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.

Global metabolomic alterations associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals among pregnant individuals and newborns.

Background: Gestational exposure to non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. While many EDCs affect the endocrine system, their effects on endocrine-related metabolic pathways remain unclear. This study aims to explore the global metabolome changes associated with EDC biomarkers at delivery.

Explainable vision transformer for automatic visual sleep staging on multimodal PSG signals.

Polysomnography (PSG) is crucial for diagnosing sleep disorders, but manual scoring of PSG is time-consuming and subjective, leading to high variability. While machine-learning models have improved PSG scoring, their clinical use is hindered by the 'black-box' nature. In this study, we present SleepXViT, an automatic sleep staging system using Vision Transformer (ViT) that provides intuitive, consistent explanations by mimicking human 'visual scoring'.

Adjusting on-scene CPR duration based on transport time interval in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide multicenter study.

The optimal duration of on-scene cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients remains uncertain. Determining this critical time period requires outweighing the potential risks associated with intra-arrest transport while minimizing delays in accessing definitive hospital-based treatments. This study evaluated the association between on-scene CPR duration and 30-day neurologically favorable survival based on the transport time interval (TTI) in patients with OHCA.

Association of LR treatment response category with outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma on explant pathology.

Objectives: Liver transplant (LT) is an effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in appropriately selected patients. Locoregional therapy (LRT) is often performed to extend a patient's eligibility for LT. Imaging has a modest sensitivity of approximately 40-77% for detecting pathologically viable HCC in post-LRT patients.

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.

Characteristics of transition to turbulence in a healthy thoracic aorta using large eddy simulation.

This study employed large eddy simulation (LES) with the wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity (WALE) model to investigate transitional flow characteristics in an idealized model of a healthy thoracic aorta. The OpenFOAM solver pimpleFoam was used to simulate blood flow as an incompressible Newtonian fluid, with the aortic walls treated as rigid boundaries. Simulations were conducted for 30 cardiac cycles and ensemble averaging was employed to ensure statistically reliable results.

Fecal microbiota transplantation to prevent acute graft-versus-host disease: pre-planned interim analysis of donor effect.

Gut microbiota disruptions after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) are associated with increased risk of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). We designed a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial to test whether healthy-donor fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) early after alloHCT reduces the incidence of severe aGVHD. Here, we report the results from the single-arm run-in phase which identified the best of 3 stool donors for the randomized phase.

Developmental deficits, synapse and dendritic abnormalities in a Clcn4 KO autism mice model: endophenotypic target for ASD.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is linked to ion channel dysfunction, including chloride voltage-gated channel-4 (CLCN4). We generated Clcn4 knockout (KO) mice by deleting exon 5 of chromosome 7 in the C57BL/6 mice. Clcn4 KO exhibited reduced social interaction and increased repetitive behaviors assessed using three-chamber and marble burying tests.

Social group size alters social behavior and dopaminergic and serotonergic systems.

Social behavior is affected by social structure type, but how neural function changes with social type remains unclear. We investigated whether social group size affects social behaviors based on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems. Four-week-old male mice were housed under different social group sizes: one, two, four, and eight mice per cage (1mpc, 2mpc, 4mpc, 8mpc, respectively).

Tailored large-particle quantum dots with high color purity and excellent electroluminescent efficiency.

High-quality quantum dots (QDs) possess superior electroluminescent efficiencies and ultra-narrow emission linewidths are essential for realizing ultra-high definition QD light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). However, the synthesis of such QDs remains challenging. In this study, we present a facile high-temperature successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (HT-SILAR) strategy for the growth of precisely tailored ZnCdSe/ZnSe shells, and the consequent production of high-quality, large-particle, alloyed red CdZnSe/ZnCdSe/ZnSe/ZnS/CdZnS QDs.

Epidemiology, Treatment Outcomes, and Prognosis of Myelodysplastic Syndromes/Neoplasms in Taiwan: Real-World Insights and Trends.

Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (MDS) are a diverse group of clonal myeloid disorders. Advances in molecular technology lead to the development of new classification systems. However, large-scale epidemiological studies on MDS in Asian countries are currently scarce.

Validation of Muscle Ultrasound Speckle Tracking and the Effect of Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Biceps Femoris Displacement.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the ultrasound speckle tracking (UST) algorithm, determine the optimal probe location by comparing normalized cross-correlation (NCC) values of muscle displacement at two locations (proximal vs. middle) of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) using the UST, and investigate the effects of Nordic hamstring curl exercise (NHE) training on BFlh displacement.

