Regulation of Phosphorylation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3α and the Correlation with Sperm Motility in Human.

Purpose: To unravel the mechanism regulating the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) and the correlation between the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3α and sperm motility in human.

Materials And Methods: The phosphorylation and priming phosphorylated substrate-specific kinase activity of GSK3 were examined in human spermatozoa with various motility conditions.

Results: In human spermatozoa, GSK3α/β was localized in the head, midpiece, and principal piece of tail and p-GSK3α(Ser21) was enriched in the midpiece.

Use of High-Resolution Ultrasound in Characterizing the Surface Topography of a Breast Implant.

: With the emergence of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), it has become necessary to identify the implant shell type patients have received. Therefore, an immediate, reliable method for identifying a breast implant shell type is essential. Evidence-based research and applying a real-world technique that identifies the surface topographic information of the inserted breast implants, without surgery, has become of paramount importance for breast implant physicians.

Use of High-Resolution Ultrasound in Characterizing a Breast Implant and Detecting a Rupture of the Device.

With the emergence of state-of-the art implant technology and advanced surgical techniques, plastic surgeons face challenging problems, such as identification of a specific type of a device and diagnosis of postoperative complications, in managing patients undergoing implant-based augmentation mammaplasty. In this article, the authors introduce a novel method for characterizing a breast implant based on diverse factors (eg, filler properties, type of pocket, surface topography, shape type, and manufacturer of the device) and detecting the presence and scope of rupture using high-resolution ultrasound.

Micro-Sphere PDMS for Enhancing Light Extraction in Organic Light-Emitting Devices.

We present a micro-sphere PDMS film to improve the external quantum efficiency (EQE) in OLEDs. The micro-sphere PDMS film was fabricated with the breath figure (BF) and replica molding process. The polymer template was prepared through stabilization of the water droplets at the polymer/water interface.

Trench field-effect transistors integrated in a microfluidic channel and design considerations for charge detection.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) combined with a microfluidic system allow for the electrical detection of charged materials moving in a microfluidic channel. Here, we demonstrate trench-shaped silicon FETs with the combination of a microfluidic channel that can be used for simultaneous electrical and optical detection of charged fluorescent beads. The n-channel silicon trench FETs have a maximum transconductance of 1.

A Surgeon's Empirical Perspectives on Use of High-resolution Ultrasound in Preoperatively Detecting a Rupture in the Context of Breast Implant Crisis in Korea.

Background: We previously proposed a novel method for detecting a rupture of a breast implant using high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS). We therefore conducted this retrospective, observational study to describe its feasibility in making a preoperative diagnosis of rupture of the device in patients receiving an implant-based augmentation mammaplasty.

Methods: We initially evaluated the medical records of the patients who had received primary or secondary augmentation mammaplasty using a breast implant at other hospitals for aesthetic or reconstructive purposes between August 31, 2017, and August 31, 2020.

The Role of High Resolution Ultrasonography in Elucidating Features of the Breast Implants in Asymptomatic Patients After Implant-based Augmentation Mammaplasty.

Background: We conducted this study to describe the feasibility of high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) in characterizing a breast implant in patients receiving an implant-based augmentation mammaplasty.

Methods: The current study was conducted in a total of 612 patients (n =6 12) receiving an implant-based augmentation mammaplasty at other hospitals between August 31, 2017 and August 31, 2020. Of these, 136 patients (n = 136; 272 breasts) receiving reoperation were included in the current study.

A multivariate approach to determine electron beam parameters for a Monte Carlo 6 MV Linac model: Statistical and machine learning methods.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the optimal initial electron beam parameters of a Linac for radiotherapy with a multivariate approach using statistical and machine-learning tools.

Methods: For MC beam commissioning, a 6 MV Varian Clinac was simulated using the Geant4 toolkit. The authors investigated the relations between simulated dose distribution and initial electron beam parameters, namely, mean energy (E), energy spread (ES), and radial beam size (RS).

Oleanolic acid 3-acetate, a minor element of ginsenosides, induces apoptotic cell death in ovarian carcinoma and endometrial carcinoma cells via the involvement of a reactive oxygen species-independent mitochondrial pathway.

