Exposure characteristics of legacy PFAS, and their precursors and alternatives among children and adolescents of Korea.

Among children and adolescents, exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their substitutes remains poorly characterized. This study analyzed major PFAS and their substitutes in serum samples from 257 children (6-12 years) and 283 adolescents (13-18 years) using the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety biospecimen archive. Eleven compounds, including PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, and 9Cl-PF3ONS, were detected in over 70 % of the participants, with several legacy PFAS detected at levels exceeding those reported elsewhere.

Diminishing reactogenicity with preserved immunogenicity in COVID-19 vaccines: A longitudinal observation from primary to updated booster vaccine cohorts.

Background: Encouraging annual updated COVID-19 vaccinations for high-risk populations is crucial for public health. However, concerns about significant reactogenicity persist, contributing to vaccine hesitancy. To investigate evolving COVID-19 vaccine reactogenicity and immunogenicity, we conducted a longitudinal analysis across three COVID-19 vaccine cohorts.

Scoping Review of Ethical Discourse in Global Cleft Surgery Literature.

Background: The ethical discourse regarding the delivery of global surgical care has increased in the 21 st century. The aims of this manuscript are to explore the differences in ethical domains in the global cleft surgical literature discussed by authors from high-income countries versus lower-middle-income countries and to elucidate changes in ethical discussions over the last decade.

Methods: A thematic coding analysis was completed using NVivo 12 qualitative data analysis software.

Anticancer Effects of BAF312 (Siponimod) in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

Background/aim: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a lethal disease that is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women. BAF312 (siponimod) is a potent and selective sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator that has been approved as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. In addition to its immunomodulatory action, BAF312 shows preclinical antitumor effects in several cancer types.

Evaluation of Anticancer Efficacy of D-α-Tocopheryl Polyethylene-Glycol Succinate and Soluplus Mixed Micelles Loaded with Olaparib and Rapamycin Against Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose: Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate and lowest survival rate among female reproductive system malignancies. There are treatment options of surgery and chemotherapy, but both are limited. In this study, we developed and evaluated micelles composed of D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene-glycol (PEG) 1000 succinate (TPGS) and Soluplus (SOL) loaded with olaparib (OLA), a poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, and rapamycin (RAPA), a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor in ovarian cancer.

The anti-tumor effects of AZD4547 on ovarian cancer cells: differential responses based on c-Met and FGF19/FGFR4 expression.

Background: The FGF/FGFR signaling pathway plays a critical role in human cancers. We analyzed the anti-tumor effect of AZD4547, an inhibitor targeting the FGF/FGFR pathway, in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and strategies on overcoming AZD4547 resistance.

Methods: The effect of AZD4547 on cell viability/migration was evaluated and in vivo experiments in intraperitoneal xenografts using EOC cells and a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model were performed.

Clinical utility of quantitative immunoassays and surrogate virus neutralization tests for predicting neutralizing activity against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.5 variants.

Developing new antibody assays for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants is challenging. SARS-CoV-2 surrogate virus neutralization tests (sVNT) targeting Omicron BA.1 and BA.

Evolution of neutralizing antibodies through vaccination and breakthrough infections in the era of COVID-19 endemicity.

Despite a high vaccination rate, the COVID-19 pandemic continues with immune-evading Omicron variants. The success of additional antigenic stimulation through breakthrough infection (BI) and updated vaccination in overcoming antigenic imprinting needs to be determined. Participants in a long-term follow-up cohort of healthcare worker (HCW) vaccinee were categorized according to their infection/vaccination status.

Ulipristal acetate, a selective progesterone receptor modulator, induces cell death via inhibition of STAT3/CCL2 signaling pathway in uterine sarcoma.

Ulipristal acetate (UPA) is a selective progesterone receptor modulator and is used for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma (a benign tumor). Uterine sarcoma which is highly malignant cancer with a poor prognosis is clinically resembled with uterine leiomyoma. There has been no experimental research on the effect of UPA on uterine sarcoma.

