Human dental pulp exposed to hypoxic conditions induces cell death accompanied by autophagy. However, the role of hypoxia‐induced autophagy in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) is unclear. The present ...study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy in hypoxia‐induced apoptosis of HDPCs. Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) treated HDPCs, to mimic hypoxic conditions, decreased cell viability. Also, apoptosis‐related signal molecules, cleaved caspase‐3 and PARP levels, were enhanced in CoCl2‐treated HDPCs. HDPCs exposed to CoCl2 also promoted autophagy, showing upregulated p62 and microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)‐II levels, typical autophagic markers, and increased acidic autophagolysosomal vacuoles. Autophagy inhibition by 3 methyladenine (3MA) or RNA interference of LC3B resulted in increased levels of cleaved PARP and caspase‐3, and the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosol in the CoCl2‐treated HDPCs. However, autophagy activation by rapamycin enhanced the p62 and LC3‐II levels, whereas it reduced PARP and caspase‐3 cleavage induced by CoCl2. These results revealed that CoCl2‐activated autophagy showed survival effects against CoCl2‐induced apoptosis in the HDPCs. CoCl2 upregulated HIF‐1α and decreased the phosphorylation of mTOR/p70S6K. HIF‐1α inhibitor, YC‐1 decreased p62 and LC3‐II levels, whereas it augmented PARP and caspase‐3 cleavage in response to CoCl2. Also, YC‐1 enhanced the phosphorylation of mTOR and p70S6K suppressed by CoCl2, demonstrating that CoCl2‐induced autophagy via mTOR/p70S6K is mediated by HIF‐1α. Taken together, these finding suggest that CoCl2‐induced autophagy mediated by the mTOR/p70S6K pathway plays a protective role against hypoxic stress in HDPCs.
CoCl2‐induced autophagy plays a protective role against cytotoxicity under hypoxic stress. In addition, Autophagy process is mediated by the suppression of the mTOR/p70S6K pathway regulating by HIF1 in CoCl2‐treated HDPCs.
Background Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are 2 entities of allergic airway diseases that frequently occur together, which is referred to as united airways . In contrast to this general concept, ...we hypothesized that innate immunity of the upper and lower airways is respectively distinctive, because the immunologic conditions of the nasal and lung mucosa as well as the functions of the immune cells within their epithelia are different. Objective We wanted to identify distinctive mechanisms of innate immunity in the nose and lung mucosa, which are responsible for house dust mite (HDM)–induced AR and allergic asthma (AA), respectively. Methods We constructed a mouse model of AR or AA induced by sensitization and consequent provocation with HDM extracts. Results HDM-derived β-glucans, rather than LPS, were proven to be essential to activating innate immunity in the nasal mucosa and triggering AR, which depended on Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), but not on TLR4; however, the LPS/TLR4 signaling axis, rather than β-glucans/TLR2, was critical to HDM-induced AA. These differences were attributed to the specific role of β-glucans and LPS in inducing the surface expression of TLR2 and TLR4 and their translocation to lipid rafts in nasal and bronchial epithelial cells, respectively. We also showed that dual oxidase 2–generated reactive oxygen species mediate both β-glucan–induced TLR2 activation and LPS-induced TLR4 activation. Conclusions We describe a novel finding of distinctive innate immunity of the nose and lungs, respectively, which trigger AR and AA, by showing the critical role of HDM-induced TLR activation via dual oxidase 2–mediated reactive oxygen species.
One of the most effective methods to achieve high-performance perovskite solar cells has been to include additives that serve as dopants, crystallization agents, or passivate defect sites. Cl-based ...additives are among the most prevalent in literature, yet their exact role is still uncertain. In this work, we systematically study the function of methylammonium chloride (MACl) additive in formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3)-based perovskite. Using density functional theory, we provide a theoretical framework for understanding the interaction of MACl with a perovskite. We show that MACl successfully induces an intermediate to the pure FAPbI3 α-phase without annealing. The formation energy is related to the amount of incorporated MACl. By tuning the incorporation of MACl, the perovskite film quality can be significantly improved, exhibiting a 6× increase in grain size, a 3× increase in phase crystallinity, and a 4.3× increase in photoluminescence lifetime. The optimized solar cells achieved a certified efficiency of 23.48%.
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•Improvement of morphology, phase crystallinity, photo-physical property, and efficiency with MACl•Stabilized intermediate to the pure FAPbI3 α-phase with MACl•The formation energy of perovskite structure with the amount of incorporated MACl•Theoretical framework for understanding the interaction of MACl with a perovskite film
Numerous effective methods have been developed toward achieving high-performance perovskite solar cells. The additives are one of the most effective ways of achieving high performance. Cl-based additives are among the most prevalent in literature; however, their exact role is still uncertain.
