Prognosis of Patients With Ischemic Stroke With Prior Anticoagulant Therapy: Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been the drug of choice for preventing ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation since 2014. In previous studies, the stroke risk while taking warfarin was 2 per 100 patient-years and 1.5% per year while taking DOACs.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prenatal Aneuploidy Screening and Diagnostic Testing from Korean Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine: (1) Prenatal Aneuploidy Screening.

In 2019, the Korean Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine developed the first Korean clinical practice guidelines for prenatal aneuploidy screening and diagnostic testing. These guidelines were developed by adapting established clinical practice guidelines in other countries that were searched systematically, and the guidelines aim to assist in decision making of healthcare providers providing prenatal care and to be used as a source for education and communication with pregnant women in Korea. This article delineates clinical practice guidelines specifically for maternal serum screening for fetal aneuploidy and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening.

An unusual presentation of acquired periungual fibrokeratoma: A mixed form of dome-shaped and branching type.

Acquired periungual fibrokeratoma is an uncommon benign fibrous tumour occurring in the periungual area, predominantly the proximal nail fold. We describe a case of acquired periungual fibrokeratoma with an unusual presentation of mixed features including dome-shaped and branching type in order to facilitate the recognition of this variant.

Role of Parental Social Class in Preterm Births and Low Birth Weight in Association with Child Mortality: A National Retrospective Cohort Study in Korea.

Purpose: We explored the role of parental social class in preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) in association with child mortality in Korea.

Materials And Methods: A total of 7,302,732 births in Korea between 1995 and 2007 were used for designing the national retrospective cohort study. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the risk of child death after adjusting for covariates.

Vaginal compared with intramuscular progestogen for preventing preterm birth in high-risk pregnant women (VICTORIA study): a multicentre, open-label randomised trial and meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of two types of progestogen therapy for preventing preterm birth (PTB) and to review the relevant literature.

Design: A multicentre, randomised, open-label, equivalence trial and a meta-analysis.

Setting: Tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea.

Perivascular Stem Cell-Derived Cyclophilin A Improves Uterine Environment with Asherman's Syndrome via HIF1α-Dependent Angiogenesis.

Asherman's syndrome (AS) is characterized by intrauterine adhesions or fibrosis resulting from scarring inside the endometrium. AS is associated with infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and placental abnormalities. Although mesenchymal stem cells show therapeutic promise for the treatment of AS, the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathophysiology remain unclear.

Arginase II Contributes to the Ca/CaMKII/eNOS Axis by Regulating Ca Concentration Between the Cytosol and Mitochondria in a p32-Dependent Manner.

Background Arginase II activity contributes to reciprocal regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase ( eNOS ). We tested the hypotheses that arginase II activity participates in the regulation of Ca/Ca/calmodulin-dependent kinase II / eNOS activation, and this process is dependent on mitochondrial p32. Methods and Results Downregulation of arginase II increased the concentration of cytosolic Ca ([Ca]c) and decreased mitochondrial Ca ([Ca]m) in microscopic and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses, resulting in augmented eNOS Ser1177 phosphorylation and decreased eNOS Thr495 phosphorylation through Ca/Ca/calmodulin-dependent kinase II .

A critical role of hepatitis B virus polymerase in cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and steatosis.

Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world; more than 350 million people are carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chronic HBV infection (CHB) leads to liver diseases such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and steatosis. Despite its seriousness in terms of public health, the pathogenic mechanism of how CHB leads to liver diseases, especially cirrhosis and steatosis, remains unclear.

Vacuum extraction vaginal delivery: current trend and safety.

Operative vaginal birth retains an important role in current obstetric practice. However, there is an increasing trend in the rate of cesarean section in Korea. Surgical delivery is more advantageous than cesarean section, but the rate of operative vaginal delivery is decreasing for various reasons.

Kurarinone promotes TRAIL-induced apoptosis by inhibiting NF-κB-dependent cFLIP expression in HeLa cells.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of the prenylated flavonoid kurarinone on TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis and its underlying mechanism. A low dose of kurarinone had no significant effect on apoptosis, but this compound markedly promoted tumor cell death through elevation of Bid cleavage, cytochrome c release release and caspase activation in HeLa cells treated with TRAIL. Caspase inhibitors inhibited kurarinone-mediated cell death, which indicates that the cytotoxic effect of this compound is mediated by caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Nitric oxide suppresses inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by inhibiting post-translational modification of IkappaB.

The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is a critical factor in both normal physiological functions and the pathogenesis of disease. This study was undertaken to determine the molecular mechanism by which nitric oxide (NO) exerts negative feedback regulation on iNOS gene expression. Isolated rat hepatocytes stimulated with cytokines exhibited a marked increase in NO production as well as iNOS mRNA and protein levels, which were significantly reduced by pretreatment of the NO donors S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP) and V-PYRRO/NO.