Integrating Aerogel into van der Waals Crystals for a High-Strength Thermal Insulator.

Achieving low thermal conductivity and high mechanical strength presents a material design challenge due to intrinsic trade-offs, such as the aerogel's porosity, impeding applications in construction, industry, and aerospace. This study presents a composite that incorporates a silica aerogel within a thermally expanded 2D layered vermiculite matrix. This design overcomes limitations imposed by van der Waals bonding lengths, typically less than 10 Å, which hinder aerogel integration with van der Waals crystals.

Tape-Assisted Residual Layer-Free One-Step Nanoimprinting of High-Index Hybrid Polymer for Optical Loss-Suppressed Metasurfaces.

The commercialization of metasurfaces is crucial for real-world applications such as wearable sensors, pigment-free color pixels, and augmented and virtual reality devices. Nanoparticle-embedded resin-based nanoimprint lithography (PER-NIL) has shown itself to be a low-cost, high-throughput manufacturing method enabling the replication of high-index nanostructures. It has been extensively integrated into the fabrication of hologram metasurfaces, metalenses, and sensors due to its procedural simplicity.

Identification of New Polyacetylenes from with PPAR-α Activity Study.

Leveille is a traditional medicine used to treat migraine headache and dysmenorrhea. In this study, three polyacetylenes, methyl (10,9,16)-16-acetoxy-9-hydroxyoctadeca-10,17-dien-12,14-diynoate (), methyl (10,9,16)-9,16-dihydroxyoctadeca-10-en-12,14-diynoate (), and methyl (10,9,16)-9,16-dihydroxyoctadeca-10,17-dien-12,14-diynoate (), were isolated from the aerial parts of . , together with seven known compounds (-).

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent responsiveness and hemoglobin variability is associated with fat tissue index in hemodialysis patients with darbepoetin-alfa treatment: a prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Although the introduction of erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) has led to better clinical outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), fluctuations in hemoglobin (Hb) levels, known as Hb variability, are frequently observed. However, only a few studies have evaluated the association between Hb variability and nutritional status in patients undergoing HD.

Methods: In this prospective study conducted between March 1, 2020, and June 1, 2022, we included 109 patients aged over 20 years undergoing HD and receiving darbepoetin.

Discovery of Spirosnuolides A-D, Type I/III Hybrid Polyketide Spiro-Macrolides for a Chemotherapeutic Lead against Lung Cancer.

Four new macrolides, spirosnuolides A-D (-, respectively), were discovered from the termite nest-derived sp. INHA29. Spirosnuolides A-D are 18-membered macrolides sharing an embedded [6,6]-spiroketal functionality inside the macrocycle and are conjugated with structurally uncommon side chains featuring cyclopentenone, 1,4-benzoquinone, hydroxyfuroic acid, or butenolide moieties.

Myo-inositol improves developmental competence and reduces oxidative stress in porcine parthenogenetic embryos.

Objective: Myo-inositol (Myo-Ins), the most abundant form of inositol, is an antioxidant and plays a crucial role in the development and reproduction of mammals and humans. However, information elucidating the role of Myo-Ins in porcine embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation (PA) is still lacking. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Myo-Ins on porcine embryos and its underlying mechanisms.

Biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization of unsaturated fatty acids to oxygenated chemicals via hydroxy fatty acids.

The selective oxyfunctionalization of unsaturated fatty acids is difficult in chemical reactions, whereas regio- and stereoselective oxyfunctionalization is often performed in biocatalytic synthesis. Fatty acid oxygenases, including hydratases, lipoxygenases, dioxygenases, diol synthases, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, peroxygenases, and 12-hydroxylases, are used to convert C16 and C18 unsaturated fatty acids to diverse regio- and stereoselective mono-, di-, and trihydroxy fatty acids via selective oxyfunctionalization. The formed hydroxy fatty acids or hydroperoxy fatty acids are metabolized to industrially important oxygenated chemicals such as lactones, green leaf volatiles, and bioplastic monomers, including ω-hydroxy fatty acids, α,ω-dicarboxylic acids, and fatty alcohols, by biocatalysts.

Understanding of enhanced nitrate in fine particles at agricultural sites in summer with high ammonia level.

Nitrate is one of the major constituents of fine particles and has not been effectively alleviated in Northeast Asia. Field measurements of various gases and the chemical composition of fine particles were conducted at two agricultural sites (cropland and livestock) in ammonia-rich environments to understand the effect of ammonia on nitric acid-nitrate partitioning using a thermodynamic model and to suggest a possible strategy to control total nitrate (i.e.

Assessing the Overall Technical Efficiency, Pure Technical Efficiency, and Scale Efficiency of United States Department of Defense Hospitals.

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate US Department of Defense hospital efficiency.

Methods: Drawing on the American Hospital Association's annual survey data, the study employs data envelopment analysis, slack analysis, and the Malmquist Productivity Index to identify the differences in hospital efficiency between Air Force, Army, and Navy hospitals as well as the trends of their efficiency from 2010 to 2021.

