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The orchid Dendrobium moniliforme faces endangerment due to habitat loss and illegal harvesting, necessitating the development of an optimized artificial propagation system to aid conservation and reintroduction efforts. This study evaluated the effects of three plant growth media, namely Murashige and Skoog (MS), Hyponex, and Orchid Maintenance Medium (OMM) (P668), and various organic additives (apple homogenate, banana homogenate, and coconut water) on the in vitro seedling growth of D. moniliforme . The results reveal that, in early postgermination stages, seedlings achieve maximum growth in the Hyponex medium, with a fresh weight (92 mg) and root length (2.7 cm) approximately 20-fold greater than those in the MS medium and OMM. After 6 months, for seedlings grown in MS medium and OMM with banana (50 g·L -1 ), the mean fresh weights were 29 and 107 mg, respectively; however, the highest biomass was observed in seedlings grown in the Hyponex medium with coconut water (50 mL·L -1 ), exhibiting a mean fresh weight of 201 mg. This study highlights Hyponex medium with coconut water as the most effective combination for promoting D. moniliforme growth and identifies suitable organic supplements for the in vitro cultivation of seedlings from asymbiotic seed culture. This propagation system offers valuable technical support for the mass production and conservation of this epiphytic orchid.

More than half of tumor patients with high PD-L1 expression do not respond to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, and the underlying mechanisms are yet to be clarified. Here we show that developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) is required for response of PD-L1-expressing tumors to anti-PD-1 therapy. DRG2 depletion enhanced IFN-γ signaling and increased the PD-L1 level in melanoma cells. However, it inhibited recycling of endosomal PD-L1 and reduced surface PD-L1 levels, which led to defects in interaction with PD-1. Anti-PD-1 did not expand effector-like T cells within DRG2-depleted tumors and failed to improve the survival of DRG2-depleted tumor-bearing mice. Cohort analysis revealed that patients bearing melanoma with low DRG2 protein levels were resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy. These findings identify DRG2 as a key regulator of recycling of endosomal PD-L1 and response to anti-PD-1 therapy and provide insights into how to increase the correlation between PD-L1 expression and response to anti-PD-1 therapy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To analyze prognostic factors associated with ureteral stent failure and to develop a prediction model for malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) in patients with non-urological cancers., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with non-urological cancers who underwent ureteral stenting or percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) for MUO between 2006 and 2014. Variables predicting stent failure were identified using Cox regression analysis., Results: Of the 743 patients, 468 (63.0%) underwent ureteral stenting only, and 275 (37.0%) underwent PCN owing to technical (n=215) or functional (n=60) stent failure. The median overall survival was 4 [interquartile range (IQR) 1-11] months, and the median interval duration to stent failure was 2 (IQR 0-7) months. In univariate analysis, lower gastrointestinal cancer, previous radiotherapy to the pelvis, bladder invasion, lower ureteral obstruction, and low previous estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<30 mL/min/1.73 m²) were significantly associated with a decreased survival rate. In multivariate analysis, bladder invasion and previous eGFR were significant predictors. With these two predictors, we divided patients into three groups based on their presence: low-risk (neither factor; n=516), intermediate-risk (one factor; n=206), and high-risk (both factors; n=21). The median stent failure-free survival rates of patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 26 (8-unreached), 1 (0-18), and 0 (0-0) months, respectively ( p <0.001)., Conclusion: In cases of ureteral obstruction caused by non-urological cancers, patients with bladder invasion and a low eGFR showed poor stent failure-free survival. Therefore, PCN should be considered the primary procedure for these patients., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2023.)

The study evaluated the effects of dietary fiber and energy levels administered during two growing periods (d 0-28 and d 29-56) for pigs exposed to a high temperature. A total of 96 growing pigs were used in six treatments as: Two treatments in thermoneutral temperature (21°C-24°C) with dietary energy of 3,300 and the inclusion of high or low fiber, two treatments in heat stress (30°C-34°C) with dietary energy of 3,300 and the inclusion of high or low fiber, and two treatments in heat stress with dietary energy of 3,450 and the inclusion of high or low fiber. Among standard energy level treatments, heat-stressed pigs showed lower average daily gain (ADG), feed intake, digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein, and crude fiber in phases 1 and 2. Moreover, higher concentrations of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) in feces were shown in pigs fed high fiber diets. There was a negative interaction between dietary fiber and energy for the fecal concentration of isobutyrate in phase 1 and valerate in phase 2. Pigs in heat stress treatments showed a higher rectal temperature, respiratory rate, hair cortisol, plasma zonulin, and fecal lipocalin-2. Among heat stress treatments, the overall ADG was increased in pigs fed high fiber. Pigs fed high dietary fiber showed a greater concentration of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total SCFA. High fiber treatments decreased plasma zonulin. In conclusion, the inclusion of beet pulp, soluble fiber, at the level of 4% looks necessary in pigs diet during heat stress., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2023 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

