Regulation of Colonic Inflammation and Macrophage Homeostasis of IFN-γ-Primed Canine AMSCs in Experimental Colitis in Mice.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown potential in treating immune-mediated diseases due to their immunomodulatory properties, which can be enhanced by priming with inflammatory cytokines like interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). This study evaluates the therapeutic effects of IFN-γ-primed canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AMSCs) in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Canine AMSCs were primed with 50 ng/mL recombinant canine IFN-γ for 48 h, and the effects were compared to those seen in naïve (unprimed) AMSCs.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and clinical outcomes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diabetes: A population-based cohort study.

Aims: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with a significant risk of arrhythmia and heart failure (HF), yet treatment options for patients with HCM have remained limited. We aimed to investigate the relationship between sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) use and clinical outcomes among patients with concurrent HCM and diabetes in real-world settings.

Methods And Results: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HCM and prescriptions for antidiabetic drugs from 2018 to 2022.

A Machine Learning-Based Clustering Using Radiomics of F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for the Prediction of Prognosis in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) is highly aggressive primary hepatic malignancy with an increasing incidence.

Objective: This study aimed to develop machine learning-based radiomic clustering using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in IHCC.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pretreatment F-18 FDG PET/CT scans of 60 IHCC patients who underwent surgery without neoadjuvant treatment between January 2008 and July 2020.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Using Left and Right Liver Grafts in Adult-to-adult Living-donor Liver Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry.

Background: Living-donor liver transplantation has been widely performed as an alternative to the scarce liver grafts from deceased donors. More studies are reporting favorable outcomes of left liver graft (LLG). This study compared the clinical outcomes between living-donor liver transplantation using LLG and right liver graft (RLG) with similar graft-to-recipient body weight ratios.

Sustained Area-Selectivity in Atomic Layer Deposition of Ir Films: Utilization of Dual Effects of O in Deposition and Etching.

Area-selective deposition (ASD) based on self-aligned technology has emerged as a promising solution for resolving misalignment issues during ultrafine patterning processes. Despite its potential, the problems of area-selectivity losing beyond a certain thickness remain critical in ASD applications. This study reports a novel approach to sustain the area-selectivity of Ir films as the thickness increases.

RNA sequencing provides novel insights into the pathogenesis of naturally occurring myxomatous mitral valve disease stage B1 in beagle dogs.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common cardiovascular disorder in dogs with a high prevalence, accounting for approximately 75% of all canine heart disease cases. MMVD is a complex disease and shows variable progression from mild valve leakage to severe regurgitation, potentially leading to heart failure. However, the molecular mechanisms and age-related changes that govern disease progression, especially at the early stage (B1) before the development of discernable clinical signs, remain poorly understood.

Surgical outcome and risk scoring to predict survival after hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis.

Backgrounds/aims: The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is classified as the advanced stage (BCLC stage C) with extremely poor prognosis, and in current guidelines is recommended for systemic therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis after hepatic resection (HR) for patients who have HCC combined with PVTT.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 332 patients who underwent HR for HCC with PVTT at ten tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea.

Small graft size and hepatocellular carcinoma outcomes in living donor liver transplantation: a retrospective multicentric cohort study.

Introduction: This study examined associations between the graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) for adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Data from patients in the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry who underwent LDLT for HCC from 2014 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized using the cutoff GRWR for HCC recurrence determined by an adjusted cubic spline (GRWR <0.

Orofacial fascial space abscess disguised as temporomandibular disorder: a report of 3 cases and literature review.

Fascial space abscess is a condition in which infections spread into fascial spaces. It is a severe and life-threatening disease unless treated at an early stage. Due to the similarity of clinical symptoms, fascial space abscesses in the orofacial area are often disguised as other diseases, such as temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

The effect of donor against recipient one-way HLA mismatch on liver transplantation outcomes from a multicenter registry analysis.

Donor against recipient one-way Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch (D → R one-way HLA MM) seemed strongly associated with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The aim of this study is to investigate the relevance of D → R one-way HLA MM in outcome of liver transplantation (LT). We retrospectively analyzed 2670 patients in Korean Organ Transplantation Registry database between April 2014 and December 2020.

Outcomes and Risk Factors for Liver Transplantation Using Graft-to-Recipient Weight Ratio Less Than 0.8 Graft From Living Donors: Multicentric Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare graft survival after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in patients receiving graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) <0.8 versus GRWR≥0.8 grafts and identify risk factors for graft loss using GRWR<0.

Diagnostic Role of Bile Pigment Components in Biliary Tract Cancer.

Bile pigment, bilirubin, and biliverdin concentrations may change as a results of biliary tract cancer (BTC) altering the mechanisms of radical oxidation and heme breakdown. We explored whether changes in bile pigment components could help distinguish BTC from benign biliary illness by evaluating alterations in patients with BTC. We collected bile fluid from 15 patients with a common bile duct stone (CBD group) and 63 individuals with BTC (BTC group).

