Research articles were reviewed to validate the estimated energy requirements (EERs) equations developed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM). These equations are based on total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. We subsequently aimed to provide the basis for the suitability to apply the IOM equations as EER equations for Koreans, and develop relevant equations for EER in the Dietary Reference Intake for Koreans (KDRI). Additionally, besides the EER(IOM) equations, other equations were examined for EER estimation. Research papers demonstrating the validation of the EER(IOM) equations based on TEE(DLW) were searched through PubMed (up to September 2019). Of the 637 potentially relevant articles identified, duplicates and unsuitable titles and abstracts were excluded. Furthermore, papers with irrelevant subject and inappropriate study design were also excluded. Finally, 11 papers were included in the review. Among the reviewed papers, 8 papers validated the application of the EER(IOM) equations for EER based on TEE(DLW). These included 3 studies for children (USA 1, Korea 2), 1 for adolescents (Portugal), 2 for adults (Korean), and 2 for the elderly (Korea, USA).EER(IOM) equations were found to be generally acceptable for determining EER by using the DLW method, except for Korean boys at 9–11 yrs (overestimated) and female athletes at 19–24 yrs (underestimated). Additionally, 5 papers include the validation of other EER equations, beside EER(IOM) for EER based on TEE(DLW). In Japanese dietary reference intake and recommended dietary allowance, EER equations are acceptable for determining EER based on TEE(DLW). The EER(IOM) equations is generally acceptable for determining EER using the DLW method in Koreans as well as several populations, although certain defined groups were found to be unfit for the estimation. Additionally, the concept of healthy body mass index of Koreans and physical activity levels need to be considered, thereby providing the basis for developing relevant equations of EER in KDRI.

Energy requirement is defined as energy expenditure in an energy equilibrium state.The doubly labeled water (DLW) method is considered the gold standard for measuring total energy expenditure (TEE). In 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies established dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for Americans and Canadians, and the equations for estimated energy requirement (EER) were developed by using pooled data from studies that had applied the DLW method. Since 2005, these equations have been used for establishing EER in the DRI for Koreans. These equations based on age group include the physical activity (PA) coefficient determined by the PA level (PAL; sedentary, low active, active and very active) as well as body weight and height. The PAL values of Koreans calculated using the DLW method and PA diaries were determined to fall in the low active category (1.40~1.59). Therefore, the PA coefficient corresponding to ‘low active’ was applied to the EER equations. In recent years, with increasing number of people regularly engaging in various physical activities in Korea, EER is now separately presented for people with ‘active’ and ‘very active’ PALs. In the future, like the United States and Japan, Korea needs to expand the DLW research for developing EER predictive equations for Koreans. In addition, standardized guidelines should be prepared to accurately evaluate the PAL using the physical activity diary and the new PA classification table for Koreans.

BACKGROUND: 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), is the precursor of heme biosynthesis and used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). When applied exogenously, it is converted to protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) that is an immediate photosensitizer. PpIX is accumulated selectively in various cells including tumor cells. Because most of photosensitizers emit fluorescence of a specific wavelength, it is very important to identify the fluorescence in the tissues and cells targeted for therapy. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to identify the presence of PpIX fluorescence image and localization in various dermatologic diseases with methyl 5-aminolevulinate (MAL), that satisfactorily penetrates cutaneous lipid layers and cell membranes. METHODS: Various skin diseases such as basal cell carcinoma (6), squamous cell carcinoma (4), keratoacanthoma (6), malignant melanoma (3), extramammary Paget's disease (4), verruca (5), psoriasis vulgaris (5), rosacea (2), and acne (5) were included. We applied MAL, ALA ester, ointment to cutaneous lesions and perilesional area for at least 3 hours. After that, we identified the fluorescence image with Wood's lamp (wavelength 320~400 nm) and photographed fluorescence image. Also, we performed skin biopsies of fluorescence site and investigated the PpIX fluorescent location with a fluorescence microscope. In addition, we treated three cultured cell lines (HaCaT cells, human dermal fibroblasts, A431 cells) with MAL and investigated PpIX fluorescence. RESULTS: The PpIX fluorescence images were observed significantly in basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, extramammary Paget's disease, keratoacanthoma, psoriasis, rosacea, and acne. In tissues, PpIX fluorescence was expressed mainly in the pilosebaceous unit, abnormal keratinocytes, tumor cells including basal cell carcinoma, and extramammary Paget's disease. In addition, PpIX was expressed in the cytoplasm of HaCaT cells, human dermal fibroblasts, and A431 cells in vitro. CONCLUSION: In applieation of photodynamic therapy, this study is expected to be helpful in enhancement of therapeutic effectiveness and increase of indications of diseases.
Acne Vulgaris ; Aminolevulinic Acid* ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Membrane ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytoplasm ; Fibroblasts ; Fluorescence ; Heme ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Keratoacanthoma ; Melanoma ; Paget Disease, Extramammary ; Photochemotherapy ; Photosensitizing Agents ; Psoriasis ; Rosacea ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Warts

