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Hyung Cheol Kim,1,* Min Cheol Chang,2,* Sung Han Oh,1 Su Bin Lee,3 Soo Young Yang,3 Dong Ah Shin3 1Department of Neurosurgery, Bundang Jesaeng General Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Namku, Taegu, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dong Ah Shin, Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemungu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea, Tel +82 02-2-2228-1004, Email cistern@yuhs.acPurpose: This study aimed to use thermal grill illusion (TGI), an experimental model of pain processing and central mechanisms, to evaluate the perception of TGI-related sensations or pain in patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP).Patients and Methods: The perception of TGI (warmth/heat, cold, unpleasantness, pain, burning, stinging, and prickling) was examined in 66 patients with CLBP and compared with that in 22 healthy participants. The visual analog scale (VAS) scores for CLBP, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) scores were obtained from the included patients with CLBP.Results: The CLBP group showed a less intense perception of TGI for sensations of warmth/heat, unpleasantness, and pain than the control group. The CLBP group felt burning sensations lesser than the control (2.77 vs 4.55, P=0.016). In the CLBP group, there were significant correlations between the ODI and the degree of unpleasantness (r=0.381, P=0.002) and prickling sensation (r=0.263, P=0.033). There were also significant correlations between the mental component score of the SF-12 and the degree of warmth/heat (r=− 0.246, P=0.046), unpleasantness (r=− 0.292, P=0.017), pain (r=− 0.292, P=0.017), and burning sensations (r=− 0.280, P=0.023).Conclusion: Our results may be useful for clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of drugs or interventions to manage centralized LBP.Keywords: thermal grill illusion, chronic pain, back pain

The Korea Exchange requires firms listed in the exchange to disclose derivative losses as major events. This study surveys disclosure practices of listed firms to assess the current disclosure regulation. Using hand-collected data on mandatory derivative loss disclosures from 2008 to 2021, we find that most disclosures concern losses from items that are not classified as derivatives under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. Such disclosures are unrelated to the objective of the disclosure regulation, which is to inform investors of the riskiness of derivative transactions. This discrepancy in the regulation and practice is caused by the failure to incorporate significant changes in accounting standards to the regulation. This study proposes two regulatory suggestions: either clarify the regulation’s objectives and scope of derivatives under the current regulation, or amend the regulations to expand the scope of derivatives to accounting-based derivatives. This study aims to enhance market participants’ understanding of the disclosure regulations and efficiency of the information environment in the Korean capital market.

In Ju Yoon,1 Su Jung Lee2 1Graduate School of Nursing Science, Hallym University, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, South Korea; 2School of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South KoreaCorrespondence: Su Jung Lee, Tel +82-33-248-2722, Fax +82-33-248-2734, Email sujunglee.95@gmail.comBackground and Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic can cause psychological distress, and hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study is to investigate anxiety levels among patients undergoing hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the relationship between health literacy and anxiety.Methods: This study recruited 149 hemodialysis patients from two hospitals between July 16th and July 31st, 2021. Patient data were collected using questionnaires on general characteristics, health literacy, generalized anxiety, and coronavirus disease-related anxiety. We used the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale to evaluate the anxiety symptoms of the patients. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Walli’s test and Spearman’s rank correlation.Results: The results showed that health literacy increased with decreasing age and increasing educational level among patients who source health information from the internet and among patients without comorbidities. Patients with comorbidities showed high levels of general anxiety. Patients who search for health information for ≥ 1 hour had high levels of coronavirus disease-related anxiety. Both CAS and GAD showed a significant negative correlation with the sub-domains of health literacy, except for critical health literacy.Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the need for a follow-up study on whether health literacy programs will reduce the anxiety levels of patients undergoing hemodialysis during infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, provision of social support for patients with comorbidity is essential for reducing their anxiety levels during disease outbreaks.Keywords: end-stage kidney disease, anxiety, health literacy, coronavirus disease-19, pandemics

