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Objective: Orthognathic surgery (OGS) is a surgical intervention that corrects dentofacial deformities through the movement of maxillary and mandibular segments to achieve adequate masticatory function, joint health, and facial harmony. However, some patients present with occlusal discrepancies, condylar sag, and/or temporomandibular disorders after OGS. Various methods have been employed to solve these problems after surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of early screw removal in patients with occlusal discrepancies after OGS using three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)., Methods: In 44 patients with dentofacial deformities, patient-customized OGSs with customized plates were performed to correct facial deformities using customized guides with computer-aided surgical simulation. Of the 44 patients, eight patients complained of occlusal discrepancies and temporomandibular disorders after OGS. These eight patients underwent screw removal under local anesthesia around four weeks. The temporomandibular joint spaces at three time points (pre-surgical, post-surgical, and after screw removal) in the sagittal and coronal planes were compared using CBCT., Results: Eight patients showed an increase in joint space on CBCT images immediately after surgery (T1), but after early screw removal (T2), these spaces almost returned to their pre-surgical state, and the temporomandibular joint problem disappeared., Conclusions: The removal of screws located in the distal segment under local anesthesia between three and four weeks post-surgically may be a treatment option for patients with post-OGS occlusal discrepancies, condylar sag, and/or temporomandibular disorder.

Proteins are commonly known to transfer electrons over distances limited to a few nanometers. However, many biological processes require electron transport over far longer distances. For example, soil and sediment bacteria transport electrons, over hundreds of micrometers to even centimeters, via putative filamentous proteins rich in aromatic residues. However, measurements of true protein conductivity have been hampered by artifacts due to large contact resistances between proteins and electrodes. Using individual amyloid protein crystals with atomic-resolution structures as a model system, we perform contact-free measurements of intrinsic electronic conductivity using a four-electrode approach. We find hole transport through micrometer-long stacked tyrosines at physiologically relevant potentials. Notably, the transport rate through tyrosines (10 5 s -1 ) is comparable to cytochromes. Our studies therefore show that amyloid proteins can efficiently transport charges, under ordinary thermal conditions, without any need for redox-active metal cofactors, large driving force, or photosensitizers to generate a high oxidation state for charge injection. By measuring conductivity as a function of molecular length, voltage, and temperature, while eliminating the dominant contribution of contact resistances, we show that a multistep hopping mechanism (composed of multiple tunneling steps), not single-step tunneling, explains the measured conductivity. Combined experimental and computational studies reveal that proton-coupled electron transfer confers conductivity; both the energetics of the proton acceptor, a neighboring glutamine, and its proximity to tyrosine influence the hole transport rate through a proton rocking mechanism. Surprisingly, conductivity increases 200-fold upon cooling due to higher availability of the proton acceptor by increased hydrogen bonding., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

This study focused on particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and carbon species in Seoul, South Korea, to quantitatively evaluate their long-term trends and assess the main correlating factors. Ambient PM 2.5 samples were collected over a 24 h period every third or sixth day from March 2003 to December 2017. The mean concentrations of PM 2.5 , organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), primary and secondary OC (POC and SOC) in Seoul over 15 years were 32.2 μg/m 3 and 7.28 μg/m 3 , 1.85 μg/m 3 , 4.29 μg/m 3 and 3.54 μg/m 3 respectively. The long-term concentration trends in PM 2.5 , OC, EC, POC, and SOC decreased significantly at rates of -2.09, -3.13, -6.31, -2.86, and -3.88 per year, respectively from 2003 to 2017 (p < 0.001), whereas the long-term trends in OC/EC significantly increased at a rate of 12.9/year (p < 0.001). These long-term decreases in PM 2.5 and carbon species concentrations were most pronounced in 2008 but almost disappeared from 2013 onwards. Considering the decrease in wind speed and variations in the concentration of gaseous air pollutants (carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds) without a tendency to increase or decrease since 2013, secondary aerosol formation by atmospheric stagnation alleviated long-term decreases in PM 2.5 and carbon species concentrations. The long-term decreases in EC concentration were the most consistent and rapid, strongly suggesting that atmospheric policies related to mobile in South Korea were effective in reducing EC concentration. Future air quality management should focus on the secondary formation of air pollutants based on regional trends in air pollutant concentrations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Air pollution has increasingly been recognized as a major healthcare concern. Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter [PM 2.5 ]) has demonstrated an increase in adverse cardiovascular events. This study aimed to assess the cardiovascular response to personal exposure to different levels of PM 2.5 . This prospective cohort study enrolled healthy volunteers aged ≥ 18 years with no cardiovascular disease. Study subjects carried personal exposure monitor of PM 2.5 , digital thermo-hygrometer for temperature and humidity, 24-h blood pressure monitor, and continuous electrocardiogram monitor. Measurements were repeated twice with an interval of 6-12 months. Statistical models consisted of generalized estimation equations to various repeated measures of each subject. A total of 22 subjects were enrolled in this study between July 2018 and January 2019. Measurement was performed twice in all participants, and a total of 36 data were collected except for insufficient data collection. The mean age of the study population was 41.6 years, and 95% of the subjects were females. No study subjects had hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases. The average systolic blood pressure increased with higher PM 2.5 levels with marginal significance (0.22 mmHg [95% confidential intervals - 0.04 to 0.48 mmHg] per 10 μg/m 3 of PM 2.5 ). All parameters for heart rate variability significantly decreased with a higher level of PM 2.5 . In this study, we measured individual personal exposure to PM 2.5 by using a portable device. We found that 24-h exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 was associated with a significant decrease in heart rate variability, suggesting impaired autonomous nervous function.

Multifunctional living materials are attractive due to their powerful ability to self-repair and replicate. However, most natural materials lack electronic functionality. Here we show that an electric field, applied to electricity-producing Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms, stimulates production of cytochrome OmcZ nanowires with 1,000-fold higher conductivity (30 S cm -1 ) and threefold higher stiffness (1.5 GPa) than the cytochrome OmcS nanowires that are important in natural environments. Using chemical imaging-based multimodal nanospectroscopy, we correlate protein structure with function and observe pH-induced conformational switching to β-sheets in individual nanowires, which increases their stiffness and conductivity by 100-fold due to enhanced π-stacking of heme groups; this was further confirmed by computational modeling and bulk spectroscopic studies. These nanowires can transduce mechanical and chemical stimuli into electrical signals to perform sensing, synthesis and energy production. These findings of biologically produced, highly conductive protein nanowires may help to guide the development of seamless, bidirectional interfaces between biological and electronic systems.

