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The effect of monosaccharides (glucose, fructose and galactose) and disaccharides (sucrose and lactose) at 10, 20 and 30 % w/v on the in-vitro aroma partitioning of C 4 - C 10 aldehydes and ethyl esters, as well as limonene (concentration of aroma compounds at 1 μg mL -1 ), was studied using atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry. An increase in sugar concentration from 0 to 30 % w/v resulted in a significant increase in partitioning under static headspace conditions for the majority of the compounds (p < 0.05), an effect generally not observed when 10 % w/v sucrose was substituted with low-calorie sweeteners (p > 0.05). The complexity of the system was increased to model a soft drink design - comprising water, sucrose (10, 20 and 30 % w/v), acid (0.15 % w/v), carbonation (∼7.2 g/L CO 2 ) and aroma compounds representative of an apple style flavouring, namely ethyl butanoate and hexanal (10 μg mL -1 each). Although the addition of sucrose had no significant in-vivo effect, carbonation significantly decreased breath-by-breath (in-vivo) aroma delivery (p < 0.05). To understand the physical mechanisms behind aroma release from the beverage matrix, the effect of sucrose on the kinetics of the matrix components was explored. An increase in sucrose concentration from 0 to 30 % w/v resulted in a significant decrease in water activity (p < 0.05), which accounted for the significantly slower rate of self-diffusion of aroma compounds (p < 0.05), measured using diffusion-ordered spectroscopy-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. No significant effect of sucrose on carbon dioxide volume flux was found (p > 0.05)., 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 © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the effects of pulse electric field (PEF) treatment on the tenderization of beef semitendinosus muscle were investigated. An adjustable PEF chamber was designed to make direct contact with the surface of the beef sample without water as the PEF-transmitting medium. PEF treatment was conducted with electric field strengths between 0.5 and 2.0 kV/cm. The pulse width and pulse number were fixed as 30 μs and 100 pulses, respectively. The impedance spectrum of PEF-treated beef indicated that PEF treatments induced structural changes in beef muscle, and the degree of the structural changes was dependent on the strength of the electric field. Cutting force, hardness, and chewiness were significantly decreased at 2.0 kV/cm (35, 37, and 34%, respectively) ( p < 0.05). Troponin-T was more degraded by PEF treatment at 2.0 kV/cm intensity (being degraded by 90%). The fresh quality factors such as color and lipid oxidation were retained under a certain level of PEF intensity (1.0 kV/cm). These findings suggest that PEF treatment could tenderize beef texture while retaining its fresh quality.

The development of nanofibrous oil-water separation materials is explosively progressing, but the remarkably low productivity is the main factor hindering their practical application. In this study, biodegradable polybutylene succinate (PBS) nanofibers with excellent productivity (27.0 g/h per nozzle) were successfully fabricated using the solution blow spinning (SBS) process, breaking away from the conventional electrospinning method. The prepared PBS nanofibers exhibited extremely thin fiber diameters (130 nm) with high porosity (97.4%). Without any chemical modification or inorganic/organic hybrid materialization, the PBS nanofibrous membrane showed excellent oil adsorption capacity (minimum: 18.7 g/g and maximum: 38.5 g/g) and separation efficiency; water and oil mixtures (99.4-99.98%) and emulsions (98.1-99.5%) compared to conventional organic polymer-based nanofibers. In terms of disposal after use, this biodegradable nanofibrous membrane was able to return to nature through hydrolysis and biodegradation processes., 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 © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of Co(ii) complexes supported by Schiff base ligands, L A -L C , where L A , L B , and L C are ( E )-3-methoxy- N -(quinolin-2-ylmethylene)propan-1-amine, ( E )- N 1 , N 1 -dimethyl- N 2 -(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)ethane-1,2-diamine, and ( E )- N 1 , N 1 -dimethyl- N 2 -(thiophen-2-ylmethylene)ethane-1,2-diamine, respectively, were designed and synthesized. Structural studies revealed a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry for [L B h 2 ] and a distorted tetrahedral geometry for [L C CoCl 2 ]. After activation with modified methyl aluminoxane (MMAO), all the Co(ii) complexes catalyzed the polymerization of norbornene (NB) to yield vinyl-type polynorbornenes (PNBs) with activities of up to 4.69 × 10 4 g PNB mol Co -1 h -1 at 25 °C. High-molecular-weight ( M n of up to 1.71 × 10 5 g mol -1 ) soluble PNBs with moderate molecular-weight distributions (MWD) were obtained. The activity of the Co(ii)/MMAO catalytic system is influenced by the steric hindrance and electronic properties of the ligands., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Introduction: Shift work is known to reduce productivity and safety at work. Previous studies have suggested that a variety of interrelated factors, such as mood, cognition, and sleep, can affect the performance of shift workers. This study aimed to identify potential pathways from depression, sleep, and cognition to work performance in shift and non-shift workers., Material and Methods: Online survey including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), as well as two items representing work mistakes were administered to 4,561 shift workers and 2,093 non-shift workers. A multi-group structural equation model (SEM) was used to explore differences in the paths to work mistakes between shift and non-shift workers., Results: Shift workers had higher PSQI, CES-D, and CFQ scores, and made more mistakes at work than non-shift workers. The SEM revealed that PSQI, CES-D, and CFQ scores were significantly related to mistakes at work, with the CFQ being a mediating variable. There were significant differences in the path coefficients of the PSQI and CES-D between shift and non-shift workers. The direct effects of sleep disturbances on mistakes at work were greater in shift workers, while direct effects of depressive symptoms were found only in non-shift workers., Discussion: The present study found that shift workers made more mistakes at work than non-shift workers, probably because of depressed mood, poor sleep quality, and cognitive inefficiency. Sleep influences work performance in shift workers more directly compared to non-shift workers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yeo, Lee, Jeon, Lee, Hwang, Kim and Kim.)

