NS1 binding protein regulates stress granule dynamics and clearance by inhibiting p62 ubiquitination.

The NS1 binding protein, known for interacting with the influenza A virus protein, is involved in RNA processing, cancer, and nerve cell growth regulation. However, its role in stress response independent of viral infections remains unclear. This study investigates NS1 binding protein's function in regulating stress granules during oxidative stress through interactions with GABARAP subfamily proteins.

Effects of alkaline extraction on behavior of rare earth elements in coal ashes.

The effects of alkaline extraction on the behavior of rare earth elements in coal ashes were investigated in the present study. Independent variables are the concentration of extractant and particle size of coal ashes. Sodium hydroxide was used as an extractant, and the molarity of the solvents varied from 1.

Enhancing shipboard oil pollution prevention: Machine learning innovations in oil discharge monitoring equipment.

Maritime operations face significant challenges in environmental stewardship, particularly in managing oil discharges from tankers as mandated by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex I, Regulation 34. Traditional Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment (ODME) methods rely on manual decision-making, often failing to accurately identify MARPOL-defined no-go zones, estimate operation completion times, and recommend course alterations during decanting operations. This study introduces a novel approach by integrating advanced machine learning techniques-Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM)-to enhance ODME operations.

Multi-modality multi-task model for mRS prediction using diffusion-weighted resonance imaging.

This study focuses on predicting the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke patients with focal neurologic symptoms using a combination of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and clinical information. The primary outcome is a poor functional outcome defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 3-6 after 3 months of stroke. Employing nnUnet for DWI lesion segmentation, the study utilizes both multi-task and multi-modality methodologies, integrating DWI and clinical data for prognosis prediction.

Pathogenesis of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: Role of the Glymphatic System Dysfunction.

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a group of pathologies that affect the cerebral blood vessels. CSVD accounts for 25% of strokes and contributes to 45% of dementia. However, the pathogenesis of CSVD remains unclear, involving a variety of complex mechanisms.

Nutrient release pattern and mitigation of NO emissions under the application of activated poultry manure compost biochar with organic resources.

Biochar was generally used to reduce the macronutrient releases and to mitigate NO gas emissions in cropland. This experiment evaluated the trend of major plant nutrient releases using the modified Hyperbola model and the greenhouse gas emissions by incorporating different poultry manure compost biochar with organic resources. The treatments consisted of the control as the organic fertilizer materials, the incorporated poultry manure compost biochar with organic fertilizer materials (PMCBF), and the incorporated plasma-activated poultry manure compost biochar with organic fertilizer materials (PAMBF) under redox conditions.

Impact of medical waste bin on contamination of patient's environment: An experimental study.

Background: Medical waste bins are a potential source of microbial contamination in the hospital environment, while there is no clear guidance for the management of them. We aimed to assess the impact of medical waste bins on patient's environment.

Methods: This experimental study simulated microbial contamination by performing medical procedures on a patient model with fluorescent lotion.

Characteristics of truncation resonances in periodic bilayer rods and beams with symmetric and asymmetric unit cellsa).

Truncation resonances are resonant frequencies that occur within bandgaps and are a prominent feature of finite phononic crystals. While recent studies have shed light on the existence conditions and modal characteristics of truncation resonances in discrete systems, much remains to be understood about their behavior in continuous structures. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the existence and modal characteristics of truncation resonances in periodic bilayer beams, both numerically and experimentally.

The First Report on the Complete Sequence Characterization of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 3 in the Republic of Korea.

The bluetongue virus (BTV) is a significant animal pathogen with economic implications in the ruminant industry. Despite global reports on BTV detection and epidemiologic investigations, limited studies have focused on the virus in the ROK. In this study, BTV epidemiological research was conducted on blood samples from cattle and goat farms across nine regions during 2013-2014.

Lower-Body Fractures and the Risk of Dementia: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background And Purpose: The association between physical activity and dementia has been shown in various observational studies. We aimed to determine the risk of dementia in the elderly with lower-body fractures.

Methods: We reconstructed a population-based matched cohort from the National Health Insurance Service-Senior Cohort data set that covers 511,953 recipients of medical insurance in South Korea.

Propensity score matched analysis for the safety and effectiveness of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients with renal impairment.

Backgrounds: Remdesivir (RDV) is an antiviral agent approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, is not recommended for patients with renal impairment. Due to limitations associated with prospective clinical trials, real-world data on the safety and efficacy of RDV in patients with renal impairment are necessary.

Methods: Propensity score-matched (PSM) retrospective analysis was conducted between March 2020 and September 2022 in COVID-19 patients with an eGFR < 30 mL/min in four Korean hospitals.

