The rate of detection of thyroid nodules and carcinomas has increased with the widespread use of ultrasonography (US), which is the mainstay for the detection and risk stratification of thyroid ...nodules as well as for providing guidance for their biopsy and nonsurgical treatment. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) published their first recommendations for the US-based diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules in 2011. These recommendations have been used as the standard guidelines for the past several years in Korea. Lately, the application of US has been further emphasized for the personalized management of patients with thyroid nodules. The Task Force on Thyroid Nodules of the KSThR has revised the recommendations for the ultrasound diagnosis and imaging-based management of thyroid nodules. The review and recommendations in this report have been based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature and the consensus of experts.
For the demonstration of remote‐controllable actuators, a dendronized polymer (denpol) is newly designed and successfully synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of azobenzene‐based ...macromonomers. The incorporation of azobenzene mesogens into the denpols helps to construct finely tuned hierarchical superstructures with anisotropic physical properties and reversible photoisomerization. The polynorbornene backbones and azobenzene side chains in the uniaxially oriented films are aligned perpendicularly and parallel to the layer normal, respectively. Based on photoreversible actuation experiments combined with diffraction results, direct relationships between the chemical structures, hierarchical superstructures, and their corresponding photomechanical behaviors are proposed. Smart denpols possess great potential for practical applications in photoresponsive switches.
To demonstrate remote‐controllable actuators, a polynorbornene with dendronized azobenzene chromophores is synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization.
Skin rash is a well-known predictive marker of the response to cetuximab (Cmab) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the mechanism of skin rash development is not well understood. ...Following exposure to EGFR-targeted therapies, changes in IL-8 levels have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between skin rash and inflammatory cytokine levels, including IL-8. Between 2014 and 2017, we prospectively enrolled 38 mCRC patients who underwent chemotherapy with either Cmab or bevacizumab (Bmab) at two hospitals. We performed multiplex cytokine ELISA with 20 inflammatory cytokines including E-selectin, GM-CSF, IFN-alpha, IFN-γ, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17A, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, P-selectin, sICAM-1, and TNF-alpha at baseline before cycle 1, 24 h after cycle 1, before cycle 2 (= 14 d), and before cycle 3 (= 28 d). Cytokine levels were compared using ANOVA after log-transformation. IL-8 genotypes in 30 patients treated with Cmab were determined using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Depending on the RAS mutational status, 30 and eight patients were treated with Cmab and Bmab-based chemotherapy, respectively. Skin rash developed in 23 (76.6%) of the 30 patients treated with Cmab plus FOLFIRI, after cycle 1. Only the mean log-transformed serum IL-8 level in patients with skin toxicity was statistically lower (2.83 ± 0.15) than in patients who did not experience skin toxicity (3.65 ± 0.27) and received Bmab (3.10 ± 0.26) (ANOVA test, p value = 0.0341). In addition, IL-8 polymorphism did not affect IL-8 levels, skin toxicity, or tumor response in Cmab treated patients. This study suggests that the inflammatory cytokine levels might be affected by Cmab exposure and are associated with the development of skin rash in mCRC patients. Further studies are warranted to evaluate this interaction in Cmab treated patients.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events in humans with type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Activation of the NLR family, ...pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and subsequent interleukin (IL)-1β release induces atherosclerosis and heart failure. Here we show the effect of SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin on NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Patients with T2D and high cardiovascular risk receive SGLT2 inhibitor or sulfonylurea for 30 days, with NLRP3 inflammasome activation analyzed in macrophages. While the SGLT2 inhibitor's glucose-lowering capacity is similar to sulfonylurea, it shows a greater reduction in IL-1β secretion compared to sulfonylurea accompanied by increased serum β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and decreased serum insulin. Ex vivo experiments with macrophages verify the inhibitory effects of high BHB and low insulin levels on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In conclusion, SGLT2 inhibitor attenuates NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which might help to explain its cardioprotective effects.
We developed an automatic method for staging periodontitis on dental panoramic radiographs using the deep learning hybrid method. A novel hybrid framework was proposed to automatically detect and ...classify the periodontal bone loss of each individual tooth. The framework is a hybrid of deep learning architecture for detection and conventional CAD processing for classification. Deep learning was used to detect the radiographic bone level (or the CEJ level) as a simple structure for the whole jaw on panoramic radiographs. Next, the percentage rate analysis of the radiographic bone loss combined the tooth long-axis with the periodontal bone and CEJ levels. Using the percentage rate, we could automatically classify the periodontal bone loss. This classification was used for periodontitis staging according to the new criteria proposed at the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the automatic method with the diagnoses by radiologists was 0.73 overall for the whole jaw (p < 0.01), and the intraclass correlation value 0.91 overall for the whole jaw (p < 0.01). The novel hybrid framework that combined deep learning architecture and the conventional CAD approach demonstrated high accuracy and excellent reliability in the automatic diagnosis of periodontal bone loss and staging of periodontitis.