Ambient particle (PM 2.5 ) samples were collected in three East Asian cities (Beijing, China; Seoul, South Korea; Nagasaki, Japan) from December 2014 to November 2015 to quantitatively investigate airborne bacteria at the phylum level. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria represented the top five airborne bacterial phyla in all three cities. The most dominant airborne phylum, Proteobacteria, was more prevalent during the winter (at rates of 67.2%, 79.9%, and 87.0% for Beijing, Seoul, and Nagasaki, respectively). Correlations among airborne bacteria and environmental factors including PM 2.5 , its major chemical constituents, and meteorological factors were calculated. Temperature correlated negatively with Proteobacteria but positively with Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The abundance of Cyanobacteria correlated positively with particulate NO 3 - and SO 4 2- levels in Beijing (R = 0.46 and R = 0.35 for NO 3 - and SO 4 2- , respectively) but negatively in Seoul (R = -0.14 and R = -0.19 for NO 3 - and SO 4 2- , respectively) and Nagasaki (R = -0.05 and R = -0.03 for NO 3 - and SO 4 2- , respectively). Backward trajectory analysis was applied for 72 h and three clusters were classified in each city. Five dominant bacteria and other bacterial groups showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in local clustering, as compared to the long-range transport clusters from Beijing. The proportions of the five bacterial phyla in Seoul were significantly different in each cluster. A local cluster in Nagasaki had higher ratios of all major airborne bacterial phyla, except Proteobacteria., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Piloerection (goosebumps) requires concerted actions of the hair follicle, the arrector pili muscle (APM), and the sympathetic nerve, providing a model to study interactions across epithelium, mesenchyme, and nerves. Here, we show that APMs and sympathetic nerves form a dual-component niche to modulate hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) activity. Sympathetic nerves form synapse-like structures with HFSCs and regulate HFSCs through norepinephrine, whereas APMs maintain sympathetic innervation to HFSCs. Without norepinephrine signaling, HFSCs enter deep quiescence by down-regulating the cell cycle and metabolism while up-regulating quiescence regulators Foxp1 and Fgf18. During development, HFSC progeny secretes Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) to direct the formation of this APM-sympathetic nerve niche, which in turn controls hair follicle regeneration in adults. Our results reveal a reciprocal interdependence between a regenerative tissue and its niche at different stages and demonstrate sympathetic nerves can modulate stem cells through synapse-like connections and neurotransmitters to couple tissue production with demands., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests A provisional patent application has been filed by the President and Fellows of Harvard College based on this work., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

PM 2.5 was measured and analyzed between 2014 and 2015 in Seoul, and its sources were identified with a positive matrix factorization (PMF) to characterize chemical constituents and sources of the measured PM 2.5 . To verify policy interventions in reducing PM 2.5 levels in Korea, the results were compared with previously published results from 2003 to 2007 at the same study site. A total of 215 PM 2.5 samples were collected and analyzed for 24 species, i.e., carbonaceous species (OCEC), ionic species (NO3-, SO42-, and NH4+), and 19 element species in this study. The average PM 2.5 mass concentration during the sampling period was 42.6±23.3 μg m-3. The seasonal average mass concentration of PM 2.5 was the highest during winter (49.9±20.6 μg m-3), followed by spring (45.2±25.3 μg m-3), fall (34.4±19.3 μg m-3), and summer (28.4±12.5 μg m-3). Nine sources were identified and quantified using the PMF model: secondary nitrate (19.0%), secondary sulfate (20.2%), mobile (23.3%), biomass burning (12.1%), soil (8.3%), roadway emissions (3.1%), aged sea salt (1.0%), coal combustion (4.1%), and oil combustion (9.0%). The PM 2.5 levels and chemical constituents during this study were lower than those during the previous study from 2003 to 2007. Particularly, concentrations of mobile related chemicals (OC, EC, and nitrate) and mobile source contributions consistently decreased from 2003 to 2015, indicating that the mobile emission reduction policy is improving PM 2.5 levels in the region. The comparison between the two periods allows trends in chemical constituents and the sources of PM 2.5 in Seoul to be understood., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Potential adverse health effects of Asian dust exposure have been reported, but systematic reviews and quantitative syntheses are lacking., Objective: We reviewed epidemiologic studies that assessed the risk of mortality, hospital admissions, and symptoms/dysfunction associated with exposure to Asian dust., Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science to identify studies that reported the association between Asian dust exposure and human health outcomes. We conducted separate meta-analyses using a random-effects model for mortality and hospital admissions for a specific health outcome and assessed pooled estimates for each lag when at least three studies were available for a specific lag., Results: We identified 89 studies that met our inclusion criteria for the systematic review, and 21 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimates (percentage changes) of mortality from circulatory and respiratory causes for Asian dust days vs. non-Asian dust days were 2.33% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76, 3.93] increase at lag 0 and 3.99% (95% CI: 0.08, 8.06) increase at lag 3, respectively. The increased risk for hospital admissions for respiratory disease, asthma, and pneumonia peaked at lag 3 by 8.85% (95% CI: 0.80, 17.55), 14.55% (95% CI: 6.74, 22.94), and 8.51% (95% CI: 2.89, 14.44), respectively. Seven of 12 studies reported reduced peak expiratory flow, and 16 of 21 studies reported increased respiratory symptoms associated with Asian dust exposure. There were substantial variations between the studies in definitions of Asian dust, study designs, model specifications, and confounder controls., Discussion: We found evidence of increased mortality and hospital admissions for circulatory and respiratory events. However, the number of studies included in the meta-analysis was not large and further evidences are merited to strengthen our conclusions. Standardized protocols for epidemiological studies would facilitate interstudy comparisons. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5312.

Background and Objectives: This study was aimed at determining the effects of blue light photobiomodulation on primary adult mouse dermal fibroblasts (AMDFs) and the associated signaling pathways., Study Design/materials and Methods: Cultured AMDFs from adult C57BL/6 mice were irradiated by blue light from a light-emitting diode (wavelength = 463 ± 50 nm; irradiance = 5 mW/cm 2 ; energy density = 4-8 J/cm 2 ). The cells were analyzed using mass spectrometry for proteomics/phosphoproteomics, AlamarBlue assay for mitochondrial activity, time-lapse video for cell migration, quantitative polymerase chain reaction for gene expression, and immunofluorescence for protein expression., Results: Proteomic/phosphoproteomic analysis showed inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinases/mammalian target of rapamycin and casein kinase 2 pathways, cell motility-related networks, and multiple metabolic processes, including carbon metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acid, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Functional analysis demonstrated inhibition of mitochondrial activities, cell migration, and mitosis. Expression of growth promoting insulin-like growth factor 1 and fibrosis-related genes, including transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and collagen type 1 ɑ2 chain diminished. Protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin, an important regulator of myofibroblast functions, was also suppressed., Conclusions: Low-level blue light exerted suppressive effects on AMDFs, including suppression of mitochondrial activity, metabolism, cell motility, proliferation, TGFβ1 levels, and collagen I production. Low-level blue light can be a potential treatment for the prevention and reduction of tissue fibrosis, such as hypertrophic scar and keloids. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The study objective was to examine barriers and facilitators of maternal health services utilization in Myanmar with the highest maternal mortality ratio in Southeast Asia. Data for 258 mothers with children under five were extracted from a community health survey administered between 2016 and 2017 in Mandalay, the largest city in central Myanmar, and analyzed for associations between determinants of maternal health care choices and related outcomes. The study showed that late antenatal care was underutilized (41.7%), and antenatal care attendance was significantly associated with geographical setting, household income, education, and access to transportation ( p ≤ 0.05). Less than one-third of women gave birth at home and 18.5% of them did so without the assistance of traditional birth attendants. Household education level was a significant predictor for home delivery ( p < 0.01). Utilization of postnatal care services was irregular (47.9%-70.9%) and strongly associated with women's places of delivery ( p < 0.01). Efforts geared towards improving maternal health outcomes should focus on supporting traditional birth attendants in their role of facilitating high-quality care and helping women reach traditional health facilities, as well as on maternal health literacy based on culturally appropriate communication., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Virtually all proton-pumping terminal respiratory oxygen reductases are members of the heme-copper oxidoreductase superfamily. Most of these enzymes use reduced cytochrome c as a source of electrons, but a group of enzymes have evolved to directly oxidize membrane-bound quinols, usually menaquinol or ubiquinol. All of the quinol oxidases have an additional transmembrane helix (TM0) in subunit I that is not present in the related cytochrome c oxidases. The current work reports the 3.6-Å-resolution X-ray structure of the cytochrome aa 3 -600 menaquinol oxidase from Bacillus subtilis containing 1 equivalent of menaquinone. The structure shows that TM0 forms part of a cleft to accommodate the menaquinol-7 substrate. Crystals which have been soaked with the quinol-analog inhibitor HQNO ( N -oxo-2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline) or 3-iodo-HQNO reveal a single binding site where the inhibitor forms hydrogen bonds to amino acid residues shown previously by spectroscopic methods to interact with the semiquinone state of menaquinone, a catalytic intermediate., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

