Prognostic Value of Cardiac CT-Derived RV Dysfunction in Lung Transplantation Candidates: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: There are no specific criteria for listing and prioritizing lung transplantation (LTx) candidates based on the severity of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We evaluated the prognostic value of cardiac CT-derived RV ejection fraction (RVEF) in LTx candidates.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who were listed for LTx and underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) between September 2019 and December 2023.

Molecular Characterization and Interaction between Human VEGF-D and VEGFR-3.

Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are some of the routes that cause metastasis. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGFs) stimulate angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis through VEGF receptors. Especially, VEGF-D and its receptor, VEGFR-3, play a pivotal role in regulating cellular processes such as survival, proliferation, and migration, thereby influencing lymphangiogenesis.

Effect of Waste PET Fiber on the Mechanical Properties and Chloride Ion Penetration of Emergency Repair Concrete for Road Pavement.

This study evaluated the effects of adding waste PET fibers on the mechanical properties and chloride ion penetration of latex-modified ultra-rapid hardening cement concrete used for emergency road pavement repairs. The primary experimental variable was the content of waste PET fibers. The mechanical properties of the concrete were evaluated through compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength tests.

Isolation of Genetically Distinct Strains Within the Same Species During Treatment of Mycobacterium Avium Complex Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Research on isolating genetically different strains within the same species in patients undergoing treatment for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease (PD) is limited. We investigated the frequency of genetically distinct strains identified within the same species among on-treatment isolates compared with pretreatment isolates throughout the course of MAC-PD treatment.

Research Question: What is the frequency of genetically distinct strains identified within the same species among pretreatment and on-treatment isolates in patients with MAC-PD?

Study Design And Methods: We serially collected pretreatment and on-treatment clinical isolates from patients with MAC-PD treated for over 1 month from November 2019 to October 2022 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea.

CT-derived myocardial strain measurement in patients with chronic constrictive pericarditis.

Background: We aimed to compare computed tomography (CT)-derived myocardial strain between patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP) and a matched healthy control group and to identify factors associated with clinical outcomes after pericardiectomy.

Methods: This retrospective study included 65 patients with CP (mean age: 58.9 ​± ​8.

Acculturation, Enculturation, Culture-Specific Emotional Distress, and Parenting Among Korean Immigrant Mothers.

This study examined how Korean immigrant mothers' cultural orientations (i.e., acculturation and enculturation) were related to their mental health, specifically depression and the culturally specific syndrome of Hwa-byung (HB), and had direct and indirect relations to their parenting practices (i.

Assessment of Treatment Response in Patients With Severe Asthma Using Visual and Quantitative Analysis of Chest CT.

Objective: To evaluate the role of visual and quantitative chest CT parameters in assessing treatment response in patients with severe asthma.

Materials And Methods: Korean participants enrolled in a prospective multicenter study, named the Precision Medicine Intervention in Severe Asthma study, from May 2020 to August 2021, underwent baseline and follow-up chest CT scans (inspiration/expiration) 10-12 months apart, before and after biologic treatment. Two radiologists scored bronchiectasis severity and mucus plugging extent.

Structural identification and comprehension of human ALDH1L1-Gossypol complex.

The folate metabolism enzyme ALDH1L1 catalyzed 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate and CO. Non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC) strongly express ALDH1L1. Gossypol binds to an allosteric site and disrupts the folate metabolism by preventing NADP binding.

Incidental detection of ground glass nodules and primary lung cancer in patients with breast cancer: prevalence and long-term follow-up on chest computed tomography.

Background: Patients with breast cancer have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than the general population. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ground glass nodule (GGN) and risk factors for GGN growth in patients with breast cancer and to evaluate the prevalence and pathologic features of lung cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data and chest computed tomography (CT) of 1,384 patients diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent chest CT between January 2008 and December 2022.

Structural basis for T cell immunoglobulin and mucin protein 3 and Toxascaris leonina galectin complex.

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin protein 3 (Tim-3), also known as Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 2, has been discovered to have a negative regulatory effect on murine T-cell responses. Galectin-9 exhibits various biological effects, including cell aggregation, eosinophil chemoattraction, activation, and apoptosis, observed in murine thymocytes, T-cells, and human melanoma cells. Such approach demonstrated that Galectin-9 acts as a binding partner on Tim-3 and mediates the T-cell inhibitory effects.

Temporal Changes in Metabolic Syndrome Indices and Factors of Metabolic Syndrome Development in Patients With Rheumatic Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Patients with rheumatic disease have a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to investigate temporal changes in metabolic syndrome indices and to identify factors influencing metabolic syndrome development. A prospective cohort study design was adopted.

Reliability of implant stability measuring devices depending on various clinical conditions: an study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of implant stability measuring devices depending on the location of the implant and the position of the patient.

