Trends in nationwide incidence of uveitis in South Korea using the National Health Insurance claims database from 2010 to 2021.

Objectives: To investigate the population-based incidence of uveitis and the differences between anterior and non-anterior uveitis using the comprehensive Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database.

Methods: We extracted data of patients who visited the clinic and were diagnosed with uveitis (based on Korean Classification of Diseases) from 2010 to 2021. The incidence of uveitis, differences between the demographics, and the underlying co-morbidities of anterior uveitis, non-anterior uveitis, and control groups were investigated.

Muscle Pathology Associated With Cardiac Function in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Objective: To compare the progression of muscle fibrosis of various site and its relation between cardiac deterioration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In this study aimed to examine the associations between echocardiogram-based cardiac function indices and fibrosis of the abdominal and lower extremity muscles in patients with DMD to facilitate early detection of cardiac dysfunction and identify its predictors.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with DMD patients were enrolled in the study.

Protection Efficacy of Antibacterial Strains against Fire Blight Caused by Erwinia amylovora on Apple Blossom.

Fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora is one of the destructive diseases in the family of Rosaceae plants, including apple and pear, in the world. Since the first report in 2015, the number of infected farms and area steadily increased in Korea. In case of eradication failure against this disease, protection strategies using both chemicals and biocontrol agents should be established.

Different Infection Structures and Point Mutation of Diaporthe citri Showing Resistant against Systemic Fungicides.

Infection behaviors of some susceptible and resistant Diaporthe citri isolates against two fungicides such as benomyl and kresoxim-methyl were observed on citrus leaves. On the chemically unsprayed leaves, there were no differences in not only the conidial germination rate but also hyphal growth between the resistant and susceptible isolates. However, on the benomyl or kresoximmethyl-pretreated leaves, both conidial germination rate and hyphal growth of the resistant isolates were not decreased, which was different with those of the susceptible isolates.

Predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: nomograms based on deep learning analysis of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop nomograms for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), using deep learning analysis of Gadoxetic acid-enhanced hepatobiliary (HBP) MRI.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and hepatectomy for HCC between 2016 and 2020 at two referral centers. Using a deep learning algorithm, volumes and signal intensities of whole non-tumor liver, expected remnant liver, and spleen were measured on HBP images.

Rehabilitation for Patients with COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During Quarantine: A Single-Center Experience.

: In this study, we evaluated clinical factors associated with implementing a rehabilitation program for patients with COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) during the quarantine period. : This observational study was conducted in the National Designated Isolated ICU, a dedicated COVID-19 center with 18 beds, from 30 December 2020 to 30 May 2022. One hundred and fifty-four patients (mean age: 67.

Effects of Far-Infrared Rays Emitted from Loess Bio-Balls on Lymphatic Circulation and Reduction of Inflammatory Fluids.

: FIR therapy is used in various medical settings to treat diseases associated with inflammation and edema. Unlike conventional FIR lamp therapy, this study investigated how body fluids change depending on the intensity and duration of FIR irradiation to the whole body. : Subjects in group A ( = 27) were exposed to FIR emitted from a loess bio-ball mat set at 40 °C for 30 min, and subjects in group B ( = 27) were exposed to FIR emitted from a loess bio-ball mat set at 30 °C for 7 h during sleep.

Repeatability of Scheimpflug-Placido camera in mild dry eye versus normal eyes according to the topographical position of the cornea.

We aimed to investigate the repeatability of various corneal measurements according to topographical location in the entire cornea measured by dual rotating Scheimpflug-Placido camera and to explore the differences in repeatability between patients with mild dry eye and those with normal eyes. In both the normal and dry eye groups, divided based on BUT or the height of the tear film, there were no statistically significant differences in the ratio of unacceptable variation (RUV) and ICC. The consistency of the examination of the anterior and posterior refractive values and corneal thickness according to the corneal location, measured three times repeatedly using the Galilei anterior segment camera, was high.

Incidence and risk factor analysis of neovascular glaucoma following vitrectomy in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

To investigate the incidence and risk factors for neovascular glaucoma (NVG) after vitrectomy in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Patients were categorized into two subgroups based on their treatment regimen: one group received vitrectomy only (Group 1), while the other received combined phacovitrectomy (Group 2). A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the distinguishing characteristics of the two groups.

Novel Cosmetic Ingredient CS-AA Polyion Complex and Skin Moisturizing Effect.

