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Abstract The primary component of the lipid barrier on human hair, which is essential for defense against aging and environmental stresses, is 18-methyleicosanoic acid (18-MEA), which provides hydrophobic properties and protective benefits. Since 18-MEA cannot be regenerated once damaged, developing technology that can permanently bind alternative materials to hair is critical. Once 18-MEA was removed from hair via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), pentaerythritol tetraisoosterate (PTIS) was hydrolyzed and observed via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to confirm that it mimicked 18-MEA, and 16-methylheptadecanoic acid (16-MHA) was obtained at pH 4 or lower. 16-MHA was bioconjugated to damaged hair from which 18-MEA was removed via a carbodiimide reaction using polycarbodiimide. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) confirmed that 16-MHA remained on the surface of the bioconjugated hair even after washing. Observation of the endothermic reaction of moisture in hair via a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evaluation of the moisture content confirmed that the physical properties of hair enriched with 16-MHA were similar to those of virgin hair. This biomimetic approach has been shown to restore both external structural integrity and internal moisture homeostasis.

We demonstrate that the shorter channel self-aligned top-gate (SA TG) coplanar indiumgallium- zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs), with negative voltage applied to the back-gate, exhibit superior characteristics as driving transistors in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) pixels compared to their longer channel counterparts. The shorter channel IGZO TFTs (with a channel length (L) of 3 μm) biased with a back gate voltage of −3.5 V showed a larger subthreshold swing (SS = 0.21 V/dec) than the longer channel ones (with L = 5 μm, SS = 0.16 V/dec) with a similar threshold value (VTH = 0.7–0.8 V). A large SS is beneficial for controlling grayscale levels, especially at low gray levels, when IGZO TFTs are used as driving transistors in OLED pixels. Furthermore, the negatively back-gate-biased shorter channel SA TG coplanar IGZO TFTs exhibited significantly enhanced electrical stability compared to the longer channel ones under both positive gate bias and hot carrier stresses. The findings of this study are expected to be useful in expanding the utility of IGZO TFTs in OLED displays.

In order to reduce chronic hair flyaways/frizz, both reducing and oxidizing agents have to be used, leaving aside the hair damage issues. This study presents changes in hair morphology caused by treatment with a shampoo containing only reducing agents, excluding oxidizing agents that affect critical hair damages. As a result of flyaway/frizz improvement rates calculated through monitoring of the area of light transmittance in the hair tresses, reducing agents, such as ammonium thioglycolate (ATG), L-cysteine, and sodium sulfite were found to be effective in decreasing hair flyaway/frizz. Additionally, the methods to maintain homeostasis and control damage caused by oxidation during washing were also used to see flyaway/frizz improvement rates. Measurements using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) showed that the surface charge of hair tresses treated with shampoo containing reducing agents was lowered. Using Raman spectroscopic analysis, it has been suggested that these treatments with reducing agents induced a 3D structural transition of the hair from an α-helix to a random coil. In addition, this structural release was confirmed, identifying the reduction in the enthalpy of the α-helix using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, we verified that this change causes no hair damage through a tensile strength test. Therefore, the formulation of shampoo with reducing agents can be used as an effective strategy to care for hair flyaway/frizz without hair damage issues.

In this study, we discovered that washing hair with surfactants causes a decrease in the internal density of hair, and we propose a cuticle-sealing strategy to inhibit this phenomenon. This phenomenon was revealed based on optical analyses such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), drop shape analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and single hair analysis. Repeated treatment with surfactants creates areas of low density within the hair. Additionally, treatment with low-molecular-weight materials resulted in replenishment of the internal density of the hair. It has been shown that the more severe the degree of cuticle lifting, the more the internal density of the hair is reduced by surfactants. In addition, the study confirmed that a decrease in internal density could be prevented by sealing the cell membrane complex (CMC), and it was suggested that this reduced internal density may reflect the pore structure of hair. This study investigates the mass transfer phenomenon that occurs in hair and proposes a strategy to maintain hair homeostasis.

