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Crash analysis simulation is now very important in automotive industry to assess automotivecrashworthiness and safety. In order to acquire reliable crash simulation results, precise materialbehaviors at intermediate strain rates should be used as input data. To derive the stress-strain curves atvarious strain rates, a large number of experiments are needed, which is costly and time consuming.The present study aims at determining the stress-strain curves of sheet metals at various strain ratesfrom a single dynamic experiment. A new type of high-speed tensile tester for sheet metal specimenswas built and high-speed tensile tests were carried out. Full-field heterogeneous strain fields weremeasured by a digital image correlation technique using a high-speed camera. The load data wasacquired from strain gauges attached to the elastic deformation region on the specimen. Then, an inverseidentification scheme with a rate dependent hardening law was applied to retrieve dynamic parameters.The stress-strain curves of three advanced high strength steels at intermediate strain rates (100 s-1 –300 s-1) were successfully obtained from a single experiment.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play an important role in diagnosing cancer and metastasis; thus, appropriate sensors are required for analyzing CTCs in patient samples. Here, we developed a simple electrochemical aptasensor for highly sensitive and selective detection of CTCs based on rolling circle amplification (RCA) coupled with the catalytic ability of the hemin/G-quadruplex complex. In detail, we first modified the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode using a biocompatible mixture of thiol functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles and ionic liquid. Next, gold nanostar structures were prepared by electrodeposition to increase the electrode surface area and electrochemical signal, followed by EpCAM aptamer immobilization. When EpCAM-positive cancer cells are present in the sample, they bind to the EpCAM aptamer on the modified electrode, and a number of cholesterol-labeled DNA probes that act as initiators for RCA are inserted into the cell membrane. Consequently, RCA is initiated to generate multiple tandem repeats of the G-quadruplex DNA structure, which is complexed with hemin to catalyze the H2O2-mediated oxidation of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethyl benzidine and produces strong electrochemical signals. Using this strategy, we could sensitively determine target cancer cells down to a single cell with high selectivity even in human serum. The proposed strategy with the dual signal amplification can thus be a promising platform for simple and ultrasensitive detection of CTCs, and be used for the detection of other cancer cells and biomarkers in different clinical and biological samples.

The Liquid Waste Management System (LWMS) is a radioactive waste storage and treatment facility equipped in the nuclear power plants to ensure the safe management of radioactive waste generated in the process of operation. New and improved materials and processes are continuously under consideration and development in various countries to reduce waste generation and to minimize costs. To meet the increasing pressure to reduce the release of radioactive into the environment, this study discusses the possible performance improvements of the existing liquid waste management system of APR1400 without additional equipment installation or design changes of the system. This study proposes three possible items for improvement of the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) liquid waste management system which are chemical additions, increasing ion exchange (I.X.) selectivity and optimal operation conditions to reduce the radioactivity concentration in the effluent and solid waste generation. The results of off-site dose calculated by ENDOS-L shows that maximum individual dose is reduced by 12.7% from original values. And the reduction of solid waste generation from the extended replacement period of the membrane is expected to reduce the annual disposal cost by 16.7% from original cost. Improvements do not involve equipment modification so these can be easily applied to currently operating NPPs. It will be helpful to reduce the offsite public dose and operating cost of Nuclear Power Plants(NPPs).

