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Objective: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled electrocardiogram (ECG) algorithm capable of comprehensive, human-like ECG interpretation and compare its diagnostic performance against conventional ECG interpretation methods. Methods: We developed a novel AI-enabled ECG (AI-ECG) algorithm capable of complete 12-lead ECG interpretation. It was trained on nearly 2.5 million standard 12-lead ECGs from over 720,000 adult patients obtained at the Mayo Clinic ECG laboratory between 2007 and 2017. We then compared the need for human over-reading edits of the reports generated by the Marquette 12SL automated computer program, AI-ECG algorithm, and final clinical interpretations on 500 randomly selected ECGs from 500 patients. In a blinded fashion, 3 cardiac electrophysiologists adjudicated each interpretation as (1) ideal (ie, no changes needed), (2) acceptable (ie, minor edits needed), or (3) unacceptable (ie, major edits needed). Results: Cardiologists determined that on average 202 (13.5%), 123 (8.2%), and 90 (6.0%) of the interpretations required major edits from the computer program, AI-ECG algorithm, and final clinical interpretations, respectively. They considered 958 (63.9%), 1058 (70.5%), and 1118 (74.5%) interpretations as ideal from the computer program, AI-ECG algorithm, and final clinical interpretations, respectively. They considered 340 (22.7%), 319 (21.3%), and 292 (19.5%) interpretations as acceptable from the computer program, AI-ECG algorithm, and final clinical interpretations, respectively. Conclusion: An AI-ECG algorithm outperforms an existing standard automated computer program and better approximates expert over-read for comprehensive 12-lead ECG interpretation.

Intraosseous hibernoma is an uncommon brown fat tumor that with about 2-dozen case reports described in the literature. Hibernomas are more commonly found in soft tissues of the thigh, shoulder, and back. However, more cases of intraosseous hibernomas are coming to light as a result of work-up due to pain or as an incidental lesion finding. Herein, we present a case of a thoracic intraosseous hibernoma suspicious for an isolated ovarian cancer metastasis, successfully treated with radiofrequency ablation and kyphoplasty.

Long patient waiting time is one of the major problems in the healthcare system and it would decrease patient satisfaction. Previous studies usually investigated how to improve the treatment flow in order to reduce patient waiting time or length of stay. The studies on blood collection counters have received less attention. Therefore, the objective of this study is to reduce the patient waiting time at outpatient clinics for metabolism and nephrology outpatients. A discrete-event simulation is used to analyze the four different strategies for blood collection counter resource allocation. Through analyzing four different strategic settings, the experimental results revealed that the maximum number of patients waiting before the outpatient clinics was reduced from 41 to 33 (20%); the maximum patient waiti-ng time at the outpatient clinics was decreased from 201.6 minutes to 83 minutes (59%). In this study, we found that adjusting the settings of blood collection counters would be beneficial. Assigning one exclusive blood collection counter from 8 to 10 am is the most suitable option with the least impact on the operational process for hospital staff. The results provide managerial insight regarding the cost-effective strategy selection for the hospital operational strategy.

Background: Automated computerized electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation algorithms are designed to enhance physician ECG interpretation, minimize medical error, and expedite clinical workflow. However, the performance of current computer algorithms is notoriously inconsistent. We aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence–enabled ECG (AI-ECG) algorithm capable of comprehensive 12-lead ECG interpretation with accuracy comparable to practicing cardiologists. Methods: We developed an AI-ECG algorithm using a convolutional neural network as a multilabel classifier capable of assessing 66 discrete, structured diagnostic ECG codes using the cardiologist’s final annotation as the gold-standard interpretation. We included 2,499,522 ECGs from 720,978 patients ≥18 years of age with a standard 12-lead ECG obtained at the Mayo Clinic ECG laboratory between 1993 and 2017. The total sample was randomly divided into training (n = 1,749,654), validation (n = 249,951), and testing (n = 499,917) datasets with a similar distribution of codes. We compared the AI-ECG algorithm’s performance to the cardiologist’s interpretation in the testing dataset using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and precision recall (PR) curves. Results: The model performed well for various rhythm, conduction, ischemia, waveform morphology, and secondary diagnoses codes with an area under the ROC curve of ≥0.98 for 62 of the 66 codes. PR metrics were used to assess model performance accounting for category imbalance and demonstrated a sensitivity ≥95% for all codes. Conclusions: An AI-ECG algorithm demonstrates high diagnostic performance in comparison to reference cardiologist interpretation of a standard 12-lead ECG. The use of AI-ECG reading tools may permit scalability as ECG acquisition becomes more ubiquitous.

Summary. This case describes a healthy 37-year-old woman who presented with bilateral breast pain and nodules years after receiving free silicone injections to her breasts. Mammogram revealed extremely dense breasts with innumerable bilateral masses of various sizes. Ultrasound was non-diagnostic due to poor penetration and artifact from silicone. Histologic examination revealed vacuolated histiocytes and innumerable cystic spaces containing material consistent with silicone. Patient underwent bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using tissue expanders. This case highlights the potential for serious complications developing years after free silicone injections as well as our team’s surgical management of these complications.

