Effect of complicated, untreated and uncontrolled diabetes and pre-diabetes on treatment outcome among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background And Objective: Patients with tuberculosis and diabetes have a higher risk of unfavourable anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of various diabetes statuses on the outcomes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: Among the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis enrolled in the Korea Tuberculosis Cohort (KTBC) registry and the multicentre prospective cohort study of pulmonary tuberculosis (COSMOTB), those with diabetes and complicated diabetes were identified.

Current understanding of nociplastic pain.

Nociplastic pain by the "International Association for the Study of Pain" is defined as pain that arises from altered nociception despite no clear evidence of nociceptive or neuropathic pain. Augmented central nervous system pain and sensory processing with altered pain modulation are suggested to be the mechanism of nociplastic pain. Clinical criteria for possible nociplastic pain affecting somatic structures include chronic regional pain and evoked pain hypersensitivity including allodynia with after-sensation.

The impact of scrambler therapy on pain and quality of life for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A pilot study.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating disturbance among patients who received chemotherapy, with no effective treatment available. Scrambler therapy (ST) is a noninvasive treatment capable of improving multiple quality-of-life symptoms beyond pain. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ST for pain and nonpain symptoms related to CIPN.

Management of Immunosuppressive Therapy in Kidney Transplant Recipients with Sepsis: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background: Up to 6% of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) experience life-threatening complications requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and one of the most common medical complications requiring ICU admission is infection. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) modification on prognosis of KTRs with sepsis.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study in 4 university-affiliated hospitals to evaluate the effect of adjusting the IST in KTRs with sepsis.

Black Wheat Extracts (Arriheuk) Regulate Adipogenesis and Lipolysis via Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP) Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK)/Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) Signaling Pathways.

Polyphenols and other compounds with antioxidant properties are found in plants and are one of the main antioxidants proven to reduce body weight and the risk of insulin resistance. Still, the mechanism behind the protective effects against obesity remains unclear. Thus, the study aims to assess the impact of flavonoid-rich arriheuk extract, a purple wheat extract, on mitochondrial function using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and investigate the molecular mechanism behind its protective effects against adipogenesis and lipolysis.

The deformation of cancer cells through narrow micropores holds the potential to regulate genes that impact cancer malignancy.

Surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are standard treatment strategies for metastatic breast cancer. However, the heterogeneous nature of the disease poses challenges and continues to make it life-threatening. It is crucial to elucidate further the underlying signaling pathways to improve treatment efficacy.

No more tears from surgical site infections in interventional pain management.

As the field of interventional pain management (IPM) grows, the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) is increasing. SSI is defined as an infection of the incision or organ/space that occurs within one month after operation or three months after implantation. It is also common to find patients with suspected infection in an outpatient clinic.

Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of opioid use disorder under the supervision of opioid stewardship programs: it's time to act now.

The third opium war may have already started, not only due to illicit opioid trafficking from the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle on the international front but also through indiscriminate opioid prescription and opioid diversion at home. Opioid use disorder (OUD), among unintentional injuries, has become one of the top 4 causes of death in the United States (U.S.

Clinical relevance of false-negative interferon-gamma release assays in patients with tuberculous pleurisy in an intermediate tuberculosis burden country.

Background: There have been few studies to verify factors associated with a false-negative interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) in patients with tuberculous pleurisy. We investigated the clinical relevance of false-negative results of the blood QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay and its risk factors in patients diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis (TB).

Methods: Medical records of 650 pleural TB patients in a tertiary hospital between January 2009 and December 2020 were reviewed retrospectively.

Pyogenic Andersson Lesion in a Patient With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Although the exact etiology of the Andersson lesion (AL) remains unclear, it is known to occur mostly in patients with long-standing ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Among the various theories for the etiology of AL, repetitive trauma and inflammatory causes are the most common. The histopathological appearance of the AL in this report was consistent with that of chronic inflammation without any infection.

Neurological Deterioration Immediately After Lumbar Surgery: Anesthetic Consideration for Co-existing Cervical Lesion: A Case Report.

Most spine surgeons and anesthesiologists believe that the risk of spinal cord injury (SCI) during intubation is mainly due to mechanical compression of the spinal cord due to cervical spine movement in cases of undiagnosed but severe cervical lesions. With this reasoning, difficult intubation, which is more frequently encountered in patients with preexisting cervical diseases, is likely to result in SCI. Several reports have described SCI after non-cervical surgery in patients previously diagnosed with cervical myelopathy and a chronically compressed cervical cord; however, to date, there is less acknowledgement of SCI in patients with undiagnosed cervical myelopathy.

