Nanoparticle-Supported, Rapid, Digital Quantification of Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

The measurement of neutralizing immune responses to viral infection is essential, given the heterogeneity of human immunity and the emergence of new virus strains. However, neutralizing antibody (nAb) assays often require high-level biosafety containment, sophisticated instrumentation, and long detection times. Here, as a proof-of-principle, we designed a nanoparticle-supported, rapid, electronic detection (NasRED) assay to assess the neutralizing potency of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2.

A Review of Stoichiometric Nickel Sulfide-Based Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media.

Efficient and cost-effective catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are essential for large-scale hydrogen production, which is a critical step toward reducing carbon emissions and advancing the global transition to sustainable energy. Nickel sulfide-based catalysts, which exist in various stoichiometries, show promise for HER in alkaline media. However, as single-phase materials, they do not demonstrate superior activity compared to Pt-based catalysts.

Nanoparticle-Supported, Rapid, and Electronic Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Antigens at Attomolar Level.

A gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-supported rapid, electronic detection (NasRED) platform is demonstrated with high specificity to differentiate SARS-CoV-2 from human coronaviruses while achieving high sensitivity. Uniquely, active fluidic force is exerted on AuNPs in a microcentrifuge tube, through engineered centrifugation and vortex agitation, to accelerate signal transduction from biochemical protein binding to physical AuNP aggregation and precipitation and finally to electronic signals in a customized, stabilized circuitry. The limits of detection are found <80 aM (12 fg/mL) and ∼700 aM (105 fg/mL) to detect antibodies in human pooled serum and 20% diluted whole blood, and <900 aM (45 fg/mL) and 4.

Comparison of tissue response and lifting effect induced by non-absorbable elastic thread and commercialized threads in rat model.

As we age, our skin loses elasticity and wrinkles form. To prevent this, most people try to improve skin wrinkles by performing procedures such as fillers, and absorbable lifting threads. Another way to solve this structural problem is to use an elastic thread.

The effect of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in the eosinophilic asthma model of mouse.

Bruton's Tyrosine kinase (BTK) plays a pivotal role as the key mediator in B cell signaling. Recent research has revealed that it is also expressed in cells critical to asthma development, such as T cells, and eosinophils. This study aims to investigate the potential of BTK inhibitor in eosinophilic asthma mouse model.

Body contouring effects of at-home beauty device equipped with suction, radiofrequency, and electrical muscle stimulation functions.

Background: With the rise in interest and demand for body contouring, beauty devices have continuously developed. Suction can aid in increasing the rate of fat breakdown by inducing a massage-like effect, thereby increasing blood flow. Moreover, radiofrequency (RF) can boost fibroblast activity and help reduce cellulite.

Elucidating the role of water in collagen self-assembly by isotopically modulating collagen hydration.

Water is known to play an important role in collagen self-assembly, but it is still largely unclear how water-collagen interactions influence the assembly process and determine the fibril network properties. Here, we use the H[Formula: see text]O/D[Formula: see text]O isotope effect on the hydrogen-bond strength in water to investigate the role of hydration in collagen self-assembly. We dissolve collagen in H[Formula: see text]O and D[Formula: see text]O and compare the growth kinetics and the structure of the collagen assemblies formed in these water isotopomers.

Meal-Based Intervention on Health Promotion in Middle-Aged Women: A Pilot Study.

Middle-aged women belong to a risk group for metabolic dysregulation and menopausal symptoms, mainly due to a dramatic hormonal shift. Supplementation with functional compounds or a single nutrient has been dominantly explored as a nutritional approach for improving aging-related health parameters. However, a meal-based approach might be another strategy for promoting the overall health of the target population.

Endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure augments neutrophilic inflammation in severe asthma through the autophagy pathway.

Corticosteroid resistance, progressive lung function decline, and frequent asthma exacerbations are the hallmarks of neutrophilic asthma (NA). However, the potential contributors and their mechanisms of NA aggravation have not yet been fully clarified. This study was conducted to assess the precise mechanism and inflammatory effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals using mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) on an NA model.

Pattern Classification Using Quantized Neural Networks for FPGA-Based Low-Power IoT Devices.

With the recent growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the demand for faster computation, quantized neural networks (QNNs) or QNN-enabled IoT can offer better performance than conventional convolution neural networks (CNNs). With the aim of reducing memory access costs and increasing the computation efficiency, QNN-enabled devices are expected to transform numerous industrial applications with lower processing latency and power consumption. Another form of QNN is the binarized neural network (BNN), which has 2 bits of quantized levels.

Effect of Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Bioscaffolds Derived from Fibroblasts on Skin Wound Healing and Remodeling.

The mammalian tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) has been used as a scaffold to facilitate the repair and reconstruction of numerous tissues. However, the material properties of decellularized ECM (dECM) from cell cultures and the effect of these properties on wound remodeling remain unclear. To elucidate its biological activity, we extracted dECM from human lung fibroblasts, fabricated it into a patch, and applied it to a full-thickness skin wound.

A Novel 65 nm Active-Inductor-Based VCO with Improved Q-Factor for 24 GHz Automotive Radar Applications.

