Hyperthermia associated with spinal radiculopathy as determined by digital infrared thermographic imaging.

In general, in digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI) of patients with unilateral spinal radicular pain, the thermal pattern of the extremities of the side of lesion shows hypothermia compared to the opposite, intact side. However, sometimes, DITI shows hyperthermia on the side of the lesion, and this variation can cause confusion. We compared the data of both hypothermia and hyperthermia patients to clarify the factors determining different thermal characteristics in spinal radiculopathy.

Ameloblastic Fibro-Odontoma Misidentified as an Enamel Pearl.

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO) is a rare, benign, and mixed odontogenic tumor that consists of both ectodermal and mesenchymal elements. AFO is more prevalent in young children and adolescents than in adults and is usually found in the molar area associated with a failure of tooth eruption. The purpose of this report is to discuss the differential diagnosis and treatment of a three-year-old girl diagnosed with an AFO around a primary canine.

Alternative Methods for Testing Botulinum Toxin: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Botulinum toxins are neurotoxic modular proteins composed of a heavy chain and a light chain connected by a disulfide bond and are produced by . Although lethally toxic, botulinum toxin in low doses is clinically effective in numerous medical conditions, including muscle spasticity, strabismus, hyperactive urinary bladder, excessive sweating, and migraine. Globally, several companies are now producing products containing botulinum toxin for medical and cosmetic purposes, including the reduction of facial wrinkles.

Temporal- and spectral-property measurements of narrowband photon pairs from warm double-Λ-type atomic ensemble.

We investigate the temporal and spectral properties of narrowband photon pairs from a double-Λ-type atomic system of a warm Rb atomic ensemble. The temporal properties of the narrowband photons are investigated by measuring their auto-correlation and cross-correlation functions. The spectral measurement of the photon pair is obtained by applying the stimulated emission method.

Weaning Mice and Adult Mice Exhibit Differential Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Acute Hepatotoxicity.

Age is a risk factor for drug-induced liver injury (DILI). However, there is a limited understanding of pediatric DILI. Here, 2-week-old weaning and 8-week-old adult male ICR mice were intraperitoneally injected with CCl (0.

Mouth Corner Lift with Botulinum Toxin Type A and Hyaluronic Acid Filler.

An upturned mouth corner is associated with brightness, optimism, and friendliness, whereas a downturned mouth corner not only conveys negative feelings such as sadness, depression, and tiredness, but also makes a person appear years older than they are. Surgical approaches to the correction of a downturned mouth corner can result in predictable and long-lasting results. However, because of their fear of postsurgical scars and long downtimes, many patients are reluctant to undergo surgery involving the mouth corner.

Effective Photoluminescence Imaging of Bubbles in hBN-Encapsulated WSe Monolayer.

Interfacial bubbles are unintentionally created during the transfer of atomically thin 2D layers, a required process in the fabrication of van der Waals heterostructures. By encapsulating a WSe monolayer in hBN, we study the differing photoluminescence (PL) properties of the structure resulting from bubble formation. Based on the differentiated absorption probabilities at the bubbles compared to the pristine areas, we demonstrate that the visibility of the bubbles in PL mapping is enhanced when the photoexcitation wavelength lies between the n = 1 and n = 2 resonances of the A-exciton.

Optoelectronic Sensor-based Shape Sensing Approach for Flexible Manipulators.

This paper presents a novel two-axis shape sensor based on optical optoelectronic sensors and integrated with a flexible manipulator arm to measure the overall shape of the robotic arm. The disc-shape bio-compatible sensor presented here can be embedded as a sensing system into flexible manipulators and is applicable to the geometry of its structure and to the structure of any other similar multi-segment robotic manipulator. Design and calibration procedures of the device are introduced: experimental results allow defining a sensor matrix for real-time estimation of the pitch and roll of the plate above the sensor and confirms the usefulness of the proposed optical sensing approach.

Phenolic-enriched blueberry-leaf extract attenuates glucose homeostasis, pancreatic β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice.

