Expanded Hemodialysis with Theranova Dialyzer and Residual Kidney Function in Incident Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Expanded hemodialysis (HD) using a medium cut-off dialyzer improves the clearance of middle-molecular toxins compared to conventional HD. This study evaluated the effect of expanded HD on preserving residual kidney function in incident HD patients.

Methods: Patients who initiated HD were randomized to receive dialysis with either a Theranova 400 (Baxter) or a high-flux dialyzer with a similar surface area over 12 months.

Safety of the reduced fixed dose of mycophenolate mofetil confirmed via therapeutic drug monitoring in de novo kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is usually prescribed with a reduced fixed dose in Asian kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). However, the clinical efficacy and safety of the fixed dose have not yet been investigated via therapeutic drug monitoring. We evaluated whether reduced fixed-dose MMF is an optimal dosing strategy to achieve the therapeutic target of mycophenolic acid (MPA) exposure in Korean KTRs.

The impact of shortening patient-doctor contact duration on early peritoneal dialysis-related infections.

Early peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related infection is a severe complication. This study investigated the relationship between patient-doctor contact (PDC) duration and early PD-related infection. In the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS) Korea, incident dialysis patients receiving PD were divided into two groups based on PDC duration (< 15 min versus ≥ 15 min), which was defined as the duration a nephrologist typically spends with a patient receiving PD during each visit according to the facility practice pattern.

Cardioprotective Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitor in Diabetic Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Multicenter Propensity Score Matched Study.

Introduction: Kidney transplantation (KT) improves the cardiovascular outcomes of patients with end-stage kidney disease. However, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of premature death and graft loss in KT recipients (KTRs) with diabetes. We evaluated the cardioprotective effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in KTRs with diabetes.

Phosphate level predicts mortality in acute kidney injury patients undergoing continuous kidney replacement therapy and has a U-shaped association with mortality in patients with high disease severity: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: This study investigated the association between serum phosphate level and mortality in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients undergoing continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) and evaluated whether this association differed according to disease severity.

Methods: Data from eight tertiary hospitals in Korea were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were classified into four groups (low, normal, high, and very high) based on their serum phosphate level at baseline.

Clinical Outcomes of Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are expected to have worse clinical outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, published studies have shown mixed results, depending on adjustment for important confounders such as age, variants, and vaccination status.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively collected the data on 7,327 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from two tertiary hospitals with government-designated COVID-19 regional centers.

A Janus branch filter for washing machines: Simultaneous removal of microplastics and surfactants.

Emerging pollutants, such as microplastics (MPs), are becoming a significant issue worldwide. The highest percentage of MPs released into the environment occurs through daily laundry. The average weight of dreg obtained from 5 kg of laundry was 1.

Effects of a lower limb rehabilitation robot with various training modes in patients with stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: The effect of robot-assisted gait training has been demonstrated to improve gait recovery in patients with stroke. The aim of this study was to determine effects of robot-assisted gait training with various training modes in patients post stroke.

Methods: Forty-seven patients post stroke were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups: Healbot T with pelvic off mode (pelvic off group; n = 11); Healbot T with pelvic control mode (pelvic on group; n = 12); Healbot T with constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) mode (CIMT group; n = 10); and conventional physiotherapy (control group; n = 10).

Pyrolytic Remediation and Ecotoxicity Assessment of Fuel-Oil-Contaminated Soil.

Oil-contaminated soil is a major societal problem for humans and the environment. In this study, the pyrolysis method was applied to oil-contaminated soil used as a landfill and gas station site in Korea. The removal efficiency of the main components of oil-contaminated soils, such as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), unresolved complex mixture (UCM), and alkylated PAHs (Alk-PAHs) were measured, and the effect of temperature, treatment time, and moisture content on pyrolysis efficiency was studied.

Solar-Driven Unmanned Hazardous and Noxious Substance Trapping Devices Equipped with Reverse Piloti Structures and Cooling Systems.

A solar-driven unmanned hazardous and noxious substance (HNS) trapping device that can absorb, evaporate, condense, and collect HNSs was prepared. The HNS trapping device was composed of three parts: a reverse piloti structure (RPS) for absorption and evaporation of HNSs, Al mirrors with optimized angles for focusing light, and a cooling line system for the condensation of HNSs. The RPS was fabricated by assembling a lower rectangle structure and an upper hollow column.

Hybrid Bead Air Filters with Low Pressure Drops at a High Flow Rate for the Removal of Particulate Matter and HCHO.

A tower air filtration system was designed in which bead air filters (BAFs) were actively rotated by a fan motor to remove particulate matter (PM) or HCHO gas. Three types of BAF, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and hybrid, were prepared and compared for the removal of PM and HCHO gas. A tower air filtration system loaded with hybrid BAFs purified 3.

Who Will Continuously Depend on Compression to Control Persistent or Progressive Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Despite 2 Years of Conservative Care?

Background: When a patient with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) depends on continuous compression management, that is, when interstitial fluid accumulation is continuously ongoing, surgical treatment should be considered. Physiologic surgery is considered more effective for early-stage lymphedema. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of patients with BCRL who will be compression-dependent despite 2 years of conservative care.

Bioimpedance Analysis for Predicting Outcomes of Complex Decongestive Therapy for Gynecological Cancer Related Lymphedema: A Feasibility Study.

