Biological effects of chitosan oligosaccharides on the skin and their clinical applicability.

The skin can be divided into the epidermis and dermis, which each performing distinct functions based on their diverse components, including their respective primary cells, keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, immune-modulating, and anti-cancer effects of chitosan oligosaccharides have been investigated in several studies in the field of biomedical sciences. However, the relationship between skin and skin diseases and chitosan oligosaccharides has received relatively little attention as compared to the application studies such as chemically modification, scaffold, drug carrier, and etc.

Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Bearings via Semi-Supervised Transfer Learning Based on an Anti-Self-Healing Health Indicator.

Remaining useful life (RUL) estimation of a bearing is a methodology to monitor rolling bearings for a system's performance and reliability. It predicts the exact residual time without operational interruptions until complete bearing failure by training a deep learning model to predict the remaining time of working using extracted signal features. Extracting features is one of the most important subjects since its quality directly influences the performance of predicting RUL.

Reactive transport modeling for uranium migration under environmental stress near high-level radioactive waste repository.

This study investigates the impact of decay heat and seawater intrusion on uranium migration through the bentonite-granite system in a high-level radioactive waste repository. A coupled COMSOL-IPhreeqc model (COM-PHREE) was developed and validated using three benchmark cases. The validated COM-PHREE was applied to three scenarios: 1) a standard scenario without major environmental changes, 2) a scenario with decay heat, and 3) a scenario with decay heat and seawater intrusion.

A Narrative Review on the Double Pulley-Triple Row Technique for Large to Massive Rotator Cuff Repair.

Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries that often necessitate surgical intervention, particularly when nonoperative treatments fail. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is the current gold standard; however, challenges, such as high retear rates, especially in large tears, persist. Traditional techniques, such as single-row and double-row repairs, have limitations in fully restoring the anatomical footprint and ensuring optimal healing.

Polarization-sensitive in-sensor computing in chiral organic integrated 2D p-n heterostructures for mixed-multimodal image processing.

Sensor-based computing minimizes latency and energy consumption by processing data at the capture point, thereby eliminating extensive data transfer and enabling real-time decision-making. Here, we present a breakthrough in in-sensor computing via circularly polarized light detectors that integrate cholesteric liquid crystal reflectors with two-dimensional van der Waals p-n heterostructures. Our device exhibits a high dissymmetry factor (1.

Metformin reverses periodontal destruction caused by experimental periodontitis by inhibiting interleukin-1β activity.

Background: Periodontitis is a destructive disease that affects periodontal tissue. While current research focuses on disease management, research on tissue repair remains limited. Metformin, a first-line medication for diabetes treatment, has positive effects on bone health in nondiabetic patients.

The microbial metabolite imidazole propionate dysregulates bone homeostasis by inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling.

Microbial metabolites provide numerous benefits to the human body but can also contribute to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and bone disorders. However, the role of imidazole propionate (ImP), a histidine-derived metabolite produced by the intestinal microbiome, in bone metabolism and the development of osteoporosis is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of ImP and its underlying mechanisms in regulating bone homeostasis.

Establishment of an In Vitro Embryo-Endometrium Model Using Alginate-Embedded Mouse Embryos and Human Embryoid Body.

Background: Embryo-endometrium cross-talk is one of the critical processes for implantation, and unsuccessful cross-talk leads to infertility. We established an endometrium-embryo (or embryoid bodies, hEBs) in vitro model in 2D and 3D conditions and assessed its potential through the fusion of embryos and the expression of specific markers.

Methods: C57BL/6 mouse embryos and human embryoid body (hEB) derived from embryonic stem cells were prepared as embryo models.

Privacy-Preserving Prediction of Postoperative Mortality in Multi-Institutional Data: Development and Usability Study.

Background: To circumvent regulatory barriers that limit medical data exchange due to personal information security concerns, we use homomorphic encryption (HE) technology, enabling computation on encrypted data and enhancing privacy.

Objective: This study explores whether using HE to integrate encrypted multi-institutional data enhances predictive power in research, focusing on the integration feasibility across institutions and determining the optimal size of hospital data sets for improved prediction models.

Methods: We used data from 341,007 individuals aged 18 years and older who underwent noncardiac surgeries across 3 medical institutions.

H1N1 nanobody development and therapeutic efficacy verification in H1N1-challenged mice.

Influenza A virus causes numerous deaths and infections worldwide annually. Therefore, we have considered nanobodies as a potential treatment for patients with severe cases of influenza. We developed a nanobody that was expected to have protective efficacy against the A/California/04/2009 (CA/04; pandemic 2009 flu strain) and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy against CA/04 in mice experiments.

Gastric Metastasis from Gastric-Type Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of Uterine Cervix: A Case Report.

Gastric metastasis (GM) from cervical cancer is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the English literature. Gastric-type mucinous adenocarcinomas (GAS) of the uterine cervix are rare. GAS is an aggressive cancer commonly found in advanced stages; however, GM has not been reported.

Boeravinone B, a natural rotenoid, inhibits osteoclast differentiation through modulating NF-κB, MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.

