Dysbiosis-activated IL-17-producing T cells promote skin immunopathological progression in mice deficient of the Notch ligand Jag1 in keratinocytes.

Background: The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved regulatory cascade critical in skin development and homeostasis. Mice deficient of Notch signaling molecules have impaired skin and hair follicle development associated with local tissue inflammation. However, mechanisms underlying skin inflammation and pathology resulting from defective Notch signals are not well understood.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes and Postoperative Nutritional Status Between Early and Late Oral Feeding After Esophagectomy: An Open Labeled Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To compare nutritional and postoperative outcomes between early oral feeding and late oral feeding with jejunostomy feeding support after esophagectomy.

Summary Background Data: Esophagectomy is associated with substantial body weight loss and malnutrition, impacting the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients. Despite many studies on post-esophagectomy nutritional support, optimal strategies remain elusive.

Hydrothermal dechlorination strategy for high-quality oil recovery from polyvinyl chloride.

The global production of PVC is around 3.5 million tons each year. Unfortunately, the disposal of PVC waste releases toxic substances such as hydrochloric acid, polychlorinated dioxins, and furans, which can harm the environment.

Clinical safety of remdesivir therapy in COVID-19 patients with renal insufficiency.

Though remdesivir benefits COVID-19 patients, its use in those with renal dysfunction is currently limited due to concerns about possible toxic effects of accumulated sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBECD) on liver and kidney. We examined renal and hepatic function for a month in renally-impaired COVID-19 patients who were treated or not treated with remdesivir to assess the safety of the drug. A retrospective study was performed in adult COVID-19 patients with glomerular filtration rates of <30 ml/min/1.

Clinical Characteristics of and Risk Factors for Subsequent Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) Bacteraemia in Rectal CPE Carriers.

Background: Due to high mortality and limited treatment options, the rise in carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) has become a major concern. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of subsequent CPE bacteraemia in rectal CPE carriers and investigate the risk factors for CPE bacteraemia compared with non-carbapenemase-producing (non-CP) Enterobacterales bacteraemia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on adult patients who were confirmed to have CPE colonisation by stool surveillance culture at a tertiary hospital from January 2018 to February 2022.

Correction: A Bone Metastasis Nude Mouse Model Created by Ultrasound Guided Intracardiac Injection of Breast Cancer Cells: the Micro-CT, MRI and Bioluminescence Imaging Analysis.

[This corrects the article on p. 57 in vol. 64.

Delta-like 4-Derived Notch Signals Differentially Regulate Thymic Generation of Skin-Homing CCR10NK1.1 Innate Lymphoid Cells at Neonatal and Adult Stages.

The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ for T cell development. Increasing evidence found that the thymus is also an important site for development of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). ILCs generated in thymi acquire unique homing properties that direct their localization into barrier tissues such as the skin and intestine, where they help local homeostasis.

Etiology, Characteristics, and Outcomes of Community-Onset Pyomyositis in Korea: A Multicenter Study.

Background: Pyomyositis (PM) is a serious soft tissue infection and despite its clinical importance, previous studies have not been able to fully determine the clinical characteristics and microbial epidemiology of PM in Korea, which we therefore aimed to investigate.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively identified 140 adult patients diagnosed with PM from 13 general hospitals between January 2012 and December 2015. We analyzed the clinical and microbial characteristics of community-onset PM and compared them with community-acquired (CA) and healthcare-associated (HCA) PM.

Nanoparticle-based computing architecture for nanoparticle neural networks.

The lack of a scalable nanoparticle-based computing architecture severely limits the potential and use of nanoparticles for manipulating and processing information with molecular computing schemes. Inspired by the von Neumann architecture (VNA), in which multiple programs can be operated without restructuring the computer, we realized the nanoparticle-based VNA (NVNA) on a lipid chip for multiple executions of arbitrary molecular logic operations in the single chip without refabrication. In this system, nanoparticles on a lipid chip function as the hardware that features memory, processors, and output units, and DNA strands are used as the software to provide molecular instructions for the facile programming of logic circuits.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Samsoeum, a Korean medicine for health insurance, on chronic bronchitis caused by lipopolysaccharide in rats.

Background: Samsoeum (SSE), a Korean medicine, has been used to treat upper respiratory infection including residual coughs after catching a cold, and colds in patients with gastrointestinal disorder. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of SSE against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bronchitis and characterized its optimal dosing range based on the improvement of SSE concentrations.

Materials And Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were intra-nasally administered LPS on day 0, 3 and 6.

Preferential Perinatal Development of Skin-Homing NK1.1 Innate Lymphoid Cells for Regulation of Cutaneous Microbiota Colonization.

Proper immune cell development at early ontogenic stages is critical for life-long health. How resident immune cells are established in barrier tissues at neonatal stages to provide early protection is an important but still poorly understood question. We herein report that a developmentally programmed preferential generation of skin-homing group 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1s) at perinatal stages helps regulate early skin microbiota colonization.

