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Sang-Hyun Ihm,1 Hui-Kyung Jeon,1 Tae-Joon Cha,2 Taek-Jong Hong,3 Sang-Hyun Kim,4 Nae-Hee Lee,5 Jung Han Yoon,6 Namsik Yoon,7 Kyung-Kuk Hwang,8 Sang-Ho Jo,9 Ho-Joong Youn1 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 2Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, 3Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, 4Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 5Department of Cardiology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Bucheon, 6Division of Cardiology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, 7Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, 8Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University, College of Medicine, Cheongju, 9Division of Cardiology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea Purpose: To evaluate the blood pressure (BP) lowering efficacy and safety of CKD-828, a fixed-dose combination of S-amlodipine (the more active isomer of amlodipine besylate, which is calcium channel blocker) and telmisartan (long acting angiotensin receptor blocker), in patients with hypertension inadequately controlled with S-amlodipine monotherapy.Patients and methods: Eligible patients (N=187) who failed to respond after 4-week S-amlodipine 2.5 mg monotherapy (sitting diastolic blood pressure [sitDBP] ≥90 mmHg) to receive CKD-828 2.5/40 mg (n=63), CKD-828 2.5/80 mg (n=63), or S-amlodipine 2.5 mg (n=61) for 8 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint, mean sitDBP change from baseline to Week 8, was compared between the combination (CKD-828 2.5/40 mg and CKD-828 2.5/80 mg) and S-amlodipine monotherapy groups. The safety was assessed based on adverse events, vital signs, and physical examination findings.Results: After the 8-week treatment, changes in sitDBP/systolic BP (SBP) were -9.67±6.50/-12.89±11.78, -10.72±6.19/-13.79±9.41, and -4.93±7.26/-4.55±11.27 mmHg in the CKD-828 2.5/40 mg (P

This study examined whether manual acupuncture at the Siguan points (bilateral points LI4 and LR3) affects intestinal motility in healthy human subjects. Twenty healthy male subjects were randomly assigned either to real acupuncture (RA) at Siguan points or sham acupuncture (SA) groups in a crossover manner. All subjects underwent two experimental sessions; the RA group in the first session was treated with SA in the second session after a 2-week washout period, and vice versa. Each subject took 20 radio-markers and was treated with acupuncture 0, 12, 24, and 36 hours after radio-marker intake. Radiographs were taken at 6, 12.5, 24.5, and 48 hours, and the effect of acupuncture on intestinal motility was evaluated based on the distribution of the radio-markers in the ileum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid/ rectum, and outside the body. Defecating habit was monitored during the trial, and complete blood counts were checked before and after the two acupuncture sessions. The RA and SA results showed extremely similar distributions of the radio-markers in these five regions of the alimentary canal and outside the body in radiographs taken at four different times, verifying that there was no effect of manual acupuncture at the Siguan points on intestinal motility, at least in healthy human subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Acanthopanax koreanum fruit is a popular fruit in Jeju Island, but the byproducts of the alcoholic beverage prepared using this fruit are major agricultural wastes. The fermentability of this waste causes many economic and environmental problems. Therefore, we investigated the suitability of using A. koreanum fruit waste (AFW) as a source of antiinflammatory agents. AFWs were extracted with 80% EtOH. The ethanolic extract was then successively partitioned with hexane, CH(2)Cl(2), EtOAc, BuOH, and water. The results indicate that the CH(2)Cl(2) fraction (100 microg/mL) of AFW inhibited the LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production in RAW 264.7 cells by 79.6% and 39.7%, respectively. These inhibitory effects of the CH(2)Cl(2) fraction of AFWs were accompanied by decreases in the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins and iNOS and COX-2 mRNA in a dose-dependent pattern. The CH(2)Cl(2) fraction of AFWs also prevented degradation of IkappaB-alpha in a dose-dependent manner. Ursolic acid was identified as major compound present in AFW, and CH(2)Cl(2) extracts by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Furthermore using pure ursolic acid as standard and by HPLC, AFW and CH(2)Cl(2) extracts was found to contain 1.58 mg/g and 1.75 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, we tested the potential application of AFW extracts as a cosmetic material by performing human skin primary irritation tests. In these tests, AFW extracts did not induce any adverse reactions. Based on these results, we suggest that AFW extracts be considered possible anti-inflammatory candidates for topical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether cilostazol reduces intimal hyperplasia in