Disparities in utilization of novel cancer therapies in advanced stage III and IV melanoma and variance in outcomes.

Introduction: Significant gains in advanced melanoma have been made through immunotherapy trials. Factors influencing equitable access and survival impact of these novel therapies are not well-defined.

Method: Retrospective analysis using National Cancer Database of patients with advanced stage III and IV melanoma from 2004 to 2021.

Detection of miR-133a-5p Using a Molecular Beacon Probe for Investigating Postmortem Intervals.

When a body is discovered at a crime or murder scene, it is crucial to examine the body and estimate its postmortem interval (PMI). Accurate estimation of PMI is vital for identifying suspects and providing clues to resolve the case. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that remain relatively stable in the cell nucleus even after death-related changes occur.

Nitrogen Storage in Rice: Analysis of Physical Quality by Respiration, Weight, and Storage According to Nitrogen Ratio.

Various studies have been conducted to minimize the damage and loss of stored grain. For safe storage, the moisture content must be reduced, or respiration must be suppressed. In this study, grain respiration rates were analyzed under various nitrogen atmospheric conditions, and the quality of stored rice was evaluated.

Grifola frondosa extract as a fetal bovine serum supplement for the culture of bovine muscle satellite cells under low serum conditions.

Expensive fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a major obstacle to the production of cultivated meat. However, because FBS substitutes do not sufficiently induce cell proliferation, a good alternative is to reduce the amount of FBS and use ingestible additives to promote cell proliferation. In this study, Grifola frondosa extract (GFE) was used to investigate its potential as an additive to promote myogenesis of bovine muscle satellite cells from Hanwoo cattle under low serum conditions (10 % FBS).

High-speed lateral scanning white-light phase shift interferometry.

In this study, we present lateral scanning white light interferometry (LS-WLI), where phase-shifting algorithms are applied to inspect the topography of a large field of view (FOV) with high-speed measurements. At a point, the interference signal must be acquired with a specific condition to adapt the phase-shifting algorithm. This means that all points have two points, of which the phase difference is π/2, when the number of points acquired in a phase period is multiple of 4, despite increasing the data points in a period.

Long-term outcome followed for more than 5 years after revascularization surgery for the treatment of atherosclerotic steno-occlusive disease: poor outcome prediction using machine learning and analysis of the results.

Cerebral revascularization for the treatment of atherosclerotic steno-occlusive disease (ASOD) was found to have no benefit compared with medical treatment. However, there is also criticism that with sufficiently long-term follow-up, a crossover might emerge demonstrating the advantages of surgery. Therefore, we examined the long-term outcome of cerebral revascularization performed on patients with carefully selected ASOD at our center.

Clinical effect on major trauma patients during simultaneous or overlapping presentations at an urban level I trauma center in Korea.

Objective: Overcrowding in an emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU) of the trauma center (TC) is an important issue for timely acute health care of a critically injured patient. Accumulated scientific evidence has indicated the negative influence of overcrowding to the process and clinical outcome of trauma care.

Method: The institutional trauma registry at an urban level I TC was retrospectively evaluated for 5 years (2018-2022).

Hallux valgus and pes planus: Correlation analysis using deep learning-assisted radiographic angle measurements.

Background: The relationship between hallux valgus (HV) and pes planus remains unresolved. This study aims to determine the correlation between HV and pes planus using a deep learning (DL) model to measure radiographic angle parameters.

Methods: In total, radiographs of 212 feet detectable by the DL model were analyzed.

Prolonged loss of intercostal muscle mass and its predictors in COVID-19 patients: A retrospective study from tertiary hospital.

Sarcopenia is a contributing factor in the development of long-COVID syndrome. We aimed to investigate how intercostal muscle mass changes over 3 months compared to other chest wall muscles following COVID-19 infection, along with identifying factors contributing to intercostal muscle loss during follow-up. We retrospectively studied 110 COVID-19 patients, analyzing muscle masses in the intercostal, pectoralis, and thoracic 12th vertebra level (T12) on initial and follow-up CT scans.

Causative Activities and Prognostic Factors of Open-Globe Injury: A Registry-Based City-Wide Multicentre Study.

Purpose: Traumatic globe injury is classified into closed-globe and open-globe injury (OGI); OGI leads to a worse prognosis. We aimed to identify causative activities and prognostic factors of OGI in a metropolitan city in South Korea.

Methods: This retrospective observational study used a prospective eye-injury registry conducted in Daegu, South Korea, between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2021.

Preclinical evaluation of [F]FP-CIT, the radiotracer targeting dopamine transporter for diagnosing Parkinson's disease: pharmacokinetic and efficacy analysis.

