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The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Trachemys scripta ssp. in Korea was sequenced and characterized. The mt genome is constituted of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) and a control region. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete mt genome showed that the unidentified turtle had the mt genome closely related to that of T. s. elegans, though it had distinct morphology compared to T. s. elegans. This study can provide information for biogeographical studies and management plan for invasive species.

Nano/micro particles are considered to be the most valuable and important functional materials in the field of materials science and engineering [...]

Significance Septic shock commonly leads to multiorgan injury both directly via tissue inflammation and secondarily via hypoperfusion, but both can result in mitochondrial N-formyl peptide (mtFP) release into the circulation. However, no studies have evaluated the role of circulating mtFPs during septic shock. We found that a relatively high plasma nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit-6 (the most potent human mtFP) level was independently associated with the development of secondary infection in patients with septic shock and that the increased susceptibility to secondary infection is partly attributed to the suppression of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) chemotaxis by mtFP occupancy of formyl peptide receptor-1. Incorporation of these findings into therapeutic strategies may improve clinical outcomes in septic shock patients by preventing PMN chemotactic anergy., Secondary infections typically worsen outcomes of patients recovering from septic shock. Neutrophil [polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs)] migration to secondarily inoculated sites may play a key role in inhibiting progression from local bacterial inoculation to secondary infection. Mitochondrial N-formyl peptide (mtFP) occupancy of formyl peptide receptor-1 (FPR1) has been shown to suppress PMN chemotaxis. Therefore, we studied the association between circulating mtFPs and the development of secondary infection in patients with septic shock. We collected clinical data and plasma samples from patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care unit for longer than 72 h. Impacts of circulating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit-6 (ND6) upon clinical outcomes were analyzed. Next, the role of ND6 in PMN chemotaxis was investigated using isolated human PMNs. Studying plasma samples from 97 patients with septic shock, we found that circulating ND6 levels at admission were independently and highly associated with the development of secondary infection (odds ratio = 30.317, 95% CI: 2.904 to 316.407, P = 0.004) and increased 90-d mortality (odds ratio = 1.572, 95% CI: 1.002 to 2.465, P = 0.049). In ex vivo experiments, ND6 pretreatment suppressed FPR1-mediated PMN chemotactic responses to bacterial peptides in the presence of multiple cytokines and chemokines, despite increased nondirectional PMN movements. Circulating mtFPs appear to contribute to the development of secondary infection and increased mortality in patients with septic shock who survive their early hyperinflammatory phase. The increased susceptibility to secondary infection is probably partly mediated by the suppression of FPR1-mediated PMN chemotaxis to secondary infected sites.

Overlimiting current (OLC) through electrolytes interfaced with perm-selective membranes has been extensively researched for understanding fundamental nano-electrokinetics and developing efficient engineering applications. This work studies how a network of microchannels in a nonuniform array, which mimics a natural pore configuration, can contribute to OLC. Here, micro/nanofluidic devices are fabricated with arrays of parallel microchannels with nonuniform size distributions, which are faced with a perm-selective membrane. All cases maintain the same surface and bulk conduction to allow probing of the sensitivity only by the nonuniformity. Rigorous experimental and theoretical investigation demonstrates that overlimiting conductance has a maximum value depending on the nonuniformity. Furthermore

Background We performed this study to establish a prediction model for 1-year neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients who achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) immediately after ROSC using machine learning methods. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of an OHCA survivor registry. Patients aged ≥ 18 years were included. Study participants who had registered between March 31, 2013 and December 31, 2018 were divided into a develop dataset (80% of total) and an internal validation dataset (20% of total), and those who had registered between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 were assigned to an external validation dataset. Four machine learning methods, including random forest, support vector machine, ElasticNet and extreme gradient boost, were implemented to establish prediction models with the develop dataset, and the ensemble technique was used to build the final prediction model. The prediction performance of the model in the internal validation and the external validation dataset was described with accuracy, area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, area under the precision-recall curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Futhermore, we established multivariable logistic regression models with the develop set and compared prediction performance with the ensemble models. The primary outcome was an unfavorable 1-year neurological outcome. Results A total of 1,207 patients were included in the study. Among them, 631, 139, and 153 were assigned to the develop, the internal validation and the external validation datasets, respectively. Prediction performance metrics for the ensemble prediction model in the internal validation dataset were as follows: accuracy, 0.9620 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9352–0.9889); area under receiver-operator characteristics curve, 0.9800 (95% CI, 0.9612–0.9988); area under precision-recall curve, 0.9950 (95% CI, 0.9860–1.0000); sensitivity, 0.9594 (95% CI, 0.9245–0.9943); specificity, 0.9714 (95% CI, 0.9162–1.0000); PPV, 0.9916 (95% CI, 0.9752–1.0000); NPV, 0.8718 (95% CI, 0.7669–0.9767). Prediction performance metrics for the model in the external validation dataset were as follows: accuracy, 0.8509 (95% CI, 0.7825–0.9192); area under receiver-operator characteristics curve, 0.9301 (95% CI, 0.8845–0.9756); area under precision-recall curve, 0.9476 (95% CI, 0.9087–0.9867); sensitivity, 0.9595 (95% CI, 0.9145–1.0000); specificity, 0.6500 (95% CI, 0.5022–0.7978); PPV, 0.8353 (95% CI, 0.7564–0.9142); NPV, 0.8966 (95% CI, 0.7857–1.0000). All the prediction metrics were higher in the ensemble models, except NPVs in both the internal and the external validation datasets. Conclusion We established an ensemble prediction model for prediction of unfavorable 1-year neurological outcomes in OHCA survivors using four machine learning methods. The prediction performance of the ensemble model was higher than the multivariable logistic regression model, while its performance was slightly decreased in the external validation dataset., Graphical Abstract

