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Background Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for esophageal cancer; however, a high incidence of esophageal cancer is observed particularly among Eastern Asians, although they consume relatively less alcohol, presumably due to the high frequency of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 ( ALDH2 ) rs671 polymorphisms. Nevertheless, the association between ALDH2 polymorphisms and esophageal cancer remains under debate. In the present study, we evaluated the association between ALDH2 rs671 polymorphisms and the risk of esophageal cancer in the South Korean population. Methods This study included 783 hospital based-cases and 8732 population-based controls. Information on smoking history and alcohol consumption was obtained from the medical records or interview questionnaires. Age-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between ALDH2 rs671 polymorphisms and esophageal cancer. Results Odds ratios (ORs) for esophageal cancer in men with GA and AA genotypes were 2.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.34–3.23) and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.00–0.35), respectively; whereas, in women, these ratios were 2.99 (95% CI: 1.43–6.34) and 6.18 (95% CI: 1.40–19.62), respectively, taking subjects with the ALDH2 GG genotype as a reference. In men, the association between ALDH2 polymorphisms and esophageal cancer was modified by alcohol consumption. Conclusion In Eastern Asians, ALDH2 rs671 polymorphisms are associated with esophageal cancer, which may be linked to acetaldehyde accumulation.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is associated with remodelling of the extracellular matrix and invasion in various cancers. Identifying proteins connected to high MMP-9 expression is important in explaining its mechanisms. Our study aims to shed light on genes associated with high MMP-9 expression and to discuss their clinical impact in breast cancer. We evaluated 173 breast cancer cases from the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, with 1964 cases from the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium database serving as a validation cohort. We investigated relationships between MMP-9 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. We then used gene set enrichment analyses to detect the association of genes with MMP-9 overexpression, and performed survival analyses to determine the significance of the gene in three independent cohorts. High MMP-9 expression correlated with poor prognosis in univariate and multivariate analyses. Using gene set enrichment analysis, we found that tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 12A (TNFRSF12A) was linked to high MMP-9 expression. In the survival analysis of three published data sets (METABRIC, GSE1456, GSE20685), high TNFRSF12A was relevant to a poor survival rate. High levels of TNFRSF12A associated with MMP-9 overexpression may be important to explain the progression of breast cancer, and survival could be improved using therapy targeting TNFRSF12A.

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic roles of CD56 immunohistochemistry in differentiating various thyroid lesions. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the rate of loss of CD56 immunohistochemistry expression from 13 eligible studies regarding various thyroid lesions, including papillary thyroid carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, and follicular adenoma. To confirm the value of CD56 immunohistochemistry in differentiating various thyroid lesions, a diagnostic test accuracy review was conducted. Results: An 87.8%, 79.1%, 11.9%, 25.5%, and 19.6% loss of CD56 immunohistochemistry expression was identified in papillary thyroid carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, follicular adenoma, benign follicular nodule, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, respectively. In the normal thyroid tissue, the rate of loss of CD56 expression was 1.6%. Classical, follicular, diffuse sclerosing, tall cell, and encapsulated variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma showed an 88.4%, 75.3%, 97.2%, 91.7%, and 91.7% loss of CD56 expression, respectively. In the comparison between the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular adenoma, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of CD56 immunohistochemistry was 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70, 0.90) and 0.94 (95% CI 0.83, 0.99), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio and the area under curve on summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 51.43 (95% CI 5.83, 453.88) and 0.9387, respectively. Conclusion: Collectively, these results indicate that the rate of loss of CD56 immunohistochemistry expression was significantly higher in malignant tumors, such as papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular carcinoma, than in follicular adenoma, benign follicular nodule, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. As such, CD56 immunohistochemistry can be useful in differentiating follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma from follicular adenoma.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of ROS1 rearrangement and concordance between ROS1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular tests in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: The study included 10,898 NSCLC cases from 21 eligible studies. ROS1 rearrangement rates were evaluated in NSCLC by a meta-analysis, including subgroup analyses. In addition, we performed a concordance analysis and a diagnostic test accuracy review of ROS1 IHC in NSCLC. Results: The estimated overall rate of ROS1 rearrangement and IHC positivity was 2.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5, 3.7). In the subgroup analysis, which was based on tumor subtype, the rate of ROS1 rearrangement and IHC positivity was 2.9% (95% CI 1.9, 4.5) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.3, 1.2) in adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma, respectively. The overall concordance rate between ROS1 IHC and molecular tests was 93.4% (95% CI 78.3, 98.2). In ROS1 IHC positive and negative cases, the concordance rates were 79.0% (95% CI 43.3, 94.9) and 97.0% (95% CI 83.3, 99.5), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and the specificity of ROS1 IHC were 0.90 (95% CI 0.70, 0.99) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.79, 0.84), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio and the area under the curve of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were 118.01 (95% CI 11.81, 1179.67) and 0.9417, respectively. Conclusion: The rates of ROS1 rearrangement differed by tumor histologic subtype in NSCLC. ROS1 IHC may be useful for the detection of ROS1 rearrangement in NSCLC. Detailed criteria for evaluating ROS1 IHC are needed before it can be applied in daily practice.

