The Role of Beta-Defensin 2 in Preventing Preterm Birth with Chorioamnionitis: Insights into Inflammatory Responses and Epithelial Barrier Protection.

Antimicrobial peptides, such as beta-defensin 2 (BD2), are vital in controlling infections and immune responses. In this study, we investigated the expression and role of BD2 in the amniotic membrane and human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) from patients with preterm birth and chorioamnionitis, focusing on its regulation of inflammatory cytokines and its protective effect on the epithelial barrier. Our results show increased BD2 expression in chorioamnionitis, and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation increased BD2 release from hAECs in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Effect of SMS Ward Round Notifications on Inpatient Experience in Acute Medical Settings: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Ward rounds are an essential component of inpatient care. Patient participation in rounds is increasingly encouraged, despite the occasional complicated circumstances, especially in acute care settings.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of real-time ward round notifications using SMS text messaging on the satisfaction of inpatients in an acute medical ward.

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.

Diffuse Axonal and Vascular Pathology in the Gyrencephalic Brain after High-Energy Blunt Injury: Clinicopathological Correlations Involving the Brainstem.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) after high-energy, behind helmet blunt trauma (BHBT) is an important but poorly understood clinical entity often associated with apnea and death in humans. In this study, we use a swine model of high-energy BHBT to characterize key neuropathologies and their association with acute respiratory decompensation. Animals with either stable or critical vital signs were euthanized within 4 h after injury for neuropathological assessment, with emphasis on axonal and vascular pathologies in the brainstem.

Resolution-dependent MRI-to-CT translation for orthotopic breast cancer models using deep learning.

This study aims to investigate the feasibility of utilizing generative adversarial networks (GANs) to synthesize high-fidelity computed tomography (CT) images from lower-resolution MR images. The goal is to reduce patient exposure to ionizing radiation while maintaining treatment accuracy and accelerating MR image acquisition. The primary focus is to determine the extent to which low-resolution MR images can be utilized to generate high-quality CT images through a systematic study of spatial resolution-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-to-CT image conversion.

Post-Traumatic Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain: A Narrative Review of Understanding, Management, and Prognosis.

This study provides an updated overview of the clinical characteristics of post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathic pain (PTNP) resulting from dental procedures or facial trauma, addressing its etiology, prevalence, evaluation, management, and prognosis. PTNP arises from injury to the trigeminal nerve, which governs sensory and motor functions in the maxillofacial region. The prevalence and characteristics of PTNP vary considerably across studies, with a reported prevalence ranging from 1.

The AKT2/SIRT5/TFEB pathway as a potential therapeutic target in non-neovascular AMD.

Non-neovascular or dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multi-factorial disease with degeneration of the aging retinal-pigmented epithelium (RPE). Lysosomes play a crucial role in RPE health via phagocytosis and autophagy, which are regulated by transcription factor EB/E3 (TFEB/E3). Here, we find that increased AKT2 inhibits PGC-1α to downregulate SIRT5, which we identify as an AKT2 binding partner.

The Impact of Real-Time Documentation of In-Hospital Medication Changes on Preventing Undocumented Discrepancies at Discharge and Improving Physician-Pharmacist Communication: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Survey.

Background: Transitional medication safety is crucial, as miscommunication about medication changes can lead to significant risks. Unclear or incomplete documentation during care transitions can result in outdated or incorrect medication lists at discharge, potentially causing medication errors, adverse drug events, and inadequate patient education. These issues are exacerbated by extended hospital stays and multiple care events, making accurate medication recall challenging at discharge.

Air quality and kidney health: Assessing the effects of PM, PM, CO, and NO on renal function in primary glomerulonephritis.

Background: While extensive studies have elucidated the relationships between exposure to air pollution and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders and diabetes, the intricate effects on specific kidney diseases, notably primary glomerulonephritis (GN)-an immune-mediated kidney ailment-are less well understood. Considering the escalating incidence of GN and conspicuous lack of investigative focus on its association with air quality, investigation is dedicated to examining the long-term effects of air pollutants on renal function in individuals diagnosed with primary GN.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 1394 primary GN patients who were diagnosed at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Seoul National University Hospital.

Association of midlife body-weight variability and cycles with earlier dementia onset: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: Given the rising awareness of health-related lifestyle modifications, the impact of changes in body weight (BW) on cognitive function and dementia generates significant concern. This study aimed to investigate the association between BW changes and dementia in a middle-aged Korean population.

Methods: A retrospective, population-based longitudinal study was conducted utilizing data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database.

Sodium Intake Estimation in Hospital Patients Using AI-Based Imaging: Prospective Pilot Study.

Background: Measurement of sodium intake in hospitalized patients is critical for their care. In this study, artificial intelligence (AI)-based imaging was performed to determine sodium intake in these patients.

Objective: The applicability of a diet management system was evaluated using AI-based imaging to assess the sodium content of diets prescribed for hospitalized patients.

Physical Examination-Indicated Cerclage in Singleton and Twin Pregnancies and Risk Factors for Predicting Preterm Birth < 28 Weeks.

We compare the outcomes of physical examination-indicated cerclage (PEIC) between singleton and twin pregnancies and analyze predictive factors for preterm birth < 28 weeks of gestation. Patients who underwent PEIC at our center were reviewed. We compared perinatal outcomes between singleton and twin pregnancies.

