Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have realized the importance of wearing a mask. However, conventional nanofiber-based face masks impede communication between people because of their ...opacity. Moreover, it remains challenging to achieve both high filtration performance and transparency through fibrous mask filters without using harmful solvents. Herein, scalable transparent film-based filters with high transparency and collection efficiency are fabricated in a facile manner by means of corona discharging and punch stamping. Both methods improve the surface potential of the film while the punch stamping procedure generates micropores in the film, which enhances the electrostatic force between the film and particulate matter (PM), thereby improving the collection efficiency of the film. Moreover, the suggested fabrication method involves no nanofibers and harmful solvents, which mitigates the generation of microplastics and potential risks for the human body. The film-based filter provides a high PM2.5 collection efficiency of 99.9 % while maintaining a transparency of 52 % at the wavelength of 550 nm. This enables people to distinguish the facial expressions of a person wearing a mask composed of the proposed film-based filter. Moreover, the results of durability experiments indicate that the developed film-based filter is anti-fouling, liquid-resistant, microplastic-free and foldability.
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•Transparent film-based air filter with high filtration efficiency is developed.•Corona discharging and punch stamping are strategically employed.•Suggested fabrication method is microplastic-free and solvent-free.•Film-based filter retains 99.9 % particulate matter 2.5 filtration efficiency.•Transparency of film-based filter enables clear visibility of facial expressions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Ferritin is associated with various cardiometabolic risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance in adults. We aimed to study the association between serum ...ferritin levels and dyslipidemia in adolescents, because dyslipidemia is considered an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor in the young.
We analyzed 1,879 subjects (1,026 boys and 853 girls) from the 2009-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV. Subjects were categorized into quartiles according to their lipid parameters, which were classified according to age and gender. Those in the highest quartile groups for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride concentrations were diagnosed as having dyslipidemia. Those in the lowest quartile for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) values were diagnosed with abnormal levels.
In boys, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglyceride concentrations were significantly correlated with serum ferritin levels. In both boys and girls, serum ferritin levels were negatively associated with HDL-C values, even after adjusting for all covariates. Furthermore, there was no significant correlation between serum ferritin levels and total cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride concentrations in girls.
Serum ferritin levels were significantly associated with major dyslipidemia parameters, more prominently in boys than in girls, and this association represents a cardiometabolic risk factor.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
High dimensionality and noise have limited the new biological insights that can be discovered in scRNA-seq data. While dimensionality reduction tools have been developed to extract biological signals ...from the data, they often require manual determination of signal dimension, introducing user bias. Furthermore, a common data preprocessing method, log normalization, can unintentionally distort signals in the data. Here, we develop scLENS, a dimensionality reduction tool that circumvents the long-standing issues of signal distortion and manual input. Specifically, we identify the primary cause of signal distortion during log normalization and effectively address it by uniformizing cell vector lengths with L2 normalization. Furthermore, we utilize random matrix theory-based noise filtering and a signal robustness test to enable data-driven determination of the threshold for signal dimensions. Our method outperforms 11 widely used dimensionality reduction tools and performs particularly well for challenging scRNA-seq datasets with high sparsity and variability. To facilitate the use of scLENS, we provide a user-friendly package that automates accurate signal detection of scRNA-seq data without manual time-consuming tuning.
N-nitrosamines, which are classified as carcinogens by IARC and US EPA, can be easily found in various foods. They are reaction products between nitrogen oxide and secondary amines, but can also be ...generated during fermentation. Ever since the 1960s, when nitrite, used as a preservative in processed meats, was suspected to generate N-nitrosamines, the usage of the food additive has been debated. However, the benefit of nitrite in food supply could not be ignored and the risk-benefit analysis has become a key issue in the use of the additive. For a risk analysis, an accurate estimation of the hazardous material is necessary; therefore, analytical methods for nitrosamines have continuously evolved from the 1950s. Solid supported liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extractions have replaced the distillation for the clean-up steps, and tandem mass spectrometry is employed for higher selectivity and sensitivity. In the present study, for a better estimation of N-nitrosamine intake, the total diet study samples were prepared for the N-nitrosamines analysis. In order to obtain the most sensitive results, a partial preparation procedure was developed and modified for different food matrices. Among seven N-nitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosodibutylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, and N-nitrosomorpholine) analyzed in the present study, N-nitrosodiethylamine has shown the highest detection rate in agricultural foods, while N-nitrosodimethylamine has appeared most frequently in livestock and fishery food products. The concentration of N-nitrosodimethylamine was the highest in seasoning.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), together with metabolic syndrome and obesity, has shown a rapid increase in prevalence worldwide and is emerging as a major cause of chronic liver disease ...and liver transplantation. Among the various phenotypes of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is highly likely to progress to development of end-stage liver disease and cardiometabolic disease, resulting in liver-related and non-liver-related mortality. Nonetheless, there is no standardized pharmacotherapy against NASH and many drugs are under development in ongoing clinical trials. To develop a successful anti-NASH drug, it is necessary to select an appropriate target population and treatment outcomes depending on whether the mode of action is anti-metabolic, anti-inflammatory or anti-fibrotic. Recently, innovative surrogate markers have been investigated to replace hard outcomes such as liver histology and mortality and reduce the clinical trial duration. Currently, several drugs with fast track designation are being tested in phase III clinical trials, and many other drugs have moved into phase II clinical trials. Both lean NAFLD and typical obese NAFLD have been extensively studied and genetic variants such as PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 have been identified as significant risk factors for lean NAFLD. In the near future, noninvasive biomarkers and effective targeted therapies for NASH and associated fibrosis are required to develop precision medicine and tailored therapy according to various phenotypes of NAFLD.