Herein, we systematically researched the effects of methylammonium chloride (MACl) additive using analysis of photo-physical properties and density functional theory. The highest efficiency achieved was 24.02%, certified as 23.48%, and the resultant devices showed better thermal stabilities and photostabilities than the pristine devices.
Kim and co-workers report systematical studies with methylammonium chloride (MACl) in formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3)-based perovskite thin films. The MACl addition could induce the intermediate phase with pure α-phase without annealing, effectively stabilizing the structure, only through cationic site substitution. The film quality can be significantly improved, exhibiting a 6× increase in grain size, a 3× increase in phase crystallinity, and a 4.3× increase in photoluminescence lifetime. The resulting optimized solar cells achieved a peak-scan efficiency of above 24%.
The development of various flexible and stretchable materials has attracted interest for promising applications in biomedical engineering and electronics industries. This interest in wearable ...electronics, stretchable circuits, and flexible displays has created a demand for stable, easily manufactured, and cheap materials. However, the construction of flexible and elastic electronics, on which commercial electronic components can be mounted through simple and cost-effective processing, remains challenging. We have developed a nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. To achieve uniform distributions of CNTs within the polymer, an optimized dispersion process was developed using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and methyl-terminated PDMS in combination with ultrasonication. After vaporizing the IPA, various shapes and sizes can be easily created with the nanocomposite, depending on the mold. The material provides high flexibility, elasticity, and electrical conductivity without requiring a sandwich structure. It is also biocompatible and mechanically stable, as demonstrated by cytotoxicity assays and cyclic strain tests (over 10,000 times). We demonstrate the potential for the healthcare field through strain sensor, flexible electric circuits, and biopotential measurements such as EEG, ECG, and EMG. This simple and cost-effective fabrication method for CNT/PDMS composites provides a promising process and material for various applications of wearable electronics.
Objective
We aimed to identify and understand risk and protective factors for suicide among South Korean females by linking survey and social media data and using interpretable machine learning ...approaches.
Materials and Methods
We collected a wide range of potential factors including the material, psychosocial, and behavioral data from a detailed survey, which we then linked to data from social media. In addition, we adopted interpretable machine learning approaches to (1) predict the suicide risk, (2) explain the relative importance of factors and their interactions regarding suicide, and (3) understand individual differences affecting suicide risk.
Results
The best‐performing machine learning model achieved an AUC of 0.737. Adverse childhood experiences, social connectedness, and mean positive sentiment score of social media posts were the three risk factors that had a monotonic or unimodal relationship with suicide, and satisfaction with life, narcissistic self‐presentation, and number of close friends on social media were the three protective factors that had a monotonic or unimodal relationship with suicide. We also found several meaningful interactions between specific psychiatric symptoms and narcissistic self‐presentation.
Conclusions
Our findings can help governmental organizations to better assess female suicide risk in South Korea and develop more informed and customized suicide prevention strategies.
This study applied statistical change‐point analysis to the time series of the Changma retreat date (CRD) on the Korean Peninsula over a recent 30‐year period (1985–2014) and detected that the CRD ...has been delayed by about 10 days since 2000. The average CRD is July 14 for 1985–1999 and July 24 for 2000–2014. Corresponding to the CRD delay, the July rainfall is concentrated in the northern South Korea during 2000–2014, whereas tends to be intense along the southern coast during 1985–1999. The delayed CRD is associated with, in the lower and mid‐troposphere, a strengthened cyclonic circulation around Lake Baikal–eastern Sea of Japan and an enhanced anticyclonic circulation in East China Sea. Thus, northerlies from strengthened cyclones and anomalous southerlies from the enhanced anticyclones converge at the northern‐central Korean Peninsula. The anomalous anticyclone is associated with the strengthening of the western North Pacific subtropical high that has strengthened in meridional direction in the later epoch, supplying warm and moist air to Korean Peninsula. The result is verified by the enhanced warm and moist anomalous upward flows in the latitude where Korean Peninsula is placed. The delayed CRD in the latter epoch is related to the decreased spring snowfall over East Asia except for the vicinity of the Lake Baikal, which results in severely hot weather in the East Asia continent from spring to July. The continent heating from spring to July weakened (increases), the thermal gradient between continent and ocean, thereby forming a low‐pressure system on East Asia and a high‐pressure system in western North Pacific, resulting in the strengthening of Changma rain belt in July and delayed the Changma withdrawal.
Time series of Changma retreat date (CRD, solid line with a closed circle) for 30 years (1985–2014) and statistical change‐point analysis (dotted line).
Internet addiction has become increasingly recognized as a mental disorder, though its neurobiological basis is unknown. This study used functional neuroimaging to investigate whole-brain functional ...connectivity in adolescents diagnosed with internet addiction. Based on neurobiological changes seen in other addiction related disorders, it was predicted that connectivity disruptions in adolescents with internet addiction would be most prominent in cortico-striatal circuitry.
