Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis is alleviated in mice after administration of flavone-derived NRF2-activating molecules.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory condition characterized by severe symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss. Growing evidence underscores the direct involvement of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) in the development and progression of IBD, along with its associated complications, including colorectal cancer. The NRF2 pathway plays a crucial role in cellular responses to oxidative stress, and dysregulation of this pathway has been implicated in IBD.

Inhibition of microfold cells ameliorates early pathological phenotypes by modulating microglial functions in Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Background: The gut microbiota has recently attracted attention as a pathogenic factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microfold (M) cells, which play a crucial role in the gut immune response against external antigens, are also exploited for the entry of pathogenic bacteria and proteins into the body. However, whether changes in M cells can affect the gut environments and consequently change brain pathologies in AD remains unknown.

D-π-A Structured Porphyrin and Organic Dyes with Easily Synthesizable Donor Units for Low-Cost and Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

This study aimed to develop low-cost D-π-A structured porphyrin and organic dyes with easily synthesizable donor units instead of the conventional complex multistep synthetic donor unit of [bis(7-(2,4-bis(hexyloxy)phenyl)-9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)amine] used in and as well-known record cosensitizers with an extremely high power conversion efficiency (PCE). The design strategy concerned the easier synthesis of low-cost donor units with inversion structures in donor groups via donor structural engineering, particularly by changing the position of the fluorene and phenylene units in the donor moiety while keeping the π-bridge and acceptor unit unchanged, leading to the synthesis of two D-π-A structured porphyrins [ and ] and one D-π-A structured organic sensitizer [] for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Specifically, porphyrin incorporated two hexyl chains into the 9-position of each fluorene, while and substituted two hexyloxy chain units to the terminal position of each fluorene in the donor groups of porphyrin dyes.

Influence of the π-Bridge-Fused Ring and Acceptor Unit Extension in D-π-A-Structured Organic Dyes for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Three new D-π-A-structured organic dyes, coded as , , and , with the expansion of π-conjugation in the π-bridge and acceptor parts have been developed to adjust HOMO/LUMO levels and to expand the light absorption range of organic dyes. Referring to the dye, the π-bridge group was extended from the 4-hexyl-4-thieno[3,2-]indole () to the 9-hexyl-9-thieno[2',3':4,5]thieno[3,2-]indole (), and the acceptor group was extended from ()-3-(4-(benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-yl)phenyl)-2-cyanoacrylic acid () to ()-3-(4-(benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-ylethynyl)phenyl)-2-cyanoacrylic acid (), where was introduced as a π-bridging unit for the first time. It was determined that both extensions are promising strategies to enhance the light-harvesting ability.

Hesperidin Improves Memory Function by Enhancing Neurogenesis in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory and cognitive impairments. Neurogenesis, which is related to memory and cognitive function, is reduced in the brains of patients with AD. Therefore, enhancing neurogenesis is a potential therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases, including AD.

Systematic multi-omics reveals the overactivation of T cell receptor signaling in immune system following bisphenol A exposure.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is pervasive in the environment, and exposure to BPA may increase the incidence of noncommunicable diseases like autoimmune diseases and cancer. Although BPA causes immunological problems at the cellular level, no system-level research has been conducted on this. Hence, in this study, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the biological response to BPA exposure and its association with immunological disorders.

Well-dispersed Te-doped mesoporous carbons as Pt-free counter electrodes for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells.

A tellurium-doped carbon nanomaterial (Te-MC(P)) was newly developed by the soft-templated carbonization of the PAN-b-PBA copolymer with poly(3-hexyltellurophene). Te-MC(P) was characterized with various characterization methods, including the nitrogen sorption isotherm measurement (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), which reveal that the Te atoms are homogeneously dispersed in the three-dimensional hierarchical, graphite-like mesoporous carbon matrix with a Te doping level of 0.27 atom %.

Three-dimensional tellurium and nitrogen Co-doped mesoporous carbons for high performance supercapacitors.

Tellurium-doped mesoporous carbon composite materials (Te/NMC) have been prepared by a facile intercalation method in the presence of nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (NMC) with tellurium powder, for the first time. The effects of the co-doped N and Te in the mesoporous carbon matrix on the physical/chemical properties and capacitance performances were investigated the use of various characterization methods and electrochemical studies. The as-prepared NMC and Te/NMC materials were found to mainly be composed of mesopores and maintained the 3D hierarchical graphite-like structure with lots of defect sites.

Preliminary stable isotope analyses for propellant discrimination in shotshells.

Rationale: This study aimed to develop methods to determine the identity and trace the origin of propellants used in shotshells. Specifically, the use of organic component and stable isotope analysis techniques, such as bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA) and compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) techniques, for the study of shotshell propellants was investigated.

Methods: Nine samples of shotshell propellants from different manufacturing countries and brands were analyzed for explosive and additive components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and thin-layer chromatography.

Dopant-Free Triazatruxene-Based Hole Transporting Materials with Three Different End-Capped Acceptor Units for Perovskite Solar Cells.