Various flaps are used to reconstruct skin and soft tissue defects of the vulva following resection of malignancies. Whenever possible, reconstruction using local flaps is the standard treatment. Here, we describe vulvar defect reconstruction using keystone flaps. Standard keystone flaps are based on randomly located vascular perforators. However, we designed a keystone flap that includes perforators of three named arteries (the anterior labial artery of the external pudendal artery, cutaneous branches of the obturator artery, and posterior labial artery of the internal pudendal artery) and the pudendal nerve, which accompanies the internal pudendal artery. Four patients with squamous cell carcinoma and extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva underwent radical vulvectomy and keystone flaps including perforators of three arteries. Depending on the morphology of the defects, keystone flaps were used with different designs. For elliptical and unilateral vulvar defects, a standard keystone flap was designed, and for defects on both sides of the vulva, a double opposing keystone flap was used. For oval defects, the omega variant keystone flap was designed, and when the morphology of the defect needed rotation of the flap, a rotational keystone flap was designed. All the patients showed good function and sensation, with an acceptable cosmetic appearance., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None declared., (The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases accompanied by severe itching. β-caryophyllene (BCP), which displays anti-inflammatory activity, is a natural agonist of cannabinoid receptor 2. However, the therapeutic effects of BCP on atopic dermatitis (AD) remain poorly understood. The current study aimed to evaluate the topical therapeutic efficacy of BCP in an AD-like mouse model. Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a keratinocyte-derived cytokine that drives AD pathogenesis. This study also investigated the effect of BCP on the interleukin 4 (IL-4)-induced expression of TSLP in HaCaT keratinocytes. We found that the topical application of BCP alleviated AD-like skin inflammation and inhibited the infiltration of proinflammatory cells into skin lesions. Moreover, the topical application of BCP reduced EGR1 (Early Growth Response 1) and TSLP expression in AD-like skin lesions. We also found that BCP inhibited IL-4-induced TSLP expression by downregulating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-mediated EGR1 expression in HaCaT keratinocytes. These findings demonstrate that BCP ameliorates DNCB-induced AD-like skin lesions through the downregulation of the MAPK/EGR1/TSLP signaling axis. BCP may be applicable for developing topical therapeutic agents for chronic skin inflammatory diseases, such as AD.

Background: An updated examination of the surgeon experience during the Covid-19 pandemic is lacking. This study sought to describe how surgeon stress levels and sources of stress evolved over the pandemic., Methods: An electronic survey was administered to surgeons at four academic hospitals at 6-months and 12-months following an initial telephone survey. The primary outcome was stress level and secondary outcomes were the individual stressors. Thematic analysis was applied to free text responses., Results: A total of 103 and 53 responses were received at 6-months and 12-months, respectively. The mean overall stress level was 5.35 (SD 1.89) at 6-months and 4.83 (SD 2.19) at 12-months. Mean number of stressors declined from 3.77 (SD 2.39) to 2.06 (SD 1.60, P < 0.001), though the "finances" stressor increased frequency (27.2% to 34.0%). Similar qualitative themes were identified, however codes for financial and capacity challenges were more prominent at 12-months., Conclusions: The surgical workforce continues to report elevated levels of stress, though the sources of this stress have changed. Targeted interventions are imperative to protect surgeons from long-term psychological and financial harm., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The study examined the effect of community environments, such as community cohesion, community safety, and community poverty, in childhood on the likelihood of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetration and victimization in young adulthood. The study used the cross-sectional survey data of 2,082 college students collected in 2016-2017 from six universities in the U.S. and the data for the childhood community environment from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey. Hierarchical regressions were performed separately by gender to 1) assess the effects of community factors in addition to individual factors for IPV perpetration and victimization, and to 2) identify the interaction effect of community cohesion with community poverty on IPV perpetration and victimization. Community factors of community cohesion and community poverty were significantly correlated to different types of IPV. For IPV perpetration, only community cohesion was significant for, the interaction effect between community cohesion and poverty showed that higher community cohesion lowered the risk of community poverty on later IPV perpetration in both genders. For IPV victimization, only female students were affected by community poverty, whereas none of the community factors had an impact on male students. The findings imply the significance of early interventions and policies strengthening the community environment, especially community cohesion, for preventing IPV. The findings also suggest that assessing risk and protective factors on IPV in multiple contexts during childhood is important to develop effective programs preventing IPV.

The shift in consumer landscape towards vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets has created an unprecedented challenge in creating meat aroma from plant-based alternatives. The search for potential vegan solutions has thus led to a renewed interest in authentic meat flavour profiles. To gain a better understanding of the qualitative odour differences between boiled beef and boiled chicken, aroma extracts were isolated using Likens-Nickerson simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE), selected expressly because the in-situ heating of the sample facilitates the capture of aroma intermediates during the cooking process, thereby mimicking the cooking of meat in stocks and stews. The extracts were then analysed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-Olfactometry (GC-O). Most of the volatiles identified in this study were sulfur-containing compounds, such as sulfides, thiols, mercaptoaldehydes and mercaptoketones, which are derived from the Maillard reaction. Meanwhile, lipid oxidation results in the formation of unsaturated aldehydes, such as alkenals and alkadienals. Families of thiazoles and 3-thiazolines were found in the extracts. Two novel 3-thiazolines (5-ethyl-2,4-dimethyl-3-thiazoline and 2-ethyl-4,5-dimethyl-3-thiazoline) which may also contribute to the meaty aroma were identified in this work and synthesised from their respective aldehyde and mercaptoketone precursors.

Misfolded glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored prion protein (PrP) is primarily degraded in lysosomes but is often rapidly removed from the cell surface before endocytosis in a preemptive manner. However, this mechanism is poorly understood. In this study, we discovered a disease-causing prion mutation (Q212P) that exceptionally promoted the extracellular release of PrP. Spatiotemporal analyses combined with genome editing identified the role of sheddase ADAM10 in Q212P shedding from the cell surface. ADAM10 was observed to catalytically interacts with Q212P but non-catalytically with wild-type PrP (wtPrP). This intrinsic difference in the interaction of ADAM10 between Q212P and wtPrP allowed Q212P to selectively access the sheddase activity of ADAM10 in a redox-sensitive manner. In addition, redox perturbation instigated the latent misfolding propensity of Q212P and disrupted the catalytic interaction between PrP and ADAM10, resulting in the accumulation of misfolded PrP on the cell surface. Upon recovery, active ADAM10 was able to reversibly release the surface Q212P. However, it might prove detrimental if unregulated resulting in unexpected proteotoxicity. This study provides a molecular basis of the mutant-selective shedding of PrP by demonstrating the catalytic interaction of ADAM10 with Q212P., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

