A Scoping Review on Goals of Care Discussions in Surgery: How Are We Doing and How Can We Do Better?

Background: Discussing GOC is essential to ensuring that patients' treatment recommendations and care plans are aligned with their preferences, priorities, and values. This review aims to characterize the existing literature on the quality, practices, and frameworks of goals of care (GOC) discussions in surgery to identify gaps and propose strategies for improvement.

Methods: MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process/ePubs, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.

Tie2 activator 4E2 ameliorates diabetic nephropathy and synergizes with dapagliflozin in a mouse model.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a primary cause of end-stage renal disease, stems from hyperglycemia-induced vascular dysfunction and aberrant angiogenesis. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin, improve glycemic control and provide renal protection yet fall short of fully halting DN progression. This study explores 4E2, a Tie2 receptor activator that mimics angiopoietin-1 to stabilize the vascular endothelium, as a novel DN therapy-both independently and in combination with dapagliflozin.

Deep learning-based method for grading histopathological liver fibrosis in rodent models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Introduction: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a significant liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Accurate assessment of liver fibrosis is crucial for diagnosis, prognosis, and informed treatment decision-making. Staging of liver fibrosis in MASH is based on Kleiner's score, which categorizes fibrosis based on its location within the liver as observed microscopically.

Does marginalization status and distance from the hospital impact the timing of pediatric pyeloplasty in a universal access-to-care system?

Introduction: Prior research in the U.S. suggests that marginalized populations tend to undergo pyeloplasty earlier, likely reflecting concerns about the challenges of reliable followup care in this population.

Allergic-Specific Immunotherapy Using Injectable Crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels Ameliorates Allergic Response in Murine Allergic Rhinitis Model.

Purpose: We present a convenient and safe allergen-specific immunotherapy using injectable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel containing house dust mite (HDM) crosslinked via visible-light-induced thiol-ene reaction.

Methods: We developed 2 types of HDM-containing HA hydrogels, namely thiolated HA (SH-HA) + methacrylated HA (MA-HA) (Gel-1) and 4-arm poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-SH + MA-HA (Gel-2). The immunotherapeutic effect of the hydrogels was tested using a murine model of allergic rhinitis.

Factors inducing cutaneous adverse reactions in cancer patients treated with PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors: a machine-learning algorithm approach.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show promise in cancer treatment but can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), notably affecting the skin. Understanding the factors behind these skin reactions is crucial for effective management during treatment. Hence, the aim of this study was to uncover associations between patient characteristics and cutaneous adverse reactions among cancer patients undergoing ICI treatment.

Toxicity and efficacy study of a combination of two retinoic acids in an ApoE knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, characterized by inflammation and lipid accumulation in arterial walls, leading to plaque formation. Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is a primary risk factor for atherosclerosis. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a metabolite of vitamin A, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects and potential in regulating vascular injury.

Chip collection of hepatocellular carcinoma based on O heterogeneity from patient tissue.

Hepatocellular carcinoma frequently recurs after surgery, necessitating personalized clinical approaches based on tumor avatar models. However, location-dependent oxygen concentrations resulting from the dual hepatic vascular supply drive the inherent heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment, which presents challenges in developing an avatar model. In this study, tissue samples from 12 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are cultured directly on a chip and separated based on preference of oxygen concentration.

Titanium Silicide: A Promising Candidate of Recombination Layer for Perovskite/Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact Silicon Two-Terminal Tandem Solar Cells.

This study proposes a titanium silicide (TiSi) recombination layer for perovskite/tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) 2-T tandem solar cells as an alternative to conventional transparent conductive oxide (TCO)-based recombination layers. TiSi was formed while TiO was made by oxidizing a Ti film deposited on the p-Si layer. The reaction formation mechanism was proposed based on the diffusion theory supported by experimental results.

Associations of Serum Vitamin D Concentration with Cardiovascular Risk Factors and the Healthy Lifestyle Score.

Vitamin D status is reportedly associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), although conflicting data have been generated. The healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was formulated as a primary approach toward preventing CVD; however, data on the association between the HLS and vitamin D status remain insufficient. This study aimed to investigate the associations of CVD risk factors and the HLS with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in adults who participated in a national survey.

