A comprehensive voice dataset for Hindko digit recognition.

Hindko is a language primarily spoken in Northwestern areas of Pakistan. Approximately eight million people speak the Hindko language. According to its native speakers, it is 7 largest language of Pakistan and 2 largest language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Increased apoptosis in late-developing in vitro fertilized bovine blastocysts decreases successful pregnancy.

Objective: Pregnancy in cattle after embryo transfer (ET) is influenced by several factors, including embryo quality. Therefore, preparing high-quality embryos with the greatest developmental potential is essential for achieving a successful pregnancy after ET. Meanwhile, blastocysts produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure have different developmental speed during in vitro culture (IVC) and they exhibited different competence in the establishment of pregnancy.

Determinants of traditional Korean medicine utilization by individuals with physical disabilities: inference of causal relationships using Korea health panel data.

Background: The demand for health management services has grown among individuals with physical disabilities. It is noteworthy that a significant proportion of this demographic has sought the services of traditional Korean medicine (TKM). Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the characteristics of TKM utilization within this population.

Multiplex genome editing eliminates lactate production without impacting growth rate in mammalian cells.

The Warburg effect, which describes the fermentation of glucose to lactate even in the presence of oxygen, is ubiquitous in proliferative mammalian cells, including cancer cells, but poses challenges for biopharmaceutical production as lactate accumulation inhibits cell growth and protein production. Previous efforts to eliminate lactate production in cells for bioprocessing have failed as lactate dehydrogenase is essential for cell growth. Here, we effectively eliminate lactate production in Chinese hamster ovary and in the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293 by simultaneous knockout of lactate dehydrogenases and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases, thereby removing a negative feedback loop that typically inhibits pyruvate conversion to acetyl-CoA.

Effect of Light Regime on Puniceispirillum marinum IMCC1322 in Nutrient-Replete Conditions.

Previous studies showed no improvement in bacterial biomass for Puniceispirillum marinum IMCC1322 under light regimes. Nevertheless, in nutrient-replete cultures with higher inoculating cell densities, strain IMCC1322 exhibited proteorhodopsin photoheterotrophy. Increasing both inoculum size and the amino acid pool can eliminate quorum sensing and starvation responses in strain IMCC1322.

Characterization and design of dipeptide media formulation for scalable therapeutic production.

Process intensification and simplification in biopharmaceutical manufacturing have driven the exploration of advanced feeding strategies to improve culture performance and process consistency. Conventional media design strategies, however, are often constrained by the stability and solubility challenges of amino acids, particularly in large-scale applications. As a result, dipeptides have emerged as promising alternatives.

Current Status and Future Perspective of Seoul National University Hospital-Dementia Brain Bank with Concordance of Clinical and Neuropathological Diagnosis.

This paper introduces the current status of Seoul National University Hospital Dementia Brain Bank (SNUH-DBB), focusing on the concordance rate between clinical diagnoses and postmortem neuropathological diagnoses. We detail SNUH-DBB operations, including protocols for specimen handling, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and cerebral organoids establishment from postmortem dural fibroblasts, and adult neural progenitor cell cultures. We assessed clinical-neuropathological diagnostic concordance rate.

Equity of intensive care unit bed resource allocation in ethnic minority areas of China-an empirical analysis based on geographical and population dimensions.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyse the changes in the equity of intensive care unit (ICU) bed allocation in 14 cities in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from 2018 to 2021, to identify the problems in the process of ICU bed allocation in China's ethnic minority regions.

Design: The Gini coefficient, Theil index, health resource density index, and spatial correlation analysis were used to analyse the current status of ICU bed resource allocation and allocation equity in Guangxi, China, on two dimensions: geography, and population.

Setting: The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Anticancer effect of a single-chain variable fragment against pro-matrix metalloproteinase-7 in colon cancer.