Etiology, characteristics, and outcomes of community-onset necrotizing fasciitis in Korea: A multicenter study.

Background: Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a serious skin and soft tissue infection causing high mortality. Investigating region specific epidemiologic factors associated with NF is important for establishing appropriate treatment strategies. This multicenter study was done to provide an update of the microbial etiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of NF in Korea.

Liquid-type non-thermal atmospheric plasma ameliorates vocal fold scarring by modulating vocal fold fibroblast.

Unlabelled: Injection laryngoplasty is a widely used therapeutic option for drug delivery into vocal folds (VFs). Efficient injectable materials are urgently needed for treating intractable VF disease. Liquid-type non-thermal atmospheric plasma (LTP) has been found to be useful for various biological applications, including in regenerative medicine.

Impact of health care-associated community-onset cellulitis in Korea: a multicenter study.

We conducted a multicenter study to determine the clinical and microbiological characteristics of health care-associated (HCA) cellulitis in Korea. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who had been diagnosed with community-onset cellulitis. Of the 2208 cellulitis patients, 232 (10.

Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Zika Virus Infections Imported into Korea from March to October 2016.

Zika is a re-emerging, mosquito-borne viral infection, which has been recently shown to cause microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Since 2015 the number of infected patients has increased significantly in South America. The purpose of this study was to identify the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients with Zika virus (ZIKV) infections in Korea.

Self-assembled nanocomplex between polymerized phenylboronic acid and doxorubicin for efficient tumor-targeted chemotherapy.

Since the discovery that nano-scaled particulates can easily be incorporated into tumors via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, such nanostructures have been exploited as therapeutic small molecule delivery systems. However, the convoluted synthetic process of conventional nanostructures has impeded their feasibility and reproducibility in clinical applications. Herein, we report an easily prepared formulation of self-assembled nanostructures for systemic delivery of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX).

Postoperative Nonpathologic Fever After Spinal Surgery: Incidence and Risk Factor Analysis.

Background: Although there are many postoperative febrile causes, surgical-site infection has always been considered as one of the major causes, but it should be excluded; we encountered many patients who showed delayed postoperative fever that was not related to wound infection after spinal surgery. We aimed to determine the incidence of delayed postoperative fever and its characteristics after spinal surgery, and to analyze the causal factors.

Methods: A total of 250 patients who underwent any type of spinal surgery were analyzed.

Activating transcription factor 3 is a target molecule linking hepatic steatosis to impaired glucose homeostasis.

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) contributes to impaired glucose tolerance, leading to type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, the precise mechanisms and target molecules that are involved remain unclear. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is associated with β-cell dysfunction that is induced by severe stress signals in T2D. We aimed to explore the exact functional role of ATF3 as a mechanistic link between hepatic steatosis and T2D development.

Hydrolyzed hexagonal boron nitride/polymer nanocomposites for transparent gas barrier film.

A flexible thin gas barrier film formed by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly has been studied. We propose for the first time that hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) can be used in LBL assembly. When dispersed in water through sonication-assisted hydrolysis, h-BN develops hydroxyl groups that electrostatically couple with the cationic polymer polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA).

Controlled Release of Hepatocyte Growth Factor from MPEG-b-(PCL-ran-PLLA) Diblock Copolymer for Improved Vocal Fold Regeneration.

An in situ-forming gel system comprised of diblock copolymer formed from polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polycaprolactone (PCL) {MPEG-b-(PCL-ran-PLLA)} could be used in controlled drug delivery for tissue remodeling. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate favorable vocal folds (VF) regeneration by using MPEG-b-(PCL-ran-PLLA) diblock copolymers (C97L3; CL/LA ratio 97:3) incorporating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Gradual release of HGF from C97L3 is detected and biochemical properties of released HGF are maintained.

Association between morningness and resilience in Korean college students.

Circadian typology and sleep quality may be essential factors associated with the promotion of resilience. However, previous studies investigating the association between circadian typology and resilience did not analyze the effects of sleep quality on resilience. Thus, the present study evaluated the association between circadian typology and resilience in Korean college students after controlling for sleep quality.

Insight into the kinetics and thermodynamics of the hydride transfer reactions between quinones and lumiflavin: a density functional theory study.

The kinetics and equilibrium of the hydride transfer reaction between lumiflavin and a number of substituted quinones was studied using density functional theory. The impact of electron withdrawing/donating substituents on the redox potentials of quinones was studied. In addition, the role of these substituents on the kinetics of the hydride transfer reaction with lumiflavin was investigated in detail under the transition state (TS) theory assumption.

Development of a new tri-block copolymer with a functional end and its feasibility for treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

We have developed nanomedicine vehicle based on a biocompatible tri-block copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactic acid)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PLA-PEG) by simple approach without toxic linker to escalate therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agent by enhanced targeting to metastasized breast cancers. The synthesized ABA type copolymer had a low polydispersity index and formed small, highly stable spherical micelles. Furthermore, a functional group at the end site of the copolymer can be decorated with imaging agents and targeting moieties.