Stem cells are the foundational cells for every organ and tissue in our body. Cell-based therapeutics using stem cells in regenerative medicine have received attracting attention as a possible treatment for various diseases caused by congenital defects. Stem cells such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as well as embryonic stem cells (ESCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and neuroprogenitors stem cells (NSCs) have recently been studied in various ways as a cell-based therapeutic agent. When various stem cells are transplanted into a living body, they can differentiate and perform complex functions. For stem cell transplantation, it is essential to determine the suitability of the stem cell-based treatment by evaluating the origin of stem, the route of administration, In vivo bio-distribution, transplanted cell survival, function, and mobility. Currently, these various stem cells are being imaged In vivo through various molecular imaging methods. Various imaging modalities such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have been introduced for the application of various stem cell imaging. In this review, we discuss the principles and recent advances of In vivo molecular imaging for application of stem cell research.

Objective: Easy-to-understand information on emergency patient transportation and emergency medical resources is required to operate emergency medical resources appropriately. This study evaluated emergency patient transport routes using a geographic information system (GIS) and converted them into visual information to understand the current status of emergency medical resource use in the region. Methods: The basic data used in this study were collected from the 119 safety centers in Gangwon-do, South Korea, under the fire-fighting headquarters in Gangwon-do from January 2017 to December 2020. The data were analyzed using the geographic information system and converted to visual information. Results: The number of patients with cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and traffic accidents was 12,944. Of these, 9,393 patients (72.6%) were transported from Chuncheon city, and 3,551 patients (27.4%) were transported out of Chuncheon city. The number of patients with cardiovascular diseases during the study period was 1,219 (9.4%); 782 patients (64.2%) were transported to the K-EMC (emergency medical center), and 437 patients (35.8%) were transported to the H-EMC. For cerebrovascular disease, 913 patients (7.1%) were transported to the EMC of Chuncheon city, with 585 (64.1%) K-EMC and 328 (35.9%) H-EMC patients. The number of traffic accident patients was 1,266 (9.8%). Five hundred and forty (42.7%) and 726 (57.3%) patients were transported to the K-EMC and H-EMC, respectively. Conclusion The adequacy of facilities, equipment, and human resources required to treat cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases in K-EMC and severe trauma in H-EMC needs to be reviewed.

Background and Objectives: Tinnitus, although being a common chronic disease, can be an intractable disease that causes depression and insomnia. This study aimed to analyze the results of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire surveys before and after clonazepam therapy. In addition, we analyzed the association of three pre-treatment questionnaires and evaluated whether pre-treatment factors could predict the post-treatment THI index.Subjects and Method Patients were selected from those who visited a tertiary hospital from 2019 to 2021 for the treatment of chronic tinnitus they had for more than 3 months and who were over 20 years old. Patients were excluded from the study if they were diagnosed with acute sudden hearing loss, Meniere’s disease, brain/internal auditory canal tumors, or muscular/vascular tinnitus. The questionnaire surveys of THI, BDI, PSQI were conducted before and after 3 months of clonazepam therapy (Rivotril [Roche Inc.] 0.25 or 0.5 mg). Questionnaire scores were compared using the paired t-test. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationships among the three questionnaires. Results: A total of 76 patients (38 males and 38 females) with the mean age of 57.2±9.01 years was analyzed. The average hearing threshold was 30.4±20.67 dB HL on the right and 31.7±17.06 dB HL on the left. The pre-treatment THI, BDI, and PSQI scores were 44.3±23.4, 7.96±2.36, and 6.85±4.68, respectively. The relationships between the THI and BDI and the THI and PSQI were significant (p=0.0027 and p<0.0001, respectively). The pre-THI score showed no significant association with age, sex, or hearing threshold (p=0.91, 0.85, and 0.23, respectively). The post-treatment THI score was 33.6±17.1, which was significantly lower than the pre-THI scores (p<0.0001). Post-BDI and post-PSQI were 7.38±2.25 and 4.04±3.20, respectively. Post-PSQI also significantly decreased compared with pre-PSQI (p=0.0002), but post-BDI did not significantly decrease (p=0.1231). In the THI survey, Question 7 (sleep disturbance) showed decrease the most, followed by Question 25 (unstable mood). The post-treatment THI could be predicted by using the formula, 0.7673+0.6947×pre-THI+0.3572×pre-PSQI. Conclusion The appropriate/optional use of clonazepam at low doses (0.25-0.5 mg) can significantly improve chronic tinnitus and sleep quality. Tinnitus was significantly associated with the scores of THI, BDI, PSQI and the usage of Clonazepam significantly reduced the THI and PSQI scores. However, clonazepam did not affect the BDI score.

