Expansion of medical school admission quotas in Korea, is it really necessary?

Background: In 2024, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare enforced a policy to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 over the next 5 years, despite opposition from doctors. This study aims to predict the trend of excess or shortage of medical personnel in Korea due to the policy of increasing the number of medical school students by 2035.

Methods: Data from multiple sources, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Insurance Corporation, and the Korean Medical Association, were used to estimate supply and demand.

Association between intraoperative fluid management and postoperative outcomes in living kidney donors: a retrospective cohort study.

Optimal fluid strategy for laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) remains unclear. LDN has been a domain for liberal fluid management to ensure graft perfusion, but this can result in adverse outcomes due to fluid overload. We compared postoperative outcome of living kidney donors according to the intraoperative fluid management.

Muscle-Guided Mapping of the Post-Traumatic Heterotopic Ossification of the Elbow: A Novel CT-Based Study.

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO) involves abnormal bone formation in soft tissues near joints, commonly occurring after elbow trauma or surgery, leading to pain and functional limitations. Previous studies have primarily characterized HO distribution based on bony landmarks, lacking a detailed investigation into the characteristics of its distribution in periarticular soft tissue in post-traumatic elbows. This study aimed to (1) develop a muscle-guided classification system using computed tomography (CT) to map HO relative to elbow muscle-tendon units and (2) investigate correlations between HO location and severity.

Effects of Different Humeral Stem Length on Stem Alignment and Proximal Stress Shielding in Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.

Background: Few comparative studies on the correlation between stem length, stem alignment, and/or stress shielding have been conducted in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA). This study aimed to investigate the effects of different humeral stem lengths on stem alignment and proximal stress shielding after rTSA.

Methods: A total of 320 patients who underwent primary rTSA from October 2010 to May 2020 with at least 2 years of follow-up (mean follow-up: 32.

A Joint three-plane Physics-constrained Deep learning based Polynomial Fitting Approach for MR Electrical Properties Tomography.

Magnetic resonance electrical properties tomography can extract the electrical properties of in-vivo tissue. To estimate tissue electrical properties, various reconstruction algorithms have been proposed. However, physics-based reconstructions are prone to various artifacts such as noise amplification and boundary artifact.

Label-free quantitative imaging of conjunctival goblet cells.

Purpose: To introduce and validate quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy (qOBM) as a label-free, high-contrast imaging technique for visualizing conjunctival goblet cells (GCs) and assessing their functional changes.

Methods: qOBM was developed in conjunction with moxifloxacin-based fluorescence microscopy (MBFM), which was used for validating GC imaging. Initial validation was conducted with polystyrene beads, followed by testing on normal mouse conjunctiva under both ex-vivo and in-vivo conditions.

The incidence of Popeye Deformity after Soft Tissue Biceps Tenodesis is Comparable to Biceps Anchor Tenodesis and Lower than Biceps Tenotomy During Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

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Safety and efficacy of nipocalimab in adults with generalised myasthenia gravis (Vivacity-MG3): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Given burdensome side-effects and long latency for efficacy with conventional agents, there is a continued need for generalised myasthenia gravis treatments that are safe and provide consistently sustained, long-term disease control. Nipocalimab, a neonatal Fc receptor blocker, was associated with dose-dependent reductions in total IgG and anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies and clinically meaningful improvements in the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) scale in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis in a phase 2 study. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of nipocalimab in a phase 3 study.

Advancing protein structure prediction beyond AlphaFold2.

Accurate prediction of protein structures is essential for understanding their biological functions. The release of AlphaFold2 in 2021 marked a significant breakthrough, delivering unprecedented accuracy. However, challenges remain, particularly for proteins with limited evolutionary data or complex molecular interactions.

Transcriptomic insights into the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae in IL-1β-driven chondrosarcoma cells.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex, degenerative, multi-factorial joint disease. Because of the difficulty in treating OA, developing new targeting strategies that can be used to understand its molecular mechanisms is critical. Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae offer much therapeutic value; however, the presence of various active compounds and the multi-factorial risk factors for OA render the precise mechanisms of action unclear.

SEPO-FI: Deep-learning based software to calculate fusion index of muscle cells.

The fusion index is a critical metric for quantitatively assessing the transformation of in vitro muscle cells into myotubes in the biological and medical fields. Traditional methods for calculating this index manually involve the labor-intensive counting of numerous muscle cell nuclei in images, which necessitates determining whether each nucleus is located inside or outside the myotubes, leading to significant inter-observer variation. To address these challenges, this study proposes a three-stage process that integrates the strengths of pattern recognition and deep-learning to automatically calculate the fusion index.

Mild behavioral impairment and its relation to amyloid load in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder.

Introduction: In isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), the evidence of cognitive impairment and co-existing amyloid pathology suggests that mild behavioral impairment (MBI) may be associated with disease progression. In this study, we investigated MBI and its association with cognitive function, brain amyloid load and glucose metabolism in iRBD patients to evaluate the utility of MBI as a predictive marker of disease progression.

Methods: Patients with iRBD underwent a neuropsychological evaluation, F-florbetaben (FBB) PET, and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET.

rs762855 single nucleotide polymorphism modulates the risk for diffuse-type gastric cancer in females: a genome-wide association study in the Korean population.

Background: Intestinal-type gastric cancer (IGC) and diffuse-type gastric cancer (DGC) exhibit different prevalence rates between sexes. While environmental factors like Helicobacter pylori infection and alcohol consumption contribute to these differences, they do not fully account for them, suggesting a role for host genetic factors.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis to explore associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of IGC or DGC.

