Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Coronavirus Disease 2019: a Case Report and Suggestions to Overcome Obstacles.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading around the world, causing much morbidity and mortality everywhere. However, effective treatments or vaccines are still not available. Although convalescent plasma (CP) therapy can be useful in the treatment of COVID-19, it has not been widely used in Korea because of the concerns about adverse effects and the difficulty in matching patients to donors.

Incidence of Occult Spinal Dysraphism Among Infants With Cutaneous Stigmata and Proportion Managed With Neurosurgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Occult spinal dysraphism (OSD) is the most common congenital spinal anomaly. Cutaneous anomalies such as skin dimples or deviated gluteal folds are well known as stigmata of OSD and are indicators for further evaluation; however, the association between cutaneous anomalies and OSD has not been systemically evaluated.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of OSD and the proportion of OSD cases managed with a neurosurgical intervention among neonates or infants with various cutaneous stigmata.

First-iGAP: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study of First-line Intercalated Gefitinib and Pemetrexed-Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Never-Smoker Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients.

Background: We aimed to evaluate whether intercalated combination of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib and chemotherapy improves survival outcomes in never-smokers with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Patients And Methods: Never-smokers with chemo-naive stage IIIB/IV lung adenocarcinoma were randomly assigned to receive either gefitinib or placebo on days 5 to 18 of a 3-weekly cycle of pemetrexed and cisplatin. Chemotherapy was given up to 9 cycles, after which gefitinib or placebo was given daily.

Real-World Experience of Nivolumab in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in Korea.

Purpose: The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors represents a major advance in the treatment of lung cancer, allowing sustained recovery in a significant proportion of patients. Nivolumab is a monoclonal anti-programmed death cell protein 1 antibody licensed for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after prior chemotherapy. In this study, we describe the demographic and clinical outcomes of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with nivolumab in the Korean expanded access program.

Treatment of electrical wrist stimulation reduces chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and ultrasound vocalization via modulation of spinal NR2B phosphorylation.

Docetaxel, a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat breast cancer, produces a robust painful neuropathy that is aggravated by mechanical and thermal stimuli. This study was undertaken to investigate the analgesic effects of electrical stimulation on docetaxel-induced neuropathic pain in mice and to identify associated changes in ultrasound vocalizations. Peripheral neuropathy was induced with intraperitoneally injected docetaxel (5 mg/kg) on 3 times every 2 days in male ICR mice.

Clinical Effectiveness of Intravenous Peramivir versus Oseltamivir for the Treatment of Influenza in Hospitalized Patients.

Purpose: To compare the clinical efficacy between peramivir and oseltamivir in hospitalized patients with influenza.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective cohort study examined data from 542 adult patients with laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza hospitalized in five teaching hospitals and one secondary hospital between August 2017 and May 2018. The main outcome was the defervescence rate within 3 days from the first administration of peramivir or oseltamivir.

Delta neutrophil index as a predictive and prognostic factor for Candidemia patients: a matched case-control study.

Background: Delayed antifungal therapy for candidemia leads to increased mortality. Differentiating bacterial infection from candidemia in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) patients is complex and difficult. The Delta Neutrophil Index (DNI) has recently been considered a new factor to distinguish infections from non-infections and predict the severity of sepsis.

Cryopreserved Human Oocytes and Cord Blood Cells Can Produce Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer-Derived Pluripotent Stem Cells with a Homozygous HLA Type.

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) may be an important source for regenerative medicine. The low derivation efficiency of stem cells and the accessibility of human oocytes are the main obstacles to their application. We previously reported that the efficiency of SCNT was increased by overexpression of H3K9me3 demethylase.

Free-breathing contrast-enhanced upper abdominal MRI in children: comparison between Cartesian acquisition and stack-of-stars acquisition with two different fat-suppression techniques.

Background: Respiratory artifacts impair image quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children who cannot hold breath during MRI examination.

Purpose: To compare the quality of free-breathing contrast-enhanced 3D T1-weighted (T1W) images of the upper abdomen in children using Cartesian acquisition (Cartesian eTHRIVE), stack-of-stars acquisition with spectral fat suppression (3D VANE eTHRIVE), and stack-of-stars acquisition with fat suppression using modified Dixon (3D VANE mDixon).

Material And Methods: Pediatric patients (aged <19 years) who underwent whole-body MRI with free-breathing contrast-enhanced T1W axial scans of upper abdomen using Cartesian eTHRIVE, 3D VANE eTHRIVE, and 3D VANE mDixon were enrolled.

Seventeen Unrecorded Species from Gayasan National Park in Korea.

Macrofungi play important roles in forest ecology as wood decayers, symbionts, and pathogens of living trees. For the effective forest management, it is imperative to have a comprehensive overview of macrofungi diversity in specific areas. As a part of the National Institute of Biological Resources projects for discovering indigenous fungi in Korea, we collected macrofungi in Gayasan National Park from 2017 to 2018.

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating Changes in Peripheral Neuropathy and Quality of Life by Using Low-Frequency Electrostimulation on Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Chemotherapy.

