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Abstract Optimizing metal catalyst structures to achieve desired states is vital for efficient surface reactions, yet remains challenging due to the lack of well-defined precursor materials and weak metal-support interaction. Palladium-based catalysts, when not properly tailored for complete methane oxidation exhibit insufficient performance. Herein, we fabricate Pd oxide nano-clusters supported on SSZ-13 using atomic ions with strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). Steam treatment of Pd/SSZ-13 transforms Pd particles into ions and induces SMSI. Subsequently, CO reduction and O2 oxidation yield mildly sintered Pd oxide nano-clusters firmly anchored on extra-framework Alpenta sites of SSZ-13, facilitating superior activity. The robustness from SMSI prevents irreversible deactivation, and water-resistance by complete dehydration suppresses reversible degradation in wet conditions. This catalyst exhibits high performance in bench-scale reactions using monolith catalysts, ensuring applicability for industrial methane abatement. The results demonstrate that sequential treatment to Pd/SSZ-13 offers a promising approach for tailoring metal structures to enable high-performance methane oxidation.

Abstract This study utilized arterial spin labeling-magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to explore the developmental trajectory of brain activity associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Pulsed arterial spin labeling (ASL) data were acquired from 157 children with ADHD and 109 children in a control group, all aged 6–12 years old. Participants were categorized into the age groups of 6–7, 8–9, and 10–12, after which comparisons were performed between each age group for ASL analysis of cerebral blood flow (CBF). In total, the ADHD group exhibited significantly lower CBF in the left superior temporal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus regions than the control group. Further analysis revealed: (1) The comparison between the ADHD group (N = 70) aged 6–7 and the age-matched control group (N = 33) showed no statistically significant difference between. (2) However, compared with the control group aged 8–9 (N = 39), the ADHD group of the same age (N = 53) showed significantly lower CBF in the left postcentral gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus regions. (3) Further, the ADHD group aged 10–12 (N = 34) demonstrated significantly lower CBF in the left superior occipital region than the age-matched control group (N = 37). These age-specific differences suggest variations in ADHD-related domains during brain development post age 6–7.

Abstract The direct oxidation of methane to methanol has been spotlighted research for decades, but has never been commercialized. This study introduces cost-effective process for co-producing methanol and sulfuric acid through a direct oxidation of methane. In the initial phase, methane oxidation forms methyl bisulfate (CH3OSO3H), then transformed into methyl trifluoroacetate (CF3CO2CH3) via esterification, and hydrolyzed into methanol. This approach eliminates the need for energy-intensive separation of methyl bisulfate from sulfuric acid by replacing the former with methyl trifluoroacetate. Through the superstructure optimization, our sequential process reduces the levelized cost of methanol to nearly two-fold reduction from the current market price. Importantly, this process demonstrates adaptability to smaller gas fields, assuring its economical operation across a broad range of gas fields. The broader application of this process could substantially mitigate global warming by utilizing methane, leading to a significantly more sustainable and economically beneficial methanol industry.

ABSTRACTIn this study, bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as a partial replacement for baking wheat flour in the traditional castella cake recipe to increase the fiber content. The wheat flour content was partially replaced (5, 10, 15, and 20%) with BC powder (BCP) in the castella cake recipe, while 0% replacement was used as the control sample. The fiber-enriched castella cake’s physical texture, chemical composition, and sensory properties were analyzed. With up to 20% incorporated BC, the castella cakes had their density and total dietary fiber content increased by 1.72 and 3.57 times, respectively, compared to the control samples. Among the samples, the sensory evaluation showed that the 5 and 10% BC replaced fiber-enriched castella cakes were favored by consumers. The total dietary fiber content of 10% BC replaced fiber-enriched castella cake was 5.83 ± 0.31%db; thus, this ratio was recommended in a castella cake recipe. [Figure: see text]

Background and Objectives Zonulin is a human protein that regulates intercellular tight junctions and increases the permeability of the intestinal epithelium. In light of the increasing focus on zonulin’s role in numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, this study aimed to investigate whether differences exist in serum zonulin levels and bronchial epithelium zonulin expression in vivo between asthma and normal groups, using a mouse model. Methods Sixteen mice were utilized in this study, divided evenly between the normal and asthma groups. Serum zonulin levels, the expression of zonulin antibody in the bronchial epithelium, and serum cytokine levels were evaluated in both groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and RNA in situ hybridization were utilized for the analysis. Results The asthma group exhibited significantly higher levels of serum zonulin. High zonulin antibody expression was also observed in the bronchial epithelium of the asthma group. Given that our mouse model demonstrated a significant difference in interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-6 between the normal and asthma groups, zonulin may be associated not only with type 2 responses but also with various subtypes of asthma. Further studies are required to investigate this relationship in greater detail. Conclusion Zonulin may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of asthma and could serve as a biomarker in various asthma-related situations.