In vivo multiplexed imaging aims for noninvasive analysis of multiple tumor biomarkers. While most of the preclinical imaging has provided a number of multiplexing channels up to three, Raman imaging with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles was suggested to offer higher multiplexing capability originating from their narrow spectral width. However, the multiplexed Raman imaging is still in its infancy for visualizing tumors with both sufficient multiplicity and high sensitivity concurrently. Here we create multispectral palettes of gold core-near-infrared (NIR) resonant Raman dyes-silica shell SERS (NIR-SERRS) nanoparticles, which provide both the high multiplicity and fluorescence-comparable sensitivity. With the NIR-SERRS nanoparticle palettes, we demonstrate noninvasive and five-plex ratiometric Raman imaging of tumors in living mice. Furthermore, we perform noninvasive and longitudinal imaging of the five-color nanoparticles in the tumors, which is not feasible with current ex vivo multiplexing platforms, demonstrating great potential for noninvasive assessment of multiple biological targets within tumors.

An index combining respiratory rate and oxygenation (ROX) has been introduced, and the ROX index is defined as the ratio of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry/fraction of inspired oxygen to respiratory rate. In sepsis, hypoxemia and tachypnea are commonly observed. We performed this study to investigate the association between the ROX index and 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock.This retrospective study included 2862 patients. The patients were divided into three groups according to the ROX index: Group I (ROX index20), Group II (ROX index10 and ≤ 20), and Group III (ROX index ≤10).The median ROX index was significantly lower in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors (12.8 and 18.2, respectively) (p 0.001). The 28-day mortality rates in Groups I, II and III were 14.5%, 21.3% and 34.4%, respectively (p 0.001). In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, Group III had an approximately 40% higher risk of death than Group I during the 28-day period (hazard ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.13-1.76). The area under the curve of the ROX index was significantly higher than that of the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (p 0.001).The ROX index was lower in nonsurvivors than in survivors, and a ROX index less than or equal to 10 was an independent prognostic factor for 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock. Therefore, the ROX index could be used as a prognostic marker in sepsis.

Background The 2015 AHA guidelines recommend that amiodarone should be used for patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation (RVF). However, the optimal time interval between the incoming call and amiodarone administration (call-to-amiodarone administration interval) in RVF patients has not been investigated. We hypothesized that the time elapsed until amiodarone administration could affect the neurological outcome at hospital discharge in patients with RVF. Methods and results This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. One hundred thirty-four patients were enrolled. In univariate logistic regression, the probability of a good neurological outcome at hospital discharge decreased as the time elapsed until amiodarone administration increased (OR 0.89 [95% CI = 0.80–0.99]). In multivariate logistic regression, the patients who were administered amiodarone in less than 20 min showed higher rates of prehospital ROSC, survival at hospital arrival, any ROSC, survival at admission, survival to discharge, and good CPC at hospital discharge. The call-to-amiodarone administration interval of ≤20 min (OR 6.92, 95% CI 1.72–27.80) was the independent factor affecting the neurological outcome at hospital discharge. Conclusion Early amiodarone administration (≤ 20 min) showed better neurological outcome at hospital discharge for OHCA patients who showed initial ventricular fibrillation and subsequent RVF.

