Menopausal Symptom Burden in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Patients: Interaction of Chemotherapy and Ovarian Function Suppression on Tamoxifen Treatment.

Aim: To compare menopausal symptoms between tamoxifen alone and tamoxifen with ovarian function suppression (OFS) over 12 months, identifying related factors.

Methods: This prospective, observational study included 209 premenopausal patients with breast cancer on tamoxifen, recruited from Asan Medical Center, Republic of Korea. We collected demographic and clinical information from the participants' medical records and assessed menopausal symptoms using the Korean Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) at 3-, 6-, and 12-months postdiagnosis.

Hierarchically-structured ratchet skimmer with superhydrophilicity for continuous recovery of high-viscosity oil.

Oil spill accidents have series environmental and economic impacts, increasing the demand for efficient technologies to recover oil from contaminated waters. In this study, a hierarchically structured ratchet surface with superhydrophilicity was presented as a novel oil skimming mechanism for the recovery of high-viscosity oil, particularly low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO), which has recently been used as marine fuel in open water environments. The interaction between the superhydrophilic ratchet and oil provides favorable conditions for oil retention at the water surface.

Effects of LM1215 on and .

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify novel vaginal probiotics with the potential to prevent vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Materials And Methods: Eighteen strains of were isolated from healthy Korean women, and their antimicrobial effects against and were assessed. Three strains ( LM1203, LM1209, and LM1215) were selected for further investigation, focusing on their growth inhibition, biofilm regulation, and cellular mechanisms against these vaginal pathogens.

Targeted engineering of camelina and pennycress seeds for ultrahigh accumulation of acetyl-TAG.

Acetyl-TAG (3-acetyl-1,2-diacylglycerol), unique triacylglycerols (TAG) possessing an acetate group at the -3 position, exhibit valuable properties, such as reduced viscosity and freezing points. Previous attempts to engineer acetyl-TAG production in oilseed crops did not achieve the high levels found in naturally producing seeds. Here, we demonstrate the successful generation of camelina and pennycress transgenic lines accumulating nearly pure acetyl-TAG at 93 mol% and 98 mol%, respectively.

Differentiating HER2-low and HER2-zero tumors with 21-gene multigene assay in 2,295 h + HER2- breast cancer: a retrospective analysis.

Background: HER2-positivity is an essential marker for therapeutic decisions, while HER2 expression is heterogenous. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of a subgroup of breast cancer patients who have low levels of HER2 expression, also known as HER2-low because trastuzumab deruxtecan offers clinical benefit for patients with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer. Despite the growing interest in HER2-low breast cancer, there is limited research on how multigene assays can help differentiate between HER2-low and HER2-negative breast cancer.

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.

Identifying Marijuana Use Behaviors Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness Using a Machine Learning-Based Framework: Development and Evaluation Study.

Background: Youth experiencing homelessness face substance use problems disproportionately compared to other youth. A study found that 69% of youth experiencing homelessness meet the criteria for dependence on at least 1 substance, compared to 1.8% for all US adolescents.

Effects of a Pre-Conception Care Program in Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Mixed-Methods Study Including a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a pre-conception care program for women of childbearing age with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Korea and verify its effects on self-efficacy for IBD management, IBD-related pregnancy knowledge, and IBD-related pregnancy anxiety. It also aimed to explore the changes in participants through the program.

Methods: A convergent mixed-methods study design was adopted.

Highly conductive, stretchable, and biocompatible graphene oxide biocomposite hydrogel for advanced tissue engineering.

The importance of hydrogels in tissue engineering cannot be overemphasized due to their resemblance to the native extracellular matrix. However, natural hydrogels with satisfactory biocompatibility exhibit poor mechanical behavior, which hampers their application in stress-bearing soft tissue engineering. Here, we describe the fabrication of a double methacrylated gelatin bioink covalently linked to graphene oxide (GO) via a zero-length crosslinker, digitally light-processed (DLP) printable into 3D complex structures with high fidelity.

Lived Experiences of Pregnant Women With Cancer in South Korea: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: The incidence of cancer during pregnancy is increasing, presenting several challenges to the treatment of cancer in pregnant women. However, research focusing on the lived experiences of pregnant women with cancer in South Korea is limited. This study aimed to explore and describe the day-to-day lived experiences of women diagnosed with or treated for cancer during pregnancy and their husbands.

High-efficiency thermo-optic control of a longitudinal radiation angle in a silicon-based optical phased array by leveraging the backside air trench structure.

We proposed a 2D 1 × 64 silicon optical phased array with a backside silicon-etched structure to achieve high tuning efficiency and a wide longitudinal steering range. At the radiator array, the n-i-n heater was implemented to steer the light in a longitudinal direction through the thermo-optic effect. The deep reactive ion etching process was utilized to generate the 600 µm depth air trench with a 1.

Mass spectrometry imaging of with DO labeling.

