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• This study aimed to explore the differences of the interpretation skills and reading behaviour related to brain CT among resident doctors from different medical specialties. • The resident doctors from different medical specialities may achieve similar imaging reading competency of the brain CT based on eye-tracking results. • Our results may mitigate the queries of the influence from different background on training outcome. Using the eye-tracking technique, our work aimed to examine whether difference in clinical background may affect the training outcome of resident doctors' interpretation skills and reading behaviour related to brain computed tomography (CT). Twelve resident doctors in the neurology, radiology, and emergency departments were recruited. Each participant had to read CT images of the brain for two cases. We evaluated each participant's accuracy of lesion identification. We also used the eye-tracking technique to assess reading behaviour. We recorded dwell times, fixation counts, run counts, and first-run dwell times of target lesions to evaluate visual attention. Transition entropy was applied to assess the temporal relations and spatial dynamics of systematic image reading. The eye-tracking results showed that the image reading sequence examined by transition entropy was comparable among resident doctors from different medical specialties (p = 0.82). However, the dwell time of the target lesions was shorter for the resident doctors from the neurology department (4828.63 ms, p = 0.01) than for those from the resident doctors from the radiology (6275.88 ms) and emergency (5305.00 ms) departments. The eye-tracking results in individual areas of interest only showed differences in the eye-tracking performance of the first-run dwell time (p = 0.05) in the anterior cerebral falx. Our findings demonstrate that resident doctors from different medical specialties may achieve similar imaging reading patterns for brain CT. This may mitigate queries regarding the influence of different backgrounds on training outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although paraquat (PQ) induces oxidative damage and inflammatory responses in the lungs, the mechanism underlying PQ-induced acute kidney injury in patients is unclear. Immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticoids and the immunosuppressant cyclophosphamide (CP) has been employed to treat patients with PQ poisoning. This study examined whether PQ could concurrently cause renal injury, inflammatory responses, and oxidative damage in the kidneys, and whether CP and dexamethasone (DEX) could suppress PQ-induced alterations. Mice were assigned to eight groups: Control, PQ, DEX, PQ plus DEX, CP, PQ plus CP, DEX plus CP, and PQ plus DEX with CP. DEX, CP, and DEX plus CP reversed PQ-induced renal injury, as indicated by urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratios and urea nitrogen levels in serum. The treatments also attenuated PQ-induced renal infiltration of leukocytes and macrophages and induction of the Il6 , Tnf , Icam , Cxcl2 , Tlr4 , and Tlr9 genes encoding the inflammatory mediators in the kidneys. However, DEX only partially suppressed the macrophage infiltration, whereas DEX plus CP provided stronger protection than DEX or CP alone for the induction of Il6 and Cxcl2. Moreover, through the detection of F 2 -isoprostanes (F 2 -IsoPs) and isofurans in the kidneys and lungs and F 2 -IsoPs in the plasma and urine, the therapies were found to suppress PQ-induced lipid peroxidation, although DEX was less effective. Finally, PQ decreased ubiquinol-9:ubiquinone-9 ratios in the kidneys. This effect of PQ was not found under CP treatment, but the ratio was lower than that of the control group. Our findings suggest that the suppression of PQ-induced inflammatory responses by DEX and CP in the kidneys can mitigate oxidative damage and acute kidney injury. [Display omitted] • Dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide (CP) are used to treat paraquat (PQ) poisoning. • Immunosuppressive therapy alleviated PQ-induced renal dysfunction in mice. • The therapy suppressed PQ-induced inflammatory responses in the kidneys. • PQ-induced elevation of renal F 2 -IsoPs and isofurans was suppressed by the therapy. • Lipid peroxidation increased by PQ in the lungs and body fluids was also inhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ENE in regional recurrence (rENE) is frequently present in OSCC neck recurrence. • Patients with advanced nodal history (N2/N3, ENE+, RT+) are at high risk of rENE. • Recurrent LN >1.5 cm is also closely related to rENE. • Extent of rENE in recurrent neck is significantly severe than in initial neck. • Individualized salvage treatment based on the presence of rENE should be recommended. Extranodal extension (ENE) is a crucial prognostic