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Non‐negligible idiosyncrasy due to interindividual differences is an ongoing issue in resting‐state functional MRI (rfMRI) analysis. We show that a deep neural network (DNN) can be employed for individual identification by learning important features from the time‐varying functional connectivity (FC) of rfMRI in the Human Connectome Project. We employed the trained DNN to identify individuals from an independent dataset acquired at our institution. The results revealed that the DNN could successfully identify 300 individuals with an error rate of 2.9% using 15 s time‐window and 870 individuals with an error rate of 6.7%. A trained DNN with nonlinear hidden layers led to the proposal of the "fingerprint of FC" (fpFC) as representative edges of individual FC. The fpFCs for individuals exhibited commonly important and individual‐specific edges across time‐window lengths (from 5 min to 15 s). Furthermore, the utility of our model for another group of subjects was validated, supporting the feasibility of our technique in the context of transfer learning. In conclusion, our study offers an insight into the discovery of the intrinsic mode of the human brain using whole‐brain resting‐state FC and DNNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a rare case of isolated malleus dislocation into the external auditory canal with lateralized intact tympanic membrane following a head trauma. The patient was a 63-year-old woman who presented at the outpatient department of our institute with hearing loss of 10 years' duration after a bicycle accident. During physical examination of the patient, total dislocation of the malleus-like bony structure into the external auditory canal on the right side was observed. In the computed tomography scan, an isolated malleus dislocation with intact incus-stapes articulation was identified. The patient was successfully treated with endoscopic exploratory tympanotomy and partial ossicular replacement prosthesis. The isolated malleus dislocation can rarely occur after trauma. A careful diagnostic step through history, physical examination, and temporal bone computed tomography scan are needed to confirm this rare condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decommissioning process of nuclear power facilities renders hundreds of thousands of tons of various types of waste. Of these different waste types, the amount of concrete waste (CW) varies greatly depending on the type of facility, operating history, and regulation standards. From the previous decommissioning projects, CW was estimated to comprise 60–80 wt.% of the total weight of radioactive wastes. This represents a significant technical challenge to any decommissioning project. Furthermore, the disposal costs for the generated concrete wastes are a substantial part of the total budget for any decommissioning project. Thus, the development of technologies effective for the reduction and recycling of CW has become an urgent agenda globally. Blast furnace slag (BFS) is an industrial byproduct containing a sufficient amount (higher than 30%) of CaO and it can be used as a substitute for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). However, there have been few studies on the application of BFS for the treatment of radioactive waste from decommissioning processes. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the solidification agent using ground granulated BFS (SABFS) to pack radioactive wastes, such as the coarse aggregates of CW (CACW), waste soil (WS), and metal waste (MW). The analytical results indicated that the CaO content of the ground granulated BFS was 36.8% and it was confirmed that calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) could be activated as the precursor of the hydration reactions. In addition, the optimum water-to-binder ratio was determined to be 0.25 and Ca(OH)2 and CaSO4 were found to be the most effective alkaline and sulfate activators for improving the compressive strength of the SABFS. The maximum packing capacities of the SABFS were determined to be 9 and 13 wt.% for WC and WM, respectively, when the content of CW was fixed at 50 wt.%. The results of the leaching tests using SABFS containing radioactive wastes contaminated with Co, Cs, and Sr indicated that their leachability indices met the acceptance level for disposal. Consequently, the SABFS can be used as a solidifying agent for the safe disposal of radioactive waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative anxiety is an unpleasant experience that can adversely affect perioperative outcomes. Although clinical benefits of preoperative oral carbohydrate is well reported, the effect of adding chewing gum to carbohydrate loading has never been studied. We aimed to investigate the effect of adding gum-chewing to oral carbohydrates on preoperative anxiety and gastric volume in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. Methods: One hundred and four patients were enrolled and randomized either into a carbohydrate drink group (CHD group) or CHD with gum group. The CHD group was instructed to drink 400 mL of oral carbohydrate the evening before and 200–400 mL 3 hours before surgery. The CHD with gum group was encouraged to chew gum freely during preanesthetic fasting in addition to consuming oral carbohydrates in the same manner. The primary endpoint was preoperative anxiety assessed using the Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale (APAIS). The degree of patient-reported quality of recovery after surgery and gastric volume prior to general anesthesia were also compared as secondary outcomes. Results: Preoperative APAIS was lower in the CHD with gum group compared with the CHD group (16 [11.5, 20] vs. 20 [16.5, 23], p = 0.008). Patient-rated quality of recovery after surgery was also higher in the CHD with gum group and showed a significant negative correlation with preoperative APAIS score (correlation coefficient: -0.950, p = 0.001). Gastric volume were not different between the groups (0 [0–0.45] vs. 0 [0–0.22], p = 0.158). Conclusion: The addition of gum chewing to oral carbohydrate loading during preoperative fasting was more effective in relieving preoperative anxiety than oral carbohydrate alone in women patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery. Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Services, CRIS identifier: KCT0005714, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index.jsp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of multi-dimensional nanocomposites has been extensively attempted to achieve synergistic performance through the uniform mixing of functional constituents. Herein, we report a one-pot fabrication of nanocomposites composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Al2O3 powder. Our strategy involves a synthesis of CNTs on the entire Al2O3 surface using a rotatable chemical vapor deposition system (RCVD). Ehylene and ferritin-induced nanoparticles were used as the carbon source and wet catalyst, respectively. The RCVD was composed of a quartz reaction tube, 5.08 cm in diameter and 150 cm in length, with a rotation speed controller. Ferritin dissolved in deionized water was uniformly dispersed on the Al2O3 surface and calcinated to obtain iron nanoparticles. The synthesis temperature, time, and rotation speed of the chamber were the main parameters used to investigate the growth behavior of CNTs. We found that the CNTs can be grown at least around 600 °C, and the number of tubes increases with increasing growth time. A faster rotation of the chamber allows for the uniform growth of CNT by the tip-growth mechanism. Our results are preliminary at present but show that the RCVD process is sufficient for the fabrication of powder-based nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent biomechanical studies have reported that stress on the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) graft increases as the posterior tibial slope (PTS) decreases (flattened) in knees with single-bundle (SB) and double-bundle PCL reconstruction. Clinical studies of SB PCL reconstruction have shown that a flattened PTS is associated with a lesser reduction in posterior tibial translation. There is no long-term study on the clinical outcomes and graft survival rates of SB PCL reconstruction based on the medial and lateral PTSs measured on magnetic resonance imaging. Hypothesis: Flattened medial and lateral PTSs are associated with poor clinical outcomes and graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after SB PCL reconstruction. