Implication of thyroid function in periodontitis: a nationwide population-based study.

Possible links between periodontitis and various cardiometabolic and autoimmune diseases have been advocated on the basis of chronic inflammation or oxidative stress. However, the association between periodontitis and thyroid dysfunction is under-researched. Participants without previous thyroid disease or ongoing thyroid-related medication were included from a nationwide population-level survey.

A small molecule targeting CHI3L1 inhibits lung metastasis by blocking IL-13Rα2-mediated JNK-AP-1 signals.

Our previous big data analyses showed a high level of association between chitinase 3 like1 (CHI3L1) expression and lung tumor development. In the present study, we investigated whether a CHI3L1-inhibiting chemical, 2-({3-[2-(1-cyclohexen-1-yl)ethyl]-6,7-dimethoxy-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2-quinazolinyl}sulfanyl)-N-(4-ethylphenyl)butanamide (K284), could inhibit lung metastasis and studied its mechanism of action. We investigated the antitumor effect of K284 both in vitro and in vivo.

Sarcopenia is associated with decreased gray matter volume in the parietal lobe: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Substantial evidence supports an association between physical activity and cognitive function. However, the role of muscle mass and function in brain structural changes is not well known. This study investigated whether sarcopenia, defined as low muscle mass and strength, accelerates brain volume atrophy.

Treatment Modality and Risk of Heart Failure in Patients With Long-Standing Graves' Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Optimal treatment for persistent Graves' disease following 12-18 months of treatment with anti-thyroid drugs (ATDs) is unclear. Given the increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with hyperthyroidism, assessing the risk of cardiovascular events associated with different treatment modalities after the conventional ATD course would be valuable in determining the appropriate next-line therapy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included data from the Korean National Health Insurance database of 16,882 patients with newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism who received primary ATD treatment for 24 months.

Chronological Analysis of Acute Hematological Outcomes after Proton and Photon Beam Craniospinal Irradiation in Pediatric Brain Tumors.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the early hematological dynamics and acute toxicities between proton beam craniospinal irradiation (PrCSI) and photon beam craniospinal irradiation (PhCSI) for pediatric brain tumors.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with pediatric brain tumors who received craniospinal irradiation (CSI). The average change in hemoglobin levels (ΔHbavg), absolute lymphocyte counts (ΔALCavg), and platelet counts (ΔPLTavg) from baseline values was evaluated and compared between the PrCSI and PhCSI groups at 1 and 2 weeks after the initiation of CSI, 1 week before and at the end of radiotherapy, and 3-4 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy using t test and mixed-model analysis.

Morphologic changes of the incisive canal and its proximity to maxillary incisor roots after anterior tooth movement.

Introduction: The objectives were to evaluate the morphologic changes of the incisive canal (IC) and the influence of IC proximity to apical root resorption of maxillary central incisors after anterior tooth movement.

Methods: Pretreatment and posttreatment cone-beam computed tomography images of adults (aged 18-47 years) were retrospectively evaluated. Subjects were divided into control group with minimal incisor movement (n = 32; maxillary incisor tip movement <2 mm) and maximum retraction group (n = 35; maxillary incisor tip movement >4 mm).

Multi-Stage Harmonization for Robust AI across Breast MR Databases.

Radiomic features extracted from medical images may demonstrate a batch effect when cases come from different sources. We investigated classification performance using training and independent test sets drawn from two sources using both pre-harmonization and post-harmonization features. In this retrospective study, a database of thirty-two radiomic features, extracted from DCE-MR images of breast lesions after fuzzy c-means segmentation, was collected.

Phosphorylation of β-catenin Ser60 by polo-like kinase 1 drives the completion of cytokinesis.

β-Catenin is a multifunctional protein and participates in numerous processes required for embryonic development, cell proliferation, and homeostasis through various molecular interactions and signaling pathways. To date, however, there is no direct evidence that β-catenin contributes to cytokinesis. Here, we identify a novel p-S60 epitope on β-catenin generated by Plk1 kinase activity, which can be found at the actomyosin contractile ring of early telophase cells and at the midbody of late telophase cells.

Assessment of medical students' clinical performance using high-fidelity simulation: comparison of peer and instructor assessment.

Background: High-fidelity simulators are highly useful in assessing clinical competency; they enable reliable and valid evaluation. Recently, the importance of peer assessment has been highlighted in healthcare education, and studies using peer assessment in healthcare, such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy, have examined the value of peer assessment. This study aimed to analyze inter-rater reliability between peers and instructors and examine differences in scores between peers and instructors in the assessment of high-fidelity-simulation-based clinical performance by medical students.

Usefulness of the prostate health index in predicting the presence and aggressiveness of prostate cancer among Korean men: a prospective observational study.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the Beckman Coulter prostate health index (PHI) and to compare it with total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and related derivatives in predicting the presence and aggressiveness of prostate cancer (PCa) in the Korean population.

Methods: A total of 140 men who underwent their first prostate biopsy for suspected PCa were included in this prospective observational study. The diagnostic performance of total PSA, free PSA, %free PSA, [-2] proPSA (p2PSA), %p2PSA, and PHI in detecting and predicting the aggressiveness of PCa was estimated using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and logistic multivariate regression analyses.

A dual-signal electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for high-sensitivity detection of acute myocardial infarction biomarker.

Based on two different types of luminescence systems (Ru﹡(bpy)/TPA and SnO NFs/KSO), a new type of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was prepared, which realized the detection of acute myocardial infarction biomarker cTnI. In this strategy, Ru(bpy), above all, was immobilized on the NH-MIL-125 as a capture probe. Subsequently, cTnI and SnO NFs was bonded to the electrode surface through the interaction between antigen and antibody in turn.

