DNA methylation-based semen age prediction using the markers identified in Koreans and Europeans.

In the forensic field, sexual assaults have consistently been the important issue, with semen frequently serving as the primary evidence. When the suspect is unidentified, estimating the perpetrator's age using investigating semen can provide important information. The VISAGE consortium conducted research on the semen age prediction focused on European semen samples, but the age prediction model has remained undisclosed.

Elevated Soluble Suppressor of Tumorigenicity 2 Levels in Gout Patients and Its Association with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Indicators.

Purpose: To investigate the association between soluble suppressor of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) levels and cardiovascular disease predictors in patients with gout.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with gout who were tested for sST2 but did not receive uric acid-lowering therapy. These patients were classified into elevated and normal sST2 groups using a cut-off of >49.

Colorectal cancer hot spot mutations attenuate the ASXL-MLL4 interaction.

Human additional sex combs like (ASXL) proteins are involved in the maintenance of both transcriptional activation and repression through their ability to bind multiple chromatin regulators, including two tumor suppressors: deubiquitinase BAP1 and methyltransferase MLL4 (KMT2D). The ASXL genes are often altered in colorectal cancer (CRC), and ASXL1 is one of the four hub genes related to the pathogenesis of CRC. Here, we show that MLL4 and BAP1 interdependently target specific genomic regions and positively or negatively regulate expression of a subset of genes in the human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells.

Factors affecting visual outcome in patients with toxic optic neuropathy caused by ethambutol.

This study aims to investigate prognostic factors for visual recovery in patients with ethambutol-induced toxic optic neuropathy (EON) by analyzing visual field (VF) tests, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness on optical coherence tomography (OCT), and other variables. We retrospectively reviewed 46 eyes of 23 patients with EON who had been followed up for more than six months. Patients were categorized into recovery (n = 12) and non-recovery (n = 11) groups based on visual recovery at six months after discontinuation of ethambutol.

Therapeutic Potential of Hance Stem and Picroside III as a Differentiation Inducer in AML Cells via Mitochondrial ROS Accumulation.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the accumulation of immature myeloid cells and a differentiation block, highlighting the urgent need for novel differentiation-inducing therapies. This study evaluated Hance (ARH) stem as a potent differentiation inducer by systematically screening 200 plant extracts. ARH stem promoted phenotypic differentiation in AML cells.

Norchelerythrine from (Thunb.) Pers. promotes differentiation and apoptosis by activating DNA damage response in acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most prevalent form of leukemia in adults. The cornerstone of first‑line chemotherapy for AML has poor survival rates, underscoring the urgent need for development of novel therapeutic agents. Differentiation therapy targets the blockade of differentiation in myeloid progenitor cells.

Exploring the Chemical Complexity and Sources of Airborne Fine Particulate Matter in East Asia by Nontarget Analysis and Multivariate Modeling.

The complex and dynamic nature of airborne fine particulate matter (PM) has hindered understanding of its chemical composition, sources, and toxic effects. In the first steps of a larger study, here, we aimed to elucidate relationships between source regions, ambient conditions, and the chemical composition in water extracts of PM samples ( = 85) collected over 16 months at an observatory in the Yellow Sea. In each extract, we quantified elements and major ions and profiled the complex mixtures of organic compounds by nontarget mass spectrometry.

Analysis of Reproductive Strategies and Immunological Interactions in -Resistant Japanese Tree Frogs.

The amphibian chytrid fungus, (), has been implicated as an agent of acute declines in amphibian populations worldwide. East Asian amphibians have been coexisting with for long periods and thus are considered resistant; among the many is the Japanese tree frog, . Our study focused infection effects on reproductive behaviors and physiological parameters in as a function of better understanding the chronic effect of the disease on long-term population viability.

Phase angle in bioelectrical impedance analysis for assessing congestion in acute heart failure.

Background: The phase angle (PhA) in bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) reflects the cell membrane integrity or body fluid equilibrium. We examined how the PhA aligns with previously known markers of acute heart failure (HF) and assessed its value as a screening tool.

Methods: PhA was measured in 50 patients with HF and 20 non-HF controls along with the edema index (EI), another BIA parameter suggestive of edema.

Radiation exposure in concurrent abdominoplevic and chest CT Scans: an analysis of overlap and clinical impact.

This study investigated the additional radiation exposure, influencing factors, and clinical significance of overlapping-axis coverage in abdominopelvic CT scans performed consecutively after same-day chest CT scans. Data from 761 patients were analyzed, with measuring the total and overlapping-axis coverage of the portal venous phase in abdominopelvic CT scans. The average overlapping portion was 33.

Impact of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor on the Shape, Survival, and Osteogenic Transformation of Gingiva-Derived Stem Cell Spheroids.