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: In this cohort study, we retrospectively reviewed 46 patients (mean age, 28.8 ± 9.9 years) who underwent primary SB PCL reconstruction between 2000 and 2009. They were followed up for a minimum of 10 years. The medial and lateral PTSs were measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. As a previous study reported that a steeper medial or lateral PTS showed a higher risk of anterior tibial translation at thresholds of 5.6° and 3.8°, respectively, the patients were divided into 2 groups based on the cutoff values of both the medial (≤5.6° vs >5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8° vs >3.8°) PTSs. Clinical scores (International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score, Lysholm score, and Tegner activity score), radiological outcomes (side-to-side difference [SSD] on stress radiography and osteoarthritis progression), and graft survival rates were compared between the groups at the last follow-up. Results: All clinical scores and the progression of osteoarthritis demonstrated no significant difference between the 2 subgroups of both the medial and lateral PTS groups. The mean SSD on stress radiography after SB PCL reconstruction was significantly greater in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° than in patients with a medial PTS >5.6° (8.4 ± 3.9 vs 5.1 ± 2.9 mm, respectively; P =.030), while the lateral PTS subgroups after SB PCL reconstruction demonstrated no significant difference. The minimum 10-year graft survival rate was significantly lower in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° (68.4% vs 92.6%, respectively; P =.029) and a lateral PTS ≤3.8° (50.0% vs 91.7%, respectively; P =.001). Conclusion: A flattened medial PTS (≤5.6°) was associated with an increased SSD on stress radiography, and both flattened medial (≤5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8°) PTSs resulted in lower graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after primary SB PCL reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies reported that chewing gum during the preoperative fasting has the benefits of alleviating anxiety and dry mouth, preoperative chewing gum has yet to be accepted as a standard practice due to conventional anesthetic custom. Our study aimed to prospectively evaluate the effects of gum chewing on preoperative anxiety and patient's discomfort in female patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. Ninety-four patients were enrolled and randomized either into conventional fasting group (control group) or chewing gum with fasting group (gum group). The control group was instructed to fast from 3 p.m. on the day before surgery. The gum group performed preoperative fasting in the same manner, but was encouraged to chew gum freely during the fasting period. The primary endpoint was the degree of preoperative anxiety. For the evaluation of preoperative anxiety, Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale (APAIS) was used. Preoperative gastric fluid volume and acidity were also measured as the secondary outcomes. Preoperative anxiety using APAIS was significantly lower in the gum group compared to the control group (control group vs. gum group: 20.9 vs. 17.8, p = 0.009). However, there was no significant difference in the gastric fluid analysis between the groups. In the female patients for elective gynecologic surgery, chewing gum during the preoperative fasting period helped to alleviate preoperative anxiety without additional increase of pulmonary aspiration risks. Trial registration: KCT0004422 (05/11/2019, https://cris.nih.go.kr; registration number). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) commonly occurs in dogs, but there is lack of information about potential biomarkers of clinical and histopathologic severity. Objective: To examine the role of serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) and high‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) concentrations in dogs with IBD. Animals: Seventeen dogs with IBD and 25 healthy dogs. Methods: In this prospective study, duodenal histopathologic severity was graded, and the clinical severity of IBD was assessed by the canine IBD assessment index (CIBDAI) score in dogs with IBD. Serum CRP and HMGB1 concentrations were compared between IBD and healthy dogs and analyzed according to histopathologic grade in dogs with IBD. The correlations between serum CRP and HMGB1 concentrations and the CIBDAI score were evaluated. Results: Dogs with IBD had higher serum CRP (median [range] = 20.39 [1.53‐67.69] μg/mL vs 2.31 [0.17‐11.49] μg/mL; P <.001) and HMGB1 concentrations (0.44 [0.07‐1.58] ng/mL vs 0.05 [0.01‐0.25] ng/mL; P <.001) than healthy dogs. The serum HMGB1 concentration was higher in IBD dogs with a moderate to severe histopathologic grade (0.51 [0.30‐1.58] ng/mL, P =.03) than in those with a mild histopathologic grade (0.17 [0.07‐0.75] ng/mL). Serum CRP concentrations and CIBDAI score were positively correlated in dogs with IBD (rs =.49, P =.05). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Serum HMGB1 could be a potential biomarker for diagnosing IBD and might be indicative of histopathologic severity in dogs, whereas serum CRP might be an indicator of clinical severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Preoperative imaging, particularly with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans, plays a crucial role in distinguishing between benign and malignant parotid gland tumors, while the reliability of Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) in diagnosing these masses remains a topic of debate. Methods: This two-center retrospective analysis was conducted on 347 patients with parotid gland tumors who had FNA and preoperative imaging (CT or MRI). All patients underwent surgery and final histopathological examination was available, along with complete medical records between January 2008 and May 2023. Results: Among the 347 patients, 318 (92%) had benign and 10 (3%) had malignant tumors based on FNA, with 19 (5%) unsatisfactory specimens. Final histological diagnosis revealed 303 (87%) benign and 44 (13%) malignant lesions, with a false-negative rate of 10.6% for FNA. Multivariate analysis identified irregular shape and invasion as independent predictors of malignancy in patient with benign or unsatisfactory FNA results. The odds ratio for irregular shape was 3.06 and for invasion was 12.73. Conclusion: Imaging characteristics, such as irregular shape and invasion may indicate towards malignant parotid tumors, even in patients with false-negative benign findings in FNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the anaesthetic agent used influences postoperative mortality in older patients remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) vs inhalation anaesthesia on long-term mortality in older patients after noncardiac surgery. We retrospectively analysed 45,879 patients aged ≥60 yr who underwent noncardiac surgery under general anaesthesia (for ≥2 h) between January 2011 and June 2019. They were divided into two groups according to the type of maintenance anaesthetic. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 1 yr after surgery. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications (postoperative pulmonary complications, perioperative adverse cardiovascular events, and acute kidney injury), and 3-yr and 5-yr mortality after surgery. The stabilised inverse probability of treatment weighting method was used to adjust for potential confounders. Among 45,879 patients, 7273 (15.9%) patients received TIVA and 38,606 (84.1%) patients received inhalation anaesthesia. After adjustment with inverse probability of treatment weighting, there was no association between the type of anaesthetic agent and 1-yr mortality (hazard ratio=0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84−1.08). Results for 3-yr and 5-yr mortality were similar. However, inhalation anaesthesia was associated with increased risk of postoperative complications (odds ratio [OR]=1.30; 95% CI 1.22−1.37 for postoperative pulmonary complications, OR=1.34; 95% CI 1.22−1.48 for perioperative adverse cardiovascular events, and OR=2.19; 95% CI 1.88−2.57 for acute kidney injury). In the subgroup analysis, the choice of anaesthetic agent showed differential effects on 1-yr mortality for female patients and emergency surgery. The choice of anaesthetic agent during the intraoperative period was not associated with 1-yr mortality in older patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Clinical Research Information Service of the Republic of Korea (KCT 0006363). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cryogenic pump is a crucial component of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for delivering liquid helium to a magnet for superconductivity, thereby generating a mechanical vibration. Thus, the cryogenic pump for liquid helium (helium pump) contaminates the electroencephalography (EEG) simultaneously acquired with functional MRI. The recursive approach of EEG‐segment‐based principal component analysis (rsPCA) has recently demonstrated its efficacy in removing this helium pump artefact. In the rsPCA, the recursion depth and EEG‐segment size are crucial hyperparameters. rsPCA's performance and computational time across recursion depth (1, 2, 3) and segment sizes (165, 220, 265) are systematically evaluated. It is found that the recursion depth of 2 yielded significant reductions in the computational time compared to the depth of 3 across all segment sizes while maintaining the denoising performance. The binary classification performance (left‐hand versus right‐hand clenching) was also enhanced in this scenario (especially the use of EEG‐segment size of 165 and 220) by using EEG gamma‐band activity (30–50 Hz), which is predominantly contaminated by the helium‐pump artefact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel surface‐mounted type wideband monopole antenna for VHF band unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication is presented. The proposed antenna constitutes a planar monopole structure such that taper‐feeding configuration is adopted for wideband impedance matching and the radiation element of the antenna is formed on the vertical and horizontal parts of the narrow tail wing of the UAV to obtain monopole‐like radiation pattern. After designing the antenna, simulation was performed in the VHF band of 0.11‐0.17 GHz and the results showed the characteristics of the monopole. Because the antenna size of VHF band is too large to be tested, after 1/7 size scaling, the simulation and the measurement were performed in the frequency band of seven times the original band. The results show that the 10 dB return‐loss band is 0.732‐1.242 GHz (52.0%), the average gain in the H‐plane is −0.23 dBi, and the radiation patterns are very similar to those of the monopole antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We evaluated whether a simulation-based training with a vessel phantom improves the basic skills of a novice required for ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulation in real patients. In addition, we