This study aimed to investigate dental treatment patterns in pediatric patients with rare diseases at Yonsei University Dental Hospital over 3 years. Data of 786 pediatric patients diagnosed with rare diseases who received dental treatment between January 2020 and December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were identified through electronic medical record screening for rare disease codes registered with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Demographics, rare disease categories, and dental treatment methods and modalities were analyzed using chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and logistic regression. Significant differences in dental treatment needs and methods were observed among categories. Patients with nervous system diseases were less likely to receive preventive or restorative treatments, such as sealants (p = 0.0062) and composite restoration (p = 0.0171), and had a higher prevalence of disabilities (p < 0.00001), leading to greater dental care challenges. Conversely, patients with congenital malformations required more extensive treatments, including stainless-steel crowns (p = 0.0118) and surgery (p = 0.0234), often under general anesthesia (p = 0.0337). The study underscores the importance of tailored dental care protocols and interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of pediatric patients with rare diseases, enhancing their oral health outcomes and quality of life.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dental sound insulation in alleviating stress and fear during dental scaling in pediatric patients. It also examined the influence of a noise-canceling application on dentist-patient communication and convenience of dental procedures. This study included 60 children and adolescents aged 7 - 16 years between April 2022 and March 2023. All participants underwent dental plaque control using an ultrasonic scaler on the maxilla first, followed by plaque control on the mandible. Dental sound insulation with active noise canceling was randomly applied to either the maxilla or mandible. Findings revealed that the stress index was significantly reduced when the application was used, with a score of 5.85 compared to 8.43 without it (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the dental fear score was significantly reduced to 1.17 with the application, as opposed to 2.97 without it (p < 0.0001). The dental sound insulation did not affect the communication between dentists and patients or the convenience of treatment. This study demonstrated that active noise canceling during pediatric dental care significantly reduced stress and fear, suggesting that it could be a valuable behavior guidance tool, particularly for children who find dental visits challenging.

This study aimed to investigate dental treatment patterns in pediatric patients with rare diseases at Yonsei University Dental Hospital over 3 years. Data of 786 pediatric patients diagnosed with rare diseases who received dental treatment between January 2020 and December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were identified through electronic medical record screening for rare disease codes registered with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Demographics, rare disease categories, and dental treatment methods and modalities were analyzed using chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and logistic regression. Significant differences in dental treatment needs and methods were observed among categories. Patients with nervous system diseases were less likely to receive preventive or restorative treatments, such as sealants (p = 0.0062) and composite restoration (p = 0.0171), and had a higher prevalence of disabilities (p < 0.00001), leading to greater dental care challenges. Conversely, patients with congenital malformations required more extensive treatments, including stainless-steel crowns (p = 0.0118) and surgery (p = 0.0234), often under general anesthesia (p = 0.0337). The study underscores the importance of tailored dental care protocols and interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of pediatric patients with rare diseases, enhancing their oral health outcomes and quality of life.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dental sound insulation in alleviating stress and fear during dental scaling in pediatric patients. It also examined the influence of a noise-canceling application on dentist-patient communication and convenience of dental procedures. This study included 60 children and adolescents aged 7 - 16 years between April 2022 and March 2023. All participants underwent dental plaque control using an ultrasonic scaler on the maxilla first, followed by plaque control on the mandible. Dental sound insulation with active noise canceling was randomly applied to either the maxilla or mandible. Findings revealed that the stress index was significantly reduced when the application was used, with a score of 5.85 compared to 8.43 without it (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the dental fear score was significantly reduced to 1.17 with the application, as opposed to 2.97 without it (p < 0.0001). The dental sound insulation did not affect the communication between dentists and patients or the convenience of treatment. This study demonstrated that active noise canceling during pediatric dental care significantly reduced stress and fear, suggesting that it could be a valuable behavior guidance tool, particularly for children who find dental visits challenging.

