Structural and biochemical insights into the mechanism of the anti-CRISPR protein AcrIE3.

Anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins are natural inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas systems, found in bacteriophages and other genetic elements. AcrIE3, identified in a Pseudomonas phage, inactivates the type I-E CRISPR-Cas system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by engaging with the Cascade complex. However, its precise inhibition mechanism has remained elusive.

MXene Hybrid Nanosheet of WS/TiC for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Designing low-cost hybrid electrocatalysts for hydrogen production is of significant importance. Recently, MXene-based materials are being increasingly employed in energy storage devices owing to their layered structure and high electrical conductivity. In this study, we propose a facile hydrothermal strategy for producing WS/TiC nanosheets that function as electrocatalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Structural and functional investigation of GajB protein in Gabija anti-phage defense.

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and archaea. To fend off invading phages, the hosts have evolved a variety of anti-phage defense mechanisms. Gabija is one of the most abundant prokaryotic antiviral systems and consists of two proteins, GajA and GajB.

Prognostic value of resting heart rate in predicting undiagnosed diabetes in adults: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2018.

Background And Aim: Although resting heart rate (RHR) is associated with prevalence and incidence of diabetes, whether it is associated with undiagnosed diabetes is still unclear. We aimed to investigate whether the RHR is associated with the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes in a large Korean national dataset.

Methods And Results: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2008 to 2018 were used.

High energy dissipation-based process to improve the rheological properties of bentonite drilling muds by reducing the particle size.

Drilling mud is a multi-phase fluid that is used in the petroleum drilling process. Bentonite is the most important constituent of drilling mud; it endows the drilling mud with its rheological behaviors, such as viscosity, yield stress, and shear thinning. The process of manufacturing microscale bentonite at the nanoscale level is very promising for commercializing nano-based drilling mud.

Transition Metal Ion Doping on ZIF-8 Enhances the Electrochemical CO Reduction Reaction.

The electrochemical reduction of CO  to diverse value-added chemicals is a unique, environmentally friendly approach for curbing greenhouse gas emissions while addressing sluggish catalytic activity and low Faradaic efficiency (FE) of electrocatalysts. Here, zeolite-imidazolate-frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) containing various transition metal ions-Ni, Fe, and Cu-at varying concentrations upon doping are fabricated for the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CO RR) to carbon monoxide (CO) without further processing. Atom coordination environments and theoretical electrocatalytic performance are scrutinized via X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

[Hyponatremic Seizure after Ingestion of an Oral Sulfate Tablet for Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy].

The oral sulfate tablet (OST), commercially available as Orafang (Pharmbio Korea Co., Seoul, Korea) in Korea, is being used increasingly because of its bowel-cleansing efficacy, safety, and tolerability in adults undergoing colonoscopy. Other bowel cleansing agents, such as polyethylene glycol and sodium picosulfate/magnesium citrate, can cause plasma volume depletion and electrolyte disturbances, such as hyponatremia.

The structure of AcrIE4-F7 reveals a common strategy for dual CRISPR inhibition by targeting PAM recognition sites.

Bacteria and archaea use the CRISPR-Cas system to fend off invasions of bacteriophages and foreign plasmids. In response, bacteriophages encode anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that potently inhibit host Cas proteins to suppress CRISPR-mediated immunity. AcrIE4-F7, which was isolated from Pseudomonas citronellolis, is a fused form of AcrIE4 and AcrIF7 that inhibits both type I-E and type I-F CRISPR-Cas systems.

Surface-Tailored Medium Entropy Alloys as Radically Low Overpotential Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts.

Numerous studies have explored new materials for electrocatalysts, but it is difficult to discover materials that surpass the catalytic activity of current commercially available noble metal electrocatalysts. In contrast to conventional transition metal alloys, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have immense potential to maximize their catalytic properties because of their high stability and compositional diversity as oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). This work presents medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) as OER electrocatalysts to simultaneously satisfy the requirement of high catalytic activity and long-term stability.

WS-WC-WO nano-hollow spheres as an efficient and durable catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), transition metal carbides (TMCs), and transition metal oxides (TMOs) have been widely investigated for electrocatalytic applications owing to their abundant active sites, high stability, good conductivity, and various other fascinating properties. Therefore, the synthesis of composites of TMDs, TMCs, and TMOs is a new avenue for the preparation of efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, we propose a novel low-cost and facile method to prepare TMD-TMC-TMO nano-hollow spheres (WS-WC-WO NH) as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Measurement of Ankle Joint Movements Using IMUs during Running.

