2020 Clinical Practice Guideline for Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy of Pulmonary Lesions: A Consensus Statement and Recommendations of the Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology.

Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) is one of the essential diagnostic procedures for pulmonary lesions. Its role is increasing in the era of CT screening for lung cancer and precision medicine. The Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology developed the first evidence-based clinical guideline for PTNB in Korea by adapting pre-existing guidelines.

Incorporating sarcopenia and inflammation with radiation therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with nivolumab.

Background: We investigated the combined effects of sarcopenia and inflammation on outcomes in patients with HCC treated with nivolumab.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed 102 patients treated with nivolumab between 2017 and 2018. Sarcopenia was diagnosed when the L3 skeletal muscle indices were < 42 cm/m and < 38 cm/m in men and women, respectively.

Clinical and molecular distinctions in patients with refractory colon cancer who benefit from regorafenib treatment.

Regorafenib (Stivarga, BAY 73-4506; Bayer Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany) is a novel oral multikinase inhibitor that blocks the activity of several protein kinases. However, few guidelines exist for novel biomarkers to select patients who will likely benefit from regorafenib treatment. Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with regorafenib were evaluated in this study.

Volume and Mass Doubling Time of Lung Adenocarcinoma according to WHO Histologic Classification.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the tumor doubling time of invasive lung adenocarcinoma according to the International Association of the Study for Lung Cancer (IASLC)/American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) histologic classification.

Materials And Methods: Among the 2905 patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma, we retrospectively included 172 patients (mean age, 65.6 ± 9.

The role of mental health counseling in college students' academic success: An interrupted time series analysis.

Retention remains a problem for postsecondary institutions and college students. To address these issues, researchers have sought to identify factors of college success and retention. Findings have consistently shown the importance of psychosocial factors and mental health on college students' academic success.

Impact of starch granule-associated surface and channel proteins on physicochemical properties of corn and rice starches.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of removing starch granule-associated proteins (SGAPs), especially starch granule-associated surface and channel proteins, on the overall characteristics of corn and rice starches. Protease treatment predominantly removed SGAPs on surfaces and in channels of the starches without significant damage, as evidenced by confocal laser scanning microscopy coupled with protein-specific and non-reactive fluorescent dye staining. Compared to untreated starches, protease-treated (PT) starches showed higher solubility and lower swelling power.

Clinical outcomes of minimally invasive surgery for Meckel diverticulum: a multicenter study.

Purpose: Meckel diverticulum (MD), caused by an obliteration defect of the omphalomesenteric duct, is one of the most common congenital anomalies of small intestines. The objective of this study was to review surgical outcomes of MD and evaluate the feasibility of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in MD.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients who underwent diverticulectomy for MD at 6 Hallym University-affiliated hospitals between January 2008 and December 2017.

Outcomes of left ventricular unloading with a transseptal cannula during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults.

We evaluated the benefit of left ventricular (LV) unloading using a percutaneous transseptal left atrial (LA) drain catheter via femoral vein incorporated into the ECMO venous circuit. This single-center retrospective observational study analyzed clinical outcomes of the LA venting group (N = 62) who underwent percutaneous transseptal LA drain placement comparing with the conventionally treated control group (N = 62) with an arterial pulse pressure below 10 mm Hg for at least 24 hours from December 2012 to August 2018. The ECMO weaning rate (61.

Characteristics of wheat starch-pectin hydrolysate complexes by dry heat treatment.

The objective of this study was to characterize dry heat-induced wheat starch-pectin hydrolysate (WST/PH) complexes to develop the retrogradation-retarded starch. Native (N-) and protease-treated (P-) WST were used as starch sources. Pectin hydrolysates were mixed independently with N-WST and P-WST to a mixing ratio of 49:1 (based on total solid contents), followed by drying below 10% moisture and dry heat treatment at 130 °C for 4 h.

Prognostic significance of sarcopenia in microsatellite-stable gastric cancer patients treated with programmed death-1 inhibitors.

Background: Sarcopenia has been underscored as a significant predictor of poor prognosis in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy with programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of computed tomography (CT)-determined sarcopenia in patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) gastric cancer (GC) treated with PD-1 inhibitors.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed patients with MSS GC who had been treated with PD-1 inhibitors from March 2016 to June 2019.

Comparison of Analgesic and Adverse Effects of Oxycodone- and Fentanyl-Based Patient-Controlled Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Gastrectomy Using a 55:1 Potency Ratio of Oxycodone to Fentanyl: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: Oxycodone has affinities for both kappa- and mu-opioid receptors. Therefore, it has been used for postoperative analgesia of surgeries in which visceral pain is expected to be the main cause of pain. However, there are few studies of the 55:1 potency ratio of oxycodone to fentanyl when using it as intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA).

Chitinase 3-Like 1 Contributes to Food Allergy via M2 Macrophage Polarization.

Purpose: Food allergy is a hypersensitive immune response to specific food proteins. Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1, also known as YKL-40 in humans or BRP-39 in mice) is associated with various chronic diseases, such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergic disease. CHI3L1 is involved in allergen sensitization and type 2 helper T (Th2) inflammation, but the role of CHI3L1 in food allergy remains unclear.