Background: With the advancement of cancer treatment, appropriate treatment for musculoskeletal problems is becoming more important as it extends the patient's lifespan and improves the quality of life. In surgical treatment for metastatic spine tumors (MST), various efforts are being considered to obtain a good prognosis. The purposes of this study are to analyze prognostic factors for postoperative ambulation and perioperative complications in patients surgically treated for MST with neurologic symptoms., Methods: Seventy five cases of patients who underwent surgery for MST with neurologic symptoms were enrolled between December 2016 and January 2023. Postoperative ambulatory function and medical complications were assessed for each patient in this study. The endpoint of ambulatory function was defined as the best function among entire periods of follow-up outpatient visits. We defined the improvement of ambulatory function as improvement in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale. For complications, we applied complication classification system for orthopaedic surgery. Perioperative complications were defined as those requiring changes of treatment compared with routine postoperative treatment during patient's admission. Confirmed complications included expire, delirium, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, sepsis, bacteremia, acute kidney injury (AKI), chylothorax. Prognostic factors were collected and analyzed for relationship by logistic regression., Results: Of the 75 cases, postoperatively 42 (56%) cases of patients were improved in Nurick grade, 36 (48%) cases of patients in ECOG performance. And 21 (28%) cases of patients were treated in intensive care unit (ICU) and 15 (20%) cases of patients suffered from major perioperative complications. Regression analysis showed that clinical factors such as ECOG, psoas muscle index (PMI) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were related to the improvement of ambulatory function and incidence of perioperative complications. On multivariate analysis, improvement of ambulatory function was associated with PMI (p = 0.014) and incidence of perioperative complications was associated with PNI (p = 0.045)., Conclusions: Preoperative nutritional status and sarcopenia are related factors in the outcome of surgical treatment for MST, and preoperative efforts to improve these may be a way to obtain better clinical results., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Extreme weather phenomena caused by climate change have exacerbated soil erosion and the subsequent dispersion of pollutants. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is known to contribute to the remediation of polluted water and reduce the geochemical mobility of heavy metals in contaminated soil. However, studies on the influence of biopolymers produced by soil microbes and P. aeruginosa on physical soil properties and soil erosion are limited. We aimed to investigate the influence of soil microbes on the mitigation of soil erosion and geochemical dispersion of heavy metals using a naturally occurring microbial substance, P. aeruginosa-based biopolymer (PBB). The PBB comprised carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amine surface functional groups; consequently, the biopolymer effectively sequestered Cd (maximum sorption capacity q m  = 45.7 mg/g), Cu (q m  = 26.7 mg/g), Pb (q m  = 64.9 mg/g), and Zn (q m  = 26.1 mg/g) in the solution. The PBB amendment of the soil improved the physical properties associated with soil erosion, increasing soil aggregation stability and shear strength by 41.6% and 36.8%, respectively. The extraction of heavy metals from soil via synthetic precipitate leaching decreased by 54.2% following the PBB amendment, and a negative correlation was observed between soil aggregate stability and heavy metal extraction, indicating that this microbial substance could immobilize pollutants by adsorbing cationic metal ions and inhibiting water-induced disaggregation. In the soil erosion experiments, soil loss and heavy metal extraction decreased by 70.9% and 43.8%, respectively, following the PBB amendment. These aggregation and sorption effects of the PBB underscore the potential of soil microbes to mitigate soil erosion and immobilize the geochemical dispersion of heavy metals, thereby contributing to the conservation of soil and water quality in areas surrounding contaminated slopes and heavy metal-contaminated areas, such as cut slopes, agricultural fields, mine dumps, and dams., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Myoung-Soo Ko reports financial support was provided by National Research Foundation of Korea. Myoung-Soo Ko reports financial support was provided by Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. If there are other authors, they 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 © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The objectives of fusion surgery for spinal deformities include decompressing neural elements and achieving balanced spinal alignment. Particularly, in cases where spinal deformities coexist with osteoporosis, successful surgery requires careful consideration due to the susceptibility to fixation failure and non-union. Various efforts are being made to restore spinal alignment through surgery in osteoporotic patients. The administration of osteoporosis medications before and after surgery is effective for bony union. Additionally, appropriate selection of fusion range, rigid internal fixation, and utilization of bone substitutes play significant roles in successful fusion surgery. Although surgical treatment for spinal deformities accompanied by osteoporosis remains still challenging, we can anticipate successful outcomes with effective strategies and ongoing advancements in the future., (© 2024 The Korean Society of Osteoporosis. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)

Although certain drivers of familial Parkinson's disease (PD) compromise mitochondrial integrity, whether metabolic deficits underly other idiopathic or genetic origins of PD is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), a gene in the PARK12 susceptibility locus, is rate limiting in neuronal glycolysis and that modestly increasing PGK1 expression boosts neuronal adenosine 5'-triphosphate production kinetics that is sufficient to suppress PARK20-driven synaptic dysfunction. We found that this activity enhancement depends on the molecular chaperone PARK7/DJ-1, whose loss of function significantly disrupts axonal bioenergetics. In vivo, viral expression of PGK1 confers protection of striatal dopamine axons against metabolic lesions. These data support the notion that bioenergetic deficits may underpin PD-associated pathologies and point to improving neuronal adenosine 5'-triphosphate production kinetics as a promising path forward in PD therapeutics.

Purpose: Spinal tuberculosis, if not promptly treated, can lead to kyphotic deformity, causing persistent neurological abnormalities and discomfort. Spinal cord compression can occur due to ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) at the apex of kyphosis. Traditional surgical interventions, including osteotomy and fixation, pose challenges and risks. We present a case of thoracic myelopathy in a patient with post-tuberculosis kyphosis, successfully treated with biportal endoscopic spinal surgery (BESS)., Method: A 73-year-old female with a history of untreated kyphosis presented with walking difficulties and lower limb pain. Imaging revealed a kyphotic deformity of 120° and OLF-induced cord compression at T8-9. UBE was performed under spinal anesthesia. Using the BESS technique, OLF was successfully removed with minimal damage to the stabilizing structures., Results: The patient exhibited neurological improvement after surgery, walking on the first day without gait instability. Follow-up at 1 year showed no kyphosis progression or recurrence of symptoms. BESS successfully resolved the cord compression lesion with minimal blood loss and damage., Conclusion: In spinal tuberculosis-related OLF, conventional open surgery poses challenges. BESS emerges as an excellent alternative, providing effective decompression with reduced instrumentation needs, minimal blood loss, and preservation of surrounding structures. Careful patient selection and surgical planning are crucial for optimal outcomes in endoscopic procedures., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background : Teriparatide is an anabolic agent for osteoporosis and is believed to improve the bone healing process. Previous studies showed that teriparatide could enhance not only fracture healing but also spine fusion. It has been reported that use of teriparatide could promote the spine fusion process and decrease mechanical complications. However, there was no consensus regarding optimal treatment duration. The purpose of this study was to compare surgical outcomes between short-duration and long-duration teriparatide treatment after lumbar fusion surgery in elderly patients. Materials and Methods : All consecutive patients older than 60 years who underwent 1-level lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative diseases between January 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Based on the duration of teriparatide treatment (daily subcutaneous injection of 20 µg teriparatide), patients were subdivided into two groups: a short-duration (SD) group (<6 months) and a long-duration (LD) group (≥6 months). Mechanical complications, such as screw loosening, cage subsidence, and adjacent vertebral fractures, were investigated. Postoperative 1-year union rate was also evaluated on computed tomography. Clinical outcomes were recorded using visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Between-group differences for these radiographic and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results : Ninety-one patients were reviewed in this study, including sixty patients in the SD group and thirty-one patients in the LD group. Their mean age was 72.3 ± 6.2 years, and 79 patients were female. Mean T-score was -3.3 ± 0.8. Cage subsidence (6.7% vs. 3.2%), screw loosening (28.3% vs. 35.5%), and adjacent vertebral fracture (6.7% vs. 9.7%) were not significantly different between the SD and LD groups. Union rate at 1-year postoperative was 65.0% in the SD group and 87.1% in the LD group ( p = 0.028). Both groups showed improvement in VAS and ODI after surgery. However, the differences of VAS from preoperative to 6 months and 1 year postoperative were significantly higher in the LD group. Conclusions : Longer teriparatide treatment after lumbar fusion surgery resulted in a higher union rate at 1-year postoperative than the shorter treatment. Also, it could be more beneficial for clinical outcomes.

