COVID-19 Morbidity and Severity in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.

Purpose: To determine the potential association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a representative chronic age-related degenerative disease of the retina associated with inflammation and aging, and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Design: Nationwide cohort study with propensity-score matching.

Methods: A population-based nationwide cohort in Korea was examined.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Hypertension Screening in the Korea National Health Screening Program.

Background And Objectives: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine hypertension (HTN) screening as a part of the national health-screening program.

Methods: Two aspects of cost-effectiveness were examined using the national general health-screening program. First, the cost of case-finding was computed for 5-year interval age groups.

Methylene Blue Application to Lessen Pain: Its Analgesic Effect and Mechanism.

Methylene blue (MB) is a cationic thiazine dye, widely used as a biological stain and chemical indicator. Growing evidence have revealed that MB functions to restore abnormal vasodilation and notably it is implicated even in pain relief. Physicians began to inject MB into degenerated disks to relieve pain in patients with chronic discogenic low back pain (CDLBP), and some of them achieved remarkable outcomes.

Polymer-Laminated TiCT MXene Electrodes for Transparent and Flexible Field-Driven Electronics.

MXenes (TiCT) are two-dimensional transition-metal carbides and carbonitrides with high conductivity and optical transparency. However, transparent MXene electrodes with high environmental stability suitable for various flexible organic electronic devices have rarely been demonstrated. By laminating a thin polymer film onto a solution-processed MXene layer to protect the MXene film from harsh environmental conditions, we present transparent and flexible MXene electronic devices.

Quality Indicators for Evaluating the Health Care of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Korean Expert Consensus.

Background: There is increasing interest in the quality of health care and considerable efforts are being made to improve it. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that can result in favorable outcomes when appropriate diagnosis and treatment are provided. However, several studies have shown that RA is often managed inappropriately.

Hepatobiliary Adverse Drug Reactions Associated With Remdesivir: The WHO International Pharmacovigilance Study.

Remdesivir has demonstrated clinical benefits in randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and was first approved for COVID-19 patients. However, whether remdesivir causes gastrointestinal adverse drug reaction (GI-ADRs) including hepatotoxicity is less clear. Therefore, we aimed to detect a diverse spectrum of GI-ADRs associated with remdesivir using VigiBase, the World Health Organization's international pharmacovigilance database of individual case safety reports.

Estimating COVID-19 Infection and Severity Risks in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Basic studies suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can affect chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), but there is unclear real-world evidence regarding the association of underlying CRS with the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).

Objective: We aimed to determine whether CRS is associated with increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19.

Methods: Altogether, 219,959 adult patients who tested for SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea from January 1 to May 15, 2020 (excluding self-referral) were identified in this nested case-control study with propensity score matching.

Superior and stable ferroelectric properties of hafnium-zirconium-oxide thin films deposited atomic layer deposition using cyclopentadienyl-based precursors without annealing.

HfO2-based ferroelectric thin films deposited via atomic layer deposition have been extensively studied as promising candidates for next-generation ferroelectric devices. The conversion of an amorphous Hf1-xZrxO2 film to the ferroelectric phase (non-centrosymmetric orthorhombic phase) has been achieved through annealing using a post-thermal process. However, in this study, we present the first report of ferroelectricity of hafnium-zirconium-oxide (HZO) thin films deposited via atomic layer deposition using cyclopentadienyl-based precursors without additional post-thermal processing.

Effect of leaf position and days post-infiltration on transient expression of colorectal cancer vaccine candidate proteins GA733-Fc and GA733-FcK in plant.

Immunization with thetumor-associated antigen GA733 glycoprotein, which is highly expressed in colorectal cancer, is considered to be a promising strategy for cancer prevention and treatment. We cloned a fusion gene of GA733 and immunoglobulin Fc fragment (GA733-Fc), and that of GA733-Fc and an endoplasmic reticulum retention motif (GA733-FcK) into the Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV)-based transient plant expression vector, pEAQ-. (LBA4404) transformed with the vectors pEAQ--GA733-Fc and pEAQ--GA733-FcK was infiltrated into the leaves of plants.

Pharmacokinetic Characterization of Supinoxin and Its Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling in Rats.

Supinoxin is a novel anticancer drug candidate targeting the Y593 phospho-p68 RNA helicase, by exhibiting antiproliferative activity and/or suppression of tumor growth. This study aimed to characterize the in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetics of supinoxin and attempt physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling in rats. Supinoxin has good permeability, comparable to that of metoprolol (high permeability compound) in Caco-2 cells, with negligible net absorptive or secretory transport observed.

The potential pathways underlying the association of propyl-paraben exposure with aeroallergen sensitization and EASI score using metabolomics analysis.

Propyl-paraben exposure is associated with aeroallergen sensitization, but its association with atopic dermatitis (AD) is inconclusive. No studies have been conducted on the metabolomic pathways underlying these associations. We investigated the associations between propyl-paraben exposure and aeroallergen sensitization, AD, and Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score and identified the underlying pathways using untargeted metabolomics analysis.

