Development and Feasibility Evaluation of Smart Cancer Care 2.0 Based on Patient-Reported Outcomes for Post-Discharge Management of Patients with Cancer.

Purpose: A "Smart Cancer Care" platform that integrates patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with management has been established in Korea. This study focused on improving health behaviors and connecting patients to welfare services by introducing and assessing the feasibility of "Smart Cancer Care 2.0," an enhanced version designed for monitoring complications post-cancer treatment.

Historical Review and Future of Cardiac Xenotransplantation.

Along with the development of immunosuppressive drugs, major advances on xenotransplantation were achieved by understanding the immunobiology of xenograft rejection. Most importantly, three predominant carbohydrate antigens on porcine endothelial cells were key elements provoking hyperacute rejection: α1,3-galactose, SDa blood group antigen, and N-glycolylneuraminic acid. Preformed antibodies binding to the porcine major xenoantigen causes complement activation and endothelial cell activation, leading to xenograft injury and intravascular thrombosis.

Surgical and Electrical Anatomy of the Inter-Nodal and Intra-Atrial Conduction System in the Heart.

An anatomical understanding of the atrial myocardium is crucial for surgeons and interventionists who treat atrial arrhythmias. We reviewed the anatomy of the inter-nodal and intra-atrial conduction systems. The anterior inter-nodal route (#1) arises from the sinus node and runs through the ventral wall of the atrial chambers.

Environmental health survey for children residing near mining areas in South Gobi, Mongolia.

Background: We evaluated the level and factors of heavy metal exposure to children residing in the Togttsetsii, Khanbogd, and Bayandalai soums of South Gobi province, Mongolia.

Methods: A total of 118 children aged 9-12 years were surveyed, and the level of heavy metal exposure in their bodies was investigated. Exposure was investigated by measuring concentrations of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury in the blood; mercury concentration in the hair; and total arsenic in the urine.

Myocarditis-induced Sudden Death after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination in Korea: Case Report Focusing on Histopathological Findings.

We present autopsy findings of a 22-year-old man who developed chest pain 5 days after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine and died 7 hours later. Histological examination of the heart revealed isolated atrial myocarditis, with neutrophil and histiocyte predominance. Immunohistochemical C4d staining revealed scattered single-cell necrosis of myocytes which was not accompanied by inflammatory infiltrates.

Cardiac toxicity from bisphenol A exposure in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical that is widely used in a variety of products, including plastics, medical equipment and receipts. Hence, most people are exposed to BPA through the skin, via inhalation and via the digestive system, and such exposure has been linked to cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction caused by BPA remain poorly understood.

Necessity of Assessing Biological Exposure to Arsenic Species by Two Representative Analytical Methods.

Arsenic (As) exists as highly toxic chemical species. Chronic exposure to its inorganic form can cause multiple organ failure and skin cancer in humans, warranting the need to determine the toxicity of each chemical species. This study evaluated the proportions of exposure to four chemical species of As (cAs), namely arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), monomethylarsinic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), and it confirmed the necessity of evaluating biological exposure to cAs.

Assessment of Lead and Mercury Exposure Levels in the General Population of Korea Using Integrated National Biomonitoring Data.

In Korea, the estimated values of blood lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) levels differ between two national-level biomonitors, namely the Korean National Environmental Health Survey and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The present study used integrated data from these surveys to estimate the representative values of the change in concentration and recent distribution characteristics. The yearly trend of age-standardized exposure levels in regular adults was identified, and the geometric mean (GM) adjusted according to demographic characteristics was presented.

Feasibility study on stereotactic radiotherapy for total pulmonary vein isolation in a canine model.

We tested the feasibility of pulmonary vein (PV) and left atrial (LA) posterior wall isolation using non-invasive stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and investigated pathological changes in irradiated lesions in a canine model. Seven male Mongrel dogs received single-fraction 33 Gy SABR. We designed the en-bloc circular target of total PVs and LA posterior wall to avoid the esophagus.

Early Changes in Rat Heart After High-Dose Irradiation: Implications for Antiarrhythmic Effects of Cardiac Radioablation.

Background Noninvasive cardiac radioablation is employed to treat ventricular arrhythmia. However, myocardial changes leading to early-period antiarrhythmic effects induced by high-dose irradiation are unknown. This study investigated dose-responsive histologic, ultrastructural, and functional changes within 1 month after irradiation in rat heart.

Effects of Exposure to Lead and Cadmium on Health of Inhabitants of Abandoned Metal Mine Area in Korea.

People living near abandoned mines are at increased risk of exposure to toxic metals. We surveyed 4500 inhabitants with the mean age of 68.5 years old (male: 1768, female: 2732) living near 104 abandoned metal mines from 2013 to 2017 (the 2nd phase health survey in Korea).