Background: Motility disorders are frequently encountered in gastroenterology (GI) practice, yet a national structured training curriculum for GI fellows in motility disorders is lacking. Since GI fellowships vary considerably in opportunities for specialized esophageal motility (EM) training, novel educational technology may be leveraged to provide standardized EM curriculum to train GI fellows in esophageal manometry., Methods: GI fellows participated in an online EM learning program at a single academic center from 2017 to 2022. Fellows answered case-based questions and were provided with evidence-based, corrective feedback related to core EM learning objectives. The primary outcome was change in knowledge and comfort in interpretation and clinical application of EM studies., Results: Sixty-nine fellows actively participated in the online EM curriculum. 65 fellows completed a pre-curriculum test, and 54 fellows completed a post-curriculum test. There was a cumulative improvement between pre-curriculum test and post-curriculum test scores from 70 to 87%, respectively (p < 0.001). Fellows had a mean improvement of 19% in questions as they progressed through the curriculum. Prior to enrolling in the EM course, 26% of fellows felt comfortable in interpreting EM studies compared to 54% of fellows after completion of the program (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: An online, technology-based curriculum was effective in educating GI fellows on core competencies of EM. Fellows demonstrated improvement in proficiency of clinically important EM studies and increased comfort in interpreting EM studies. Further studies are needed to evaluate the use of technology-based learning to widely disseminate a structured training curriculum in EM, particularly in training programs without a motility presence., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Determining the aromaticity of various fluorinated benzenes is challenging as easily obtained experimental aromaticity [Δδ( H outer - H inner )] necessitates the chemical shifts of inner and outer protons. This issue was addressed in porphyrinoids by replacing the electron-withdrawing (E.W.) groups at the meso-positions of porphyrins and allyliporphyrins. Electronic effects on aromaticity in porphyrinoids have not been thoroughly examined in the literature. In porphyrins, the effect of E.W. groups is minimal, making it difficult to establish a clear relationship between the aromaticity strength and E.W. groups. Conversely, in allyliporphyrins, stronger E.W. groups, such as indandione (IND) derivatives, significantly reduce the aromaticity of the parent structure. The IND derivatives disrupted the aromatic pathway of allyliporphyrin more effectively than those attached to porphyrins. This is attributed to the absence of β-carbons in allyliporphyrins. The effect of electron-donating (E.D.) groups on porphyrins and allyliporphyrins was further investigated. Contrary to the initial assumption that the E.D. groups might enhance aromaticity owing to their ability to increase electron density, as the strength of the E.D. groups increased, the aromaticity of the porphyrinoids decreased. Despite the modest reduction in aromaticity, any form of electron perturbation reduces aromaticity. The aromaticity of various fluorinated benzenes is expected to parallel our observations of porphyrinoids as representative aromatic polyenes.

Objective: Junctional failures after long fusion stopping at L5 can present at both proximal and distal ends. The purpose of this study was to investigate incidences and risk factors of proximal junctional failure (PJF) and distal junctional failure (DJF) after long lumbar instrumented fusion stopping at L5 for adult spinal deformity., Methods: Sixty-three patients who underwent long fusion surgery stopping at L5 with a minimum follow-up of 3 years were reviewed retrospectively. PJF and DJF were defined as newly developed back pain and/or radiculopathy with corresponding radiographic failures. The incidence and risk factors of each junctional failure were analyzed using a log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model., Results: Twelve men and 51 women were included in our study. Their mean age was 68.5 ± 7.0 years and the mean follow-up period was 84.5 ± 45.3 months. PJF and DJF occurred in 17 (27%) and 16 patients (25.4%), respectively. PJF and DJF developed at median durations of 32.1 months and 13.3 months, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two. Three patients presented with both PJF and DJF. Risk factors for PJF included lower body mass index, higher preoperative lumbar lordosis, and higher postoperative sagittal vertical axis (SVA) (hazard ratio, 0.570, 1.055, and 1.040, respectively). For DJF, higher preoperative SVA was an independent risk factor (hazard ratio, 1.010)., Conclusions: After long fusion surgery stopping at L5, PJF and DJF occurred at similar rates. Lower body mass index, higher preoperative lumbar lordosis, and higher postoperative SVA were risk factors for PJF. Higher preoperative SVA was an independent risk factor for DJF., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) proteins, major contributors to Alzheimer's disease (AD), are overproduced and accumulate as oligomers and fibrils. These protein accumulations lead to significant changes in neuronal structure and function, ultimately resulting in the neuronal cell death observed in AD. Consequently, substances that can inhibit Aβ production and/or accumulation are of great interest for AD prevention and treatment. In the course of an ongoing search for natural products, the roots of Davallia mariesii T. Moore ex Baker were selected as a promising candidate with anti-amyloidogenic effects. The ethanol extract of D. mariesii roots, along with its active constituents, not only markedly reduced Aβ production by decreasing β-secretase expression in APP-CHO cells (Chinese hamster ovary cells which stably express amyloid precursor proteins), but also exhibited the ability to diminish Aβ aggregation while enhancing the disaggregation of Aβ aggregates, as determined through the Thioflavin T (Th T) assay. Furthermore, in an in vivo study, the extract of D. mariesii roots showed potential (a tendency) for mitigating scopolamine-induced memory impairment, as evidenced by results from the Morris water maze test and the passive avoidance test, which correlated with reduced Aβ deposition. Additionally, the levels of acetylcholine were significantly elevated, and acetylcholinesterase levels significantly decreased in the brains of mice (whole brains). The treatment with the extract of D. mariesii roots also led to upregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phospho-cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB) in the hippocampal region. These findings suggest that the extract of D. mariesii roots, along with its active constituents, may offer neuroprotective effects against AD. Consequently, there is potential for the development of the extract of D. mariesii roots and its active constituents as effective therapeutic or preventative agents for AD.

