Bullae-Forming Pulmonary Metastasis from Choriocarcinoma Presenting as Pneumothorax.

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a condition of uncertain etiology, choriocarcioma, or placental-site hydatidiform moles, invasive moles, choriocarcinoma, and placental-site trophoblastic tumors. It arises from the abnormal proliferation of trophoblastic tissue and spreads beyond the uterus hematogenously. The early diagnosis of GTD is important to ensure timely and successful management and the preservation of fertility.

Isolation and enrichment of circulating biomarkers for cancer screening, detection, and diagnostics.

Much research has been performed over the past several decades in an attempt to conquer cancer. Tissue biopsy is the conventional method for gathering biological materials to analyze cancer and has contributed greatly to the understanding of cancer. However, this method is limited because it is time-consuming (requires tissue sectioning, staining, and pathological analysis), costly, provides scarce starting materials for multiple tests, and is painful.

Lung Entrapment between the Pectus Bar and Chest Wall after Pectus Surgery: An Incidental Finding during Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery.

We report a case of an entrapped lung after the pectus bar repair of a pectus deformity. The entrapped lung was found incidentally during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for pneumothorax. Based on VATS exploration, multiple bullae seemed to be the cause of the pneumothorax, but the entrapped lung was suspected to have been a cause of the air leakage.

The Significance of Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background: A raised carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) may be associated with significant pathology during the postoperative follow-up of lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 305 patients who underwent surgical resections for primary lung adenocarcinoma at a single institution between April 2006 and February 2013.

Results: Preoperative CEA levels were significantly associated with age, smoking history, pathologic stage including pT (pathologic tumor stge), pN (pathologic nodal stage) and overall pathological stage, tumor size and differentiation, pathologically positive total lymph node, N1 and N2 lymph node, N2 nodal station (0/1/2=1.

Characteristics and Clinical Course of STEMI Patients who Received no Reperfusion in the Australia and New Zealand SNAPSHOT ACS Registry.

Background: Cohort studies of STEMI patients have reported that over 30% receive no reperfusion. Barriers to greater use of reperfusion in STEMI patients require further elucidation.

Methods: We collected data on STEMI patients with no reperfusion as part of the SNAPSHOT ACS Registry, which recruited consecutive ACS patients in 478 hospitals throughout Australia and New Zealand during 14-27 May 2012.

Evidence-based care in a population with chronic kidney disease and acute coronary syndrome. Findings from the Australian Cooperative National Registry of Acute Coronary Care, Guideline Adherence and Clinical Events (CONCORDANCE).

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) guidelines recommend that patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) be offered the same therapies as other high-risk ACS patients with normal renal function. Our objective was to describe the gaps in evidence-based care offered to patients with ACS and concomitant CKD.

Methods: Patients presenting to 41 Australian hospitals with suspected ACS were stratified by presence of CKD (glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min).

Population Aging and Healthcare Expenditure in Korea.

Korea's rapid population aging has been considered as a major factor in increase of healthcare expenditure (HCE). However, there were no clear empirical evidences in Korea that show if population aging has a significant impact on HCE. To examine the 'red herring' argument, this study used Heckman, two-part, and augmented model with Korean National Health Insurance claim data for the deceased and survivors of aged 20 years and over verified by Korean National Health Insurance Service between January 1 and December 31, 2010.

Should fee-for-service be for all guideline-advocated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care? Observations from the Snapshot ACS study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the association of health insurance status on the provision of guideline-advocated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care in Australia.

Methods: Consecutive hospitalisations of suspected ACS from 14 to 27 May 2012 enrolled in the Snapshot study of Australian and New Zealand patients were evaluated. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of patient risk and insurance status with the receipt of care.

Rheology and microstructure of non-Brownian suspensions in the liquid and crystal coexistence region: strain stiffening in large amplitude oscillatory shear.

Concentrated hard-sphere suspensions in the liquid and crystal coexistence region show a unique nonlinear behavior under a large amplitude oscillatory shear flow, the so-called strain stiffening, in which the viscosity or modulus suddenly starts to increase near a critical strain amplitude. Even though this phenomenon has been widely reported in experiments, its key mechanism has never been investigated in a systematic way. To have a good understanding of this behavior, a numerical simulation was performed using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM).

Design and Synthesis of Acetylenyl Benzamide Derivatives as Novel Glucokinase Activators for the Treatment of T2DM.

Novel acetylenyl-containing benzamide derivatives were synthesized and screened using an in vitro assay measuring increases in glucokinase activity stimulated by 10 mM glucose concentration and glucose uptake in rat hepatocytes. Lead optimization of an acetylenyl benzamide series led to the discovery of several active compounds via in vitro enzyme assays (EC50 < 40 nM) and in vivo OGTT assays (AUC reduction > 40% at 50 mg/kg). Of the active compounds tested, 3-(3-amino-phenylethynyl)-5-(2-methoxy-1-methyl-ethoxy)-N-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-benzamide (19) was identified as a potent glucokinase activator exhibiting an EC50 of 27 nM and eliciting a 2.