Cytochrome bo 3 , one of three terminal oxygen reductases in the aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli , has been well characterized as a ubiquinol oxidase. The ability of cytochrome bo 3 to catalyze the two-electron oxidation of ubiquinol-8 requires the enzyme to stabilize the one-electron oxidized ubisemiquinone species that is a transient intermediate in the reaction. Cytochrome bo 3 has been shown recently to also utilize demethylmenaquinol-8 as a substrate that, along with menaquinol-8, replaces ubiquinol-8 when E. coli is grown under microaerobic or anaerobic conditions. In this work, we show that its steady-state turnover with 2,3-dimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinol, a water-soluble menaquinol analogue, is just as efficient as with ubiquinol-1. Using pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the same residues in cytochrome bo 3 that stabilize the semiquinone state of ubiquinone also stabilize the semiquinone state of menaquinone, with the hydrogen bond strengths and the distribution of unpaired spin density accommodated for the different substrate. Catalytic function with menaquinol is more tolerant of mutations at the active site than with ubiquinol. A mutation of one of the stabilizing residues (R71H in subunit I) that eliminates the ubiquinol oxidase activity of cytochrome bo 3 does not abolish activity with soluble menaquinol analogues.

This study examined the changes of water state and gel characteristics of Hairtail surimi during thermal processing including two steps. The results showed that there were four content of water in Hairtail surimi gels. Water-holding capacity (WHC) and T 23 relaxation time of water and gel strength increased from 47.01 to 78.97% and from 64.23 to 51.52 ms, respectively, and whiteness decreased from 63.87 to 55.22 during the entire thermal processing. Meanwhile, the texture properties including hardness, gumminess, and chewiness declined from 402.42 to 130.41 g, from 294.39 to103.70 g, and from 233.68 to 43.60 g, respectively, during the first step, and then increased markedly during the second step from 130.41 to 2,301.87 g, from 103.70 to 1,250.99 g, and from 43.60 to 978.51 g, respectively. Furthermore, the WHC and textural profile had positive correlation, and changes in protein secondary structure were interesting, with the α-helices decreasing significantly from 26.40 to 14.12%, while the β-sheet and the random coil structure increasing significantly from 36.28 to 44.03%, and from 10.89 to 14.31%, respectively, and β-turn structure increasing form 26.44 to 27.98% during the first step and then declining markedly during the second step, moreover β-sheet had a fine positive correlation with WHC hardness and chewiness. Overall, dense, porous and compact three-dimensional network gel structure gradually formed. In a word, during thermal processing. WHC of Hairtail surimi increased, and protein secondary structure of protein became orderly, and a fine, dense gel formed during thermal processing. Water is considered as the highest and most important chemical constituent in surimi products. During surimi gelation, water molecules exist as bulk water and motionally restricted water on the protein surface. In order to gain more insights into the surimi heating-induced gelation processing, and improve the surimi gel properties, and give same advice to manufacturing enterprise, this work was conducted to study the structural changes of protein and water state during surimi gelation processing and performed along with the monitoring of the texture, WHC and other physical characteristics of surimi gel, as well as the microstructure of surimi gel., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Tumor-specific antibody drugs can serve as cancer therapy with minimal side effects. A humanized antibody, PRL3-zumab, specifically binds to an intracellular oncogenic phosphatase PRL3, which is frequently expressed in several cancers. Here we show that PRL3-zumab specifically inhibits PRL3 + cancer cells in vivo, but not in vitro. PRL3 antigens are detected on the cell surface and outer exosomal membranes, implying an 'inside-out' externalization of PRL3. PRL3-zumab binds to surface PRL3 in a manner consistent with that in classical antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity or antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis tumor elimination pathways, as PRL3-zumab requires an intact Fc region and host FcγII/III receptor engagement to recruit B cells, NK cells and macrophages to PRL3 + tumor microenvironments. PRL3 is overexpressed in 80.6% of 151 fresh-frozen tumor samples across 11 common cancers examined, but not in patient-matched normal tissues, thereby implicating PRL3 as a tumor-associated antigen. Targeting externalized PRL3 antigens with PRL3-zumab may represent a feasible approach for anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Long-range (>10 μm) transport of electrons along networks of Geobacter sulfurreducens protein filaments, known as microbial nanowires, has been invoked to explain a wide range of globally important redox phenomena. These nanowires were previously thought to be type IV pili composed of PilA protein. Here, we report a 3.7 Å resolution cryoelectron microscopy structure, which surprisingly reveals that, rather than PilA, G. sulfurreducens nanowires are assembled by micrometer-long polymerization of the hexaheme cytochrome OmcS, with hemes packed within ∼3.5-6 Å of each other. The inter-subunit interfaces show unique structural elements such as inter-subunit parallel-stacked hemes and axial coordination of heme by histidines from neighboring subunits. Wild-type OmcS filaments show 100-fold greater conductivity than other filaments from a ΔomcS strain, highlighting the importance of OmcS to conductivity in these nanowires. This structure explains the remarkable capacity of soil bacteria to transport electrons to remote electron acceptors for respiration and energy sharing., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

According to the recent growth in interest of human-friendly devices, soft conductors, which are conductive materials with an inherent compliance, must have a low electrical strain sensitivity under large deformation conditions, environmental stability in water, and reliability even for complex and repeated deformation, as well as nontoxic characteristics. In this study, we fabricated a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)/polyacrylamide nanoweb that satisfies all of the above requirements through a web microstructure with entangled conductive nanofibers. Since the web structure can be deformed through structural alignment, the conductive path is stably maintained during deformation, which makes it highly conductive, electrically stable, and electrically strain insensitive. The tangled nanofibers are composed of PEDOT:PSS as a conductive component and polyacrylamide as a binding material, so it is nontoxic and has the soft properties of the material itself, which can withstand large deformations. Additionally, the material has a good electrical stability against repeated deformation so that the resistance increased by only 13% after a 50% strain was repeated 1000 times. Notably, electrical instabilities such as noise and hysteresis were not evident during the repeated deformations. Finally, the nanoweb has excellent swelling resistance and maintains its mechanical and electrical characteristics in water.