Distribution of arsenic (As) in the environment can occur through various paths, depending on the interrelationship between soil and surface water, and groundwater. This study aimed to identify the origins and pathways of As among various potential origins in soil and water systems using two-dimensional reactive transport models (2D RTMs) and to evaluate the contribution of each origin to the geochemical distribution of As in the study area, which included a reservoir, two streams, and two abandoned mines. The 2D RTMs were prepared by combining hydraulic and geochemical reactive models. The MODFLOW-2005 package was used to simulate the water flow in the study area. The geochemical reaction and distribution of As were simulated using Geochemist's Workbench. The concentration of As in the reservoir was ∼50 μg/L, while that in the soils collected around the mine X and Y was 15.0-1853.2 mg/kg (median: 126.1 mg/kg) and 3.6-1629.2 mg/kg (median: 60.9 mg/kg), respectively. Hydraulic and geochemical input data were derived from field surveys and laboratory experiments. Based on the geochemical and hydrogeological input data, 2D RTMs determined that 32.0 kg of As accumulated into the reservoir over 18 years through surface water, which is from mines X (2.7 kg) and Y (29.3 kg). Hence, mine Y would be the primary origin of As to the reservoir. Based on 2D RTM, 2.4 kg of As entered the reservoir via groundwater (DO <0.1 mg/L). Also, precipitation of sulfide minerals (e.g., orpiment; As 2 S 3 ) influences As dispersion and contribution under subsurface conditions. These modeling results suggest that 2D RTMs could be a new approach for identifying and assessing the contribution of potential As origins in soil and water system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Myoung-Soo Ko reports financial support was provided by National Research Foundation of Korea., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between sagittal plane characteristics of the spinal column and conservative treatment failure in acute osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs)., Methods: As a retrospective study of single-institute data, thoracolumbar OSF patients with similar propensities in terms of location of fractures and results of bone mineral density were analyzed. Among them, 43 patients (group I) who needed reconstructive surgical interventions and 39 patients (group II) who obtained successful treatment through conservative care were included. General demographic data, radiographic features of fractures, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of fractures were analyzed. To investigate the relationship between global sagittal alignment of the spine and occurrence of delayed complication following OSFs, radiological sagittal parameters were analyzed., Results: The number of cases requiring reconstructive surgery was significantly higher when the index vertebra showed diffuse or mid-portion bone marrow changes in MRI. In terms of sagittal parameters, pelvic incidence (group I 59.1° ± 11.9°, group II 54.6° ± 9.8°) and thoracolumbar angle (group I 26.5° ± 14.1°, group II 17.4° ± 11.2°) were significantly higher in group I. Logistic regression analysis showed that higher pelvic incidence (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.18, p value < 0.05) and higher thoracolumbar angle (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.17, p value < 0.05) were significant risk factors for delayed complications requiring reconstructive surgery following OSFs., Conclusion: Delayed complications requiring reconstructive surgery following OSFs are related to sagittal plane parameters of the spine such as high pelvic incidences, in addition to previously known radiographic characteristics of fractures., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Understanding the biogeochemical U redox processes is crucial for controlling U mobility and toxicity under conditions relevant to deep geological repositories (DGRs). In this study, we examined the microbial reduction of aqueous hexavalent uranium U(VI) [U(VI) aq ] by indigenous bacteria in U-contaminated groundwater. Three indigenous bacteria obtained from granitic groundwater at depths of 44-60 m (S1), 92-116 m (S2), and 234-244 m (S3) were used in U(VI) aq bioreduction experiments. The concentration of U(VI) aq was monitored to evaluate its removal efficiency for 24 weeks under anaerobic conditions with the addition of 20 mM sodium acetate. During the anaerobic reaction, U(VI) aq was precipitated in the form of U(IV)-silicate with a particle size >100 nm. The final U(VI) aq removal efficiencies were 37.7%, 43.1%, and 57.8% in S1, S2, and S3 sample, respectively. Incomplete U(VI) aq removal was attributed to the presence of a thermodynamically stable calcium uranyl carbonate complex in the U-contaminated groundwater. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed the differences in indigenous bacterial communities in response to the depth, which affected to the U(VI) aq removal efficiency. Pseudomonas peli was found to be a common bacterium related to U(VI) aq bioreduction in S1 and S2 samples, while two SRB species, Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii and Desulfatirhabdium butyrativorans, played key roles in the bioreduction of U(VI) aq in S3 sample. These results indicate that remediation of U(VI) aq is possible by stimulating the activity of indigenous bacteria in the DGR environment., 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.)

The use of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) for the repair and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been receiving a lot of attention. Specifically, the shear strengthening of RC members based on CFRP materials has been treated as an effective and efficient strengthening method. Previous research projects focused on the shear strengthening of RC members with unidirectional CFRP strips. Although the effectiveness of a bidirectional CFRP layout compared to a unidirectional CFRP layout was discussed in several studies, these studies only investigated the issue based on experiments. Morever, the parameters of the bidirectional CFRP layout were not clearly defined. This study investigates the performance of RC beams strengthened by bidirectional CFRP based on numerical models. A numerical model based on finite element analysis is designed. Using the numerical model, the parameters of the horizontal CFRP strips, such as the layouts of horizontal CFRP strips and the number of horizontal CFRP strips, are studied. The results show that the effect of horizontal CFRP strips is maximized if the strips are distributed along the depth. In contrast, the number of horizontal CFRP strips does not significantly affect the shear strength of RC members.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative brain disease that interferes with daily life. The accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ), along with oxidative stress-inducing neurocellular apoptosis, has been considered one of the causes of AD. Thus, the purpose of this study is to find natural products that can reduce Aβ accumulation. The ethanol extract of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng fruits (Cupressaceae) significantly reduced the aggregation of Aβ into oligomers and fibrils determined by Thioflavin T (ThT) assay. The solvent-partitioned ethyl acetate layer was further separated based on the bioassay-guided isolation method combined with the ThT assay. As a result, five compounds were isolated and elucidated as taxoquinone ( 1 ), sugiol ( 2 ), suginal ( 3 ), sandaracopimarinol ( 4 ), and sandaracopimaradien-19-ol ( 5 ) by comparing NMR data with references. All the compounds significantly reduced the aggregation of Aβ and enhanced the disaggregation of pre-formed Aβ aggregates in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the inhibition of Aβ aggregation by the compounds protected PC12 cells from Aβ aggregate-induced toxicity. Among the five compounds, sandaracopimarinol ( 4 ) and sandaracopimaradien-19-ol ( 5 ) were the most effective. These results suggest that M. glyptostroboides and isolated five compounds have a potential for further study to be developed as anti-AD agents.

