Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has been developed as a viable method for fabricating functional tissues and organs by precisely spatially arranging biomaterials, cells, and biochemical components in a layer-by-layer fashion. Among the various bioprinting strategies, digital light-processing (DLP) printing has gained enormous attention due to its applications in tissue engineering and biomedical fields. It allows for high spatial resolution and the rapid printing of complex structures. Although bio-ink is a critical aspect of 3D bioprinting, only a few bio-inks have been used for DLP bioprinting in contrast to the number of bio-inks employed for other bioprinters. Recently, silk fibroin (SF), as a natural bio-ink material used for DLP 3D bioprinting, has gained extensive attention with respect to biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility and mechanical properties. This review introduces DLP-based 3D bioprinting, its related technology, and the fabrication process of silk fibroin-based bio-ink. Then, we summarize the applications of DLP 3D bioprinting based on SF-based bio-ink in the tissue engineering and biomedical fields. We also discuss the current limitations and future perspectives of DLP 3D bioprinting using SF-based bio-ink.

Diabetes mellitus renders patients susceptible to chronic wounds and various infections. Regarding the latter, fungal infections are of particular concern since, although they are the source of significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, they are generally resistant to conventional treatment and a definite treatment strategy has not yet been established. Herein, we report the treatment of skin wounds in a diabetic rat model, infected by Candida albicans, with low temperature helium plasma generated in a hand-held atmospheric jet device. A fungal infection was induced on two dorsal skin wounds of the diabetic rats, and one wound was treated with the plasma jet whereas the other served as a control. Histological analysis revealed accelerated skin wound healing and decreased evidence of fungal infection in the plasma-treated group, as compared to the control group. Regeneration of the epidermis and dermis, collagen deposition, and neovascularization were all observed as a result of plasma treatment, but without wound contraction, scar formation or any evidence of thermal damage to the tissue. These findings demonstrate that the He plasma jet is remarkably effective in diabetic skin wounds infected by Candida albicans, thereby providing a promising medical treatment option for diabetes mellitus patients with skin wound and fungal infections.

This study aimed to investigate the association between thyroid diseases and chronic sinusitis (CRS) in a matched cohort in a study conducted within the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort (2002–2015). A total of 6024 patients with CRS were 1:4-matched for age, sex, household income, and region of residence with 24,096 control participants. Effects of a previous history of thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis, and Graves’ disease, were investigated using conditional logistic regression. Subgroup analyses were performed in regard to the presence of nasal polyposis. A history of hypothyroidism (2.8% vs. 1.8%), hyperthyroidism (2.0% vs. 1.5%), thyroiditis (1.1% vs. 0.8%), autoimmune thyroiditis (0.4% vs. 0.3%), and Graves’ disease (0.3% vs. 0.2%) was not more prevalent in the CRS group than in the control group according to univariate analysis (all p > 0.05). Hypothyroidism was associated with CRS in the multivariate-adjusted model (odds ratio [OR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.57). In the subgroup analyses, thyroid diseases were not statistically significantly associated with CRS after being classified according to the presence or absence of nasal polyps. Additional studies are required to elucidate the relationship between thyroid diseases and CRS, as this may aid in screening and clinical decision making.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between hyperuricemia and the frequency of coffee, tea, and soft drink consumption, based on data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) (2004–2016). We used the KoGES health examinee data, obtained from urban residents aged ≥ 40 years. Information on the participants’ medical history, nutrition (total calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake), frequency of alcohol consumption, smoking status, household income, and frequency of coffee/green tea/soft drink intake was collected. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the data. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the participant’s age and sex. Among 173,209 participants, there were 11,750 and 156,002 individuals with hyperuricemia and non-hyperuricemia controls, respectively. In an adjusted model, frequent coffee and green tea consumption did not increase the risk of hyperuricemia, compared to the “no intake” reference group. However, an adjusted odds ratio of hyperuricemia was 1.23 (95% confidence interval, 1.11–1.35, p < 0.001) for participants who reported consuming soft drinks ≥ 3 times per day, compared to the respective “no drink” reference group. Even after adjusting for nutritional and sociodemographic factors, frequent soft drink intake was associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia. Meanwhile, neither coffee nor green tea intake was associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia.

Foreign bodies (FBs) in the nasal cavity are commonly encountered in otorhinolaryngology. This retrospective study was conducted between January 2009 and December 2020. The nasal FB frequencies were investigated according to age and sex. The type, shape, and location of the FBs, onset, and clinical features were obtained. In a total of 1228 cases, the average age was 3.9 ± 5.7 years. We found a higher incidence in patients 2–4 years old. The most frequent nasal FBs were beads (24.0%), toys/plastics (17.8%), and beans/corn (15.8%). However, there were some differences in the nasal FB types according to the age group. There was no difference in the location of the nasal FBs according to age group, but nasal FBs were found more frequently in the right nasal cavity in the 1–3-years-old groups. Most patients (97.5%) visited the hospital the same day when the nasal FB insertion was suspected, and most were asymptomatic. After the removal of the nasal FBs, most patients were free of complications. Of the nine cases involving button batteries, septal perforation was observed in two patients who visited the hospital one or two days after the FB insertion. There were specific age-based characteristics of the nasal FBs that may serve as a basis for specific precautions.

Previous studies have reported that chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is closely related to depression. The present study aims to elucidate the association between CRS without nasal polyp and depression using a national sample cohort. Using the national sample cohort from Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we matched patients with CRS (n = 21,707) to control participants (n = 86,828), at a ratio of 1:4, according to age, sex, household income, region of residence. The stratified Cox proportional-hazards model was used to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) between CRS and depression. A subgroup analysis was performed according to age group and gender. The HR for depression was significantly higher in patients with CRS than in control participants (adjusted HR = 1.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.33–1.48) after adjustment for age, sex, household income, region of residence, and medical history. The risk of depression was also elevated in the subgroup analysis, regardless of age or gender. In conclusion, CRS was significantly associated with the increased risk of depression.