Improved diabetes management in primary care is essential for reducing the public health burden of diabetes, and various programs are being implemented in Korea for this purpose. Although the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) evaluates the quality of type 2 diabetes management in primary care clinics and hospitals, it is unclear whether the implementation of these evaluations is related to the adequate management of complications in diabetic patients. We evaluated the association between the proportion of clinics managing diabetes well and lifestyles and uptake of screening for complications in 24,620 diabetic participants of the 2019 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS). Multivariate multilevel logistic regression was performed to evaluate the fixed effect of the district-level variable and the heterogeneity among districts. The proportion of clinics with good diabetes management per 10,000 inhabitants was positively related to screening for diabetes complications. Furthermore, this district variable was significantly related to engaging in walking activity (Odds ratio: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.10–1.76) and sufficiently explained the heterogeneity among districts. However, current smoking and weight control were not associated with the proportion of clinics with good diabetes management. The financial incentives to primary care clinics would improve the primary prevention of diabetic complications.

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is an important process in the implementation and use of IT systems in today’s dynamic and increasingly digitalized organizations. However, SISP is not a straightforward task, it is a process that covers simultaneous multiple planning issues often in changing environmental and organizational climates. Although SISP has been widely studied, and evaluating the SISP process has matured, theory on SISP facilitators that enable successful outcomes remain sparse. The main objective of this paper is to explore such facilitators and to investigate their relationship and contribution in achieving SISP success. By postal surveying a random sample of managers with SISP experience in South Korean organizations, we modeled the relationship between facilitators of SISP and their outcomes. The study used Structural Equation Modelling to analyze and validate its findings. This study suggests that facilitators positively affect successful SISP through business and IT alignment. It also demonstrates that effective SISP has a positive effect on organizational outcomes by ensuring organizational capabilities and IT infrastructure flexibility. The findings of this study expounding the role of facilitators adds to the theory of SISP and provides a guide to planners and managers responsible for information systems.

Controlling the properties of piezoelectric thin films is a key aspect for designing highly efficient flexible electromechanical devices. In this stud）~ the crystallographic phenomena of PbZr1-xTixO3 （PZT） thin films caused by distinguished interfacial effects are deeply investigated by overlooking views, including not only an experimental demonstration but also ab initio modeling. The polymorphic phase balance and crystallinity, as well as the crystal orientation of PZT thin films at the morphotropic phase boundary （MPB）, can be stably modulated using interfacial crystal structures. Here, interactions with MgO stabilize the PZT crystallographic system well and induce the texturing influences, while the PZT film remains quasi-stable on a conventional A1203 wafer. On the basis of this fundamental understanding, a high-output flexible energy harvester is developed using the controlled-PZT system, which shows significantly higher performance than the unmodified PZT generator. The voltage, current, and power densities are improved by 556%, 503%, and 822%, respectively, in comparison with the previous flexional single-crystalline piezoelectric device. Finally, the improved flexible generator is applied to harvest tiny vibrational energy from a real traffic system, and it is used to operate a commercial electronic unit. These results clearly indicate that atomic-scale designs can produce significant impacts on macroscopic applications.