Background/aim: Cancer mortality has decreased due to the contribution of extensive research on cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. However, histopathologically similar tumors originating from the same organ are treated with identical or similar chemotherapeutic regimens regardless of patient characteristics or cancer subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of organoids in predicting responses to chemotherapeutic agents., Patients and Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed patient-derived organoids (PDOs) from 10 colorectal cancer patients to compare chemotherapy responses. Drug sensitivities for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan were compared using GI50 (concentration that inhibits cancer cell growth by 50%)., Results: When organoids were treated with 5-FU, GI50 was the lowest compared to the other three chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan). The responsiveness to chemotherapeutic agents differed depending on specific patient characteristics including age, tumor location, stage, and gross type. The response of the patients' organoids to chemotherapeutic agents was consistent with the response to chemotherapy actually performed in those patients with cancer recurrence after surgery., Conclusion: PDOs may be useful as a preclinical model in predicting chemotherapy responses in cancer patients., (Copyright © 2023, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Many studies have been conducted to improve technology for semen cryopreservation in pigs. However, computer-assisted analysis of sperm motility and morphology is insufficient to predict the molecular function of frozen-thawed semen. More accurate expression patterns of boar sperm proteins may be derived using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique. In this study, the iTRAQ-labeling system was coupled with liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis to identify differentially expressed CM10-fractionated proteins between fresh and frozen-thawed boar semen. A total of 76 protein types were identified to be differentially expressed, among which 9 and 67 proteins showed higher and lower expression in frozen-thawed than in fresh sperm samples, respectively. The classified functions of these proteins included oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial inner membrane and matrix, and pyruvate metabolic processes, which are involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis; and sperm flagellum and motile cilium, which are involved in sperm tail structure. These results suggest a possible network of biomarkers associated with survival after the cryopreservation of Duroc boar semen., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2023 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

The mRNA destabilizing factor tristetraprolin (TTP) functions as a tumor suppressor by down-regulating cancer-associated genes. TTP expression is significantly reduced in various cancers, which contributes to cancer processes. Enforced expression of TTP impairs tumorigenesis and abolishes maintenance of the malignant state, emphasizing the need to identify a TTP inducer in cancer cells. To search for novel candidate agents for inducing TTP in cancer cells, we screened a library containing 1019 natural compounds using MCF-7 breast cancer cells transfected with a reporter vector containing the TTP promoter upstream of the luciferase gene. We identified one molecule, of which the enantiomers are betamethasone 21-phosphate (BTM-21-P) and dexamethasone 21-phosphate (BTM-21-P), as a potent inducer of TTP in cancer cells. We confirmed that BTM-21-P, DXM-21-P, and dexamethasone (DXM) induced the expression of TTP in MDA-MB-231 cells in a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent manner. To identify potential pathways linking BTM-21-P and DXM-21-P to TTP induction, we performed an RNA sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of MDA-MB-231 cells at 3 h after treatment with these compounds. A heat map analysis of FPKM expression showed a similar expression pattern between cells treated with the two compounds. The KEGG pathway analysis results revealed that the upregulated DEGs were strongly associated with several pathways, including the Hippo signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, FOXO signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway. Inhibition of the FOXO pathway using a FOXO1 inhibitor blocked the effects of BTM-21-P and DXM-21-P on the induction of TTP in MDA-MB-231 cells. We found that DXM enhanced the binding of FOXO1 to the TTP promoter in a GR-dependent manner. In conclusion, we identified a natural compound of which the enantiomers are DXM-21-P and BTM-21-P as a potent inducer of TTP in breast cancer cells. We also present new insights into the role of FOXO1 in the DXM-21-P- and BTM-21-P-induced expression of TTP in cancer cells.

