Biomarkers associated with coronary high-risk plaques.

Vascular inflammation, lipid metabolism, and thrombogenicity play a key role not only in atherogenesis but also in the development of acute coronary syndromes. Biomarkers associated with coronary high-risk plaques defined according to intravascular imaging have not been systematically studied. A total of 69 patients with coronary artery disease who underwent both optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound imaging, and who provided blood specimens were included.

Exploring bacterioplankton communities and their temporal dynamics in the rearing water of a biofloc-based shrimp () aquaculture system.

Biofloc technology (BFT) has recently gained considerable attention as a sustainable method in shrimp aquaculture. In a successful BFT system, microbial communities are considered a crucial component in their ability to both improve water quality and control microbial pathogens. Yet, bacterioplankton diversity in rearing water and how bacterioplankton community composition changes with shrimp growth are rarely documented.

Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic characteristics of vutiglabridin: A first-in-class, first-in-human study.

This study aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of vutiglabridin, a potential anti-obesity treatment under development, for the first time in humans. A randomized, placebo-controlled, single- and multiple-ascending dose study (SAD and MAD, respectively) was performed in healthy Koreans and Whites. Subjects randomly received a single oral dose of 30-720 mg vutiglabridin or placebo at a ratio of 8:2 in the SAD study or 240-480 mg vutiglabridin or placebo once daily for 14 days in the MAD study.

Factors affecting contralateral wrist surgery after one carpal tunnel release in bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can be bilateral, with varying incidence. Carpal tunnel release (CTR) in one wrist may relieve the symptoms of the contralateral wrist, avoiding the need for second surgery; conversely, the symptoms may persist or worsen, requiring contralateral surgery in some cases. The present study investigated whether surgical treatment was finally required for the non-operated CTS wrist, and in what cases non-operative treatment was possible.

Camouflage treatment by backward rotation of the mandible for a severe skeletal Class III malocclusion with aplastic anemia: A case report.

Orthognathic surgery is the primary treatment option for severe skeletal discrepancy. However, orthodontic camouflage should be considered as an alternative treatment option, considering the risks of surgery. A 19.

The Role of IL-7 and IL-7R in Cancer Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a multipotent cytokine that maintains the homeostasis of the immune system. IL-7 plays a vital role in T-cell development, proliferation, and differentiation, as well as in B cell maturation through the activation of the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R). IL-7 is closely associated with tumor development and has been used in cancer clinical research and therapy.

Do the Causes of Spontaneous Preterm Delivery Affect Placental Inflammatory Pathology and Neonatal Outcomes?

Objective: To investigate the severity of histologic chorioamnionitis /funisitis according to the indication for preterm delivery and their corresponding neonatal outcomes. Method: This study included 411 singleton women who delivered between 21+0 and 31+6 week of gestation due to preterm labor (PTL, n = 165), preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM, n = 202), or incompetent internal os of the cervix (IIOC, n = 44). The primary outcome measure was the rate of severe histological chorioamnionitis/funisitis.

Eco-friendly and facile synthesis of size-controlled spherical silica particles from rice husk.

The valorization of inorganic silica components from rice husk has been considered an important research topic over the last few decades. However, owing to various problems, such as the difficulty in controlling precise morphological properties, complex extraction and manufacturing processes, and the use of hazardous acids, the technology for producing high value-added silica for industrial applications is still insufficient. In this study, we developed a method for obtaining size-controlled spherical silica from rice husk using an eco-friendly and simplified process that overcomes the above-mentioned limitations.

Discovery of pyrazole-1-carboxamide derivatives as novel Gi-biased μ-opioid receptor agonists.

μ-Opioid receptor (MOR) Gi-biased agonists with no recruitment of β-arrestin were introduced as a new analgesic strategy to overcome the conventional undesirable side effects of opioid receptor-targeted drugs, such as tolerance, addiction, respiratory depression, and constipation. For the development of novel Gi-biased MOR agonists, the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of the aminopyrazole core skeleton were conducted according to the current SAR data of PZM21 (2a) and its derivatives. New derivatives were biologically evaluated for their agonistic effects on cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels for the Gi pathway and β-arrestin recruitment in MOR/κ-opioid receptor/δ opioid receptor.

Nutrient status regulates MED19a phase separation for ORESARA1-dependent senescence.

