Background It is expected that artificial intelligence (AI) will be used extensively in the medical field in the future. Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate the awareness of AI among Korean doctors and to assess physicians’ attitudes toward the medical application of AI. Methods We conducted an online survey composed of 11 closed-ended questions using Google Forms. The survey consisted of questions regarding the recognition of and attitudes toward AI, the development direction of AI in medicine, and the possible risks of using AI in the medical field. Results A total of 669 participants completed the survey. Only 40 (5.9%) answered that they had good familiarity with AI. However, most participants considered AI useful in the medical field (558/669, 83.4% agreement). The advantage of using AI was seen as the ability to analyze vast amounts of high-quality, clinically relevant data in real time. Respondents agreed that the area of medicine in which AI would be most useful is disease diagnosis (558/669, 83.4% agreement). One possible problem cited by the participants was that AI would not be able to assist in unexpected situations owing to inadequate information (196/669, 29.3%). Less than half of the participants(294/669, 43.9%) agreed that AI is diagnostically superior to human doctors. Only 237 (35.4%) answered that they agreed that AI could replace them in their jobs. Conclusions This study suggests that Korean doctors and medical students have favorable attitudes toward AI in the medical field. The majority of physicians surveyed believed that AI will not replace their roles in the future.

These results clearly demonstrate the functional incompetence in MSCs under uremic conditions and may significantly contribute to the disproportionately high risk for CVD in patients with CKD.

The accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the interstitial area is the final common feature of chronic kidney diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests that transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1 promotes the development of renal fibrosis. Heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 inhibitors have been shown to repress TGF-b1 signaling, but whether they inhibit renal fibrosis is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the therapeutic efficacy of Hsp90 inhibitor on renal fibrosis. In TGF-b1-treated HK2 cells and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) kidneys, we found that 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17AAG), an Hsp90 inhibitor, decreased the expression of a-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and collagen I and largely restored the expression of E-cadherin. 17AAG inhibited TGF-b1-mediated phosphorylation of Smad2, Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3b, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase in HK2 cells. Inhibition of Hsp90 also blocked TGF-b1-mediated induction of snail1. This 17AAG-induced reduction was completely restored by simultaneous treatment with proteasome inhibitor MG132. Furthermore, 17AAG blocked the interaction between Hsp90 and TGF-b type II receptor (TbRII) and promoted ubiquitination of TbRII, leading to the decreased availability of TbRII. Smurf2-specific siRNA reversed the ability of 17AAG to inhibit TGF-b1 signaling. The effect of 17AAG on TbRII expression and renal fibrosis was confirmed in UUO kidneys. These findings suggest that Hsp90 inhibitor prevents the development of renal fibrosis via a mechanism dependent on Smurf2-mediated degradation of TbRII.

Objective: Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers for obesity, in which they regulate biological processes. Bariatric surgery has health benefits for patients with obesity; however, the mechanisms of these benefits are not clear. This study attempted to identify the exosomal miRNA signature associated with obesity and how it changed after bariatric surgery. Methods: Healthy volunteers (HVs) and nondiabetic patients with obesity were prospectively enrolled in the study. The study assessed the serum exosomal miRNA profiles of HVs and patients with obesity using RNA sequencing. To evaluate the effects of bariatric surgery, the study also analyzed exosomal miRNAs in patients 6 months after surgery. Results: RNA sequencing revealed differential expression of 72 exosomal miRNAs in patients with obesity compared with HVs and differential expression of 41 miRNAs in post-versus presurgery blood. Among the differentially expressed miRNAs, the study identified nine surgery-responsive miRNAs that were highly expressed in patients before surgery compared with HVs. Biological pathway analysis of the nine miRNAs indicated that they are likely involved in WNT, neurotrophin, and insulin signaling; the insulin receptor signaling cascade; and focal adhesion. Conclusions: Patients with obesity have a distinct exosomal miRNA expression profile compared with HVs. In addition, weight loss after surgery alters the exosomal miRNA profile of patients with obesity.