analysed whether repeated simulation training sets with an inter-training interval would accelerate the learning curve. Methods: From March 2019 to July 2019, twenty-one anesthesiology residents were randomized into either a simulation group (n = 11) or control group (n = 10). Residents performed a total of 84 ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulations in real patients. The simulation group participated in two sets of simulation training on a vessel phantom (10 sessions per set) with a one-month inter-training interval. Trainee's performance proficiency was scored using a developed checklist, and a learning curve for each training set was constructed. To evaluate the effectiveness of our training curriculum in skill transfer, each resident performed four ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulations in real patients. The primary outcome was first attempt success rate and the secondary outcome was dynamic needle-tip positioning ability in real patients. Results: The first attempt success rate and dynamic needle-tip positioning ability by ultrasound transducer were significantly higher in the simulation group than the control group (81.8% vs. 50%, P = 0.002 and 68.2% vs. 7.5%, P < 0.001, respectively). A reduced number of sessions was required to reach a plateau score on the learning curve in the repeated training set compared in the first-set (7 (5–8) vs. 3 (2–4), P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: Simulation-based training using a vessel phantom effectively improved the first attempt success rate for ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulation in real patients and the dynamic needle-tip positioning ability by ultrasound transducer in novice anesthesiology residents. In addition, repeated training curriculum accelerated the learning curve for recall skill proficiency and reduced inter-individual variability for skill acquisition. Clinical trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0003471, Principle investigator: Jeong Jin Min, Date of registration: 06/March/2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to estimate changes in the value of oncology drugs over time from initial data of the reimbursement decisions to subsequent publications in Korea, using two value frameworks. Methods: We retrieved primary publications assessed for reimbursement between 2007 and July 2021 from the decision documents of Health Insurance Review and Assessment and subsequent publications made available following reimbursement decision from ClinicalTrials.Gov and PubMed databases. Changes in the clinical benefit scores were assessed using the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework (ASCO-VF) and the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS). A paired t test was performed to test whether there was a difference in the scores between primary and subsequent publications. Results: Of 73 anticancer product/indication pairs, 45 (61.6%) had subsequent publications, of which 62.5% were released within 1 year of reimbursement decision. The mean ESMO-MCBS and ASCO-VF Net Health Benefit scores increased from primary to subsequent publications, although the differences were not significant. The mean ASCO-VF bonus score significantly increased from 15.91 to 19.09 (p = 0.05). The ESMO-MCBS and bonus scores increased by 0.25 and 0.21, respectively, and the bonus score had a greater impact on the ESMO-MCBS score than the preliminary score did. Conclusion: The value of drugs demonstrated in subsequent publications varies considerably among oncology drugs, depending on uncertainty associated with the initial evidence and the availability of updated evidence. As decision-making in the face of uncertainty becomes more prevalent, the value frameworks can serve as simple screening tools for re-evaluation in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To find the faster and easier way than the existing intubating technique for double-lumen tube, we modified the angle of double-lumen tube according to an individual’s upper airway anatomy and compared the time needed and the number of attempts for successful intubation between individually angle-modified and non-modified double-lumen tubes. Adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery were randomly allocated in either non-angle-modified (Group N, n = 54) or angle-modified (Group M, n = 54) groups. During mask ventilation in the sniffing position, angle-modification was performed in Group M as follows: the distal tip of the tube was placed at the level of the cricoid cartilage and the shaft was bent at the intersection of the oral and pharyngeal axes estimated from the patient’s surface anatomy. The time needed and the number of attempts for successful intubation and Cormack and Lehane (C-L) grade were recorded. Overall median intubation time (sec) was significantly shorter in Group M than in Group N [10.2 vs. 15.1, P<0.001]. In addition, Group M showed the shorter median intubation time (sec) in C-L grades I-III [8.2 vs. 11.1 in C-L grade I, (P = 0.003), 10.3 vs. 15.3 in II, (P = 0.001), and 11.8 vs. 27.9 in III, (P<0.001), respectively]. Moreover, all intubation was successfully performed at the first attempt in patients with C-L grades I-III in Group M (P = 0.027). Our study showed an individual angle-modification would be useful for the fast and easy intubation of double-lumen tube in patients with C-L grades I-III. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ships and offshore platforms that operate in Arctic regions at low temperatures are likely subjected to impact loads that arise from collisions with icebergs. The aim of this paper was to examine the nonlinear impact response of steel-plated structures in an Arctic environment. In addition to material tensile tests for characterisation of the mechanical properties of polar-class high-tensile steel of grade DH36, an experimental study was undertaken in a dropped-object test facility on steel-plated structure models under impact loads and at low temperatures equivalent to those in Arctic regions. LS-DYNA nonlinear finite element computations were also performed for the corresponding test models. We conclude that nonlinear finite element analyses are useful in the analysis of the nonlinear impact structural responses involving yielding, crushing and brittle fracture at low temperatures as long as the modelling techniques are adequate. The conclusions and insights developed in this paper should be useful in the safety design of ships and offshore platforms intended for operation in Arctic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revised cardiac risk index (RCRI) is widely used for surgical patients without containing age as a risk factor. We investigated age older than 65 years with respect to low-to-moderate risk of RCRI. From January 2011 to June 2019, a total of 203,787 consecutive adult patients underwent non-cardiac surgery at our institution. After excluding high-risk patients defined as RCRI score > 2, we stratified the patients into four groups according to RCRI and age (A: age < 65 with RCRI < 2, [n = 148,288], B: age ≥ 65 with RCRI < 2, [n = 42,841], C: age < 65 with RCRI = 2, [n = 5,271], and D: age ≥ 65 with RCRI = 2, [n = 5,698]). Incidence of major cardiac complication defined as a composite of cardiac death, cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction was compared. After excluding 1,689 patients with high risk (defined as RCRI score > 2), 202,098 patients were enrolled. The incidence with 95% confidence interval of major cardiac complication for A, B, C, and D groups was 0.3% (0.2–0.3), 1.1% (1.0–1.2), 1.8% (1.6–1.8), and 3.1% (2.6–3.6), respectively. In a direct comparison between B and C groups, old patients with RCRI < 2 showed a significantly lower risk compared to younger patients with RCRI = 2 (odd ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.50–0.78; p < 0.001). In non-cardiac surgery, the risk of age older than 65 years was shown to be comparable with low-to-moderate risk according to RCRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective intracellular level of a platinum anti-cancer drug, cisplatin, following repeated injections can be decreased either by the active efflux via ATP pump or by interactions with glutathione and metallothionein. Cisplatin in cytoplasm preferably binds to cysteine-rich proteins such as glutathione and metallothionein (MT). Detoxification of cisplatin by intracellular thiol-containing proteins has been considered to be major hurdles to overcome. The short hairpin RNA targeting MT (shMT) was tested to down-regulate MT and recover cisplatin resistance. A reducible polymer, poly(oligo- d -arginine) (rPOA), formed stable complex with shMT and demonstrated superior transfection efficiency. Efficient transfection of shMT/rPOA oligo-peptoplexes was found to significantly inhibit MT over-expression, resulting in 45% decrease of cell viability compared to the cisplatin alone group. This decrease was mediated by the synergistic effect of shMT/rPOA oligo-peptoplex and cisplatin. Co-administration of shMT/rPOA oligo-peptoplex and cisplatin in in vivo tumor model showed noticeable tumor-suppressing effect by inducing reversal of cisplatin resistance following effective intracellular delivery of shMT by rPOA. Combination therapy through co-administration of shMT/rPOA oligo-peptoplex and cisplatin was found to effectively reverse cisplatin resistance by RNA interference and consequently improve anti-cancer activity of cisplatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateral flow assay (LFA) is an attractive method for rapid, simple, and cost-effective point of care diagnosis. For LFA-based multiplex diagnosis of three viral intractable diseases (acquired immune deficiency syndrome and hepatitis C and A), here we developed proteinticle-based 7 different 3D probes that display