Comparison of the management and in-hospital outcomes of acute coronary syndrome patients in Australia and New Zealand: results from the binational SNAPSHOT acute coronary syndrome 2012 audit.

Background/aims: We aimed to assess differences in patient management, and outcomes, of Australian and New Zealand patients admitted with a suspected or confirmed acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: We used comprehensive data from the binational Australia and New Zealand ACS 'SNAPSHOT' audit, acquired on individual patients admitted between 00.00 h on 14 May 2012 to 24.

Depletion stabilization in nanoparticle-polymer suspensions: multi-length-scale analysis of microstructure.

We study the mechanism of depletion stabilization and the resultant microstructure of aqueous suspensions of nanosized silica and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Rheology, small-angle light scattering (SALS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques enable us to analyze the microstructure at broad length scale from single particle size to the size of a cluster of aggregated particles. As PVA concentration increases, the microstructure evolves from bridging flocculation, steric stabilization, depletion flocculation to depletion stabilization.

Continuous enrichment of circulating tumor cells using a microfluidic lateral flow filtration chip.

The isolation and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is of great importance in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Highly sensitive detection of CTCs can be very difficult because they are extremely rare (i.e.

Does long-term care insurance affect the length of stay in hospitals for the elderly in Korea?: a difference-in-difference method.

Background: This study examines the effects of long-term care insurance (LTCI) on the length of stay (LoS) of senior citizens under the national health insurance of Korea.

Methods: The subjects include 3,903,448 people aged 65 and over as of July 1, 2008 when the LTCI was introduced in Korea. This study uses their panel data which traced the records of medical services and LTCI services for the same people from 2007 to 2010, and applies a difference-in-difference approach on LTCI users from levels 1, 2, and 3 who are the treatment group and non-LTCI users who are the control group.

Enrichment of circulating tumor cells using a centrifugal affinity plate system.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are defined as cells that have detached from a primary tumor and are circulating in the bloodstream. Their isolation and quantification is of great value for cancer prognoses and drug testing. Here, the development of a centrifugal affinity plate (CAP) system is described, in which centrifugal force and antibody-based capture are exploited to enrich CTCs on one plate and hematological cells on the other.

Competency and an active learning program in undergraduate nursing education.

Aims: To evaluate the effect of an active learning program on competency of senior students.

Background: Active learning strategies have been used to help students achieve desired nursing competency, but their effectiveness has not been systematically examined.

Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was used.

The Optimal Approach for Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy through Mono Port regarding Left or Right Sides: A Comparative Study.

Introduction. Several studies have shown the feasibility and safety of both transperitoneal and posterior retroperitoneal approaches for single incision laparoscopic adrenalectomy, but none have compared the outcomes according to the left- or right-sided location of the adrenal glands. Materials and Methods.

Cost-of-Illness Trends Associated with Thyroid Disease in Korea.

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze the scale of and trends associated with the cost-of-illness of thyroid disease in Korea at 2-year intervals during the last 10 years for which data are available.

Methods: Cost-of-illness was estimated in terms of direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include direct medical costs due to hospitalization, outpatient and pharmacy sectors, transportation, and care-giver costs.

Prognostic factors affecting survival of patients with cancer-related pericardial effusion managed by surgery.

Background: Although pericardial effusion (PE) is not uncommon in patients with cancer, it may lead to cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening condition. Prompt life-saving treatment is essential, and also allows the continuation of the cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors for survival in patients with cancer who were treated surgically for PE.

Two-stage microfluidic chip for selective isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Over the past few decades, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been studied as a means of overcoming cancer. However, the rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs have been the most significant hurdles in CTC research. Many techniques for CTC isolation have been developed and can be classified into positive enrichment (i.

Temperature-dependent bursting pattern analysis by modified Plant model.

Many electrophysiological properties of neuron including firing rates and rhythmical oscillation change in response to a temperature variation, but the mechanism underlying these correlations remains unverified. In this study, we analyzed various action potential (AP) parameters of bursting pacemaker neurons in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia juliana to examine whether or not bursting patterns are altered in response to temperature change. Here we found that the inter-burst interval, burst duration, and number of spike during burst decreased as temperature increased.

Prescription of secondary prevention medications, lifestyle advice, and referral to rehabilitation among acute coronary syndrome inpatients: results from a large prospective audit in Australia and New Zealand.

Objective: To evaluate the proportion of patients hospitalised with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Australia and New Zealand who received optimal inpatient preventive care and to identify factors associated with preventive care.

Methods: All patients hospitalised bi-nationally with ACS were identified between 14-27 May 2012. Optimal in-hospital preventive care was defined as having received lifestyle advice, referral to rehabilitation, and prescription of secondary prevention pharmacotherapies.