This study examined the effect of a portable low-frequency electrostimulation (ES) device on patients diagnosed with (CIPN) immediately after chemotherapy for breast cancer. A single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. A total of 72 patients newly diagnosed with CIPN were enrolled and randomly placed into the ES (n = 36) or the sham ES group (SES; n = 36).

Borderline Personality Disorder in the Courtroom.

The insanity defense has been criticized with consequences for individuals with real mental illness. In the United States, several states have redefined the insanity defense by excluding antisocial personality disorder from consideration for the not guilty by reason of insanity plea. Four states have eliminated the insanity defense completely.

Neoadjuvant Treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Recent Progresses and Challenges.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer with historically poor outcomes, primarily due to the lack of effective targeted therapies. The tumor molecular heterogeneity of TNBC has been well recognized, yet molecular subtype driven therapy remains lacking. While neoadjuvant anthracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy remains the standard of care for early stage TNBC, the optimal chemotherapy regimen is debatable.

Acute Kidney Injury after Endovascular Treatment in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is often associated with the use of contrast agents. We evaluated the frequency of AKI, factors associated with AKI after endovascular treatment (EVT), and associations with AKI and clinical outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed consecutively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent EVT at three stroke centers in Korea.

Diagnostic Performance of Ultrasound Elastography and Serologic Fibrosis Indices for Evaluation of Hepatic Involvement in Wilson Disease.

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of transient elastography (TE), 2-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE), and the serologic fibrosis indices aspartate transaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score for Wilson disease (WD).

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with a diagnosis of WD who underwent TE and 2D SWE on the same day. Their APRI and FIB-4 scores were calculated.

Stepwise stroke recognition through clinical information, vital signs, and initial labs (CIVIL): Electronic health record-based observational cohort study.

Background: Stroke recognition systems have been developed to reduce time delays, however, a comprehensive triaging score identifying stroke subtypes is needed to guide appropriate management. We aimed to develop a prehospital scoring system for rapid stroke recognition and identify stroke subtype simultaneously.

Methods And Findings: In prospective database of regional emergency and stroke center, Clinical Information, Vital signs, and Initial Labs (CIVIL) of 1,599 patients suspected of acute stroke was analyzed from an automatically-stored electronic health record.

Korean Registry for Improving Sepsis Survival (KISS): Protocol for a Multicenter Cohort of Adult Patients with Sepsis or Septic Shock.

Sepsis is one of the significant causes of morbidity and mortality. The burden caused by sepsis has continued to increase in recent years in the Korea, highlighting the urgent need for the implementation of strategies to improve sepsis treatment outcomes. We therefore designed a web-based sepsis registry system ("Korean Registry for Improving Sepsis Survival" [KISS]) protocol to be used in hospitals in the Korea for evaluation of the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of patients with sepsis, via an analysis of outcome predictors.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Suppress Growth of Huh7 Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Interferon (IFN)-β-Mediated JAK/STAT1 Pathway .

Interferon (IFN)-β and/or tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) secreted by adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) have been proposed as key mechanistic factors in anti-cancer efficacy in lung cancer and breast cancer cells, where they act through paracrine signaling. We hypothesized that IFN-β and TRAIL produced by ASCs suppress proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). The present study evaluated the anti-cancer effects of ASCs on HCCs .

Functional cooperation of the glycine synthase-reductase and Wood-Ljungdahl pathways for autotrophic growth of .

Among CO-fixing metabolic pathways in nature, the linear Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) in phylogenetically diverse acetate-forming acetogens comprises the most energetically efficient pathway, requires the least number of reactions, and converts CO to formate and then into acetyl-CoA. Despite two genes encoding glycine synthase being well-conserved in WLP gene clusters, the functional role of glycine synthase under autotrophic growth conditions has remained uncertain. Here, using the reconstructed genome-scale metabolic model SL771 based on the completed genome sequence, transcriptomics, C isotope-based metabolite-tracing experiments, biochemical assays, and heterologous expression of the pathway in another acetogen, we discovered that the WLP and the glycine synthase pathway are functionally interconnected to fix CO, subsequently converting CO into acetyl-CoA, acetyl-phosphate, and serine.

Pseudo-Occlusion of the Internal Carotid Artery in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Clinical Outcome after Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Pseudo-occlusion (PO) of the cervical internal carotid artery (cICA) can be caused by distal ICA occlusion. We explored the clinical impact of PO after mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Patients who underwent MT to treat distal ICA occlusions between July 2012 and March 2018 were reviewed.

Expression of Cellular Receptors in the Ischemic Hemisphere of Mice with Increased Glucose Uptake.

Many previous studies have shown reduced glucose uptake in the ischemic brain. In contrast, in a permanent unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) mouse model, our pilot experiments using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) revealed that a subset of mice exhibited conspicuously high uptake of glucose in the ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 week post-occlusion (asymmetric group), whereas other mice showed symmetric uptake in both hemispheres (symmetric group). Thus, we aimed to understand the discrepancy between the two groups.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive ferrocene-polymer-based nanoparticles for controlled release of drugs.

Ferrocene-containing nanoparticles show reversible redox activity that could trigger drug release mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, four ferrocene-containing polymers, comprising ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate (FMMA)-methacrylic acid (MA) random copolymers, i.e.