Accuracy of Fully Automated and Human-assisted AI-based CT Quantification of Pleural Effusion Changes after Thoracentesis.

Quantifying pleural effusion change on chest CT is important for evaluating disease severity and treatment response. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI)-based volume quantification of pleural effusion change on CT images, using the volume of drained fluid as the reference standard. Seventy-nine participants (mean age, 65 ± [SD] 13 years; 47 male) undergoing thoracentesis were prospectively enrolled from October 2021 to September 2023.

Robust genome editing activity and the applications of enhanced miniature CRISPR-Cas12f1.

With recent advancements in gene editing technology using the CRISPR/Cas system, there is a demand for more effective gene editors. A key factor facilitating efficient gene editing is effective CRISPR delivery into cells, which is known to be associated with the size of the CRISPR system. Accordingly, compact CRISPR-Cas systems derived from various strains are discovered, among which Un1Cas12f1 is 2.

A Novel Point-of-Care Prediction Model for Steatotic Liver Disease: Expected Role of Mass Screening in the Global Obesity Crisis.

Background/aims: The incidence of steatotic liver disease (SLD) is increasing across all age groups as the incidence of obesity increases worldwide. The existing noninvasive prediction models for SLD require laboratory tests or imaging and perform poorly in the early diagnosis of infrequently screened populations such as young adults and individuals with healthcare disparities. We developed a machine learning-based point-of-care prediction model for SLD that is readily available to the broader population with the aim of facilitating early detection and timely intervention and ultimately reducing the burden of SLD.

A conserved pilin from uncultured gut bacterial clade TANB77 enhances cancer immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has become a standard anti-cancer treatment, offering durable clinical benefits. However, the limited response rate of ICB necessitates biomarkers to predict and modulate the efficacy of the therapy. The gut microbiome's influence on ICB efficacy is of particular interest due to its modifiability through various interventions.

Clinical Potential of Novel Microbial Therapeutic LP51 Based on Xerosis-Microbiome Index.

Xerosis, characterized by dry, rough skin, causes discomfort and aesthetic concerns, necessitating effective treatment. Traditional treatments often show limited efficacy, prompting the need for innovative therapies. This study highlights the efficacy of microbiome therapeutic LP51, derived from a healthy vaginal microbiome, in improving xerosis.

Socioeconomic and Demographic Disparities in Keratoconus Treatment.

Purpose: To investigate healthcare disparities associated with keratoconus (KCN) patients receiving treatment (corneal cross-linking [CXL] and keratoplasty), as well as comorbidities associated with KCN.

Design: Retrospective clinical cohort study.

Methods: A total of 3224 patients from the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System (UI-Health) database from 2020 to 2024 were examined, including 1612 patients with an International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision diagnosis of KCN, and 1612 ophthalmology patients as a control group.

Printable, stretchable metal-vapor-desorption layers for high-fidelity patterning in soft, freeform electronics.

High-fidelity patterning of thin metal films on arbitrary soft substrates promises integrated circuits and devices that can significantly augment the morphological functionalities of freeform electronics. However, existing patterning methods that decisively rely on prefabricated rigid masks are severely incompatible with myriad surfaces. Here, we report printable, stretchable metal-vapor-desorption layers (s-MVDLs) that can enable high-fidelity patterning of thin metal films on freeform polymeric surfaces.

Impact of Patient Head Posture on Lens Radiation Exposure During Cerebral Angiography.

Background And Purpose: Cerebral angiography remains crucial for detailed characterization and preoperative assessments for intracranial aneurysm. Despite its diagnostic importance, cerebral angiography poses challenges due to its invasiveness, the risk of neurologic complications, and radiation exposure. To investigate the impact of head posture on lens radiation exposure during cerebral angiography, this study focused on the correlation between radiation doses to the eye lens, head flexion angles, and head size.

Automated Comprehensive CT Assessment of the Risk of Diabetes and Associated Cardiometabolic Conditions.

Background CT performed for various clinical indications has the potential to predict cardiometabolic diseases. However, the predictive ability of individual CT parameters remains underexplored. Purpose To evaluate the ability of automated CT-derived markers to predict diabetes and associated cardiometabolic comorbidities.

Association Between Frequency of Rehabilitation Therapy and Long-Term Mortality After Stroke: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated conflicting results regarding the effects of rehabilitation therapy on poststroke mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between rehabilitation therapy, including both inpatient and outpatient treatment, within the first 6 months after stroke and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with stroke using the Korean National Health Insurance System data.

Methods: A total of 10 974 patients newly diagnosed with stroke using the , , codes (I60-I64) between 2003 and 2019 were enrolled and followed up for all-cause mortality until 2019.

Mitochondrial DNA mosaicism in normal human somatic cells.

Somatic cells accumulate genomic alterations with age; however, our understanding of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mosaicism remains limited. Here we investigated the genomes of 2,096 clones derived from three cell types across 31 donors, identifying 6,451 mtDNA variants with heteroplasmy levels of ≳0.3%.

Validity of the BOT-2 Short Form for Korean School-Age Children: A Preliminary Study.

