Novel genetic loci and functional properties of immune-related genes for colorectal cancer survival in Korea.

One major topic in colorectal cancer (CRC) research is the role of immune cells against cancer cells. The association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and polygenic risk scores (PRS) with CRC was examined and their functional properties were identified using a gene-gene interaction network. 960 CRC patients at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH, discovery) and 6,627 CRC patients at Chonnam National University Hospital (CNNUH, validation) were enrolled.

Changes in Candidemia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Species Distribution, Antifungal Susceptibility, Initial Antifungal Usage, and Mortality Trends in Two Korean Tertiary Care Hospitals.

This study aimed to investigate changes in candidemia incidence, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility, initial antifungal use, and mortality trends in Korea before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective analysis was conducted on candidemia cases from two tertiary care hospitals in Korea between 2017 and 2022. Data were compared between the pre-pandemic (2017-2019) and pandemic (2020-2022) periods.

Comparison of definitive radiotherapy outcomes between younger and older patients with high- or very-high-risk prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: This study aimed to compare the oncologic outcomes of definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) between younger and older high- or very-high-risk prostate cancer patients using propensity score matching (PSM) and competing risk analysis (CRA).

Materials And Methods: A total of 569 patients were included in this analysis: 265 younger than 75 years (Group A) and 304 aged 75 years or above (Group B). All patients received IMRT with a daily fraction of 2.

Enhancing Familial Hypercholesterolemia Detection in South Korea: A Targeted Screening Approach Integrating National Program and Genetic Cascade Screening.

Background And Objectives: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) increases the risk of premature cardiovascular disease through disrupted low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism. Although FH is a severe condition, it remains widely underdiagnosed, which can be attributed to barriers in genetic testing and a lack of awareness. This study aims to propose and evaluate a targeted screening program for FH in South Korea by integrating the General Health Screening Program (GHSP) with cascade genetic screening.

Comparison of Chemoembolization Outcomes Using 70-150 µm and 100-300 µm Drug-Eluting Beads in Treating Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Korean Multicenter Study.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) according to the size of the beads for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 212 patients with a single HCC ≤5 cm from five tertiary institutions. One hundred and nine patients were treated with 70-150-µm doxorubicin DEBs (group A), and 103 patients received 100-300-µm doxorubicin DEBs (group B).

Factors associated with academic performance among medical students at a medical school in South Korea: A retrospective cohort study.

Longitudinal research has provided systematic empirical data on the short- and long-term outcomes of admissions policies, curricular innovations, and complex decisions on students' academic progress. This study aimed to investigate the academic performance of medical students and related factors using cohort database collected from a medical school. The study participants included 134 medical students who graduated from Chonnam National University Medical School in 2022.

Effect Modification of Kidney Function on the Non-linear Association Between Serum Calcium Levels and Cardiovascular Mortality in Korean Adults.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the potential interaction between kidney function and the non-linear association between serum calcium levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Methods: This study included 8927 participants enrolled in the Dong-gu Study. Albumin-corrected calcium levels were used and categorized into 6 percentile categories: <2.

Association Between Regional Levels of Particulate Matter and Recurrent Falls in Korea.

Background: We investigated the extent of regional disparity of recurrent falls. In addition, we examined the association between particulate matter (PM) and recurrent falls and the association between regional disparity of recurrent falls and regional PM levels.

Method: We used data from Korea Community Health Survey 2019 that included 204,395 participants from 237 municipal districts.

Design and evaluation of additive manufactured highly efficient inclined-wing type continuous mixer.

We develop a novel milli-scale mixer (tilted-wings mixing unit, TWM unit) based on the design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). The proposed tilted-wings mixer has basically designed to have three separate wings that split and combine fluids in order to mix together effectively. Its structure is simple for easy fabrication: two major design parameters of angle among three wings and connecting angle between tilted-unit, which are optimized using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.

Body mass index and self-rated oral health in Korean adults in 2017.

Objective: To investigate the association between obesity and self-rated oral health (SROH). This study examined the cross-sectional associations between body mass index (BMI) and SROH in Korean adults.

Materials And Methods: This study used data from 217 304 adults (100 110 men and 117 194 women aged > 19 years) from the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey.

Causal Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Atrial Fibrillation: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background And Objectives: Previous observational studies presented a positive association between alcohol and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, previous studies using genetic polymorphisms on the causal relationship between alcohol consumption and AF have reported conflicting results. This study aimed to evaluate the causality between alcohol consumption and AF using the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 () rs671 polymorphism, which is the genetic variant with the most potent effect on drinking behavior.

Associations of regional-level perceived stress and depression with health-related quality of life in Korean adults: a multilevel analysis of 2017 Korea Community Health Survey data.

Objectives: We examined the associations of individual and regional-level perceived stress and depression with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Korean adults.

Methods: We used data from the 2017 Korea Community Health Survey, which included 216,713 adults living within 254 municipal districts. As individual-level independent variables, perceived stress (higher vs.

Novel Method of Classification in Knee Osteoarthritis: Machine Learning Application Versus Logistic Regression Model.

Objective: To present new classification methods of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) using machine learning and compare its performance with conventional statistical methods as classification techniques using machine learning have recently been developed.

Methods: A total of 84 KOA patients and 97 normal participants were recruited. KOA patients were clustered into three groups according to the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grading system.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy treatment of painful hematoma in the calf: A case report.

Background: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) can be applied to various musculoskeletal conditions including calcific tendinitis. Muscle injuries can lead to hematomas, and unabsorbed hematomas sometimes cause pain. We report a case of painful hematoma successfully treated with ESWT.

The Smad4/PTEN Expression Pattern Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Smad4 and PTEN are prognostic indicators for various tumor types. Smad4 regulates tumor suppression, whereas PTEN inhibits cell proliferation. We analyzed and compared the performance of Smad4 and PTEN for predicting the prognosis of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Expression Pattern of Smad4/GATA3 as a Predictor of Survival in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast.

Background: Smad4 and GATA3 proteins are known prognostic markers in various cancers. Smad4 is a mediator linked to both tumour suppression and progression. GATA3 is a regulator of development and morphogenesis of the mammary gland.

Decreased expression of p27 is associated with malignant transformation and extrathyroidal extension in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Cell cycle regulatory proteins including p16, p27, and p53 are well studied in various cancers. However, their single or concurrent roles related with the clinicopathological parameters are not clearly recognized. We analyzed the expression of p16, p27, and p53 cell cycle regulatory proteins in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Macro-/micro-environment-sensitive chemosensing and biological imaging.

Environment-related parameters, including viscosity, polarity, temperature, hypoxia, and pH, play pivotal roles in controlling the physical or chemical behaviors of local molecules. In particular, in a biological environment, such factors predominantly determine the biological properties of the local environment or reflect corresponding status alterations. Abnormal changes in these factors would cause cellular malfunction or become a hallmark of the occurrence of severe diseases.

Calculation of inhomogeneous-fluid cluster expansions with application to the hard-sphere∕hard-wall system.

We examine the suitability of cluster expansion methods for the description of inhomogeneous fluids. In particular, we apply these methods to characterize the density profile, surface tension, and excess adsorption for a hard-sphere fluid near a hard wall. Coefficients for these series up to seventh order are evaluated by the Mayer-sampling Monte Carlo method.