Purpose: Molecular characteristics of synchronous colorectal cancers (SCRCs) remain incompletely elucidated, despite their importance in targeted therapy selection. We compared the molecular characteristics and somatic mutations between SCRCs. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study (2012-2014) included 98 consecutive patients with surgically resected SCRCs. Molecular characteristics, including microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), were analyzed for all cancer lesions. The intertumoral heterogeneity of SCRCs was evaluated using whole-exome sequencing (WES) for 18 cancers from nine patients with at least one MSI-high (MSI-H) tumor. Results: Twelve patients had at least one MSI-H tumor; five showed discordant MSI status. Mucinous adenocarcinoma frequency and TIL density were higher in patients with at least one MSI-H tumor than in those with only microsatellite-stable tumors. WES revealed that, except one patient (6.5%), most synchronous cancers shared few variants in each patient (0.09%-0.36%). The concordance rates for BRAF, KRAS, NRAS, and PIK3CA, in synchronous cancers from each patient were 66.7%, 66.7%, 66.7%, and 55.6%, respectively. Conclusion Although synchronous cancers shared a mutated gene, the mutation subtypes differed. SCRCs exhibited 5.1% MSI status discordance rate and a high discordance rate in somatic mutational variants. As intertumoral heterogeneity may affect the targeted therapy response, molecular analysis of all tumors is recommended for patients with SCRCs.

This study employed focus group interviews (FGIs) to evaluate the preparedness and training requirements for an emerging infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea.Based on the FGIs, the critical role of interdepartmental cooperation in responding to emerging infectious diseases was identified, with agencies such as public health centers, police, and fire services playing key roles in scene control, decontamination, and patient transport. Frequent staff turnover and a lack of trained personnel at local government levels were significant challenges, necessitating the development of training materials for unskilled workers. Civil complaints, common during outbreaks, require public officials to be educated on legal frameworks and the management of patients’ rights. The absence of standardized procedures for managing patients, such as bed assignments considering underlying conditions and sample collection, underscores the need for comprehensive guidelines.Interviewees emphasized cross-departmental training, detailed manuals, and legal education to improve infectious disease response capabilities.

This study employed focus group interviews (FGIs) to evaluate the preparedness and training requirements for an emerging infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea.Based on the FGIs, the critical role of interdepartmental cooperation in responding to emerging infectious diseases was identified, with agencies such as public health centers, police, and fire services playing key roles in scene control, decontamination, and patient transport. Frequent staff turnover and a lack of trained personnel at local government levels were significant challenges, necessitating the development of training materials for unskilled workers. Civil complaints, common during outbreaks, require public officials to be educated on legal frameworks and the management of patients’ rights. The absence of standardized procedures for managing patients, such as bed assignments considering underlying conditions and sample collection, underscores the need for comprehensive guidelines.Interviewees emphasized cross-departmental training, detailed manuals, and legal education to improve infectious disease response capabilities.

This study employed focus group interviews (FGIs) to evaluate the preparedness and training requirements for an emerging infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea.Based on the FGIs, the critical role of interdepartmental cooperation in responding to emerging infectious diseases was identified, with agencies such as public health centers, police, and fire services playing key roles in scene control, decontamination, and patient transport. Frequent staff turnover and a lack of trained personnel at local government levels were significant challenges, necessitating the development of training materials for unskilled workers. Civil complaints, common during outbreaks, require public officials to be educated on legal frameworks and the management of patients’ rights. The absence of standardized procedures for managing patients, such as bed assignments considering underlying conditions and sample collection, underscores the need for comprehensive guidelines.Interviewees emphasized cross-departmental training, detailed manuals, and legal education to improve infectious disease response capabilities.

This study employed focus group interviews (FGIs) to evaluate the preparedness and training requirements for an emerging infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea.Based on the FGIs, the critical role of interdepartmental cooperation in responding to emerging infectious diseases was identified, with agencies such as public health centers, police, and fire services playing key roles in scene control, decontamination, and patient transport. Frequent staff turnover and a lack of trained personnel at local government levels were significant challenges, necessitating the development of training materials for unskilled workers. Civil complaints, common during outbreaks, require public officials to be educated on legal frameworks and the management of patients’ rights. The absence of standardized procedures for managing patients, such as bed assignments considering underlying conditions and sample collection, underscores the need for comprehensive guidelines.Interviewees emphasized cross-departmental training, detailed manuals, and legal education to improve infectious disease response capabilities.

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a global threat to modern healthcare systems and has nullified many commonly used antibiotics. β-Lactam antibiotics are among the most successful and occupy approximately two-thirds of the prescription antibiotic market. They inhibit the synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall by mimicking the D-Ala-D-Ala in the pentapeptide crosslinking neighboring glycan chains. To date, various β-lactam antibiotics have been developed to increase the spectrum of activity and evade drug resistance. This review emphasizes the three-dimensional structural characteristics of β-lactam antibiotics regarding the overall scaffold, working mechanism, chemical diversity, and hydrolysis mechanism by β-lactamases. The structural insight into various β-lactams will provide an in-depth understanding of the antibacterial efficacy and susceptibility to drug resistance in multidrug-resistant bacteria and help to develop better β-lactam antibiotics and inhibitors.

