A need exists to develop high-temperature thermoelectric materials which can utilize high-temperature unutilized/waste heat in thermal power plants, steelworks, factories, incinerators, etc., and ...also focused solar power. The thermal power plant topping application is of potential high impact since it can sizably increase the efficiency of power plants which are the major supply of electrical power for many countries. Higher borides are possible candidates for their particular high-temperature stability, generally large Seebeck coefficients, α, and intrinsic low thermal conductivity. Excellent (|α| > 200 μV/K)
p
-type or
n
-type behavior was recently achieved in the aluminoboride YAl
x
B
14
by varying the occupancy of Al sites,
x
. Finding
p
-type and
n
-type counterparts has long been a difficulty of thermoelectric research not limited to borides. This paper reviews possible high-temperature thermoelectric applications, and recent developments and perspectives of thermoelectric aluminoborides.
Thermoelectric power generation which represents the direct solid-state conversion of waste heat to electricity is a promising field challenging to reach wide-scale application. There are intrinsic ...paradoxes in the requirements of physical properties leading to high thermoelectric performance. Namely, high electrical conductivity but low thermal conductivity κ, and large Seebeck coefficient but high electrical conductivity are required. These have made straightforward enhancement of the thermoelectric performance difficult. I will review several novel materials and processes we are developing to overcome the traditional limitations, and which were presented at this Power MEMS 2017 conference.
The condition of muscle fiber atrophy and weakness that occurs in respiratory muscles along with systemic skeletal muscle with age is known as respiratory sarcopenia. The Japanese Working Group of ...Respiratory Sarcopenia of the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition narratively reviews these areas, and proposes the concept and diagnostic criteria. We have defined respiratory sarcopenia as “whole-body sarcopenia and low respiratory muscle mass followed by low respiratory muscle strength and/or low respiratory function.” Respiratory sarcopenia can be caused by various factors such as aging, decreased activity, undernutrition, disease, cachexia, and iatrogenic causes. We have also created an algorithm for diagnosing respiratory sarcopenia. Respiratory function decreases with age in healthy older people, along with low respiratory muscle mass and strength. We have created a new term, “Presbypnea,” meaning a decline in respiratory function with aging. Minor functional respiratory disability due to aging, such as that indicated by a modified Medical Research Council level 1 (troubled by shortness of breath when hurrying or walking straight up hill), is an indicator of presbypnea. We also define sarcopenic respiratory disability as “a disability with deteriorated respiratory function that results from respiratory sarcopenia.” Sarcopenic respiratory disability is diagnosed if respiratory sarcopenia is present with functional disability. Cases of respiratory sarcopenia without functional disability are diagnosed as “at risk of sarcopenic respiratory disability.” Functional disability is defined as a modified Medical Research Council grade of 2 or more. Rehabilitation nutrition, treatment that combines rehabilitation and nutritional management, may be adequate to prevent and treat respiratory sarcopenia and sarcopenic respiratory disability.
Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates for the next generation of spintronic devices due to their small size and topologically protected structure. One challenge for using these magnetic states ...in applications lies on controlling the nucleation process and stabilization that usually requires an external force. Here, we report on the evidence of skyrmions in unpatterned symmetric Pd/Co/Pd multilayers at room temperature without prior application of neither electric current nor magnetic field. Decreasing the ferromagnetic interlayer thickness, the tuning of the physical properties across the ferromagnetic/non-magnetic interface gives rise to a transition from worm like domains patterns to isolated skyrmions as demonstrated by magnetic force microscopy. On the direct comparison of the measured and simulated skyrmions size, the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI) was estimated, reveling that isolated skyrmions are just stabilized at zero magnetic field taking into account non-null values of iDMI. Our findings provide new insights towards the use of stabilized skyrmions for room temperature devices in nominally symmetric multilayers.
Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are attracting major interest as potential non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to identify a novel serum miRNA biomarker for the early ...detection and/or evaluating prognosis of CRC patients.
Comprehensive miRNA array analysis was carried out using serum samples from patients with colorectal neoplasia and healthy controls. Next, to verify whether the candidate miRNA possessed a secretory potential, we screened miRNA expression levels in culture medium from 2 CRC cell lines, followed by serum analysis from 12 stage IV CRC, 12 adenoma, and 12 control subjects. Thereafter, we validated expression of candidate miRNAs in 179 primary CRC tissues, as well as serum samples from an independent cohort of 211 CRCs, 56 adenomas, and 57 control subjects.
Through microarray analysis, we identified significantly higher levels of miRNA-1290 (miR-1290) in serum from patients with colorectal adenomas and cancers. We verified miR-1290 overexpression in serum of CRC patients in a training cohort. In the validation cohort, serum miR-1290 levels were significantly up-regulated in patients with colorectal adenomas (P < 0.0001) and cancers (P < 0.0001). Serum miR-1290 levels could robustly distinguish adenoma area under the curve (AUC) = 0.718 and CRC patients (AUC = 0.830) from normal subjects. High miR-1290 expression in serum and tissue was significantly associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. Moreover, serum miR-1290 levels were an independent prognostic factor hazard ratio (HR) = 4.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23–23.69; P = 0.0096 and an independent predictor for tumor recurrence (hazard ratio = 3.92; 95% confidence interval = 1.11–25.14; P = 0.032) in CRC.
Serum miR-1290 is a novel biomarker for early detection, recurrence, and prognosis in CRC.
Relative deficiency of dietary omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) has been implicated in the rising allergy prevalence in Westernized countries. Fish oil supplementation may provide an ...intervention strategy for primary allergy prevention. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of fish oil n-3 PUFA supplementation from birth to 6 months of age on infant allergic disease.
