A novel near-field shielding measurement method is presented for small shield cans used in modern mobile devices with metallic cases. To effectively capture electromagnetic leakage through the shield ...cans at the very near-field region, a stripline mounted on a test board is utilised similar to the integrated circuit stripline method. Using simulation and measurement, it is verified that the proposed method is more accurate and effective than the conventional gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) cell measurement method for shielding evaluation of small shield cans used in metallic mobile devices from an radio-frequency interference point of view.
Activation of Notch signaling pathologically enhances lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis in the liver causing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and diabetes. Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1), an ...imprinted gene that can modulate adipogenesis and muscle development in mice, was found as an inhibitory regulator of Notch signaling. Therefore, we investigated the metabolic effect of exogenous DLK1 in vitro and in vivo.
A soluble DLK1 peptide was generated with fusion between a human Fc fragment and extracellular domain of DLK1. Male db/db mice were randomly assigned to two groups: vehicle treated and DLK1-treated group (25 mg kg(-1), intraperitoneal injection, twice a week for 4 weeks). Primary mice hepatocytes and HepG2 cells were used for in vitro experiments.
After 4 weeks of DLK1 administration, hepatic triglyceride content and lipid droplets in liver tissues, as well as serum levels of liver enzymes, were markedly decreased in db/db mice. DLK1 treatment induced phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC and suppressed nuclear expression of SREBP-1c in the mouse liver or hepatocytes, indicating regulation of fatty acid oxidation and synthesis pathways. Furthermore, DLK1-treated mice showed significantly lower levels of fasting and random glucose, with improved glucose and insulin tolerance compared with the vehicle-treated group. Macrophage infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine levels in the epididymal fat were decreased in DLK1-treated db/db mice. Moreover, DLK1 suppressed glucose production from hepatocytes, which was blocked after co-administration of an AMPK inhibitor, compound C. DLK1-treated hepatocytes and mouse liver tissues showed lower PEPCK and G6Pase expression. DLK1 triggered AKT phosphorylation followed by cytosolic translocation of FOXO1 from the nucleus in hepatocytes.
The present study demonstrated that exogenous administration of DLK1 reduced hepatic steatosis and hyperglycemia via AMPK activation in the liver. This result suggests that DLK1 may be a novel therapeutic approach for treating NAFLD and diabetes.
Background
National Health Insurance (NHI) claim records could provide valuable data for epidemiological studies of asthma in Korea. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of adult ...asthma and to investigate asthma‐related healthcare use and prescription patterns in Korea over 5 years.
Methods
National Health Insurance claim records from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010 were analyzed in a retrospective, population‐based study. Outcome measures included asthma prevalence, healthcare use, and prescription patterns over time, by type of hospital, and by medical specialty. Additionally, we assessed differences in healthcare use between newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed patients in 2009.
Results
Over 5 years, the prevalence of asthma among Korean adults increased from 4944 to 5707 cases per 100 000 population (from 3760 to 4445 in men and from 6108 to 6951 in women). Asthma‐related outpatient visits decreased from 4.82 ± 8.02 to 3.44 ± 5.50. Approximately 3% of all patients were hospitalized and 2.4% received asthma‐related emergency treatment each year. Pulmonary function tests were performed in 10–11% of patients an average of 1.3 times per year. Newly diagnosed patients experienced fewer asthma‐related hospitalizations (1.78% vs 4.35%) and emergency department visits (0.80% vs 2.11%) than the previously diagnosed group. Prescriptions of inhaled corticosteroids‐based inhalers were maintained with about 20% of average of all types of hospitals.
Conclusions
The prevalence of asthma in Korea has increased over a recent 5‐year period, and asthma is still suboptimally controlled. Public health strategies are needed to improve the management of asthma in adults.
A fuel cell was used to enrich a microbial consortium generating electricity, using organic wastewater as the fuel. Within 30 days of enrichment the maximum current of 0.2 mA was generated with a ...resistance of 1 komega. Current generation was coupled to a fall in chemical oxygen demand from over 1,700 mg l-1 down to 50 mg l-1. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed a different microbial population in the enriched electrode from that in the sludge used as the inoculum. Electron microscopic observation showed a biofilm on the electrode surface and microbial clumps. Nanobacteria-like particles were present on the biofilm surface. Metabolic inhibitors and electron acceptors inhibited the current generation. 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis showed a diverse bacterial population in the enrichment culture. These findings demonstrate that an electricity-generating microbial consortium can be enriched using a fuel cell and that the electrochemical activity is a form of anaerobic electron transfer.
Antibiotic resistance threatens public health worldwide, and inappropriate use of antibiotics is one of the main causes.
To evaluate qualitative use of antibiotics in asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) ...and urinary tract infection (UTI).
Cases of positive urine culture (≥105 colony-forning units/mL) performed in inpatient, outpatient and emergency departments in April 2021 were screened in 26 hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The cases were classified as ABU, lower UTI and upper UTI. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was evaluated retrospectively by infectious disease specialists using quality indicators based on clinical guidelines for ABU and UTI.