different viral antigens on their surface, which were synthesized in Escherichia coli by self-assembly of human ferritin heavy chain that was already engineered by genetically linking viral antigens to its C-terminus. Each of the three test lines on LFA strip contains the proteinticle probes to detect disease-specific anti-viral antibodies. Compared to peptide probes, the proteinticle probes were evidently more sensitive, and the proteinticle probe-based LFA successfully diagnosed all the 20 patient sera per each disease without a false negative signal, whereas the diagnostic sensitivities in the peptide probe-based LFAs were 65–90%. Duplex and triplex assays performed with randomly mixed patient sera gave only true positive signals for all the 20 serum mixtures without any false positive signals, indicating 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. It seems that on the proteinticle surface the antigenic peptides have homogeneous orientation and conformation without inter-peptide clustering and hence lead to the enhanced diagnostic performance with solving the problems of traditional diagnostic probes. Although the multiplex diagnosis of three viral diseases above was demonstrated as proof-of-concept here, the proposed LFA system can be applied to multiplex point of care diagnosis of other intractable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thermodilution technique using a pulmonary artery catheter is widely used for the assessment of cardiac output (CO) in patients undergoing liver transplantation. However, the unclearness of the risk-benefit ratio of this method has led to an interest in less invasive modalities. Thus, we evaluated whether noninvasive bioreactance CO monitoring is interchangeable with thermodilution technique. Methods: Nineteen recipients undergoing adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation were enrolled in this prospective observational study. COs were recorded automatically by the two devices and compared simultaneously at 3-minute intervals. The Bland–Altman plot was used to evaluate the agreement between bioreactance and thermodilution. Clinically acceptable agreement was defined as a percentage error of limits of agreement <30%. The four quadrant plot was used to evaluate concordance between bioreactance and thermodilution. Clinically acceptable concordance was defined as a concordance rate >92%. Results: A total of 2640 datasets were collected. The mean CO difference between the two techniques was 0.9 l/min, and the 95% limits of agreement were -3.5 l/min and 5.4 l/min with a percentage error of 53.9%. The percentage errors in the dissection, anhepatic, and reperfusion phase were 50.6%, 56.1%, and 53.5%, respectively. The concordance rate between the two techniques was 54.8%. Conclusion: Bioreactance and thermodilution failed to show acceptable interchangeability in terms of both estimating CO and tracking CO changes in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Thus, the use of bioreactance as an alternative CO monitoring to thermodilution, in spite of its noninvasiveness, would be hard to recommend in these surgical patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cathodoluminescence-TEM (TEM-CL) technique was used to analyze light emission from InGaN multi-quantum well structure. • Panchromatic and hyper-spectral image analysis show that light emissions from the InGaN active layers are not homogeneous. • Band-gap energy plot visualizes the energy hump regions where the carriers are preferentially localized. Cathodoluminescence (CL) emission from the InGaN multi-quantum well structure was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy-CL. The CL panchromatic images indicated the light emission intensity from the InGaN active layers was inhomogeneous. Hyper-spectral image analysis of the CL signals revealed the wavelength of the emitted light was non-uniform in the active layers, which is the origin of the light emission inhomogeneity. The band gap energy plot constructed from the wavelength analysis visualized energy hump regions, where the carriers were preferentially localized and recombined to emit light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a survey of optically emitting supernova remnants (SNRs) in M31 based on Hα and [S II] images in the Local Group Survey. Using these images, we select objects that have [S II]:Hα > 0.4 and circular shapes. We identify 156 SNR candidates, of which 76 are newly found objects. We classify these SNR candidates according to two criteria: the SNR progenitor type (Type Ia and core-collapse (CC) SNRs) and the morphological type. Type Ia and CC SNR candidates make up 23% and 77%, respectively, of the total sample. Most of the CC SNR candidates are concentrated in the spiral arms, while the Type Ia SNR candidates are rather distributed over the entire galaxy, including the inner region. The CC SNR candidates are brighter in Hα and [S II] than the Type Ia SNR candidates. We derive a cumulative size distribution of the SNR candidates, finding that the distribution of the candidates with 17

Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Gallium nitrate has been reported to reserve immunosuppressive activities. Therefore, we assessed the therapeutic effects of gallium nitrate in the mouse model of developed type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). CIA was induced by bovine type II collagen with Complete Freund's adjuvant. CIA mice were intraperitoneally treated from day 36 to day 49 after immunization with 3.5mg/kg/day, 7mg/kg/day gallium nitrate or vehicle. Gallium nitrate ameliorated the progression of mice with CIA. The clinical symptoms of collagen-induced arthritis did not progress after treatment with gallium nitrate. Gallium nitrate inhibited the increase of CD4+ T cell populations (p <0.05) and also inhibited the type II collagen-specific IgG2a-isotype autoantibodies (p <0.05). Gallium nitrate reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ (p <0.05) and the mRNA expression levels of these cytokine and MMPs (MMP2 and MMP9) in joint tissues. Western blotting of members of the NF-κB signaling pathway revealed that gallium nitrate inhibits the activation of NF-κB by blocking IκB degradation. These data suggest that gallium nitrate is a potential therapeutic agent for autoimmune inflammatory arthritis through its inhibition of the NF-κB pathway, and these results may help to elucidate gallium nitrate-mediated mechanisms of immunosuppression in patients with RA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, accumulating mutations have led to marked changes in the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2. Of these, mutations in the spike (S) protein can alter the properties of the virus, particularly transmissibility and antigenicity. However, it is difficult to detect antigenic variants of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein by immunoassay. Here, we developed an ACE2-based biosensor designed to detect both SARS-CoV-2 S1 mutations and neutralizing antibodies. In "binding mode", the biosensor works by detecting binding of the S protein to an immobilized ACE2 receptor. The ACE2-based biosensor was able to detect S1 proteins of the alpha (500 pg/mL) and beta variants (10 ng/mL), as well as wild-type S1 (10 ng/mL), of SARS-CoV-2. The biosensor distinguished wild-type SARS-CoV-2 S1 from the S1 alpha and beta variants via color differences. In addition, a slight modification to the protocol enabled the ACE2-based biosensor to operate in "blocking mode" to detect neutralizing antibodies in serum samples from COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the ACE2-based biosensor is a versatile test for detecting wild-type S1, S1 mutants, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This approach to targeting both the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells and the subsequent adaptive immune response will facilitate the development of various biosensors against SARS-CoV-2. • Versatile biosensors based on ACE2 were designed and developed to detect both mutations in the S protein and neutralizing antibodies utilizing the binding and blocking mode of ACE2. • In "binding mode", The ACE2-based biosensor was able to detect S1 proteins of the alpha (500 pg/mL) and beta variants (10 ng/mL), as well as wild-type S1 (10 ng/mL), of SARS-CoV-2. The biosensor distinguished wild-type SARS-CoV-2 S1 from the S1 alpha and beta variants via color differences. • In addition, the ACE2-based biosensor to operate in the blocking mode can be used for the detection of neutralizing antibodies in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The identification of mild cognitive impairments (MCI) via either structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) or functional MRI (fMRI) has great potential due to the non-invasiveness of the techniques. Furthermore, these techniques allow longitudinal follow-ups of single subjects via repeated measurements. sMRI- or fMRI-based biomarkers have been adopted separately to diagnose MCI; however, there has not been a systematic effort to integrate sMRI- and fMRI-based features to increase MCI detection accuracy. This study investigated whether the detection of MCI can be improved via the integration of biomarkers identified from both sMRI and fMRI modalities. Regional volume sizes and neuronal activity levels of brains from MCI subjects were compared with those from healthy controls and used to identify biomarkers from sMRI and fMRI data, respectively. In the subsequent classification phase, MCI was automatically detected using a support vector machine algorithm that employed the identified sMRI- and fMRI-based biomarkers as an input feature vector. The results indicate that the fMRI-based biomarkers provided more information for detecting MCI than the sMRI-based biomarkers. Moreover, the integrated feature sets using the