Assessment of bioactive chemicals in wastewater effluents and surface waters using in vitro bioassays in the Nakdong River basin, Korea.

Organic micropollutants present in effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can negatively affect the quality of receiving waters or drinking water sources. The present work monitored the concentration of bioactive chemicals using a battery of in vitro bioassays in 14 WWTP effluents, 2 effluent-dominant streams, and 5 river waters in the Nakdong River basin, Korea, for a two-year period. The WWTP effluents showed AR/ERα/TRβ (androgen/estrogen/thyroid hormone) activities at a few to tens ng/L, PAH/PPARγ/p53 (polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon/lipid metabolism/genotoxicity) activities at hundreds ng/L, and PXR/Nrf2 (xenobiotic metabolism/oxidative stress) activities at tens to hundreds μg/L as bioanalytical equivalent concentrations.

Structure-Guided Protein Engineering of Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase from for Dual NAD/NADP Cofactor Specificity.

Since the discovery of l-glutamate-producing , it has evolved to be an industrial workhorse. For biobased chemical production, suppling sufficient amounts of the NADPH cofactor is crucial. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a glycolytic enzyme that converts glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate and produces NADH, is a major prospective solution for the cofactor imbalance issue.

Mast-cell-specific receptor mediates alcohol-withdrawal-associated headache in male mice.

Rehabilitation from alcohol addiction or abuse is hampered by withdrawal symptoms including severe headaches, which often lead to rehabilitation failure. There is no appropriate therapeutic option available for alcohol-withdrawal-induced headaches. Here, we show the role of the mast-cell-specific receptor MrgprB2 in the development of alcohol-withdrawal-induced headache.

Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Simulation to Improve Problem-Based Learning for Neurologic Examination in Nursing Students.

Background: In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, there is a requirement of innovative strategies to enhance nursing students' learning transfer. Virtual Reality Simulation Problem-Based Learning (VRS-PBL) has been validated to be an advantageous strategy that can improve knowledge, clinical performance, and self-efficacy. We aimed to identify the effectiveness of VRS-PBL for improving nursing students' neurologic examination.

Assessment of Salinomycin's Potential to Treat in Korean Rockfish ().

Aquaculture, a crucial sector of the global food industry, faces a myriad of issues due to parasitic invasions. One such parasite, , which afflicts Korean rockfish in South Korea, has a significant economic impact. The impending danger of resistance to traditional anthelmintics necessitates the exploration of new antiparasitic candidates.

Exploring the Efficacy and Safety of Levamisole Hydrochloride against in Korean Rockfish (): An In Vitro and In Vivo Approach.

Parasitic infections pose significant challenges in aquaculture, and the increasing resistance to conventional anthelmintics necessitates the exploration of alternative treatments. Levamisole hydrochloride (HCl) has demonstrated efficacy against monogenean infections in various fish species; however, research focused on infections in Korean rockfish () remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of levamisole HCl against infections in Korean rockfish with the goal of optimizing anthelmintic usage in aquaculture.

Influence of Subclinical Corneal Edema on Contrast Sensitivity in Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare visual function, with a focus on contrast sensitivity, between patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) with and without subclinical corneal edema.

Methods: In this cross-sectional, observational, single-center study, 46 pseudophakic eyes of 31 patients with FECD were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence of subclinical corneal edema. All eyes presented with a Krachmer grade of 5 and no clinical corneal edema.

Identification of Potential Hazards Associated with South Korean Prawns and Monitoring Results Targeting Fishing Bait.

This study detected two potential pathogens, , which causes acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), in fishing bait in South Korea. However, their infectious nature was not confirmed, possibly due to the degradation caused by freezing/thawing or prolonged storage under frozen conditions. While infectivity was not confirmed in this study, there is still a significant risk of exposure to these aquatic products.

Development and evaluation of a tailored mHealth parenting program for multicultural families: a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Health management of children during early childhood requires substantial information. Multicultural families find it difficult to obtain and use parenting-relevant information for their young children. This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a tailored Health parenting program and lay-health workers' support to improve children's health in multicultural families in Korea.

Programming dynamic division of labor using horizontal gene transfer.

The metabolic engineering of microbes has broad applications, including in biomanufacturing, bioprocessing, and environmental remediation. The introduction of a complex, multi-step pathway often imposes a substantial metabolic burden on the host cell, restraining the accumulation of productive biomass and limiting pathway efficiency. One strategy to alleviate metabolic burden is division of labor (DOL), in which different subpopulations carry out different parts of the pathway and work together to convert a substrate into a final product.

Promoting Homogeneous Zinc-Ion Transfer Through Preferential Ion Coordination Effect in Gel Electrolyte for Stable Zinc Metal Batteries.

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) are emerging energy storage systems that are poised to replace conventional lithium-ion batteries owing to their intrinsic safety, facile manufacturing process, economic benefits, and superior ionic conductivity. However, the issues of inferior anode reversibility and dendritic plating during operation remain challenging for the practical use of AZMBs. Herein, a gel electrolyte based on zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (poly(SBMA)) dissolved with different concentrations of ZnSO is proposed.

Facile microfluidic synthesis of monodispersed size-controllable quantum dot (QD) microbeads using custom developed QD photoresist.

Fluorescent microbeads (MBs) are widely used as next-generation biosensors for the detection of target chemicals at highly sensitive concentrations, and for imaging and tracking and . However, most known methods for producing fluorescent MBs require complicated multistep processes that result in low production rates. In this study, we report a method for fabricating micrometer-sized quantum dot microbeads (QD-MBs) using a microfluidic chip and specially designed QD photoresist (QD-PR).

