A method for the simultaneous analysis of pesticide multiresidues in three root/rhizome-based herbal medicines (Cnidium officinale, Rehmannia glutinosa, and Paeonia lactiflora) was developed with ...GC-MS/MS. To determine the concentrations of pesticide residues, 5 g of dried samples were saturated with distilled water, extracted with 10 mL of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile/ethyl acetate (7:3, v/v), and then partitioned using magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride. The organic layer was purified with Oasis PRiME HLB plus light, followed by a cleanup with dispersive solid-phase extraction containing alumina. The sample was then injected into GC-MS/MS (2 μL) using a pulsed injection mode at 15 psi and analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) modes. The limit of quantitation for the 296 target pesticides was within 0.002-0.05 mg/kg. Among them, 77.7-88.5% showed recoveries between 70% and 120% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤20% at fortified levels of 0.01, and 0.05 mg/kg. The analytical method was successfully applied to real herbal samples obtained from commercial markets, and 10 pesticides were quantitatively determined from these samples.
Background
Activated eosinophils release extracellular traps (EETs), which contribute to airway inflammation in severe asthma (SA). However, the role of EETs in innate immunity has not yet been ...completely determined. The present study aimed to demonstrate the mechanism of airway inflammation in SA mediated by EETs.
Methods
Peripheral counts of EET+ eosinophils and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were evaluated in patients with SA (n = 13), nonsevere asthma (NSA, n = 17), and healthy control subjects (HC, n = 8). To confirm the effect of EETs, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and adapted/innate immune responses were assessed in mice. Furthermore, the effects of anti‐IL‐33/TSLP antibody were tested.
Results
The numbers of EET+ eosinophils and ILC2s were significantly elevated in SA, with a positive correlation between these two cells (r = .539, P < .001). When mice were injected with EETs, we observed significant increases in epithelium‐derived cytokines (IL‐1α, IL‐1β, CXCL‐1, CCL24, IL‐33, and TSLP) and eosinophil/neutrophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as an increased proportion of IL‐5‐ or IL‐13‐producing ILC2s in the lungs. When Rag1−/− mice receiving ILC2s were treated with EETs, increased AHR and IL‐5/IL‐13 levels in BALF were noted, which were effectively suppressed by anti‐IL‐33 or anti‐TSLP antibody.
Conclusion
EETs could enhance innate and type 2 immune responses in SA, in which epithelium‐targeting biologics (anti‐IL‐33/TSLP antibody) may have a potential benefit.
The numbers of EET+ eosinophils and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are significantly elevated in severe asthma. EETs treatment in mice induces significant increase of epithelium‐derived cytokines (IL‐1α, IL‐1β, CXCL‐1, CCL24, IL‐33, and TSLP) and eosinophil/neutrophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. EETs activate IL‐5 or IL‐13‐producing ILC2s through stimulating airway epithelium.Abbreviations: EETs, Eosinophil extracellular traps; TSLP, Thymic stromal lymphopoietin
lSeveral cases of SSNHL after vaccination have been reported.lThe etiology of SSNHL after vaccination is unknown.lWe report three patients with SSNHL within three days after COVID-19 ...vaccination.lViral infection could be the etiology of SSNHL.lThe adverse event of SSNHL after COVID-19 vaccination should be kept in mind.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly and was declared a pandemic. In this situation, vaccination for COVID-19 is important and has been prompted in many countries. Rare serious adverse events including Guillain-Barré syndrome, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, and myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccinations have been reported. Otolaryngologic adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination were reported, including several cases of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). We report three patients with SSNHL within three days after COVID-19 vaccination and consider an association between them. Although there is no evidence of an association between vaccination and SSNHL, the adverse event of SSNHL after COVID-19 vaccination should be kept in mind because viral infection could be the etiology of SSNHL, which is an otologic emergency that requires prompt treatment with steroids.
Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging thermally-driven technology that poses a lot of promise in desalination, and water and wastewater treatment. Developments in membrane design and the use of ...alternative energy sources have provided much improvement in the viability of MD for different applications. However, fouling of membranes is still one of the major issues that hounds the long-term stability performance of MD. Membrane fouling is the accumulation of unwanted materials on the surface or inside the pores of a membrane that results to a detrimental effect on the overall performance of MD. If not addressed appropriately, it could lead to membrane damage, early membrane replacement or even shutdown of operation. Similar with other membrane separation processes, fouling of MD is still an unresolved problem. Due to differences in membrane structure and design, and operational conditions, the fouling formation mechanism in MD may be different from those of pressure-driven membrane processes. In order to properly address the problem of fouling, there is a need to understand the fouling formation and mechanism happening specifically for MD. This review details the different foulants and fouling mechanisms in the MD process, their possible mitigation and control techniques, and characterization strategies that can be of help in understanding and minimizing the fouling problem. Abbreviations * AFM, atomic force microscopy * APS, Accelerated precipitation softening * AGMD, air gap membrane distillation * BSA, bovine serum albumin * CA, contact angle * CaCl sub(2), calcium chloride * CaCO sub(3), calcium carbonate * CaSO sub(4), calcium sulfate * CFU, colony forming unit * CLSM, confocal laser scanning microscopy * COD, chemical oxygen demand * DCMD, direct contact membrane distillation * DLVO, Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek * EDS, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy * EPS, extracellular polymeric substances * FeCl sub(3), ferric chloride * FlFFF, flow field-flow fractionation * FTIR, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy * HA, humic acid * HCl, hydrochloric acid * HPSEC, high pressure size exclusion chromatography * LC-OCD, liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection * LEP, liquid entry pressure * LGMD, liquid gap membrane distillation * LSI, Langelier saturation index * MB, methylene blue * MD, membrane distillation * MDBR, membrane distillation bioreactor * MEF, multi-effect distillation * MEMD, multi-effect membrane distillation * MF, microfiltration * MGMD, material gap membrane distillation * MMBF, macromolecular or biofouling * MSF, multistage flash * MWT, magnetic water treatment * NaCl, sodium chloride * NaOH, sodium hydroxide * Na sub(2)SO sub(4), sodium sulfate * NF, nanofiltration * NOM, natural organic matters * OMW, olive mill wastewater * PACl, poly-aluminum chloride * PAM, polypropylene acid ammonium * PP, polypropylene * PSD, pore size distribution * PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene * PVDF, polyvinylidene fluoride * RCW, recirculating cooling water * RO, reverse osmosis * SEM, scanning electron microscopy * SGMD, sweeping gas membrane distillation * SI, saturation index * TCM, traditional Chinese medicine * TDS, total dissolved solids * TEM, transmission electron microscopy * TOC, total organic carbon * TPC, temperature polarization coefficient * UF, ultrafiltration * UTDR, ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry * VMD, vacuum membrane distillation * V-MEMD, vacuum multi-effect membrane distillation * XRD, X-ray diffraction
Objective
Genetic variants of the cytoplasmic FMR1‐interacting protein 2 (CYFIP2) encoding an actin‐regulatory protein are associated with brain disorders, including intellectual disability and ...epilepsy. However, specific in vivo neuronal defects and potential treatments for CYFIP2‐associated brain disorders remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized Cyfip2 heterozygous (Cyfip2+/−) mice to understand their neurobehavioral phenotypes and the underlying pathological mechanisms. Furthermore, we examined a potential treatment for such phenotypes of the Cyfip2+/− mice and specified a neuronal function mediating its efficacy.
Methods
We performed behavioral analyses of Cyfip2+/− mice. We combined molecular, ultrastructural, and in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological analyses of Cyfip2+/− prefrontal neurons. We also selectively reduced CYFIP2 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of mice with virus injections.