Disrupting the interaction between matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and syndecan-2 (SDC-2) can yield anticancer effects in colon cancer cells. Here, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) targeting the pro-domain of MMP-7 was generated as a potential candidate anticancer agent. Among the generated scFvs, those designated 1B7 and 1C3 showed the strongest abilities to inhibit the ability of MMP-7 pro-domain to directly interact with SDC-2 in vitro and decrease the cancer activities of human HT29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.

ODSEI Chip: An Open 3D Microfluidic Platform for Studying Tumor Spheroid-Endothelial Interactions.

Current in vitro models of 3D tumor spheroids within the microenvironment have emerged as promising tools for understanding tumor progression and potential drug responses. However, creating spheroids with functional vasculature remains challenging in a controlled and high-throughput manner. Herein, a novel open 3D-microarray platform is presented for a spheroid-endothelium interaction (ODSEI) chip, capable of arraying more than 1000 spheroids on top of the vasculature, compartmentalized for single spheroid-level analysis of drug resistance, and allows for the extraction of specific spheroids for further analysis.

The dynamics of initiation in caregiver-child conversational interactions.

We investigated the dynamics of communicative initiation in infant-caregiver interactions across ages and language abilities. Analyses of 228 Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recordings from 141 Korean adult-child dyads (60 girls; aged 7-30 months) replicated the initiator effect reported in North American populations. This effect, demonstrated by longer utterances, more frequent speech, and shorter response times in self-initiated interactions for both children and adults, suggests potential cross-cultural consistency in this conversational dynamic and remained consistent across ages in most conversational measures.

A human skin-on-a-chip platform for microneedling-driven skin cancer treatment.

Skin-on-a-chip models provide physiologically relevant platforms for studying diseases and drug evaluation, replicating the native skin structures and functions more accurately than traditional 2D or simple 3D cultures. However, challenges remain in creating models suitable for microneedling applications and monitoring, as well as developing skin cancer models for analysis and targeted therapy. Here, we developed a human skin/skin cancer-on-a-chip platform within a microfluidic device using bioprinting/bioengineering techniques.

Type and physical intensity of occupations at pulmonary TB diagnosis.

Background: Pulmonary TB (PTB) predominantly affects individuals of working age. We sought to characterise the occupations of people newly diagnosed with PTB in Karachi, Pakistan, by type and physical intensity.

Design/methods: We did a secondary analysis of data from a study evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-based chest X-ray (CXR) analysis software, where individuals had been evaluated for active PTB using sputum cultures and had provided information on occupation.

Loss of neuronal βPix isoforms impairs neuronal morphology in the hippocampus and causes behavioral defects.

βPix is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the Rac1 and Cdc42 small GTPases, which play important roles in dendritic spine morphogenesis by modulating actin cytoskeleton organization. The formation and plasticity of the dendritic spines are essential for normal brain function. Among the alternatively spliced βPix isoforms, βPix-b and βPix-d are expressed specifically in neurons.

Bilayer 3D co-culture platform inducing the differentiation of normal fibroblasts into cancer-associated fibroblast like cells: New in vitro source to obtain cancer-associated fibroblasts.

This study presents a novel in vitro bilayer 3D co-culture platform designed to obtain cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)-like cells. The platform consists of a bilayer hydrogel structure with a collagen/polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel for fibroblasts as the upper layer and an alginate hydrogel for tumor cells as the lower layer. The platform enabled paracrine interactions between fibroblasts and cancer cells, which allowed for selective retrieval of activated fibroblasts through collagenase treatment for further study.

Simultaneous Epigenetic and Gene Expression Profiling at Single Cell Resolution Uncovers Stem-Like Treg Subsets Induced With Oligonucleotide Expansion in Humans.

Tregs play a central role in maintaining immune tolerance. Recent progress in the clinical application of Tregs underscores their potential for cell therapy. Nevertheless, a notable hurdle remains in producing functional Tregs .

RAPO Attenuates Dermal and Pulmonary Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Systemic Sclerosis through Macrophage Modulation and Growth of Short-Chain Fatty Acid Producers.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease with an unclear etiology and no effective treatments. Recent research has suggested involvement of the microbiome in SSc pathogenesis. This study aimed to identify specific microbial species associated with SSc and explore their therapeutic potential.

