Anti-acne activity of carnitine salicylate and magnolol through the regulation of exfoliation, lipogenesis, bacterial growth and inflammation.

Background: Salicylic acid has been used as an anti-acne agent with its comedolytic property and antimicrobial activity. However, there is a limit to use for leave-on cosmetics because of the transient skin irritation and low efficacy at neutral pH condition. We prepared a salicylic acid-based ionic pair with -carnitine (we named, IP-BHA) overcoming the limitation of salicylic acid.

Effects of arginine glutamate (RE:pair) on wound healing and skin elasticity improvement after CO laser irradiation.

Background: Glutamic acid is known to be effective for keratinocyte proliferation, but its dermatological application is limited due to its poor solubility in water and various solvents.

Aim: Here, the efficacy of the arginine glutamate ion pair (named as RE:pair) for recovering damaged skin and improving skin elasticity was investigated through the analysis of keratinocyte proliferation and collagen synthesis.

Methods: Following the structural analysis of RE:pair using spectroscopic methods, a scratch assay, and Pro-Collagen I ELISA, skin tissue changes in wound-induced artificial skin, changes in wound area after laser wound induction, and the sensory evaluation of skin improvement were investigated.

Reduction of enlarged facial pore using ion-paired amino acid through enhancement in skin permeation and exfoliation: A placebo-controlled in vivo study.

Background: Serine is a hypoallergenic but inefficient chemical exfoliant. Serine paired with arginine (ion-paired amino acid, IPA) shows enhanced lipophilicity, skin permeation, and exfoliation efficacy.

Aim: This study was conducted to determine whether exfoliation using an emulsion containing IPA could reduce enlarged facial pores and improve the dermis density.

Nonimmunogenetic Viral Capsid Carrier with Cancer Targeting Activity.

Although protein nanoparticles (PNPs) (e.g., viral capsids) capable of delivering a broad range of drug agents have shown distinctive advantages over synthetic nanomaterials, PNPs have an intrinsic drawback that hampers their clinical application, that is, potential immunogenicity.

Factors Associated with Successful Responses to Transforaminal Balloon Adhesiolysis for Chronic Lumbar Foraminal Stenosis: Retrospective Study.

Background: Recently, transforaminal balloon adhesiolysis was introduced to manage patients with chronic radicular pain occurring with or without low back pain. However, the factors associated with successful responses to transforaminal balloon adhesiolysis are not known.

Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with successful responses to transforaminal balloon adhesiolysis for chronic lumbar spinal stenosis.

Superparamagnetic Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized on Protein Particle Scaffolds for Cancer Theragnosis.

Cancer theragnosis using a single multimodality agent is the next mainstay of modern cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management, but a clinically feasible agent with in vivo cancer targeting and theragnostic efficacy has not yet been developed. A new type of cancer theragnostic agent is reported, based on gold magnetism that is induced on a cancer-targeting protein particle carrier. Superparamagnetic gold-nanoparticle clusters (named SPAuNCs) are synthesized on a viral capsid particle that is engineered to present peptide ligands targeting a tumor cell receptor (TCR).

New Optimal Needle Entry Angle for Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections: A Retrospective Study.

A cervical epidural steroid injection is one of the most commonly performed interventions to manage chronic neck pain and cervical radiculopathy. Despite its many severe complications, cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection (CTFESI) is a clinically necessary modality for managing neck pain and cervical radiculopathy. We aimed in this study to find a safer optimal needle entry angle to decrease the chance of an accidental vertebral artery (VA) puncture even with a proper needle entry angle and to visualize the target of the needle tip.

Genetic Assembly of Double-Layered Fluorescent Protein Nanoparticles for Cancer Targeting and Imaging.

Hepatitis B virus capsid (HBVC), a self-assembled protein nanoparticle comprised of 180 or 240 subunit proteins, is used as a cage for genetic encapsulation of fluorescent proteins (FPs). The self-quenching of FPs is controlled by varying the spacing between FPs within the capsid structure. Double-layered FP nanoparticle possessing cancer cell-targeting capabilities is also produced by additionally attaching FPs and cancer cell receptor-binding peptides (affibodies) to the outer surface of the capsid.

Effects of applying nerve blocks to prevent postherpetic neuralgia in patients with acute herpes zoster: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common and painful complication of acute herpes zoster. In some cases, it is refractory to medical treatment. Preventing its occurrence is an important issue.

Risk factors for pulmonary complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A retrospective observational analysis.

Although percutaneous nephrolithotomy is minimally invasive, it is associated with several complications, including extravasation of fluid and urine, the need for a blood transfusion, and septicemia. However, little is known about pulmonary complications after this procedure. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors for and outcomes of pulmonary complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Enhanced In Vivo Tumor Detection by Active Tumor Cell Targeting Using Multiple Tumor Receptor-Binding Peptides Presented on Genetically Engineered Human Ferritin Nanoparticles.

Human ferritin heavy-chain nanoparticle (hFTH) is genetically engineered to present tumor receptor-binding peptides (affibody and/or RGD-derived cyclic peptides, named 4CRGD here) on its surface. The affibody and 4CRGD specifically and strongly binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor I (EGFR) and human integrin αvβ3, respectively, which are overexpressed on various tumor cells. Through in vitro culture of EGFR-overexpressing adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-468) and integrin-overexpressing glioblastoma cells (U87MG), it is clarified that specific interactions between receptors on tumor cells and receptor-binding peptides on engineered hFTH is critical in active tumor cell targeting.

Multiplex diagnosis of viral infectious diseases (AIDS, hepatitis C, and hepatitis A) based on point of care lateral flow assay using engineered proteinticles.

Lateral flow assay (LFA) is an attractive method for rapid, simple, and cost-effective point of care diagnosis. For LFA-based multiplex diagnosis of three viral intractable diseases (acquired immune deficiency syndrome and hepatitis C and A), here we developed proteinticle-based 7 different 3D probes that display different viral antigens on their surface, which were synthesized in Escherichia coli by self-assembly of human ferritin heavy chain that was already engineered by genetically linking viral antigens to its C-terminus. Each of the three test lines on LFA strip contains the proteinticle probes to detect disease-specific anti-viral antibodies.

[Bedside prediction of right subclavian venous catheter insertion length].

Background And Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate whether right subclavian vein (SCV) catheter insertion depth can be predicted reliably by the distances from the SCV insertion site to the ipsilateral clavicular notch directly (denoted as I-IC), via the top of the SCV arch, or via the clavicle (denoted as I-T-IC and I-C-IC, respectively).

Method: In total, 70 SCV catheterizations were studied. The I-IC, I-T-IC, and I-C-IC distances in each case were measured after ultrasound-guided SCV catheter insertion.

An unexpected increase of entropy in a sleepwalking disorder patient during propofol and remifentanil anesthesia: a case report.

We report a case of increased values of entropy parameters Response Entropy (RE) and State Entropy (SE) during intravenous general anesthesia in a sleepwalking patient. An ASA class II, 64-year-old woman with stress incontinence underwent mid-urethral sling surgery. Prior to surgery, the patient had been administered paroxetine, valproic acid and clonazepam for the treatment of sleepwalking disorder.

Proteinticle/gold core/shell nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy without nanotoxicity.

PGCS-NPs (40 nm) with excellent photo-thermal activity are developed, on the surface of which affibody peptides with specific affinity for EGFR and many small gold dots (1-3 nm) are densely presented. The IV-injected PGCS-NPs into EGFR-expressing tumor-bearing mice successfully perform targeted and photothermal therapy of cancer. It seems that the small gold dots released from disassembled PGCS-NPs are easily removed and never cause in vivo toxicity problems.

Proteinticle engineering for accurate 3D diagnosis.

In nature certain proteins are self-assembled inside cells to form nanoscale particles (named "proteinticles") with constant structure and surface topology. Unlike chemically synthesized nanomaterials (e.g.

Toxicological evaluations of rare earths and their health impacts to workers: a literature review.

In concert with the development of new materials in the last decade, the need for toxicological studies of these materials has been increasing. These new materials include a group of rare earths (RE). The use of RE nanotechnology is being considered in some green applications, to increase their efficiency by using nano-sized RE compounds, and therefore hazard evaluation and risk assessment are highly recommended.

The trend of occupational injuries in Korea from 2001 to 2010.

Objectives: This study is planned to assess the trend of occupational injuries in Korea from 2001 to 2010.

Methods: Ten years of occupational injuries, from 2001 to 2010, were analyzed in order to investigate the changing profiles according to the various characteristics of injuries; economic sectors, age of the injured, and type of injuries. The changing profile of occupational injuries was investigated by comparison with an index-created relative value based on the number of cases of reference category.

Fluorescent viral nanoparticles with stable in vitro and in vivo activity.

We synthesized fluorescent capsid nanoparticles (FCNPs) by genetically inserting fluorescent protein (FP) (DsRed or eGFP) into each of 240 surface spike tips of hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid particles. That is, when expressed in E. coli, FCNPs formed spherical nanoparticles with uniform diameter of about 40 nm owing to the self-assembly function of HBV core protein (i.