Repetitive and extensive focused ultrasound-mediated bilateral frontal blood-brain barrier opening for Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: Focused ultrasound (FUS)-mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening is safe and potentially beneficial in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the removal of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques. However, the optimal BBB opening intervals and number of treatment sessions for clinical improvement remain undefined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and benefits of repeated and more extensive BBB opening alone.

Development and Validation of the Digital Sensitivity Scale for Adults: Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of modern society, extending digital transformation to daily life and psychological evaluation and treatment. However, the development of competencies and literacy in handling digital technology has not kept pace, resulting in a significant disparity among individuals. Existing measurements of digital literacy were developed before widespread information and communications technology device adoption, mainly focusing on one's perceptions of their proficiency and the utility of device operation.

Identification and validation of soft tissue sarcoma-specific transcriptomic model for predicting radioresistance.

Purpose: We aimed to identify the transcriptomic signatures of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) related to radioresistance and establish a model to predict radioresistance.

Materials And Methods: Nine STS cell lines were cultured. Adenosine triphosphate-based viability was determined 5 days after irradiation with 8 Gy of X-rays in a single fraction.

First report of a major management target species, chironomid Paratanytarsus grimmii (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae, in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in South Korea.

Ensuring the supply of safe and high-quality drinking water can be compromised by the presence of chironomid larvae in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), which may contaminate municipal water systems through freshwater resources. Chironomids are dominant species known for their resilience to a broad range of extreme aquatic environments. This study aimed to identify the morphological characteristics and obtain genetic information of the chironomid Paratanytarsus grimmii found in the water intake source and freshwater resource of DWTPs in Korea, highlighting the potential possibility of a parthenogenetic chironomid outbreak within DWTP networks.

Predicting the polyspecificity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase for non-canonical amino acids using molecular dynamics simulation and MM/PBSA.

With the advancement of genetic code expansion, the field is progressing towards incorporating multiple non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs). The specificity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) towards ncAAs is a critical factor, as engineered aaRSs frequently show polyspecificity, complicating the precise incorporation of multiple ncAAs. To address this challenge, predicting binding affinity can be beneficial.

Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides, Hirunipins: Real-Time 3D Monitoring of Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Mechanisms Using Optical Diffraction Tomography.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising agents for treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Although discovering novel AMPs is crucial for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilm-related infections, their clinical potential relies on precise, real-time evaluation of efficacy, toxicity, and mechanisms. Optical diffraction tomography (ODT), a label-free imaging technology, enables real-time visualization of bacterial morphological changes, membrane damage, and biofilm formation over time.

Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina: A case report of a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose.

Rationale: Malignant melanoma is a rare cancer that accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers. Primary malignant melanoma of the female genital tract accounts for approximately 3% to 7% of all malignant melanomas, and 0.3% to 0.

Laws about bodily damage originate from shared intuitions about the value of body parts.

From the biblical to the medieval wergild system and modern workers' compensation laws, laws about bodily damage may originate from cognitive mechanisms that capitalize on an enduring regularity: Different body parts vary in their incremental contributions to human functionality. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a preregistered study with materials based on five legal codes from highly diverse cultures and historical eras: the Law of Æthelberht (Kent, approximately 600 CE), the Guta lag (Gotland, approximately 1220 CE), and workers' compensation laws from the United States, the Republic of Korea, and the United Arab Emirates; and 614 laypeople from the United States and India. The data indicate ordinal agreement in the values attached to body parts by ancient and modern lawmakers, as well as by laypeople in the United States and India.

Phytochemicals Withanolide N and Dryobalanolide as Potential Bioactive Leads for Developing Anticancer Drugs Targeting Tyrosine-Protein Kinase Mer.

There is a growing interest in harnessing natural compounds and bioactive phytochemicals to accelerate drug discovery and development, including in the treatment of human cancers. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are critical regulators of many fundamental cellular processes and have been implicated in cancer pathogenesis as well as targets for anticancer drug development. The members of TAM, Tyro3, Axl, and MERTK subfamily RTKs, especially Mer, affect immune homeostasis in the tumor microenvironment.

