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Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the cornerstone intervention for cardiac arrest, with extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) demonstrating enhanced survival and neurologic outcomes in in‐hospital cardiac arrest. This study explores the time interval between CPR initiation and the onset of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in ECPR recipients, investigating its impact on survival outcomes. Methods: This retrospective analysis included 1950 adults who received CPR at a single medical center between March 2019 and April 2023. Data from 198 adult patients who had ECMO inserted during CPR were analyzed. The interval from CPR initiation to ECMO initiation was quantified and categorized as ≤20, 20–40, and >40 min. Cox regression analysis assessed associations between CPR‐to‐ECMO time and short‐ and long‐term mortalities. Results: Among the 198 patients who underwent ECPR, 116 (58.6%) experienced 30‐day mortality. Initiation of ECMO within 20 min occurred in 46 (23.2%), whereas 74 (37.4%) had ECMO initiated after 40 min. Cox regression revealed a significant association between time from CPR to ECMO initiation and 30‐day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.20 in >40 min, HR: 2.63 in 20–40 min, p = 0.006) and 6‐month mortality (HR: 1.81, in >40 min, HR: 1.99 in 20–40 min, p = 0.021). Conclusions: This study revealed that, in ECPR recipients, a shorter duration between CPR initiation and ECMO flow commencement is associated with improved short‐ and long‐term patient prognoses. These findings emphasize the critical role of timely ECMO application in optimizing outcomes for patients undergoing ECPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight structural materials are commonly used as effective fillers for advanced composites with high toughness. This study focused on enhancing the toughness of direct‐spun carbon nanotube yarns (CNTYs) by controlling the micro‐textural structure using a water‐gap‐based direct spinning. Drawing inspiration from the structural features of natural spider silk fibroin, characterized by an α‐helix in the amorphous region and β‐sheet in the crystalline region, multiscale bundles within CNTYs are reorganized into a unique nano‐coil‐like structure. This nano‐coiled structure facilitated the efficient dissipation of external mechanical loads through densification with the rearrangement of multiscale bundles, improving specific strength and strain. The resulting CNTYs exhibited exceptional mechanical properties with toughness reaching 250 J g−1, making them promising alternatives to commercially available fibers in lightweight, high‐toughness applications. These findings highlight the significance of nano‐coiling engineering for emulating bio‐inspired micro‐textural structures, achieving remarkable enhancement in the toughness of CNTYs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Increased protein phosphatase magnesium‐dependent 1A (PPM1A) levels in patients with ankylosing spondylitis regulate osteoblast differentiation in bony ankylosis; however, the potential mechanisms that regulate osteoclast differentiation in relation to abnormal bone formation remain unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship of PPM1A to osteoclast differentiation by generating conditional gene‐knockout (PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre) mice and evaluating their bone phenotype. Methods: The bone phenotypes of LysM‐Cre mice (n = 6) and PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice (n = 6) were assessed by micro–computed tomography. Osteoclast differentiation was induced by culturing bone marrow–derived macrophages in the presence of RANKL and macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), and was evaluated by counting tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase–positive multinucleated cells. Levels of messenger RNA for PPM1A,RANK, and osteoclast‐specific genes were examined by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and protein levels were determined by Western blotting. Surface RANK expression was analyzed by fluorescence flow cytometry. Results: The PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice displayed reduced bone mass (P < 0.001) and increased osteoclast differentiation (P < 0.001) and osteoclast‐specific gene expression (P < 0.05) compared with their LysM‐Cre littermates. Mechanistically, reduced PPM1A function in osteoclast precursors in PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice induced osteoclast lineage commitment by up‐regulating RANK expression (P < 0.01) via p38 MAPK activation in response to M‐CSF. PPM1A expression in macrophages was decreased by Toll‐like receptor 4 activation (P < 0.05). The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score was negatively correlated with the expression of PPM1A in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) (γ = −0.7072, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The loss of PPM1A function in osteoclast precursors driven by inflammatory signals contributes to osteoclast lineage commitment and differentiation by elevating RANK expression, reflecting a potential role of PPM1A in dynamic bone metabolism in axial SpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In response to the demand for flexible and sustainable energy storage devices that exhibit high electrochemical performance, a supercapacitor system is fabricated using mulberry tree‐derived paper as a substrate and Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and carbon black as the active material. The mulberry paper‐based supercapacitor system demonstrates high energy density of 29.8–39.8 Wh kg−1 and power density of 2.8–13.9 kW kg−1 with 90.7% retention of its initial capacity over 15 000 charge–discharge cycles. In addition, the mulberry tree fibers are known to have superior mechanical strength and toughness and the mulberry paper‐based supercapacitor; as a result, exhibit high mechanical and chemical toughness; 99% of its initial capacity is retained after 100 repeated applications of bending strains, and twisting. 94% capacity retention is observed even after exposure to HCl and H2SO4 acid solutions. The fabrication methodology of the mulberry‐based supercapacitor is highly scalable and could be stacked to increase the energy storage capacity, where operation of light‐emitting diode lights with a drive voltage of 12 V integrated in a wearable device is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Beclin-1 plays a critical role in autophagy; however, it also contributes to other biological processes in a non-autophagic manner. Although studies have examined the non-autophagic role of autophagy proteins in the secretory function of osteoclasts (OC), the role of Beclin-1 is unclear. Here, we examined the role of Beclin-1 in OC differentiation, and found that mouse bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) showed increased expression of Beclin-1 upon RANKL stimulation in a p38- and NF-kappa B-dependent manner. During OC differentiation, Beclin-1 localized to the mitochondria, where it was involved in the production of mitochondrial intracellular reactive oxygen species. Knockdown of Beclin-1 in RANKL-primed BMMs led to a significant reduction in RANKL-dependent osteoclastogenesis, which was accompanied by reduced NFATc1 induction. Furthermore, knockdown of Beclin-1 inhibited RANKL-mediated activation of JNK and p38, both of which act downstream of reactive oxygen species, resulting in the suppression of NFATc1 induction. Finally, overexpression of constitutively active NFATc1 rescued the phenotype induced by Beclin-1 knockdown, indicating that Beclin-1 mediates RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by regulating NFATc1 expression. These findings show that Beclin-1 plays a non-autophagic role in RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species and NFATc1. J. Cell. Physiol. 229: 1963-1971, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentraxin-3 (PTX3), also known as tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 14 (TSG-14), is produced by immune and vascular cells in response to pro-inflammatory signals and is therefore a multipotent inflammatory mediator. The present study showed that during human osteoblast (OB) differentiation, precursor OBs (pOBs), but not mature OB, highly expressed PTX3. TNFα treatment elevated the PTX3 expression of pOBs. When mice were injected with lipopolysaccharide, which induces an inflammatory osteolytic condition characterized by trabecular bone destruction and high osteoclastogenesis, their bone marrow cells expressed elevated levels of PTX3 protein. Exogenous PTX3 did not directly affect osteoclast (OC) or OB differentiation. However, when pOBs and precursor OCs were co-cultured, exogenous PTX3 significantly increased the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells (i.e., OC cells) by increasing the pOB mRNA expression and protein secretion of RANK ligand (RANKL). This was accompanied with increased Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) expression in the pOBs. Knock-down of endogenous PTX3 with small-interfering RNA did not change the osteogenic potential of pOBs but suppressed their production of RANKL and reduced osteoclastogenesis. Finally, TNFα treatment of the co-culture elevated PTX3 expression by the pOBs and increased OC formation. This effect was suppressed by PTX3 knock-down by decreasing RANKL expression. Thus, the PTX3-driven increase in the osteoclastogenic potential of pOBs appears to be mediated by the effect of PTX3 on pOB RANKL production. These findings suggest that PTX3 is an inflammatory mediator that contributes to the deteriorating osteolytic condition of inflamed bone. J. Cell. Physiol. 229: 1744-1752, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of ERK5 in cellular invasion of osteosarcoma (OS). The human OS cell line (MG63, SaOS, and U2OS) and primary OS cells were used for the study. The expression of ERK5 and MMP-9 in each cell was examined by western blot or RT-PCR. To evaluate the biological role of ERK5, proliferation assay (MTT) and invasion assay (BD Matrigel™) were performed after silencing ERK5 using siRNA. MMPs expressions were analyzed using RT-PCR and zymography after silencing ERK5. ERK5 was distinctly overexpressed in U2OS and primary OS cell. Both of them also expressed MMP-9, which was not shown in MG63 and SaOS in RT-PCR. ERK5 silencing did not suppress the proliferation of OS cells. However, ERK5 silencing significantly reduced the number of invading cells in invasion assay. The expression of MMP-9 was specifically reduced after silencing ERK5. The zymography showed that the enzyme activity of MMP-9 was also reduced after ERK5 suppression. The expression of ERK5 regulates the invasion of OS cells by inducing MMP-9 expression. Therefore, ERK5 may be a new therapeutic target in invasive OS expressing MMP-9. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1040-1044, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Gradient HPLC coupled to Diode Array Detector (DAD), MS/MS and NMR was applied to the rapid structure determination of major compounds of methanol extracts from leaves and roots of Petasites japonicus. The relative antioxidant capacities of the compounds were evaluated by an HPLC system with post-column on-line antioxidant detection based on 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging. Six compounds were successfully separated on a reverse-phase C18 column and were identified as 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), fukinolic acid (FA), 3,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA), quercetin-3- O-(6″-acetyl)- β-glucopyranoside (QAG), 4,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acid (4,5-DCQA) and kaempferol-3- O-(6″-acetyl)- β-glucopyranoside (KAG) by MS/MS and 1H NMR data. Among these compounds, those containing a caffeoyl moiety (5-CQA, FA, 3,5- and 4,5-DCQA) showed relatively strong radical scavenging capacity, with 3,5-DCQA having the greatest radical scavenging capacity in leaf (23.09% of total antioxidant capacity) and root (26.47%) extracts. The relative radical scavenging portion of QAG was only 3.41% in the leaves and KAG did not show any radical scavenging activity. These results demonstrate that the hyphenated HPLC techniques can be successfully applied to rapidly identify structures and evaluate antioxidant activities without prior purification of compounds from plant tissues of P. japonicus. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction - Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell (Laminariaceae) is a common brown alga that inhabits around the coast of Korea, Japan and China. It contains fucoxanthin, a major carotenoid of brown algae which shows a variety of pharmaceutical functions. Objective - The aim of this investigation was the quantification and preparative isolation of fucoxanthin from fresh E. bicyclis using a new separation scheme, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). Methodology - The fucoxanthin fraction (Fuco fraction) was prepared by solvent partition method from the acetone extract of fresh E. bicyclis. Fuco fraction was used for CPC using a two-phase solvent system of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-ethanol-water (5:5:7:3, v/v/v/v). The flow rate of mobile phase was 2 mL/min with descending mode while rotating at 1000 rpm. The eluate was monitored at 410 nm. The content and structure of fucoxanthin in the CPC fraction were confirmed with HPLC, UV, APCI/MS and NMR spectra. Results - A preparative CPC yielded 20 mg of fucoxanthin (87% recovery from Fuco fraction) in a two-step separation from 516 mg of Fuco fraction containing 4.59% fucoxanthin. The purity of the isolated fucoxanthin was about 81% in the first CPC step and over 98% in the second CPC step based on the calibration curve. The isolated fucoxanthin was identified as all- trans-fucoxanthin with APCI/MS (parent ion at m/z 641 [M + H − HO]) and H, C and 2-D NMR spectra. Conclusion - High-purity fucoxanthin was successfully isolated from fresh E. bicyclis, suggesting further potential applications in the industrial use of this valuable carotenoid. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Noninvasively measured left ventricular stroke work index (LVSWI) may be an ideal indicator that can provide more relevant information about cardiac performance in severe mitral regurgitation (MR). We sought to correlate the noninvasive LVSWI with invasive measure of LVSWI and validate its clinical usefulness by comparing the noninvasive LVSWI with exercise capacity. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with severe MR who underwent cardiac catheterization and 61 patients with severe MR who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise test were evaluated for comparison of noninvasive LVSWI with invasive LVSWI via cardiac catheterization and peak exercise capacity, respectively. Results: Mean noninvasive LVSWI was 33.1 ± 9.7 g·m/m, which was in a good agreement with invasive LVSWI (34.9 ± 15.1 g·m/m, intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.72, P < 0.001). Noninvasive LVSWI (β= 0.35, P = 0.001) was independently related with peak exercise capacity. Indexed left atrial volume (β=-0.27, P = 0.042), mean blood pressure (β=-0.21, P = 0.030), age (β=-0.47, P < 0.001) estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (β=-0.21, P = 0.030) and male gender (β= 0.36, P = 0.001) were also independently associated with exercise capacity. Conclusions: Noninvasive LVSWI has a good correlation with invasively measured LVSWI and is a clinically useful parameter for evaluating true cardiac performance in patients with severe MR. (Echocardiography 2010;27:1161-1169) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction - Blueberries (genus Vaccinium) have gained worldwide focus because of the high anthocyanin content of their fruits. In contrast, the leaves of blueberry have not attracted any attention, even though they contain large quantities of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant compound. Objective - The aim of this investigation was the quantification and preparative isolation of chlorogenic acid (5-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-CQA) from blueberry leaves using a new separation scheme, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). Methodology - A water fraction containing a high concentration of 5-CQA (14.5% of dry weight extract) was obtained by defatting a crude methanol extract from blueberry leaves. CPC was applied to isolate 5-CQA from this water fraction using a two-phase solvent system of ethyl acetate-ethanol-water at a volume ratio 4:1:5 (v/v/v). The flow-rate of mobile phase was 2 mL/min with the ascending mode while rotating at 1200 rpm. The eluate was monitored at 330 nm. The structure of chlorogenic acid in the CPC fraction was confirmed with HPLC, UV, ESI/MS and NMR spectra. Results - The HPLC chromatogram showed that the fractions collected by CPC contained chlorogenic acid with 96% purity based on peak area percentage. The total amount of chlorogenic acid isolated from 0.5 g of a water fraction was 52.9 mg, corresponding to 10.6% of the water fraction. The isolated compound was identified successively as 5-CQA with MS (parent ion at m/z 355.1 [M + H]+) and 1H NMR spectra [caffeoyl moiety in the down field ( δ 6.0-8.0 ppm) and quinic acid moiety in the up field ( δ 2.0-5.5 ppm)]. Conclusion - 5-CQA was successfully isolated from blueberry leaves by the CPC method in a one-step procedure, indicating a further potential use for blueberry leaves. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted on the cultured samples of 160 healthy men and women aged 0–80 years without any skin disease. Nineteen clinical isolates of Malassezia dermatis showed positive in a catalase test and all grew in 0.5% Tween-60 and 0.1% Tween-80 added to 2% glucose/1% peptone culture medium. Round and ellipsoidal yeast cells and budding of the yeast cells were observed by microscopy, resembling Malassezia sympodialis, Malassezia furfur and Malassezia nana. The 26S rDNA polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) pattern was the same as for M. dermatis (JCM 11348), the standard strain. 26S rDNA and ITS1 sequencing were performed for exact identification, showing 99% accordance with M. dermatis (AB070361), M. dermatis (AB070356), confirming the species to be new and first to be reported in Korea. Taking a molecular biological classification approach by analyzing the 26S rDNA PCR-RFLP patterns, we have successfully isolated 19 cases of M. dermatis– the first in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antitumor effect of exo-biopolymer (EXP) produced by Ganoderma applanatum was investigated using sarcoma-180 bearing mice. EXP, when administered (10-80 mg/kg body weight: BW) intraperitoneally, significantly inhibited the growth of solid tumor and increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity. A dose of 40 mg/kg BW was found to be highly effective, as it reduced the tumor formation by 39.7%, and increased the NK cell activity of splenocytes by 51.6% compared with the control group. The complement activity of EXP was increased in accordance with an increase in concentration. The phosphatase activity of macrophages was increased by 0.7-fold (200 µg/mL) compared with the control group. This EXP contained 58.9% carbohydrate and 17.1% protein. The major sugar of EXP was composed of mannose and glucose, while the protein mainly consisted of serine, glycine and aspartic acid. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The automatic calibration software Parameter Estimation (PEST) was used in the hydrologic calibration of Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF), and the results were compared with a manual calibration assisted by the Expert System for the Calibration of HSPF (HSPEXP). In this study, multiobjective functions based on the HSPEXP model performance criteria were developed for use in PEST, which allowed for the comparison of the calibration results of the two methods. The calibrated results of both methods were compared in terms of HSPEXP model performance criteria, goodness-of-fit measures ( R2, E, and RMSE), and base flow index. The automatic calibration results satisfied most of the HSPEXP model performance criteria and performed better with respect to R2, E, RMSE, and base flow index than manual calibration results. The results of the comparison with the manual calibration suggest that the automatic method using PEST may be a suitable alternative to manual method assisted by HSPEXP for calibration of hydrologic parameters for HSPF. However, further research of the weights used in the objective functions is necessary to provide guidance when applying PEST to surface water modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐based therapy is a treatment strategy for ischemic diseases associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), MSCs of CKD patients undergo accelerated senescence, with decreased viability and proliferation upon uremic toxin exposure, inhibiting their utility as a potent stem cell source for transplantation therapy. We investigated the effects of melatonin administration in protecting against cell senescence and decreased viability induced by pathophysiological conditions near the engraftment site. MSCs harvested from CKD mouse models were treated with H2O2 to induce oxidative stress. CKD‐derived MSCs exhibited greater oxidative stress‐induced senescence than normal‐mMSCs, while melatonin protected CKD‐mMSCs from H2O2 and associated excessive senescence. The latter was mediated by PrPC‐dependent mitochondrial functional enhancement; melatonin upregulated PrPC, which bound PINK1, thus promoting mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism. In vivo, melatonin‐treated CKD‐mMSCs survived longer, with increased secretion of angiogenic cytokines in ischemic disease engraftment sites. CKD‐mMSCs are more susceptible to H2O2‐induced senescence than normal‐mMSCs, and melatonin administration protects CKD‐mMSCs from excessive senescence by upregulating PrPC and enhancing mitochondrial function. Melatonin showed favorable therapeutic effects by successfully protecting CKD‐mMSCs from related ischemic conditions, thereby enhancing angiogenesis and survival. These results elucidate the mechanism underlying senescence inhibition by melatonin in stem cell‐based therapies using mouse‐derived CKD‐mMSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A wide range of enamides is prepared from primary amides and propargyl aldehydes by a Au(I)‐catalyzed tandem amide addition and Meyer—Schuster rearrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]