Validation of Modified Objective Prognostic Score in Patients with Advanced Cancer in Taiwan.

Background: Modified versions of the Objective Prognostic Score (mOPS) needs to be validated to reflect practical palliative care circumstances in Taiwan.

Objectives: We compared the abilities of an mOPS score of 1.5 or higher versus a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score of 30 or lower to predict 2-week mortality in patients with advanced cancer in Taiwan.

How different are accuracies of clinicians' prediction of survival by assessment methods?

Background: No standardized method has been established for evaluating the accuracy of a clinicians' prediction of survival (CPS). Till now, no study has compared the accuracy of CPS according to the evaluation methods using the same dataset. We aimed to examine the accuracy of CPS by different statistical approaches in patients with far-advanced cancer.

Comparison of Simplified Palliative Prognostic Index and Palliative Performance Scale in Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Home Palliative Care Setting.

The Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) has been reported to be as accurate as Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI). PPS is a component of the simplified PPI (sPPI). It is unknown whether PPS is as accurate as sPPI.

Navigation guided small craniectomy and direct cannulation of pure isolated sigmoid sinus for treatment of dural arteriovenous fistula.

Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare condition affecting approximately 1.5% of 1,000,000 individuals annually. It frequently occurs in the transsigmoid and cavernous sinuses.

Hydraulic properties of bentonite buffer material beyond 100 °C.

Bentonite buffer materials are important components of engineered barrier systems for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste produced during nuclear power generation. The design temperature of the buffer material is < 100 °C, and increasing the design temperature can reduce the required disposal area. This characteristic necessitates the evaluation of the thermal-hydraulic-mechanical properties of the buffer at temperatures above 100 °C to increase its target temperature.

Isolation of Bovine Milk Exosome Using Electrophoretic Oscillation Assisted Tangential Flow Filtration with Antifouling of Micro-ultrafiltration Membrane Filters.

Tangent flow-driven ultrafiltration (TF-UF) is an efficient isolation process of milk exosomes without morphological deformation. However, the TF-UF approach with micro-ultrafiltration SiN membrane filters suffers from the clogging and fouling of micro-ultrafiltration membrane filter pores with large bioparticles. Thus, it is limited in the long term, continuous isolation of large quantities of exosomes.

Evaluation of effectiveness and improvement factors of occupational health and safety management system in the Republic of Korea Navy based on AHP-entropy and IPA.

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) has applied Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), but the effectiveness of OHSMS is being questioned due to continuous industrial accidents that continue to occur. Although OHSMS, which has been generally applied in enterprises, has more potential for improper implementation in the military, there are few studies on OHSMS in the military. Therefore, this study verified the effectiveness of OHSMS in the ROKN and derived improvement factors.

Reconfigurable Physical Reservoir in GaN/α-InSe HEMTs Enabled by Out-of-Plane Local Polarization of Ferroelectric 2D Layer.

Significant effort for demonstrating a gallium nitride (GaN)-based ferroelectric metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) for reconfigurable operation via simple pulse operation has been hindered by the lack of suitable materials, gate structures, and intrinsic depolarization effects. In this study, we have demonstrated artificial synapses using a GaN-based MOS-HEMT integrated with an α-InSe ferroelectric semiconductor. The van der Waals heterostructure of GaN/α-InSe provides a potential to achieve high-frequency operation driven by a ferroelectrically coupled two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG).

Evaluating the feasibility of air environment management system for VOCs through 'VOCs specification' of petroleum refining industry.

The chemical industry releases various types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, and the concentration of VOCs emitted from chimneys is regulated worldwide. However, some VOCs such as benzene are highly carcinogenic, while others such as ethylene and propylene may cause secondary air pollution, owing to their high ozone-generating ability. Accordingly, the US EPA(United State, Environment Protect Agency) introduced a fenceline monitoring system that regulates the concentration of VOCs at the boundary of a facility, away from the chimney source.

Long-term outcomes of carotid artery stenting in patients with carotid artery stenosis: A single-center 14-year retrospective analysis.

Objective: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is currently widely used for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. The objective of this study was to analyze the outcomes of CAS performed in a single institution.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 313 CAS cases from January 2007 to December 2020, including 206 (66%) symptomatic and 107 (34%) asymptomatic cases.

Complete genome sequence of Stellaria aquatica virus B, a novel polerovirus that infects Stellaria aquatica.

The complete genome sequence of Stellaria aquatica virus B (StAVB), a new member of the genus Polerovirus that infects Stellaria aquatica, was determined using high-throughput RNA sequencing with confirmation by Sanger sequencing. The complete StAVB genome (GenBank accession no. OP389993) is 5,900 nucleotide (nt) long with seven open reading frames (ORF0-5 and ORF3a) that encode putative proteins (P0-P5 and P3a) in a similar configuration to that of other typical poleroviruses.

mm-band surface acoustic wave devices utilizing two-dimensional boron nitride.