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the role of Doppler ultrasound (US) and elastography to identify residual breast cancer for patients showing near complete response following chemotherapy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Methods: Between September 2016 and January 2018, 40 breast cancer patients who showed near complete response (either tumor size ≤0.5 cm or lesion-to-background parenchymal signal enhancement ratio ≤1.6) on MRI following neoadjuvant chemotherapy were prospectively enrolled. After excluding seven women who did not undergo Doppler US and elastography, 33 women (median age, 49 years; range, 32 to 67 years) were analyzed. On the day of surgery, women underwent Doppler US and elastography for tumor bed prior to US-guided core needle biopsy. Histopathologic results of biopsy and surgery were evaluated. Negative predictive value (NPV) and false negative rate (FNR) of biopsy and the combined Doppler US and elastography were analyzed, respectively.Results: After surgery, nine women had residual cancers and 24 women had pathologic complete response. The NPV and FNR of biopsy were 92% (24 of 26) and 22% (2 of 9), respectively. The NPV and FNR of combined Doppler US and elastography were 100% (14 of 14) and 0% (0 of 9), respectively. All of nine women with residual cancers had positive vascularity or elasticity. Two women with false-negative biopsy results, having 0.3 cm or 2.5 cm ductal carcinoma in situ at surgery, showed positive vascularity or elasticity.Conclusion: Tumor bed showing positive vascularity or elasticity indicates residual breast cancer for patients showing near complete response on MRI following chemotherapy.

The purpose of this case report was to present a rare clinical case of successful new dental implant installation in the site of previously healed medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). An 80-year-old female patient with history of oral bisphosphonate (BP) therapy presented with pain and swelling of gingiva in the right posterior mandible. One of the 3 implants placed 15 years ago in the right mandibular posterior area was removed 6 months before the visit to our hospital, which led to worsening of the symptoms. After clinical and radiographic examination, the patient was diagnosed with stage 2 MRONJ. Along with antibiotic therapy, the patient underwent surgical intervention via sequestrectomy and removal of the remaining 2 implants. Adequate soft and hard tissue healing without any complications and signs of recurrence was confirmed, and implant installation with simultaneous bone grafting and prosthesis fabrication were done in the explantation sites of MRONJ. By the 7-year follow-up, no implant failure has been observed, and installation of implants was successful in the previously healed MRONJ site. Dental implant installation is possible in a patient with history of failed implant due to MRONJ. However, a careful treatment planning is needed before implantation in a previously healed site of MRONJ to reduce the potential risks of MRONJ recurrence and implant failure.

Taking the slanted satellite viewing geometry into account is important in the simulation of satellite radiances, which vary with the atmospheric conditions along the line of sight. As a first step to take the slanted satellite viewing geometry into account in the numerical weather prediction system operated in the Korean Meteorological Administration, the slant-path modeling is applied for the simulation of clear-sky thermal radiances of a geostationary satellite imager, the Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) on board the Geo-KOMPSAT-2A (GK2A). The observations minus simulations (O − B) and the Jacobians before and after the slant-path calculation are compared. Since most infrared channels of AMI are not sensitive to the atmosphere above the tropopause, the size of slant-path effect for AMI is overall smaller than the effect shown in the microwave sounders. Still, the slant-path modeling is found to have a noticeable effect on the three water vapor absorption channels of AMI peaking between 300 and 600 hPa, particularly at large satellite zenith angles and on the regions with high water vapor variabilities in the model field along the line of sight. On average, the slant-path interpolation reduces the standard deviation of O − B of the water vapor channels by around 2.0% on land and 1.4% over the ocean for zenith angles 40°–60°, and it also influences not only the shape and magnitude but also the height of the peak of the Jacobians. In addition, the retrieval experiment based on the optimal estimation also demonstrates the impact of this new approach in the retrieved moisture field, though the improvement is not as significant as shown in the simulation experiment.