The first aromatic benzicorrole termed naphthicorrole was synthesized with a carbon donor containing more than six members. Its oxidized (enedione-embedded) porphyrinoid was also obtained using different meso-aryl substitutions under sequential oxidation conditions. The resulting enedione motif of the nonaromatic porphyrinoid was regioselective to the C2 position for S or N nucleophiles. Thus, the oxidized porphyrinoid was tested as a built-in linker for biomolecules. The progress of the reaction was visually monitored due to their different conjugation pathways.

Objectives: This study aims to identify critical incident trauma (CIT), social support, resilience, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean police officers and to determine factors related to PTSD to obtain basic data for developing a PTSD intervention., Methods: A mixed-methods approach was adopted by administering structured questionnaires to Korean police officers and conducting semi-structured interviews with seven Korean police stakeholders. The structured questionnaires elicited information on CIT, social support, resilience, and PTSD. Data from 189 participants were analyzed using independent t -tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression analysis. The interview data, which elicited information on difficulties and coping strategies after CIT, police organizational culture, current status of counseling programs, and suggestions for PTSD interventions, were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis., Results: Factors that are significantly related to PTSD (28.7% of variance) are very healthy subjective health status (B = -0.44, p = 0.013), CIT (B = 0.18, p ≤ 0.001), social support (B = -0.38, p ≤ 0.001), and resilience (B = -0.18, p = 0.044). The stakeholders revealed the following PTSD-related factors: the difficulties and limitations of overcoming traumatic experiences, coping strategies, police counseling program status, and opinions on PTSD-related programs., Conclusion: Perceived health status, CIT, social support, and resilience had a strong relationship with PTSD. Therefore, the success of PTSD interventions for Korean police officers should be considered., 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 Oh, Jang and Ko.)

o -Arene-connected porphyrinoids were synthesized with o -(2-thienyl)vinylarene motif as a new building block for porphyrinoids. This motif can replace meso-aryl-substituted dipyrromethene and serve as a command key arranging o -connectivity of porphyrinoid. While 6a (benzene version) is very weak, 6b (pyridine version) shows a substantial amount of diatropic ring current due to reduced steric hindrance (without H23) and rigidified Pd-6a became more aromatic than 6b .

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the performance of a fully automated quantitative software in detecting interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) according to the Fleischner Society guidelines on routine chest CT compared with radiologists' visual analysis., Method: This retrospective single-centre study included participants with ILA findings and 1:2 matched controls who underwent routine chest CT using various CT protocols for health screening. Two thoracic radiologists independently reviewed the CT images using the Fleischner Society guidelines. We developed a fully automated quantitative tool for detecting ILA by modifying deep learning-based quantification of interstitial lung disease and evaluated its performance using the radiologists' consensus for ILA as a reference standard., Results: A total of 336 participants (mean age, 70.5 ± 6.1 years; M:F = 282:54) were included. Inter-reader agreements were substantial for the presence of ILA (weighted κ, 0.74) and fair for its subtypes (weighted κ, 0.38). The quantification system for identifying ILA using a threshold of 5 % in at least one zone showed 67.6 % sensitivity, 93.3 % specificity, and 90.5 % accuracy. Eight of 20 (40 %) false positives identified by the system were underestimated by readers for ILA extent. Contrast-enhancement in a certain vendor and suboptimal inspiration caused a true false-positive on the system (all P < 0.05). The best cut-off value of abnormality extent detecting ILA on the system was 3.6 % (sensitivity, 84.8 %; specificity 92.4 %)., Conclusions: Inter-reader agreement was substantial for ILA but only fair for its subtypes. Applying an automated quantification system in routine clinical practice may aid the objective identification of ILA., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study evaluated the quality of sleep and smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic and analyzed their effects on perceived quality of life., Methods: An online survey system provided by the Gwangmyeong City Health Center located in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, was completed by 1,678 local middle school students from April 1 to June 30, 2021. We measured quality of life using the KIDSCREEN-27 health-related quality of life questionnaire, quality of sleep using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and smartphone addiction using the Smartphone Addiction Self-Diagnosis Scale. Bed times, wake times, and total sleep hours were also recorded., Results: Sleep quality and quantity were directly associated with smartphone addiction. The results indicated that lower quality of life was associated with lower sleep quality, delayed onset of sleep, shorter total sleep time, and higher smartphone addiction. Female students reported lower quality of life, lower sleep quality, delayed sleep phases, shorter total sleep hours, and higher smartphone addiction scores than did male students., Conclusion: Our results suggest that adolescents' quality of life is threatened by poor sleep, which in turn could be due to unhealthy smartphone usage. Girls were more heavily affected by this trend than were boys. Preparations to intervene for further mental health issues that might follow are necessary.

Alpha-synuclein (a-Syn) is a presynaptic protein, the misfolding of which is associated with Parkinson's disease. Rab GTPases are small guanine nucleotide binding proteins that play key roles in vesicle trafficking and have been associated with a-Syn function and dysfunction. a-Syn is enriched on synaptic vesicles, where it has been reported to interact with GTP-bound Rab3a, a master regulator of synaptic vesicle trafficking. a-Syn is known to bind weakly to Rab8a in solution via a positively charged patch, but the physiological implications of such interactions have not been explored. Here, we investigate direct interactions between a-Syn and Rab3a in solution and on lipid membranes using NMR spectroscopy. We find that the C terminus of a-Syn interacts with Rab3a in a manner similar to its previously reported interaction with Rab8a. While weak in solution, we demonstrate that this interaction becomes stronger when the proteins are bound to a membrane surface. The Rab3a binding site for a-Syn is similar to the surface that contacts the Rab3a effector rabphilin-3A, which modulates the enzymatic activity of Rab3a. Accordingly, we show that a-Syn inhibits GTP hydrolysis by Rab3a and that inhibition is more potent on the membrane surface, suggesting that their interaction may be functionally relevant. Finally, we show that phosphorylation of a-Syn residue Ser 129, a modification associated with Parkinson's disease pathology, enhances its interactions with Rab3a and increases its ability to inhibit Rab3a GTP hydrolysis. These results represent the first observation of a functional role for synuclein-Rab interactions and for a-Syn Ser 129 phosphorylation., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report two cases of middle-aged men who presented with clinical features that satisfied the diagnostic criteria for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A). Both patients were treated for toxic shock syndrome and MIS-A and have recovered. The purpose of this article is to communicate our experience and challenges of assessing and treating this condition and to raise awareness of the condition., (© 2022 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)