Chemical upcycling of PVC-containing plastic wastes by thermal degradation and catalysis in a chlorine-rich environment.

Chlorine (Cl)-containing chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, generated during thermal degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and corresponding mixture impede the chemical recycling of PVC-containing plastic wastes. While upgrading plastic-derived vapors, the presence of Cl-containing chemicals may deactivate the catalysts. Accordingly, herein, catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapor prepared from a mixture of PVC and polyolefins is performed using a fixed-bed reactor comprising zeolites.

Non-targeted metabolomics aids in sex pheromone identification: a proof-of-concept study with the triangulate cobweb spider, Steatoda triangulosa.

Targeted metabolomics has been widely used in pheromone research but may miss pheromone components in study organisms that produce pheromones in trace amount and/or lack bio-detectors (e.g., antennae) to readily locate them in complex samples.

Development of Thiol-Ene Reaction-Based HA Hydrogel with Sustained Release of EGF for Enhanced Skin Wound Healing.

This study develops a novel drug delivery system using a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel for controlled release of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to enhance skin wound healing. Conventional hydrogel-based methods suffer from a burst release and limited drug delivery times. To address this, we employ bioconjugation to introduce an acrylate group to EGF, enabling chemical bonding to the HA hydrogel matrix through thiol-ene cross-linking.

Deep Learning-Based Evaluation of Ultrasound Images for Benign Skin Tumors.

In this study, a combined convolutional neural network for the diagnosis of three benign skin tumors was designed, and its effectiveness was verified through quantitative and statistical analysis. To this end, 698 sonographic images were taken and diagnosed at the Department of Dermatology at Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea, between 10 November 2017 and 17 January 2020. Through an empirical process, a convolutional neural network combining two structures, which consist of a residual structure and an attention-gated structure, was designed.

Rice Bran Extract Suppresses High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia and Hepatosteatosis through Targeting AMPK and STAT3 Signaling.

Rice bran, a by-product of rice milling, is abundant in bioactive molecules and is highly recognized for its health-promoting properties, particularly in improving metabolic conditions. Building on this knowledge, we aimed to optimize the extraction conditions to maximize the functional efficacy of rice bran extract (RBE) and further validate its impact on lipid metabolism. We found that the optimized RBE (ORBE) significantly suppressed high-fat diet-induced weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and hepatosteatosis in mouse models.

Seroprevalence of Measles IgG Antibodies in Married Immigrant Women from Multicultural Families in Korea.

Background: Although an effective vaccine has been available, measles still causes mast morbidity and mortality world widely. In Korea, a small number of measles cases have been reported through exposure to imported cases among young people with vaccine-induced measles immunity. Recently due to international migration including marriage, marriage migrants were the second-largest group of foreign population in Korea.

A nystagmus extraction system using artificial intelligence for video-nystagmography.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common vestibular disorder, is diagnosed by an examiner changing the posture of the examinee and inducing nystagmus. Among the diagnostic methods used to observe nystagmus, video-nystagmography has been widely used recently because it is non-invasive. A specialist with professional knowledge and training in vertigo diagnosis is needed to diagnose BPPV accurately, but the ratio of vertigo patients to specialists is too high, thus necessitating the need for automated diagnosis of BPPV.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to confer turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) resistance in Chinese cabbage ().

Genome editing approaches, particularly the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, are becoming state-of-the-art for trait development in numerous breeding programs. Significant advances in improving plant traits are enabled by this influential tool, especially for disease resistance, compared to traditional breeding. One of the potyviruses, the turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), is the most widespread and damaging virus that infects spp.

Peli3 ablation ameliorates acetaminophen-induced liver injury through inhibition of GSK3β phosphorylation and mitochondrial translocation.

The signaling pathways governing acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury have been extensively studied. However, little is known about the ubiquitin-modifying enzymes needed for the regulation of APAP-induced liver injury. Here, we examined whether the Pellino3 protein, which has E3 ligase activity, is needed for APAP-induced liver injury and subsequently explored its molecular mechanism.