PER2 is a core circadian clock gene that regulates circadian rhythms. IL-4 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of skin inflammation, including atopic dermatitis. IL-4 enhances PER2 expression, suggesting a relationship between inflammation and the circadian clock. However, little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating PER2 expression by inflammatory cytokines. This study showed that transcription factor EGR1 interacted with the PER2 promoter and promoted IL-4‒induced transcriptional activation of the PER2, as revealed by promoter‒reporter assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, DNA affinity precipitation assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. We also found that IL-4 can use both MAPK and Jak signaling pathways to induce EGR1-mediated PER2 expression, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 can augment IL-4‒induced activation of the Jak‒signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway. Consistently, Per2 expression was reduced in dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis‒like skin lesions in Egr1 ‒/‒ mice compared with that in Egr1 +/+ mice. In addition, using a real-time bioluminescence assay, we observed that EGR1 is required for rhythmic oscillation of PER2 expression under IL-4 exposure. These findings provide further insight into the role of EGR1 in regulating PER2 expression in impaired circadian rhythm in skin inflammation., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Filaggrin (FLG), an essential structural protein for skin barrier function, is down-regulated under chronic inflammatory conditions, leading to disruption of the skin barrier. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of how FLG changes in the context of chronic inflammation are poorly understood. Here, we identified the molecular mechanisms by which inflammatory cytokines inhibit FLG expression in the skin. We found that the AP1 response element within the -343/+25 of the FLG promoter was necessary for TNFα + IFNγ-induced down-regulation of FLG promoter activity. Using DNA affinity precipitation assay, we observed that AP1 subunit composition binding to the FLG promoter was altered from c-FOS:c-JUN (at the early time) to FRA1:c-JUN (at the late time) in response to TNFα + IFNγ stimulation. Knockdown of FRA1 or c-JUN abrogated TNFα + IFNγ-induced FLG suppression. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1 interacted with FRA1:c-JUN under TNFα + IFNγ stimulation. Knockdown of HDAC1 abrogated the inhibitory effect of TNFα + IFNγ on FLG expression. The altered expression of FLG, FRA1, c-JUN, and HDAC1 was confirmed in mouse models of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis and imiquimod-induced psoriasis. Thus, the current study demonstrates that TNFα + IFNγ stimulation suppresses FLG expression by promoting the FRA1:c-JUN:HDAC1 complex. This study provides insight into future therapeutic strategies targeting the FRA1:c-JUN:HDAC1 complex to restore impaired FLG expression in chronic skin inflammation.

Nefopam is a centrally acting non-opioid analgesic, and its efficacy in multimodal analgesia has been reported. This study aimed to assess the analgesic efficacy of intraoperative nefopam on postoperative pain after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to either the nefopam or the control group. The nefopam group received 20 mg of nefopam after induction and 15 min before the end of surgery. The control group received saline. The primary outcome was cumulative opioid consumption during the 6 h postoperatively. Pain intensities, the time to first request for rescue analgesia, adverse events during the 72 h postoperatively, and the incidence of chronic pain 3 months after surgery were evaluated. Ninety-nine patients were included in the analysis. Total opioid consumption during the 6 h postoperatively was comparable between the groups (nefopam group [ n = 50] vs. control group [ n = 49], 19.8 [13.5-25.3] mg vs. 20.3 [13.9-27.0] mg; median difference: -1.55, 95% CI: -6.64 to 3.69; p = 0.356). Pain intensity during the 72 h postoperatively and the incidence of chronic pain 3 months after surgery did not differ between the groups. Intraoperative nefopam did not decrease acute postoperative opioid consumption or pain intensity, nor did it reduce the incidence of chronic pain after VATS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Open gastrectomy causes severe postoperative pain. Therefore, we investigated the opioid-sparing effect of the ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block (ESPB) after open gastrectomy., Methods: Adult patients undergoing open gastrectomy were randomly assigned to either the ESPB group (ESPB + fentanyl based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia [IV-PCA]) or a control group (fentanyl based IV-PCA only). The primary outcome was total fentanyl equivalent consumption during the first 24 hour postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were pain intensities using a numeric rating scale at the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 hour postoperatively, and the amount of fentanyl equivalent consumption during the PACU stay and at 3, 6, and 12 hour postoperatively, and the time to the first request for rescue analgesia., Results: Fifty-eight patients were included in the analysis. There was no significant difference in total fentanyl equivalent consumption during the first 24 hour postoperatively between the two groups ( P = 0.471). Pain intensities were not significantly different between the groups except during the PACU stay and 3 hour postoperatively ( P < 0.001, for both). Time to the first rescue analgesia in the ward was longer in the ESPB group than the control group ( P = 0.045)., Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided ESPB did not decrease total fentanyl equivalent consumption during the first 24 hour after open gastrectomy. It only reduced postoperative pain intensity until 3 hour postoperatively compared with the control group. Ultrasound-guided single-shot ESPB cannot provide an efficient opioid-sparing effect after open gastrectomy.