The commonly used analytical tools for metabolomics cannot directly probe metabolic activities or distinguish metabolite differences between cells and suborgans in multicellular organisms. These issues can be addressed by isotope labeling and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), respectively, but the combination of the two, a newly emerging technology we call MSI, has been rarely applied to plant systems. In this study, we explored MSI of with DO labeling to study and visualize D-labeling in three classes of lipids: arabidopsides, chloroplast lipids, and epicuticular wax.

Analysis of patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) based depression prevalence according to a discordance between quantitative urinary cotinine levels and self-report of second-hand smoke exposure among adults: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure appears to be more common among individuals with depression. However, self-report of SHS exposure is an inaccurate classification compared to confirming SHS exposure using urinary cotinine (UC). Additionally, the dose-response relationship between depression and UC is controversial.

Visualizing C-Labeled Metabolites in Maize Root Tips with Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Tracing isotope-labeled metabolites has been used to study metabolic pathways or flux analysis. However, metabolic differences between the cells have been often ignored in these studies due to the limitation of solvent-based extraction. Here we demonstrate that the mass spectrometry imaging of isotope-labeled metabolites, referred to as MSI, can provide important insights into metabolic dynamics with cellular resolution that may supplement the traditional metabolomics and flux analysis.

Safety and immunogenicity of the Euvichol-S oral cholera vaccine for prevention of Vibrio cholerae O1 infection in Nepal: an observer-blind, active-controlled, randomised, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial.

Background: In October, 2017, WHO launched a strategy to eliminate cholera by 2030. A primary challenge in meeting this goal is the limited global supply capacity of oral cholera vaccine and the worsening of cholera outbreaks since 2021. To help address the current shortage of oral cholera vaccine, a WHO prequalified oral cholera vaccine, Euvichol-Plus was reformulated by reducing the number of components and inactivation methods.

Spatio-Temporal Study of Galactolipid Biosynthesis in Duckweed Using Mass Spectrometry Imaging and in vivo Isotope Labeling.

Isotope labeling coupled with mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) presents a potent strategy for elucidating the dynamics of metabolism at cellular resolution, yet its application to plant systems is scarce. It has the potential to reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of lipid biosynthesis during plant development. In this study, we explore its application to galactolipid biosynthesis of an aquatic plant, Lemna minor, with D2O labeling.

β-GaO Air-Channel Field-Emission Nanodiode with Ultrahigh Current Density and Low Turn-On Voltage.

Field-emission nanodiodes with air-gap channels based on single β-GaO nanowires have been investigated in this work. With a gap of ∼50 nm and an asymmetric device structure, the proposed nanodiode achieves good diode characteristics through field emission in air at room temperature. Measurement results show that the nanodiode exhibits an ultrahigh emission current density, a high enhancement factor of >2300, and a low turn-on voltage of 0.

Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Priming of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Ameliorate Acute Lung Injury by Inducing Regulatory T Cells.

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) possess immunoregulatory properties and their regulatory functions represent a potential therapy for acute lung injury (ALI). However, uncertainties remain with respect to defining MSCs-derived immunomodulatory pathways. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of human recombinant bone morphogenic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) primed ES-MSCs (MSC) in promoting Tregs in ALI mice.

Promising Therapeutic Effects of Embryonic Stem Cells-Origin Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Experimental Pulmonary Fibrosis Models: Immunomodulatory and Anti-Apoptotic Mechanisms.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) involves persistent inflammation and fibrosis, leading to respiratory failure and even death. Adult tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show potential in ILD therapeutics but obtaining an adequate quantity of cells for drug application is difficult. Daewoong Pharmaceutical's MSCs (DW-MSCs) derived from embryonic stem cells sustain a high proliferative capacity following long-term culture and expansion.

Decreased SMP30 Expression Is Related With EMT in the Kidneys of Two Siberian Tigers With CKD.

Background/aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common causes of mortality in wild non-domestic felidae. The molecular mechanism regulating renal fibrosis in nephropathy is not fully understood especially in the felidae. This study aimed to elucidate senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30) expression patterns and its relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by immunostaining in two necropsied Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) with CKD.

Mobilized Electrospray Device for On-Tissue Chemical Derivatization in MALDI-MS Imaging.

Applying solutions of a matrix or derivatization agent via microdroplets is a common sample preparation technique for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) experiments. Mobilized nebulizer sprayers are commonly used to create a homogeneous matrix or reagent layer across large surfaces. Electrospray devices have also been used to produce microdroplets for the same purpose but are rarely used for large tissues due to their immobility.

Age-Related Incidence and Peak Occurrence of Contralateral Breast Cancer.

Importance: Young patients with breast cancer have higher risk for developing contralateral breast cancer (CBC) and have epidemiologic characteristics different from those of older patients.

Objective: To examine the incidence and peak occurrence of CBC according to age at primary breast cancer (PBC) surgery.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included patients who were diagnosed with and underwent surgery for unilateral nonmetastatic breast cancer at Asan Medical Center, Korea, between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2013, with follow-up through December 31, 2018.

Rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance in methicillin-resistant using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem in modern healthcare. Most antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST) require long culture times which delay diagnosis and effective treatment. Our group has previously reported a proof-of-concept demonstration of a rapid AST in using deuterium labeling and MALDI mass spectrometry.