GPR40-full agonist AM1638 alleviates palmitate-induced oxidative damage in H9c2 cells via an AMPK-dependent pathway.

G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) is gaining recognition as a potential therapeutic target for several metabolic disturbances, such as hyperglycemia and excessive inflammation. GPR40 is expressed in various tissues, including the heart; however, its specific roles in cardiomyocytes remain unknown. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether treatment with AM1638, a GPR40-full agonist, reduces palmitate-mediated cell damage in H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes.

A Low-Intensity Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Parameter Exploration Study of the Ventral Capsule/Ventral Striatum.

Objectives: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS) is effective for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); however, DBS is associated with neurosurgical risks. Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a newer form of noninvasive (ie, nonsurgical) stimulation that can modulate deeper regions, such as the VC/VS. tFUS parameters have just begun to be studied and have often not been compared in the same participants.

Apparent diffusion coefficient values predict response to brachytherapy in bulky cervical cancer.

Background: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) provides a measurement of tumor cellularity. We evaluated the potential of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained from post-external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) DWI and prior to brachytherapy (BT) to predict for complete metabolic response (CMR) in bulky cervical cancer.

Methods: Clinical and DWI (b value = 500 s/mm) data were obtained from patients undergoing interstitial BT with high-risk clinical target volumes (HR-CTVs) > 30 cc.

Sludge-based candidate reference materials for enhanced quality control of particulate processes in total organic carbon analysis for wastewater.

Accurate analyses of total organic carbon (TOC) encompassing particulate organic carbon in wastewater are key for evaluating the behavior of particulate organic contaminants and maintaining the carbon mass balance throughout the wastewater treatment process. This study was conducted to develop candidate reference materials of environmental origin from excess sludge collected from wastewater treatment facilities, primarily receiving industrial wastewater and livestock manure as the main sources. Homogeneity and stability assessments for total carbon (TC) and TOC were conducted in the particle samples following the standardized procedures of ISO Guide 35 and ISO 13258.

AM1638, a GPR40-Full Agonist, Inhibited Palmitate- Induced ROS Production and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Enhancing HUVEC Viability in an NRF2-Dependent Manner.

Backgruound: G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) is a key molecule in diabetes and fatty liver, but its role in endothelial dysfunction remains unclear. Our objective in this study was to determine whether GPR40 agonists protect endothelial cells against palmitatemediated oxidative stress.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used to investigate effects of various GPR40 agonists on vascular endothelium.

A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacopuncture for Chronic Lower Back Pain.

Purpose: Chronic lower back pain (LBP) is a major global health concern. Pharmacopuncture has been widely used to treat LBP in Korea; however, randomized clinical trials (RCT) or active control have not been conducted to evaluate its effectiveness. Therefore, this RCT aimed to compare the effectiveness of pharmacopuncture and physical therapy (PT) for the treatment of chronic LBP.

Predictive values of spinal cord diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to characterize outcomes after contusion injury.

Objectives: To explore filtered diffusion-weighted imaging (fDWI), in comparison with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), as a predictor for long-term locomotor and urodynamic (UD) outcomes in Yucatan minipig model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Additionally, electrical conductivity of neural tissue using D-waves above and below the injury was measured to assess correlations between fDWI and D-waves data.

Methods: Eleven minipigs with contusion SCI at T8-T10 level underwent MRI at 3T 4 h.

GPX4 overexpressed non-small cell lung cancer cells are sensitive to RSL3-induced ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis can be induced by inhibiting antioxidant enzymes GPX4 or system Xc, increased intracellular iron concentrations, and lipid peroxidation. Recently, it has been suggested that ferroptosis can be an effective way to induce cancer cell death, although the specific relevance and mechanism of ferroptosis have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the anticancer effects of ferroptosis inducers erastin and RSL3 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Identification of the cause of the difference among TOC quantitative methods according to the water sample characteristics.

Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis with accurate determination of particulate organic carbon (POC) content in suspended solids (SS) containing water is critical for evaluating the environmental impact of particulate organic pollutants in water and calculating the carbon cycle mass balance. TOC analysis is divided into the non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) and differential (known as TC-TIC) methods; although the selection of method is greatly affected by the sample matrix characteristics of SS, no studies have investigated this. This study quantitatively evaluates the effect of SS containing inorganic carbon (IC) and purgeable organic carbon (PuOC), as well as that of sample pretreatment, on the accuracy and precision of TOC measurement in both methods for various environmental water sample types (12 wastewater influents and effluents and 12 types of stream water).

Neural function underlying reward expectancy and attainment in adolescents with diverse psychiatric symptoms.