The circadian clock system is closely associated with inflammatory responses. Dysregulation of the circadian clock genes in the skin impairs the skin barrier function and affects the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. Interleukin 4 (IL-4) is a proinflammatory cytokine derived from T-helper type 2 cells; it plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Agerarin (6,7-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2 H -chromene) is a natural JAK1/2/3 inhibitor isolated from Ageratum houstonianum that has a protective effect on the epidermal skin barrier. However, it remains unclear whether agerarin affects the circadian clock system. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of agerarin on IL-4-induced PER2 gene expression in human keratinocytes through reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), immunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopic analysis, and real-time bioluminescence analysis. We found that agerarin reduced IL-4-induced PER2 mRNA expression by suppressing the JAK-STAT3 pathway. In addition, real-time bioluminescence analysis in PER2:luc2p promoter-reporter cells revealed that agerarin restored the oscillatory rhythmicity of PER2 promoter activity altered by IL-4. These findings suggest that agerarin may be useful as a cosmeceutical agent against inflammatory skin conditions associated with disrupted circadian rhythms, such as atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases worldwide, characterized by intense pruritus and eczematous lesions. Aberrant expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in keratinocytes is associated with the pathogenesis of AD and is considered a therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease. Saikosaponin A (SSA) and saikosaponin C (SSC), identified from Radix Bupleuri , exert anti-inflammatory effects. However, the topical effects of SSA and SSC on chronic inflammatory skin diseases are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of SSA and SSC on TSLP suppression in an AD-like inflammatory environment. We observed that SSA and SSC suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α-induced TSLP expression by downregulating the expression of the transcription factor early growth response 1 (EGR1) via inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. We also confirmed that topical application of SSA or SSC reduced AD-like skin lesions in BALB/c mice challenged with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene. Our findings suggest that suppression of EGR1-regulated TSLP expression in keratinocytes might be attributable to the anti-inflammatory effects of SSA and SSC in AD-like skin lesions., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Although nanocellulose is an eco-friendly, high-performance raw material provided by nature, the agglomeration of nanocellulose that occurs during the drying process is the biggest obstacle to its advanced materialization and commercialization. In this study, a facile and simple nanocellulose drying system was designed using lignin, which is self-assembled together with cellulose in natural wood, as an eco-friendly additive. The addition of lignin not only minimized aggregation during the drying and dehydration process of nanocellulose but also ensured excellent redispersion kinetics and stability. In addition, the added lignin could be removed through a simple washing process. Through FTIR, XRD, TGA, tensile and swelling tests, it was confirmed that the addition of lignin enabled the reversible restitution of the nanocellulose physicochemical properties to the level of pristine never-dried nanocellulose in drying, redispersion, and polymer processing processes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children and has been associated with neurological complications. With no specific treatment and a monovalent vaccine limited to the Chinese market, HFMD remains a serious public health concern and an economic burden to affected societies. The molecular mechanisms underpinning EV-A71 neurovirulence have yet to be fully elucidated. In this work, we provide experimental evidence that a single amino acid substitution (I to K) at position 149 in structural protein VP2 of a non-mouse-adapted EV-A71 strain completely and specifically abrogated its infectivity in murine motor neuron-like NSC-34 cells. We showed that VP2 I149K mutant was impaired in murine SCARB2-mediated entry step but retained the ability to attach at the cell surface. In vivo , VP2 I149K mutant was fully attenuated in a symptomatic mouse model of progressive limb paralysis. While viral titers in limb muscles were comparable to mice infected with parental wild-type strain, significantly lower viral titers were measured in the spinal cord and brain, with minimal tissue damage, therefore indicating that VP2 I149K mutant is specifically impaired in its ability to invade the central nervous system (CNS). This study highlights the key role of amino acid at position 149 in VP2 in EV-A71 neurovirulence, and lends further support that the EF loop of VP2 represents a potential therapeutic target., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yeo, Chong, Chen, Lim, Ng, Yan, Chu, Chow and Alonso.)

Blood parasites comprise some of the most prevalent pathogens in nature, and their detection and identification are major objectives in varied fields such as ecology and biomedicine. Two approaches were compared, one based on Sanger sequencing and the other next-generation sequencing (NGS) based, in terms of their performance in detecting avian blood parasites across tropical Southeast Asian birds. Across a panel of 528 bird individuals, 43 birds were ascertained to be infected with avian haemosporidians using a polymerase chain reaction-based detection method. Among these samples, NGS-based barcoding confirmed co-infections by multiple blood parasites in all eight cases where Sanger sequencing produced double peaks. Importantly however, the NGS-based method produced another five diagnoses of co-infections (62.5%) in which Sanger-based barcoding remained equivocal. In contrast to Sanger sequencing, the NGS-based method was able to identify co-infecting haemosporidian lineages via their barcodes. The accuracy of avian haemosporidian lineage identification was not compromised by the shorter length of NGS sequences, with ~94% of NGS barcodes producing matches identical to those of the Sanger barcodes. The application of NGS-based barcoding methods promises to enhance parasite identification and reduce erroneous inferences based on artefacts.

Objectives: This meta-analysis was designed to assess the effects of social-cognitive training (SCT) and whether study quality, treatment approach, treatment context, and sample characteristics influence these effects., Methods: Electronic databases were searched up to 5 August 2020 using variants of keywords: 'social cognition', 'training', 'rehabilitation', 'remediation', and 'schizophrenia'. Methodological moderators were extracted through the Clinical Trials Assessment Measure and verified by authors. This study was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020154026)., Results: Forty-two controlled trials with 1,868 participants were identified. The meta-analysis revealed moderate effects on emotion recognition, mental state attribution, and social perception. No significant effects were evident on psychiatric symptoms or social functioning. A small signal was evident for the generalization of treatment gains to executive function. Moderator analyses revealed that studies of lower methodological quality reported larger effects, and samples with lower mean years of education were associated with larger effects of SCT on mental state attribution. Treatment effects did not differ by other moderator variables such as treatment context and intervention types., Conclusions: SCT benefits people with schizophrenia on a variety of social-cognitive outcomes. Differences in baseline symptoms, gender distribution, antipsychotic medication dose, IQ, and other sample features did not create barriers to treatment benefits. Future studies should aim to enhance the generalization of training effects on broader clinical outcomes., (© 2021 The British Psychological Society.)