sMRI- and fMRI-based biomarkers consistently showed greater detection accuracy than the feature sets based only on the fMRI-based biomarkers. The results demonstrate that integration of sMRI and fMRI modalities can provide supplemental information to improve the diagnosis of MCI relative to either the sMRI or fMRI modalities alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Adult stem cells have been widely investigated in bioengineering approaches for tissue repair therapy. We evaluated the clinical value and safety of the application of cultured bone marrow-derived allogenic mesenchymal stem cells ( MSCs) for treating skin wounds in a canine model. Hypothesis Topical allogenic MSC transplantation can accelerate the closure of experimental full-thickness cutaneous wounds and attenuate local inflammation. Animals Adult healthy beagle dogs ( n = 10; 3-6 years old; 7.2-13.1 kg) were studied. Methods Full-thickness skin wounds were created on the dorsum of healthy beagles, and allogenic MSCs were injected intradermally. The rate of wound closure and the degree of collagen production were analysed histologically using haematoxylin and eosin staining and trichrome staining. The degree of cellular proliferation and angiogenesis was evaluated by immunocytochemistry using proliferating cell nuclear antigen-, vimentin- and α-smooth muscle actin-specific antibodies. Local mRNA expression levels of interleukin-2, interferon-γ, basic fibroblast growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2 were evaluated by RT-PCR. Results Compared with the vehicle-treated wounds, MSC-treated wounds showed more rapid wound closure and increased collagen synthesis, cellular proliferation and angiogenesis. Moreover, MSC-treated wounds showed decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-2 and interferon-γ) and wound healing-related factors (basic fibroblast growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2). Conclusion and clinical importance Topical transplantation of MSCs results in paracrine effects on cellular proliferation and angiogenesis, as well as modulation of local mRNA expression of several factors related to cutaneous wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a blind source separation (BSS) algorithm which is based on the distinct constraint of nonnegativity of the estimated parameters as well as on the measured data. In this study, according to the potential feasibility of NMF for fMRI data, the four most popular NMF algorithms, corresponding to the following two types of (1) least-squares based update [i.e., alternating least-squares NMF (ALSNMF) and projected gradient descent NMF] and (2) multiplicative update (i.e., NMF based on Euclidean distance and NMF based on divergence cost function), were investigated by using them to estimate task-related neuronal activities. These algorithms were applied firstly to individual data from a single subject and, subsequently, to group data sets from multiple subjects. On the single-subject level, although all four algorithms detected task-related activation from simulated data, the performance of multiplicative update NMFs was significantly deteriorated when evaluated using visuomotor task fMRI data, for which they failed in estimating any task-related neuronal activities. In group-level analysis on both simulated data and real fMRI data, ALSNMF outperformed the other three algorithms. The presented findings may suggest that ALSNMF appears to be the most promising option among the tested NMF algorithms to extract task-related neuronal activities from fMRI data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new NO x reduction system has been developed which can reduce NO x emissions in diesel engine exhaust using oxygenated hydrocarbons (OHCs) generated from diesel fuel reforming as the primary reductants. The system consists of a sidestream hyperplasma reactor, a diesel fuel reformer and a dual-bed catalytic reactor. A unique feature of this system is a diesel fuel reformer that can produce highly reactive OHCs for NO x reduction. Steady-state performance as well as simulated FTP performance of this system for NO x reduction was evaluated in a sidestream connected to the main exhaust stream of a 4.9L, 6-cylinder Isuzu diesel engine dynamometer system. A dual-bed (BaY+CuY) catalyst yielded a mode-average FTP NO x conversion of 61% when the catalyst volume was 3.6 times the engine displacement. NO x reduction efficiency of the reformed diesel fuel was compared with that of an ethanol–dodecane mixture, E-diesel and NH3 in laboratory microreactor experiments and engine dynamometer tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Default-mode network (DMN) activity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) represents dominant intrinsic neuronal activations of the human brain during rest as opposed to task periods. Previous studies have demonstrated the utility of DMNs in identifying characteristic traits such as hyperactivation and hypoactivation from group-level fMRI data. However, these group-level spatial patterns (SPs) were mostly based on random-effect (RFX) statistics determined using only the intersubject variability. To reduce the potentially significant level of variability in group-level SPs in RFX due to intrasubject variability, we were motivated to adopt a mixed-effects (MFX) statistics that is using both intrasubject and intersubject variability. Publicly available group fMRI database during resting state was analyzed using a temporal concatenation-based group independent component (IC) analysis, and DMN-related ICs at the group-level were automatically selected. The individual-level SPs of these DMN-related ICs were subsequently estimated using a dual-regression approach. Using these individual-level SPs, we evaluated the reproducibility and potential variability of the DMNs from the RFX and MFX statistics using performance measures including (1) neuronal activation levels, (2) percentages of overlap, (3) Pearson's spatial correlation coefficients, and (4) the distances between center-of-clusters. The resulting SPs from the MFX-based group inference showed a significantly greater level of reproducibility than those from the RFX-based group inference as tested in a bootstrapping framework Family-wise error (FWE)-corrected p < 10−10, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)). The reported findings may provide a valuable supplemental option for investigating the neuropsychiatric group- or condition-dependent characteristic traits implicated in DMNs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 22, 121-131, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the 10th leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thus, understanding the co-occurrence of these disorders will have major public health significance. MDD is associated with an abnormal stress response, manifested in brain circuitry deficits, gonadal dysfunction, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation. Contribution of the relationships between these systems to the pathophysiology of MDD is not well understood. The objective of this preliminary study was to investigate, in parallel, relationships between HPG-axis functioning, stress response circuitry activation, and parasympathetic reactivity in healthy controls and women with MDD. Using fMRI with pulse oximetry [from which we calculated the high frequency (HF) component of R-R interval variability (HF-RRV), a measure of parasympathetic modulation] and hormone data, we studied eight women with recurrent MDD in remission and six controls during a stress response paradigm. We demonstrated that hypoactivations of hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and subgenual ACC were associated with lower parasympathetic cardiac modulation in MDD women. Estradiol and progesterone attenuated group differences in the effect of HF-RRV on hypoactivation in the amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, and OFC in MDD women. Findings have implications for understanding the relationship between mood, arousal, heart regulation, and gonadal hormones, and may provide insights into MDD and CVD risk comorbidity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI)-based neurofeedback method for the modulation of the effective connectivity (EC) of causality between attention-related neuronal activities. In participants who received the feedback of attention-related neuronal activity, the EC estimated from Granger causality analysis was reinforced within the task-related network, such as between the bilateral cingulate gyri and frontal cortices, whereas the EC between the task-related network and task-unrelated resting-state network, including the inferior parietal lobule, was diminished. On the other hand, only marginal changes were observed in participants who received “sham” feedback. This “dynamic” characteristic measure of EC based on causality may be useful for evaluating the efficacy of methods designed to modulate brain networks, including rtfMRI-based neurofeedback. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Intrinsic brain activity known as default-mode networks (DMNs) has been observed predominantly within the medial/superior frontal areas, anterior/posterior cingulate gyri, and precuneus using blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI). Despite anecdotal evidence of distinct spatial patterns reflecting neuropsychiatric conditions in these DMNs, rigorous analysis of the characteristic traits of DMNs has been limited in previous studies. In this letter, the reproducibility and potential variability of the anterior and posterior DMNs were evaluated based on individual-level variations in effect sizes, activated areas, and causal interactions. Our results indicated that the DMNs were indeed reproducible between sessions/subjects. Region-specific traits were also observed: the posterior DMN seemed more robust to individual-level variations than the anterior DMN. The proposed analytical methods and reported findings may be useful in the development of a wide range of applications, including those involving clinical populations, which utilize the characteristic traits of DMNs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spontaneous fluctuations of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal during the resting state have been characterized by the dominant spectral components in the low-frequency (<0.1 Hz) range. Although previous studies have reported the spatial patterns of activity of the resting-state network (RSN), the frequency-dependent characteristics (i.e., spectral coherence) of the resting state activity have not been fully investigated. This article describes the novel application of a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm to the decomposition of the magnitude spectra of fMRI time-series into distinct spectral components. From the fMRI data of healthy volunteers during the resting state, the frequency-specific components were decomposed into five basis functions. Group analysis revealed five different spatial patterns associated with these basis functions, in which each of the spatial patterns may correspond to a distinct spectrally coherent RSN. The RSN with the lowest center frequency showed a similar spatial pattern to the 'default-mode' network, which involves the medial superior and middle frontal cortex along with the posterior cingulate cortex. On the other hand, RSNs with higher frequencies were observed mainly in several posterior regions of the brain including the precuneus and lingual gyrus. Subsequent Granger causality analysis demonstrated that these posterior regions may function as the 'hubs' of the RSNs, whereas the anterior regions, including the medial superior and middle frontal cortex, may be characterized as 'peripheries' of the network. Our proposed analysis scheme provides supplemental information on both spectral and temporal characteristics of the RSNs, which might be used in a range of applications, including those involving clinical populations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 21, 2117-222, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pregabalin, a Ca2+ channel α2δ-subunit antagonist with analgesic and antiepileptic activity, reduced neuronal loss and improved functional outcome in a mouse model of focal ischemic stroke. Pregabalin administration (5–10mg/kg, i.p.) 30–90min after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion reduced infarct volume, neuronal death in the ischemic penumbra and neurological deficits at 24h post-stroke. Pregabalin significantly decreased the amount of Ca2+/calpain-mediated α-spectrin proteolysis in the cerebral cortex measured at 6h post-stroke. Together with the extensive clinical experience with pregabalin for other neurological indications, our findings suggest the potential for a therapeutic benefit of pregabalin in stroke patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the late Na current blocker ranolazine suppresses re-entrant and multifocal ventricular fibrillation (VF). Background: VF can be caused by either re-entrant or focal mechanism. Methods: Simultaneous voltage and intracellular Ca+2 optical mapping of the left ventricular epicardial surface along with microelectrode recordings was performed in 24 isolated-perfused aged rat hearts. Re-entrant VF was induced by rapid pacing and multifocal VF by exposure to oxidative stress with 0.1 mM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Results: Rapid pacing induced sustained VF in 7 of 8 aged rat hearts, characterized by 2 to 4 broad propagating wavefronts. Ranolazine significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the maximum slope of action potential duration restitution curve and converted sustained to nonsustained VF lasting 24 ± 8 s in all 7 hearts. Exposure to H2O2 initiated early afterdepolarization (EAD)-mediated triggered activity that led to sustained VF in 8 out of 8 aged hearts. VF was characterized by multiple foci, appearing at an average of 6.8 ± 3.2 every 100 ms, which remained confined to a small area averaging 2.8 ± 0.85 mm2 and became extinct after a mean of 43 ± 16 ms. Ranolazine prevented (when given before H2O2) and suppressed H2O2-mediated EADs by reducing the number of foci, causing VF to terminate in 8 out of 8 hearts. Simulations in 2-dimensional tissue with EAD-mediated multifocal VF showed progressive reduction in the number of foci and VF termination by blocking the late Na current. Conclusions: Late Na current blockade with ranolazine is effective at suppressing both pacing-induced re-entrant VF and EAD-mediated multifocal VF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional MRI (fMRI) signals is potentially advantageous because of the superior resolution that is achieved in both the temporal and spatial domains, respectively. However, ballistocardiographic artifacts along with ocular artifacts are a major obstacle for the detection of the EEG signatures of interest. Since the sources corresponding to these artifacts are independent from those producing the EEG signatures, we applied the Infomax-based independent component analysis (ICA) technique to separate the EEG signatures from the artifacts. The isolated EEG signatures were further utilized to model the canonical hemodynamic response functions (HRFs). Subsequently, the brain areas from which these EEG signatures originated were identified as locales of activation patterns from the analysis of fMRI data. Upon the identification and subsequent evaluation of brain areas generating interictal epileptic discharge (IED) spikes from an epileptic subject, the presented method was successfully applied to detect the theta and alpha rhythms that are sleep onset-related EEG signatures along with the subsequent neural circuitries from a sleep-deprived volunteer. These results suggest that the ICA technique may be useful for the preprocessing of simultaneous EEG-fMRI acquisitions, especially when a reference paradigm is unavailable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Automated interpretation and classification of functional MRI (fMRI) data is an emerging research field that enables the characterization of underlying cognitive processes with minimal human intervention. In this work, we present a method for the automated classification of human thoughts reflected on a trial-based paradigm using fMRI with a significantly shortened data acquisition time (less than one minute). Based on our preliminary experience with various cognitive imagery tasks, six characteristic thoughts were chosen as target tasks for the present work: right-hand motor imagery, left-hand motor imagery, right foot motor imagery, mental calculation, internal speech/word generation, and visual imagery. These six tasks were performed by five healthy volunteers and functional images were obtained using a -weighted echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence. Feature vectors from activation maps, necessary for the classification of neural activity, were automatically extracted from the regions that were consistently and exclusively activated for a given task during the training process. Extracted feature vectors were classified using the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. Parameter optimization, using a k-fold cross validation scheme, allowed the successful recognition of the six different categories of administered thought tasks with an accuracy of 74.5% (mean)±14.3% (standard deviation) across all five subjects. Our proposed study for the automated classification of fMRI data may be utilized in further investigations to monitor/identify human thought processes and their potential link to hardware/computer control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is characterized by symptoms such as fever, fatigue, a sore throat, diarrhea, and coughing. Although various new vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed, early diagnostics, isolation, and prevention remain important due to virus mutations resulting in rapid and high disease transmission. Amino acid substitutions in the major diagnostic target antigens of SARS-CoV-2 may lower the sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, we developed specific monoclonal antibodies that bind to epitope peptides as antigens for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 NP. The binding affinity between antigenic peptides and monoclonal antibodies was investigated, and a sandwich pair for capture and detection was employed to develop a rapid biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 NP. The rapid biosensor, based on a monoclonal antibody pair binding to conserved epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 NP, detected cultured virus samples of SARS-CoV-2 (1.4 × 103 TCID50/reaction) and recombinant NP (1 ng/mL). Laboratory confirmation of the rapid biosensor was performed with clinical specimens (n = 16) from COVID-19 patients and other pathogens. The rapid biosensor consisting of a monoclonal antibody pair (75E12 for capture and the 54G6/54G10 combination for detection) binding to conserved epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 NP could assist in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 NP under the circumstance of spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Real-time functional MRI (rtfMRI) has been used as a basis for brain–computer interface (BCI) due to its ability to characterize region-specific brain activity in real-time. As an extension of BCI, we present an rtfMRI-based brain–machine interface (BMI) whereby 2-dimensional movement of a robotic arm was controlled by the regulation (and concurrent detection) of regional cortical activations in the primary motor areas. To do so, the subjects