Electrospinning of collagen (COL)/silk fibroin (SF) blend solutions in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol was investigated for fabrication of a biocompatible and biomimetic nanostructured scaffold for ...tissue engineering. The morphology of the electrospun COL/SF blend nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The average diameters of COL/SF blend fibers ranged from 320 to 360 nm, irrespective of SF content in the blends. Both COL and SF components in the as-spun COL/SF blend matrices were stabilized by glutaraldehyde and water vapor, respectively, under the saturated glutaraldehyde aqueous solution at 25 °C. The glutaraldehyde vapor chemically stabilized the COL component via cross-linking, whereas the water vapor physically stabilized the SF component via crystallization to the β-sheet structure. These structural changes of after-treated COL/SF blend matrices were examined using ATR-IR and CP/MAS 13C NMR spectroscopy. To assay the cytocompatibility and cellular behavior of the COL/SF blend nanofibrous scaffolds, cell attachment and the spreading of normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) and fibroblasts (NHEF) seeded on the scaffolds were studied. In addition, both morphological changes and cellular responses of COL/SF blend nanofibrous matrices were also compared with COL/SF hybrid nanofibrous matrices. Generally similar levels of cell attachment and spreading of NHEF were shown in the COL/SF blend nanofibrous matrix compared with those of the pure COL and pure SF matrices; the cellular responses of NHEK were, however, markedly decreased in the COL/SF blend nanofibrous matrix as compared to the pure matrices. In contrast, cell attachment and spreading of NHEK on the COL/SF hybrid nanofibrous matrix were significantly higher than that of the COL/SF blend nanofibrous matrix. Our results indicate that a COL/SF hybrid nanofibrous matrix may be a better candidate than a COL/SF blend nanofibrous matrix for biomedical applications such as wound dressing and scaffolds for tissue engineering.
The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived computed fractional flow reserve (FFR(CT)) and transluminal attenuation ...gradient (TAG) for the diagnosis of lesion-specific ischemia.
Although CCTA is commonly used to detect coronary artery disease (CAD), it cannot reliably assess the functional significance of CAD. Novel technologies based on CCTA were developed to integrate anatomical and functional assessment of CAD; however, the diagnostic performance of these methods has never been compared.
Fifty-three consecutive patients who underwent CCTA and coronary angiography with FFR measurement were included. Independent core laboratories determined CAD severity by CCTA, TAG, and FFR(CT). The TAG was defined as the linear regression coefficient between intraluminal radiological attenuation and length from the ostium; FFR(CT) was computed from CCTA data using computational fluid dynamics technology.
Among 82 vessels, 32 lesions (39%) had ischemia by invasive FFR (FFR ≤0.80). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratio of TAG (≤ -0.654 HU/mm) for detection of ischemia were 38%, 88%, 67%, 69%, 3.13, and 0.71, respectively; and those of FFR(CT) were 81%, 94%, 90%, 89%, 13.54, and 0.20, respectively. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed a significantly larger area under the curve (AUC) for FFR(CT) (0.94) compared to that for TAG (0.63, p < 0.001) and CCTA stenosis (0.73, p < 0.001). In vessels with noncalcified plaque or partially calcified plaque, FFR(CT) showed a larger AUC (0.94) compared to that of TAG (0.63, p < 0.001) or CCTA stenosis (0.70, p < 0.001). In vessels with calcified plaque, AUC of FFR(CT) (0.92) was not statistically larger than that of TAG (0.75, p = 0.168) or CCTA stenosis (0.80, p = 0.195).
Noninvasive FFR computed from CCTA provides better diagnostic performance for the diagnosis of lesion-specific ischemia compared to CCTA stenosis and TAG.
Exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing
Bifidobacterium bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM was isolated from healthy human feces, the structure of purified EPS from the strain was analyzed, and its prebiotic activity was ...evaluated. The EPS from
B. bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM is a glucomannan-type heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 407–1007 kDa, and its structure comprises 2-mannosyl, 6-mannosyl, and 2,6-mannosyl residues. The purified EPS promoted the growth of representative lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacterial strains.
Bifidobacterium bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM increased nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, indicating its immunostimulatory activity.
Bifidobacterium bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM also exhibited high gastrointestinal tract tolerance, gut adhesion ability, and antioxidant activity. These results suggest that EPS from
B. bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM is a potentially useful prebiotic material, and
B. bifidum
EPS DA-LAIM could be applied as a probiotic candidate.