Abstract A biofilm, a community of microorganisms, is highly resistant to antibiotics, resulting in massive losses in various areas. We herein present a strategy to remove Streptococcus mutans biofilms through a spontaneous exfoliation by the synergistic effect between zwitterion and sugar alcohols. It is assumed that the anionic site of zwitterion can be coupled with sugar alcohols and the cationic site remains in the state of lacking electrons. The cationic site allows the complexes to be delivered to negatively charged exopolysaccharides of biofilms. This strategy facilitates a significant increase in the ability of sugar alcohols to disperse aggregated exopolysaccharides. In this work, it was demonstrated that the mixture of betaine and erythritol existed as a complex in water and that the complex induced a spontaneous detachment of biofilms from the surface to which the biofilms had been adhered. This detachment resulted from a reduction in adhesive forces of the biofilms due to an increase in solubility of bacterial exopolysaccharides. The effects triggered by the formation of complex between zwitterion and sugar alcohol provide a simple and safe way to remove biofilms without antibiotics and physical forces.

We measured and analyzed the Hall offset voltages in InGaZnO thin-film transistors. The Hall offset voltages were found to decrease monotonously as the electron densities increased. We attributed the magnitude of the offset voltage to the misalignment in the longitudinal distance between the probing points and the electron density to Fermi energy of the two-dimensional electron system, which was verified by the coincidence of the Hall voltage with the perpendicular magnetic field in the tilted magnetic field. From these results, we deduced the combined conduction band edge energy profiles from the Hall offset voltages with the electron density variations for three samples with different threshold voltages. The extracted combined conduction band edge varied by a few tens of meV over a longitudinal distance of a few tenths of µm. This result is in good agreement with the value obtained from the analysis of percolation conduction.

Purpose: Germline mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes such as BRCA2 have been associated with prostate cancer (PC) risk but has not been thoroughly evaluated for metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) in Asian men. This study attempts to evaluate frequency of DDR mutations in the largest cohort of Koreans. Materials and Methods: We recruited 340 patients with mPC unselected for family history of cancer and compared to 495 controls. Whole genome sequencing was applied to assess germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (PV/LPVs) in 26 DDR genes and HOXB13, including 7 genes (ATM, BRCA1/2, CHEK2, BRIP1, PALB2, and NBN) associated with hereditary PC. Comparisons to published Caucasian and Japanese cohorts were performed. Results: Total of 28 PV/LPVs were identified in 30 (8.8%) patients; mutations were found in 13 genes, including BRCA2 (15 men [4.41%]), ATM (2 men [0.59%]), NBN (2 men [0.59%], and BRIP1 (2 men [0.59%]). Only one patient had HOXB13 mutation (0.29%). A lower rate of overall germline variant frequency was observed in Korean mPC compared to Caucasians (8.8% vs. 11.8%), but individual variants notably differed from Caucasian and geographically similar Japanese cohorts. PV/ LPVs in DDR genes tended to increase gradually with higher Gleason scores (GS 7, 7.1%; GS 8, 7.5%; GS 9–10, 9.9%). Conclusions: BRCA2 was the most frequently mutated gene common to different cohorts supporting its importance, but differences in variant distribution in Korean mPC underscore the need for ethnic-specific genetic models. Future ethnic-specific analyses are warranted to verify our findings.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) displays a wide spectrum of oncological prognosis and clinical behavior, and is noted for its generally poor outcome in metastatic settings. However, the introduction of immunotherapy after the cytokine era has changed the landscape of treatment for metastatic RCC, outperforming previous targeted therapy and providing new hope for patients with advanced disease. Cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) has been the center of controversy, with questionable survival benefit when compared to systemic therapy. Despite discouraging results from the two randomized clinical trials (CARMENA & SURTIME), interest into the role of CN is being rekindled, and contemporary real-world studies provide supporting evidence to suggest that CN may still have a role in well-selected patients treated or expecting treatment with immunotherapy, not only for symptomatic control but also for oncological benefit. In this review article, we attempt to review the modern insight into the role of CN for metastatic RCC in contemporary medicine, with a focus on treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitor combination-based immunotherapy.

Abstract We attempted to assess the performance of an ethnic-specific polygenic risk score (PRS) designed from a Korean population to predict aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) and early-onset (age

With the dogma of sterile urine no longer held as truth, numerous studies have implicated distinct changes in microbial diversity and composition to diseased subgroups in both benign and malignant urological diseases, ranging from overactive bladder to bladder and prostate cancer. Further facilitated by novel and effective techniques of urine culture and sequencing, analysis of the genitourinary microbiome holds high potential to identify biomarkers for disease and prognosis. However, the low biomass of samples included in microbiome studies of the urinary tract challenge researchers to draw definitive conclusions, confounded by technical and procedural considerations that must be addressed. Lack of samples and adequate true negative controls can lead to overestimation of microbial influence with clinical relevance. As such, results from currently available studies and assessment of their limitations required a thorough understanding. The purpose of this narrative review was to summarize notable microbiome studies in the field of urology with a focus on significant findings and limitations of study design. Methodological considerations in future research are also discussed.

