Comparison of Amoxicillin Administered Twice versus Four Times a Day in First-Line Eradication Using Tegoprazan, Clarithromycin, and Bismuth: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different amoxicillin (AMX) dosing schedules on bismuth quadruple therapy in treatment-naïve patients. A total of 139 -infected patients received a 2-week eradication regimen consisting of 50 mg tegoprazan, 500 mg clarithromycin, and 300 mg bismuth tripotassium dicitrate twice daily, 1000 mg AMX twice daily (BID group), or 500 mg AMX four times daily (QID group). We performed a urea breath test to evaluate eradication eight weeks after treatment and compared the eradication rate, patient compliance, and adverse drug events between the BID and QID groups.

Exploring negative thermal expansion materials with bulk framework structures and their relevant scaling relationships through multi-step machine learning.

Discovering new negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials is a great challenge in experiment. Meanwhile, the machine learning (ML) method can be another approach to explore NTE materials using the existing material databases. Herein, we adopt the multi-step ML method with efficient data augmentation and cross-validation to identify around 1000 materials, including oxides, fluorides, and cyanides, with bulk framework structures as new potential NTE candidate materials from ICSD and other databases.

A new DNA aptamer which binds to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and reduces pro-inflammatory response.

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly around the world, endangering the health of people globally. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein initiates entry into target cells by binding to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In this study, we developed DNA aptamers that specifically bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby inhibiting its binding to ACE2.

Bismuth add-on improves the efficacy of 2-week tegoprazan-based triple therapy for first-line eradication: a real-world evidence study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of bismuth added to a 2-week triple therapy consisting of tegoprazan (TPZ), amoxicillin, and clarithromycin for first-line eradication.

Research Design And Methods: We reviewed the retrospective data of patients who received a 2-week TPZ-based triple therapy with or without 300 mg bismuth twice daily. The primary endpoint was the eradication rate of adding bismuth to the TPZ-based triple regimen (TAC-B group), compared to no bismuth added (TAC group).

Carbon footprint and cost reduction by endoscopic grading of gastric intestinal metaplasia using narrow-band imaging.

Background And Aim: Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is a high-risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) enables endoscopic grading of GIM (EGGIM). In the era of climate change, gastrointestinal endoscopists are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and medical waste.

Femtosecond-resolution optical pulse interleaving time error detector.

Pulse repetition rate multiplier (PRRM) is an essential component of microwave photonics systems, designed not only to alleviate photodiode saturation but also to provide more frequent pulses. However, the presence of interleaving time errors is known to compromise the advantages of PRRM. In this study, we present a high-sensitivity detection method for identifying these time errors using an electro-optic sampling-based timing detector (EOS-TD).

Molecular evolution and targeted recombination of SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea.

SARS-CoV-2 variants have continuously emerged globally, including in South Korea. To characterize the molecular evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea, we performed phylogenetic and genomic recombination analyses using more than 12,000 complete genome sequences collected until October 2022. The variants in South Korea originated from globally identified variants of concern and harbored genetic clade-common and clade-specific amino acid mutations mainly around the N-terminal domain (NTD) or receptor binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein.

Evaluation of antiviral drugs against newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants.

Ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants and their rapid worldwide spread pose a threat to public health. From November 2022 to February 2023, newly emerged Omicron subvariants, including BQ.1.

Resection speed of endoscopic submucosal dissection according to the location of gastric neoplasia: a learning curve using cumulative sum analysis.

Background: There is few study evaluating the relationship between endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) resection speed and the lesion characteristics of gastric neoplasia. We investigated the learning curve of consecutive ESDs using cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis.

Methods: A total of 356 ESDs performed by a single endoscopist were grouped chronologically into three learning periods.

Relative infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in human alveolar cells.

With the continuous emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, the comparison of their infectivity has become a critical issue for public health. However, a direct assessment of the viral characteristic has been challenging because of the lack of appropriate experimental models and efficient methods. Here, we integrated human alveolar organoids and single-cell transcriptome sequencing to facilitate the evaluation.

Current guidelines for treatment in East Asia 2022: Differences among China, Japan, and South Korea.

() infection is highly prevalent in East Asia. The overall seroprevalence rate of infection is 44.2% in China, 37.

Engineered small extracellular vesicles displaying ACE2 variants on the surface protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry is mediated by the interaction of the viral spike (S) protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the host cell surface. Although a clinical trial testing soluble ACE2 (sACE2) for COVID-19 is currently ongoing, our understanding of the delivery of sACE2 via small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) is still rudimentary. With excellent biocompatibility allowing for the effective delivery of molecular cargos, sEVs are broadly studied as nanoscale protein carriers.

Comparison of tailored eradication versus modified bismuth quadruple therapy in Korea: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: We aimed to compare the success rate, adverse drug events, and cost-effectiveness of tailored eradication and modified bismuth-containing quadruple therapy.

Methods: The diagnosis of infection was randomly based on either rapid urease test (RUT) or dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO)-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 1:1 ratio. According to the presence of point mutations that cause clarithromycin resistance, patients in the tailored therapy (TT) group received standard triple therapy or classic bismuth quadruple therapy.

Formation Mechanism of Chemically Precompressed Hydrogen Clathrates in Metal Superhydrides.

