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Rising obesity and associated multi-systemic complications amplify the health burden. Euphorbia kansui (EK) extract is clinically recognized for managing obesity. In a human study, 240 obese individuals were categorized into two cohorts: those receiving solely herbal medicine (HM group) and those administered EK concomitantly with herbal medicine (EK group). An in vivo examination using C57BL/6-Lepob/Lepob mice elucidated mechanisms involving macrophages and gut microbiota with associated metabolic advantages. The clinical study revealed a significant 7.22% body weight reduction during 91.55 average treatment days and examined 16.71% weight loss at 300 days after treatment. In whole subjects, 60.4%, 21.3%, and 6.3% achieved weight reductions exceeding 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively. Impressively, the EK group exhibited superior weight loss compared to the HM group (EK: −7.73% vs. HM: −6.27%, p = 0.012). The anti-obesity effect was positively associated with EK therapy frequency and herbal medicine duration. In the in vivo study, EK significantly improved insulin sensitivity and mitigated infiltration of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) by modulating the CD11c+ and CD206+ subtypes. EK also correlated with increased Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes populations and reduced Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Consequently, EK is an effective adjunctive anti-obesity therapy offering metabolic benefits by modulating ATMs and gut microbiota profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the feasibility of ionizing radiation combined with coagulation–sedimentation and Fenton oxidation as a treatment method for landfill leachate. The experiments revealed a positive correlation between pollutant removal efficiency and increased ionizing radiation intensity. Remarkable pollutant removal efficiencies were achieved under ionizing radiation at 50 kGy, with a maximum of 27% removal of total organic carbon (TOC), 61% removal of total nitrogen, 51% removal of total phosphorus, and an impressive 93% removal of NO3−-N. With the addition of coagulation–sedimentation and Fenton oxidation, the treatment efficiency further increased by 33% nitrogen, 18% SCOD, and 8% phosphate. The most significant observation from the study was that for all the different treatment methods, the results were always better for leachate samples treated with ionizing radiation than for the untreated samples. Subsequently, biological treatment was applied as a post-treatment method to remove residual organic carbon and nitrogen, which found that the best removal efficiencies were only for the low salt concentration (0.5%) and the removal decreased with increasing salt concentration. These experimental results conclusively demonstrated that when treating leachate wastewater, it was more appropriate to employ physicochemical methods rather than a biological treatment, primarily due to the high salt concentration present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Integrative Korean medicine treatment (IKM), including herbal medicine (HM) and acupuncture, has been widely used for obesity and overweight in children and adolescents in South Korea. We investigated the real-world usage status and the potential effect of the IKM for obesity and overweight in children and adolescents.Methods: Multicenter medical charts were retrospectively reviewed of obese and overweight children and adolescents who visited Korean medicine institutions with the goal of weight control for the first time and received IKM, to analyze the usage status and effect of IKM. We defined IKM responders as those with an improved obesity grade on the body mass index (BMI) percentile and analyzed their characteristics.Results: Medical charts of 209 patients (183 obese and 26 overweight) with a mean age of 11.45 years were examined. Patients visited the institution a mean of 5.95 times, and HM alone and HM plus acupuncture were frequently used IKM. HM was prescribed to 205 patients, 167 of whom received an HM prescription containing Ephedrae Herba. An HM of the decoction type was prescribed to 189 patients, and the average treatment duration was 76.54 days. After IKM, the percentile and z-score of BMI and weight significantly declined and height percentile and z-score were significantly enhanced, without serious adverse events. In the IKM responders, age, and the proportion of girls and overweight were significantly higher, and the percentile and z-score of height, weight, and BMI were significantly lower.Conclusion: This is the first study to examine the real-world usage of IKM for obesity and overweight in children and adolescents. A significant improvement in obesity-related outcome measures after IKM, illustrated the potential effect of IKM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity-induced insulin resistance is the fundamental cause of metabolic syndrome. Accordingly, we evaluated the effect of mangiferin (MGF) on obesity and glucose metabolism focusing on inflammatory response and autophagy. First, an in silico study was conducted to analyze the mechanism of MGF in insulin resistance. Second, an in vivo experiment was conducted by administering MGF to C57BL/6 mice with high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced metabolic disorders. The in silico analysis revealed that MGF showed a high binding affinity with macrophage-related inflammatory cytokines and autophagy proteins. In the in vivo study, mice were divided into three groups: normal chow, HFD, and HFD + MGF 150 mg/kg. MGF administration to obese mice significantly improved the body weight, insulin-sensitive organs weights, glucose and lipid metabolism, fat accumulation in the liver, and adipocyte size compared to HFD alone. MGF significantly reduced the macrophages in adipose tissue and Kupffer cells, inhibited the gene expression ratio of tumor necrosis factor-α and F4/80 in adipose tissue, reduced the necrosis factor kappa B gene, and elevated autophagy-related gene 7 and fibroblast growth factor 21 gene expressions in the liver. Thus, MGF exerted a therapeutic effect on metabolic diseases by improving glucose and lipid metabolism through inhibition of the macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses and activation of autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity represents chronic low-grade inflammation that precipitates type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Berberine (BBR) has been reported to exert anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory benefits. We aimed to demonstrate the underlying immune-modulating mechanisms of anti-obesity effects of BBR. First, we performed in silico study to identify therapeutic targets, describe potential pathways, and simulate BBR docking at M1 and M2 adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL4, CCL5, and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Next, in vivo, we divided 20 C58BL/6 mice into four groups: normal chow, control (high fat diet (HFD)), HFD + BBR 100 mg/kg, and HFD + metformin (MET) 200 mg/kg. We evaluated body weight, organ weight, fat area in tissues, oral glucose and fat tolerance tests, HOMA-IR, serum lipids levels, population changes in ATMs, M1 and M2 subsets, and gene expression of TNF-α, CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, and CXCR4. BBR significantly reduced body weight, adipocyte size, fat deposition in the liver, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, free fatty acids, ATM infiltration, all assessed gene expression, and enhanced the CD206+ M2 ATMs population. In conclusion, BBR treats obesity and its associated metabolic dysfunctions, by modulating ATM recruitment and polarization via chemotaxis inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Da-Chai-Hu-Tang (DCHT) is a herbal extract that has been shown to reduce serum triglyceride (TG) levels in animal experiments as well as small clinical trials. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DCHT in high-risk, statin-treated patients with residual hypertriglyceridemia (hyperTG). This was a 12-week, randomized, active-controlled, open-label, single-center trial. Of these patients, 42 had high cardiovascular risks whose LDL cholesterol levels were controlled by statin treatment; however, with TG levels of 200 to 500 mg/dL they were randomly assigned 1:1 to the OMEGA3 or DCHT group. The primary endpoint was defined as the percentage change in TG at 12 weeks, and changes in other lipid profiles and endothelial cell function were included as secondary endpoints. Safety analyses were also conducted. In the OMEGA3 group, the average TG level decreased from 294.5 ± 72.0 to 210.0 ± 107.8 mg/dL (p = 0.004), and in the DCHT group, from 288.7 ± 59.1 to 227.5 ± 98.1 mg/dL (p = 0.001). The percentage change in TG was −27.6 ± 33.6 and −22.4 ± 24.1 (p = 0.58), respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. There were no severe adverse events in either group. In high-risk, statin-treated patients with residual hyperTG, the administration of OMEGA3 or DCHT for 12 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in TG, and the effect of DCHT was not inferior to that of OMEGA3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the number of design changes in vehicle seat development is critical for minimizing both production cost and product lead time. Generally, discrepancies in measured dimensional specifications of vehicle-seat prototypes and computer-aided design (CAD) models cause significant quality control issues of the finished products. Although three-dimensional (3D) scanning technology enables the efficient evaluations and inspection processes of vehicle-seat prototypes, many evaluation processes require time-consuming tasks. This paper proposes an automated system for evaluating a geometrical consistency between a 3D scan of a prototype and the original CAD model. In the current study, the existing evaluation processes conducted by seat engineers were examined by survey questionnaires. The survey responses were analyzed to define a standardized evaluation process for the automated system. Various computational algorithms, including a function-based scan-to-CAD registration, standard seat dimension estimation, and template-based reporting algorithms, were developed to evaluate the scan and CAD consistency automatically. The developed system not only reduced over 99 % of the evaluation time (on average, existing method: > 2 hrs per seat and system method: < 5 min per seat) but also increased the repeatability of evaluations. Furthermore, the system can collect dimensions of diverse seat designs, prototypes, and products to construct a database of seat dimensions for benchmarking and design improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Obesity is a chronic low-grade systemic inflammation state, which causes insulin resistance, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. Baicalin is known to have anti-inflammatory and antiobesity effects. In this study, we investigated the cellular and molecular immunological effects of baicalin on obesity-induced inflammation. Methods. Male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to four groups: the normal chow, high-fat diet (HFD), BC2 (HFD + baicalin 200 mg/kg), and BC4 (HFD + baicalin 400 mg/kg) group; the three groups except normal chow were fed with a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity followed by baicalin treatment with two doses for 8 weeks. The body weight, epididymal fat weight, liver weight, food intake, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), oral fat tolerance test (OFTT), and serum lipids were measured. We evaluated insulin resistance by measuring the serum insulin level and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Also, the major obesity-associated immune cells including monocytes, macrophages, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells in the blood, fat, and liver and the inflammatory and insulin signaling-related gene expressions in the fat and liver were evaluated. Results. Baicalin significantly reduced the body weight and liver weight and improved serum fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, free fatty acid, HDL cholesterol, and the levels of glucose and triglyceride at each time point in the OGTT and OFTT. In the analysis of immune cells, baicalin significantly decreased inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes, M1 adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), and M1 Kupffer cells. On the contrary, baicalin increased anti-inflammatory M2 ATMs and liver CD4+ T cells and CD4/CD8 ratio. In the analysis of inflammatory and insulin signaling molecules, baicalin significantly downregulated the gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, F4/80, and C-C motif chemokine 2 while upregulated the insulin receptor mRNA expression. Conclusion. From these results, baicalin can be a promising treatment option for obesity and its related metabolic diseases based on its anti-inflammatory property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context The identification of adjunct safe, durable, and cost-effective approaches to reduce the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a clinically relevant, unmet goal. It is unknown whether cinnamon's glucose-lowering properties can be leveraged in individuals with prediabetes. Objective The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of cinnamon on measures of glucose homeostasis in prediabetes. Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention This double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial randomly assigned adult individuals meeting any criteria for prediabetes to receive cinnamon 500 mg or placebo thrice daily (n = 27/group). Participants were enrolled and followed at 2 academic centers for 12 weeks. Main Outcome Measures Primary outcome was the between-group difference in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) at 12 weeks from baseline. Secondary end points included the change in 2-hour PG of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the change in the PG area under the curve (AUC) derived from the OGTT. Results From a similar baseline, FPG rose after 12 weeks with placebo but remained stable with cinnamon, leading to a mean between-group difference of 5 mg/dL (P <.05). When compared to the respective baseline, cinnamon, but not placebo, resulted in a significant decrease of the AUC PG (P <.001) and of the 2-hour PG of the OGTT (P <.05). There were no serious adverse events in either study group. Conclusions In individuals with prediabetes, 12 weeks of cinnamon supplementation improved FPG and glucose tolerance, with a favorable safety profile. Longer and larger studies should address cinnamon's effects on the rate of progression from prediabetes to T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of a business is to enhance profitable revenue. Often this mission is accomplished by innovation, commonly by the process of bringing new products or services to market. This paper identifies major trends in the literature and practice and provides a perspective on how these trends may guide future research on innovation. Specifically, we document six themes that have appeared in research on the innovation process and discuss how scholars have developed ways to measure, predict, and explain each of these processes. Lastly, we offer our perspectives on future research topics on innovation reflecting on the impact of technological advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prevalent in all spheres of society. Still, the perception of AI from users and customers remains the main barrier for its widespread adoption. Previous studies showed that the acceptance of new technologies in society depends on perceived characteristics. This study examined users' perception of trust, the difficulty of the task, and application performance when using an AI‐based technology. These factors help us to elucidate the mechanisms for building trust in AI technology from the users' perspective. A total of 18 participants took part in the experiment with the Google AutoDraw software as an AI tool. As a result, the difficulty of the task, perceived performance, and success/failure of the task can be regarded as the influential factors for the perceived trust evaluation. The perceived trust of users in new AI products would be increased by improving product performance and the successful implementation of the tasks. The obtained results and insights can serve AI product developers to increase the level of users' trust and attraction towards their technologies and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automation aims to improve the task performance and the safety of human operators. The success of automation can be facilitated with well-designed human–automation interaction (HAI), which includes the consideration of a trade-off between the benefits of reliable automation and the cost of Failed automation. This study evaluated four different types of HAIs in order to validate the automation trade-off, and HAI types were configured by the levels and the statuses of office automation. The levels of automation were determined by information amount (i.e., Low and High), and the statues were decided by automation function (i.e., Routine and Failed). Task performance including task completion time and accuracy and subjective workload of participants were measured in the evaluation of the HAIs. Relatively better task performance (short task completion time and high accuracy) were presented in the High level in Routine automation, while no significant effects of automation level were reported in Failed automation. The subjective workload by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Task Load Index (TLX) showed higher workload in High and Failed automation than Low and Failed automation. The type of sub-functions and the task classification can be estimated as major causes of automation trade-off, and dissimilar results between empirical and subjective measures need to be considered in the design of effective HAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we demonstrate that high-energy electron beam irradiation (HEEBI) performed in air at room temperature affects remarkably the electrical, optical, and structural properties of undoped ZnO films prepared on SiO2 substrates by magnetron sputtering techniques. Hall and photoluminescence measurements revealed that the p-type conductivity was realized in HEEBI treated films with low dose of 1014 electrons/cm2 and converted to n-type conductivity with further increase in the amount of dose. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that indiffusion of Si from the substrate as well as N from the ambient into the films took place as a result of HEEBI treatment at high and low doses, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that all as-grown films were found to have compressive stress, which was relieved to some extent by HEEBI treatment with high dose of 1016 electrons/cm2. It was also found that better crystallinity with a bigger grain size was observed in HEEBI treated ZnO films with a higher dose. Field emission scanning electron microscope showed that HEEBI treated films with low dose had surface morphologies with big rodlike shapes. The major acceptorlike defects were determined to be oxygen interstitial and zinc vacancy. A model was proposed in terms of O, Zn, N, and Si diffusion to explain the observed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A terahertz free electron laser (FEL) driven by a high-current classical S-band 12-orbit microtron with internal injection and a magnetron-based radio frequency system has been developed. The laboratory-size, inexpensive facility is widely tunable in the terahertz range. This makes it attractive for application in research laboratories and universities. Stability and reliability in operation of such microtron-based FEL is determined generally by the microtron injection system. Operation of the injection system employing a thermionic cathode has been analyzed. The analysis was performed using two-dimensional tracking simulations in which we considered bombardment of the cathode emitting surface with the back-streaming electrons. The analysis showed that the bombardment causes pulse overheating of the emitting surface and, as a result, an increase of beam loading of the accelerating cavity during the macropulse. The phenomenon affects the intrapulse stability of the accelerated current and the FEL operation. The analysis and measurements show how to optimize the microtron operation minimizing affects of the back-streaming electrons. The developed injection system based on LaB6 thermionic cathode provides operation of the widely tunable terahertz FEL in the ordinary regime with radiated macropulse power of 40–50 W at the pulse duration of 2–4 μs. The standard deviation of the lasing macropulse energy is less than 10% for long-time operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study