Polyethylene (PE) is the most widely used plastic, known for its high mechanical strength and affordability, rendering it responsible for ~70% of packaging waste and contributing to microplastic ...pollution. The cleavage of the carbon chain can induce the conversion of PE wastes into low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, such as petroleum oils, waxes, and natural gases, but the thermal degradation of PE is challenging and requires high temperatures exceeding 400 °C due to its lack of specific chemical groups. Herein, we prepare metal/zeolite nanocatalysts by incorporating small-sized nickel nanoparticles into zeolite to lower the degradation temperature of PE. With the use of nanocatalysts, the degradation temperature can be lowered to 350 °C under hydrogen conditions, compared to the 400 °C required for non-catalytic pyrolysis. The metal components of the catalysts facilitate hydrogen adsorption, while the zeolite components stabilize the intermediate radicals or carbocations formed during the degradation process. The successful pyrolysis of PE at low temperatures yields valuable low-molecular-weight oil products, offering a promising pathway for the upcycling of PE into higher value-added products.
Favourable clinical data were published on the efficacy of CT-P13, the first biosimilar of infliximab (IFX), in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, few studies have compared the ...effect on endoscopic healing (EH) and drug retention rate between the IFX originator and CT-P13. Therefore, we aimed to compare EH and the drug retention rate between the IFX originator and CT-P13.
Children with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)/IBD-unclassified (IBD-U) at 22 medical centers were enrolled, with a retrospective review conducted at 1-year and last follow-up. Clinical remission, EH and drug retention rate were evaluated.
We studied 416 pediatric patients with IBD: 77.4% had CD and 22.6% had UC/IBD-U. Among them, 255 (61.3%) received the IFX originator and 161 (38.7%) received CT-P13. No statistically significant differences were found between the IFX originator and CT-P13 in terms of corticosteroid-free remission and adverse events. At 1-year follow-up, EH rates were comparable between them (CD:
=0.902, UC:
=0.860). The estimated cumulative cessation rates were not significantly different between the two groups. In patients with CD, the drug retention rates were 66.1% in the IFX originator and 71.6% in the CT-P13 group at the maximum follow-up period (
0.05). In patients with UC, the drug retention rates were 49.8% in the IFX originator and 56.3% in the CT-P13 group at the maximum follow-up period (
0.05).
The IFX originator and CT-P13 demonstrated comparable therapeutic response including EH, clinical remission, drug retention rate and safety in pediatric IBD.
BACKGROUND:Although the current guidelines endorse the PRECISE-DAPT score (Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy) to ...inform clinical decisions regarding duration of DAPT in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, use of the PRECISE-DAPT score to guide duration of DAPT has not been properly validated by randomized trials focused on the population with acute coronary syndrome. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the PRECISE-DAPT score for predicting future bleeding and ischemic events and to compare clinical outcomes of short-term and long-term DAPT duration according to the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
METHODS:This was a substudy of the SMART-DATE trial (6- Versus 12-Month or Longer Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome), in which patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly assigned to either 6- (n=1357) or 12-month or longer DAPT (n=1355). Major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3–5) and ischemic (myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or ischemic stroke) events at 18 months after the index procedure were compared between the 6- and 12-month or longer DAPT groups, according to PRECISE-DAPT score.
RESULTS:The PRECISE-DAPT score was moderately effective at predicting bleeding events (area under the curve, 0.754 95% CI, 0.655–0.854; P<0.001). In patients with nonhigh PRECISE-DAPT score (<25, n=1967 72.5%), 6-month DAPT was associated with higher ischemic risk (2.7% versus 1.3%; HR, 2.01 95% CI, 1.03–3.91; P=0.040; absolute risk difference, +1.3%; P=0.035) with similar bleeding risk (0.4% versus 0.3%; HR, 2.00 95% CI, 0.37–10.94; P=0.422; absolute risk difference, +0.2%; P=0.498), compared with 12-month or longer DAPT. Among patients with high PRECISE-DAPT score (≥25, n=745 27.5%), 6-month DAPT presented a similar ischemic risk (4.8% versus 3.4%; HR, 1.43 95% CI, 0.68–2.98, P=0.348; absolute risk difference, +1.5%; P=0.327) but significantly reduced major bleeding risk (0.6% versus 2.3%; HR, 0.25 95% CI, 0.05–1.17; P=0.079; absolute risk difference, −1.7%; P=0.045).
