Purple corn extract improves benign prostatic hyperplasia by inhibiting 5 alpha-reductase type 2 and inflammation in testosterone propionate-induced rats.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a health issue caused by an enlarged prostate in older men. Its prevalence increases with age, and it results in urination-related problems. This works studied the effect of purple corn extract (PCE) on improving BPH symptoms using a testosterone propionate (TP)-induced rat model.

SegRap2023: A benchmark of organs-at-risk and gross tumor volume Segmentation for Radiotherapy Planning of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Radiation therapy is a primary and effective treatment strategy for NasoPharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC). The precise delineation of Gross Tumor Volumes (GTVs) and Organs-At-Risk (OARs) is crucial in radiation treatment, directly impacting patient prognosis. Despite that deep learning has achieved remarkable performance on various medical image segmentation tasks, its performance on OARs and GTVs of NPC is still limited, and high-quality benchmark datasets on this task are highly desirable for model development and evaluation.

Radiographic Predictors of Difficult Fiberscopic Intubation During General Anesthesia in Patients With a Cervical Collar to Simulate a Difficult Airway.

Background: Predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation have not been fully elucidated. This study focused on identifying radiographic predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar.

Methods: This retrospective study included unconscious patients who underwent orotracheal intubation using a flexible fiberscope while wearing a cervical collar to simulate a difficult airway.

Role of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Stimulation Test and Autoantibody in 952 Subjects with Subclinical Hypothyroidism.

Context: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is characterized by elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and normal free thyroxine (fT4) levels. In upper normal TSH levels, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test proved to be useful in identifying an exaggerated TSH response.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the incidence and predictive ability of basal TSH, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) for exaggerated TRH stimulation test in SCH.

AI model using CT-based imaging biomarkers to predict hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Various hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prediction models have been proposed for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) using clinical variables. We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based HCC prediction model by incorporating imaging biomarkers derived from abdominal computed tomography (CT) images along with clinical variables.

Methods: An AI prediction model employing a gradient-boosting machine algorithm was developed utilizing imaging biomarkers extracted by DeepFore, a deep learning-based CT auto-segmentation software.

Unexpectedly detected air bubbles in left ventricle during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a case report.

Background: Unlike on-pump beating coronary artery bypass grafting, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) rarely causes intracardiac air embolisms. However, there have been several reports of air embolisms that occurred during OPCAB using a CO blower, which is commonly used to facilitate visualization of the anastomotic site. Herein, we describe a rare case of air bubbles detected only in the left ventricle during OPCAB.

Genotypic analysis of zoonotic Enterocytozoon bieneusi in wild deer in Korea.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is an important microsporidian protozoa that causes intestinal disorders in humans. We collected 191 fecal samples from roadkill deer carcasses, among which 13 (6.8%) showed positive reaction for E.

Endoscopic indicators of insulin resistance: associations with erosive esophagitis and regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC).

Introduction: Insulin resistance is a key factor in metabolic syndrome. Identifying indicators of insulin resistance through endoscopic findings could be valuable in assessing a patient's systemic metabolic status. Thus, we conducted a retrospective study to investigate the association between endoscopic findings and insulin resistance.

Impact of kidney transplantation vs. dialysis waiting for deceased donor on left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is frequently observed in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and a significant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular events in those patients. We hypothesized that the ratio of early diastolic peak mitral flow velocity to early mitral annulus velocity (E/e' ratio), the widely used non-invasive LV diastolic dysfunction index, would show improvements following kidney transplantation (KT).

Materials And Methods: A total of 192 KT recipients who underwent echocardiography before KT and 2 years after KT were included this analysis.

Acute tolerance to rocuronium -A case report.

Background: A booster dose can result in a similar reaction to the initial dose. Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) can produce a comparable reaction in the absence of specific pathophysiologic alterations.

Case: An initial dose of rocuronium 40 mg was given to a male patient (50 years old, height 168 cm, weight 54 kg, body mass index 19.

Capillary Skimming of Floating Microplastics via a Water-Bridged Ratchet.