The VITEK MS PRIME (bioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France), a newly developed matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system, alongside the VITEK PICKME pen (PICKME), offers easy sample preparation for bacteria and yeasts. The VITEK MS PRIME also offers two software platforms for filamentous fungi: the IVD database and the RUO database. Our study evaluated its identification agreement on 320 clinical isolates of bacteria and yeasts, comparing PICKME and traditional wooden toothpick sampling techniques against MicroIDSys Elite (ASTA) results. Additionally, we assessed the IVD (v3.2) and SARAMIS (v4.16) RUO databases on 289 filamentous fungi against molecular sequencing. The concordance rates for species-level identification of bacteria and yeasts were about 89.4% (286/320) between the PICKME and wooden toothpick, and about 83.4–85.3% between the VITEK MS PRIME and ASTA MicroIDSys Elite. Retesting with PICKME improved concordance to 91.9%. For filamentous fungi, species-level identification reached 71.3% with the IVD database and 85.8% with RUO, which significantly enhanced basidiomycetes’ identification from 35.3% to 100%. Some strains in the IVD database, like Aspergillus versicolor, Exophiala xenobiotica, and Nannizzia gypsea, failed to be identified. The VITEK MS PRIME with PICKME offers reliable and efficient microorganism identification. For filamentous fungi, combined use of the RUO database can be beneficial, especially for basidiomycetes.

IntroductionNusinersen is the first drug approved for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of nusinersen, assess the therapeutic effects based on the treatment initiation timing and baseline motor function, and explore the perception of functional improvement from either parents or patients, utilizing 3-year nationwide follow-up data in South Korea.MethodsWe enrolled patients with SMA who were treated with nusinersen under the National Health Insurance coverage, with complete motor score records available and a minimum treatment duration of 6 months. To evaluate the motor function of patients, the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination-2 (HINE-2) was used for type 1 and the Expanded Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (HFMSE) was used for types 2 and 3 patients. A significant improvement was defined as a HINE-2 score gain ≥5 for patients with type 1 and an HFMSE score ≥ 3 for patients with types 2 and 3 SMA. Effects of treatment timing were assessed. Patients with type 2 were further categorized based on baseline motor scores for outcome analysis. We also analyzed a second dataset from five tertiary hospitals with the information on parents/patients-reported impressions of improvement.ResultsThe study comprised 137 patients, with 21, 103, and 13 patients representing type 1, 2, and 3 SMA, respectively. At the 3-year follow-up, the analysis encompassed 7 patients with type 1, 12 patients with type 2, and none with type 3. Nearly half of all enrolled patients across SMA types (42.8, 59.2 and 46.2%, respectively) reached the 2-year follow-up for analysis. Patients with type 1 SMA exhibited gradual motor function improvement over 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-ups (16, 9, and 7 patients, respectively). Patients with type 2 SMA demonstrated improvement over 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-ups (96, 61 and 12 patients, respectively). Early treatment from symptom onset resulted in better outcomes for patients with type 1 and 2 SMA. In the second dataset, 90.7% of 108 patients reported subjective improvement at the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionNusinersen treatment for types 1–3 SMA is safe and effective in long-term follow-up. Early treatment initiation was a significant factor affecting long-term motor outcome.

Abstract In this work, the feasibility of using low‐sampled vibration signals for bolt joint tightness detection was investigated. Testing was carried out on multiple bolt joint configurations using a bench top electrodynamic shaker rig. Two data‐processing methods were successfully used to deduce bolt joint loosening from the accelerometer measurements, namely the resonant frequency and regression methods (ARX and AR‐ARX). Both methods were able to detect loosening of bolt joints, however, the latter possesses higher sensitivity in detecting the position of the loosened bolt among an array of bolts. As the resonant frequency of wind turbines is low (0.35–2 Hz), the minimum sampling rate for bolt joint tightness detection is consequently also low (twice the resonant frequency). This facilitates potential use of existing accelerometer instrumentation on wind turbines, typically sampled at low rates.

The East Asian finless porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri, ranks among the most endangered species with rapidly decreasing population in the Northwest Pacific. Trematode parasites of the genus Nasitrema that inhabit the air sinuses, inner ear, and the central nervous system of cetaceans frequently cause equilibrium dysfunction, disorientation, interference with echolocation, incoordination, and nervous system degeneration. Due to their specific location and associated pathologies, they have been recognized as one of the causes of cetacean strandings. Stranding data provides crucial information on the species’ biology, population health, and on the status of entire marine ecosystem. However, published data on parasite-induced standings that include information on the causative parasite pathogens are scarce. As part of a wider survey on the causes of East Asian finless porpoise strandings along the west coast of Korea, herein, we provide novel morphological and molecular data on two sympatric species of Nasitrema, namely, Nasitrema spathulatum and Nasitrema sunameri based on newly collected specimens from a stranded alive East Asian finless porpoise at the West coast of Korea. Our study adds a new distribution record for important parasite pathogens in cetaceans and provides the first molecular data for the parasite species recovered, which enabled us to re-evaluate the species relationships within the family Brachycladiidae, a group of important parasite pathogens of marine mammals.

Purpose Diagnosing Leigh syndrome (LS), a representative mitochondrial disease, remains challenging. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-associated LS, which is maternally inherited, has relatively well-known genetic variants. We evaluated the usefulness of brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for the initial diagnosis of mtDNA-associated LS using data from LS patients. Methods The study involved LS patients who visited Gangnam Severance Hospital between 2006 and 2018. Based on patients’ clinical findings, genetic evaluations, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and brain MRS findings, 24 mtDNA-associated and 49 gene-negative LS patients were included in the current study. Lactate peaks and decreased N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) peaks in brain MRS were compared between both groups. Results In total, 11 mtDNA mutation subtypes were detected. Our findings showed a higher proportion of brain MRS abnormalities in mtDNA-associated LS patients than in gene-negative LS patients, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups (lactate peak, P=0.080; decreased NAA peak, P=0.115). Conclusion Brain MRS is currently limited as an initial diagnostic test for mtDNA-associated LS. However, it may be a useful non-invasive test for the follow-up evaluation of mtDNA-associated LS treatment. Ultra-high-field MRS technology is expected in the future.

Background: Inflammation is emerging as a potential mechanism of cervical carcinogenesis. However, few studies have investigated the association between host inflammatory status and the natural course of cervical precursor lesion. The aim of this study was to assess the probability of LSIL regression, associated with an inflammatory biomarker, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Methods: In a longitudinal cohort study, female participants were examined annually or biannually using cervical cytology between 2006 and 2015. Incident LSIL cases were included in the analysis, with regression defined as at least one consecutive normal cytologic result. A total of 520 women aged 22–64 years were followed up for LSIL regression. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for LSIL regression were estimated using a parametric proportional hazards model. Results: During 827.5 person-years of follow-up, 486 out of 520 subjects (93.5%) showed LSIL regression. After adjusting several important potential confounders, a higher quartile of hs-CRP levels was significantly associated with a lower rate of regression (for quartile 4 vs quartile 1, inverse HR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04–1.69; P for trend = 0.028). Conclusions: The low rate of spontaneous regression recorded in women with higher hs-CRP lends support to the role of the perturbated host inflammatory status in cervical carcinogenesis, and suggests that hs-CRP level could help monitor LSIL.

5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) has been considered as promising anodic reaction alternating oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The introduction of Fe into layered nickel hydroxide has been effective strategy to enhance performance of OER as well as HMFOR. However, considering that HMFOR and OER are competitive with each other, it is hardly understandable how Fe simultaneously enhances both reactions. Herein, we provide an insight toward the role of Fe in the layered Ni(OH)2 in both oxidation reactions. While the OER activity of the layered Ni(OH)2 electrocatalyst has volcanic relation with Fe content, the HMFOR activity was highest in the Fe-free Ni(OH)2.