Canonical NF-κB signaling through the inhibitor of κB kinase (IKK) complex requires induction of IKK2/IKKβ subunit catalytic activity via specific phosphorylation within its activation loop. This process is known to be dependent upon the accessory ubiquitin (Ub)-binding subunit NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO)/IKKγ as well as poly-Ub chains. However, the mechanism through which poly-Ub binding serves to promote IKK catalytic activity is unclear. Here, we show that binding of NEMO/IKKγ to linear poly-Ub promotes a second interaction between NEMO/IKKγ and IKK2/IKKβ, distinct from the well-characterized interaction of the NEMO/IKKγ N terminus to the "NEMO-binding domain" at the C terminus of IKK2/IKKβ. We mapped the location of this second interaction to a stretch of roughly six amino acids immediately N-terminal to the zinc finger domain in human NEMO/IKKγ. We also showed that amino acid residues within this region of NEMO/IKKγ are necessary for binding to IKK2/IKKβ through this secondary interaction in vitro and for full activation of IKK2/IKKβ in cultured cells. Furthermore, we identified a docking site for this segment of NEMO/IKKγ on IKK2/IKKβ within its scaffold-dimerization domain proximal to the kinase domain-Ub-like domain. Finally, we showed that a peptide derived from this region of NEMO/IKKγ is capable of interfering specifically with canonical NF-κB signaling in transfected cells. These in vitro biochemical and cell culture-based experiments suggest that, as a consequence of its association with linear poly-Ub, NEMO/IKKγ plays a direct role in priming IKK2/IKKβ for phosphorylation and that this process can be inhibited to specifically disrupt canonical NF-κB signaling., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest G. G., T. H., T. B., and S. K. M. are the founders of Siraj Therapeutics. All other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background & Aims: Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors (S1PRs) are a group of G-protein-coupled receptors that confer a broad range of functional effects in chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases. S1PRs also may mediate the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the specific subtypes involved and the mechanism of action are unclear., Methods: We investigated which type of S1PR isoforms is activated in various murine models of NASH. The mechanism of action of S1PR4 was examined in hepatic macrophages isolated from high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD)-fed mice. We developed a selective S1PR4 functional antagonist by screening the fingolimod (2-amino-2-[2-(4- n -octylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3- propanediol hydrochloride)-like sphingolipid-focused library., Results: The livers of various mouse models of NASH as well as hepatic macrophages showed high expression of S1pr4. Moreover, in a cohort of NASH patients, expression of S1PR4 was 6-fold higher than those of healthy controls. S1pr4 +/- mice were protected from HFHCD-induced NASH and hepatic fibrosis without changes in steatosis. S1pr4 depletion in hepatic macrophages inhibited lipopolysaccharide-mediated Ca ++ release and deactivated the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containning protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. S1P increased the expression of S1pr4 in hepatic macrophages and activated NLRP3 inflammasome through inositol trisphosphate/inositol trisphosphate-receptor-dependent [Ca ++ ] signaling. To further clarify the biological function of S1PR4, we developed SLB736, a novel selective functional antagonist of SIPR4. Similar to S1pr4 +/- mice, administration of SLB736 to HFHCD-fed mice prevented the development of NASH and hepatic fibrosis, but not steatosis, by deactivating the NLRP3 inflammasome., Conclusions: S1PR4 may be a new therapeutic target for NASH that mediates the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in hepatic macrophages., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The number of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is gradually increasing and there is also increase in postoperative complications. The patient's demographic, socio-economic factors, hospital and clinical factors are all factors that can influence postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with complications following TKA in a large national cohort., Methods: Among patients diagnosed with primary knee arthrosis, a total of 560,954 patients older than 50 years who underwent TKA from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2018 were included in the study. The risk of postoperative complications (surgical site infection, sepsis, cardiovascular complications, respiratory complications, pulmonary embolism, stroke, acute renal failure, periprosthetic joint infection, and periprosthetic fracture) were assessed with eight independent variables: gender, age, place of residence, household income, hospital bed size, procedure type (unilateral or bilateral, primary or revision TKA), length of stay (LOS), use of transfusion. Multivariable Cox Proportional Hazard model analysis was used. The significant predictors for complications (P < .05) were as follows., Results: Surgical site infection: male, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Sepsis: male, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Cardiovascular complications: male, age, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Respiratory complications: male, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Pulmonary embolism: male, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Stroke: male, age, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Acute renal failure: male, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Periprosthetic joint infection: male, household income, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion. Periprosthetic fracture: male, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), transfusion., Conclusion: In summary, male, procedure type (bilateral, revision), LOS (≥35 days), and use of transfusion were shown to be risk factors of postoperative complications following TKA., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: Lipotoxic hepatocyte injury is a primary event in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the mechanisms of lipotoxicity are not fully defined. Sphingolipids and free cholesterol (FC) mediate hepatocyte injury, but their link in NASH has not been explored. We examined the role of free cholesterol and sphingomyelin synthases (SMSs) that generate sphingomyelin (SM) and diacylglycerol (DAG) in hepatocyte pyroptosis, a specific form of programmed cell death associated with inflammasome activation, and NASH., Design: Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet (HFHCD) to induce NASH. Hepatic SMS1 and SMS2 expressions were examined in various mouse models including HFHCD-fed mice and patients with NASH. Pyroptosis was estimated by the generation of the gasdermin-D N-terminal fragment. NASH susceptibility and pyroptosis were examined following knockdown of SMS1, protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), or the NLR family CARD domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4)., Results: HFHCD increased the hepatic levels of SM and DAG while decreasing the level of phosphatidylcholine. Hepatic expression of Sms1 but not Sms2 was higher in mouse models and patients with NASH. FC in hepatocytes induced Sms1 expression, and Sms1 knockdown prevented HFHCD-induced NASH. DAG produced by SMS1 activated PKCδ and NLRC4 inflammasome to induce hepatocyte pyroptosis. Depletion of Nlrc4 prevented hepatocyte pyroptosis and the development of NASH. Conditioned media from pyroptotic hepatocytes activated the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 inflammasome (NLRP3) in Kupffer cells, but Nlrp3 knockout mice were not protected against HFHCD-induced hepatocyte pyroptosis., Conclusion: SMS1 mediates hepatocyte pyroptosis through a novel DAG-PKCδ-NLRC4 axis and holds promise as a therapeutic target for NASH., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The less invasive stabilization systems for the distal femur and proximal lateral tibia have been developed to simplify the surgical technique of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO). MIPO, however, has simply been introduced into clavicular midshaft fixation without the aid of insertion guide though the procedure for midshaft clavicular fractures was found to produce satisfactory clinical and radiologic outcomes without serious complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of MIPO of clavicular midshaft fractures using an insertion guide., Methods: A total of 15 patients with clavicular midshaft fractures treated by MIPO using insertion guide between September 2016 and September 2018 were included. We assessed bony union, shoulder function by the Constant score, and complications at a mean follow-up of 15.4 months (ranged from 12 to 24 months)., Results: The mean surgical time 55.9±9.4 min (ranged from 50 to 70 min) and the fluoroscopic time was 146.5±29.0 s (ranged from 110 to 190 s). In all patients, the bony union was achieved at 8.8±1.0 weeks (ranged from 8 to 10 weeks) with no delayed unions or nonunions. The average Constant score was 99.1±1.2 (ranged from 96 to 100) at follow-up. Postoperative complications including infections, screw pull-out, hardware prominence, and neurovascular injury were not observed, however, one patient complained of mild plate discomfort., Conclusion: MIPO using insertion guide is believed to be an acceptable and effective choice in the operative treatment of clavicular midshaft fractures.