Metal oxides are intensively used for multilayered optoelectronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Many approaches have been explored to improve device performance by engineering electrical properties. However, conventional methods cannot enable both energy level manipulation and conductivity enhancement for achieving optimum energy band configurations. Here, we introduce a metal oxide charge transfer complex (NiO:MoO 3 -complex), which is composed of few-nm-size MoO 3 domains embedded in NiO matrices, as a highly tunable carrier injection material. Charge transfer at the finely dispersed interfaces of NiO and MoO 3 throughout the entire film enables effective energy level modulation over a wide work function range of 4.47 - 6.34 eV along with enhanced electrical conductivity. The high performance of NiO:MoO 3 -complex is confirmed by achieving 189% improved current efficiency compared to that of MoO 3 -based green OLEDs and also an external quantum efficiency of 17% when applied to blue OLEDs, which is superior to 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile-based conventional devices., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The next-generation wearable near-eye displays inevitably require extremely high pixel density due to significant decrease in the viewing distance. For such denser and smaller pixel arrays, the emissive material must exhibit wider colour gamut so that each of the vast pixels maintains the colour accuracy. Electroluminescent quantum dot light-emitting diodes are promising candidates for such application owing to their highly saturated colour gamuts and other excellent optoelectronic properties. However, previously reported quantum dot patterning technologies have limitations in demonstrating full-colour pixel arrays with sub-micron feature size, high fidelity, and high post-patterning device performance. Here, we show thermodynamic-driven immersion transfer-printing, which enables patterning and printing of quantum dot arrays in omni-resolution scale; quantum dot arrays from single-particle resolution to the entire film can be fabricated on diverse surfaces. Red-green-blue quantum dot arrays with unprecedented resolutions up to 368 pixels per degree is demonstrated.

Malignant metastatic melanoma (MM) is the most lethal of all skin cancers, but detailed mechanisms for regulation of melanoma metastasis are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrated that developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) is required for the growth of primary tumors and for metastasis. DRG2 expression was significantly increased in MM compared with primary melanoma (PM) and dysplastic nevi. A correlation between DRG2 expression and poor disease-specific survival in melanoma patients was also identified. Furthermore, inhibition of DRG2 suppressed the binding of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α to the VEGF-A promoter region, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, and formation of endothelial cell tubes. In experimental mice, DRG2 depletion inhibited the growth of PM and lung metastases and increased survival. These results identify DRG2 as a critical regulator of VEGF-A expression and of growth of PMs and lung metastases., (© 2019 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

Catechins in green tea possess various health benefits. Enzymatic treatment improves physiological activities by inducing bioconversion of catechins. Here, we investigated the effect of green tea infusion (GT) after tannase treatment, which transforms (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to gallic acid (GA) and (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), on adipocyte differentiation and mature adipocyte metabolism. The optimal conditions for tannase-mediated improvement in GA and EGC yields in GT were investigated using response surface methodology. Yields of GA and EGC were 43-fold (0.43 mg/mL) and 1.66-fold higher (1.11 mg/mL), respectively, compared to GT without tannase treatment. The optimal reaction conditions for tannase-mediated biotransformation were observed on 0.54 mg mL -1 of tannase, reaction time (86.79 min), and reaction temperature at 22.59 °C. GT and tannase-treated GT (TANs) upregulated adiponectin, uncoupling protein 1, adipose triglyceride lipase, and hormone-sensitive lipase gene expression in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, with TAN inducing better effects than GT, which implies that tannase treatment improved the beneficial effect of GT on adipocyte metabolism. Thus, tannase-mediated bio-transformation is an attractive candidate for preparing GT with enhanced anti-obesity properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors read and approved the final manuscript. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, quantum dots (QDs) have often garnered significant attention and have been employed for various applications. Nevertheless, most conventional devices utilize a glass substrate and/or brittle substrate, which is not compatible with next-generation wearable electronics. A suitable method for devising conductive and flexible free-standing platforms that can be combined with various kinds of QDs is thus in great need for next-generation wearable electronics. In this work, we introduce a universal and simple method to coat QDs on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by a dip-coating process, where many kinds of QDs can be well decorated on the surface of CNFs. As one potential application among many, QD-coated CNFs were examined for their photocatalytic applications and characterization. As a result, it was found that the best performance of CdSe QD-coated CNFs for hydrogen production was 3.8 times higher than that of only QDs with the same 1 mg of QDs. This is an early report on fabricating various kinds of QD-coated CNFs, which can be extended to a myriad set of applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Recently, quantum dots based light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) have received huge attention due to the properties of quantum dots (QDs), such as high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and narrow emission. To improve the performance of QLEDs, reducing non-radiative energy transfer is critical. So far, most conventional methods required additional chemical treatment like giant shell and/or ligands exchange. However that triggers unsought shifted emission or reduced PLQY of QDs. In this work, we have firstly suggested a novel approach to improve the efficiency of QLEDs by introducing inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) spacer between QDs, without additional chemical treatment. As ZnS NPs formed a mixture layer with QDs, the energy transfer was reduced and the distance between the QDs increased, leading to improved PLQY of mixture layer. As a result, current efficiency (CE) of the QLED device was improved by twice compared with one using only QDs layer. This is an early report on utilizing ZnS NPs as an efficient spacer, which can be utilized to other compositions of QDs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