Background: Migraine is a chronic and agonizing neurological disorder prevalent worldwide. Although its pathogenesis remains unclear, limited evidence exists on the role of air pollution., Objective: We aimed to assess the association of short-term air pollution exposure with migraine in conjunction with the synergistic effect of temperature., Methods: We identified 18,921 patients who visited emergency departments (EDs) for migraine as a primary disease in Seoul from the national emergency database between 2008 and 2014. We conducted a time-stratified, case-crossover analysis to compare levels of particles <2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), particles <10 μm (PM 10 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), ozone (O 3 ), and carbon monoxide (CO) on ED visit days and those on the control days matched to day of the week, month, and year. We evaluated the synergistic effects of air pollution and temperature using an interaction term., Results: Higher air pollution levels were significantly associated with risk of migraine over various lag structures. In the best fitting lags, the odds ratio (OR) associated with an interquartile range increase of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO 2 , O 3 , and CO was 1.031 (95% CI: 1.010-1.053), 1.032 (95% CI: 1.007-1.057), 1.053 (95% CI: 1.022-1.085), 1.034 (95% CI: 1.001-1.067), and 1.029 (95% CI: 1.005-1.053), respectively. The SO 2 effect was positive but not significant (OR 1.019 [95% CI: 0.991-1.047]). The PM effect was significantly stronger on high-temperature days (above the 75th percentile) than on low-temperature days (PM 2.5 , high: OR 1.068, low: OR 1.021, P interact  = 0.03; PM 10 , high: OR 1.066, low: OR 1.014, P interact  = 0.02)., Conclusion: Our study provides new evidence that air pollution exposure may trigger migraine especially on high-temperature days, and this finding may contribute in establishing preventive measures against migraine., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The composite chitosan coatings were prepared and characterized to evaluate their preservation properties for silver carp fish balls, and the microstructures and physicochemical properties of the coatings were improved by in situ nano silicon oxide (SiOx) and zinc oxide/titania (ZnO/TiO 2 ) nano-particles (NPs). In the chitosan coatings, when the chitosan combines with NPs by chemical bonds, the crystal lattice is slightly changed due to the modification of NPs. The chitosan coatings modified by NPs showed few cracks, among which sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) modified ZnO/TiO 2 /SiOx-chitosan (ZTS-CS) coating is proved to be the optimal one. The change of the freshness index and the texture of the fish balls are delayed by the coatings due to their gas permeability and antibacterial properties. The preservation properties of the chitosan coatings for Silver Carp fish balls are improved by in situ SiOx, and further improved by co-modification of ZnO/TiO 2 NPs. Furthermore, the surface modification of ZnO/TiO 2 NPs enhances the preservation properties of the chitosan coating. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In our previous study, in situ SiOx was found to improve antibacterial and preservation properties of chitosan coating, leading to extending shelf time of Sciaenops ocellatus. In order to further improve properties of chitosan coatings, we added nontoxic edible nano materials to the in situ SiOx chitosan coatings. In situ SiOx modified by ZnO/TiO 2 NPs were synthesized, measured, and characterized in this study, and were applied for the preservation of silver carp fish balls. It could serve as a potential preservation material due to the increasing mechanical preservation properties. Through the results, the ZnO/TiO 2 /SiOx-chitosan (ZTS-CS) coatings have potential as application in the food industry to guarantee food quality and extend shelf life of products., (© 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Background: We recently reported that myeloid sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) is a critical determinant of phenotypic switching and the migratory responses of macrophages. Given the prominent role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we tested whether myeloid Sirt6 deficiency affects the development and exacerbation of RA., Methods: Arthritis was induced in wild type and myeloid Sirt6 knockout (mS6KO) mice using collagen-induced and K/BxN serum transfer models. Sirt6 expression (or activity) and inflammatory activities were compared in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocytes/macrophages obtained from patients with RA or osteoarthritis., Findings: Based on clinical score, ankle thickness, pathology, and radiology, arthritis was more severe in mS6KO mice relative to wild type, with a greater accumulation of macrophages in the synovium. Consistent with these findings, myeloid Sirt6 deficiency increased the migration potential of macrophages toward synoviocyte-derived chemoattractants. Mechanistically, Sirt6 deficiency in macrophages caused an inflammation with increases in acetylation and protein stability of forkhead box protein O1. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of Sirt6 in knockout cells reduced the inflammatory responses. Lastly, PBMCs and monocytes/macrophages from RA patients exhibited lower expression of Sirt6 than those from patients with osteoarthritis, and their Sirt6 activity was inversely correlated with disease severity., Interpretation: Our data identify a role of myeloid Sirt6 in clinical and experimental RA and suggest that myeloid Sirt6 may be an intriguing therapeutic target. FUND: Medical Research Center Program and Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Transplantation of autologous cultured melanocytes as cell suspension has been used for the treatment of vitiligo. The recipient site is often prepared by laser-mediated dermabrasion. Such procedures encounter disadvantages including prolonged transplantation duration, unsecured cell adherence to lesional skin and potential scarring. To improve this, here we propose a method by preparing recipient sites before transplantation by psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA)-induced sunburn followed by transplanting cells with a chitosan-based melanocyte spheroid patch. We evaluated the method in nude mice. Application of methoxsalen-soaked filter paper on skin for 30 min followed by ultraviolet A exposure induced controlled sunburn blisters in 2 days. Upon transplantation, the blister roof could be quickly peeled off by a waxing patch. The chitosan membrane on which melanocytes were precultured into multicellular spheroids was transplanted with cells facing the skin. The chitosan patch adhered well to skin and secured the contact of melanocytes with the recipient site. One day later, melanocyte spheroids already detached from the chitosan membrane and adhered to the recipient skin. Our results suggest that the combination of chitosan-based melanocyte spheroid patch with epidermal ablation by PUVA-induced sunburn reaction can be a feasible method to facilitate melanocyte transplantation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2535-2543, 2018., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Substantial increase in level of particulate matter has raised concerns in South Korea recently. Ambient particulate matter is classified as Group I carcinogen (IARC, 2013) and multiple epidemiological studies has demonstrated adverse health effects due to exposure of particulate matter. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) which has a diameter <2.5 μm is likely to penetrate deeply into lung and is known to be eliciting adverse health effects. A number of epidemiological studies have been conducted on adverse health effects of PM-related diseases and mortality rate, yet particulate matter (PM)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity at the cellular level has not been actively studied in Korea. This study assessed PM-induced oxidative potential by exposure of collected ambient PM 2.5 samples to the rat alveolar macrophage cell line. The characteristics of PM 2.5 in Korea were further characterized by linking chemical constituents and contributing sources to ROS. PM 2.5 mass concentration during the cold season was relatively higher than mass concentration during the warm season and chemical constituents except for Secondary Organic Carbon (SOC) and SO 4 2- which both showed similar trends in both the cold and cold seasons. The concentration of crustal elements was especially high during the cold season which can be an indication of long range transport of Asian dust. Water soluble organic carbon and water soluble transition metals (Cr and Zn) were also shown to be correlated to oxidative potential and metals such as As and V were shown to have a high contribution to ROS activity according to stepwise multiple linear regression. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results identified six factors that can be interpreted as soil, mobile, industry, secondary inorganic aerosol, secondary organic aerosol and oil combustion. Moreover, through Principal Component Regression (PCR), industry, soil, mobile and SIA were shown to be statistically significant sources in a relation to ROS activity., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fungi release spores into the global atmosphere. The emitted spores are deposited to the surface of the Earth by sedimentation (dry deposition) and precipitation (wet deposition), and therefore contribute to the global cycling of substances. However, knowledge is scarce regarding the diversities of fungi deposited from the atmosphere. Here, an automatic dry and wet deposition sampler and high-throughput sequencing plus quantitative PCR were used to observe taxonomic diversities and flux densities of atmospheric fungal deposition. Taxon-specific fungal deposition velocities and aerodynamic diameters (d a ) were determined using a collocated cascade impactor for volumetric, particle-size-resolved air sampling. Large multicellular spore-producing dothideomycetes (d a  ≥ 10.0 μm) were predominant in dry deposition, with a mean velocity of 0.80 cm s -1 for all fungal taxa combined. Higher taxonomic richness was observed in fungal assemblages in wet deposition than in dry deposition, suggesting the presence of fungal taxa that are deposited only in wet form. In wet deposition, agaricomycetes, including mushroom-forming fungi, and sordariomycetes, including plant pathogenic species, were enriched, indicating that such fungal spores serve as nuclei in clouds, and/or are discharged preferentially during precipitation. Moreover, this study confirmed that fungal assemblage memberships and structures were significantly different between dry and wet deposition (P-test, p < 0.001). Overall, these findings suggest taxon-specific involvement of fungi in precipitation, and provide important insights into potential links between environmental changes that can disturb regional microbial communities (e.g., deforestation) and changes in precipitation patterns that might be mediated by changes in microbial communities in the atmosphere.