The biodiesel containing fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) are blended with refined diesel products. Here, we evaluate relative FAME composition ratio as a potential index to discriminate the pollution origin in diesel-contaminated soil. Artificially contaminated soil was prepared to mimic the release of petroleum products using four different refined diesels; in addition, the contaminated soil was put under natural weathering conditions. The variations in the relative FAME composition ratio was compared with those of the corresponding diesel origin using principal component analysis (PCA) for 60 days. All soil samples could be classified into four groups according to diesel origin using two principal components. The proposed method can be used to discriminate the specific diesel pollution origin in contaminated soils., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Despite the burden of bronchiectasis, there is little data from South Korea regarding asymptomatic bronchiectasis. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of bronchiectasis based on computed tomography (CT) findings, with emphasis on asymptomatic bronchiectasis (CT-proven) and its related factors. We analysed data of individuals who underwent chest CT at a South Korean health screening centre from 2016 to 2017. The prevalence of bronchiectasis was evaluated and adjusted by sex, age, and corresponding year for the Korean general population. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to asymptomatic bronchiectasis by comparison between a group without bronchiectasis and a group with symptomatic bronchiectasis. Among the 27 617 subjects screened, 1005 were diagnosed with bronchiectasis based on CT findings, representing an adjusted prevalence of 2329 out of 100 000. The adjusted prevalence of asymptomatic bronchiectasis was 1235 out of 100 000, and that of symptomatic bronchiectasis was 1094 out of 100 000. Compared with the non-bronchiectasis group, the factors related to asymptomatic bronchiectasis were female sex (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.18-1.70), older age (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.05-1.07), comorbid liver disease (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.07-1.63) or COPD (OR 4.99; 95% CI 2.88-8.64), history of tuberculosis (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.46-2.68) and low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ; OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98-0.998). In South Korea, the prevalence of asymptomatic bronchiectasis appeared higher than that of symptomatic bronchiectasis. Female sex, older age, liver disease, COPD, history of tuberculosis and low FEV 1 may be the factors related to asymptomatic bronchiectasis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: S.H. Kim has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Y.J. Jung has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: M-S. Ko has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: S.W. Lee has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J.S. Lee has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Y-M. Oh has nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©The authors 2021.)

[Figure: see text].

Although macroautophagy/autophagy deficiency causes degenerative diseases, the deletion of essential autophagy genes in adipocytes paradoxically reduces body weight. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in body weight regulation and metabolic control. However, the key cellular mechanisms that maintain BAT function remain poorly understood. in this study, we showed that global or brown adipocyte-specific deletion of pink1 , a Parkinson disease-related gene involved in selective mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy), induced BAT dysfunction, and obesity-prone type in mice. Defective mitochondrial function is among the upstream signals that activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. NLRP3 was induced in brown adipocyte precursors (BAPs) from pink1 knockout (KO) mice. Unexpectedly, NLRP3 induction did not induce canonical inflammasome activity. Instead, NLRP3 induction led to the differentiation of pink1 KO BAPs into white-like adipocytes by increasing the expression of white adipocyte-specific genes and repressing the expression of brown adipocyte-specific genes. nlrp3 deletion in pink1 knockout mice reversed BAT dysfunction. Conversely, adipose tissue-specific atg7 KO mice showed significantly lower expression of Nlrp3 in their BAT. Overall, our data suggest that the role of mitophagy is different from general autophagy in regulating adipose tissue and whole-body energy metabolism. Our results uncovered a new mitochondria-NLRP3 pathway that induces BAT dysfunction. The ability of the nlrp3 knockouts to rescue BAT dysfunction suggests the transcriptional function of NLRP3 as an unexpected, but a quite specific therapeutic target for obesity-related metabolic diseases. Abbreviations: ACTB: actin, beta; BAPs: brown adipocyte precursors; BAT: brown adipose tissue; BMDMs: bone marrow-derived macrophages; CASP1: caspase 1; CEBPA: CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), alpha; ChIP: chromatin immunoprecipitation; EE: energy expenditure; HFD: high-fat diet; IL1B: interleukin 1 beta; ITT: insulin tolerance test; KO: knockout; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; NLRP3: NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3; PINK1: PTEN induced putative kinase 1; PRKN: parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase; RD: regular diet; ROS: reactive oxygen species; RT: room temperature; UCP1: uncoupling protein 1 (mitochondrial, proton carrier); WT: wild-type.