patients undergoing long zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation (stent length: ≥ 30 mm) for native long coronary lesions (length: ≥ 25 mm). Background: Restenosis after drug-eluting stent implantation remains a significant clinical problem in long coronary lesions. Methods: Patients (n = 499) were assigned randomly to triple (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol, triple group: n = 250) or dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel and placebo, dual group: n = 249) for 8 months after long zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation. The primary end point was in-stent late loss at the 8-month angiography according to the intention-to-treat principle. Results: The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics. The in-stent (0.56 ± 0.55 mm vs. 0.68 ± 0.59 mm, p = 0.045) and in-segment (0.32 ± 0.54 mm vs. 0.47 ± 0.54 mm, p = 0.006) late loss were significantly lower in the triple versus dual group, as were 8-month in-stent restenosis (10.8% vs. 19.1%, p = 0.016), in-segment restenosis (12.2% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.028), and 12-month ischemic-driven target lesion revascularization (5.2% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.042) rates. At 12 months, major adverse cardiac events including death, myocardial infarction, and ischemic-driven target lesion revascularization tended to be lower in the triple group than the dual group (7.2% vs. 12.0%, p = 0.07). Percent intimal hyperplasia volume by volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis was reduced from 27.1 ± 13.2% for the dual group to 22.1 ± 9.9% for the triple group (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Patients receiving triple antiplatelet therapy after long zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation had decreased extent of late luminal loss, percent intimal hyperplasia volume, and angiographic restenosis, resulting in a reduced risk of 12-month target lesion revascularization compared with patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy. (Triple Versus Dual Antiplatelet Therapy after ABT578-Eluting Stent; NCT00589927). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the impact of cilostazol on neointimal hyperplasia after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for long coronary lesions, we performed a randomized multicenter prospective study comparing triple antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol; triple group, n = 250) and dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel; standard group, n = 250) for 6 months in patients with long lesions (> or =25 mm) requiring a long DES (> or =32 mm). The primary end point was in-stent late loss at 6-month angiography. The 2 groups had similar baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics. In-stent late loss (0.22 +/- 0.48 mm vs 0.32 +/- 0.51 mm, p = 0.031) and in-segment late loss (0.34 +/- 0.49 mm vs 0.51 +/- 0.49 mm, p = 0.001) at 6-month follow-up angiography were significantly lower in the triple group versus the standard group. There was a trend toward lower rates of in-segment restenosis in the triple group versus the standard group (6.7% vs 11.2%, p = 0.104). Target lesion revascularization (TLR; 2.8% vs 6.8%, p = 0.036) and major adverse cardiac events (2.8% vs 7.6%, p = 0.016), including death, myocardial infarction, and TLR at 9 months were significantly lower in the triple group than in the standard group. At 9 months, the 2 groups had similar rates of stent thrombosis (0.4% vs 0.4%, p = 0.999), death (0% vs 0.8%, p = 0.499), and myocardial infarction (0.4% vs 0.4%, p = 0.999). In conclusion, cilostazol significantly reduced late loss at 6 months after DES implantation and the occurrence of TLR and major adverse cardiac events in patients with long coronary lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data are presented demonstrating that absorbance detection can be used during high-speed sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (hs-SV-AUC) experiments to characterize the size distribution of adeno-associated virus (AAV) drug products accurately. Advantages and limitations of being able to use this detector in this specific type of SV-AUC experiment are discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Undaria pinnatifida is a temperate brown alga known to exert free radical-scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the skin-whitening effects of U. pinnatifida sporophyll extracts (UPEs) in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells. The crude polysaccharide fraction (UPF) was obtained via ethanol precipitation. Four polysaccharide fractions (UPF1-4) were isolated and purified using ion-exchange column chromatography, and their anti-melanogenic activity was evaluated. UPF3 exhibited the highest anti-melanogenic activity, showing the highest sulfate (39.79%), fucose (143 μg/mg), and galactose (208 μg/mg) contents. UPF3 significantly inhibited intracellular tyrosinase activity in B16F10 cells. We also evaluated the melanogenic signaling