In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, 420 infants at high atopic risk received a daily supplement of fish oil containing 280 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 110 mg eicosapentaenoic acid or a control (olive oil), from birth to age 6 months. PUFA levels were measured in 6-month-old infants' erythrocytes and plasma and their mothers' breast milk. Eczema, food allergy, asthma and sensitization were assessed in 323 infants for whom clinical follow-up was completed at 12 months of age.
At 6 months of age, infant docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid levels were significantly higher (both P < .05) and erythrocyte arachidonic acid levels were lower (P = .003) in the fish oil group. Although n-3 PUFA levels at 6 months were associated with lower risk of eczema (P = .033) and recurrent wheeze (P = .027), the association with eczema was not significant after multiple comparisons and there was no effect of the intervention per se on the primary study outcomes. Specifically, between-group comparisons revealed no differences in the occurrence of allergic outcomes including sensitization, eczema, asthma, or food allergy.
Postnatal fish oil supplementation improved infant n-3 status but did not prevent childhood allergic disease.
Summary
We constructed a Markov microsimulation model among hypothetical cohorts of community-dwelling elderly osteoporotic Japanese women without prior hip or vertebral fractures over a lifetime ...horizon. Compared with weekly oral alendronate for 5 years, denosumab every 6 months for 5 years is cost-saving or cost-effective at a conventionally accepted threshold.
Introduction
The objective of the study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of subcutaneous denosumab every 6 months for 5 years compared with weekly oral alendronate for 5 years in Japan.
Methods
We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ICERs (2016 US dollars $ per quality-adjusted life year QALY), using a Markov microsimulation model among hypothetical cohorts of community-dwelling osteoporotic Japanese women without prior hip or vertebral fractures at various ages of therapy initiation (65, 70, 75, and 80 years) over a lifetime horizon from three perspectives: societal, healthcare sector, and government.
Results
Denosumab was cost-saving compared with alendronate at ages 75 and 80 years from any of the three perspectives. The ICERs of denosumab compared with alendronate were $25,700 and $5000 per QALY at ages 65 and 70 years from a societal perspective and did not exceed a willingness-to-pay of $50,000 per QALY from the other two perspectives. In deterministic sensitivity analyses, results were sensitive to changes in the effectiveness of denosumab for reducing hip fracture and clinical vertebral fracture and the rate ratio of non-persistence with denosumab compared to alendronate. In probabilistic sensitivity analyses, the probabilities of denosumab being cost-effective compared with alendronate were 89–100% at a willingness-to-pay of $50,000 per QALY.
Conclusions
Among community-dwelling elderly osteoporotic women in Japan, denosumab every 6 months for 5 years is cost-saving or cost-effective at a conventionally accepted threshold of willingness-to-pay at all ages examined, compared with weekly alendronate for 5 years. This study provides insight to clinicians and policymakers regarding the relative economic value of osteoporosis treatments in elderly women.
The molecular basis for the development of appendiceal mucinous tumours, which can be a cause of pseudomyxoma peritonei, remains largely unknown.
Thirty-five appendiceal mucinous neoplasms were ...analysed for GNAS and KRAS mutations. A functional analysis of mutant GNAS was performed using a colorectal cancer cell line.
A mutational analysis identified activating GNAS mutations in 16 of 32 low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (LAMNs) but in none of three mucinous adenocarcinomas (MACs). KRAS mutations were found in 30 LAMNs and in all MACs. We additionally analysed a total of 186 extra-appendiceal mucinous tumours and found that GNAS mutations were highly prevalent in intraductal papillary mucinous tumours of the pancreas (88%) but were rare or absent in mucinous tumours of the colorectum, ovary, lung and breast (0-9%). The prevalence of KRAS mutations was quite variable among the tumours. The introduction of the mutant GNAS into a colorectal cancer cell line markedly induced MUC2 and MUC5AC expression, but did not promote cell growth either in vitro or in vivo.
Activating GNAS mutations are a frequent and characteristic genetic abnormality of LAMN. Mutant GNAS might play a direct role in the prominent mucin production that is a hallmark of LAMN.
Dental plaque, a highly structured polymicrobial biofilm, persistently forms in the oral cavity and is a common problem affecting oral health. The role of oral defense factors in either collaborating ...or disrupting host–microbiome interactions remains insufficiently elucidated. This study aims to explore the role of LL-37, a critical antimicrobial peptide in the oral cavity, in dental plaque formation. Through immunostaining dental plaque specimens, we observed that LL-37 and DNA colocalized in the samples, appearing as condensed clusters. In vitro experiments revealed that LL-37 binds rapidly to oral bacterial DNA, forming high molecular weight, DNase-resistant complexes. This interaction results in LL-37 losing its inherent antibacterial activity. Further, upon the addition of LL-37, we observed a visible increase in the precipitation of bacterial DNA. We also discovered a significant correlation between the levels of the DNA–LL-37 complex and LL-37 within dental plaque specimens, demonstrating the ubiquity of the complex within the biofilm. By using immunostaining on dental plaque specimens, we could determine that the DNA–LL-37 complex was present as condensed clusters and small bacterial cell-like structures. This suggests that LL-37 immediately associates with the released bacterial DNA to form complexes that subsequently diffuse. We also demonstrated that the complexes exhibited similar Toll-like receptor 9–stimulating activities across different bacterial species, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Streptococcus salivarius. However, these complexes prompted dissimilar activities, such as the production of IL-1β in monocytic cells via both NLRP3 pathway-dependent and pathway-independent mechanisms. This study, therefore, reveals the adverse role of LL-37 in dental plaque, where it binds bacterial DNA to form complexes that may precipitate to behave like an extracellular matrix. Furthermore, the unveiled stimulating properties and species-dependent activities of the oral bacterial DNA–LL-37 complexes enrich our understanding of dental plaque pathogenicity and periodontal innate immune responses.
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