Novel (Z)-3-((4,6-diphenylpyrimidin-2-ylamino)methylene)-2,3-dihydrochromen-4-one derivatives were designed and synthesized to find chemotherapeutic agents. Derivative 9 was selected based on its clonogenicity against cancer cells and synthetic yield for further biological experiments. It showed decreases in aurora kinase A, B, and C phosphorylation from western blot analysis. Derivative 9 upregulated the expression of G1 cell cycle inhibitory proteins including p21 and p27, and G1 progressive cyclin D1, and downregulated G1-to-S progressive cyclins, resulting in cell cycle arrest at the G1/S boundary. It stimulated the cleavage of caspase-9, -3, -7, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, resulting in triggering apoptosis through a caspase-dependent pathway. In addition, derivative 9 inhibited in vivo tumor growth in a syngeneic tumor implantation mouse model. The findings of this study suggest that derivative 9 can be considered as a lead compound for chemotherapeutic agents., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Because nanocellulose has a large specific surface area and abundant hydroxyl functional groups due to its unique nanomorphology, interest increases as an eco-friendly water treatment material. However, the distinctive properties of nanocellulose, which exists in a dispersion state, strongly hamper its usage in practical water treatment processes. Additionally, nanocellulose shows low performance in removing anionic pollutants because of its anionic characteristics. In an effort to address this challenge, regenerated cellulose (RC) hydrogel was fabricated through cellulose's dissolution and regeneration process using an eco-friendly aqueous solvent system. Subsequently, a crosslinking process was carried out to introduce the cationic functional groups to the RC surface PEI coating (P/RC). As a result, the PEI surface cationization process improved the mechanical rigidity of RC and showed an excellent Cr(VI) removal capacity of 578 mg/g. In addition, the prepared P/RC maintained more than 90% removal efficiency even after seven reuses., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Road traffic accidents are a severe threat to human lives, particularly to vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as pedestrians causing premature deaths. Therefore, it is necessary to devise systems to prevent accidents in advance and respond proactively, using potential risky situations as one of the surrogate safety measurements. This study introduces a new concept of a pedestrian safety system that combines the field and the centralized processes. The system can warn of upcoming risks immediately in the field and improve the safety of risk-frequent areas by assessing the safety levels of roads without actual collisions. In particular, this study focuses on the latter by introducing a new analytical framework for a crosswalk safety assessment with various behaviors of vehicles/pedestrians and environmental features. We obtain these behavioral features from actual traffic video footages in the city with complete automatic processing. The proposed framework mainly analyzes these behaviors in multi-dimensional perspectives by constructing a data cube structure, which combines the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based predictive collision risk (PCR) estimation model and the on-line analytical processing (OLAP) operations. From the PCR estimation model, we categorize the severity of risks as four levels; "relatively safe," "caution," "warning," and "danger," and apply the proposed framework to assess the crosswalk safety with behavioral features. With the proposed framework, the various descriptive results are harvested, but we aim at conducting analysis based on two scenarios in our analytic experiments; the movement patterns of vehicles and pedestrians by road environment and the relationships between risk levels and car speeds. Consequently, the proposed framework can support decision-makers (e.g., urban planners, safety administrators) by providing the valuable information to improve pedestrian safety for future accidents, and it can help us better understand cars' and pedestrians' proactive behavior near the crosswalks. In order to confirm the feasibility and applicability of the proposed framework, we implement and apply it to actual operating CCTVs in Osan City, Republic of Korea., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Blepharoplasty has both aesthetic and functional benefits in patients with pseudoptosis; however, previous studies could not demonstrate its beneficial effects quantitatively and objectively. The authors objectively analyzed the visual field before and after surgery and investigated whether measurements of the visual field can be applied as a suitable predictor of surgical outcomes., Methods: In total, 18 eyelids in nine patients with pseudoptosis who had undergone simple skin excision blepharoplasty were evaluated prospectively from February to May 2016. The visual fields were analyzed preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively using the Goldmann kinetic perimetry test. The visual field test area was assessed using Adobe Photoshop., Results: Blepharoplasty had an average 4.99-fold beneficial effect on the superior visual field. In particular, more improvement was seen in the superior temporal quadrant than in the nasal quadrant. No correlation was found between the preoperative margin-to-reflex distance 1 (MRD1) and the surgical outcome (P=0.119). However, there was a strong correlation between the preoperative superior visual field and the surgical outcome (P=0.001)., Conclusions: Using the Goldmann kinetic perimetry test, we objectively and quantitatively proved the beneficial effect of blepharoplasty on patients with pseudoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the preoperative visual field is a better preoperative surgical outcome predictive factor than the preoperative MRD1.

Background: Despite previous reports suggesting that pressure support ventilation facilitates weaning from mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit, few studies have assessed its effects on recovery from anesthesia. The authors hypothesized that pressure support ventilation during emergence from anesthesia reduces postoperative atelectasis in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery using the Trendelenburg position., Methods: In this randomized controlled double-blinded trial, adult patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy or robot-assisted prostatectomy were assigned to either the pressure support (n = 50) or the control group (n = 50). During emergence (from the end of surgery to extubation), pressure support ventilation was used in the pressure support group versus intermittent manual assistance in the control group. The primary outcome was the incidence of atelectasis diagnosed by lung ultrasonography at the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). The secondary outcomes were Pao2 at PACU and oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry less than 92% during 48 h postoperatively., Results: Ninety-seven patients were included in the analysis. The duration of emergence was 9 min and 8 min in the pressure support and control groups, respectively. The incidence of atelectasis at PACU was lower in the pressure support group compared to that in the control group (pressure support vs. control, 16 of 48 [33%] vs. 28 of 49 [57%]; risk ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.91; P = 0.024). In the PACU, Pao2 in the pressure support group was higher than that in the control group (92 ± 26 mmHg vs. 83 ± 13 mmHg; P = 0.034). The incidence of oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry less than 92% during 48 h postoperatively was not different between the groups (9 of 48 [19%] vs. 11 of 49 [22%]; P = 0.653). There were no adverse events related to the study protocol., Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative atelectasis was lower in patients undergoing either laparoscopic colectomy or robot-assisted prostatectomy who received pressure support ventilation during emergence from general anesthesia compared to those receiving intermittent manual assistance., (Copyright © 2021, the American Society of Anesthesiologists. All Rights Reserved.)

Nonconjugated radical polymers (i.e., macromolecules with aliphatic backbones that have stable open-shell sites along their pendant groups) have arisen as an intriguing complement to π-conjugated polymers in organic electronic devices and may prove to have superior properties in magneto-responsive applications. To date, however, the design of nonconjugated radical polymers has primarily focused on linear homopolymer, copolymer, and block polymer motifs even though conjugated dendritic macromolecules (i.e., polyradicals) have shown significant promise in terms of their response under applied magnetic fields. Here, we address this gap in creating a nonconjugated, three-arm radical macromolecule with nitroxide open-shell sites using a straightforward, single-step reaction, and we evaluated the electronic and magnetic properties of this material using a combined computational and experimental approach. The synthetic approach employed resulted in a high-purity macromolecule with a well-defined molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution. Moreover, epoxide-based units were implemented in the three-arm radical macromolecule design, and this resulted in a nonlinear radical macromolecule with a low (i.e., below room temperature) glass transition temperature and one that was an amorphous material in the solid state. These properties allowed thin films of the three-arm radical macromolecule to have electrical conductivity values on par with many linear radical polymers previously reported, and our computational efforts suggest the potential of higher generation open-shell dendrimers to achieve advanced electronic and magnetic properties. Importantly, the three-arm radical macromolecule also demonstrated antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between spins at temperatures < 10 K. In this way, this effort puts forward key structure-property relationships in nonlinear radical macromolecules and presents a clear path for the creation of next-generation macromolecules of this type., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Intervertebral discs (IVDs) have poor nutrient diffusion, because the nucleus pulposus (NP) lacks direct vascular supply and likely generates adenosine triphosphate by anaerobic glycolysis. Regulation of glycolysis is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a transcription factor that responds to local oxygen tension. Constitutively active HIF-1α (CA HIF-1α) was created by point mutation and determined the protective role of HIF-1α in IVD degeneration. Under fluoroscopy, rat caudal IVD segments were stabbed by a needle puncture, and pcDNA3- HIF-1α wild-type (WT) or pcDNA3-CA HIF-1α was transfected into NP cell lines. The constitutive activity of CA HIF-1α was analyzed using a luciferase assay after cell lysis. Next, IVD tissue samples were retrieved from five patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis at the time of surgery, and NP cells were cultured. NP cells were transfected with CA HIF-1α, and relevant gene expression was measured. HIF-1α protein levels in the nucleus were significantly higher, and transcriptional activity was 10.3-fold higher in NP cells with CA HIF-1α than in those with HIF-1α WT. Gene transfer of CA HIF-1α into NP cells enhanced the expression of Glut-1, Glut-3, aggrecan, type II collagen, and Sox9. Moreover, CA HIF-1α reduced the apoptosis of NP cells induced by the Fas ligand. The HIF-1α and collagen 2 expression levels were notably increased in the NP cells of the CA HIF-1α transfected segments in histology and immunohistochemistry study. Collectively, these results suggest that activation of HIF-1α signaling pathway may play a protective role against IVD degeneration and could be used as a future therapeutic agent.