Osteoporosis is a major public health concern, which requires novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or mitigate bone loss. Natural compounds have attracted attention as potential therapeutic agents due to their safety and efficacy. In this study, we investigated the regulatory activities of boeravinone B (BOB), a natural rotenoid isolated from the medicinal plant Boerhavia diffusa, on the differentiation of osteoclasts and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the two main cell components responsible for bone remodeling.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of Neutrophil Reactivity Intensity (NEUT-RI) in Pediatric Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Sepsis.

Objective: Recent advances in hematology analyzers have generated cell population data (CPD), which quantify features of cells. The characteristics of CPD in pediatric systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis were evaluated with 255 patients.

Methods: The ADVIA 2120i hematology analyzer was used for measurement of the delta neutrophil index (DN) including DNI and DNII.

MELD-GRAIL-Na Is a Better Predictor of Mortality Than MELD in Korean Patients with Cirrhosis.

: The Child-Pugh (CP) score and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) are classical systems for predicting mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The MELD-GFR assessment in liver disease-sodium (MELD-GRAIL-Na) was designed to better reflect renal function and, therefore, provide better mortality predictions. This study aimed to compare the prediction accuracy of MELD-GRAIL-Na compared to CP and MELD in predicting short-term (1- and 3-month) mortality in Korean patients.

Isolation of High Purity Mouse Mesenchymal Stem Cells through Depleting Macrophages Using Liposomal Clodronate.

Background: The use of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) represents a promising strategy for performing preclinical studies in the field of cell-based regenerative medicine; however, mBMSCs obtained via conventional isolation methods have two drawbacks, i.e., (i) they are heterogeneous due to frequent macrophage contamination, and (ii) they require long-term culturing for expansion.

Evaluation of cellular response and drug delivery efficacy of nanoporous stainless steel material.

Objective: Various surface modification techniques that can further improve the function and usability of stainless steel as a medical device have been reported. In the present study, the physical and biological properties of nanoporous stainless steel as well as its usefulness for drug delivery were assessed.

Methods: The specimen was prepared with a circular disk shape (15 mm in diameter and 1 mm in thickness).

Wetting Property Modification of AlO by Helium Ion Irradiation: Effects of Beam Energy and Fluence on Contact Angle.

In imparting wetting properties, a fabrication process without the addition of new compounds and deposition of coating layers would be the most desirable because it does not introduce additional complexities. Hence, the ion beam irradiation technique is used as it enables the chemistry of materials to be modified through simple adjustments of irradiation parameters such as the type of accelerated particles, beam energy, and fluence. In this study, the hydrophilicity of alumina surfaces was weakened by irradiating He ion beams of different energy levels (200 keV and 20 MeV).

Anti-cancer effects of the aqueous extract of Orostachys japonica A. Berger on 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer via MAPK signalling pathways in vitro and in vivo.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Orostachys japonica A. Berger, also known as Wa-song in Korea, has traditionally been used as a folk medicine, but the potential anti-cancer effects of aqueous extract of Orostachys japonica (OJe) have not yet been thoroughly investigated.

Aim Of The Study: To evaluate the anti-cancer effects of OJe, its possible mechanisms of action were investigated in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistant SNU-C5/5-FUR colorectal cancer cells.

Mononeuropathy multiplex associated with systemic vasculitis: A case report.

Background: Vasculitis, a systemic disorder with inflammation of blood vessel walls, can develop broad spectrum of signs and symptoms according to involvement of various organs, and therefore, early diagnosis of vasculitis is challenging. We herein describe a patient who developed a special case of systemic vasculitis with mononeuropathy multiplex, rectal perforation and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) presented with pulmonary embolism.

Case Summary: A 61-year-old woman visited hospital with complaints of myalgia and occasional fever.

Mainstreaming of Health Equity in Infectious Disease Control Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

The Korean government's strategy to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has focused on non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing and wearing masks, along with testing, tracing, and treatment; overall, its performance has been relatively good compared to that of many other countries heavily affected by COVID-19. However, little attention has been paid to health equity in measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to examine the unequal impacts of COVID-19 across socioeconomic groups and to suggest potential solutions to tackle these inequalities.

Effects of Chin-Down Maneuver on Pharyngeal Pressure Generation According to Dysphagia and Viscosity.

Objective: To demonstrate the effects of chin-down maneuver on swallowing by using high-resolution manometry (HRM).

Methods: HRM data of 20 healthy subjects and 64 dysphagic patients were analyzed. Participants swallowed 5 mL of thin and honey-like liquids in neutral and chin-down positions.

Hydrophilicity Improvement of Polymer Surfaces Induced by Simultaneous Nuclear Transmutation and Oxidation Effects Using High-Energy and Low-Fluence Helium Ion Beam Irradiation.

Two commodity polymers, polystyrene (PS) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), were irradiated by high-energy He ion beams at low fluence to examine the wettability changes at different fluences. The water contact angles of the PS and HDPE surfaces were reduced from 78.3° to 46.

Bone Generation Following Repeated Administration of Recombinant Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2.

Background: The delivery of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP2) by using various carriers has been used to successfully induce bone formation in many animal models. However, the effect of multiple administration of rhBMP2 on bone formation and BMP2 antibody production has not been determined. Our aim was to examine the bone formation activity of rhBMP2 and serum levels of anti-BMP2 antibodies following the repeated administration of rhBMP2 in mice.