Well-Characterized Polyethyleneimine-/Carboxylated-Polyethylene-Glycol-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles as Prospective Nanoscale Control Materials for In Vitro Cell Viability Assays: Particle Characterization and Toxicity Tests in Eight Mammalian Cell Lines.

The safety screening of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) is essential for their adoption by consumers and the marketplace. Lately, animal-based testing has been replaced by mechanistically informative in vitro assays due to the requirements of regulatory agencies. Cell viability assays are widely employed for manufactured nanomaterial hazard screening as a first-tier approach.

Palovarotene in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: review and perspective.

Introduction: Palovarotene is a retinoic acid receptor gamma agonist that was studied in phase-2 and phase-3 clinical trials for the inhibition of new heterotopic ossification (HO) in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Despite numerous setbacks and regulatory delays, palovarotene is now the first approved FOP treatment in the U.S.

Consensus Recommendations for the Management of Neurosarcoidosis: A Delphi Survey of Experts Across the United States.

Background And Objectives: Neurosarcoidosis poses a diagnostic and management challenge due to its rarity, phenotypic variability, and lack of randomized controlled studies to guide treatment selection. Recommendations for management based on expert opinion are useful in clinical practice and provide a framework for designing prospective studies.

Methods: In this Delphi survey study, specialists with experience in managing patients with neurosarcoidosis were invited to anonymously complete 2 surveys about key elements of evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and long-term management of neurosarcoidosis.

Tetragonia tetragonioides extract prevented high-fat diet-induced obesity and changed hepatic and adipose transcriptomic signatures in C57BL/6J male mice.

Obesity, often driven by high-fat diets (HFD), is a major global health issue, necessitating effective preventive measures. Tetragonia tetragonoides, a plant with known medicinal properties, has not been extensively studied for its effects on HFD-induced obesity and related genetic changes in mice. This study explores the impact of Tetragonia tetragonoides extract (TTE; 300 mg/kg) on obesity-related traits in C57BL/6J male mice, with a focus on transcriptomic changes in the liver and white adipose tissue (WAT).

Effect of IV Thrombolysis With Alteplase in Patients With Vessel Occlusion in the WAKE-UP Trial.

Background And Objectives: Data from randomized trials on the treatment effect of pure thrombolysis in patients with vessel occlusion are lacking. We examined data from a corresponding subsample of patients from the multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled WAKE-UP trial to determine whether MRI-guided IV thrombolysis with alteplase in unknown-onset ischemic stroke benefits patients presenting with vessel occlusion.

Methods: Patients with an acute ischemic lesion visible on MRI diffusion-weighted imaging but no marked parenchymal hyperintensity on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images were randomized to treatment with IV alteplase or placebo.

Perceptual Cue Weighting Matters in Real-Time Integration of Acoustic Information During Spoken Word Recognition.

This study investigates whether listeners' cue weighting predicts their real-time use of asynchronous acoustic information in spoken word recognition at both group and individual levels. By focusing on the time course of cue integration, we seek to distinguish between two theoretical views: the associated view (cue weighting is linked to cue integration strategy) and the independent view (no such relationship). The current study examines Seoul Korean listeners' (n = 62) weighting of voice onset time (VOT, available earlier in time) and onset fundamental frequency of the following vowel (F0, available later in time) when perceiving Korean stop contrasts (Experiment 1: cue-weighting perception task) and the timing of VOT integration when recognizing Korean words that begin with a stop (Experiment 2: visual-world eye-tracking task).

Microbial profiling of oysters from a processing plant and retail products: Analysis based on culture-dependent methods and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are one of the most consumed shellfish globally. However, there is a lack of comprehensive microbiome studies that include the processing and distribution stages of oysters. The present study used both culture-based methods and 16S rRNA sequencing to produce comprehensive microbial profiles of oysters in two parts: (1) an oyster processing plant that processes raw and frozen oysters (n = 57) and (2) retail oyster products across two seasons (winter and spring) (n = 112).

Microbial consortia in commercial salmon products: A comparative study using cultivation-dependent and high-throughput sequencing approaches.

Despite the widespread consumption of salmon products, an all-round microbiological survey on fresh salmon and smoked salmon products sold on the market directly to consumers remains to be undertaken. The present study conducted a comprehensive microbial investigation employing both conventional cultivation-based techniques and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. A total of 120 fresh salmon and 95 smoked salmon products were systematically collected across all four seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter), accompanied by temperature assessments of each product's interior.

