Taxonomic review of Korean species (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Siphonariidae).

Background: Many molluscan species exhibit a high degree of shell morphological plasticity in their shape (including sculptures), size and colour patterns, which can vary significantly depending on environmental conditions. These shell morphological variations make it challenging to differentiate species, based on morphology alone, often resulting in various taxonomic errors, such as misidentifications, overlooking cryptic species diversity or a plethora of nominal species. The genus constitutes a significant component of the macrobenthic invertebrate fauna in intertidal habitats across temperate to tropical regions.

High burden of disease in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia despite recent advances in therapies and updated guidelines: A real-world study.

Background: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is an ultra-rare disorder of lipid metabolism characterized by markedly increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), leading to an increased risk of early onset atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and premature death.

Objective: To assess the real-world burden of disease for patients with HoFH using healthcare claims data.

Methods: Due to the lack of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision diagnosis codes for HoFH, the real-world HoFH cohort was formed using two sources: prescription claims for evinacumab or lomitapide in the Komodo Healthcare Map™ database; and patients with a physician-confirmed HoFH diagnosis in MyRARE, a US-based patient support program for commercially available evinacumab.

Network-based topic structure visualization.

In the real world, many topics are inter-correlated, making it challenging to investigate their structure and relationships. Understanding the interplay between topics and their relevance can provide valuable insights for researchers, guiding their studies and informing the direction of research. In this paper, we utilize the topic-words distribution, obtained from topic models, as item-response data to model the structure of topics using a latent space item response model.

Acute kidney injury after non-cardiac major surgery: has it reduced?

Background: It remains unclear whether the incidence of post-operative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) has been reduced despite the recent emphasis on its early recognition and prevention in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate the trend in the incidence of PO-AKI and to identify the associated factors affecting its changes.

Methods: We gathered clinical data from patients who underwent non-cardiac major surgeries at three referral hospitals from 2005 to 2020.

Effects of Perch on Productivity, Welfare, and Physiological Indicators of Broiler Chickens Reared in Animal Welfare-Certificated Farms.

This study explored the impact of perches on the productivity and welfare of broilers raised on two animal welfare-certified farms (designated as Farm A and B) in South Korea. Broiler houses in each farm were provided with or without wooden square-shaped perches (2 × 2 cm) at a rate of 2 m per 1000 birds. The study aimed to assess whether perches could influence productivity measures, such as weight and uniformity, and animal welfare indicators, including corticosterone levels and physical health markers.

Clinical Significance of Incident Osteoporotic Fractures After Kidney Transplantation: A National Korean Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: Recipients of kidney allografts are at risk of osteoporotic fractures (OF), but the association of OF with transplant patient outcomes remains uncertain due to common coexisting risks and complex medical conditions. This study sought to assess whether the overall incidences of OF among recipients of kidney allografts compared to that of patients receiving maintenance dialysis for kidney failure.

Study Design: A national retrospective cohort study.

Regions of interest in opportunistic computed tomography-based screening for osteoporosis: impact on short-term in vivo precision.

Objective: To determine an optimal region of interest (ROI) for opportunistic screening of osteoporosis in terms of short-term in vivo diagnostic precision.

Materials And Methods: We included patients who underwent two CT scans and one dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan within a month in 2022. Deep-learning software automatically measured the attenuation in L1 using 54 ROIs (three slice thicknesses × six shapes × three intravertebral levels).

Effects of dietary mangosteen peel powder and extract on the growth performance, meat quality and indicators for immunity, gut health and antioxidant activity in broiler chicks.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary mangosteen peel preparations, either powdered (MspP) or ethanolic extract (MspE), on the growth performance, meat quality, immune response, gut health, serum biochemical profiles, and antioxidant activity of broiler chicks. A total of 480 day-old straight-run broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly placed into four treatments, with eight replicates of 12 chicks each, and subjected to one of the four experimental diets for 21 days. The corn and soybean meal-based diet was supplemented with 2% MspP (20 g per kg of diet) or 0.

MnO Nanowires with Sub-10 nm Thick Conjugated Microporous Polymers as Synergistic Triboelectric Materials.

MnO nanowires coated with conjugated microporous polymers (CMP) are applied as triboelectric energy harvesting materials. The tribopositive performance of the CMP shells is enhanced with the assistance of MnO nanowires (MnO NW), likely due to cationic charge transfer from the tribopositive CMP layers to the surface Mn and Mn species of MnO NW. This is supported by model studies.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as a Biomarker in Refractory Non-Type 2 CRSwNP.

Purpose: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is classified into type 2 (T2) and non-T2 inflammation. T2 CRS presents as a severe form, CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), which often occurs with asthma as a comorbidity worldwide. Some cases of non-T2 CRS show nasal polyposis and refractoriness, mainly in Asian countries.

