Predicting Factors of Breakthrough Infection in Children with Primary Vesicoureteral Reflux

∙ The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2012 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licens

All-Solution-Processed InGaO 3

We fabricated the crystallized InGaZnO thin films by sol-gel process and high-temperature annealing at 900°C. Prior to the deposition of the InGaZnO, ZnO buffer layers were also coated by sol-gel process, which was followed by thermal annealing. After the synthesis and annealing of the InGaZnO, the InGaZnO thin film on the ZnO buffer layer with preferred orientation showed periodic diffraction patterns in the X-ray diffraction, resulting in a superlattice structure. This film consisted of nanosized grains with two phases of InGaO3(ZnO)1 and InGaO3(ZnO)2 in InGaZnO polycrystal. On the other hand, the use of no ZnO buffer layer and randomly oriented ZnO buffer induced the absence of the InGaZnO crystal related patterns. This indicated that the ZnO buffer with high c-axis preferred orientation reduced the critical temperature for the crystallization of the layered InGaZnO. The InGaZnO thin films formed with nanosized grains of two-phase InGaO3(ZnO)m superlattice showed considerably low thermal conductivity (1.14 Wm−1 K−1 at 325 K) due to the phonon scattering from grain boundaries as well as interfaces in the superlattice grain

Abnormal state diagnosis model tolerant to noise in plant data

When abnormal events occur in a nuclear power plant, operators must conduct appropriate abnormal operating procedures. It is burdensome though for operators to choose the appropriate procedure considering the numerous main plant parameters and hundreds of alarms that should be judged in a short time. Recently, various research has applied deep-learning algorithms to support this problem by classifying each abnormal condition with high accuracy. Most of these models are trained with simulator data because of a lack of plant data for abnormal states, and as such, developed models may not have tolerance for plant data in actual situations. In this study, two approaches are investigated for a deep learning model trained with simulator data to overcome the performance degradation caused by noise in actual plant data. First, a preprocessing method using several filters was employed to smooth the test data noise, and second, a data augmentation method was applied to increase the acceptability of the untrained data. Results of this study confirm that the combination of these two approaches can enable high model performance even in the presence of noisy data as in real plants. ? 2020 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Structural characterization and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 anode materials synthesized by a hydrothermal method

Cobalt oxide [Co3O4] anode materials were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process, and the reaction conditions were optimized to provide good electrochemical properties. The effect of various synthetic reaction and heat treatment conditions on the structure and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 powder was also studied. Physical characterizations of Co3O4 are investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller [BET] method. The BET surface area decreased with values at 131.8 m2/g, 76.1 m2/g, and 55.2 m2/g with the increasing calcination temperature at 200°C, 300°C, and 400°C, respectively. The Co3O4 particle calcinated at 200°C for 3 h has a higher surface area and uniform particle size distribution which may result in better sites to accommodate Li+ and electrical contact and to give a good electrochemical property. The cell composed of Super P as a carbon conductor shows better electrochemical properties than that composed of acetylene black. Among the samples prepared under different reaction conditions, Co3O4 prepared at 200°C for 10 h showed a better cycling performance than the other samples. It gave an initial discharge capacity of 1,330 mAh/g, decreased to 779 mAh/g after 10 cycles, and then showed a steady discharge capacity of 606 mAh/g after 60 cycles

Corrigendum: Behavioral and Neuroimaging Evidence for Facial Emotion Recognition in Elderly Korean Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease, and Frontotemporal Dementia

Background: Facial emotion recognition (FER) is impaired in individuals with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when compared to healthy older adults. Since deficits in emotion recognition are closely related to caregiver burden or social interactions, researchers have fundamental interest in FER performance in patients with dementia.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the performance profiles of six facial emotions (i.e., fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise, and happiness) and neutral faces measured among Korean healthy control (HCs), and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD, and FTD. Additionally, the neuroanatomical correlates of facial emotions were investigated.Methods: A total of 110 (33 HC, 32 MCI, 32 AD, 13 FTD) older adult participants were recruited from two different medical centers in metropolitan areas of South Korea. These individuals underwent an FER test that was used to assess the recognition of emotions or absence of emotion (neutral) in 35 facial stimuli. Repeated measures two-way analyses of variance were used to examine the distinct profiles of emotional recognition among the four groups. We also performed brain imaging and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on the participants to examine the associations between FER scores and gray matter volume.Results: The mean score of negative emotion recognition (i.e., fear, anger, disgust, and sadness) clearly discriminated FTD participants from individuals with MCI and AD and HC [F(3,106) = 10.829, p 2 = 0.235], whereas the mean score of positive emotion recognition (i.e., surprise and happiness) did not. A VBM analysis showed negative emotions were correlated with gray matter volume of anterior temporal regions, whereas positive emotions were related to gray matter volume of fronto-parietal regions.Conclusion: Impairment of negative FER in patients with FTD is cross-cultural. The discrete neural correlates of FER indicate that emotional recognition processing is a multi-modal system in the brain. Focusing on the negative emotion recognition is a more effective way to discriminate healthy aging, MCI, and AD from FTD in older Korean adults.</p

