Arterial stiffness and its associations with left ventricular diastolic function according to heart failure types.

Background: Little is known about the characteristics of arterial stiffness in heart failure (HF). This study was performed to compare the degree of arterial stiffness and its association with left ventricular (LV) diastolic function among three groups: control subjects, patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Methods: A total of 83 patients with HFrEF, 68 patients with HFpEF, and 84 control subjects were analyzed.

Rational design of Lewis base molecules for stable and efficient inverted perovskite solar cells.

Lewis base molecules that bind undercoordinated lead atoms at interfaces and grain boundaries (GBs) are known to enhance the durability of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Using density functional theory calculations, we found that phosphine-containing molecules have the strongest binding energy among members of a library of Lewis base molecules studied herein. Experimentally, we found that the best inverted PSC treated with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP), a diphosphine Lewis base that passivates, binds, and bridges interfaces and GBs, retained a power conversion efficiency (PCE) slightly higher than its initial PCE of ~23% after continuous operation under simulated AM1.

Clinical Utility of Prostate Health Index for Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer in Patients with PI-RADS 3 Lesions.

The risk of prostate cancer (PCa) in prostate imaging reporting and data system version 2 (PI-RADSv2) score-3 lesions is equivocal; it is regarded as an intermediate status of presented PCa. In this study, we evaluated the clinical utility of the prostate health index (PHI) for the diagnosis of PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) in patients with PI-RADSv2 score-3 lesions. The study cohort included patients who underwent a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided, cognitive-targeted biopsy for PI-RADSv2 score-3 lesions between November 2018 and April 2021.

Utility of Contemporary Health Screening in the Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer.

Background: To evaluate the utility of contemporary health screening (HS) in the diagnosis of bladder cancer (BCa).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 279,683 individuals who underwent HS between February 1995 and April 2015. Among these individuals, 74 were diagnosed with BCa within a year after the HS and were included in the analysis.

Expression and Prognostic Implication of PD-L1 in Patients with Urothelial Carcinoma with Variant Histology (Squamous Differentiation or Micropapillary) Undergoing Radical Cystectomy.

The expression and prognostic role of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) on tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) has not been determined in urothelial carcinoma (UC) with variant histology. We retrospectively reviewed 90 patients (44 with micropapillary variant of UC (MPUC) and 46 with UC with squamous differentiation (UCSD)) who underwent radical cystectomy between January 2013 and December 2019. The expression of PD-L1 in TICs was measured using the VENTANA (SP-142) immunohistochemistry assay and dichotomized using a 5% cutoff value (positive ≥ 5%).

Lifestyle Modification in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: Statement From Korean Society of CardioMetabolic Syndrome (KSCMS).

With the recent rapid increase in obesity worldwide, metabolic syndrome (MetS) has gained significant importance. MetS is a cluster of obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, high blood pressure and impaired glucose tolerance. MetS is highly prevalent and strongly associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, putting a great burden on human society.

Preoperative versus Postoperative Compensation of the Contralateral Normal Kidney in Patients Treated with Radical Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: We sought to identify the factors affecting renal compensatory processes that occur preoperatively as well as postoperatively in patients treated with radical nephrectomy (RNx) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 906 patients treated with RNx for RCC. We defined the early compensatory process (process 1) as compensatory adaptation of the contralateral normal kidney (CNK) before RNx.

Association between histological severity of Helicobacter pylori infection and cardiovascular risk scores in the Korean population.

Background And Aims: Although there have been several reports on the association between Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD), most studies have been done through noninvasive testing such as serologic test or urea breath test. This study investigated the relationship between histological features of HP gastritis and cardiovascular risk scores.

Methods: A total of 21,251 subjects (mean age, 43.

Tips and Tricks for Safe Retrieval of Tine-based Leadless Pacemakers.

As leadless pacing (LP) use is expected to increase, it becomes increasingly essential that operators become familiar with the tools and techniques needed to retrieve an LP successfully. The purpose of this review is to describe a stepwise approach for the successful retrieval of tine-based LP devices, including ways to minimize complications.

Proposal of a New Prognostic Model for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer with Promoter Mutations.

