Smart Contact Lens for Colorimetric Visualization of Glucose Levels in the Body Fluid.

Frequent blood glucose monitoring is a crucial routine for diabetic patients. Traditional invasive methods can cause discomfort and pain and even pose a risk of infection. As a result, researchers have been exploring noninvasive techniques.

Thymosin Beta 4 Inhibits LPS and ATP-Induced Hepatic Stellate Cells via the Regulation of Multiple Signaling Pathways.

Risk signals are characteristic of many common inflammatory diseases and can function to activate nucleotide-binding oligomerization (NLR) family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3), the innate immune signal receptor in cytoplasm. The NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the development of liver fibrosis. Activated NLRP3 nucleates the assembly of inflammasomes, leading to the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, the activation of caspase-1, and the initiation of the inflammatory process.

Antioxidation and anti-inflammatory effects of gamma-irradiated silk sericin and fibroin in H2O2-induced HaCaT Cell.

Oxidative stress in skin cells can induce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are critical for pathogenic processes such as immunosuppression, inflammation, and skin aging. In this study, we confirmed improvements from gamma-irradiated silk sericin (I-sericin) and gamma-irradiated silk fibroin (I-fibroin) to skin cells damaged by oxidative stress. We found that I-sericin and I-fibroin effectively attenuated oxidative stress-induced ROS generation and decreased oxidative stress-induced inflammatory factors COX-2, iNOS, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β compared to the use of non-irradiated sericin or fibroin.

Nursing Experience of New Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Military Hospitals: A Qualitative Study.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of new nurses with less than one year of clinical experience in caring for COVID-19 patients in a military hospital. In-depth interviews were conducted with six new nurses working in a negative-pressure isolation unit of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi, and 12 themes were derived and classified into four clusters: burden of nursing in isolation units; hardship of nursing critically ill patients; efforts to perform nursing tasks; positive changes through patient care.

Systematic Approach to Mimic Phenolic Natural Polymers for Biofabrication.

In nature, phenolic biopolymers are utilized as functional tools and molecular crosslinkers to control the mechanical properties of biomaterials. Of particular interest are phenolic proteins/polysaccharides from living organisms, which are rich in catechol and/or gallol groups. Their strong underwater adhesion is attributed to the representative phenolic molecule, catechol, which stimulates intermolecular and intramolecular crosslinking induced by oxidative polymerization.

Immature Persimmon Suppresses Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Mediated Cognitive Dysfunction via Tau Pathology in ICR Mice.

This study confirmed the ameliorating effect of immature persimmon () ethanolic extract (IPEE) on neuronal cytotoxicity in amyloid beta (Aβ)-induced ICR mice. The administration of IPEE ameliorated the cognitive dysfunction in Aβ-induced mice by improving the spatial working memory, the short-term and long-term memory functions. IPEE protected the cerebral cholinergic system, such as the acetylcholine (ACh) level and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and antioxidant system, such as the superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents.

Immune-enhancing effects of gamma-irradiated sericin.

Gamma radiation changes the molecular structure and activity of proteins, which in turn changes their physiological effects. Sericin, one of the silk peptides, has beneficial effects to humans such as inducing apoptosis, acting as an anti-oxidant. The effects of gamma irradiation on the physiological activity of fibroin have been studied, but its effects on sericin alone have not yet been established.

Thymosin beta 4 attenuates PrP(106-126)-induced human brain endothelial cells dysfunction.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective permeability barrier that separates the circulating blood from the brain and extracellular fluid in the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB is formed by cerebral endothelial cells connected by tight junctions. Prion diseases are neurodegenerative pathologies characterized by the accumulation of altered forms of the prion protein (PrP), named PrP.

Ulmus macrocarpa Hance modulates lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia via activation of AMPK pathway.

Ulmus macrocarpa Hance as an oriental medicinal plant has shown enormous potential for the treatment of several metabolic disorders in Korea. Hyperlipidemia, which is characterized by the excess accumulation of lipid contents in the bloodstream, may lead to several cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, in this study, anti-hyperlipidemic potential of U.

Thymosin beta 4-Induced Autophagy Increases Cholinergic Signaling in PrP (106-126)-Treated HT22 Cells.

Prion protein peptide (PrP) has been associated with neurotoxicity in brain cells and progression of prion diseases due to spongiform degeneration and accumulation of the infectious scrapie prion protein (PrP). Autophagy has been shown to provide protective functions for neurodegenerative diseases, including prion disease. Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ) plays a key role in the nervous system, providing a neuronal growth effect that includes motility, neurite outgrowth, and proliferation.

Murine γδ T Cells Render B Cells Refractory to Commitment of IgA Isotype Switching.

γδ T cells are abundant in the gut mucosa and play an important role in adaptive immunity as well as innate immunity. Although γδ T cells are supposed to be associated with the enhancement of Ab production, the status of γδ T cells, particularly in the synthesis of IgA isotype, remains unclear. We compared Ig expression in T cell receptor delta chain deficient (TCRδ) mice with wild-type mice.

Antioxidant Activity of Royal Jelly Hydrolysates Obtained by Enzymatic Treatment.

Recently, research on the processing of raw functional materials with the aim of improving various physiological activities has been conducted. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activity of royal jelly (RJ) hydrolysates obtained from three commercial proteases. Enzyme-treated royal jelly (ERJ), in which the RJ hydrolysates were converted into easy-to-absorb shorter chain monomers through the removal of two known allergen proteins, showed no difference in the content of ()-10-hydroxydec-2-enoicacid (10-HDA) or the freshness parameter and showed a significant increase in total free amino acid content.

Effects of 7-MEGA 500 on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Skin Regeneration in HO-Treated Skin Cells.

Environmental stimuli can lead to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is one of the risk factors for premature skin aging. Here, we investigated the protective effects of 7-MEGA 500 (50% palmitoleic acid, 7-MEGA) against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and its underlying therapeutic mechanisms in the HaCaT human skin keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells). Our results showed that treatment with 7-MEGA prior to hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced damage significantly increased the viability of HaCaT cells.

The Relation Between the Presence of Aspiration or Penetration and the Clinical Indicators of Dysphagia in Poststroke Survivors.

Objective: To examine the relation between the presence of penetration or aspiration and the occurrence of the clinical indicators of dysphagia. The presence of penetration or aspiration is closely related to the clinical indicators of dysphagia. It is essential to understand these relationships in order to implement proper diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia.

Retinoic acid acts as a selective human IgA switch factor.

Retinoic acid (RA) is known to have several functions that lead to a potent mucosal IgA response. Nevertheless, its exact role in human IgA synthesis has yet to be elucidated. Thus, we investigated the role of RA in promoting IgA isotype switching in human B cells.

Alum Directly Modulates Murine B Lymphocytes to Produce IgG1 Isotype.

Aluminum hydroxide (alum) is the most widely used adjuvant in human vaccines. Nevertheless, it is virtually unknown whether alum acts on B cells. In the present study, we explored the direct effect of alum on Ig expression by murine B cells in vitro.