Changes in external light patterns can alter cell activities in peripheral tissues through slow entrainment of the central clock in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). It remains unclear whether cells in otherwise photo-insensitive tissues can achieve rapid responses to changes in external light. Here we show that light stimulation of animals' eyes results in rapid activation of hair follicle stem cells with prominent hair regeneration. Mechanistically, light signals are interpreted by M1-type intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which signal to the SCN via melanopsin. Subsequently, efferent sympathetic nerves are immediately activated. Increased norepinephrine release in skin promotes hedgehog signaling to activate hair follicle stem cells. Thus, external light can directly regulate tissue stem cells via an ipRGC-SCN autonomic nervous system circuit. Since activation of sympathetic nerves is not limited to skin, this circuit can also facilitate rapid adaptive responses to external light in other homeostatic tissues., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Organ development is a sophisticated process of self-organization. However, despite growing understanding of the developmental mechanisms, little is known about how to reactivate them postnatally for regeneration. We found that treatment of adult non-hair fibroblasts with cell-free extract from embryonic skin conferred upon them the competency to regenerate hair follicles. Proteomics analysis identified three secreted proteins enriched in the embryonic skin, apolipoprotein-A1, galectin-1 and lumican that together were essential and sufficient to induce new hair follicles. These 3 proteins show a stage-specific co-enrichment in the perifolliculogenetic embryonic dermis. Mechanistically, exposure to embryonic skin extract or to the combination of the 3 proteins altered the gene expression to an inductive hair follicle dermal papilla fibroblast-like profile and activated Igf and Wnt signaling, which are crucial for the regeneration process. Therefore, a cocktail of organ-specific extracellular proteins from the embryonic environment can render adult cells competent to re-engage in developmental interactions for organ neogenesis. Identification of factors that recreate the extracellular context of respective developing tissues can become an important strategy to promote regeneration in adult organs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The sources of different pollutants contributing to ambient fine particles (PM 2.5 ) on Daebu Island, Korea, were estimated. Twenty four hour integrated filter samples were collected from May 21-November 1, 2016, and analyzed for organic carbon, elemental carbon, ions, and trace elements. Positive matrix factorization was conducted on the PM 2.5 chemical speciation data from the samples to define the pathways and sources of PM 2.5 at the sampling site. A total of 80 samples and 24 chemical species were used to run the model and a total of nine sources were identified: secondary sulfate (29.0%), mobile (22.0%), secondary nitrate (13.2%), oil combustion (10.1%), coal combustion (9.4%), aged sea salt (7.9%), soil (5.6%), non-ferrous smelting (1.7%), and industrial activity (1.1%). Conditional probability and potential source contribution functions were then used to determine whether these sources were local or came from pollutants transported over long-range distances. The anthropogenic sources came from local emissions and originated from both industrialized and metropolitan areas, whereas the secondary inorganic aerosols were strongly influenced by the long-range transport of air pollutants from Shandong and Jiangsu provinces in China., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aims of this study are to explore the "offensive" summer weather types classified under the spatial synoptic classification (SSC) system and to evaluate their impacts on excess mortality in 14 Korean cities. All-cause deaths per day for the entire population were examined over the summer months (May-September) of 1991-2010. Daily deaths were standardized to account for long-term trends of subcycles (annual, seasonal, and weekly) at the mid-latitudes. In addition, a mortality prediction model was constructed through multiple stepwise regression to develop a heat-health warning system based on synoptic climatology. The result showed that dry tropical (DT) days during early summer caused excess mortality due to non-acclimatization by inhabitants, and moist tropical (MT) plus and double plus resulted in greater spikes of excess mortality due to extremely hot and humid conditions. Among the 14 Korean cities, highly excess mortality for the elderly was observed in Incheon (23.2%, 95%CI 5.6), Seoul (15.8%, 95%CI 2.6), and Jeonju (15.8%, 95%CI 4.6). No time lag effect was observed, and excess mortality gradually increased with time and hot weather simultaneously. The model showed weak performance as its predictions were underestimated for the validation period (2011-2015). Nevertheless, the results clearly revealed the efficiency of relative and multiple-variable approaches better than absolute and single-variable approaches. The results indicate the potential of the SSC as a suitable system for investigating heat vulnerability in South Korea, where hot summers could be a significant risk factor.

Climate-relevant CO 2 emissions from waste incineration were compared using three methods: making use of CO 2 concentration data, converting O 2 concentration and waste characteristic data, and using a mass balance method following Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. For the first two methods, CO 2 and O 2 concentrations were measured continuously from 24 to 86 days. The O 2 conversion method in comparison to the direct CO 2 measurement method had a 4.8% mean difference in daily CO 2 emissions for four incinerators where analyzed waste composition data were available. However, the IPCC method had a higher difference of 13% relative to the direct CO 2 measurement method. For three incinerators using designed values for waste composition, the O 2 conversion and IPCC methods in comparison to the direct CO 2 measurement method had mean differences of 7.5% and 89%, respectively. Therefore, the use of O 2 concentration data measured for monitoring air pollutant emissions is an effective method for estimating CO 2 emissions resulting from waste incineration., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although epidemiologic studies have shown an association between the total mass of particulate matter <2.5μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5 ) and cardiovascular disease, few studies have examined PM 2.5 constituents associated with vascular and cardiac autonomic dysfunction., Methods: In this longitudinal study, we investigated the relationship between PM 2.5 constituents and blood pressure (BP), and markers of the autonomic nervous system. In 466 elderly subjects residing in communities in Seoul, Korea, we examined 16 constituents, seven sources, and total mass concentrations of PM 2.5 . We measured the BP, heart rate (HR), and indices of heart rate variability (HRV), such as the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), square root of the mean squared differences of successive NN intervals (rMSSD), and two frequency-domain variables (low frequency [LF] and high frequency [HF]). We used linear mixed effects models to assess the association of PM 2.5 constituents and sources with cardiovascular markers., Results: BP, HR, and rMSSD were associated with concentration of total mass of PM 2.5 . For each increase of the interquartile range in PM 2.5 constituents, systolic and diastolic BP, and HR increased by 2.1-3.3mmHg, 1.2-2.3mmHg, and 1.2-1.9bpm, respectively, while the rMSSD, LF, and HF decreased by 8.1-9.3%, 16.6%, and 20.4%, respectively. Particularly, elemental carbon, sulfate, ammonium, lead, and strontium in the PM 2.5 constituents and emissions from oil combustion and incineration were associated with increased BP, HR, and decreased HRV., Conclusions: Our results suggest an association between specific PM 2.5 constituents and vascular and cardiac autonomic functions. These findings may provide supportive evidence for developing a pollution reduction plan to prevent cardiovascular diseases., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Transit amplifying cells (TACs) are highly proliferative in nature and tend to be sensitive to ionizing radiation. Due to the abundance of TACs that support the elongation of hair shafts, growing hair follicles are highly sensitive to radiation injury. How hair follicles repair themselves after radiation injury is unclear. In this study, we observed that in 4 Gy irradiated mice, hair follicle dystrophy was induced with apoptosis-driven loss of hair matrix cells, which are the TACs that fuel hair growth. The dystrophy was repaired within 96 h without significant hair loss, indicating that a regenerative attempt successfully restored the TAC population to resume anagen growth. Soon after irradiation, mTORC1 signaling was activated in the TAC compartment and its activation was maintained until the regeneration process was completed. Inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin treatment increased radiation-induced cell apoptosis, reduced cell proliferation and delayed restoration of Wnt signaling in the hair matrix after radiation injury, leading to prolonged dystrophy and hair loss. These results demonstrate that mTORC1 signaling is activated after irradiation and is required for timely regeneration of the TAC pool of hair follicles, so that hair growth can resume after radiation injury.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of TSAHC [4'-(p-toluenesulfonylamido)-4-hydroxychalcone] in K/BxN serum transfer arthritis model and fibroblast-like synoviocytes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA-FLS). In in vivo experiments, TSAHC attenuated the incidence and severity of arthritis in comparison with the vehicle group. Histological findings showed that TSAHC decreased the inflammation, bone erosion, cartilage damage, and osteoclasts activity in the ankle. Furthermore, we confirmed by biochemical analysis that the observations were associated with the decreased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and RANKL in serum and ankle. In in vitro experiments, TSAHC induced apoptosis, while it significantly suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced cell proliferation in RA-FLS. Moreover, TSAHC inhibited mRNA expression of TNF-α-induced interleukin (IL)-6, MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13. Evaluation of signaling events showed that TSAHC inhibited the translocation and transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) by regulating phosphorylated-IκB-α (p-IκB-α) and IκB-α in TNF-α-induced RA-FLS. Our results suggest that TSAHC inhibits experimental arthritis in mice and suppresses TNF-α-induced RA-FLS activities via NF-κB pathway. Therefore, TSAHC may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of RA.