Development and Effects of a Smartphone Application to Improve Self-Management in Workers Who Underwent Thyroid Cancer Surgery.

Background: Although the survival rate for thyroid cancer is high, a nursing intervention that enhances autonomous motivation is needed for patients with jobs to improve their long-term self-management abilities in the early postoperative period.

Objectives: This study aims to develop a mobile application (app) based on the Self-Determination Theory for patients returning to work after thyroid cancer surgery and to verify its effectiveness.

Methods: We developed an app to promote self-management and verify its effectiveness after 12 weeks in early outpatients who underwent thyroid cancer surgery through a randomized controlled trial design.

Similar but Different Three Major Traditional Medicines in East Asia: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Objective: Traditional medicine (TM) has played a key role in the health care system of East Asian countries, including China, Japan and South Korea. This bibliometric study analyzes the recent research status of these three TMs, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), traditional Korean medicine (TKM), and Kampo medicine (KM).

Methods: Research topics of studies published for recent 10 years (2014 to 2023), through a search on MEDLINE via PubMed, was analyzed.

Integrating LC-MS/MS and In Silico Methods to Uncover Bioactive Compounds with Lipase Inhibitory Potential in the Antarctic Moss Warnstorfia fontinaliopsis.

Antarctic organisms are known for producing unique secondary metabolites, and this study specifically focuses on the less-explored metabolites of the moss Warnstorfia fontinaliopsis. To evaluate their potential bioactivity, we extracted secondary metabolites using four different solvents and identified significant lipase inhibitory activity in the methanol extract. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on this extract predicted the presence of 12 compounds, including several not previously reported in mosses.

A Five-Year Analysis of Market Share and Sales Growth for Original Drugs after Patent Expiration in Korea.

Introduction: The sales patterns of original drugs after patent expiration in Korea show a relatively high market share and continuous sales growth differently from those in the U.S. and European countries.

Accuracy and feasibility of continuous glucose monitoring system in pancreatectomy patients.

Purpose: Pancreatectomy patients often experience challenging fluctuations in blood glucose levels; therefore, they require a reliable monitoring system. This study aimed to determine the accuracy and acceptability of a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system compared with the intermittent capillary glucose test in patients who have undergone pancreatectomy.

Methods: Thirty non-diabetic pancreatectomy patients participated.

Efficacy and Safety of Secondary Surgical Treatment for Refractory Recurrent Corneal Erosion.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and safety of secondary surgical intervention of combined phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) with alcohol delamination and peripheral anterior stromal puncture (ASP) for refractory recurrent corneal erosion (RCE).

Methods: This retrospective comparative study defined refractory RCE as cases persisting for more than 6 months after primary surgical intervention. A total of 115 eyes from 115 patients with refractory RCE, treated either with (n = 92) or without (n = 23) the secondary surgical treatment combining PTK and ASP between January 2021 and January 2023, were included.

Seltorexant for major depressive disorder.

Introduction: Preclinical and clinical pharmacologic evidence indicate that orexin systems are relevant to sleep-wake cycle regulation and dimensions of reward and cognition, providing the basis to hypothesizing that they may be effective as therapeutics in mental disorders. Due to the limited efficacy and tolerability profiles of existing treatments for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), investigational compounds in novel treatment classes are needed; seltorexant, an orexin receptor antagonist, is a potential new treatment currently under investigation.

Areas Covered: Mechanisms implicated in MDD, including reward and sleep are first overviewed.

Temperature Dependence of Optical Properties of MoS and WS Heterostructures Assessed by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry.

We report the complex dielectric function = + of MoS/WS and WS/MoS heterostructures and their constituent monolayers MoS and WS for an energy range from 1.5 to 6.0 eV and temperatures from 39 to 300 K.

Tin(IV)Porphyrin-Based Porous Coordination Polymers as Efficient Visible Light Photocatalyst for Wastewater Remediation.