Reward dysfunction has been hypothesized to play a key role in the development of psychiatric conditions during adolescence. To help capture the complexity of reward function in youth, we used the Reward Flanker fMRI Task, which enabled us to examine neural activity during expectancy and attainment of both certain and uncertain rewards. Participants were 84 psychotropic-medication-free adolescents, including 67 with diverse psychiatric conditions and 17 healthy controls.

Prefrontal-habenular microstructural impairments in human cocaine and heroin addiction.

The habenula (Hb) is central to adaptive reward- and aversion-driven behaviors, comprising a hub for higher-order processing networks involving the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Despite an established role in preclinical models of cocaine addiction, the translational significance of the Hb and its connectivity with the PFC in humans is unclear. Using diffusion tractography, we detailed PFC structural connectivity with the Hb and two control regions, quantifying tract-specific microstructural features in healthy and cocaine-addicted individuals.

Analysis of usage patterns and probabilistic risk assessment of personal care products in Korea.

In daily life, many people use large amounts of personal care products (PCPs) on a regular basis. For determining the risk to consumers, product usage amount, frequency of use, and co-use patterns are essential information. In this study, the PCP usage patterns of Korean consumers were analyzed, and the data were used to develop a probabilistic risk assessment.

Sestrin2 Regulates Beneficial β3-Adrenergic Receptor-Mediated Effects Observed in Inguinal White Adipose Tissue and Soleus Muscle.

Sestrin2, a well-known adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulator, plays a protective role against metabolic stress. The β3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR) induces fat browning and inhibits muscle atrophy in an AMPK-dependent manner. However, no prior research has examined the relationship of sestrin2 with β3AR in body composition changes.

Comparison of multicenter MRI protocols for visualizing the spinal cord gray matter.

Purpose: Spinal cord gray-matter imaging is valuable for a number of applications, but remains challenging. The purpose of this work was to compare various MRI protocols at 1.5 T, 3 T, and 7 T for visualizing the gray matter.

GPR40 Agonism Modulates Inflammatory Reactions in Vascular Endothelial Cells.

Endothelial dysfunction is strongly linked with inflammatory responses, which can impact cardiovascular disease. Recently, G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) has been investigated as a modulator of metabolic stress; however, the function of GPR40 in vascular endothelial cells has not been reported. We analyzed whether treatment of GPR40-specific agonists modulated the inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Decoding Neural Activity in Sulcal and White Matter Areas of the Brain to Accurately Predict Individual Finger Movement and Tactile Stimuli of the Human Hand.

Millions of people worldwide suffer motor or sensory impairment due to stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, and motor neuron diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). A brain-computer interface (BCI), which links the brain directly to a computer, offers a new way to study the brain and potentially restore impairments in patients living with these debilitating conditions. One of the challenges currently facing BCI technology, however, is to minimize surgical risk while maintaining efficacy.

Bacterial cellulose nanofibrils-reinforced composite hydrogels for mechanical compression-responsive on-demand drug release.

Herein, we propose a cellulose-reinforced hybrid hydrogel system that not only increases mechanical strength, but also allows on-demand drug release. This hybrid hydrogel is specialized by its semi-interpenetrating network structure in which bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BCNFs) penetrate through a polyacrylamide (PAM) mesh. We showed that the interpenetrating BCNFs with a higher aspect ratio of 240 increased the compression strength of PAM/BCNF composite hydrogels approximately 3-fold, compared with that prepared with PAM only, stemming from the reinforcing effect of the rigid natural nanofibers between PAM meshes.

Angiogenic gene networks are dysregulated in opioid use disorder: evidence from multi-omics and imaging of postmortem human brain.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a public health crisis in the U.S. that causes over 50 thousand deaths annually due to overdose.

Evoking highly focal percepts in the fingertips through targeted stimulation of sulcal regions of the brain for sensory restoration.

Background: Paralysis and neuropathy, affecting millions of people worldwide, can be accompanied by significant loss of somatosensation. With tactile sensation being central to achieving dexterous movement, brain-computer interface (BCI) researchers have used intracortical and cortical surface electrical stimulation to restore somatotopically-relevant sensation to the hand. However, these approaches are restricted to stimulating the gyral areas of the brain.

Smoking status links habenular volume to glycated hemoglobin: Findings from the Human Connectome Project-Young Adult.

Background: The habenula-pancreas axis regulates the stimulatory effects of nicotine on blood glucose levels and may participate in the emergence of type 2 diabetes in human tobacco smokers. This secondary analysis of young adults from the Human Connectome Project (HCP-YA) evaluated whether smoking status links the relationship between habenular volume and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker of long-term glycemic control.

Methods: Habenula segmentation was performed using a fully-automated myelin content-based approach in HCP-YA participants and the results were inspected visually (n = 693; aged 22-37 years).