Objective
There is no scale for rating the severity of autoimmune encephalitis (AE). In this study, we aimed to develop a novel scale for rating severity in patients with diverse AE syndromes and to ...verify the reliability and validity of the developed scale.
Methods
The key items were generated by a panel of experts and selected according to content validity ratios. The developed scale was initially applied to 50 patients with AE (development cohort) to evaluate its acceptability, reproducibility, internal consistency, and construct validity. Then, the scale was applied to another independent cohort (validation cohort, n = 38).
Results
A new scale consisting of 9 items (seizure, memory dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, consciousness, language problems, dyskinesia/dystonia, gait instability and ataxia, brainstem dysfunction, and weakness) was developed. Each item was assigned a value of up to 3 points. The total score could therefore range from 0 to 27. We named the scale the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis (CASE). The new scale showed excellent interobserver (intraclass correlation coefficient ICC = 0.97) and intraobserver (ICC = 0.96) reliability for total scores, was highly correlated with modified Rankin scale (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), and had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.88). Additionally, in the validation cohort, the scale showed high interobserver reliability (ICC = 0.99) and internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.92).
Interpretation
CASE is a novel clinical scale for AE with a high level of clinimetric properties. It would be suitable for application in clinical practice and might help overcome the limitations of current outcome scales for AE. ANN NEUROL 2019;85:352–358.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation, which is the most common form of chronic liver disease. Multiple clinical studies using natural compounds such ...as flavonoids have been conducted to treat NAFLD. In the present study, the pharmacological effect of Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) peel extract (CAE), which contains over 27% of polymethoxyflavone nobiletin, on NAFLD was evaluated using a high-fat diet (HFD) animal model susceptible to developing NAFLD. C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD (60% kcal of energy derived from fat) for 8 weeks to induce obesity. Obese mice were randomly allocated to four groups of eight mice each (HFD alone, HFD with silymarin, HFD with 50 mg/kg CAE, and HFD with 100 mg/kg CAE). After 8 weeks of treatment, all mice were euthanized, and plasma and liver tissues were analyzed biochemically and histopathologically. The results indicate that CAE treatment significantly reduced HFD-induced NAFLD, as shown by decreased serum lipid index and prevented liver histopathology. The expression of genes involved in lipid synthesis including free fatty acid (FFA), peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), sterol receptor element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), and fatty acid synthesis enzyme was suppressed by CAE treatment. Moreover, compared to untreated mice, CAE-treated HFD mice showed decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. These results demonstrated that CAE prevented HFD-induced NAFLD by reducing plasma levels of triglyceride and cholesterol and de novo lipid synthesis.
We fabricated silver nanowire (AgNW)-coated cellulose papers with a hierarchical structure by an efficient and facile dip-coating process, and investigated their microstructures, electrical ...conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness. SEM images confirm that AgNWs are coated dominantly on the paper surfaces, although they exist partially in the inner parts of the cellulose papers, which demonstrates that the AgNW density gradually decreases in thickness direction of the AgNW/cellulose papers. This result is supported by the anisotropic apparent electrical conductivity of the AgNW/cellulose papers depending on in-plane or thickness direction. Even for a AgNW/cellulose paper obtained by a single dip-coating cycle, the apparent electrical conductivity in the in-plane direction of 0.34 S/cm is achieved, which is far higher than the neat cellulose paper with ∼10–11 S/cm. In addition, the apparent electrical conductivity of the papers in the in-plane direction increases significantly from 0.34 to 67.51 S/cm with increasing the number of dip-coating cycle. Moreover, although the AgNW/cellulose paper with 67.51 S/cm possesses 0.53 vol % AgNW only, it exhibits high EMI shielding performance of ∼48.6 dB at 1 GHz. This indicates that the cellulose paper structure is highly effective to form a conductive AgNW network. Overall, it can be concluded that the AgNW/cellulose papers with high flexibility and low density can be used as electrically conductive components and EMI shielding elements in advanced application areas.
A uniform ultrathin polymer film is deposited over a large area with molecularlevel precision by the simple wire‐wound bar‐coating method. The bar‐coated ultrathin films not only exhibit high ...transparency of up to 90% in the visible wavelength range but also high charge carrier mobility with a high degree of percolation through the uniformly covered polymer nanofibrils. They are capable of realizing highly sensitive multigas sensors and represent the first successful report of ethylene detection using a sensor based on organic field‐effect transistors.
