Diagnosis and classification of kidney transplant rejection using machine learning-assisted surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using a single drop of serum.

The quest to reduce kidney transplant rejection has emphasized the urgent requirement for the development of non-invasive, precise diagnostic technologies. These technologies aim to detect antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) and T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), which are asymptomatic and pose a risk of potential kidney damage. The protocols for managing rejection caused by ABMR and TCMR differ, and diagnosis has traditionally relied on invasive biopsy procedures.

Early-stage diagnosis of bladder cancer using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms in a rat model.

Early diagnosis and accurate assessment of tumor development facilitate early bladder cancer resection and initiation of drug therapy. This study enabled an early, accurate, label-free, noninvasive diagnosis of bladder tumors by analyzing nano-biomarkers in a single drop of urine through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In a standard N-butyl-N-4-hydroxybutyl nitrosamine-induced rat model of bladder cancer, cancer stage and polyp tumor development were monitored using a small endoscope with a diameter of 1.

Smartphone-Based Rigid Endoscopy Device with Hemodynamic Response Imaging and Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging.

Modern smartphones have been employed as key elements in point-of-care (POC) devices due to remarkable advances in their form factor, computing, and display performances. Recently, we reported a combination of the smartphone with a handheld endoscope using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), suggesting potential for functional POC endoscopy. Here, we extended our work to develop a smartphone-combined multifunctional handheld endoscope using dual-wavelength LSCI.

Spectral Multiplexing of Fluorescent Endoscopy for Simultaneous Imaging with Multiple Fluorophores and Multiple Fields of View.

Complex clinical procedures and small-animal research procedures can benefit from dual-site imaging provided by multiple endoscopic devices. Here, an endoscopic system is proposed which enables multiple fluorescence microendoscopes to be spectrally multiplexed on a single microscope base, enabling light sources and optical relays to be shared between endoscopes. The presented system is characterized for resolution using USAF-1951 resolution test charts and for modulation transfer function using the slanted edge method.

Diagnosis of Ischemic Renal Failure Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and a Machine Learning Algorithm.

To diagnose renal function using a biochip capable of detecting SERS and to assess Raman measurements taken from a bilateral renal ischemia model and the feasibility of early diagnosis was done. After generating a bilateral renal ischemia rat model, blood and urine were collected. After confirming the presence of renal injury and function, liquid drops were placed onto a Raman chip whose surface had been enhanced with Au-ZnO nanorods.

A Wi-Fi-Based Mask-Type Laryngoscope for Telediagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Instrument Validation Study.

Background: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has become mandatory. Wireless endoscopy in contactless examinations promises to protect health care workers and reduce viral spread.

Objective: This study aimed to introduce a contactless endoscopic diagnosis system using a wireless endoscope resembling a mask.

SERS Effect on Spin-Coated Seeding of Tilted Au-ZnO Nanorods for Low-Cost Diagnosis.

Uniformly parallel Au-coated ZnO nanorods have previously been shown to amplify local Raman signals, providing increased sensitivity to disease markers in the detection of inflammation and cancer. However, practical and cost-effective fabrication methods of substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) fail to produce highly uniform surfaces. Here, the feasibility of Raman enhancement on less-uniform substrates is assessed.

Modeling of long range transport pathways for radionuclides to Korea during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident and their association with meteorological circulations.

The Lagrangian FLEXible PARTicle (FLEXPART) dispersion model and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Global Forecast System (NCEP/GFS) meteorological data were used to simulate the long range transport pathways of three artificial radionuclides: (131)I, (137)Cs, and (133)Xe, coming into Korean Peninsula during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident. Using emission rates of these radionuclides estimated from previous studies, three distinctive transport routes of these radionuclides toward the Korean Peninsula for a period from 10 March to 20 April 2011 were exploited by three spatial scales: 1) intercontinental scale - plume released since mid-March 2011 and transported to the North to arrive Korea on 23 March 2011, 2) global (hemispherical) scale - plume traveling over the whole northern hemisphere passing through the Pacific Ocean/Europe to reach the Korean Peninsula with relatively low concentrations in late March 2011 and, 3) regional scale - plume released on early April 2011 arrived at the Korean Peninsula via southwest sea of Japan influenced directly by veering mesoscale wind circulations. Our identification of these transport routes at three different scales of meteorological circulations suggests the feasibility of a multi-scale approach for more accurate prediction of radionuclide transport in the study area.

BMP2 shows neurotrophic effects including neuroprotection against neurodegeneration.

In this study, we found that BMP2 exerts neurotrophic effects, including a neuroprotective effect against nocodazole-induced neuritic degeneration, on neuronal cells. We also found that BMP2-induced neurotrophic effects are directly involved in Smad-dependent signaling as well as PI3K/PTEN-Akt-mTOR signaling. Moreover, BMP2-induced neurotrophic effects occur by stabilization of neuronal microtubules.

Lactococcus lactis BFE920 activates the innate immune system of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), resulting in protection against Streptococcus iniae infection and enhancing feed efficiency and weight gain in large-scale field studies.

The protective effect of a food-grade lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis BFE920 against disease of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) cultivated on a large scale was studied. Initially, antimicrobial activity of L. lactis against several fish pathogens was evaluated in vitro; the probiotic showed strong antibacterial activity against Streptococcus iniae, Streptococcus parauberis and Enterococcus viikkiensis, and moderate activity against Lactococcus garviae.

Memristor-based programmable logic array (PLA) and analysis as Memristive networks.

