Prognostic Implications of Combined Imaging and Histologic Criteria in Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Mandibular Invasion.

Prognosis prediction of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with mandibular invasion is controversial, and a more sophisticated staging system to aid prognosis could be developed with imaging characteristics of bone invasion. Imaging-feature analysis provides practical, stratified results for survival prognosis in oral SCC (OSCC) of the mandible, and imaging advances enable more detailed tumor visualization. We retrospectively evaluated significant bone-invasion features associated with poor outcomes in mandibular OSCC to assess the predictive value of staging criteria that combined imaging features and histologic grade (combined imaging-histology (IH) grade) in 65 patients (39 men, 26 women) with mandibular SCC diagnosed from 2006 to 2016.

SWATH-MS analysis of cerebrospinal fluid to generate a robust battery of biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42 and tau protein levels are established diagnostic biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, their inadequacy to represent clinical efficacy in drug trials indicates the need for new biomarkers. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra (SWATH)-based mass spectrometry (MS) is an advanced proteomic tool for large-scale, high-quality quantification.

Efficacies of Cognitive Interventions in the Elderly with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Prospective, Three-Arm, Controlled Trial.

Background And Purpose: A cognitive intervention (CI) is thought to improve cognition and delay cognitive decline via neuronal plasticity and cognitive resilience. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) might be the first symptomatic stage of Alzheimer's disease, but few studies have examined the beneficial effect of CIs in SCD. We aimed to determine the efficacy of a 12-week, small-group-based, multidomain CI in elderly patients with SCD.

Cost-effectiveness of increased screening and treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Korea.

Given a hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination goal by 2030, World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend scaling up HCV screening and treatment with highly-effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). This study investigated the cost-effectiveness of various screening and treatment strategies for chronic HCV patients in South Korea in patients aged over 40 as compared to currently screening only high-risk patients. A published Markov disease progression model was used with a screening/treatment decision-tree to model different screening and treatment strategies for Korean HCV patients (aged over 40) from a national payer perspective over a lifetime time horizon.

Extracellular electrical conductivity property imaging by decomposition of high-frequency conductivity at Larmor-frequency using multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging.

Magnetic resonance electrical properties tomography (MREPT) uses the B1 mapping technique to provide the high-frequency conductivity distribution at Larmor frequency that simultaneously reflects the intracellular and extracellular effects. In biological tissues, the electrical conductivity can be described as the concentration and mobility of charge carriers. For the water molecule diffusivity, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) measures the random Brownian motion of water molecules within biological tissues.

Comprehensive analysis to determine the differences of solar salt produced in South Korea and China.

Food fraud, including adulteration, addition, tampering, and misrepresentation of food ingredients and packaging for improper economic profit, has been global concerns affecting public health and safety. In South Korea, counterfeit expression of solar salt has been a problem causing improper economic profit, especially for those products produced from China, but labeled as 'domestics'. In this study, we were tried to discriminate geographical origins of solar salt between South Korea and China through various analytical techniques, the determination of moisture and sodium chloride contents, multi-elemental analysis, and isotope analysis.

Melamine-promoted formation of bright and stable DNA-silver nanoclusters and their antimicrobial properties.

A new method has been developed for the preparation of brightly fluorescent and stable DNA-silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs). The approach takes advantage of specific interactions occurring between melamine and thymine residues in a DNA template. These interactions cause the formation of a melamine-DNA-AgNC complex (Mel-DNA-AgNCs), in which a change in the environment of the DNA template causes binding of additional Ag and an enhancement in the fluorescence efficiency and stability.

Characterization of Rajath Bhasma and Evaluation of Its Toxicity in Zebrafish Embryos and Its Antimicrobial Activity.

In India, nanotechnology has been used in therapeutic applications for several millennia. One example of a traditional nanomedicine is Rajath Bhasma (als°Called calcined silver ash), which is used as an antimicrobial and for the treatment of various ailments and conditions such as memory loss, eye diseases, and dehydration. In this study, we aimed t°Characterize the physical composition and morphology of Rajath Bhasma and its suitability for use as a non-toxic antimicrobial agent.

Exploring Abnormal Behavior Patterns of Online Users With Emotional Eating Behavior: Topic Modeling Study.

Background: Emotional eating (EE) is one of the most significant symptoms of various eating disorders. It has been difficult to collect a large amount of behavioral data on EE; therefore, only partial studies of this symptom have been conducted. To provide adequate support for online social media users with symptoms of EE, we must understand their behavior patterns to design a sophisticated personalized support system (PSS).

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) regulates the fusion of osteoclast precursors by inhibiting Bcl6 in periodontitis.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), an extracellular matrix protein with various biological functions, is known to be upregulated in multiple chronic diseases such as liver fibrosis and congestive heart failure, but the mechanism it undertakes to cause alveolar bone loss in periodontitis remains elusive. The present study therefore investigates the pathways involving CTGF in chronic periodontitis. RNA sequencing revealed a notable increase in the expression of CTGF in chronic periodontitis tissues.

