, their clinical benefits in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the long-term outcomes of image-guided PCI in patients with AMI using data from the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry.

Combinatorial expression of neurexin genes regulates glomerular targeting by olfactory sensory neurons.

Precise connectivity between specific neurons is essential for the formation of the complex neural circuitry necessary for executing intricate motor behaviors and higher cognitive functions. While -interactions between synaptic membrane proteins have emerged as crucial elements in orchestrating the assembly of these neural circuits, the synaptic surface proteins involved in neuronal wiring remain largely unknown. Here, using unbiased single-cell transcriptomic and mouse genetic approaches, we uncover that the neurexin family of genes enables olfactory sensory neuron (OSNs) axons to form appropriate synaptic connections with their mitral and tufted (M/T) cell synaptic partners, within the mammalian olfactory system.

Innate immune cell activation after HIV-1 vaccine administration is associated with increased antibody production.

The RV144 Thai phase III clinical trial's canarypox-protein HIV vaccine regimen showed modest efficacy in reducing infection. We therefore sought to determine the effects of vaccine administration on innate cell activation and subsequent associations with vaccine-induced immune responses. RV306 was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial in HIV-uninfected Thai adults that tested delayed boosting following the RV144 regimen.

Selenium reduction of ubiquinone via SQOR suppresses ferroptosis.

The canonical biological function of selenium is in the production of selenocysteine residues of selenoproteins, and this forms the basis for its role as an essential antioxidant and cytoprotective micronutrient. Here we demonstrate that, via its metabolic intermediate hydrogen selenide, selenium reduces ubiquinone in the mitochondria through catalysis by sulfide quinone oxidoreductase. Through this mechanism, selenium rapidly protects against lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in a timescale that precedes selenoprotein production, doing so even when selenoprotein production has been eliminated.

Hyperarousal-state of Insomnia Disorder in Wake-resting State Quantitative Electroencephalography.

Objective: : Insomnia is associated with elevated high-frequency electroencephalogram power in the waking state. Although affective symptoms (e.g.

Issues, challenges, and future perspectives of genetic counseling in Republic of Korea: Perspectives of laboratory physicians based on a 2022 survey.

The field of genetic counseling (GC) in the Republic of Korea has evolved from a single medical doctor's clinic to a multidisciplinary service with medical geneticists and non-medical professionals working as a team. Here, we assessed the current status of GC in the Republic of Korea based on professional surveys from the perspective of laboratory physicians. An electronic survey was designed and conducted, with the respondents being 50 certified laboratory physicians who were members of the Korean Society for Genetic Diagnostics.

Association of low muscle strength with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: A nationwide study.

Background: There is limited evidence regarding the association between muscle strength and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Aim: To investigate the association between muscle strength and MAFLD in the general population in Korea.

Methods: This nationwide representative cross-sectional study included 31649 individuals aged ≥ 19 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2015 and 2018.

Deep learning-based natural language processing for detecting medical symptoms and histories in emergency patient triage.

Objective: The manual recording of electronic health records (EHRs) by clinicians in the emergency department (ED) is time-consuming and challenging. In light of recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) such as GPT and BERT, this study aimed to design and validate LLMs for automatic clinical diagnoses. The models were designed to identify 12 medical symptoms and 2 patient histories from simulated clinician-patient conversations within 6 primary symptom scenarios in emergency triage rooms.

Comparison of Prognostic Value Between Stimulated and Nonstimulated Thyroglobulins in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: The growing incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) demands dependable prognostic factors to guide follow-up and treatment plans. This study investigated the prognostic value of response to therapy (RTT) assessment using TSH stimulated-thyroglobulin (sti-Tg) and nonstimulated-thyroglobulin (nonsti-Tg) and evaluates whether RTT using nonsti-Tg (nonstiRTT) can replace RTT using sti-Tg (stiRTT) in clinical practice to improve patients' quality of life during assessment.

Methods: We enrolled 419 DTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy, and Tg assessment.

Disruption of sugar nucleotide clearance is a therapeutic vulnerability of cancer cells.

Identifying metabolic steps that are specifically required for the survival of cancer cells but are dispensable in normal cells remains a challenge. Here we report a therapeutic vulnerability in a sugar nucleotide biosynthetic pathway that can be exploited in cancer cells with only a limited impact on normal cells. A systematic examination of conditionally essential metabolic enzymes revealed that UXS1, a Golgi enzyme that converts one sugar nucleotide (UDP-glucuronic acid, UDPGA) to another (UDP-xylose), is essential only in cells that express high levels of the enzyme immediately upstream of it, UGDH.

Immune Activation Profiles Elicited by Distinct, Repeated TLR Agonist Infusions in Rhesus Macaques.

TLR agonists are a promising class of immune system stimulants investigated for immunomodulatory applications in cancer immunotherapy and viral diseases. In this study, we sought to characterize the safety and immune activation achieved by different TLR agonists in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a useful preclinical model of complex immune interactions. Macaques received one of three TLR agonists, followed by plasma cytokine, immune cell subset representation, and blood cell activation measurements.

Effect of cholesterol variability on the incidence of cataract, dementia, and osteoporosis: A study using a common data model.

The effects of cholesterol variability on cataracts, dementia, and osteoporosis remain controversial. Using a common data model, we investigated the effects of variations in cholesterol levels on the development of cataracts, dementia, and osteoporosis. Patients who received statin therapy between 2011 and 2020 and those with 3 or more tests for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels were included.