Design of an equilibrative nucleoside transporter subtype 1 inhibitor for pain relief.

The current opioid crisis urgently calls for developing non-addictive pain medications. Progress has been slow, highlighting the need to uncover targets with unique mechanisms of action. Extracellular adenosine alleviates pain by activating the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R).

Child Neurology: Neurophysiologic and Anatomical Correlates in Startle Epilepsy: A Comprehensive SEEG Investigation for Successful Resective Surgery.

Startle epilepsy, characterized by startle-provoked epileptic seizures, was historically recognized as one of the reflex epilepsies but currently lacks classification as a specific epileptic syndrome because of insufficient characterization. This study presents an institutional experience and review of relevant literature focusing on the neurophysiologic and anatomical aspects of startle epilepsy. We describe a pediatric patient with an underlying structural etiology of left frontal encephalomalacia who continued to experience disabling seizures despite multiple antiseizure medications and previous palliative surgery.

Risk of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Computed Tomography: A 16 Institutional Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Concern about contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) may delay the timely administration of contrast media for computed tomography (CT). The precise causative effect of iodinated contrast media on CI-AKI and its relevant risk factors remains an area of ongoing investigation. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the risk of CI-AKI following contrast-enhanced CT and its predisposing risk factors.

There Is No Difference in Clinical Outcomes Between Early or Late Weight-Bearing After Autologous Osteochondral Transplantation for Osteochondral Lesion of the Talus: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To provide a comprehensive systematic review to determine the impact of early weight-bearing compared with late weight-bearing on the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) and were treated with autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) and to review the rate of return to sports and/or activities, patient satisfaction, and complications.

Methods: A systematic review of the PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library databases was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Publications were divided into group A, in which patients were allowed early weight-bearing within the first 6 weeks, whereas group B consisted of patients who were only allowed weight-bearing after 6 weeks.

Safety Assessment and Evaluation of Probiotic Potential of IDCC 3601 for Human Use.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are probiotic microorganisms widely used for their health benefits in the food industry. However, recent concerns regarding their safety have highlighted the need for comprehensive safety assessments. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the safety of IDCC 3601, isolated from homemade plain yogurt, via genomic, phenotypic, and toxicity-based analyses.

Immune escape and attenuated severity associated with the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86/JN.1 lineage.

The SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 lineage, and its sublineage JN.

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.

Local Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: 2024 Expert Consensus-Based Practical Recommendations of the Korean Liver Cancer Association.

Local ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma, a non-surgical option that directly targets and destroys tumor cells, has advanced significantly since the 1990s. Therapies with different energy sources, such as radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, and cryoablation, employ different mechanisms to induce tumor necrosis. The precision, safety, and effectiveness of these therapies have increased with advances in guiding technologies and device improvements.

A Synthetic Derivative SH 66 of Homoisoflavonoid from Liliaceae Exhibits Anti-Neuroinflammatory Activity against LPS-Induced Microglial Cells.

Naturally occurring homoisoflavonoids isolated from some Liliaceae plants have been reported to have diverse biological activities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic effects).

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.

A Case Study: Electrically Assisted Stress Relief Annealing for Cold-Coiled Helical Automotive Springs.

This study experimentally investigated electrically assisted (EA) stress relief annealing for cold-coiled commercial automotive springs. In EA stress relief annealing, the temperature of a spring is rapidly increased to the annealing temperature (400 °C) and is held constant for a specified time using a pulsed electric current. Experimental findings show that the effectiveness of the EA stress relief annealing is superior to that of the conventional stress relief annealing, especially in terms of process time.

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.

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.

Screening of Moyamoya Disease From Retinal Photographs: Development and Validation of Deep Learning Algorithms.

Background: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare and complex pathological condition characterized by an abnormal collateral circulation network in the basal brain. The diagnosis of MMD and its progression is unpredictable and influenced by many factors. MMD can affect the blood vessels supplying the eyes, resulting in a range of ocular symptoms.

Blast-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles in the Plasma of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Predict Responses to Chemotherapy.

The small extracellular vesicles (sEV) accumulating in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients' plasma are mixtures of vesicles produced by leukemic and non-malignant cells. sEV originating from leukemia blasts could serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers of AML response to therapy. To isolate blast-derived sEV from patients' plasma, we developed a bioprinted microarray-based immunoassay using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for leukemia-associated antigens (LAAs) and mAbs specific for a mix of tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, and CD81).