Objective: To determine whether the bioimpedance analysis (BIA) ratios of upper to lower extremities could predict treatment outcomes after complex decongestive therapy (CDT) for gynecological cancer related lymphedema (GCRL).

Methods: A retrospective study, from March 2015 to December 2018, was conducted. The study sample comprised patients receiving CDT, 30 minutes per day, for 10 days.

Reference values of bioelectrical impedance analysis for detecting breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Secondary lymphedema is a chronic debilitating lifelong complication and early diagnosis is crucial. The Inbody 720, which is widely used, has no universal index of diagnostic criteria for test results. We aim to determine the normal range, cutoff values, and mean + standard deviation values of extracellular fluid (ECF) and the single frequency bioimpedance (SFBIA) ratios for the diagnosis of lymphedema and suggest the usefulness of these values for detecting lymphedema.

Hemolysis During Open-Heart Surgery With Vacuum-Assisted Venous Drainage at Different Negative Pressures in Pediatric Patients Weighing Less Than 10 kilograms.

Background: This study examined the degree of hemolysis during vacuum-assisted venous drainage at different negative pressures to identify an adequate negative pressure that provides effective venous drainage without significant hemolysis in open-heart surgery in children weighing less than 10 kg.

Methods: Patients weighing less than 10 kg who underwent surgery for ventricular septal defect or atrial septal defect from 2011 to 2014 were enrolled. We used one of four negative pressures (20, 30, 40, or 60 mm Hg) for each patient.

Strategic camouflage treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion (mandibular prognathism) using bone-borne rapid maxillary expansion and mandibular anterior subapical osteotomy.

This case report presents the camouflage treatment that successfully improved the facial profile of a patient with a skeletal Class III malocclusion using bone-borne rapid maxillary expansion and mandibular anterior subapical osteotomy. The patient was an 18-year-old woman with chief complaints of crooked teeth and a protruded jaw. Camouflage treatment was chosen because she rejected orthognathic surgery under general anesthesia.

Accuracy and precision of integumental linear dimensions in a three-dimensional facial imaging system.

Objective: A recently developed facial scanning method uses three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging with a light-emitting diode. Such scanning enables surface data to be captured in high-resolution color and at relatively fast speeds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and precision of 3D images obtained using the Morpheus 3D® scanner (Morpheus Co.

Effect of self-ligating bracket type and vibration on frictional force and stick-slip phenomenon in diverse tooth displacement conditions: an in vitro mechanical analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of self-ligating bracket (SLB) type and vibration on frictional force and stick-slip phenomenon (SSP) in diverse tooth displacement conditions when a levelling/alignment wire was drawn.

Materials And Methods: A total of 16 groups were tested (n = 10/group): Two types of SLBs [active SLB (ASLB, In-Ovation R) and passive SLB (PSLB, Damon Q)]; vibration (30 Hz and 0.25 N) and non-vibration conditions; and 4 types of displacement [2mm lingual displacement of the maxillary right lateral incisor (LD), 2mm gingival displacement of the maxillary right canine (GD), combination of LD and GD (LGD), and control].

Treatment and retention of relapsed anterior open-bite with low tongue posture and tongue-tie: A 10-year follow-up.

The purpose of the current report is to present 6-year long-term stability and 10-year follow-up data for an adult patient who was treated with a tongue elevator for relapsed anterior open-bite. The 19-year-old male patient presented with the chief complaint of difficulty in chewing his food. Collectively, clinical and radiographic examinations revealed an anterior open-bite, low tongue posture, and tongue-tie.

Camouflage treatment of skeletal class III malocclusion with asymmetry using a bone-borne rapid maxillary expander.

This case report presents the successful use of palatal mini-implants for rapid maxillary expansion and mandibular distalization in a skeletal Class III malocclusion. The patient was a 13-year-old girl with the chief complaint of facial asymmetry and a protruded chin. Camouflage orthodontic treatment was chosen, acknowledging the possibility of need for orthognathic surgery after completion of her growth.

Effect of tooth displacement and vibration on frictional force and stick-slip phenomenon in conventional brackets: a preliminary in vitro mechanical analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of tooth displacement and vibration on frictional force and stick-slip phenomenon (SSP) when conventional brackets were used with a levelling/alignment wire.

Materials And Methods: The samples consisted of six groups (n = 10 per group) with combinations of tooth displacement (2mm lingual displacement [LD], 2mm gingival displacement [GD], and no displacement [control]) and vibration conditions (absence and presence at 30 Hz and 0.25 N).

Enhanced device performance of germanium nanowire junctionless (GeNW-JL) MOSFETs by germanide contact formation with Ar plasma treatment.

In this study, germanium nanowire junctionless (GeNW-JL) metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) exhibited enhanced electrical performance with low source/drain (S/D) contact resistance under the influence of Ar plasma treatment on the contact regions. We found that the transformation of the surface oxide states by Ar plasma treatment affected the S/D contact resistance. With Ar plasma treatment, the germanium dioxide on the GeNW surface was effectively removed and increased oxygen vacancies were formed in the suboxide on the GeNW, whose germanium-enrichment surface was obtained to form a germanide contact at low temperature.