We investigated the exciton decay dynamics of CsPbBr 3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) through an X-type ligand passivation process. 1-Dodecanethiol (DDT), as an X-type ligand, covers Br vacancies of PQDs and then the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) sharply improved from 76.1% to 99.8%. Impressively, after passivation, the photoluminescence (PL) lifetime of PQDs decreased from 3.16 ns to 2.42 ns, contrary to the PLQY increase. To clarify this phenomenon, we observed exciton decay dynamics by varying the temperature. Thereby, we found that shallow traps from Br vacancies not only reduce the PLQY but also induce a longer lifetime related to the nonradiative exciton decay leading to an increase in the lifetime. Our results are novel and important in a way that we provide a systematic understanding of the exciton decay dynamics by combining two key concepts together: (1) near unity PLQY via ligand engineering and (2) temperature-dependent photogenerated excitons., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

One-pot synthesis of mixed-valence manganese oxide (MnO x )/potassium ion-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites for efficient electrochemical supercapacitors is introduced. Using manganese nitrate and potassium permanganate as co-precursors for the MnO x and by directly annealing the rGO without tedious purification steps, as described herein, MnO x /rGO composites with a high specific capacitance of 1955.6 F g -1 at a current density of 1 A g -1 are achieved. It is found that the presence of potassium ions helps in the development of mixed-valence MnO x on the surface of the rGO.

Objective: In Korea, there are three main cattle breeds, which are distinguished by coat color: Brown Hanwoo (BH), Brindle Hanwoo (BRH), and Jeju Black (JB). In this study, we sought to compare the genetic diversity and divergence among there Korean cattle breeds using a BovineHD chip genotyping array., Methods: Sample data were collected from 168 cattle in three populations of BH (48 cattle), BRH (96 cattle), and JB (24 cattle). The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was performed using the Illumina BovineHD SNP 777K Bead chip., Results: Heterozygosity, used as a measure of within-breed genetic diversity, was higher in BH (0.293) and BRH (0.296) than in JB (0.266). Linkage disequilibrium decay was more rapid in BH and BRH than in JB, reaching an average r² value of 0.2 before 26 kb in BH and BRH, whereas the corresponding value was reached before 32 kb in JB. Intra-population, inter-population, and Fst analyses were used to identify candidate signatures of positive selection in the genome of a domestic Korean cattle population and 48, 11, and 11 loci were detected in the genomic region of the BRH breed, respectively. A Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree showed two main groups: a group comprising BH and BRH on one side and a group containing JB on the other. The runs of homozygosity analysis between Korean breeds indicated that the BRH and JB breeds have high inbreeding within breeds compared with BH. An analysis of differentiation based on a high-density SNP chip showed differences between Korean cattle breeds and the closeness of breeds corresponding to the geographic regions where they are evolving., Conclusion: Our results indicate that although the Korean cattle breeds have common features, they also show reliable breed diversity.