was performed to evaluate the anti-hyperthyroidal effects and action mechanism of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SB), a medicinal herb, on levothyroxine (LT4)-induced hyperthyroidal rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups, namely, euthyroidal normal group (Normal), hyperthyroidism control group (Control), hyperthyroidism plus PTU-treated group (PTU) as a positive control, hyperthyroidism plus 400 mg/kg SB-treated group (SB400), and hyperthyroidism plus 800 mg/kg SB-treated group (SB800). The rats in groups other than Normal were injected with LT4 for 2 weeks to induce hyperthyroidism and then were administrated each treatment for 2 weeks. Clinical symptoms and biomarkers related to hyperthyroidism were examined, and the gene expressions related to the regulation of thyroid hormone were determined. Results. Compared with the Control group, pulse rate, serum T3, T4, triglyceride, thyroid follicle size, and the deiodinase 1 (Dio1) gene expression were significantly reduced in the SB and PTU groups. Serum TSH and the thyroxine-binding globulin (Tbg) gene expression were significantly increased in the SB and PTU groups. Conclusions. These results suggest that SB might suppress T3, T4, and adrenergic activity by modulating Dio1 and Tbg expression, and therefore, SB could be an alternative therapy for hyperthyroidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the ultimate goals of studies on visualization literacy is to improve users' visualization literacy through education and training. Even though users' cognitive characteristics may significantly affect learning and responding processes in general, studies have addressed the relationships between users' cognitive characteristics and visualization literacy. As a first step toward discovering the relationships, we conducted an empirical study to investigate the correlation between cognitive characteristics and visualization literacy. Our first study focuses on testing the correlation between visualization and three cognitive characteristics: numeracy, need for cognition, and visualizer-verbalizer style. In this study, we measured 178 participants' visualization literacy and the level of the three cognitive characteristics using the Visualization Literacy Assessment Test (VLAT), the Decision Research Numeracy Test (DRNT), the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS), and the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (VVQ) through a crowdsourcing experiment. Our test results confirmed that a correlation exists between visualization literacy and both numeracy and need for cognition. Based on our test results, we discuss the implications for education to enhance visualization literacy and future studies to investigate on related user characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interruption is a widespread phenomenon in human–computer interaction in modern working environments. To minimize the adverse impact or to maximize possible benefits of interruptions, a reliable approach to evaluate interruption cost needs to be established. In this paper, we suggest a new approach to evaluate the interruption cost by cognitive workload and task performance measures. The cognitive workload is assessed by pupil diameter changes and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) task load index. Task performance includes task completion time and task accuracy in a series of controlled laboratory experiments. This integrated approach was applied to three interruption coordination modes (i.e., the immediate, the negotiated, and the scheduled modes), which were designed based on McFarlane's interruption coordination modes. Each mode consists of cognitive and skill tasks depending on the degree of mental demands providing four different task sets of interruptive task environments. Our results demonstrate that the negotiated mode shows a lower interruption cost than other modes, and primary task type and task similarity between primary and peripheral tasks are crucial in the evaluation of the cost. This study suggests a new approach evaluating interruption cost by cognitive workload and task performance measures. Applying this approach to various interruptive environments, disruptiveness of interruption was evaluated considering interruption coordination modes and task types, and the outcomes can support development of strategies to reduce the detrimental effects of unexpected and unnecessary interruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the pulsed-electron beam direct grafting of neat styrene onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) substrate, the radiolytically-produced styryl and carbon-centered FEP radicals undergo various desired and undesired competing reactions. In this study, a high-dose rate is used to impede the undesired free radical homopolymerization of styrene and ensure uniform covalent grafting through 125-μm FEP films. This outweighs the enhancement of the undesired crosslinking reactions of carbon-centered FEP radicals and the dimerization of the styryl radicals. The degree of uniform grafting through 125-μm FEP films increases from ≈8%, immediately after pulsed electron irradiation to 33% with the subsequent thermal treatment exceeding the glass transition temperature of FEP of 39°C. On the contrary, steady-state radiolysis using 60Co gamma radiolysis, shows that the undesired homopolymerization of the styrene has become the predominant reaction with a negligible degree of grafting. Time-resolved fast kinetic measurements on pulsed neat styrene show that the styryl radicals undergo fast decays via propagation homopolymerization and termination reactions at an observed reaction rate constant of 5 × 108 l · mol–1 · s–1. The proton conductivity of 25-μm film at 80°C is 0.29 ± 0.01 s cm–1 and 0.007 s cm–1 at relative humidity of 92% and 28%, respectively. The aims of this work are: 1. electrolyte membranes are prepared via grafting initiated by a pulsed electron beam; 2. postirradiation heat-treated membranes are uniformly grafted, ideal for industry; 3. High dose rate is the primary parameter to promote the desired reactions; 4. measurement of kinetics of undesired radiation-induced styrene homopolymerization; and 5. The conductivity of prepared membranes is on par or higher than industry standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity results in the progression of metabolic disorders, especially type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR) is a causative factor of T2DM morbidity in obese people. It is generally held by clinicians that IR is caused by adiposity-related inflammation that is mediated by changes in composite ions in the gut microbiome. This experimental study was designed to investigate the effects of Cucumis melo L. (Cucumis) on obesity-induced IR in genetically leptin-deficient Lepob/Lepob mice. Specifically, we examined the anti-inflammatory effects of Cucumis and the effects of Cucumis on the gut microbiota. We evaluated glucose control by measuring FBS, performing the OGTT, quantifying serum IR, calculating the HOMA-IR, and determining the lipid profiles. To see whether inflammation was reduced, we analyzed adipose tissue macrophages as well as monocytes in the blood. We also profiled the gut microbiota to determine whether the ratios of microbial phyla changed. We found that Cucumis improved IR in obese mice and relieved inflammation in adipose tissue and blood. Simultaneously, the microbiota composition ratios changed. In conclusion, administration of Cucumis improved IR by reducing inflammation, thereby changing the gut microbiota composition. Cucumis is thus a promising treatment for obesity-induced insulin resistance and the inflammatory state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Bojungikki-tang (BJIKT) is a widely used traditional herbal formula in China, Japan, and Korea. There have been reports that several herbs among BJIKT have interactions with antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin. This study aimed to assess whether BJIKT interacts with aspirin in terms of pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) in healthy subjects and ischemic stroke patients. Methods. The phase I interaction trial was a randomized, open-label, crossover study of 10 healthy male subjects, and the phase III interaction trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study of 43 ischemic stroke patients. Each participant randomly received aspirin + BJIKT or aspirin + placebo. For PK analysis, plasma acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and salicylic acid (SA) were evaluated, and, for PD analysis, platelet aggregation and plasma thromboxane B2 (TxB2) were measured. Results. In the PK parameters, mean area under curve, maximum concertation, and peak concentration time of ASA and SA were not different between two groups in healthy subjects and ischemic stroke patients. In the PD profiles, TxB2 concentrations and platelet aggregation were not affected by coadministration of BJIKT in healthy subjects and ischemic stroke patients. Conclusions. These results suggest that coadministration of BJIKT with aspirin may not result in herb-drug interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Obesity is a main cause of insulin resistance (IR), metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver diseases. This study evaluated Euphorbia kansui radix (Euphorbia) as a potential treatment option for obesity and obesity-induced IR in obese human and high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese mice. Methods. In the human study, we analyzed the body weight change of 14 patients who took a single dose of 6 g of Euphorbia powder. In the animal study, male mice were divided into three groups: normal chow, HFD, and Euphorbia (high-fat diet and 100 mg/Kg Euphorbia once per week). Body weight, epididymal fat pad weight, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and oral glucose tolerance test were measured. Also, macrophage infiltration and expression of CD68, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, interferon- (IFN-) γ, and interleukin- (IL-) 6 genes in the liver and adipose tissue were analyzed. Results. The human study showed that Euphorbia has a potential effect on body weight loss. In the in vivo study, body weight, epididymal fat weight, glucose level, IR, expression of CD68, TNF-α, IFN-r, and IL-6 genes, and macrophages in liver and adipose tissue were significantly reduced by Euphorbia. Conclusions. These results suggest that Euphorbia attenuates obesity and insulin resistance via anti-inflammatory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of Seyoeum (SYE), a novel herbal meal replacement, on insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods. SYE contained six kinds of herbal powder such as Coix lacryma-jobi, Oryza sativa, Sesamum indicum, Glycine max, Liriope platyphylla, and Dioscorea batatas. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups: normal chow (NC), HFD, SYE, and HFD plus SYE (HFD + SYE). The mice in groups other than NC were fed HFD for 9 weeks to induce obesity and then were fed each diet for 6 weeks. Clinical markers related to obesity, diabetes, and NAFLD were examined and gene expressions related to inflammation and insulin receptor were determined. Results. Compared with HFD group, body weight, serum glucose, serum insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, triglyceride, epididymal fat pad weight, liver weight, and inflammatory gene expression were significantly reduced in SYE group. Insulin receptor gene expression increased in SYE group. Conclusions. Based on these results, we conclude that SYE improved obesity and insulin resistance in high-fat fed obese mice. Our findings suggest that SYE could be a beneficial meal replacement through these antiobesity and anti-insulin resistance effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otitis media (OM), characterized by the presence of mucus overproduction and excess inflammation in the middle ear, is the most common childhood infection. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) pathogen is responsible for approximately one-third of episodes of bacteria-caused OM. Current treatments for bacterial OM rely on the systemic use of antibiotics, which often leads to the emergence of multidrug resistant bacterial strains. Therefore there is an urgent need for developing alternative therapies strategies for controlling mucus overproduction in OM. MUC5AC mucin has been shown to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of OM. Here we show that curcumin derived from Curcuma longa plant is a potent inhibitor of NTHi-induced MUC5AC mucin expression in middle ear epithelial cells. Curcumin inhibited MUC5AC expression by suppressing activation of p38 MAPK by upregulating MAPK phosphatase MKP-1. Thus, our study identified curcumin as a potential therapeutic for inhibiting mucin overproduction in OM by upregulating MKP-1, a known negative regulator of inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized by excessive inflammation and are exacerbated by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Airway epithelial cells mount the initial innate immune responses to invading pathogens and thus modulate inflammation. While inflammation is necessary to eliminate a pathogen, excessive inflammation can cause damage to the host tissue. Therefore, the inflammatory response must be tightly regulated and deciphering the signaling pathways involved in this response will enhance our understanding of the regulation of the host inflammatory response. NTHi binds to TLR2 and signal propagation requires the adaptor molecule myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). An alternative spliced form of MyD88 is called MyD88 short (MyD88s) and has been identified in macrophages and embryonic cell lines as a negative regulator of inflammation. However, the role of MyD88s in NTHi-induced inflammation in airway epithelial cells remains unknown. Here we show that NTHi induces MyD88s expression and MyD88s is a negative regulator of inflammation in airway epithelial cells. We further demonstrate that MyD88s is positively regulated by IKKβ and CREB and negatively regulated by ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Taken together these data indicate that airway inflammation is controlled in a negative feedback manner involving MyD88s and suggest that airway epithelial cells are essential to maintain immune homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which discusses the use of Kirkendall effect as an effective method for hollow inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) fabrication. Topics discussed include the potential applications of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) in sensors, superconductors, and cathode materials, the use of chemical etching method in polyhedral hollow Cu2O Nps synthesis, and the use of x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis in determining the chemical composition of NPs.

Healthcare information systems (e.g., Bar Code Medication Administration [BCMA] system) have been adopted to deliver efficient healthcare services recently. However, though it is seemingly simple to use (scanning barcodes before medication), users of the BCMA system (e.g., nurses and pharmacists) often shownoncompliance behaviors. Therefore, the goal of this study is to comprehensively understand why such noncompliance behaviors occur with BCMA system. Through comprehensive literature review, 128 instances of causes were identified, which were categorized into five categories: Poor Visual and Audio Interface, Poor Physical Ergonomic Design, Poor Information Integrity, Abnormal Situation for System Use, and User Reluctance and Negligence. The results show that successful use of a BCMA system requires supportive systems and environments, so it is more like an issue of the system rather than that of an individual user or a device. It is believed that the proposed categories could be applicable in investigating noncompliance behaviors in other healthcare information systems as well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT In this study, the curing behavior of polycardanol containing epoxy groups (diepoxidized polycardanol) was exploited in terms of thermal stability and the cure reaction conversion by means of thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The effect of photo-initiator type and concentration and electron beam absorption dose in the presence of cationic photo-initiators (triarylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate (P-type) and triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimanate (Sb-type) on the cure behavior of diepoxidized cardanol (DEC) resin was investigated. The thermal stability of DEC with Sb-type photo-initiator was higher than that with P-type one, being increased with increasing the concentration and electron beam absorption dose. The conversion of cure reaction was gradually increased with increasing the dose, showing the maximum at 800 kGy. The results revealed that Sb-type photo-initiator, the concentration of 2 or 3 wt %, and electron beam absorption dose of about 800 kGy may be preferable for initiating epoxy ring opening in the DEC molecules as well as for efficiently curing the DEC resin by electron beam irradiation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41599. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) were synthesized by the electron beam reduction reaction ( EBRR). Silicon tetrachloride ( SiCl4 ), isopropyl alcohol ( IPA), and toluene were used as the silicon source, radical scavenger, and solvent, respectively. Three types of sample were prepared: from a solution of SiCl4 and IPA under irradiation by an electron beam (e-beam) with energy, current, and dose of 1 MeV, 0.2 mA, and 300 kGy, respectively, and from the reactants ( SiCl4 -only or SiCl4 + IPA) under no e-beam irradiation. New features in the ultraviolet-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies for the case of e-beam irradiation were attributed to the formation of the Si NCs, as confirmed by fast Fourier transform processed image in field-emission transmission electron microscopy analysis. The possibility of the formation of the Si NCs was also validated by the Gibbs free energy calculations of the proposed reaction mechanism for EBRR of the SiCl4 precursor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interruptions are prevalent phenomena in modern working environments; yet, few interruption studies have been conducted on different types of human tasks. A study using computer-based human behavior tasks was carried out to investigate the effects of interruptions with 4 different primary-interrupting task sets. The tasks used in this study were determined by cognitive and motor skill processes based on human behavior classification theory. The results showed that interruption effects were most negative in cognitive/cognitive task sets, and skill/cognitive task sets showed the least amount of effects in task completion time, F(3, 332) = 77.88, p < .001. In error rate performance, skill/skill task sets showed the highest rate, and error rates for cognitive primary task sets (cognitive/cognitive and cognitive/skill task sets) were not significantly different, F(1, 42) = 41.18, p < .001; F(1, 42) = 3.56, p = 0.0661. Interruption frequency also negatively affected task performance, F(1, 412) = 89.88, p < .001, but skill tasks' quantitative performance did not show significant effects at different interruption frequencies, F(1, 187) = 3.78, p = .0534. The results showed that interruptions increase more time to complete in cognitive tasks and produce more errors in skill tasks. Also, similar types of primary-interrupting tasks were more susceptible from interruptions. Thus, based on task composition of work process, we can estimate different effects from the interruptions and memory load, and task similarity in primary-interrupting task relationship were considered a main factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care information technology (IT) systems manage administrative and clinical processes more accurately and efficiently. However, their effects on clinical work flow are still not fully understood. In this article, we investigate the bar-coded medication administration (BCMA) system for its effect on nurses working in inpatient departments. Evaluation is applied by examining work deficiencies before and after the IT system implementation based on a proposed nursing work model. A list of nurse-perceived risks of work deficiencies related to the current BCMA system has been identified. Results show five main deficiencies that are mainly related to aspects of the IT environment and work schedule/process, including increased workload, IT systems downtime, unclear orders/task schedules, reduced time for patient-care tasks, and redundant documentation. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the reciprocal relationship between IT implementation and health care work system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediabetes, Diabetes and obesity are the metabolic diseases which are closely linked each other to its properties such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and abdominal obesity. Many studies tried to find single therapeutic target for treatment of the metabolic syndrome but failed because of its side effects. Therefore, many investigations focus on the reduction of the blood glucose or the body weight. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a new therapeutic target for type-2 diabetes which caused by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency, is issued nowadays. This study aimed to investigate the antidiabetic effect of a complex herbal medicine, JUL04, composed of Cornus fructus (CF), Dioscoreae rhizome (DR), Aurantii fructus (AF), and Mori folium (MF), on the enteroendocrine L cell and on the obese type-2 diabetes mice. Fully differentiated NCI-H716 cells were treated with each herbal samples and GLP-1 ELISA was performed. The animal model was induced by high fat- and high sucrose-diet with or without JUL04 for 8 weeks, and the body and the epididymal fat weight and the size of white adipocyte were measured. Plasma GLP-1 and insulin concentration were also measured by ELISA. The results of the study demonstrate that JUL04 has anti-diabetes and anti-obesity effects in high fat- and high sucrose-diet induced mice model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Obesity and diabetes have become the most common human health problems worldwide. Obesity's contribution to type 2 diabetes might be due to dysregulation of adipokines and glucose uptake. Methods In this study, we performed in-vivo and in-vitro studies to evaluate the effects of Platycodon grandiflorum extract (PGE) on adipokines and glucose uptake. Before study, platycodin D concentrations were analysed by HPLC in PGE prepared in water, in 50% ethanol and in 80% ethanol, and we selected the 80% ethanol extract as the PGE for this study based on the HPLC results. Key findings We found that inclusion of PGE in the high-fat diet (HFD) markedly attenuated food intake, body weight, epididymal fat weight, adipocyte size and blood glucose levels by the oral glucose tolerance test in mice, and maintained serum levels of adiponectin, resistin, leptin, fructosamine and triglycerides. Gene expression analysis revealed that PGE up-regulated adiponectin, and down-regulated TNF- α and leptin in fat tissue. In L6 muscle cells in vitro, PGE increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Conclusions We conclude that PGE may improve obesity in mice fed an HFD and glucose uptake in L6 muscle cells by modifying adipokines, and could offer clinical benefits as a supplement to treat obesity and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus species have been used traditionally as a medicinal herb in oriental pharmacology. Here, we reported on the anti-diabetic function of Citrus aurantium L. (CA). The hexane fraction of CA (HFCA) stimulates NCI-H716 cells and results in the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Because it regulates insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells, GLP-1 has been used for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Hence, we carried out a series of experiments to demonstrate the functions of HFCA against diabetes mellitus at the molecular level. Four fractions of CA were used in a GLP-1 assay. The GLP-1 ELISA assay was performed to measure the concentrations of GLP-1 after treatment with the four fractions of CA. The hexane fraction showed the best results and was chosen for the microarray analysis in the genome wide analysis. Through the analysis, it was found that voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels drove membrane depolarization and then influenced Ca currents in NCIH716 cells. These results suggest this is a new oriental herbal drug that has proven effects for the remedy of type II diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease, which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) has been used as a traditional oriental medicine for inflammation. However, the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of OD in intestinal inflammation are not yet understood. This study investigated the protective effect of OD in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Mice treated with DSS showed remarkable clinical signs, including weight loss, and reduced colon length. Administration of OD attenuated these signs and significantly suppressed levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. OD also reduced the activation of transcription nuclear factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Hentriacontane, a constituent of OD, attenuated weight loss, colon shortening, and levels of IL-6 caused by DSS. Taken together, the results provide experimental evidence that OD might be a useful therapeutic medicine for patients with UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease, which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) has been used as a traditional oriental medicine for inflammation. However, the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of OD in intestinal inflammation are not yet understood. This study investigated the protective effect of OD in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Mice treated with DSS showed remarkable clinical signs, including weight loss, and reduced colon length. Administration of OD attenuated these signs and significantly suppressed levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. OD also reduced the activation of transcription nuclear factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Hentriacontane, a constituent of OD, attenuated weight loss, colon shortening, and levels of IL-6 caused by DSS. Taken together, the results provide experimental evidence that OD might be a useful therapeutic medicine for patients with UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is the most common category of clinical prostatitis. The etiologic factors of CP/CPPS still remain unknown, and standard therapies often fail to achieve sustainable amelioration of symptoms; therefore, various treatment therapies have been approached. Recently, there is increasing evidence that acupuncture could be a safe and effective treatment in managing CP/CPPS. However, acupuncture therapy still is ranked as low-priority treatment, which results from the fact that the studies, mostly reported in nontraditional medical journals, had not employed standard definitions of the condition or validated-outcome parameters, and that the mechanism of acupuncture effects on CP/CPPS remains to be elucidated. In this article, we review the recent clinical research using acupuncture to reveal its clinical utility for CP/CPPS and the possible mechanisms of action. This article could encourage health care providers and urologists to apply acupuncture for managing pains of CP/CPPS with standard treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassia obtusifolia (CO) has been traditionally used in Korea to