Prediction of pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using machine learning models in patients with breast cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) based model to accurately predict pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) using pretreatment clinical and pathological characteristics of electronic medical record (EMR) data in breast cancer (BC).

Methods: The EMR data from patients diagnosed with early and locally advanced BC and who received NAC followed by curative surgery were reviewed. A total of 16 clinical and pathological characteristics was selected to develop ML model.

Intralesional platelet-rich plasma injection promotes tongue regeneration following partial glossectomy in a murine model.

Background: We examined the regenerative efficacy of the activated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) concentrate administered by local injection in an animal model mimicking partial glossectomy for tongue cancer.

Methods: Four-week-old mice were randomized to four groups; (1) a treatment-naïve control group, (2) a PRP group, (3) a hemiglossectomy group, and (4) a hemiglossectomy + PRP group. The activated PRP concentrate was injected into the deep layer of resected surfaces of mouse tongues immediately after excision, and tongue widths and lengths were measured on postoperative days (POD) 5 and 12.

Use of Extracorporeal Life Support for Heart Transplantation: Key Factors to Improve Outcome.

Although patients receiving extracorporeal life support (ECLS) as a bridge to transplantation have demonstrated worse outcomes than those without ECLS, we investigated the key factors in the improvement of their posttransplant outcome. From December 2003 to December 2018, 257 adult patients who underwent heart transplantation (HTx) at our institution were included. We identified 100 patients (38.

Impact of preoperative renal replacement therapy on the clinical outcome of heart transplant patients.

Renal dysfunction is considered as a relative contraindication for heart transplantation (HTx). However, in the real world setting, many patients with advanced heart failure (HF) experience worsening of renal function and some even require renal replacement therapy (RRT) by the time they undergo HTx. We aimed to investigate the prognosis and clinical outcomes of HTx patients who required RRT during the perioperative period.

Incidence, Cause of Death, and Survival of Amyloidosis in Korea: A Retrospective Population-Based Study.

Background And Objectives: We sought to assess incidence, cause of death, and survival for amyloidosis. We acquired amyloidosis data from the National Health Insurance Service in Korea from 2006 through 2017 (n=2,233; male 53.5%).

Highly Selective Multiplex Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction with a Nanomaterial Composite Hydrogel for Precise Diagnosis of Viral Infection.

As viruses have been threatening global public health, fast diagnosis has been critical to effective disease management and control. Reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is now widely used as the gold standard for detecting viruses. Although a multiplex assay is essential for identifying virus types and subtypes, the poor multiplicity of RT-qPCR makes it laborious and time-consuming.

A Survey on Deep Learning-Based Short/Zero-Calibration Approaches for EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) utilizing machine learning techniques are an emerging technology that enables a communication pathway between a user and an external system, such as a computer. Owing to its practicality, electroencephalography (EEG) is one of the most widely used measurements for BCI. However, EEG has complex patterns and EEG-based BCIs mostly involve a cost/time-consuming calibration phase; thus, acquiring sufficient EEG data is rarely possible.

Fabrication and characterization of resistive double square loop arrays for ultra-wide bandwidth microwave absorption.

Microwave absorbers using conductive ink are generally fabricated by printing an array pattern on a substrate to generate electromagnetic fields. However, screen printing processes are difficult to vary the sheet resistance values for different regions of the pattern on the same layer, because the printing process deposits materials at the same height over the entire surface of substrate. In this study, a promising manufacturing process was suggested for engraved resistive double square loop arrays with ultra-wide bandwidth microwave.

Diving beetle-like miniaturized plungers with reversible, rapid biofluid capturing for machine learning-based care of skin disease.

Recent advances in bioinspired nano/microstructures have received attention as promising approaches with which to implement smart skin-interfacial devices for personalized health care. In situ skin diagnosis requires adaptable skin adherence and rapid capture of clinical biofluids. Here, we report a simple, all-in-one device consisting of microplungers and hydrogels that can rapidly capture biofluids and conformally attach to skin for stable, real-time monitoring of health.

Preclinical immunogenicity testing using anti-drug antibody analysis of GX-G3, Fc-fused recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, in rat and monkey models.

Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, this study used Fc-fused recombinant G-CSF; GX-G3) is an important glycoprotein that stimulates the proliferation of granulocytes and white blood cells. Thus, G-CSF treatment has been considered as a crucial regimen to accelerate recovery from chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in cancer patients suffering from non-myeloid malignancy or acute myeloid leukemia. Despite the therapeutic advantages of G-CSF treatment, an assessment of its immunogenicity must be performed to determine whether the production of anti-G-CSF antibodies causes immune-related disorders.

5-LO-derived LTB4 plays a key role in MCP-1 expression in HMGB1-exposed VSMCs via a BLTR1 signaling axis.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) plays an important role in initiating vascular inflammation; however, its cellular source in the injured vasculatures is unclear. Given the importance of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in tissue injury, we investigated the role of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in MCP-1 production in response to HMGB1. In primary cultured rat aortic VSMCs stimulated with HMGB1, the expression of MCP-1 and 5-lipoxygenase (LO) was increased.

2020 Korean Society for the Study of Obesity Guidelines for the Management of Obesity in Korea.

Obesity is a prevalent and complex disease. The prevalence of obesity in Korea increased from 29.7% in 2010 to 35.

