The First Case of Cutaneous Acanthamoebiasis Caused by Acanthamoeba triangularis in Korea.

A 62-year-old man with multiple myeloma visited our clinic with multiple painful erythematous to purpuric nodules on his whole body. He received a skin biopsy which showed septal and lobular inflammation with vasculitis, and multiple amoebic organisms were found. Polymerase chain reaction and culture were performed and an Acanthamoeba triangularis infection was diagnosed. This is the first report on cutaneous acanthamoebiasis caused by A. triangularis, suggesting that A. triangularis should be regarded as a clinical pathogen that can cause ocular as well as disseminated infection.

Pigmented contact dermatitis and hair dyes: A retrospective case-control multicentre study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Pigmented contact dermatitis (PCD), a rare variant of non-eczematous contact dermatitis, is clinically characterized by sudden-onset brown or grey pigmentation on the face and neck. It is hypothesized to be caused by repeated contact with low levels of allergens. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the risk of using hair dyes in patients with PCD in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1033 PCD patients and 1366 controls from 31 university hospitals were retrospectively recruited. We collected and analysed the data from the patient group, diagnosed through typical clinical findings of PCD and the control group, which comprised age/sex-matched patients who visited the participating hospitals with pre-existing skin diseases other than current allergic disease or PCD. RESULTS: Melasma and photosensitivity were significantly more common in the control group, and a history of contact dermatitis was more common in the PCD group. There were significantly more Fitzpatrick skin type V participants in the PCD group than in the control group. There was no significant difference in sunscreen use between the groups. Using dermatologic medical history, Fitzpatrick skin type and sunscreen use as covariates, we showed that hair dye use carried a higher PCD risk (odds ratio [OR] before adjustment: 2.06, confidence interval [CI]: 1.60-2.65; OR after adjustment: 2.74, CI: 1.88-4.00). Moreover, henna users had a higher risk of PCD (OR before adjustment: 5.51, CI: 4.07-7.47; OR after adjustment: 7.02, CI: 4.59-10.74), indicating a significant increase in the risk of PCD with henna dye use. Contact dermatitis history was more prevalent in henna users than in those using other hair dyes in the PCD group (17.23% vs. 11.55%). CONCLUSION: Hair dye use is a risk factor for PCD. The risk significantly increased when henna hair dye was used by those with a history of contact dermatitis.

Recent progress of TP/NIR fluorescent probes for metal ions.

Metal ions are of significance in various pathological and physiological processes. As such, it is crucial to monitor their levels in organisms. Two-photon (TP) and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has been utilized to monitor metal ions because of minimal background interference, deeper tissue depth penetration, lower tissue self-absorption, and reduced photodamage. In this review, we briefly summarize recent progress from 2020 to 2022 of TP/NIR organic fluorescent probes and inorganic sensors in the detection of metal ions. Additionally, we present an outlook for the development of TP/NIR probes for bio-imaging, diagnosis of diseases, imaging-guided therapy, and activatable phototherapy.

Critical Role of Non-Halogenated Solvent Additives in Eco-Friendly and Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) demonstrating high power conversion efficiencies have been mostly fabricated using halogenated solvents, which are highly toxic and harmful to humans and the environment. Recently, non-halogenated solvents have emerged as a potential alternative. However, there has been limited success in attaining an optimal morphology when non-halogenated solvents (typically o-xylene (XY)) were used. To address this issue, we studied the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of all-polymer solar cells (APSCs) on various high-boiling-point non-halogenated additives. We synthesized PTB7-Th and PNDI2HD-T polymers that are soluble in XY and fabricated PTB7-Th:PNDI2HD-T-based APSCs using XY with five additives: 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (TMB), indane (IN), tetralin (TN), diphenyl ether (DPE), and dibenzyl ether (DBE). The photovoltaic performance was determined in the following order: XY + IN < XY + TMB < XY + DBE ≤ XY only < XY + DPE < XY + TN. Interestingly, all APSCs processed with an XY solvent system had better photovoltaic properties than APSCs processed with chloroform solution containing 1,8-diiodooctane (CF + DIO). The key reasons for these differences were unraveled using transient photovoltage and two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray diffraction experiments. The charge lifetimes of APSCs based on XY + TN and XY + DPE were the longest, and their long lifetime was strongly associated with the polymer blend film morphology; the polymer domain sizes were in the nanoscale range, and the blend film surfaces were smoother, as the PTB7-Th polymer domains assumed an untangled, evenly distributed, and internetworked morphology. Our results demonstrate that the use of an additive with an optimal boiling point facilitates the development of polymer blends with a favorable morphology and can contribute to the widespread use of eco-friendly APSCs.

ESIPT-Inspired Dual-Mode Photoswitches with Fast Molecular Isomerization in the Solid State.

Photoswitchable materials have attracted considerable attention in various fields. Developing excellent solid-state dual-mode photoswitches is an important but challenging task. Herein, we propose a new strategy to construct an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) inspired photoswitch (DiAH-pht) that possesses aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features and displays a fast molecular isomerization process characterized by dual-mode behavior in the solid state. Mechanistic studies indicate that introduction of a bulky group can create a folded molecular conformation that provides adequate volume to facilitate photoisomerization and the enhanced ESIPT effect can boost the isomerization process. The feasibility of our strategy was further demonstrated by the activated photoisomerization performance of the Schiff base derivatives. Furthermore, DiAH-pht shows good performance in the fields of dual-mode information encryption and high-density data storage.

The first broad replication study of SNPs and a pilot genome-wide association study for androgenetic alopecia in Asian populations.

BACKGROUND: Many candidate genes for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) have been identified in studies of the Caucasians and some Asian populations. AIMS: This study aimed to confirm the known susceptibility genes reported in previous studies and find additional candidate genes for high-risk individuals for AGA in Korean population. PATIENTS/METHODS: We recapitulated the previously reported SNPs and identified the novel Korean AGA risk genetic variants using a Korean hospital-based AGA case and control samples. The population was consisting of 494 individuals (275 AGA cases and 146 controls). Using the 800 K SNPs of precision medical research array (PMRA SNP microarray chip) and imputation-based SNPs, 12 previous GWAS reports for AGA and a total of 62 160 SNPs were examined in our study samples. Also, we conducted the genome-wide association study (GWAS) by the logistic regression analyses for AGA cases and controls with controlling the age as the covariates. RESULTS: Among the 62 160 SNPs, a total of 1143 SNPs in 76 gene regions showed weak replication tendency with the p-values <0.05 and same direction of effects. Additionally, the GWAS results showed 110 SNPs in 13 independent regions with the suggestive p-values <1.00 × 10-5 . The most significantly replicated SNP resided on chromosome 20, which were similar to other AGA replication studies including Chinese study. The GWAS identified two SNPs (rs11010734 and rs2420640) increasing the risk for AGA in our study population. CONCLUSIONS: Our study would be a reference of the non-European studies to better understand AGA in different populations and ancestral contexts.

Differences in Clinical Responses to Ustekinumab Treatment among Body Regions: Results from a Real-World Prospective, Observational, and Multi-Center Study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: In psoriasis treatment, not all body regions improve simultaneously after clinical interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at evaluating clinical responses across body regions, which may differentially influence patient treatment plans. METHODS: This prospective, observational, and multi-center study was conducted in Koreans who adhered to ustekinumab treatment based on criteria per local label and reimbursement guidelines. A total of 581 were included in this analysis. RESULTS: The mean (±standard deviation) psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score at baseline, age, disease duration, and body surface area (%) were 18.9±9.69, 44.2±13.29 years, 11.3±9.65 years, and 27.8±17.83, respectively. Across the head and neck, upper extremities, trunk, and lower extremities, the correlation between the PASI sub-scores for the upper and lower extremities was the highest (r=0.680). The mean PASI sub-score for the lower extremities was the highest at baseline. PASI90 and PASI100 scores were the highest for the head and neck region, indicating the highest response rates, while those for the lower extremities were consistently low at all visits. CONCLUSION: We found differences in regional ustekinumab responses, with the lower extremities being the most difficult to treat. These findings should be considered in psoriasis treatment.

Complementary combinative strategy of defect engineering and graphene coupling for efficient energy-functional materials.

The synergetic combination of defect engineering and graphene coupling enables to develop an effective way of exploring efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst/electrode materials. Defect-engineered amorphous MoO2 -reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanohybrid was synthesized by soft-chemical reduction of K2 MoO4 in graphene oxide colloids. Mo K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy clearly demonstrates the rutile-type local atomic structure of amorphous MoO2 with significant oxygen vacancies and intimate electronic coupling with rGO. The defect-introduced MoO2 -rGO nanohybrid shows excellent bifunctionality as electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction and electrode for sodium-ion batteries, which are superior to those of crystalline MoO2 -rGO homologue. The beneficial effect of simultaneous defect control and rGO coupling can be ascribed to the provision of oxygen vacancies acting as active sites, the increase of electrical conductivity, and the improvement of reaction kinetics.

Structural transformation between rutile and spinel crystal lattices in Ru-Co binary oxide nanotubes: enhanced electron transfer kinetics for the oxygen evolution reaction.

A variety of binary Ru-Co mixed oxide nanotubes (RuxCo1-xOy with x = 0.19, 0.33, 0.47, 0.64 and 0.77) were readily synthesized via electrospinning and subsequent calcination. RuxCo1-xOy nanotubes (0 < x < 0.77) were composed of both rutile (Ru in RuO2 is replaced with Co) and spinel (Co in Co3O4 is replaced with Ru) structures. This elemental substitution created oxygen vacancies in the rutile structure and also resulted in the incorporation of Ru3+ in the octahedral sites of the spinel structure. The as-prepared RuxCo1-xOy nanotubes were investigated for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalytic activity in 1.0 M HClO4 aqueous solution. RuxCo1-xOy nanotubes with x≥ 0.47 presented an excellent OER activity comparable to pure RuO2, known to be the best OER catalyst. Even after more than half of the noble/active Ru content was replaced with cheap/less-active Co, Ru0.47Co0.53Oy showed a good OER activity and a greatly improved stability compared to RuO2 under the continuous OER. These attractive catalytic properties of RuxCo1-xOy can be attributed to the relatively large surface area of the tubular morphology and the substituted structures, presenting feasibility as a practical and economical OER catalyst.

Probing the Photoionization Dynamics of 2-Cyclopenten-1-one via High-Resolution VUV-MATI Spectroscopy.

2-Cyclopenten-1-one (2CP), which is a cyclic enone, has been considered an important precursor because of its versatile functionality in the synthesis of natural products and materials for biofuels. Here, we report the adiabatic ionization energy (AIE) and cationic structure of 2CP in the ionic transition between the neutral S0 and the cationic D0 states probed by high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet mass-analyzed threshold ionization (VUV-MATI) spectroscopy. From the 0-0 band position in the VUV-MATI spectrum supported by the VUV-photoionization efficiency curve, the AIE of 2CP was determined to be 9.3477 ± 0.0004 eV (75,395 ± 3 cm-1), which is in good agreement with the reference value but much more accurate. The measured MATI spectrum combined with the Franck-Condon fitting at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level revealed that the cationic structure of 2CP is twisted with the C1 symmetry, whereas the neutral 2CP has the CS symmetry. The results indicate that geometrical changes induced by ionization are mainly attributed to the electron removal from the highest occupied molecular orbital, which consists of nonbonding orbitals on the oxygen atom in the carbonyl group interacting with the σ orbitals in the molecular plane of 2CP. Consequently, lowering the C1 symmetry for cationic 2CP led to the promotions of the ring-bending and ring-twisting modes in the MATI spectrum, which correspond to the ring puckering and C═C twisting in the S0 state, respectively.

A retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of staged purse-string sutures for the reconstruction of surgical defects on skin using computer image analysis program.

Background: Staged purse-string suturing has been recently introduced for the reconstruction of round or oval defects following tumor excision. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical advantage of staged purse-string suturing for the reconstruction of relatively large skin defects. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one patients who received staged purse-string sutures were included in the study. To evaluate the defects and scar sizes objectively, computer-based image analysis was used. A modified observer scar assessment scale (OSAS) was applied for evaluating the clinical efficacy. Results: The mean primary postsurgical defect size in the total 21 cases was 1446.2 ± 1187.2 mm2, and the mean final scar size was about 268.1 ± 252.3 mm2. The defect area decreased gradually as staged purse-string suturing was performed. The mean total modified OSAS was 7.96 ± 1.69. Conclusion: Staged purse-string sutures might be an alternative reconstructive method for relatively large round or oval skin defects.