A thymine-challenge test to prospectively evaluate dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity for risk of severe 5-fluorouracil-induced gastrointestinal toxicity.

Purpose: Inherited dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency is a risk factor for severe 5-fluorouracil toxicity. We report a phenotyping approach (thymine challenge test) to prospectively determine DPD activity and the association with severe adverse events.

Methods: The primary aim of this prospective study was to determine whether a thymine challenge test could prospectively identify patients at risk of severe toxicity from treatment with 5-fluorouracil/capecitabine in combination chemotherapy schedules or monotherapy.

Unsustainable and overworked: unpacking the challenges faced by pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in Korea.

Background: Pediatric cardiologists (PCs) and pediatric cardiac surgeons (PedCSs) in Korea face growing workforce shortages due to declining birth rates, decreasing interest among trainees, and increasing burnout.

Purpose: This study investigated the working conditions, job satisfaction, and burnout levels among Korean PCs and PedCSs.

Methods: In June 2023, the Korean Pediatric Heart Society distributed a structured questionnaire via email to 149 members actively practicing pediatric cardiac care (115 PCs, 34 PedCSs).

Predicting neurological complications post clipping surgery in unruptured intracranial aneurysms using the NEURO score: a multi-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Predicting fatal neurological complications after clipping surgery for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) is crucial; however, existing scoring systems are limited by narrow consideration of factors. We aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive risk stratification scoring system that incorporates patient-, aneurysm-, and operation-specific variables for predicting postoperative neurological complications in UIA surgeries.

Methods: This multi-center retrospective cohort study was conducted from September 2018 to October 2023.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sublingual microdosed lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy adult volunteers.

Introduction: Microdosing is the practice of taking psychedelic drugs at doses that produce no or minimal perceptible subjective or behavioural effects. This study investigated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of microdosed lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

Methods: This was a Phase 1 double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-groups trial with 80 healthy male volunteers (four withdrawals due to anxiety).

Different risk factors for elevated blood pressure according to abdominal obesity in overweight children and adolescents.

Background: The increasing hypertension (HTN) prevalence in children, largely driven by obesity, highlights the need to investigate its risk factors, including the role of abdominal obesity.

Methods: We analysed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2021) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity (OW-OB), elevated blood pressure (EBP), and HTN among 11,554 participants aged 10-18 years. EBP and HTN were defined according to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, and abdominal obesity was defined as a waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of ≥ 0.

Automated system for establishing standard radiation dose-response curves and dose estimation for the Korean population.

Biological dosimetry is crucial for estimating the doses from biological samples and guiding medical interventions for accidental radiation exposure. This study aimed to derive rapid and precise dose estimates using a dicentric chromosome assay. To address the challenges of manual scoring of dicentric chromosomes, we upgraded an automatic system aimed at enhancing the precision of dicentric chromosome detection while reducing the need for human intervention.

Enhanced Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Fermented L. Peel Extracts Against Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Damage.

: The skin, being the body's outermost organ, plays a vital role in protecting against various external stimuli. Ultraviolet generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), promoting the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and inducing collagen degradation. Many studies have been conducted to identify natural substances that can prevent or delay the harmful effects of UV.

Safety and Effectiveness of a Novel Integrated Angiography System for Continuous Guidance and Flushing in Diagnostic Cerebral Catheter Angiography: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Purpose: The guided angiography system, an integrated angiography system, enables continuous guidance and flushing during diagnostic procedures. A guidewire provides guidance by remaining inside the catheter during contrast injection into tortuous vessels. While its feasibility was demonstrated in a retrospective study, this randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate its safety and effectiveness.

Benn. Attenuates Monosodium Urate-Induced Gouty Arthritis: A Network Pharmacology Investigation of Its Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms.

Monosodium urate crystal accumulation in the joints is the cause of gout, an inflammatory arthritis that is initiated by elevated serum uric acid levels. It is the most prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis, affecting millions worldwide, and requires effective treatments. The necessity for alternatives with fewer side effects is underscored by the frequent adverse effects of conventional therapies, such as urate-lowering drugs.

Collaborative activities in a biological dosimetry network for radiation emergencies in South Korea.