Introduction. Refractory shockable rhythm has a high mortality rate and poor neurological outcome. Treatments for refractory shockable rhythm presenting after defibrillation and medical treatment are not definite. We conducted research on the application of double simultaneous defibrillation (DSiD) for refractory shockable rhythms. Methods. This is a retrospective pilot study performed using medical records from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017. The prephase was from January to December 2016. The post-phase was from January to December 2017. During the prephase, we conducted conventional defibrillation with one defibrillator, and during the post-phase, we conducted DSiD using two defibrillators. Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included survival to hospital admission and good neurological outcome at 12 months. Statistical analysis was conducted using Fisher’s exact test. Data were regarded statistically significant when p<0.05. Result. A total of 38 patients were included. Twenty-one patients underwent conventional defibrillation, and 17 underwent DSiD. The DSiD group had a higher survival to admission rate (14/17 (82.4%) vs. 6/21 (28.6%), p=0.001) and showed a trend for higher survival to discharge (7/17 (41.2%) vs. 3/21 (14.3%), p=0.078). Good neurological outcome at 12 months of the DSiD group was higher than that of the conventional defibrillation group, but the difference was not statistically significant (5/17 (29.4%) vs 2/21 (9.5%), p=0.207). Conclusion. In patients with refractory shockable rhythms, DSiD has increased survival to hospital admission and a trend of increased survival to hospital discharge. However, DSiD did not improve neurological outcome at 12 months.

Doenjang, a major traditional Korean condiment, is often dried to reduce volume and thereby shipping cost while increasing shelf life. However, changes of nutritional and sensory properties of doenjang during processing have not been well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how drying processes influence the nutritional and chemical properties of doenjang. When two drying methods, hot air drying and freeze drying were compared from the nutritional point of view, air-dried doenjang at 60°C or lower showed similar quality parameters including sensory scores, proximate composition, antioxidant capacity, amino acid composition, amino nitrogen, and acid value to freeze-dried doenjang. In contrast, the sample dried at 80°C and 100°C showed lower quality parameters than the freeze-dried one. Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), total phenolics content, amino acid composition, and acid value were shown to reflect the sensory and physical properties of dried doenjang. In particular, the FRAP value of dried doenjang was sensitively responsive to drying temperatures and may be utilized as an early biomarker for quality deterioration of dried doenjang.

Background and Objectives: Patients’ movements often need to be restrained to obtain high-quality diagnostic images. Chloral hydrate is the primary agent for pediatric sedation prior to diagnostic studies in some countries. However, because of the agent’s long half-life, the need for augmentation must be minimized by ensuring the success of the initial dose. This study aimed to identify factors influencing sedation success rate and sedation duration. Methods: Pediatric patients’ age, sex, and dose according to body weight, type of clinic, duration of stay, and weight-for-age percentile were analyzed in univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Results: Of the total of 1590 patients, 1325 (82.7%) were successfully sedated. Predictors of successful sedation were a minimum dosage of 60 mg/kg and a younger age. Early sedation (mean − 1 standard deviation, Conclusion: For safe and successful pediatric sedation, the child’s age and appropriate dose must be thoroughly reviewed, and a quiet and secluded environment must be ensured. Furthermore, taking into account that the patient’s age and developmental stage can affect induction time, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary augmentation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between social policy and late-life happiness by analyzing the impact of the basic old-age pension on the happiness of older people in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach People aged 65 and over selected from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing are analyzed in the study. Findings It shows that the association between the basic old-age pension and the happiness of older people is negative. This may be attributable to the frugality of the benefits and the side effects of the means test. Originality/value This implies that the relationship between social policy and late-life happiness is not linear but it is affected by the context of the policy. It suggests that changing the fundamental benefit system to be more progressive can be a more useful policy option to realize the initial policy goal for recipients.

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Trachemys scripta elegans in Korea was sequenced and characterized. The mt genome is constituted of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) and a noncoding control region. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete mt genome showed that T. s. elegans Korea has closer relationship with T. scripta Canada than T. s. elegans China. This is the first complete mt genome from T. s. elegans in Korea, which provides information for biogeographical studies and management plan for invasive species.

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles with outstanding optoelectronic properties. More specifically, QDs are highly bright and exhibit wide absorption spectra, narrow light bands, and excellent photovoltaic stability, which make them useful in bioscience and medicine, particularly for sensing, optical imaging, cell separation, and diagnosis. In general, QDs are stabilized using a hydrophobic ligand during synthesis, and thus their hydrophobic surfaces must undergo hydrophilic modification if the QDs are to be used in bioapplications. Silica-coating is one of the most effective methods for overcoming the disadvantages of QDs, owing to silica’s physicochemical stability, nontoxicity, and excellent bioavailability. This review highlights recent progress in the design, preparation, and application of silica-coated QDs and presents an overview of the major challenges and prospects of their application.