Floating microplastics (MPs) have recently become a major concern in marine pollution; however, current filter-based technology is hardly effective for directly removing such MPs from the water surface because of specific mesh size and clogging issues. This paper introduces a new skimming concept for removing floating MPs utilizing capillary force mediated by the elevation of a hydrophilic ratchet at the air-water interface. MPs floating near the ratchet surface are spontaneously forced toward the ratchet with a concave water meniscus, driven by the Cheerios effect.

Clinical Utility of Deep Learning Assistance for Detecting Various Abnormal Findings in Color Retinal Fundus Images: A Reader Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of a deep learning-based detection device for multiple abnormal findings on retinal fundus photographs for readers with varying expertise.

Methods: Fourteen ophthalmologists (six residents, eight specialists) assessed 399 fundus images with respect to 12 major ophthalmologic findings, with or without the assistance of a deep learning algorithm, in two separate reading sessions. Sensitivity, specificity, and reading time per image were compared.

Automated abdominal organ segmentation algorithms for non-enhanced CT for volumetry and 3D radiomics analysis.

Purpose: To develop fully-automated abdominal organ segmentation algorithms from non-enhanced abdominal CT and low-dose chest CT and assess their feasibility for automated CT volumetry and 3D radiomics analysis of abdominal solid organs.

Methods: Fully-automated nnU-Net-based models were developed to segment the liver, spleen, and both kidneys in non-enhanced abdominal CT, and the liver and spleen in low-dose chest CT. 105 abdominal CTs and 60 low-dose chest CTs were used for model development, and 55 abdominal CTs and 10 low-dose chest CTs for external testing.

INTRAVITREAL ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION AND POOR VISUAL ACUITY.

Purpose: To investigate the significance of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and poor visual acuity.

Methods: Retrospective study of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration with baseline best-corrected visual acuity of ≤20/200. Patients were divided into regular treatment and scarce treatment groups according to whether they underwent consecutive intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatments at intervals of ≤4 months or not.

Association between Pentosan Polysulfate and Subsequent Maculopathy: Insights from a Nationwide Population-Based Study in Korea.

Purpose: To determine the association between pentosan polysulfate (PPS) use and the subsequent development of maculopathy in an Asian population.

Design: A nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database.

Participants: A total of 103 553 individuals in the PPS user group and 205 792 individuals in the PPS nonuser group, all newly diagnosed with cystitis between 2009 and 2020.

Clinical feasibility of deep learning based synthetic contrast enhanced abdominal CT in patients undergoing non enhanced CT scans.

Our objective was to develop and evaluate the clinical feasibility of deep-learning-based synthetic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DL-SynCCT) in patients designated for nonenhanced CT (NECT). We proposed a weakly supervised learning with the utilization of virtual non-contrast CT (VNC) for the development of DL-SynCCT. Training and internal validations were performed with 2202 pairs of retrospectively collected contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images with the corresponding VNC images acquired from dual-energy CT.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms in Korean adults with diabetes: Individual differences and associations with life satisfaction and mortality.

Objective: We examined trajectories of depressive symptoms and their predictors in adults with diabetes. We assessed whether these trajectories were related to life satisfaction and mortality.

Design: Longitudinal, prospective observational study.

Development of a deep learning-based fully automated segmentation of rotator cuff muscles from clinical MR scans.

Background: The fatty infiltration and atrophy in the muscle after a rotator cuff (RC) tear are important in surgical decision-making and are linked to poor clinical outcomes after rotator cuff repair. An accurate and reliable quantitative method should be developed to assess the entire RC muscles.

Purpose: To develop a fully automated approach based on a deep neural network to segment RC muscles from clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

Zinc and copper isotope fractionation in metal leaching from hydrothermal ore deposits: Environmental implications for deep-sea mining.

Deep-sea mining can remobilize large amounts of inert metals from hydrothermal seafloor massive sulfides (SMSs) into bioavailable toxic forms that are dissolved in the water column, potentially impacting marine ecosystems. It is thus critical to assess the impacts of deep-sea mining on the reactivities and behaviors of crucial elements (e.g.