Purpose: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a novel respiratory infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); there are few specific treatments. Convalescent plasma (CP), donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19, is an investigational therapy for severe or critically ill patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of CP therapy in patients with severe or lifethreatening cases of COVID-19 at two hospitals in Seoul, Korea, between May and September 2020. Clinical outcomes were evaluated in 20 patients with CP therapy in a descriptive manner. Additionally, the changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values of 10 patients with CP therapy were compared to those of 10 controls who had the same (±0.8) initial Ct values but did not receive CP. Results: Of the 20 patients (mean age 66.6 years), 18 received high-dose oxygen therapy using mechanical ventilators or high-flow nasal cannulas. Systemic steroids were administered to 19 patients who received CP. The neutralizing antibody titers of the administered CP were between 1:80 and 1:10240. There were two ABO-mismatched transfusions. The World Health Organization ordinal scale score and National Institutes of Health severity score improved in half of the patients within 14 days. Those who received CP showed a higher increase in Ct values at 24 h and 72 h after CP therapy compared to controls with similar initial Ct values (p=0.002).No transfusion-related side effects were observed. Conclusion CP therapy may be a potential therapeutic option in severe or critically ill patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The doubly labeled water (DLW) method is the gold standard for estimating total energy expenditure (TEE) and is also useful for verifying the validities of dietary evaluation tools. In this study, we compared the accuracy of total energy intakes (TEI) estimated by the 24-h diet recall method with TEE obtained using the doubly labeled water method. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study involved 71 subjects aged 20–49 yrs. Over a 14-day period, three 24-h diet recalls per subject (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) were used to estimate energy intakes, while TEE was measured using the DLW method. The paired t-test was used to determine the significance of differences between TEI and TEE results, and the accuracy of the 24-h recall method was determined by accuracy predictions percentage, root mean square error, and bias. RESULTS: Average study subject age was 33.4 ± 8.6 yrs. The association between TEI and TEE was positive and significant (r = 0.463, P < 0.001), and the difference between TEI (2,084.3 ± 684.2 kcal/day) and TEE (2,401.7 ± 480.3 kcal/day) was also significant (P < 0.001). In all study subjects, mean TEI was 12.0% (307.5 ± 629.3 kcal/day) less than mean TEE, and 12.2% (349.4 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in men and 11.8% (266.7 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in women. Rates of TEI underprediction for all study subjects, men, and women, were 60.5%, 51.4%, and 66.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that 24-h diet recall underreports energy intakes. More research is needed to corroborate our findings and evaluate the accuracy of 24-h recall with respect to additional demographics.

