Smartphone-based iontophoresis transdermal drug delivery system for cancer treatment.

Cancer is a leading cause of the death worldwide. However, the conventional cancer therapy still suffers from several limitations, such as systemic side effects, poor efficacy, and patient compliance due to limited accessibility to the tumor site. To address these issues, the localized drug delivery system has emerged as a promising approach.

Droplet digital recombinase polymerase amplification for multiplexed detection of human coronavirus.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), detection technologies have been attracting a great deal of attention in molecular diagnosis applications. In particular, the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has become a promising tool as it offers absolute quantification of target nucleic acids with high specificity and sensitivity. In recent years, the combination of the isothermal amplification strategies has made ddPCR a popular method for on-site testing by enabling amplification at a constant temperature.

Deep Learning-Assisted Droplet Digital PCR for Quantitative Detection of Human Coronavirus.

Since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly spread worldwide, there is an urgent demand for accurate and suitable nucleic acid detection technology. Although the conventional threshold-based algorithms have been used for processing images of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), there are still challenges from noise and irregular size of droplets. Here, we present a combined method of the mask region convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN)-based image detection algorithm and Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based thresholding algorithm.

3D Multicellular Tumor Spheroids in a Microfluidic Droplet System for Investigation of Drug Resistance.

A three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid model plays a critical role in mimicking tumor microenvironments in vivo. However, the conventional culture methods lack the ability to manipulate the 3D tumor spheroids in a homogeneous manner. To address this limitation, we developed a microfluidic-based droplet system for drug screening applications.

Development of an IoT-integrated multiplexed digital PCR system for quantitative detection of infectious diseases.

For rapid detection of the COVID-19 infection, the digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) with higher sensitivity and specificity has been presented as a promising method of point-of-care testing (POCT). Unlike the conventional real-time PCR (qPCR), the dPCR system allows absolute quantification of the target DNA without a calibration curve. Although a number of dPCR systems have previously been reported, most of these previous assays lack multiplexing capabilities.

Conductive Silver/Carbon Fiber Films for Rapid Detection of Human Coronavirus.

Polymerase chain reaction has gained attention since the outbreak of novel coronavirus in 2019. Due to its high specificity and capability for early detection, it is considered a standard method for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. However, the conventional thermocyclers used for nucleic acid amplification are not suitable for point-of-care testing applications, as they require expensive instruments, high-power consumption, and a long turnaround time.

Effect of biochemical and biomechanical factors on vascularization of kidney organoid-on-a-chip.

Kidney organoids derived from the human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) recapitulating human kidney are the attractive tool for kidney regeneration, disease modeling, and drug screening. However, the kidney organoids cultured by static conditions have the limited vascular networks and immature nephron-like structures unlike human kidney. Here, we developed a kidney organoid-on-a-chip system providing fluidic flow mimicking shear stress with optimized extracellular matrix (ECM) conditions.

Early medial reconstruction combined with severely injured medial collateral ligaments can decrease residual medial laxity in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Introduction: This study aimed to describe an anatomic medial knee reconstruction technique for combined anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and grade III medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries and to assess knee function and stability restoration in patients who underwent primary MCL reconstruction compared with primary repair.

Methods: A total of 105 patients who had undergone anatomic ACL reconstruction between 2008 and 2017 were enrolled in this retrospective study and divided into two groups according to concomitant MCL ruptures. Group A included patients with isolated ACL ruptures without MCL injuries.

CuS/rGO-PEG Nanocomposites for Photothermal Bonding of PMMA-Based Plastic Lab-on-a-Chip.

We developed copper sulfide (CuS)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanocomposites for photothermal bonding of a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-based plastic lab-on-a-chip. The noncontact photothermal bonding of PMMA-based plastic labs-on-chip plays an important role in improving the stability and adhesion at a high-temperature as well as minimizing the solution leakage from microchannels when connecting two microfluidic devices. The CuS/rGO-PEG nanocomposites were used to bond a PMMA-based plastic lab-on-a-chip in a short time with a high photothermal effect by a near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation.

Plasmonic heating-based portable digital PCR system.

A miniaturized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system is not only important for medical applications in remote areas of developing countries, but also important for testing at ports of entry during global epidemics, such as the current outbreak of the coronavirus. Although there is a large number of PCR sensor systems available for this purpose, there is still a lack of portable digital PCR (dPCR) heating systems. Here, we first demonstrated a portable plasmonic heating-based dPCR system.

Generation of tumor spheroids using a droplet-based microfluidic device for photothermal therapy.

Despite their simplicity, monolayer cell cultures are not able to accurately predict drug behavior in vivo due to their inability to accurately mimic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. In contrast, cell spheroids are able to reproduce these interactions and thus would be a viable tool for testing drug behavior. However, the generation of homogenous and reproducible cell spheroids on a large scale is a labor intensive and slow process compared to monolayer cell cultures.

Automated droplet reactor for the synthesis of iron oxide/gold core-shell nanoparticles.

Core-shell nanoparticles are promising candidates for theranostic drugs, as they combine different intrinsic properties with a small size and large surface area. However, their controlled synthesis, or the screening and optimization of synthesis conditions are often difficult and labor intensive. Through the precise control over mass and heat transfer, and automatization possibilities, microfluidic devices could be a solution to this problem in a lab scale synthesis.

Three-dimensional measurement and registration accuracy of a third-generation optical tracking system for navigational maxillary orthognathic surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of an optical tracking system during reference point localization, measurement, and registration of skull models for navigational maxillary orthognathic surgery.

