Korean Society of Endourology and Robotics (KSER) recommendation on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of urolithiasis.

This article provides evidence-based recommendations and expert opinions to aid urologists in making optimal decisions regarding managing urolithiasis in various clinical scenarios. The most frequently asked questions by urologists in their clinical practice have been collected and answered in the form of FAQs; based on the latest evidence and expert opinions. The natural history of urolithiasis is divided into active treatment and silent phases, with the active treatment stage divided into typical and special situations and peri-treatment management.

Fasciclin 2 plays multiple roles in promoting cell migration within the developing nervous system of Manduca sexta.

The coordination of neuronal and glial migration is essential to the formation of most nervous systems, requiring a complex interplay of cell-intrinsic responses and intercellular guidance cues. During the development of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm), the IgCAM Fasciclin 2 (Fas2) serves several distinct functions to regulate these processes. As the ENS forms, a population of 300 neurons (EP cells) undergoes sequential phases of migration along well-defined muscle pathways on the visceral mesoderm to form a branching Enteric Plexus, closely followed by a trailing wave of proliferating glial cells that enwrap the neurons.

[A Case of Epiploic Appendagitis after COVID-19].

Acute epiploic appendagitis is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain resulting from appendageal ischemia caused by torsion or thrombosis of the draining vein. It is frequently misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis or diverticulitis. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed how this rare disease is diagnosed.

Commentary on "Novel Interaction of the Dopamine D2 Receptor and the Ca Binding Protein S100B: Role in D2 Receptor Function".

We previously proposed that the dopamine D2 receptor-interacting protein S100B binds to a putative S100B-binding motif at residues R233-L240 toward the N terminus of the third intracellular loop. We used in vitro pull-down assays with FLAG-tagged fragments of the rat dopamine D2 receptor third intracellular loop (D2-IC3) and in vitro-synthesized S100B to evaluate this hypothesis. Our results indicate that the putative S100B-binding motif is neither necessary nor sufficient for strong binding of S100B to D2-IC3.

An Ideal Female Breast Shape in Balance with the Body Proportions of Asians.

Unlabelled: Defining an ideal breast shape is one of the most fundamental and essential parts for a breast surgery. To propose a set of criteria for determining an ideal breast shape of Asians, the authors performed a survey using a questionnaire based on important esthetic elements of a breast.

Methods: The authors created a 11-item questionnaire, asking breast shape preference in the frontal and the lateral views.

How to Improve Projection in Nipple Reconstruction: A Modified Method Using Acellular Dermal Matrix Disk and Fragments.

Background: Nipple reconstruction is an essential, final stage in breast reconstruction. However, postoperative reduction in nipple projection often results in low patient satisfaction. The authors studied the causes of the projection decline and developed a new method using acellular dermal matrix.

Selective isolation and noninvasive analysis of circulating cancer stem cells through Raman imaging.

Circulating cancer stem cells (CCSCs), a rare circulating tumor cell (CTC) type, recently arose as a useful resource for monitoring and characterizing both cancers and their metastatic derivatives. However, due to the scarcity of CCSCs among hematologic cells in the blood and the complexity of the phenotype confirmation process, CCSC research can be extremely challenging. Hence, we report a nanoparticle-mediated Raman imaging method for CCSC characterization which profiles CCSCs based on their surface marker expression phenotypes.

ΔN-ASPP2, a novel isoform of the ASPP2 tumor suppressor, promotes cellular survival.

ASPP2 is a tumor suppressor that works, at least in part, through enhancing p53-dependent apoptosis. We now describe a new ASPP2 isoform, ΔN-ASPP2, generated from an internal transcription start site that encodes an N-terminally truncated protein missing a predicted 254 amino acids. ΔN-ASPP2 suppresses p53 target gene transactivation, promoter occupancy, and endogenous p53 target gene expression in response to DNA damage.

Development of visual peak selection system based on multi-ISs normalization algorithm to apply to methamphetamine impurity profiling.

The aim of this study is to improve resolution of impurity peaks using a newly devised normalization algorithm for multi-internal standards (ISs) and to describe a visual peak selection system (VPSS) for efficient support of impurity profiling. Drug trafficking routes, location of manufacture, or synthetic route can be identified from impurities in seized drugs. In the analysis of impurities, different chromatogram profiles are obtained from gas chromatography and used to examine similarities between drug samples.

