Assessment of Treatment Modalities in Patients With Keloids: A Vancouver Scale Comparison.

Background: Various treatment modalities are used to treat keloids. However, a comprehensive assessment comparing the effectiveness of these modalities in terms of patient-reported outcomes is warranted.

Objective: To assess and compare the effectiveness of various treatment modalities for keloids.

TDO2 inhibition counters Benzo[a]pyrene-induced immune evasion and suppresses tumorigenesis in lung adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon known as an exogenous AhR ligand. This study investigates the role of BaP in inducing immune checkpoint expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and the underlying mechanisms involving the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and tryptophan (Trp) metabolism.

Methods: We assessed the expression of immune checkpoint molecules, including PD-L1 and ICOSL, in lung epithelial cell lines (BEAS-2B and H1975) exposed to BaP.

Promising Approach for Optimizing Fluorescence Imaging in a Tumor Mouse Model: Precision in Cancer Research.

Background/aim: Cancer remains a major global health concern due to its high mortality rates. Advanced diagnostic imaging, such as in vivo near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging, enhances early detection by reducing autofluorescence and enabling deeper tissue penetration, addressing some limitations of conventional methods. Understanding the underlying causes of autofluorescence, even in mouse model fluorescence imaging, is crucial for accurate interpretation.

Development of Hsp90 inhibitor to regulate cytokine storms in excessive delayed- and acute inflammation.

Background: The surplus cytokines remaining after use in the early stages of the inflammatory response stimulate immune cells even after the response is over, causing a secondary inflammatory response and ultimately damaging the host, which is called a cytokine storm. Inhibiting heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), which has recently been shown to play an important role in regulating inflammation in various cell types, may help control excessive inflammatory responses and cytokine storms.

Methods: We discovered an anti-inflammatory compound by measuring the inhibitory effect of CD86 expression on spleen DCs (sDCs) using the chemical compounds library of Hsp90 inhibitors.

Effect of prophylactic abdominal drainage on postoperative pain in laparoscopic hemicolectomy for colon cancer: a single-center observational study in Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prophylactic abdominal drainage (AD) in laparoscopic hemicolectomy, focusing on assessing postoperative pain outcomes.

Methods: Patients were categorized into two groups: those with and without AD (AD group vs. no-AD group).

Integrative Korean Medicine Treatments for Traumatic Facial Palsy Following Mandibular Fracture: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Prior studies exploring the effectiveness of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) treatment for facial palsy have mainly focused on Bell's palsy, and there are few studies on the effectiveness of TKM treatments for traumatic facial palsy following mandibular fracture. The patient was a 24-year-old Korean man with left-sided facial paralysis following a left mandibular fracture. Surgery was performed for the fracture and the facial palsy was treated using conventional medicine (CM) treatments for approximately 3 months, but there was no improvement observed in the patient's condition.

Visualization of Metastatic Lung Cancer with TiNIR.

The development of efficient biomarkers and probes for monitoring and treating cancer, specifically metastatic cancer, is a critical research area that can have a significant impact on both patient outcomes and drug discovery. In this context, TiNIR has been developed to detect tumor-initiating cells (TICs), with heme oxygenase 2 (HO2) as a promising therapeutic biomarker for tumor-initiating cells. In this study, TiNIR has demonstrated its effectiveness as an metastatic lung cancer tracker, highlighting its potential as a valuable tool in cancer research and therapy.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in acral melanoma: A Korean single-center experience with 107 patients (2006-2018).

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) of primary cutaneous melanoma as an important staging method has not been popularly undertaken in Korea and only a few studies with small patient numbers have been published.

Aim: We examined the clinical feasibility and overall outcomes of SLNB in acral melanoma (AM) of Korean in Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH) over the past 13 years.

Methods: SLNB in AM patients during 2006-2018 were analyzed retrospectively for sentinel lymph node (SLN) harvesting rate, positivity rate, positivity-relevant overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), and its side effects.

Relationships among Self-Care Competency, Presence of Depressive Symptom, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Korean Stroke Patients.

This study was to examine the self-care competency, the presence of depressive symptom, and health-related quality of life and to evaluate the correlation of these measures among 146 stroke patients in South Korea. The analyses showed that mean score of self-care competency indicates a slightly lower level of self-care competency. There showed lower levels of self-care competency in patients with no occupation, hemorrhage or infarction stroke type, both attack area and with risk-factors or other diseases such as hypertension and/or diabetes.

