Epiretinal Membrane: Correlations Among Clinical, Immunohistochemical, and Biochemical Features and Their Prognostic Implications.

Purpose: To investigate correlations among clinical, immunohistochemical, and biochemical characteristics of epiretinal membranes (ERMs) and their prognostic implications.

Methods: This prospective study included 120 patients with idiopathic ERM who underwent vitrectomy. Preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were measured.

Maximizing photon utilization in spectroscopic single-molecule localization microscopy using symmetrically dispersed dual-wedge prisms.

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) enables super-resolution imaging on conventional fluorescent microscopes. Spectroscopic SMLM (sSMLM) further allows highly multiplexed super-resolution imaging. We report an easy-to-implement symmetrically dispersed dual-wedge prism (SDDWP)-sSMLM design that maximizes photon utilization.

Resting energy expenditure differs among individuals with different levels of perceived thermal sensitivity: A cross-sectional study.

Metabolic rate has been used in thermophysiological models for predicting the thermal response of humans. However, only a few studies have investigated the association between an individual's trait-like thermal sensitivity and resting energy expenditure (REE), which resulted in inconsistent results. This study aimed to explore the association between REE and perceived thermal sensitivity.

Establishment of a Dataset for the Traditional Korean Medicine Examination in Healthy Adults.

We established a protocol for the traditional Korean medicine examination (KME) and methodically gathered data following this protocol. Potential indicators for KME were extracted through a literature review; the first KME protocol was developed based on three rounds of expert opinions. The first KME protocol's feasibility was confirmed, and data were collected over four years from traditional Korean medicine (KM) hospitals, focusing on healthy adults, using the final KME protocol.

A micro-fragmented collagen gel as a cell-assembling platform for critical limb ischemia repair.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a devastating disease characterized by the progressive blockage of blood vessels. Although the paracrine effect of growth factors in stem cell therapy made it a promising angiogenic therapy for CLI, poor cell survival in the harsh ischemic microenvironment limited its efficacy. Thus, an imperative need exists for a stem-cell delivery method that enhances cell survival.

Enhancing obSTORM imaging performance with cubic spline PSF modeling.

Oblique plane microscopy-based single molecule localization microscopy (obSTORM) has shown great potential for super-resolution imaging of thick biological specimens. Despite its compatibility with tissues and small animals, prior uses of the Gaussian point spread function (PSF) model have resulted in limited imaging resolution and a narrow axial localization range. This is due to the poor fit of the Gaussian PSF model with the actual PSF shapes in obSTORM.

Highly sensitive ultrasound detection using nanofabricated polymer micro-ring resonators.

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging enables noninvasive volumetric imaging of biological tissues by capturing the endogenous optical absorption contrast. Conventional ultrasound detectors using piezoelectric materials have been widely used for transducing ultrasound signals into the electrical signals for PA imaging reconstruction. However, their inherent limitations in detection bandwidth and sensitivity per unit area have unfortunately constrained the performance of PA imaging.

High-Frequency 3D Photoacoustic Computed Tomography Using an Optical Microring Resonator.

3D photoacoustic computed tomography (3D-PACT) has made great advances in volumetric imaging of biological tissues, with high spatial-temporal resolutions and large penetration depth. The development of 3D-PACT requires high-performance acoustic sensors with a small size, large detection bandwidth, and high sensitivity. In this work, we present a new high-frequency 3D-PACT system that uses a micro-ring resonator (MRR) as the acoustic sensor.

A Machine Learning Approach for Recommending Herbal Formulae with Enhanced Interpretability and Applicability.

Herbal formulae (HFs) are representative interventions in Korean medicine (KM) for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Here, we proposed a machine learning-based approach for HF recommendation with enhanced interpretability and applicability. A dataset consisting of clinical symptoms, Sasang constitution (SC) types, and prescribed HFs was derived from a multicenter study.

Monolithic dual-wedge prism-based spectroscopic single-molecule localization microscopy.

By manipulating the spectral dispersion of detected photons, spectroscopic single-molecule localization microscopy (sSMLM) permits concurrent high-throughput single-molecular spectroscopic analysis and imaging. Despite its promising potential, using discrete optical components and managing the delicate balance between spectral dispersion and spatial localization compromise its performance, including non-uniform spectral dispersion, high transmission loss of grating, high optical alignment demands, and reduced precision. We designed a dual-wedge prism (DWP)-based monolithic imaging spectrometer to overcome these challenges.

Erratum: Analysis of the Association Among Air Pollutants, Allergenic Pollen, and Respiratory Virus Infection of Children in Guri, Korea During Recent 5 Years.

This corrects the article on p. 289 in vol. 14, PMID: 35557494.

Analysis of the Association Among Air Pollutants, Allergenic Pollen, and Respiratory Virus Infection of Children in Guri, Korea During Recent 5 Years.

Purpose: Concerns about the spread of infectious diseases have increased due to the coronavirus disease pandemic. Knowing the factors that exacerbate or increase the contagiousness of a virus could be a key to pandemic prevention. Therefore, we investigated whether the pandemic potential of infectious diseases correlates with the concentration of atmospheric substances.

Ultrafast and Real-Time Nanoplasmonic On-Chip Polymerase Chain Reaction for Rapid and Quantitative Molecular Diagnostics.