Roses (Rosa hybrida) are a highly merchandised flower but lack blue varieties. Overexpression of the flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (F3′5′H) gene can increase the accumulation of blue pigment (delphinidin anthocyanin). However, sometimes the effect of F3′5′H gene alone is inadequate for producing blue flowers. Furthermore, the internal environment of the cell, such as an increase in pH, can also help the conversion of anthocyanins to blue pigments. Nonetheless, genetic engineering methods can simultaneously introduce multiple genes at the same time to regulate the development of blue pigments to achieve the ultimate breeding goal of producing blue color in roses. In the present study, to simultaneously adjust the accumulation of delphinidin and vacuolar pH, we introduced the Viola tricolor flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (VtF3′5′H) and Rosa hybrida Na+/H+ exchanger (RhNHX) genes into the white rose line “KR056002” using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that the heterologous genes in the transgenic lines were highly expressed in petals and leaves, and simultaneously promoted the expression of related anthocyanin synthesis structural genes. Obvious color changes were observed in both petals and young leaves, especially when petals changed from white to red-purple. The formation of delphinidin was not detected in the petals of control plants, whereas the petals of transgenic lines had higher delphinidin content (135–214 μg/l) and increased pH value (0.45–0.53) compared with those of control plants.

Purpose: To report a case of bilateral optic neuropathy after COVID-19 infection.Case summary: Thirty-four-year-old woman presented with bilateral ocular pain, visual disturbance, and decreased visual acuity after contracting COVID-19 infection 16 days ago. At the initial visit, best-corrected visual acuity was 0.8 in the right eye, and 0.7 in the left eye. Left eye had relative afferent papillary defect and visual field tests revealed enlarged blind spot in both eyes. Fundus exam showed bilateral optic disc swelling and peripapillary retinal hemorrhage along with vitreous hemorrhage in the left eye. Fluorescein angiography revealed bilateral leakage of dye from the optic disc with area of hypofluorescence corresponding to retinal hemorrhage around the optic disc in both eyes. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed ill-defined left optic nerve enhancement. A diagnosis of bilateral optic neuropathy was made, and the patient was treated with high dose IV steroid 1 g per day for 3 days and oral steroid tapering for 2 weeks. Disc swelling and retinal hemorrhage were improved 1 month after treatment along with enhanced visual acuity to 1.0.Conclusions: Bilateral optic neuropathy following COVID-19 infection showed improvement after steroid treatment.

Background: Providing correct information about dementia and people living with dementia and improving the attitude toward the disease have important implications in overcoming prejudice and negative perceptions and strengthening the social support system. However, studies are limited about which aspects of dementia knowledge affect attitudes toward it and the influence of such knowledge on particular aspects of such attitudes. Objective: This study examined which part of dementia knowledge affects attitudes toward dementia and, furthermore, the influence of such knowledge on two aspects of attitudes in the general population. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey of 1,200 participants aged 20 years or older was adopted. A landline and wireless telephone survey was conducted from October 12 to October 22, 2021. The survey data included self-report questions about dementia knowledge, dementia attitudes, demographics, and family information. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Results: Dementia knowledge was positively associated with global dementia attitudes. In terms of the relationship between the two dimensions of dementia attitudes and knowledge, the latter displayed a significant positive association with accepting attitudes (β= 0.121, p

A type of ultrathin films has been developed for suppressing capsule formation induced by medical silicone implants and hence reducing the inflammation response to such formation and the differentiation to myofibroblasts. The films were each fabricated from hyaluronic acid (HA) and modified β-cyclodextrin (Mod-β-CyD) polymer which was synthesized with a cyclodextrin with partially substituted quaternary amine. Ultrathin films comprising HA and Mod-β-CyD or poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) were fabricated by using a layer-by-layer dipping method. The electrostatic interactions produced from the functional groups of Mod-β-CyD and HA influenced the surface morphology, wettability, and bio-functional activity of the film. Notably, medical silicone implants coated with PAH/HA and Mod-β-CyD multilayers under a low pH condition exhibited excellent biocompatibility and antibiofilm and anti-inflammation properties. Implantation of these nanoscale film-coated silicones showed a reduced capsular thickness as well as reduced TGFβ-SMAD signaling, myofibroblast differentiation, biofilm formation, and inflammatory response levels. We expect our novel coating system to be considered a strong candidate for use in various medical implant applications in order to decrease implant-induced capsule formation.