Impact of obesity on palpation-guided distal radial access for coronary procedures: subgroup analysis of the multicenter, prospective KODRA registry.

Background: There is limited data on the impact of body mass index (BMI) on distal radial access (DRA). Using a large-scale prospective registry, the influence of obesity on DRA outcomes was evaluated, including cannulation and complications.

Methods: Using data from the prospective, multicenter KODRA (Korean Prospective Registry for Evaluation the Safety and Efficacy of Distal Radial Approach) registry data, 4,638 patients who planned palpation-guided distal radial artery puncture were enrolled into two groups, both with body mass index (BMI) information available: obese (n = 2,205; BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) and non-obese (n = 2,433).

Establishing consensus recommendations for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in South Korea: A modified Delphi study.

Purpose: Consensus is lacking among South Korean urologists on the appropriate treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). A modified, Delphi-based consensus on managing mHSPC patients was developed to support clinical decision-making.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-six questions on mHSPC treatment were developed by an expert committee (five urologists).

The Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of ALT-BB4 (A Novel Recombinant Hyaluronidase): A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1 Study in Healthy Volunteers.

Introduction: Hyaluronidase has been used as an adjuvant to facilitate subcutaneous drug delivery by degrading hyaluronic acid, a viscoelastic barrier in subcutaneous tissue. However, traditional animal-derived hyaluronidases raise safety concerns, including risk of anaphylaxis and zoonoses. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ALT-BB4, a novel recombinant hyaluronidase derived from human hyaluronidase PH20, in healthy adults.

Advances in large-scale DNA engineering with the CRISPR system.

In recent years, DNA engineering technology has undergone significant advancements, with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based target-specific DNA insertion emerging as one of the most rapidly expanding and widely studied approaches. Traditional DNA insertion technologies employing recombinases typically involve introducing foreign DNA into genes in vivo by either pre-engineering recognition sequences specific to the recombinase or through genetic crossing to incorporate the requisite recognition sequence into the target gene. However, CRISPR-based gene insertion technologies have advanced to streamline this engineering process by combining the CRISPR-Cas module with recombinase enzymes.

Hydrophobic LDH-Tailored Exfoliated Graphene Sheet Energy Harvester: Harnessing Pressure-Driven Heating and Electrolysis for Advanced Real Applications.

Hydrovoltaic harvesting converts water-solid interactions into electricity, offering a sustainable power route across diverse settings. Yet most systems are hard to scale, suffer evaporation-limited lifetimes, and lack multifunctionality, limiting real-world application. To overcome these limitations, a highly optimized multifunctional hydrovoltaic harvester is developed by integrating exfoliated graphene oxide sheet (EGs) and hydrophobic layered double hydroxide (LDH) coatings onto a porous melamine foam scaffold.

Genome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses identify novel candidate genes affecting serum cortisol levels using imputed whole-genome sequencing data in pigs.

In swine breeding programs, it has now become critically important to emphasize selection for resilience to external environmental stress factors that have negatively impacted the productivity of pigs, such as those due to climate change induced temperature increases, or the intensification of housing environments. Secretion of cortisol, a neurophysiological change mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, is a central mechanism in the biological stress response. This hormone is closely related to pig robustness and health and can serve as an informative indicator of stress resistance and robustness in pigs.

Association between metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and the risk of thyroid cancer: a nationwide cohort study.

Background/aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with various metabolic disorders; however, its relationship with thyroid cancer remains unclear. This study investigated the association between MASLD and the risk of thyroid cancer.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database on individuals who underwent three or more health examinations between January 2002 and December 2015.

Adenosine A receptor agonist polydeoxyribonucleotide ameliorates acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis via modulating PI3K/Akt/VEGF signaling pathway.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by an abnormal immune response. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), which acts on adenosine A receptors (AR), inhibits the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. We aimed to elucidate the effects of PDRN on acetic acid-induced UC rats.

Pharmacometabolomics uncovers key metabolic changes in the first-in-human study of β-lapachone derivative.

Introduction: WK0202, a β-lapachone derivative under clinical development, activates NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1), acting as a detoxifying and antioxidant agent. In this study, a metabolomics investigation of β-lapachone derivatives in humans is performed to characterize drug-induced alterations in endogenous metabolic pathways.

Objectives: This study investigated metabolic alterations induced by WK0202 administration and their potential association with its therapeutic mechanism and efficacy.

Improved genomic prediction accuracy by genetic relatedness using a crossbred pig population.

Genomic prediction is crucial in animal breeding because it facilitates the selection of superior individuals based on genotype data. The success of genomic prediction is determined by its accuracy, which depends on the size of the reference population and relatedness between the reference and test populations. However, not all populations have large, highly genetically related reference populations.

Enhancing Electroencephalogram-Based Prediction of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Response Using Data Augmentation.

Objective: This study aimed to improve the prediction of treatment response in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by applying a variational autoencoder (VAE)-based data augmentation (DA) approach to electroencephalogram (EEG) data.

Methods: EEG spectrograms were collected from patients diagnosed with PTSD. A VAE model was pretrained on the original spectrograms and used to generate augmented data samples.