pathway to determine the mechanism of action of UPF3 in melanongenesis. UPF3 reduced the expression of tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2), and tyrosinase, which play important roles in melanin production. Therefore, UPF3 has high potential for use in skin-whitening functional pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Purpose: Recent treatments for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are founded on risk stratification. We examined the survival rates and prognostic factors of patients over a 20-year period at a single institution., Materials and Methods: This study analyzed patients diagnosed with ALL and treated at the Pediatric Department of Samsung Medical Center (SMC). Patients were categorized into standard-risk (SR), high-risk (HR), and very high-risk (VHR) groups. The SMC protocol for the HR group underwent two changes during the study period: A modified Children's Cancer Group (CCG)-1882 protocol was used from 2000 to 2005, the Korean multicenter HR ALL-0601 protocol from 2006 to 2014, and the Korean multicenter HR ALL-1501 protocol from 2015 to 2019., Results: Of the 460 patients, complete remission was achieved in 436 patients (94.8%). The 10-year overall survival rate (OS) was 83.8±1.9% for all patients. OS according to the SMC risk group was as follows: 95.9±1.4% in the SR group, 83.8±3.6% in the HR group, and 66.2±6.9% in the VHR group. The 5-year OS within the HR group varied according to the treatment protocol: 73.9±7.5%, in the modified CCG-1882 protocol, 83.0±3.9%, in the 0601 protocol, and 96.2±2.6%, in the 1501 protocol. For those aged 15 years and older, the OS was only 56.5±13.1%. Relapse occurred in 71 patients (15.4%), and the OS after relapse was 37.7±6.0%., Conclusion: The treatment outcomes of patients with ALL improved markedly. However, there is a need to further characterize adolescents and young adult patients, as well as those who have experienced relapses.

Objective: Clinical characteristics of patients with endometrioma without dysmenorrhea have not been well delineated; our goal was to remedy this issue by performing a retrospective cohort study., Methods: A total of 379 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for endometrioma ≥4 cm at a tertiary hospital were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of dysmenorrhea at the time of hospital visit; with dysmenorrhea group and without dysmenorrhea group., Results: Patients without dysmenorrhea comprised 9.5% of all surgically confirmed endometriomas. Significant differences were found in the revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine (rASRM) stage, age at surgery, and bilaterality. Patients with rASRM stage IV were more likely to have dysmenorrhea than were subjects with rASRM stage III (odds ratio (OR), 10.58; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.63-24.21; P < 0.001). Older patients were less likely to have dysmenorrhea (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-1.00; P = 0.045), as were patients with bilateral rather than unilateral endometrioma (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.82; P = 0.015). No significant differences in cyst size, age at menarche, body mass index (BMI), parity, or history of previous ovarian surgery were found between the two groups., Conclusion: Patients without dysmenorrhea comprised 9.5% of endometrioma cases and had less advanced rASRM stage, were older at surgery, and had a higher probability of bilateral than unilateral endometrioma than patients with dysmenorrhea., (© 2024 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Collagen is considered to be an intercellular adhesive that prevents tissue stretching or damage. It is widely utilized in cosmetic skin solutions, drug delivery, vitreous substitutions, 3D cell cultures, and surgery. In this study, we report the development of a green technology for manufacturing collagen peptides from flatfish skin using ultrasound and enzymatic treatment and a subsequent assessment on skin functionality. First, flatfish skin was extracted using ultrasound in distilled water (DW) for 6 h at 80 °C. Molecular weight analysis via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after treatment with industrial enzymes (alcalase, papain, protamex, and flavourzyme) showed that the smallest molecular weight (3.56 kDa) was achieved by adding papain (0.5% for 2 h). To determine functionality based on peptide molecular weight, two fractions of 1100 Da and 468 Da were obtained through separation using Sephadex™ G-10. We evaluated the effects of these peptides on protection against oxidative stress in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells, inhibition of MMP-1 expression in human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells, reduction in melanin content, and the inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme activity in murine melanoma (B16F10) cells. These results demonstrate that the isolated low-molecular-weight peptides exhibit superior skin anti-oxidant, anti-wrinkle, and whitening properties.

