Alterations of monoamine transmission in mesocorticolimbic regions have been suggested in the pathophysiology of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The habenula is an important brain ...area in regulation of monoamine transmission. In this study, we investigated behavioral and electrophysiological alterations induced by neonatal habenula lesion (NHL) in rats. In NHL rats, age-dependent behavioral alterations relevant to the ADHD symptoms, such as hyperlocomotion, impulsivity, and attention deficit, were observed. Local field potentials (LFPs) in mesocorticolimbic regions of anesthetized rats were examined with in vivo electrophysiological recordings. Abnormally enhanced synchronization of slow (delta) and fast (gamma) LFP oscillations between the amygdala (AMY) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) was found in juvenile, but not in adult, NHL rats. We further examined the effects of an extract and the active compound from the perennial large brown algae Ecklonia stolonifera (ES), which have previously been demonstrated to modulate monoamine transmission, on these NHL-induced alterations. One week of ES extract treatments normalized the NHL-induced behavioral alterations, whereas the active compound fucosterol improved attention deficit and impulsivity, but not hyperlocomotion, in NHL rats. Consistent with the behavioral effects, ES extract treatments also normalized augmented AMY-PFC coupling. These results suggest that altered limbic-cortical information processing may be involved in ADHD-like behavioral alterations induced by NHL, which could be ameliorated by the natural substance, such as ES that affects monoamine transmission.
For the first time, the photovoltaic modules composed of small molecule were successfully fabricated by using roll-to-roll compatible printing techniques. In this study, blend films of small ...molecules, BTR and PC71BM were slot-die coated using a halogen-free solvent system. As a result, high efficiencies of 7.46% and 6.56% were achieved from time-consuming solvent vapor annealing (SVA) treatment and roll-to-roll compatible solvent additive approaches, respectively. After successful verification of our roll-to-roll compatible method on small-area devices, we further fabricated large-area photovoltaic modules with a total active area of 10 cm2, achieving a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.83%. This demonstration of large-area photovoltaic modules through roll-to-roll compatible printing methods, even based on a halogen-free solvent, suggests the great potential for the industrial-scale production of organic solar cells (OSCs).
Ginsenosides, the major active ingredients of ginseng and other plants of the genus Panax, have been used as natural medicines in the East for a long time; in addition, their popularity in the West ...has increased owing to their various beneficial pharmacological effects. There is therefore a wealth of literature regarding the pharmacological effects of ginsenosides. In contrast, there are few comprehensive studies that investigate their pharmacokinetic behaviors. This is because ginseng contains the complicated mixture of herbal materials as well as thousands of constituents with complex chemical properties, and ginsenosides undergo multiple biotransformation processes after administration. This is a significant issue as pharmacokinetic studies provide crucial data regarding the efficacy and safety of compounds. Moreover, there have been many difficulties in the development of the optimal dosage regimens of ginsenosides and the evaluation of their interactions with other drugs. Therefore, this review details the pharmacokinetic properties and profiles of ginsenosides determined in various animal models administered through different routes of administration. Such information is valuable for designing specialized delivery systems and determining optimal dosing strategies for ginsenosides.
The mammary gland serves as a valuable bioreactor system for the production of recombinant proteins in lactating animals. Pharmaceutical-grade recombinant protein can be harvested from the milk of ...transgenic animals that carry a protein of interest under the control of promoter regions genes encoding milk proteins. Whey acidic protein (WAP), for example, is predominantly expressed in the mammary gland and is regulated by lactating hormones during pregnancy. We cloned the 5'-flanking region of the porcine WAP gene (pWAP) to confirm the sequence elements in its promoter that are required for gene-expression activity. In the present study, we investigated how lactogenic hormones--including prolactin, hydrocortisone, and insulin--contribute to the transcriptional activation of the pWAP promoter region in mammalian cells, finding that these hormones activate STAT5 signaling, which in turn induce gene expression via STAT5 binding sites in its 5'-flanking region. To confirm the expression and hormonal regulation of the 5'-flanking region of pWAP in vivo, we generated transgenic mice expressing human recombinant granulocyte colony stimulating factor (hCSF2) in the mammary gland under the control of the pWAP promoter. These mice secreted hCSF2 protein in their milk at levels ranging from 242 to 1,274.8 ng/ml. Collectively, our findings show that the pWAP promoter may be useful for confining the expression of foreign proteins to the mammary gland, where they can be secreted along with milk.