Materials And Methods: Six implants were installed in different dentate sextants of six artificial bone models. Implant stability was measured in three conditions of the bone model (without mounting on a phantom head, mounted on a phantom head in supine position, and mounted on a phantom head in upright position).

Migratory grief and mental health in first-generation Korean American immigrants.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine first-generation Korean immigrants' migratory grief in relation to cultural, social, and mental health variables. We examined (a) how behavioral and value acculturation and enculturation as well as mainstream and ethnic connectedness predicted migratory grief and (b) how mainstream and ethnic connectedness moderated the relationships of migratory grief and mental health outcomes (i.e.

Effectiveness of Nicu nurses' competence enhancement program for developmentally supportive care for preterm infants: A quasi-experimental study.

Background: Developmental support care for preterm infants contributes toward their health and shortens their hospital stay. In many countries, programs for preterm infant development such as Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program and Philips Wee Care have not yet been disseminated.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of neonatal intensive care unit nurses' competence enhancement program for developmental support care of preterm infants.

Analysis of research on interventions for the prevention of safety accidents involving infants: a scoping review.

Purpose: This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of studies on interventions for the prevention of safety accidents involving infants.

Methods: The scoping review method by Arksey and O'Malley was used to conduct an overview based on information spanning a wide range of fields. Multiple electronic databases, PubMed, CINAHL, RISS, and KISS, were searched for articles written in English or Korean published from 2012 to the present on safety accident prevention interventions.

Incidental Thyroid Nodule on Chest Computed Tomography: Application of Computed Tomography Texture Analysis in Prediction of Ultrasound Classification.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the value of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis (CTTA) in predicting ultrasound (US) classification of incidentally detected thyroid nodule (ITN) on chest CT.

Methods: A total of 117 ITNs (≥1 cm in the longest diameter) on chest CT scan of 107 patients was divided into 4 categories according to the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS) classification on recent thyroid US within 3 months. Computed tomography texture features were extracted with or without filtration using commercial software.

Skin biophysical properties including impaired skin barrier function determine ultraviolet sensitivity.

Background: The levels of burning susceptibility to ultraviolet (UV) radiations are affected by various factors, including Fitzpatrick skin types, skin color, sex, and ethnicity. However, studies on the relationship between skin biophysical properties and erythemal responses to UV radiations are rare.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate biophysical properties of the skin that determined individual skin sensitivity to UV radiation.

Oncogenic KRAS: Signaling and Drug Resistance.

RAS proteins play a role in many physiological signals transduction processes, including cell growth, division, and survival. The Ras protein has amino acids 188-189 and functions as GTPase. These proteins are switch molecules that cycle between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs).

Effect of biochemical and biomechanical factors on vascularization of kidney organoid-on-a-chip.

Kidney organoids derived from the human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) recapitulating human kidney are the attractive tool for kidney regeneration, disease modeling, and drug screening. However, the kidney organoids cultured by static conditions have the limited vascular networks and immature nephron-like structures unlike human kidney. Here, we developed a kidney organoid-on-a-chip system providing fluidic flow mimicking shear stress with optimized extracellular matrix (ECM) conditions.

Developmentally Supportive Care Among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses in South Korea: Knowledge, Perceived Importance, Perception, and Perceived Competence.

Background: The concept of developmentally supportive care in preterm infants is of considerable significance in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting with regard to preventing complications from preterm birth and promoting optimal growth and development. To provide high-quality developmentally supportive care, NICU nurses must possess high levels of knowledge, importance, perception, and competence.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate South Korean NICU nursing staff's level of knowledge concerning developmentally supportive care, as well as the perceived importance, perception, and perceived competence regarding this concept.

Shikimate Metabolic Pathway Engineering in .

Shikimate is a key high-demand metabolite for synthesizing valuable antiviral drugs, such as the anti-influenza drug, oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Microbial-based strategies for shikimate production have been developed to overcome the unstable and expensive supply of shikimate derived from traditional plant extraction processes. In this study, a microbial cell factory using was designed to overproduce shikimate in a fed-batch culture system.

Effect of Deep versus Moderate Neuromuscular Blockade on Quantitatively Assessed Postoperative Atelectasis Using Computed Tomography in Thoracic Surgery; a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

Background: postoperative atelectasis is a significant clinical problem during thoracic surgery with one-lung ventilation. Intraoperative deep neuromuscular blockade can improve surgical conditions, but an increased risk of residual paralysis may aggravate postoperative atelectasis. Every patient was verified to have full reversal before extubation.

Development and validation of the fingertip unit for assessing Facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index.

Background: Facial involvement of vitiligo is an important factor in a patient's life and has often been evaluated separately from body surface area in clinical trials. However, no reliable tools to measure facial vitiligo specifically are available thus far.

Objective: To develop and validate a practical instrument for assessing facial vitiligo.