Visualization of left ventricular Purkinje fiber distribution using widefield optical coherence microscopy.

Background: The distribution and connection of ventricular Purkinje fibers are known to be associated with idiopathic left ventricular arrhythmias. Unusual anatomy is one of the important factors associated with catheter ablation success rate. With the widefield high-speed, swept-source optical coherence microscopy (OCM) and light microscope, we visualized the left ventricular Purkinje fiber distribution.

Serial ultrastructural evaluation of myocardial ischemic injury after infusion of del Nido cardioplegia in the human heart.

Objectives: The safe ischemic time after a single-dose del Nido cardioplegia (DNC) infusion has not yet been established. This study evaluated the progression of myocardial ischemic injury to establish the safe ischemic time after a single-dose DNC infusion in the human heart using a transmission electron microscope.

Methods: Seven hearts extracted from heart transplant recipients after infusion of 1000 mL single-dose DNC were evaluated.

Comparative Evaluation of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Residents of Abandoned Metal Mines.

This study compares the heavy metal exposure levels of the population of abandoned metal mines, with high risks of environmental pollution and health effects. We used data from a two-stage abandoned metal mines survey (AMS, n = 4467). The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the Korea National Environmental Health Survey (KNEHS) were used as general population data.

Indirect pathological indicators for cardiac sarcoidosis on endomyocardial biopsy.

Background: The definitive pathologic diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis requires observation of a granuloma in the myocardial tissue. It is common, however, to receive a "negative" report for a clinically probable case. We would like to advise pathologists and clinicians on how to interpret "negative" biopsies.

The Relationship between Mercury Exposure Indices and Dietary Intake of Fish and Shellfish in Women of Childbearing Age.

Women of childbearing age who are susceptible to mercury exposure were studied to understand the relation between mercury intake through fish and shellfish consumption and mercury exposure indices from blood, hair, and urine samples. A total of 711 women of childbearing age from coastal areas with a high concentration of mercury exposure in Korea were studied. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, dietary intake of fish and shellfish using the simple Food Frequency Questionnaire.

Surface-Plasmonic-Field-Induced Photoredox Catalysis and Mediated Electron Transfer for Washing-Free DNA Detection.

Distance-dependent electromagnetic radiation and electron transfer have been commonly employed in washing-free fluorescence and electrochemical bioassays, respectively. In this study, we combined the two distance-dependent phenomena for sensitive washing-free DNA detection. A distance-dependent surface plasmonic field induces rapid photoredox catalysis of surface-bound catalytic labels, and distance-dependent mediated electron transfer allows for rapid electron transfer from the surface-bound labels to the electrode.

Pittsburgh B Compound Positron Emission Tomography in Patients With AL Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Background: It remains unknown whether the noninvasive evaluation of the degree of amyloid deposition in the myocardium can predict the prognosis of patients with light chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that C-Pittsburgh B compound positron emission tomography (C-PiB PET) is useful for prognostication of AL cardiac amyloidosis by noninvasively imaging the myocardial AL amyloid deposition.

Methods: This study consecutively enrolled 41 chemotherapy-naïve AL cardiac amyloidosis patients.

Moisture-driven shift in the climate sensitivity of white spruce xylem anatomical traits is coupled to large-scale oscillation patterns across northern treeline in northwest North America.

Tree growth at northern treelines is generally temperature-limited due to cold and short growing seasons. However, temperature-induced drought stress was repeatedly reported for certain regions of the boreal forest in northwestern North America, provoked by a significant increase in temperature and possibly reinforced by a regime shift of the pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). The aim of this study is to better understand physiological growth reactions of white spruce, a dominant species of the North American boreal forest, to PDO regime shifts using quantitative wood anatomy and traditional tree-ring width (TRW) analysis.

Hemodynamically balanced congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries with a large ventricular septal defect, and subvalvular pulmonic stenosis: a case report.

Background: Adults with unoperated congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries are rare but form a distinct group among adults with congenital heart disease. Patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries often have one or more associated cardiac anomalies that dictate the need for, and timing of, surgical intervention in childhood. However, in a proportion of patients, the hemodynamics does not require surgical attention during childhood, and, in some patients, a correct diagnosis is not established until adulthood.

Climate Regimes Override Micro-Site Effects on the Summer Temperature Signal of Scots Pine at Its Northern Distribution Limits.

Tree growth at northern boreal treelines is generally limited by summer temperature, hence tree rings serve as natural archives of past climatic conditions. However, there is increasing evidence that a changing summer climate as well as certain micro-site conditions can lead to a weakening or loss of the summer temperature signal in trees growing in treeline environments. This phenomenon poses a challenge to all applications relying on stable temperature-growth relationships such as temperature reconstructions and dynamic vegetation models.