Background: Studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution such as fine particulate matter (≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter [PM 2.5 ]) increases the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. To date, however, there are limited data on the impact of air pollution on specific cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to evaluate cardiovascular effects of long-term exposure to air pollution among residents of Seoul, Korea., Methods and Results: Healthy participants with no previous history of cardiovascular disease were evaluated between 2007 and 2013. Exposure to air pollutants was estimated by linking the location of outdoor monitors to the ZIP code of each participant's residence. Crude and adjusted analyses were performed using Cox regression models to evaluate the risk for composite cardiovascular events including cardiovascular mortality, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke. A total of 136 094 participants were followed for a median of 7.0 years (900 845 person-years). The risk of major cardiovascular events increased with higher mean concentrations of PM 2.5 in a linear relationship, with a hazard ratio of 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.29-1.43) per 1 μg/m 3 PM 2.5 . Other pollutants including PM 2.5-10 of CO, SO 2 , and NO 2 , but not O 3 , were significantly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events. The burden from air pollution was comparable to that from hypertension and diabetes mellitus., Conclusions: This large-scale population-based study demonstrated that long-term exposure to air pollution including PM 2.5 increases the risk of major cardiovascular disease and mortality. Air pollution should be considered an important modifiable environmental cardiovascular risk factor., (© 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)

Numerous studies have revealed an association between particulate matter (PM) and emergency room (ER) visits, although few studies have investigated the association between health and PM components. The present study evaluated the associations of ER visits for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases with PM2.5 components, including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and ion species (SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+). Statistical analyses were performed using the time-series approach, and generalized linear models with natural spline functions were used to adjust for the non-linear relationship between the confounders and ER visits. Our single-pollutant models revealed that the greatest increase in cardiovascular ER visits was associated with NH4+ (relative risk: 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.09), which was followed by OC, SO42-, NO3-, and EC. The associations of cardiovascular ER visits with EC and OC varied according to age and sex, with elderly and female patients exhibiting stronger associations. Lagged SO42- was associated with respiratory ER visits. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the associations between ER visits and PM components in South Korea. As PM components are related to traffic and industrial sources, and exhibited positive associations with ER visits, our results may help improve air pollution regulation and public health.

The global diversity of airborne bacteria has not yet been studied, despite its importance in human health and climate change. Here, we focused on the diversity of airborne bacteria and their correlations with meteorological/environmental conditions in China, South Korea, and Japan. Beijing (China) had more diverse airborne bacteria, followed by Seoul (South Korea) and Nagasaki (Japan), and seasonal variations were observed. Beijing and Seoul had more diverse airborne bacteria during the winter, whereas Nagasaki showed greater diversity during the summer. According to principal component analysis and Bray-Curtis similarity, higher similarity was observed between Beijing and Seoul than between Seoul and Nagasaki during all seasons except summer. Among meteorological/environmental variables, temperature and humidity were highly correlated with the diversity of airborne bacteria on the measurement day, whereas wind speeds and the frequency of northwest winds were highly correlated for 2-3-day moving averages. Thus, proximity and resuspension could enhance bacterial diversity in East Asian cities.

Purpose: To analyze the thickness of cement mantle at the bone cement interface in knees with closed and open box designs in total knee arthroplasty (TKA)., Materials and Methods: Eighty cases of TKA were performed from October 2013 to March 2014. The average age of the patients was 68.4 years. All patients were women and they were divided into two groups: group I with a closed box implant (PS150 RP, n=40) and group II with an open box implant (LPS-Flex, n=40). We measured the cement mantle thickness at the bone cement interface from the distal femur and proximal tibia. If the thickness was >1 mm, it was considered an outlier., Results: The mean cement mantle thickness at the interface was 1.4 mm in the distal femur and 0.8 mm in the proximal tibia. The value exceed 1 mm in 40 cases (50%) in the distal femur and in 6 cases (7.5%) in the proximal tibia (p<0.001). The mean cement mantle thickness measured in the distal femur was 1.7 mm in group I and 1.0 mm in group II. The value exceed 1 mm in 32 cases (80%) in group I and in 8 cases (20%) in group II (p<0.000)., Conclusions: The cement mantle at the interface was thicker in the knees with the closed box implant than those with the open box implant in TKA, especially in the distal femoral area. A thick cement mantle at the interface should be avoided because it affects the gap balance. In case of using a closed box implant in TKA, cementing should be performed with extra care.

