Applying Artificial Intelligence for Diagnostic Classification of Korean Autism Spectrum Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to predict subgroups of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-IV Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) by machine learning (ML). The secondary objective was to set up a ranking of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) diagnostic algorithm items based on ML, and to confirm whether ML can sufficiently predict the diagnosis with these minimum items. METHODS: In the first experiment, a multiclass decision forest algorithm was applied, and the diagnostic algorithm score value of 1,269 Korean ADI-R test data was used for prediction. In the second experiment, we used 539 Korean ADI-R case data (over 48 months with verbal language) to apply mutual information to rank items used in the ADI diagnostic algorithm. RESULTS: In the first experiment, the results of predicting in the case of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified as "ASD" were almost three times higher than predicting it as "No diagnosis." In the second experiment, the top 10 ranking items of ADI-R were mainly related to the quality abnormality of communication. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we verified the applicability of ML in diagnosis and found that the application of artificial intelligence for rapid diagnosis or screening of ASD patients may be useful.

Surgical approach for acute ischemic colitis after scuba diving: A case report.

The clinical manifestations that may occur due to decompression during scuba diving vary widely, but only mild symptoms have been reported mainly in the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, ischemic colitis caused by air embolism is rare. We report a case of full-thickness ischemic colitis treated with failed conservative treatment but successfully treated surgically. The case that was presented here suggests that decompression after scuba diving may cause severe symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract and may require a surgical approach. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms and the patient's condition, but surgical approaches should be considered.

Effect of adjusted cuff pressure of endotracheal tube during thyroidectomy on postoperative airway complications: prospective, randomized, and controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a common complaint after general anesthesia, especially following thyroidectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the effect of adjusting the endotracheal tube cuff pressure during thyroidectomy on the incidence of airway complications. Ninety patients scheduled for elective thyroidectomy were randomized into two groups: control (group A, n = 45) and experimental (group B, n = 45). All patients underwent total intravenous anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. In group A, the cuff pressure was set to 25 cm H2O initially and then monitored continuously without adjustment during thyroidectomy. In group B, the cuff pressure was maintained at approximately 25 cm H2O throughout the operation. The incidences and the severity of POST, hoarseness, dysphagia, and cough were recorded at 2 and 24 h postoperatively. RESULTS: Cuff pressures in group A changed significantly over time (P < 0.05) and were higher than those of group B during thyroidectomy (P < 0.05). The incidences of POST were lower in group B than in group A at 2 and 24 h postoperatively (P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the severity of POST at 2 h postoperatively between the two groups. There were no differences in the incidences of hoarseness, dysphagia, and cough between the two study groups (P > 0.05). Adjusting the endotracheal cuff pressure during thyroidectomy decreased the incidence and degree of POST. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative monitoring and adjustment of the cuff pressure can reduce POST in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

The ubiquitin-interacting motif of 26S proteasome subunit S5a induces A549 lung cancer cell death.

The subunit S5a is a key component for the recruitment of ubiquitinated substrates to the 26S proteasome. When the full-length S5a, the N-terminal half of S5a (S5aN) containing the von Willebrand A (vWA) domain, and the C-terminal half of S5a (S5aC) containing two ubiquitin(Ub)-interacting motifs (UIMs) were ectopically expressed in HEK293 cells, Ub-conjugates accumulated most prominently in S5aC-expressing cells. In addition, S5aC induced A549 lung cancer cell death but not non-cancer BEAS-2B cell death. Similar effects were observed using only S5a-UIMs. Our data therefore suggest that S5a-UIMs can be used as upstream inhibitors of the proteasome pathway.

A proteomics approach to identify the ubiquitinated proteins in mouse heart.

There is a growing need for the large-scale identification of the ubiquitinated proteins and ubiquitin attachment sites. As part of this effort, we generated a transgenic mouse expressing a tagged ubiquitin in the heart. We found that the majority of ubiquitinated proteins in mouse heart are insoluble in detergent-free buffer and were chemically cleaved after methionine with CNBr. CNBr cleaved the proteins into smaller polypeptides while preserving the ubiquitin chains. Ubiquitin-conjugated polypeptides were then purified under denaturing conditions, digested with Lys-C and trypsin, and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We identified 121 proteins that were ubiquitinated in mouse heart, and we detected 33 ubiquitination sites in 21 of the proteins. Components of cardiac muscle and many mitochondrial proteins were identified as substrates for ubiquitination, strongly suggesting that proteins related to major heart functions such as contraction and energy production are under continuous quality control by the ubiquitin system.