The simple structure, low power consumption, and small form factor have made surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices essential to mobile communication as RF filters. For instance, the latest 5G smartphones are equipped with almost 100 acoustic wave filters to select a specific frequency band and increase communication capacity. On the arrival of the newest communication standard, 5G, mm-band up to 39 GHz is supposed to be utilized, whereas the conventional SAW filters are limited to below 3 GHz, leaving a critical component missing.

Increased Risk of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases in Migraine Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based, Longitudinal Follow-Up Study in South Korea.

Background And Purpose: Migraine is reportedly associated with several cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs), but some of these diseases have not received sufficient attention. We thus attempted to determine the associations of migraine with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF), ischemic stroke (IS), and hemorrhagic stroke (HS).

Methods: The study population was recruited by applying International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2002 to 2018.

Performance of clinician prediction of survival in oncology outpatients with advanced cancer.

Background: We aimed to investigate the performance of clinician prediction of survival (CPS) and the association between CPS and the prognostic confidence of clinicians in ambulatory medical oncology outpatients.

Methods: Eight medical oncologists estimated the expected survival of their patients in a prospective cohort study. They were asked to provide a temporal type of CPS in weeks, together with their level of confidence for each prediction (0-100%).

Association of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Alcohol Consumption on Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Men.

Background: This study aimed to examine the effect of both alcohol consumption and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean men. Methods: A cohort of 364 men included in this study was divided into four groups according to the amount of alcohol they consumed: the nondrinkers (ND), low moderate drinkers (LM, ≤7 standard drinks per week), high moderate drinkers (HM, 7 to 14 drinks per week), and heavy drinkers (HD, >14 drinks per week). Logistic regression analyses were performed after adjusting for age, exercise, and smoking.

Bactericidal efficacy of non-thermal plasma activation against Aeromonas hydrophila and immunological responses of koi (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus).

In the aquaculture industry, an efficient and safe water purification system is important to prevent mass mortality by virulent pathogens. As extensive use of traditional methods (e.g.

Staged hybrid treatment for giant thrombosed fusiform aneurysm.

Partially thrombosed intracranial aneurysm was difficult to treat because of higher recurrence rate compared to non-thrombosed saccular aneurysm. The author reports a case of partially thrombosed intracranial aneurysm causing transient ischemic symptom. A 40-year-old man presented with transient right hemiparesis.

Resistive Memory Devices Based on Reticular Materials for Electrical Information Storage.

Recently, reticular materials, such as metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, have been proposed as an active insulating layer in resistive switching memory systems through their chemically tunable porous structure. A resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell, a digital memristor, is one of the most outstanding emergent memory devices that achieves high-density electrical information storage with variable electrical resistance states between two terminals. The overall design of the RRAM devices comprises an insulating layer sandwiched between two metal electrodes (metal/insulator/metal).

Changes in Risk in Medium Business Plating and Paint Manufacturing Plants following the Revision of the Korean Chemical Accident Prevention System.

Chemical accidents can occur anywhere. The need for chemical management in Korea was realized following the 2012 Gumi hydrofluoric acid accident in 2012. The Chemicals Control Act was enacted in 2015.

-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II Is Involved in Plant Growth and Development Under Stress Conditions.

Alpha-1,6-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-β--acetylglucosaminyltransferase [EC 2.4.1.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Densely Functionalized 3a,8a-Dihydro-8-furo[3,2-]pyrrolizines through One-Pot Three-Component Assembly.

A new domino mode of assembly was discovered from the one-pot three-component reactions of pyrrole derivatives, active methylene compounds (malononitrile, methyl cyanoacetate, or ethyl cyanoacetate), and sodium cyanide in the presence of piperidinium acetate in EtOH at room temperature, leading to a novel tricyclic skeleton in excellent yield under mild and eco-friendly conditions. This well-choreographed domino process enabled formation of multiple bonds (three C-C and one C-O) for consecutive construction of two rings (pyrrolidine and dihydrofuran) in a diastereoselective manner.

Trend of Disease Burden of North Korean Defectors in South Korea Using Disability-adjusted Life Years from 2010 to 2018.

Background: This study aimed to examine the disease burden of North Korean defectors in South Korea by sex, age, and disease from 2000 to 2018 and to study the changes in the disease burden over time.

Methods: Based on the incidence-based disability-adjusted life year (DALY) developed in a Korean National Burden of Disease (KNBD) study, we calculated the years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) for approximately 22,753 North Korean defectors in South Korea whose claims data were available from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).

Results: In 2018, the rates of YLL, YLD, and DALY for North Korean defectors per 100,000 population was 3,763 (male 8,491; female 2,404), 37,683 (male 27,742; female 40,539), and 41,446 (male 36,233; female 42,943), respectively.