Study Design: Accuracy was first evaluated on the basis of the position recording discrepancy at a static point and at 2 points of fixed lengths. Ten reference points were measured on a skull model at 7 different locations, and their measurements were compared with predicted positions by using 4 registration methods.

Compensatory dentoalveolar supraeruption and occlusal plane cant after botulinum-induced hypotrophy of masticatory closing muscles in juvenile rats.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the dentoalveolus and occlusal plane associated with the hypotrophy of unilateral masticatory muscles following botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment in the juvenile period of rats.

Design: We hypothesized that the loss of functional loading of masticatory muscles and occlusal force invites compensatory dentoalveolar supraeruption, accelerating occlusal cant and skeletal asymmetry. In order to confirm this hypothesis, six-week-old male rats (N = 5) were treated with BTX simultaneously at the unilateral masseter, temporalis, and medial pterygoid muscles, with a booster injection after six weeks for the experimental group.

Droplet-based synthesis of homogeneous magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles have gained large interest in a number of different fields due to their unique properties. In medical applications, for example, magnetic nanoparticles can be used for targeting, imaging, magnetically induced thermotherapy, or for any combination of the three. However, it is still a challenge to obtain narrowly dispersed, reproducible particles through a typical lab-scale synthesis when researching these materials.

Interstitial Nephritis Caused by Anorexia Nervosa in Young Male; A Case Report and Literature Review.

Severe eating disorders characterized by repetitive episodes of purging and vomiting can occasionally trigger acute kidney injury. However, interstitial nephritis induced by episodes of repeated vomiting has rarely been reported, and the pathophysiology of this entity remains unknown. A 26-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of known hypokalemia.

Skeletal unit construction of rat mandible based on the masticatory muscle anatomy and double microcomputed tomography.

This study aimed to divide the mandible into skeletal units based on three-dimensional (3D) muscular anatomy with microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) of Sprague-Dawley rat. Five normal rats were micro-CT scanned at 12 weeks of age before and after contrast enhancements for the masticatory muscles. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the mandible was performed from the initial micro-CT images, followed by segmentation of the masticatory muscles using the second enhanced micro-CT data.

Papillary Cannulation Facilitated by Submucosal Saline Injection into an Intradiverticular Papilla.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) of the intradiverticular papilla with its invisible orifice remains challenging. Several techniques have been introduced to evert the papillary opening to facilitate cannulation. A 79-year-old woman with bile duct stones underwent ERCP, which revealed that the papilla was located inside a large diverticulum and tended to rotate inward with a trial of papillary cannulation.

Dual-nozzle microfluidic droplet generator.

The droplet-generating microfluidics has become an important technique for a variety of applications ranging from single cell analysis to nanoparticle synthesis. Although there are a large number of methods for generating and experimenting with droplets on microfluidic devices, the dispensing of droplets from these microfluidic devices is a challenge due to aggregation and merging of droplets at the interface of microfluidic devices. Here, we present a microfluidic dual-nozzle device for the generation and dispensing of uniform-sized droplets.

Three-dimensional growth pattern of the rat mandible revealed by periodic live micro-computed tomography.

Objective: We wanted to evaluate the three-dimensional (3D) mandibular growth of Sprague-Dawley rats from 4th to 16th postnatal weeks with periodic and live micro-computed tomographic scanning.

Design: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were used for micro-CT scanning from 4th to 16th postnatal weeks. After 3D reconstruction of rat mandible, we performed the linear and angular measurements and the superimposition of the 3D models to evaluate the mandibular growth of rat.

Positional symmetry of porion and external auditory meatus in facial asymmetry.

Background: The porion (Po) is used to construct the Frankfort horizontal (FH) plane for cephalometrics, and the external auditory meatus (EAM) is to transfer and mount the dental model with facebow. The classical assumption is that EAM represents Po by the parallel positioning. However, we are sometimes questioning about the possible positional disparity between Po and EAM, when the occlusal cant or facial midline is different from our clinical understandings.

Three-dimensional functional unit analysis of hemifacial microsomia mandible-a preliminary report.

Background: The aim of this study was to present three-dimensional (3D) structural characteristics of the mandible in the hemifacial microsomia. The mandible has six distinct functional units, and its architecture is the sum of balanced growth of each functional unit and surrounding matrix.

Methods: In order to characterize the mandibular 3D architecture of hemifacial microsomia, we analyzed the mandibular functional units of four hemifacial microsomia patients using the 3D reconstructed computed tomography (CT) images.

Long-Term Survival after T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Treated with One Cycle of Hyper-CVAD Regimen.

T-lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is a rare form of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The standard approach for management of T-LBL involves intensive multiagent chemotherapy regimens for induction and consolidation phases with central nervous system prophylaxis and a maintenance phase lasting 12-18 months. We report on a case of long-term survival after one cycle of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (hyper-CVAD) and high-dose methotrexate.

Mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm caused by bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and acinetobacter lwoffii: the first case in Korea.

Mycotic aneurysms are uncommon, but are fatal without appropriate management. Previous reports have shown that anaerobes and gram-negative organisms are less common but more dangerous than other causative agents of mycotic aneurysm. We report the case of a 60-year-old man with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis in the aorta, and a 10-day of history of lower abdominal pain and fever.

A case on streptococcal pneumonia associated with leptomeningitis, osteomyelitis and epidural abscess in a patient with AIDS.

Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are at higher risks of bacterial pneumonia than the general population, and the pathogen is the most commonly involved Streptococcus pneumoniae. We hereby report a case of pneumococcal pneumonia associated with leptomeningitis, osteomyelitis and epidural abscess in a patient with AIDS. He is being successfully treated with ampicillin/sulbactam and clindamycin.