Calcifications Affect Pathologic Complete Response and MRI Prediction after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-positive Breast Cancer.

Background The optimal surgical management of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer with calcifications remains controversial, particularly when pathologic complete response (pCR) is suspected. Purpose To identify factors associated with pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and assess whether calcifications affect the performance of radiologic complete response (rCR) at MRI for predicting pCR. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who received neoadjuvant docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab and underwent surgery between January 2021 and October 2023.

Buffering brain aging: education moderates language impairment in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Cognitive reserve (CR) refers to the discrepancy between brain pathology and observed cognitive decline. While education is a key indicator of CR, its role as a potential moderator in the relationships between brain morphology and cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. This study examined whether education affects the relationship between brain age and cognitive impairments in patients with PD.

International Trends in Opioid Prescribing by Age and Sex from 2001 to 2019: An Observational Study Using Population-Based Databases from 18 Countries and One Special Administrative Region.

Objective: To characterize multinational trends and patterns of opioid analgesic prescribing by sex and age.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We studied opioid analgesic prescribing from 2001 to 2019 with common protocol using population-based databases from eighteen countries and one special administrative region.

Main Outcome Measures: We measured opioid prescribing by geographical region, sex and age, estimating annual prevalent, incident, and nonincident opioid prescribing per 100 population with a 95% confidence interval (CI) and meta-analyzed the multinational and regional opioid prescribing with a random-effects model.

Exposure to ambient carbon monoxide and cognitive decrease in a memory clinic.

BackgroundAmbient air pollution is a known global health risk, but its short-term impact on cognitive function, particularly in people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is not well understood.ObjectiveThis study examined the association between short-term carbon monoxide (CO) exposure and cognitive changes in older adults with MCI or AD.MethodsData were obtained from 717 patients diagnosed with MCI or AD at a South Korean medical center.

Engineered MSC-EVs loaded with BDNF-enhancing neuropeptides via a non-disruptive method enhance post-stroke neuroregeneration via intranasal delivery.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) show potential as neuroregenerative therapies. Incorporating bioactive compounds such as neuropeptides that enhance brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression may amplify their therapeutic potential. We developed a clinical-scale method for loading neuropeptides into MSC-EVs, while preserving their structural integrity and therapeutic functionality.

Endocrine Disorders in Patients With Inborn Errors of Immunity.

Background: Human inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) include disorders characterized by aberrant function or development of the immune system. Recently, interest in the immune and endocrine systems has increased. We aimed to investigate endocrine disorders in patients with IEIs.

Impact of smoking and physical activity on cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes across steatotic liver disease categories.

This study investigated the effect of smoking and regular physical activity (PA) on the composite risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across different steatotic liver disease (SLD) categories. We analyzed data for 1,921,310 patients with T2DM aged 20 years and older. The participants were categorized by SLD status, with hepatic steatosis (fatty liver index ≥ 30).

Exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy or early infancy and the risk of autoimmune disease in children: A nationwide cohort study in Korea.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal or early-life exposure to antibiotics may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases in children. However, previous studies investigating this association have yielded conflicting and inconclusive results, partly due to challenges related to confounding by indication and underlying genetic or familial factors.

Methods And Findings: A nationwide cohort study was conducted using mother-child linked claims database of Korea's National Health Insurance Service between 2008 and 2021.

Evaluation of the VITEK 2 AST-N439 card for susceptibility testing of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations and colistin in carbapenem-non-susceptible gram-negative bacilli.

Unlabelled: We assessed the performance of the VITEK 2 AST-N439 card for susceptibility testing of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combinations and colistin in carbapenem-non-susceptible gram-negative isolates. A total of 425 clinical isolates, including ( = 242), ( = 97), and ( = 86), were tested using VITEK 2, with broth microdilution as the reference standard. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute breakpoints.

Astrocyte priming enhances microglial Aβ clearance and is compromised by APOE4.

The innate immune system can develop a form of memory called priming, where prior exposure to a stimulus enhances subsequent responses. While well-characterized in peripheral immunity, its function in brain-resident cells such as astrocytes under non-disease conditions remains unclear. Here we show that human astrocytes derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of healthy female donors, but not microglia, acquire a primed state following transient immune stimulations.

Case Report: Improvement of functional dyspepsia using eight constitution acupuncture and eight constitution diet - A report of three cases.

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder affecting 10-20% of the global population. This case series aimed to report the clinical outcomes of three patients with FD who were treated with eight constitution acupuncture (ECA) and eight constitution diet (ECD), a personalized treatment approach based on the eight constitution medicine (ECM) theory.

Methods: Three patients with chronic FD were retrospectively selected from two Korean medical clinics.

Personalized goal setting and predictors of functional gains following constraint-induced movement therapy in preschool-aged children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

Objective: This study aimed to identify caregiver-selected goal characteristics that predict functional improvements following constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), offering novel insights into personalized rehabilitation for younger children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP).

