Purpose: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a prevalent clinically sequential condition in preterm infants. To clarify its relationship with the gut microbiota, we compared microbial diversity and taxonomic composition at 2 and 4 weeks of age in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Between August 2021 and December 2022, we prospectively enrolled infants who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Forty-four preterm infants were grouped based on the presence (n=16) or absence (n=28) of FI. Fecal samples were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks after birth and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine microbial profiles. Results: Microbial α-diversity and β-diversity did not differ significantly between groups at either time point. At the genus level, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in the FI group than in the feeding tolerance group at 2 weeks postnatal age (P=0.016). Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia were markedly enriched in the FI group at all time points. Conclusion Early colonization by potentially pathogenic genera, particularly Staphylococcus, may precede the development of FI in preterm infants. These findings highlight the potential microbial composition associated with FI and may provide preliminary insights for future microbiome-targeted research in neonatal care.

Purpose: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a prevalent clinically sequential condition in preterm infants. To clarify its relationship with the gut microbiota, we compared microbial diversity and taxonomic composition at 2 and 4 weeks of age in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Between August 2021 and December 2022, we prospectively enrolled infants who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Forty-four preterm infants were grouped based on the presence (n=16) or absence (n=28) of FI. Fecal samples were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks after birth and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine microbial profiles. Results: Microbial α-diversity and β-diversity did not differ significantly between groups at either time point. At the genus level, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in the FI group than in the feeding tolerance group at 2 weeks postnatal age (P=0.016). Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia were markedly enriched in the FI group at all time points. Conclusion Early colonization by potentially pathogenic genera, particularly Staphylococcus, may precede the development of FI in preterm infants. These findings highlight the potential microbial composition associated with FI and may provide preliminary insights for future microbiome-targeted research in neonatal care.

Purpose: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a prevalent clinically sequential condition in preterm infants. To clarify its relationship with the gut microbiota, we compared microbial diversity and taxonomic composition at 2 and 4 weeks of age in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Between August 2021 and December 2022, we prospectively enrolled infants who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Forty-four preterm infants were grouped based on the presence (n=16) or absence (n=28) of FI. Fecal samples were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks after birth and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine microbial profiles. Results: Microbial α-diversity and β-diversity did not differ significantly between groups at either time point. At the genus level, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in the FI group than in the feeding tolerance group at 2 weeks postnatal age (P=0.016). Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia were markedly enriched in the FI group at all time points. Conclusion Early colonization by potentially pathogenic genera, particularly Staphylococcus, may precede the development of FI in preterm infants. These findings highlight the potential microbial composition associated with FI and may provide preliminary insights for future microbiome-targeted research in neonatal care.

Purpose: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a prevalent clinically sequential condition in preterm infants. To clarify its relationship with the gut microbiota, we compared microbial diversity and taxonomic composition at 2 and 4 weeks of age in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Between August 2021 and December 2022, we prospectively enrolled infants who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Forty-four preterm infants were grouped based on the presence (n=16) or absence (n=28) of FI. Fecal samples were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks after birth and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine microbial profiles. Results: Microbial α-diversity and β-diversity did not differ significantly between groups at either time point. At the genus level, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in the FI group than in the feeding tolerance group at 2 weeks postnatal age (P=0.016). Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia were markedly enriched in the FI group at all time points. Conclusion Early colonization by potentially pathogenic genera, particularly Staphylococcus, may precede the development of FI in preterm infants. These findings highlight the potential microbial composition associated with FI and may provide preliminary insights for future microbiome-targeted research in neonatal care.

Purpose: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a prevalent clinically sequential condition in preterm infants. To clarify its relationship with the gut microbiota, we compared microbial diversity and taxonomic composition at 2 and 4 weeks of age in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Between August 2021 and December 2022, we prospectively enrolled infants who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Forty-four preterm infants were grouped based on the presence (n=16) or absence (n=28) of FI. Fecal samples were obtained at 2 and 4 weeks after birth and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine microbial profiles. Results: Microbial α-diversity and β-diversity did not differ significantly between groups at either time point. At the genus level, Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in the FI group than in the feeding tolerance group at 2 weeks postnatal age (P=0.016). Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia were markedly enriched in the FI group at all time points. Conclusion Early colonization by potentially pathogenic genera, particularly Staphylococcus, may precede the development of FI in preterm infants. These findings highlight the potential microbial composition associated with FI and may provide preliminary insights for future microbiome-targeted research in neonatal care.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are on hemodialysis (HD) have reduced vascular com‑ pliance and are likely to develop heart failure (HF). In this study, we estimated the prevalence of HF pre- and post-HD in ESRD using the current guidelines. Methods: We prospectively investigated HF in ESRD patients on HD using echocardiography pre- and post-HD. We used the structural and functional abnormality criteria of the 2021 European Society of Cardiology guidelines. Results: A total of 54 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 62.6 years, and 40.1% were male. Forty-five patients (83.3%) had hypertension, 28 (51.9%) had diabetes, and 20 (37.0%) had ischemic heart disease. The mean N-terminalpro brain natriuretic peptide BNP (NT-proBNP) level was 12,388.8 ± 2,592.2 pg/dL. The mean ideal body weight was 59.3 kg, mean hemodialysis time was 237.4 min, and mean real filtration was 2.8 kg. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 62.4%, and mean left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was 52.0 mm in pre-HD. Post-HD echocardiography showed significantly lower left atrial volume index (33.3 ± 15.9 vs. 40.6 ± 17.1, p = 0.030), tricuspid regurgitation jet V (2.5 ± 0.4 vs. 2.8 ± 0.4 m/s, p < 0.001), and right ventricular systolic pressure (32.1 ± 10.3 vs. 38.4 ± 11.6, p = 0.005) compared with pre-HD. There were no differences in LVEF, E/E′ ratio, or left ventricular global longitudinal strain. A total of 88.9% of pre-HD patients and 66.7% of post-HD patients had either structural or functional abnor‑ malities in echocardiographic parameters according to recent HF guidelines (p = 0.007). Conclusions Our data showed that the majority of patients undergoing hemodialysis satisfy the diagnostic criteria for HF according to current HF guidelines. Pre-HD patients had a 22.2% higher incidence in the prevalence of func‑ tional or structural abnormalities as compared with post-HD patients.

Quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons is essential for the preclinical study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, manual analysis of immunohistochemical (IHC) images is labor-intensive and has less reproducibility due to the lack of objectivity. Therefore, several automated methods of IHC image analysis have been proposed, although they have limitations of low accuracy and difficulties in practical use. Here, we developed a convolutional neural network-based machine learning algorithm for TH+ cell counting. The developed analytical tool showed higher accuracy than the conventional methods and could be used under diverse experimental conditions of image staining intensity, brightness, and contrast. Our automated cell detection algorithm is available for free and has an intelligible graphical user interface for cell counting to assist practical applications. Overall, we expect that the proposed TH+ cell counting tool will promote preclinical PD research by saving time and enabling objective analysis of IHC images.

Background: The scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus is a major pathogenic agent that causes significant economic losses in the flounder aquaculture industry. Many different types of drugs are being tested to control this disease, including mebendazole, which is a broad-spectrum antiprotozoal agent. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mebendazole worked in vitro against M. avidus and to explore its mechanism of action. Methods: Transcriptome and gene ontology analyses were conducted to investigate the specifically expressed gene profile. We confirmed the cytotoxic effect of mebendazole against M. avidus when it was applied intermittently for a total of three times. We also identified differentially expressed genes using transcriptome analysis. Results: Most of the upregulated genes were membrane transport-related genes, including Na+/K+-ATPase. Most of the downregulated genes were categorized into three groups: tubulin-related, metabolism-related, and transport-related genes. The expression levels of glucose uptake-related genes decreased due to the inhibition of tubulin polymerization, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that intermittent treatment with mebendazole has a significant cytotoxic effect on M. avidus. Furthermore, mebendazole induces downregulation of the tubulin-alpha chain and metabolism-related genes. It is presumed that this leads to a glucose shortage and the death of M. avidus. Transcriptome analysis will provide useful clues for further studies on mebendazole applications for scutica control.

Purpose: The standard care for patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is a total mastectomy (TM); however, there is growing interest in repeating BCS for IBTR. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with IBTR who underwent initial BCS for breast cancer at our institution between January 2000 and December 2018. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare survival rates between the standard BCS-TM treatment group and the repeat-BCS group. Results: We enrolled 209 IBTR patients with a median follow-up of 102.3 months. No significant differences were observed in overall survival (10 years: 87.3% vs. 78.8%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-2.81; p=0.821), distant metastasis free survival (10 years: 73.9% vs. 77.7%; HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.37-1.72; p=0.727) and disease-free survival (10 years: 57.1% vs. 65.2%; HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.35-1.12; p=0.115) between two groups. Repeat-BCS group showed significantly poorer locoregional recurrence free survival rate than did the TM group (HR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.06-5.56; p=0.029) but the significance was not shown after excluding ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence events. Conclusion No significant differences were observed in survival outcomes and recurrence rates between patients with IBTR who underwent mastectomy or repeat BCS regardless of molecular subtype, except secondary IBTR rates.

Purpose: Recent obstetric guidelines recommend the administration of antenatal corticosteroids in pregnant women at risk of delivering infants at a gestational age between 34 and 36 weeks. We examined the effect of incompletely administered antenatal corticosteroids on the neonatal pulmonary outcomes in late preterm infants. Methods: Late preterm infants (34+0 to 36+6 weeks gestational age) born at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from January 2019 to June 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. We excluded multiple births except twins, those with major congenital anomalies, deaths, or transfers to other hospitals. An incomplete course of antenatal corticosteroids was defined as one in which the first or the second dose of betamethasone was administered within 24 hours before delivery. The rates of neonatal pulmonary morbidities were compared between late preterm infants given incomplete courses antenatal corticosteroids and their peers who not given antenatal corticosteroids; these morbidities included respiratory distress syndrome and transient tachypnea of the newborn, assisted ventilation including invasive mechanical ventilation, nasal continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal cannula, and admission to neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Logistic regression models were constructed while adjusting for factors which were significant in bivariate models. After adjusting for baseline maternal and neonatal characteristics, we found no significant differences in the rates of neonatal pulmonary morbidities, assisted ventilation, or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit between late preterm infants who received incomplete antenatal corticosteroid therapy and their peers who were not given any antenatal corticosteroids. Conclusion Incompletely administered antenatal corticosteroids did not significantly alter the neonatal pulmonary outcomes in late preterm infants.