Heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WB3813 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WB3814 Alleviate LPS-Induced Inflammatory Damage and Apoptosis in A549 Cells.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic lung inflammation and apoptosis. Although paraprobiotics are known for their beneficial effects on respiratory health, research on their effect on COPD is limited. In this study, we investigated the effects of heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WB3813 and Lact.

Multicenter evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on the uptake of endoscopic skills by gastroenterology trainees.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly decreased procedural volume in 2020, thus limiting training opportunities. First-year fellows (1YF) are particularly susceptible to reduction in endoscopic volume as they build foundational endoscopic skills. We used an objective validated tool, the Assessment of Competency in Endoscopy (ACE), to determine the effect of the pandemic on endoscopy competency in gastroenterology fellows.

Genetic distribution of polymorphisms in the shadow of prion protein (SPRN) gene in Jeju black cattle.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in cattle that poses risks to public health and has economic consequences. The shadow of prion protein encoded by the shadow of prion protein (SPRN) gene affects prion disease progression. A 12-base-pair indel polymorphism in the SPRN gene has been implicated in BSE susceptibility in Polish cattle.

Improving Sensitive Skin Diagnosis by Integrating Diagnostic Questionnaires, Lactic Acid Sting Test, and Lipid Profiling.

Background: Sensitive skin (SS) is characterized by subjective symptoms, including burning, stinging, and itching, which occur with the use of cosmetics. Over 40% of the population experiences skin sensitivity, yet no clear standards for evaluating SS have been established.

Aim: To diagnose SS by combining lactic acid sting test (LAST), skin irritation tests, and biophysical measurements with a developed questionnaire, validating the characteristics through quantitative analysis of natural moisturizing factors (NMF) and lipid profiles.

Endoscopic Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy through a fiber microprobe.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a powerful analytical method not only for the chemical identification of solid, liquid, and gas species but also for the quantification of their concentration. However, the chemical quantification capability of FTIR is significantly hindered when the analyte is surrounded by a strong IR absorbing medium, such as liquid solutions. To overcome this limit, here we develop an IR fiber microprobe that can be inserted into a liquid medium and obtain full FTIR spectra at points of interest.

The Burden of Care for Cervical Necrotizing Fasciitis in a Resource-constrained Setting.

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a soft tissue infection that is primarily characterized by fast spread along the fascial planes and adjacent cutaneous tissues. Cervico-facial necrotizing fasciitis (CNF) usually presents with severe intense pain with a polymicrobial odontogenic source. Early diagnosis with aggressive management, usually involving appropriate antibiotic selection, surgical debridement, and wound care, is key to achieving a good outcome.

Enhanced Alkaline Water Electrolysis by the Rational Decoration of RuO with the In Situ-Grown CoFe Nanolayer.

Rational engineering of the surfaces of heterogeneous catalysts (especially the surfaces of supported metals) can endow intriguing catalytic functionalities for electrochemical reactions. However, it often requires complicated steps, and even if it does not, breaking the trade-off between activity and stability is quite challenging. Herein, we present a strategy for reconstructing supported catalysts via in situ growth of metallic nanolayers from the perovskite oxide support.

Return-to-Work Support Needs and Influencing Factors Among Korean Young Adult Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To investigate the need for return-to-work (RTW) support among young adult cancer survivors and identify influencing factors.

Sample & Setting: This cross-sectional study included 134 Korean young adult cancer survivors, recruited in two days in April 2022 through an online survey.

Methods & Variables: The study measured the need for RTW support, cancer stigma, cancer fatigue, and social support.

Sleep Hygiene Education, ReadiWatch™ Actigraphy, and Telehealth Cognitive Behavioral Training for Insomnia for People With Prostate Cancer.

Objectives: To test the feasibility of sleep hygiene education and longitudinal wrist actigraph sleep metrics measurement alone versus in combination with telehealth-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (teleCBT-I) for people with prostate cancer (PC) receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Sample & Setting: 45 men with PC receiving ADT were recruited from a midwestern comprehensive cancer center.