Gait analysis has historically been implemented in laboratory settings only with expensive instruments; yet, recently, efforts to develop and integrate wearable sensors into clinical applications have been made. A limited number of previous studies have been conducted to validate inertial measurement units (IMUs) for measuring ankle joint kinematics, especially with small movement ranges. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the ability of available IMUs to accurately measure the ankle joint angles by comparing the ankle joint angles measured using a wearable device with those obtained using a motion capture system during running.

Regulation of Dual Activity of Ascorbate Peroxidase 1 From by Conformational Changes and Posttranslational Modifications.

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is an important reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzyme, which catalyzes the removal of hydrogen peroxide (HO) to prevent oxidative damage. The peroxidase activity of APX is regulated by posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as S-nitrosylation, tyrosine nitration, and S-sulfhydration. In addition, it has been recently reported that APX functions as a molecular chaperone, protecting rice against heat stress.

Decoding the Capability of W1 Isolated from Soybean Whey in Producing an Exopolysaccharide.

This study aims at producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) from a lactic acid bacterial strain. The soybean whey-isolated W1 (EPS-W1), which belongs to genus , is identified using the phenylalanyl-tRNA sequencing method. Of all the examined strains, R-49778 (as numbered by BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, Belgium) showed the highest capability of producing exopolysaccharides.

Cost-Effectiveness of Tiotropium in Elderly Patients with Severe Asthma Using Real-World Data.

Background: Tiotropium has the potential to alleviate asthmatic symptoms caused by the aging of lungs. However, few studies have focused on specific treatments for elderly patients with asthma.

Objectives: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of adding tiotropium to inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists in elderly patients with severe asthma using real-world data.

Breath Acetone Measurement-Based Prediction of Exercise-Induced Energy and Substrate Expenditure.

The purpose of our study was to validate a newly developed breath acetone (BrAce) analyzer, and to explore if BrAce could predict aerobic exercise-related substrate use. Six healthy men ran on a treadmill at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO) for 1 h after two days of a low-carbohydrate diet. BrAce and blood ketone (acetoacetate (ACAC), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB)) levels were measured at baseline and at different time points of post-exercise.

Incidence and risk factors of subsequent osteoporotic fracture: a nationwide cohort study in South Korea.

Unlabelled: This study analyzed the incidence and risk factors of subsequent osteoporotic fractures in South Korea. The results showed that the incidence rate of subsequent fractures within 24 months was 10.23 per 100 person-years.

Economic burden of subsequent fracture in osteoporosis patients in South Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the economic burden of subsequent fracture in osteoporosis patients with incident fracture.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of the South Korean national health insurance claims data. Study subjects included osteoporosis patients aged ≥50 with incident fracture (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015).

Synthesis of Diatomite-Based Mesoporous Wool-Ball-Like Microspheres and Their Application for Toluene Total Oxidation Reaction.

Diatomite (DE) has attracted considerable attention owing to its abundance, low cost, and potential for a wide variety of applications. This work reports the development of mesoporous wool-ball-like (WBL) microspheres from natural DE through a simple hydrothermal treatment. We discovered that the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide is a prerequisite for generating monodispersed WBL microspheres.

Functional properties and the oligomeric state of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit F (AhpF) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit F (AhpF) is a well-known flavoprotein that transfers electrons from pyridine nucleotides to the peroxidase protein AhpC via redox-active disulfide centers to detoxify hydrogen peroxide. However, study of AhpF has historically been limited to particular eubacteria, and the connection between the functional and structural properties of AhpF remains unknown. The present study demonstrates the dual function of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AhpF (PaAhpF) as a reductase and a molecular chaperone.

Validation of Submaximal Step Tests and the 6-Min Walk Test for Predicting Maximal Oxygen Consumption in Young and Healthy Participants.

: This study aimed to test the validity of three different submaximal tests (i.e., 3-min step test with 20.

A Comparison of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists to Low-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroids in the Elderly with Mild Asthma.

Background: Although elderly patients with asthma have clinical characteristics different from those of young adults, few studies or guidelines have focused on specific treatments for this population.

Objective: This study compared the effectiveness of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) versus inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in elderly patients with asthma in real-world settings.

Methods: We extracted records for elderly patients with asthma who were newly prescribed LTRAs or low-dose ICSs from January 2003 to December 2010 from National Sample Cohort data of Korea.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Sacubitril/Valsartan Use Compared With Standard Care in Chronic Heart Failure Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction in South Korea.

Purpose: Sacubitril/valsartan, the first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), is a possible treatment option for chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The aim of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of sacubitril/valsartan use in South Korea for treating patients with HFrEF compared with that of enalapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

Methods: A Markov model was designed to estimate the lifetime cost-effectiveness of treatment for patients with HFrEF.