Checklist for the insect fauna of two East Sea Islands (Ulleungdo Is. and Dokdo Is.) in the Republic of Korea.

Background: Ulleungdo and Dokdo, located in the East Sea, are volcanic islands with high ecological value due to their unique biodiversity. Although research on the insect fauna on these two Islands has been conducted from the early 19 century to recent times, limitations exist due to several issues, including misidentifications and historical errors. This study addresses these issues by conducting a comprehensive insect survey from 2020 to 2023, re-identifying misidentified specimens and compiling references to create an updated and accurate checklist of insect species for Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

Association Between Home-Base Primary Care and Postdischarge Outcomes Among Older Adults in Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between home-based primary care (HBPC) and postdischarge outcomes in Korean older adults.

Design: HBPC was a service that provided medical care by visiting the homes of older adults with limited mobility. In this study, data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) were used, and groups with and without HBPC services were matched 1:1 through propensity score matching.

Association between waist circumference or weight change after smoking cessation and incidence of cardiovascular disease or all-cause death in Korean adults with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To investigate the association among smoking cessation, weight or waist circumference change post-cessation, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or all-cause death among patients with type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 32,142 patients with T2D classified according to changes in smoking status, post-cessation weight, and waist circumference. Especially for recent or long-term quitters, participants who changed from current to none/former smoker or from non-smoker to former smoker were defined as recent quitters, and those who changed from former to none/former smoker were defined as long-term quitters.

The Effect of Integrated Care After Discharge From Hospitals on Outcomes Among Korean Older Adults.

Background: The Korean government implemented a pilot project for integrated care of older adults in August 2019. the pilot project of integrated care provided housekeeping support, nutrition support, movement assistance, home repair, consultations and education for healthy lifestyle, and some home-based primary care to older patients discharged from hospitals. This study investigated the outcomes of this project among older adults who participated in it after discharge from the hospital.

Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency.

The ever-growing demand for reducing costs and decreasing the time to market in today's plastics industry makes rapid tooling and rapid prototyping highly researched areas. Stereolithography (SLA)-manufactured injection mold inserts make it possible to produce prototype parts rapidly and cost-effectively. To utilize SLA in the injection molding industry, two steps have to be considered.

The UBA1-STUB1 axis mediates cancer immune escape and resistance to checkpoint blockade.

How cancer cells escape immune surveillance and resist immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) remains to be fully elucidated. By screening candidate genes frequently gained in cancer, we identified expression of ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1 (UBA1) as being the most negatively correlated with signatures related to effector CD8+ T-cells. High UBA1 expression was strongly predictive of treatment resistance and poor survival in ICB cohorts.

Phase II trial of multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor ESK981 in combination with PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Increasing the response rates of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) presents a significant challenge. ESK981 is a multi-tyrosine kinase and PIKfyve lipid kinase inhibitor that augments immunotherapeutic responses. In this phase II study, ESK981 was combined with the PD-1 blocking monoclonal antibody nivolumab to test for potentially improved response rates in patients with mCRPC who have progressed on androgen receptor (AR)-targeted agents and chemotherapy.

Atomoxetine suppresses radioresistance in glioblastoma via circATIC/miR-520d-5p/Notch2-Hey1 axis.

Background: Resistance acquired after radiotherapy is directly related to the failure of various cancer treatments, including GBM. Because the mechanism for overcoming radioresistance has not yet been clearly identified, the development of diagnostic and therapeutic markers to treat radioresistance is necessary. Since increased expression of stemness- and EMT-related markers are reported to be closely correlated with radioresistance, research is underway to develop new drugs targeting these factors.

Facile Electrodeposition Method for Constructing LiS as Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase for High-Performance Li Metal Anode.

Designing current collectors and constructing efficient artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers are promising strategies for achieving dendrite-free Li deposition and practical applications in Li metal batteries (LMBs). Electrodeposition is advantageous for large-scale production and allows the direct formation of current collectors without binders, making them immediately usable as electrodes. In this study, an adherent CuS thin-layer on Cu foil is synthesized through anodic electrodeposition from a NaS solution in a one-step process, followed by the generation of LiS layers as artificial SEI layers via a conversion reaction (3DLiS-Cu foil).

miR-1226-5p is involved in radioresistance of colorectal cancer by activating M2 macrophages through suppressing IRF1.

