Monocyte distribution width (MDW) as a useful indicator for early screening of sepsis and discriminating false positive blood cultures.

Background: Severe sepsis and septic shock are the leading cause of in-hospital death. As sepsis progresses, expression and activity of endogenous mediators of inflammation change. Early detection of biomarkers can play a role in sepsis screening and in improvement of patient outcomes.

Simple Saliva Sample Collection for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Compared With Nasopharyngeal Swab Sample.

Context.—: The use of saliva samples for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection offers several advantages, including ease of sample collection, feasibility of self-collection, and minimization of medical staff exposure to infection. The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants has had an impact on the viral load of specimens and the results of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR).

Usefulness of monocyte distribution width and presepsin for early assessment of disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Early predictors of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would identify patients requiring intensive care. Recently, the monocyte distribution width (MDW) and presepsin level have been used for the early diagnosis of sepsis. Here, we assessed the utility of MDW and presepsin for the early assessment of COVID-19 severity.

Comparison of ACCEL ELISA COVID-19 with Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 for Screening of COVID-19.

Objective: Although real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), simpler and faster antibody detection tests can be complementary for diagnosis of COVID-19. To manage the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for serologic testing has increased. In this report, the newly developed antibody detection assays ACCEL ELISA COVID-19 (ACCEL) and Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Elecsys) were evaluated.

Evaluation of the BioFire Gastrointestinal Panel to Detect Diarrheal Pathogens in Pediatric Patients.

Infectious diarrhea is a global pediatric health concern; therefore, rapid and accurate detection of enteropathogens is vital. We evaluated the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel with that of comparator laboratory tests. Stool samples of pediatric patients with diarrhea were prospectively collected and tested.

Evaluation of the clinical performance of a magnetic force-assisted electrochemical immunoassay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

Rapid antigen (Ag) tests for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) provide quick results, do not require specialized technical skills or infrastructure, and can be used as a point-of-care method to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The performance of a magnetic force-assisted electrochemical immunoassay-based test, namely the MARK-B COVID-19 Ag test (BBB, Sungnam, Republic of Korea), was evaluated using 170 nasopharyngeal swab specimens and compared to that of RT-PCR and commercial rapid Ag test (STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test, SD Biosensor, Suwon-si, Republic of Korea). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the MARK-B test were 90.

Quality Improvements in Management of Children with Acute Diarrhea Using a Multiplex-PCR-Based Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel.

Conventional methods for etiologic diagnoses of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) are time consuming and have low positive yield leading to limited clinical value. This study aimed to investigate quality improvements in patient management, antibiotic stewardship, and in-hospital infection transmission prevention using BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel (GI Panel) in children with acute diarrhea. This was a prospective study recruiting children < 19 years old with new onset diarrhea during the study period, and a matched historical cohort study of children diagnosed with AGE during the 4 years prior.

Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses and Seroconversion in COVID-19 Patients Using Twelve Commercial Immunoassays.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody assays have high clinical utility in managing the pandemic. We compared antibody responses and seroconversion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using different immunoassays.

Methods: We evaluated 12 commercial immunoassays, including three automated chemiluminescent immunoassays (Abbott, Roche, and Siemens), three enzyme immunoassays (Bio-Rad, Euroimmun, and Vircell), five lateral flow immunoassays (Boditech Med, SD biosensor, PCL, Sugentech, and Rapigen), and one surrogate neutralizing antibody assay (GenScript) in sequential samples from 49 COVID-19 patients and 10 seroconversion panels.

Deep-learning-based automated terminology mapping in OMOP-CDM.

Objective: Accessing medical data from multiple institutions is difficult owing to the interinstitutional diversity of vocabularies. Standardization schemes, such as the common data model, have been proposed as solutions to this problem, but such schemes require expensive human supervision. This study aims to construct a trainable system that can automate the process of semantic interinstitutional code mapping.

Evaluation of the quick-clotting serum separator tube, VQ-Tube™, for clinical chemistry and thyroid hormone assays.

Background: The type of blood collection tube affects specimen quality and laboratory results. Because plasma specimens have a shorter processing time compared with serum specimens, emergency biochemistry tests use plasma. However, serum specimens remain stable after centrifugation and show more accurate results than plasma.

A quasi-experimental study on stethoscopes contamination with multidrug-resistant bacteria: Its role as a vehicle of transmission.

Stethoscopes have been suggested to be a possible vector of contact transmission. However, only a few studies have focused on the prevalence of contamination by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and effectiveness of disinfection training to reduce. This study is to investigate the burden of stethoscope contamination with nosocomial pathogens and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and to analyze habit changes in disinfection of stethoscopes among healthcare workers (HCWs) before and after education and training.

, , and mutations in plasma cell myeloma at a single Korean institute.

Background: Plasma cell myeloma (PCM) is a genetically heterogeneous disease. The genetic spectrum of PCM has been expanded to mutations such as , , and genes in the RAS-RAF-MAPK pathway. In this study, we have evaluated the frequency of these mutations and their significance, including baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes.

Containment of a healthcare-associated COVID-19 outbreak in a university hospital in Seoul, Korea: A single-center experience.