Purpose: To assess temporal improvement of prostate image reporting and data system (PIRADS) 3-5 lesion correlation to histopathologic findings from radical prostatectomy (RP) in prostate cancer (PCa). Materials and methods: A total of 1481 patients who underwent RP for biopsy-proven PCa between 2015 and 2019 were divided into 14 groups of 100 sequential readings for the evaluation of histopathological correlation with PIRADS readings. Temporal trends of PIRADS distribution and predictive performance for RP pathology were evaluated to assess underlying changes in prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) interpretation by radiologists. Results: PIRADS 4-5 lesions were significantly correlated with the increasing rates of Gleason Group (GG) upgrade (p = 0.044) and decreasing rate of GG downgrade (p = 0.016) over time. PIRADS ≥3 lesions read after median 2 years of experience were shown to independently predict intermediate–high-risk (GG ≥ 3) PCa (odds ratio 2.93, 95% confidence interval 1.00–8.54; P= 0.049) in RP pathology. Preoperative GG ≥ 3 biopsy lesions with PIRADS 4-5 lesions were significantly more susceptible to GG upgrade (P= 0.035) and GG ≥ 4 RP pathology (p = 0.003) in experienced reads, in contrast to insignificant findings in early readings (p = 0.588 and 0.248, respectively). Conclusion: Preoperative MRI reports matched with RP pathology suggest an improved prediction of adverse pathology in PIRADS 3-5 lesions over time, suggesting a temporal change in PIRADS interpretation and predictive accuracy. Institutions with low volume experience should use caution in solely relying on MRI for predicting tumor characteristics. Future prospective trials and larger scale assessments are required to further validate our results.

Purpose: To evaluate possible benefits and clinical feasibility of retrograde bladder filling method prior to intra-vesical catheter removal after transurethral prostatectomy (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and Methods: Male patients undergoing TURP for BPH from January 2019 to October 2019 were randomized in a 1:1 ratio into either retrograde filling (RF) or spontaneous voiding (SV) methods at a single institution to determine safety and efficacy of RF (NCT04309032), with surgeons blinded to allocation. Perioperative outcomes including postoperative complications were compared between two groups. Clinician/patients’ satisfaction level which was evaluated with postoperative questionnaires were also compared. Results: A total of 56 patients were randomized into two groups and 56 were included in final analysis (28 men in RF group, 26 in SV group). No significant differences in baseline characteristics including age, prostate volume, or perioperative uroflowmetry were observed. However, RF significantly facilitated time to void (67.0±63.2 vs. 144.0±78.7 min; p

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Prostate Health Index (PHI) and prostate multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in predicting prostate cancer (PCa) and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) during initial prostate biopsy. Materials and Methods: In total, 343 patients underwent initial prostate biopsy and were screened by use of PHI and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels between April 2019 and July 2021. A subgroup of 232 patients also underwent prostate mpMRI. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracies of PSA, PHI, and mpMRI as predictors of PCa or csPCa. These predictive accuracies were quantified by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The different predictive models were compared using the DeLong test. Results: Logistic regression showed that age, PSA, PHI, and prostate volume were significant predictors of both PCa and csPCa. In the mpMRI subgroup, age, PSA level, PHI, prostate volume, and mpMRI were predictors of both PCa and csPCa. The PHI (area under the curve [AUC]=0.693) was superior to the PSA level (AUC=0.615) as a predictor of PCa (p=0.038). Combining PHI and mpMRI showed the most accurate prediction of both PCa and csPCa (AUC=0.833, 0.881, respectively). Conclusions: The most accurate prediction of both PCa and csPCa can be performed by combining PHI and mpMRI. In the absence of mpMRI, PHI is superior to PSA alone as a predictor of PCa, and adding PHI to PSA can increase the detection rate of both PCa and csPCa.