Methods: This study included 19 children with UCP aged 4-6 years who participated in a three-week CIMT program comprising 15 sessions (30 hours total), during which the unaffected hand was constrained to encourage intensive use of the affected limb. Caregivers identified five meaningful rehabilitation goals per child using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, categorizing them into self-care, productivity, or leisure domains and ranking them by importance.

A nationwide population-based study on epidemiologic characteristics and treatment patterns of dry eye disease in South Korea.

This study investigated the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and the use of major DED medications in South Korea using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, a nationwide registry with mandatory enrollment. A total of 6,383,885 individuals from 2016 to 2020 were included, selected annually through stratified random sampling. Patients with DED were identified by the ICD-10 code H04.

Effects of MSC-derived extracellular vesicles and dupilumab on the spleen and skin in a house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis model.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized as a biphasic T-lymphocyte-mediated disease involving T-helper cells. Dupilumab is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits Th2-related cytokines and has recently been approved for patients with AD. However, the effects of dupilumab are relatively narrow in scope, primarily targeting cytokine-driven inflammatory pathways, with few reported systemic effects.

Prevalence and clinical implications of PIK3CA aberrations across cancer types: A real-world next-generation sequencing approach.

Background: Activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is a common oncogenic mechanism in various solid tumors and is often driven by aberrations in the PIK3CA gene. Recent advancements have shown effective treatment for patients with PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer; however, there is an unmet need for other malignancies. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of PIK3CA mutations and amplifications across cancer types.

Development of a Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for the Rapid Detection of the Asian-Type DEL.

Asian-type DEL (RHD, c.1227G>A) is relatively prevalent in East Asians and is essential to detect in serologic rhesus (Rh) D-negative individuals. Despite the recognized importance of identifying Asian-type DEL, traditional detection methods, such as adsorption-elution and Sanger sequencing, are complex and time-consuming.

Stereoisomerism of multi-functional electrolyte additives for initially anodeless aqueous zinc metal batteries.

Stereoisomerism, arising from the distinctive spatial arrangements of atoms despite identical molecular formulae, often displays different chemical reactivities. Herein, we demonstrate how geometric isomerism of multifunctional electrolyte additives affects aqueous zinc metal batteries. Inspired by natural bacteria, we compared trans-butenedioic acid (fumaric acid) and its cis-isomer (maleic acid), revealing different hydrogen bonding dynamics and solvation environments, as confirmed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and computational simulations.

Identification of novel MYO19 variants in neonatal hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a familial analysis revealing oligogenic contributors to disease severity.

Background: Pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a rare condition, particularly in neonates, and is characterized by rapid and extensive myocardial hypertrophy, often leading to severe clinical outcomes. HCM can arise from variants in sarcomeric genes, which are essential for myocardial contractions, as well as non-sarcomeric gene variants. Although genetic modifiers and oligogenic inheritance have been implicated in congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy, their complexity in HCM has not been fully elucidated, especially in familial cases with variable phenotypes.

Association between loneliness and depression, anxiety and anger during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide population-based survey.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the association between loneliness and depression, anxiety and anger with a representative sample of the general population in Korea, which are the most prevalent mental health problems during the pandemic.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: National survey across all 17 provinces in South Korea between December 2021 and January 2022.

Genomics reveals eleven obesity endotypes with distinct biological and phenotypic signatures.

Obesity, a leading global risk factor for cardiometabolic conditions, arises from multifaceted and biologically complex mechanisms. To elucidate the full-dimensional genetic architecture underlying obesity, we conducted a multi-trait, multi-ancestry, genome-wide association study (GWAS) by combining genetic data on anthropometric traits (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and hip circumference) from >2 million ancestrally diverse participants. We identified 743 significant loci, including 86 previously unreported loci, representing a 13% increase in locus discovery.

Antibody Responses to Meningococcal Vaccine in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients with Veno-Occlusive Disease Treated with Eculizumab.

Treatment with eculizumab increases the risk of invasive meningococcal infection (IMI). We evaluated tetravalent meningococcal vaccine responses in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients with eculizumab for veno-occlusive disease (eculizumab group, n=4) and compared to patients with asplenia/polysplenia (asplenia/polysplenia group, n=2). Among the eculizumab group, two patients had a partial and full antibody response, respectively; two had no response.

L-Ascorbic acid preferentially kills KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer cells through DNA damage.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a worldwide leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite recent progress using immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors or targeted agents in various solid tumors, these approaches have not been successful in PC. Therefore, there is an urgent unmet need for the development of novel therapeutics for these difficult-to-treat patients.

Germline genetic scores associated with cancer gene expression and immune responses across multiple cancer types.

Background: Cancer is a polygenic disease that involves the dysregulation of multiple biological events, including aberrant cell proliferation and evasion of immune responses, which collectively contribute to cancer development and progression. Although the polygenic risk score (PRS) has enabled assessment of the effects of cancer risk loci, the potential impact of other genetic variants with functional relevance to cancer biology remains largely unexplored.

Methods: We conducted a large-scale analysis of UK Biobank data, including 61,249 cancer cases and 254,203 controls of European ancestry across 16 cancer types.