Background: N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carboxymethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FP-CIT), the representative cocaine derivative used in dopamine transporter imaging, is a promising biomarker, as it reflects the severity of Parkinson's disease (PD). I- and F-labeled FP-CIT has been used for PD diagnosis. However, preclinical studies evaluating [F]FP-CIT as a potential diagnostic biomarker are scarce.

Integrated Analysis of Microbiome and Metabolome Reveals Disease-Specific Profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Intestinal Behçet's Disease.

The gut microbial and metabolic characteristics of intestinal Behçet's disease (BD), a condition sharing many clinical similarities with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), are largely unexplored. This study investigated the gut microbial and metabolic characteristics of intestinal BD as well as potential biomarkers, comparing them with those in UC, CD, and healthy controls. Colon tissue and stool samples from 100 patients (35 UC, 30 CD, and 35 intestinal BD) and 41 healthy volunteers were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to assess microbial diversity, taxonomic composition, and functional profiling.

Treatment Strategy of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms in Octogenarian Patients: A Single-Institution Experience.

Aim: To share our clinical insights into octogenarian patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) and evaluate the treatment strategies for this demographic.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 134 patients with a follow-up exceeding 6 months, all enrolled in this study. We assessed the incidence rates (IRs) of aneurysm growth and rupture, along with potential predictors of aneurysm growth.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection and malfunction in adult patients: incidence, risk factors, and long-term follow-up of single institution experience.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery was developed to manage excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain's ventricles and is considered a mainstream treatment. Despite the development of the shunt device system, various complications still occur. In this study, we reported 307 cases and a long-term follow-up of at least five years of adult patients who underwent VP shunt surgery and analyzed various factors that may affect revision surgery.

The efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia in patients with poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This study evaluates the effectiveness of Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) in treating poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), focusing on functional outcomes, mortality, and complications such as vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and hydrocephalus.

Methods: Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central, up to November 2023. Nine studies involving 368 patients were selected based on eligibility criteria focusing on TH in poor-grade SAH patients.

Photoluminescence of MoS on Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles Depending on the Aggregate Size.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising candidates for ultrathin functional semiconductor devices. In particular, incorporating plasmonic nanoparticles into TMD-based devices enhances the light-matter interaction for increased absorption efficiency and enables control of device performance such as electronic, electrical, and optical properties. In this heterohybrid structure, manipulating the number of TMD layers and the aggregate size of plasmonic nanoparticles is a straightforward approach to tailoring device performance.

Preoperative increased pronation angle of the first metatarsus associated with correction loss after hallux valgus surgery: A semi-weight-bearing computed tomography study.

Background: The effect of preoperative first metatarsal pronation on postoperative prognosis of hallux valgus (HV) surgery is under investigation. Utilizing semi-weight-bearing computed tomography, the preoperative pronation angle was assessed to quantify its impact on postoperative prognosis.

Methods: In a retrospective analysis of 31 feet, those with re-increased hallux valgus angle postoperatively were classified as the non-maintained group, and the remainder as the maintained group.

Evaluating Linkage Quality of Population-Based Administrative Data for Health Service Research.

Background: To overcome the limitations of relying on data from a single institution, many researchers have studied data linkage methodologies. Data linkage includes errors owing to legal issues surrounding personal information and technical issues related to data processing. Linkage errors affect selection bias, and external and internal validity.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on interhospital transfer of patients with major trauma in Korea: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Interhospital transfer (IHT) is necessary for providing ultimate care in the current emergency care system, particularly for patients with severe trauma. However, studies on IHT during the pandemic were limited. Furthermore, evidence on the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on IHT among patients with major trauma was lacking.

Treatment of conus medullaris arteriovenous malformation: the role of microsurgical treatment.

Objective: Conus medullaris arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is rare and challenging to treat. To better define the presentation, prognosis, and optimal treatment of these lesions, the authors present their treatment experiences for conus medullaris AVM.

Methods: Eleven patients with AVM of the conus medullaris were identified between March 2013 and December 2021.

Macrophage-mannose-receptor-targeted photoactivatable agent for in vivo imaging and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Previous studies have demonstrated the effects of theranostic agents on atherosclerotic plaques. However, there is limited information on targeted theranostics for photodynamic treatment of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to develop a macrophage-mannose-receptor-targeted photoactivatable nanoagent that regulates atherosclerosis and to evaluate its efficacy as well as safety in atherosclerotic mice.

Coronary Artery Occlusion with Sharp Blood Pressure Drop during General Anesthesia Induction: A Case Report.

Most anesthetics reduce cardiac functions and lower blood pressure (BP), potentially causing excessive BP reduction in dehydrated patients or those with heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease (CAD). Considering the increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease with age, anesthesiologists must be cautious about BP reduction during general anesthesia in older adults. In the present case, a 76-year-old male patient with undiagnosed CAD in a hypovolemic state experienced a significant drop in systolic BP to the fifties during propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia.