-
Effect of Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy vs Open Distal Gastrectomy on Long-term Survival Among Patients With Stage I Gastric Cancer
Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy is a new surgery for treating early-stage gastric or stomach cancer that is becoming more popular than conventional open surgery. A recent study by the Korean Laparoendoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study group, published in JAMA Oncology, compares their effectiveness in pati..
-
Microglia-Astrocyte Crosstalk: An Intimate Molecular Conversation
Glial cells, including microglia and astrocytes, are the non-neuronal cells in the human central nervous system (CNS). Evidence suggests that microglia and astrocytes perform intimate molecular conversations by releasing numerous molecular signals. A recent review article in The Neuroscientist discusses the p..
-
Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of people globally. Environmental, clinical, and social factors determine the susceptibility to and severity of the disease. However, the genetic makeup of an individual, which forms the blueprint of life, is also crucial. A new study in Nature investigating the rol..
-
A bioprinted human-glioblastoma-on-a-chip for the identification of patient-specific responses to chemoradiotherapy
Patient-specific treatments can prove effective in cancer therapy. A new study in Nature Biomedical Engineering presents a tumor-on-a-chip model that can help identify the most effective treatment for individual patients. Here, researchers have bioprinted patient-derived glioblastoma tumor cells and their sur..
-
Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2016
Cancer incidence and death are increasing rapidly worldwide. In particular, it accounts for 25% of the deaths in Korea. A recent study in Cancer Research and Treatment documents cancer incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality in Korea in 2016. 229,180 and 78,194 Koreans were diagnosed with and died from..
-
Prevalence and Duration of Acute Loss of Smell or Taste in COVID-19 Patients
Early diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients is crucial. Its symptoms include fever along with acute loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia). However, the latter two were initially not considered important indicators of the disease. A recent study in the Journal of Korean Medical Science highlights the data on..
-
Empagliflozin and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Established Cardiovascular Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease
Empagliflozin – a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor – is a medication known to lower the risk of cardiovascular hospitalization and death in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A new study investigates its effects on patients with chronic kidney disease in addition to the abov..
-
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)
Autophagy is a natural process by which a cell removes its damaged components. The first set of guidelines to standardize autophagy research was published by scientists in 2008. The expanding knowledge base and technological advancements have prompted them to update these guidelines. Their work, published in ..
-
Removal of contaminants of emerging concern by membranes in water and wastewater: A review
Pharmaceutical and personal care product wastes in water resources are contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). A recent study in Chemical Engineering Journal reviews various membrane-based techniques, including forward osmosis (FO), reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and ultrafiltration (UF), for the..