// Gi Cheol Park 1,* , Ji Min Kim 2,* , Hee-Young Park 2 , Ji Min Han 3 , Sung-Chan Shin 2 , Jeon Yeob Jang 4 , Dawoon Jung 2 , In Joo Kim 5 , Jin-Choon Lee 6 and Byung-Joo Lee 2 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea 2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea 4 Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea 6 Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, Korea * The first two authors have equally contributed to this paper Correspondence to: Byung-Joo Lee, email: // Keywords : aging, thyroid, cold exposure, rat, Gerotarget Received : May 18, 2017 Accepted : July 26, 2017 Published : August 03, 2017 Abstract Thyroid function decreases and cold exposure response becomes impaired with increasing age. We investigated the age-related changes in thyroid structure and function and cold-induced changes in the thyroid activity of aging rats. Thirty-two male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (8 rats per group): young (7 months) and old (22 months) groups exposed to room temperature and cold stress. The active follicle ratio and serum free T3, T4 and TSH, and TSH receptor (TSHR) concentrations in the thyroid tissues of the rats from each group were compared. At room temperature, old rats had significantly lower active follicle ratio and free T3 and T4 concentrations than young rats. Furthermore, old rats displayed higher TSH level than young. Exposure to cold temperature led to significantly increased active colloid ratio and free T3 and T4 concentrations among old rats, but no significant differences were found among young rats. Additionally, no significant changes in the TSH and TSHR levels were observed after cold exposure in both young and old rats. Old rats have lower thyroid function than young rats under normal temperature. Aging rats are more susceptible to cold stress than young rats, and cold-induced thyroid activation occurs independently of TSH. We investigated the age-related changes in the thyroid structure and function and cold-induced changes in the thyroid activity of aging rats. Aging rats have structurally less active thyroid follicles and functionally lower thyroid hormone levels than young rats. Furthermore, old rats are more susceptible to cold stress than young rats, and cold-induced thyroid activation occurs independently of TSH.

The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap has long been the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction. Various factors that can disrupt abdominal wall vascular anatomy make dissection of the DIEP flap a technically demanding procedure. The mass effect from a huge uterine leiomyoma has not been previously reported as a factor influencing abdominal wall vascularity. The aim of this report was to describe the case of a patient with a huge uterine leiomyoma who underwent immediate free DIEP flap breast reconstruction without any major complications.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are an uncommon type of mesenchymal tumors that are presumably fibroblastic in nature. SFTs are translocation-associated neoplasms that can be consistently diagnosed through the evaluation of NAB2/STAT6 gene fusion. Currently, SFTs have a different grading system and criteria according to their primary sites, and the differences and similarities in SFTs according to their primary sites are still poorly understood. Therefore, we compared SFTs according to their primary sites and histologic appearance, and validated the current grading system of SFTs. A total of 92 patients (with 15 meningeal, 40 pleural, and 37 extrapleural SFTs) were evaluated. The patients with pleural SFTs (mean age: 60.2 years) showed a significantly increased age at diagnosis. Tumors with hemangiopericytoma-predominant morphology had significantly higher grades in the evaluation of several risk factors such as cellularity (P0.001), pleomorphism (P=0.001), and mitotic activity (P0.001). Consequently, hemangiopericytoma (HPC)-predominant tumors had a significantly higher recurrence rate. The meningeal SFT group had significantly higher proportion of the HPC-predominant histologic phenotype compared with pleural or extrapleural SFTs (66.67% vs. 5.00% or 18.92%, respectively; P0.001). Consequently, meningeal SFTs showed significantly higher recurrence rates compared with pleural or extrapleural SFTs (33.33% vs. 12.50% or 2.70%, respectively; P=0.009). Regarding the evaluation of risk factors, a tumor size ≥10cm (P=0.017), a mitotic index ≥4/10 high power fields (HPFs) (P=0.001), high tumor cellularity (P=0.003), high nuclear pleomorphism (P=0.005), and tumor necrosis (P=0.004) were associated with both recurrence and disease-specific mortality. Upon evaluation of the usefulness of the criteria using previously described factors, the predictive model was on the borderline of validation. Of the five factors indicated in the log rank test, only a mitotic index ≥4/10 HPFs remained a significant factor in the multivariate Cox model.

Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus is a recently identified subtype of type 1 diabetes characterized by abrupt disease onset, a very short (

Modified surfaces with graphene coatings were evaluated experimentally to enhance nucleate boiling performance on an orientated surface, from upward to downward (0°, 45°, 90°, 120°, 135°, 150°, 160°, and 170°). Two-dimensional (2D) laminate and three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene were prepared for surface modification, and their boiling heat transfer coefficient (BHTC) and critical heat flux (CHF) values were evaluated according to orientation angle. Moreover, their boiling structures were observed and analyzed using high-speed visualization. The results showed that the surfaces coated with 2D and 3D graphene had enhanced BHTC and CHF performance in comparison with the bare surface with no graphene modification. The 2D graphene surface showed increased nucleate site density and early onset of nucleate boiling, resulting in enhanced BHTC, by 40%, in the downward condition. The enhancement ratio of CHF was 40% on 2D graphene and 20–25% on 3D graphene.

Post-tensioning (PT) using a bundle of pre-stressed strands is a critical process for assembling pre-fabricated and modularized bridge members. However, the tension force gradually diminishes over time due to such factors as corrosion, creep, and steel relaxation. Such changes compromise the overall safety of such structures. In this study, an eddy-current-based tension-force-loss warning (EC-TFLW) technique is proposed to detect and warn automatically of excessive loss of tension force in a PT tendon. A ring-type eddy-current sensor (ECS) is mounted on the outer surface of a wedge holding a tendon, and the level of eddy current measured by the ECS is related to the tension force of the tendon. The advantages of the proposed technique include: (1) low power consumption, (2) low cost, (3) simple installation, and (4) automated warning. The performance of the proposed EC-TFLW technique was validated experimentally in a full-scale lab test of a 3.3-m long, 15.2-mm diameter, mono-strand tendon that was tensioned using a universal testing machine (from 20 to 180 kN). Statistical hypothesis testing using the chi-square distribution was applied to the measured eddy current signals, and if the decline in tension exceeded a certain level, a warning was sent out automatically.

This paper presents a design methodology and analysis for a 4-kW 150-krpm ultra-high-speed surface-mounted permanent-magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) to electrically assist a turbocharger. The proposed design methodology is aimed at achieving a required torque and speed. In addition, this study seeks a fast-speed response as a design objective to eliminate turbo lag more effectively. First, an existing prototype that does not meet the target performance is presented. The loss for the prototype, which is difficult to obtain theoretically, is obtained experimentally and reflected in the design. The speed response characteristic of the machine is analyzed through the electromechanical undamped natural frequency and damping ratio. Design parameters such as the permanent-magnet (PM) grade, the turn number of coils, and the axial length of the motor are designed. The resulting improved motor achieves higher power density as well as faster speed response than the prototype. Experiments verified the effectiveness of the motor in the electrically assisted turbocharger. In system experiments with the turbocharger, the rising speed of the boost pressure is improved by 44.9% due to the designed motor.

Background/Aims: Sleep disturbance is prime concern in patients with Behcet disease. The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of sleep quality, in Korean patients suffering from Behcet disease. We further investigated the relationship between depression, quality of life and the clinical findings of Behcet disease. Methods: The study was performed by the cross-sectional design. Sleep quality was assessed by the Korean version of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Disease activity of Behcet disease was evaluated by Behcet disease current activity form (BDCAF). Depression was assessed by the Korean version of Beck depression inventory second edition (BDI-2). Quality of life was assessed by the Korean version of the Leeds Behcet disease quality of life measure (BDQoL). Results: Among the 100 patients studied, 42% reported poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥ 9). These patients have a higher BDI-2, total BDCAF and pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score (p < 0.001, p = 0.022, and p = 0.005). Considering BDCAF, the frequency of genital ulcer was significantly higher (p = 0.01). Behcet was higher in females. The BDQoL was lower in poor sleeper group (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001). Among 7 PSQI components, daytime dysfunction was higher in patients with high disease activity (p = 0.03). Total PSQI score were strongly correlated with BDCAF, BDI-2, BDQoL, and pain VAS score (p = 0.02, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Low sleep quality is directly associated with disease activity, depression, and quality of life in Korean patients with Behcet disease.

We here report the complete mitochondrial genome of the Hydrophis melanocephalus slender-necked sea snake from Okinawa, Japan. Its length is 17,182 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, two rR...

In this study, we provide the first report of the complete mitochondrial genomic sequencing of a yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) that has the broadest distribution range of all Squama...

Dermatofibromas most commonly occur on limbs and rarely occur on the face. Dermatofibroma occurring on the face is associated with unusual clinicopathologic features and a more aggressive clinical course in comparison to typical cases. Additionally, the most common subtype found in previous studies was benign fibrous histiocytoma, with the keloid type being very rare (about 1% of reported cases). The aim of this study was to present our experience with a keloidal dermatofibroma of the face, which is usually missed clinically, and to discuss the treatment of a keloidal dermatofibroma in this location.

