Extracellular peroxiredoxin 5 exacerbates atherosclerosis via the TLR4/MyD88 pathway.

Backgroungd And Aims: Peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5), an atypical 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (PRDX), is known to regulate global oxidative stresses and inflammatory responses. Inflammation and oxidative stress are pivotal factors in the development of atherosclerosis, especially in the context of vascular endothelial dysfunction. However, effects of PRDX5 on atherosclerosis remain unclear.

Analysis of N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances from baby bottle rubber teats by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS/MS) was developed and validated to determine the levels of 13N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances migrated from rubber teats into artificial saliva. The migration test from rubber teats was conducted at 40 °C and for 24 h in artificial saliva, and the migrated artificial saliva solution was analysed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) without further extracting steps. The sensitivity of N-nitrosamines was examined by applying atmospheric chemical ionisation and electrospray ionisation to optimise the mass spectrometric conditions, and the atmospheric chemical ionisation (APCI) mode exhibited 1.

Comprehensive Assessment of Acute Isolated or Prominent Dysarthria in the Emergency Department: A Neuro-Emergency Expert's Experience beyond Stroke.

We investigated the clinical characteristics, neuroimaging findings, and final diagnosis of patients with acute isolated or prominent dysarthria who visited the emergency department (ED) between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021. Of 2028 patients aged ≥ 18 years with neurologic symptoms treated by a neuro-emergency expert, 75 with acute isolated or predominant dysarthria within 1 week were enrolled. Patients were categorized as having isolated dysarthria ( = 28, 37.

Peripheral ERK modulates acupuncture-induced brain neural activity and its functional connectivity.

Acupuncture has been widely used as a therapeutic intervention, and the brain network plays a crucial role in its neural mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the acupuncture mechanism from peripheral to central by identifying how the peripheral molecular signals induced by acupuncture affect the brain neural responses and its functional connectivity. We confirmed that peripheral ERK activation by acupuncture plays a role in initiating acupuncture-induced peripheral proteomic changes in mice.

Exploring spatial patterns of acupoint indications from clinical data: A STROBE-compliant article.

Every acupoint has specific indications for acupuncture treatment. These indications, primarily established based on the meridian system, have spatial patterns of symptoms on the human body. We investigated the associations between acupoints and symptom locations in 75 patients with chronic pain who were asked to sketch the localization of their symptoms on body schemes using the bodily sensation map (BSM) system.

Synthesis and Characterization of Imidazolium Linear Bisphenol Polycarbonate Hydroxides for Anion Exchange Membrane.

A novel anion exchange membrane of imidazolium functionalized bisphenol polycarbonate was prepared for application in alkaline fuel cell. Di-imidazolium polycarbonate anionic membrane was synthesized by sequential interfacial polymerization, chloromethylation, substitution with 1-methylimidazole and ion exchange with 1.0 M KOH.

Preparation of Novel Pyridine-Based Aromatic Polyimides and Effect of Fluorine Functionality.

Novel pyridine-containing linear and branched polyimides (Li-PIs and Br-PIs) were prepared by aromatic diamine and triamine monomers. The fluorinated, non-fluorinated and trifunctional pyridine-based monomers, 4-(4-(trifluoromethylphenyl))-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine (FDAPP), 4-phenyl-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine (DAPP) and 4,4',4"-(pyridine-2,4,6-triyl)tribenzenamine (TAPP) amino compounds were synthesized by a modified Chichibabin reaction of different benzaldehydes and p-nitroacetophenone, followed by a reduction of the resulting nitro compounds with hydrazine monohydrate. Functional amine monomers were used to synthesize a series of pyridine-containing linear and branched polyimides, by polycondensation with aromatic dianhydride in N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via the conventional two-step method.

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)s containing mesonaphthobifluorene for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell.

The novel sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)s containing mesonaphthobifluorene (MNF) moiety were synthesized and characterized their properties. The prepared polymers have highly conjugated aromatic structure due to the MNF group which is an allotrope of carbon and one atom thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms. Poly(ether sulfone)s bearing tetraphenylethylene on polymer backbone were synthesized by polycondensation and followed intra-cyclization from tetraphenylethylene to form MNF by Friedel-craft reaction with Lewis acid (FeCl3).

Various Enterotoxin and Other Virulence Factor Genes Widespread Among Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis Strains.

Many strains of Bacillus cereus cause gastrointestinal diseases, and the closely related insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis has also been involved in outbreaks of diarrhea. The diarrheal diseases are attributed to enterotoxins. Sixteen reference strains of B.

Effects of Temperature and Packaging on the Growth Kinetics of Clostridium perfringens in Ready-to-eat Jokbal (Pig's Trotters).

Ready-to-eat (RTE) Jokbal (Pig's trotter), which consists of pig's feet cooked in soy sauce and various spices, is a very popular and widely sold in Korean retail markets. Commercially, the anaerobically packed Jokbal have also become a popular RTE food in several convenience stores. This study evaluates the effects of storage temperature and packaging methods for the growth of C.

Network analysis of acupuncture points used in the treatment of low back pain.

Background. The appropriate selection of acupoints is fundamental to obtain a therapeutic effect from clinical acupuncture. Objective.

An amplification of feedback from facial muscles strengthened sympathetic activations to emotional facial cues.