Objectives: Oleanolic acid, a minor element of ginsenosides, and its derivatives have been shown to have cytotoxicity against some tumor cells. The impact of cytotoxic effect of oleanolic acid 3-acetate on ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells and endometrial cancer HEC-1A cells were examined both and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Cytotoxic effects of oleanolic acid 3-acetate were assessed by cell viability, phosphatidylserine exposure on the cell surface, mitochondrial release of cytochrome C, nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor, depolarization of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ), and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Cuff and sieve electrode (CASE): The combination of neural electrodes for bi-directional peripheral nerve interfacing.

Background: A number of peripheral nerve interfaces for nerve stimulation and recording exist for the purpose of controlling neural prostheses, each with a set of advantages and disadvantages. The ultimate goal of neural prostheses is a seamless bi-directional communication between the peripheral nervous system and the prosthesis. Here, we developed an interfacing electrode array, the "cuff and sieve electrodes" (CASE), integrating microfabricated cuff and sieve electrodes to a single unit, to decrease the weaknesses faced by these electrode designs in isolation.

Do Kimchi and Probiotics as a Functional Food Improve Androgenetic Alopecia? A Clinical Pilot Study.

Purpose: Probiotic supplementation demonstrates beneficial effects on serum lipid profiles. We hypothesized that probiotics could benefit patients presenting with alopecia, secondary to improved blood flow to the scalp.

Materials And Methods: Our study included men with stage II to V patterns of hair loss based on the Hamilton-Norwood classification and women with stage I to III patterns of hair loss based on the Ludwig classification.

Progress in the Field of Micro-Electrocorticography.

Since the 1940s electrocorticography (ECoG) devices and, more recently, in the last decade, micro-electrocorticography (µECoG) cortical electrode arrays were used for a wide set of experimental and clinical applications, such as epilepsy localization and brain⁻computer interface (BCI) technologies. Miniaturized implantable µECoG devices have the advantage of providing greater-density neural signal acquisition and stimulation capabilities in a minimally invasive fashion. An increased spatial resolution of the µECoG array will be useful for greater specificity diagnosis and treatment of neuronal diseases and the advancement of basic neuroscience and BCI research.

Clinical Features and Management of "Phlebitis-like Abnormal Reaction" After Cyanoacrylate Closure for the Treatment of Incompetent Saphenous Veins.

Background: Cyanoacrylate closure for the treatment of incompetent saphenous veins does not cause thermal damage and demonstrates satisfactory outcomes with rapid recovery. However, the characteristics of phlebitis-like abnormal reaction (PLAR), the most common adverse event after cyanoacrylate closure, have not been clarified. Moreover, it differs from typical phlebitis after thermal ablation.

Single-neuronal cell culture and monitoring platform using a fully transparent microfluidic DEP device.

Dielectrophoresis using multi-electrode arrays allows a non-invasive interface with biological cells for long-term monitoring of electrophysiological parameters as well as a label-free and non-destructive technique for neuronal cell manipulation. However, experiments for neuronal cell manipulation utilizing dielectrophoresis have been constrained because dielectrophoresis devices generally function outside of the controlled environment (i.e.

Effects of infections with five sexually transmitted pathogens on sperm quality.

Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of infections with human papillomavirus, , , , and in the semen of Korean infertile couples and their associations with sperm quality.

Methods: Semen specimens were collected from 400 men who underwent a fertility evaluation. Infection with above five pathogens was assessed in each specimen.

Electrical Neural Stimulation and Simultaneous in Vivo Monitoring with Transparent Graphene Electrode Arrays Implanted in GCaMP6f Mice.

Electrical stimulation using implantable electrodes is widely used to treat various neuronal disorders such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy and is a widely used research tool in neuroscience studies. However, to date, devices that help better understand the mechanisms of electrical stimulation in neural tissues have been limited to opaque neural electrodes. Imaging spatiotemporal neural responses to electrical stimulation with minimal artifact could allow for various studies that are impossible with existing opaque electrodes.