Estimation of the synthetic routes of seized methamphetamines using GC-MS and multivariate analysis.

One hundred and twenty six seized methamphetamine (MA) samples were analyzed using GC-MS. All the peaks that appeared in the chromatograms were investigated and 61 impurities including n-octacosane (internal standard) were identified. Among them, 37 impurities were already known or newly identified by comparing with commercial library entries and 18 impurities were detected for the first time.

Simultaneous capture and in situ analysis of circulating tumor cells using multiple hybrid nanoparticles.

Using hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs), we demonstrate simultaneous capture, in situ protein expression analysis, and cellular phenotype identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Each HNP consists of three parts: (i) antibodies that bind specifically to a known biomarker for CTCs, (ii) a quantum dot that emits fluorescence signals, and (iii) biotinylated DNA that allows capture and release of CTC-HNP complex to an in-house developed capture & recovery chip (CRC). To evaluate our approach, cells representative of different breast cancer subtypes (MCF-7: luminal; SK-BR-3: HER2; and MDA-MB-231: basal-like) were captured onto CRC and expressions of EpCAM, HER2, and EGFR were detected concurrently.

A trachea-inspired bifurcated microfilter capturing viable circulating tumor cells via altered biophysical properties as measured by atomic force microscopy.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), though exceedingly rare in the blood, are nonetheless becoming increasingly important in cancer diagnostics. Despite this keen interest and the growing number of potential clinical applications, there has been limited success in developing a CTC isolation platform that simultaneously optimizes recovery rates, purity, and cell compatibility. Herein, a novel tracheal carina-inspired bifurcated (TRAB) microfilter system is reported, which uses an optimal filter gap size satisfying both 100% theoretical recovery rate and purity, as determined by biomechanical analysis and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations.

Highly efficient assay of circulating tumor cells by selective sedimentation with a density gradient medium and microfiltration from whole blood.

Isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) by size exclusion can yield poor purity and low recovery rates, due to large variations in size of CTCs, which may overlap with leukocytes and render size-based filtration methods unreliable. This report presents a very sensitive, selective, fast, and novel method for isolation and detection of CTCs. Our assay platform consists of three steps: (i) capturing CTCs with anti-EpCAM conjugated microbeads, (ii) removal of unwanted hematologic cells (e.

Sensitive and simultaneous detection of cardiac markers in human serum using surface acoustic wave immunosensor.

We present a rapid and sensitive surface acoustic wave (SAW) immunosensor that utilizes gold staining as a signal enhancement method. A sandwich immunoassay was performed on sensing area of the SAW sensor, which could specifically capture and detect cardiac markers (cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase (CK)-MB, and myoglobin). The analytes in human serum were captured on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that were conjugated in advance with detection antibodies.

Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes in adolescents and adults with varicocele.

Purpose: To compare clinical characteristics and surgical results in adolescents and adults with varicocele.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 93 patients, 34 adolescents (mean age, 14.4±2.

Electrochemical cell lysis device for DNA extraction.

We present a novel electrochemical cell lysis device to prepare DNA samples for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. It utilizes the electrolysis of saline solution to generate hydroxide ions (OH(-)) at the cathode as alkaline lytic agents. Cathode and anode chambers are separated by a negatively-charged ion exchangeable polymer diaphragm to maintain the high pH level for efficient cell lysis in the cathode chamber, to prevent inflow of PCR-amplification inhibitors from the anode chamber, and to minimize binding of DNA molecules.

Surface acoustic wave immunosensor for real-time detection of hepatitis B surface antibodies in whole blood samples.

We demonstrate an application of Love wave mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) immunosensor to detect hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) in aqueous conditions. SiO(2) guiding layer was deposited on 36 degrees YX-LiTaO(3) piezoelectric single crystal substrate to protect the electrodes and to trap the acoustic energy near the surface, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was immobilized on the sensing area. The resonance frequency shift was monitored to detect specific binding of HBsAb to immobilized HBsAg.

Application of complement 1q for the site-selective recognition of immune complex in protein chip.

Complement 1q (C1q) was applied for the specific recognition of antibody-antigen complex in antibody-based protein chip. The specific binding of C1q to antibody-antigen complex was investigated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with respect to Yersinia entericolitica, Salmonella typimurium, insulin, and bovine serum albumin. The protein chip was fabricated with two different kinds of antibodies a zigzag configuration.