Methods: UST efficacy was verified with ex vivo uniaxial testing of porcine leg muscles.

Detecting asymptomatic cement pulmonary embolisms following vertebral augmentation using dual-energy computed tomography pulmonary angiography.

Background And Purpose: Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) pulmonary angiography can reliably detect cement pulmonary embolisms (CPEs) and parenchymal perfusion defects. This prospective observational study investigated CPEs in asymptomatic patients using DECT.

Methods: We enrolled 42 patients who underwent vertebroplasty or received cement screws for vertebral augmentation, examining them using spinal computed tomography and DECT pulmonary angiography.

Imaging Approach to Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare but important clinical problem that presents a sometimes challenging diagnostic dilemma. The diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension relies on a combination of clinical testing and radiologic imaging, with chest computed tomography (CT) often serving as the primary imaging modality for comprehensive evaluation of the chest. Chest CT can be used to evaluate for causes of pulmonary hypertension including chronic lung disease, pulmonary artery obstruction, and congenital heart disease.

Blood-brain barrier integrity disruption is associated with both chronic vascular risk factors and white matter hyperintensities.

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) like hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus are increasingly linked to cognitive decline and dementia, especially in cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are closely associated with cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms behind their development remain unclear. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may be a key factor, particularly in cSVD.

Transomental hernia resulting in a closed loop small bowel obstruction: delayed presentation following paediatric blunt abdominal trauma.

While internal hernias are rare in the paediatric population, it should be considered as a cause for an acute abdomen following blunt trauma. Internal hernias represent a surgical emergency that requires prompt recognition due to the high risk of strangulation and ischaemia of affected bowel loops. The case of a transomental hernia (TOH) is described in a young girl.

Membrane drug transporters in cancer: From chemoresistance mechanism to therapeutic strategies.

Chemoresistance is a multifactorial phenomenon and the primary cause to the ineffectiveness of oncotherapy and cancer recurrence. Membrane drug transporters are crucial for drug delivery and disposition in cancer cells. Changes in the expression and functionality of these transporters lead to decreased intracellular accumulation and reduced toxicity of antineoplastic drugs.

Methanotrophic and heterotrophic co-cultures for the Polyhydroxybutyrate production by co-utilizing C1 and C3 gaseous substrates.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production using methanotrophs offers an economical solution to counter increasing environmental pollution. However, the substrate specificity of methanotrophs limits their ability to use multiple gases for chemical production. In this study, a synthetic heterotrophic and methanotrophic co-culture system was developed to co-utilize methane and propane for PHB production.

Prognostic performance of the two-step clinical care pathway in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background & Aims: Current guidelines recommend a 2-step approach for risk stratification in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) with Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) followed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) or similar second-line tests. This study aimed to examine to prognostic performance of this approach.

Methods: The VCTE-Prognosis Study was a longitudinal study of patients with MASLD who had undergone VCTE examinations at 16 centres from the US, Europe and Asia with subsequent follow-up for clinical events.

The risk of donor-acquired allergy in solid organ transplant recipients: a systematic review.

Background: Donor acquired allergy (DAA) occurs when donors transfer their allergies to recipients through solid organ transplant (SOT). However, the risk of DAA in recipients of organs from allergic donors has not been systematically characterized.

Objective: We sought to synthesize the available evidence on the risk of DAA in SOT recipients.

Mechanisms of dual modulatory effects of spermine on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex.

The mitochondrial Ca uniporter is the Ca channel responsible for mitochondrial Ca uptake. It plays crucial physiological roles in regulating oxidative phosphorylation, intracellular Ca signaling, and cell death. The uniporter contains the pore-forming MCU subunit, the auxiliary EMRE protein, and the regulatory MICU1 subunit, which blocks the MCU pore under resting cellular Ca concentrations.

CXCR4 antagonist-loaded nanoparticles reprogram the tumor microenvironment and enhance immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death that has limited treatment options for advanced stages. Although PD-1 inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been approved for advanced HCC treatment, their effectiveness is often hampered by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which is due to hypoxia-driven CXCL12/CXCR4 axis activation. In this study, we developed 807-NPs, lipid-coated tannic acid (TA) nanoparticles that encapsulate BPRCX807, a potent CXCR4 antagonist to target HCC.