: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a protein which stimulates the formation of new blood vessels, playing a crucial role in processes such as wound healing and tumor growth. : This study investigated the effects of VEGF on cell viability and osteogenic differentiation in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids. Stem cell spheroids were fabricated using concave microwells and cultured with VEGF at concentrations of 0, 0.

Correction: Comparative efficacy of 0.1% and 0.15% Sodium Hyaluronate on lipid layer and meibomian glands following cataract surgery: A randomized prospective study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Design and evaluation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase degraders using a covalent fumarate handle.

Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a novel therapeutic paradigm in drug discovery. Despite the FDA approval of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors, the pursuit of compounds with enhanced potency and prolonged efficacy remains crucial to mitigate inevitable adverse effects. In this context, we endeavored to develop ALK degraders utilizing FDA-approved ALK inhibitors-crizotinib, ceritinib, brigatinib, and alectinib-as ALK binders, along with 4-methoxyphenylfumarate as a covalent handle to bind to RNF126 E3 ligase.

Correction: Association between timed up and go test and future incidence of disability: A nationwide representative longitudinal study in Korea.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Topological surface states of semimetal TaSb.

Topological surface states, protected by the global symmetry of the materials, are the keys to understanding various novel electrical, magnetic, and optical properties. TaSb is a newly discovered topological material with unique transport phenomena, including negative magnetoresistance and resistivity plateau, whose microscopic understanding is yet to be reached. In this study, we investigate the electronic band structure of TaSb using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory.

Neuronal fatty acid-binding protein enhances autophagy and suppresses amyloid-β pathology in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease.

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are small cytoplasmic proteins involved in intracellular lipid transport and bind free fatty acids, cholesterol, and retinoids. FABP3, the major neuronal FABP in the adult brain, is upregulated in the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise role of neuronal FABPs in AD pathogenesis remains unclear.

Clinical efficacy of optical coherence tomography parameters to predict the visual field outcome following pituitary adenoma surgery.

Purpose: To investigate the factors affecting visual field recovery in patients with pituitary adenoma following surgical removal, both eyes of 35 patients with pituitary adenoma who had been followed up for > six months post-surgery were retrospectively analyzed.

Material And Methods: Pre- and post-operative visual acuity, visual field test, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness were investigated. The average age of the 35 patients was 58.

Comparative Analysis of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy in Patients with Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, with and Without Glaucoma Medication.

: This study assessed the efficacy of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for treating meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a key contributor to evaporative dry eye disease (DED), by comparing outcomes in patients with idiopathic MGD versus those with MGD induced by glaucoma medications. : In a retrospective analysis of 45 patients, divided into groups based on glaucoma medication use (20 patients) and non-use (25 patients), all underwent four IPL sessions combined with meibomian gland expression (MGX) at 3-week intervals. Key metrics evaluated included Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores, tear breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer I test scores, and meibography scores, pre- and post-treatment.

Uniform Diffusion of Cooper Pairing Mediated by Hole Carriers in Topological SbTe/Nb.

Spin-helical Dirac Fermions at a doped topological insulator's boundaries can support Majorana quasiparticles when coupled with -wave superconductors, but in -doped systems, the requisite induced Cooper pairing in topological states is often buried at heterointerfaces or complicated by degenerate coupling with bulk conduction carriers. Rarely probed are -doped topological structures with nondegenerate Dirac and bulk valence bands at the Fermi level, which may foster long-range superconductivity without sacrificing Majorana physics. Using ultrahigh-resolution photoemission, we report proximity pairing with a large decay length in -doped topological SbTe on superconducting Nb.

Clinical significance of MRI-measured olfactory bulb height as an imaging biomarker of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether the olfactory bulb height (OBH) measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has clinical utility as an imaging biomarker in the evaluation of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD) through its correlation with movement impairment.

Methods: This retrospective study included cognitively intact patients with suspected parkinsonism. All participants underwent T2-weighted imaging to measure OBH.

Life on both environment in semi-aquatic frogs: Impact of aquatic microplastic (MP) from MP enrichment to growth, immune function and physiological stress.

The pervasive distribution of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems presents a significant threat to wildlife, with amphibians being particularly vulnerable due to their complex life cycles and ecological roles. This study investigates physiological and ecological impacts of aquatic MP exposure on juvenile black-spotted pond frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus), focusing on juvenile frog stage, history of life after metamorphosis. MP examinations in the intestine and body revealed accumulation primarily in the gastrointestinal tracts without evidence of systemic distribution.

Metastasis of Colon Cancer to the Accessory Spleen: A Case Report.

Distant metastasis to the spleen is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, metastasis to the accessory spleen based on pathological findings has only been reported in four patients in the English literature, including one each of ovarian cancer, transitional cell carcinoma, breast cancer, and uterine carcinosarcoma after surgery. Furthermore, among these reported cases, only two reports (one each of transitional cell carcinoma and uterine carcinosarcoma) presented imaging findings.