Association of serum lipopolysaccharide-binding protein level with sensitization to food allergens in children.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) is an acute-phase reactant that mediates innate immune responses triggered by LPS. Recent studies indicated a positive correlation of circulating LBP level with chronic low-grade inflammation, a condition present in many non-communicable diseases. We determined the association of serum LBP concentration with allergic sensitization in a general pediatric population.

Methylene blue induces an analgesic effect by significantly decreasing neural firing rates and improves pain behaviors in rats.

Methylene blue (MB) is a blue cationic thiazine dye and currently used in different medical settings. Notably, there have been several attempts to introduce MB for attenuating pain in the last decade. Some clinical studies reported remarkable results, which, however, have been much debated.

Cohort profile: National Investigation of Birth Cohort in Korea study 2008 (NICKs-2008).

Background: An adequate large-scale pediatric cohort based on nationwide administrative data is lacking in Korea.

Purpose: This study established the National Investigation of Birth Cohort in Korea study 2008 (NICKs-2008) based on data from a nationwide population-based health screening program and data on healthcare utilization for children.

Methods: The NICKs-2008 study consisted of the Korean National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC) databases comprising children born in 2008 (n=469,248) and 2009 (n=448,459) in the Republic of Korea.

Assessment of vitamin D, exercise, and lipid profile associated with excessive daytime sleepiness in school children.

Previous research reported associations of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) with a low vitamin D level, obesity, and sexual maturity. The aim of this study was to identify the association and rank the importance of these with EDS. This study examined 618 children who were 10-12 year-old.

Glutathione Peroxidase 3 as a Biomarker of Recurrence after Lung Cancer Surgery.

We aimed to examine the usefulness of serum glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) as a biomarker of lung cancer recurrence after complete resection. We prospectively collected serial serum samples at the baseline, as well as 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery from complete resection cases in 2013. GPx3 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

3D motion tracking display enabled by magneto-interactive electroluminescence.

Development of a human-interactive display enabling the simultaneous sensing, visualisation, and memorisation of a magnetic field remains a challenge. Here we report a skin-patchable magneto-interactive electroluminescent display, which is capable of sensing, visualising, and storing magnetic field information, thereby enabling 3D motion tracking. A magnetic field-dependent conductive gate is employed in an alternating current electroluminescent display, which is used to produce non-volatile and rewritable magnetic field-dependent display.

Atopic dermatitis: Correlation of severity with allergic sensitization and eosinophilia.

It is widely acknowledged that food sensitization is related to atopic dermatitis in infants and young children. To investigate the association of aeroallergen sensitization with increased rates and severity of atopic dermatitis in school children. We enrolled 576 children (mean age, 9.

Advanced hydrological streamflow simulation in a watershed using adjusted radar-rainfall estimates as meteorological input data.

Among the input data of the watershed model for simulating changes of flowrate in the watershed, weather input data, especially input data related to rainfall, are the most important. Therefore, it is important to ensure the accuracy of rainfall input data to increase the accuracy of the watershed model results. Securing rainfall measurements with finer spatial and temporal resolutions is important in predicting flowrate variations at a sub-catchment, especially as they relate to global and local climate changes in weather conditions such as rainfall depth, rainfall intensity, etc.

Association of serum lipid parameters with the SCORAD index and onset of atopic dermatitis in children.

Background: The association between dyslipidemia and atopic dermatitis in children is unclear. This study investigated the association between dyslipidemia and atopic dermatitis in children by analysis of disease onset, risk factors, and disease severity.

Methods: Subset I examined 7-year-old children in elementary school (n = 248), and Subset II was a retrospective long-term follow-up hospital-based study (n = 52 725) conducted from 1986 to 2016 that used propensity score matching.

Excessive maternal salt intake gives rise to vasopressin-dependent salt sensitivity of blood pressure in male offspring.

Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP) is a trait carrying strong prognostic implications for various cardiovascular diseases. To test the hypothesis that excessive maternal salt intake causes SSBP in offspring through a mechanism dependent upon arginine-vasopressin (AVP), we performed a series of experiments using offspring of the rat dams salt-loaded during pregnancy and lactation with 1.5% saline drink ("experimental offspring") and those with normal perinatal salt exposure ("control offspring").

Airway mechanics after withdrawal of a leukotriene receptor antagonist in children with mild persistent asthma: Double-blind, randomized, cross-over study.

Background: To determine the response of airway mechanics and the changes in asthma symptoms to stepping down of leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) therapy.

Methods: Thirty children (mean age: 7.1 years) with mild, well-controlled, and persistent asthma who took LTRA as maintenance treatment were randomized into a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

Association between mental illness and COVID-19 susceptibility and clinical outcomes in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: Evidence for the associations between mental illness and the likelihood of a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test result and the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 is scarce. We aimed to investigate these associations with data from a national register in South Korea.

Methods: A nationwide cohort study with propensity score matching was done in South Korea using data collected from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea.