Adjuvanted Protein Vaccines Boost RNA-Based Vaccines for Broader and More Potent Immune Responses.

: mRNA vaccines introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic were a significant step forward in the rapid development and deployment of vaccines in a global pandemic context. These vaccines showed good protective efficacy, but-due to limited breadth of the immune response-they required frequent boosters with manufactured spike sequences that often lagged behind the circulating strains. In order to enhance the breadth, durability, and magnitude of immune responses, we studied the effect of combining priming with an RNA vaccine technology with boosting with protein/adjuvant using a TLR4-agonist based adjuvant.

CookAR: Affordance Augmentations in Wearable AR to Support Kitchen Tool Interactions for People with Low Vision.

Cooking is a central activity of daily living, supporting independence as well as mental and physical health. However, prior work has highlighted key barriers for people with low vision (LV) to cook, particularly around safely interacting with tools, such as sharp knives or hot pans. Drawing on recent advancements in computer vision (CV), we present , a head-mounted AR system with real-time object affordance augmentations to support safe and efficient interactions with kitchen tools.

Occupational Lead Exposure Among Civilian Indoor Shooting Range Workers in Korea: A Report of Blood Lead Levels and Airborne Lead.

Background: Indoor shooting ranges have emerged as a major source of lead exposure. However, occupational lead exposure in civilian indoor shooting ranges has been understudied in South Korea. This study aimed to assess blood lead levels (BLLs) and airborne lead concentrations among workers at these establishments.

Film-based Cell Culture Device and In Vitro Setup for Ultrasound Modulation.

Conventional ultrasound in vitro systems, such as petri dishes and well plates often introduce acoustic reflections and pressure accumulation, compromising the reliability and reproducibility of experimental results. Custom sonication vessels and setups, while addressing some of these issues, often involve complicated assembly processes and can be compatible only with specific experimental setups. To address these limitations, we developed an easy-to-use 3D-printed device that utilizes parafilm on the top and bottom, enabling the device chamber to be optimized for quick assembly, contamination prevention and ultrasound wave propagation.

HSC transduction in humanized mice mediated by novel capsid-modified HDAd vectors.

We developed an hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy approach consisting of HSC mobilization and intravenous injection of helper dependent adenovirus (HDAd) vectors. While we have demonstrated safety and efficacy of the approach in CD46-transgenic mice and rhesus macaques, studies in mice with a humanized hematopoietic system could facilitate its potential clinical translation for the treatment of hemoglobinopathies and HIV. Using mild myelo-conditioning in NSGW41 mice and cryopreserved human CD34 cells from healthy donors we achieved ∼10% human chimerism in peripheral blood.

A functional enzymatic assay as potential readout for a clinical trial of a schistosomiasis vaccine.

An estimated 200 million people are currently infected with schistosomiasis and an additional 800 million reside in high transmission-risk areas in 78 endemic countries. In this report we describe a functional enzymatic assay based on the core calpain antigen (Sm-p80) of the schistosomiasis vaccine, SchistoShield®. A 44 kDa soluble variant of the core Sm-p80 antigen (B7), was assessed for its enzymatic activity using a fluorescent synthetic substrate.

Super-fast and accurate nonlinear foot deformation Prediction using graph neural networks.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of foot diseases, highlighting the importance of non-surgical treatments. Customized insoles, tailored to an individual's foot morphology, have emerged as a promising solution. However, the traditional design process of the customized insole is both slow and expensive due to the high computational complexity of finite element analysis (FEA) required to predict deformations of the foot.

The anticancer effect of metformin targets VDAC1 via ER-mitochondria interactions-mediated autophagy in HCC.

Metformin (MetF) is used worldwide as a first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes. Recently, interest in the pleiotropic effects of MetF, such as its anticancer and antiaging properties, has increased. However, the molecular target of MetF and the detailed mechanism underlying its ability to inhibit cell growth through autophagy induction remain incompletely understood.

A High-Throughput Microphysiological Liver Chip System to Model Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using Human Liver Organoids.

Background And Aims: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major failure mode in pharmaceutical development. This study aims to address the limitations of existing preclinical models by assessing a high-throughput, microfluidic liver-on-a-chip system, termed "Curio Barrier Liver Chips," and its capacity to recapitulate the effects of chronic hepatotoxic drug treatment through metabolic and phenotypic characterization.

Methods: Curio Barrier liver chips (Curiochips), fabricated in an 8 × 2 well configuration, were utilized to establish three dimensional liver organoid cultures.

Plasmon-Exciton Strong Coupling in Colloidal Au Nanocubes with Layered Molecular J-Aggregates.

Strong coupling between light and matter forms hybrid states, such as exciton-polaritons, which are crucial for advancements in quantum science and technology. Plasmonic metal nanoparticles, with their ultrasmall mode volumes, are effective for generating these states, but the coupling strength is often limited by surface saturation of excitonic materials. Additionally, cubic nanoparticles, which can generate strong local fields, have not been systematically explored.

An assessment of a GMP schistosomiasis vaccine (SchistoShield).

Introduction: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that puts over 200 million people at risk, and prevention options are sparse with no approved vaccine. Our vaccine candidate, SchistoShield, is based on an approximately 87 kDa large subunit of calcium activated neutral protease - termed Sm-p80 - combined with a potent TLR4 agonist-based adjuvant. SchistoShield has been shown to prevent disease throughout the parasitic life cycle - including egg, juvenile, and adult worm stages - in numerous animal models up to and including baboons.

Association Between Adequate Sleep and Participation in Occupational Areas in School-Age Children.

Adequate sleep tailored to children's age is important for their well-being. This study aimed to examine the association between adequate sleep and children's participation in occupational areas. This study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of secondary data obtained from the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health in the United States.

Design of a Self-Measuring Device Based on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for Regular Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease, in which permanent joint deformation is largely preventable with the timely introduction of appropriate treatment strategies. However, there is no consensus for patients with RA to monitor their progress and communicate it to the rheumatologist till the condition progresses to remission. In response to this unmet need, we proposed the design of a self-measuring device based on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for regular monitoring of inflammation levels.

Angio-Net: deep learning-based label-free detection and morphometric analysis of angiogenesis.

Despite significant advancements in three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technology and the acquisition of extensive data, there is an ongoing need for more effective and dependable data analysis methods. These concerns arise from the continued reliance on manual quantification techniques. In this study, we introduce a microphysiological system (MPS) that seamlessly integrates 3D cell culture to acquire large-scale imaging data and employs deep learning-based virtual staining for quantitative angiogenesis analysis.

Enhancement of NbO-based oscillator neuron device performance via cryogenic operation.

The Niobium Dioxide (NbO) oscillator neuron has garnered significant interest because of its simple structure compared to conventional CMOS-based circuits. However, the limited on/off resistance ratio narrows the range of series resistances that satisfy the self-oscillation conditions and limits its use in large-scale synaptic arrays. In this study, we report the possibility of improving the performance of NbO-based oscillator neuron devices through cryogenic operation.

Intravenous dexamethasone does not prolong the duration of pudendal nerve block in infants and children undergoing hypospadias surgery: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: The administration of intravenous dexamethasone increases the duration of neuraxial block and improves the quality of analgesia. However, little is known about these effects of dexamethasone on peripheral nerve blocks in children.

Aims: In this study, we aimed to investigate the benefit of intravenous dexamethasone for enhancing the effect of pudendal block on postoperative analgesia in children who underwent hypospadias surgery.

Inhibition of chloride intracellular channel protein 1 (CLIC1) ameliorates liver fibrosis phenotype by activating the Ca-dependent Nrf2 pathway.

Persistent damage to liver cells leads to liver fibrosis, which is characterized by the accumulation of scar tissue in the liver, ultimately leading to cirrhosis and serious complications. Because it is difficult to reverse cirrhosis once it has progressed, the primary focus has been on preventing the progression of liver fibrosis. However, studies on therapeutic agents for liver fibrosis are still lacking.

High-performance resistive random access memory using two-dimensional electron gas electrode and its switching mechanism analysis.

In this study, a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), which is a conductive layer formed at the interface of AlOand TiO, was used as an electrode for resistive random access memory (RRAM) and implemented in a cell size down to 30 nm. For an RRAM device comprising W/2DEG/TiO/W, we confirmed that the dominant switching mechanism changed from interfacial to filamentary as the cell size decreased from 500 nm to 30 nm. Through analyses of changes in forming characteristics and conduction mechanisms in the low resistive state depending on the cell size, it was identified that the 2DEG acted as an oxygen-scavenging layer of TiOduring the resistive switching process.

The relationship between fatigue and sickness absence from work.

Background: Although many studies have been conducted on worker fatigue and sickness absence, the association between fatigue and sickness absence is unclear in Korean workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of worker fatigue on future sickness absence.

Methods: The study was conducted on workers who received medical check-ups at a university hospital for two consecutive years (2014-2015).

HDAd6/35++ - A new helper-dependent adenovirus vector platform for transduction of hematopoietic stem cells.

In previous studies, we achieved safe and efficient hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transduction in mobilized mice and macaques with intravenously injected helper-dependent adenovirus HDAd5/35++ vectors. These vectors are derivatives of serotype Ad5-containing CD46-affinity enhanced Ad35 fiber knob domains. Considering the impact of anti-Ad5/HDAd5/35++ neutralizing serum antibodies present in the human population, we generated HSC-retargeted HDAd6/35++ vectors derived from serotype 6.

Stable HIV decoy receptor expression after in vivo HSC transduction in mice and NHPs: Safety and efficacy in protection from SHIV.

We aim to develop an in vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy approach for persistent control/protection of HIV-1 infection based on the stable expression of a secreted decoy protein for HIV receptors CD4 and CCR5 (eCD4-Ig) from blood cells. HSCs in mice and a rhesus macaque were mobilized from the bone marrow and transduced by an intravenous injection of HSC-tropic, integrating HDAd5/35++ vectors expressing rhesus eCD4-Ig. In vivo HSC transduction/selection resulted in stable serum eCD4-Ig levels of ∼100 μg/mL (mice) and >20 μg/mL (rhesus) with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (ICs) of 1 μg/mL measured by an HIV neutralization assay.