Sum rule for fluctuations of work.

We study the fluctuations of work caused by applying cyclic perturbations and obtain an exact sum rule satisfied by the moments of work for a broad class of quantum stationary ensembles. In the case of the canonical ensemble, the sum rule reproduces the Jarzynski equality. The sum rule can also be simplified into a linear relationship between the work average and the second moment of work, which we numerically confirm via an exact diagonalization of a spin model system.

Lactate promotes fatty acid oxidation by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondrial respiration in muscles of obese mice.

Lower oxidative capacity in skeletal muscles (SKMs) is a prevailing cause of metabolic diseases. Exercise not only enhances the fatty acid oxidation (FAO) capacity of SKMs but also increases lactate levels. Given that lactate may contribute to tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) flux and impact monocarboxylate transporter 1 in the SKMs, we hypothesize that lactate can influence glucose and fatty acid (FA) metabolism.

Searching for a partially absorbing target by a run-and-tumble particle in a confined space.

A random search of a partially absorbing target by a run-and-tumble particle in a confined one-dimensional space is investigated. We analytically obtain the mean searching time, which shows a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the self-propulsion speed of the active particle, indicating the existence of an optimal speed, when the absorption strength of the target is finite. In the limit of large and small absorption strengths, respectively, asymptotes of the mean searching time and the optimal speed are found.

Active search for a reactive target in thermal environments.

We study a stochastic process where an active particle, modeled by a one-dimensional run-and-tumble particle, searches for a target with a finite absorption strength in thermal environments. Solving the Fokker-Planck equation for a uniform initial distribution, we analytically calculate the mean searching time (MST), the time for the active particle to be finally absorbed, and show that there exists an optimal self-propulsion velocity of the active particle at which MST is minimized. As the diffusion constant increases, the optimal velocity changes from a finite value to zero, which implies that a purely diffusive Brownian motion outperforms an active motion in terms of searching time.

Lupenone attenuates thapsigargin-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in pancreatic beta cells possibly through inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase 2 activity.

Aims: Prolonged high levels of cytokines, glucose, or free fatty acids are associated with diabetes, elevation of cytosolic Ca concentration ([Ca]), and depletion of Ca concentration in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of pancreatic beta cells. This Ca imbalance induces ER stress and apoptosis. Lupenone, a lupan-type triterpenoid, is beneficial in diabetes; however, its mechanism of action is yet to be clarified.

Whole body mass estimates and error propagation in countermovement jump: a simulated error study.

High-velocity actions are central to clinical and athletic performance, with jumping used to assess outcomes in sports medicine. Ground reaction force (GRF)-based methods are the standard for computing jump characteristics, but require mass estimation and GRF integration, potentially resulting in mass errors which influence outcomes. This study investigated how simulated mass errors influenced the centre of mass (CoM) trajectory during a countermovement jump.

Target searches of interacting Brownian particles in dilute systems.

We study the target searches of interacting Brownian particles in a finite domain, focusing on the effect of interparticle interactions on the search time. We derive the integral equation for the mean first-passage time and acquire its solution as a series expansion in the orders of the Mayer function. We analytically obtain the leading order correction to the search time for dilute systems, which are most relevant to target search problems and prove a universal relation given by the particle density and the second virial coefficient.

Optimal searcher distribution for parallel random target searches.

We consider a problem of finding a target located in a finite d-dimensional domain, using N independent random walkers, when partial information about the target location is given as a probability distribution. When N is large, the first-passage time sensitively depends on the initial searcher distribution, which invokes the question of the optimal searcher distribution that minimizes the first-passage time. Here, we analytically derive the equation for the optimal distribution and explore its limiting expressions.

Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting: a narrative review.

Caloric restriction is a popular approach to treat obesity and its associated chronic illnesses but is difficult to maintain for a long time. Intermittent fasting is an alternative and easily applicable dietary intervention for caloric restriction. Moreover, intermittent fasting has beneficial effects equivalent to those of caloric restriction in terms of body weight control, improvements in glucose homeostasis and lipid profiles, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Mitochondrial TFAM as a Signaling Regulator between Cellular Organelles: A Perspective on Metabolic Diseases.