The role of telomerase reverse transcriptase () promoter mutations as an independent poor prognostic factor in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients is well known, but there is no prognostic system that combines the promoter mutation status with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS). A total of 393 patients with pathologically confirmed DTC after thyroidectomy were enrolled. After incorporating wild-type and mutant with stages I, II, and III/IV of the AJCC TNM system 8th edition (TNM-8), we generated six combinations and calculated 10-year and 15-year CSS and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for cancer-related death using Cox regression.

Prognostic Value of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio before and after Radiotherapy for Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma.

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of systemic inflammation, and its elevation has recently been associated with poor survival in many solid cancers. Leukocyte elevation and lymphocyte reduction are associated with a poor response to radiotherapy (RT). This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of NLR before and after RT for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC).

Comparison of Four Ultrasonography-Based Risk Stratification Systems in Thyroid Nodules with Nondiagnostic/Unsatisfactory Cytology: A Real-World Study.

We compared American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, Korean (K)-Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data Systems (TIRADS), EU-TIRADS, and American College of Radiology (ACR) TIRADS in diagnosing malignancy for thyroid nodules with nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory cytology. Among 1143 nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory aspirations from April 2011 to March 2016, malignancy was detected in 39 of 89 excised nodules. The minimum malignancy rate was 7.

Association of the Serum Osteoprotegerin Level With Target Organ Damage in Patients at High Risk of Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: There is little data as to whether osteoprotegerin (OPG) is associated with target organ damage (TOD), so we evaluated the association in patients at high risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods and results: A total of 349 patients who underwent invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for suspected CAD were prospectively recruited. During the index admission, 6 TOD parameters were collected: extent of CAD, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), E/e', brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and ankle-brachial index (ABI).

Long-term efficacy of vasodilating β-blocker in patients with acute myocardial infarction: nationwide multicenter prospective registry.

Background/aims: Long-term benefit of vasodilating β-blockers is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the long-term benefit of vasodilating β-blockers over conventional β-blockers in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: Using nationwide prospective multicenter Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry data, we analyzed 3-year clinical outcomes of 7,269 patients with AMI who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and β-blocker therapy.

Pathological manifestation of the induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons from an early-onset Alzheimer's disease patient carrying a presenilin-1 mutation (S170F).

Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease which is characterized by the formation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These abnormal proteins induce disturbance in mitochondrial dynamics and defect in autophagy system. Since presenilin-1 (PS1) is a core component in γ-secretase complex, the mutations of PS1 gene cause the interference of γ-secretase activity and lead to the increased Aβ secretion.

Association between invasively measured aortic pulse pressure and orthostatic hypotension in patients undergoing invasive coronary angiography.

Objective: Underlying pathophysiology of orthostatic hypotension has been poorly understood. We hypothesized that aortic pulse pressure (APP) reflecting aortic stiffness may be involved in the development of orthostatic hypotension.

Methods: A total of 200 patients (age 64.

Impact of heart rate on cross-bridge cycling kinetics in failing and nonfailing human myocardium.

The force-frequency relationship (FFR) is an important regulatory mechanism that increases the force-generating capacity as well as the contraction and relaxation kinetics in human cardiac muscle as the heart rate increases. In human heart failure, the normally positive FFR often becomes flat, or even negative. The rate of cross-bridge cycling, which has been reported to affect cardiac output, could be potentially dysregulated and contribute to blunted or negative FFR in heart failure.

Sex Differences in Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Heart Failure: A Report from the Korean Heart Failure Registry.

Although a better survival rate in women than in men has been reported in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the sex-specific prognosis has scarcely been addressed in HF with preserved EF (HFpEF). Thus, this study investigated the sex difference in clinical outcomes in patients with HFpEF, as well as in those with HFrEF. We studied clinical outcomes of 2,572 hospitalized patients due to HF (66.

Subtyping of circulating exosome-bound amyloid β reflects brain plaque deposition.

Despite intense interests in developing blood measurements of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the progress has been confounded by limited sensitivity and poor correlation to brain pathology. Here, we present a dedicated analytical platform for measuring different populations of circulating amyloid β (Aβ) proteins - exosome-bound vs. unbound - directly from blood.