Enhancement of health beneficial bioactivities of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) by puffing.

Effects of puffing and extraction method on physical and biological efficacy of bitter melon was investigated. Puffing increased the Maillard reaction products, extraction yield, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents. Antioxidant activity was the highest at 980 kPa, but there was no significant difference between two extraction methods.

Low-Intensity Continuous Ultrasound Enhances the Therapeutic Efficacy of Curcumin-Encapsulated Exosomes Derived from Hypoxic Liver Cancer Cells via Homotropic Drug Delivery Systems.

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles secreted by cells that efficiently deliver therapeutic cargo for cancer treatment. However, because exosomes are present in low quantities and have limited target specificity, internal and external stress stimulation has been studied to increase exosome efficiency. Inspired by these studies, the uptake efficiency of cobalt chloride-induced hypoxic cancer cell-secreted exosomes was evaluated.

The Effect of Increasing the Body's Core Temperature and Improving Blood Flow by Using Far-Infrared Rays Emitted from Functional Loess Bio-Balls.

Background: Low-energy far-infrared rays (FIRs) are widely used in the treatment of wounds, lymphedema, and various vascular diseases, and various types of products that emit infrared rays are being used at home for patients with blood flow-related diseases without experimental evidence.

Methods: Blood flow and epidermal temperature were measured while applying conductive heat and FIRs via an electric mat (non-intervention) or a loess bio-ball mat (intervention).

Results: In the control group ( = 30), there was a minimal change in blood flow and epidermal temperature in the right and left middle fingers (LMF, RMF) as the mat temperature gradually increased.

Quantitative analysis of the dexamethasone side effect on human-derived young and aged skeletal muscle by myotube and nuclei segmentation using deep learning.

Motivation: Skeletal muscle cells (skMCs) combine together to create long, multi-nucleated structures called myotubes. By studying the size, length, and number of nuclei in these myotubes, we can gain a deeper understanding of skeletal muscle development. However, human experimenters may often derive unreliable results owing to the unusual shape of the myotube, which causes significant measurement variability.

Erratum to "An Ultrasoft and Flexible PDMS-Based Balloon-Type Implantable Device for Controlled Drug Delivery".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.34133/bmr.0012.

AI model using CT-based imaging biomarkers to predict hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Various hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prediction models have been proposed for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) using clinical variables. We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based HCC prediction model by incorporating imaging biomarkers derived from abdominal computed tomography (CT) images along with clinical variables.

Methods: An AI prediction model employing a gradient-boosting machine algorithm was developed utilizing imaging biomarkers extracted by DeepFore, a deep learning-based CT auto-segmentation software.

ICP-MS determination of background I-129 in seaweed samples around Fukushima Daiichi NPS.

TEPCO planned the release of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water, which is decontaminated stagnated water by ALPS, to the Pacific Ocean in 2023 after diluting it more than a hundred times in accordance with the policy of the Japan government. Since the low level of I-129 can remain in ALPS-treated water, the background I-129 concentration in seaweed samples around 1F NPS before the release of ALPS-treated water was recorded in this study. The iodine in seaweed samples was extracted via TMAH alkali-dissolution, and the I-129 concentration was measured by 8900 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS.

Prediction of functional coronary stenosis by computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve in surgical revascularization.

Objectives: The aims of this study were (1) to compare computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) values with graft patency and (2) to establish the cut-off value of CT-FFR for predicting competitive graft flow after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: Of the 77 patients who underwent isolated CABG with an in situ internal thoracic artery (ITA)-based composite graft and who were also evaluated by preoperative cardiac CT, CT-FFR values were obtained in 74 patients. Early postoperative angiograms were performed in all 74 patients.

Microscale Flow Control and Droplet Generation Using Arduino-Based Pneumatically-Controlled Microfluidic Device.

Microfluidics are crucial for managing small-volume analytical solutions for various applications, such as disease diagnostics, drug efficacy testing, chemical analysis, and water quality monitoring. The precise control of flow control devices can generate diverse flow patterns using pneumatic control with solenoid valves and a microcontroller. This system enables the active modulation of the pneumatic pressure through Arduino programming of the solenoid valves connected to the pressure source.