A leptin-loaded poly--caprolactone 3D printing scaffold for odontoblastic differentiation in human dental pulp cells.

This study investigated the effects on odontoblast differentiation of a 3D-printed poly--caprolactone (PCL) scaffold that incorporated leptin. Material extrusion-type 3D printing with a 43 000-molecular weight PCL material was used to fabricate a PCL scaffold with a 6 mm diameter, 1 mm height, and 270-340 µm pore size. The experimental groups were PCL scaffolds (control group), PCL scaffolds with aminated surfaces (group A), and PCL scaffolds with leptin on the aminated surface (group L).

Prospero Homeobox 1 and Doublecortin Correlate with Neural Damage after Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: Markers of neuroinflammation during ischemic stroke are well characterized, but additional markers of neural damage are lacking. The study identified associations of behavioral disorders after stroke with histologic neural damage and molecular biological change.

Methods: Eight-week-old, 25 g male mice of the C57BL/6J strain were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) to induce ischemic stroke.

Multiple reaction pathway on alkaline earth imide supported catalysts for efficient ammonia synthesis.

The tunability of reaction pathways is required for exploring efficient and low cost catalysts for ammonia synthesis. There is an obstacle by the limitations arising from scaling relation for this purpose. Here, we demonstrate that the alkali earth imides (AeNH) combined with transition metal (TM = Fe, Co and Ni) catalysts can overcome this difficulty by utilizing functionalities arising from concerted role of active defects on the support surface and loaded transition metals.

Topological insulator as an efficient catalyst for oxidative carbonylation of amines.

Topological materials have received much attention because of their robust topological surface states, which can be potentially applied in electronics and catalysis. Here, we show that the topological insulator bismuth selenide functions as an efficient catalyst for the oxidative carbonylation of amines with carbon monoxide and dioxygen to synthesize urea derivatives. For example, the carbonylation of butylamine can be completed over bismuth selenide nanoparticle catalyst in 4 hours at 20°C with a yield of 99%, whereas most noble metal-based catalysts do not function at such a low temperature.

Possibility of Decreasing Incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Korea.

Background: The number of newly diagnosed cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Korea, which had increased until 2019, has markedly decreased since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic started. This study evaluated whether the decrease is due to a reduction in the incidence of HIV infection and/or delayed diagnosis during the pandemic.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 587 newly diagnosed patients with HIV infection between February 2018 and January 2022 from four general hospitals, and their characteristics were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Real-World Effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir and Its Acceptability in High-Risk COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is highly effective in preventing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate severity. However, real-world performance data are limited, and the drug is not so acceptable to the COVID-19 patients at high risk who need it in Korea.

Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, we conducted a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study on patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for a severe disease who were hospitalized at four hospitals in South Korea from February 2022 to April 2022.

Reinforcing Synaptic Plasticity of Defect-Tolerant States in Alloyed 2D Artificial Transistors.

While two-dimensional (2D) materials possess the desirable future of neuromorphic computing platforms, unstable charging and de-trapping processes, which are inherited from uncontrollable states, such as the interface trap between nanocrystals and dielectric layers, can deteriorate the synaptic plasticity in field-effect transistors. Here, we report a facile and effective strategy to promote artificial synaptic devices by providing physical doping in 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials. Our experiments demonstrate that the introduction of niobium (Nb) into 2D WSe nanomaterials produces charge trap levels in the band gap and retards the decay of the trapped charges, thereby accelerating the artificial synaptic plasticity by encouraging improved short-/long-term plasticity, increased multilevel states, lower power consumption, and better symmetry and asymmetry ratios.

Resistance Trends of Antiretroviral Agents in People with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Korea, 2012 - 2020.

Background: Domestic data on antiretroviral drug (ARV) resistance are limited, while alterations in ARV resistance are expected as the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases. We evaluated the ten-year change in ARV resistance in people with HIV (PWH) in Korea.

Materials And Methods: Adults aged ≥19 years and diagnosed with HIV infection between January 2010 and December 2020 at a 750-bed municipal hospital were retrospectively reviewed.

Vibrationally Hot Reactants in a Plasmon-Assisted Chemical Reaction.

Recent studies on plasmon-assisted chemical reactions postulate that the hot electrons of plasmon-excited nanostructures may induce a non-thermal vibrational activation of metal-bound reactants. However, the postulate has not been fully validated at the level of molecular quantum states. We directly and quantitatively prove that such activation occurs on plasmon-excited nanostructures: The anti-Stokes Raman spectra of reactants undergoing a plasmon-assisted reaction reveal that a particular vibrational mode of the reactant is selectively excited, such that the reactants possess >10 times more energy in the mode than is expected from the fully thermalized molecules at the given local temperature.