Purpose: To identify the prevalence of detrusor overactivity with impaired contractility (DOIC) in the community-dwelling elderly and explore whether it is from a single or two independent bladder dysfunctions. Materials and Methods: Based on a 10-year urodynamic database of the SEOUL Study Group, elderly patients who met inclusion criteria were selected. Bladder sensation, capacity, and compliance were designated as evaluation elements for storage function, and free maximal flow rate (Qmax) and post void residual volume, detrusor pressure at maximal flow (PdetQmax), and bladder voiding efficiency for voiding function. Results: The prevalence rate of DOIC was 18.8% and 5.5% among 2,571 men and 688 women, respectively, and increased significantly with age. In men, patients with DOIC showed no differences in storage parameters and significantly lower free Qmax and PdetQmax among voiding parameters, compared to those with detrusor overactivity (DO) only. Compared to men with detrusor underactivity (DU) only, those with DOIC had worse parameters in the majority of storage and voiding functions. In women, most of the storage and voiding functions were worse in patients with DOIC than in those with DO only. On the other hand, women with DU showed lower PdetQmax and worse voiding functions than those with DOIC, although some parameters did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: It seems that DOIC is developed from a coincidental combination of two independent DO and DU in men. In contrast, DOIC is likely to be an intermediate step during the process of progression from DO to DU in women.

AimsThe purpose of this study is to evaluate an aggregate influence of prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility variants on the development of PCa in Korean men by using the polygenic risk score (PRS) approach.MethodsAn analysis of 1,001 cases of PCa and 2,641 controls was performed to: (i) identify potential PCa-related risk loci in Koreans and (ii) validate the cumulative association between these loci and PCa using the PRS. Subgroup analyses based on risk stratification were conducted to better characterize the potential correlation to key PCa-related clinical outcomes (e.g., Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen levels). The results were replicated using 514 cases of PCa and 548 controls from an independent cohort.ResultsGenome-wide association analysis from our discovery cohort revealed 11 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with PCa showing statistical significance of p < 5.0 × 10–5. Seven variants were located at 8q24.21 (rs1016343, rs16901979, and rs13252298 in PRNCR1; rs4242384, rs7837688, and rs1447295 in CASC8; and rs1512268 in NKX3). Two variants located within HNF1B (rs7501939 and rs4430796) had a significant negative association with PCa risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.717 and 0.747, p = 6.42 × 10–7 and 3.67 × 10–6, respectively]. Of the six independent SNPs that remained after linkage disequilibrium (LD) pruning, the top four SNPs best predicted PCa risk with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.637 (95% CI: 0.582–0.692). Those with top 25% polygenic risk had a 4.2-fold increased risk of developing PCa compared with those with low risk.ConclusionEleven PCa risk variants in Korean men were identified; PRSs of a subset of these variants could help predict PCa susceptibility.

This study was performed to investigate the learning curve of transurethral enucleation with bipolar energy (TUEB) for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The study involved 494 consecutive patients who underwent TUEB for benign prostatic hyperplasia from August 2018 to March 2022 by one surgeon (SJJ, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea). The patients were followed up at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. To evaluate the learning curve of TUEB, perioperative parameters including the enucleation ratio (enucleated tissue weight/transitional zone volume), TUEB efficiency (enucleated tissue weight/operation time), and enucleation efficiency (enucleated tissue weight/enucleation time) were analyzed. Functional outcomes and postoperative complications were also assessed, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS quality-of-life (QoL) score, and uroflowmetry outcomes. The patients' median age was 72 (interquartile range [IQR]: 66-78) years, and the estimated prostate volume and transitional zone volume were 63.0 (IQR: 46.0-90.6) ml and 37.1 (IQR: 24.0-60.0) ml, respectively. The enucleation ratio, TUEB efficiency, and enucleation efficiency were 0.60 (IQR: 0.46-0.54) g ml-1, 0.33 (IQR: 0.22-0.46) g min-1, and 0.50 (IQR: 0.35-0.72) g min-1, respectively, plateauing after 70 cases. The functional outcomes, including total IPSS, IPSS QoL score, and uroflowmetry outcomes, significantly improved at 6 months after TUEB (all P < 0.05), but without significant differences over the learning curve. Sixty-five (13.2%) patients developed complications after TUEB, 21.5% of whom experienced major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade =3). The rate of major complications declined as the number of TUEB cases increased (P = 0.013). Our results suggest that the efficiency of TUEB stabilized within 70 procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]