Clinical performance of a rapid RT-PCR assay using STANDARD™ M10 SARS-CoV-2 between July 2022 and January 2023 in Korea.

Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for clinical management in the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the clinical performance of the recently developed cartridge-based rapid RT-PCR assay (STANDARD M10 SARS-CoV-2) in patients visiting the emergency department from July 2022 to January 2023, which was when the Omicron BA.5 sublineage was predominant in Korea.

Incidence of Infections in Republic of Korea: A Prospective Study With Active Surveillance vs. National Data From Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service.

Background: Since the emergence of hypervirulent strains of , the incidence of infections (CDI) has increased significantly.

Methods: To assess the incidence of CDI in Korea, we conducted a prospective multicentre observational study from October 2020 to October 2021. Additionally, we calculated the incidence of CDI from mass data obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from 2008 to 2020.

Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Coxsackievirus A6-Associated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2022.

Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) has emerged as the predominant causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. Since the declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic, the incidence of infectious diseases, including HFMD, has decreased markedly. When social mitigation was relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the re-emergence of HFMD was observed in Gwangju, South Korea, and seasonal characteristics of the disease appeared to have changed.

Second Skin as Self-Protection Against γ-Hydroxybutyrate.

γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a date-rape drug, causes certain symptoms, such as amnesia, confusion, ataxia, and unconsciousness, when dissolved in beverages and consumed by a victim. Commonly, assailants use GHB in secret for the crime of drug-facilitated sexual assault because it is tasteless, odorless, and colorless when dissolved in beverages. Generally, GHB detection methods are difficult to use promptly and secretly and in real life because of the necessary detection equipment and low selectivity.

Clinical Utility of SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test in the Emergency Department.

Background: Rapid screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was important in the emergency department during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the standard method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, but it requires several hours to provide results. Instead, the rapid antigen test (RAT) has a short turnaround time and can be used at the bedside but shows low sensitivity.

Synchronous Diagnosis of Respiratory Viruses Variants via Receptonics Based on Modeling Receptor-Ligand Dynamics.

The transmission and pathogenesis of highly contagious fatal respiratory viruses are increasing, and the need for an on-site diagnostic platform has arisen as an issue worldwide. Furthermore, as the spread of respiratory viruses continues, different variants have become the dominant circulating strains. To prevent virus transmission, the development of highly sensitive and accurate on-site diagnostic assays is urgently needed.

Reusable Electronic Tongue Based on Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 Nanodisc-Conjugated Graphene Field-Effect Transistor for a Spiciness-Related Pain Evaluation.

The sense of spiciness is related to the stimulation of vanilloid compounds contained in the foods. Although, the spiciness is commonly considered as the part of taste, it is more classified to the sense of pain stimulated on a tongue, namely, pungency, which is described as a tingling or burning on the tongue. Herein, first, a reusable electronic tongue based on a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) nanodisc conjugated graphene field-effect transistor is fabricated and spiciness-related pain evaluation with reusable electrode is demonstrated.

Fluorophore-encapsulated nanobeads for on-site, rapid, and sensitive lateral flow assay.

Since December 2019, the rapid and sensitive detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a priority for public health. Although the lateral flow assay (LFA) sensor has emerged as a rapid and on-site SARS-CoV-2 detection technique, the conventional approach of using gold nanoparticles for the signaling probe had limitations in increasing the sensitivity of the sensor. Herein, our newly suggested methodology to improve the performance of the LFA system could amplify the sensor signal with a facile fabrication method by concentrating fluorescent organic molecules.

Elastic Fluorescent Protein-Based Down-Converting Optical Films for Flexible Display.

Protein-based material design provides great advantages to developing smart biomaterials with tunable structures and desired functions. They have been widely used in many biomedical applications including tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, protein-based materials are not yet widely used in optoelectronic materials despite their excellent optical and tunable mechanical properties.

Influence of Mechanical Fatigue at Different States of Charge on Pouch-Type Li-Ion Batteries.

Since flexible devices are being used in various states of charge (SoCs), it is important to investigate SoCs that are durable against external mechanical deformations. In this study, the effects of a mechanical fatigue test under various initial SoCs of batteries were investigated. More specifically, ultrathin pouch-type Li-ion polymer batteries with different initial SoCs were subjected to repeated torsional stress and then galvanostatically cycled 200 times.

Wireless portable bioelectronic nose device for multiplex monitoring toward food freshness/spoilage.

Monitoring food freshness/spoilage is important to ensure food quality and safety. Current methods of food quality monitoring are mostly time-consuming and labor intensive processes that require massive analytical equipment. In this study, we developed a portable bioelectronic nose (BE-nose) integrated with trace amine-associated receptor (TAAR) nanodiscs (NDs), allowing food quality monitoring via the detection of food spoilage indicators, including the biogenic amines cadaverine (CV) and putrescine (PT).

Real-time monitoring of serotonin with highly selective aptamer-functionalized conducting polymer nanohybrids.

Adequate serotonin levels are pivotal to human well-being; thus, serotonin can be used as a biomarker because it regulates a wide range of physical and psychological functions. As an imbalance of serotonin is highly likely to initiate the pathogenesis of various disorders, monitoring serotonin levels in real time is in high demand for the early detection of disease. We fabricated a field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor based on aptamer-immobilized conducting polymer nanohybrids, which showed an instantaneous response toward serotonin in solution.