The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that feedback from cutaneous and muscular afferents influences our emotions during the control of facial expressions. Enhancing facial expressiveness produces an increase in autonomic arousal and self-reported emotional experience, whereas limiting facial expression attenuates these responses. The present study investigated differences in autonomic responses during imitated versus observed facial expressions.

Visualization of the Meridian System Based on Biomedical Information about Acupuncture Treatment.

The origin of the concept of the meridian system is closely connected with the treatment effects of acupuncture, and it serves as an empirical reference system in the clinical setting. Understanding the meridian channels would be a first step in enhancing the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment. To understand the relationship between the location of the disease and the sites of relevant acupoints, we investigated acupuncture treatment regimens for low-back pain in 37 clinical studies.

Modifying Bodily Self-Awareness during Acupuncture Needle Stimulation Using the Rubber Hand Illusion.

Background. The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is an experimental paradigm that manipulates important aspects of body self-awareness. Objectives.

Fear of acupuncture enhances sympathetic activation to acupuncture stimulation.

Background: Acupuncture treatment frequently evokes both pain and fear, causing patients to be hesitant about undergoing the procedure. This study investigated individual differences in autonomic response to acupuncture stimulation and its relationship to fear of the procedure.

Methods: Twenty-seven participants filled out the acupuncture fear scale (AFS) questionnaire and underwent acupuncture stimulation at the LI4 acupuncture point.

Inserting needles into the body: a meta-analysis of brain activity associated with acupuncture needle stimulation.

Unlabelled: Acupuncture is a therapeutic treatment that is defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints). Advances in functional neuroimaging have made it possible to study brain responses to acupuncture; however, previous studies have mainly concentrated on acupoint specificity. We wanted to focus on the functional brain responses that occur because of needle insertion into the body.

Do not judge according to appearance: patients' preference of a doctor's face does not influence their assessment of the patient-doctor relationship.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a patient's preference for a doctor's face is associated with better assessments of relational empathy in the patient-doctor relationship after the first clinical consultation.

Methods: A total of 110 patients enrolled in a traditional Korean medical clinic participated in the study. Patients' preference for doctors' faces was assessed by a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) task, with 60 different pairs of six different Asian male doctors' faces.

Detection and identification of Vibrio species using whole-cell protein pattern analysis.

Outbreaks of foodborne diseases associated with Vibrio species such as V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, and V.

Effect of wash treatments on reducing human norovirus on iceberg lettuce and perilla leaf.

Human noroviruses (NoVs) are major causes of nonbacterial gastroenteritis; they are transmitted by food and water, as well as person-to-person. The consumption of contaminated raw or uncooked food such as vegetables and fruits has been identified as a common source of human NoV outbreaks. In an effort to understand the survival and persistence of human NoVs on fresh produce, the efficacy of washing treatments in the removal of human NoVs from vegetables was evaluated.

Evaluation of various PCR assays for the detection of emetic toxin producing Bacillus cereus.

Because conventional methods for detecting emetic-toxin-producing B. cereus are laborious and costly, various PCR assays, which are easy and cheap, have recently been reported. Therefore, this study estimated and compared the ability of various PCR assays to detect emetic-toxin-producing B.

Single-step extraction followed by LC for determination of (fluoro)quinolone drug residues in muscle, eggs, and milk.

In this study, a simplified method for the extraction and determination of seven fluoroquinolone residues (danofloxacin, difloxacin, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, orbifloxacin, ofloxacin, and sarafloxacin) and three quinolones (oxolinic acid, flumequine, and nalidixic acid), in porcine muscle, table eggs, and commercial whole milk, which required no cleanup step, was devised. This procedure involves the extraction of analytes from the samples via liquid-phase extraction, and the subsequent quantitative determination was accomplished via LC-fluorescence detection. Analyte separation was successfully conducted on an XBridge-C(18) column, with a linear gradient mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 0.

Analytical procedure to simultaneously measure trace amounts of trenbolone acetate and beta-trenbolone residues in porcine muscle using HPLC-UVD and MS.

The current study was undertaken to validate the performance for the determination of both TBA and beta-trenbolone (beta-TB) residues in porcine muscle at concentrations required to monitor compliance with the maximum residue limit (MRL). The method involves a one phase liquid-liquid extraction, cleanup with low-temperature fat precipitation, separation of the respective compounds by HPLC on a Capcell pak C(18) column, use of a methanol-water isocratic system as an eluent, and measurement by UV absorbance detection at 340 nm. Both compounds were confirmed using LC-MS/MS with electrospray interface (ESI) and a triple quadrupole (QqQ) analyzer.

Monitoring of fluoroquinolone residual levels in chicken eggs by microbiological assay and confirmation by liquid chromatography.

The primary objective of this study was to develop a simple, rapid, and efficient method for the simultaneous determination of four fluoroquinolone residues, ciprofloxacin (CFX), danofloxacin (DFX), enrofloxacin (EFX) and norfloxacin (NFX), in chicken eggs. The samples were first monitored by microbiological assay using Escherichia coli as the reference organism, and were then quantified using HPLC with a fluorescence detector. Egg samples were extracted by the liquid-phase extraction process, and the analytes were analyzed via an ODS column using a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.