Association of Obesity and Skeletal Muscle with Postoperative Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background A comprehensive assessment of skeletal muscle health is crucial to understanding the association between improved clinical outcomes and obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) in lung cancer, but limited studies have been conducted on this topic. Purpose To investigate the association between BMI-defined obesity and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection, with a specific focus on the status of skeletal muscle assessed at CT. Materials and Methods This retrospective study investigated Korean patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection between January 2008 and December 2019.

CT, MRI, and FDG PET/CT in the Assessment of Lymph Node Involvement in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma: An Expert Consensus Definition by an International Collaboration on Staging Evaluation and Response Criteria Harmonization for Children, Adolescent, and Young Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma (SEARCH for CAYAHL).

Staging of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma is currently based on the Ann Arbor classification, incorporating the Cotswold modifications and the Lugano classification. The Cotswold modifications provide guidelines for the use of CT and MRI. The Lugano classification emphasizes the importance of CT and PET/CT in evaluating both Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma but focuses on adult patients.

Lung cancer organoid-based drug evaluation models and new drug development application trends.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with high incidence and mortality rates in both men and women worldwide. Although anticancer drugs are prescribed to treat lung cancer patients, individual responses to these drugs vary, making it crucial to identify the most suitable treatment for each patient. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an anticancer drug efficacy prediction model that can analyze drug efficacy before patient treatment and establish personalized treatment strategies.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Amiodarone-Induced Thyroid Dysfunction: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Amiodarone is an effective anti-arrhythmic drug; however, it is frequently associated with thyroid dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factor of amiodarone-induced dysfunction in an iodine-sufficient area.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 27,023 consecutive patients treated with amiodarone for arrhythmia, using the Korean National Health Insurance database.

Metabolic engineering of for the production of pyrone and pyridine dicarboxylic acids.

Environmental concerns from plastic waste are driving interest in alternative monomers from bio-based sources. Pseudoaromatic dicarboxylic acids are promising alternatives with chemical structures similar to widely used petroleum-based aromatic dicarboxylic acids. However, their use in polyester synthesis has been limited due to production challenges.

Modulation of Amyloid and Tau Aggregation to Alleviate Cognitive Impairment in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Aggregation of misfolded amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins to plaques and tangles, respectively, is the major drug target of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as the former is an onset biomarker and the latter is associated with neurodegeneration. Thus, we report a small molecule drug candidate, DN5355, with a dual-targeting function toward aggregates of both Aβ and tau. DN5355 was selected through a series of four screenings assessing 52 chemicals for their functions to inhibit and reverse the aggregation of Aβ and tau by utilizing thioflavin T.

Leveraging the Fragment Molecular Orbital and MM-GBSA Methods in Virtual Screening for the Discovery of Novel Non-Covalent Inhibitors Targeting the TEAD Lipid Binding Pocket.

The Hippo pathway controls organ size and homeostasis and is linked to numerous diseases, including cancer. The transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) family of transcription factors acts as a receptor for downstream effectors, namely yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), which binds to various transcription factors and is essential for stimulated gene transcription. YAP/TAZ-TEAD facilitates the upregulation of multiple genes involved in evolutionary cell proliferation and survival.

Clinical Value of Single-Projection Angiography-Derived FFR in Noninfarct-Related Artery.

Background: The Murray law-based quantitative flow ratio (μFR) is an emerging technique that requires only 1 projection of coronary angiography with similar accuracy to quantitative flow ratio (QFR). However, it has not been validated for the evaluation of noninfarct-related artery (non-IRA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) settings. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of μFR and the safety of deferring non-IRA lesions with μFR >0.

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of BenTooth: A natural product blend of burdock root, persimmon leaf extracts, and quercetin on periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease represents a condition that exhibits substantial global morbidity, and is characterized by the infection and inflammation of the periodontal tissue effectuated by bacterial pathogens. The present study aimed at evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of BenTooth, an edible natural product mixture comprising burdock root extract, persimmon leaf extract and quercetin, against periodontitis both and . BenTooth was examined for antimicrobial properties and its impact on cellular responses related to inflammation and bone resorption.

Enteropathy and intestinal malabsorption in patients treated with antihypertensive drugs. .

Objectives: To investigate differences in the incidence of enteropathy or intestinal malabsorption in patients taking angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), calcium channel blocker (CCB), and beta blockers (BBs) at a single center in Korea.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we utilized data from the Yangsan electronic medical records to identify 129,169 patients. These individuals were prescribed olmesartan, other ARBs, ACEI, CCB, and BBs between November 2008 and February 2021.

The association of blood eosinophil counts and FEV decline: a cohort study.

Background: Accelerated lung function decline is characteristic of COPD. However, the association between blood eosinophil counts and lung function decline, accounting for current smoking status, in young individuals without prevalent lung disease is not fully understood.

Methods: This is a cohort study of 629 784 Korean adults without COPD or a history of asthma at baseline who participated in health screening examinations including spirometry and differential white blood cell counts.

Supplementation of Heat-Treated nF1 Changes the Production of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Healthy Infants.

Background: Imbalance of the gut microbiome and decrease in the number of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria often affect human health by altering intestinal and immune homeostasis. The use of probiotics has been shown to be an attractive method to modulate gut microbiota to prevent or treat intestinal dysbiosis. Likewise, this study aimed to determine whether the oral consumption of heat-treated nF1 (HLp-nF1) induces changes in the gut environment in healthy infants by measuring changes in fecal SCFAs.

Near-Infrared II Photobiomodulation Preconditioning Ameliorates Stroke Injury via Phosphorylation of eNOS.

Background: The current management of patients with stroke with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy is effective only when it is timely performed on an appropriately selected but minor fraction of patients. The development of novel adjunctive therapy is highly desired to reduce morbidity and mortality with stroke. Since endothelial dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke and is featured with suppressed endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with concomitant nitric oxide deficiency, restoring endothelial nitric oxide represents a promising approach to treating stroke injury.

Association Between Orthostatic Hypertension and Frailty Among Older Patients With Hypertension.

Background: Frailty frequently coexists with hypertension in older patients. We aimed to evaluate the association between frailty and positional change in blood pressure, especially orthostatic hypertension.

Methods: Participants were recruited from 12 University hospitals in South Korea.

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.

Development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells targeting A56 viral protein implanted by oncolytic virus.

To address the challenge of solid tumor targeting in CAR-T therapy, we utilized the A56 antigen, which is uniquely expressed on a diverse range of cancer cells following the systemic administration of an oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV). Immunohistochemical assays precisely confirmed exclusive localization of A56 to tumor tissues. studies demonstrated a distinct superiority of A56-dependent CAR-T cytotoxicity across multiple cancer cell lines.

Direct and Indirect Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Imaging with PET/MRI in a Tumor Xenograft Model.

Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are a promising cancer therapy; however, reliable and repeatable methods for tracking and monitoring CAR T cells in vivo remain underexplored. Purpose To investigate direct and indirect imaging strategies for tracking the biodistribution of CAR T cells and monitoring their therapeutic effect in target tumors. Materials and Methods CAR T cells co-expressing a tumor-targeting gene (anti-CD19 CAR) and a human somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (hSSTr2) reporter gene were generated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.