The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2) is the most common motor assessment in Korea. The BOT-2-Short Form (SF) is preferred over the complete form (CF) in settings with limited time. The present study aimed to assess the validity of the BOT-2 SF in Korean school-age children.

Structural investigation of the docking domain assembly from trans-AT polyketide synthases.

Docking domains (DDs) located at the C- and N-termini of polypeptides play a crucial role in directing the assembly of polyketide synthases (PKSs), which are multienzyme complexes. Here, we determined the crystal structure of a complex comprising the C-terminal DD (DD) and N-terminal DD (DD) of macrolactin trans-acyltransferase (AT) PKS that were fused to a functional enzyme, AmpC EC2 β-lactamase. Interface analyses of the DD/DD complex revealed the molecular intricacies in the core section underpinning the precise DD assembly.

Regional Burden of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces and Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Drug-Naive Patients With Parkinson Disease.

Background And Objectives: Although the potential role of enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVSs) in Parkinson disease (PD) is increasingly recognized, whether EPVSs located in different anatomical regions exert differential effects on clinical manifestation remains uncertain. We investigated the regional EPVS burden and its association with cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) in newly diagnosed PD population.

Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, EPVS in the temporal lobe (T-EPVS), centrum semiovale (CS-EPVS), and basal ganglia (BG-EPVS) were visually rated in drug-naive patients with PD who underwent magnetic resonance imaging, dopamine transporter (DAT) scans, neuropsychological assessments, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire at baseline.

Whole-genome sequences reveal zygotic composition in chimeric twins.

While most dizygotic twins have a dichorionic placenta, rare cases of dizygotic twins with a monochorionic placenta have been reported. The monochorionic placenta in dizygotic twins allows in utero exchange of embryonic cells, resulting in chimerism in the twins. In practice, this chimerism is incidentally identified in mixed ABO blood types or in the presence of cells with a discordant sex chromosome.

People-Oriented Culture and Its Association With Burnout, Depressive Symptoms, and Sleep Problems During COVID-19 Pandemic Among EMS Providers in Korea.

Objective: This study examined how perceived people-oriented culture (POC) was associated with burnout, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic among emergency medical service (EMS) providers in Korea.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 693 EMS providers in 2021.

Results: Overall, prevalence of personal burnout, work-related burnout, and citizen-related burnout were 61.

Korea4K: whole genome sequences of 4,157 Koreans with 107 phenotypes derived from extensive health check-ups.

Background: Phenome-wide association studies (PheWASs) have been conducted on Asian populations, including Koreans, but many were based on chip or exome genotyping data. Such studies have limitations regarding whole genome-wide association analysis, making it crucial to have genome-to-phenome association information with the largest possible whole genome and matched phenome data to conduct further population-genome studies and develop health care services based on population genomics.

Results: Here, we present 4,157 whole genome sequences (Korea4K) coupled with 107 health check-up parameters as the largest genomic resource of the Korean Genome Project.

Cost-Effectiveness of Intravascular Imaging-Guided Complex PCI: Prespecified Analysis of RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI Trial.

Background: Although clinical benefits of intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with complex coronary artery lesions have been observed in previous trials, the cost-effectiveness of this strategy is uncertain.

Methods: RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance vs Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) was conducted in Korea between May 2018 and May 2021. This prespecified cost-effectiveness substudy was conducted using Markov model that simulated 3 states: (1) post-PCI, (2) spontaneous myocardial infarction, and (3) death.

Fully-automated multi-organ segmentation tool applicable to both non-contrast and post-contrast abdominal CT: deep learning algorithm developed using dual-energy CT images.

A novel 3D nnU-Net-based of algorithm was developed for fully-automated multi-organ segmentation in abdominal CT, applicable to both non-contrast and post-contrast images. The algorithm was trained using dual-energy CT (DECT)-obtained portal venous phase (PVP) and spatiotemporally-matched virtual non-contrast images, and tested using a single-energy (SE) CT dataset comprising PVP and true non-contrast (TNC) images. The algorithm showed robust accuracy in segmenting the liver, spleen, right kidney (RK), and left kidney (LK), with mean dice similarity coefficients (DSCs) exceeding 0.

Clinical Benefit of Intravascular Imaging Compared With Conventional Angiography in Left Main Coronary Artery Intervention.

Background: The RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance Versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) demonstrated that intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improved clinical outcome compared with angiography-guided PCI for patients with complex coronary artery lesions. This study aims to assess whether the prognostic benefit of intravascular imaging-guided procedural optimization persists in patients undergoing PCI for left main coronary artery disease.

Methods: Of 1639 patients enrolled in the RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI, 192 patients with left main coronary artery disease were selected for the current prespecified substudy.

Clinical Outcomes of Deferred Lesions by IVUS Versus FFR-Guided Treatment Decision.

Background: There are limited data regarding the safety of deferral of percutaneous coronary intervention based on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings. The current study sought to compare the prognosis between deferred lesions based on IVUS and fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided treatment decision.

Methods: This study is a post hoc analysis of the FLAVOUR randomized trial (Fractional Flow Reserve and Intravascular Ultrasound for Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Intermediate Stenosis) that compared 2-year clinical outcomes between IVUS- and FFR-guided treatment decision on intermediate coronary artery lesions using predefined criteria.

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.