Purpose: Interleukin (IL)-17A has been suggested to play a role in the growth and organization of thrombi. We examined whether IL-17A plays a role in the early stages of thrombosis and whether there are sex differences in the effects of IL-17A. Materials and Methods: We performed a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study to compare time to thrombotic occlusion and sex differences therein between mice treated with IL-17A and those treated with saline using a ferric chloride-induced model. We also assessed thrombus histology, blood coagulation, and plasma levels of coagulation factors. Results: Time to occlusion values did not differ between the IL-17A group and the control group (94.6±86.9 sec vs. 121.0±84.4 sec, p=0.238). However, it was significantly shorter in the IL-17A group of female mice (74.6±57.2 sec vs. 130.0±76.2 sec, p=0.032). In rotational thromboelastometry, the IL-17A group exhibited increased maximum clot firmness (71.3±4.5 mm vs. 66.7±4.7 mm, p=0.038) and greater amplitude at 30 min (69.7±5.2 mm vs. 64.5±5.3 mm, p=0.040) than the control group. In Western blotting, the IL-17A group showed higher levels of coagulation factor XIII (2.2±1.5 vs. 1.0±0.9, p=0.008), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (1.6±0.6 vs. 1.0±0.4, p=0.023), and tissue factor (1.5±0.6 vs. 1.0±0.5, p=0.003). Conclusion IL-17A plays a role in the initial st ages of arterial thrombosis in mice. Coagulation factors and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 may be associated with IL-17A-mediated thrombosis.

Purpose: The aims of the present study were to evaluate the immunogenicity of an inactivated rabies vaccine based on the ERAGS strain Materials and Methods: The ERAGS virus propagated in Vero cells was inactivated with 3 mM binary ethylenimine for 8 hours. Three types of inactivated rabies vaccines were prepared to determine the minimum vaccine virus titers. Four further types of inactivated rabies vaccines were prepared by blending inactivated ERAGS with four different adjuvants; each vaccine was injected into mice, guinea pigs, and dogs to identify the optimal adjuvant. The immunogenicity of a Montanide (IMS) gel-adjuvanted vaccine was evaluated in cats, dogs, and cattle. Humoral immune responses were measured via a fluorescent antibody virus neutralization method and a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The minimum virus titer of the inactivated rabies vaccine was over 107.0 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50 values)/mL. Of the four kinds of adjuvants, the IMS gel-adjuvanted vaccine induced the highest mean viral neutralizing antibody (VNA) titers of 6.24 and 2.36 IU/mL in guinea pigs and dogs, respectively, and was thus selected as the vaccine for the target animals. Cats, dogs, and cattle inoculated with the IMS gel-adjuvanted vaccine developed protective VNA titers ranging from 3.5 to 1.2 IU/mL at 4 weeks post-inoculation (WPI). Conclusion Our data indicate that cats, dogs, and cattle inoculated with an inactivated rabies vaccine derived from the ERAGS strain developed protective immune responses that were maintained to 12 WPI.

Background: In February 2020, as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly in Daegu, South Korea, students in that region experienced many emotional difficulties. In this study, we analyzed the stress and emotional crisis experienced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, its causative factors, and the factors that affect negative emotions. Methods: We identified the demographic information related to the experiences of unbearable stress and emotional crisis and their causal factors at three points in time: before the pandemic, during its peak, and at the time of the survey (2–3 months after the peak). In addition, we analyzed the factors related to depression and anxiety experienced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 was used to assess for depressive and anxiety symptoms in the subject students, respectively. Results: A total of 8,177 students participated in the analysis, with 4,072 boys (49.8%), 4,105 girls (50.2%), and 4,463 middle school students (54.6%) and 3,177 high school students (45.4%). The percentage of students who experienced unbearable stress was 9% before the COVID-19 pandemic, increased to 16% at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, then decreased to 12.7% at the time of the survey. Stress was experienced more by girls (18.1% versus 13.8% in boys; χ2 = 28.159, P < 0.001) and high school students (19.0% versus 13.5% in middle school students; χ2 = 45.437, P < 0.001). Overall, 7.6% experienced emotional crises during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was more prevalent in girls (10.1% versus 5.2% in boys; χ2 = 71.025, P < 0.001) and in high school students (8.8% versus 6.7% in middle school students; χ2 = 12.996, P < 0.001). Depression and anxiety was seen in 19.8% and 12.3% of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The risk factors for depression and anxiety included unbearable stress before the COVID-19 pandemic (P < 0.001), mental health (P = 0.044), and age (P = 0.040), whereas resilience was identified as a protective factor for depression and anxiety (P = 0.001). Conclusion Students in Daegu experienced lots of mental difficulties since the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be necessary to improve stress management and resilience to improve students' mental health in disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic.