Bu-Yeo Kim

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The EMBARK trial's final analysis followed prostate cancer patients with rising PSA levels for eight years after randomization to enzalutamide plus hormone therapy, hormone therapy alone, or enzalutamide alone. The combination of enzalutamide with leuprolide achieved 78.9% survival at eight years versus 69.5% for leuprolide alone—a 40% reduction in the risk of death. Enzalutamide monotherapy did not significantly outperform leuprolide alone for overall survival, establishing the combination as the preferred treatment for high-risk biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.

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This retrospective study of nearly 23,000 diabetic patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery found that those taking metformin before their operation had significantly better outcomes. Preoperative metformin use was associated with a 24% lower one-year mortality and fewer lung and kidney complications after surgery. Higher doses of metformin provided additional protection against respiratory complications, suggesting that continuing metformin up to surgery benefits diabetic patients.

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Researchers developed a chemical recycling method to convert plastic PET bottles into useful hydrocarbon chemicals. First, glycolysis breaks PET into a soluble intermediate, which is then treated with a ruthenium-iron catalyst under hydrogen to strip away the oxygen atoms. Adding iron to the catalyst improved the yield of valuable 6-to-8 carbon compounds to over 60% by moderating the catalyst's activity and preventing over-breakdown of the molecules.

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This study tracked the recovery of bottom-dwelling invertebrate communities in a Korean coastal lake over more than a decade after a tidal power plant began pumping in seawater. Species richness tripled and biomass nearly doubled between 2011 and 2023, with the ecosystem gradually shifting to resemble a healthy outer tidal flat. The results provide direct evidence that restoring tidal water flow rebuilds biodiversity and ecosystem function in previously degraded coastal habitats.

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A 90-year-old man with melanoma that had spread to the liver was treated with the targeted drug combination dabrafenib and trametinib after his tumor tested positive for a BRAF mutation. After six months of treatment, his liver metastases completely disappeared, and he experienced only mild side effects. This case demonstrates that targeted therapy can be effective and well tolerated even in very elderly patients with metastatic melanoma.

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Researchers traced the sources of water pollution entering fish farms on Jeju Island, South Korea, using chemical and isotopic fingerprinting. During heavy summer rains, polluted groundwater carrying nitrogen from livestock waste and soil flooded into aquaculture water supplies, with livestock waste being the dominant organic matter source. Legacy pollutants stored in the ground—released slowly over time—continue to degrade water quality especially after rainfall, pointing to the need for targeted pretreatment and land-use-specific monitoring.

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Scientists studying bacteria in bentonite clay—used to seal nuclear waste repositories—found that measuring microbial populations is unreliable when the clay contains very few organisms. Even samples from the same batch showed widely different bacterial counts in culture experiments, not because of poor mixing, but because the organisms are so sparse that each small sample randomly contains a different subset. The study recommends combining culture methods with DNA-based analysis and interpreting replicate samples carefully when working with very low-biomass materials.

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This retrospective study at a Korean hospital compared blood sugar control in hospitalized diabetic patients cared for by hospitalist physicians versus traditional specialty teams. Despite having worse diabetes and more medical problems at admission, patients under hospitalist care showed more stable blood sugar levels over a 14-day stay. The results suggest that hospitalist-led teams may deliver better day-to-day glucose management in the hospital setting.

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Analyzing data from 1.7 million Korean adults with chronic kidney disease, this study examined how combinations of blood sugar status and body fat distribution jointly affect cardiovascular risk. Diabetes raised cardiovascular risk regardless of body size, but being underweight was surprisingly associated with high risk across all blood sugar categories, and central obesity compounded risk in non-diabetic patients. The findings show that both underweight and obesity matter for heart risk in kidney disease, not just excess weight.

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Researchers measured the inflammatory potential of children's diets and tested whether it correlated with cognitive performance in 100 school-aged children. Children eating more pro-inflammatory diets (higher in saturated fat, lower in fiber and vitamins) scored worse on attention and processing speed tests as a group, though the effect on executive function was not statistically significant after corrections. The results suggest that reducing dietary inflammation in childhood may support specific aspects of brain function, warranting larger follow-up studies.

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Researchers used a mouse stress model combined with post-stress corticosterone injections to reproduce PTSD-like symptoms, then looked for the underlying brain mechanism. Stressed mice with elevated corticosterone showed impaired memory and fear extinction, and their hippocampal neurons fired less easily due to overactive HCN1 ion channels. Genetically deleting HCN1 channels reversed both the memory deficits and the abnormal brain activity, identifying these channels as a specific molecular link between stress hormones and PTSD-like outcomes.

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A phase III clinical trial enrolled 667 men with enlarged prostate and randomly assigned them to receive either the combination pill dutasteride plus tadalafil, dutasteride alone, or tadalafil alone for 48 weeks. Urinary symptom scores improved about twice as much with the combination compared to either drug alone, and the combination also better preserved erectile function compared to dutasteride monotherapy. Side effects were manageable, supporting the fixed-dose combination as a superior option for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.

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This study found that a protein fragment called endotrophin, shed from collagen in liver tumors, drives liver cancer progression by binding to a surface receptor called CD44 on tumor cells. This binding activates a signaling chain (STAT3) that makes tumors grow faster, spread, and resist the drug sorafenib, while also triggering more endotrophin production in a self-sustaining loop. Blocking this endotrophin-CD44-STAT3 axis in mice with obesity-associated liver cancer shrank tumors and restored drug sensitivity.

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This review examines how stacking chips vertically in three dimensions, using ultra-thin two-dimensional materials, can pack far more computing power into a smaller space for AI hardware. A key challenge is managing heat generated by densely packed layers, which requires designing power regulation into the stack itself. The review also describes how replacing electrical wiring between chips with light-based connections can dramatically increase data transfer speed and energy efficiency.

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Researchers compared two DNA sequencing technologies—short-read Illumina and long-read PacBio—for identifying the fungal communities living on pine tree roots. Both platforms found similar types of fungi, but short-read sequencing detected more diversity overall due to deeper coverage, while long-read sequencing better distinguished closely related or rare species. Adding locally collected fungal sequences to reference databases improved identification accuracy for both methods, especially for the long-read approach.

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This study compared eight different obesity measures—from simple body mass index to complex Asian-specific fat indices—to determine which best predicts chronic kidney disease in Korean adults with diabetes. Asian-specific composite indices (NVAI in men, CVAI in women) outperformed standard BMI in identifying kidney disease risk, and the associations differed between men and women. The findings suggest that sex-specific, biochemically enriched obesity measures should be preferred when screening diabetic patients for kidney complications.

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This study mapped how public and private healthcare organizations are structurally connected within an integrated care network in a Seoul district, focusing on roles each organization plays. The network splits mainly into elderly care and disability care clusters, with social welfare institutions acting as central coordinators and public health offices serving as liaisons. Clear role definition between public and private partners is essential for designing accountable and sustainable community care systems.

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Researchers identified nigericin, a naturally derived compound, as a drug that blocks the production of endotrophin—a pro-inflammatory protein fragment generated from fat tissue collagen in obesity. Nigericin physically competes with the enzymes that cleave endotrophin and, in obese mice, reduced fat tissue inflammation and restored insulin sensitivity. This mechanism offers a new therapeutic angle for treating obesity-related metabolic disease and potentially certain cancers where endotrophin is elevated.

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This study explored what happens to artery wall muscle cells when levels of the antioxidant protein APE1/Ref-1 drop. Reduced APE1/Ref-1 caused blood vessel muscle cells to lose their normal contractile identity and switch to a proliferative, disease-promoting state by elevating the transcription factor KLF4. Restoring APE1/Ref-1's antioxidant activity reversed this switch and reduced abnormal vessel thickening in mice, identifying this protein as a key guardian of normal vascular function.

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Using data from nearly two million Korean adults with chronic kidney disease, this study quantified how diabetes and obesity separately and together raise the risk of developing cancer. Diabetes raised overall cancer risk by 18%, and higher body fat—whether measured by BMI or waist size—added further risk, particularly for liver, gallbladder, digestive tract, and female-specific cancers. The combination of diabetes and obesity was especially harmful, underscoring the need to manage both conditions in kidney disease patients.

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A 33-year-old man was found incidentally to have severe low blood calcium caused by a rare hormonal condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1B, in which the kidneys resist parathyroid hormone due to an epigenetic defect. Standard genetic sequencing missed the diagnosis; only a specialized methylation test (MS-MLPA) identified the abnormal DNA marking at the GNAS gene. This case highlights that adults with unexplained low calcium and high parathyroid hormone levels need epigenetic testing, not just conventional gene sequencing.

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This study developed a laser-based ranging system (LiDAR) that can measure distances far beyond what conventional designs allow, without confusing nearby and distant objects. By splitting the laser light into four wavelength channels with precisely staggered delays, the system resolves the distance ambiguity that normally limits coherent LiDAR range. Experiments confirmed accurate 3D mapping at roughly five times the standard measurable range, which matters for autonomous vehicles and robotics.

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This study designed a multilayered drug-releasing membrane to coat biliary stents, which are tubes used to keep bile ducts open. The membrane delivers ursodeoxycholic acid inward to prevent sludge buildup in the duct, and aspirin outward to reduce inflammation at the stent site. Laboratory testing confirmed controlled drug release and good biocompatibility, suggesting this design could extend how long biliary stents stay functional.

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Researchers investigated how fine particulate air pollution kills cells in the human vocal folds, the tissue that produces voice. Exposure to particulate matter triggered a form of inflammatory cell death called pyroptosis by destabilizing lysosomes and activating an inflammatory protein complex called NLRP3. Blocking either the NLRP3 pathway or the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin B suppressed this cell death, identifying potential targets to protect the voice and airways from air pollution damage.

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This study used wearable sensors on pigs undergoing controlled blood loss and transfusion to test whether non-invasive measurements could track how much blood volume the body was losing. Stroke volume and cardiac output tracked blood loss more reliably than blood pressure or heart rate, and wearable sensor-derived signals closely mirrored those gold-standard measures. The results support the feasibility of wearable devices for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of bleeding severity, though individual variability remains a challenge.

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Researchers tested whether breathing low-concentration hydrogen gas could protect the brain in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mice that inhaled hydrogen daily for four weeks had less brain oxidative damage, lower inflammation markers in the blood, and reduced accumulation of the toxic amyloid protein that drives Alzheimer's. The findings point to hydrogen inhalation as a potential multi-pronged strategy to slow Alzheimer's-related brain damage.

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Scientists evaluated whether long-term oral consumption of a leaf extract from a traditional East Asian medicinal plant was safe in rats and whether it reduced brain inflammation. Rats given high doses daily for 13 weeks showed no toxic effects, and the extract's key compound, rutin, suppressed inflammatory signals in brain immune cells in the lab. The results establish a safety baseline and anti-neuroinflammatory activity that support developing this extract as a functional food or herbal supplement for cognitive health.

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Researchers tested whether an herbal extract from a plant used in traditional medicine could treat ulcerative colitis in mice. The extract reduced colon inflammation, preserved the protective gut lining, and blocked the inflammatory and cell-death pathways that drive colitis. The study identifies several active compounds in the extract that hit multiple disease targets simultaneously, supporting further development as a natural multi-target therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.

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Physicists used the NuSTAR space telescope's X-ray data, collected during the 2020 solar minimum, to search for axions—hypothetical dark matter particles—converting into X-rays in the Sun's magnetic field. The analysis set a new upper limit on how strongly axions can couple to light, surpassing limits from ground-based experiments and probing previously unexplored mass ranges. This establishes space-based X-ray telescopes as a powerful new tool in the search for dark matter.

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A Korean hospital network tracked the bacterial strains causing serious pneumococcal infections in children from 2016 to 2023, finding that strains not covered by existing vaccines now dominate. The most common strain (serotype 10A) declined after COVID-related behavior changes, while strains 23B and 6C surged; together, strains not covered by the 13-valent vaccine accounted for most cases. The data directly informed Korea's 2024 decision to upgrade its childhood vaccination program to broader-coverage vaccines.

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Researchers simultaneously recorded brain oxygen levels using a wearable near-infrared light sensor and standard sleep monitoring in older adults with and without sleep apnea. Complete apnea events (full airway blockage) caused measurable drops in brain oxygen, while partial blockages (hypopneas) did not—suggesting the brain compensates for milder breathing disruptions. Standard blood oxygen monitoring missed this distinction, indicating that brain-specific oxygen sensors could provide a more accurate picture of how sleep apnea harms the brain.

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This study identified a new compound, LMT2368, that specifically blocks the NLRP3 protein complex—a key driver of inflammatory diseases—with better binding and comparable potency to the experimental drug MCC950. In laboratory immune cells, LMT2368 stopped the production of inflammatory signals and a form of cell death called pyroptosis without disrupting normal immune responses. In mice with acute lung injury, the compound reduced immune cell infiltration by 68% and preserved lung architecture, making it a promising candidate for treating inflammation-driven diseases.

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This review argues that the concept of allostasis—how the body continuously adapts its physiology to manage stress—provides a useful framework for understanding complex diseases like addiction, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Chronic stressors impose a cumulative physiological burden (allostatic load) that drives disease, while individual cells and tissues also shift their baseline state in response to sustained pressure. The authors explain how new technologies such as multi-omics, stem cell models, and organoids can be combined with this framework to better diagnose and treat these diseases.

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Researchers analyzed bile collected directly from the gallbladder of patients with fatty liver disease to search for new disease markers. Among several metabolites that rose with increasing liver fibrosis severity, allyl nonanoate stood out as a progressive biomarker that also activated a gut receptor (GPR119) linked to the hormone GLP-1. This points to allyl nonanoate both as a potential non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis and as a target for anti-fibrotic therapy in metabolic liver disease.

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This study measured antioxidant enzyme levels in tumor tissue from 70 colorectal cancer patients and linked them to clinical outcomes. Low levels of two antioxidant proteins—SOD and PRX4—were associated with more frequent spread to distant organs, more aggressive tumor features, and higher systemic inflammation markers. Although the survival differences did not reach statistical significance in this small cohort, the findings suggest these antioxidant markers could help identify colorectal cancer patients at higher risk of poor outcomes.

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Using a national cancer database of 1.3 million Korean patients, this study found that having kidney failure before a cancer diagnosis substantially worsens survival for nearly every cancer type. Patients with pre-existing kidney failure faced 75% higher overall mortality and 27% higher cancer-specific mortality compared to those without kidney failure. The impact was greatest for thyroid and breast cancers and for localized disease, highlighting kidney failure as a major but often overlooked prognostic factor in cancer care.

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This study tested whether combining aspirin with a recombinant form of the DNA repair protein APE1/Ref-1 could fight triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive subtype. While each drug alone had minimal effect, the combination killed cancer cells in the lab and shrank tumors by about 70% in mice—comparable to the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel—without causing blood toxicity. The combination worked through the RAGE receptor and the cell death protein p53, offering a potentially safer alternative to standard chemotherapy for this hard-to-treat cancer.