Background: Radiotherapy is a common treatment option for lung or esophageal cancer, particularly when surgery is not feasible for patients with poor lung function. However, radiotherapy can affect pulmonary function and thereby induce pneumonitis or pneumonia, which can be fatal in patients with respiratory impairment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if reductions in pulmonary function after radiotherapy can be minimized through simultaneous pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Methods: In this matched case control study, we retrospectively analyzed patients who had undergone radiotherapy for thoracic malignant disease between January 2018 and June 2019. We analyzed results from pulmonary function tests and 6-minute walking tests (6MWT) conducted within the six months before and after radiotherapy treatment. Results: In total, results from 144 patients were analyzed, with 11 of the patients receiving PR and radiotherapy simultaneously. Of the 133 patients in the control group, 33 were matched with 11 patients in the PR group. Changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and FEV1/forced vital capacity were significantly different between the PR group and the matched control group (240 mL vs. –10 mL, p=0.017 and 5.5% vs. 1.0%, p=0.038, respectively). The median distance of 6MWT in the PR group also increased significantly, from 407.5 m to 493.0 m after radiotherapy (p=0.017). Conclusion Simultaneous PR improved pulmonary function, particularly in measures of FEV1, and exercise capacity for patients with lung or esophageal cancer even after radiotherapy treatment. These findings may provide an important base of knowledge for further large population studies with long-term follow-up analysis in the identification of the PR’s effects during thoracic radiotherapy.

Objective: Accurate interpretation of computed tomography (CT) scans is critical for patient care in the emergency department. We aimed to identify factors associated with an incorrect interpretation of abdominal CT by novice emergency residents and to analyze the characteristics of incorrectly interpreted scans. Methods: This retrospective analysis of a prospective observational cohort was conducted at three urban emergency departments. Discrepancies between the interpretations by postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) emergency residents and the final radiologists’ reports were assessed by independent adjudicators. Potential factors associated with incorrect interpretation included patient age, sex, time of interpretation, and organ category. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for incorrect interpretation were calculated using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 1,628 eligible cases, 270 (16.6%) were incorrect. The urinary system was the most correctly interpreted organ system (95.8%, 365/381), while the biliary tract was the most incorrectly interpreted (28.4%, 48/169). Normal CT images showed high false-positive rates of incorrect interpretation (28.2%, 96/340). Organ category was found to be a major determinant of incorrect interpretation. Using the urinary system as a reference, the aOR for incorrect interpretation of biliary tract disease was 9.20 (95% confidence interval, 5.0–16.90) and the aOR for incorrectly interpreting normal CT images was 8.47 (95% confidence interval, 4.85–14.78). Conclusion Biliary tract disease is a major factor associated with incorrect preliminary interpretations of abdominal CT scans by PGY-1 emergency residents. PGY-1 residents also showed high false-positive interpretation rates for normal CT images. Emergency residents’ training should focus on these two areas to improve abdominal CT interpretation accuracy.

Background: Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid–activated nuclear receptor, is a potent regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism as well as of bile acid metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that FXR deficiency is associated with metabolic derangements, including atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of FXR in atherosclerosis and NAFLD and the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists in mouse models with FXR deficiency. Methods: En face lipid accumulation analysis, liver histology, serum levels of glucose and lipids, and mRNA expression of genes related to lipid metabolism were compared between apolipoprotein E (ApoE)−/− and ApoE−/−FXR−/− mice. The effects of PPARα and PPARγ agonists were also compared in both groups of mice. Results: Compared with ApoE−/− mice, ApoE−/−FXR−/− mice showed more severe atherosclerosis, hepatic steatosis, and higher levels of serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, accompanied by increased mRNA expression of FAS, ApoC2, TNFα, IL-6 (liver), ATGL, TGH, HSL, and MGL (adipocytes), and decreased mRNA expressions of CPT2 (liver) and Tfam (skeletal muscle). Treatment with a PPARα agonist, but not with a PPARγ agonist, partly reversed atherosclerosis and hepatic steatosis, and decreased plasma triglyceride levels in the ApoE−/−FXR−/− mice, in association with increased mRNA expression of CD36 and FATP and decreased expression of ApoC2 and ApoC3 (liver). Conclusion Loss of FXR is associated with aggravation of atherosclerosis and hepatic steatosis in ApoE-deficient mice, which could be reversed by a PPARα agonist through induction of fatty acid uptake, β-oxidation, and triglyceride hydrolysis.

Objective: Predicting the incidence of emergency patients can be very important for the efficient use of emergency medical resources and the deployment of 119 centers in a pre-hospital setting. The study was conducted to analyze the occurrence of emergency patients using geographic information systems in a pre-hospital setting in Korea. Methods: The basic data used in this study were collected from the 119 centers in Chuncheon-si, Korea, under the firefighting headquarters in Gangwon-do from January 2012 to December 2016. Results: The total number of patients transferred by 119 paramedics was 72,362. Of these, 9,904 (14.7%) were emergency patients; 519 (0.7%) had cardiovascular diseases; 383 (0.5%) had cerebrovascular diseases; 3,043 (4.2%) were trauma patients; 58,413 (80.7%) were non-emergency patients. The occurrence of emergency diseases was slightly lower in the Hyoja-dong area, and it was slightly higher in the area of the outskirts of the city. The incidence of heart disease was low in the Hyoja-dong and Nam-myeon areas, but the incidence of heart disease was highly observed in other areas. The number of trauma patients was 1,265 (41.6%) in the outskirts of the city, a suburban area, showing a relatively higher incidence than other emerging diseases. Conclusion The deployment of ambulances in Chuncheon-si should be carried out considering demographic characteristics and patient occurrence.