The mediator complex is highly conserved in eukgaryotes and is integral for transcriptional responses. Mediator subunits associate with signal-responsive transcription factors (TF) to activate expression of specific signal-responsive genes. As the key TF of Arabidopsis thaliana senescence, ORESARA1 (ORE1) is required for nitrogen deficiency (-N) induced senescence; however, the mediator subunit that associates with ORE1 remains unknown.

Importance of feature construction in machine learning for phase transitions.

Machine learning is an important tool in the study of the phase behavior from molecular simulations. In this work, we use un-supervised machine learning methods to study the phase behavior of two off-lattice models, a binary Lennard-Jones (LJ) mixture and the Widom-Rowlinson (WR) non-additive hard-sphere mixture. The majority of previous work has focused on lattice models, such as the 2D Ising model, where the values of the spins are used as the feature vector that is input into the machine learning algorithm, with considerable success.

Dose-dependent reduction of lymphocyte count and heart rate after multiple administration of LC51-0255, a novel sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 modulator, in healthy subjects.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor mediates the egress of lymphocytes from lymphoid organs, and its inhibition results in a decreased number of circulating lymphocytes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the safety and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of a novel sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator, LC51-0255. A phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple dosing, dose-escalation study was conducted on healthy Korean male subjects.

Gut Microbiota and Coronary Plaque Characteristics.

Background The relationship between gut microbiota and in vivo coronary plaque characteristics has not been reported. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota and coronary plaque characteristics in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods and Results Patients who underwent both optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound imaging and provided stool and blood specimens were included.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Coordinated Transcriptional Regulation of Central and Secondary Metabolism in the Trichomes of Cannabis Cultivars.

Cannabis is one of the few plant genera capable of producing cannabinoids, the effects of which are synergized by terpene interactions. As the biosynthesis of both metabolite classes requires the same intracellular feedstocks, this work describes the coordinated regulation of global metabolic pathways that allows for their joint copious production in vivo. To this end, a transcriptomics-based approach to characterize the glandular trichomes of five Cannabis cultivars was pursued.

Framework of sampling the subject-specific static loads from the gait cycle of interindividual variation.

Background And Objective: Numerous techniques for bone remodeling simulation have been developed based on Wolff's law. However, most studies have been conducted with empirically determined static loads, which cannot reflect subject-specific characteristics. We recently proposed a new concept of representative static loads (RSLs) to efficiently consider the effect of cyclically repeated dynamic loads on bone remodeling simulation.

The in-vivo dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum HRP2: implications for the use of rapid diagnostic tests in malaria elimination.

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) that rely on the detection of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) have become key tools for diagnosing P. falciparum infection. The utility of RDTs can be limited by PfHRP2 persistence, however it can be a potential benefit in low transmission settings where detection of persistent PfHRP2 using newer ultra-sensitive PfHRP2 based RDTs can serve as a surveillance tool to identify recent exposure.

Outcome of pallidal deep brain stimulation for treating isolated orofacial dystonia.

Background: Isolated orofacial dystonia is a rare segmental neurological disorder that affects the eye, mouth, face, and jaws. Current literature on pallidal surgery for orofacial dystonia is limited to case reports and small-scale studies. This study was to investigate clinical outcomes of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) in patients with isolated orofacial dystonia.

Dynamics of the Emerging Genogroup of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Infection in Broiler Farms in South Korea: A Nationwide Study.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD), caused by IBD virus (IBDV), threatens the health of the poultry industry. Recently, a subtype of genogroup (G) 2 IBDV named G2d has brought a new threat to the poultry industry. To determine the current status of IBDV prevalence in South Korea, active IBDV surveillance on 167 randomly selected broiler farms in South Korea from August 2020 to July 2021 was conducted.

A Comparative Study of High-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry for Estimating Body Composition.

Though bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a favorable tool for assessing body composition to estimate nutritional status and physical fitness, such as sarcopenia, there are accuracy issues. Hence, high-frequency (HF) BIA equipment uses an additional frequency of 2 and 3 MHz and has been developed as a commercial model. However, there are no studies validating the accuracy and safety of HF-BIA.

Distributed Neural Networks Training for Robotic Manipulation With Consensus Algorithm.

In this article, we propose an algorithm that combines actor-critic-based off-policy method with consensus-based distributed training to deal with multiagent deep reinforcement learning problems. Specifically, convergence analysis of a consensus algorithm for a type of nonlinear system with a Lyapunov method is developed, and we use this result to analyze the convergence properties of the actor training parameters and the critic training parameters in our algorithm. Through the convergence analysis, it can be verified that all agents will converge to the same optimal model as the training time goes to infinity.