Eliminating chemo-mechanical degradation of lithium solid-state battery cathodes during >4.5 V cycling using amorphous NbO coatings.

Lithium solid-state batteries offer improved safety and energy density. However, the limited stability of solid electrolytes (SEs), as well as irreversible structural and chemical changes in the cathode active material, can result in inferior electrochemical performance, particularly during high-voltage cycling (>4.3 V vs Li/Li).

UG0712, A Ginsenoside Complex, Improved Endurance Performance and Changed Hepatic and Muscular Transcriptomic Signatures in C57BL/6N Male Mice.

Ginsenosides, active compounds derived from Panax ginseng, exhibit promising potential in enhancing physical performance. This study investigates the impact of UG0712 (UG), a novel ginsenoside compound, on endurance capacity, body weight, organ weights, blood parameters, and specific transcriptomic changes in liver and muscle tissues using a C57BL/6N mouse model. The mice received UGs orally at three doses: UG50 (50 mg/kg), UG100 (100 mg/kg), and UG200 (200 mg/kg) for a specified duration.

A Case of Pancreatic Serous Cystadenoma Penetrating Bile Duct Requiring Differentiation from Malignancy.

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with jaundice. A closer examination revealed that he had obstructive jaundice due to bile duct obstruction caused by a multifocal cystic tumor of the pancreas. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) revealed stenosis of the distal bile duct and leakage of contrast medium into the pancreatic cyst.

Role of Arginine and its Metabolism in TGF-β-Induced Activation of Lung Fibroblasts.

Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid with known roles in protein production, nitric oxide synthesis, biosynthesis of proline and polyamines, and regulation of intracellular signaling pathways. Arginine biosynthesis and catabolism have been linked to TGF-β-induced activation of fibroblasts in the context of pulmonary fibrosis; however, a thorough study on the metabolic and signaling roles of arginine in the process of fibroblast activation has not been conducted. Here, we used metabolic dropouts and labeling strategies to determine how activated fibroblasts utilize arginine.

Sustained hypoxia but not intermittent hypoxia induces HIF-1α transcriptional response in human aortic endothelial cells.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by intermittent hypoxic environments at the cellular level and is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction precedes the development of cardiovascular disease; however, the mechanisms by which ECs respond to these intermittent hypoxic events are poorly understood. To better understand EC responses to hypoxia, we examined the effects of sustained hypoxia (SH) and intermittent hypoxia (IH) on the activation of HIF-1α in ECs.

Outcome of Locking Plate Fixation Adjunctive to Intramedullary Rodding in Osteogenesis Imperfecta Patients.

Background: An intramedullary rodding is the preferred fixation method in limb stabilization of OI patients. However, the intramedullary rod may not provide adequate fixation and rotational stability, especially in adolescents and adults. The incorporation of adjunctive plate fixation alongside intramedullary rodding has been introduced to enhance this stability, although its complications remain insufficiently understood.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Daily Quality Control System for the Histologic Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Biopsies: A 1-Year Experience.

Context.—: Seegene Medical Foundation, one of the major clinical laboratories in South Korea, developed SeeDP, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based postanalytic daily quality control (QC) system that reassesses all gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic biopsy (EB) slides for incorrect diagnoses.

Objective.

Peripheral cranio-spinal nerve communication for trapezius muscle control using axonal profiling through immunostaining.

Accessory nerve (CNXI) has been known to be the primary conduit for motor control of the trapezius, while the supplementary cervical nerves (C3 and C4) are responsible for processing sensory information from muscle. However, the lack of substantial direct evidence has led to these conclusions being regarded as mere speculation. This study used immunostaining (using antibodies against neurofilament 200 for all axons, choline acetyltransferase for cholinergic axons, tyrosine hydroxylase for sympathetic axons, and alpha 3 sodium potassium ATPase for proprioceptive afferent axons) of human samples to verify the functional contributions of nerves.

Effectiveness of data-augmentation on deep learning in evaluating rapid on-site cytopathology at endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration.

Rapid on-site cytopathology evaluation (ROSE) has been considered an effective method to increase the diagnostic ability of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA); however, ROSE is unavailable in most institutes worldwide due to the shortage of cytopathologists. To overcome this situation, we created an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system (the ROSE-AI system), which was trained with the augmented data to evaluate the slide images acquired by EUS-FNA. This study aimed to clarify the effects of such data-augmentation on establishing an effective ROSE-AI system by comparing the efficacy of various data-augmentation techniques.