CONCLUSIONS:Consistent with current guidelines, determination of the duration of DAPT according to PRECISE-DAPT score could improve the clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention with current-generation drug-eluting stents.
REGISTRATION:URLhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifierNCT01701453.
Abstract
Background/Aims: Radiation-induced skin fibrosis is a common side effect of clinical radiotherapy. Our previous next-generation sequencing (NGS) study demonstrated the reduced expression of ...the regulatory α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3r1) in irradiated murine skin. Metformin has been reported to target the PIK3-FOXO3 pathway. In this study, we investigated the effects of metformin on radiation-induced skin fibrosis. Methods: Metformin was orally administered to irradiated mice. Skin fibrosis was analyzed by staining with H&E and Masson’s trichrome stain. The levels of cytokines and chemokines associated with fibrosis were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR. The roles of PIK3rl and FOXO3 in radiation-induced skin fibrosis were studied by overexpressing PIK3rl and transfecting FOXO3 siRNA in NIH3T3 cells and mouse-derived dermal fibroblasts (MDF). Results: The oral administration of metformin significantly reduced radiation-induced skin thickening and collagen accumulation and significantly reduced the radiation-induced expression of FOXO3 in murine skin. Additionally, the overexpression of PIK3r1 reduced the radiation-induced expression of FOXO3, while FOXO3 silencing decreased the radiation-induced expression of TGFβ in vitro. Conclusions: The results indicated that metformin suppresses radiation-induced skin injuries by modulating the expression of FOXO3 through PIK3r1. Collectively, the data obtained in this study suggested that metformin could be a potent therapeutic agent for alleviating radiation-induced skin fibrosis.
We investigated the effect of tungsten oxide (WO3) interlayer as a hole collection layer on the performance of organic photovoltaic cells according to the thickness and temperature of the interlayer. ...The characteristics of organic photovoltaic cells such as fill factor, current density, and open circuit voltage are continuously improved by increasing the temperature of the WO3 interlayer. The surface of a treated WO3 film promotes the crystallization of P3HT because a treated WO3 film is more hydrophobic than a pristine WO3 film. Furthermore, the energy barrier between P3HT and the WO3 interlayer is minimized since the work function of the WO3 film after annealing progressively increases until a hole can be smoothly transferred. Therefore, organic photovoltaic cells using an interlayer of treated WO3 film have higher hole mobility and better efficiency. The efficiency of an organic photovoltaic cell with a 40nm-thick WO3 interlayer is significantly enhanced from 0.94 to 3.04% as the temperature changes from room temperature to 350°C under AM 1.5G illumination.
•The performance of organic photovoltaic cells is improved by increasing the temperature of the WO3 interlayer.•The surface of an annealed WO3 film promotes the crystallization of P3HT because an annealed WO3 film is more hydrophobic than a pristine WO3 film.•The work function of the WO3 film after annealing increases until a hole can be smoothly transferred.•The device fabricated with a WO3 film of 40nm thickness and at 350°C showed the highest FF and PCE of OPVs.
Summary
Forkhead box (FOX) proteins constitute an extended family of transcriptional regulators. FOXM1 is ubiquitously expressed in cells undergoing proliferation, and overexpression of FOXM1 is ...associated with poor prognosis in various malignant tumours. FOXM1 and FOXO3a are often transcriptionally antagonistic. FOXO3a plays a critical tumour‐suppressive role in breast cancer. FOXO activity is modulated by its acetylation status, which is regulated by class III histone deacetylases (sirtuins; also known as SIRTs). This study evaluated the role of FOX proteins and their regulators in each molecular subtype of breast cancer. Immunohistochemical expressions of FOXM1, FOXO3a, SIRT1 and SIRT6 were evaluated in tissue microarray blocks containing 688 consecutive breast cancer samples. Mean expression levels were used to categorize tumours according to the expression of each protein (high or low). High expression of FOXM1 was significantly correlated with high SIRT1 and SIRT6 expression, higher histologic grade and triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC). High expression of nuclear FOXO3a and nuclear SIRT1 was correlated with a lower histologic grade and the hormone receptor‐positive/HER2‐negative subtype. In survival analysis, FOXM1 was an independent adverse prognostic factor for disease‐free and overall survival in the hormone receptor‐positive/HER2‐negative subtype but not in the HER2‐positive subtype or TNBC. In conclusion, although high FOXM1 expression was noted in the TNBC subtype, it had no prognostic impact in TNBC. However, it had prognostic significance in the hormone receptor‐positive/HER2‐negative subtype.
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