The rapid and sensitive detection of pathogen DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) would be essential for diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment time. Herein, we report a novel direct DNA detectable impedimetric sensor. Direct assay of the amplified target DNA (mecA gene from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) was performed using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) product without any purification. Even though there are lots of PCR reagents and excess salts in sample PCR product, the nanogap electrode-based impedimetric sensor was able to detect DNA amplification fast in 5th PCR cycle which had 260 fM mecA gene in sample originally. The 70 nm gap electrode sensor yielded over 20% signal increase at the 5th PCR cycle and the impedance change grew up to about 60% at 25th in case of sample with 260 fM mecA gene template originally. The increased concentration of target DNA template led to the rise in impedance change such as 60% up at 5th and 120% up at 25th cycle with 260 pM, respectively. It is very outstanding result as compared with the traditional PCR agarose gel. Besides, it is 7-fold superior sensitivity to the microgap electrode. Furthermore, genomic DNA sample extracted from MRSA was detected rapidly. The nanogap electrode-based impedimetric sensor could be a good candidate for a rapid, sensitive, and low-cost electrical biosensor for DNA characterization in diagnostics and disease monitoring., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD), caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), threaten the pig industry worldwide. Five genotypes of PCV2 were recently identified: PCV2a, PCV2b, PCV2c, PCV2d and PCV2e. In addition, a novel porcine circovirus from a case of a sow with dermatitis, nephropathy syndrome and reproductive failure has been identified based on metagenomic analysis and classified as porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3). Therefore, the current study was conducted to determine the prevalence and genetic characteristics of PCV2 and PCV3 in clinical samples., Results: A total of 471 samples (161 tissue samples of lungs and lymph nodes from 34 farms and 310 serum samples from 47 farms) were tested for PCV2. Among them, 171 samples from 59 farms that had been positive for PCV2 were genotyped. Another 690 samples (296 tissue samples of lungs and lymph nodes from 91 farms, 108 samples of aborted foetuses from 26 farms, and 286 serum samples from 47 farms) were tested for PCV3. Based on PCV2 genotyping results, PCV2d was the most prevalent genotype (107 of 171 samples), and co-infections with combinations of PCV2a, 2b and 2d were identified in 48 samples from 17 farms. A total of 14 samples from 11 farms were also positive for both PCV2 and PCV3. For PCV3, 57 samples (9.8%) from 32 farms (23.2%) were positive. Among the 108 aborted foetuses from 26 farms, only 2 samples were positive for PCV3. Based on sequence comparisons, PCV2d shares 89.6-91.0% and 93.2-94.3% homology with PCV2a and PCV2b, respectively; 98.6-100% homology is shared among PCV2d strains. The PCV3 strains identified in this study share 98.0-99.5% homology., Conclusions: Our study concludes that PCV2d has become the most predominant genotype in Korea. PCV3 was also identified in clinical samples, though no significant association with clinical symptoms was observed in PCV3-positive cases.

Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.) is a major ingredient used in many food recipes in South Korea. Lettuce samples were collected during their maximum production period between April and July in order to investigate the microbiota of lettuce during different seasons. 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing was conducted using Illumina MiSeq, and real-time PCR was performed for quantification. The number of total bacterial was greater in lettuce collected in July than in that collected in April, albeit with reduced diversity. The bacterial compositions varied according to the site and season of sample collection. Potential pathogenic species such as Bacillus spp., Enterococcus casseliflavus , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed season-specific differences. Results of the network co-occurrence analysis with core genera correlations showed characteristics of bacterial species in lettuce, and provided clues regarding the role of different microbes, including potential pathogens, in this microbiota. Although further studies are needed to determine the specific effects of regional and seasonal characteristics on the lettuce microbiota, our results imply that the 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing approach can be used to detect pathogenic bacteria in lettuce.

The present study was performed to investigate the infection status with Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae (CsMc) in fishes from 2 sites, the middle and lower reaches, of Tamjin-gang (River) in Jeollanam-do, the Republic of Korea. Total 1,132 fishes in 22 species were collected from the middle reaches in Jangheung-gun for 4 years (2014-2017) and 517 fishes in 17 species were also collected from the lower reaches in Gangjin-gun in 2014 and 2017. They were all individually examined with the artificial digestion method in our laboratory. CsMc were detected in 322 (28.5%) out of 1,132 fishes from Jangheung-gun, and in 161 (31.1%) out of 517 fishes from Gangjin-gun, and their densities were 51 and 57 per fish infected each. In the fish species with CsMc, positive rates were 61.5% in Jangheung-gun and 62.7% in Gangjin-gun. A total of 222 Pungtungia herzi were examined and they were all infected with CsMc. The average intensity was 103 CsMc in the index fish, P. herzi (95 in Jangheung-gun and 121 in Gangjin-gun). In P. herzi bimonthly examined in 2017, the intensity was commonly most higher in March in 2 surveyed sites, however the significant seasonal endemicity was not showed. Conclusively, it was confirmed that CsMc is more or less prevalent in fishes from Tamjin-gang and their endemicity is higher in fish from the lower reaches in Gangjin-gun than the middle reaches in Jangheung-gun in Jeollanam-do, Korea.