Purpose: The study explored the enhanced skin moisturizing capabilities and moisture retention effects achieved by forming a polyion complex using sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG), specifically chondroitin sulfate (CS), and amino acids (AA) such as glutamine (Q) and arginine (R). The overall hydration effect of this CS-AA complex was examined.

Methods: After analyzing the CS-AA polyion complex structure using spectroscopic methods, the ex vivo moisture retention ability was assessed under dry conditions using porcine skin samples.

Analyzing Mental Health Shifts Among Migrant Workers in Korea: A Comparative Study During and Post the COVID-19 Era.

In the midst of a pandemic like COVID-19, migrant workers are highly vulnerable to the risk of mental health challenges and disorders. This study aimed to examine the variations in mental health and associated factors among migrant workers in Korea during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 830 migrant workers were included in this quantitative population-based study across two distinct COVID-19 periods: 415 from August 15, 2020 to January 20, 2021 (termed "during COVID-19" post-WHO pandemic declaration) and 415 from June 10 to September 18, 2023 (termed "after COVID-19" post-WHO and Korean Government announcement of the end COVID-19 as a global health emergency).

Lactoferrin Protects Against Rotenone-Induced Toxicity in Dopaminergic SH-SY5Y Cells through the Modulation of Apoptotic-Associated Pathways.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common motor neurodegenerative disease that still lacks effective therapeutic options. Previous studies have reported that lactoferrin exhibited neuroprotective effects in cellular and animal models of PD, typically induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) synthetic toxin. However, the neuroprotective capacity of lactoferrin in the rotenone-induced cellular model of PD remains relatively less established.

Clinical characteristics and phenoconversion in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder: a prospective single-center study in Korea, compared with Montreal cohort.

Study Objectives: Isolated rapid-eye movement behavior disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal synucleinopathy, but its conversion rate and subtypes can vary among different cohorts. We report the clinical characteristics and phenoconversion rate of the large single-center iRBD cohort in Korea and compared it to the Montreal cohort.

Methods: This prospective cohort study examined 238 patients with polysomnography confirmed iRBD from Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) who completed at least one follow-up evaluation.

Prognostic significance of the systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with Steven-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Inflammatory markers such as neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and eosinophil count are known prognostic indicators for the severity of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). This study explores the correlation of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and NLR with Severity-of-Illness Score for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SCORTEN) and patient outcomes. A retrospective audit of 34 patients with SJS/TEN (25 SJS, 3 SJS/TEN overlap, 6 TEN) was conducted from 2018 to 2022.

Reproducibility for carotid wall segmentation using T1-weighted DANTE-SPACE sequence on high-resolution 3-T carotid MRI.

Background: T1-weighted (T1W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the delay alternating with nutation for excitation-sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution (DANTE-SPACE) is the preferred imaging technique for evaluation of the vessel wall.

Purpose: To evaluate the intra- and inter-rater reproducibility of carotid wall segmentation on T1W DANTE-SPACE in patients with symptomatic (acute stroke or transient ischemic attack) internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis.

Material And Methods: This prospective study included 25 patients with acute (≤3 months) stroke or transient ischemic attack and 50%-99% stenosis of the ICA.

Dual Volume Image Fusion Technique for Anatomical Evaluation of Cavernous Sinus Dural Arteriovenous Fistula: Usefulness for Transvenous Target Segment Embolization.

Objective: In this preliminary study, we investigated the value of fusion techniques by flat detector computed tomography based dual volume rotational angiography (DVRA) for the evaluation of the anatomical relationship of cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (CSDAVF) and assessed the possibility of transvenous target segment embolization.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with CSDAVF supplied by multiple feeders underwent DVRA for each feeding large vessel separately. We assessed the anatomical relationship of feeders, fistula points, and venous drainage with 3 dual volume image fusion techniques.

Asymmetric lesion detection with geometric patterns and CNN-SVM classification.

In dermoscopic images, which allow visualization of surface skin structures not visible to the naked eye, lesion shape offers vital insights into skin diseases. In clinically practiced methods, asymmetric lesion shape is one of the criteria for diagnosing Melanoma. Initially, we labeled data for a non-annotated dataset with symmetrical information based on clinical assessments.

Hemodialysis-induced positional changes in lamina cribrosa.

This study is aimed to investigate the effect of hemodialysis (HD) on the lamina cribrosa (LC) of the optic nerve head (ONH) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and other ophthalmological parameters in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This prospective observational study included 29 patients who underwent HD for ESKD. ONH parameters including neural canal diameter (NCD), peripapillary vertical height (PVH), and anterior LC depth (LCD), were assessed using SS-OCT.