Secondary aortoenteric fistulas (AEFs) are an uncommon but fatal complication of abdominal aortic reconstructive surgery. Aortoduodenal fistulas (ADFs) are the most frequent secondary AEFs (80%). The incidence of secondary AEFs is increasing because of the increasing number of individuals undergoing aortic aneurysm repairs with prosthetics. In most cases of secondary AEFs, surgical repair is performed with the patient in a poor condition, owing to late diagnosis. Thus, an early diagnosis is crucial. We report a case of an asymptomatic secondary ADF that was incidentally diagnosed using esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and computed tomography during a health check-up and was successfully repaired, with the patient in a stable condition even after the development of life-threatening symptoms. Based on our case, we suggest that noticing unexplained leukocytosis in regular hematological examination and performing surveillance EGD in an asymptomatic individual who has undergone abdominal aortic reconstructive surgery may aid in the early diagnosis of secondary AEFs before fatal complications manifest.

Dutasteride (DUT) is a selective, potent, competitive, and irreversible inhibitor of both type-1 and type-2 5&alpha, reductase (5AR) commonly used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia. In the present study, we developed a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FL) method for simultaneous determination of DUT and its major active metabolite, 6&beta, hydroxydutasteride (H-DUT). Next, the pharmacokinetic interactions of DUT with ketoconazole (KET), a potent CYP3A inhibitor, were comprehensively investigated. In vivo rat intravenous and oral studies revealed that the pharmacokinetics of DUT and H-DUT were significantly altered by the co-administration of KET. Furthermore, the in vitro microsomal metabolism, blood distribution, and protein-binding studies suggest that the altered pharmacokinetics of DUT could be attributed primarily to the inhibition of the DUT metabolism by KET. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show the drug interaction potential of DUT with azole antifungal drugs including KET, together with a newly developed HPLC-FL method for the simultaneous quantification of DUT and H-DUT.

Human palatine tonsils are potential tissue source of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The proliferation rate of palatine tonsil-derived MSCs (TMSCs) is far higher than that of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) or adipose tissue-derived MSCs (ADSCs). In our previous study, we had found through DNA microarray analysis that tensin-3 (TNS3), a type of focal adhesion protein, was more highly expressed in TMSCs than in both BMSCs and ADSCs. Here, the role of TNS3 in TMSCs and its relationship with integrin were investigated. TNS3 expression was significantly elevated in TMSCs than in other cell types. Cell growth curves revealed a significant decrease in the proliferation and migration of TMSCs treated with siRNA for TNS3 (siTNS3). siTNS3 treatment upregulated p16 and p21 levels and downregulated SOX2 expression and focal adhesion kinase, protein kinase B, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylation. siTNS3 transfection significantly reduced adipogenic differentiation of TMSCs and slightly decreased osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Furthermore, TNS3 inhibition reduced active integrin beta-1 (ITG&beta, 1) expression, while total ITG&beta, 1 expression was not affected. Inhibition of ITG&beta, 1 expression in TMSCs by siRNA showed similar results observed in TNS3 inhibition. Thus, TNS3 may play an important role in TMSC proliferation and differentiation by regulating active ITG&beta, 1 expression.

Background: The suicide rate of the youth in South Korea has been increasing, and suicide of the youth still has been the most common cause of death since 2007. We aimed to determine the trends and the regional risk factors of youth suicide in South Korea from 2001 to 2010. Subjects and Methods: We used the data from the National Statistical Office to calculate the standardized suicide rates and various regional data including population census, employment, and labor. To calculate the effect of individual risk factors, we used the data from the fourth Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS-VI). Conditional autoregressive model for regional standardized mortality ratio (SMR) using inter-regional spatial information was fitted. Results: Suicide rates of adolescents aged 12 to 18 was from 3.5 per 100,000 people in 2001 and 5.3 per 100,000 in 2010. There were no significant gender difference in suicide rates, however, the number of suicides among adolescents aged 15-18 accounted for four times than those of adolescents ages 12-14. High proportion of late adolescents, higher number of recipients of national basic livelihood, and higher number of adolescents who treated with depression were related to elevated suicide rate of adolescent. Total sleep time of adolescents and regional unemployment rate were negatively associated with the suicide risk of respective regions. Conclusions: Age distribution, economic status, total sleep time, and the number of adolescent patients with depression were different between those in low and in high adolescent suicidal regions in Korea. Our findings suggest that preferential appliance of adolescent suicide prevention program for regions by considering those factors may be important steps to reduce adolescent suicide in Korea.