Short-term Outcomes of Single-port Versus Multiport Laparoscopic Surgery for Colon Cancer: The SIMPLE Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: To compare short-term perioperative outcomes of single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) and multiport laparoscopic surgery (MPLS) for colon cancer.

Summary Background Data: Although many studies reported short- and long-term outcomes of SPLS for colon cancer compared with MPLS, few have reported results of randomized controlled trials.

Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial with a noninferiority design.

Inhibition of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Attenuates Phosphate-Induced Vascular Calcification.

Vascular calcification is the pathological deposition of calcium/phosphate in the vascular system and is closely associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Here, we investigated the role of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in phosphate-induced vascular calcification and its potential regulatory mechanism. We found that the silencing of GRP gene and treatment with the GRP receptor antagonist, RC-3095, attenuated the inorganic phosphate-induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

Effect of nitrogen-doping on drain current modulation characteristics of an indium-gallium-zinc oxide thin-film transistor.

The effect of nitrogen-doping (N-doping) in an indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) channel layer on the analog, linear, and reversible drain current modulation in thin-film transistors (TFTs) with Al-top-gate/SiO/TaO/IGZO stack is investigated for potential application to artificial synaptic devices. The N-doped devices exhibit a more linear increase of drain current upon repeating positive gate biasing, corresponding to synaptic potentiation, while the undoped device shows a highly non-linear and abrupt increase of drain current. Distinct from the increase of drain current at positive biasing for potentiation, the decrease of drain current for depression behavior at negative biasing is found to be the same.

Adsorptive removal of tetracycline from aqueous solution by maple leaf-derived biochar.

The present study evaluates the physicochemical properties of maple leaf-derived biochars (M-BCs) produced at different pyrolytic temperatures (i.e., 350, 550, and 750 °C) and their adsorptive properties for tetracycline onto M-BCs.

Discovery of 4-hydroxy-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolines as potential inhibitors of Streptococcus pneumoniae, including drug-resistant strains.

New therapies for treating drug-resistant pneumococcal infections are urgently needed. The novel scaffold 6-hydroxy-4-oxo-1,2-dihydro-4H-quinoline was shown to have similar efficacies against all three different serotypes of S. pneumoniae, ATCC 49617™ (19F), ATCC BAA-1663™ (15B), and ATCC 700904™ (19A), in a resazurin-based high-throughput screen using the Korea Chemical Bank library.

Casein Kinase 2α Enhances 5-Fluorouracil Resistance in Colorectal Cancer Cells by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Background/aim: Anti-cancer drug resistance restricts the efficacy of chemotherapy in malignant tumors. Casein kinase 2α (CK2α) is highly expressed in 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We hypothesized that inhibition of CK2α might reduce CRC resistance to 5FU.

Role of peribrachial fat as a key determinant of brachial artery dilatation for successful arteriovenous fistula maturation in hemodialysis patients.

The functional quality of the inflow artery is one of the most important determinants of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) success. We evaluated the association of early optimal brachial arterial dilatation with a successful AVF maturation and assessed the role of peribrachial adipose tissue in determining brachial arterial distensibility. All patients underwent a preoperative vascular mapping with Doppler ultrasound (US), and only patients who had suitable vessels for AVF creation were enrolled (n = 162).

Patterns and Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Portal Vein Invasion: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: Sorafenib is a proven first-line treatment recommended for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein invasion (PVI). However, multiple treatment modalities are used in clinical practice as a first-line option. This study is a prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study evaluating patterns of treatment modalities and outcomes for HCC patients with PVI.

Sustainable production of alkyl esters via thermal process in the presence of carbon black.

In this study, it is introduced a sustainable synthetic route of alkyl esters, considered value-added industrial chemicals and fuels, from volatile fatty acids (VFAs) that can potentially be generated from organic waste. In the presence of a porous carbon material, the thermally induced reaction could be conducted under an initial pressure of 1 atm. Even though the reaction was finished within <10 s, they gave a high yield of target products: the conversion of six VFAs into their corresponding methyl esters which can be further converted into gasoline alternatives with >90 wt% yields.

Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis in a Patient with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Autoimmune Hepatitis Overlap Syndrome: A Case Report.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic systemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by vasculopathy, excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, and fibrosis of the skin and other internal organs. Although its etiology remains elusive, approximately one third of SSc patients presents with additional autoimmune disease, which suggests that an autoimmune mechanism is a major component of the underlying pathophysiology. On the other hand, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are two main autoimmune liver diseases.

Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and coronary calcification depending on sex and obesity.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular outcomes. We investigated whether NAFLD was associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) in participants without a previous history of cardiovascular disease and whether this association differed according to sex and obesity status after adjustment for other atherosclerosis risk factors, alcohol intake, and liver enzyme levels. Among 67,441 participants, data from 8,705 participants who underwent a fatty liver status and CAC assessment during routine health screening were analysed.