Comparison of tegoprazan and proton pump inhibitors for first-line eradication: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Tegoprazan (TPZ), a potassium-competitive acid blocker with potent gastric acid-suppressing activity, may be a potential agent for treating Helicobacter pylori infection. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of TPZ-based therapy for H. pylori eradication compared with proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based therapy.

Optimization of Conditions for Expression of Dengue Serotype 2 EDIII Protein in and Immune Responses of Adjuvant-Free EDIII Ferritin Nanoparticles Against Dengue Virus in BALB/c Mice.

Self-assembling ferritin nanoparticle technology is a widely used vaccine development platform for enhancing the efficacy of subunit vaccines by displaying multiple antigens on nanocages. The dengue virus (DENV) envelope domain III (EDIII) protein, the most promising antigen for DENV, has been applied in vaccine development, and it is essential to evaluate the relative immunogenicity of the EDIII protein and EDIII-conjugated ferritin to show the efficiency of the ferritin delivery system compared with EDIII. In this study, we optimized the conditions for the expression of the EDIII protein in , protein purification, and refolding, and these optimization techniques were applied for the purification of EDIII ferritin nanoparticles.

Revisiting the Metabolism of Donepezil in Rats Using Non-Targeted Metabolomics and Molecular Networking.

: Although donepezil, a reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, has been in use since 1996, its metabolic characteristics remain poorly characterized. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the in vivo metabolism of donepezil using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) based on a molecular networking (MN) approach integrated with a non-targeted metabolomics approach. : After the oral administration of donepezil (30 mg/kg) in rats, urine, feces, and liver samples were collected for LC-HRMS analysis.

HIFU-CCL19/21 Axis Enhances Dendritic Cell Vaccine Efficacy in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Background/objectives: Effectively targeting treatment-resistant tumor cells, particularly cancer stem cells (CSCs) involved in tumor recurrence, remains a major challenge in immunotherapy. This study examines the potential of combining mechanical high-intensity focused ultrasound (M-HIFU) with dendritic cell (DC) vaccines to enhance immune responses against OLFM4-expressing tumors, a CSC marker linked to immune evasion and tumor growth.

Methods: M-HIFU was applied to induce immunogenic cell death by mechanically disrupting tumor cells, releasing tumor-associated antigens and creating an immunostimulatory environment.

L-Threonine-Derived Biodegradable Polyurethane Nanoparticles for Sustained Carboplatin Release.

The use of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) in drug delivery systems offers the advantages of enhancing drug efficacy and minimizing side effects; In this study, L-threonine polyurethane (LTPU) NPs have been fabricated by water-in-oil-in-water emulsion and solvent evaporation using biodegradable and biocompatible LTPU. This polymer was pre-synthesized through the use of an amino acid-based chain extender, desaminotyrosyl L-threonine hexyl ester (DLTHE), where urethane bonds are formed by poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) (PLA-PEG-PLA) triblock copolymer and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). LTPU is designed to be degraded by hydrolysis and enzymatic activity due to the presence of ester bonds and peptide bonds within the polymer backbone.

The Role of Pentacyclic Triterpenoids in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Potential.

Lung cancer remains a major global health problem because of its high cancer-related mortality rate despite advances in therapeutic approaches. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a major subtype of lung cancer, is more amenable to surgical intervention in its early stages. However, the prognosis for advanced NSCLC remains poor, owing to limited treatment options.

Investigation of Novel Aronia Bioactive Fraction-Alginic Acid Nanocomplex on the Enhanced Modulation of Neuroinflammation and Inhibition of Aβ Aggregation.

Background/objectives: Aronia extract or its active compounds, especially anthocyanin, have shown potential for Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathologies, including neuroinflammation, fibrillogenesis of amyloid beta (Aβ), and cognitive impairment. However, there was still concern about their structural instability in vivo and in vitro. To solve the instability of anthocyanins, we combined aronia bioactive factions (ABFs) and alginic acid via electrostatic molecular interactions and created an ABF-alginic acid nanocomplex (AANCP).

An Investigation of the Anticancer Mechanism of L. Extract Against Colorectal Cancer by Integrating a Network Pharmacological Analysis and Experimental Validation.

L. has exhibited various pharmacological effects, yet its anticancer activities against colorectal cancer (CRC) and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the anticancer properties of an ethanol extract of L.

Growth Promotion and Secondary Metabolites of Vegetables by Spraying Soil with and Extracts at Various Stages of Growth.

There is a growing need for sustainable, efficient methods to promote plant growth and protect crops, with plant extracts offering natural, multi-component solutions. Based on previous observations, , , and were selected from 17 water extracts to investigate how the application times of soil sprays affect the antioxidant enzymes and secondary metabolites in fruity and leafy vegetables at different growth stages. From 1 week after sowing (WAS) to 4 WAS, all applications increased the shoot fresh weight by 42-69% in cucumbers, 40-64% in tomatoes, 46-65% in kale and 42-63% in lettuce.

Distribution of Vegetation and Soil Seed Banks Across Habitat Types in Paddy Fields Under Different Farming Practices.

Paddy field ecosystems are crucial for crop production, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem services. Although previous studies have examined paddy field biodiversity, few have addressed how the distribution and species richness of vegetation and soil seed banks are regulated. This study investigated the distribution of wetland plants and soil seed banks in paddy fields across diverse habitat types and identified factors influencing their patterns.

Hydrolysate Mitigates Muscle Dysfunction and Ectopic Fat Deposition Triggered by a High-Fat Diet in Mice.

Background/objectives: Obesity is a key factor in metabolic syndrome (MetS) development. Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) accelerates the onset of obesity and associated metabolic complications. (PB) has been traditionally utilized in Korean medicine for its antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anticancer, and hepatoprotective effects.