Observation of the Identical Rigidity Dependence of He, C, and O Cosmic Rays at High Rigidities by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station.

We report the observation of new properties of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O measured in the rigidity (momentum/charge) range 2 GV to 3 TV with 90×10^{6} helium, 8.4×10^{6} carbon, and 7.0×10^{6} oxygen nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during the first five years of operation.

Inflammation, Impaired Motility, and Permeability in a Guinea Pig Model of Postoperative Ileus.

Background/aims: Postoperative ileus (POI) is characterized by impaired propulsive function of the gastrointestinal tract after surgery. Although inflammation is considered to be an important pathogenesis of POI, significant data are lacking. We aim to correlate the recovery time of postoperative dysmotility with that of inflammation and mucosal permeability.

Feature-Specific Organization of Feedback Pathways in Mouse Visual Cortex.

Higher and lower cortical areas in the visual hierarchy are reciprocally connected [1]. Although much is known about how feedforward pathways shape receptive field properties of visual neurons, relatively little is known about the role of feedback pathways in visual processing. Feedback pathways are thought to carry top-down signals, including information about context (e.

Comparison of Periorbital Anthropometry Between Beauty Pageant Contestants and Ordinary Young Women with Korean Ethnicity: A Three-Dimensional Photogrammetric Analysis.

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in the periorbital anthropometry between national Beauty Pageant Contestants and Ordinary Young Women with Korean ethnicity.

Methods: Forty-three Beauty Pageant Contestants who were elected for the national beauty contest and forty-eight Ordinary Young Women underwent 3D photography. The authors analyzed 3D photogrammetric measures regarding periorbital soft tissue.

Self-expandable Graft Stenting in an Iatrogenic Fistula between Common Carotid Artery and Internal Jugular Vein.

A 47-year-old woman with stage IV chronic kidney disease developed a fistula between common carotid artery (CCA) and internal jugular vein (IJV) during central catheterization of the right IJV. The patient was treated with a self-expandable graft stent, which achieved successful closure of the carotid-jugular fistula. As demonstrated in our case, self-expandable graft stents could be a feasible treatment option for CCA-IJV fistulas without additional interventional procedures such as balloon angioplasty.

Comparative analysis of the microbial communities in raw milk produced in different regions of Korea.

Objective: The control of psychrotrophic bacteria causing milk spoilage and illness due to toxic compounds is an important issue in the dairy industry. In South Korea, Gangwon-do province is one of the coldest terrains in which eighty percent of the area is mountainous regions, and mainly plays an important role in the agriculture and dairy industries. The purposes of this study were to analyze the indigenous microbiota of raw milk in Gangwon-do and accurately investigate a putative microbial group causing deterioration in milk quality.

[Endoscopic Treatment of Gastric Adenoma].

Gastric adenoma (dysplasia) is a precancerous lesion. Therefore, managements of gastric adenomas are important for preventing the development of gastric cancers and for detecting gastric cancers at earlier stages. The Vienna classification divides gastric adenomas into two categories: high-grade dysplasia and low-grade dysplasia.

Common bile duct stones associated with pancreatobiliary reflux and disproportionate bile duct dilatation.

Occult pancreatobiliary reflux (PBR) in patients with a normal pancreatobiliary junction has been studied by various methods, but the exact etiology, mechanisms, and implications of this reflux have not yet been clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of PBR and patterns of biliary ductal dilatation in patients with acute calculous cholangitis by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).We retrospectively evaluated the degree of PBR and pattern of bile duct dilatation in patients with acute calculous cholangitis due to distal CBD (common bile duct) stones (Group A) as compared with patients with malignant CBD obstruction due to distal CBD cancer (Group B).

Correction: Functional restoration of the esophagus after peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Development of a new lactic acid bacterial inoculant for fresh rice straw silage.

Objective: Effects of newly isolated on the fermentation and chemical composition of fresh rice straw silage was evaluated in this study.

Methods: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from good crop silage were screened by growing them in MRS broth and a minimal medium with low carbohydrate content. Selected LAB (LAB 1821) were Gram-positive, rods, catalase negative, and were identified to be based on their biochemical characteristics and a 16S rRNA analysis.