Blueberry fruit exhibits strong antioxidant activity owing to the presence of anthocyanin. As blueberry-leaf extract (BLE) contains chlorogenic acid and flavonol glycosides, we hypothesized that phenolic-enriched BLE would improve glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. In this study, we examined whether BLE administration decreases the glucose levels and enhances the pancreatic function in mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and diabetes.

Hyperfine-state dependence of highly efficient amplification from diode-pumped cesium vapor.

We report optical amplification with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 70 ± 1% from a diode-pumped Cs vapor cell. When pump (852 nm; D-line) and signal (895 nm; D-line) lasers with a narrow spectral width of ∼2 MHz are resonant on the hyperfine states (F = 3 or 4) of the 6S state, we observe that the amplification factors are significantly changed according to the hyperfine-state combination of the pump and signal lasers. We find that the optical frequencies of the pumping and signal lasers need to be controlled near the hyperfine state of 6S (F = 4) to obtain an efficient diode-pumped alkali amplifier (DPAA).

Perioral Ruler in Routine Esthetic Surgery: Convenient and Exact.

Lip and perioral surgery, like any other esthetic surgery, requires an exact and convenient measurement tool to ensure reliable and reproducible outcomes. Although three-dimensional measuring equipment has proven its effectiveness in measuring facial parameters over the past two decades, it has some drawbacks, including high cost, long scanning times, and non-portability. Thus, digital photography remains the standard tool of measurement in esthetic surgery to date.

Inflammation-triggered local drug release ameliorates colitis by inhibiting dendritic cell migration and Th1/Th17 differentiation.

Enteric-coated formulations using Eudragit® polymers have been extensively used for delivering drugs to the lower gastrointestinal tract. However, these drug-delivery systems cannot accurately deliver the therapeutic cargoes to colon because of early degradation of the polymers at alkaline pH of the small intestine. Here, we describe a precise method of delivering drugs to inflammation sites in colon using an oral drug delivery system.

Understanding the Fate of Environmental Chemicals Inside Living Organisms: NMR-Based C Isotopic Suppression Selects Only the Molecule of Interest within C-Enriched Organisms.

In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is rapidly evolving as a critical tool as it offers real-time metabolic information, which is crucial for delineating complex toxic response pathways in living systems. Organisms such as (water fleas) and (freshwater shrimps) are commonly C-enriched to increase the signal in NMR experiments. A key goal of in vivo NMR is to monitor how molecules (nutrients, contaminants, or drugs) are metabolized.

Changes in peak expiratory flow rates using two head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver angles in young healthy conscious volunteers.

Background: The head-tilt/chin-lift (HT/CL) maneuver is simple and routinely used to open a closed upper airway.

Objectives: It has yet to be determined whether increasing the HT/CL angle further would be beneficial.

Methods: We enrolled 60 (30 males) 20-year-old conscious participants.

Proposal of Efficient Workflows for Confirmatory Neutralization Test for Initial Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Positive Samples.

Background: Since more sensitive immunoassays have been introduced, false positive Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) results are increasing. This study was carried out to propose a process to reduce the burden of the laboratory while increasing positive predictive value in HBsAg.

Methods: Samples with Elecsys HBsAg II (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) between cutoff index (COI) 0.

Reproduction Stage Differentiates the Time-Course Regulation of Metabolites in .

is a keystone indicator zooplankton used in environmental quality assessments. Comparative metabolomics, which contrasts small biomolecular regulations under different conditions, has emerged as a sensitive and informative investigation tool for the assessment of environmental stressors on . Baseline metabolomic variation is likely impacted by the asexual reproduction cycle of ; however, the relationship between metabolite concentration regulation and reproduction cycle has not been investigated.

Assessing Drug Interaction and Pharmacokinetics of Loxoprofen in Mice Treated with CYP3A Modulators.

Loxoprofen (LOX) is a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor that is widely used for the treatment of pain and inflammation caused by chronic and transitory conditions. Its alcoholic metabolites are formed by carbonyl reductase (CR) and they consist of trans-LOX, which is active, and cis-LOX, which is inactive. In addition, LOX can also be converted into an inactive hydroxylated metabolite (OH-LOXs) by cytochrome P450 (CYP).

