The role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in enhancing medication adherence among patients with newly diagnosed hypertension: an analysis of the National Health Insurance cohort database.

Background: Improving adherence to antihypertensive medication (AHM) is a key challenge in hypertension management. This study aimed to assess the impact of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) on AHM adherence.

Methods: We utilized the Korean National Health Insurance Service database.

Cs-treatments in Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cells for Efficient Perovskite Tandems.

CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells are an attractive choice for a bottom cell of the low-cost and environmental tandem solar cells with perovskite. However, the progress in developing efficient perovskite/CZTSSe tandem solar cells has been hindered by the lack of high performance of the CZTSSe bottom cell. Here, an efficient CZTSSe bottom cell is demonstrated by adopting a facile and effective CsF treatment process.

Higher Plasma Stromal Cell-Derived Factor 1 Is Associated with Lower Risk for Sarcopenia in Older Asian Adults.

Backgruound: Despite the protective effects of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) in stimulating muscle regeneration shown in experimental research, there is a lack of clinical studies linking circulating SDF-1 concentrations with muscle phenotypes. In order to elucidate the role of SDF-1 as a potential biomarker reflecting human muscle health, we investigated the association of plasma SDF-1 levels with sarcopenia in older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 97 community-dwelling participants who underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment at a tertiary hospital in South Korea.

Hierarchical Heterogeneous NiFe Layered Double Hydroxides for Efficient Solar-Powered Water Oxidation.

Highly active, stable, and low-cost oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts are urgently needed for the realization of large-scale industrial hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) stand out as one of the most promising nonprecious electrocatalysts worth pursuing. Here, a hierarchical heterogeneous NiFe@NiFe LDH was successfully synthesized via a sequential electrodeposition technique using separate electrolytes containing iron precursors with different valence states (Fe, Fe).

Aortic carboxypeptidase-like protein, a putative myokine, stimulates the differentiation and survival of bone-forming osteoblasts.

A new target that stimulates bone formation is needed to overcome limitations of current anti-osteoporotic drugs. Myokines, factors secreted from muscles, may modulate it. In this study, we investigated the role of aortic carboxypeptidase-like protein (ACLP), which is highly expressed in skeletal muscles, on bone formation.

Lack of association between serum myonectin levels and sarcopenia in older Asian adults.

Myonectin is a muscle-secreted factor that helps maintain homeostasis in the body by regulating several functions, including lipid metabolism. Previous studies suggested that myonectin may play a role in muscle health in an autocrine manner, but its impact on human skeletal muscle is still unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship of serum myonectin levels with sarcopenia and related muscle parameters.

Bisphenol A-induced autophagy ameliorates human B cell death through Nrf2-mediated regulation of Atg7 and Beclin1 expression by Syk activation.

The widely used plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) is known as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). Many studies have shown that BPA contributes to diseases involving immune system alterations, but the underlying mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We previously reported that BPA at concentration of 100 μM caused human B cell death in accordance with an increase in nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2(Nrf2) expression.

Junctionless Electric-Double-Layer MoS Field-Effect Transistor with a Sub-5 nm Thick Electrostatically Highly Doped Channel.

Junctionless transistors are suitable for sub-3 nm applications because of their extremely simple structure and high electrical performance, which compensate for short-channel effects. Two-dimensional semiconductor transition-metal dichalcogenide materials, such as MoS, may also resolve technical and fundamental issues for Si-based technology. Here, we present the first junctionless electric-double-layer field-effect transistor with an electrostatically highly doped 5 nm thick MoS channel.

Decreased Serum Level of Sclerostin in Older Adults with Sarcopenia.

Backgruound: Although muscles and bones interact with each other through various secretory factors, the role of sclerostin, an osteocyte-secreted factor, on muscle metabolism has not been well studied. We investigated the levels of serum sclerostin in Korean older adults with sarcopenia.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 129 participants who underwent evaluation of muscle mass and function in an outpatient geriatric clinic of a teaching hospital.

Benefits of lumican on human bone health: clinical evidence using bone marrow aspirates.

Background/aims: Lumican, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, has shown osteoprotective effects by synchronously stimulating bone formation and suppressing bone resorption. To clarify the role of lumican in human bone metabolism, the association between lumican concentrations and osteoporosis-related phenotypes was evaluated using bone marrow (BM) samples directly reflecting local microenvironments.

Methods: BM aspirates were obtained from 77 patients during hip surgery for either fragility hip fractures (HF) (n = 29) or osteoarthritis (n = 48) and centrifuged.

Characteristics and Clinical Course of Diabetes of the Exocrine Pancreas: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: The natural course of diabetes of the exocrine pancreas (DEP) is not well established. We aimed to compare the risk of insulin initiation, diabetic complications, and mortality between DEP and type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort between 2012 and 2017, we divided patients with diabetes into those with diabetes without prior pancreatic disease (indicated type 2 diabetes, n = 153,894) and diabetes with a prior diagnosis of pancreatic disease (indicated DEP, n = 3,629).

Serum irisin level is independent of sarcopenia and related muscle parameters in older adults.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that irisin, a myokine consisting of 112 amino acids, protects against muscle wasting in an autocrine manner; however, its impact on human muscle metabolism is still inconclusive. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate whether circulating irisin could be a potential biomarker reflecting muscle health in older adults.