factor of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the role of ENE in regional recurrence (rENE) remains unclear. The purpose of our study is to assess the salvage outcome according to the presence of rENE in oral cancer patients with isolated nodal recurrence. Oral cancer patients diagnosed with isolated nodal recurrence at the National Taiwan University Hospital between January 2010 and December 2015 were reviewed. All patients were classified into two groups: with and without rENE. The treatment included salvage neck dissection (ND) ± metronomic chemotherapy, salvage ND and radiation (RT)/concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT), Salvage RT/CCRT alone, metronomic chemotherapy, or supportive care. We analyzed 198 patients, 156 with rENE and 42 without rENE. rENE presented more frequently in patients with initial ENE+ (OR = 3.17, p = 0.04), prior RT+ (OR = 2.96, p = 0.02), initial N2/N3 (OR = 2.76, p = 0.01), and recurrent LN size >1.5 cm (OR = 2.33, p = 0.03). The extent of rENE were also significantly different in these patients. The 2-year disease-free survival for patients with and without rENE were 15.7% and 31.7%, respectively (p = 0.002). The 2-year overall survival for patients with and without rENE were 19.6% and 43.9%, respectively (p = 0.004). For patients without rENE, those received salvage ND had better survival outcome (p < 0.001). By contrast, for patients with rENE, those received salvage RT/CCRT had better survival outcome (p < 0.001). The rENE is frequently present (78.79%) in OSCC patients with isolated nodal recurrence. Individualized treatment modalities based on the presence of rENE should be recommended to achieve better salvage outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: Diagnosis of vertical root fractures (VRFs) can often be challenging due to the similarity of signs and symptoms with other common dental infectious diseases. This study was aimed at evaluating the potential relationship between VRFs and commonly used clinical diagnostic factors.Methods: 330 root-filled teeth with endodontic failures were subjected to endodontic microsurgery over a six-year period. VRFs were identified in 61 teeth. A randomly age- and sex-matched retrospective case-control study was conducted on a subset of 59 root-filled teeth with VRFs (cases) and 177 root-filled teeth without VRFs (controls). The strength of association between preoperative signs and radiographic findings and VRFs was evaluated using logistic regression model.Results: Sinus tract, periodontal pocket depth ≥5 mm, periodontal swelling or abscess, and radiological image of J-shaped or "halo" radiolucency were significantly more frequent in cases than in controls (p < 0.05). With regard to logistic regression analysis, J-shaped or "halo" radiolucency demonstrated the greatest association with VRF, followed by periodontal pocket depth ≥5 mm, sinus tract, and periodontal swelling or abscess. Approximately 70% of cases manifested themselves as combinations of at least two of these factors. Teeth having two and three or four of these factors had 3.14 times and 11.64 times higher risks for the presentations of VRFs, respectively (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The major risk for VRFs was represented by those presenting radiological image of J-shaped or "halo" radiolucency, periodontal pocket depth ≥5 mm, sinus tract, and periodontal swelling or abscess simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired, or non-hereditary, chronic demyelinating neuropathy. Currently, there is no reliable molecular biomarker that can identify CIDP patients as well as monitor disease severity. Material and methods We measured serum levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a factors involved in vasoconstrictive, inflammatory and nerve regenerative processes, in 20 CIDP, 21 acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), 37 multiple sclerosis (MS), and 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, as well as 26 healthy control (HC) subjects. Results Patients with CIDP demonstrated higher serum levels of ET-1 (2.07 ± 1.07 pg/mL) than those with AIDP (0.75 ± 0.62 ng/mL, P < 0.001), AD (0.78 ± 0.49 pg/mL, P < 0.001), as well as HCs (1.16 ± 0.63 pg/mL, P = 0.002), while levels of ET-1 in patients with MS (2.10 ± 0.81 pg/mL) and CIDP were similar. Furthermore, the serum ET-1 levels significantly correlated with Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause And Treatment (INCAT) disability scale in CIDP patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed good discrimination ability for ET-1 to distinguish CIDP patients from AIDP (AUC = 0.883) or HCs (AUC = 0.763). Conclusion This study discloses the potential of serum ET-1 as a biomarker for CIDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deep neural networks to detect Interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in temporal lobe epilepsy. • Detection models on the basis of convolutional neural network and long short-term memory network. • IED detection across electroencephalograms of interest. Although interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) are a biomarker of epilepsy on electroencephalograms (EEGs), the manual annotation of IEDs is laborious. Thus, several IED detection methods have been proposed. However, the majority of these methods focus on single or whole cerebral channels. In this study, we examined the effect of channel selection and epoch length on the IED detection of temporal-lobe epilepsy (TLE). We identified two types of deep neural networks for IED detection: convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. We evaluated their performance using the F1-score, a global index of the sensitivity of IED detection, and the proportion of correctly detected IEDs based on scalp EEGs collected from 20 individuals with TLE. We then discovered that selecting EEGs from the affected temporal lobe or hemisphere was associated with a higher F1-score compared with selecting whole cerebral EEGs. In addition, we discovered that selecting a long EEG epoch (3 s) in the CNN model and selecting a short epoch (1.5 s) in the CNN + LSTM model resulted in the highest F1-score. In conclusion, deep neural networks are effective in detecting the TLE IEDs underlying an adequate epoch length when applied to EEGs of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo-fiber-reinforced polymers have gained popularity in numerous industries because of their mechanical properties, lightweight, and ecological benefits. In this study, to determine the effects of textile structure on the impact resistance performance of bamboo-textile-reinforced polymers (BTRPs), we evaluated three impact modes: simple support beam (SSB), drop weight, and Charpy impact. We then used 3D X-ray scanning to determine the effects of the textile structure and impact modes on the microscopic fracture and crack development. The results indicated that the woven structure allowed for energy transmission in all directions during the drop weight impact test. During the SSB impact test, the large quantity of bamboo tows parallel to the major axis of the specimen increased the absorbed energy. When additional layers were added in the loading direction, the deflection of the entire specimen decreased, thus leading to lower absorbed energy. According to 3D X-ray images and quasi-static bending fracture results, similar fracture patterns appeared on dynamic and static loaded specimens. Consequently, the energy required for internal fracture and the strain energy of deflection are the two significant reasons that enable the excellent impact resistance performance of BTRPs. • Three impact modes include simple support beam, drop weight, and Charpy were conducted. • Effects of woven structure factors on impact strength, absorbed energy and fractography were determined. • 3D Xray technique was used to identify fracture modes and fracture pattern. • The impact energy absorbed is nearly equal to the sum of the energy required for fracturing, crack propagation and the work done by deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a recurrent perturbation fuzzy neural network (RPFNN) is used to online approximate an unknown nonlinear term in the system dynamics. A sine–cosine perturbed membership function is used to handle rule uncertainties when it is hard to exactly determine the grade of the value of fuzzy sets. Unlike type-2 fuzzy sets use an extra type reduction operation to find the output, the proposed RPFNN does not require heavy computational loading. Meanwhile, this paper proposes an intelligent dynamic sliding-mode neural control (IDSNC) system which is composed of a neural controller and an exponential compensator. The neural controller is designed as the main controller via dynamic sliding-mode approach, and the exponential compensator is designed to obtain a faster reaching time and a good robustness. The parameter adaptation laws of the IDSNC system are derived based on the Lyapunov function, so that the system stability can be guaranteed. Finally, the IDSNC system is applied to an inverted pendulum problem and a chaotic synchronization problem. The simulation results demonstrate that the IDSNC system can achieve favorable control performance and is robust against parameter variations and external disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seasonal patterns of zooplankton succession have been explained by physical factors such as temperature and precipitation. While the influence of biological factors, such as food availability and composition, has been recognized in theory and studies in some temperate lakes, how food availability and composition affect the seasonal succession of zooplankton communities, especially in tropical/subtropical lakes, is still unclear and under debate. In this study, we applied multivariate analyses to a 3-year time series of physicochemical factors, various food sources (primary and bacterial production), and phytoplankton and zooplankton species composition in a subtropical reservoir in Taiwan. Our results demonstrated that (i) in addition to physical factors, seasonal variation of food availability partly explains zooplankton seasonal succession. In particular, inter-annual variation of food availability proved more important than physical factors in determining the inter-annual variation in zooplankton populations. Specifically, limited food supply amplifies the amplitude of seasonal variation of zooplankton community biomass and composition; (ii) the association between zooplankton and phytoplankton was stronger when regarding their species composition than when regarding their biomass, implying a strong interaction between zooplankton and phytoplankton at the community level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Studies have documented that the perceived self-efficacy of attempts to engage in safer behavior is critical for the prevention of blood-borne diseases, including hepatitis C and HIV. The aim of this study was to examine gender differences in the perceived self-efficacy of safer HIV-related behavior among heroin and amphetamine abusers. Of the eligible participants from Taiwan prisons, 1622 polydrug users voluntarily agreed to complete a questionnaire regarding HIV risks. Participants had to be polydrug abusers (amphetamines and heroin), 18 years or older, sexually experienced, and literate. The questionnaire addressed background information, drug abuse, sexual behavior, and perceived self-efficacy in drug- and sex-related HIV risk situations. Twenty-four percent of respondents were HIV positive. Compared to men, women started illicit drug use at a younger age and were less likely to share syringes. Women also tended to have their first sexual coitus at an older age and were less likely to use a condom in their last sexual encounter. Men were more likely to have multiple sexual partners in the past 6 months. Results from a multinomial logistic regression indicate that gender, age, their interaction, age of first sexual encounter, HIV knowledge, condom use at last sexual encounter, and multiple sexual partners were associated with perceived self-efficacy of condom use. Results also show that gender, HIV serostatus, HIV knowledge, condom use at last sexual encounter, and sharing needles at last injection were associated with perceived self-efficacy in not sharing needles. The findings provide evidence for gender differences among polydrug abusers in Taiwan regarding perceived self-efficacy in adopting HIV prevention practices. Findings also provide evidence that knowledge about HIV transmission is related to perceived self-efficacy in promoting safe behavior. To raise polydrug abusers'' perceived self-efficacy, gender and HIV/AIDS education must be taken into consideration in counseling and/or public health education related to HIV prevention for drug abusers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: gem-Difluoromethylene substituted molecules constitute a distinct class of fluorinated compounds. In this study, special chemistry has been developed for their preparation based on the highly selective terminal hydroxylation of these gem-difluorinated octanes by AlkB (alkane hydroxylase) from Pseudomonas putida Gpo1 to form gem-difluorinated octan-1-ols. The hydroxylation reaction is performed by whole-cell catalysis. Identification of the distal- and proximal-hydroxylation products was made by 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR; GC and GC/MSD; and/or by comparison with authentic standards in GC. To the best of our knowledge, we have obtained the first synthesis of 2,2-, 3,3- and 4,4-difluorooctan-1-ols, from simple and inexpensive starting materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Objectives: An ideal material has yet to be discovered that can completely treat dentin hypersensitivity. However, if a highly biocompatible material such as bioglass, could be melted by laser irradiation to achieve better sealing depth for dentinal tubules, it may subsequently bond to dentin structures under a physiological environment and offer a prolonged therapeutic effect. Methods: The authors used four types of energy parameters to melt the composition-modified bioglass. These four types were 30Hz, 330mJ/pulse (G+ mode), 30Hz, 160mJ/pulse (G− mode), 10Hz, 400mJ/pulse (D+ mode), and 10Hz, 200mJ/pulse (D− mode). The temperature elevation, occlusive depth of bioglass, and phase changes in the bioglass after laser irradiation were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermometer, and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Results: The occlusive depths of 2 and 10μm in the dentinal tubules were achieved when the bioglass underwent 30Hz, 160mJ/pulse (G− mode) and 30Hz, 330mJ/pulse (G+ mode) of laser treatments, respectively. The bioglass experienced a temperature increase of less than 600°C, and no phase transformation was observed after Nd:YAP laser irradiation. Significance: The melting point of a composition-modified bioglass could be reduced and its use plus Nd:YAP laser have the potential in clinical use to treat dentin hypersensitivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • For early OSCC, MDR < 0.5 is an independent factor for disease-free survival. • Without adjuvant RT, clear or close margins (MDR ≥ 0.5) yield similar survival rates. • Without adjuvant RT, MDR < 0.5 correlates with increased local/regional recurrence risks. • MDR ≥ 0.5 can be used as the parameter to an oncologic safe margin. In early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients, whether the margin-to-depth-of-invasion ratio (MDR) can assist in stratifying the prognosis remains unclear. Patients diagnosed with early stage OSCC at National Taiwan University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2021 were reviewed. Patients with margin > 1 mm were classified into two groups: MDR < 0.5 and MDR ≥ 0.5. We analyzed 911 pT1-2N0M0 OSCC patients, 723 (79.36 %) with MDR ≥ 0.5 and 188 (20.64 %) with MDR < 0.5. Patients in the MDR < 0.5 group displayed a significantly higher local recurrence rate (odds ratio 2.81, p = 0.002) compared with MDR ≥ 0.5 group. The 5-year disease-free survival were 80.8 % for clear margin, 76.3 % for close margin (MDR ≥ 0.5), and 65.2 % for close margin (MDR < 0.5). The overall survival displayed a similar pattern, with 5-year rates of 88.3 % for clear margin, 86.8 % for close margin (MDR ≥ 0.5), and 75.0 % for close margin (MDR < 0.5). There were no significant overall survival differences between the two MDR ≥ 0.5 groups, but both were significantly superior to patients with MDR < 0.5 (p = 0.001; p = 0.01). After multivariant cox analysis, MDR < 0.5 was a significant risk factor for disease-free survival (p < 0.001). For early stage OSCC patients without positive margin (≦1mm), the survival outcome between MDR ≥ 0.5 group and MDR < 0.5 group was significantly different. The MDR < 0.5 group had significantly higher risk of local recurrence that may warrant adjuvant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, BaTi 0.65 Zr 0.35 O 3 -2 mol% MgO ceramics with various amounts of Gd 2 O 3 and SiO 2 additives were prepared via a solid-state reaction method. The densification temperature of the BaTi 0.65 Zr 0.35 O 3 -2 mol%, MgO-2 mol%, and SiO 2 ceramic was 1275 °C, with the addition of less than 2.0 mol% Gd 2 O 3. The Gd3+ ions preferentially replaced the A-site ions. The densification temperature was reduced to 1225 °C, and the grain size of the ceramics was grown significantly up to 2.96 μm for 2 mol% Gd 2 O 3 , in addition to the formation of a trace amount of Ba 2 GdZrO 5.5. There was a significant decline in the value of tanδ, and the electrical resistivity was increased by almost an order of magnitude due to the decrease in the V O • • concentration and the larger grain size. When the Gd 2 O 3 content exceeded 2 mol%, the Gd3+ ions entered the B-site positions. For 5 mol% Gd 2 O 3 , the densification temperature is increased to over 1350 °C, the grain size reduced to 0.84 μm, and the value of tanδ is increased and the electrical resistivity is decreased as a result of the increasing V O • • concentration. The temperature coefficient of capacitance curves shows a nearly linear relationship between temperature and negative temperature coefficient and rotate counter-clockwise with an increase in Gd 2 O 3 and SiO 2 content. The BaTi 0.65 Zr 0.35 O 3 -2 mol% MgO-2 mol% SiO 2 ceramics had a dielectric constant of 871 at room temperature, which decreased to 417 for 5 mol% Gd 2 O 3. The dielectric constant of the BaTi 0.65 Zr 0.35 O 3 -2 mol% MgO ceramics, with and without the 2 mol% SiO 2 additive, steadily declined by 10.2% at a bias field of 2.5 KV/mm. The magnitude of change in the dielectric constant has reduced significantly to 1.33% for the 5 mol% Gd 2 O 3 additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited hippocampal radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) for patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy was associated with good short-term seizure control and few complications. We aimed to demonstrate the neuropsychologic outcomes and assess the prognostic factors of long-term seizure control in these patients. We included all patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent limited hippocampal RFTC from January 2016 to December 2020. Clinical data of age, sex, seizure control before and after operation were all corrected. Pre- and postoperative neuropsychologic function including full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ), memory quotient, and the Mini-Mental State Examination was used. Thirty-one patients (17 female and 14 male) with a mean epilepsy duration of 22.3 years and seizure frequency of 5.7 times per month were included. The intraoperative seizure rate was 19.3%, and a higher preoperative seizure frequency (P = 0.001) and longer duration of epilepsy (P = 0.042) were associated with the occurrence of intraoperative seizures. The postoperative FSIQ scores were significantly better than preoperative scores (mean 92.1 vs. 89.7, P = 0.014). Nine patients (29%) who underwent limited hippocampal RFTC were seizure-free at 1 year of follow-up. Responders represented 58% (n = 18) of patients at 1 year. The mean follow-up period was 34.7 ± 13.3 months. Five patients remained seizure free and 13 patients are still responders at the last follow-up visits. Long-term seizure frequency was 2.32 ± 2.86 times per month. Limited hippocampal RFTC is a safe stereotactic minimal invasive procedure with good neuropsychologic outcome and acceptable efficacy of seizure reduction in appropriately selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: α-Galactosyl ceramide is synthesized from d-lyxose in 32% overall yield in five steps. The short and efficient protocol involves a one-pot protection and glycosidation of d-lyxose with d-galactosyl iodide as a key step. The α-linked disaccharide obtained was subsequently transformed into α-galactosyl ceramide in four steps involving Z-selective Wittig olefination at C-1, stereo-inversion at C-4 using azide, one-pot reduction of azide and amidation, and global deprotection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a severe liver disease that often leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Current therapy is inadequate to conquer this viral disease. In this study, we identified parthenolide (1), an active component in feverfew, a popular remedy for fever and migraine, as a lead compound with an EC50 value of 2.21μM against HCV replication in a subgenomic RNA replicon assay system. Parthenolide is able to potentiate the interferon α-exerted anti-HCV effect. Several commercially available sesquiterpene lactones (2–5) structurally analogous to parthenolide and a series of synthesized Michael-type adducts of parthenolide (12–18) also exhibit micromolar concentrations for anti-HCV activities. Structure–activity relationship was elucidated to reveal that the spatial arrangement of the terpenoid skeleton fused with an α-methylene-γ-lactone moiety produces maximal anti-HCV activity. In addition, a strong anti-HCV potency indicates a possibility of secondary amino adducts (12–18) converting back to parthenolide or being replaced by the nucleophilic residues of proteins inside cells. This work shows that screening of natural products is a viable and fast way for identifying novel molecular diversity as potential drug leads. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an inflammatory molecule of the dental pulp. IL-1β stimulates cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandins production of pulp cells and affects the pulpal inflammation and repair. However, the effects of IL-1β on Monocyte Chemotactic Factor-1 (MCP-1) of dental pulp cells and its relation to transforming growth factor β-activated kinase-1 (TAK1), PI3K/Akt, and MEK/ERK signaling and COX activation are not fully clear. Design Human dental pulp cells were exposed to IL-1β with/without pretreatment and co-incubation by aspirin (a COX inhibitor), 5z-7-oxozeaenol (a TAK1 inhibitor), LY294002 (a PI3K/Akt inhibitor) or U0126 (a MEK/ERK inhibitor). Viable cell number was evaluated by MTT assay. MCP-1 mRNA expression was tested by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MCP-1 and COX-2 protein expression was studied by western blot. MCP-1 in the culture medium was measure by ELISA. Results IL-1β showed little cytotoxicity to pulp cells. It stimulated MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression and MCP-1 secretion. Aspirin, U0126, LY294002 and 5z-7-oxozeaenol attenuated the IL-1β-induced MCP-1 expression. In addition, 5z-7-oxozeaenol, LY294002, U0126 and aspirin prevented the IL-1β-induced MCP-1 secretion of pulp cells. Conclusion These results indicate that IL-1β may be involved in the pulpal inflammatory and healing processes by inducing MCP-1 expression and secretion. These events are related to differential activation of TAK1, PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK 1/2 signaling and COX activation. These results are important for future pharmacologic intervention of pulpal inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the craniofacial morphology in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) using nonradiation and readily accessible photogrammetry technique. Included children aged 3–18 years with SDB-related symptoms from April 2019 to February 2020 in a tertiary center. All participants underwent craniofacial photogrammetry and overnight polysomnography (PSG). Participants were stratified into 2 groups (obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] group: apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 1 and non-OSA group: AHI <1). Craniofacial photogrammetry was performed to derive variables of craniofacial features in standardized frontal and profile views. The 2 groups were propensity score matched based on age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) percentiles. Associations between craniofacial feature variables and OSA (AHI ≥1) likelihood were examined using logistic regression test. intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the intrarater and interrater reliability. In total, 58 children were enrolled for the analysis after matching. All 3 variables representing the mandibular plane angle in the profile view were increased in the OSA group (mego-tn: 34.85 ± 5.99 vs 31.65 ± 5.96°, odds ratio [OR]: 1.10, 95% CI:1.02 to 1.18, P =.01; tn-gogn: 28.65 ± 6.38 vs 25.91 ± 5.38°, OR: 1.08, 95% CI:1.02 to 1.15, P =.012; and gome-tsup: 26.71 ± 6.13 vs 22.20 ± 5.89°, OR: 1.13, 95% CI:1.04 to 1.23, P =.003). Craniofacial photogrammetry revealed increased mandibular inclination in children with OSA. A steep mandibular plane with craniofacial photogrammetry is considered a potential predictor of pediatric OSA. Further investigation with a large sample size is required to clarify the validity of photogrammetry in evaluating pediatric OSA. • OSA children present significantly increased mandibular plane angle through photogrammetry. • A steep mandibular plane is considered a characteristic craniofacial morphology in OSA children. • Profile view is easier than frontal view to manifest craniofacial characteristics. • Craniofacial photogrammetry is a novel technique that is easily accessible and radiation free. • For screening of pediatric SDB, craniofacial photogrammetry might be a potential tool readily accessible for clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Nintedanib, a triple angiokinase inhibitor, is currently being evaluated against advanced HCC in phase I/II clinical trials. Here, we report the underlying molecular mechanism by which nintedanib (BIBF-1120) induces an anti-HCC effect. Methods: To further elucidate whether the effect of nintedanib on SHP-1 is dependent on its angiokinase inhibition activity, we developed a novel kinase-independent derivative of nintedanib, ΔN. HCC cell lines were treated with nintedanib or its derivative (ΔN) and apoptosis, signal transduction, and phosphatase activity were analyzed. Purified SHP-1 proteins or HCC cells expressing deletion N-SH2 domain or D61A point mutants were used to investigate the potential effect of nintedanib on SHP-1. In vivo efficacy was determined in nude mice with HCC subcutaneous xenografts (n⩾8 mice). Results: Nintedanib induced anti-proliferation in HCC cell lines by targeting STAT3. Ectopic STAT3 abolished nintedanib-mediated apoptosis in HCC cells. Nintedanib further activated SHP-1 in purified SHP-1 proteins suggesting that nintedanib directly affects SHP-1 for STAT3 inhibition. HCC cells or recombinant SHP-1 proteins expressing deletion of N-SH2 domain or D61A mutants restored the activity of nintedanib suggesting that the auto-inhibition structure of SHP-1 was relieved by nintedanib. Although ΔN only retained the backbone of nintedanib without kinase activity, ΔN still induced substantial anti-HCC activity in vitro and in vivo by targeting STAT3. Conclusions: Nintedanib induced significant anti-HCC activity independent of angiokinase inhibition activity in a preclinical HCC model by relieving autoinhibition of SHP-1. Our findings provide new mechanistic insight into the inhibition of HCC growth by nintedanib. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The control over the regio- and/or stereo-selective aliphatic C H oxidation by metalloenzymes is of great interest to scientists. Typically, these enzymes invoke host–guest chemistry to sequester the substrates within the protein pockets, exploiting sizes, shapes and specific interactions such as hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic forces and/or van der Waals interactions to control the substrate specificity, regio-specificity and stereo-selectivity. Over the years, we have developed a series of deuterated and fluorinated variants of these hydrocarbon substrates as probes to gain insights into the controlled C H oxidations of hydrocarbons facilitated by these enzymes. In this review, we illustrate the application of these designed probes in the study of three monooxygenases: (i) the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath), which