Hematological factors predicting mortality in patients with traumatic epidural or subdural hematoma undergoing emergency surgical evacuation: A retrospective cohort study.

Hematological abnormalities at admission are common after traumatic brain injuries and are associated with poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify the predictive factors of mortality among patients who underwent emergency surgery for the evacuation of epidural hematoma (EDH) or subdural hematoma (SDH).This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of 200 patients who underwent emergency surgical evacuation of EDH or SDH between September 2010 and December 2018.

Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance to Savolitinib, a Selective MET Inhibitor in -Amplified Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: Some gastric cancers harbor gene amplifications that can be targeted by selective MET inhibitors to achieve tumor responses, but resistance eventually develops. Savolitinib, a selective MET inhibitor, is beneficial for treating patients with MET-driven gastric cancer. Understanding the resistance mechanisms is important for optimizing postfailure treatment options.

Obesity Has a Stronger Relationship with Colorectal Cancer in Postmenopausal Women than Premenopausal Women.

Background: To examine the relationship between obesity measured by waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of colorectal cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Methods: A total of 1,418,180 premenopausal and 4,854,187 postmenopausal women without cancer at baseline and ages over 40 were identified using the Korean National Health Insurance System Cohort during 2009 to 2014. The hazard ratio (HR) for colorectal cancer incidence was assessed according to menopausal state using Cox proportional hazards models.

Integrated genetic and epigenetic analyses uncover MSI2 association with allergic inflammation.

Background: The relationship between allergic and eosinophilic inflammation, either systemic or local, in allergic diseases remains unclear.

Objective: We performed combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) and epigenome-wide (EWAS) for atopy and tissue eosinophilia to identify both genetic and epigenetic signatures between systemic and local allergic inflammation, and to capture global patterns of gene regulation.

Methods: We included 126 subjects for atopy analysis and 147 for tissue eosinophilia analysis, as well as 18 normal nasal tissue samples.

Transient Lymphopenia and Interstitial Pneumonia With Endotheliitis in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Macaques.

Using a reliable primate model is critical for developing therapeutic advances to treat humans infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we exposed macaques to high titers of SARS-CoV-2 via combined transmission routes. We observed acute interstitial pneumonia with endotheliitis in the lungs of all infected macaques.

Effect of baseline sarcopenia on adjuvant treatment for D2 dissected gastric cancer: Analysis of the ARTIST phase III trial.

Background And Purpose: This study evaluated the clinical significance of preoperative sarcopenia according to adjuvant concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (XP-RT) or chemotherapy alone (XP) in the D2 dissected gastric cancer patient cohort of the ARTIST trial.

Materials And Methods: Skeletal muscles at the L3 vertebra level from preoperative computed tomography images among the ARTIST trial participants were measured using validated in-house software. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was defined as the measured skeletal muscle area divided by the square of the height, and sarcopenia was defined according to the Korean-specific cutoff, i.

Incremental Image Noise Reduction in Coronary CT Angiography Using a Deep Learning-Based Technique with Iterative Reconstruction.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of applying a deep learning-based denoising technique to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) along with iterative reconstruction for additional noise reduction.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 82 consecutive patients (male:female = 60:22; mean age, 67.0 ± 10.

Self-Planarization of High-Performance Graphene Liquid Crystalline Fibers by Hydration.

Graphene fibers (GFs) are promising elements for flexible conductors and energy storage devices, while translating the extraordinary properties of individual graphene sheets into the macroscopically assembled 1D structures. We report that a small amount of water addition to the graphene oxide (GO) -methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) dispersion has significant influences on the mesophase structures and physical properties of wet-spun GFs. Notably, 2 wt % of water successfully hydrates GO flakes in NMP dope to form a stable graphene oxide liquid crystal (GOLC) phase.

Field-based rational design of p300 histone acetyltransferase inhibitor and systematic evaluation as an anti-fibrotic agent.

(E)-3-(3-(4-((3-Carbamoylbenzyl)oxy)-3-iodo-5-methoxyphenyl) acryloyl)benzamide (A6) was found to be a potent p300 inhibitor (IC50 = 870 nM) showing a similar binding mode to that of acetyl-CoA, a p300 substrate, and effective anti-fibrotic activity in both TGF-β1-stimulated lung fibroblast cells and bleomycin-induced in vivo lung fibrosis mice.

2D Materials Decorated with Ultrathin and Porous Graphene Oxide for High Stability and Selective Surface Activity.

2D black phosphorus (BP) and MXenes have triggered enormous research interest in catalysis, energy storage, and chemical sensing. Unfortunately, the low stability of these materials under practical operating conditions remains a critical bottleneck, particularly as they are prone to oxidization under moisture. In this work, the design and application of stable 2D heterostructures obtained from decorating BP and MXene (Ti C T ) with few-layer holey graphene oxide (FHGO) membranes are presented.

Cathelicidin-related Antimicrobial Peptide Contributes to Host Immune Responses Against Pulmonary Infection with in Mice.

is known for its multidrug antibiotic resistance. New approaches to treating drug-resistant bacterial infections are urgently required. Cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) is a murine antimicrobial peptide that exerts diverse immune functions, including both direct bacterial cell killing and immunomodulatory effects.