The aim of this study is to establish prediction models for the non-destructive evaluation of the carbonization characteristics of lignin-derived hydrochars as a carbon material in real time. Hydrochars are produced via the hydrothermal carbonization of kraft lignins for 1-5 h in the temperature range of 175-250 °C, and as the reaction severity of hydrothermal carbonization increases, the hydrochar is converted to a more carbon-intensive structure. Principal component analysis using near-infrared spectra suggests that the spectral regions at 2132 and 2267 nm assigned to lignins and 1449 nm assigned to phenolic groups of lignins are informative bands that indicate the carbonization degree. Partial least squares regression models trained with near-infrared spectra accurately predicts the carbon content, oxygen/carbon, and hydrogen/carbon ratios with high coefficients of determination and low root mean square errors. The established models demonstrate better prediction than ordinary least squares regression models., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: The purse-string suture (PSS) is a simple and rapid wound closure method that results in minimal scarring. It has been used to treat circular or oval skin defects caused by tumor excision or trauma. However, due to obscurity, it is not widely used, especially for the head and neck. This study aimed to modify the PSS to obtain predictable and acceptable results., Methods: A total of 45 sites in 39 patients with various types of skin and soft tissue defects in the head and neck were treated with PSS. We used PDS II (2-0 to 5-0), which is an absorbable suture. Minimal dissection of the subcutaneous layer was performed. The suture knot was hidden by placing it in the dissection layer. Depending on the characteristics of the skin and soft tissue defects, additional surgical interventions such as side-to-side advancement sutures, double PSS, or split-thickness skin graft were applied., Results: All wounds healed completely without any serious complications. Large defects up to 45 mm in diameter were successfully reconstructed using only PSS. Postoperative radiating folds were almost flattened after approximately 1-2 months., Conclusion: PSS is simple, rapid, and relatively free from surgical design. Owing to the circumferential advancement of the surrounding tissue, PSS always results in a smaller scar than the initial lesion and less distortion of the body structures around the wound in the completely healed defect. If the operator can predict the process of healing and immediate radiating folds, PSS could be a favorable option for round skin defects in the head and neck.

A series of gradient copolymers were synthesized by the ruthenium-catalyzed living radical polymerization (LRP) of methyl acrylate (MA) and aliphatic alcohols using aluminum acetylacetonate Al(acac) 3 . In this polymerization system, Al(acac) 3 was successfully used not only as an additive for the Ru-catalyzed LRP but also as a catalyst for the selective transesterification of an unsaturated ester monomer in mild conditions in a process known as concurrent tandem living radical polymerization. The resulting MA-based gradient copolymers showed well-controlled molecular weight and distribution in a one-pot reaction and exhibited a well-controlled gradient sequence in their polymer chain. Control of transesterification and the metal-catalyzed living radical polymerization (Mt-LRP) rate varied depending on the concentration of the Al(acac) 3 and the structure of varying alcohols, which were confirmed by 1 H NMR, SEC, and DSC analysis. In particular, this research opens a new synthetic methodology for preparing acrylate-based gradient copolymers via concurrent tandem LRP not limited to the synthesis of methyl methacrylate types of gradient copolymers., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: Lip skin dryness and chapping are major concerns related to lip skin care in many populations. The distinctive features of lip skin, such as the low water-holding capacity and weak skin barrier, are strongly associated with these problems; however, few studies have examined lip skin characteristics and the mechanisms underlying these issues. This study was conducted to identify the biophysical properties of dry lip skin and molecular targets affecting lip skin physiology., Methods: Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss and lip skin scaling were evaluated in 40 female subjects. Skin scaling was assessed as a percentage area divided into five categories (G0, G1, G2, G3 and G4) according to the thickness level of tape-stripped corneocytes. The activities and amounts of proteases, cathepsin D and bleomycin hydrolase were measured as markers for the desquamation process and skin hydration, respectively., Results: Skin hydration showed a significantly positive correlation with the percentage area of evenly thin corneocytes (G0) and negative correlations with the percentage areas of slightly thick to severely thick corneocytes (G1-G4). The corneocyte unevenness ratio (CUR) was calculated by dividing the sum of the G1, G2, G3 and G4 values with the G0 value. The CUR was significantly negatively correlated with skin hydration, suggesting that CUR is a new parameter representing the severity of lip scaling. Subjects with lower hydration and higher CUR had higher bleomycin hydrolase activity and lower cathepsin D activity, respectively, than subjects with higher hydration and lower CUR., Conclusion: Our study revealed a correlation between lip skin hydration and severity of lip scaling and verified the association of protease activity with the hydration and chapping state of lip skin. These observations provide a basis for further studies of the persistent problem of lip skin dryness and chapping., (© 2021 LG Household & Healthcare .International Journal of Cosmetic Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Cosmetic Scientists and Societe Francaise de Cosmetologie.)