Background and Purpose: To evaluate the radiomics-based model performance for differentiation between glioblastoma (GB) and brain metastases (BM) using magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) and volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) T1-contrast enhanced sequences., Materials and Methods: T1-CE MPRAGE and VIBE sequences acquired in 108 patients (31 GBs and 77 BM) during the same MRI session were retrospectively evaluated. Post standardized image pre-processing and segmentation, radiomics features were extracted from necrotic and enhancing tumor components. Pearson correlation analysis of radiomics features from tumor subcomponents was also performed. A total of 90 machine learning (ML) pipelines were evaluated using a five-fold cross validation. Performance was measured by mean AUC-ROC, Log-loss and Brier scores., Results: A feature-wise comparison showed that the radiomic features between sequences were strongly correlated, with the highest correlation for shape-based features. The mean AUC across the top-ten pipelines ranged between 0.851-0.890 with T1-CE MPRAGE and between 0.869-0.907 with T1-CE VIBE sequence. Top performing models for the MPRAGE sequence commonly used support vector machines, while those for VIBE sequence used either support vector machines or random forest. Common feature reduction methods for top-performing models included linear combination filter and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) for both sequences. For the same ML-feature reduction pipeline, model performances were comparable (AUC-ROC difference range: [-0.078, 0.046])., Conclusions: Radiomic features derived from T1-CE MPRAGE and VIBE sequences are strongly correlated and may have similar overall classification performance for differentiating GB from BM., Abbreviations: BM: Brain metastases, GB: glioblastoma, T1-CE: T1 contrast enhanced sequence, MPRAGE: magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo, ML: machine learning, RF: random forest, VIBE: volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination., Competing Interests: Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: None., (© 2024 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)

Background: Regarding the pathophysiology of renal infarction (RI), cardioembolic causes could have large proportion. However, there are notable variations in prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) among patients with RI across different studies, ranging from 17 to 65%. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the incidence of AF in patients with RI., Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study enrolled 5200 patients with RI from the Korean National Institute of Health Services database spanning the years 2013 to 2019. The study accessed the AF incidence rate within 12 months in patients without a prior history of AF. Events occurring within 3 months of RI diagnosis were excluded to mitigate cases diagnosed during the initial screening or those with AF diagnoses that were potentially overlooked in the past., Results: AF occurred in 19.1% of patients with RI over the entire period (median: 2.5 years, interquartile range 1.04-4.25 years). The majority of AF cases (16.1%) occured within the first year, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 7.0 per 100 person-years. Patients with newly developed AF were, on average, older than those who did not develop AF (64.1 vs. 57.3 years, P < 0.001). The independent predictors of AF were identified as age, male sex, higher body mass index, current smoking, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure., Conclusions: Physicians should consider the implementation of active rhythm monitoring for patients with RI to identify potential occurrence of subclinical AF, even if not initially diagnosed during the initial screening after RI diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: We aimed to investigate the changes in aorta size, the factors affecting size changes in patients with acute blunt traumatic aortic injury and to evaluate the adequacy of the current 120% thoracic endovascular aortic repair graft oversizing policy., Design and Methods: This retrospective review study was conducted using the prospectively collected medical records of 45 patients (mean age: 53.5 years, male: 39 patients) with blunt traumatic aortic injury treated at a level 1 trauma center between 2012 and 2021. Aortic diameter was measured by computed tomography angiographic images at four different levels [ascending aorta (A), isthmus (B), descending thoracic aorta (C), and infrarenal aorta (D)] on arrival and follow-up (median time interval, 13 days). Associated factors including patient characteristics and hemodynamic parameters on arrival and follow-up were collected to determine their influence on changes in the aorta., Results: The mean diameter of all four aortic levels increased on follow-up computed tomography compared to initial computed tomography (A: + 11.77%, B: + 10.19%, C: + 7.71%, D: + 12.04%). Patient age and injury severity score influenced changes in the diameter of the ascending aorta (P < 0.05). Patient age and blunt traumatic aortic injury grade were significantly associated with changes in the infrarenal aortic diameter (P < 0.05). Three cases of type 1 endoleak were observed at follow-up but all were spontaneously resolved without further intervention at next computed tomography follow-up., Conclusions: In patients with acute blunt traumatic aortic injury, aortic diameter is significantly smaller by about 10% under shock and is not considered a basis for oversizing the currently implemented 120% thoracic endovascular aortic repair graft sizing. However, in young patients under the age of 40, the change is significantly large and subsequent computed tomography follow-up is required., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery.)