oxidizes straight-chain C1–C5 alkanes and alkenes to form their corresponding 2-alcohols and epoxides, respectively; (ii) the recombinant alkane hydroxylase (AlkB) from Pseudomonas putida GPo1, which oxidizes the primary C H bonds of C5–C12 linear alkanes; and (iii) the recombinant cytochrome P450 from Bacillus megaterium, which oxidizes C12–C20 fatty acids at the ω-1, ω-2 or ω-3 CH positions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A highly enantioselective addition of trimethylsilylcyanide to aldehydes catalyzed by chiral titanium complexes is described. The chiral titanium complexes were prepared in situ from Ti(OiPr)4 and β-hydroxyamide ligands, that could easily be synthesized from ketopinic acid and C2 symmetrical chiral diamines in a small number of steps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Compounds 1–5, structurally related to combretastatin A-4 showed excellent cytotoxic activities against a panel of human cancer cell lines including multi-drug resistant cell lines. The X-ray three-dimensional structural analysis shows that proton donor in B ring may be required for cytotoxic activity, with intermolecular hydrogen bonding playing an important role. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With excellent mechanical and physical properties, polyimides (PIs) possess diverse applications in different fields. PI-based materials can also be converted to carbon materials by high temperature carbonization processes. The fabrication and properties of PI-based nanomaterials and corresponding carbon nanomaterials, however, have been less investigated, especially the packing behaviors of the polymer chains. In this work, we study the fabrication and characterization of PI nanostructures using the solution wetting (SW) method and the solvent-annealing-induced nanowetting in templates (SAINT) method. Poly(amic acid) (PAA) tubes are first prepared using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. After thermal imidization and carbonization processes, PI and carbon tubes can be obtained, respectively. Bamboo-like structures are also observed in the tubes, which can be attributed to the Marangoni effect induced by the gradient of the surface tensions during the solvent evaporation process. Moreover, the laser Raman micro-spectroscopy results show that the packing behaviors of the polymer chains in the nanostructures prepared by the SAINT method are better than those prepared by the SW method, indicating that the solvent annealing process can improve the chain packing while assisting the infiltration of polymer chains in the nanopores. Image 1 • PI nanostructures are fabricated using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) tempaltes. • After thermal imidization and carbonization processes of PAA nanotubes, PI and carbon nanotubes can be obtained. • Bamboo-like structures are also observed in the nanotubes, which can be attributed to the Marangoni effect. • The laser Raman micro-spectroscopy results show that the packing behaviors of the polymer chains in the nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Surgical interventions are often used for freedom from seizure in patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. A patient with seizure foci in the left mesiotemporal region underwent limited-size stereotactic radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) over the left hippocampus. Case Description A 37-year-old woman with febrile convulsion in her childhood was admitted to our neurologic department with complex partial seizure with secondary generalization. Electroencephalography showed epileptogenic focus mainly from the left mesiotemporal region, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a left hippocampal atrophy. Because of failure to control seizure after use of several antiepileptic drugs, drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy was diagnosed. RF-TC was done in the left hippocampus. Unique features of our technique include intraoperative electroencephalography recordings directly from electrodes on the left hippocampus, an aura sensation provoked during the low-temperature test thermocoagulation, and therapeutic thermocoagulation performed via a Radionics radiofrequency lead. In the 16-week period following the surgery, the patient experienced no seizure attacks and no significant postoperative adverse effects or memory impairments. Compared with other reports using RF-TC, our case demonstrates a 1-step minimally invasive surgery that reduces hippocampal volume loss, shortens the length of hospital stay, decreases the occurrence of postoperative infection, and achieves good outcomes for epilepsy control. Conclusions Favorable seizure control was achieved with minimally invasive RF-TC. Further use of this technique is warranted in cases of drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]