Results
Adult Cyfip2+/− mice exhibited lithium‐responsive abnormal behaviors. We found increased filamentous actin, enlarged dendritic spines, and enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission and excitability in the adult Cyfip2+/− PFC that was restricted to layer 5 (L5) neurons. Consistently, adult Cyfip2+/− mice showed increased seizure susceptibility and auditory steady‐state responses from the cortical electroencephalographic recordings. Among the identified prefrontal defects, lithium selectively normalized the hyperexcitability of Cyfip2+/− L5 neurons. RNA sequencing revealed reduced expression of potassium channel genes in the adult Cyfip2+/− PFC. Virus‐mediated reduction of CYFIP2 in the PFC was sufficient to induce L5 hyperexcitability and lithium‐responsive abnormal behavior.
Interpretation
These results suggest that L5‐specific prefrontal dysfunction, especially hyperexcitability, underlies both the pathophysiology and the lithium‐mediated amelioration of neurobehavioral phenotypes in adult Cyfip2+/− mice, which can be implicated in CYFIP2‐associated brain disorders. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:526–543
Tailoring the membrane to have superhydrophobicity, coupled with high porosity, adequate pore sizes and narrow pore size distribution, and thin thickness could find potential application for ...high-performing direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. Electrospinning is an excellent approach in fabricating nanofiber membranes with adequate properties required of an MD membrane. In this study, superhydrophobic, robust, mixed matrix polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PcH) nanofiber membranes were fabricated incorporating different concentrations (1–5wt%) of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nanofillers to impart additional mechanical and hydrophobic properties. The electrospun membrane has been designed to have two cohesive layers, a thin CNT/PcH top layer and a thick neat PcH bottom layer. Through different characterization techniques, CNTs were found to be widely distributed on/in the nanofibers, where more beads-on-string were formed at higher CNT content. However, the beads-on-string did not significantly affect the membrane porosity and pore size, as well as did not degrade the MD performance. Highly-porous structure was observed for all membranes and the nanofiber membrane showed comparable pore sizes with a commercial flat-sheet PVDF membrane but at a much higher porosity (>85%). The contact angle increased to superhydrophobic at 158.5° upon the incorporation of 5wt% CNTs in the nanofiber due to increased roughness and added effect of hydrophobic CNTs. The liquid entry pressure also increased when 5wt% CNT was added compared to the neat PcH nanofiber membrane. The resulting flux of the 5wt% CNT-incorporated nanofiber membrane (24–29.5L/m2h) was consistently higher than the commercial PVDF membrane (18–18.5L/m2h), with an average increase of 33–59% depending on the feed water type (35 or 70g/L NaCl solution) without compromising the salt rejection (>99.99%). The present nanofiber membranes containing CNTs with one-step electrospinning fabrication show high potential for DCMD desalination application.
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•Superhydrophobic CNT-loaded membrane was fabricated by one-step electrospinning.•Electrospun CNT/PcH membrane obtained very high flux and stable DCMD performance.•Loading of CNTs improved the mechanical properties of the electrospun membrane.•At highly saline feed, electrospun membrane still showed the highest performance.•The present electrospun composite membrane shows high potential for MD application.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and management of diabetes mellitus, risk-factor control, and comorbidities among Korean adults.
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from ...the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess the prevalence, treatment, risk factors, comorbidities, and self-management behaviors of diabetes mellitus from 2019 to 2020. We also analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service to evaluate the use of antidiabetic medications in people with diabetes mellitus from 2002 through 2018.
Among Korean adults aged 30 years or older, the estimated prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 16.7% in 2020. From 2019 through 2020, 65.8% of adults with diabetes mellitus were aware of the disease and treated with antidiabetic medications. The percentage of adults with diabetes mellitus who achieved glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.5% was 24.5% despite the increased use of new antidiabetic medications. We found that adults with diabetes mellitus who achieved all three goals of HbA1c <6.5%, blood pressure (BP) <140/85 mm Hg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL were 9.7%. The percentage of self-management behaviors was lower in men than women. Excess energy intake was observed in 16.7% of adults with diabetes mellitus.