In this work, we have demonstrated that simple brush-painted Ti-doped In2O3(TIO) films can be used as a cost effective transparent anodes for organic solar cells (OSCs). By the direct brushing of TIO ...nanoparticles ink and rapid thermal annealing (RTA), we can simply obtain TIO electrodes with a low sheet resistance of 28.25Ω/□ and a high optical transmittance of 85.48% under atmospheric ambient conditions. In particular, the brush painted TIO films showed a much higher mobility (33.4cm2/Vs) than that of previously reported solution-process transparent oxide films (1–5cm2/Vs) due to the effects of the Ti dopant with higher Lewis acid strength (3.06) and the reduced contact resistance of TIO nanoparticles. The OSCs fabricated on the brush-painted TIO films exhibited cell-performance with an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.61V, shot circuit current (Jsc) of 7.90mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) of 61%, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.94%. This indicates that brush-painted TIO film is a promising cost-effective transparent electrode for printing-based OSCs with its simple process and high performance.
Display omitted
•Simple brush-painted Ti-doped In2O3(TIO) films was investigated as transparent electrodes.•The brush-painted TIO films showed a low sheet resistance and high optical transmittance.•The brush-painted TIO film is a promising cost-effective transparent electrode for printing-based OSCs.
Background: Virtual reality (VR) programs based on motion capture camera are the most convenient and cost-effective approaches for remote rehabilitation. Assessment of physical function is critical ...for providing optimal VR rehabilitation training; however, direct muscle strength measurement using camera-based kinematic data is impracticable. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to indirectly estimate the muscle strength of users from the value obtained using a motion capture camera.Objects: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pedaling speed converted using the VR engine from the captured foot position data in the VR environment can be used as an indirect way to evaluate knee muscle strength, and to investigate the validity and reli-ability of a camera-based VR program.Methods: Thirty healthy adults were included in this study. Each subject performed a 15-sec-ond maximum pedaling test in the VR and built-in speedometer modes. In the VR speedom-eter mode, a motion capture camera was used to detect the position of the ankle joints and automatically calculate the pedaling speed. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess the isometric and isokinetic peak torques of knee flexion and extension.Results: The pedaling speeds in VR and built-in speedometer modes revealed a significant-ly high positive correlation (r = 0.922). In addition, the intra-rater reliability of the pedal-ing speed in the VR speedometer mode was good (ICC intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.685). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant moderate positive correlation between the pedaling speed of the VR speedometer and the peak torque of knee isokinetic flexion (r = 0.639) and extension (r = 0.598).Conclusion: This study suggests the potential benefits of measuring the maximum pedal-ing speed using 3D depth camera in a VR environment as an indirect assessment of muscle strength. However, technological improvements must be followed to obtain more accurate estimation of muscle strength from the VR cycling test.
As an enveloped virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delivers its viral genome into host cells via fusion of the viral and cell membranes. Here, we show that ...ANO6/TMEM16F-mediated cell surface exposure of phosphatidylserine is critical for SARS-CoV-2 entry and that ANO6-selective inhibitors are effective against SARS-CoV-2 infections. Application of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike pseudotyped virus (SARS2-PsV) evokes a cytosolic Ca2+ elevation and ANO6-dependent phosphatidylserine externalization in ACE2/TMPRSS2-positive mammalian cells. A high-throughput screening of drug-like chemical libraries identifies three different structural classes of chemicals showing ANO6 inhibitory effects. Among them, A6-001 displays the highest potency and ANO6 selectivity and it inhibits the single-round infection of SARS2-PsV in ACE2/TMPRSS2-positive HEK 293T cells. More importantly, A6-001 strongly inhibits authentic SARS-CoV-2-induced phosphatidylserine scrambling and SARS-CoV-2 viral replications in Vero, Calu-3, and primarily cultured human nasal epithelial cells. These results provide mechanistic insights into the viral entry process and offer a potential target for pharmacological intervention to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Display omitted
•A high-throughput screening of chemical libraries identifies several ANO6 inhibitors•SARS-CoV-2 Spike evokes ANO6-mediated phosphatidylserine scrambling in host cells•Phosphatidylserine scrambling promotes fusion of the viral and cell membranes•The identified ANO6 inhibitors inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral replications
Sim et al. show that ANO6/TMEM16F-mediated phosphatidylserine scrambling participates in the SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells and ANO6 inhibitors are effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the viral entry process as well as a potential target for the development of drugs to treat COVID-19.