The constituents and concentrations of pollutants, individual exposures, and biologic responses to air pollution may vary by season and meteorological conditions. However, evidence regarding seasonality of the acute effects of air pollution on mortality is limited and inconsistent. Herein, we examined seasonal patterns in the short-term associations of particulate matter (PM) smaller than 10μm (PM 10 ) with daily mortality in 29 cities of three northeast Asian countries. Stratified time-series models were used to determine whether season altered the effect of PM 10 on mortality. This effect was first quantified within each season and at each location using a time-series model, after which city-specific estimates were pooled using a hierarchical Bayesian model. In all data sets, 3,675,348 non-accidental deaths were registered from 1993 to 2009. In Japan, a 10μg/m 3 increase in PM 10 was significantly associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.44% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03%, 0.8%) in spring and 0.42% (0.02%, 0.82%) in fall. In South Korea, a 10μg/m 3 increase in PM 10 was significantly associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.51% (0.01%, 1.01%) in summer and 0.45% (0.03%, 0.87%) in fall, in cardiovascular disease mortality of 0.96% (0.29%, 1.63%) in fall, and in respiratory disease mortality of 1.57% (0.40%, 2.75%) in fall. In China, a 10μg/m 3 increase in PM 10 was associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.33% (0.01%, 0.66%) in summer and 0.41% (0.09%, 0.73%) in winter, in cardiovascular disease mortality of 0.41% (0.08%, 0.74%) in spring and 0.33% (0.02%, 0.64%) in winter, and in respiratory diseases mortality of 0.78% (0.27%, 1.30%) in winter. Our analyses suggest that the acute effect of particulate air pollution could vary seasonally and geographically., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (POSEH) is different from spontaneous or post-spinal procedure hematoma because of the application of suction drains. However, it appeared that suction drains were not effective for prevention of POSEH in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to test our hypothesis that POSEH can be caused by hypercoagulability., Methods: This was an experimental study. One hundred fifty milliliters of blood was donated from each of the 12 consecutive patients who underwent spine surgery and infused into 3 saline bags of 50 mL each. One of the 3 bags in each set contained 5,000 units of thrombin. All of them were connected to 120 ± 30 mmHg vacuum suctions: drainage was started 8 minutes after connection to the vacuum system for 12 normal blood bags (BV8) and 12 thrombin-containing blood bags (TBV8) and 15 minutes after connection for the remaining 12 normal blood bags (BV15). The amount of initial and remaining hematoma at 20 minutes, 120 minutes, and 24 hours after vacuum application were measured by their weight (g). The primary endpoint was the difference between BV8 and TBV8. The secondary end point was the difference between BV8 and BV15., Results: The remaining hematoma in TBV8 was significantly greater than that in BV8 at all measurement points: 46.3 ± 12.4 vs. 17.0 ± 1.3 ( p = 0.000) at 20 minutes; 33.0 ± 8.2 vs. 16.3 ± 1.2 ( p = 0.000) at 120 minutes; and 26.1 ± 4.0 vs. 15.8 ± 1.6 ( p = 0.000) at 24 hours after vacuum application. The remaining hematoma of BV15 was significantly greater than that of BV8 at all measurement points: 30.0 ± 12.0 vs. 17.0 ± 1.3 ( p = 0.002) at 20 minutes; 24.2 ± 7.6 vs. 16.3 ± 1.2 at 120 minutes ( p = 0.002); and 22.2 ± 6.6 vs. 15.8 ± 1.6 ( p = 0.004) at 24 hours after vacuum application., Conclusions: With a suction drain in place, the amount of remaining hematoma could be affected by coagulability. Thrombin-containing local hemostatics and the length of time elapsed before the commencement of suction resulted in hypercoagulability, indicating these two factors could be causes of POSEH., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Objective: Cardiac arrest is one of the common presentations of cardiovascular disorders and a leading cause of death. There are limited data on the relationship between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and ambient temperatures, specifically extreme heat. This study investigated how heat and heat waves affect the occurrence of OHCA., Methods: Seven major cities in Korea with more than 1 million residents were included in this study. A heat wave was defined as a daily mean temperature above the 98th percentile of the yearly distribution for at least two consecutive days., Results: A total of 50,318 OHCAs of presumed cardiac origin were identified from the nationwide emergency medical service database between 2006 and 2013. Ambient temperature and OHCA had a J-shaped relationship with a trough at 28°C. Heat waves were shown to be associated with a 14-% increase in the risk of OHCA. Adverse effects were apparent from the beginning of each heat wave period and slightly increased during its continuation. Excess OHCA events during heat waves occurred between 3PM and 5PM. Subgroup analysis showed that those 65years or older were significantly more susceptible to heat waves., Conclusions: Ambient temperature and OHCA had a J-shaped relationship. The risk of OHCA was significantly increased with heat waves. Excess OHCA events primarily occurred during the afternoon when the temperature was high. We found that the elderly were more susceptible to the deleterious effects of heat waves., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies have reported sources of particle number pollution in urban air, but have not evaluated relationships between respiratory health and these sources. We compared, among children with asthma or allergies, the associations of spirometric lung functions with increased exposure to source-specific versus size-segregated particle number concentrations (PNC). Hourly measurements of PNC were acquired from the aerosol Supersite in New Taipei, Taiwan. Spirometry (FVC, FEV1, and FEF) was recorded monthly for 59 children with asthma or allergies at five schools during 2007-2008. After co-pollutant adjustment for ozone, we found a 0.21 and 0.17 L decrease in FVC [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.35, -0.06 L] and FEV1 (95% CI: -0.32, -0.03 L), respectively, with an interquartile range increase (1879.7#/cm(3)) in secondary aerosol contribution observed on the previous day. In addition, we found no significant associations of FVC with accumulation mode (0.1 μm

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of cardiovascular death. This study aimed at investigating the impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on the incidence of OHCA., Methods: We identified OHCA cases that occurred in Seoul between 2006 and 2013 from the nationwide emergency medical service database. The association of the daily incidence of OHCA with air pollutants including PM2.5 (particles ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter), PM10, CO, O3, NO2, and SO2 was analyzed with the use of time-series and case-crossover analyses., Results: A total of 21,509 OHCAs of presumed cardiac origin were identified. An elevation in PM2.5 by 10 μg/m(3) at a moving average of lag 1 and 2 days was shown to increase the risk of OHCA by 1.30% (95% confidence intervals, 0.20-2.41%). An exposure-response relationship was present: the risk of OHCA increased significantly with even a mild elevation of PM2.5 (10-15 μg/m(3)) and further increased with higher levels. While PM10, NO2, CO, and SO2 also showed significant associations with OHCA in single-pollutant models, only PM2.5 remained significant after adjustment for other pollutants. Subgroup analyses showed male sex, advanced age, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and history of stroke were risk factors for OHCA in response to elevations in PM2.5., Conclusions: This study showed that increased ambient levels of PM2.5 were significantly associated with increased risk of OHCA within 1 to 2 days of exposure, which had a dose-response relationship. Subjects with conventional cardiovascular risk factors were more susceptible to harm of PM2.5., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Organs are composed of heterotypic cells with patterned architecture that enables intercellular interaction to perform specific functions. In tissue engineering, the ability to pattern heterotypic cells into desired arrangement will allow us to model complex tissues in vitro and to create tissue equivalents for regeneration. This study was aimed at developing a method for fast heterotypic cell patterning with controllable topological manipulation on a glass chip. We found that poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated glass showed a biphasic change in adhesivity to cells in vitro: low adhesivity in the first 24 h and higher adhesivity at later hours due to increased serum protein adsorption. Combining programmable CO2 laser ablation to remove poly(vinyl alcohol) and glass, we were able to create arrays of adhesive microwells of adjustable patterns. We tested whether controllable patterns of epithelial-mesenchymal interaction could be created. When skin dermal papilla cells and fibroblasts were seeded respectively 24 h apart, we were able to pattern these two cells into aggregates of dermal papilla cells in arrays of microwells in a background of fibroblasts sheet. Seeded later, keratinocytes attached to these mesenchymal cells. Keratinocytes contacting dermal papilla cells started to differentiate toward a hair follicle fate, demonstrating patternable epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. This method allows fast adjustable heterotypic cell patterning and surface topology control and can be applied to the investigation of heterotypic cellular interaction and creation of tissue equivalent in vitro.

Successful hair follicle (HF) neogenesis in adult life depends on the existence of both capable dermal cells and competent epidermal keratinocytes that recapitulate embryonic organogenesis through epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. In tissue engineering, the maintenance of trichogenic potential of adult epidermal cells, while expanding them remains a challenging issue. We found that although HF outer root sheath keratinocytes could be expanded for more than 100 passages as clonogenic cells without losing the proliferative potential with a 3T3J2 fibroblast feeder layer, these keratinocytes were unable to form new HFs when combined with inductive HF dermal papilla (DP) cells. However, when these high-passage keratinocytes were cocultured with HF DP cells for 4 days in vitro, they regained the trichogenic ability to form new HFs after transplantation. We found that the short-term coculture with DP cells enhanced both Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a signaling cascade key to HF development, and upregulated the expression of HF-specific genes, including K6, K16, K17, and K75, in keratinocytes, indicating that these cells were poised toward a HF fate. Hence, efficient production of trichogenic keratinocytes can be obtained by a two-stepped procedure with initial cell expansion with a 3T3J2 fibroblast feeder followed by short-term coculture with DP cells.