Methods: Comprehensive assessment of muscle mass; muscle function, including grip strength, gait speed, chair stand test, and short physical performance battery (SPPB); and muscle quality was performed in 143 older adults who visited outpatient geriatrics and endocrinology clinics.

Simulator acceleration and inverse design of fin field-effect transistors using machine learning.

The simulation and design of electronic devices such as transistors is vital for the semiconductor industry. Conventionally, a device is intuitively designed and simulated using model equations, which is a time-consuming and expensive process. However, recent machine learning approaches provide an unprecedented opportunity to improve these tasks by training the underlying relationships between the device design and the specifications derived from the extensively accumulated simulation data.

Risk of ischaemic stroke in patients with transient global amnesia: a propensity-matched cohort study.

Background: The exact pathophysiological mechanism of transient global amnesia (TGA) is unknown. It is debatable whether TGA is a risk factor for stroke. Therefore, here we investigated the possibility of TGA as a risk factor for stroke in a real-world setting using large-scale nationwide health claims data.

Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Properties of Cu-Loaded ZIF-67-Derivatized Bean Sprout-Like Co-TiO/Ti Nanostructures.

ZIF-derivatized catalysts have shown high potential in catalysis. Herein, bean sprout-like Co-TiO/Ti nanostructures were first synthesized by thermal treatment at 800 °C under Ar-flow conditions using sacrificial ZIF-67 templated on Ti sheets. It was observed that ZIF-67 on Ti sheets started to thermally decompose at around 350 °C and was converted to the cubic phase CoO.

Aldosterone Inhibits In Vitro Myogenesis by Increasing Intracellular Oxidative Stress via Mineralocorticoid Receptor.

Background: Despite clinical evidence indicating poor muscle health in subjects with primary aldosteronism (PA), it is still unclear whether the role of aldosterone in muscle metabolism is direct or mediated indirectly via factors, such as electrolyte imbalance or impaired glucose uptake. As one approach to clarify this issue, we investigated the effect of aldosterone on in vitro myogenesis and the potential mechanism explaining it.

Methods: Myogenesis was induced in mouse C2C12 myoblasts with 2% horse serum.

Electrochemical Ce(III)/Ce(IV) Redox Behavior and Ce Oxide Nanostructure Recovery over Thio-Terpyridine-Functionalized Au/Carbon Paper Electrodes.

Understanding the electrochemical behaviors of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) ions is essential for better treatment, separation, and recycling of lanthanide (Ln) and actinide (An) elements. Herein, electrochemical redox behavior and interconversion of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) ions and their recoveries were demonstrated over newly developed thio-terpyridine-functionalized Au-modified carbon paper electrodes in acidic and neutral electrolytes. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were performed for the electrodes with and without thio-terpyridine functionalization.

Thermal CO Oxidation and Photocatalytic CO Reduction over Bare and M-AlO (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, and Au) Cotton-Like Nanosheets.

Aluminum oxide (AlO) has abundantly been used as a catalyst, and its catalytic activity has been tailored by loading transition metals. Herein, γ-AlO nanosheets were prepared by the solvothermal method, and transition metals (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, and Au) were loaded onto the nanosheets. Big data sets of thermal CO oxidation and photocatalytic CO reduction activities were fully examined for the transition metal-loaded AlO nanosheets.

Lumican Inhibits Osteoclastogenesis and Bone Resorption by Suppressing Akt Activity.

Lumican, a ubiquitously expressed small leucine-rich proteoglycan, has been utilized in diverse biological functions. Recent experiments demonstrated that lumican stimulates preosteoblast viability and differentiation, leading to bone formation. To further understand the role of lumican in bone metabolism, we investigated its effects on osteoclast biology.

Effect of CCL11 on In Vitro Myogenesis and Its Clinical Relevance for Sarcopenia in Older Adults.

Background: The C-C motif chemokine ligand 11 (CCL11) has been receiving attention as a potential pro-aging factor. Accordingly, it may be involved in muscle metabolism and sarcopenia, a key component of aging phenotypes. To clarify this potential, we investigated the effects of CCL11 on in vitro muscle biology and its clinical relevance for sarcopenia parameters in older adults.

Serum GDF15 Level Is Independent of Sarcopenia in Older Asian Adults.

Background: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), induced by tissue inflammation and mitochondrial stress, has received significant attention as a biomarker of mitochondrial dysfunction and has been implicated in various age-related diseases. However, the association between circulating GDF15 and sarcopenia-associated outcomes in older adults remains to be established.

Aim: To validate previous experimental data and to investigate the possible role of GDF15 in aging and muscle physiology in humans, this study examined serum GDF15 levels in relation to sarcopenia-related parameters in a cohort of older Asian adults.

Association between serum FGF21 level and sarcopenia in older adults.

Background: With emerging basic research evidence suggesting that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 is a catabolic molecule on muscle metabolism, we aimed to analyze the serum FGF21 level in relation to sarcopenia in older adults.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 125 participants who underwent evaluation for muscle mass and function in an outpatient geriatric clinic of a teaching hospital. Sarcopenia and related components were determined using cutoff values for the Asian population.