Complete Atrioventricular Block Secondary to Bortezomib Use in Multiple Myeloma

Bortezomib is an inhibitor of 26S proteasome, which is an effective treatment for multiple myeloma. The common adverse effects of bortezomib are asthenic conditions, gastrointestinal disturbances, and peripheral neuropathy. Here we describe a patient with dyspnea and general weakness because of complete atrioventricular block while receiving bortezomib. We immediately stopped bortezomib, and after inserting a permanent VDD pacemaker, the patients' symptoms disappeared

Structural environment built by AKAP12+ colon mesenchymal cells drives M2 macrophages during inflammation recovery

Macrophages exhibit phenotypic plasticity, as they have the ability to switch their functional phenotypes during inflammation and recovery. Simultaneously, the mechanical environment actively changes. However, how these dynamic alterations affect the macrophage phenotype is unknown. Here, we observed that the extracellular matrix (ECM) constructed by AKAP12+ colon mesenchymal cells (CMCs) generated M2 macrophages by regulating their shape during recovery. Notably, rounded macrophages were present in the linear and loose ECM of inflamed colons and polarized to the M1 phenotype. In contrast, ramified macrophages emerged in the contracted ECM of recovering colons and mainly expressed M2 macrophage markers. These contracted structures were not observed in the inflamed colons of AKAP12 knockout (KO) mice. Consequently, the proportion of M2 macrophages in inflamed colons was lower in AKAP12 KO mice than in WT mice. In addition, clinical symptoms and histological damage were more severe in AKAP12 KO mice than in WT mice. In experimentally remodeled collagen gels, WT CMCs drove the formation of a more compacted structure than AKAP12 KO CMCs, which promoted the polarization of macrophages toward an M2 phenotype. These results demonstrated that tissue contraction during recovery provides macrophages with the physical cues that drive M2 polarization

Multifunctional nanoparticles as a tissue adhesive and an injectable marker for image-guided procedures

Tissue adhesives have emerged as an alternative to sutures and staples for wound closure and reconnection of injured tissues after surgery or trauma. Owing to their convenience and effectiveness, these adhesives have received growing attention particularly in minimally invasive procedures. For safe and accurate applications, tissue adhesives should be detectable via clinical imaging modalities and be highly biocompatible for intracorporeal procedures. However, few adhesives meet all these requirements. Herein, we show that biocompatible tantalum oxide/silica core/shell nanoparticles (TSNs) exhibit not only high contrast effects for real-time imaging but also strong adhesive properties. Furthermore, the biocompatible TSNs cause much less cellular toxicity and less inflammation than a clinically used, imageable tissue adhesive (that is, a mixture of cyanoacrylate and Lipiodol). Because of their multifunctional imaging and adhesive property, the TSNs are successfully applied as a hemostatic adhesive for minimally invasive procedures and as an immobilized marker for image-guided procedures.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition Is Protective in Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury.

AIMS: Studies have linked severe hyperoxia, or prolonged exposure to very high oxygen levels, with worse clinical outcomes. This study investigated the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in hyperoxia-induced lung injury at very high oxygen levels (\u3e95%). RESULTS: Effects of severe hyperoxia (100% oxygen) were studied in mice with genetically inhibited EGFR and wild-type littermates. Despite the established role of EGFR in lung repair, EGFR inhibition led to improved survival and reduced acute lung injury, which prompted an investigation into this protective mechanism. Endothelial EGFR genetic knockout did not confer protection. EGFR inhibition led to decreased levels of cleaved caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribosyl) polymerase (PARP) and decreased terminal dUTP nick end labeling- (TUNEL-) positive staining in alveolar epithelial cells and reduced ERK activation, which suggested reduced apoptosis CONCLUSION: In conditions of severe hyperoxia (\u3e95% for \u3e24 h), EGFR inhibition led to improved survival, decreased lung injury, and reduced cell death. These findings further elucidate the complex role of EGFR in acute lung injury

The cascade of care for latent tuberculosis infection in congregate settings:a national cohort 1 analysis, Korea, 2017-18

BACKGROUND: In 2017, Korea implemented a nationwide project to screen and treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in high-risk for transmission public congregate settings. We aimed to assess programme success using a cascade of care framework. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We undertook a cohort study of people from three congregate settings screened between March 2017 and December 2018: (1) first-grade high school students, (2) employees of educational institutions, (3) employees of social welfare facilities. We report percentages of participants with LTBI completing each step in the cascade of care model. Poisson regression models were used to determine factors associated with not visiting clinics, not initiating treatment, and not completing treatment. RESULTS: Among the 96,439 participants who had a positive interferon-gamma release assay result, the percentage visiting clinics for further assessment, to initiate treatment, and who then completed treatment were 50.7, 34.7, and 28.9%, respectively. Compared to those aged 20-34 years, individuals aged < 20 years and aged ≥ 65 years were less likely to visit clinics, though more likely to complete treatment once initiated. Using public health centres rather than private hospitals was associated with people "not initiating treatment" (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 3.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.95-3.86). Nine-month isoniazid monotherapy therapy was associated with "not completing treatment," compared to 3-month isoniazid and rifampin therapy (aRR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.16-1.41). CONCLUSION: Among participants with LTBI from three congregate settings, less than one third completed treatment. Age, treatment centre, and initial regimen were important determinants of losses to care through the cascade