Anatomical Snuffbox Versus Dorsum of the Hand for Optimal Access Site in Distal Radial Access: Insight From the KODRA Registry.

Background And Objectives: Distal radial access (DRA) has been recognized as an alternative to conventional radial access, with potential puncture sites at the anatomical snuffbox and on the dorsum of the hand. However, the optimal puncture site remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DRA at these two sites.

LAG3 Marks Activated but Hyporesponsive NK Cells.

NK cells are critical for immunosurveillance, yet become dysfunctional when chronically stimulated by virally infected or cancerous cells. This phenomenon is similar to T cell exhaustion but less characterized, limiting therapeutic interventions. As shown for T cells, NK cells often display an increased expression of immune checkpoint proteins (ICP) following chronic stimulation, and ICP blockade therapies are currently being explored for several cancer types, with remarkable patient benefits.

Distal radial access in elderly patients aged 70 years and older for coronary procedures: Lessons from the KODRA registry.

Background: While distal radial access (DRA) is increasingly adopted for coronary procedures, evidence supporting its use in elderly patients remains limited. This study evaluated the feasibility and safety of DRA in elderly patients using data from the KODRA registry.

Methods: A total of 4941 patients were divided into elderly (≥70 years; n = 2091) and non-elderly (<70 years; n = 2850) groups.

Pharmacokinetic comparison between the fixed-dose combination of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe 2.5/10 mg and the co-administration of individual formulations in healthy subjects.

Unlabelled: The combination therapy of low-dose rosuvastatin and ezetimibe has shown similar efficacy in decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to high-dose rosuvastatin monotherapy. This study aimed to compare the pharmacokinetics (PKs) between the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe 2.5/10 mg and the co-administration of individual formulations.

Association between the difference in creatinine-based and creatinine-cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rates and vancomycin systemic exposure after ventricular assist device surgery.

Vancomycin is widely used as a prophylactic antibiotic for ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation to prevent infections, the most common complication. As vancomycin is renally eliminated, an accurate renal function estimation is essential. However, it has been reported that creatinine-based models inaccurately estimate renal function in VAD recipients, and cystatin C could alleviate the limitation.

Association between body mass index and survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background/aims: The unclear relationship between body mass index (BMI) and post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) mortality was investigated, including the impact of metabolic diseases.

Methods: This retrospective study conducted at a Korean tertiary hospital (2009-2021) included patients who underwent HSCT. Patients were categorized as underweight (BMI < 18.

The yield and properties of cellulose nanocrystals extracted from HCl vapor-Prehydrolyzed torch ginger stem cellulose.

Torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) stem is a valuable non-wood biomass source for nanocellulose production, due to its high cellulose content and widespread availability. This study examined the yield and properties of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) of cellulose extracted from torch ginger stems, comparing the HSO hydrolysis of samples with and without HCl vapor prehydrolysis. The cellulose extraction was performed using the Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide-Peracetic Acid (AHP-PAA) method (CO1), followed by a 24-h pretreatment with HCl vapor (CO2).

Predicting antidepressant responsiveness in major depressive disorder patients via electroencephalography gamma-band dynamic functional connectivity in response to salient auditory stimuli.

Background: Heterogeneous pathophysiological characteristics in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) lead to individually differentiated sensitivities to antidepressants. Based on the hypothesis that gamma-band dynamic fluctuations in cortical functional connectivity (FC) in response to salient stimuli are linked to pathophysiological characteristics, we conducted a classification analysis for antidepressant responsiveness prediction.

Methods: Biosignals and psychological measures were acquired from 47 patients with MDD prior to treatment.

Precise progerin targeting using RfxCas13d: A therapeutic avenue for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), an extremely rare progressive genetic disorder, is caused by a point mutation in LMNA that induces progerin production, which disrupts cellular function and triggers premature aging and mortality. Despite extensive efforts, HPGS remains incurable. We successfully implemented a strategy using RfxCas13d to selectively target progerin mRNA at specific junction regions, without unintended cleavage and reduce its expression.

Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes: The Role of Kidney Function.

Objective: The association of lipid parameters with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the impact of kidney function on this association have not been thoroughly evaluated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service Cohort database, we identified 2,343,882 subjects with T2DM in 2015-2016. Baseline lipid levels and kidney function were evaluated and followed up until December 2020.

Longitudinal gut microbiota dynamics in Antarctic research mission crews.

Introduction: A prolonged stay at Antarctic research stations poses unique challenges due to extreme environmental conditions, restricted diets, and cold temperatures, all of which can influence the gut microbiota, an important factor in host health. However, our understanding of how the Antarctic environment affects the gut microbiota remains limited due to small cohort sizes and short study durations.

Methods: We analyzed 467 fecal samples collected longitudinally from 48 participants who stayed at Antarctic stations for up to 16 months.

Income and Severe Hypoglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: Socioeconomic disparities are increasingly recognized as key factors in health outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes. Understanding how income level and its changes are associated with severe hypoglycemia risk may inform targeted interventions and policy decisions.

Objective: To evaluate the association between income level, including changes in income status, and the risk of severe hypoglycemia, and to assess whether this association varies across key subgroups in middle-aged adults.