Wolf Extract Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis through Regulation of Lipid Metabolism, Inhibition of ER Stress, and Activation of Autophagy via AMPK Activation.

Wolf (PCW) is an edible, pharmaceutical mushroom with remarkable biological properties including anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-ageing, and anti-diabetic effects. In the current study, we investigated the effects of PCW extract on hepatic steatosis under in vitro and in vivo conditions, and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. In this study, a mixture of HepG2 cells treated with free fatty acid (FFA)-palmitic and oleic acid-and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice were used; in this background, the triglyceride (TG) levels in HepG2 cells and mice liver were measured, and the expression levels of genes associated with lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and autophagy were determined.

Usefulness of Inflammatory Markers for the Prediction of Postherpetic Neuralgia in Patients with Acute Herpes Zoster.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests a pivotal role for neuronal inflammation in response to replicating varicella zoster virus in the development of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Objective: In this study, we investigated the value of serum levels of various inflammatory markers in acute herpes zoster (HZ) as predictors for the development of PHN.

Methods: A total of 116 patients with acute HZ were enrolled in this study.

House Dust Mite Sensitization Is Inversely Associated with Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Levels in Patients with Severe Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: The relationship between atopic dermatitis (AD) and low vitamin D levels has been studied. Emerging evidence has implicated vitamin D as a critical regulator of immunity, playing a role in both the innate and cell-mediated immune systems. However, the effect of vitamin D on house dust mite (HDM) sensitization in patients with AD has not been established.

Efficacy of a Complex of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Glycyl-Histidyl-Lysine Peptide on Hair Growth.

Background: Pattern hair loss is a very common problem. Although effective therapeutics for the treatment of pattern hair loss have been used, novel therapeutic modalities are still required to enhance hair growth.

Objective: We investigated the efficacy and safety of a complex (ALAVAX) of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and glycyl-histidyl-lysine (GHK) peptide for the treatment of pattern hair loss.

Skin Infection due to Trichophyton tonsurans Still Occurs in People in Korea but not as Outbreaks.

Since 1995, Trichophyton tonsurans has been one of the causative agents of dermatophytosis in Korea. Herein we evaluate 77 patients infected with T. tonsurans who visited an outpatient clinic between 2004 and 2014.

Button Osteoma: A Review of Ten Cases.

Background: Button osteoma presents as small circumscribed ivory-like lumps on the skull vault. Although not rare, its diagnosis can be challenging for dermatologists.

Objective: To clarify the clinical characteristics of button osteoma by reviewing 10 cases.

The effect of remote ischemic postconditioning on graft function in patients undergoing living donor kidney transplantation.

Background: We evaluated whether remote ischemic postconditioning (RiPoC) could improve initial graft function in living donor kidney transplantation (KT).

Methods: Patients undergoing living donor KT were randomly assigned to either RiPoC (n=30) or control group (n=30). Immediately after reperfusion in the RiPoC group, three cycles of ischemia and reperfusion, lasting 5 min each, were performed on one upper limb.

Acute localized exanthematous pustulosis on the face.

Acute localized exanthematous pustulosis (ALEP) is a localized variant of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, which is characterized by the eruption of multiple scattered pustules following drug administration. A 26-year-old woman presented with multiple erythematous pustules on her face, which had appeared three days after taking antibiotics. Histopathological findings showed subcorneal pustules and mixed inflammatory cell infiltration in the dermis.

One-to-one embedding between honeycomb mesh and Petersen-Torus networks.

As wireless mobile telecommunication bases organize their structure using a honeycomb-mesh algorithm, there are many studies about parallel processing algorithms like the honeycomb mesh in Wireless Sensor Networks. This paper aims to study the Peterson-Torus graph algorithm in regard to the continuity with honeycomb-mesh algorithm in order to apply the algorithm to sensor networks. Once a new interconnection network is designed, parallel algorithms are developed with huge research costs to use such networks.

Actinomycosis of the upper lip.

Actinomycotic infections are known to have an association with difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. These infections usually involve the head, neck, thorax, and abdomen. Actinomycosis of the upper lip is a rare condition and an important one as well, because it can imitate other diseases.