Identifying bio-behavioural signatures of persistent opioid use risk in trauma injury patients: a protocol for a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Exposure to prescription opioids following traumatic injury can increase the risk of developing tolerance, persistent opioid use and opioid use disorder. The mechanisms underlying opioid tolerance or dependence are not well understood, and no biomarkers predict risk. Opioid exposure causes epigenetic modifications, including alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression.

Effects of Acute Exercise Bouts on Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Runners with Exercise-Induced Hypertension.

Exercise-induced hypertension (EIH) has increasingly been observed among middle-aged long-distance runners, raising concerns about cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to investigate acute changes in cardiovascular biomarkers associated with vascular inflammation, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, endothelial function, and myocardial burden in runners with EIH. Thirty-seven middle-aged male runners (aged 40-65 years) were categorized into a normal blood pressure group (NBPG; systolic blood pressure <210 mmHg, = 23) and an EIH group (EIHG; ≥210 mmHg, = 14) based on maximal systolic blood pressure during a graded exercise test (GXT).

Beyond frequency of use: Exploring additional metrics for quantifying cocaine use and their relation to life functioning and treatment outcome.

Background: Frequency of use - the number of days of use - is the most common metric for quantifying cocaine use and the most common target of treatment. However, frequency may not capture all important aspects of cocaine use. This study examined how other aspects of cocaine use (typical amount spent, variability etc.

Effect of Hop-Stabilization Training on Ankle Instability and Function of Adolescent Female Basketball Players with Chronic Ankle Instability: A Double-Blind, Prospective, Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Adolescent female basketball players are frequently affected by lateral ankle sprains that may progress to chronic ankle instability (CAI) if not adequately managed. This double-blind, prospective, cluster-randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effects of hop-stabilization training (hop training) and those of traditional balance training on ankle instability and functional performance of this population. Thirty-two adolescent female basketball players with CAI were cluster-randomized into the hop training group (HG; = 16) or balance training group (BG; = 16).

Emerging trans-Eurasian heatwave-drought train in a warming climate.

Since the late 20th century, an emerging atmospheric teleconnection pattern, the trans-Eurasian heatwave-drought train, has intensified remarkably during summer, correlating with a surge in concurrent heatwave-drought events from Eastern Europe to East Asia. Tree-ring proxies, spanning three centuries, reveal that the recent intensity of this pattern is unprecedented in the historical records. In contrast, the circumglobal teleconnection, which historically dominated the continental-scale Eurasian heatwave occurrences, has shown no discernible trend amid global warming.

Impact of Resistance Exercise and Nitrate Supplementation on Muscle Function and Clinical Outcomes After Knee Osteoarthritis Surgery in Middle-Aged Women with Sarcopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Sarcopenia, characterized by reduced muscle mass and strength, is associated with osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in middle-aged women, and may worsen postoperatively. Resistance exercise (RE) can resolve sarcopenia; however, recovery is often suboptimal. Nitrate (NO) supplementation may enhance muscle recovery and complement RE.

The Effect of Strength and Balance Training on Kinesiophobia, Ankle Instability, Function, and Performance in Elite Adolescent Soccer Players with Functional Ankle Instability: A Prospective Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

We aimed to implement strength and balance training for elite adolescent male soccer players with functional ankle instability (FAI) to assess kinesiophobia, ankle instability, ankle function, and performance. This cluster randomized controlled trial comprised 51 elite adolescent male soccer players with FAI recruited from six different teams, divided into strength, balance, and control groups (SG, n = 17; BG, n = 17; and CG, n = 17, respectively). The SG and BG underwent strength and balance training sessions three times per week for 6 weeks.

Updates in Air Pollution: Current Research and Future Challenges.

Background: The United Nations has declared that humans have a right to clean air. Despite this, many deaths and disability-adjusted life years are attributed to air pollution exposure each year. We face both challenges to air quality and opportunities to improve, but several areas need to be addressed with urgency.

Anthropogenic warming induced intensification of summer monsoon frontal precipitation over East Asia.

Summer monsoon frontal rainfall in East Asia (EA) is crucial for water resources and flood hazards in densely populated areas. Recent studies have documented the increasing intensity of summer frontal rainfall over recent decades. However, the extent of ongoing climate change on the intensification of the EA frontal precipitation system remains uncertain.

Response of Indian summer monsoon rainfall to remote carbonaceous aerosols at short time scales: Teleconnections and feedbacks.

The effect of atmospheric aerosols on Indian monsoon is one of the scientifically challenging and societally relevant research issues of the recent decades. Past studies have derived inferences mostly based on local emissions and their impacts thereupon. However, more recent studies have shown that the remote effects driven by aerosols elsewhere could also impact the monsoon system on different time scales.

A novel statistical-dynamical method for a seasonal forecast of particular matter in South Korea.

Societal concerns about air quality in East Asia are still growing despite country-level efforts to reduce air pollution emissions. In coping with this growing concern, the government and the public demand a longer‑lead forecast of air quality to ensure sufficient response time until society prepares for countermeasures such as a temporary reduction of specific emission sources. Here we propose a novel method that produces skillful seasonal forecasting of wintertime (December to February) PM concentration over South Korea.

Sustainable valorization of semiconductor industry tantalum scrap using non-hazardous HF substitute lixiviant.

Global tantalum production from mines averages 1800 tons per year and hardly increases, but demand for tantalum in the electronics industry consistently increasing. Globally, 50% of total tantalum produced is being used for tantalum capacitors manufacturing, almost all demand from various industries is mainly met by primary resources only. Tantalum production and supply predominantly dominated by Congo and Rwanda which accounts for > 50%, add disadvantages for the strategic and economic competitiveness of other nations.

