Water-Dispersible and Biocompatible Polymer-Based Organic Upconversion Nanoparticles for Transdermal Delivery.

Photomedicine, which utilizes light for therapeutic purposes, has several hurdles such as limited tissue penetration for short-wavelength light and inadequate deep tissue efficacy for long-wavelength light. Photon energy upconversion (UC) reveals promise in photomedicine because it enables the conversion of lower-energy photons into higher-energy photon. Lanthanide (Ln)-based inorganic UC system has been extensively studied but faces challenges, including high excitation laser power density, intrinsically subpar UC quantum efficiency, and potential biotoxicity.

Removal Efficiency of Bottom Ash and Sand Mixtures as Filter Layers for Fine Particulate Matter.

Permeable pavement is a technology that allows rainwater to infiltrate into the pavement. Permeable pavements not only help reduce surface runoff by allowing rainwater to infiltrate into the pavement, but also improve water quality with the filter layer that removes particulate matter pollutants. This study evaluated the particulate matter removal efficiency of bottom ash-sand mixtures as filter layers for removing fine (≤10 μm) or ultrafine (≤2.

Mechanism of Silica Nanoparticle-Induced Particulate Fouling in Vacuum Membrane Distillation.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a process driven by the vapor pressure difference dependent on temperature variation, utilizing a hydrophobic porous membrane. MD operates at low pressure and temperature, exhibiting resilience to osmotic pressure. However, a challenge arises as the membrane performance diminishes due to temperature polarization (TP) occurring on the membrane surface.

A Preliminary Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of a Smartphone-Based Machine Learning-Assisted System for Evaluation of Clinical Activity Score in Digital Images of Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy.

We previously developed a machine learning (ML)-assisted system for predicting the clinical activity score (CAS) in thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) using digital facial images taken by a digital single-lens reflex camera in a studio setting. In this study, we aimed to apply this system to smartphones and detect active TAO (CAS ≥3) using facial images captured by smartphone cameras. We evaluated the performance of our system on various smartphone models and compared it with the performance of ophthalmologists with varying clinical experience.

Cold-Responsive Hyaluronated Upconversion Nanoplatform for Transdermal Cryo-Photodynamic Cancer Therapy.

Cryotherapy leverages controlled freezing temperature interventions to engender a cascade of tumor-suppressing effects. However, its bottleneck lies in the standalone ineffectiveness. A promising strategy is using nanoparticle therapeutics to augment the efficacy of cryotherapy.

Fabrication of Yolk-Shell Structure with Multifarious Nanoparticles via Double-Layered Encapsulation Strategy.

The post-encapsulation method (such as single-layered encapsulation) is a promising strategy to synthesize yolk-shell structures that protect functional nanoparticles by the molecular sieving effect. However, this method exhibited limited loading capacity and nonuniform encapsulation during the co-encapsulation of various nanoparticles owing to the insufficient surface area for nanoparticle attachment. To address these limitations, we proposed a double-layered encapsulation method comprising an increased number of silica template layers and separate attachment of multifarious nanoparticles to different layers.

Reliability of ChatGPT for performing triage task in the emergency department using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can enable more efficient decision-making in healthcare settings. There is a growing interest in improving the speed and accuracy of AI systems in providing responses for given tasks in healthcare settings.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the reliability of ChatGPT in determining emergency department (ED) triage accuracy using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS).

Silica-Based Advanced Nanoparticles For Treating Ischemic Disease.

Recently, various attempts have been made to apply diverse types of nanoparticles in biotechnology. Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) have been highlighted and studied for their selective accumulation in diseased parts, strong physical and chemical stability, and low cytotoxicity. SNPs, in particular, are very suitable for use in drug delivery and bioimaging, and have been sought as a treatment for ischemic diseases.

Nanoencapsulated Phase-Change Materials: Versatile and Air-Tolerant Platforms for Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion.

Efficient and long-term stable triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) can be achieved by effectively protecting the excited organic triplet ensembles from photoinduced oxygen quenching, and discovery of a new material platform that promotes TTA-UC in ambient conditions is of paramount importance for practical applications. In this study, we present the first demonstration of an organic nonparaffin phase-change material (PCM) as an air-tolerant medium for TTA-UC with a unique solid-liquid phase transition in response to temperature variation. For the proposed concept, 2,4-hexadien-1-ol is used and extensively characterized with several key features, including good solvation capacity, mild melting point (30.

Yolk-Shell-Type Gold Nanoaggregates for Chemo- and Photothermal Combination Therapy for Drug-Resistant Cancers.

Epithelial ovarian cancer is a gynecological cancer with the highest mortality rate, and it exhibits resistance to conventional drugs. Gold nanospheres have gained increasing attention over the years as photothermal therapeutic nanoparticles, owing to their excellent biocompatibility, chemical stability, and ease of synthesis; however, their practical application has been hampered by their low colloidal stability and photothermal effects. In the present study, we developed a yolk-shell-structured silica nanocapsule encapsulating aggregated gold nanospheres (aAuYSs) and examined the photothermal effects of aAuYSs on cell death in drug-resistant ovarian cancers both and .

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Chemical-Mass Casualty Incident Response Education Module (C-MCIREM): A Pilot Simulation Study With a Before and After Design.

Background With the occurrence of a number of major disasters around the world, there is growing interest in chemical disaster medicine. In South Korea, there is a training program for mass casualty incidents (MCI) and backup by legal regulations by the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. However, there is no program focusing on chemical disasters.

Lessons learned from reviewing a hospital's disaster response to the hydrofluoric acid leak in Gumi city in 2012.