Purpose Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a diagnostic tool used to detect abnormal accumulation of lactate in the brain parenchyma in various metabolic diseases. This study evaluated the clinical roles of brain MRS in the initial assessment of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) caused by impairment of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Methods Twenty-five patients with the A3243G mutation among 34 MELAS patients referred to the pediatric neurology clinic of Gangnam Severance Hospital between January 2006 and December 2020 were included. In this retrospective study, demographic, clinical, laboratory (serum lactate and lactate-to-pyruvate ratio), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and initial MRS (presence of lactate peak and abnormal N-acetylaspartate [NAA]) data were reviewed. Results Brain MRI showed cortical lesions in 24 of 25 genetically confirmed A3243G MELAS patients with neurologic symptoms in this study. On MRS, 18 patients (72%) had increased lactate peaks, depicting anaerobic energy metabolism, and 17 patients (68%) had decreased NAA levels, indicating neuronal integrity. Ten patients underwent MRS in the acute stage (within 2 weeks of symptoms). Unlike patients who underwent MRS more than 2 weeks after symptom onset, a lactate peak on MRS was observed in all patients in the acute stage (P=0.011). Conclusion Elevated lactate peaks in acute cerebral infarctions are highly suggestive of mitochondrial encephalopathy. MRS alone is insufficient to diagnose MELAS, but it is valuable as a noninvasive supplemental diagnostic tool in combination with genetic testing.

Surface reconstruction of electrocatalysts is an important issue for electroconversion of carbon dioxide to value-added chemical products. Here the authors address this issue by using copper nanoparticles protected by self-formed quasi graphitic carbon shell for stable CO2 to C2H4 conversion.

Precipitation hardening of Al alloys is an essential aging process for industrial applications demanding lightweight and high-mechanical strength materials. However, this process drastically reduces the thermal conductivity of the Al alloy owing to the formation of intermetallic precipitates. Because the growth of the intermetallic precipitates is a complicated process involving the diffusion of alloying elements as well as phase transformation, the prediction of the thermal conductivity during the precipitation process has not been accomplished. Herein, an accurate prediction method for the effective thermal conductivity of Al alloys during the precipitation process is presented. Interestingly, the study finds that the inhomogeneous distribution of the composition in the Al solid solution generates a considerably inhomogeneous distribution of the thermal conductivity around the precipitates; consequently, the accuracy of our prediction is 30% higher than that in previous studies.

Coupling of carbon dioxide reduction and organic oxidation is promising for sustainable chemicals production; however, economics are impacted by variations in product combinations and process design. Here the authors report technoeconomic analysis for a range of technologies and coproduction processes.

Abstract Background Liposarcoma (LPS) is a tumor derived from adipose tissue, and has the highest incidence among soft tissue sarcomas. Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) is a malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Recurrence and metastasis rates in LPS remain high even after chemotherapy and radiotherapy following complete resection. Therefore, the development of advanced treatment strategies for LPS is required. In the present study, we investigated the effect of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) treatment, and of combination treatment using TRAIL and a c-Met inhibitor on cell viability and apoptosis in LPS and DDLPS cell lines of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) treatment, and of combination treatment using TRAIL and a c-Met inhibitor. Methods We analyzed cell viability after treatment with TRAIL and a c-Met inhibitor by measuring CCK8 and death receptor 5 (DR5) expression levels via fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) in both sarcoma cell lines and DDLPS patient-derived cells (PDCs). Moreover, we validated the effects of TRAIL alone and in combination with c-Met inhibitor on apoptosis in LPS cell lines and DDLPS PDCs via FACS. Results Our results revealed that combination treatment with a c-Met inhibitor and human recombinant TRAIL (rhTRAIL) suppressed cell viability and induced cell death in both sarcoma cell lines and DDLPS PDCs, which showed varying sensitivities to rhTRAIL alone. Also, we confirmed that treatment with a c-Met inhibitor upregulated DR5 levels in sarcoma cell lines and DDLPS PDCs. In both TRAIL-susceptible and TRAIL-resistant cells subjected to combination treatment, promotion of apoptosis was dependent on DR5 upregulation. Conclusion From these results, our findings validated that DR5 up-regulation caused by combination therapy with a c-Met inhibitor and rhTRAIL enhanced TRAIL sensitization and promoted apoptosis. We propose the use of this approach to overcome TRAIL resistance and serve as a novel treatment strategy for clinical trials.