Agrimonia eupatoria L. has been shown to protect against liver injury due to its lipid lowering and antioxidant activities. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of A. eupatoria L. aqueous extract (AEE) on 80 subjects with elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) levels in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week study. This trial was conducted between January 2013 and July 2013 at the Oriental Medical Hospital (Jecheon) of Semyung University. The trial included subjects aged 20 years or older who were diagnosed with mildly to moderately elevated ALT levels (between 45 and 135 IU/L). Subjects received two capsules of placebo or AEE twice a day for 8 weeks. Adverse events were recorded. Eighty subjects were randomized to placebo or AEE groups who had similar baseline characteristics. During the 8 weeks of treatment, 11 subjects were excluded from the analysis for protocol violation or consent withdrawal; efficacy of treatment was, therefore, evaluated in 69 subjects (placebo = 35, AEE = 34). The AEE group showed a significant reduction in ALT and serum triglyceride (TG) at 8 weeks compared with the placebo group (ALT P = .044, TG P = .020). Significant group and time interactions were found in ALT (P = .038), aspartate aminotransferase (P = .040), and TG (P = .010). Alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and gamma-glutamyl transferase levels were not different between the two groups. There were no reported severe adverse events during this study, and total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatine, and total cholesterol levels were normal in both groups. AEE consumption was safe and generally well tolerated without severe adverse events.

Low voltage operational organic transistors (< 4 V) based on pentacene were successfully fabricated with hybrid dielectric films composed of aluminum oxide using atomic layer deposition and various phosphonic acid-based self-assembled monolayers as the gate dielectrics. High capacitances up to 279 nF/cm 2 , low leakage current densities of 10 -8  A/cm 2 at 6 V, and high breakdown fields up to 7.5 MV/cm were obtained. The transistors with the octadecylphosphonic acid hybrid dielectric exhibited an improved saturation mobility of 0.58 cm 2 /Vs, a subthreshold slope of 151 mV/decade, a threshold voltage of - 1.84 V and an on-off current ratio of 10 6 . The low surface energies of the self-assembled monolayers having non-polar terminal groups, such as methyl and pentafluorophenoxy, improved the carrier conduction of the transistors due to the pentacene growth with an edge-on orientation for low voltage operation. The pentafluorophenoxy end-group showed an accumulation of holes at the semiconductor-dielectric interface.

Objectives: Few long-term studies have been conducted on the serotype and antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella speices (spp.) The aim of this study was to determine the serotypes and antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella spp. isolated at Jeollanam-do in Korea from 2004 to 2014., Methods: A total of 276 Salmonella samples were evaluated. Serotyping was carried out according to the Kauffmann-White scheme. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the Vitek II system with an AST-N169 card., Results: A total of 22 different serotypes were identified, and the major serotypes were Salmonella Enteritidis (116 strains, 42.0%) and Salmonella Typhimurium (60 strains, 21.7%). The highest resistance was observed in response to nalidixic acid (43.4%), followed by ampicillin (40.5%) and tetracycline (31.6%). Resistance to nalidixic acid was detected in 81.0% of S . Enteritidis. Multidrug resistance was detected in 43.3% of Salmonella spp. S . Enteritidis and S . Typhimurium presented the highest resistance (98.3%) and multidrug resistance rate (73.3%), respectively. The most highly observed antibiotic resistance pattern among Salmonella spp. in this study was ampicillin-chloramphenicol (14 strains, 5.7%)., Conclusion: Overall, S . Enteritidis and S . Typhimurium showed higher antibiotic resistance than the other Salmonella serotypes tested in this study. Our study will provide useful information for investigating the sources of Salmonella infections, as well as selecting effective antibiotics for treatment., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Enterobacter aerogenes is recognized as an important bacterial pathogen in hospital-acquired infections. This report describes two unusual cases of septicemia caused by E. aerogenes in immunocompetent healthcare workers. E. aerogenes was isolated from blood cultures of the two patients experiencing septicemia. The clinical isolates were initially identified as E. aerogenes using a VITEK II automated system and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, and; both isolates involved in the outbreak shared a common pulse-field gel electrophoresis pattern. The similarities between the two cases included the simultaneous development of gastroenteritis symptoms, severe sepsis and thrombocytopenia after taking intravenous injections of ketorolac tromethamine. A common source of normal saline, a 100 mL bottle, was used for diluting the analgesic in both cases. In addition to the general population, healthcare workers, especially those who are also intravenous drug abusers, should be considered subjects that could cause a transmission of Enterobacter infection.