This study was carried out to identify possible sources and to estimate their contribution to total suspended particle (TSP) organic aerosol (OA) contents. A total of 120 TSP and PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously every third day over a one-year period in urban area of Incheon, Korea. High concentration in particulate matters (PM) and its components (NO3(-), water soluble organic compounds (WSOCs), and n-alkanoic acids) were observed during the winter season. Among the organics, n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, levoglucosan, and phthalates were major components. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis identified seven sources of organic aerosols including combustion 1 (low molecular weight (LMW)-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)), combustion 2 (high molecular weight (HMW)-PAHs), biomass burning, vegetative detritus (n-alkane), secondary organic aerosol 1 (SOA1), secondary organic aerosol 2 (SOA2), and motor vehicles. Vegetative detritus increased during the summer season through an increase in biogenic/photochemical activity, while most of the organic sources were prominent in the winter season due to the increases in air pollutant emissions and atmospheric stability. The correlation factors were high among the main components of the organic carbon (OC) in the TSP and PM2.5. The results showed that TSP OAs had very similar characteristics to the PM2.5 OAs. SOA, combustion (PAHs), and motor vehicle were found to be important sources of carbonaceous PM in this region. Our results imply that molecular markers (MMs)-PMF model can provide useful information on the source and characteristics of PM., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cytochrome aa3-600 is a terminal oxidase in the electron transport pathway that contributes to the electrochemical membrane potential by actively pumping protons. A notable feature of this enzyme complex is that it uses menaquinol as its electron donor instead of cytochrome c when it reduces dioxygen to water. The enzyme stabilizes a menasemiquinone radical (SQ) at a high affinity site that is important for catalysis. One of the residues that interacts with the semiquinone is Arg70. We have made the R70H mutant and have characterized the menasemiquinone radical by advanced X- and Q-band EPR. The bound SQ of the R70H mutant exhibits a strong isotropic hyperfine coupling (a(14)N ≈ 2.0 MHz) with a hydrogen bonded nitrogen. This nitrogen originates from a histidine side chain, based on its quadrupole coupling constant, e(2)qQ/h = 1.44 MHz, typical for protonated imidazole nitrogens. In the wild-type cyt aa3-600, the SQ is instead hydrogen bonded with Nε from the Arg70 side chain. Analysis of the (1)H 2D electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectra shows that the mutation also changes the number and strength of the hydrogen bonds between the SQ and the surrounding protein. Despite the alterations in the immediate environment of the SQ, the R70H mutant remains catalytically active. These findings are in contrast to the equivalent mutation in the close homologue, cytochrome bo3 ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli, where the R71H mutation eliminates function.

Background: Although studies have provided estimates of premature deaths attributable to either heat or cold in selected countries, none has so far offered a systematic assessment across the whole temperature range in populations exposed to different climates. We aimed to quantify the total mortality burden attributable to non-optimum ambient temperature, and the relative contributions from heat and cold and from moderate and extreme temperatures., Methods: We collected data for 384 locations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, and USA. We fitted a standard time-series Poisson model for each location, controlling for trends and day of the week. We estimated temperature-mortality associations with a distributed lag non-linear model with 21 days of lag, and then pooled them in a multivariate metaregression that included country indicators and temperature average and range. We calculated attributable deaths for heat and cold, defined as temperatures above and below the optimum temperature, which corresponded to the point of minimum mortality, and for moderate and extreme temperatures, defined using cutoffs at the 2·5th and 97·5th temperature percentiles., Findings: We analysed 74,225,200 deaths in various periods between 1985 and 2012. In total, 7·71% (95% empirical CI 7·43-7·91) of mortality was attributable to non-optimum temperature in the selected countries within the study period, with substantial differences between countries, ranging from 3·37% (3·06 to 3·63) in Thailand to 11·00% (9·29 to 12·47) in China. The temperature percentile of minimum mortality varied from roughly the 60th percentile in tropical areas to about the 80-90th percentile in temperate regions. More temperature-attributable deaths were caused by cold (7·29%, 7·02-7·49) than by heat (0·42%, 0·39-0·44). Extreme cold and hot temperatures were responsible for 0·86% (0·84-0·87) of total mortality., Interpretation: Most of the temperature-related mortality burden was attributable to the contribution of cold. The effect of days of extreme temperature was substantially less than that attributable to milder but non-optimum weather. This evidence has important implications for the planning of public-health interventions to minimise the health consequences of adverse temperatures, and for predictions of future effect in climate-change scenarios., Funding: UK Medical Research Council., (Copyright © 2015 Gasparrini et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Identification of methods to enhance anagen entry can be helpful for alopecia. Recently, nonablative laser has been proposed as a potential treatment for alopecia. However, how the laser parameters affect stem cell activity, hair cycles and the associated side effects have not been well characterized. Here we examine the effects of irradiation parameters of 1,550-nm fractional laser on hair cycles., Study Design/materials and Methods: The dorsal skin of eight-week-old female C57BL/6 mice with hair follicles in synchronized telogen was shaved and irradiated with a 1,550-nm fractional erbium-glass laser (Fraxel RE:STORE (SR1500) Laser System, Solta Medical, U.S.A.) with varied beam energies (5-35 mJ) and beam densities (500-3500 microthermal zones/cm(2) ). The cutaneous changes were evaluated both grossly and histologically. Hair follicle stem cell activity was detected by BrdU incorporation and changes in gene expression were quantified by real-time PCR., Results: Direct thermal injury to hair follicles could be observed early after irradiation, especially at higher beam energy. Anagen induction in the irradiated skin showed an all-or-non change. Anagen induction and ulcer formation were affected by the combination of beam energy and density. The lowest beam energy of 5 mJ failed to promote anagen entry at all beam densities tested. As beam energy increased from 10 mJ to 35 mJ, we found a decreasing trend of beam density that could induce anagen entry within 7-9 days with activation of hair follicle stem cells. Beam density above the pro-regeneration density could lead to ulcers and scarring followed by anagen entry in adjacent skin. Analysis of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, revealed that transient moderate inflammation was associated with anagen induction and intense prolonged inflammation preceded ulcer formation., Conclusion: To avoid side effects of hair follicle injury and scarring, appropriate combination of beam energy and density is required. Parameters outside the therapeutic window can result in either no anagen promotion or ulcer formation., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

According to IPCC guidelines, a semi-aerobic landfill site produces one-half of the amount of CH4 produced by an equally-sized anaerobic landfill site. Therefore categorizing the landfill type is important on greenhouse gas inventories. In order to assess semi-aerobic condition in the sites and the MCF value for semi-aerobic landfill, landfill gas has been measured from vent pipes in five semi-aerobically designed landfills in South Korea. All of the five sites satisfied requirements of semi-aerobic landfills in 2006 IPCC guidelines. However, the ends of leachate collection pipes which are main entrance of air in the semi-aerobic landfill were closed in all five sites. The CH4/CO2 ratio in landfill gas, indicator of aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, ranged from 1.08 to 1.46 which is higher than the values (0.3-1.0) reported for semi-aerobic landfill sites and is rather close to those (1.0-2.0) for anaerobic landfill sites. The low CH4+CO2% in landfill gas implied air intrusion into the landfill. However, there was no evidence that air intrusion has caused by semi-aerobic design and operation. Therefore, the landfills investigated in this study are difficult to be classified as semi-aerobic landfills. Also MCF of 0.5 may significantly underestimate methane emissions compared to other researches. According to the carbon mass balance analyses, the higher MCF needs to be proposed for semi-aerobic landfills. Consequently, methane emission estimate should be based on field evaluation for the semi-aerobically designed landfills., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)