Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that are crucial for anticancer activity and have been developed as an immune cell therapy for leukemia. However, their limited effectiveness against solid tumors has prompted research into methods to enhance NK cell activity through combination therapies. Health supplements capable of boosting immune surveillance against tumor cells are gaining attention owing to their potential benefits. Resveratrol, a stilbenoid produced by several plants including peanuts and grapes, reportedly exerts anticancer effects and can activate immune cells. The peanut sprout extract cultivated with fermented sawdust medium (PSEFS) is rich in resveratrol, leveraging its health benefits in terms of the dry weight of herbal products, thus maximizing the utilization of resveratrol’s beneficial properties. Our study compared the efficacy of resveratrol and PSEFS and revealed that PSEFS significantly enhanced NK cell activation compared with an equivalent dose of resveratrol. We investigated the ability of PSEFS to potentiate NK cell anticancer activity, focusing on NK cell survival, tumor cell lysis, and NK cell activation in PSEFS-administered mice. Our findings suggest that PSEFS could be a potential NK cell booster for cancer immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that are crucial for anticancer activity and have been developed as an immune cell therapy for leukemia. However, their limited effectiveness against solid tumors has prompted research into methods to enhance NK cell activity through combination therapies. Health supplements capable of boosting immune surveillance against tumor cells are gaining attention owing to their potential benefits. Resveratrol, a stilbenoid produced by several plants including peanuts and grapes, reportedly exerts anticancer effects and can activate immune cells. The peanut sprout extract cultivated with fermented sawdust medium (PSEFS) is rich in resveratrol, leveraging its health benefits in terms of the dry weight of herbal products, thus maximizing the utilization of resveratrol’s beneficial properties. Our study compared the efficacy of resveratrol and PSEFS and revealed that PSEFS significantly enhanced NK cell activation compared with an equivalent dose of resveratrol. We investigated the ability of PSEFS to potentiate NK cell anticancer activity, focusing on NK cell survival, tumor cell lysis, and NK cell activation in PSEFS-administered mice. Our findings suggest that PSEFS could be a potential NK cell booster for cancer immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that are crucial for anticancer activity and have been developed as an immune cell therapy for leukemia. However, their limited effectiveness against solid tumors has prompted research into methods to enhance NK cell activity through combination therapies. Health supplements capable of boosting immune surveillance against tumor cells are gaining attention owing to their potential benefits. Resveratrol, a stilbenoid produced by several plants including peanuts and grapes, reportedly exerts anticancer effects and can activate immune cells. The peanut sprout extract cultivated with fermented sawdust medium (PSEFS) is rich in resveratrol, leveraging its health benefits in terms of the dry weight of herbal products, thus maximizing the utilization of resveratrol’s beneficial properties. Our study compared the efficacy of resveratrol and PSEFS and revealed that PSEFS significantly enhanced NK cell activation compared with an equivalent dose of resveratrol. We investigated the ability of PSEFS to potentiate NK cell anticancer activity, focusing on NK cell survival, tumor cell lysis, and NK cell activation in PSEFS-administered mice. Our findings suggest that PSEFS could be a potential NK cell booster for cancer immunotherapy.

Emergency department (ED) triage systems are used to classify the severity and urgency of emergency patients, and Korean medical institutions use the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, appropriate treatment for emergency patients was delayed due to various circumstances, such as overcrowding of EDs, lack of medical workforce resources, and increased workload on medical staff. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the KTAS in predicting the urgency of emergency patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This study retrospectively reviewed patients who were treated in the ED during the pandemic period from January 2020 to June 2021. Patients were divided into COVID-19–screening negative (SN) and COVID-19–screening positive (SP) groups. We compared the predictability of the KTAS for urgent patients between the two groups. Results From a total of 107,480 patients, 62,776 patients (58.4%) were included in the SN group and 44,704 (41.6%) were included in the SP group. The odds ratios for severity variables at each KTAS level revealed a more evident discriminatory power of the KTAS for severity variables in the SN group (P<0.001). The predictability of the KTAS for severity variables was higher in the SN group than in the SP group (area under the curve, P<0.001). Conclusion During the pandemic, the KTAS had low accuracy in predicting patients in critical condition in the ED. Therefore, in future pandemic periods, supplementation of the current ED triage system should be considered in order to accurately classify the severity of patients.