Status and Perception of Risk Management in Radiation Therapy: Survey Among Korean Medical Physicists.

This study was conducted as part of an endeavor to improve the risk management system of radiation therapy departments in the Republic of Korea. An online survey on the status and perception of Korea's medical physicists on risk management in radiation therapy was carried out. A total of 40 domestic radiation oncology departments participated.

Corneal Potential Maps Measured With Multi-Electrode Electroretinography in Rat Eyes With Experimental Lesions.

Purpose: Conventional full-field flash electroretinography (ERG) yields a single response waveform that can be useful in the early detection and diagnosis of many diseases affecting the retina. It is an objective measurement that probes the entire retina. However, localized areas of dysfunction have relatively small influence on ERG amplitudes compared to normal ranges.

Intravenous immunoglobulin G in women with reproductive failure: The Korean Society for Reproductive Immunology practice guidelines.

The task force of the Korean Society for Reproductive Immunology recommends intravenous immunoglobulin G treatment in women with reproductive failure, including recurrent pregnancy loss and/or repeated implantation failure, who show cellular immune factors such as abnormal natural killer cell levels, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and/or type 1 T helper immunity.

Expression of TWIST in the first-trimester trophoblast and decidual tissue of women with recurrent pregnancy losses.

Problem: In this study, we aim to investigate if the expression of TWIST in the first-trimester placenta and decidua has any association with spontaneous abortion (SAB) and recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL).

Methods: Expression of TWIST was measured in the first-trimester trophoblast and decidual tissues using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Women with a pregnancy loss comprised the study group (AB group) including women with two or more recurrent pregnancy loses (RPL group), and women with a spontaneous abortion who had no history of previous pregnancy losses (SAB group).

Flexible bottom-gate graphene transistors on Parylene C substrate and the effect of current annealing.

Flexible graphene transistors built on a biocompatible Parylene C substrate would enable active circuitry to be integrated into flexible implantable biomedical devices. An annealing method to improve the performance of a flexible transistor without damaging the flexible substrate is also desirable. Here, we present a fabrication method of a flexible graphene transistor with a bottom-gate coplanar structure on a Parylene C substrate.

Fabrication and utility of a transparent graphene neural electrode array for electrophysiology, in vivo imaging, and optogenetics.

Transparent graphene-based neural electrode arrays provide unique opportunities for simultaneous investigation of electrophysiology, various neural imaging modalities, and optogenetics. Graphene electrodes have previously demonstrated greater broad-wavelength transmittance (∼90%) than other transparent materials such as indium tin oxide (∼80%) and ultrathin metals (∼60%). This protocol describes how to fabricate and implant a graphene-based microelectrocorticography (μECoG) electrode array and subsequently use this alongside electrophysiology, fluorescence microscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and optogenetics.

Pregnancy and fertilization potential of immature oocytes retrieved in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the pregnancy potential of immature (metaphase I or germinal vesicle stage) oocytes retrieved in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.

Methods: A total of 1,871 couples with infertility underwent 2,984 ICSI cycles. Cycles in which three or fewer oocytes were retrieved were included in this study in order to evaluate the pregnancy potential of immature oocytes.

Artificial oocyte activation in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles using testicular sperm in human in vitro fertilization.

Objective: Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is an effective method to avoid total fertilization failure in human in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. AOA performed using a calcium ionophore can induce calcium oscillation in oocytes and initiate the fertilization process. We evaluated the usefulness of AOA with a calcium ionophore in cases of total fertilization failure in previous cycles and in cases of severe male factor infertility patients with non-motile spermatozoa after pentoxifylline (PF) treatment.

High-performance green flexible electronics based on biodegradable cellulose nanofibril paper.

Today's consumer electronics, such as cell phones, tablets and other portable electronic devices, are typically made of non-renewable, non-biodegradable, and sometimes potentially toxic (for example, gallium arsenide) materials. These consumer electronics are frequently upgraded or discarded, leading to serious environmental contamination. Thus, electronic systems consisting of renewable and biodegradable materials and minimal amount of potentially toxic materials are desirable.