Association Between Lifestyle Behavior and Health-Related Productivity Loss Among Korean Employees.

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with individual lifestyle influencing productivity reduction.

Methods: Data were collected using a Web-based questionnaire from January 6, 2020, to February 18, 2020. The study included 3890 wage workers across South Korea.

Clinician Ordering and Management Patterns of Urine Toxicology Results at a Cancer Center.

Context: Opioid therapy is a cornerstone for treatment of cancer-related pain, but standardized management practices for patients with cancer and aberrant urine drug test (UDT) results are lacking.

Objectives: To identify the prevalence of UDT ordering (both screening and definitive testing) in the oncology setting and to examine clinician management practices for patients with cancer on opioid therapy with aberrant definitive UDT results.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with cancer on opioid therapy at an academic cancer center in the United States.

Regenerative human liver organoids (HLOs) in a pillar/perfusion plate for hepatotoxicity assays.

Human liver organoids (HLOs) differentiated from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and adult stem cells (ASCs) can recapitulate the structure and function of human fetal liver tissues, thus being considered as a promising tissue model for liver diseases and predictive compound screening. However, the adoption of HLOs in drug discovery faces several technical challenges, which include the lengthy differentiation process with multiple culture media leading to batch-to-batch variation, short-term maintenance of hepatic functions post-maturation, low assay throughput due to Matrigel dissociation and HLO transfer to a microtiter well plate, and insufficient maturity levels compared to primary hepatocytes. To address these issues, expandable HLOs (Exp-HLOs) derived from human iPSCs were generated by optimizing differentiation protocols, which were rapidly printed on a 144-pillar plate with sidewalls and slits (144PillarPlate) and dynamically cultured for up to 20 days into differentiated HLOs (Diff-HLOs) in a 144-perfusion plate with perfusion wells and reservoirs (144PerfusionPlate) for organoid culture and analysis.

A biosensor for D-2-hydroxyglutarate in frozen sections and intraoperative assessment of IDH mutation status.

The oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG) has emerged as a valuable biomarker in tumors with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations. Efficient detection methods are required and rapid intraoperative determination of D-2-HG remains a huge challenge. Herein, D-2-HG dehydrogenase from Achromobacter xylosoxidans (AX-D2HGDH) was found to have high substrate specificity.

Tm4sf19 deficiency inhibits osteoclast multinucleation and prevents bone loss.

Background: Multinucleation is a hallmark of osteoclast formation and has a unique ability to resorb bone matrix. During osteoclast differentiation, the cytoskeleton reorganization results in the generation of actin belts and eventual bone resorption. Tetraspanins are involved in adhesion, migration and fusion in various cells.

A Pillar and Perfusion Plate Platform for Robust Human Organoid Culture and Analysis.

Human organoids have the potential to revolutionize in vitro disease modeling by providing multicellular architecture and function that are similar to those in vivo. This innovative and evolving technology, however, still suffers from assay throughput and reproducibility to enable high-throughput screening (HTS) of compounds due to cumbersome organoid differentiation processes and difficulty in scale-up and quality control. Using organoids for HTS is further challenged by the lack of easy-to-use fluidic systems that are compatible with relatively large organoids.

Disparity of Bladder Cancer Incidence Among Male Workers Across Industries: A Population Based Cohort Study From South Korea.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the bladder cancer risk across workers' industries.

Methods: This study was conducted using Korean National Health Insurance claims data. Workers were included in this study to build a retrospective cohort of the entire working population.

Comparison of 3- to 6-Month Versus 12-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Coronary Intervention Using the Contemporary Drug-Eluting Stents With Ultrathin Struts: The HOST-IDEA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Limited data are available on short-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention using third-generation drug-eluting stents with ultrathin struts and advanced polymer technology. We investigated whether 3- to 6-month DAPT was noninferior to 12-month DAPT after implantation of drug-eluting stents with ultrathin struts and advanced polymer technology.

Methods: We performed an open-label, randomized trial at 37 centers in South Korea.

A pillar/perfusion plate enhances cell growth, reproducibility, throughput, and user friendliness in dynamic 3D cell culture.

Static three-dimensional (3D) cell culture has been demonstrated in ultralow attachment well plates, hanging droplet plates, and microtiter well plates with hydrogels or magnetic nanoparticles. Although it is simple, reproducible, and relatively inexpensive, thus potentially used for high-throughput screening, statically cultured 3D cells often suffer from the necrotic core due to limited nutrient and oxygen diffusion and waste removal and have limited -like tissue structure. Here, we overcome these challenges by developing a pillar/perfusion plate platform and demonstrating high-throughput, dynamic 3D cell culture.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Facet Joint Ankylosis in Patients With Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of facet joint ankylosis in the whole spine in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), and to identify factors associated with facet joint ankylosis.

Methods: Whole spine LDCT images from 161 patients with axSpA were examined, and the presence of facet joint ankylosis was assessed (right and left, C2-S1) by 2 readers. Facet joint ankylosis was scored from 0 to 46.

Aspirin Versus Clopidogrel for Long-Term Maintenance Monotherapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: The HOST-EXAM Extended Study.