Salivary glands that produce and secrete saliva, which is essential for lubrication, digestion, immunity, and oral homeostasis, consist of diverse cells. The long-term maintenance of diverse salivary ...gland cells in organoids remains problematic. Here, we establish long-term murine and human salivary gland organoid cultures. Murine and human salivary gland organoids express gland-specific genes and proteins of acinar, myoepithelial, and duct cells, and exhibit gland functions when stimulated with neurotransmitters. Furthermore, human salivary gland organoids are established from isolated basal or luminal cells, retaining their characteristics. Single-cell RNA sequencing also indicates that human salivary gland organoids contain heterogeneous cell types and replicate glandular diversity. Our protocol also enables the generation of tumoroid cultures from benign and malignant salivary gland tumor types, in which tumor-specific gene signatures are well-conserved. In this study, we provide an experimental platform for the exploration of precision medicine in the era of tissue regeneration and anticancer treatment.
Designing uniform plasmonic surfaces in a large area is highly recommended for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). As periodic morphologies exhibit uniform SERS and optical tunability, diverse ...fabrication methods of periodic nanostructures have been reported for SERS applications. Laser interference lithography (LIL) is one of the most versatile tools since it can rapidly fabricate periodic patterns without the usage of photomasks. Here, we explore complex interference patterns for spatially uniform SERS sensors and its cost-effecive fabrication method termed multi-exposure laser interference lithography (MELIL). MELIL can produce nearly periodic profiles along every direction confirmed by mathematical background, and in virtue of periodicity, we show that highly uniform Raman scattering (relative standard deviation < 6%) can also be achievable in complex geometries as the conventional hole patterns. We quantitatively characterize the Raman enhancement of the MELIL complex patterns after two different metal deposition processes, Au e-beam evaporation and Ag electroplating, which results in 0.387×105 and 1.451×105 in enhancement factor respectively. This alternative, vacuum-free electroplating method realizes an even more cost-effective process with enhanced performance. We further conduct the optical simulation for MELIL complex patterns which exhibits the broadened and shifted absorption peaks. This result supports the potential of the expanded optical tunability of the suggested process.
The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) is a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism. Leucine (Leu) activates mTORC1 and many have tried to identify the mechanisms ...whereby cells sense Leu in this context. Here we describe that the Leu metabolite acetyl-coenzyme A (AcCoA) positively regulates mTORC1 activity by EP300-mediated acetylation of the mTORC1 regulator, Raptor, at K1097. Leu metabolism and consequent mTORC1 activity are regulated by intermediary enzymes. As AcCoA is a Leu metabolite, this process directly correlates with Leu abundance, and does not require Leu sensing via intermediary proteins, as has been described previously. Importantly, we describe that this pathway regulates mTORC1 in a cell-type-specific manner. Finally, we observed decreased acetylated Raptor, and inhibited mTORC1 and EP300 activity in fasted mice tissues. These results provide a direct mechanism for mTORC1 regulation by Leu metabolism.
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•Leucine metabolizing enzymes impact mTORC1 activity•AcCoA, the final leucine metabolite, regulates mTORC1 activity by Raptor acetylation•AcCoA regulates mTORC1 in a cell-type-specific manner•Fasted tissues in mice have decreased AcCoA, acetylated Raptor, and mTORC1 activity
Son et al. find that the leucine metabolite, acetyl-coenzyme A, promotes mTORC1 activity through EP300-mediated acetylation of Raptor, an mTORC1 regulator. The pathway that is cell-type specific, allows for intermediary enzymes to regulate mTORC1 activity, without a need for leucine sensing. In fasted mice, Raptor acetylation decreases in some tissues, leading to mTORC1 inhibition.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Summary The preservation of King oyster mushrooms (KOMs) during storage remains a significant challenge due to their susceptibility to microbial spoilage, browning and quality degradation. This study ...explores the efficacy of electron beam irradiation (EBI) as a novel preservation technique for KOMs, targeting these specific storage issues. Employing a range of detection techniques, we evaluated the impact of EBI on microbial contamination, essential qualities and the browning of KOMs. Our findings reveal that EBI significantly reduces microbial contamination, including total aerobic bacteria and Pseudomonas spp., effectively inhibiting pathogenic spoilage and the formation of browning lesions. The treatment successfully preserved the moisture content, water activity and minimised weight loss, thus maintaining the mushrooms' textural and visual quality. Notably, doses of EBI up to 2 kGy did not adversely affect the firmness of KOMs. Additionally, we determined that photostimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence are effective methods for detecting EBI treatment in KOMs, whereas electron spin resonance proved unsuitable due to the lack of a distinctive irradiation signal in high‐moisture content foods. These findings contribute to the development of an efficient preservation technique for perishable KOMs, offering potential applicability in the food industry.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The thymus provides a nurturing environment for the differentiation and selection of T cells, a process orchestrated by their interaction with multiple thymic cell types. We used single-cell RNA ...sequencing to create a cell census of the human thymus across the life span and to reconstruct T cell differentiation trajectories and T cell receptor (TCR) recombination kinetics. Using this approach, we identified and located in situ CD8αα
T cell populations, thymic fibroblast subtypes, and activated dendritic cell states. In addition, we reveal a bias in TCR recombination and selection, which is attributed to genomic position and the kinetics of lineage commitment. Taken together, our data provide a comprehensive atlas of the human thymus across the life span with new insights into human T cell development.
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