This paper proposes a design method for a high speed response motor system consisting of a motor and load. Various methods have been studied to improve the speed response of the motor system, but the main focus was previously advanced control techniques. However, the dynamic response of the controller can be further improved when the dynamic response of the plant improves. The proposed method improves the speed response by increasing the bandwidth of the motor system which is the plant of the servo system. Thus, the relationship between the bandwidth and speed response has been investigated. As the both electrical and mechanical parameters affect the speed response and bandwidth of the motor system, the correlation of the time constants and bandwidth were analyzed. Based on the analyzed results, the process of designing a motor system with maximized bandwidth was introduced. Therefore, a motor system with maximized bandwidth was designed using the proposed design process. Finally, the rated power and speed response of the motor system were verified through simulations.

Since diabetes mellitus and osteoarthritis are highly prevalent diseases, combinations of antidiabetic agents like repaglinide (REP) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) like celecoxib (CEL) could be commonly used in clinical practice. In this study, a simple and sensitive bioanalytical HPLC method combined with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FL) was developed and fully validated for simultaneous quantification of REP and CEL. A simple protein precipitation procedure and reversed C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase (mixture of ACN and pH 6.0 phosphate buffer) were employed for sample preparation and chromatographic separation. The fluorescence detector was set at a single excitation/emission wavelength pair of 240 nm/380 nm. The linearity (10&ndash, 2000 ng/mL), accuracy, precision, extraction recovery, matrix effect, and stability for this method were validated as per the current FDA guidance. The bioanalytical method was applied to study pharmacokinetic interactions between REP and CEL in vivo, successfully showing that concurrent administration with oral REP significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of oral CEL. Furthermore, an in vitro metabolism and protein binding study using human materials highlighted the possibility of metabolism-based interactions between CEL and REP in clinical settings.

Fluorescence of DNA-templated copper nanoparticles (DNA-CuNPs) is not stable over time which limits applications in cellular imaging. This is due to the presence of oxygen during synthesis which oxidizes Cu(0) to Cu(II) and also produces the free hydroxyl radical. The authors have prepared DNA-CuNPs with enhanced temporal stability of fluorescence by optimizing the reaction conditions so as to minimize the deleterious effects of oxygen. The operational lifetime of DNA-CuNPs was increased from 25 min to 200 min. Fluorescence spectra of DNA-CuNPs in optimized condition show an emission peak at 650 nm when excited at 340 nm. DNA-CuNPs synthesized in this manner were used for cell imaging. As a proof of concept, the nucleus of a human colon cell line (HCT116) was stained. The method does not involve any chemicals other that copper sulfate and ascorbate. This new approach for generating DNA-CuNPs improves imaging of biological processes and provides a basis for developing other types of DNA-templated nanomaterials. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the formation of fluorescent DNA-templated copper nanoparticles (DNA-CuNPs). A large amount of ascorbate provides long operational lifetime for cellular imaging under the condition exposed to oxygen. *Asc

We devised a new method to detect cancer-related mutations based on target-initiated rolling circle amplification in combination with fluorescence polarization. We then applied this method to identify the presence of KRAS G13D and G12D, two of the most frequent mutations found in colorectal cancer patients, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity.

To investigate clinical characteristics of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) who were negative for anti-Ro/SSA antibody but positive for minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB) compared to patients who presented positivity for anti-Ro/SSA antibody.The data of 355 patients from the Korean Initiative of primary Sjögren's Syndrome (KISS), a nationwide prospective cohort for primary SS in Korea, were analysed. All patients fulfilled the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria. Of these patients, 326 were positive for anti-Ro/SSA antibody and 29 were antibody-negative, although they had positive findings in MSGB. Various clinical features including all kinds of tests for evaluating secretory function, disease-related clinical indices and serological values available in the cohort were compared between the two groups.The anti-Ro/SSA-negative group showed less rheumatoid factor positivity (p0.001), leucopenia (p=0.003), hyper-gammaglobulinaemia (p0.001), lower serum β2-microglobulin level (p=0.034), more anti-centromere antibody positivity (p0.001), higher score in dryness domain of EULAR SS patient-reported index (p=0.048) and more positivity for peripheral nervous system domain in EULAR SS disease activity index and loss of teeth in SS disease damage index (p=0.021 and 0.041, respectively) than patients who were positive for anti-Ro/ SSA antibody.Primary SS patients who are negative for anti-Ro/SSA antibody have different clinical characteristics compared to patients who are positive for such antibody in Korea. Therefore, clinicians should consider MSGB in patients with suspicious symptoms who are anti-Ro/SSA-negative.

Background Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), affecting 0.5% of the population, is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting the axial skeleton and peripheral joints. When peripheral arthritis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) develops early in the disease course it is a predictor of more aggressive disease. SF is in contact with the primary tissues affected by arthritic diseases and has been implicated in disease pathophysiology. Therefore it is an excellent source for discovery of biomarkers. Objectives We used proteomic analysis using SFs from AS patients and other arthritis patients in order to discover novel diagnostic markers for AS. Our aim was to identify differentially expressed protein mediators in synovial fluid of ankylosing spondylitis. Methods A Total of 40 SF samples from 10 AS and each 10 controls [Osteoarthritis (OA), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), gouty arthritis (Gout)] were collected. Liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to identify differentially expressed proteins based on the ratios of the extracted ion current of each protein between the four groups. Among the 9 proteins showing 1.5 fold change, 8 were verified with the exception of the abundant protein Haptoglobin (HP). Matrix metalloproteinase-1(MMP1) and Matrix metalloproteinase-3(MMP3) were used as a positive control, and the remaining 6 proteins were subjected to western blot analysis. Results We identified 9 proteins that were found to be more than 1.5-fold differentially expressed in SF of AS patients compared to control groups. Proteins such as HP, MMP1, MMP3, Serum amyloid P-component(APCS), Complement factor H-related protein 5(CFHR5), Fumarylacetoacetase(FAH), Mannose-binding lectin2(MBL2), Complement component C9(C9) and Complement C4-A(C4A) were found to be upregulated in the SF of AS patients. CFHR5 and C9 were reported in previous studies with AS serum. APCS was reported in SF as well as serum. However, FAH, C4A and MBL2 were newly discovered through this analysis. We were able to verify the unique expression level of C9 and CFHR5 in AS sample using western blot analysis compared to the other three diseases. Conclusion We performed quantitatively proteomic profiling of the respective SF sample from 4 diseases, i.e., AS, OA, RA, and GOUT, by LC-MS/MS. The systematic comparative proteomic analysis of the four groups together was carried out for the first time, leading to several differentially expressed proteins in AS. Among them, we expect C9 and CFHR5, which expression levels were confirmed by western blot analysis, can be a potential biomarker for AS. References [1] Fischer R, et al. Mol Cell Proteomics2012;11:M111.013904. [2] Bhattacharjee M, et al. Clinical Proteomics2013;10:11 Acknowledgement This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2017R1C1B5017278) Disclosure of Interests None declared

Background: To compare the frequency of high-risk osteoporotic fracture in patients with knee OA (OA) using the fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) and the bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: We retrospectively assessed 282 Korean patients with knee OA who visited five medical centers and 1165 healthy controls (HCs) aged &ge, 50 years without knee OA. After matching for age, sex, and body mass index, 478 subjects (239 patients with knee OA and 239 HCs) were included. Results: Based on the BMD, the frequency of osteoporosis was 40.2% in patients with knee OA and 36.4% in HCs. The predicted mean FRAX major osteoporotic fracture probabilities calculated with or without femur neck BMD differed significantly between the knee OA and HCs (6.9 &plusmn, 3.8% versus 6.1 &plusmn, 2.8%, p = 0.000 and 8 &plusmn, 3.6% versus 6.8 &plusmn, 2.3%, p &lt, 0.001, respectively). The mean FRAX hip fracture probabilities calculated with or without femur neck BMD differed significantly in the knee OA and HCs (2.1 &plusmn, 2.4% versus 1.7 &plusmn, 1.8%, p = 0.006 and 3 &plusmn, 2.3% versus 2.4 &plusmn, 1.6%, p &lt, 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Our study suggests that FRAX may have a clinical impact on treatment decisions to reduce osteoporotic facture in patients with knee OA.

