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Objective This study aimed to determine the clinical advantage of spindle-view intracytoplasmic sperm injection (SVICSI; a novel technology) over conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (cICSI) in patients with poor ovarian response (POR) and previous implantation failure. Methods The study included 37 patients who underwent SVICSI followed by fresh embryo transfer (FET) at a single fertility clinic from January to December 2022, 58 patients who underwent cICSI followed by FET at the same fertility clinic from January to December 2021 as a control group. All study participants met the Bologna criteria for POR and had at least three or more previous failed embryo transfers. Results The number of blastocyst transfers was significantly higher in the SVICSI group than in the cICSI group. A good-quality cleavage embryo rate, blastocyst rate, and good-quality blastocyst rate were also significantly higher in the SVICSI group than in the cICSI group. There were no significant differences in the rates of fertilization, implantation, clinical pregnancy, or clinical abortion between the two groups. Conclusion In patients with POR, those who underwent SVICSI appeared to have better embryos than those who underwent cICSI. However, whether SVICSI improved clinical outcomes such as implantation and pregnancy rates cannot be proven.

Inflammation and the immune response in atherosclerosis are complex processes involving local hemodynamics, the interaction of dysfunctional cells, and various pathological environments. Here, a modular multichannel system that mimics the human artery to demonstrate stenosis and inflammation and to study physical and chemical effects on biomimetic artery models is presented. Smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were cocultured in the wrinkled surface in vivo-like circular channels to recapitulate the artery. An artery-mimicking multichannel module comprised four channels for the fabrication of coculture models and assigned various conditions for analysis to each model simultaneously. The manipulation became reproducible and stable through modularization, and each module could be replaced according to analytical purposes. A chamber module for culture was replaced with a microfluidic concentration gradient generator (CGG) module to achieve the cellular state of inflamed lesions by providing tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, in addition to the stenosis structure by tuning the channel geometry. Different TNF-α doses were administered in each channel by the CGG module to create functional inflammation models under various conditions. Through the tunable channel geometry and the microfluidic interfacing, this system has the potential to be used for further comprehensive research on vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

Background: We examined linguistic features in fourth graders' narrative and opinion writing and their relations to writing quality. We analysed narrative and opinion essays in terms of lexical sophistication and diversity as well as syntactic complexity, syntactic accuracy, and morphological complexity. Methods: Data were from English-speaking students in Grade 4 (N = 129; 50% female) in the United States, majority of whom were from low socioeconomic status background. Paired t tests were used to analyse differences of linguistic features between the two genres. Hierarchical regression models were run to examine how language features are related to writing quality. Results: Words in the narrative task were more diverse and included more diverse verbal inflectional morphemes than those in the opinion task; syntactic complexity was significantly greater in the opinion genre, manifested by longer T-units and the more frequent use of adverbial and relative clauses. Approximately 80% of T-units were grammatical and 20% were ungrammatical. Syntactic accuracy and verbal morphological complexity of words were positively related to writing quality in the narrative task. Additionally, syntactic complexity measured by clauses per T-unit, verbal and nominal morphological complexity of words were uniquely related to writing quality in the opinion genre. Conclusions: The findings highlight the limited extent to which Grade 4 students use complex syntax in their writing. The study also supports the critical role of linguistic features in writing quality and shows both similarities and differences in language use in two important writing genres, narrative and opinion, in elementary grades.

Background/Aim: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of deferoxamine (DFO) pretreated feline adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (fATMSCs) for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Materials and Methods: fATMSCs were isolated from feline adipose tissue and characterized using flow cytometry for surface marker expression and differentiation assays for adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. Different concentrations of DFO were used to evaluate its impact on fATMSC activity. The therapeutic potential of these preconditioned cells was validated using a mouse model of acute lung injury (ALI) by LPS injection. Comprehensive evaluations, including clinical, hematological, and radiological assessments, were conducted before and after intravenous injection of preconditioned cells in three feline subjects. Results: 25 μM DFO pretreatment significantly upregulated immunomodulatory genes (Tgfb, Hgf, and Tsg-6) in fATMSCs. In the mouse ALI model, DFO-pretreated fATMSCs exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory effects, reducing inflammatory cytokines (Tnfa, Il1b, Il6). Clinical safety assessment in felines showed no immediate adverse effects, structural alterations, or tumorigenesis. Conclusion: Utilizing a mouse model of acute lung injury, we demonstrated the potential of DFO-pretreated fATMSCs as a safe and effective therapeutic approach for inflammatory disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE This study aimed to develop a field hockey-specific training program based on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and to verify its effectiveness by observing changes in individual movements during international competitions for female field hockey players. METHODS The field hockey-specific training program was developed based on HIIT (≥95%HRmax, work:rest ratio=1:1) through meetings with experts’ and the participation of 13 female field hockey players who were enrolled in the Korean national team. Participants were trained for nine weeks (27 sessions) using this training program. Their individual movements were collected using GPS units during the Four Nations competitions and the 2022 Asian Games before and after applying the training program. Individual movements were defined as total distance covered, meters per minute (MpM), maximal velocity (MV), absolute distance, proportion of total distance covered at low-intensity (LI), moderate-intensity (MI), and high-intensity (HI), and number of accelerations, decelerations, and sprint efforts (SE). RESULTS After applying the training program, the MpM (9.6 m/min), MV (0.69 km/hr), and SE (3.47 bouts) improved compared to before applying the program. Further, after applying the training program, the absolute distance (633.94 m) and the proportion (14.83%) at LI decreased, while those of MI (553.40 m and 9.78%) and HI (273.07 m and 5.05%) increased compared to before applying the program. CONCLUSIONS The field hockey-specific training program developed in this study resulted in positive changes in individual movements during competitions, leading to improvements in team and individual performance.

