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Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors for persistent disease activity following anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) and their long-term effects in patients to be treated for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) under real-world conditions. Methods Retrospective data analysis of the PROOF study, a multi-center real-world retrospective chart review conducted across Korea in patients with nAMD included treatment-naive patients with nAMD who received first anti-VEGF (ranibizumab, bevacizumab, or aflibercept) between January 2017 and March 2019 was performed. All 600 patients (cohort 1) had a minimum follow-up of 12 months of which 453 patients (cohort 2) were followed-up for 24 months from baseline. Results At month 12 after anti-VEGF therapy, 58.10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.09, 62.12) of patients and at month 24, 66.02% of patients continued to have persistent retinal fluid. At both months 12 and 24, predictive factors for persistent disease activity were fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachments (PED) (P = 0.0494) and retinal fluid at month 3 after loading phase (P = 0.0082). The mean changes in visual acuity were + 6.2, + 10.1, and + 13.3 letters and in the central subfield thickness were − 79.1 µm, − 96.3 µm, and − 134.4 µm at 12 months from baseline, in the bevacizumab, aflibercept, and ranibizumab groups, respectively. Conclusions The presence of retinal fluid after loading phase and fibrovascular PED were predictors of persistent disease activity after at least 1 year of anti-VEGF treatment.

Abstract Pyrolysis, a thermal decomposition without oxygen, is a promising technology for transportable liquids from whole fractions of lignocellulosic biomass. However, due to the hydrophilic products of pyrolysis, the liquid oils have undesirable physicochemical characteristics, thus requiring an additional upgrading process. Biological upgrading methods could address the drawbacks of pyrolysis by utilizing various hydrophilic compounds as carbon sources under mild conditions with low carbon footprints. Versatile chemicals, such as lipids, ethanol, and organic acids, could be produced through microbial assimilation of anhydrous sugars, organic acids, aldehydes, and phenolics in the hydrophilic fractions. The presence of various toxic compounds and the complex composition of the aqueous phase are the main challenges. In this review, the potential of bioconversion routes for upgrading the aqueous phase of pyrolysis oil is investigated with critical challenges and perspectives. Graphical Abstract

Fusarium root rot, caused by Fusarium solani, is a major post-harvest disease in sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.). An effective strategy for controlling this disease is the development of resistant varieties. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on 96 sweet potato genotypes to identify novel candidate loci and dissect the genetic basis of Fusarium root rot resistance. Genotyping was performed using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and 44,255 SNPs were identified after filtering. The genotypes (n = 96) were evaluated through resistance tests in 2021 and 2022, separately and combined. The GWAS identified two significant SNP markers (LG3_22903756 and LG4_2449919) on chromosomes 3 and 4 associated with Fusarium root rot resistance, respectively. Lesion length showed significant differences between homozygous A and G alleles of LG3_22903756, which can potentially be used to develop molecular markers for selecting accessions resistant to Fusarium root rot. Expression analysis of 11 putative genes flanking the significant SNPs revealed the alteration in the expression of nine genes, indicating their possible involvement in Fusarium root rot resistance. The results of this study will aid in the marker-assisted selection and functional analysis of candidate genes for Fusarium root rot resistance in sweet potatoes.

Abstract To evaluate the real-world treatment outcomes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in Korea, focusing on retinal fluid resolution. This multi-institutional retrospective chart review study, analyzed medical records of patients with nAMD (age ≥ 50 years) who received their first anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in ophthalmology clinics across South Korea between January 2017 and March 2019. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with retinal fluid after 12 months of anti-VEGF treatment. The association between fluid-free period and VA gains was also evaluated. A total of 600 patients were enrolled. At baseline, 97.16% of patients had retinal fluid; after 12 months of anti-VEGF treatment, 58.10% of patients had persistent retinal fluid. VA improvements were relatively better in patients with absence of retinal fluid compared with presence of retinal fluid (+ 12.29 letters vs. + 6.45 letters at month 12; P

The objective of the present study was to investigate some transition metal nitride to determine the relationship between microstructural evolution and mechanical properties such as hardness and adhesion strength of the hard coating. Results showed that it was possible to form nano-scale multilayers of Ti(CuNiZr)N/AlCr(SiW)N with chemical fluctuation of Ti-rich and Al-rich nitrides. It was believed that these nano-scale multilayers with chemical fluctuation could form during table rotation of the arc ion plating process, causing difference in mean free path of chemical elements from the target. Microstructural investigation confirmed that the multilayer consisted of three layers with nanostructured periodic stripe patterns on the multilayer coating based on detailed individual layers analysis. Furthermore, Ti(CuNiZr)N/AlCr(SiW)N multilayer showed mechanical properties, including hardness of 36.0 ± 3 GPa and adhesion strength represented by the critical load of 93 ± 5 N with the highest H/E and H3/E2 ratios.

