Assessment of Patient Experience During Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer.

Active surveillance is a preferred strategy for patients with low-risk prostate cancer to delay and/or avoid side effects of treatment. While its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been studied, factors influencing follow-up adherence and patient involvement in active surveillance protocols remain less understood. This study aimed to explore patient perspectives on testing modalities, frequencies, and satisfaction with active surveillance.

Nationwide Machine Learning-Ensemble PM Mapping Prediction and Forecasting Models in South Korea with High Spatiotemporal Resolution and Health Risk Estimation-Based Evaluations.

Several tudies developed machine learning-based PM prediction models; however, nationwide models addressing both mapping prediction and forecasting were limited. Further, although the prediction accuracy is different from PM-related health risk estimation, previous studies solely examined the prediction accuracy. This study suggests a method to assess the statistical properties of PM-health risk estimation, which also can be used as a model selection.

Assessing the utility of the COVID-19 epidemic Situations of Concern classification system in guiding operational responses to the pandemic in the WHO African region: retrospective analysis.

During a public health emergency, early implementation of response activities is crucial for saving lives and protecting livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, posed a global public health crisis that required timely decision-making despite limited data and capacity. In this context, WHO's Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) developed the Situations of Concern (SOC) classification system to assess and monitor epidemiological risk across its 47 Member States.

Tobacco smoking as an endocrine disrupting chemical: An assessment through biological monitoring.

Introduction: Tobacco smoke is a mixture of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which may accelerate biological ageing.

Methods: Within this cross-sectional study we recruited adult and adolescent subjects (2013-2014) and performed biological monitoring to clarify health end points of tobacco smoking between adolescents and adults (n=620) with exposure biomarkers, i.e.

Feasibility and Acceptability of the Smarthealth Intervention for Dementia Caregivers. A Qualitative Analysis of a Single-Group Pilot Study.

Aim(s): To explore the feasibility and acceptability of acoustic monitoring and real-time recommendations for stress detection and management (i.e., smarthealth intervention).

Nationwide association between ambient ozone and sudden cardiac arrests in South Korea.

Several studies reported the association between ambient ozone and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, due to the limited geographical scope of monitoring, existing research has not fully evaluated the nationwide risk or identified high-risk populations. We conducted a nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study to examine the association between short-term outdoor ozone exposure during the warm season (April-September) and OHCA in South Korea (2015-2019), with a machine learning ensemble model for ozone (R > 0.

Vaccination with mRNA-encoded nanoparticles drives early maturation of HIV bnAb precursors in humans.

A leading HIV vaccine strategy requires a priming immunogen to induce broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) precursors, followed by a series of heterologous boosters to elicit somatic hypermutation (SHM) and produce bnAbs. In two randomized, open-label phase 1 human clinical trials, IAVI G002 in the United States and IAVI G003 in Rwanda and South Africa (IAVI, International Aids Vaccine Initiative), we evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-encoded nanoparticles as priming immunogens (both trials) and first-boosting immunogens (IAVI G002). The vaccines were generally safe and well tolerated, except that 18% of IAVI G002 participants experienced skin reactions.

Outcomes of immunosuppressive therapy discontinuation in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

Background: Research on the optimal duration of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) and the outcome upon its discontinuation in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) remains limited.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes following IST discontinuation in MOGAD.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study collected data from 333 MOGAD patients in Korea.

Evaluating Rituximab Failure Rates in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: A Nationwide Real-World Study From South Korea.

Background And Purpose: Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation.

Soft Variable Resistance Material for Pressure Sensing Platform.

Herein, we present the mechanical response of two porous and conductive foams made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyurethane (PU). A coating of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) renders the foams with positive piezo-conductivity, which is useful for sensing mechanical loads. Such materials are useful as sensors to improve the fitting process of a prosthetic socket for lower limb amputees, PDMS and PU are used commonly in prosthetic liners; here, we modify them with CNTs to convert these soft foams to sensor elements.

Connecting the Dots: Sintering of Liquid Metal Particles for Soft and Stretchable Conductors.