Role of adjuvant radiotherapy in extrahepatic bile duct cancer: A multicenter retrospective study (Korean Radiation Oncology Group 18-14).

Purpose: To evaluate the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after curative resection in patients with extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) cancer.

Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2015, 1475 patients with EHBD cancer who underwent curative resection were accrued from 14 institutions in Korea. Among these, 959 patients did not receive any adjuvant therapy (RT(-) group), while 516 underwent postoperative RT with or without chemotherapy (RT(+) group).

Post-Processing Techniques for the Improvement of Liposome Stability.

Liposomes have been utilized as a drug delivery system to increase the bioavailability of drugs and to control the rate of drug release at the target site of action. However, the occurrence of self-aggregation, coalescence, flocculation and the precipitation of aqueous liposomes during formulation or storage can cause degradation of the vesicle structure, leading to the decomposition of liposomes. To increase the stability of liposomes, post-processing techniques have been applied as an additional process to liposomes after formulation to remove water and generate dry liposome particles with a higher stability and greater accessibility for drug administration in comparison with aqueous liposomes.

Progress toward a bicarbonate-based microalgae production system.

Commercial applications of microalgae for biochemicals and fuels are hampered by their high production costs, and the use of conventional carbon supplies is a key reason. Bicarbonate has been proposed as an alternative carbon source due to its potential advantages in lower carbon supply costs, convenience for photobioreactor development, biomass harvesting, and labor and energy savings. We review recent progress in bicarbonate-based microalgae cultivation, which validated previous assumptions, suggested further advantages, and demonstrated potential to significantly reduce production cost.

Prognostic Impact of Sarcopenia and Radiotherapy in Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer Treated With Anti-PD-1 Antibody.

Background: We explored the combined effects of sarcopenia (SAR) and radiotherapy (RT) on outcomes in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) treated with immune-checkpoint blockade (ICB).

Methods: Among 185 patients with AGC treated with ICB, we defined SAR as skeletal muscle index <49 cm2/m2 for men and <31 cm2/m2 for women; 93 patients met criteria. We defined high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (hNLR) as NLR≥3.

Improved Classification of Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions Using Deep Feature Maximum Intensity Projection MRI in Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MRI.

Purpose: To develop a deep transfer learning method that incorporates four-dimensional (4D) information in dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI to classify benign and malignant breast lesions.

Materials And Methods: The retrospective dataset is composed of 1990 distinct lesions (1494 malignant and 496 benign) from 1979 women (mean age, 47 years ± 10). Lesions were split into a training and validation set of 1455 lesions (acquired in 2015-2016) and an independent test set of 535 lesions (acquired in 2017).

Questionnaire-based Survey of Demographic and Clinical Characteristics, Health Behaviors, and Mental Health of Young Korean Adults with Early-onset Diabetes.

Background: The incidence of early-onset diabetes is increasing among young adults. However, there are limited data on the characteristics and management of young Korean adults with diabetes. This study assessed the clinical and demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and mental health among young Korean adults with diabetes mellitus.

Deep freezing to maintain the freshness of pork loin during long-term storage.

As storage temperature impacts frozen meat quality, we evaluated the ideal freezing and storage temperatures for pork loin, and effects of long-term storage at - 60, - 50, and - 18 °C on pork loin physicochemical properties. Pork loin was cut into 30 × 30 × 30 mm (50 g) and packed in air-containing box. Thereafter, they were stored at different freezing temperature for 6 months.

Improving the Stability of α-CsPbI Nanocrystals in Extreme Conditions Facilitated by Mn Doping.

The wide application of CsPbI nanocrystals (NCs) is limited due to their poor phase stability. We reported that Mn-CsPbI NCs have better optical performance and phase stability. With a suitable Mn/Pb ratio (5.

In vivo gene editing via homology-independent targeted integration for adrenoleukodystrophy treatment.

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is caused by various pathogenic mutations in the X-linked ABCD1 gene, which lead to metabolically abnormal accumulations of very long-chain fatty acids in many organs. However, curative treatment of ALD has not yet been achieved. To treat ALD, we applied two different gene-editing strategies, base editing and homology-independent targeted integration (HITI), in ALD patient-derived fibroblasts.

Correction: Dynamical time scales of friction dynamics in active microrheology of a model glass.

Correction for 'Dynamical time scales of friction dynamics in active microrheology of a model glass' by A. Madanchi et al., Soft Matter, 2021, DOI: 10.

Dynamical time scales of friction dynamics in active microrheology of a model glass.

Owing to the local/heterogeneous structures in supercooled liquids, after several decades of research, it is now clear that supercooled liquids are structurally different from their conventional liquid counterparts. Accordingly, an approach based on a local probe should provide a better understanding about the local mechanical properties as well as heterogeneous structures. Recently, the superiority of active microrheology over global rheology has been demonstrated [Yu et al.

Clinical and dosimetric risk factors for vertebral compression fracture after single-fraction stereotactic body radiation therapy for spine metastases.

Objectives: This analysis was performed to evaluate the incidence of vertebral compression fracture (VCF) and determine the contributing factors for VCF in patients undergoing single-fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for spinal bone metastases (SBM).

Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for patients undergoing SBRT for SBM at our institution between January 2010 and December 2018. Patients who had undergone neither pre-SBRT surgical excision nor post-SBRT prophylactic fixation were included.