Purpose: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a novel respiratory infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); there are few specific treatments. Convalescent plasma (CP), donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19, is an investigational therapy for severe or critically ill patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of CP therapy in patients with severe or lifethreatening cases of COVID-19 at two hospitals in Seoul, Korea, between May and September 2020. Clinical outcomes were evaluated in 20 patients with CP therapy in a descriptive manner. Additionally, the changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values of 10 patients with CP therapy were compared to those of 10 controls who had the same (±0.8) initial Ct values but did not receive CP. Results: Of the 20 patients (mean age 66.6 years), 18 received high-dose oxygen therapy using mechanical ventilators or high-flow nasal cannulas. Systemic steroids were administered to 19 patients who received CP. The neutralizing antibody titers of the administered CP were between 1:80 and 1:10240. There were two ABO-mismatched transfusions. The World Health Organization ordinal scale score and National Institutes of Health severity score improved in half of the patients within 14 days. Those who received CP showed a higher increase in Ct values at 24 h and 72 h after CP therapy compared to controls with similar initial Ct values (p=0.002).No transfusion-related side effects were observed. Conclusion CP therapy may be a potential therapeutic option in severe or critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based radiomics model to predict high-risk pathologic features for lung adenocarcinoma: micropapillary and solid pattern (MPsol), spread through air space, and poorly differentiated patterns. Materials and Methods: As a prospective study, we screened clinical N0 lung cancer patients who were surgical candidates and had undergone both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) and chest CT from August 2018 to January 2020. We recruited patients meeting our proposed imaging criteria indicating high-risk, that is, poorer prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, using CT and FDG PET/CT. If possible, these patients underwent an MRI examination from which we extracted 77 radiomics features from T1-contrast-enhanced and T2-weighted images. Additionally, patient demographics, maximum standardized uptake value on FDG PET/CT, and the mean apparent diffusion coefficient value on diffusion-weighted image, were considered together to build prediction models for high-risk pathologic features. Results: Among 616 patients, 72 patients met the imaging criteria for high-risk lung cancer and underwent lung MRI. The magnetic resonance (MR)–eligible group showed a higher prevalence of nodal upstaging (29.2% vs. 4.2%, p < 0.001), vascular invasion (6.5% vs. 2.1%, p=0.011), high-grade pathologic features (p < 0.001), worse 4-year disease-free survival (p < 0.001) compared with non-MR-eligible group. The prediction power for MR-based radiomics model predicting high-risk pathologic features was good, with mean area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) value measuring 0.751-0.886 in test sets. Adding clinical variables increased the predictive performance for MPsol and the poorly differentiated pattern using the 2021 grading system (AUC, 0.860 and 0.907, respectively). Conclusion Our imaging criteria can effectively screen high-risk lung cancer patients and predict high-risk pathologic features by our MR-based prediction model using radiomics.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based radiomics model to predict high-risk pathologic features for lung adenocarcinoma: micropapillary and solid pattern (MPsol), spread through air space, and poorly differentiated patterns. Materials and Methods: As a prospective study, we screened clinical N0 lung cancer patients who were surgical candidates and had undergone both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) and chest CT from August 2018 to January 2020. We recruited patients meeting our proposed imaging criteria indicating high-risk, that is, poorer prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, using CT and FDG PET/CT. If possible, these patients underwent an MRI examination from which we extracted 77 radiomics features from T1-contrast-enhanced and T2-weighted images. Additionally, patient demographics, maximum standardized uptake value on FDG PET/CT, and the mean apparent diffusion coefficient value on diffusion-weighted image, were considered together to build prediction models for high-risk pathologic features. Results: Among 616 patients, 72 patients met the imaging criteria for high-risk lung cancer and underwent lung MRI. The magnetic resonance (MR)–eligible group showed a higher prevalence of nodal upstaging (29.2% vs. 4.2%, p < 0.001), vascular invasion (6.5% vs. 2.1%, p=0.011), high-grade pathologic features (p < 0.001), worse 4-year disease-free survival (p < 0.001) compared with non-MR-eligible group. The prediction power for MR-based radiomics model predicting high-risk pathologic features was good, with mean area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) value measuring 0.751-0.886 in test sets. Adding clinical variables increased the predictive performance for MPsol and the poorly differentiated pattern using the 2021 grading system (AUC, 0.860 and 0.907, respectively). Conclusion Our imaging criteria can effectively screen high-risk lung cancer patients and predict high-risk pathologic features by our MR-based prediction model using radiomics.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based radiomics model to predict high-risk pathologic features for lung adenocarcinoma: micropapillary and solid pattern (MPsol), spread through air space, and poorly differentiated patterns. Materials and Methods: As a prospective study, we screened clinical N0 lung cancer patients who were surgical candidates and had undergone both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) and chest CT from August 2018 to January 2020. We recruited patients meeting our proposed imaging criteria indicating high-risk, that is, poorer prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, using CT and FDG PET/CT. If possible, these patients underwent an MRI examination from which we extracted 77 radiomics features from T1-contrast-enhanced and T2-weighted images. Additionally, patient demographics, maximum standardized uptake value on FDG PET/CT, and the mean apparent diffusion coefficient value on diffusion-weighted image, were considered together to build prediction models for high-risk pathologic features. Results: Among 616 patients, 72 patients met the imaging criteria for high-risk lung cancer and underwent lung MRI. The magnetic resonance (MR)–eligible group showed a higher prevalence of nodal upstaging (29.2% vs. 4.2%, p < 0.001), vascular invasion (6.5% vs. 2.1%, p=0.011), high-grade pathologic features (p < 0.001), worse 4-year disease-free survival (p < 0.001) compared with non-MR-eligible group. The prediction power for MR-based radiomics model predicting high-risk pathologic features was good, with mean area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) value measuring 0.751-0.886 in test sets. Adding clinical variables increased the predictive performance for MPsol and the poorly differentiated pattern using the 2021 grading system (AUC, 0.860 and 0.907, respectively). Conclusion Our imaging criteria can effectively screen high-risk lung cancer patients and predict high-risk pathologic features by our MR-based prediction model using radiomics.

Background: While Korea maintains a low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the number of newly diagnosed cases has been steadily rising, reaching approximately 1,000 annually in recent years. The 2022 annual report from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency revealed that women living with HIV (WLWH) constitute 6.4% of the total confirmed people living with the HIV population, totaling 1,219 individuals. Despite this, only a few studies have focused on WLWH in Korea. This study aims to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of WLWH in Korea. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected data by reviewing the medical records of all WLWH who visited 10 urban referral hospitals across Korea between January 2005 and May 2023. Results: A total of 443 WLWH were enrolled in this study. The predominant risk exposure was heterosexual contact, with 235 (53%) participants either married or cohabiting with a male partner at their initial clinic visit. Among the participants, 334 (77.7%) were Korean, 27 (6.1%) were Southeast Asian, and 19 (4.3%) were African. Antiretroviral therapy was initiated by 404 WLWH (91.2%). We observed 118 pregnancies in WLWH following their HIV diagnosis, resulting in 78 live births (66.1%), 18 induced abortions (15.2%), 10 pre-viable fetal losses (8.5%), and four stillbirths (3.4%). Over a cumulative follow-up duration of 3,202.1 years, the incidence rates of breast and cervical cancers were both 2.18 per 1,000 person-years. Additionally, the incidence rates of pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (above grade II), and osteoporosis were 4.67, 11.21, and 13.39 per 1,000 patient-years, respectively. Conclusion This is the first multicenter study to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of WLWH in Korea. The incidence and prevalence of diseases in women, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, and chronic comorbidities, are high in WLWH in Korea; therefore, further research and efforts are needed to manage these diseases.