Tissues actively involved in energy metabolism are more likely to face metabolic challenges from bioenergetic substrates and are susceptible to mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to metabolic diseases. The mitochondria receive signals regarding the metabolic states in cells and transmit them to the nucleus or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) using calcium (Ca2+) for appropriate responses. Overflux of Ca2+ in the mitochondria or dysregulation of the signaling to the nucleus and ER could increase the incidence of metabolic diseases including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Portrait Segmentation Using Ensemble of Heterogeneous Deep-Learning Models.

Image segmentation plays a central role in a broad range of applications, such as medical image analysis, autonomous vehicles, video surveillance and augmented reality. Portrait segmentation, which is a subset of semantic image segmentation, is widely used as a preprocessing step in multiple applications such as security systems, entertainment applications, video conferences, etc. A substantial amount of deep learning-based portrait segmentation approaches have been developed, since the performance and accuracy of semantic image segmentation have improved significantly due to the recent introduction of deep learning technology.

PPARδ Attenuates Alcohol-Mediated Insulin Resistance by Enhancing Fatty Acid-Induced Mitochondrial Uncoupling and Antioxidant Defense in Skeletal Muscle.

Alcohol consumption leads to the dysfunction of multiple organs including liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. Alcohol effects on insulin resistance in liver are well evidenced, whereas its effects in skeletal muscle remain controversial. Emerging evidence indicates that alcohol promotes adipose tissue dysfunction, which may induce organ dysregulation.

Alginate-Derived Elicitors Enhance β-Glucan Content and Antioxidant Activities in Culinary and Medicinal Mushroom, .

This study aimed to investigate the elicitation effects of alginate oligosaccharides extracted from brown algae ( species) on β-glucan production in cauliflower mushroom (). Sodium alginate was refined from , , and , and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H NMR), resulting mannuronic acid to guluronic acid (M/G) rationes from 0.64 to 1.

Peroxiredoxin 2 deficiency does not affect insulin resistance and oxidative stress in high-fat diet-fed obese mice.

Objective: To examine if peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2) deficiency aggravates high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance.

Material And Methods: Insulin sensitivity was measured in Prx2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) littermates using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp.

Results: Whole body glucose turnover, glucose uptake, and levels of glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) protein in the skeletal muscle were found to be lower.

Transthyretin Maintains Muscle Homeostasis Through the Novel Shuttle Pathway of Thyroid Hormones During Myoblast Differentiation.

Skeletal muscle, the largest part of the total body mass, influences energy and protein metabolism as well as maintaining homeostasis. Herein, we demonstrate that during murine muscle satellite cell and myoblast differentiation, transthyretin (TTR) can exocytose via exosomes and enter cells as TTR- thyroxine (T) complex, which consecutively induces the intracellular triiodothyronine (T) level, followed by T secretion out of the cell through the exosomes. The decrease in T with the TTR level in 26-week-old mouse muscle, compared to that in 16-week-old muscle, suggests an association of TTR with old muscle.

Selenoprotein W deficiency does not affect oxidative stress and insulin sensitivity in the skeletal muscle of high-fat diet-fed obese mice.

Selenoprotein W (SelW) is a selenium-containing protein with a redox motif found abundantly in the skeletal muscle of rodents. Previous in vitro studies suggest that SelW plays an antioxidant role; however, relatively few in vivo studies have addressed the antioxidant role of SelW. Since oxidative stress is a causative factor for the development of insulin resistance in obese subjects, we hypothesized that if SelW plays a role as an antioxidant, SelW deficiency could aggravate the oxidative stress and insulin resistance caused by a high-fat diet.

Prognostic value of adjacent organ resection in patients with left-sided pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma following distal pancreatectomy.