Purpose: Biological dosimetry is an essential analytic method to estimate the absorbed radiation dose in the human body by measuring changes in biomolecules after radiation exposure. Joint response in a network to mass-casualty radiation incidents is one way to overcome the limitations of biological dosimetry, sharing the workload among laboratories. This study aimed to investigate the current performance, collaborative activities and technical advances of the Korea biodosimetry network (K-BioDos), and suggest the future directions toward successful joint response.

Obesity and hypertension in children and adolescents.

As childhood obesity rates increase worldwide, the prevalence of obesity-related hypertension is also on the rise. Obesity has been identified as a significant risk factor for hypertension in this age group. National Health Surveys and meta-analyses show increasing trends in obesity and pediatric hypertension in obese children.

Neuroprotective effects of fermented blueberry and black rice against particulate matter 2.5 μm-induced inflammation and .

The increasing prevalence of particulate matter (PM) has raised significant concerns about its adverse effects on human health. This study investigates the potential of fermented blueberry and black rice (FBBR) in mitigating the effects of PM2.5 in SH-SY5Y cells and mice.

Hypointense signal lesion on susceptibility-weighted imaging as a potential indicator of vertebral artery dissection in medullary infarction.

Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is often associated with medullary infarction; however, an underlying cause may be underestimated. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic potential of hypointense signal lesions along the arterial pathways using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) as a feasible indicator of VAD in medullary infarction. A retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography records of 79 patients diagnosed with medullary infarction between January 2014 and December 2021.

Lessons on harmonization of scoring criteria for dicentric chromosome assay in South Korea.

Purpose: Networking with other biodosimetry laboratories is necessary to assess the radiation exposure of many individuals in large-scale radiological accidents. The Korea biodosimetry network, K-BioDos, prepared harmonized scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay to obtain homogeneous results within the network and investigated the efficiency of the guidelines.

Materials And Methods: Three laboratories in K-BioDos harmonized the scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay.

The moderating effect of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in relation to occupational stress and health-related quality of life of construction workers: a cross-sectional research.

Background: This study aimed to investigate work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), occupational stress, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); identify the factors that affect HRQoL; and investigate the moderating effects of WMSDs on occupational stress and HRQoL.

Methods: The participants were construction workers who had worked in the construction industry for over three months. A total of 178 construction workers voluntarily participated and anonymously completed the musculoskeletal symptoms questionnaire, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale, short-form 36.

Association between arterial tortuosity and early neurological deterioration in lenticulostriate artery infarction.

Early neurological deterioration (END) in lenticulostriate artery (LSA) infarction is associated with perforating artery hypoperfusion. As middle cerebral artery (MCA) tortuosity may alter hemodynamics, we investigated the association between MCA tortuosity and END in LSA infarction. We reviewed patients with acute LSA infarction without significant MCA stenosis.

A Case of Pirfenidone-Induced Photosensitive Drug Eruption.

A 75-year-old male was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and treated with pirfenidone. He presented with an erythematous thick scaly patch on his face, neck, and both hands and arms. He had a history of significant exposure to sunlight without using sunscreen.

Biological dosimetry dose-response curves for residents living near nuclear power plants in South Korea.

The purpose of this study was to establish the dose-response curves for biological dosimetry of the Dong Nam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences to monitor radiation exposure of local residents in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. The blood samples of five healthy volunteers were irradiated with gamma ray, and each sample was divided equally for analysis of chromosomal aberrations by Giemsa staining and three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization painting of the triplet (chromosomes #1, #2, and #4). The results of chromosomal aberrations followed the Poisson distribution in all individual and averaged data which include inter-individual variation in radiation susceptibility.

miR-429 Suppresses Endometrial Cancer Progression and Drug Resistance via DDX53.

(1) Background: To examine miR-429-meditated DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 53 (DDX53) function in endometrial cancer (EC). (2) Methods: DDX53 and miR-429 levels were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting assays, cell invasion and migration using Transwell invasion and wound healing assays, and cell proliferation using colony-forming/proliferation assays. A murine xenograft model was also generated to examine miR-429 and DDX53 functions in vivo.

Association between Rapid Ventricular Response and Stroke Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation-Related Cardiac Embolic Stroke.

Introduction: Patients with atrial fibrillation-related stroke (AF-stroke) are prone to developing rapid ventricular response (RVR). We investigated whether RVR is associated with initial stroke severity, early neurological deterioration (END) and poor outcome at 3 months.

Methods: We reviewed patients who had AF-stroke between January 2017 and March 2022.