Purpose: Children’s ability to adjust one’s language according to discourse context is important for success in academic settings. This study examined whether second graders vary in linguistic and discourse features depending on discourse contexts, that is, when describing pictures in contextualized (describing the picture to an examiner while looking at it together) and decontextualized (pretending to describe the picture to a friend while sitting in front of the examiner) conditions. Method: A total of 330 English-speaking second graders in the United States (Mage = 7.33 years; 53% boys; 55% Caucasian children, 35% African American children) described three pictures in contextualized and decontextualized conditions. Children’s picture descriptions were transcribed verbatim and coded for linguistic (e.g., elaborated noun phrase) and discourse (e.g., proper character introduction, degree of decontextualization) features. Results: Type–token ratio was higher in the contextualized condition than in the decontextualized condition, whereas certain types of elaborated noun phrases (e.g., simple descriptive noun phrase, noun phrase with postmodification), coordinating conjunctions, and nonclauses occurred more frequently in the decontextualized condition, controlling for total productivity and student demographics. The proportion of proper character introduction was higher in the decontextualized condition, whereas higher degrees of decontextualization and complex perspective-taking were found in the contextualized condition. Conclusion: Various linguistic and discourse cues illustrated the extent to which primary grade students employ their discourse knowledge when producing oral language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of children and youth live in forced displacement. We conducted a mixed-methods study among 729 primary students in Kakuma Refugee Camp to examine the roles of knowledge, experience (direct or indirect), language, and schooling in students’ sense of belonging to their home country and intention to return. We found sense of belonging is associated with knowledge of one’s country and its traditions, fluency in one’s home language, and schooling opportunities. However, these same factors are negatively associated with their intent to repatriate in the near future. The relationship between formal and informal learning appears to encourage a pragmatic sense of belonging to Kenya for the immediate future while any sense of belonging and hope for return to their home countries are projected onto an imagined future.

While previous studies have focused on the form of payment methods as a criterion, this study proposes payment delay as a new criterion and examines the relationship between consumers’ need for closure (NFC) and temporal construal in payment situations. Three empirical studies were conducted with participants who had experience with plastic card payments to ensure they understood the concept of payment delay. Participants with a low NFC tended to construe payment situations more abstractly, leading to increased purchase intentions for hedonic products when payment was delayed and for utilitarian products when it was not. In contrast, participants with a high NFC exhibited higher purchase intentions for hedonic products when payment was delayed but no significant difference for utilitarian products based on payment delay. The findings provide implications for strategies to mitigate excessive hedonic consumption through credit card payments and address reluctance toward credit card use stemming from consumers’ aversion to debt or uncertainty.

PURPOSE This study aimed to examine the effect of acute tart cherry juice intake on recovery after intermittent exercise in female field hockey athletes. METHODS Sixteen university female field hockey athletes were studied for a total of 3 days. The cohort was divided into 2 groups, placebo group (n=8, PLA) and the tart cherry juice group (n=8, TCJ), Each supplement was consumed 5 times over 48 hours. On the first day of the study, venous blood was collected before the test, and physical fitness variables (20m sprint, 5-0-5 agility, and Countermovement jump) were performed twice before and after the Yo-Yo Intermediate recovery test 1 to determine the degree of muscle damage and recovery of physical fitness factors. After all tests on Day 1, supplements (PLA, TCJ) were taken. After 24 hours, venous blood collection was performed, and after 48 hours, venous blood collection and physical element variables were measured to verify the effectiveness of tart cherry juice. RESULTS In the TCJ group, a significant effect was found over time in the 5-0-5 ability among the fitness variable items (p