This review focuses on the sintering of liquid metal particles (LMPs). Here, sintering means the partial merging or connecting of particles (or droplets) to form a network of percolated and, thus, conductive electrical pathways. LMPs are attractive materials because they can be suspended in a carrier fluid to create printable inks or distributed in an elastomer to create soft, stretchable composites.

homeRNA self-blood collection enables high-frequency temporal profiling of presymptomatic host immune kinetics to respiratory viral infection: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Early host immunity to acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is heterogenous, dynamic, and critical to an individual's infection outcome. Due to limitations in sampling frequency/timepoints, kinetics of early immune dynamics in natural human infections remain poorly understood. In this nationwide prospective cohort study, we leveraged a Tasso-SST based self-blood collection and stabilization tool (homeRNA) to profile detailed kinetics of the presymptomatic to convalescence host immunity to contemporaneous respiratory pathogens.

Complete genome sequence of Pseudarthrobacter sp. NIBRBAC000502770 from coal mine of Hongcheon on Republic of Korea.

Objectives: The data were collected to obtain the complete genome sequence of Pseudarthrobacter sp. NIBRBAC000502770, isolated from the rhizosphere of Sasamorpha in a heavy metal-contaminated coal mine in Hongcheon, Republic of Korea. The objective was to explore the strain's genetic potential for plant growth promotion and heavy metal resistance, particularly arsenate and copper.

Countries' progress towards Global Health Security (GHS) increased health systems resilience during the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic: A difference-in-difference study of 191 countries.

Research on health systems resilience during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 pandemic frequently used the Global Health Security Index (GHSI), a composite index scoring countries' health security and related capabilities. Conflicting results raised questions regarding the validity of the GHSI as a reliable index. This study attempted to better characterize when and to what extent countries' progress towards Global Health Security (GHS) augments health systems resilience.

PM and hospitalizations through the emergency department in people with disabilities: a nationwide case-crossover study in South Korea.

Background: Little is known about the impact of PM on people with disabilities. We aimed to explore the association between PM and hospitalization via the emergency department (ED admission) among people with disabilities, together with the attributable ED admission cases and costs.

Methods: We applied a time-stratified case-crossover design adjusting ozone, holiday, and temperature using seven years (2015-2021) of claim-based data on ED admissions from the Korean National Health Insurance Database.

Injectable "Skin Boosters" in Aging Skin Rejuvenation: A Current Overview.

Aging-related changes in the skin, such as dullness, dehydration, and loss of elasticity, significantly affect its appearance and integrity. Injectable "skin boosters," comprising various biological materials, have become increasingly prominent in addressing these issues, offering rejuvenation and revitalization. This review offers a comprehensive examination of these injectables, detailing their types, mechanisms of action, and clinical uses.

Clinical characteristics and predictive factors of recurrent idiopathic transverse myelitis.

Background: Idiopathic transverse myelitis (iTM) is defined as an inflammatory myelopathy of undetermined etiology, even after a comprehensive workup to identify other possible causes. Generally, the characteristics of recurrent iTM are not clearly defined. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics and predictive factors of recurrence in patients with iTM.

Murine Retina Outer Plexiform Layer Development and Transcriptome Analysis of Pre-Synapses in Photoreceptors.

Photoreceptors in the mammalian retina convert light signals into electrical and molecular signals through phototransduction and transfer the visual inputs to second-order neurons via specialized ribbon synapses. Two kinds of photoreceptors, rods and cones, possess distinct morphology and function. Currently, we have limited knowledge about rod versus (vs.

Air pollution and acute kidney injury with comorbid disease: A nationwide case-crossover study in South Korea.

Emerging evidence suggests that air pollution is a significant contributor to the global burden of kidney disease. Although acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common secondary event in ill patients, evidence regarding the association between air pollution and AKI accompanied by specific comorbidities is limited. This study aimed to estimate the association between short-term exposure to air pollution (fine particulate matter ≤2.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and severity of myasthenia gravis in Korea: using National Health Insurance Service database.

Background: This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and severity of myasthenia gravis (MG) using the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database in Korea.

Methods: We analyzed data from patients with MG in the NHIS registry from 2015 to 2021. MG was defined as (1) patients aged ≥18 years with the G70.