This study was created to assess whether a 30-mm depth of chest compression (CC) is sufficient and safe for neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.This retrospective analysis was performed with chest computed tomography scans of neonates in 2 hospitals between 2004 and 2018. We measured several chest parameters and calculated heart compression fraction (HCF) using the ejection fraction formula. We evaluated whether one-third of the external anterior-posterior (AP) diameter and HCF with them are the equivalent to 25-, 30-, 35 mm and HCF with them, respectively, and the number of individuals with over-compression (internal chest AP diameter - compressed depth

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique, that uses magnetic plasmonic particles (MPPs), is an advanced SERS detection platform owing to the synergetic effects of the particles’ magnetic and plasmonic properties. As well as being an ultrasensitive and reliable SERS material, MPPs perform various functions, such as aiding in separation, drug delivery, and acting as a therapeutic material. This literature discusses the structure and multifunctionality of MPPs, which has enabled the novel application of MPPs to various biological fields.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) on the economic well-being of older people in South Korea.Design/methodology/approachIt analyses older people aged 60 and over sampled from the third wave of the Korean retirement and income study.FindingsThe analysis shows a gendered effect. The NPS is positively associated with the economic well-being of only older men. This gendered impact is probably attributable to the inherent patriarchal structure of the NPS that is based on the strong male bread-winner model.Originality/valueThe results suggest that promoting the female labour market participation, and also reforming the gender structure of the NPS and South Korean labour market, can be a potential policy option to amend gendered economic well-being in later life.

The size-dependent band-gap energies of AgIn5S8 nanoparticles were directly measured for the first time using absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies, which enabled an explanation of the evolution of the band-gap energy with the quantum-confinement effect in AgIn5S8 nanoparticles. The band-gap transition in steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectra indicated that the stable structure of the AgIn5S8 nanoparticles was the cubic phase. The electronic band structures of the Ag–In–S nanoparticles were mainly related to the crystal structures, although the stoichiometry affected the band energies to some extent. Zn doping led to the formation of a ZnS–AgIn5S8 solid solution, as supported by the significant changes in the electronic band structures of the AgIn5S8 nanoparticles. Controlling the size and stoichiometry allowed the emission of the Ag–In–S nanoparticles to be tuned in the entire visible regime.

Quercetin (QE; 3,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxyflavone), a well-known flavonoid, has been shown to prevent against neurodegenerative disorders and ischemic insults. However, few studies are reported regarding the neuroprotective mechanisms of QE after ischemic insults. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of QE on ischemic injury and the expression of antioxidant enzymes in the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils subjected to 5 minutes of transient cerebral ischemia. QE was pre-treated once daily for 15 days before ischemia. Pretreatment with QE protected hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons from ischemic injury, which was confirmed by neuronal nuclear antigen immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence staining. In addition, pretreatment with QE significantly increased the expression levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, Mn superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons of animals with ischemic injury. These findings demonstrate that pretreated QE displayed strong neuroprotective effects against transient cerebral ischemia by increasing the expression of antioxidant enzymes.

The photoluminescence of AgIn5S8 nanoparticles was examined to clarify the emissive relaxation processes of defect states and to explain the highly efficient photoluminescence of defect states. The large Stokes shift of the defect emission was explained by strong electron-phonon coupling in the nanoparticles. Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy indicated two emissive defect states with characteristic emission energies and lifetimes. Change of the surface-to-volume ratio in the nanoparticles affected the relative contribution of the two states, implying that defect emission in higher energy was attributable to surface-related defects. The defect emission in lower energy was attributable to intrinsic defects, which were also present in bulk. The quantum yield of the surface defects was larger than that of the intrinsic defects, which accounted for the unusually high quantum yield of AgIn5S8 nanoparticles, although the origin of emission was the defect states, not the exciton recombination found in typical semiconductor nanoparticles.

Feature extraction is an important issue of brain–computer interface (BCI). It determines whether the classification performance is high or low. In this paper, a new type of feature called “symmetrical feature” is proposed. This innovative feature extraction method is built upon the features “common spatial pattern (CSP)” algorithm. After an electroencephalographic signal is enhanced, class discrimination using the CSP algorithm can be extracted using optimal symmetrical axis chosen by a 10-fold cross-validation technique. Simulation results from nine data sets provided by brain–computer interface competition III and Iva showed that, on average, the proposed symmetrical feature can be combined with the CSP power band feature to boost the performance of the classification in a BCI system.