Recently, the experimental discovery of high- superconductivity in compressed hydrides HS and LaH at megabar pressures has triggered searches for various superconducting superhydrides. It was experimentally observed that thorium superhydrides, ThH and ThH, are stabilized at much lower pressures than LaH. Based on first-principles density functional theory calculations, we reveal that the isolated Th frameworks of ThH and ThH have relatively more excess electrons in interstitial regions than the La framework of LaH.

Scoring model for discriminating gastric cancer risk in patients with negative serum pepsinogen and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody results.

Background: The ABC test measures serum pepsinogen and anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG antibody levels to predict precancerous conditions in the stomach and gastric cancer. However, a limitation of this test is that the gastric cancer risk is not negligible in patients with a negative result.

Methods: Based on their ABC results, 1157 patients were classified into Groups A (n = 392), B (n = 479), C (n = 247), and D (n = 39).

Standard magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy for diagnosis of infection and gastric precancerous conditions.

Background: Advances in endoscopic imaging enable the identification of patients at high risk of gastric cancer. However, there are no comparative data on the utility of standard and magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI) endoscopy for diagnosing () infection, gastric atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia.

Aim: To compare the diagnostic performance of standard and M-NBI endoscopy for gastritis and precancerous conditions.

Spontaneous Folding Growth of Graphene on h-BN.

Graphene has been the subject of much research, with structural engineering frequently used to harness its various properties. In particular, the concepts of graphene origami and kirigami have inspired the design of quasi-three-dimensional graphene structures, which possess intriguing mechanical, electronic, and optical properties. However, accurate controlling the folding process remains a big challenge.

Ferromagnetic Weyl Fermions in Two-Dimensional Layered Electride Gd_{2}C.

Recently, two-dimensional layered electrides have emerged as a new class of materials which possess anionic electrons in the interstitial spaces between cationic layers. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we discover a time-reversal-symmetry-breaking Weyl semimetal phase in a unique two-dimensional layered ferromagnetic (FM) electride Gd_{2}C. It is revealed that the crystal field mixes the interstitial electron states and Gd-5d orbitals near the Fermi energy to form band inversions.

Origin of enhanced chemical precompression in cerium hydride [Formula: see text].

The rare-earth metal hydrides with clathrate structures have been highly attractive because of their promising high-[Formula: see text] superconductivity at high pressure. Recently, cerium hydride [Formula: see text] composed of Ce-encapsulated clathrate H cages was synthesized at much lower pressures of 80-100 GPa, compared to other experimentally synthesized rare-earth hydrides such as [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Based on density-functional theory calculations, we find that the Ce 5p semicore and 4f/5d valence states strongly hybridize with the H 1s state, while a transfer of electrons occurs from Ce to H atoms.

Antiviral activity of digoxin and ouabain against SARS-CoV-2 infection and its implication for COVID-19.

The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is exacerbated by the absence of effective therapeutic agents. Notably, patients with COVID-19 and comorbidities such as hypertension and cardiac diseases have a higher mortality rate. An efficient strategy in response to this issue is repurposing drugs with antiviral activity for therapeutic effect.

Dedicated Cold Snare vs. Traditional Snare for Polypectomy of Diminutive and Small Lesions in a Porcine Model: A Research Group for Endoscopic Instruments and Stents (REIS) Study.

Background/aims: The aim of this in vivo animal study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dedicated cold snare (DCS) compared with those of traditional snare (TS) for cold snare polypectomy (CSP).

Methods: A total of 36 diminutive (5 mm) and 36 small (9 mm) pseudolesions were made by electrocoagulation in the colons of mini-pigs.

Results: For the diminutive lesions, there were no significant differences in technical success rate, procedure time, or complete resection rate between the DCS and TS groups; the rate of uneven resection margin in the DCS group was significantly lower than that of the TS group.

Realization of asymmetric spin splitting Dirac cones in antiferromagnetic graphene/CrAs/graphene heterotrilayer.

Nonmagnetic graphene-based van der Waals heterotrilayers exhibit peculiar electronic features such as energetically and/or spatially resolved Dirac rings/cones. Here, using first-principles calculations we study the effect of magnetic proximity effect and mirror symmetry of antiferromagnetic CrAsmonolayer sandwiched between graphene on the Dirac cones. We clearly identify the common vertical shift of the Dirac bands in the spin up channel.

Narrowband imaging with near-focus magnification for discriminating the gastric tumor margin before endoscopic resection: A prospective randomized multicenter trial.

Background And Aim: This study investigated the usefulness of near-focus narrowband imaging (NF-NBI) for determining gastric tumor margins compared with indigo carmine chromoendoscopy (ICC) before endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted at seven teaching hospitals in Korea. Patients with gastric adenoma or differentiated adenocarcinoma undergoing ESD were enrolled and randomly assigned to the NF-NBI or ICC group.

Optimized diagnosis of and tailored eradication therapy for preventing gastric cancer: a proposal for SHAKE strategy.

Introduction: To decrease gastric cancer-related mortality, the Korean National Cancer Screening Program provides biennial screening gastroscopy to all individuals aged >40 years. However, a test-and-treat strategy of for preventing gastric cancer has not been established.

Areas Covered: In this review, we present up-to-date results of endoscopic findings of gastritis, optimal sites for detection, gastric cancer risk assessment using serum pepsinogen, tailored eradication based on the antimicrobial resistance against , and post-eradication surveillance.