Which is the Preferred Regimen for Non-Severe Infection in Korea, Vancomycin or Metronidazole?

The emergence of hypervirulent strains has decreased the efficacy of metronidazole in the treatment of infection (CDI). Therefore, revised guidelines no longer recommend the use of metronidazole as a first-line regimen for CDI and restrict its use for non-severe CDI, only when vancomycin and fidaxomicin are unavailable. In Korea, an epidemic caused by a hypervirulent strain or the emergence of metronidazole resistant strains have not been reported.

In situ, real-time, colorimetric detection of γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) using self-protection products coated with chemical receptor-embedded hydrogel.

Due to the increase in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) enabled by the illegal use of drugs, there have been constant demands for simple methods that can be used to protect oneself against crime in real life. γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a central nervous system depressant, is one of the most dangerous drugs for use in DFSA because it is colorless and has slow physiological effects, which pose challenges for developing in situ, real-time GHB monitoring techniques. In this study, we developed a method for in situ colorimetric GHB detection using various self-protection products (SPPs) coated with 2-(3-bromo-4-hydroxystyryl)-3-ethylbenzothiazol-3-ium iodide (BHEI) as a chemical receptor embedded in hydrogels.

Association between gastric cancer and the risk of depression among South Korean adults.

Objectives: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer are stressful events that could trigger psychological distress in a large number of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to examine the association between gastric cancer and the risk of new onset of depression among South Korean adults.

Methods: Data from 12,664 participants aged over 40 years was derived from the National Health Service National Sample Cohort (2002-2013).

Nanoencapsulated Phase-Change Materials: Versatile and Air-Tolerant Platforms for Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion.

Efficient and long-term stable triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) can be achieved by effectively protecting the excited organic triplet ensembles from photoinduced oxygen quenching, and discovery of a new material platform that promotes TTA-UC in ambient conditions is of paramount importance for practical applications. In this study, we present the first demonstration of an organic nonparaffin phase-change material (PCM) as an air-tolerant medium for TTA-UC with a unique solid-liquid phase transition in response to temperature variation. For the proposed concept, 2,4-hexadien-1-ol is used and extensively characterized with several key features, including good solvation capacity, mild melting point (30.

Wearable Cortisol Aptasensor for Simple and Rapid Real-Time Monitoring.

The necessity of managing stress levels is becoming increasingly apparent as the world suffers from different kinds of stresses including the extent of pandemic, the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cortisol, a clinically confirmed stress hormone related to depression and anxiety, affects individuals mentally and physically. However, current cortisol monitoring methods require expert personnel, large and complex machines, and long time for data analysis.

In-situ food spoilage monitoring using a wireless chemical receptor-conjugated graphene electronic nose.

Monitoring food spoilage is one of the most effective methods for preventing food poisoning caused by biogenic amines or microbes. Therefore, various analytical techniques have been introduced to detect low concentrations of cadaverine (CV) and putrescine (PT), which are representative biogenic polyamines involved in food spoilage (5-8 ppm at the stage of initial decomposition after storage for 5 days at 5 °C and 17-186 ppm at the stage of advanced decomposition after storage for 7 days at 5 °C). Although previous methods showed selective CV and PT detection even at low concentrations, the use of these methods remains challenging in research areas that require in-situ, real-time, on-site monitoring.

Clinical features of patients with Legionnaires disease showing initial clinical improvement but radiological deterioration: A retrospective single-center analysis.

Patients with Legionnaires disease occasionally experience initial clinical improvement but radiological progression. However, data on this issue are so far limited. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in chest radiograph findings in patients with Legionnaires disease who showed initial clinical improvement and to identify risk factors and outcomes in these patients.

Genetic Relatedness of 5-Year Isolates of Polymerase Chain Reaction Ribotype 017 Strains in a Hospital.

The objective of this study was to analyse the genetic relatedness of polymerase chain reaction ribotype 017 (RT017) strains from patients with hospital-acquired infection (HA-CDI) in a hospital with a high RT017 prevalence. From 2009 to 2013, 200 RT017 strains (26.8%) were collected from 745 HA-CDI patient isolates.

Pitfall of Universal Pre-Admission Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in a Low Prevalence Country.

It is unclear whether universal PCR screening for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals prior to admission is useful. From April to December 2020, the positive rate of universal pre-admission screening was 0.005% (4/76,521) in a tertiary care hospital in Korea.

Real-time monitoring of geosmin based on an aptamer-conjugated graphene field-effect transistor.

In this paper, we propose a novel field-effect transistor (FET) using graphene, which is a two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial, capable of evaluating water quality, and immobilizing the surface of a graphene micropatterned transistor with a highly responsive bioprobe for a water contamination indicator, geosmin, with high selectivity. A high-quality bioprobe-immobilized graphene FET (GFET) was fabricated for the real-time monitoring of geosmin using a liquid-gate measurement configuration. Immobilization was confirmed by measuring the change in the electrical characteristics of the platform (slope of the current-voltage (I-V) curve) and fluorescence images.