Silybin (SBN) is a major active constituent of silymarin, a mixture of flavonoids found in fruits and seeds of milk thistle. The aim of this study was to describe a simple bioanalytical method for quantifying SBN in rat plasma. A simple protein deproteinization procedure with acetonitrile (ACN) was employed for plasma sample preparation. A reversed column and gradient elution of a mobile phase (mixture of phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) and ACN) were used for chromatographic separation. The selectivity, linearity (50–5000 ng/mL), precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect, and stability for this method were validated as per the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Our method for SBN was applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study on four different commercial silymarin products. This in vivo rat study demonstrated that product #4 significantly enhanced the relative oral bioavailability of SBN, as compared to product #1–3. Therefore, the bioanalytical method proposed herein could serve as a promising alternative for preclinical pharmacokinetic studies on silymarin products and, by extension, clinical use after partial modification and validation.

3D packaging technology has been considered as one of the best candidates to improve the system performance by implementing high I/O density as well as providing shortest signal channel path with given package form factor. However, it is difficult to uniformly control the bonding thickness and the precisely align the bumps other than thermo compression (TC) bonding to enable 3D packaging. Moreover, high chip cost and possibly low productivity of TC bonding are main business reasons to prevent this attractive technology from prevailing the mass production environment. To address these well-known technical issues of TC bonding, non-conductive film are proposed for especially high vertical stack with small bump pitch and also minimum chip to chip distance required packages such as high bandwidth memory. In this article, we investigated key process parameters to understand how to optimize bonding process to ensure excellent joint quality for highly dense 3D packages products.

Objectives The role of sex hormones for voice changes in men and women is presently unknown. To determine the effect of sex hormone on the vocal fold, changes of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in vocal fold lamina propria were assessed in orchiectomized (ORX) and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Methods Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated control male (CON-ORX), ORX, sham-operated female (CON-OVX), and OVX rats. Histological changes and expression of ECM-related genes in lamina propria of the vocal fold were evaluated at 4 and 12 weeks after surgery. Results Testosterone and estradiol levels decreased in the ORX and OVX groups, respectively. ORX groups did not have significant changes compared with CON-ORX groups. However, the expression of hyaluronic acid (HA) was decreased in the OVX group compared with the CON-OVX group. The expression of collagen I in OVX was lower than in the CON-OVX group. Collagen III levels were elevated at 4 weeks in the OVX group, but collagen III levels were diminished at 12 weeks in the OVX group. Expression of elastin in the ECM was less dense in the OVX group compared with controls. The expression MMP-1 and MMP-9 showed significantly increase in the OVX group compared to the CON-OVX group. Conclusion No changes of the ECM-related genes in the vocal fold lamina propria were observed in ORX groups with reduced testosterone. However, changes of several ECM-related genes were observed in OVX groups with decreased estrogen. These results indicate that the vocal fold is an estrogen-sensitive target organ and that decreased estrogen, not testosterone, can affect the expression of several ECM-related molecules of vocal fold. Level of evidence NA Laryngoscope, 130:732-740, 2020.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein coding RNAs of more than 200 nucleotides in length. Despite the term "noncoding", lncRNAs have been reported to be involved in gene expression. Accumulating evidence suggests that lncRNAs play crucial roles in the regulation of immune system and the development of autoimmunity. lncRNAs are expressed in various immune cells including T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, and NK cells, and are also involved in the differentiation and activation of these immune cells. Here, we review recent studies on the role of lncRNAs in immune regulation and the differential expression of lncRNAs in various autoimmune diseases.

Electric machines are widely used across a variety of applications. In particular, the cogging torque of a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor is a significantly important characteristic in the application of electric power steering (EPS) systems. Accordingly, various optimal design methods are adopted to reduce the cogging torque for an EPS motor. However, in most cases, the measured cogging torque of the EPS motor is much greater than finite element method result, because the additional cogging torque harmonic components are generated by manufacturing tolerances. Especially, the specific harmonic components are produced due to magnetic unbalance by the asymmetry of motor shape which is caused by the tolerances in motor cores or PMs. These components are not eliminated by applying a skew. Thus, in order to reduce the effect of the tolerances, a robust design is needed. In this study, the effect of PM tolerances is studied, and Taguchi robust design is performed to enhance the motor quality regardless of the tolerances.