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Researchers analyzed the chemical makeup of a traditionally used medicinal plant and tested its ability to block enzymes involved in Alzheimer's disease. The leaf extract was rich in flavonoids and iridoid compounds and showed strong inhibition of acetylcholinesterase—the enzyme targeted by current Alzheimer's drugs—with potency comparable to the approved drug rivastigmine. These results support the extract as a source of multi-target bioactive molecules worth developing into treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

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Scientists isolated a soybean gene (GmRZFL1) related to a known stress-response gene in the model plant Arabidopsis and introduced it into Arabidopsis to study its function. Plants expressing the soybean gene were more sensitive to water-deficit stress and the stress hormone abscisic acid, showing impaired germination and root growth. The findings reveal that GmRZFL1 negatively regulates drought tolerance through the abscisic acid signaling pathway, which has implications for improving water stress resilience in soybeans.

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Researchers measured blood levels of the inflammatory protein interleukin-33 in 87 trauma patients to test whether it could predict who would develop multi-organ failure. IL-33 was elevated at admission in patients who went on to develop organ failure, but fell rapidly in both groups, and a multivariate analysis found that injury severity score and a separate blood marker were stronger independent predictors of organ failure. IL-33 may help gauge initial trauma severity but needs further validation before it can serve as a standalone organ failure biomarker.

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This study created a microneedle patch with a two-layer structure—a strong silk protein core for skin penetration and an outer shell loaded with antibodies via a protein that specifically grips antibody molecules. The core provided more than four times the force needed to pierce skin, while the shell enabled precise antibody attachment and potential skin delivery. The design represents a promising platform for delivering large protein-based drugs across the skin without needles.

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Researchers developed a urine-based test for prostate cancer called PCASSO that analyzes 20 RNA biomarkers using machine learning, avoiding the need for a rectal exam or biopsy. A gradient boosting model using nine of those biomarkers achieved 99% accuracy in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign enlargement, including in patients with ambiguous PSA levels in the 3–10 ng/mL range. The approach offers a non-invasive, highly accurate screening alternative that could reduce unnecessary biopsies.

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This study examined birth and pregnancy factors that predict whether premature infants with very low birth weight will develop a serious heart condition called hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (HS PDA), where a fetal blood vessel fails to close after birth. Risk factors differed by gestational age: in the most premature group, the absence of placental infection and membrane rupture before labor increased risk, while in slightly older preemies, low birth weight and maternal hypertension were the main predictors. Identifying these risk factors can help clinicians target early intervention to infants most likely to need treatment.

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Researchers optimized a high-powered laser 3D printing process to fabricate pure copper parts with both high density and high electrical conductivity in a single step, without needing additional heat treatment. By identifying a minimum energy threshold and using laser power of at least 700 watts, they produced copper with 98.9% of maximum density and 100% of standard electrical conductivity—matching the performance of conventionally manufactured copper. The findings provide practical manufacturing guidelines for producing high-performance copper components for electronics and energy applications.

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This clinical study tested whether rinsing the mouth with liquid N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, could relieve the chronic burning pain of burning mouth syndrome. Across 114 patients over eight weeks, liquid NAC reduced pain as effectively as the standard treatment clonazepam, and the combination improved quality of life faster than either treatment alone by the four-week mark. The results support topical NAC as a safe, locally acting option for a condition that has very few proven therapies.

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Using gene expression data from individual osteosarcoma cells combined with machine learning, this study identified a five-gene signature tied to how bone cancer cells use the nutrient glutamine, which predicts patient outcomes. One gene in the signature, MSMO1, was shown experimentally to promote tumor cell growth, movement, and invasion; silencing it slowed all three and triggered cell death. The model stratifies patients into risk groups and points to MSMO1 as a potential treatment target in this aggressive bone cancer.

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This study introduced a machine learning model called HIPER-CHAD designed to detect unusual events in noisy data from multiple indoor environmental sensors. The model first uses a neural network to predict normal sensor readings, then trains a second model to recognize when prediction errors themselves are abnormal—making it more sensitive to subtle, genuine anomalies without being tripped up by normal noise. On a real-world dataset, HIPER-CHAD outperformed eight alternative approaches, achieving an F1-score of 0.86.