Purpose: To identify the optimal photobiomodulation (PBM) parameters using molecular, histological, and erectile function analysis in cavernous nerve injury. Materials and Methods: A cavernous nerve injury was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice that were subsequently divided randomly into age-matched control groups. Erectile function tests, penile histology, and Western blotting were performed 2 weeks after surgery and PBM treatment. Results: The PBM treatment was administered for five consecutive days with a light-emitted diode (LED) device that delivers 660 nm±3% RED light, and near infra-red 830 nm±2% promptly administered following nerve-crushing surgery and achieved a notable restoration of erectile function approximately 90% of the control values. Subsequent in-vitro and ex-vivo analyses revealed the regeneration of neurovascular connections in both the dorsal root ganglion and major pelvic ganglion, characterized by the sprouting of neurites. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic, survival, and angiogenic factors exhibited a substantial increase across all groups subjected to PBM treatment. Conclusions The utilization of PBM employing LED with 660 nm, 830 nm, and combination of both these wavelengths, exhibited significant efficacy to restore erectile function in a murine model of cavernous nerve injury. Thus, the PBM emerges as a potent therapeutic modality with notable advantages such as efficacy, noninvasiveness, and non-pharmacological interventions for erectile dysfunction caused by nerve injury.

Purpose: To identify the optimal photobiomodulation (PBM) parameters using molecular, histological, and erectile function analysis in cavernous nerve injury. Materials and Methods: A cavernous nerve injury was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice that were subsequently divided randomly into age-matched control groups. Erectile function tests, penile histology, and Western blotting were performed 2 weeks after surgery and PBM treatment. Results: The PBM treatment was administered for five consecutive days with a light-emitted diode (LED) device that delivers 660 nm±3% RED light, and near infra-red 830 nm±2% promptly administered following nerve-crushing surgery and achieved a notable restoration of erectile function approximately 90% of the control values. Subsequent in-vitro and ex-vivo analyses revealed the regeneration of neurovascular connections in both the dorsal root ganglion and major pelvic ganglion, characterized by the sprouting of neurites. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic, survival, and angiogenic factors exhibited a substantial increase across all groups subjected to PBM treatment. Conclusions The utilization of PBM employing LED with 660 nm, 830 nm, and combination of both these wavelengths, exhibited significant efficacy to restore erectile function in a murine model of cavernous nerve injury. Thus, the PBM emerges as a potent therapeutic modality with notable advantages such as efficacy, noninvasiveness, and non-pharmacological interventions for erectile dysfunction caused by nerve injury.

Purpose: To identify the optimal photobiomodulation (PBM) parameters using molecular, histological, and erectile function analysis in cavernous nerve injury. Materials and Methods: A cavernous nerve injury was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice that were subsequently divided randomly into age-matched control groups. Erectile function tests, penile histology, and Western blotting were performed 2 weeks after surgery and PBM treatment. Results: The PBM treatment was administered for five consecutive days with a light-emitted diode (LED) device that delivers 660 nm±3% RED light, and near infra-red 830 nm±2% promptly administered following nerve-crushing surgery and achieved a notable restoration of erectile function approximately 90% of the control values. Subsequent in-vitro and ex-vivo analyses revealed the regeneration of neurovascular connections in both the dorsal root ganglion and major pelvic ganglion, characterized by the sprouting of neurites. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic, survival, and angiogenic factors exhibited a substantial increase across all groups subjected to PBM treatment. Conclusions The utilization of PBM employing LED with 660 nm, 830 nm, and combination of both these wavelengths, exhibited significant efficacy to restore erectile function in a murine model of cavernous nerve injury. Thus, the PBM emerges as a potent therapeutic modality with notable advantages such as efficacy, noninvasiveness, and non-pharmacological interventions for erectile dysfunction caused by nerve injury.

Purpose: To identify the optimal photobiomodulation (PBM) parameters using molecular, histological, and erectile function analysis in cavernous nerve injury. Materials and Methods: A cavernous nerve injury was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice that were subsequently divided randomly into age-matched control groups. Erectile function tests, penile histology, and Western blotting were performed 2 weeks after surgery and PBM treatment. Results: The PBM treatment was administered for five consecutive days with a light-emitted diode (LED) device that delivers 660 nm±3% RED light, and near infra-red 830 nm±2% promptly administered following nerve-crushing surgery and achieved a notable restoration of erectile function approximately 90% of the control values. Subsequent in-vitro and ex-vivo analyses revealed the regeneration of neurovascular connections in both the dorsal root ganglion and major pelvic ganglion, characterized by the sprouting of neurites. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic, survival, and angiogenic factors exhibited a substantial increase across all groups subjected to PBM treatment. Conclusions The utilization of PBM employing LED with 660 nm, 830 nm, and combination of both these wavelengths, exhibited significant efficacy to restore erectile function in a murine model of cavernous nerve injury. Thus, the PBM emerges as a potent therapeutic modality with notable advantages such as efficacy, noninvasiveness, and non-pharmacological interventions for erectile dysfunction caused by nerve injury.