The efficacy of previously developed respiratory barrier enclosures to limit healthcare workers’ exposure to aerosols from COVID-19 patients remains unclear; in addition, the design of these devices is unsuitable for transportation or other emergency procedures. Therefore, we developed a novel negative pressure respiratory isolator to improve protection from patient-generated aerosols and evaluated its protective effect in conversion to systemic isolator. Methods This in vitro study simulated droplets by nebulizing 1% glycerol + 99% ethanol solution. We performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and converted a respiratory barrier enclosure into a systemic isolator with a respiratory barrier as well as a respiratory barrier with negative pressure generator (NPG), which were compared with control and room air. During the procedure, particles were counted for 30 seconds and the count was repeated 10 times. Results During CPR, the total number of particles in the respiratory barrier with NPG (280,529; interquartile range [IQR], 205,263–359,195; P=0.970) was similar to that in the control (308,789; IQR, 175,056–473,276). Using NPG with a respiratory barrier reduced the number of particles to 27,524 (IQR, 26,703– 28,905; P=0.001). Particle number during conversion of the respiratory barrier into a systemic isolator was also lower than in the control (25,845; IQR, 19,391– 29,772; P=0.001). Conclusion The novel isolator was converted to a systemic isolator without air leakage. The aerosol-blocking effect of the isolator was quantified using a particle counter during CPR. Further studies comparing the barrier effect of isolators within various pressure differentials are warranted.

Background: Hemiarthroplasty is frequently used to treat displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients, but it has a higher risk of postoperative dislocation. We introduced the posterior approach and inferior capsulotomy (PAICO) to enhance joint stability after bipolar hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fracture. We evaluated whether the PAICO would have a lower dislocation rate than the conventional posterior approach with superior capsulotomy. Methods: From January 2021 to December 2021, we prospectively recruited 25 patients (25 hips) aged 50 years or older who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fractures due to low-energy trauma as the PAICO group. We compared the PAICO group with a historical control group who had undergone hemiarthroplasty in 7 institutes between 2010 and 2020. The primary endpoint was dislocation within 1 year after the surgery. We compared data from the PAICO group with the data from the historical control group from the Korean Hip Fracture Registry which was carried out in South Korea. Results: A total of 25 patients (25 hips) were enrolled in the present study; 3,477 patients (3,571 hips) who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty were reviewed as the historical control group. In the PAICO group, we observed no dislocation, whereas the dislocation rate in the control group was 1.3%. Conclusions In patients with displaced femoral neck fractures, the PAICO approach demonstrated comparable results in operation time and complication rates when compared to bipolar hemiarthroplasty using superior capsulotomy. Notably, there were no observed cases of dislocation among patients who underwent the PAICO approach. We recommend this PAICO approach to surgeons using the posterior approach, hoping to prevent dislocation in bipolar hemiarthroplasty.