Visual Acuity Outcomes and Complications after Intraocular Lens Exchange: An IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) Analysis.

Purpose: To assess risk factors for worse visual acuity (VA) outcomes after intraocular lens (IOL) exchange, and the most common postsurgical complications.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: Eyes from patients 18 years of age and older in the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) that underwent IOL exchange in the United States between 2013 and 2019.

Management of Male Infertility with Coexisting Sexual Dysfunction: A Consensus Statement and Clinical Recommendations from the Asia-Pacific Society of Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and the Asian Society of Men's Health and Aging (ASMHA).

Male infertility (MI) and male sexual dysfunction (MSD) can often coexist together due to various interplay factors such as psychosexual, sociocultural and relationship dynamics. The presence of each form of MSD can adversely impact male reproduction and treatment strategies will need to be individualized based on patients' factors, local expertise, and geographical socioeconomic status. The Asia Pacific Society of Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and the Asian Society of Men's Health and Aging (ASMHA) aim to provide a consensus statement and practical set of clinical recommendations based on current evidence to guide clinicians in the management of MI and MSD within the Asia-Pacific (AP) region.

Application of multiple-finding segmentation utilizing Mask R-CNN-based deep learning in a rat model of drug-induced liver injury.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) presents significant diagnostic challenges, and recently artificial intelligence-based deep learning technology has been used to predict various hepatic findings. In this study, we trained a set of Mask R-CNN-based deep algorithms to learn and quantify typical toxicant induced-histopathological lesions, portal area, and connective tissue in Sprague Dawley rats. We compared a set of single-finding models (SFMs) and a combined multiple-finding model (MFM) for their ability to simultaneously detect, classify, and quantify multiple hepatic findings on rat liver slide images.

Prognostic Role of Preoperative Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Recurrence at First Evaluation after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Induction in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

We investigated the prognosis of BCG induction-only treatment and non-complete response (CR) at the first 3-month evaluation and examined factors associated with CR. In total, 209 patients with moderate- and high-risk NMIBC who received BCG induction-only treatment between 2008 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed based on the initial NMIBC stage.

Complement receptor type 1 and 2 (CR1 and CR2) gene polymorphisms and plasma protein levels are associated with the Dengue disease severity.

The pathological outcome of dengue disease results from complex interactions between dengue virus (DENV) and host genetics and immune response. Complement receptor types 1 and 2 (CR1 and CR2) mediate complement activation through the alternative pathway. This study investigated the possible association of genetic polymorphisms and plasma levels of CR1 and CR2 with dengue disease.

Assessment of Effects of Low-Level Light Therapy on Scalp Condition and Hair Growth.

Background: The appearance of the scalp and hair is very important aesthetically regardless of age or sex. Although there are many drugs and treatment methods for scalp problems and hair loss, the treatment response is still insufficient.

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of low-level light therapy in a helmet-like device.

Nonclinical safety assessment and immunogenicity of rVSVInd(GML)-mspSGtc vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 in rabbits.

The worldwide health, economic, and societal consequences of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic have been devastating. The primary strategy to prevent new infectious diseases is to vaccinate the majority of people worldwide. However, the significant hurdles that are faced include vaccine safety concerns and vaccine reluctance.

Midterm Outcomes of Muscle-Preserving Posterior Lumbar Decompression via Sagittal Splitting of the Spinous Process: Minimum 5-Year Follow-up.

Background: To overcome several disadvantages of conventional laminectomy for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS), several types of minimally invasive surgery have been developed. The purpose of the present study was to report the clinical and radiological mid-term outcomes of spinous process-splitting decompression (SPSD) for DLSS.

Methods: Seventy-three consecutive patients underwent SPSD between September 2014 and March 2016.

Spatiotemporal Optimization for the Placement of Automated External Defibrillators Using Mobile Phone Data.

With over 350,000 cases occurring each year, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a severe public health concern in the United States. The correct and timely use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) has been widely acknowledged as an effective measure to improve the survival rate of OHCA. While general guidelines have been provided by the American Heart Association (AHA) for AED deployment, the lack of detailed instructions hindered the adoption of such guidelines under dynamic scenarios with various time and space distributions.

Exploring a β-Amino Acid with a Seven-Membered Ring Constraint as a Foldamer Building Block for Nontraditional Helices.

We explored - and -2-aminocycloheptanecarboxylic acid (ACHpC) as potential building blocks for helical foldamers. -ACHpC does not show sufficient folding propensity in unnatural peptides. -ACHpC promotes nontraditional helices of two unnatural peptide backbones: the 11/9-helix for 1:1 α/β-peptides and the 12/10-helix for β-peptides with interconvertible handedness.

Family Communication About Cancer in Korea: A Dyadic Analysis of Parent-Adolescent Conversation.

Parent-adolescent communication is important in the context of childhood cancer. However, we know little about the communication experiences between Korean adolescents and their parents. Here, we conducted a secondary analysis of interview data from a qualitative descriptive study to explore Korean parent-adolescent communication experiences as a unit.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of periodontitis and peri-implantitis in human subjects.

Background: Peri-implantitis is similar to periodontitis, but there are some differences. For the effective control of peri-implantitis, it is necessary to clarify its similarities and differences with periodontitis in terms of gene expression.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 20 participants (10 healthy subjects and 10 patients with periodontitis and peri-implantitis).