This study aimed to investigate dental treatment patterns in pediatric patients with rare diseases at Yonsei University Dental Hospital over 3 years. Data of 786 pediatric patients diagnosed with rare diseases who received dental treatment between January 2020 and December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were identified through electronic medical record screening for rare disease codes registered with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Demographics, rare disease categories, and dental treatment methods and modalities were analyzed using chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and logistic regression. Significant differences in dental treatment needs and methods were observed among categories. Patients with nervous system diseases were less likely to receive preventive or restorative treatments, such as sealants (p = 0.0062) and composite restoration (p = 0.0171), and had a higher prevalence of disabilities (p < 0.00001), leading to greater dental care challenges. Conversely, patients with congenital malformations required more extensive treatments, including stainless-steel crowns (p = 0.0118) and surgery (p = 0.0234), often under general anesthesia (p = 0.0337). The study underscores the importance of tailored dental care protocols and interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of pediatric patients with rare diseases, enhancing their oral health outcomes and quality of life.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dental sound insulation in alleviating stress and fear during dental scaling in pediatric patients. It also examined the influence of a noise-canceling application on dentist-patient communication and convenience of dental procedures. This study included 60 children and adolescents aged 7 - 16 years between April 2022 and March 2023. All participants underwent dental plaque control using an ultrasonic scaler on the maxilla first, followed by plaque control on the mandible. Dental sound insulation with active noise canceling was randomly applied to either the maxilla or mandible. Findings revealed that the stress index was significantly reduced when the application was used, with a score of 5.85 compared to 8.43 without it (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the dental fear score was significantly reduced to 1.17 with the application, as opposed to 2.97 without it (p < 0.0001). The dental sound insulation did not affect the communication between dentists and patients or the convenience of treatment. This study demonstrated that active noise canceling during pediatric dental care significantly reduced stress and fear, suggesting that it could be a valuable behavior guidance tool, particularly for children who find dental visits challenging.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Korea and the third leading cause of death from cancer. Treatment outcomes for colon cancer are steadily improving due to national health screening programs with advances in diagnostic methods, surgical techniques, and therapeutic agents.. The Korea Colon Cancer Multidisciplinary (KCCM) Committee intends to provide professionals who treat colon cancer with the most up-to-date, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve outcomes and help them make decisions that reflect their patients’ values and preferences. These guidelines have been established by consensus reached by the KCCM Guideline Committee based on a systematic literature review and evidence synthesis and by considering the national health insurance system in real clinical practice settings. Each recommendation is presented with a recommendation strength and level of evidence based on the consensus of the committee.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Immunologists have activated T cells in vitro using various stimulation methods, including phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)/ionomycin and αCD3/αCD28 agonistic antibodies. PMA stimulates protein kinase C, activating nuclear factor-κB, and ionomycin increases intracellular calcium levels, resulting in activation of nuclear factor of activated T cell. In contrast, αCD3/αCD28 agonistic antibodies activate T cells through ZAP-70, which phosphorylates linker for activation of T cell and SH2-domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76 kD. However, despite the use of these two different in vitro T cell activation methods for decades, the differential effects of chemical-based and antibody-based activation of primary human T cells have not yet been comprehensively described. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies to analyze gene expression unbiasedly at the single-cell level, we compared the transcriptomic profiles of the non-physiological and physiological activation methods on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell–derived T cells from four independent donors. Remarkable transcriptomic differences in the expression of cytokines and their respective receptors were identified. We also identified activated CD4 T cell subsets (CD55+) enriched specifically by PMA/ionomycin activation. We believe this activated human T cell transcriptome atlas derived from two different activation methods will enhance our understanding, highlight the optimal use of these two in vitro T cell activation assays, and be applied as a reference standard when analyzing activated specific disease-originated T cells through scRNA-seq.

Objectives: . Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine tumor, with rapidly increasing incidence worldwide. However, its transcriptomic characteristics associated with immunological signatures, driver fusions, and recurrence markers remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the transcriptomic characteristics of advanced papillary thyroid cancer. Methods: . This study included 282 papillary thyroid cancer tumor samples and 155 normal samples from Chungnam National University Hospital and Seoul National University Hospital. Transcriptomic quantification was determined by high-throughput RNA sequencing. We investigated the associations of clinical parameters and molecular signatures using RNA sequencing. We validated predictive biomarkers using the Cancer Genome Atlas database. Results: . Through a comparison of differentially expressed genes, gene sets, and pathways in papillary thyroid cancer compared to normal tumor-adjacent tissue, we found increased immune signaling associated with cytokines or T cells and decreased thyroid hormone synthetic pathways. In addition, patients with recurrence presented increased CD8+ T-cell and Th1-cell signatures. Interestingly, we found differentially overexpressed genes related to immune-escape signaling such as CTLA4, IDO1, LAG3, and PDCD1 in advanced papillary thyroid cancer with a low thyroid differentiation score. Fusion analysis showed that the PI3K and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were regulated differently according to the RET fusion partner genes (CCDC6 or NCOA4). Finally, we identified HOXD9 as a novel molecular biomarker that predicts the recurrence of thyroid cancer in addition to known risk factors (tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and extrathyroidal extension). Conclusion . We identified a high association with immune-escape signaling in the immune-hot group with aggressive clinical characteristics among Korean thyroid cancer patients. Moreover, RET fusion differentially regulated PI3K and MAPK signaling depending on the partner gene of RET, and HOXD9 was found to be a recurrence marker for advanced papillary thyroid cancer.