Background/aims Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) includes a broad spectrum of neurologic and psychiatric manifestations. One of the most commonly observed neuropsychiatric symptoms is headache. However, the lack of specific clinical distinctions for headache in SLE has made it difficult to elucidate its pathophysiology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the neurometabolic changes using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in patients with SLE who suffer from chronic daily headache (CDH). Methods SLE and fibromyalgia patients with CDH and healthy controls were recruited (n = 9, n = 5, and n = 6, respectively). 1H-MRS metabolite ratios were evaluated in bilateral basal ganglia (BG) and bilateral peritrigonal white matter (PWM). Results 1H-MRS showed a significantly decreased N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) ratio in right BG in SLE patients with CDH compared to fibromyalgia patients with CDH and normal controls (p = 0.029 and p = 0.020, respectively). Left PWM NAA/Cr and choline/Cr ratios in SLE patients with CDH were lower than those in fibromyalgia patients with CDH (p = 0.019 and p = 0.029, respectively). Conclusions This study suggests the possibility that CDH in patients with SLE might be associated with neuronal dysfunction and neurometabolic changes.

We report an experimental investigation into the boiling heat transfer characteristics of water based graphene oxide (GO) colloidal suspensions on a silicon dioxide plate surface. Pool boiling experiments were conducted with GO colloidal suspensions at three concentrations: 1, 5, and 10 mg/L. The characteristics of the GO colloidal suspensions were compared to those of reduced GO (RGO) colloidal suspensions examined in our previous studies, in which we investigated the critical heat flux (CHF) enhancement mechanism in graphene colloids. Even though GO and RGO share almost identical geometrical and chemical characteristics, the GO and RGO flakes formed a two-dimensional (2D) laminate film and a three-dimensional (3D) porous network on a 2D film by nucleate boiling, respectively. Both species showed dramatic CHF enhancement, but not surface wettability enhancement. The 2D structure formed by nucleate boiling exhibited a delayed CHF phenomenon. We found that the GO flakes were well-aligned in the 2D film, such that the film acted as a heat spreader, with superior thermal conductivity. The CHF enhancement data were compared with thermal activity analysis results. Boiling hydrodynamics was examined under high-speed camera visualization.

The reduction of cogging torque is the most important design objective for electric power steering (EPS) motors, because the rotation characteristics of the motor are directly transmitted to a driver. Therefore, a variety of optimal design methods are applied to reduce the cogging torque for EPS motors. However, the measured cogging torques of fabricated models are significantly greater than the finite-element analysis (FEA) results, because the additional harmonic components (AHCs) of the cogging torque are generated by manufacturing tolerances. The cogging torque generated by manufacturing tolerances can be divided into two components, which are generated by stator and rotor tolerances. In this study, AHCs, which cause cogging torque, are analysed by FEA by applying various tolerances to the analysis model, and harmonic analysis is also conducted. The relation of AHC generated from the stator and rotor is analysed by a rotor swapping test. Consequently, this study can be helpful to analyse the components of the cogging torque generated by manufacturing processes.

We investigated an association between serum Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) level and cardiovascular risk in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). A total of 107 participants were screened for T2D and divided into a T2D group and a control group (without diabetes). We used the Framingham risk score (FRS) and the New Pooled Cohort Equation score to estimate the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Serum GDF15 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between GDF15 level and cardiovascular risk scores. The mean serum GDF15 level was elevated in the T2D group compared to the control group (P < 0.001). A positive correlation was evident between serum GDF15 level and age (r = 0.418, P = 0.001), the FRS (r = 0.457, P < 0.001), and the Pooled Cohort Equation score (r = 0.539, P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, LDL-C level, and body mass index (BMI), the serum GDF15 level was positively correlated with the FRS and the New Pooled Cohort Equation score. The serum GDF15 level is independently associated with cardiovascular risk scores of newly diagnosed T2D patients. This suggests that the level of GDF15 may be a useful predictive biomarker of cardiovascular risk in newly diagnosed T2D patients., Graphical Abstract