Perceived marginalization and mental health of young adults with migration backgrounds in South Korea: exploring moderating and mediating mechanisms.

This study explored the mediating effect of career maturity moderated by intimacy with parents and immigration backgrounds (native- or foreign-born young adults) on the relationship between perceived marginalization and the mental health of young adults with migration backgrounds (having mixed parentage of one Korean and one non-Korean immigrant parent) in South Korea. We collected data from 300 adults aged 25-34 with migration backgrounds (204 born in Korea and 96 born abroad) through the Gallup Research Institute of Korea and conducted a moderated-moderated mediation analysis using Model 21 of PROCESS Macro in SPSS. The analysis showed that career maturity moderated by intimacy with parents and migration backgrounds mediated the relationship between perceived marginalization and mental health.

The Hospitalist-Oncologist co-ManagemEnt (HOME) system improves hospitalization outcomes of patients with cancer.

Background: The hospitalist system has been introduced to improve the quality and safety of inpatient care. As its effectiveness has been confirmed in previous studies, the hospitalist system is spreading in various fields. However, few studies have investigated the feasibility and value of hospitalist-led care of patients with cancer in terms of quality and safety measures.

Danazol as a Treatment for Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Report.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is associated with a risk of massive uterine bleeding. Although uterine artery embolization remains the first-line treatment for AVM, there has been a recent exploration of pharmacological options. Danazol is known to reduce blood flow to the uterus; however, our understanding of its therapeutic efficacy for AVM remains limited.

Quality Evaluation of Mackerel Fillets Stored under Different Conditions by Hyperspectral Imaging Analysis.

This study was designed to compare the quality changes in mackerel fillets stored under different conditions by using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques. Fillets packaged in vacuum were stored for six days under five different conditions: refrigerated at 4°C (R group); iced at 5±3°C (I group); kept at an ambient of 17±2°C (A group); frozen at -18°C for 24 h and thawed in a refrigerator at 4°C for 5 h on the sampling day (FTR group); FTR thawed in tap water instead of thawing in a refrigerator (FTW group). The FTR group had the lowest total bacterial count, drip loss, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, volatile basic nitrogen, and texture profile analysis values among groups during the entire storage period (p<0.

Effect of Active Surgical Co-Management by Medical Hospitalists in Urology Inpatient Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the use of active surgical co-management (SCM) by medical hospitalists for urology inpatient care.

Materials And Methods: Since March 2019, a hospitalist-SCM program was implemented at a tertiary-care medical center, and a retrospective cohort study was conducted among co-managed urology inpatients. We assessed the clinical outcomes of urology inpatients who received SCM and compared passive SCM (co-management of patients by hospitalists only on request; March 2019 to June 2020) with active SCM (co-management of patients based on active screening by hospitalists; July 2020 to October 2021).

LipidUNet-Machine Learning-Based Method of Characterization and Quantification of Lipid Deposits Using iPSC-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a monolayer of hexagonal cells located at the back of the eye. It provides nourishment and support to photoreceptors and choroidal capillaries, performs phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments (POS), and secretes cytokines in a polarized manner for maintaining the homeostasis of the outer retina. Dysfunctional RPE, caused by mutations, aging, and environmental factors, results in the degeneration of other retinal layers and causes vision loss.

Low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A retrospective, propensity score matched study.

Background And Aims: Although the guidelines have been revised recently, the effect of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still controversial. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effect of aspirin on primary prevention in the real world.

Methods: Among the 4,266,268 participants without a history of CVD or previous prescription of aspirin and other antiplatelet agents who were screened between 2002 and 2008, 268,963 persons who were prescribed low-dose aspirin (≤100 mg/day) over 90 days in 2002-2008 and 1,075,852 persons who did not receive aspirin were selected after propensity score matching.

Prognostic value of β-Arrestins in combination with glucocorticoid receptor in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Hormones may be key factors driving cancer development, and epidemiological findings suggest that steroid hormones play a crucial role in ovarian tumorigenesis. We demonstrated that high glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression is associated with a poor prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer. Recent studies have shown that the GR affects β-arrestin expression, and vice versa.

Comparison of dominant and nondominant C3 deposition in primary glomerulonephritis.

Background: Alternative complement pathway dysregulation plays a key role in glomerulonephritis (GN) and is associated with C3 deposition. Herein, we examined pathological and clinical differences between cases of primary GN with C3-dominant (C3D-GN) and nondominant (C3ND-GN) deposition.

Methods: We extracted primary GN data from the Korean GlomeruloNEphritis sTudy (KoGNET).

Traumatic Axonal Injury in the Optic Nerve: The Selective Role of SARM1 in the Evolution of Distal Axonopathy.

Traumatic axonal injury (TAI), thought to be caused by rotational acceleration of the head, is a prevalent neuropathology in traumatic brain injury (TBI). TAI in the optic nerve is a common finding in multiple blunt-force TBI models and hence a great model to study mechanisms and treatments for TAI, especially in view of the compartmentalized anatomy of the visual system. We have previously shown that the somata and the proximal, but not distal, axons of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) respond to DLK/LZK blockade after impact acceleration of the head (IA-TBI).