Abstract CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing is an important and versatile technology in modern biological research. Recent advancements include base-editing CRISPR tools that enable targeted nucleotide substitutions using a fusion protein comprising a nickase variant of Cas9 and a base deaminase. Improvements in base editing efficiencies and inheritable of edited loci need to be made to make CRISPR a viable system in plants. Here, we report efficiency of cytosine base editors (CBEs) in Arabidopsis thaliana by applying the strong endogenous RPS5a promoter to drive the expression of nickase Cas9 and either rAPOBEC1 from rat (BE3) or the PmCDA1 activation-induced cytidine deaminase from sea lamprey (AIDv2). Compared with the strong heterologous CaMV35S promoter of viral origin, the RPS5a promoter improved CBE efficiency by 32% points with the number of T1 plants showing over 50% conversion ratio when the LFY gene was targeted. CBE induced nonsense mutations in LFY via C-to-T conversion, which resulted in loss-of-function lfy phenotypes; defects in LFY function were associated with the targeted base substitutions. Our data suggest that optimal promoter choice for CBE expression may affect base-editing efficiencies in plants. The results provide a strategy to optimize low-efficiency base editors and demonstrate their applicability for functional assays and trait development in crop research.

Mastery of developmental reading courses offers both an opportunity for academic enrichment and a barrier to college completion. We examine what it means to use multiple texts in college developmental reading courses, the benefits of using them, and considerations that instructors may employ in their instructions. A review of the literature indicates Linguistically Diverse students (LDs) often lack the required critical thinking skills needed to tackle the rigor and demand of their college level courses. We conducted a study to tests whether using multiple texts improved LDs critical reading skills. Participants of 30 undergraduate students taking RDL 500 course were analyzed using pre and posttest results. Findings indicated that integrated use of multiple texts is a practical teaching approach for LDs improved their critical reading skills and their navigation of unfamiliar texts. This implies the use of the one size-fits-all approach may not be an effective pedagogical practice by instructors who teach the LD student.

Date fruits are rich in phytochemicals that have anti-oxidative properties and are therefore considered as functional foods. However, it is unclear which part of the date metabolites actually enter the blood stream and remain bioavailable to exert any beneficial action. To answer this question, we conducted a nutritional challenge study in which we monitored plasma metabolome of 21 healthy volunteers after intake of Khlas, Deglet Nour, and glucose at five time points. Among the 1089 identified blood circulating metabolites, we found molecules that were specific to date consumption, including metabolites of the polyphenols ferulic-, caffeic-, and vanillic acid. Consumption of the sucrose-rich Deglet Nour led to a substantial increase in blood sucrose levels. Interestingly, consumption of serotonin-rich dates did not alter serotonin blood levels, but resulted in a sharp increase in its breakdown product 5-hydroxyindolacetate. We elucidated metabolites present in the blood after date consumption with potential health beneficial effect.

The metabolic outcomes of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) remain controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of physical activity on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes of MHO. The study included participants who were followed for 10 years and recruited from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), a population-based cohort study. Participants with previously recorded CVDs or cancer, or who had received steroids or anticoagulants at baseline were excluded. A total of 8144 participants (3,942 men and 4,202 women) fulfilled inclusion criteria. In a multivariate Cox regression model adjusted for age and sex, MHO participants were not at elevated risk of CVD compared with their metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO) counterparts (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.96-1.71), although both the non-obese (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.19-1.90) and obese (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.48-2.30) participants with metabolic abnormalities were at elevated risk. However, in the subgroup analysis by physical activity, physically inactive MHO participants had a significantly higher HR for CVD events compared to active MHNO participants (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.03-2.30), while active MHO participants were not at elevated risk (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.70-1.89). Physically inactive MHO participants had significantly increased risk of CVD compared to physically active MHNO participants whereas physically active MHO participants did not.

Cellular migration sustains life, from the survival and proliferation of unicellular organisms to the complex biological functions of multicellular organisms. In vitro cell culture has been used to specify and investigate a certain aspect of cellular migration. The in vitro studies require a cell culture system which can compartmentalize multiple types of stimuli and cells while allowing their interaction in a precisely controlled microenvironment. The required precision in the fabrication and control can be accomplished with microfluidic technologies. To date, microfluidic cell culture systems (MCCSs) have demonstrated unprecedented functionality, but no notable system has become a standard. In this review, recent progress in MCCSs is evaluated in a category of design criteria. The main criteria are the incorporation of extracellular matrix protein, fluidic actuation, control of cell culture conditions, analytical methods, and system packaging. In particular, these categorized systems are reviewed in terms of functionality, user-friendliness and reliability. The design criteria proposed in this review will serve as a guideline for designing an MCCSs or organ-on-a-chip with maximum functionality, user-friendliness and reliability for an intended study of cellular migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]