The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model has been adopted as a major tool for studying tumorigenesis and differentiation in various carcinomas. In addition, it has been used in the development of anticancer agents. PDX models have been among the most meaningful tools used to understand the role of stromal cells and vascular cells in the body, which are major factors in cancer development and the application of therapeutic agents. Also, the establishment of PDX models from liposarcoma patients is considered to be important for understanding lipomagenesis and following drugs development. For these reasons, we developed patient-derived cell (PDC) and PDX models derived from 20 liposarcoma patients. The tissues of these patients were obtained in accordance with the principles of the Samsung Medical Center's ethics policy, and cell culture and xenografting onto the mice were performed under these principles. High-throughput drug screening (HTS) was carried out using established PDCs to select candidate drugs. Among the different candidate anticancer drugs, we tested the effect of bortezomib, which was expected to inhibit MDM2 amplification. First, we confirmed that the PDCs maintained the characteristics of liposarcoma cells by assessing MDM2 amplification and CDK4 overexpression using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Analysis of short tandem repeats and an array using comparative genomic hybridization confirmed that the PDX model exhibited the same genomic profile as that of the patient. Immunohistochemistry for MDM2 and CDK4 showed that the overexpression patterns of both proteins were similar in the PDX models and the PDCs. Specifically, MDM2 amplification was observed to be significantly correlated with the successful establishment of PDX mouse models. However, CDK4 expression did not show such a correlation. Of the anticancer drugs selected through HTS, bortezomib showed a strong anticancer effect against PDC. In addition, we observed that bortezomib suppressed MDM2 expression in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, p21 tended to elicit an increase in PDC expression. Treatment of the PDX model with bortezomib resulted in an anticancer effect similar to that seen in the PDCs. These results support that PDCs and PDX models are among the most powerful tools for the development and clinical application of anticancer drugs for the treatment of liposarcoma patients.

There are several broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies that neutralize influenza viruses with different mechanisms from traditional polyclonal antibodies induced by vaccination. CT149, which is one of the broadly neutralizing antibodies, was also previously reported to neutralize group 2 and some of group 1 influenza viruses (13 out of 13 tested group 2 viruses and 5 out of 11 group 1 viruses). In this study, we developed another antibody with the aim of compensating partial coverage of CT149 against group 1 influenza viruses. CT120 was screened among different antibody candidates and mixed with CT149. Importantly, although the binding sites of CT120 and CT149 are close to each other, the two antibodies do not interfere. The mixture of CT120 and CT149, which we named as CT-P27, showed broad efficacy by neutralizing 37 viruses from 11 different subtypes, of both group 1 and 2 influenza A viruses. Moreover, CT-P27 showed in vivo therapeutic efficacy, long prophylactic potency, and synergistic effect with oseltamivir in influenza virus-challenged mouse models. Our findings provide a novel therapeutic opportunity for more efficient treatment of influenza.

While many heterogeneous chemical transformations require high temperatures, such conditions are costly and corrosive to the catalysts. Here, authors enhance CO2 hydrogenation over metal nanoparticles by light irradiation via an unusual mechanism and reduce the reaction’s energetic demands.

Production of affordable, clean hydrogen relies on efficient oxygen evolution, but improving catalytic performance for the reaction in acidic media is challenging. Here the authors show how tuning the nanoporous morphology of iridium/iridium oxide leads to an improvement in activity/stability, compared with conventional iridium-based oxides.

Abstract Removing sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil fuel power plants is an important issue given the toxicity of SO2 and subsequent environmental problems. To address this issue, we successfully developed a new series of imide-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) that have high mesoporosity with large surface areas to support gas flowing through channels; furthermore, we incorporated 4-[(dimethylamino)methyl]aniline (DMMA) as the modulator to the imide-linked COF. We observed that the functionalized COFs serving as SO2 adsorbents exhibit outstanding molar SO2 sorption capacity, i.e., PI-COF-m10 record 6.30 mmol SO2 g−1 (40 wt%). To our knowledge, it is firstly reported COF as SO2 sorbent to date. We also observed that the adsorbed SO2 is completely desorbed in a short time period with remarkable reversibility. These results suggest that channel-wall functional engineering could be a facile and powerful strategy for developing mesoporous COFs for high-performance reproducible gas storage and separation.