The first fully connected aromatic carbaporphyrin dimer ( 6 ) and its bis-Pd complex ( 6-Pd 2 ) that bear a rigid naphthalene motif as an internal strap were synthesized. These dimers consisted of two aromatic carbaporphyrins that shared a naphthalene motif. The π-electron conjugation of the obtained macrocycles was proposed to have two separated local 22 π-electron pathways and a 34 π-electron pathway. Their weak aromaticity was fully supported by 1 H NMR spectroscopy, NICS values, ACID calculations, and ICSS plots.

π-Extended di-2-picolylamine (DPA)-substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) tolans ( 2 ) were synthesized for testing electronic and regio-effects. The electron-poor CN-tolan ( 2b ) showed clear selectivity for Cd 2+ (>>Zn 2+ ) over other metal ions via turn-on fluorescence, while the electron-rich MeO-tolan ( 2a ) displayed no clear metal selectivity. Furthermore, considering that there was no significant energy difference between the Cd 2+ complexes of 1 and 2b , the intended regio-effect (7- vs. 5-substituted effect) did not induce steric hindrance. Thus, the regio-effect is mainly electronic. Considering the above, 2a and 2b constitute a complete showcase in which electronic and regio-effects modulate the metal selectivity. The fluorescence titration of 2b (10 mM) with Cd 2+ showed that the limit of detection (LOD) of the Cd 2+ -selective 2b was 158 nM in PBS (phosphate-buffered saline) (10 mM, pH 7.2) containing 50% MeOH.

The remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals is an ongoing environmental concern. Paddy soils contaminated with Cd and Zn were collected from around abandoned metals mines in Korea. Limestone and steel slag were mixed with the collected soil, as amendments for Cd and Zn immobilization. Sequential extraction, lettuce cultivation and five single extraction methods were carried out to assess the effects on Cd and Zn immobilization using amendments. The exchangeable fraction of Cd and Zn was decreased and Fe-Mn oxides fraction increased by stabilization using amendments. In addition, the accumulation of Cd and Zn in lettuce decreased in treated soil and indicated the Cd and Zn immobilization effect in soil by the amendments. The extractable Cd and Zn by CaCl 2 and Mehlich-3 in the untreated soils were higher than that of treated soils, whereas Cd and Zn extraction by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), diethylene tetramine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) has a small or no difference between the untreated and treated soils. The extraction results by CaCl 2 and Mehlich-3 methods present reasonable results for Cd and Zn immobilization in soil than EDTA, DTPA and TCLP methods. Therefore, the choice of appropriate extraction method is very important when there is the assessment of Cd and Zn immobilization efficiency.

The human IκB Kinase (IKK) is a multisubunit protein complex of two kinases and one scaffolding subunit that controls induction of transcription factor NF-κB activity. IKK behaves as an entity of aberrantly high apparent molecular weight in solution. Recent X-ray crystallographic and cryo-electron microscopy structures of individual catalytic subunits (IKK1/IKKα and IKK2/IKKβ) reveal that they are both stably folded dimeric proteins that engage in extensive homo-oligomerization through unique surfaces that are required for activation of their respective catalytic activities. The NEMO/IKKγ subunit is a predominantly coiled coil protein that is required for activation of IKK through the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway. Here we report size-exclusion chromatography, multi-angle light scattering, analytical centrifugation, and thermal denaturation analyses of full-length human recombinant NEMO as well as deletion and disease-linked variants. We observe that NEMO is predominantly a dimer in solution, although by virtue of its modular coiled coil regions NEMO exhibits complicated solution dynamics involving portions that are mutually antagonistic toward homodimerization. This behavior causes NEMO to behave as a significantly larger sized particle in solution. Analyses of NEMO in complex with IKK2 indicate that NEMO preserves this structurally dynamic character within the multisubuit complex and provides the complex-bound IKK2 further propensity toward homo-oligomerization. These observations provide critical information on the structural plasticity of NEMO subunit dimers which helps clarify its role in diseases and in IKK regulation through oligomerization-dependent phosphorylation of catalytic IKK2 subunit dimers., 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.)

This study investigated the contamination levels and sources of As and Cd vicinity area from Nui Phao mine that is one of the largest tungsten (W) open pit mines in the world. Soil and plant samples were collected from the study area to identify the concentrations of As and Cd using aqua-regia or HNO 3 digestion. According to the Vietnamese agricultural soil criteria, all soil samples were contaminated with As and Cd. The distribution of As concentration is related to the distance from the Nui Phao mine. The higher As concentrations were measured in the area close to the mine. However, the Cd distribution in the soil showed a different pattern from As. Enrichment factor and Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) indicated that As in the soil is derived from the mining activities, while Cd could have other geogenic or anthropogenic sources. The ranges of As and Cd concentration in polished rice grains in the Nui Phao mine area exceeded the CODEX criteria (0.2 mg/kg), which indicated extreme contamination. The arsenic concentration between soil and plant samples was determined to be a positive correlation, while the Cd concentration showed a negative correlation, implying that As and Cd have different geochemical behavior based on their sources.

This study prognoses the remaining useful life of a turbofan engine using a deep learning model, which is essential for the health management of an engine. The proposed deep learning model affords a significantly improved accuracy by organizing networks with a one-dimensional convolutional neural network, long short-term memory, and bidirectional long short-term memory. In particular, this paper investigates two practical and crucial issues in applying the deep learning model for system prognosis. The first is the requirement of numerous sensors for different components, i.e., the curse of dimensionality. Second, the deep neural network cannot identify the problematic component of the turbofan engine due to its "black box" property. This study thus employs dimensionality reduction and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) techniques. Dimensionality reduction in the model reduces the complexity and prevents overfitting, while maintaining high accuracy. SHAP analyzes and visualizes the black box to identify the sensors. The experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed model with dimensionality reduction and show that SHAP enhances the explainability in a conventional deep learning model for system prognosis.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based serum N-glycan analysis has gained acknowledgment for the diagnosis of breast cancer in recent years. In this study, the possibilities of expanding its application for breast cancer management and surveillance were discovered and evaluated. First, a novel MALDI-TOF platform, IDsys RT, was confirmed to be effective for breast cancer analysis, showing a maximum area under the curve of 0.91. Multiple N-glycan markers were identified and validated using this process, and they were found to be applicable for differentiating recurring breast cancer samples from healthy control or ordinary breast cancer samples. Recurrence samples were especially distinct from non-recurrence samples when N-glycan signatures were sampled in multiple time points and monitored via MALDI-TOF, throughout the therapy. These results suggested the feasibility of MALDI-TOF-based N-glycan analysis for tracking the molecular signatures of breast cancer and predicting recurrence.