Background: Our hospital experienced the first healthcare-associated COVID-19 outbreak in Seoul at the time the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Korea. The first confirmed COVID-19 patient was a hospital personnel who was in charge of transferring patients inside our hospital. To contain the virus spread, we shutdown our hospital, and tested all inpatients, medical staff members, and employees.

Clinical Characteristics and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Trends in Bacteremia: An 11-Year Single-Center Experience.

Background: Recently, bacteremia outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit has attracted public attention in Korea. However, bacteremia is uncommon and usually occurs in patients with underlying diseases such as malignancy and hepatobiliary diseases. Increase in resistance and emerging of multidrug resistance among species have gradually been reported.

Evaluation of modified saponin preparation method for the direct identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing from positive blood culture.

Background: We evaluated the two in-house sample preparation methods (saponin method (SAP) and [saponin + Sputazyme] method (SSPZ)) for direct identification of microorganisms using MALDI-TOF MS from positive blood culture bottles. Also, we evaluated the [saponin + Sputazyme] method for direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) using Vitek 2 system.

Methods: For direct identification, 163 prospective, monomicrobial positive blood culture bottles and 25 contrived blood culture bottles spiked with 25 infrequently isolated bacterial strains were included.

Clinical relevance of combined anti-mitochondrial M2 detection assays for primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background: Antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) is a specific serologic marker in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of combined AMA assays.

Methods: Sera were obtained from 79 patients with PBC and 108 patients with other liver disease.

Direct Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria From Positive Blood Culture Bottles by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and the Vitek 2 System.

Background: We evaluated the reliability and accuracy of the combined use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) bacterial identification and Vitek 2 antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for bacteria from positive blood culture bottles.

Methods: Direct identification and AST were performed in parallel to the standard methods in monomicrobial positive blood culture bottles. In total, 254 isolates grown on aerobic and/or anaerobic bottles were identified with MALDI-TOF Vitek MS (bioMérieux, France), and 1,978 microorganism/antimicrobial agent combinations were assessed.

Loss of Heterozygosities in Five Tumor Suppressor Genes (FHIT Gene, p16, pRb, E-Cadherin and p53) in Thyroid Tumors.

Objectives: To evaluate the loss of heterozygosities (LOH) of chromosomes 3p14 (FHIT gene), 9p21 (p16), 13q21 (pRb), 6q22 (E-cadherin) and 17p13 (p53) in various thyroid tumors.

Methods: Eighty thyroid tumor cases (20 follicular adenomas, 10 follicular carcinomas, and 50 papillary carcinomas) have been analyzed for the presence of LOH in chromosomes 3p14, 9p21, 13q21, 6q22, and 17p13 allelic loss, using microsatellite markers and DNA obtained from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival tissues.

Results: LOH on 3p14 was found in 10.

High-power femtosecond-terahertz pulse induces a wound response in mouse skin.

Terahertz (THz) technology has emerged for biomedical applications such as scanning, molecular spectroscopy, and medical imaging. Although a thorough assessment to predict potential concerns has to precede before practical utilization of THz source, the biological effect of THz radiation is not yet fully understood with scant related investigations. Here, we applied a femtosecond-terahertz (fs-THz) pulse to mouse skin to evaluate non-thermal effects of THz radiation.

Loss of heterozygosity of tumor suppressor genes (p16, Rb, E-cadherin, p53) in hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: Microsatellite alterations, especially those that cause loss of heterozygosity (LOH), have recently been postulated as a novel mechanism of carcinogenesis and a useful prognostic factor in many kinds of malignant tumors. However, few studies have focused on a specific site, hypopharynx. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between LOH and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC).

A new pathway for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production in Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum by functional expression of a new acetoacetyl-coenzyme A synthase.

A biosynthetic pathway for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] was developed in Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum by an acetoacetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthase (AACS) recently isolated from terpenoid-producing Streptomyces sp. strain CL190. Expression of AACS led to significant productions of P(3HB) in E.

Production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) in recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum using propionate as a precursor.

Lipopolysaccharides free P[3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB)-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV)] production was achieved using recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum harboring polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthetic genes from Ralstonia eutropha. Cells grown on glucose with feeding of propionate as a precursor of 3HV unit accumulated 8-47wt% of P(3HB-co-3HV). The 3HV fraction in the copolymer was varied from 0 to 28mol% depending on the propionate concentrations.

Dual production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and glutamate using variable biotin concentrations in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

We previously synthesized poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] in recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum, a prominent producer of amino acids. In this study, a two-step cultivation was established for the dual production of glutamate and P(3HB) due to the differences in the optimal concentration of biotin. Glutamate was extracellularly produced first under the biotin-limited condition of 0.

Improvement of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] production in Corynebacterium glutamicum by codon optimization, point mutation and gene dosage of P(3HB) biosynthetic genes.

In our previous study, a system for producing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] was established by introducing a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthetic gene operon (phaCAB Re) derived from Ralstonia eutropha into Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this study, two experimental strategies have been applied to improve P(3HB) production in recombinant C. glutamicum.

Production system for biodegradable polyester polyhydroxybutyrate by Corynebacterium glutamicum.

A biosynthetic pathway for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] production by Corynebacterium glutamicum was developed by introducing the phbCAB operon derived from Ralstonia eutropha. P(3HB) synthase activity was detected in this recombinant C. glutamicum carrying a cell surface protein gene promoter.