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Free myo‐inositol is a bioavailable form of a cyclitol having various health‐promoting activities. The impact of cultivar and home‐cooking practice on the content of free myo‐inositol in sweet potatoes (12 cultivars grown in 2 different locations) was studied. A GC–MS/MS method following in situ trimethylsilylation was established and validated to determine free myo‐inositol. The established analytical method was sensitive, precise, and accurate. It was found that free myo‐inositol content in sweet potato varied greatly (sevenfolds) with cultivar, ranging from 377.1 to 2628.3 mg/kg dw. A cultivar Poongwon‐mi was found to be an exceptionally rich source of free myo‐inositol (2628.3 mg/kg dw). Home‐cooking practice markedly increased free myo‐inositol content (maximum 240%). Baking showed the highest impact on the increase in free myo‐inositol, followed by steaming, microwave cooking, and boiling, in decreasing order. This represents the first report of the remarkably high impact of cultivar and home‐cooking practice on the free myo‐inositol content in sweet potato. Practical Application: The free myo‐inositol content in sweet potato varied greatly with the cultivars. Poongwon‐mi contained a surprisingly high content of free myo‐inositol. Home‐cooking dramatically increased the free myo‐inositol content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is currently no method to predict tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) -induced hepatotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to propose a risk scoring system for hepatotoxicity induced within one year of TKI administration using machine learning methods. Methods: This retrospective, multi-center study analyzed individual data of patients administered different types of TKIs (crizotinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, imatinib, and lapatinib) selected in five previous studies. The odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio from univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated using a chi-squared test and logistic regression model. Machine learning methods, including five-fold cross-validated multivariate logistic regression, elastic net, and random forest were utilized to predict risk factors for the occurrence of hepatotoxicity. A risk scoring system was developed from the multivariate and machine learning analyses. Results: Data from 703 patients with grade II or higher hepatotoxicity within one year of TKI administration were evaluated. In a multivariable analysis, male and liver metastasis increased the risk of hepatotoxicity by 1.4-fold and 2.1-fold, respectively. The use of anticancer drugs increased the risk of hepatotoxicity by 6.0-fold. Patients administered H2 blockers or PPIs had a 1.5-fold increased risk of hepatotoxicity. The area under the receiver-operating curve (AUROC) values of machine learning methods ranged between 0.73-0.75. Based on multivariate and machine learning analyses, male (1 point), use of H2 blocker or PPI (1 point), presence of liver metastasis (2 points), and use of anticancer drugs (4 points) were integrated into the risk scoring system. From a training set, patients with 0, 1, 2-3, 4-7 point showed approximately 9.8%, 16.6%, 29.0% and 61.5% of risk of hepatotoxicity, respectively. The AUROC of the scoring system was 0.755 (95% CI, 0.706-0.804). Conclusion: Our scoring system may be helpful for patient assessment and clinical decisions when administering TKIs included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: How modern cardiac sparing techniques and beam delivery systems using advanced x-ray and proton beam therapy (PBT) can reduce incidental radiation exposure doses to cardiac and pulmonary organs individually or in any combination is poorly investigated. Methods: Among 15 patients with left-sided breast cancer, partial wide tangential 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) delivered in conventional fractionation (CF) or hypofractionated (HF) schedules; PBT delivered in a CF schedule; and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivered in an HF schedule, each under continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and free-breathing (FB) conditions, were examined. Target volume coverage and doses to organs-at-risk (OARs) were calculated for each technique. Outcomes were compared with one-way analysis of variance and the Bonferroni test, with p -values <0.05 considered significant. Results: Target volume coverage was within acceptable levels in all interventions, except for the internal mammary lymph node D95 (99% in PBT, 90% in VMAT-CPAP, 84% in VMAT-FB, and 74% in 3DCRT). The mean heart dose (MHD) was the lowest in PBT (<1 Gy) and VMAT-CPAP (2.2 Gy) and the highest in 3DCRT with CF/FB (7.8 Gy), respectively. The mean lung dose (MLD) was the highest in 3DCRT-CF-FB (20 Gy) and the lowest in both VMAT-HF-CPAP and PBT (approximately 5–6 Gy). VMAT-HF-CPAP and PBT delivered a comparable maximum dose to the left ascending artery (7.2 and 6.13 Gy, respectively). Conclusions: Both proton and VMAT in combination with CPAP can minimize the radiation exposure to heart and lung with optimal target coverage in regional RT for left-sided breast cancer. The clinical relevance of these differences is yet to be elucidated. Continued efforts are needed to minimize radiation exposures during RT treatment to maximize its therapeutic index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pharmacist intervention in reducing and preventing prescribing errors of investigational drugs for cancer patients. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted during two periods: a baseline period from December 2015 to June 2016 and an intervention period from July 2016 to February 2017. The investigational drug service (IDS) pharmacists performed active interventions during the intervention period. Results: Among 12,387 investigational drug orders, 395 (6.1%) prescribing errors were detected in 6477 orders at the baseline period, and 278 errors (4.7%) were detected in 5,910 orders at the intervention period. To identify factors that affect prescribing errors, three models were constructed for the multivariate analysis. Among factors affecting prescribing errors, sponsor initiated trial (SIT) was the strongest factor (AOR: 4.16, 95% CI: 3.31–5.23). Pharmacist intervention reduced prescribing errors by at least 25% in all constructed models after adjusting for confounding variables. Prescribing errors were 1.3 times higher when dealing with intravenous medications than when dealing with oral medications. There were 60% fewer prescribing errors in the blinded study than in the open study. SIT and multi-center/multi-nation studies had 4.2 and 2.4 times more frequent prescribing errors than in investigator-initiated trials (IIT) and single-center/single-nation studies, respectively. Fewer errors occurred in phase 2 and trials covering both phase 1 and phase 2 (phase 1/2) than in phase 3 trials. Conclusions: The IDS pharmacist intervention in cancer clinical trials was associated with significant reductions in prescribing errors and may lead to increased medication safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trastuzumab is a drug used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients. Due to blockage of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 signaling in cardiac myocytes, cardiotoxicity has been observed. There are many studies that investigated risk factors for trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity, but no study has been published for factors on the time to cardiotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the factors for the time to occur trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. From January 2014 to December 2015, a retrospective study was performed with breast cancer patients who were treated with trastuzumab. Associations between presence of and time to cardiotoxicity and various factors were analyzed. Based on multivariate models, it was found that baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 62.5% (AHR 5.96, 95% CI 2543-13.95) and anthracycline-based chemotherapy (AHR 7.90, 95% CI 1.05-59.71) were significant factors for time to cardiotoxicity after adjusting other confounding factors. Multivariate analysis also showed that BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 and baseline LVEF value < 62.5% increased cardiotoxicity 3.0 and 6.6 times, respectively. Our study showed that BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2, LVEF < 62.5%, and anthracycline-based chemotherapy were associated with time to trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. Thus, close monitoring of cardiac function is recommended especially for patients using the above risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a class 1A recommendation for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the reality is that the participation rate of CR in Korea is disastrously low. This study aimed to identify physical activity (PA) levels and to evaluate the preferences and barriers to exercise in patients with CVD. A total of 189 (143 males, 46 females) participants aged 19-75 years who had a history of either heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or myocardial infarction (MI) were surveyed at an outpatient clinic in a single tertiary hospital from April to June 2021. Their demographic information, domain-specific PA levels (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire), sedentary time, exercise preferences, and exercise barriers were retrieved. Data on heart disease diagnosis and medical history of comorbidities were collected from electronic medical records. The participants' average age was 62 ± 12 years, where 84.7% accounted for HFrEF and 51.3% for MI. 63% of the participants were currently exercising, where those participating in any leisure PA was 43.4%, and those meeting the guideline (≥ moderate PA 150 mins/week) based on leisure PA was 26.5%. Exercising alone (43.5%) or with family (31.4%) was preferred to exercising with friends (11.6%), an expert (6.9%), CVD patients (2.1%), and others (3.7%). Exercising outside (37.0%) or at home (29.8%) was preferred to exercising at a fitness center (10.6%) or the hospital (0.5%). The participants chose walking (66.0%), resistance exercise (35.1%), overstretching (19.0%), and dancing (7.9%). The preferred amount of exercise was ≥30 mins/day (66%), and ≥4 times/week (52.4%). The most common exercise barriers were fatigue (34.0%), low level of fitness (28.5%), and poor self-perceived health (26.4%). The current study provided the PA status of CVD patients along with exercise preferences and barriers that will serve as valuable data for establishing CR programs that better encompass the needs of participants and increase the participation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire, used as a spice in Asia, is an important source of Chinese cuisine and traditional Chinese medicines. A. tsao-ko is reported to exert a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-proliferative, anti-oxidative and neuroprotective effects. In this study, NNMBS227, consisting of the ethanol extract of A. tsao-ko, exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activities in RAW264.7 macrophages. We investigated the effect of NNMBS227 in the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators, including pro-inflammatory enzymes (inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β) in LPS stimulated macrophages. NNMBS227 also inhibited the phosphorylation and degradation of IκB-α, as well as the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 caused by stimulation with LPS. In addition, NNMBS227 induced heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression through the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in macrophages. Using tin protoporphyrin (SnPP), an HO activity inhibitor, we confirmed an association between the anti-inflammatory effects of NNMBS227 and the up-regulation of HO-1. These findings suggest that Nrf2-dependent increases in the expression of HO-1 induced by NNMBS227 conferred anti-inflammatory activities in LPS stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cu-doped Mg0.2Zn0.8O thin films were synthesized by sol–gel spin coating. We investigated the microstructural and optical characteristics of the Cu-doped Mg0.2Zn0.8O thin films. By increasing the Cu content of the source, Cu-doped Mg0.2Zn0.8O thin films were phase-separated into Cu-rich and Cu-poor areas, which could be a result of the limited Cu solubility in the Mg0.2Zn0.8O lattice. As the annealing temperature increased, the crystallinity of the Cu-doped Mg0.2Zn0.8O thin films improved. Cu doping in Mg0.2Zn0.8O thin films resulted in a decrease of both intensities for UV and visible emissions without a shift of the peak positions in the photoluminescence spectrum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Contribution of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) was well defined (Speidel et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 1997, 27, 2391-2399, Ref. 7). The native porcine thyroglobulin (pTg) showed high sensitivity to endo-Β-N-acetylglucosaminidase F (Endo F) and its molecular weights, corresponding to about 330 kDa as a monomer and 660 kDa as a dimer, were reduced to smaller molecular weight forms by Endo F and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TMSF). Deglycosylated porcine Tg (dgpTg) and native pTg were injected i.v. into CBA/J mice, without the aid of adjuvants. Both lymphocytic infiltrations of the thyroid glands and levels of Tg-specific CTL were similar to those found in conventional EAT induced by Tg and adjuvants. In contrast, proliferative responses in native pTg and dgpTg-injected mice could not be detected, and titers of antibodies to pTg and dgpTg were 20 times and 30 times lower than that of pTg and adjuvants, respectively. The EAT-inducer CTL belonged to the CD8+ cell subset and exerted their thyroiditogenic potential through release of IFN-γ. It was concluded that dgpTg-induced EAT is mediated by type 1 cytotoxic T cells (Tcl). Also, results that EAT induction of the glycosylated pTg (gpTg) was much lower than that of dgpTg, suggested that the abberant and incomplete glycosylation of the thyroglobulin is responsible for the induction of autoimmune thyroiditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that a filtration method is efficient for the fabrication of thick single-walled nanotube films and is capable of shielding terahertz waves. Shielding effectiveness can be engineered by controlling the film thickness and we achieved 38 dB for a 950-nm-thick film. In addition, we found that the films exhibit a dispersion of dielectric constant obeying the Drude free-electron model, whereas the plasma frequency decreases with increasing film thickness. Based on the nanotube films with a thickness greater than the skin depth, we fabricated grid polarizers by laser-machining process, which enable us to achieve a large polarization extinction ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the role of a patterned SiO2 current-blocking layer (CBL) on the output power in polycrystal n-type ZnO:Ga/p-Si heterojunction light emitting diodes (LEDs). The introduction of a CBL considerably improved the light extraction efficiency by about 200%, despite the increased series resistance. It suppressed the vertical current with a low extraction efficiency by opaque metals and allowed the spreading current component to be enhanced, in contrast to conventional n-ZnO/p-Si LEDs operated only a vertical current component due to the grain boundaries in the ZnO films. This result suggests that the use of CBL is profitable method in the emitter application using the film with the polycrystal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In our previous study we demonstrated that acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) points suppressed a decrease of accumbal dopamine (DA) release in ethanol-withdrawn rats. Furthermore, here we found that it inhibited behavioral withdrawal signs of ethanol. In an effort to better understand the mechanisms underlying this inhibition, the potential role of GABA receptor system in acupuncture was investigated. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with 3g/kg/day of ethanol (20%, w/v) or saline by intraperitoneal injection for 21 days. Following 48 or 72h of ethanol withdrawal, acupuncture was applied at bilateral HT7 for 1min. The selective GABAA antagonist bicuculline and the selective GABAB antagonist SCH 50911 were injected intraperitoneally 20min before acupuncture, respectively. Importantly, suppressive effects of acupuncture on DA deficiency were completely abolished by SCH 50911, but not by bicuculline, whereas ameliorating effects of acupuncture on ethanol withdrawal syndrome were completely blocked either by SCH 50911 or bicuculline. These results suggest that acupuncture at specific acupoint HT7 may normalize the DA release in the mesolimbic system and attenuate withdrawal syndrome through the GABAB receptor system in ethanol-withdrawn rats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]