Comparison of cell-scaffold interactions in a biological and a synthetic wound matrix.

Wound healing is a central physiological process that restores the barrier properties of the skin after injury, comprising close coordination between several cell types (including fibroblasts and macrophages) in the wound bed. The complex mechanisms involved are executed and regulated by an equally complex, reciprocal signalling network involving numerous signalling molecules such as catabolic and anabolic inflammatory mediators (e.g.

Factors associated with preventive health services use by older war-displaced Japanese returning from China and by older Korean residents of Japan: a descriptive correlational study.

Background: Among the people with diverse backgrounds and cultural customs living in Japan, two important groups, namely, war-displaced Japanese returning from China and South and North Korean nationals who are naturalized citizens residing in Japan, will experience population aging in the same way as the general Japanese population. In old age, physical function generally declines, multiple diseases are more likely to occur, and health issues that need to be addressed increase in number. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with the use of preventive health services in Japan by older Korean residents and war-displaced Japanese returning from China.

Rapid and receptor-free Prussian blue electrochemical sensor for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in blood.

Bloodstream bacterial infections, a major health concern due to rising sepsis rates, require prompt, cost-effective diagnostics. Conventional methods, like CO-based transduction, face challenges such as volatile metabolites, delayed gas-phase signaling, and the need for additional instruments, whereas electrochemical sensors provide rapid, sensitive, and efficient real-time detection. In this study, we developed a bioreceptor-free Prussian blue (PB) sensor platform for real-time bacterial growth monitoring in blood culture.

3D bioprinting: Advancing the future of food production layer by layer.

3D bioprinting is an advanced manufacturing technique that involves the precise layer-by-layer deposition of biomaterials, such as cells, growth factors, and biomimetic scaffolds, to create three-dimensional living structures. It essentially combines the complexity of biology with the principles of 3D printing, making it possible to fabricate complex biological structures with extreme control and accuracy. This review discusses how 3D bioprinting is developing as an essential step in the creation of alternative food such as cultured meat and seafood.

Pathogenic Bacterial Detection Using Vertical-Capacitance Sensor Array Immobilized with the Antimicrobial Peptide Melittin.

The rapid and reliable detection of pathogenic bacteria remains a significant challenge in clinical microbiology. Consequently, the demand for simple and rapid techniques, such as antimicrobial peptide (AMP)-based sensors, has recently increased as an alternative to traditional methods. Melittin, a broad-spectrum AMP, rapidly associates with the cell membranes of various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Enhancement Strategy for Protocatechuic Acid Production Using with Focus on Continuous Fermentation Scale-Up and Cytotoxicity Management.

Protocatechuate acid (PCA) is a phenolic acid naturally synthesized by various organisms. Protocatechuic acid is synthesized by plants for physiological, metabolic functions, and self-defense, but extraction from plants is less efficient compared to the microbial culture process. The microbial synthesis of protocatechuic acid is sustainable and, due to its high yield, can save energy consumption when producing the same amount.

Synergistic Effects of Mistletoe Lectin and Cisplatin on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells: Insights from 2D and 3D In Vitro Models.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a challenging subtype due to its aggressive nature and limited treatment options. This study investigated the potential synergistic effects of Korean mistletoe lectin ( L. agglutinin, VCA) and cisplatin on MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells using both 2D and 3D culture models.

The Effects of Laxogenin and 5-Alpha-hydroxy-laxogenin on Myotube Formation and Maturation During Cultured Meat Production.

Cultured meat (CM) is derived from the in vitro myogenesis of muscle satellite (stem) cells (MSCs) and offers a promising alternative protein source. However, the development of a cost-effective media formulation that promotes cell growth has yet to be achieved. In this study, laxogenin (LAX) and 5-alpha-hydroxy-laxogenin (5HLAX) were computationally screened against myostatin (MSTN), a negative regulator of muscle mass, because of their antioxidant properties and dual roles as MSTN inhibitors and enhancers of myogenesis regulatory factors.