Background: Prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS) is associated with an increased risk of hospital-acquired conditions and worse outcomes. We conducted a nationwide, multicenter, retrospective cohort study to determine whether prolonged hospitalization before developing sepsis has a negative impact on its prognosis. Methods: We analyzed data from 19 tertiary referral or university-affiliated hospitals between September 2019 and December 2020. Adult patients with confirmed sepsis during hospitalization were included. In-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. The patients were divided into two groups according to their LOS before the diagnosis of sepsis: early- (< 5 days) and late-onset groups (≥ 5 days). Conditional multivariable logistic regression for propensity score matched-pair analysis was employed to assess the association between lateonset sepsis and the primary outcome. Results: A total of 1,395 patients were included (median age, 68.0 years; women, 36.3%).The early- and late-onset sepsis groups comprised 668 (47.9%) and 727 (52.1%) patients.Propensity score-matched analysis showed an increased risk of in-hospital mortality in the late-onset group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69–5.34).The same trend was observed in the entire study population (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.37–2.50).When patients were divided into LOS quartile groups, an increasing trend of mortality risk was observed in the higher quartiles (Pfor trend < 0.001). Conclusion Extended LOS before developing sepsis is associated with higher in-hospital mortality. More careful management is required when sepsis occurs in patients hospitalized for ≥ 5 days.

Background: Webtoon, a digital form of comics created in the Republic of Korea, has spread widely with advantages that anyone can become a cartoonist and that autonomy of creation is guaranteed. The purpose of this study is to identify the working conditions of webtoon writers and analyze the relationship between these conditions and depressive symptoms. Methods: A survey was carried out on webtoon writers and a survey data of 312 webtoon writers were analyzed. The questionnaire included basic socio-demographic characteristics, webtoon writers’ contractual type, fields of activity (webtoon creator, story writer, illustrator), and working environment (labor discretion etc.). We investigated depressive symptoms and analyzed its relation to the work environment of webtoon writers. Results: Webtoon writers were exposed to long working hours, high labor intensity, limited labor discretion, negative comments from readers, and had a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. Compared to story writers who contracted directly with platforms, story writers and the illustrators who contracted with content providers (CPs) were 9.51 times (OR = 9.51, 95% CI = 1.47 - 61.33) and 6.47 times (OR = 6.47, 95% CI = 1.08 – 38.75) more likely to have depressive symptoms, respectively. Conclusions This study emphasizes the urgent necessity to improve the overall working environment in the webtoon industry and implement measures to tackle the escalating mental health challenges faced by illustrators and story writers contracted with CPs, especially given the increasing popularity of novel comics.

Objective: This study examined the factors influencing the mental health and stress of individuals during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A total of 600 participants were enrolled in this anonymous questionnaire survey that included questions on their demographic profiles and experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Stress Scale for Korean People (CSSK), Warwick– Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Insomnia Severity Index, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used. Data were analyzed using multiple regression to identify the factors affecting the total CSSK scores and the scores of each of the three CSSK subscales. Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that the severity of insomnia, sex, degree of income decline, occupation, religion, education level, marital status, residential status, level of social support, and degree of depression and anxiety had significant relationships with COVID-19-related stress. Conclusion We identified factors affecting stress and mental health in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings may be helpful in providing an individualized approach to managing the mental health of the public. We expect that the results of this study will be used to screen high-risk individuals vulnerable to stress and to establish policies related to the public health crisis.

Ephedra is a genus of the Ephedraceae family and is found in temperate regions, such as Central Asia and Europe. Among the various ephedra species, Ma Huang (Ephedra herb) is derived from the aerial parts of Ephedra sinica Stapf, Ephedra equisetina Bunge, and Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A. Mey. Ma Huang contains various ephedra alkaloids, including (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)-norpseudoephedrine, (-)-methylephedrine, and (+)-methylpseudoephedrine, which are found naturally as single enantiomers, although they can be prepared as racemates. Although the use of Ma Huang in foods is prohibited in Korea, products containing Ma Huang can be imported, and so it is necessary to develop a suitable analytical technique for the detection of Ma Huang in foods. Herein, we report the development of analytical methods for the detection of ephedra alkaloids in products containing Ma Huang. Following sample purification by solid phase extraction, quantitative analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Additionally, the enantiomers were successfully separated using HPLC-DAD. We successfully analyzed various food samples, where the ephedra alkaloids were qualitatively and quantitatively determined, and the enantiomers were separated. It is expected that these methods may contribute toward preventing the distribution of illegal products containing Ma Huang.