Increasing the Beam Width and Intensity with Refraction Power Effect Using a Combination of Beam Mirrors and Concave Mirrors for Surgical-Fluorescence-Emission-Guided Cancer Monitoring Method.

The primary goal during cancer removal surgery is to completely excise the malignant tumor. Because the color of the tumor and surrounding tissues is very similar, it is difficult to observe with the naked eye, posing a risk of damaging surrounding blood vessels during the tumor removal process. Therefore, fluorescence emission is induced using a fluorescent contrast agent, and color classification is monitored through camera imaging.

Optical Methods for Optimizing Fluorescence Imaging Field of View and Image Quality in Surgical Guidance Procedures.

Cancer surgery is aimed at complete tumor resection and accurate lymph node detection. However, numerous blood vessels are distributed within the tumor, and the colors of the tumor, blood vessels, and lymph nodes are similar, making observations with the naked eye difficult. Therefore, tumors, blood vessels, and lymph nodes can be monitored via color classification using an operating microscope to induce fluorescence emission.

Endotype and Phenotype Related Postoperative Effects of Bacterial Lysate in Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Objectives: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) endotypes have demonstrated clinical value in guiding treatment decisions. Bacterial lysates are immunomodulators that have shown beneficial effects in various respiratory inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of postoperative bacterial lysate therapy on different CRS endotypes.

Oral phosphate binders and incident osteoporotic fracture in patients on dialysis.

Background: End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has an elevated risk of osteoporotic fractures in relation to mineral and bone disorder (MBD) as well as conventional risks of osteoporosis. We investigated the association between oral phosphate binders, the mainstay of MBD treatment, and osteoporotic fracture in dialysis patients.

Methods: We obtained data from the National Health Insurance database for incident dialysis patients without a history of osteoporotic fractures.

Nutritional and physiological responses to dietary phosphorus levels and phytase in pullets and laying hens.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary available phosphorus (P) levels and dietary phytase added into the very low-P diet on the performance, mineral balance, odor emission, and stress responses in growing pullets and laying hens during 13 to 32 wk of age. One hundred sixty-eight pullets (Hy-Line Brown) were randomly assigned into 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 7 replicates of 6 birds each. Experimental diets were formulated to contain 3 graded P levels at 0.

Impact of Omicron-Variant SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Depression and Anxiety: A Community-Based Study in Korea.

Objective: This study seeks to evaluate the association between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the severity of depression and anxiety in the Korean community during the period dominated by the Omicron variant.

Methods: We used data from the 2022 Daejeon Mental Health Survey, involving data of 985 participants aged 19-69 years. The data collected included SARS-CoV-2 infection experience, days post-infection, and depression and anxiety symptoms evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7, respectively.

A machine-learning algorithm using claims data to identify patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is an underdiagnosed and undertreated ultra-rare disease. We utilized claims data from the Komodo Healthcare Map database to develop a machine-learning model to identify potential HoFH patients. We tokenized patients enrolled in MyRARE (patient support program for those prescribed evinacumab-dgnb in the United States) and linked them with their Komodo claims.

Assessment of Welfare Problems in Broilers: Focus on Musculoskeletal Problems Associated with Their Rapid Growth.

The growth of the broiler industry has been accompanied with concerns over the environmental and social impacts on intensive production systems, as well as the welfare of the animals themselves. As a result, since the 2000s, there has been growing interest in alternative production systems that improve animal welfare and sustainability. In this context, it is important to prioritize the welfare of broilers in commercial production systems and to use reliable welfare indicators to provide consumers with information about the welfare of the animals they consume.

Improving the hepatitis C virus care cascade with the in-hospital Reflex tEsting ALarm-C (REAL-C) model.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has set targets to eliminate viral hepatitis, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, by 2030. We present the results of the in-hospital Reflex tEsting ALarm-C (REAL-C) model, which incorporates reflex HCV RNA testing and sending alerts to physicians.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study analysing the data of 1730 patients who newly tested positive for anti-HCV between March 2020 and June 2023.

Dietary probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei NSMJ56 modulates gut immunity and microbiota in laying hens.

This study was performed to investigate supplementary effects of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei NSMJ56 strain on laying performance, egg quality, intestinal histology, antioxidant status, gut immunity and microbiota in laying hens. A total of ninety-six 21-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly subjected to one of 2 dietary treatments: a control group fed a non-supplemented diet, or a probiotic group fed with a diet supplemented with 1 g of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei NSMJ56 (5 × 10 CFU/kg of diet). The trial lasted for 4 wk.

Effects of grain-based pecking blocks on productivity and welfare indicators in commercial broiler chickens.

Objective: This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of grain-based pecking blocks on productivity and welfare status at two commercial broiler welfare-certified farms.

Methods: Production and welfare indicators were assessed at two farms (designated Farm A and B). Both farms had two windowless houses with forced tunnel-type ventilation and housed broilers at stocking densities of approximately 16.