Milking center wastewater (MCW) has a relatively low ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N ratio), which should be separately managed from livestock manure due to the negative impacts of manure nutrients and harmful effects on down-stream in the livestock manure process with respect to the microbial growth. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) is linked to inhibition of the second nitrification and reduces around 40% of the carbonaceous energy available for denitrification. Thus, this study was conducted to find the optimal operational conditions for the treatment of MCW using an attached-growth biofilm reactor; i.e., nitrogen loading rate (NLR) of 0.14, 0.28, 0.43, and 0.58 kg m(-3) d(-1) and aeration rate of 0.06, 0.12, and 0.24 m(3) h(-1) were evaluated and the comparison of air-diffuser position between one-third and bottom of the reactor was conducted. Four sand packed-bed reactors with the effective volume of 2.5 L were prepared and initially an air-diffuser was placed at one third from the bottom of the reactor. After the adaptation period of 2 weeks, SND was observed at all four reactors and the optimal NLR of 0.45 kg m(-3) d(-1) was found as a threshold value to obtain higher nitrogen removal efficiency. Dissolved oxygen (DO) as one of key operational conditions was measured during the experiment and the reactor with an aeration rate of 0.12 m(3) h(-1) showed the best performance of NH4-N removal and the higher total nitrogen removal efficiency through SND with appropriate DO level of ~0.5 mg DO L(-1). The air-diffuser position at one third from the bottom of the reactor resulted in better nitrogen removal than at the bottom position. Consequently, nitrogen in MCW with a low C/N ratio of 2.15 was successfully removed without the addition of external carbon sources.

Among vertebrate species, pigs are a major amplifying host of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and measuring their seroconversion is a reliable indicator of virus activity. Traditionally, the hemagglutination inhibition test has been used for serological testing in pigs; however, it has several limitations and, thus, a more efficient and reliable replacement test is required. In this study, we developed a new immunochromatographic test for detecting antibodies to JEV in pig serum within 15 min. Specifically, the domain III region of the JEV envelope protein was successfully expressed in soluble form and used for developing the immunochromatographic test. The test was then applied to the surveillance of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Korea. We found that our immunochromatographic test had good sensitivity (84.8%) and specificity (97.7%) when compared with an immunofluorescence assay used as a reference test. During the surveillance of JE in Korea in 2012, the new immunochromatographic test was used to test the sera of 1,926 slaughtered pigs from eight provinces, and 228 pigs (11.8%) were found to be JEV-positive. Based on these results, we also produced an activity map of JEV, which marked the locations of pig farms in Korea that tested positive for the virus. Thus, the immunochromatographic test reported here provides a convenient and effective tool for real-time monitoring of JEV activity in pigs.

A series of single-phased emission-tunable Na(0.34)Ca(0.66)Al(1.66)Si(2.34)O(8):Eu(2+),Mn(2+) phosphors were successfully synthesized by a wet-chemical synthesis method. Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra indicate that the phosphor can be efficiently excited by UV radiation from 250 to 420 nm. Also, NCASO:Eu(2+),Mn(2+) phosphor exhibit a broad blue emission band at 440 nm and an orange emission band at 570 nm, which originate from Eu(2+) and Mn(2+) ions, respectively. Therefore, overall emission color can be tuned from blue to white by increasing the concentration of Mn(2+) ions in the host lattice utilizing energy transfer from Eu(2+) to Mn(2+) ions. This energy transfer phenomenon was demonstrated to be a resonant type through dipole-dipole interaction determined with the help of PL spectra, decay time measurement, and energy transfer efficiency of the phosphor. These results indicate that NCASO:Eu(2+),Mn(2+) can be a promising single-phased white-emitting phosphor for white-light UV LEDs.