Purpose: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been an important method of treatment in the advance of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The indications for HSCT are evolving and require updated establishment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of HSCT on the treatment outcome of pediatric ALL, considering the indications for HSCT and subgroups., Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on ALL patients diagnosed and treated at a single center. Risk groups were categorized based on age at diagnosis, initial white blood cell count, disease lineage (B/T), and cytogenetic study results. Data on the patients' disease status at HSCT and indications of HSCT were collected. Indications for HSCT were categorized as upfront HSCT at 1st complete remission, relapse, and refractory disease., Results: Among the 549 screened patients, a total of 418 patients were included in the study; B-ALL (n=379) and T-ALL (n=39). HSCT was conducted on a total of 106 patients (25.4%), with a higher frequency as upfront HSCT in higher risk groups and specific cytogenetics. The overall survival (OS) was significantly better when done upfront than in relapsed or refractory state in T-ALL patients (p=0.0016). The KMT2A-rearranged ALL patients showed superior event-free survival (p=0.0023) and OS (p=0.0221) when HSCT was done as upfront treatment., Conclusion: HSCT had a substantial positive effect in a specific subset of pediatric ALL. In particular, frontline HSCT for T-ALL and KMT2A-rearranged ALL offered a better prognosis than when HSCT was conducted in a relapsed or refractory setting.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of rejoining mainstream and accessory veins for forced maturation of autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF)., Methods: Twenty-three patients who underwent forced maturation through vein rejoining between January 2018 and September 2022 were included. In cases where AVF maturation failure due to the presence of accessory veins, rejoining was primarily considered when distinguishing the main branch becomes challenging. This difficulty typically occurs when the sizes of the 2 vessels are nearly equal and the combined diameters of these veins exceed 6 mm., Results: The mean age and follow-up duration were 57.39 ± 16.22 years and 965.65 ± 573.42 days, respectively. Rejoining of both arterial and venous cannulation sites was performed in 11 patients (47.8%), and rejoining of only the venous cannulation site or only the arterial cannulation site was performed in 11 patients (47.8%) and 1 patient (4.3%), respectively. The mean vein size was 0.35 ± 0.06 cm before rejoining and 0.69 ± 0.07 cm after surgery, indicating a significant increase in size (P < 0.01), whereas the flow did not change significantly following rejoining surgery. Maturation and cannulation success was 100%. The 1-year primary patency rate after surgery was 82.0%. During the follow-up period, 34.8% of the patients required additional percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to maintain patency, and 2 patients (11.8%) had stenosis in the rejoined section., Conclusions: Rejoining surgery is an effective method for achieving AVF maturation in patients with accessory veins when identification of the mainstream vein is difficult, and this method may be considered when achieving maturation by sacrificing 1 vein is expected to be challenging., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Simulated SV-AUC data for an adeno-associated virus (AAV) sample consisting of four components having closely spaced sedimentation coefficients were used to develop a high-speed protocol that optimized the size distribution analysis resolution. The resulting high speed (45K rpm) SV-AUC (hs-SV-AUC) protocol poses several experimental challenges: 1) the need for rapid data acquisition, 2) increased potential for optical artifacts from steep and fast moving boundaries and 3) the increased potential for convection. To overcome these challenges the protocol uses interference detection at low temperatures and data that are confined to a limited radial-time window. In addition to providing higher resolution AAV SV-AUC data and very short run times (<20 min after temperature equilibration), the need to match the sample and reference solvent composition and meniscus positions is relaxed making interference detection as simple to employ as absorbance detection. Finally, experimental data comparing hs-SV-AUC (at 45K rpm) with standard low-speed (15K rpm) SV-AUC on the same AAV sample demonstrate the size distribution resolution improvement. These experiments also validate the use of a radial-time window and show how quickly data can be acquired using the hs-SV-AUC protocol., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Iron deficiency (ID) tends to be overlooked compared with anemia. However, its prevalence is estimated to be twice as high as that of ID anemia, and ID without anemia can be accompanied by clinical and functional impairments. The symptoms of ID are nonspecific, such as fatigue and lethargy, but can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders in children, restless legs