Comparative Effectiveness of Long-Term Maintenance Beta-Blocker Therapy After Acute Myocardial Infarction in Stable, Optimally Treated Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background The benefits of long-term maintenance beta-blocker (BB) therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have not been well established. Methods and Results Using the Korean nationwide registry, a total of 7159 patients with AMI treated with PCI who received BBs at discharge and were free from death or cardiovascular events for 3 months after PCI were included in the analysis. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to BB maintenance duration: <12 months, 12 to <24 months, 24 to <36 months, and ≥36 months.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate Treatment Improves Cryopreservation Efficiency in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

The actin cytoskeleton plays a crucial role not only in maintaining cell shape and viability but also in homing/engraftment properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a valuable source of cell therapy. Therefore, during the cryopreservation process of MSCs, protecting the actin cytoskeleton from the freezing/thawing stress is critical in maintaining their functionality and therapeutic potential. In this study, the safety and cryoprotective potential of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which has a stabilizing effect on actin cytoskeleton, on dental pulp-derived MSCs (DP-MSCs) was investigated.

Strategic multimodal non-invasive assessment of cardiac performance in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Although various non-invasive cardiac examinations are known to be predictive of long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF), combining them properly would provide synergism. We aimed to show that non-invasive cardiac assessments targeting left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP), left atrial remodelling, and exercise capacity would provide better prognostication in combination.

Methods And Results: This prospective observational study included consecutive hospitalized stage A-C HF patients evaluated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), echocardiography including two-dimensional speckle tracking, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Survival outcome of surgical resection compared to non-resection for Bismuth type IV perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Background/objectives: Bismuth type IV perihilar cholangiocarcinoma has been considered an unresectable disease. The aim of the study was to assess whether the surgical resection of type IV perihilar cholangiocarcinoma was associated with better survival rates.

Methods: The data of 117 patients diagnosed with type IV perihilar cholangiocarcinoma at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital from 2005 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

Effect of anatomical liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite retrospective studies comparing anatomical liver resection (AR) and non-anatomical liver resection (NAR), the efficacy and benefits of AR for hepatocellular carcinoma remain unclear.

Materials And Methods: The authors systemically reviewed MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library for propensity score matched cohort studies that compared AR and NAR for hepatocellular carcinoma. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

The prognostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing and HFA-PEFF in patients with unexplained dyspnea and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: HFA-PEFF and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) are comprehensive diagnostic tools for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We aimed to investigate the incremental prognostic value of CPET for the HFA-PEFF score among patients with unexplained dyspnea with preserved ejection fraction (EF).

Methods: Consecutive patients with dyspnea and preserved EF (n = 292) were enrolled between August 2019 and July 2021.

Non-Renal Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease in Liver Recipients with Functionally Intact Kidneys at 1 Month.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a critical complication of liver transplants, of which non-renal risk factors are not fully understood yet. This study aimed to reveal pre- and post-transplant risk factors for CKD (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2), examining liver recipients with functionally intact kidneys one month after grafting using nationwide cohort data.

Safety of Tacrolimus Monotherapy within 12 Months after Liver Transplantation in the Era of Reduced Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate Mofetil: National Registry Study.

Tacrolimus monotherapy is accepted as a feasible option during early post-liver transplantation as per current international consensus guidelines. However, its effects in the recent era of reduced tacrolimus (TAC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) remain unclear. Liver recipients who either received TAC monotherapy from the treatment onset or switched from TAC/MMF to TAC-mono within 12 months (TAC-mono group; n = 991) were chronologically matched to patients who continued to receive TAC/MMF (TAC/MMF group; n = 991) at the corresponding time points on time-conditional propensity scores.

XaMINA: A Real-World, Prospective, Observational Study of Treatment-Naïve Patients Treated with Rivaroxaban for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation in Asia.

Introduction: The efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism have been demonstrated in Asian and non-Asian patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in multiple studies. However, limited published data exist on its use specifically in treatment-naïve patients from the Asia region. Patients in South Korea and Taiwan can now receive rivaroxaban as first-line therapy, allowing for data generation in this patient group.

Associations of Serum Tumor Biomarkers with Integrated Genomic and Clinical Characteristics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP), agglutinin-reactive AFP (AFP-L3), and des-γ-carboxy-pro-thrombin (DCP) are useful biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, associations among molecular characteristics and serum biomarkers are unclear. We analyzed RNA expression and DNA variant data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) to examine their associations with serum biomarker levels and clinical data.

Relationship of Serial High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Changes to Long-term Clinical Outcomes in Stabilised Patients After Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Little is known about the association between serial high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurements and long-term outcomes in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of serial hsCRP measurements for risk stratification in stabilised post-MI patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: A total of 1018 patients who had hsCRP values at both baseline and 1 year after MI were included.

Liquid Biopsy from Bile-Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer.

Although liquid biopsy of blood is useful for cancer diagnosis and prediction of prognosis, diagnostic and prognostic value of ctDNA in bile fluid for BTCs are not clear yet. To determine whether liquid biopsy for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can replace tissue biopsy when assessing somatic mutations in biliary tract cancers (BTCs). Bile samples were obtained from 42 patients with BTC.

Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers in bile-derived exosomes of cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: In this pilot study, using next-generation sequencing and integrated messenger RNA (mRNA) sequencing, we investigated circulating microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling from bile-derived exosomes to identify dysregulated miRNA signatures and oncogenic pathways and determine their effects on targeted mRNAs in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Moreover, we explored the possibility that genetic analysis using bile-derived exosomes may replace gene analysis using tissue.

Methods: Bile was collected from a patient with perihilar CCA before curative resection.