Effects of Cool-Down Exercise and Cold-Water Immersion Therapy on Basic Fitness and Sport-Specific Skills among Korean College Soccer Players.

Background: We aimed to examine the effects of cool-down exercise and cold-water immersion therapy on agility, speed, power, balance, and sport-specific skill performance in college soccer players, and to provide baseline data for the development of effective recovery programs.

Methods: In August 2020, 21 male college soccer players in Seoul, Korea, were randomly divided into the following groups: control group (CG, n=7), cool-down exercise group (CDG, n=7), and cool-down exercise plus cold-water immersion group (CDCWG, n=7). Agility, speed, power, balance, and sport-specific skill performance were assessed before and after the intervention.

Behavioral Economic Assessment of Alcohol and Cigarette Demand in Smokers With Alcohol Use Disorder.

Behavioral economic purchase tasks are widely used to assess drug demand in substance use disorder research. Comorbid alcohol use is common among cigarette smokers and associated with greater difficulty in quitting smoking. However, demand for alcohol and cigarettes in this population has not been fully characterized.

The Effects of Initial Rehabilitation Exercise on Range of Motion, Muscular Strength, and Muscle Pain after Surgery for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Humeral Capitellum in Middle and High School Baseball Players.

Background: This study evaluated the effects of a 4-week initial rehabilitation program in middle and high school baseball players who underwent removal of a loose body from osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum humerus.

Methods: Middle and high school baseball players with osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum humerus were enrolled in this study. Each had more than 3 yr of experience and had undergone arthroscopic removal of loose bodies from the same expert at Kim's Orthop Special Clinic in Seoul.

Effect of Dry-Land Core Training on Physical Fitness and Swimming Performance in Adolescent Elite Swimmers.

Background: We aimed to investigate the effect of a 12-week dry-land core training program on physical fitness and swimming performance in elite adolescent swimmers.

Methods: Thirty subjects were selected and assigned to the core training group (CTG, n=15) and the traditional weight training group (WTG, n=15) in Seoul, Korea, between Sep and Dec 2016. The field fitness test was performed to determine the isotonic maximum muscular strength (one repetition maximum of deadlift and cable pulldown), anaerobic power (Wingate test), core stability (sports-specific endurance plank), core muscular power (front abdominal power, side abdominal power), muscular endurance of limbs (push-up, endurance jump), and swim performance improvement (personal record).

Abrupt shift to hotter and drier climate over inner East Asia beyond the tipping point.

Unprecedented heatwave-drought concurrences in the past two decades have been reported over inner East Asia. Tree-ring-based reconstructions of heatwaves and soil moisture for the past 260 years reveal an abrupt shift to hotter and drier climate over this region. Enhanced land-atmosphere coupling, associated with persistent soil moisture deficit, appears to intensify surface warming and anticyclonic circulation anomalies, fueling heatwaves that exacerbate soil drying.

Effect of a 12-Week Rehabilitation Exercise Program on Shoulder Proprioception, Instability and Pain in Baseball Players with Shoulder Instability.

Background: The shoulder joint has a wide range of motion, but is vulnerable to sport-related injuries. We aimed to evaluate the differences in the proprioception of the shoulder should instability, and shoulder pain in high school baseball players with shoulder instability following a 12-week rehabilitation exercise program.

Methods: We enrolled 13 baseball players with shoulder instability who visited the Orthopedics Department at Konkook University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea and 12 controls without shoulder instability.

Effects of Scapular Kinetic-Chain Exercise on Muscle Activity in Overhead-Pitching Baseball Players.

Background: We aimed to demonstrate the effect of 8 wk of scapular kinetic-chain exercise on muscle activity in collegiate baseball players diagnosed with scapular dyskinesis.

Methods: The subjects were career baseball players with at least a 7-year career assigned into either a SICK (S; scapular malposition, I; inferior border prominence, C; coracoid process pain, K; scapular dyskinesis; n=7) group or a normal group (n=16), respectively. The groups were further divided into SICK-Dominant, SICK-Non-Dominant, Normal-Dominant, and Normal-Non-Dominant to examine the dominant and non-dominant deviation of each group.

A Pilot Study of E-Cigarette Naïve Cigarette Smokers and the Effects on Craving After Acute Exposure to E-Cigarettes in the Laboratory.

Background And Objectives: Recent surveys confirm continued increases in the use of electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in adolescents and adults. Users often state that e-cigarettes reduce tobacco craving and withdrawal symptoms in addition to their smoking. Data from laboratory studies and clinical trials have confirmed these statements, though there are inconsistencies in the outcomes.

Linking deep convection and phytoplankton blooms in the northern Labrador Sea in a changing climate.

Wintertime convective mixing plays a pivotal role in the sub-polar North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms by favoring phytoplankton survival in the competition between light-dependent production and losses due to grazing and gravitational settling. We use satellite and ocean reanalyses to show that the area-averaged maximum winter mixed layer depth is positively correlated with April chlorophyll concentration in the northern Labrador Sea. A simple theoretical framework is developed to understand the relative roles of winter/spring convection and gravitational sedimentation in spring blooms in this region.

Synthesis of submicron silver powder from scrap low-temperature co-fired ceramic an e-waste: Understanding the leaching kinetics and wet chemistry.

The current study focuses on the understanding of leaching kinetics of metal in the LTCC in general and silver leaching in particular along with wet chemical reduction involving silver nanoparticle synthesis. Followed by metal leaching, the silver was selectively precipitated using HCl as AgCl. The precipitated AgCl was dissolved in ammonium hydroxide and reduced to pure silver metal nanopowder (NPs) using hydrazine as a reductant.