Purpose: To identify the optimal photobiomodulation (PBM) parameters using molecular, histological, and erectile function analysis in cavernous nerve injury. Materials and Methods: A cavernous nerve injury was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice that were subsequently divided randomly into age-matched control groups. Erectile function tests, penile histology, and Western blotting were performed 2 weeks after surgery and PBM treatment. Results: The PBM treatment was administered for five consecutive days with a light-emitted diode (LED) device that delivers 660 nm±3% RED light, and near infra-red 830 nm±2% promptly administered following nerve-crushing surgery and achieved a notable restoration of erectile function approximately 90% of the control values. Subsequent in-vitro and ex-vivo analyses revealed the regeneration of neurovascular connections in both the dorsal root ganglion and major pelvic ganglion, characterized by the sprouting of neurites. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic, survival, and angiogenic factors exhibited a substantial increase across all groups subjected to PBM treatment. Conclusions The utilization of PBM employing LED with 660 nm, 830 nm, and combination of both these wavelengths, exhibited significant efficacy to restore erectile function in a murine model of cavernous nerve injury. Thus, the PBM emerges as a potent therapeutic modality with notable advantages such as efficacy, noninvasiveness, and non-pharmacological interventions for erectile dysfunction caused by nerve injury.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ex vivo activated and expanded natural killer (NK) cell therapy (SNK01) plus pembrolizumab in a randomized phase I/IIa clinical trial. Materials and Methods: Overall, 18 patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a programmed death ligand 1 tumor proportion score of 1% or greater who had a history of failed frontline platinum-based therapy were randomized (2:1) to receive pembrolizumab every 3 weeks +/– 6 weekly infusions of SNK01 at either 2×109 or 4×109 cells per infusion (pembrolizumab monotherapy vs. SNK01 combination). The primary endpoint was safety, whereas the secondary endpoints were the objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and quality of life. Results: Since no dose-limiting toxicity was observed, the maximum tolerated dose was determined as SNK01 4×109 cells/dose. The safety data did not show any new safety signals when SNK01 was combined with pembrolizumab. The ORR and the 1-year survival rate in the NK combination group were higher than those in patients who underwent pembrolizumab monotherapy (ORR, 41.7% vs. 0%; 1-year survival rate, 66.7% vs. 50.0%). Furthermore, the median PFS was higher in the SNK01 combination group (6.2 months vs. 1.6 months, p=0.001). Conclusion Based on the findings of this study, the NK cell combination therapy may consider as a safe treatment method for stage IV NSCLC patients who had a history of failed platinum-based therapy without an increase in adverse events.

Purpose: To derive the optimized intraocular lens (IOL) constants from automated and manifest refraction after cataract surgery in Korean patients, and to evaluate whether there is a difference in optimized IOL constants according to the refraction method. Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study enrolled 4,103 eyes of 4,103 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and in-the-bag IOL implantation at 18 institutes. Optimized IOL constants for the SRK/T, Holladay, Hoffer Q, and Haigis formulas were calculated via autorefraction or manifest refraction of samples using the same biometry and IOL. The IOL constants derived from autorefraction and manifest refraction were compared. Results: Of the 4,103 eyes, the majority (62.9%) were measured with an IOLMaster 500 followed by an IOLMaster 700 (15.2%). A total of 33 types of IOLs were used, and the Tecnis ZCB00 was the most frequently used (53.0%). There was no statistically significant difference in IOL constants derived from autorefraction and manifest refraction when IOL constants were optimized with a large number of study subjects. On the other hand, optimized IOL constants derived from autorefraction were significantly smaller than those from manifest refraction when the number of subjects was small. Conclusions It became possible to use the IOL constants optimized from Koreans to calculate the IOL power. However, if the IOL constant is optimized using autorefraction in a small sample group, the IOL constant tends to be small, which may lead to refractive error after surgery.

This article aims to introduce the inception and operation of the COVID-19 International Collaborative Research Project, the world’s first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) open data project for research, along with its dataset and research method, and to discuss relevant considerations for collaborative research using nationwide real-world data (RWD). COVID-19 has spread across the world since early 2020, becoming a serious global health threat to life, safety, and social and economic activities. However, insufficient RWD from patients was available to help clinicians efficiently diagnose and treat patients with COVID-19, or to provide necessary information to the government for policy-making. Countries that saw a rapid surge of infections had to focus on leveraging medical professionals to treat patients, and the circumstances made it even more difficult to promptly use COVID-19 RWD. Against this backdrop, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) of Korea decided to open its COVID-19 RWD collected through Korea’s universal health insurance program, under the title of the COVID-19 International Collaborative Research Project. The dataset, consisting of 476 508 claim statements from 234 427 patients (7590 confirmed cases) and 18 691 318 claim statements of the same patients for the previous 3 years, was established and hosted on HIRA’s in-house server. Researchers who applied to participate in the project uploaded analysis code on the platform prepared by HIRA, and HIRA conducted the analysis and provided outcome values. As of November 2020, analyses have been completed for 129 research projects, which have been published or are in the process of being published in prestigious journals.

Purpose: To report a case of a successful secondary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty in failed penetrating keratoplasty. Case summary: A 46-year-old male with keratoconus in both of his eyes underwent penetrating keratoplasty in his right eye 30 years ago and in his left eye 14 years ago. From one and a half year ago, the patient’s visual acuity decreased in his left eye due to graft failure. For treatment, secondary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty was performed. Partial detachment of Descemet membrane was observed at 13 days after the operation, and an additional air injection was performed. At 8 months after the operation, the patient’s uncorrected visual acuity improved to 0.5 and the cornea maintained its clearance without rejection. Conclusions Secondary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty was successfully performed in a patient with failed penetrating keratoplasty.

Purpose: To report a case of secondary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for graft failure after primary DMEK.Case summary: A 47-year-old female underwent primary DMEK in her left eye with a diagnosis of Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy. At 6 weeks later, corneal stromal edema with epithelial and subepithelial bullae was first observed. From that point on, the condition of the cornea and the visual acuity continued to degrade. After 7 months, a second DMEK procedure (i.e., a repeat DMEK) for graft failure was performed successfully without any complications. Since the second procedure, the cornea has been clear, and the best-corrected visual acuity has remained at 0.6 for 8 months. Conclusions To manage graft failure after primary DMEK, we performed a second DMEK procedure. The removal of the previous graft was easy, and there were no complications. Thus, repeat DMEK may be a feasible procedure.