This study included a total of 2697 patients with ABU or UTI. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was assessed in 1157 patients with ABU, and in 677 and 863 patients with lower and upper UTI, respectively. Among the 1157 patients with ABU, 251 (22%) were prescribed antibiotics without appropriate indications. In 66 patients with ABU in which antibiotics were prescribed with appropriate indications, the duration was adequate in only 23 (34.8%) patients. The appropriateness of empirical and definite antibiotics was noted in 527 (77.8%) and 353 (68.0%) patients with lower UTI, and 745 (86.3%) and 583 (78.2%) patients with upper UTI, respectively. The duration of antibiotics was adequate in 321 (61.8%) patients with lower UTI and 576 (78.7%) patients with upper UTI.
This nationwide qualitative assessment of antibiotic use in ABU and UTI revealed that antibiotics were often prescribed inappropriately, and the duration of antibiotics was unnecessarily prolonged.
Recent findings have raised new interests about the use of anticholinergics, especially tiotropium, for the treatment of asthma. This study was performed to determine whether an additional ...improvement in lung function is obtained when tiotropium is administrated in addition to conventional therapies in severe asthmatics, and to identify factors capable of predicting the response to tiotropium, using a pharmacogenetic approach. A total of 138 severe asthmatics on conventional medications and with decreased lung function were randomly recruited. Tiotropium 18 μg was added once a day and lung functions were measured every 4 weeks. Responders were defined as those with an improvement of greater-than-or-equal15% (or 200 ml) in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) that was maintained for at least 8 successive weeks. Eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CHRM1-3 (coding muscarinic receptors one to three) which were identified by re-sequencing, and Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu in ADRB2 (coding β₂ adrenoreceptor) were scored in 80 of the 138 asthmatics. Forty-six of the 138 asthmatics (33.3%) responded to tiotropium treatment. Logistic regression analyses (controlled for age, gender, and smoking status) showed that Arg16Gly in ADRB2 P = 0.003, OR (95% CI) = 0.21 (0.07-0.59) in a minor allele-dominant model was significantly associated with response to tiotropium. As many as 30% of severe asthmatics on conventional medications with reduced lung function were found to respond to adjuvant tiotropium. The presence of Arg16Gly in ADRB2 may predict response to tiotropium.
Insulin receptor (IR) signaling controls multiple facets of animal physiology. Maximally four insulins bind to IR at two distinct sites, termed site-1 and site-2. However, the precise functional ...roles of each binding event during IR activation remain unresolved. Here, we showed that IR incompletely saturated with insulin predominantly forms an asymmetric conformation and exhibits partial activation. IR with one insulin bound adopts a Γ-shaped conformation. IR with two insulins bound assumes a Ƭ-shaped conformation. One insulin binds at site-1 and another simultaneously contacts both site-1 and site-2 in the Ƭ-shaped IR dimer. We further show that concurrent binding of four insulins to sites-1 and -2 prevents the formation of asymmetric IR and promotes the T-shaped symmetric, fully active state. Collectively, our results demonstrate how the synergistic binding of multiple insulins promotes optimal IR activation.
Abstract
Spin-valley locking in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides has attracted enormous interest, since it offers potential for valleytronic and optoelectronic applications. Such an exotic ...electronic state has sparsely been seen in bulk materials. Here, we report spin-valley locking in a Dirac semimetal BaMnSb
2
. This is revealed by comprehensive studies using first principles calculations, tight-binding and effective model analyses, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements. Moreover, this material also exhibits a stacked quantum Hall effect (QHE). The spin-valley degeneracy extracted from the QHE is close to 2. This result, together with the Landau level spin splitting, further confirms the spin-valley locking picture. In the extreme quantum limit, we also observed a plateau in the
z
-axis resistance, suggestive of a two-dimensional chiral surface state present in the quantum Hall state. These findings establish BaMnSb
2
as a rare platform for exploring coupled spin and valley physics in bulk single crystals and accessing 3D interacting topological states.
Pig islets are an alternative source for islet transplantation to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D), but reproducible curative potential in the pig‐to‐nonhuman primate (NHP) model has not been ...demonstrated. Here, we report that pig islet grafts survived and maintained normoglycemia for >6 months in four of five consecutive immunosuppressed NHPs. Pig islets were isolated from designated pathogen‐free (DPF) miniature pigs and infused intraportally into streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rhesus monkeys under pretreatment with cobra venom factor (CVF), anti‐thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction and maintenance with anti‐CD154 monoclonal antibody and low‐dose sirolimus. Ex vivo expanded autologous regulatory T cells were adoptively transferred in three recipients. Blood glucose levels were promptly normalized in all five monkeys and normoglycemia (90–110 mg/dL) was maintained for >6 months in four cases, the longest currently up to 603 days. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests during the follow‐up period showed excellent glucose disposal capacity and porcine C‐peptide responses. Adoptive transfer of autologous regulatory T cells was likely to be associated with more stable and durable normoglycemia. Importantly, the recipients showed no serious adverse effects. Taken together, our results confirm the clinical feasibility of pig islet transplantation to treat T1D patients without the need for excessive immunosuppressive therapy.
The authors report control of diabetes for longer than six months in four consecutive nonhuman primates by the transplantation of adult pig islets using a modest immunosuppressive regimen with an acceptable adverse effect profile.
PDF