Low back pain is a common symptom and continuous or recurrent pain results in chronic low back pain (CLBP). While many patients with CLBP have tried various treatments, complementary and alternative ...medicine including acupuncture and herbal medicine is one of the commonly used treatments. Palmijihwang-hwan is a herbal medicine used frequently in clinical practice but there has been no report of the efficacy, safety, or cost-effectiveness analysis of Palmijihwang-hwan for CLBP.
This study is a randomized, assessor-blinded, multicenter, clinical trial with two parallel groups. Four Korean medicine hospitals will recruit 84 participants and randomly allocate them into the control or treatment group in a 1:1 ratio. The control group will receive acupuncture treatment at 11 local and 4 distal acupuncture points for 20 min twice a week for 6 weeks. The treatment group will receive the same acupuncture treatment as the control group and also take Palmijihwang-hwan for 6 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in visual analog scale (VAS) score between baseline (visit 1) and completion of the intervention (visit 12), and secondary outcomes will be pain-related clinical relevance (minimal clinical important difference or the proportion of the participants who decrease more than 30, or 50% on VAS), disability (Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire), quality of life (EuroQol-5D), global assessment (Patient Global Impression of Change), and economic analysis (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis). Additionally, safety will be assessed.
The results of our study will provide the clinical evidence about the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness analysis of Palmijihwang-hwan for CLBP. There will be a chance to provide multiple subdivided influence of this treatment with various outcome measures, but lack of placebo is our limitation.
Clinical Research Information Service, KCT0002998. Registered on 12 July 2018.
Background: Smartphone addiction has emerged as a significant social problem. Numerous studies have indicated the association between smartphone use and discomfort in the musculoskeletal system of ...the upper extremities.
Objects: This cross-sectional survey aimed to compare the characteristics of musculoskeletal pain in the neck, trunk, and upper limbs between individuals with smartphone addiction and those without addiction.
Methods: We collected a total of 326 healthy individuals’ data from China and Korea who had owned and used smartphones for more than 5 years between 20–50s through an online questionnaire consisting of 84 questions in four major sections. The first part contained basic information on the participant's personal characteristics and smartphones. The second part contained questions about smartphone use and posture. The third part was the smartphone addiction. The fourth part was to investigate musculoskeletal pain in various upper body parts.
Results: Smartphone addiction has a weak negative correlation with age (r = –0.20, p < 0.01) and a weak positive correlation with the hours of smartphone use (r = 0.376, p < 0.01). Frequent musculoskeletal pain symptoms related to smartphone use were observed in the neck, shoulder, lower back, and wrists. The hours of smartphone use was slightly positively associated with the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the shoulder (r = 0.162, p < 0.05) and lower back (r = 0.125, p < 0.05). The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the neck (χ2 = 3.993, p < 0.05), shoulder (χ2 = 6.465, p < 0.05), and wrist (χ2 = 4.645, p < 0.05) was significantly higher among females than males.
Conclusion: The results suggest that smartphone addiction should be recognized as a dual concern encompassing both physical health and psychosocial aspects. Furthermore, healthcare professionals, including physicians and physical therapists, should consider clients' smartphone usage patterns when assessing and treating with musculoskeletal pain.
A solution-processable hole transporting layer (HTL) is developed using in situ formation of 2D vanadyl phosphate (VP) layered on 2D reduced graphene nanosheet (VP-rGO) for high-efficiency organic ...solar cells (OSCs). For the reduction of graphene oxide (GO), irradiation with electron beam was used, and for the exfoliation of VP and the blend of VP and rGO, the sonication was used. To investigate the feasibility of VP-rGO, produced by simple method for mass production, as a HTL, the surface, chemical element and electrical properties were carried out and we fabricated organic solar cells (OSCs) based on PTB7-th:PC71BM with VP-rGO as a HTL. The 2D/2D VP-rGO hybrid material specially takes advantage of both high work function of VP and good conductivity of rGO. This result leads to considerable improvement of performance in OSCs based on VP-rGO, compared with OSCs based on the PEDOT:PSS.
Display omitted
•2D/2D Vanadyl phosphate on reduced graphene oxide via a simple method were prepared.•The work function of VP-rGO was tuned by the fermi energy pinning of VP and rGO.•VP-rGO exhibits high work function (from VP) and good conductivity (from rGO).•By using VP-rGO as a hole transporting layer, PCE of 8.32% was acquired.
PDF