syndrome, and recurrent infections due to immune system dysregulation. In particular, the risk of ID is high in the context of chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) due to the reaction of various cytokines and the resulting increase in hepcidin levels; ID further exacerbates these diseases and increases mortality. Therefore, the diagnosis of ID should not be overlooked through ID screening especially in high-risk groups. Ferritin and transferrin saturation levels are the primary laboratory parameters used to diagnose ID. However, as ferritin levels respond to inflammation, the diagnostic criteria differ among guidelines. Therefore, new tools and criteria for accurately diagnosing ID should be developed. Treatment can be initiated only with an accurate diagnosis. Oral iron is typically the first-line treatment for ID; however, the efficacy and safety of intravenous iron have recently been recognized. Symptoms improve quickly after treatment, and the prognosis of accompanying diseases can also be improved. This review highlights the need to improve global awareness of ID diagnosis and treatment, even in the absence of anemia, to improve the quality of life of affected children, especially those with CIDs.

Phasmatodea, commonly known as stick insects, are recognized as noteworthy pests globally, impacting agriculture and forest ecosystems. Among them, the outbreak of Ramulus mikado has emerged as a notable concern in East Asian forests. Recently, Metarhizium phasmatodeae has been identified as utilizing stick insects as hosts. We have observed evidence of this entomopathogenic fungus infecting stick insects. Given the increase in these occurrences during the rainy period, this study investigated the relationship between the survival of R. mikado and the M. phasmatodeae infection during the rainy seasons of 2022 and 2023. We collected stick insects in two representative forests of the Republic of Korea and examined insect survival, fungal infection, and various environmental factors. No infections were detected in specimens collected in June before the rainy season, but from July onwards, both the mortality of R. mikado and the fungal infection substantially increased. By the last sampling date of each year, 75% (2022), 71.4% (2023) of the specimens were infected, and over 90% of the total individuals succumbed as a result. Fungi isolated from deceased R. mikado were successfully identified as M. phasmatodeae using morphological and taxonomic approaches. Various statistical analyses, including principal component analysis and modeling, revealed a robust association between fungal infection and the survival of stick insects. The results highlight the correlation between mass deaths of stick insects and fungal infection, particularly during the summer rainy season. These findings offer valuable insights for forecasting R. mikado population in the upcoming year and developing effective pest control strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Min, Shin, Lee, Baek, Park, Kim, Son and Jung.)

The use of taboo words represents one of the most common and arguably universal linguistic behaviors, fulfilling a wide range of psychological and social functions. However, in the scientific literature, taboo language is poorly characterized, and how it is realized in different languages and populations remains largely unexplored. Here we provide a database of taboo words, collected from different linguistic communities (Study 1, N = 1046), along with their speaker-centered semantic characterization (Study 2, N = 455 for each of six rating dimensions), covering 13 languages and 17 countries from all five permanently inhabited continents. Our results show that, in all languages, taboo words are mainly characterized by extremely low valence and high arousal, and very low written frequency. However, a significant amount of cross-country variability in words' tabooness and offensiveness proves the importance of community-specific sociocultural knowledge in the study of taboo language., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cancer metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Accordingly, to reduce metastasis remains a vital challenge in clinical practice, and phytochemicals have taken an attention as anti-metastatic agents. Apigenin, a plant flavone, showed anti-cancer effects against in various animal models, moreover its potentials inhibiting tumor metastasis have been reported. Herein, we analyzed the overall features at what apigenin inhibited metastasis and its action modes. We searched for articles in MEDLINE (Pubmed), EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through March 2023. Total 6 animal studies presented anti-metastatic effects of apigenin using 5 difference experimental models, while the mechanisms involved modulations of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), angiogenesis, and various metastasis-related signaling pathways. This review provides an overall potential of apigenin as a candidate reducing the risk of cancer metastasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author C-GS declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Oh, Cho, Lee and Son.)