Chirality arises universally across many different fields. Recent advancements in artificial nanomaterials have demonstrated chiroptical responses that far exceed those found in natural materials. Chiroptical phenomena are complicated processes that involve transitions between states with opposite parities, and solid interpretations of these observations are yet to be clearly provided. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the theoretical aspects of chirality in light, nanostructures, and nanosystems and their chiroptical interactions. Descriptions of observed chiroptical phenomena based on these fundamentals are intensively discussed. We start with the strong intrinsic and extrinsic chirality in plasmonic nanoparticle systems, followed by enantioselective sensing and optical manipulation, and then conclude with orbital angular momentum-dependent responses. This review will be helpful for understanding the mechanisms behind chiroptical phenomena based on underlying chiral properties and useful for interpreting chiroptical systems for further studies.Towards an extended understanding of chiroptical phenomenaStrengthening the theoretical understanding of chirality is necessary for developing applications based on its phenomena. Junsuk Rho of Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) reviewed with colleagues the theoretical aspects of chirality, a symmetry property that describes mirror-image objects or systems that cannot be superimposed. Chiral materials have attracted much attention due to their interesting interactions. Scientists are familiar with how geometrically chiral objects and systems interact with light. However, such ‘chiroptical effects’ can also be found in achiral systems, Rho and his colleagues explain. Also, globally achiral light can be locally chiral near nanostructures. Scientists need to extend their concepts and theoretical understandings of chiroptical systems in order to be able to further develop applications based on their phenomena, such as in metamaterials, sensing, spintronics and stereochemistry.

Considering their superior charge-transfer characteristics, easy tenability of energy levels, and low production cost, organic semiconductors are ideal for photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production. However, organic-semiconductor-based photoelectrodes have not been extensively explored for PEC water-splitting because of their low stability in water. Herein, we report high-performance and stable organic-semiconductors photoanodes consisting of p -type polymers and n -type non-fullerene materials, which is passivated using nickel foils, GaIn eutectic, and layered double hydroxides as model materials. We achieve a photocurrent density of 15.1 mA cm −2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) with an onset potential of 0.55 V vs. RHE and a record high half-cell solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 4.33% under AM 1.5 G solar simulated light. After conducting the stability test at 1.3 V vs. RHE for 10 h, 90% of the initial photocurrent density are retained, whereas the photoactive layer without passivation lost its activity within a few minutes. While organic semiconductors may be useful in photoelectrochemical water-splitting materials, they show low stability in water. Here, the authors report high-performance and stable organic-semiconductor-based photoanodes passivated using nickel foils, GaIn eutectic, and layered double hydroxides.

Cytoplasmic chloroplast (cp) genomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nR) are the primary sequences used to understand plant diversity and evolution. We introduce a high-throughput method to simultaneously obtain complete cp and nR sequences using Illumina platform whole-genome sequence. We applied the method to 30 rice specimens belonging to nine Oryza species. Concurrent phylogenomic analysis using cp and nR of several of specimens of the same Oryza AA genome species provides insight into the evolution and domestication of cultivated rice, clarifying three ambiguous but important issues in the evolution of wild Oryza species. First, cp-based trees clearly classify each lineage but can be biased by inter-subspecies cross-hybridization events during speciation. Second, O. glumaepatula , a South American wild rice, includes two cytoplasm types, one of which is derived from a recent interspecies hybridization with O. longistminata . Third, the Australian O. rufipogan -type rice is a perennial form of O. meridionalis .