Background: We evaluated whether distal pancreatectomy (DP) with adjacent organ resection (AOR) affected perioperative outcomes and survival in patients with left-sided pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study was conducted at single large volume academic medical center from January 2000 to December 2016.

Results: Five hundred and twenty-three patients had undergone standard DP (without additional vessel/organ resection) and 40 had undergone DP with AOR due to adjacent organ infiltration.

Rodlike Counterions near Charged Cylinders: Counterion Condensation and Intercylinder Interaction.

We study a system composed of like-charged cylinders and dumbbell-like counterions, with the focus laid on the role of the internal structure of counterions, using Monte Carlo simulations. The dumbbell ions are found to exhibit novel counterion condensation behavior governed by their length. Effective electrostatic interactions mediated between charged parallel cylinders also turn out significantly different from the case of pointlike ions, as a result of the complex interplay between the spatially separated charge distribution in the dumbbell counterions, their orientation, and the curvature of the charged cylinder.

Interactions between a fluctuating polymer barrier and transport factors together with enzyme action are sufficient for selective and rapid transport through the nuclear pore complex.

The nuclear pore complex, the only pathway for transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm, functions as a highly selective gate that blocks nonspecific macromolecules while allowing the rapid transport of tagged [transport factor (TF) bound] cargo up to an order of magnitude larger. The mechanism of this gate's operation is not yet fully understood and progress has been primarily hindered by the inherent complexity and multiscale nature of the problem. One needs to consider the hundreds of disordered proteins (phenylalanine glycine nucleoporins or FG nups) lining the pore, as well as their overall architecture and dynamics at the microsecond scale, while also accounting for transport at the millisecond scale across the entire pore.

Obesity and Erectile Dysfunction: From Bench to Clinical Implication.

Obesity is a major public health issue worldwide and is frequently associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). Both conditions may share an internal pathologic environment, also known as common soil. Their main pathophysiologic processes are oxidative stress, inflammation, and resultant insulin and leptin resistance.

Transduodenal ampullectomy for ampullary tumors - single center experience of consecutive 26 patients.

Purpose: Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) has been reported in a limited number of cases and in a small number of case series. The aim of this study was to analyze perioperative and long-term oncological outcomes of patients with ampullary tumors who underwent TDA in a single large-volume center.

Methods: Through a retrospective review of data from 2004 to 2016, we identified 26 patients who underwent TDA at Asan Medical Center.

Clusterin deficiency induces lipid accumulation and tissue damage in kidney.

Clusterin is a secretory glycoprotein that is involved in multiple physiopathological processes, including lipid metabolism. Previous studies have shown that clusterin prevents hepatic lipid accumulation via suppression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) 1. In this study, we examined the role of clusterin in renal lipid accumulation in clusterin-knockout mice and NRK52e tubular epithelial cells.

Trends in Research on the Security of Medical Information in Korea: Focused on Information Privacy Security in Hospitals.

Objectives: Information technology involves a risk of privacy violation in providing easy access to confidential information,such as personal information and medical information through the Internet. In this study, we investigated medical information security to gain a better understanding of trends in research related to medical information security.

Methods: We researched papers published on '의료정보' and 'medical information' in various Korean journals during a 10-year period from 2005 to 2015.

Parallel random target searches in a confined space.

We study a random target searching performed by N independent searchers in a d-dimensional domain of a large but finite volume. Considering the two initial distributions of searchers where searchers are either uniformly or point distributed, we estimate the mean time for the first of the searchers to reach the target and refer to it as searching time. The searching time for the uniformly distributed searchers exhibits a universal power-law dependence on N, irrespective of dimensionality and the target-to-domain size ratio.

Udenafil, a Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor, Reduces Body Weight in High-Fat-Fed Mice.

Purpose: High-fat (HF) feeding induces hypothalamic leptin resistance via the activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). TLR4 deficiency confers resistance to diet-induced obesity. Udenafil, an anti-impotence drug, inhibits TLR4 in airway epithelial cells in vitro.