A series of dopant-free D-π-A structural hole-transporting materials (HTMs), named as SGT-460, SGT-461, and SGT-462, incorporating a planner-type triazatruxene (TAT) core, thieno[3,2-]indole (TI) π-bridge and three different acceptors, 3-ethylthiazolidine-2,4-dione (ED), 3-(dicyano methylidene)indan-1-one (DI), and malononitrile (MN), were designed and synthesized for application in perovskite solar cells (PrSCs). The effect of three acceptor units in star-shaped D-π-A structured dopant-free HTMs on the photophysical and electrochemical properties and the photovoltaic performance were investigated compared to the reference HTM of 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis[,-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). Their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels were positioned for efficient hole extraction from a MAPbClI layer (5.

Tellurium-Doped, Mesoporous Carbon Nanomaterials as Transparent Metal-Free Counter Electrodes for High-Performance Bifacial Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Tellurium-doped, mesoporous carbon nanomaterials with a relatively high doping level were prepared by a simple stabilization and carbonization method in the presence of a tellurium metalloid. A transparent counter electrode (CE) was prepared using tellurium-doped, mesoporous carbon (TeMC) materials, and was directly applied to bifacial, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To improve the performance of the bifacial DSSC device, CEs should have outstanding electrocatalytic activity, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical stability, as well as high transparency.

Correlations Between Values of Articulation Tests and Language Tests for Children With Articulation Disorder in Korea.

Objective: To evaluate correlations between values of articulation tests and language tests for children with articulation disorder in Korea.

Methods: Data of outpatients with chief complaint of an articulation problem were retrospectively collected. Patients who underwent Urimal Test of Articulation and Phonation (U-TAP) with Assessment of Phonology and Articulation for Children (APAC), Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES), or Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (REVT) simultaneously were identified.

D-π-A-Structured Porphyrins with Extended Auxiliary π-Spacers for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Zn(II)-porphyrin dyes ( and ) with extended auxiliary π-spacers in the donor (D) part have been prepared and applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The porphyrin dyes contained the same D-ethynyl-zinc porphyrinyl ()-ethynyl-benzothiadiazole-acceptor platform, but their donor groups varied from phenylene () in as a reference dye to the thieno[3,2-]benzothiophene () and 4-hexyl-4-thieno[3,2-]indole () moieties in and , respectively. The effects of the extended auxiliary π-spacer in the D-π-A-structured porphyrin sensitizers on the molecular and photovoltaic properties were investigated via photophysical and electrochemical experiments as well as theoretical calculations.

Significant Influence of a Single Atom Change in Auxiliary Acceptor on Photovoltaic Properties of Porphyrin-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

The rational design of porphyrin sensitizers is always crucial for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), since the change of only a single atom can have a significant influence on the photovoltaic performance. We incorporated the pyridothiadiazole group, as a stronger electron-withdrawing group, into the commonly well-established skeleton of D-porphyrin-triple bond-acceptor sensitizers by a single atom change for a well-known strong electron-withdrawing benzothiadiazole (BTD) unit as an auxiliary acceptor. The impact of the pyridothiadiazole group on the optical; electrochemical; and photovoltaic properties of D⁻π⁻A porphyrin sensitizers was investigated with comparison for a benzothiadiazole-substituted porphyrin.

Highly Robust Hybrid Photocatalyst for Carbon Dioxide Reduction: Tuning and Optimization of Catalytic Activities of Dye/TiO2/Re(I) Organic-Inorganic Ternary Systems.

Herein we report a detailed investigation of a highly robust hybrid system (sensitizer/TiO2/catalyst) for the visible-light reduction of CO2 to CO; the system comprises 5'-(4-[bis(4-methoxymethylphenyl)amino]phenyl-2,2'-dithiophen-5-yl)cyanoacrylic acid as the sensitizer and (4,4'-bis(methylphosphonic acid)-2,2'-bipyridine)Re(I)(CO)3Cl as the catalyst, both of which have been anchored on three different types of TiO2 particles (s-TiO2, h-TiO2, d-TiO2). It was found that remarkable enhancements in the CO2 conversion activity of the hybrid photocatalytic system can be achieved by addition of water or such other additives as Li(+), Na(+), and TEOA. The photocatalytic CO2 reduction efficiency was enhanced by approximately 300% upon addition of 3% (v/v) H2O, giving a turnover number of ≥570 for 30 h.

Length perception and production of normal subjects in proximal versus distal peripersonal space.

We investigated whether the perception or production of a given line length in normal subjects varies according to where in peripersonal space the line is perceived or produced. We also investigated the influence of the direction of movement used to make the line. In Experiment 1, blindfolded normal subjects were asked to estimate distances while the examiner moved the subject's hand in proximal (medial) or distal (lateral) space, moving centripetally or centrifugally.

Genetic polymorphism of the renin-angiotensin system on the development of primary vesicoureteral reflux.

Background: The familial clustering of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) has suggested a genetic basis. This study was designed to investigate the genetic polymorphism of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in Korean children.

Methods: Genetic polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II receptor genes was evaluated in 67 primary VUR patients and compared to 58 controls with no urological abnormalities.