Methods & Variables: Participants were provided with wrist actigraphs, their individual sleep metrics data, and sleep hygiene education.

Charge Transport Regulation in Solution-Processed OLEDs by Indenocarbazole-Triazine Bipolar Host Copolymers.

This work reports the synthesis of a series of bipolar host polymers, specifically , , and , which incorporate a hole-transporting unit, 7,7-dimethyl-5-phenyl-2-(4-vinylphenyl)-5,7-dihydroindeno[2,1-]carbazole , and an electron-transporting unit, 2,4-diphenyl-6-(4-vinylphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine . These polymers are meticulously designed to achieve efficient bipolar charge transport while exhibiting high triplet energy levels (T), robust thermal stability, and smooth surface morphology. The tunability of the recombination zone position was achieved by adjusting the relative ratio of the hole and electron transport units in the emissive layer, leading to optimized charge balance and enhanced device performance.

Electrostatics of salt-dependent reentrant phase behaviors highlights diverse roles of ATP in biomolecular condensates.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) involving intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) is a major physical mechanism for biological membraneless compartmentalization. The multifaceted electrostatic effects in these biomolecular condensates are exemplified here by experimental and theoretical investigations of the different salt- and ATP-dependent LLPSs of an IDR of messenger RNA-regulating protein Caprin1 and its phosphorylated variant pY-Caprin1, exhibiting, for example, reentrant behaviors in some instances but not others. Experimental data are rationalized by physical modeling using analytical theory, molecular dynamics, and polymer field-theoretic simulations, indicating that interchain ion bridges enhance LLPS of polyelectrolytes such as Caprin1 and the high valency of ATP-magnesium is a significant factor for its colocalization with the condensed phases, as similar trends are observed for other IDRs.

Influence of Operator's Experience on Mechanical Properties of Nickel-Titanium Instruments After Usage.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the operator's experience level on the cyclic fatigue and torsional resistance of OneCurve (OC) and OneRECI (OR) instruments. Four inexperienced clinicians and four endodontists shaped endo-training blocks. Instruments were then subjected to cyclic fatigue and torsional tests under body temperature (37°C) condition (n = 10).

Risk of cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal bleeding is comparable between celecoxib and non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) between celecoxib and non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsNSAIDs) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Method: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, adult AS patients who received newly prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) continuously for ≥ 30 days (celecoxib or nsNSAIDs) between 2013 and 2017 were evaluated. The co-primary outcomes were the occurrence of composite CVD events, including hospitalization for myocardial infarction, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, heart failure, and coronary revascularization; and composite GIB, including hospitalization for upper and lower GIB.

A propensity-matched comparison of plug- versus suture-based vascular closure after TAVI.

Background: Vascular access site complications are associated with increased morbidity and mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Current results comparing strategies with plug- (P-VCD; MANTA) and suture-based vascular closure devices (S-VCD; Perclose ProGlide) remain inconsistent.

Aims: It was our aim to assess the incidence of access-related vascular complications after P-VCD or S-VCD strategies after transfemoral TAVI.

Extracellular vesicles of SLAM216 ameliorate skin symptoms of atopic dermatitis by regulating gut microbiome on serotonin metabolism.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a globally prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood, resulting in considerable therapeutic challenges. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of the interaction between AD and gut microbiome.

Data-driven model as a post-process for daily streamflow prediction in ungauged basins.

Streamflow prediction in ungauged basins (PUB) remains a significant challenge in water resource planning and management. Although recent studies have proposed various approaches to reduce prediction errors using data-driven models (DDMs), further efforts are needed to improve applicability and accuracy of predictions in ungauged basins. This study proposes a framework that utilizes DDM as a post-processor to enhance the PUB performance of process-based models (PBMs) or DDMs and investigates its applicability.

Cacao floral traits are shaped by the interaction of flower position with genotype.