treat eye inflammation, photophobia, and lacrimation. However, the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of CO in intestinal inflammation has not been understood. In this study, we investigate the protective effect of CO in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. CO reduced clinical signs of DSS-induced colitis, including body weight loss, shortened colon length, and increased disease activity index. The results show that CO significantly suppressed the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Additionally, we observed that CO reduced the activation of transcription nuclear factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Taken together, these findings suggest that CO has improving effects on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis, which may explain its beneficial effect in the regulation of chronic intestinal inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassia obtusifolia (CO) has been traditionally used in Korea to treat eye inflammation, photophobia, and lacrimation. However, the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of CO in intestinal inflammation has not been understood. In this study, we investigate the protective effect of CO in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. CO reduced clinical signs of DSS-induced colitis, including body weight loss, shortened colon length, and increased disease activity index. The results show that CO significantly suppressed the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Additionally, we observed that CO reduced the activation of transcription nuclear factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Taken together, these findings suggest that CO has improving effects on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis, which may explain its beneficial effect in the regulation of chronic intestinal inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of end-stage renal disease. Antihypertensive agents are used clinically to inhibit the progression of CKD, but cannot prevent eventual renal failure. This study investigated the effect of Tanshinone IIA, an active component of Salvia miltiorrhiza, in rats suffering from CKD induced by 5/6 nephrectomy. After development of renal insufficiency, the rats were treated with Tanshinone IIA (10 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. Serum creatinine, angiotensin II (Ang II), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and collagen IV levels were significantly reduced in Tanshinone IIA treated rats compared with a control group. In addition, Tanshinone IIA suppressed increases in urinary protein excretion in CKD rats. These findings suggest that chronic oral administration of Tanshinone IIA can improve renal dysfunction associated with CKD. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of electron beam irradiation on the electrochemical properties of electrodeposited V2O5 thin films was investigated. V2O5 thin films were deposited electrochemically onto indium tin oxide-coated glass from an aqueous vanadyl sulfate hydrate (VOSO4⋅ nH2O) solution using Pt and Ag/AgCl as the counter electrode and reference electrode, respectively. Electrodeposition was performed potentiostatically at 1.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Electrodeposited samples were then subjected to a 1-MeV electron beam using an electron beam accelerator at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. For comparison, a control sample was not irradiated with the electron beam. Crystallinity change before and after electron beam irradiation was investigated by X-ray diffraction and the oxidation state of vanadium determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized to examine surface morphology. It was observed that electron beam irradiation altered the oxidation state of vanadium and increased crystallinity. Significant morphological changes of V2O5 thin films were also observed with electron beam irradiation. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to evaluate the electrochemical properties of the synthesized V2O5 films in terms of their application as electrodes of lithium-ion battery. Compared with the control sample, which was not irradiated with an electron beam, the electron beam-irradiated V2O5 specimens showed much higher capacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Bupleurum falcatum and its combination with angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) on cytokine and chemokine production in cultured human mesangial cells. Human mesangial cells were isolated and cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium culture medium. Bupleurum falcatum, ARB, and the combination of the two were added to human mesangial cells. Cytokine and chemokine levels were analysed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There were no significant differences in the expression of IL-1ß, IL-2 or TNF-a between controls and the experimental groups. However, IL-11 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were significantly reduced in response to ARB, Bupleurum falcatum, or their combination when compared with controls. IL-8 expression was reduced significantly only in cells treated with ARB. Both Bupleurum falcatum and ARB treatments alone reduced the cytokine concentration, but there was not a stronger reduction when the two drugs were combined. It was shown that Bupleurum falcatum inhibited cytokine production in human mesangial cells. However, there were no additive effects on the suppression of cytokine production when Bupleurum falcatum was combined with ARB. Further studies are needed to elucidate the renoprotective effects of Bupleurum falcatum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the association between Four Constitutional classification and Fc fragment of IgG, low affinity of IIa, receptor (FCGR2A) and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN) in Korean ischemic stroke patients. Methods: We classified the Four Constitutional types in ischemic stroke patients (n=162) and healthy control subjects (n=135), and genotyped FCGR2A and IL1RN polymorphisms using direct DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Results: In the IL1RN polymorphisms, the IL1RN*1/IL1RN*2 genotype (OR=5.80, p=0.0142), and in the FCGR2A polymorphisms, the rs7535475 (OR=0.58, p=0.0218) and rs7512140 (OR=0.09, p=0.0335), were significantly associated with ischemic stroke. The prevalence of IL1RN*1/IL1RN*2 genotype of IL1RN and rs7535475 of FCGR2A in greater Yin person ischemic stroke patients were different from greater Yin person healthy controls (OR=18.97, p=0.0063; OR=0.38, p=0.0045). Discussion: These results suggest that IL1RN*1/IL1RN*2 genotype in greater Yin person might be associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke, and rs7535475 of FCGR2A might be associated with decreased risk of ischemic stroke. Furthermore, this relationship could provide the basis for a new approach in investigating the etiology of ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]