Effects of sleep-inducing juice on sleep quality and heart rate variability in adults with disturbed sleep.

Background/objectives: Although some juices affect subjective sleep quality, there is a lack of information on the effect of a specific juice on objective sleep quality and heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep; thus the present study investigated whether a blended juice made from natural extracts influenced sleep quality and HRV during sleep in adults with disturbed sleep.

Subjects/methods: A randomized, crossover study was conducted on twenty-five adults (15/10, female/male) complaining of difficulty initiating or maintaining nighttime sleep (Pittsburgh sleep quality index [PSQI] ≥ 5). During feeding sessions (FS), subjects received sleep-inducing juice made of natural ingredients (250 mL/trial) twice a day for 8 weeks or non-FS (N-FS) for 8 weeks while maintaining normal activities.

Why Does Dimethyl Carbonate Dissociate Li Salt Better Than Other Linear Carbonates? Critical Role of Polar Conformers.

The marked difference in the ionic conductivities of linear carbonate (LC) electrolyte solutions despite their similar viscosities and permittivities is a long-standing puzzle. This study unraveled the critical impact of solvent conformational isomerism on salt dissociation in 0.1-3.

Bioactive natural products from the genus Salinospora: a review.

Actinomycetes are an important source for bioactive secondary metabolites. Among them, the genus Salinispora is one of the first salt obligatory marine species worldwide and is typically found in various types of substrates in tropical and subtropical marine environments including sediments and marine organisms. This genus produces a wide range of chemical scaffolds and bioactive compounds such as lomaiviticins, cyclomarins, rifamycins, salinaphthoquinones, and salinosporamides.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The number of stroke survivors is increasing worldwide, and because stroke survivors are usually living with sequelae, health-related quality of life is growing in importance. The stroke-specific quality of life (SSQOL) questionnaire was developed to assess the quality of life in stroke patients. This study aims to test the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the SSQOL (SSQOL-K).

Heterotrimeric G-protein signalers and RGSs in .

The heterotrimeric G-protein (G-protein) signaling pathway is one of the most important signaling pathways that transmit external signals into the inside of the cell, triggering appropriate biological responses. The external signals are sensed by various G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and transmitted into G-proteins consisting of the α, β, and γ subunits. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGSs) are the key controllers of G-protein signaling pathways.

Socioecological Predictors on Psychological Flourishing in the US Adolescence.

This study examined the relationship between children's flourishing and socioecological factors, including individual and family characteristics. A total of 45,309 children were drawn from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health in the US (mean age = 13.6 years; male: 51.

Hot-Melt Extruded Selenium: a Highly Absorbable Nano-Selenium in Lactating Sows Exposed to High Ambient Temperature.

To study the role of hot-melt extruded (HME) selenium (Se) and in the lactating sows' reproductive performance and litter growth, a total of 60 crossbred sows (Yorkshire × Landrace; average body weight, 245.3 kg) were allotted to one of four treatments according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The performance of lactating sows was investigated in the different average room temperatures (high temperature (HT), 28.

Evaluation of CpG-ODN-Adjuvanted Virus-Like Particle Vaccine upon One, Two, and Three Immunizations.

Successful vaccines against specific pathogens often require multiple immunizations and adjuvant usage. Yet, assessing the protective efficacy of different immunization regimens with adjuvanted Toxoplasma gondii vaccines remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the vaccine efficacy induced by CpG-ODN-adjuvanted T.

Effects of Hot-Melt Extruded Nano-Copper as an Alternative for the Pharmacological Dose of Copper Sulfate in Weanling Pigs.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of hot-melt extrusion (HME)-processed copper (Cu) sulfate supplementation on the growth performance, gut microbiota, metabolic function of Cu, and bioavailability of Cu in weanling pigs fed a corn-soybean meal basal diets. A total of 180 piglets (Yorkshire × Landrace × Duroc) of mixed-sex randomly were allotted to six treatments on the basis of initial average body weight (6.36 ± 0.

Protective immunity induced by CpG ODN-adjuvanted virus-like particles containing Toxoplasma gondii proteins.

Aims: To date, a Toxoplasma gondii vaccine for clinical use remains unavailable, though multiple vaccine candidates have been suggested. In our previous studies, unadjuvanted virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccines expressing multiple T. gondii antigens were confirmed to be protective against T.

Oleanolic Acid Acetate Alleviates Symptoms of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice by Regulating Toll-Like Receptor 2 Signaling.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is expressed by several immune cells in the central nervous system and plays an important role in neuroinflammation. TLR2 upregulation has been reported in multiple sclerosis patients and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for multiple sclerosis. Therefore, modulating TLR2 signaling can be an effective treatment strategy against MS.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of bilateral ureteral calculi, hydronephrosis, pyometra, pyocolpos, vestibulovaginal stenosis, and imperforate hymen in a dog: A rare critical case report.

Objective: Bilateral ureteral calculi, hydronephrosis, pyometra, pyocolpos, vestibulovaginal stenosis, and imperforate hymen in a dog are uncommon and can be difficult to diagnose. The aim of this article is to report diagnostic challenges and successful surgical treatment of this rare event and the long-term outcomes.

Materials And Methods: A 5-year-old, spayed (partial ovariohysterectomy) female dog was primarily diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis and ureter obstruction due to urolithiasis along with pyometra.

Improvement of P300-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces for Home Appliances Control by Data Balancing Techniques.

The oddball paradigm used in P300-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) intrinsically poses the issue of data imbalance between target stimuli and nontarget stimuli. Data imbalance can cause overfitting problems and, consequently, poor classification performance. The purpose of this study is to improve BCI performance by solving this data imbalance problem with sampling techniques.

Orally administered recombinant baculovirus vaccine elicits partial protection against avian influenza virus infection in mice.

Avian influenza outbreaks have placed a tremendous economic burden on the poultry industry, necessitating the need for an effective vaccine. Although multiple vaccine candidates are available, its development is hindered by several drawbacks associated with the vaccine platforms and as such, more improvements to the vaccines are needed. Therefore, in this study, the vaccine efficacy in the murine models was assessed prior to evaluation in chickens.

Generation of a Novel Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Using the IHD-W Strain.

Oncolytic viruses are promising cancer therapies due to their selective killing of tumor cells and ability to stimulate the host immune system. As an oncolytic virus platform, vaccinia virus has unique advantages, including rapid replication, a broad range of host targets, and a large capacity for transgene incorporation. In this study, we developed a novel oncolytic vaccinia virus with high potency and a favorable safety profile.

Changes in Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Gain After Surgical Plugging of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence.

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD), which is characterized by a "third mobile window" in the inner ear, causes various vestibular and auditory symptoms and signs. Surgical plugging of the superior semicircular canal (SC) can eliminate the symptoms associated with increased perilymph mobility due to the presence of the third window. However, the natural course of vestibular function after surgical plugging remains unknown.

Virus-like particles expressing Plasmodium berghei MSP-8 induce protection against P. berghei infection.

Aims: Merozoite surface protein 8 (MSP-8) of Plasmodium parasites plays an important role in erythrocyte invasion and is a potential malaria vaccine candidate.

Methods And Results: In this study, virus-like particles (VLPs) expressing MSP-8 of Plasmodium berghei on the surface of influenza virus matrix protein 1 (M1) core protein were generated for vaccine efficacy assessment. Mice were intramuscularly (IM) immunized with MSP-8 VLPs twice and challenge-infected with P.

AAV-Mediated Combination Gene Therapy for Neuropathic Pain: GAD65, GDNF, and IL-10.

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain state characterized by nerve damage, inflammation, and nociceptive neuron hyperactivity. As the underlying pathophysiology is complex, a more effective therapy for neuropathic pain would be one that targets multiple elements. Here, we generated recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) encoding three therapeutic genes, namely, , , and , with various combinations.

Facile fabrication of solution-processed solid-electrolytes for high-energy-density all-solid-state-batteries by enhanced interfacial contact.

Instead of commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using organic liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSBs) employing solid electrolytes (SEs) are promising for applications in high-energy-density power applications and electric vehicles due to their potential for improving safety and achieving high capacity. Although remarkable progress in SEs has been achieved and has resulted in high ionic conductivity, which now reaches values comparable to those of liquid electrolytes, the typical use of a slurry process for the fabrication of conventional ASSBs inevitably causes harmful reactions between sulfide materials and polar solvents. Here, we studied the efficient infiltration process of SE slurry into conventional composite LIB electrodes (NCM622) for achieving high-energy-density ASSBs via a scalable solution-based fabrication process.

Delayed remnant kidney function recovery is less observed in living donors who receive an analgesic, intrathecal morphine block in laparoscopic nephrectomy for kidney transplantation: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: This study analyzed remnant kidney function recovery in living donors after laparoscopic nephrectomy to establish a risk stratification model for delayed recovery and further investigated clinically modifiable factors.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study included 366 adult living donors who underwent elective donation surgery between January 2017 and November 2019 at our hospital. ITMB was included as an analgesic component in the living donor strategy for early postoperative pain relief from November 2018 to November 2019 (n = 116).

Measurement of the tibial plateau angle of normal small-breed dogs and the application of the tibial plateau angle in cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

Objective: In Korea, small dogs are more common than large breeds. This study was performed to measure the influence of body weight, sex, breed, age, and cranial cruciate ligament rupture (RCCL) on the tibial plateau angle (TPA) in small-breed dogs.

Materials And Methods: A total of 274 dogs (221 normal dogs and 53 RCCL dogs) were selected for this study based on medical records.

PLPP/CIN-mediated Mdm2 dephosphorylation increases seizure susceptibility via abrogating PSD95 ubiquitination.

In the brain, murine double minute-2 (Mdm2), an E3-ubiquitin ligase, modulates neuronal excitability by regulating glutamate receptor and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) levels through ubiquitination. Thus, Mdm2 is relevant to epileptic seizures in human patients. Although phosphorylation at serine (S) 166 site by AKT increases Mdm2 activity, phosphatases of Mdm2 have been still elusive.

Comparable Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Treated with Entecavir or Tenofovir.

Background/aims: Adherence to medication and maintained virologic response (MVR) are related to the risk of adverse clinical outcomes. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in relation to the adverse clinical outcomes among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients stratified according to adherence to medication and MVR.

Methods: A total of 1794 treatment-naive CHB patients treated with ETV (n = 894) or TDF (n = 900) for > 1 year were identified.

Heavy metal and antibiotic co-resistance in Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from shellfish.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major gastroenteritis-causing pathogen in Korea. Recent studies have reported that heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria are related. In this study, we investigated heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance in wild strains of V.