Background: Long-term outcomes of antiplatelet monotherapy in patients who receive percutaneous coronary intervention are unknown. The HOST-EXAM (Harmonizing Optimal Strategy for Treatment of Coronary Artery Stenosis-Extended Antiplatelet Monotherapy) Extended study reports the posttrial follow-up results of the original HOST-EXAM trial.

Methods: From March 2014 through May 2018, 5438 patients who maintained dual antiplatelet therapy without clinical events for 12±6 months after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive clopidogrel (75 mg once daily) or aspirin (100 mg once daily).

Deficiency Promotes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension via HGF/c-Met Signaling.

Background: In large-scale genomic studies, , an endothelial-specific transcription factor, has been suggested as a putative causal gene of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however, its role and molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. We investigated the functional impacts and acting mechanisms of impaired Sox17 (SRY-related HMG-box17) pathway in PAH and explored its potential as a therapeutic target.

Methods: In adult mice, deletion in pulmonary endothelial cells (ECs) induced PAH under hypoxia with high penetrance and severity, but not under normoxia.

A Comparative Study of Two Extended Depth of Focus Intraocular Lenses.

Objective: To assess and compare the visual performance of two extended depth-of-focus intraocular lenses (IOLs), Tecnis Symfony (Symfony; Johnson & Johnson Vision, Santa Ana, CA) and Acrysof IQ Vivity (Vivity; Alcon Inc, Fort Worth, TX).

Methods: The medical records of patients undergoing cataract surgery with Symfony or Vivity implantation from May 2021 to September 2021 and the data available for the 3-month follow-up were reviewed. The main measures of the findings were uncorrected and corrected distance (4 m) visual acuity (VA), uncorrected intermediate (66 cm) VA (UIVA) and uncorrected near (40 and 33 cm) VA (UNVA), refractive error (RE), defocus profiles analysis, optical quality parameters, and patient-reported quality of vision questionnaire results.

Safety and immunogenicity of a hybrid-type vaccine booster in BBIBP-CorV recipients in a randomized phase 2 trial.

NVSI-06-08 is a potential broad-spectrum recombinant COVID-19 vaccine that integrates the antigens from multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains into a single immunogen. Here, we evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of NVSI-06-08 as a heterologous booster dose in BBIBP-CorV recipients in a randomized, double-blind, controlled, phase 2 trial conducted in the United Arab Emirates (NCT05069129). Three groups of healthy adults over 18 years of age (600 participants per group) who have administered two doses of BBIBP-CorV 4-6-month, 7-9-month and >9-month earlier, respectively, are randomized 1:1 to receive either a homologous booster of BBIBP-CorV or a heterologous booster of NVSI-06-08.

Immunogenicity and safety of NVSI-06-07 as a heterologous booster after priming with BBIBP-CorV: a phase 2 trial.

The increased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) breakthrough cases pose the need of booster vaccination. We conducted a randomised, double-blinded, controlled, phase 2 trial to assess the immunogenicity and safety of the heterologous prime-boost vaccination with an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (BBIBP-CorV) followed by a recombinant protein-based vaccine (NVSI-06-07), using homologous boost with BBIBP-CorV as control. Three groups of healthy adults (600 individuals per group) who had completed two-dose BBIBP-CorV vaccinations 1-3 months, 4-6 months and ≥6 months earlier, respectively, were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either NVSI-06-07 or BBIBP-CorV boost.

Targeting PLD2 in adipocytes augments adaptive thermogenesis by improving mitochondrial quality and quantity in mice.

Phospholipase D (PLD)2 via its enzymatic activity regulates cell proliferation and migration and thus is implicated in cancer. However, the role of PLD2 in obesity and type 2 diabetes has not previously been investigated. Here, we show that during diet-induced thermogenesis and obesity, levels of PLD2 but not PLD1 in adipose tissue are inversely related with uncoupling protein 1, a key thermogenic protein.

Treatment Pattern of Antithrombotic Therapy over Time after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Real-World Practice in Korea.

We examined antithrombotic treatment patterns with clinical characteristics and therapy changes over time in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment service claims database (01JAN2007-30NOV2016) in Korea, we included adult patients with AF and PCI: (1) who underwent PCI with stenting between 01JAN2008 and 30NOV2016; (2) with ≥1 claim for AF (ICD code: I48) (3) with antithrombotics 1 day prior to or at the date of PCI; and (4) with CHADS2-VASc of ≥2. In this study, 7749 patients with AF who underwent PCI, triple therapy, dual therapy, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), and single antiplatelet therapy were prescribed to 24.

Impact of Reduced-Dose Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants on Outcomes Compared to Warfarin in Korean Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Reduced-dose nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are commonly prescribed to Asian patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). We aimed to compare the risk of stroke/systemic embolism (S/SE) and major bleeding (MB) between patients treated with reduced-dose NOACs and those treated with warfarin, using the claims database in Korea. Patients with NVAF newly initiated on oral anticoagulants (OACs; apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and warfarin) between 1 July 2015 and 30 November 2016 were included.

Immediate Compared With Delayed Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Presenting ≥12 Hours After Symptom Onset Is Not Associated With Improved Clinical Outcome.

[Figure: see text].