Background: This study analyzed the characteristics of hydrogen fluoride-exposed patients (HFEPs) treated in the emergency department (ED) of a local university hospital, and reviewed the hospital's disaster response according to space, staff, supplies, and systems (4Ss).

Methods: This retrospective observational chart review and descriptive study included 199 HFEPs among 2588 total ED patients who visited a local university emergency medical center for treatment between September 27, 2012 and October 20, 2012, following a hydrofluoric acid leak at the Hube Globe factory in Gumi City, Republic of Korea. Descriptive results concerning the 4Ss were obtained by interviewing ED specialist staff physicians on duty during the study period.

Versatile Yolk-Shell Encapsulation: Catalytic, Photothermal, and Sensing Demonstration.

Here, a novel, versatile synthetic strategy to fabricate a yolk-shell structured material that can encapsulate virtually any functional noble metal or metal oxide nanocatalysts of any morphology in a free suspension fashion is reported. This strategy also enables encapsulation of more than one type of nanoparticle inside a single shell, including paramagnetic iron oxide used for magnetic separation. The mesoporous organosilica shell provides efficient mass transfer of small target molecules, while serving as a size exclusion barrier for larger interfering molecules.

Effects of the formation of reactive chlorine species on oxidation process using persulfate and nano zero-valent iron.

The chloride ion (Cl) is a matrix ion that plays crucial roles in radical-based oxidation processes used to treat brackish or saline water. Here, the effects of the formation of reactive chlorine species on the performance of and reaction mechanisms involved in persulfate/nano zero-valent iron process were evaluated by investigating the reaction kinetics and performing reactive species scavenging tests. The phenol oxidation rate increased markedly in the early reaction stage in the presence of 25-200 mM of Cl.

Mechanically programmed 2D and 3D liquid crystal elastomers at macro- and microscale via two-step photocrosslinking.

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are a unique class of active materials with the largest known reversible shape transformation in the solid state. The shape change of LCEs is directed by programming their molecular orientation, and therefore, several strategies to control LC alignment have been developed. Although mechanical alignment coupled with a two-step crosslinking is commonly adopted for uniaxially-aligned monodomain LCE synthesis, the fabrication of 3D-shaped LCEs at the macro- and microscale has been rarely accomplished.

Allergic contact dermatitis of both eyes caused by alcaftadine 0.25%: a case report.

Background: To report the first case of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) associated with alcaftadine 0.25% ophthalmic solution.

Case Presentation: The patient was a 51-year-old woman with no previous history of side effects to ophthalmic antihistamine agents.

Upconverting Oil-Laden Hollow Mesoporous Silica Microcapsules for Anti-Stokes-Based Biophotonic Applications.

A recyclable, aqueous phase functioning and biocompatible photon upconverting system is developed. Hollow mesoporous silica microcapsules (HMSMs) with ordered radial mesochannels were employed, for the first time, as vehicles for the post-encapsulation of oil phase triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC), with the capability of homogeneous suspension in water. In-depth characterization of such upconverting oil-laden HMSMs (UC-HMSMs) showed that the mesoporous silica shells reversibly stabilized the encapsulated UC oil in water to allow efficient upconverted emission, even under aerated conditions.

Flexible and Micropatternable Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion Thin Films for Photonic Device Integration and Anticounterfeiting Applications.

Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) has recently drawn widespread interest for its capacity to harvest low-energy photons and to broaden the absorption spectra of photonic devices, such as solar cells. Although conceptually promising, effective integration of TTA-UC materials into practical devices has been difficult due to the diffusive and anoxic conditions required in TTA-UC host media. Of the solid-state host materials investigated, rubbery polymers facilitate the highest TTA-UC efficiency.

Morphological assessment of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal in Koreans.

The mandibular canal divides into the mental and incisive canals at the premolar region, forms the anterior loop which crosses anterior to the mental foramen, and turns back to reach the mental foramen. The aim of this study was to elucidate the general anatomical structure of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal using morphometry. Twenty-six hemimandibles from 19 cadavers (16 males, 3 females; mean age at death, 54.

Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion in CdS-decorated SiO2 nanocapsules for sub-bandgap photocatalysis.

This study reports the first successful nanoscale encapsulation of triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) medium within a rigid silica shell using a self-assembly microemulsion process. These newly synthesized nanocapsules present a few critical advances that could be instrumental for a wide range of aqueous-based photonics applications, including photocatalysis, artificial photosynthesis, and bioimaging. The nanocapsules form a homogeneous suspension that can produce intense, diffuse UC emission in water without deoxygenation, closely resembling conventional TTA-UC processes that have been performed in deoxygenated organic solvents.

[C70] fullerene-sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion.

We herein report the first instance of using pristine C70 as a heavy-atom free organic sensitizer for efficient triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (UC) for both green-to-blue and red-to-green UC using 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene and perylene as acceptors, respectively. C70 achieved quantum yields of 8% and 0.8% for green-to-blue and red-to-green UC, 25 to 35 times higher than C60, and showed improved stability under continuous laser irradiation compared to the benchmark platinum(II)-octaethylporphyrin.

Intracranial stenting for severe symptomatic stenosis: self-expandable versus balloon-expandable stents.

Intracranial atherosclerosis against optimal medical treatment requires reperfusion therapy to improve the clinical outcome. We compared outcomes between self-expandable stent (SES) and/or balloon-expandable stent (BES) and present the potential advantages of using each stent. During the same time frame before and after Wingspan introduction to our institute, 115 consecutive patients underwent intracranial stenting for symptomatic severe intracranial stenosis against optimal medical treatment using BES alone (n = 71) vs.