The inductor was primarily developed on a low-voltage CMOS tunable active inductor (CTAI) for radar applications. Technically, the factors to be considered for VCO design are power consumption, low silicon area, high frequency with reasonable phase noise, an immense quality (Q) factor, and a large frequency tuning range (FTR). We used CMOS tunable active inductor (TAI) topology relying on cascode methodology for 24 GHz frequency operation.

What Activities in Forests Are Beneficial for Human Health? A Systematic Review.

Over the past decade, clinical trials of forest-based interventions have increased, leading to their recognition as preventive medicine. However, little is known about the differences in health effects according to the activity characteristics of interventions. This study aimed to understand the types of activities and their associated health effects to identify differences in health effects between activities.

A 65 nm Duplex Transconductance Path Up-Conversion Mixer for 24 GHz Automotive Short-Range Radar Sensor Applications.

A 24 GHz highly-linear upconversion mixer, based on a duplex transconductance path (DTP), is proposed for automotive short-range radar sensor applications using the 65-nm CMOS process. A mixer with an enhanced transconductance stage consisting of a DTP is presented to improve linearity. The main transconductance path (MTP) of the DTP includes a common source (CS) amplifier, while the secondary transconductance path (STP) of the DTP is implemented as an improved cross-quad transconductor (ICQT).

Can Different Forest Structures Lead to Different Levels of Therapeutic Effects? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In recent decades, forests have expanded from natural resources for conservation and production to health-promoting resources. With the growing body of evidence supporting the therapeutic effects of forests, the number of investigations on the relationship between forest characteristics and therapeutic effects have increased. However, quantitative synthesis of primary studies has rarely been conducted due to a limited number of health studies including forest description and high heterogeneity of forest variables.

Evidence-Based Status of Forest Healing Program in South Korea.

Various effects of forest healing on health have been reported, but a certification system to assess the effectiveness of forest healing programs does not exist. In this study, a systematic review (SR) on the "health benefits of forests" and "meta-analysis of forest therapy" was conducted after analyzing the status and level of evidence of 75 forest healing programs that were conducted post-certification in South Korea. The SR for "health benefits of forests" distinguished between activities and time, resulting in 90.

Physiological and Psychological Assessments for the Establishment of Evidence-Based Forest Healing Programs.

This study aimed to establish a health and medical foundation for forest healing programs and provide a basis for developing an evaluation system for such programs. While the number of visitors to forests and interest in forest healing effects are increasing, few studies have examined the various indicators of the persistent changes in forest healing effects. Therefore, this study conducted pre-, post-, and follow-up experiments on 87 health and clinical indicators in a sample of 88 adolescent participants.

Reduction of dislocations in α-GaO epilayers grown by halide vapor-phase epitaxy on a conical frustum-patterned sapphire substrate.

The compound α-GaO is an ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor and possesses outstanding properties such as a high breakdown voltage and symmetry compared with other phases. It has been studied for applications in high-performance power devices. However, it is difficult to obtain a high-quality thin films because α-GaO can only grow heteroepitaxially, which results in residual stress generation owing to lattice mismatch and thermal expansion between the substrate and α-GaO.

Root Protects against Aβ-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction and Pathology in Female Models of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by irreversible cognitive dysfunction. Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide is an important pathological factor that triggers the progression of AD through accumulation and aggregation, which leads to AD-related pathologies that consequently affect cognitive functions. Interestingly, several studies have reported that root extract (PGE), besides exhibiting other bioactive effects, displays neuroprotective, anti-neuroinflammatory, and cognitive-enhancing effects.

Biomechanical Properties and Biocompatibility of a Non-Absorbable Elastic Thread.

To date, extensive studies have been conducted to assess diverse types of sutures. But there is a paucity of data regarding biomechanical properties of commonly used suture materials. In the current experiment, we compared biomechanical properties and biocompatibility, such as tensile strength and elongation, the degree of bovine serum albumin (BSA) release, in vitro cytotoxicity and ex vivo frictional properties, between a non-absorbable elastic thread (NAT; HansBiomed Co.

Muscle profile and cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Introduction: Neurodegenerative disease is one of the main contributing factors affecting muscle atrophy. However, this intriguing brain-muscle axis has been explained by the unsubstantial mechanisms. Although there have been several studies that have evaluated the muscle profile and its relation to cognition in patients with dementia, there is still lack of data using standardized methods and only few published studies on Korean populations.

Validation of the Korean Version of the Lewy Body Composite Risk Score (K-LBCRS).

The Lewy body composite risk score (LBCRS) is a useful clinical screening tool to help determine whether the dementia is related to Lewy body pathology. The purpose of this study is to verify reliability, validity, and diagnostic usefulness of Korean version of LBCRS (K-LBCRS). CDR-sum of boxes, Mini-Mental State Examination, and standardized scales related to cognition, mood, behavior, and motor function were administered to a total of 107 subjects, including 30 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), 54 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 23 cognitively normal elderly people and their collateral informants.

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS-ENDOMETRIAL MINERALIZATION IN A DOG.

A 9-year-old intact female mixed breed dog was presented for mammary gland tumor surgery, and preoperative radiographs showed a tubular soft tissue opacity mass with multifocal mineralization in the caudoventral abdominal cavity. Subsequent ultrasonography demonstrated uterine dilation with echogenic fluid and endometrial acoustic shadowing consistent with mineralization. Resection of mammary gland tumors and ovariohysterectomy were performed.