Clinical implication of endoscopic gross appearance in superficial esophageal squamous carcinoma: revisited.

Background: Standard endoscopic appearance is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of superficial esophageal squamous carcinoma (SESC). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the endoscopic gross appearance and the clinicopathologic characteristics of SESC.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics of SESC according to gross endoscopic appearance in 275 patients with SESC that underwent esophagectomy or endoscopic resection (ER).

Functional restoration of the esophagus after peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia.

Purpose: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a new efficacious treatment option for achalasia. We propose to define "esophageal remodeling" as the functional restoration of the esophagus that involves decreased lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, recovery of esophageal body peristalsis, and reduction of luminal diameter. The aim of this study was to investigate "esophageal remodeling" after POEM for achalasia.

The Effect of Peripheral CRF Peptide and Water Avoidance Stress on Colonic and Gastric Transit in Guinea Pigs.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common gastrointestinal (GI) diseases; however, there is frequent overlap between FD and IBS patients. Emerging evidence links the activation of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptors with stress-related alterations of gastric and colonic motor function. Therefore, we investigated the effect of peripheral CRF peptide and water avoidance stress (WAS) on upper and lower GI transit in guinea pigs.

Synergetic Resonance Matching of a Microphone and a Photoacoustic Cell.

We propose an approach to match the resonant characteristics of a photoacoustic cell with that of a microphone in order to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio in the photoacoustic sensor system. The synergetic resonance matching of a photoacoustic cell and a microphone was achieved by observing that photoacoustic cell resonance is merged with microphone resonance, in addition to conducting numerical and analytical simulations. Using this approach, we show that the signal-to-noise ratio was increased 3.

Protective effect of cirsimaritin against streptozotocin-induced apoptosis in pancreatic beta cells.

Objectives: Maintaining glucose homoeostasis is essential for the survival of cells. Despite the various health benefits of Korean thistle (Cirsium japonicum var. maackii), their effects on pancreatic β-cell apoptosis in type 1 diabetes mellitus and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and experimentally investigated in this study.

Aesthetic Applications of Botulinum Toxin A in Asians: An International, Multidisciplinary, Pan-Asian Consensus.

Background: Botulinum toxin type A remains the most popular nonsurgical aesthetic treatment worldwide. Previous consensus statements have focused on Caucasians and on Koreans as generally representative of Asians. However, indications and dosages vary among different ethnic groups.

One-Pot Synthesis of α-Branched N-Acylamines via Titanium-Mediated Condensation of Amides, Aldehydes, and Organometallics.

A three-component, titanium-mediated synthesis of α-branched N-acylamines from commercial or readily accessible amides, aldehydes, and organometallic reagents is reported. The transformation proceeds under mild reaction conditions and tolerates a variety of functional groups (including nitrile, carbamate, olefin, basic amine, furan, and other sensitive heteroaromatics) to generate a large umbrella of α-branched N-acylamine products in high yields. The operationally practical procedure enables the use of this method in parallel chemical synthesis, a valuable feature that can facilitate the screening of bioactive molecules by medicinal chemists.

A 2.5-D glass micromodel for investigation of multi-phase flow in porous media.

We developed a novel method for fabrication of glass micromodels with varying depth (2.5-D) with no additional complexity over the 2-D micromodels' fabrication. Compared to a 2-D micromodel, the 2.

Risk-Stratification Model Based on Lymph Node Metastasis After Noncurative Endoscopic Resection for Early Gastric Cancer.

Background: Patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) who have undergone noncurative endoscopic resection (ER) generally require additional surgery due to the possibility of lymph node metastasis (LNM). This study aimed to develop a reliable risk-stratification system to predict LNM after noncurative ER for EGC.

Methods: A total of 2368 patients had a diagnosis of EGC and underwent ER.

The Impact of Engorged Vein within Traumatic Posterior Neck Muscle Identified in Preoperative Computed Tomography Angiography to Estimated Blood Loss during Posterior Upper Cervical Spine Surgery.

Objective: Injuries of upper cervical spine are potentially fatal. Thus, appropriate diagnosis and treatment is essential. In our institute, preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been performed for evaluation of injuries of bony and vascular structure.