We present an organic light emitting diode with a perforated WO3 hole injection layer to improve the light extraction efficiency. The two-dimensionally perforated WO3 layer was fabricated by use of colloidal lithography. The light extraction efficiency was improved due to Bragg scattering of waveguide modes and surface plasmon polaritons, and the operating voltage was also decreased. As a result, the external quantum efficiency and the power efficiency were increased as compared with those of conventional organic light emitting diodes without WO3 layer. The angular dependence of emission characteristics was investigated by measuring radiant intensity profiles for emission angles and azimuthal angles.

A new yellow-emitting γ-Ca2SiO4:Ce3+,Li+ phosphor was synthesized via a solid-state reaction. The phosphor showed a strong yellow emission with a wide bandwidth of 135.4 nm under blue light excitation. Absorption and photoluminescence measurements and density functional theory calculations suggest that the luminescence of the phosphor can be attributed primarily to the transitions of 5d→4f (2F(7/2) and 2F(5/2)) of Ce3+ ions occupying Ca(1) sites in the host crystal. White light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated by combining this phosphor with a blue LED, and excellent white light with a high color rendering index of 86 was created owing to the wide emission bandwidth of the phosphor.

An aliphatic thiol ligand of CuInS(2)/ZnS core/shell quantum dots is replaced with a hydroxyl-terminated thiol ligand by utilizing 'on-off state' of ligands during growth stage of the quantum dots. After the ligand-exchange, negligible differences were observed on both photoluminescence spectrum and luminescent quantum efficiency. The reason for the high retention of luminescent efficiency comes from no local agglomeration and no surface deterioration of QDs. It is also observed that 70% of initial ligands are exchanged by the replacing ligand, determined by FT-IR and (1)H NMR. The proposed method provides the quantum dots with an excellent dispersibility in polar solvents, supported by identical luminescence decay characteristics of the QDs., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We elucidate that the luminescence from Eu3+-doped phosphor excited by the electron collision can be modified on location near the metallic nanoparticles. The Eu3+-doped phosphor was fabricated on the nanoscaled Ag particles ranging of 5 nm to 30 nm diameter. As a result of the cathodoluminescence measurements, the phosphor films on the Ag particles showed up to twofold more than that of an isolated phosphor film. Enhanced cathodoluminescence originated from the resonant coupling between the localized surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles and radiating energy of the phosphor. Cathodoluminescent phosphor for high luminous display devices can be addressed by locating phosphor near the surface of metallic nanoparticles.

Luminescence films were prepared by infiltration of the tris(dibenzoylmethane) mono(1, 10-phenanthroline) europium incorporated ormosil into colloidal SiO(2) photonic crystal templates. Because a stopband of the template was not overlapped with the PL excitation and emission bands, the stopband did not suppress the PL intensity. The PL intensity of the infiltrated film into the template was about 13.1 times higher than that of the plane film prepared without the template. Three major terms, which are the mass term, the scattering term, and the crystallinity term, were considered as factors that improve the PL intensity. The relative ratio of the effects of the mass term : the scattering term : the crystallinity term was 2.1 : 2.8 : 2.2.

Several previous studies have reported a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among commercial sex workers (CSWs), but the situation is often compounded by coexisting factors, such as intravenous drug use. We conducted a seroepidemiologic study of 1,527 female CSWs in South Korea. All participants tested negative for human immunodeficiency virus and were not illicit intravenous drug users (IDUs). Twenty-one participants (1.4%) were positive for antibodies to HCV. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, a history of acupuncture and diabetes mellitus were associated with the seroprevalence of HCV, whereas time spent as a CSW showed only borderline significance. Sexual activity was not an independent predictor of increased risk for HCV infection in female CSWs who had never been illicit IDUs.

Using 14-nm wavelength illumination, we have imaged 0.1-µm-wide lines and spaces in single-layer thin films of the highy sensitive, negative, chemically amplified resist AZ PN114 by usingboth a Schwarzschild 20× camera and an Offner ring field 1× optical system. For soft-x-ray projection lithography the approximate 0.2-µm absorption length in resists at 14-nm wavelength necessitates a multilayer resist system. To explore further the requirements of the imaging layer of such a system, we have transferred patterns, exposed by a high-resolution electron beam in a 60-nm-thick layer of AZ PN114, into the underlying layers of a trilevel structure. Significant pattern edge noise and resist granularity were found. It remains to be determined whether the observed noise is dominated by statistical fluctuations in dose or by resist chemistry. We also investigated pinhole densities in these films and found them to increase from 0.2 cm(-2) for 380-mm-thick films to 15 cm(-2) for 50-nm-thick films.