This study presents a method of anomaly detection within a gearbox by way of standardising temperature data. Assessing measured parameters in isolation is not sufficient to detect faults within a wind turbine. This technique uses temperature, rotational speed, and generator torque to detect a bearing fault within the gearbox. Standardising data allows a parameter to be analysed which also takes into consideration the operating state of the wind turbine, therefore providing a more holistic view of the health of the wind turbine and component being monitored.

Thioacetamide (TAA) is known to induce lipid accumulation in the liver. In the present study, we investigated the effects of magma seawater (MS) rich in minerals on hepatic lipid metabolism by evaluating lipogenic enzymes regulated by sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs). Rats (n = 10 per group) were intraperitoneally injected with TAA (200 mg/kg bw) thrice a week for seven weeks in combination with a respective experimental diet. Rats in the TAA-treated group received either a chow diet (Control group) or a chow diet containing MS (TMS group, 2.05%) or silymarin (TSM group, 0.05%). Rats in the normal group were injected with PBS as a vehicle and received a chow diet. Rats in the TMS group showed significantly lower hepatic lipid concentrations than rats in the control group (p < 0.05). Hepatic protein expression levels of fatty acid synthase, SREBP-1, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, and SREBP-2 were significantly downregulated in the TMS group, whereas carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 levels were upregulated (p < 0.05). Hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels were lower in the TMS group, whereas protein levels of glutathione peroxidase and catalase were elevated (p < 0.05). The effects of MS were comparable to those of silymarin. Our results evidently showed that MS inhibits hepatic lipid accumulation by suppressing lipid synthesis, accompanied by lipid oxidation and elevation of antioxidative status.

Heamagglutination is inhibited when antibodies are present because antibodies to the influenza virus will prevent attachment of the virus to red blood cells. The highest dilution of antibody that prevents hemagglutination is called the HI titer. Human monoclonal antibodies generated from single human B cells were tested to characterize their ability to inhibit hemagglutination against virus A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) and A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2).

The human monoclonal antibodies generated from single human B cells were tested to characterize their ability to neutralize virus infectivity. The microneutralization assay is a highly sensitive and specific assay for detecting virus-specific neutralizing antibodies to influenza viruses. This protocol is to measure the ability of human monoclonal antibody to neutralize influenza virus by microneutralization assay.

Sewer odors have been a concern to citizens of the Metropolitan Seoul region, which has installed combined sewer systems (CSSs) in 86% of its area. Although a variety of odorants are released from sewers, volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) have been recognized as major ones. A number of technologies have been proposed to monitor or control odors from sewers. One of the most popular strategies adopted for the control of sewage odor is by applying a commercial odor-reducing agent into the sewer. In this study, the effectiveness of five different commercial odor-reducing agents (i.e., an odor masking agent, an alkaline solution, two microbial agents, and a chemical oxidant) was evaluated by continuously monitoring VSCs released from the sewer with an on-line total reduced sulfur (TRS) analyzer before and after each agent was sprayed into CSSs at five different locations of the city. In short, when the effectiveness of odor treatment was tested in the sewer system using five commercial odor reducing treatments, only the chemical oxidant was good enough to reduce the odor in terms of TRS levels measured before and after the application (p < 0.01).

This study aimed to design phosphatidylcholine (PC)-based solid dispersion (SD) systems for enhancing the apparent aqueous solubility and dissolution of celecoxib (CLC), a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor with a highly hydrophobic property. Although PC-based dispersion formulations considerably increased solubilities of CLC, the lipidic texture of PC was not appropriate as a solid dosage form for oral administration of CLC. To mask the lipidic texture of PC-based matrices, Neusilin® US2, an adsorbent material with a porous structure and large surface area widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, was employed and thereby fully powderized PC-based dispersion formulations could be fabricated. However, PC matrices containing CLC strongly adsorbed to the pores of Neusilin® US2 was not able to be rapidly released. To address this problem, different hydrophilic materials were examined to promote the release of the CLC-dispersed PC matrices from Neusilin® US2. Among tested hydrophilic materials, croscarmellose sodium was the most suitable to facilitate fast drug dissolution from Neusilin® US2 particles, showing significantly enhanced apparent aqueous solubility and dissolution behavior of CLC. Through differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, a considerably reduced crystallinity of CLC dispersed in the PC-based dispersion formulations was demonstrated. The PC-based SD formulations developed in this study would be useful for improving the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs such as CLC.

Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the effects of Cyclosporin A (CsA) on the fate of stem cells, including cardiomyogenic differentiation. Therefore, we investigated the effects and the molecular mechanisms behind the actions of CsA on cell lineage determination of P19 cells. CsA induced cardiomyocyte-specific differentiation of P19 cells, with the highest efficiency at a concentration of 0.32 μM during embryoid body (EB) formation via activation of the Wnt signaling pathway molecules, Wnt3a, Wnt5a, and Wnt8a, and the cardiac mesoderm markers, Mixl1, Mesp1, and Mesp2. Interestingly, cotreatment of P19 cells with CsA plus dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) during EB formation significantly increases cardiac differentiation. In contrast, mRNA expression levels of hematopoietic and endothelial lineage markers, including Flk1 and Er71, were severely reduced in CsA-treated P19 cells. Furthermore, expression of Flk1 protein and the percentage of Flk1+ cells were severely reduced in 0.32 μM CsA-treated P19 cells compared to control cells. CsA significantly modulated mRNA expression levels of the cell cycle molecules, p53 and Cyclins D1, D2, and E2 in P19 cells during EB formation. Moreover, CsA significantly increased cell death and reduced cell number in P19 cells during EB formation. These results demonstrate that CsA induces cardiac differentiation but inhibits hemato-endothelial differentiation via activation of the Wnt signaling pathway, followed by modulation of cell lineage-determining genes in P19 cells during EB formation.

Chronic inflammation is fundamental for the induction of insulin resistance in the muscle tissue of vertebrates. Although several miRNAs are thought to be involved in the development of insulin resistance, the role of miRNAs in the association between inflammation and insulin resistance in muscle tissue is poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the aberrant expression of miRNAs by conducting miRNA microarray analysis of TNF-α-treated mouse C2C12 myotubes. We identified two miRNAs that were upregulated and six that were downregulated by a >1.5-fold change compared to normal cells. Among the findings, qRT-PCR analysis confirmed that miR-494 is consistently upregulated by TNF-α-induced inflammation. Overexpression of miR-494 in CHO(IR/IRS1) and C2C12 myoblasts suppressed insulin action by down-regulating phosphorylations of GSK-3α/β, AS160 and p70S6K, downstream of Akt. Moreover, overexpression of miR-494 did not regulate TNF-α-mediated inflammation . Among genes bearing the seed site for miR-494, RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of Stxbp5, an inhibitor of glucose transport, was downregulated following miR-494 inhibition. In contrast, the expression of PTEN decreased in the cells analyzed, thus showing that both positive and negative regulators of insulin action may be simultaneously controlled by miR-494. To investigate the overall effect of miR-494 on insulin signaling, we performed a PCR array analysis containing 84 genes related to the insulin signaling pathway, and we observed that 25% of genes were downregulated (P

Traditional challenges of poor cycling stability and low Coulombic efficiency in Zinc (Zn) metal anodes have limited their practical application. To overcome these issues, this work introduces a single metal-atom design featuring atomically dispersed single copper (Cu) atoms on 3D nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) co-doped porous carbon (CuNOC) as a highly reversible Zn host. The CuNOC structure provides highly active sites for initial Zn nucleation and further promotes uniform Zn deposition. The 3D porous architecture further mitigates the volume changes during the cycle with homogeneous Zn2+ flux. Consequently, CuNOC demonstrates exceptional reversibility in Zn plating/stripping processes over 1000 cycles at 2 and 5 mA cm-2 with a fixed capacity of 1 mAh cm-2, while achieving stable operation and low voltage hysteresis over 700 h at 5 mA cm-2 and 5 mAh cm-2. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations show that co-doping N and O on porous carbon with atomically dispersed single Cu atoms creates an efficient zincophilic site for stable Zn nucleation. A full cell with the CuNOC host anode and high loading V2O5 cathode exhibits outstanding rate-capability up to 5 A g-1 and a stable cycle life over 400 cycles at 0.5 A g-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]