Understanding the factors influencing cacao flower morphology and abundance is essential for optimizing productivity. This study investigated the influence of vertical flower position and associated environmental and physiological gradients on these traits across two cacao genotypes, CCN51 and SCA6, under controlled greenhouse conditions. We measured flower size (lateral area, length, width, and perimeter), shape, and abundance at different developmental stages and vertical tree heights.

Corrigendum: Recent advances of additively manufactured noninvasive kinematic biosensors.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.

Study on Exergy Analysis of the Soda Ash Production Process by the Ammonium Sulfate-Soda Method.

The exergy calculation, especially chemical exergy calculation, is very intricated in the soda ash production process by the ammonium sulfate-soda method because the gas-liquid reaction and salt precipitation reaction occur simultaneously with the electrolyte ionic reaction in the NaSO-NH-CO-HO electrolyte system. The main aim of this study is to propose a significant and novel approach to calculate the chemical exergy of an aqueous electrolyte system accompanied by gas-liquid reaction and salt precipitation reaction, based on the Pitzer equation. We simulated the soda ash production process using Aspen Plus and performed exergy analysis based on the thermodynamic data obtained from the simulation.

Death Preparation and Quality of Life amongst Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients: A Multicentre Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: Caring for ill cancer patients imposes a considerable burden on families, significantly reducing quality of life (QoL). This study examined the association between death preparation and QoL amongst family caregivers (FCs) of terminally ill patients with cancer in South Korea.

Materials And Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted in nine inpatient palliative care units in South Korea.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Polydopamine-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles for Dual-Enhanced Photodynamic and Photothermal Cancer Therapy.

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a common cancer treatment strategy that combines the use of light, a photosensitizer, and oxygen to precisely generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the efficacy of this method is limited by the shallow tissue penetration of the short-wavelength lasers involved, and combination therapy with other treatments such as photothermal therapy (PTT) or radiation therapy requires additional lasers or instruments. A new dual therapy approach using a single laser could minimize the treatment procedure.

A Myosin Nanomotor Essential for Stereocilia Maintenance Expands the Etiology of Hereditary Hearing Loss DFNB3.

Cochlear hair cells transduce sound using stereocilia, and disruption to these delicate mechanosensors is a significant cause of hearing loss. Stereocilia architecture is dependent upon the nanomotor myosin 15. A short isoform (MYO15A-2) drives stereocilia development by delivering an elongation-promoting complex (EC) to stereocilia tips, and an alternatively spliced long isoform (MYO15A-1) tunes postnatal size in shorter stereocilia, which possess mechanosensitive ion channels.

Generation of antigen-specific paired chain antibody sequences using large language models.

The traditional process of antibody discovery is limited by inefficiency, high costs, and low success rates. Recent approaches employing artificial intelligence (AI) have been developed to optimize existing antibodies and generate antibody sequences in a target-agnostic manner. In this work, we present MAGE (Monoclonal Antibody GEnerator), a sequence-based Protein Language Model (PLM) fine-tuned for the task of generating paired human variable heavy and light chain antibody sequences against targets of interest.

Understanding monocyte-driven neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease using human brain organoid microphysiological systems.

Increasing evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis strongly correlates with neuroinflammation. Peripheral monocytes are crucial components of the human immune system that may play a role in neuroinflammation, but their contribution to AD pathogenesis is largely understudied partially due to the lack of appropriate human models. Here, we present human cortical organoid microphysiological systems (hCO-MPSs) for modeling dynamic AD neuroinflammation mediated by monocytes.

Cholesterol efflux protein, ABCA1, supports anti-cancer functions of myeloid immune cells.

Although immune therapy has seen significant advances, the majority of breast and other solid tumors do not respond or quickly develop resistance. One factor driving resistance is highly immune suppressive myeloid cells (MCs) such as macrophages. Previous work has established clinical links between cholesterol and cancer outcome, and that MC function can be regulated through disruption in cholesterol metabolism.