Background
Inactivation of
TP53
, a tumor suppressor gene, is associated with the development of several malignancies, including gastric cancer (GC). The present study aimed to evaluate the ...correlation between the overexpression of p53 and survival in different Lauren-type GCs.
Methods
From May 2003 to December 2019, 3608 GC patients treated endoscopically or surgically at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were enrolled for the study. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 was performed on all endoscopic and surgical gastric specimens. Clinicopathologic characteristics with Lauren classification, survival rate, and cancer recurrence were analyzed according to p53 overexpression.
Results
Among 3608 GC patients, p53 overexpression was seen in 1334 patients (37%). p53 overexpression was associated with lower depth of invasion (
P
= 0.026) and Early gastric cancer (
P
= 0.044) in intestinal-type GC, and with advanced TNM stage (
P
< 0.001) and Advanced gastric cancer (
P
< 0.001) in diffuse-type GC. The overall survival (OS) and GC-specific survival (GCSS) were significantly lower in p53 overexpression positive patients. This significance was more pronounced and enhanced in the diffuse-type GC and was absent in the intestinal-type GC. In multivariate analyses, p53 overexpression was associated with poor OS in both subtypes of GC and cancer recurrence in diffuse-type GC. (OS in intestinal-type: adjusted hazard ratio aHR = 1.423,
P
= 0.022; OS in diffuse-type: aHR = 1.401
P
= 0.035; cancer recurrence in diffuse-type: aHR = 1.502,
P
= 0.039).
Conclusion
p53 overexpression was associated with poor prognosis in GC, especially in diffuse-type. In addition, p53 overexpression was associated with early stage disease in intestinal-type GC and with advanced stage disease in diffuse-type GC.
The cellular decision regarding whether to undergo proliferation or death is made at the restriction (R)-point, which is disrupted in nearly all tumors. The identity of the molecular mechanisms that ...govern the R-point decision is one of the fundamental issues in cell biology. We found that early after mitogenic stimulation, RUNX3 binds to its target loci, where it opens chromatin structure by sequential recruitment of Trithorax group proteins and cell-cycle regulators to drive cells to the R-point. Soon after, RUNX3 closes these loci by recruiting Polycomb repressor complexes, causing the cell to pass through the R-point toward S phase. If the RAS signal is constitutively activated, RUNX3 inhibits cell cycle progression by maintaining R-point-associated genes in an open structure. Our results identify RUNX3 as a pioneer factor for the R-point and reveal the molecular mechanisms by which appropriate chromatin modifiers are selectively recruited to target loci for appropriate R-point decisions.
A rapid outbreak of monkeypox is ongoing in non-endemic countries since May 2022. We report the first case of monkeypox in the Republic of Korea. This occurred in a 34-year-old male patient who ...traveled to Europe in June 2022. On the day of his return to the Republic of Korea (June 21, 2022), the patient presented with a genital lesion. The results of the monkeypox real-time polymerase chain reaction tests were positive in the penile ulcer, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal specimens. The patient subsequently developed fever and skin rash after hospital admission. Careful history taking along physical examination should be conducted in the patients who have epidemiologic risk factors for monkeypox. Moreover, appropriate specimens should be obtained from lesions and tested for the monkeypox virus.
Non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries cycle by forming lithium peroxide during discharge and oxidizing it during recharge. The significant problem of oxidizing the solid insulating lithium peroxide ...can greatly be facilitated by incorporating redox mediators that shuttle electron-holes between the porous substrate and lithium peroxide. Redox mediator stability is thus key for energy efficiency, reversibility, and cycle life. However, the gradual deactivation of redox mediators during repeated cycling has not conclusively been explained. Here, we show that organic redox mediators are predominantly decomposed by singlet oxygen that forms during cycling. Their reaction with superoxide, previously assumed to mainly trigger their degradation, peroxide, and dioxygen, is orders of magnitude slower in comparison. The reduced form of the mediator is markedly more reactive towards singlet oxygen than the oxidized form, from which we derive reaction mechanisms supported by density functional theory calculations. Redox mediators must thus be designed for stability against singlet oxygen.
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