Trend of fetal echocardiography use and comparison of medical costs for congenital heart disease treatment based on fetal echocardiography use in a Korean single center.

Background: The rate of the prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is increasing along with advances in fetal echocardiography techniques. Here, we aimed to investigate the trend of the use of fetal echocardiography over time and to compare the medical costs of congenital heart disease treatment according to whether fetal echocardiography was performed.

Methods: We reviewed our hospital's database, and patients who underwent the first surgery for congenital heart disease within 30 days of birth during 2005-2007, 2011-2013, and 2017-2019 were included.

Efficacy and safety of Banxia-Houpo-Tang (Banha-Hubak-Tang) for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: and purpose: Banxia-Houpo-Tang (Banha-Hubak-Tang, BHT) is an East Asian traditional herbal medicine used for treating depression. Hence, this review aimed to provide reliable evidence on the efficacy and safety of BHT for depression.

Methods: Overall, 15 electronic databases were searched until July 31, 2022, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of BHT for depression were reviewed.

Changes of hospitalization trend in the pediatric cardiology division of a single center by increasing adult with congenital heart disease.

Background: As a result of advances in pediatric care and diagnostic testing, there is a growing population of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The purpose of this study was to better define the epidemiology and changes in the trend of hospitalizations for ACHD in Korean society.

Methods: We reviewed outpatient and inpatient data from 2005 to 2017 to identify patient ≥18 years of age admitted for acute care with a congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnosis in the pediatric cardiology division.

Hepatic Stiffness Using Shear Wave Elastography and the Related Factors for a Fontan Circulation.

Hepatic problems related to a Fontan circulation have been highlighted and elastography using ultrasound is a non-invasive tool that can measure the severity of hepatic stiffness. We investigated the hepatic stiffness using shear wave elastography (SWE) and related factors in patients with a Fontan circulation. This study enrolled 64 patients with a Fontan circulation who underwent cardiac catheterization and abdominal ultrasound from 2011 to 2015.

Impact of postoperative duration of Aspirin use on longevity of bioprosthetic pulmonary valve in patients who underwent congenital heart disease repair.

Purpose: Generally, aspirin is used as a protective agent against thrombogenic phenomenon after pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) using a bioprosthetic valve. However, the appropriate duration of aspirin use is unclear. We analyzed the impact of postoperative duration of aspirin use on the longevity of bioprosthetic pulmonary valves in patients who underwent repair for congenital heart diseases.

Membrane Interactions, Ligand-Dependent Dynamics, and Stability of Cytochrome P4503A4 in Lipid Nanodiscs.

Membrane-bound cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4) is the major source of enzymatic drug metabolism. Although several structural models of CYP3A4 in various ligand complexes are available, none includes a lipid bilayer. Details of the effects of the membrane on protein dynamics and solvation, and access channels for ligands, remain uncertain.

Applications of Lipid Nanodiscs for the Study of Membrane Proteins by Surface Plasmon Resonance.

Methods for the initial steps of surface plasmon resonance analysis of membrane proteins incorporated in lipid nanodiscs are described. Several types of Biacore sensor chips are available and require distinct strategies to immobilize proteonanodiscs on the chip surface. The procedures for immobilization on three of these chips (NTA, antibody coupled CM5, and L1) are described in this unit and results are demonstrated for a model system with cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4) in nanodiscs binding to a polyclonal anti-CYP3A4 antibody.

A multilaboratory comparison of calibration accuracy and the performance of external references in analytical ultracentrifugation.

Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is a first principles based method to determine absolute sedimentation coefficients and buoyant molar masses of macromolecules and their complexes, reporting on their size and shape in free solution. The purpose of this multi-laboratory study was to establish the precision and accuracy of basic data dimensions in AUC and validate previously proposed calibration techniques. Three kits of AUC cell assemblies containing radial and temperature calibration tools and a bovine serum albumin (BSA) reference sample were shared among 67 laboratories, generating 129 comprehensive data sets.

Anti-aβ oligomer IgG and surface sialic acid in intravenous immunoglobulin: measurement and correlation with clinical outcomes in Alzheimer's disease treatment.

The fraction of IgG antibodies with anti-oligomeric Aβ affinity and surface sialic acid was compared between Octagam and Gammagard intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) using two complementary surface plasmon resonance methods. These comparisons were performed to identify if an elevated fraction existed in Gammagard, which reported small putative benefits in a recent Phase III clinical trial for Alzheimer's Disease. The fraction of anti-oligomeric Aβ IgG was found to be higher in Octagam, for which no cognitive benefits were reported.

Development of a method to quantitate nematode pheromone for study of small-molecule metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Pheromones produced by Caenorhabditis elegans are considered key regulators of development, mating, and social behaviors in this organism. Here, we present a rapid mass spectrometry-based method (PheroQu) for absolute quantitation of nematode pheromones (e.g.

Impact of linker and conjugation chemistry on antigen binding, Fc receptor binding and thermal stability of model antibody-drug conjugates.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with biotin as a model cargo tethered to IgG1 mAbs via different linkers and conjugation methods were prepared and tested for thermostability and ability to bind target antigen and Fc receptor. Most conjugates demonstrated decreased thermostability relative to unconjugated antibody, based on DSC, with carbohydrate and amine coupled ADCs showing the least effect compared with thiol coupled conjugates. A strong correlation between biotin-load and loss of stability is observed with thiol conjugation to one IgG scaffold, but the stability of a second IgG scaffold is relatively insensitive to biotin load.

Conformational analysis of human ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCB1 in lipid nanodiscs and inhibition by the antibodies MRK16 and UIC2.

The human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, P-glycoprotein (P-gp; ABCB1), mediates the ATP-dependent efflux of a variety of drugs. As a result, P-gp plays a critical role in tumor cell drug resistance and the pharmacokinetic properties of most drugs. P-gp exhibits extraordinary substrate and inhibitor promiscuity, resulting in a wide range of possible drug-drug interactions.

An efficient method for the expression and reconstitution of thermostable Mn/Fe superoxide dismutase from Aeropyrum pernix K1.

The gene APE0743 encoding the superoxide dismutase (ApSOD) of a hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1 was cloned and over-expressed as a GST fusion protein at a high level in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein was simply purified by the process of glutathione affinity chromatography and thrombin treatment. The ApSOD was a homodimer of 25 kDa subunits and a cambialistic SOD which was active with either Fe(II) or Mn(II) as a cofactor.