Emergency Remote Learning in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to the corona (COVID-19) pandemic, several countries are currently conducting non-face-to-face education. Therefore, teachers of nursing colleges have been carrying out emergency remote education. This study developed a questionnaire to understand the status of Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) in nursing education internationally, translated it into 7 languages, and distributed it to 18 countries.

A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial for Assessing the Usefulness of Suppressing Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Target Levels after Thyroid Lobectomy in Low to Intermediate Risk Thyroid Cancer Patients (MASTER): A Study Protocol.

Background: Postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy is recommended for patients with intermediate- and high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer to prevent the recurrence of thyroid cancer. With the recent increase in small thyroid cancer cases, the extent of resection during surgery has generally decreased. Therefore, questions have been raised about the efficacy and long-term side effects of TSH suppression therapy in patients who have undergone a lobectomy.

Heart failure and atrial fibrillation: tachycardia-mediated acute decompensation.

Aims: Tachycardia is a reversible event that may cause hemodynamic decompensation but may not necessarily cause direct damages to the myocardium. To evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), whose acute decompensation was tachycardia mediated.

Methods And Results: The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry was a prospective registry that consecutively enrolled 5625 patients with acute HF.

Mixed Use of Bio-Oil in Oil Power Plants: Should It Be Considered When Developing NH Emission Factors?

In order to cope with recent climate change, Korea is reducing the use of heavy oil in petroleum-fired power plants and mixing bio-oils. Accordingly, this must be taken into account when calculating the emissions of air pollutants. However, in the case of Korea, when calculating NH emissions, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission factor is applied as it is to calculate emissions, and for petroleum power plants, the heavy oil emission factor proposed by EPA is used as it is to calculate emissions.

Novel and Potent Small Molecules against Melanoma Harboring BRAF Class I/II/III Mutants for Overcoming Drug Resistance.

Melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths. About 50% of all melanomas are associated with BRAF mutations. BRAF mutations are classified into three classes with regard to dependency on RAF dimerization and RAS signaling.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Fulminant Myocarditis: Increase of Cardiac Enzyme and SOFA Score Is Associated with High Mortality.

We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with fulminant myocarditis and investigate the factors associated with mortality. This is a retrospective single-center cohort study that included adult and pediatric patients with fulminant myocarditis treated at Samsung Medical Center between September 2004 and December 2019. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

Graphene Antiadhesion Layer for the Effective Peel-and-Pick Transfer of Metallic Electrodes toward Flexible Electronics.

Owing to its exceptional physicochemical properties, graphene has demonstrated unprecedented potential in a wide array of scientific and industrial applications. By exploiting its chemically inert surface endowed with unique barrier functionalities, we herein demonstrate antiadhesive monolayer graphene films for realizing a peel-and-pick transfer process of target materials from the donor substrate. When the graphene antiadhesion layer (AAL) is inserted at the interface between the metal and the arbitrary donor substrate, the interfacial interactions can be effectively weakened by the weak interplanar van der Waals forces of graphene, enabling the effective release of the metallic electrode from the donor substrate.

Prognostic Implication of RV Coupling to Pulmonary Circulation for Successful Weaning From Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore if right ventricular (RV) contractile function and its coupling to pulmonary circulation (PC) were associated with successful weaning from venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) at maintenance of pump flow.

Background: Limited data are available on predictors of successful weaning from VA-ECMO.

Methods: A total of 79 patients with cardiogenic shock underwent transthoracic echocardiography to evaluate weaning from ECMO and were prospectively enrolled between 2016 and 2019.

Estimating the Characteristics and Emission Factor of Ammonia from Sewage Sludge Incinerator.

In the case of sewage sludge, as direct landfilling was recently prohibited, it is treated through incineration. Among the air pollutants discharged through the incineration of sewage sludge, NOx and SOx are considered secondary substances of PM2.5 and are being managed accordingly.

Vascular Endothelial Integrity Affects the Severity of Enterovirus-Mediated Cardiomyopathy.

Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is present in epithelial and vascular endothelial cell junctions. We have previously shown a hemorrhagic phenotype in germ-line CAR knock-out mouse embryos; we have also found that CAR interacts with ZO-1 and β-catenin. However, the role of CAR in vascular endothelial junction permeability has not been proven.

Adhesive protein-based angiogenesis-mimicking spatiotemporal sequential release of angiogenic factors for functional regenerative medicine.

Damaged vascular structures after critical diseases are difficult to completely restore to their original conditions without specific treatments. Thus, therapeutic angiogenesis has been spotlighted as an attractive strategy. However, effective strategies for mimicking angiogenic processes in the body have not yet been developed.

Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke with Active Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Aided by Machine Learning.

Objectives: While the prevalence of active cancer patients experiencing acute stroke is increasing, the effects of active cancer on reperfusion therapy outcomes are inconclusive. Thus, we aimed to compare the safety and outcomes of reperfusion therapy in acute stroke patients with and without active cancer.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted for studies comparing the effects of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or endovascular treatment (EVT) in ischemic stroke patients with and without active cancer.

The Relationship Between Body Awareness and Self-care in Patients With Heart Failure: Moderating Effect of Age.

Background: Recognizing changing symptoms is challenging for patients with heart failure (HF), especially older patients. Body awareness involves an attentional focus on and awareness of internal bodily changes. Patients with poor body awareness are unlikely to recognize subtle bodily changes, which may result in improper self-care.