Assessment of skin sensitizing potential of metals with β-galactosidase-expressing culture system.

It has been a challenge to develop alternative test methods for accurate prediction of metallic products which may exert skin sensitization, as several test methods adopted by OECD were relatively ineffective in assessing the capacity for metallic compounds to exert sensitizing reactions, compared with organic test substances. Based upon these findings, a system that incorporates β-galactosidase producing cultures was tested for its predictive capacity to well-known metallic sensitizers. In this system, cells were incubated with metal salts at various concentrations and β-galactosidase suppression by each test metal was determined.

Daphnia magna metabolic profiling as a promising water quality parameter for the biological early warning system.

The inclusion of omics data into water quality monitoring programs is being considered to help alleviate the growing threat to water resources and ecosystem services. Despite the increasing need, the biological early warning system (BEWS), the widely used real-time water quality monitoring system, does not currently incorporate omics information, despite that metabolomics is a highly sensitive indicator of organism health and stress. We examined Daphnia magna metabolomics, which is the analysis of small molecules in living D.

Source apportionment of airborne PCDD/F at industrial and urban sites in Busan, South Korea.

Long-term atmospheric measurement of 17 total (gaseous and particulate) polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) has been made from 2007 to 2016 at five industrial and urban sites in Busan, South Korea, based on their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. In the present study, two pooled datasets covering a combination of 2 industry sites and 3 urban sites have been subjected to positive matrix factorization (PMF) to identify and quantify the major sources of PCDD/Fs. Additionally, PMF has been applied to the industrial urban dataset consisting of both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PCDD/Fs.

Effects of red glasswort as sodium chloride substitute on the physicochemical properties of pork loin ham.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of red glasswort (RG) (Salicornia herbacea L.) curing on the physicochemical, textural and sensory properties of cooked pork loin ham (M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum).

Prediction of the skin sensitization potential of didecyldimethylammonium chloride and 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal and mixtures of these compounds with the excipient ethylene glycol through the human Cell Line Activation Test and the Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay.

In commercial products such as household deodorants or biocides, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) often serves as an antimicrobial agent, citral serves as a fragrance agent, and the excipient ethylene glycol (EG) is used to dissolve the active ingredients. The skin sensitization (SS) potentials of each of these substances are still being debated. Moreover, mixtures of DDAC or citral with EG have not been evaluated for SS potency.

Spectroscopic studies of atomic defects and bandgap renormalization in semiconducting monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides.

Assessing atomic defect states and their ramifications on the electronic properties of two-dimensional van der Waals semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (SC-TMDs) is the primary task to expedite multi-disciplinary efforts in the promotion of next-generation electrical and optical device applications utilizing these low-dimensional materials. Here, with electron tunneling and optical spectroscopy measurements with density functional theory, we spectroscopically locate the mid-gap states from chalcogen-atom vacancies in four representative monolayer SC-TMDs-WS, MoS, WSe, and MoSe-, and carefully analyze the similarities and dissimilarities of the atomic defects in four distinctive materials regarding the physical origins of the missing chalcogen atoms and the implications to SC-mTMD properties. In addition, we address both quasiparticle and optical energy gaps of the SC-mTMD films and find out many-body interactions significantly enlarge the quasiparticle energy gaps and excitonic binding energies, when the semiconducting monolayers are encapsulated by non-interacting hexagonal boron nitride layers.

Stable and efficient transfer-printing including repair using a GaN-based microscale light-emitting diode array for deformable displays.

GaN-based microscale light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) are reported for assembly into deformable displays and repair systems. A stamp-imprinting method that enables large area assembly without spatial limitation is involved in the system, and a selective pick-up method is presented that includes a method for removing detected defective chips through micro-pulsed laser scanning. The photosensitive functional material, which is an accepted layer for the stable imprinting of chips, is determined by controlling the adhesion.