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Korean adults remained high. Only 9.7% of adults with diabetes mellitus achieved all glycemic, BP, and lipid controls from 2019 to 2020. Continuous evaluation of national diabetes statistics and a national effort to increase awareness of diabetes mellitus and improve comprehensive diabetes care are needed.
Eosinophil extracellular traps (EETs), a complex of DNA fibers and cytotoxic granule proteins, are implicated in the development of asthma; however, the pathophysiological function of EETs in immune ...responses has not been fully determined. The present study investigated the characteristics of EETs from patients with non-severe asthma (NSA, n = 20) and severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA, n = 20) and evaluated EET function. The percentage of EET-forming peripheral blood eosinophils stimulated with IL-5 and LPS was significantly higher in patients with SEA than in those with NSA (P = 0.009). This percentage negatively correlated with baseline FEV
(r = -0.350, P = 0.027) and positively correlated with serum eosinophil-derived neurotoxin levels in asthmatic subjects (r = 0.437, P = 0.018). In addition, EET formation was markedly associated with reactive oxygen species production (r = 0.750, P < 0.001). These EETs exhibited an autocrine function to induce eosinophil degranulation, which led to granule protein production. Airway epithelial cells stimulated with EETs exhibited increased epithelial detachment and permeability and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. However, EETs were not significantly associated with mast cell activation. The present study suggests that peripheral blood eosinophils from patients with SEA may be more activated to produce EETs than those from patients with NSA, which further induces inflammation in asthmatic airways. Therefore, regulation of EET formation and function may be a novel therapeutic approach for asthma management.
In this progress report, recent advances in the development of organic transistors with superior bias stress stability and in the understanding of the charge traps that degrade device performance ...under prolonged bias stress are reviewed, with a particular focus on materials science and engineering methods. The phenomenological aspects of bias stress effects and the experimental methods for investigating charge traps are described. The recent progress in the bias stress stability of organic transistors is discussed in terms of those components that are the main focus of attempts to improve bias stress stability, i.e., organic semiconductor layers, gate dielectrics, and source/drain contacts. A brief summary of this progress is presented and the outlook for future research in this field is assessed. This report aims to summarize recent progress in this field and to provide some guidelines for studying bias stress–induced charge‐trapping phenomena.
Charge trapping degrades the electrical performance of organic field‐effect transistors under prolonged gate‐bias stress. This bias stress instability can be understood deeply by studying charge traps inside the device. In this aspect, this report shows the recent progress in the bias stress stability of organic transistors and offers readers with guidelines to study the bias stress–induced charge traps, including theoretical analysis and quantification methods.
Monocyte infiltration into the subintimal space and its intracellular lipid accumulation are the most prominent features of atherosclerosis. To understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic ...disease, we need to understand the characteristics of lipid-laden foamy macrophages in the subintimal space during atherosclerosis.
We sought to examine the transcriptomic profiles of foamy and nonfoamy macrophages isolated from atherosclerotic intima.
Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of CD45
leukocytes from murine atherosclerotic aorta revealed that there are macrophage subpopulations with distinct differentially expressed genes involved in various functional pathways. To specifically characterize the intimal foamy macrophages of plaque, we developed a lipid staining-based flow cytometric method for analyzing the lipid-laden foam cells of atherosclerotic aortas. We used the fluorescent lipid probe BODIPY493/503 and assessed side-scattered light as an indication of cellular granularity. BODIPY
SSC
foamy macrophages were found residing in intima and expressing CD11c. Foamy macrophage accumulation determined by flow cytometry was positively correlated with the severity of atherosclerosis. Bulk RNA sequencing analysis showed that compared with nonfoamy macrophages, foamy macrophages expressed few inflammatory genes but many lipid-processing genes. Intimal nonfoamy macrophages formed the major population expressing IL (interleukin)-1β and many other inflammatory transcripts in atherosclerotic aorta.
RNA sequencing analysis of intimal macrophages from atherosclerotic aorta revealed that lipid-loaded plaque macrophages are not likely the plaque macrophages that drive lesional inflammation.
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