Analysis of the weak interactions within the crystal structures of 33 complexes of various 4′-aromatic derivatives of 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (tpy) shows that interactions that exceed dispersion are dominated, as expected, by cation⋯anion contacts but are associated with both ligand–ligand and ligand–solvent contacts, sometimes multicentred, in generally complicated arrays, probably largely determined by dispersion interactions between stacked aromatic units. With V(V) as the coordinating cation, there is evidence that the polarisation of the ligand results in an interaction exceeding dispersion at a carbon bound to nitrogen with oxygen or fluorine, an interaction unseen in the structures of M(II) (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ru and Cd) complexes, except when 1,2,3-trimethoxyphenyl substituents are present in the 4′-tpy.

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate the usefulness of natural killer cell activity (NKA) in diagnosing prostate cancer (PC). Materials and Methods The medical records of patients who underwent transrectal prostate biopsy (TRBx) at Korea University Ansan Hospital between May 2017 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. NKA levels were measured using NK Vue® Tubes (ATgen, Sungnam, Korea). All blood samples were obtained at 8 AM on the day of biopsy. Patients with other malignancies, chronic inflammatory conditions, high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (>20ng/mL), or history of taking 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor or testosterone replacement therapy were excluded. Results A total of 102 patients who underwent TRBx for PC diagnosis were enrolled. Among them, 50 were diagnosed with PC. Significant differences in age and NKA level were observed between the PC and no-PC groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off of NKA level for the prediction of PC was 500pg/dL, with a sensitivity of 68.0% and a specificity of 73.1%. In addition, NKA level (0.630) had the greatest area under the ROC curve compared to those for the ratio of total PSA to free PSA (0.597) and PSA density (0.578). Conclusions The results of this pilot study revealed that low NKA and high PSA levels were likely to be associated with a positive TRBx outcome. NKA detection was easy and improved the diagnostic accuracy of PC.

Purpose To evaluate seasonal variations of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in women who visited hospital clinics. Methods Medical records of female patients treated for OAB symptoms from January 2011 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with pyuria at the first visit, those who did not complete the questionnaire, and those with

One of the primary goals of epidemiology is to quantify various aspects of a population’s health, illness, and death status and the determinants (or risk factors) thereof by calculating health indicators that measure the magnitudes of various conditions. There has been some confusion regarding health indicators, with discrepancies in usage among organizations such as the World Health Organization the, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the CDC of other countries, and the usage of the relevant terminology may vary across papers. Therefore, in this review, we would like to propose appropriate terminological definitions for health indicators based on the most commonly used meanings and/or the terms used by official agencies, in order to bring clarity to this area of confusion. We have used appropriate examples to make each health indicator easy for the reader to understand. We have included practical exercises for some health indicators to help readers understand the underlying concepts.

Assessment of functional independence and residual disability is very important for measuring treatment outcome after stroke. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the modified Barthel Index (MBI) are commonly used scales to measure disability or dependence in activities of daily living (ADL) of stroke survivors. Lack of consensus regarding MBI score categories has caused confusion in interpreting stroke outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal corresponding MBI and modified Rankin scale (mRS) grades for categorization of MBI. The Korean versions of the MBI (K-MBI) and mRS were collected from 5,759 stroke patients at 3 months after onset of stroke. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated at K-MBI score cutoffs for each mRS grade to obtain optimally corresponding K-MBI scores and mRS grades. We also plotted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of sensitivity and specificity and determined the area under the curve (AUC). The K-MBI cutoff points with the highest sum of sensitivity and specificity were 100 (sensitivity 0.940; specificity 0.612), 98 (sensitivity 0.904; specificity 0.838), 94 (sensitivity 0.885; specificity 0.937), 78 (sensitivity 0.946; specificity, 0.973), and 55 (sensitivity 937; specificity 0.986) for mRS grades 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. From this result, the K-MBI cutoff score range for each mRS grade can be obtained. For mRS grade 0, the K-MBI cutoff score is 100, indicating no associated score range. For mRS grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the K-MBI score ranges is from 99 to 98, 97 to 94, 93 to 78, 77 to 55, and under 54, respectively.The AUC for the ROC curve was 0.791 for mRS grade 0, 0.919 for mRS grade 1, 0.970 for mRS grade 2, 0.0 for mRS grade 3, and 0.991 for mRS grade 4. The K-MBI cutoff score ranges for representing mRS grades were variable; mRS grades 0, 1, and 2 had narrow K-MBI score ranges, while mRS grades 3, 4, and 5 exhibited broad K-MBI score ranges. mRS grade seemed to sensitively differentiate mild residual disability of stroke survivors, whereas K-MBI provided more specific information of the functional status of stroke survivors with moderate to severe residual impairment.