Advent and fast spread of pandemic diseases draw worldwide attention to rapid, prompt, and accurate molecular diagnostics with technical development of ultrafast polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Microfluidic on-chip PCR platforms provide highly efficient and small-volume bioassay for point-of-care diagnostic applications. Here we report ultrafast, real-time, and on-chip nanoplasmonic PCR for rapid and quantitative molecular diagnostics at point-of-care level.

Nanoplasmonic On-Chip PCR for Rapid Precision Molecular Diagnostics.

Emerging molecular diagnosis requires ultrafast polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on chip for rapid precise detection of infectious diseases in the point-of-care test. Here, we report nanoplasmonic on-chip PCR for rapid precision molecular diagnostics. The nanoplasmonic pillar arrays (NPA) comprise gold nanoislands on the top and sidewall of large-scale glass nanopillar arrays.

Exploratory analysis of cold, heat, deficiency, or excess pattern distribution in women with dysmenorrhea.

Objective: To understand the impact and implications of cold, heat, deficiency, or excess pattern identification in relation to dysmenorrhea, comparing the prevalence of these patterns between women with and without dysmenorrhea is needed.

Methods: We gathered data from the Korea Constitutional Multicenter Bank. A total of 508 patients were recruited and provided with cold, heat, deficiency, or excess pattern and dysmenorrhea questionnaires.

Mirroring with Indocyanine Green Angiography in Aneurysm Surgery: Technical Note and Case Presentations.

Objective: The authors used a micromirror under a microscope with an indocyanine green (ICG) imaging system to assess clipped aneurysms and the blood flow in hidden regions during aneurysm surgery. This study then investigated the usefulness of such mirroring with ICG angiography (MICGA).

Methods: A micromirror was used during aneurysm surgery on 25 patients, and MICGA was performed on 10 of these 25 patients to inspect the hidden region after clipping.

Ag/Au Alloyed Nanoislands for Wafer-Level Plasmonic Color Filter Arrays.

Alloyed metals in nanoscale exhibit some intriguing features that are absent in mono-metallic nanostructures. Here we report silver and gold alloyed nanoislands with high tunability of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength in the visible range for wafer-level plasmonic color filter arrays. The nanofabrication includes two simple steps of concurrent thermal evaporation of Ag and Au grains and solid-state dewetting of the as-deposited nanocomposite thin film.

Validation of the Core Seven-Emotions Inventory - short form.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of short form of the Core Seven Emotions Inventory (CSEI-s) scale.

Methods: The participants were third-grade Korean Medicine University students As with the original CSEI, the scales in the short form (CSEI-s) were composed of seven factors and consisted of 28 items in total. The internal consistency coefficient was calculated, and a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the reliability of the short form scale.

The Relationship between Cold Hypersensitivity in the Hands and Feet and Health-Related Quality of Life in Koreans: A Nationwide Population Survey.

Aim: We investigated the distribution of cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet (CHHF) and examined the association between CHHF and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Koreans.

Methods: Stratified multistage sampling was used for random selection of 2,201 adults. HRQOL was assessed using the Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey (SF-12).

Nanoislands as plasmonic materials.

Subwavelength metal nanoislands thermally dewetted from a thin film emerge as a powerful and cost-effective photonic material, due to the formation of substantially strong nano-gap-based plasmonic hot spots and their simple large-area nanofabrication. Unlike conventional nanostructures, nanoislands dewetted from thin metal films can be formed on a large scale at the wafer level and show substrate-dependent plasmonic phenomena across a broad spectral range from ultraviolet to infrared. Substrate-selective dewetting methods for metal nanoislands enable diverse nanophotonic and optoelectronic technologies, underlining mechanical, structural, and material properties of a substrate.

Intraoperative Mannitol Administration Increases the Risk of Postoperative Chronic Subdural Hemorrhage After Unruptured Aneurysm Surgery.

Objective: Although mannitol is used widely to facilitate brain retraction in cases of ruptured aneurysms, there is no consensus about the intraoperative administration of mannitol in the case of unruptured aneurysms. Accordingly, this study was conducted to identify an intraoperative mannitol administration strategy.

Methods: Mannitol was administered routinely to patients (n = 90) from January 2015 to April 2016 and not administered to patients (n = 97) from May 2016 to June 2017.

Antireflective structures on highly flexible and large area elastomer membrane for tunable liquid-filled endoscopic lens.

The antireflection coating on an optical lens plays a key role not only in minimizing specular reflection but also in maximizing light transmission. Antireflective structures (ARS) found in the eyes of moths have the same role as conventional antireflection coating, and they also provide many intriguing features such as broadband coverage, self-antireflection, and strong water repellence. In particular, ARS on a highly flexible membrane can effectively deliver antireflective properties, which are rarely achieved by conventional hard coating.

Meditation-based clinical study to determine the correlation of quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) and 24-hour EEG activity.

Background: The heart continuously transmits information to the cerebrum during each pulse, and influences information processing such as perception, cognition, and emotion, which are processed in the cerebrum. This is the basis for the theory of oriental medicine widely used in psychiatric medicine and clinical practice, so-called Simjushinji (heart and brain) theory, that the heart controls the mind. The present study aims to analyze the correlation between heart and brain function by 24-hour active electrocardiogram and quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement under meditation.

Antireflective glass nanoholes on optical lenses.

Antireflective structures, inspired from moth eyes, are still reserved for practical use due to their large-area nanofabrication and mechanical stability. Here we report an antireflective optical lens with large-area glass nanoholes. The nanoholes increase light transmission due to the antireflective effect, depending on geometric parameters such as fill factor and height.