Results: US Department of Defense hospitals operated inefficiently from 2010 to 2021, although the average technical efficiency of all DOD hospitals increased slightly during this period.

Adjuvant sequential chemotherapy for salivary duct carcinomas: a retrospective comparative analysis.

Introduction: This study aimed to report the efficacy and safety of adjuvant sequential chemotherapy after definitive treatment of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) compared with the standard treatment alone (surgery with postoperative radiation therapy).

Methods: This was a retrospective study of pathologically confirmed 135 SDC patients (study period 2009 to 2022). After curative surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy, 55 of 135 patients decided to receive additional chemotherapy (OP+RT+Chemo group), while 80 opted for surgery and radiation (OP+RT group).

Secondary glaucoma as a late complication of a primary iris stromal cyst.

An 18-year-old woman with a congenital iris stromal cyst was referred for sudden-onset increased intraocular pressure (IOP) that did not respond to medical therapy. Ultrasound biomicroscopy demonstrated synechial angle closure from 9:00 to 12:00 in addition to a large cyst occupying much of the inferior angle. After implantation of an Ahmed glaucoma valve, her visual acuity returned to baseline, and IOP normalized.

Investigational Use of Real-World Data as a Hybrid Control in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma from the Randomized Phase Ib/II MORPHEUS Trial.

Enrolling adequate numbers of patients into the control arm of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often presents barriers. There is interest in leveraging real-world data (RWD) from electronic health records (EHRs) to construct external control (EC) arms to supplement RCT control arms and form hybrid control (HC) arms. This investigation showed the use of an HC arm in second-line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Bioprospecting secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties from soil bacteria in high-temperature ecosystems.

Background: The ongoing emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens necessitate urgent solutions. Natural products from bacterial sources are recognized as a promising source of antibiotics. This study aimed to isolate and characterize soil microorganisms from extremely hot environments and to screen their secondary metabolites for antibacterial activity.

Development of Marine-Degradable Poly(Ester Amide)s with Strong, Up-Scalable, and Up-Cyclable Performance.

Biodegradable polyesters provide an attractive alternative to non-degradable plastics but often encounter a tradeoff between biodegradability and mechanical properties because esters are rotational and lack hydrogen bonds. Conversely, natural polyamides, i.e.

Coronary vasomotor response incidence to intracoronary acetylcholine provocation test according to the severity of insignificant coronary artery stenosis in Korean population.

Background: Coronary artery spasm (CAS) is a cause of variant angina. However, the understanding of CAS patterns in the presence of mild-to-moderate coronary artery stenosis is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and patterns of CAS in patients with insignificant coronary artery stenosis using intracoronary acetylcholine (ACH) provocation test.

Habitat Type-Based Assemblage and Distribution Prediction of Small Mammals and Chigger Mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) in Chuncheon City, Republic of Korea.

While urbanization leads to habitat loss for medium and large mammals, small mammals can survive in fragmented habitats. As they are known to be the primary hosts of chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) that transmit scrub typhus, their habitat can be considered the primary distribution area for chigger mites. This study aims to examine the distribution of small mammals and chigger mites in four habitat types and analyzed species richness, mean intensity (MI), dominance, and infestation rate (IR).

Complete asymmetric polarization conversion at zero-eigenvalue exceptional points of non-Hermitian metasurfaces.

Non-Hermitian systems can be tuned to exhibit exceptional points, where both eigenvalues and eigenstates coalesce concurrently. The inherent adaptability of photonic non-Hermitian systems in configuring gain and loss has allowed us to observe a plethora of counterintuitive phenomena, largely as a consequence of the eigenspace reduction at these exceptional points. In this work, we propose a non-Hermitian metasurface that, through the incorporation of gain, enables complete asymmetric polarization conversion at an exceptional point with a zero eigenvalue.

Discovery of Cyclic Lipopeptides, Octaminomycins C and D, by Engineering LysR Transcriptional Regulator of sp.

New lipodepsipeptides, octaminomycins C and D ( and ), were discovered in an engineered sp. strain overexpressing the LysR transcriptional regulator family. The structures of and were elucidated by comprehensive analysis of their UV, HRMS, and NMR data.

Feasibility and Safety of ArtiSential for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Early-stage Gynecologic Cancer: Results from the KGOG 4002/GYANT Study.

Objectives: The objective is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ArtiSential for performing minimally invasive surgeries for gynecological cancers.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study at 10 Tertiary Institutional Hospitals in Korea between November 2021 and April 2022. Eligible patients were 18 years or older and planned to undergo minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic cancer.

Creating a plasma coordination center to support COVID-19 outpatient trials across a national network of hospital blood banks.

Introduction: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we rapidly implemented a plasma coordination center, within two months, to support transfusion for two outpatient randomized controlled trials. The center design was based on an investigational drug services model and a Food and Drug Administration-compliant database to manage blood product inventory and trial safety.

Methods: A core investigational team adapted a cloud-based platform to randomize patient assignments and track inventory distribution of control plasma and high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma of different blood groups from 29 donor collection centers directly to blood banks serving 26 transfusion sites.