Intercalation-Induced Irreversible Lattice Distortion in Layered Double Hydroxides.

Inducing strain in the lattice effectively enhances the intrinsic activity of electrocatalysts by shifting the metal's d-band center and tuning the binding energy of reaction intermediates. NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe LDHs) are promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to their cost-effectiveness and high catalytic activity. The distorted β-NiOOH phase produced by the Jahn-Teller effect under the oxidation polarization is known to exhibit superior catalytic activity, but it eventually transforms to the undistorted γ-NiOOH phase during the OER process.

Effect of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, DWP16001, as an add-on therapy to insulin for diabetic dogs: A pilot study.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a novel class of anti-hyperglycaemic agents.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and the adjuvant glycaemic control effect of an SGLT2 inhibitor, DWP16001, in diabetic dogs receiving insulin treatment.

Methods: Nineteen diabetic dogs receiving insulin treatment (NPH, porcine lente and glargine insulin) were divided into two groups according to dosing frequency: DWP TOD group (n = 10) and DWP SID group (n = 9).

Hierarchical Heterogeneous NiFe Layered Double Hydroxides for Efficient Solar-Powered Water Oxidation.

Highly active, stable, and low-cost oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts are urgently needed for the realization of large-scale industrial hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) stand out as one of the most promising nonprecious electrocatalysts worth pursuing. Here, a hierarchical heterogeneous NiFe@NiFe LDH was successfully synthesized via a sequential electrodeposition technique using separate electrolytes containing iron precursors with different valence states (Fe, Fe).

Evaluation of safety and anti-obesity effects of DWP16001 in naturally obese dogs.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effects of DWP16001, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2 inhibitor), in naturally obese dogs. A total of 20 dogs were divided into four equal groups: one obese control (OC group), and three treated groups; DWP0.2 group, DWP0.

Postoperative results of ventilation tube insertion: a retrospective multicenter study for suggestion of grading system of otitis media with effusion.

Background: In otitis media with effusion (OME), it is important to know when to surgically intervene and when careful monitoring is more appropriate. This study aimed to visualize and classify the clinical manifestations of OME and the correlation between the new grading system and postoperative results after ventilation tube insertion (VTI).

Methods: We classified the collective 1,012 ears from 506 patients into six groups: grade 0 (no effusion), grade I (scant effusion, but abnormal), grade II (effusion less than half of the tympanic cavity), grade III (effusion over half of the tympanic cavity, with air bubbles), grade IV (complete effusion), and grade V (retracted tympanic membrane or hemotympanum without air bubbles).

Intratympanic steroid injection for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: Impact of injection interval on therapeutic efficacy.

Objective: To compare the effect of injection time intervals of intratympanic (IT) dexamethasone (DEX) in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).

Methods: Seventy-five adults with ISSNHL were grouped into four groups according to the IT DEX interval. In addition to concurrent oral steroid medication for two weeks, patients received IT DEX injections every 1, 2, 3, and four days, respectively.

Macrophage Depletion in CCR2-/- Mice Delays Bacterial Clearance and Enhances Neutrophil Infiltration in an Acute Otitis Media Model.

Background: Otitis media (OM) is a common and potentially serious disease of childhood. Although OM is multifactorial on origin, bacterial infection is a unifying component. Many studies have established a critical role for innate immunity in bacterial clearance and OM resolution.

Lack of the hyaluronan receptor CD44 affects the course of bacterial otitis media and reduces leukocyte recruitment to the middle ear.

Background: CD44 is a multifunctional molecule that plays major roles in both leukocyte recruitment and tissue proliferation. Since mucosal hyperplasia and leukocyte infiltration of the middle ear cavity are major features of otitis media, we evaluated the role of CD44 in the pathophysiology and course of this disease in a mouse model of middle ear infection. Expression of genes related to CD44 function were evaluated using gene arrays in wild-type mice.

Modulation of the intestinal microbiota of dogs by kefir as a functional dairy product.

Kefir is a traditional dairy product with multiple probiotic characteristics derived from its associated microorganisms, including more than 50 species of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. For centuries, many people have produced kefir for human consumption; its consumption and potential role as a probiotic supplement in companion animals have never been tested. The present study explored the potential application of kefir as a probiotic supplement for dogs.

Comparison Of Isokinetic Muscle Strength And Clinical Outcomebetween Isolated And Combined PCL Reconstruction.

The purposes of this study was to 1) compare the functional result and muscle strength between patients who underwent reconstruction by isolated posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and combined PCLposeterolateral corner sling (PLCS) reconstruction. Nineteen (Group I: isolated PCL reconstruction) and 30 (Group II: combined PCL-PLCS reconstruction) were compared. The clinical results and isokinetic muscle strength were compared between groups.

Comparison of Clinical Presentation and Surgical Outcomes Between Recurrent Acute Rhinosinusitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Introduction: The authors assessed clinical presentations and anatomic variants among patients with recurrent acute rhinosinusitis (RARS), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), and CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Additionally, differences in the postoperative improvement of each category were evaluated.

Methods: The authors performed an analysis of 304 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery.

Changes of video head impulse test results in lateral semicircular canal plane by different peak head velocities in patients with vestibular neuritis.

Background: The peak head velocity influences on the video head impulse test (vHIT) results, but it has been not known how much the difference is.

Aims: To evaluate the clinical evidence for the superiority of high-velocity compared to low-velocity vHIT.

Material And Methods: vHIT was performed in 30 patients with vestibular neuritis using two peak head velocities (mean 80 vs.

Screening Mammalian Cochlear Hair Cells to Identify Critical Processes in Aminoglycoside-Mediated Damage.