In the past decade, the number of road traffic accidents and fatalities has remained about the same level. One of strategies to protect vulnerable road users (VRUs) is to analyze the factors that cause traffic accident and then to deploy safety facilities. However, most traffic safety systems currently in operation rely on historical data, which is post-facto approach. Thus, it is necessary to prevent accident in advance and to respond in proactive manner before the accident. In this study, we propose a framework for potential pedestrian risk analysis using a multi-dimensional on-line analytical processing (OLAP), called SafetyCube, which enables decision-makers to understand the situations by scrutinizing interactive behaviors between vehicle and pedestrian. First, we collect the behavioral features of traffic-related objects (e.g., vehicles and pedestrians) extracted from closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) deployed on crosswalks throughout the overall urban, and accumulate them in a data warehouse over an extended period in order to construct a data cube model. Then, we conduct comprehensive analyses in multi-dimensional perspective using OLAP operations by varying the abstraction levels. Our analytical experiments are based on three scenarios, and the results show that the vehicle's movement patterns before entering the crosswalk, patterns of changes in speed of vehicles approaching to pedestrians, and so on. Through these results from the proposed analytical system, decision-makers can gain a better understanding of how the vehicles and pedestrians behave near the crosswalk by visualizing their interactions. Further, these insights would be reflected to improve the road environment safer. In order to validate the feasibility and applicability of the proposed system, we apply it to various crosswalks in Osan city, South Korea., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the effect of listening to self-music therapy training (SMT) music, which was specially developed using musical expectancy violations, on improving brain concentration and activation. It was performed with a sample of 12 adults. Electroencephalograms (EEG) were obtained and analyzed after allowing the participants to listen to SMT music. An EEG device with eight channels was used to measure the brain waves. The changes in the EEGs were recorded when listening to SMT music in three states (stable, basic, and stimulated) after attaching the electrodes to the prefrontal cortex (Fp1 and Fp2), and the frontal (F3 and F4), temporal (T3 and T4), and parietal lobes (P3 and P4) according to the International 10/20 system. The EEG data were analyzed to determine the m-β wave appearance rate and absolute total power (ATP) for the three conditions, and a t-test was performed. The results showed that the rate of m-β wave appearance was higher in the stimulated and basic states than in the stable state (Fp1, Fp2, F4, T3, T4, P3, and P4) and higher in the stimulated state than in the basic state (Fp1, Fp2, T3, T4, and P4). The ATP was lower in the basic state than in the stable state (Fp2, F3, F4, and T3), but the ATP in the stimulated state was higher than in the basic or stable state in all areas excluding the left and right parietal lobes (Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, T3, and T4). These results demonstrated that listening to SMT music by normal adults could increase brain concentration and activation., Competing Interests: None

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is a promising active material for Li/S batteries owing to its high sulfur utilization and long-term cyclability. However, because SPAN electrodes are synthesized using powder, they require large amounts of electrolyte, conducting agents, and binder, which reduces the practical energy density. Herein, to improve the practical energy density, we fabricated bulk-type SPAN disk cathodes from pressed sulfur and polyacrylonitrile powders using a simple heating process. The SPAN disks could be used directly as cathode materials because their π-π structures provide molecular-level electrical connectivity. In addition, the electrodes had interconnected pores, which improved the mobility of Li + ions by allowing homogeneous adsorption of the electrolyte. The specific capacity of the optimal electrode was very high (517 mA h g electrode ). Furthermore, considering the weights of the anode, separator, cathode, and electrolyte, the Li/S cell exhibited a high practical energy density of 250 W h kg -1 . The areal capacity was also high (8.5 mA h cm -1 . The areal capacity was also high (8.5 mA h cm -2 ) owing to the high SPAN loading of 16.37 mg cm -2 . After the introduction of 10 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a conducting agent, the SPAN disk electrode exhibited excellent cyclability while maintaining a high energy density. This strategy offers a potential candidate for Li/S batteries with high practical energy densities., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell-derived cytokine that acts as a critical mediator in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Various therapeutic agents that prevent TSLP function can efficiently relieve the clinical symptoms of AD. However, the downregulation of TSLP expression by therapeutic agents remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the mode of action of chrysin in TSLP suppression in an AD-like inflammatory environment. We observed that the transcription factor early growth response (EGR1) contributed to the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-induced transcription of TSLP . Chrysin attenuated TNFα-induced TSLP expression by downregulating EGR1 expression in HaCaT keratinocytes. We also showed that the oral administration of chrysin improved AD-like skin lesions in the ear and neck of BALB/c mice challenged with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene. We also showed that chrysin suppressed the expression of EGR1 and TSLP by inhibiting the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) 1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that chrysin improves AD-like skin lesions, at least in part, through the downregulation of the ERK1/2 or JNK1/2-EGR1-TSLP signaling axis in keratinocytes.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between surgeon gender and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic., Background: Although female surgeons face difficulties integrating work and home in the best of times, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented new challenges. The implications for the female surgical workforce are unknown., Methods: This cross-sectional, multi-center telephone survey study of surgeons was conducted across 5 academic institutions (May 15-June 5, 2020). The primary outcome was maximum stress level, measured using the validated Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11. Mixed-effects generalized linear models were used to estimate the relationship between surgeon stress level and gender., Results: Of 529 surgeons contacted, 337 surgeons responded and 335 surveys were complete (response rate 63.7%). The majority of female respondents were housestaff (58.1%), and the majority of male respondents were faculty (56.8%) (P = 0.008). A greater proportion of male surgeons (50.3%) than female surgeons (36.8%) had children ≤18 years (P = 0.015). The mean maximum stress level for female surgeons was 7.51 (SD 1.49) and for male surgeons was 6.71 (SD 2.15) (P < 0.001). After adjusting for the presence of children and training status, female gender was associated with a significantly higher maximum stress level (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Our findings that women experienced more stress than men during the Covid-19 pandemic, regardless of parental status, suggest that there is more to the gendered differences in the stress experience of the pandemic than the added demands of childcare. Deliberate interventions are needed to promote and support the female surgical workforce during the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the stress levels and experience of academic surgeons by training status (eg, housestaff or faculty)., Background: Covid-19 has uniquely challenged and changed the United States healthcare system. A better understanding of the surgeon experience is necessary to inform proactive workforce management and support., Methods: A multi-institutional, cross-sectional telephone survey of surgeons was conducted across 5 academic medical centers from May 15 to June 5, 2020. The exposure of interest was training status. The primary outcome was maximum stress level, measured using the validated Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11 (range 0-10)., Results: A total of 335 surveys were completed (49.3% housestaff, 50.7% faculty; response rate 63.7%). The mean maximum stress level of faculty was 7.21 (SD 1.81) and of housestaff was 6.86 (SD 2.06) (P = 0.102). Mean stress levels at the time of the survey trended lower amongst housestaff (4.17, SD 1.89) than faculty (4.56, SD 2.15) (P = 0.076). More housestaff (63.6%) than faculty (40.0%) reported exposure to individuals with Covid-19 (P < 0.001). Subjects reported inadequate personal protective equipment in approximately a third of professional exposures, with no difference by training status (P = 0.557)., Conclusions: During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the personal and professional experiences of housestaff and faculty differed, in part due to a difference in exposure as well as non-work-related stressors. Workforce safety, including adequate personal protective equipment, expanded benefits (eg, emergency childcare), and deliberate staffing models may help to alleviate the stress associated with disease resurgence or future disasters., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In recent years, implant-based breast reconstruction has been performed because of its simplicity, short operation time, and rapid recovery of patients. Several studies have reported treatment methods for implant surgery-related infection, which is a serious complication. The aim of this study was to introduce our strategy for salvaging infected implants and to evaluate its effectiveness., Methods: The authors performed a retrospective study of 145 cases from 132 patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction from January 2012 to December 2018. Empirical antibiotics were immediately administered to patients with suspected infections. The patients then underwent salvage treatment including appropriate antibiotics, ultrasonography-guided aspiration, debridement, antibiotic lavage, and implant exchange through a multidisciplinary approach. Patient demographics, operative data, duration until drain removal, adjuvant treatment, and complications were analyzed., Results: The total infection rate was 5.5% (8/145). A longer indwelling catheter period and adjuvant treatment were significantly associated with infection. The salvage treatment showed a success rate of 87.5% (7/8). Seven patients who received early aggressive salvage treatment recovered from infection. One patient with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, who received salvage treatment 11 days after symptom onset, did not respond to drainage and antibiotic treatment. That patient subsequently underwent explantation., Conclusions: In implant-based breast reconstruction, prevention of infection is of the utmost importance. However, if an infection is suspected, proactive empirical antibiotic therapy and collaboration with the necessary departments are required. Through a multidisciplinary approach and proactive early management, swift and appropriate salvage should be performed.