UV photochemistry of the L-cystine disulfide bridge in aqueous solution investigated by femtosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The photolysis of disulfide bonds is implicated in denaturation of proteins exposed to ultraviolet light. Despite this biological relevance in stabilizing the structure of many proteins, the mechanisms of disulfide photolysis are still contested after decades of research. Herein, we report new insight into the photochemistry of L-cystine in aqueous solution by femtosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the sulfur K-edge.

Pseudo-3D Topological Alignments Regulate Mechanotransduction and Maturation of Smooth Muscle Cells.

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) sense and respond to mechanical stimuli in their extracellular microenvironments (ECMs), playing a crucial role in muscle tissue engineering. Increasing evidence from topological cues-mediated mechanotransduction of SMCs in ECMs has suggested some potential underlying mechanisms of how SMC functions and maturation are regulated by their mechanosensing leading to transduction. However, how the expression of yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) influences the phenotypic shift from synthetic to contractile is still controversial.

FGF4 and ascorbic acid enhance the maturation of induced cardiomyocytes by activating JAK2-STAT3 signaling.

Direct cardiac reprogramming represents a novel therapeutic strategy to convert non-cardiac cells such as fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes (CMs). This process involves essential transcription factors, such as Mef2c, Gata4, Tbx5 (MGT), MESP1, and MYOCD (MGTMM). However, the small molecules responsible for inducing immature induced CMs (iCMs) and the signaling mechanisms driving their maturation remain elusive.

The association of emotional labor and workplace violence with health-related productivity loss.

Objectives: This study explored the association of emotional labor and workplace violence with health-related productivity loss (HRPL).

Methods: We used the initial dataset from a survey known as the Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study, an ongoing nationwide panel study initiated in 2022. To assess emotional labor, the study included 2386 workers who worked in customer service.

Determining the debris flow yield strength of weathered soils: a case study of the Miryang debris flow in the Republic of Korea.

Debris flow hazards are often interpreted through back-calculated simulation analysis or empirical methods. The mobility of a debris flow is greatly influenced by mechanical and hydrological parameters. The strength parameters play important roles in the debris flow initiation and flow stages.

Damage-Free Plasma Source for Atomic-Scale Processing.

As atomic-scale etching and deposition processes become necessary for manufacturing logic and memory devices at the sub-5 nm node, the limitations of conventional plasma technology are becoming evident. For atomic-scale processes, precise critical dimension control at the sub-1 nm scale without plasma-induced damage and high selectivity between layers are required. In this paper, a plasma with very low electron temperature is applied for damage-free processing on the atomic scale.

Development of Low-Pressure Die-Cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy Propellers Part II: Simulations for Process Optimization.

With the increasing demand for high-performance leisure boat propellers, this study explores the development of high-strength aluminum alloy propellers using the low-pressure die-casting (LPDC) process. In Part I of the study, we identified the optimal alloy compositions for Al-6Zn-2Mg-1.5Cu propellers and highlighted the challenges of hot tearing at the junction between the hub and blades.

Differences in impact on disease or lung injury depending on the physicochemical characteristics of harmful chemicals in the PAH model.

The number of individuals with underlying medical conditions has been increasing steadily. These individuals are relatively vulnerable to harmful external factors. But it has not been proven that the effects of hazardous chemicals may differ depending on their physicochemical properties.

Effect of patent complete revascularization on the akinetic myocardial segments.

Objectives: The aims of the study were (i) to examine the changes in echocardiographic parameters and (ii) to compare the fate of myocardial segments with akinesia and without akinesia on preoperative echocardiography after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: One hundred one patients who underwent complete revascularization, who were assessed by preoperative, before discharge, postoperative 3- and 12-month echocardiographic examinations, and who showed all patent grafts at postoperative 1-year angiograms were included. Echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction was assessed, and a 16-segment model was adopted for regional analysis of the left ventricle.

Clinical outcomes of two-stage revision arthroplasty using a spiked tibial cement spacer in infected total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: A tibial cement spacer (TCS) with spikes offers better initial stability than a conventional TCS and reduces spacer-related problems in two-stage revision total knee arthroplasty (R-TKA) for infection. We compared the clinical outcomes of two-stage revision arthroplasty for infected TKA using spiked TCS with that of conventional TCS.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 29 patients who underwent two-stage revision arthroplasty using an articulating cement spacer and who could be followed up for at least one year.