Biomimetic Mineralization of Large Enzymes Utilizing a Stable Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Enzymes are natural catalysts for a wide range of metabolic chemical transformations, including selective hydrolysis, oxidation, and phosphorylation. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy for the encapsulation of enzymes within a highly stable zirconium-based metal-organic framework. UiO-66-F was synthesized under mild conditions using an enzyme-compatible amino acid modulator, serine, at a modest temperature in an aqueous solution.

Gintonin Alleviates HCl/Ethanol- and Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Mice.

Gintonin, newly extracted from ginseng, is a glycoprotein that acts as an exogenous lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand. This study aimed to demonstrate the in vivo preventive effects of gintonin on gastric damage. ICR mice were randomly assigned to five groups: a normal group (received saline, 0.

Ginsenoside-Re inhibits experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis as a mouse model of multiple sclerosis by downregulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways.

Background: Ginsenosides are main active compounds of Panax ginseng with pharmacological effects on immunological/neurological diseases. Recently, ginsenoside-Re (G-Re) has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. However, whether G-Re has an effect on multiple sclerosis (MS), a representative autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), has not been revealed yet.

Korean Red Ginseng extract ameliorates demyelination by inhibiting infiltration and activation of immune cells in cuprizone-administrated mice.

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), the steamed root of , has pharmacological activities for immunological and neurodegenerative disorders. But, the role of KRGE in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unclear.

Purpose: To determine whether KRG extract (KRGE) could inhibit demyelination in corpus callosum (CC) of cuprizone (CPZ)-induced murine model of MS.

Gintonin, a ginseng-derived LPA receptor ligand, attenuates kainic acid-induced seizures and neuronal cell death in the hippocampus via anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities.

Background: Gintonin (GT), a -derived lysophosphatidic acid receptor (LPAR) ligand, has positive effects in cultured or animal models for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and so on. However, the potential therapeutic value of GT in treating epilepsy has not yet been reported.

Methods: Effects of GT on epileptic seizure (seizure) in kainic acid [KA, 55mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.

Neuroprotective effects of bornyl acetate on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis via anti-inflammatory effects and maintaining blood-brain-barrier integrity.

Background: Bornyl acetate (BA), a chemical component of essential oil in the Pinus family, has yet to be actively studies in terms of its therapeutic effect on numerous diseases, including autoimmune diseases.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of BA on myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a representative autoimmune disease in central nervous system.

Methods: BA (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg) was orally treated to EAE mice once daily for 30 days after immunization for the behavioral test and for the 16th-18th days for the histopathological and molecular analyses, from the onset stage (8th day) of EAE symptoms.

Mechanochemical Enhancement of the Structural Stability of Pseudorotaxane Intermediates in the Synthesis of Rotaxanes.

Mechanochemical syntheses of rotaxanes have attracted considerable attention of late because of the superior reaction rates and higher yields associated with their production compared with analogous reactions carried out in solution. Previous investigators, however, have focused on the demonstration of the mechanochemical syntheses of rotaxanes per se, rather than on studying the solid-phase host-guest molecular interplay related to their rapid formation and high yields. In this investigation, we attribute the lower yields of rotaxanes prepared in solution to the limited concentration and a desolvation energy penalty that must be compensated for by host-guest interactions during complexation that precedes the templation leading to rotaxane formation.

Can help control cytokine storm in COVID-19?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 are directly associated with hyper-activation of innate immune response that excessively produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and induce cytokine storm, leading to multi-organ-failure and significant morbidity/mortality. Currently, several antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) and molnupiravir are authorized to treat mild to moderate COVID-19, however, there are still no drugs that can specifically fight against challenges of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence model for pneumonia from chest radiography.

Objective: The chest X-ray (CXR) is the most readily available and common imaging modality for the assessment of pneumonia. However, detecting pneumonia from chest radiography is a challenging task, even for experienced radiologists. An artificial intelligence (AI) model might help to diagnose pneumonia from CXR more quickly and accurately.

Dynamic Behavior of a Nanosized Water Droplet on the Stepped Surface with a Wetting Gradient.

The present study investigated the dynamic behavior of a nanosized water droplet on a flat and stepped surface using molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of a wetting gradient associated with the surface and the step height of a stepped surface on the dynamic behavior of the water droplet were considered in this study. The dynamic behaviors of the water droplet were described quantitatively upon analyzing the transient variation of the adhesion energy and the position of the water droplet along with the time required to climb the step.

Redox-Active Phenanthrenequinone Triangles in Aqueous Rechargeable Zinc Batteries.

Aqueous rechargeable zinc batteries (ZBs) have received considerable attention recently for large-scale energy storage systems in terms of rate performance, cost, and safety. Nevertheless, these ZBs still remain a subject for investigation, as researchers search for cathode materials enabling high performance. Among the various candidate cathode materials for ZBs, quinone compounds stand out as candidates because of their high specific capacity, sustainability, and low cost.

A Pyrene-Poly(acrylic acid)-Polyrotaxane Supramolecular Binder Network for High-Performance Silicon Negative Electrodes.

Although being incorporated in commercial lithium-ion batteries for a while, the weight portion of silicon monoxide (SiO , x ≈ 1) is only less than 10 wt% due to the insufficient cycle life. Along this line, polymeric binders that can assist in maintaining the mechanical integrity and interfacial stability of SiO electrodes are desired to realize higher contents of SiO . Herein, a pyrene-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-polyrotaxane (PR) supramolecular network is reported as a polymeric binder for SiO with 100 wt%.