Longitudinal kinetics of neutralizing antibodies against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and estimated level of group immunity of booster-vaccinated individuals during omicron-dominated COVID-19 outbreaks in the Republic of Korea, 2022.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic persisted for 3 years and is now transitioning to endemicity. We illustrated the change in group immunity induced by vaccination (monovalent vaccines) and breakthrough infections (BIs) in a healthcare worker (HCW) cohort. Five sampling points were analyzed: before the third dose and 1, 3, 5, and 8 months after the vaccination.

Maxim Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits the Invasion of Human Ovarian Cancer Cells via Oxidative Stress Regulation.

Maxim (SMM) is a Korean endemic plant belonging to the Crassulaceae family. This study aimed to investigate the antitumor effects of the SMM extract on human ovarian cancer cells. Among five endemic plants grown in Korea, the SMM extract showed the most potent cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and had little effect on normal ovarian surface epithelial cells.

Anticancer Evaluation of Methoxy Poly(Ethylene Glycol)--Poly(Caprolactone) Polymeric Micelles Encapsulating Fenbendazole and Rapamycin in Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose: We aimed to inhibit ovarian cancer (OC) development by interfering with microtubule polymerization and inhibiting mTOR signaling. To achieve this, previously developed micelles containing fenbendazole and rapamycin were applied.

Methods: Herein, we prepared micelles for drug delivery using fenbendazole and rapamycin at a 1:2 molar ratio and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)--poly(caprolactone)(mPEG--PCL) via freeze-drying.

Six-month longitudinal immune kinetics after mRNA-1273 vaccination: Correlation of peak antibody response with long-term, cross-reactive immunity.

Background: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants and the persistence of the pandemic, even with mass coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, have raised questions about the durability of immunity and extent of cross-reactive immunity after vaccination. This study aimed to characterize the humoral and cellular immune response to the mRNA-1273 vaccine using a prospective longitudinal cohort.

Methods: We recruited 177 young SARS-CoV-2 infection-naive adults.

Predictive Value of Reactogenicity for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response in mRNA-1273 Recipients: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination was developed to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, data on antibody kinetics and factors influencing these vaccines' immunogenicity are limited. We conducted a prospective study on healthy young adults who received two doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine at 28-day intervals.

What explains very poor Yelp reviews of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in private practice?

Objective: Websites that maintain online physician ratings, such as Yelp.com, have been growing in popularity throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors increase the risk for very poor reviews (1 out of 5 stars) on Yelp.

Kinetics of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody titers and estimated protective immunity against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant: A prospective nationwide cohort study comparing three COVID-19 vaccination protocols in South Korea.

Introduction: Despite vaccine development, the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing due to immunity-escaping variants of concern (VOCs). Estimations of vaccine-induced protective immunity against VOCs are essential for setting proper COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Methods: We performed plaque-reduction neutralizing tests (PRNTs) using sera from healthcare workers (HCWs) collected from baseline to six months after COVID-19 vaccination and from convalescent COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 vaccine type-dependent differences in immunogenicity and inflammatory response: BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.

Evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of new vaccine platforms is needed to increase public acceptance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Here, we evaluated the association between reactogenicity and immunogenicity in healthy adults following vaccination by analyzing blood samples before and after sequential two-dose vaccinations of BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Outcomes included anti-S IgG antibody and neutralizing antibody responses, adverse events, and proinflammatory cytokine responses.

Neutralizing Activity Against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants Following a Third BNT162b2 Booster Dose According to Three Homologous or Heterologous COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules.

With the emergence and rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta and Omicron variants, escaping vaccine-induced immunity is a concern. Three vaccination schedules, homologous or heterologous, have been initially applied due to an insufficient supply of vaccines in Korea. We investigated neutralizing activities against Omicron and Delta variants in each schedule.