Two porphyrin-based polymeric frameworks, SnP-BTC and SnP-BTB, as visible light photocatalysts for wastewater remediation were prepared by the solvothermal reaction of -dihydroxo-[5,15,10,20-tetrakis(phenyl)porphyrinato]tin(IV) (SnP) with 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (HBTC) and 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene (HBTB), respectively. The strong bond between the carboxylic acid group of HBTC and HBTB with the axial hydroxyl moiety of SnP leads to the formation of highly stable polymeric architectures. Incorporating the carboxylic acid group onto the surface of SnP changes the conformational frameworks as well as produces rigid structural transformation that includes permanent porosity, good thermodynamic stability, interesting morphology, and excellent photocatalytic degradation activity against AM dye and TC antibiotic under visible light irradiation.

Utilizing Indonesian Empty Palm Fruit Bunches: Biochar Synthesis via Temperatures Dependent Pyrolysis.

Biomass, though a major energy source, remains underutilized. Biochar from biomass pyrolysis, with its high porosity and surface area, is especially useful as catalyst support, enhancing catalytic activity and reducing electron recombination in photocatalysis. Indonesia, the world's top palm oil producer, generated around 12 million tons of empty fruit bunches (EFBs) in 2023, making EFBs a promising biochar source.

Solar Light-Driven Efficient Degradation of Organic Pollutants Mediated by S-Scheme MoS@TiO-Layered Structures.

This study focuses on achieving high photocatalytic activity using MoS/TiO heterostructures (MOT). To this end, MoS and TiO were synthesized by employing hydrothermal synthesis techniques, and then MoS/TiO heterostructures were synthesized by using 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4 ratios of MoS and TiO, respectively. While the structural and electronic changes for the 1:2 and 1:3 ratios were relatively minor, significant modifications in bandgaps and morphology were observed for the 1:1 and 1:4 ratios.

Electrical Characteristics of Solution-Based Thin-Film Transistors with a Zinc-Tin Oxide/Carbon Nanotube Stacked Nanocomposite Active Layer.

A stacked nanocomposite zinc-tin oxide/single-walled carbon nanotubes (ZTO/SWNTs) active layer was fabricated for thin-film transistors (TFTs) as an alternative to the conventional single-layer structure of mixed ZTO and SWNTs. The stacked nanocomposite of the solution-processed TFTs was prepared using UV/O treatment and multiple annealing steps for each layer. The electrical properties of the stacked device were superior to those of the single-layer TFT.

Formation of Wrinkled Nanostructures via Surface-Bulk Curing Disparity in Ethyl Cyanoacrylate: Toward Superhydrophobic Surface Applications.

Superhydrophobic surfaces, known for their exceptional water-repellent properties with contact angles exceeding 150°, are highly regarded for their effectiveness in applications including self-cleaning, antifouling, and ice prevention. However, the structural fragility and weak durability of conventional coating limit their long-term use. In this research, a new approach is proposed for the fabrication of long-lasting superhydrophobic surfaces using ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA) and a primer.

Pre-Melting-Assisted Impurity Control of β-GaO Single Crystals in Edge-Defined Film-Fed Growth.

This study reveals the significant role of the pre-melting process in growing high-quality (100) β-GaO single crystals from 4N powder (99.995% purity) using the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) method. Among various bulk melt growth methods, the EFG method boasts a fast growth rate and the capability of growing multiple crystals simultaneously, thus offering high productivity.

Harnessing the Power of Machine Learning Guided Discovery of NLRP3 Inhibitors Towards the Effective Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The NLRP3 inflammasome, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by activating inflammatory cytokines such as IL1β and IL18. Targeting NLRP3 has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for RA. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach combining machine learning, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling, structure-activity landscape index (SALI), docking, molecular dynamics (MD), and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area MM/PBSA assays was employed to identify novel NLRP3 inhibitors.

Induction of SUSD2 by STAT3 Activation Is Associated with Tumor Recurrence in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

Sushi domain-containing protein 2 (SUSD2), a transmembrane protein containing a sushi motif, has been reported to have tumor-promoting functions in various types of cancer, including breast cancer. However, the regulatory mechanism of SUSD2 and its function in HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer have not been fully identified as yet. In this study, we explored the potential of targeting SUSD2 to overcome trastuzumab (TRZ) resistance in HER2+ breast cancer.