There is considerable interest in discovering drugs with the potential to protect inner ear hair cells (HCs) from damage. One means of discovery is to screen compound libraries. Excellent screening protocols have been developed employing cell lines derived from the cochlea and zebrafish larvae.

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in dialysis patients.

Although sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) affects chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients more frequently than non-CKD patients, few reports have described SSNHL in dialysis patients. We aimed to review the characteristics of SSNHL in chronic dialysis patients and evaluate treatment responses to steroid therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the records of dialysis patients diagnosed with idiopathic SSNHL at Asan Medical Center between January 2000 and December 2014.

Moderating Effects of Prevention-Focus on the Paths from Two Insecure Attachment Dimensions to Depression.

The present study investigated the moderating effects of prevention-focus on the paths from the dimensions of insecure attachment (attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety) to depression. Two hundred twenty eight Korean college students completed the Experience in Close Relationship - Revised Scale; the Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale; and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results revealed a significant moderating effect for prevention-focus on the path from attachment avoidance to depression, but not on the path from attachment anxiety to depression.

Time series analysis of patients seeking orthodontic treatment at Seoul National University Dental Hospital over the past decade.

Objective: This paper describes changes in the characteristics of patients seeking orthodontic treatment over the past decade and the treatment they received, to identify any seasonal variations or trends.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included all patients who presented to Seoul National University Dental Hospital for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015. The study analyzed a set of heterogeneous variables grouped into the following categories: demographic (age, gender, and address), clinical (Angle Classification, anomaly, mode of orthodontic treatment, removable appliances for Phase 1 treatment, fixed appliances for Phase 2 treatment, orthognathic surgery, extraction, mini-plate, mini-implant, and patient transfer) and time-related variables (date of first visit and orthodontic treatment time).

Is Facial or Head Pain Related to the Location of Lesions on Computed Tomography in Chronic Rhinosinusitis?

Background: Facial or head pain is not an infrequent symptom among patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), but few reports have investigated the pain in CRS, including the relationship between pain and sites of CRS. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pain is related to the location of lesions on computed tomography (CT) in CRS.

Methods: We analyzed 203 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for 2 years.

Prognostic Factors for Recovery from Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Retrospective Study.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to investigate prognostic factors in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).

Subjects And Methods: From January 2007 to December 2011, a retrospective chart review identified 494 consecutive patients with ISSNHL. Demographic, audiometric, and clinical data were analyzed using a logistic regression test.

Simultaneous versus Sequential Intratympanic Steroid Treatment for Severe-to-Profound Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Objectives: Severe-to-profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has a poor prognosis. We aimed to compare the efficacy of simultaneous and sequential oral and intratympanic steroids for this condition.

Methods: Fifty patients with severe-to-profound SSNHL (>70 dB HL) were included from 7 centers.

Effect of a 4-Week Treatment with Cilostazol in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized, Prospective, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Pilot Study.

Objective: The aim of this prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of cilostazol, a selective phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, in patients with chronic tinnitus.

Materials And Methods: Adult patients of chronic tinnitus lasting more than 3 months were included. Fifty eligible patients were randomly assigned to either cilostazol or control (placebo) group.

Novel stilbene-based Fischer base analog of leuco-TAM - (2E,2'Z)-{2-(4-(E)-styrylphenyl)propane-1,3-diylidene}bis(1,3,3-trimethylindoline) - derivatives: synthesis and structural consideration by 1D NMR and 2D NMR spectroscopy.

We report the synthesis of a series of novel stilbene-based (St) Fischer base analogs of leuco-triarylmethane (LTAM) dyes by treating Fischer base with (E)-4-styrylbenzaldehyde derivatives. All St-LTAM molecules examined herein are characterized by 1D and 2D NMR. They were found to exhibit ZE configuration and isomerize to their diastereomers EE and ZZ in 2-3 h.

Vegetable or pulse granuloma in the nasal cavity.

Vegetable granuloma or pulse granuloma results from the implantation of food particles of vegetable origin. Pulse granulomas have mainly been reported in association with lung aspirations, the oral cavity with a history of oral procedures and less frequently in gastrointestinal tracks. We report a 31-year-old woman who presented with right nasal obstruction and was found to have a firm mass in the right nasal cavity.

A multicenter randomized double-blind study: comparison of the Epley, Semont, and sham maneuvers for the treatment of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

We evaluated the short-term efficacy of Epley, Semont, and sham maneuvers for resolving posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in a prospective multicenter randomized double-blind controlled study. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: Epley (36 patients), Semont (32 patients), and sham (Epley maneuver for the unaffected side, 31 patients). Out of 14 institutes which participated in this study, 5 institutes had previous experience of the Epley but not the Semont maneuver and the other 9 had previous experience of both maneuvers.

Vulnerability to acoustic trauma in the normal hearing ear with contralateral hearing loss.

Objectives: We undertook an animal study to investigate the functional and histological changes that occur in the normal hearing ear of following acoustic trauma.

Methods: As an animal model of unilateral hearing loss, the right ears of CBA mice were deafened by cochlear destruction at 6 weeks of age (SSD group). The control groups included mice that underwent a sham surgery, and mice that were exposed to noise binaurally and monaurally (by plugging the right ear completely).

Results of anterior facial nerve rerouting procedures for removing skull base tumors.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to estimate the rates of functional recovery of the facial nerve and of total tumor resection in patients who undergo short anterior rerouting and long anterior rerouting of the facial nerve in removal of skull base tumors.

Methods: We retrospectively collected data on 37 patients with skull base tumors who underwent facial nerve rerouting during the procedure for tumor removal. Information on the rerouting technique, the completeness of tumor resection, and changes in facial nerve function were obtained from the medical records.