A Memristor theorized by Chua in 1971 has the potential to dramatically influence the way electronic circuits are designed. It is a two terminal device whose resistance state is based on the history of charge flow brought about as the result of the voltage being applied across its terminals and hence can be thought of as a special case of a reconfigurable resistor. Nanoscale devices using dense and regular fabrics such as Memristor cross-bar is promising new architecture for System-on-Chip (SoC) implementations in terms of not only the integration density that the technology can offer but also both improved performance and reduced power dissipation.

Changes in oxidative stress biomarker and gene expression levels in workers exposed to volatile organic compounds.

Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was known to result in immunologic, respiratory, carcinogenic, reproductive, neurologic, and cardiovascular effects. However, the mechanisms by which VOCs induce these adverse health effects are not well understood. To evaluate the change of oxidative stress biomarker and gene expression levels in workers exposed to VOCs, we obtained urine and blood samples from 21 subjects before and after occupational exposure to VOCs.

TLR4-mediated activation of mouse macrophages by Korean mistletoe lectin-C (KML-C).

Korean mistletoe lectin (KML-C) is an adjuvant that activates systemic and mucosal immune cells to release cytokines including TNF-alpha, which induces immunity against viruses and cancer cells. Although the immunomodulatory activity of KML-C has been well established, the underlying mechanism of action of KML-C has yet to be explored. When mouse peritoneal macrophages were treated with KML-C, both transcription and translation of TLR4 were upregulated.

Differential oxidative stress response in young children and the elderly following exposure to PM(2.5).

Objectives: The mechanism of the adverse health effects of ambient particulate matter on humans has not been well-investigated despite many epidemiologic association studies. Measurement of personal exposure to particulate pollutants and relevant biological effect markers are necessary in order to investigate the mechanism of adverse health effects, particularly in fragile populations considered to be more susceptible to the effects of pollutants.

Methods: We measured personal exposure to PM(2.

Community level exposure to chemicals and oxidative stress in adult population.

Little information is available on the role of environmental chemical exposure in oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate whether exposure to environmental chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, bisphenol A or phthalates, induces oxidative stress in urban adult populations. A total of 960 adults dwelling in urban areas were evaluated between April and December 2005.

Maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, GSTM1/T1 polymorphisms and oxidative stress.

Environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) is known to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal exposure to ETS and oxidative stress for neonates, as well as the effect of maternal genetic polymorphisms, glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and GSTT1, on this relationship. We used the radioimmunoassay to measure the urinary concentration of cotinine in 266 pregnant women who denied smoking cigarettes during pregnancy and in their singleton babies.

Maternal and fetal exposure to bisphenol A in Korea.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disrupter used widely. Despite the potential risk of human exposure to BPA, little information exists concerning maternal and fetal exposure to BPA during pregnancy in Korea. This study purposed to evaluate the correlation between maternal and fetal exposure, and to determine exposure levels to BPA in Korean pregnant women and their fetuses.

Metals in particulate pollutants affect peak expiratory flow of schoolchildren.

Background: The contribution of the metal components of particulate pollutants to acute respiratory effects has not been adequately evaluated. Moreover, little is known about the effects of genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolism on pulmonary function.

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess lung function decrement associated with metal components in particulate pollutants and genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1.

Seasonal variation of effect of air pollution on blood pressure.

Background: Many studies have shown a consistent association between ambient air pollution and an increase in death due to cardiovascular causes. An increase in blood pressure is a common risk factor for a variety of cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between air pollution and blood pressure has not been evaluated extensively.

GSTM1 and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms and relations between blood lead and inflammatory markers in a non-occupational population.

Inflammation is known to be an important underlying condition in the development of a variety of diseases. To investigate whether blood lead induces inflammatory reactions in non-occupationally exposed adults and the effects of genetic susceptibility associated with GSTM1 and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms on this inflammatory response, we measured blood lead levels in 300 healthy university students. Total serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels and WBC counts were determined to evaluate the inflammatory response.

GSTM1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms as potential factors for modifying the effect of smoking on inflammatory response.

Inflammation has been known to be an important underlying condition for development of various diseases including cancer. The aims of this study were to investigate whether tobacco smoke exposure increases the level of inflammation biomarkers and the GSTM1 and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms are associated with inflammatory response due to tobacco smoke exposure. We measured urinary cotinine level in 300 healthy university students.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor gene polymorphisms affect lung cancer risk.

To evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms of AhR related to the carcinogen metabolism and cell proliferation, genotypes of three AhR polymorphisms Ex1+185A>G, IVS7+33T>G and Ex10+501G>A were determined in 616 lung cancer cases and 616 lung cancer-free controls. When the effect of each AhR allele on lung cancer risk was evaluated, any AhR genotype did not show the association with lung cancer risk. However, when haplotypes were composed of three AhR SNP sites, non-smokers with GGG haplotype (adjusted OR=1.

Interactive effect of genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase M1 and smoking on squamous cell lung cancer risk in Korea.

To evaluate the role of the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1, GSTM1 and GSTT1, and their interaction with smoking in lung cancer development in Korean males, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Histologically confirmed male lung cancer patients (n=171) and male patients with no present or previous history of systemic illness who visited the urology department (n=196) were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital, Korea (1998-1999). CYP2E1 genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP using RsaI digestion and GSTM1 and T1 genotypes were determined by multiplex PCR.

Effect of genetic polymorphisms of MnSOD and MPO on the relationship between PAH exposure and oxidative DNA damage.

To investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms on the oxidative damage caused by PAH exposure, we measured urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels to determine exposure and oxidative injury in university students. After examining myeloperoxidase (MPO) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) genotypes by PCR and RFLP, we evaluated the effects of these polymorphisms on the relationship between the urinary levels of 1-OHP and 8-OHdG. No significant relation was observed between log 1-OHP and 8-OHdG concentrations in the whole study group (p=0.