Introduction: Oral incompetence (OI) following facial nerve injury or sacrifice remains a frustrating problem for patients and clinicians alike. Dynamic procedures for facial paralysis often do not fully address OI and static surgeries are frequently needed. Current static options frequently involved multiple facial incisions. Methods: We describe a novel technique to address OI due to lower division facial nerve paralysis and report outcomes in an initial series of patients. Results: OI symptoms improved in 94% of patients following a single-stage surgery. Revision was required in one patient with subsequent resolution of symptoms. Major complications (19%) included persistent OI, wound dehiscence, and bothersome lip "bulk". Conclusion: Lip wedge resection with orbicular oris plication resolves OI in facial paralysis patients with the added benefit of only a single incision on the face., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Aim: We investigate combining Prussian Blue nanoparticles (PBNPs), as photothermal therapy (PTT) agents, with agonistic CD137 antibodies (αCD137) on a single nanoparticle platform to deliver non-toxic, anti-tumor efficacy in SM1 murine melanoma. Methods: We electrostatically coated PBNPs with αCD137 (αCD137-PBNPs) and quantified their physicochemical characteristics, photothermal and co-stimulatory capabilities. Next, we tested the efficacy and hepatotoxicity of PTT using αCD137-PBNPs (αCD137-PBNP-PTT) in SM1 tumor-bearing mice. Results: The αCD137-PBNPs retained both the photothermal and agonistic properties of the PBNPs and αCD137, respectively. In vivo , SM1 tumor-bearing mice treated with αCD137-PBNP-PTT exhibited a significantly higher survival rate (50%) without hepatotoxicity, compared with control treatments. Conclusion: These data suggest the potential utility of co-localizing PBNP-PTT with αCD137-based agonism as a novel combination nanomedicine.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and most patients experience fatigue. However, there are no effective treatments for cancer-related fatigue (CRF). Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have suggested that moxibustion improves CRF. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the differences in fatigue scale scores, quality of life, and clinical efficacy in patients with breast cancer who developed CRF and did versus did not receive moxibustion., Methods: RCTs were searched in 7 databases using a standardized search method from database inception to March 2023, and RCTs that met the inclusion criteria were selected., Results: Among 1337 initially identified RCTs, 10 RCTs involving 744 participants were selected for this study. The meta-analysis involved assessment of the revised Piper Fatigue Scale scores, Cancer Fatigue Scale scores, Karnofsky Performance Scale scores, Athens Insomnia Scale scores, clinical efficacy, and Qi deficiency syndrome scale scores. Compared with the control, moxibustion was associated with significantly better Piper Fatigue Scale scores ( P  < 0.0001), quality of life [Karnofsky Performance Scale scores ( P  < 0.0001)], clinical efficacy ( P  = 0.0007), and Qi deficiency syndrome scale scores ( P  = 0.02)., Conclusions: Moxibustion improves CRF in patients with breast cancer. The efficacy of moxibustion should be further examined by high-quality studies in various countries with patients subdivided by their breast cancer treatment status., Registration: PROSPERO ID: CRD42023451292., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Not only hemo-dynamic (HD) factors but also hemo-metabolic (HM) risk factors reflecting multi-organ injuries are considered as important prognostic factors in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, studies regarding HM risk factors in STEMI patients are currently limited., Method: Under analysis were 1,524 patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention in the INTERSTELLAR registry. Patients were divided into HM (≥ 2 risk factors) and non-HM impairment groups. The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality., Results: Of 1,524 patients, 214 (14.0%) and 1,310 (86.0%) patients were in the HM and non-HM impairment groups, respectively. Patients with HM impairment had a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality than those without (24.3% vs. 2.7%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, HM impairment was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (inverse probability of treatment weighting [IPTW]-adjusted odds ratio: 1.81, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-3.14). In the third door-to-balloon (DTB) time tertile (≥ 82 min), HM impairment was strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. In the first DTB time tertile ( < 62 min), indicating relatively rapid revascularization, HM impairment was consistently associated with increased in-hospital mortality., Conclusions: Hemo-metabolic impairment is significantly associated with increased risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality in patients with STEMI. It remains a significant prognostic factor, regardless of DTB time.