A series of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-coated cellulose papers were manufactured by a facile dip-coating process, and their performance in electric heating and electromagnetic interference ...(EMI) shielding materials was investigated by considering the microstructure, thermal stability, and electrical property. With increasing the cycle of the dip-coating process, the apparent thickness of MWCNT/cellulose papers increased on a monotonic basis. It was observed that MWCNTs are coated dominantly on cellulose fibers on the paper surfaces, in addition to their partial coating on the inside of cellulose papers, which is supported by the anisotropic electrical conductivity of the papers in the in-plane or thickness direction. For MWCNT/cellulose paper obtained by single dip-coating cycle, high apparent electrical conductivity in the in-plane direction of 0.02 S/cm was achieved. The electrical conductivity in the in-plane direction increased significantly from 0.02 S/cm to 1.11 S/cm with increasing the dip-coating cycle from 1 to 30. Accordingly, MWCNT/cellulose papers with >1 dip-coating cycle exhibited excellent electric heating performance in terms of temperature responsiveness, steady-state maximum temperature, and electrical energy efficiency at constant applied voltages. In addition, high EMI shielding effectiveness of ∼20.3 dB (∼99.1% attenuation) was achieved at 1 GHz by MWCNT/cellulose paper with ∼1.11 S/cm and ∼170 μm only.
Ultrathin and dense metal oxide gate dielectric layers are reported by a simple printing of AlOx and HfOx sol–gel precursors. Large‐area printed indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) thin‐film transistor ...arrays, which exhibit mobilities >5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and gate leakage current of 10−9 A cm−2 at a very low operation voltage of 2 V, are demonstrated by continuous simple bar‐coated processes.
High‐mobility and low‐voltage‐operated organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) are demonstrated by the design of a new fluorinated benzothiadiazole‐based conjugated polymer with fluorinated high‐k ...polymer dielectrics. A record‐breaking high hole mobility of 9.0 cm2 V−1 s−1 for benzothiadiazole‐based semiconducting polymers is achieved by the excellent planarity of the semiconducting polymer.
Cancer cells express tumour-specific antigens derived via genetic and epigenetic alterations, which may be targeted by T-cell-mediated immune responses. However, cancer cells can avoid immune ...surveillance by suppressing immunity through activation of specific inhibitory signalling pathways, referred to as immune checkpoints. In recent years, the blockade of checkpoint molecules such as PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4, with monoclonal antibodies has enabled the development of breakthrough therapies in oncology, and four therapeutic antibodies targeting these checkpoint molecules have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of several types of cancer. Here, we report the crystal structures of checkpoint molecules in complex with the Fab fragments of therapeutic antibodies, including PD-1/pembrolizumab, PD-1/nivolumab, PD-L1/BMS-936559 and CTLA-4/tremelimumab. These complex structures elucidate the precise epitopes of the antibodies and the molecular mechanisms underlying checkpoint blockade, providing useful information for the improvement of monoclonal antibodies capable of attenuating checkpoint signalling for the treatment of cancer.
Solid-state lighting is a rapidly growing area of research and applications, due to the reliability and predicted high efficiency of these devices. The white LED sources that are typically used for ...general illumination can also be used for data transmission, and Visible Light Communications (VLC) is a rapidly growing area of research. One of the key challenges is the limited modulation bandwidth of sources, typically several MHz. However, as a room or coverage space would typically be illuminated by an array of LEDs there is the potential for parallel data transmission, and using optical MIMO techniques is potentially attractive for achieving high data rates. In this paper we investigate non-imaging and imaging MIMO approaches: a non-imaging optical MIMO system does not perform properly at all receiver positions due to symmetry, but an imaging based system can operate under all foreseeable circumstances. Simulations show such systems can operate at several hundred Mbit/s, and up to Gbit/s in many circumstances.
Objectives
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between working hours and lifestyle behaviors using data from a large nationally representative panel survey.
Methods
We used the Korea ...Health Panel Study (KHPS) data from 2011 to 2014. Weekly working hours and lifestyle risk factors were assessed by questionnaires. Comparing to the reference group, the weekly working hours were 40 h per week, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for smoking status, alcohol consumption status, and regular exercise status of other weekly working hours groups (<40, 40, 41–52, and >52) were calculated, using generalized estimating equation models considering repeated measures.
Results
Our findings clearly showed a relationship between long working hours and unhealthy lifestyles, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and insufficient sleep. Additionally, weekly working hours are positively associated with the amount of smoking and drinking, and inversely associated with sleep duration among those who worked 40 h or more per week.
Conclusion
Long working hours are associated with unhealthy lifestyles, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and insufficient sleep.
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