Participants were 12 adolescents diagnosed with internet addiction and 11 healthy comparison subjects. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were acquired, and group differences in brain functional connectivity were analyzed using the network-based statistic. We also analyzed network topology, testing for between-group differences in key graph-based network measures.
Adolescents with internet addiction showed reduced functional connectivity spanning a distributed network. The majority of impaired connections involved cortico-subcortical circuits (∼24% with prefrontal and ∼27% with parietal cortex). Bilateral putamen was the most extensively involved subcortical brain region. No between-group difference was observed in network topological measures, including the clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, or the small-worldness ratio.
Internet addiction is associated with a widespread and significant decrease of functional connectivity in cortico-striatal circuits, in the absence of global changes in brain functional network topology.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The MAX phase is a material with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and thermal shock and oxidation resistance owing to its metallike bonding properties. The impurities in the Ti3AlC2 MAX ...phase must be controlled because the oxides and TiC derived from the synthesis process remain in MXene and markedly affect the electrical conductivity and chemical stability. This study investigated whether the Ti3AlC2 MAX phase can be synthesized from titanium powder prepared from low‐cost titanium scrap by hydrogenation–dehydrogenation (HDH) and deoxidation in the solid‐state (DOSS) processes. Almost single‐phase Ti3AlC2 MAX phase was obtained by synthesis at 1450°C for 5 h. The oxygen concentrations of the HDH‐MAX and DOSS‐MAX powders (25–45 μm) were 7215 and 3875 ppm, respectively. Oxygen reduction of titanium powder through DOSS can help improve the purity of Ti3AlC2 MAX phase by minimizing the imbalance in the stoichiometric ratio during synthesis. The HDH‐MAX and DOSS‐MAX powders prepared from titanium scrap displayed a higher Ti3AlC2 phase fraction and lower oxygen concentration than those of commercial Ti3AlC2 MAX phase powders. This cost reduction and purity improvement will increase the accessibility of the Ti3AlC2 MAX phase, supporting further research into its applications.
Bile duct surgeries are conventionally considered to promote bacterial contamination of the surgical field. However, liver transplantation recipients' bile produced by the newly implanted liver graft ...from healthy living donors may be sterile. We tested bacterial contamination of autologous blood salvaged before and after bile duct anastomosis (BDA) during living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). In 29 patients undergoing LDLT, bacterial culture was performed for four blood samples and one bile sample: two from autologous blood salvaged before BDA (one was nonleukoreduced and another was leukoreduced), two from autologous blood salvaged after BDA (one was nonleukoreduced and another was leukoreduced), and one from bile produced in the newly implanted liver graft. The primary outcome was bacterial contamination. The risk of bacterial contamination was not significantly different between nonleukoreduced autologous blood salvaged before BDA and nonleukoreduced autologous blood salvaged after BDA (44.8% and 31.0%; odds ratio 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.03–1.86; p = 0.228). No bacteria were found after leukoreduction in all 58 autologous blood samples. All bile samples were negative for bacteria. None of the 29 patients, including 13 patients who received salvaged autologous blood positive for bacteria, developed postoperative bacteremia. We found that bile from the newly implanted liver graft is sterile in LDLT and BDA does not increase the risk of bacterial contamination of salvaged blood, supporting the use of blood salvage during LDLT even after BDA. Leukoreduction converted all autologous blood samples positive for bacteria to negative. The clinical benefit of leukoreduction for salvaged autologous blood on post‐LDLT bacteremia needs further research.
Social difficulties and problems related to eating behaviour are common features of both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of intranasal ...oxytocin on consummatory behaviour and emotional recognition in patients with AN and BN in comparison to healthy controls.
A total of 102 women, including 35 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), 34 patients with bulimia nervosa (BN), and 33 healthy university students of comparable age and intelligence, participated in a double-blind, single dose placebo-controlled cross-over study. A single dose of intranasal administration of oxytocin (40 IU) (or a placebo) was followed by an emotional recognition task and an apple juice drink. Food intake was then recorded for 24 hours post-test.
Oxytocin produced no significant change in appetite in the acute or 24 hours free living settings in healthy controls, whereas there was a decrease in calorie consumption over 24 hours in patients with BN. Oxytocin produced a small increase in emotion recognition sensitivity in healthy controls and in patients with BN, In patients with AN, oxytocin had no effect on emotion recognition sensitivity or on consummatory behaviour.
The impact of oxytocin on appetite and social cognition varied between people with AN and BN. A single dose of intranasal oxytocin decreased caloric intake over 24 hours in people with BN. People with BN showed enhanced emotional sensitivity under oxytocin condition similar to healthy controls. Those effects of oxytocin were not found in patients with AN.
ClinicalTrials.gov KCT00000716.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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