Background: Although the representative treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) is radiotherapy, cancer cells survive due to inherent radioresistance or resistance acquired after radiation treatment, accelerating tumor malignancy and causing local recurrence and metastasis. However, the detailed mechanisms of malignancy induced after radiotherapy are not well understood. To develop more effective and improved radiotherapy and diagnostic methods, it is necessary to clearly identify the mechanisms of radioresistance and discover related biomarkers.

Unleashing the strengths of unlabelled data in deep learning-assisted pan-cancer abdominal organ quantification: the FLARE22 challenge.

Deep learning has shown great potential to automate abdominal organ segmentation and quantification. However, most existing algorithms rely on expert annotations and do not have comprehensive evaluations in real-world multinational settings. To address these limitations, we organised the FLARE 2022 challenge to benchmark fast, low-resource, and accurate abdominal organ segmentation algorithms.

Prognostic Significance of CD11b-, CD8-, and CD163-Positive Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells in Distal Bile Duct Cancer.

: Distal bile duct cancer is an aggressive malignancy. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in the tumor microenvironment are crucial for predicting prognosis in various cancers. In this study, we analyzed TIICs based on CD11b, CD163, and CD8 expression, and evaluated their association with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis in distal bile duct cancer.

Abnormal Magnetic Phase Transition in Mixed-Phase (110)-Oriented FeRh Films on AlO Substrates via the Anomalous Nernst Effect.

Iron rhodium (FeRh) undergoes a first-order anti-ferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition above its Curie temperature. By measuring the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in (110)-oriented FeRh films on AlO substrates, the ANE thermopower over a temperature range of 100-350 K is observed, with similar magnetic transport behaviors observed for in-plane magnetization (IM) and out-of-plane magnetization (PM) configurations. The temperature-dependent magnetization-magnetic field strength (M-H) curves revealed that the ANE voltage is proportional to the magnetization of the material, but additional features magnetic textures not shown in the M-H curves remained intractable.

Provider Perspectives, Barriers, and Improvement Strategies for Hospital Discharge Support Programs: A Focus Group Interview Study in Korea.

Objectives: Transitional periods, such as patient discharge, are notably challenging. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of providers involved in hospital discharge support programs, identify the primary obstacles, and propose strategies for improvement.

Methods: In this qualitative cross-sectional study, we interviewed 49 healthcare professionals, comprising doctors, nurses, and social workers, who participated in two pilot programs.

Hydrolyzed cow colostrum extract (BCFM) inhibits alpha-MSH-induced melanogenesis in B16F1 cells via regulation of the MC1R-cAMP signaling pathway.

Cow colostrum is the first milk produced after birth and is a rich natural source of nutrients, immunoglobulins, peptides, and growth factors. The bioconversion of milk and whey changes the immobilization and biochemical characterization. However, the cellular mechanism and the anti-melanin synthesis effects of hydrolyzed cow colostrum extract (BCFM) in alpha-MSH-induced B16F1 cells have not been examined.

Costs Associated with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Korea.

Background: This study compared the costs associated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in Korea by utilizing the National Health Insurance Service database.

Methods: Between June 2015 and May 2019, 1,468 patients underwent primary isolated transfemoral TAVI, while 2,835 patients received primary isolated SAVR with a bioprosthesis. We assessed the costs of index hospitalization and subsequent healthcare utilization, categorizing the cohort into 6 age subgroups: <70, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, and ≥90 years.

Adverse drug reactions following treatment of latent tuberculosis infection: a linked national tuberculosis surveillance with claims database.

Background/aims: Few real-world studies explored factors associated with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment-related adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This study evaluate ADRs that lead to the discontinuation of LTBI treatment and identify the associated factors, including age groups and drug regimens.

Methods: Using the Korean national tuberculosis registry and HHC investigation database linked to the National Health Insurance Service claims database, we examined treatment discontinuation due to ADRs among HHCs on LTBI treatment from January 2015 to December 2018.