Highly Elastic Polyrotaxane Binders for Mechanically Stable Lithium Hosts in Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Despite their unparalleled theoretical capacity, lithium-metal anodes suffer from well-known indiscriminate dendrite growth and parasitic surface reactions. Conductive scaffolds with lithium uptake capacity are recently highlighted as promising lithium hosts, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an ideal candidate for this purpose because of their capability of percolating a conductive network. However, CNT networks are prone to rupture easily due to a large tensile stress generated during lithium uptake-release cycles.

Mapping the research trends on the biological effects of radiation less than 100 mSv: a bibliometric analysis for 30 years publication.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the global scientific publication of biological research of low dose radiation for the past 30 years and provide the insights into the characteristics of research activities and major topics regarding biological effects of low dose radiation exposure.

Materials And Methods: We bibliometrically investigated the biological research publication of radiation exposure less than 100 mSv. References published from 1987 to 2016 were achieved from the Scopus database and filtered by several criteria such as publication types, research fields, and radiation dose range.

Energy Band-Gap Engineering of Conjugated Microporous Polymers via Acidity-Dependent in Situ Cyclization.

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) offer a unique structure integrating π-conjugated backbone into a porous network for the simultaneous transport of charges and materials. However, tuning electronic properties of CMPs so far has been limited to an approach of varying the monomers, and the precious metal catalysts are inevitably needed for the C-C coupling reaction. Here, we present a powerful strategy to synthesize CMPs and precisely tune their optical band gap and surface area through metal-free in situ cyclization reaction controlled by the acid strength of acid catalysts.

Proactive strategy for long-term biological research aimed at low-dose radiation risk in Korea.

Purpose: Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, Korean radiation experts have agreed that reliable data on health risks of low-dose radiation (LDR) are needed to ease the anxiety of lay people. The intent of this study was to devise a sustainable biological program suited for the research environment in Korea and aimed at the health effects of radiation exposures <100 millisieverts (mSv). To address pressing public concerns over LDR risk, we investigated the current understanding of LDR effects by analyzing the previous reports of international authorities for radiation protection and research publications that appeared after the Chernobyl accident.

Heterologous prime-boost vaccination with adenoviral vector and protein nanoparticles induces both Th1 and Th2 responses against Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a highly pathogenic and zoonotic virus with a fatality rate in humans of over 35%. Although several vaccine candidates have been developed, there is still no clinically available vaccine for MERS-CoV. In this study, we developed two types of MERS-CoV vaccines: a recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 encoding the MERS-CoV spike gene (Ad5/MERS) and spike protein nanoparticles formulated with aluminum (alum) adjuvant.

Epithelial cell shape change of Drosophila as a biomonitoring model for the dose assessment of environmental radiation.

Inevitable exposure to ionizing radiation from natural and human-made sources has been increasing over time. After nuclear disasters, such as the Fukushima accident, the public concerns on health risk of radiation exposure because of radioactive contamination of the environment have increased. However, it is very difficult to assess the biological effects of exposure caused by environmental radiation.

The emerging era of supramolecular polymeric binders in silicon anodes.

Silicon (Si) anode is among the most promising candidates for the next-generation high-capacity electrodes in Li-ion batteries owing to its unparalleled theoretical capacity (4200 mA h g for LiSi) that is approximately 10 times higher than that of commercialized graphitic anodes (372 mA h g for LiC). The battery community has witnessed substantial advances in research on new polymeric binders for silicon anodes mainly due to the shortcomings of conventional binders such as polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) to address problems caused by the massive volume change of Si (300%) upon (de)lithiation. Unlike conventional battery electrodes, polymeric binders have been shown to play an active role in silicon anodes to alleviate various capacity decay pathways.

CYP2E1 regulates the development of radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis via ER stress- and ROS-dependent mechanisms.

Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is one of the most common side effects of lung cancer radiotherapy. This study was conducted to identify the molecular mechanism responsible for RIPF. We revealed that the transcriptional level of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) was elevated by examining expression profile analysis of RIPF mouse models.

Highly elastic binders integrating polyrotaxanes for silicon microparticle anodes in lithium ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries with ever-increasing energy densities are needed for batteries for advanced devices and all-electric vehicles. Silicon has been highlighted as a promising anode material because of its superior specific capacity. During repeated charge-discharge cycles, silicon undergoes huge volume changes.

Perception of low dose radiation risks among radiation researchers in Korea.

Expert's risk evaluation of radiation exposure strongly influences the public's risk perception. Experts can inform laypersons of significant radiation information including health knowledge based on experimental data. However, some experts' radiation risk perception is often based on non-conclusive scientific evidence (i.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 enhances radioresistance and aggressiveness of non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Acquired resistance of tumor cells during treatment limits the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy. Recent studies to investigate acquired resistance under treatment have focused on intercellular communication because it promotes survival and aggressiveness of tumor cells, causing therapy failure and tumor relapse. Accordingly, a better understanding of the functional communication between subpopulations of cells within a tumor is essential to development of effective cancer treatment strategies.

DANGER is involved in high glucose-induced radioresistance through inhibiting DAPK-mediated anoikis in non-small cell lung cancer.

18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake during FDG positron emission tomography seems to reflect increased radioresistance. However, the exact molecular mechanism underlying high glucose (HG)-induced radioresistance is unclear. In the current study, we showed that ionizing radiation-induced activation of the MEK-ERK-DAPK-p53 signaling axis is required for anoikis (anchorage-dependent apoptosis) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells in normal glucose media.