were engaged in the right- and/or left-hand motor imagery tasks. The blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal originating from the corresponding hand motor areas was then translated into horizontal or vertical robotic arm movement. The movement was broadcasted visually back to the subject as a feedback. We demonstrated that real-time control of the robotic arm only through the subjects’ thought processes was possible using the rtfMRI-based BMI trials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In order to overcome a limited performance of a conventional monaural model, this letter proposes a binaural blind dereverberation model. Its learning rule is derived using a blind least-squares measure by exploiting higher-order characteristics of output components. In order to prevent an unwanted whitening of speech signal, we adopt a semi-blind approach by employing a pre-determined whitening filter. The proposed model is evaluated using several simulated conditions and the results show better speech quality than those of the monaural model. The applicability of the model to the real environment is also shown by applying to real-recorded data. Especially, the proposed model attains much improved word error rates from to across 13 speakers for testing in the real speech recognition experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Independent component analysis (ICA) of fMRI data generates session/individual specific brain activation maps without a priori assumptions regarding the timing or pattern of the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal responses. However, because of a random permutation among output components, ICA does not offer a straightforward solution for the inference of group-level activation. In this study, we present an independent vector analysis (IVA) method to address the permutation problem during fMRI group data analysis. In comparison to ICA, IVA offers an analysis of additional dependent components, which were assigned for use in the automated grouping of dependent activation patterns across subjects. Upon testing using simulated trial-based fMRI data, our proposed method was applied to real fMRI data employing both a single-trial task-paradigm (right hand motor clenching and internal speech generation tasks) and a three-trial task-paradigm (right hand motor imagery task). A generalized linear model (GLM) and the group ICA of the fMRI toolbox (GIFT) were also applied to the same data set for comparison to IVA. Compared to GLM, IVA successfully captured activation patterns even when the functional areas showed variable hemodynamic responses that deviated from a hypothesized response. We also showed that IVA effectively inferred group-activation patterns of unknown origins without the requirement for a pre-processing stage (such as data concatenation in ICA-based GIFT). IVA can be used as a potential alternative or an adjunct to current ICA-based fMRI group processing methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report an automated method to simultaneously monitor blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) MR signals from multiple cortical areas in real-time. Individual brain anatomy was normalized and registered to a pre-segmented atlas in standardized anatomical space. Subsequently, using real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) data acquisition, localized BOLD signals were measured and displayed from user-selected areas labeled with anatomical and Brodmann's Area (BA) nomenclature. The method was tested on healthy volunteers during the performance of hand motor and internal speech generation tasks employing a trial-based design. Our data normalization and registration algorithm, along with image reconstruction, movement correction and a data display routine were executed with enough processing and communication bandwidth necessary for real-time operation. Task-specific BOLD signals were observed from the hand motor and language areas. One of the study participants was allowed to freely engage in hand clenching tasks, and associated brain activities were detected from the motor-related neural substrates without prior knowledge of the task onset time. The proposed method may be applied to various applications such as neurofeedback, brain-computer-interface, and functional mapping for surgical planning where real-time monitoring of region-specific brain activity is needed. Hum Brain Mapp 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginsenosides are known to attenuate glutamate-induced cell injuries in vitro. We investigated the in vivo effect of ginsenosides on kainic acid (KA)-induced neurotoxicity in rat hippocampus using the methods of acid fuchsin (AF) staining and heat-shock protein-70 (HSP-70) immunoreactivity to detect neuronal death and stress, respectively. Pretreatment of ginsenosides (50 or 100 mg/kg for 7 days) via intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration significantly attenuated KA (10 mg/kg i.p.)-induced cell death by decreasing AF-positive neurons in both CA1 and CA3 regions of rat hippocampus compared with KA treatment alone. Pretreatment of ginsenosides (50 or 100 mg/kg for 7 days) via i.p. administration also significantly suppressed KA-induced induction of HSP-70 in both regions of rat hippocampus. These results show that ginsenosides are effective in protecting hippocampal CA1 and CA3 cells against KA-induced neurotoxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The general psychopathology factor (p -factor) represents shared variance across mental disorders based on psychopathologic symptoms. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study offers an unprecedented opportunity to investigate functional networks (FNs) from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) associated with the psychopathology of an adolescent cohort (n > 10,000). However, the heterogeneities associated with the use of multiple sites and multiple scanners in the ABCD Study need to be overcome to improve the prediction of the p -factor using fMRI. We proposed a scanner-generalization neural network (SGNN) to predict the individual p -factor by systematically reducing the scanner effect for resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). We included 6905 adolescents from 18 sites whose fMRI data were collected using either Siemens or GE scanners. The p -factor was estimated based on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores available in the ABCD study using exploratory factor analysis. We evaluated the Pearson's correlation coefficients (CCs) for p -factor prediction via leave-one/two-site-out cross-validation (LOSOCV/LTSOCV) and identified important FNs from the weight features (WFs) of the SGNN. The CCs were higher for the SGNN than for alternative models when using both LOSOCV (0.1631 ± 0.0673 for the SGNN vs. 0.1497 ± 0.0710 for kernel ridge regression [KRR]; p < 0.05 from a two-tailed paired t -test) and LTSOCV (0.1469 ± 0.0381 for the SGNN vs. 0.1394 ± 0.0359 for KRR; p = 0.01). It was found that (a) the default-mode and dorsal attention FNs were important for p -factor prediction, and (b) the intra-visual FN was important for scanner generalization. We demonstrated the efficacy of our novel SGNN model for p -factor prediction while simultaneously eliminating scanner-related confounding effects for RSFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case studies of several patients with intracameral dynamics spotlight-assisted cataract surgery in eyes with corneal opacity, small pupil, or advanced cataract. These includes the case of a 62-year old female patient with corneal opacity who underwent cataract surgery. It notes that case of a 58-year old female patient with small pupil and angle-closure glaucoma. It mentions the case of a 46-year old male patient who underwent vitrectomized brunescent cataract.

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) effectively attenuates hyperfibrinolysis and preemptive administration has been employed to reduce bleeding and blood transfusions in various surgical settings. However, TXA administration could be associated with adverse effects, such as seizures and thromboembolic risks. While patients with fibrinolysis shutdown showed greater thromboembolic complications and mortality, TXA administration may aggravate the degree of shutdown in these patients. Selective TXA administration based on the results of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) would be non-inferior to preemptive TXA administration in reducing postoperative bleeding and beneficial in reducing its risks in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Methods: This non-inferiority, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial will be performed in 3 tertiary university hospitals from August 2023 to March 2025. Seven hundred sixty-four patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery will be randomly allocated to get TXA as a preemptive (Group-P) or goal-directed strategy (Group-GDT) in each institution (with a 1:1 allocation ratio). After anesthesia induction, TXA (10 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg/h) and a placebo are administered after anesthesia induction in Group-P and Group-GDT, respectively. ROTEM tests are performed immediately before weaning from CPB and at the considerable bleeding post-CPB period. After getting the test results, a placebo is administered in Group-P (regardless of the test results). In Group-GDT, placebo or TXA is administered according to the results: placebo is administered if the amplitude at 10 min (A10-EXTEM) is ≥ 40 mm and lysis within 60 min (LI60-EXTEM) of EXTEM assay is ≥ 85%, or TXA (20 mg/kg) is administered if A10-EXTEM is < 40 mm or LI60-EXTEM is < 85%. The primary outcome is inter-group comparisons of postoperative bleeding (for 24 h). The secondary measures include comparisons of perioperative blood transfusion, coagulation profiles, reoperation, thromboembolic complications, seizures, in-hospital mortality, fibrinolysis phenotypes, and hospital costs. Discussion: The absence of inter-group differences in postoperative bleeding would support the selective strategy's non-inferiority in reducing postoperative bleeding in these patients. The possible reduction in thromboembolic risks, seizures, and fibrinolysis shutdown in Group-GDT would support its superiority in reducing TXA-induced adverse events and the cost of their management. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the registration number NCT05806346 on March 28, 2023. Trial status: recruiting. Issue date: 2023 March 28 (by Tae-Yop Kim, MD, PhD). The trial was registered in the clinical registration on March 28, 2023 (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05806346) and revised to the latest version of its protocol (version no. 8, August 26, 2024) approved by the institutional review boards (IRBs) of all 3 university hospitals (Konkuk University Medical Center, 2023–07-005–001, Asan Medical Center, 2023–0248, and Samsung Medical Center, SMC 2023–06-048–002). Its recruitment was started on August 1, 2023, and will be completed on December 31, 2024. Protocol amendment number: 08 (protocol version 08, August 26, 2024). Revision chronology: 2023 March 28:Original. 2023 April 10:Amendment No 01. The primary reason for the amendment is the modification of Arms (adding one arm for sub-group analyses) and Interventions, Outcome Measures, Study Design, Study Description, Study Status, Eligibility, and Study Identification. 2023 May 03:Amendment No 02. The primary reason for the amendment is to modify the Outcome Measures and update the study status. 2023 July 06:Amendment No 03. The primary reason for amendment is to update the chronological study status. 2023 July 07:Amendment No 04. The primary reason for the amendment is the modification of study information (the treatment category was changed to diagnostic, and Phase 4 was changed to not applicable) and a chronological update on the study status. 2023 September 12:Amendment No 06. The primary reason for the amendment is a chronological update in the study status and the inclusion of additional information regarding contacts/locations and oversight. 2023 December 29:Amendment No 07. The primary reason for the amendment is to modify the outcome measures (including detailed information on outcome measures, addition of extra secondary measures, and chronological updates in study status). 2024 August 26:Amendment No 08. The primary reason for the amendment is to add detailed descriptions regarding data handling and the names and roles of the participating institutions and to update the chronological process of the trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal (GI) disease accompanied by changes in bowel habits without any specific cause. Gintonin is a newly isolated glycoprotein from ginseng that is a lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand. To investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of action of gintonin in IBS, we developed a zymosan-induced IBS murine model. In addition, electrophysiological experiments were conducted to confirm the relevance of various ion channels. In mice, gintonin restored colon length and weight to normal and decreased stool scores, whilst food intake remained constant. Colon mucosal thickness and inflammation-related tumor necrosis factor-α levels were decreased by gintonin, along with a reduction in pain-related behaviors. In addition, the fecal microbiota from gintonin-treated mice had relatively more Lactobacillaceae and Lachnospiraceae and less Bacteroidaceae than microbiota from the control mice. Moreover, gintonin inhibited transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 1 and TRPV4 associated with visceral hypersensitivity and voltage-gated Na+ 1.5 channels associated with GI function. These results suggest that gintonin may be one of the effective components in the treatment of IBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score has been validated in various clinical situations. However, it has not been investigated during a short stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to evaluate the association between the SOFA score and outcomes in patients who were monitored for less than one day after non-cardiac surgery. Methods: From a total of 203,787 consecutive adult patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery between January 2011 and June 2019, we selected 17,714 who were transferred to the ICU immediately after surgery and stayed for less than 24 h. Patients were divided according to quartile value and change between the initial and follow-up levels of SOFA score. Results: Three-year mortality tended to increase with a higher initial SOFA score (11.7%, 11.8%, 15.1%, and 17.8%, respectively). The patients were divided according to changes in the SOFA score at the midnight postoperative follow-up check: 16,176 (91.3%) in the stable group and 1538 (8.7%) in the worsened group. The worsened group showed significantly higher three-year mortality and complications (13.2% vs. 18.6%; HR [hazard ratio]: 1.236; 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.108–1.402; p ≤ 0.0021 for three-year mortality and 3.8% vs. 9.1%; HR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.73–2.60; p < 0.001 for acute kidney injury). Conclusions: The SOFA score during a short stay in the ICU after non-cardiac surgery showed an association with mortality. The change in SOFA score may need to be considered at discharge from the ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged human infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In a global pandemic, development of a cheap, rapid, accurate, and easy-to-use diagnostic test is necessary if we are to mount an immediate response to this emerging threat. Here, we report the development of a specific lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA)-based biosensor for COVID-19. We used phage display technology to generate four SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP)-specific single-chain variable fragment-crystallizable fragment (scFv-Fc) fusion antibodies. The scFv-Fc antibodies bind specifically and with high affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 NP antigen, but not to NPs of other coronaviruses. Using these scFv-Fc antibodies, we screened three diagnostic antibody pairs for use on a cellulose nanobead (CNB)-based LFIA platform. The detection limits of the best scFv-Fc antibody pair, 12H1 as the capture probe and 12H8 as the CNB-conjugated detection probe, were 2 ng antigen protein and 2.5 × 104 pfu cultured virus. This LFIA platform detected only SARS-CoV-2 NP, not NPs from MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, or influenza H1N1. Thus, we have successfully developed a SARS-CoV-2 NP-specific rapid diagnostic test, which is expected to be a simple and rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19. • SARS-CoV-2 NP-specific scFv-Fc antibodies were generated. • Antibody pairs for the specific and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 were found. • Lateral flow immunoassay-based rapid diagnostic tests sensitively detected NP antigen and SARS-CoV-2 virus. • The COVID-19 biosensor showed no cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a newly emerging human infectious disease. Because no specific antiviral drugs or vaccines are available to treat COVID-19, early diagnostics, isolation, and prevention are crucial for containing the outbreak. Molecular diagnostics using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) are the current gold standard for detection. However, viral RNAs are much less stable during transport and storage than proteins such as antigens and antibodies. Consequently, false-negative RT-PCR results can occur due to inadequate collection of clinical specimens or poor handling of a specimen during testing. Although antigen immunoassays are stable diagnostics for detection of past infection, infection progress, and transmission dynamics, no matched antibody pair for immunoassay of SARS-CoV-2 antigens has yet been reported. In this study, we designed and developed a novel rapid detection method for SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 (S1) protein using the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2, which can form matched pairs with commercially available antibodies. ACE2 and S1-mAb were paired with each other for capture and detection in a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) that did not cross-react with SARS-CoV Spike 1 or MERS-CoV Spike 1 protein. The SARS-CoV-2 S1 (<5 ng of recombinant proteins/reaction) was detected by the ACE2-based LFIA. The limit of detection of our ACE2-LFIA was 1.86 × 105 copies/mL in the clinical specimen of COVID-19 Patients without no cross-reactivity for nasal swabs from healthy subjects. This is the first study to detect SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen using an LFIA with matched pair consisting of ACE2 and antibody. Our findings will be helpful to detect the S1 antigen of SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 patients. • The human ACE2 and commercial antibody were paired with each other as capture and detection probes in a lateral flow immunoassay that was not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV S1 and MERS-CoV S1 proteins. • The limit of detection of our ACE2-LFIA was 1.86 × 105 copies/mL in the clinical specimen of COVID-19 patients without no cross-reactivity for nasal swabs from healthy subjects. • This is the first study to detect SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen using an LFIA with matched pair consisting of ACE2 and antibody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]