The conceptualization and framework of smart factories have been intensively studied in previous studies, and the extension to various business areas has been suggested as a future research direction. This paper proposes a method for extending the smart factory concept in the ship building phase to the ship servicing phase through actual examples. In order to expand the study, we identified the differences between manufacturing and maintenance. We proposed a smart transformation procedure, framework, and architecture of a smart maintenance factory. The transformation was a large-scale operation for the entire factory beyond simply applying a single process or specific technology. The transformations were presented through a vessel maintenance depot case and the effects of improvements were discussed.

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) have ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. IRI property has been extensively utilized for the cryopreservation of different types of cells and tissues. Recent reports demonstrated that IRI can also play a significant role in protecting proteins from freezing damage during freeze–thaw cycles. In this study, we hypothesized that the protective capability of IBPs on proteins against freeze–thaw damage is proportional to their IRI activity. Hence we used two IBPs: one with higher IRI activity (LeIBP) and the other with lower activity (FfIBP). Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was used as a freeze-labile model protein. IBPs and ADH were mixed, frozen at −20 °C, and thawed repeatedly. The structure of ADH was assessed using fluorescence emission spectra probed by 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate over the repeated freeze–thaw cycles. The activity was monitored at 340 nm spectrophotometrically. Fluorescence data and activity clearly indicated that ADH without IBP was freeze-labile. However, ADH maintained about 70% residual activity after five repeated cycles at a minimal concentration of 0.1 mg mL-1 of high IRI-active LeIBP, but only 50% activity at 4 mg mL−1 of low active FfIBP. These results showed that the protection of proteins from freeze–thaw stress by IBPs is proportional to their IRI activity.

To investigate the thickness of retinal layers and association with final visual acuity using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in macular area of macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) patients after a successful macular re-attachment.In retrospective study, a total 24 eyes with macula-off RRD were enrolled. All patients underwent vitrectomy to repair RRD. Outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), photoreceptor layer (PR), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) thicknesses were measured by the Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) SD-OCT with automated segmentation software. The relationship between the thicknesses of each retinal layer and postoperative logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution scale (LogMAR) visual acuity was analyzed.OPL and RPE thicknesses were not significantly different between the retinal detachment eyes and fellow eyes (P = 0.839, 0.999, respectively). The ONL and photoreceptor thickness were significantly thinner in the retinal detachment eyes (P

Abstract Cas12j, a hypercompact and efficient Cas protein, has potential for use in CRISPR diagnostics, but has not yet been used because the trans‐cleavage activity of Cas12j is veiled. Here, the trans‐cleavage behavior of Cas12j1, 2, and 3 variants and evaluate their suitability for nucleic acid detection is unveiled. The target preferences and mismatch specificities of the Cas12j variants are precisely investigated and the optimal Cas12j reaction conditions are determined. As a result, the EXP‐J assay for miRNA detection by harnessing the robust trans‐cleavage activity of Cas12j on short ssDNA is developed. The EXP‐J method demonstrates exceptional detection capabilities for miRNAs, proving that Cas12j can be a pivotal component in molecular diagnostics. Furthermore, the translational potential of the EXP‐J assay is validated by detecting oncogenic miRNAs in plasma samples from lung cancer patients. This investigation not only elucidates the trans‐cleavage characteristics of Cas12j variants, but also advances the Cas12j‐based diagnostic toolkit.

Single crystals of Co3(PO4)2·H2O, tricobalt(II) bis[orthophosphate(V)] monohydrate, were obtained under hydrothermal conditions. The compound is the second polymorph of this composition and is isotypic with its zinc analogue, Zn3(PO4)2·H2O. Three independent Co2+ cations are bridged by two independent orthophosphate anions. Two of the metal cations exhibit a distorted tetrahedral coordination while the third exhibits a considerably distorted [5 + 1] octahedral coordination environment with one very long Co—O distance of 2.416 (3) Å. The former cations are bonded to four different phosphate anions, and the latter cation is bonded to four anions (one of which is bidentate) and one water molecule, leading to a framework structure. Additional hydrogen bonds of the type O—H...O stabilize this arrangement.

Single crystals of Co3(PO4)2·4H2O, tricobalt(II) bis[orthophosphate(V)] tetrahydrate, were obtained under hydrothermal conditions. The title compound is isotypic with its zinc analogue Zn3(PO4)2·4H2O (mineral name hopeite) and contains two independent Co2+ cations. One Co2+ cation exhibits a slightly distorted tetrahedral coordination, while the second, located on a mirror plane, has a distorted octahedral coordination environment. The tetrahedrally coordinated Co2+ is bonded to four O atoms of four PO43− anions, whereas the six-coordinate Co2+ is cis-bonded to two phosphate groups and to four O atoms of four water molecules (two of which are located on mirror planes), forming a framework structure. In addition, hydrogen bonds of the type O—H...O are present throughout the crystal structure.