Evaluation of R-FIND SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody ELISA and FREND COVID-19 SP Rapid Fluorescence Immunoassay.

Background: Serology testing is useful to determine the past infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: We evaluated the comparative performance of a newly developed neutralizing antibody test (R-FIND SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody ELISA, SG Medical, Seoul, Korea) and a rapid fluorescence immunoassay (FREND™ COVID-19 SP, NanoEntek, Hwaseong, Korea) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody. They were compared with cPass™ SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit (Genscript Biotech, Piscataway, NJ, USA) and ADVIA Centaur SARS-CoV-2 Total (COV2T) (Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany).

Prognostic Value of Estimated Plasma Volume Status in Patients With Sepsis.

Background: In patients with sepsis, timely risk stratification is important to improve prognosis. Although several clinical scoring systems are currently being used to predict the outcome of sepsis, but they all have certain limitations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of estimated plasma volume status (ePVS) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with sepsis or septic shock.

Investigating the appropriate adenosine deaminase cutoff value for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion in a country with decreasing TB burden.

As the burden of tuberculosis (TB) in South Korea decreases while that of malignancy increases with an aging society, the composition of etiology for pleural effusion is changing. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of adenosine deaminase (ADA) for diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) in this circumstance. Medical records of patients who underwent medical thoracoscopy from May 2015 to September 2020 in Incheon St.

Cyclo-VEGI inhibits bronchial artery remodeling in a murine model of chronic asthma.

In the context of asthma, airway bronchial remodeling and angiogenesis in the bronchial mucosa are well established. Cyclopeptidic-vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (cyclo-VEGI) is an inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor that increases the proliferation of endothelial cells and the formation of new vessels. However, changes in the bronchial arteries of patients with asthma have not been clearly elucidated.

Touchable 3D hierarchically structured polyaniline nanoweb for capture and detection of pathogenic bacteria.

A bacteria-capturing platform is a critical function of accurate, quantitative, and sensitive identification of bacterial pathogens for potential usage in the detection of foodborne diseases. Despite the development of various nanostructures and their surface chemical modification strategies, relative to the principal physical contact propagation of bacterial infections, mechanically robust and nanostructured platforms that are available to capture bacteria remain a significant problem. Here, a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically structured polyaniline nanoweb film is developed for the efficient capture of bacterial pathogens by hand-touching.

Percutaneous osteoplasty for painful bony lesions: a technical survey.

Percutaneous osteoplasty (POP) is defined as the injection of bone cement into various painful bony lesions, refractory to conventional therapy, as an extended technique of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). POP can be applied to benign osteochondral lesions and malignant metastatic lesions throughout the whole skeleton, whereas PVP is restricted to the vertebral body. Common spinal metastases occur in the thoracic (70%), lumbosacral (20%), and cervical (10%) vertebrae, in order of frequency.

Platycodin D attenuates airway inflammation via suppression Th2 transcription factor in a murine model of acute asthma.

Bronchial asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition of the airway tissue. Platycodin D (PLD) has antiinflammatory effects in a mouse model of allergic asthma. In this work, the anti-asthma potential of PLD was studied by investigation of its effect to suppress airway inflammation and mucin production, a murine model of asthma and the possible mechanisms.

3D Hierarchical Nanotopography for On-Site Rapid Capture and Sensitive Detection of Infectious Microbial Pathogens.

Effective capture and rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria causing pandemic/epidemic diseases is an important task for global surveillance and prevention of human health threats. Here, we present an advanced approach for the on-site capture and detection of pathogenic bacteria through the combination of hierarchical nanostructures and a nuclease-responsive DNA probe. The specially designed hierarchical nanocilia and network structures on the pillar arrays, termed 3D bacterial capturing nanotopographical trap, exhibit excellent mechanical reliability and rapid (<30 s) and irreversible bacterial capturability.

Influence of Fluorine Doping of Activated Carbon Fibers on Their Water Vapor Adsorption Characteristics.

The characterization of fluorinated carbon fibers by water sorption has been broadly investigated in this work. In brief, a pitch-based activated carbon fiber (ACF) was submitted to a fluorination process under different conditions of partial pressure (F:N ratio) and temperature. This led to samples with varied fluorine content and C-F type bonding.