An unbalanced microbial ecosystem on the human skin is closely related to skin diseases and has been associated with inflammation and immune responses. However, little is known about the role of the skin microbiome on skin aging. Here, we report that the Streptococcus species improved the skin structure and barrier function, thereby contributing to anti-aging. Metagenomic analyses showed the abundance of Streptococcus in younger individuals or those having more elastic skin. Particularly, we isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus infantis, and Streptococcus thermophilus from face of young individuals. Treatment with secretions of S. pneumoniae and S. infantis induced the expression of genes associated with the formation of skin structure and the skin barrier function in human skin cells. The application of culture supernatant including Streptococcal secretions on human skin showed marked improvements on skin phenotypes such as elasticity, hydration, and desquamation. Gene Ontology analysis revealed overlaps in spermidine biosynthetic and glycogen biosynthetic processes. Streptococcus-secreted spermidine contributed to the recovery of skin structure and barrier function through the upregulation of collagen and lipid synthesis in aged cells. Overall, our data suggest the role of skin microbiome into anti-aging and clinical applications.

The physical and chemical properties of MXenes are strongly dependent on surface terminations; thus, the tailoring of surface functional groups in two-dimensional transition-metal carbides (MXenes) may extend the applicability of these compelling materials to a wider set of fields. In this work, we demonstrate the chemical modification of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene via diazonium covalent chemistry and the subsequent effects on the electrical properties of MXene. The 4-nitrophenyl group was grafted onto the surface of MXene through a solid-liquid reaction, which was confirmed by various characterization methods, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The degree of modification of MXene is expediently tunable by adjusting the concentration of the diazonium salt solution. The work function of functionalized MXene is modifiable by regulating the quantity of grafted diazonium surface groups, with an adjustable range of around 0.6 eV. Further, in this study, the electrical properties of modified MXene are investigated through the fabrication of field-effect-transistor devices that utilize modified MXene as a channel material. It was demonstrated that with increasing concentration of 4-nitrophenyl groups grafted onto the surface the on/off current ratio of the modified MXene was improved to as much as 3.56, with a corresponding decrease in conductivity and mobility. The proposed approach of controlled modification of surface groups in Ti 3 C 2 T x may imbue Ti 3 C 2 T x with favorable electronic behaviors and demonstrate prospects for use in electronic field applications.

Extreme haze episodes have frequently occurred in Seoul since mid-2010s by the combined contributions of transboundary transported aerosols as well as locally emitted pollutants. In this study, we developed a novel method to estimate the contribution of long-range transport (LRT, aerosols are transported from any regions except local area near Seoul) and local pollution (LP, aerosols are originated from local area near Seoul) cases to the PM 10 concentration in Seoul, Korea, using the PM 10 concentration ratio between surface (PM 10 S ) and mountaintop (PM 10 M ) sites and the lidar-derived mixing layer height. The overall contributions of LRT and LP events to nighttime high-PM 10 episodes (PM 10  > 50 μg m -3 ) during the period of May 2008-April 2019 were estimated to be approximately 32% and 47%, respectively. The monthly contribution of LRT events to the PM 10 concentration varied from approximately 18% (July) to 43% (January), whereas the contribution of LP events was estimated between 39% (March) and 69% (July); this pattern was associated with seasonal synoptic circulations. The similar PM 10 S values between the LRT (71 ± 22 μg m -3 ) and LP (73 ± 26 μg m -3 ) cases during the nighttime suggest that a reduction in local PM 10 emissions is crucial to decrease the PM 10 concentration during high-PM 10 events. The high PM 10 S for daytime LRT cases can be explained by the combined effects of increased local emissions and LRT aerosols., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Kallikrein-related peptidase 7 (KLK7) is a chymotrypsin-like serine peptidase that plays a crucial role in regulating skin desquamation. KLK7 expression is highly upregulated in atopic dermatitis (AD) skin lesions in both humans and mice. Th2-lymphocyte-derived cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, have been shown to promote KLK7 expression in keratinocytes in patients with AD. However, the molecular mechanism underlying KLK7 expression remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that the EGR-1-binding sequence (EBS) in the promoter region of KLK7 played a crucial role in IL-13-induced KLK7 transcription. Disruption of the EBS induced by a point mutation inhibited IL-13-induced KLK7 promoter activity. EGR-1 was shown to directly bind to the EBS, and EGR1 knockdown with shRNA abrogated IL-13-induced KLK7 expression. Using Egr1 knockout mice, we showed that Egr-1 was necessary for KLK7 expression in AD-like lesions induced by the repeated topical application of 2,4-dinitrobenzene on the dorsal skin of mice. We also demonstrated that the ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was responsible for EGR-1-dependent KLK7 transcription in response to IL-13 stimulation. Our findings delineate a signaling pathway that contributes to the regulation of KLK7 expression through the IL13-ERK MAPK-EGR1 signaling axis., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)