SWATH-MS Based Secretome Proteomic Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Against MRSA.

The study uses Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Fragment Ion Mass Spectra (SWATH)-MS in conjunction with secretome proteomics to identify key proteins that Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Variations in the inhibition zones indicated differences in strain resistance. Multivariate statistical methods were applied to filter the proteomic results, revealing five potential protein biomarkers, including Peptidase M23. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and sequence alignment supported their antibacterial activity. Thus, SWATH-MS provides a comprehensive understanding of the secretome of P. aeruginosa in its action against MRSA, guiding future antibacterial research.

Novel structure of secreted small molecular weight antigen Mtb12 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mtb12, a small protein secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is known to elicit immune responses in individuals infected with the pathogen. It serves as an antigen recognized by the host's immune system. Due to its immunogenic properties and pivotal role in tuberculosis (TB) pathogenesis, Mtb12 is considered a promising candidate for TB diagnosis and vaccine development. However, the structural and functional properties of Mtb12 are largely unexplored, representing a significant gap in our understanding of M. tuberculosis biology. In this study, we present the first structure of Mtb12, which features a unique tertiary configuration consisting of four beta strands and four alpha helices. Structural analysis reveals that Mtb12 has a surface adorned with a negatively charged pocket adjacent to a central cavity. The features of these structural elements and their potential effects on the function of Mtb12 warrant further exploration. These findings offer valuable insights for vaccine design and the development of diagnostic tools.

Novel structure of the anti-CRISPR protein AcrIE3 and its implication on the CRISPR-Cas inhibition.

As a response to viral infections, bacteria have evolved the CRISPR-Cas system as an adaptive immune mechanism, enabling them to target and eliminate viral genetic material introduced during infection. However, viruses have also evolved mechanisms to counteract this bacterial defense, including anti-CRISPR proteins, which can inactivate the CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system, thus aiding the viruses in their survival and replication within bacterial hosts. In this study, we establish the high-resolution crystal structure of the Type IE anti-CRISPR protein, AcrIE3. Our structural examination showed that AcrIE3 adopts a helical bundle fold comprising four α-helices, with a notably extended loop at the N-terminus. Additionally, surface analysis of AcrIE3 revealed the presence of three acidic regions, which potentially play a crucial role in the inhibitory function of this protein. The structural information we have elucidated for AcrIE3 will provide crucial insights into fully understanding its inhibitory mechanism. Furthermore, this information is anticipated to be important for the application of the AcrIE family in genetic editing, paving the way for advancements in gene editing technologies.

Determination of adulteration, geographical origins, and species of food by mass spectrometry.

Food adulteration, mislabeling, and fraud, are rising global issues. Therefore, a number of precise and reliable analytical instruments and approaches have been proposed to ensure the authenticity and accurate labeling of food and food products by confirming that the constituents of foodstuffs are of the kind and quality claimed by the seller and manufacturer. Traditional techniques (e.g., genomics-based methods) are still in use; however, emerging approaches like mass spectrometry (MS)-based technologies are being actively developed to supplement or supersede current methods for authentication of a variety of food commodities and products. This review provides a critical assessment of recent advances in food authentication, including MS-based metabolomics, proteomics and other approaches.

Plaque features of the middle cerebral artery are associated with periprocedural complications of intracranial angioplasty and stenting.

PURPOSE: The identification of plaque features in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) may help minimize periprocedural complications and select patients suitable for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS). However, relevant research is lacking. METHODS: We retrospectively included patients with symptomatic MCA stenosis who received PTAS. All patients underwent intracranial vessel wall MRI (VWMRI) before surgery. Periprocedural complications (PC) included ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke within 30 days. Stenosis location, MCA shape, plaque eccentricity and distribution, plaque thickness and length, and enhancement ratio were compared between patients with and without PC. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients were included in the study, of which 12.1% (8/66) had PC. Of the eight patients with PC, seven (87.5%) had superior wall plaques. In the non-PC group (n = 58), nine (17%) patients had superior wall plaques. Compared with patients without PC, those with PC had more frequent superior wall plaques (17% vs 87.5%, p < 0.001) and s-shaped MCAs (19% vs 50%, p = 0.071), different stenosis locations (p = 0.012), thicker plaques (1.58 [1.35, 2.00] vs 1.98 [1.73, 2.43], p = 0.038), and less frequent inferior wall plaques (79.2% vs 12.5%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that only the presence of superior wall plaques (OR = 41.54 [2.31, 747.54]) was independently associated with PC. CONCLUSION: MCA plaque features were highly correlated with PC in patients with symptomatic MCA stenosis who underwent PTAS.

When selection pays: Structured public goods game with a generalized interaction mode.

The public goods game is a broadly used paradigm for studying the evolution of cooperation in structured populations. According to the basic assumption, the interaction graph determines the connections of a player where the focal actor forms a common venture with the nearest neighbors. In reality, however, not all of our partners are involved in every game. To elaborate this observation, we propose a model where individuals choose just some selected neighbors from the complete set to form a group for public goods. We explore the potential consequences by using a pair-approximation approach in a weak selection limit. We theoretically analyze how the number of total neighbors and the actual size of the restricted group influence the critical enhancement factor where cooperation becomes dominant over defection. Furthermore, we systematically compare our model with the traditional setup and show that the critical enhancement factor is lower than in the case when all players are present in the social dilemma. Hence, the suggested restricted interaction mode offers a better condition for the evolution of cooperation. Our theoretical findings are supported by numerical calculations.

Attention Mechanism-Based Glaucoma Classification Model Using Retinal Fundus Images.

This paper presents a classification model for eye diseases utilizing attention mechanisms to learn features from fundus images and structures. The study focuses on diagnosing glaucoma by extracting retinal vessels and the optic disc from fundus images using a ResU-Net-based segmentation model and Hough Circle Transform, respectively. The extracted structures and preprocessed images were inputted into a CNN-based multi-input model for training. Comparative evaluations demonstrated that our model outperformed other research models in classifying glaucoma, even with a smaller dataset. Ablation studies confirmed that using attention mechanisms to learn fundus structures significantly enhanced performance. The study also highlighted the challenges in normal case classification due to potential feature degradation during structure extraction. Future research will focus on incorporating additional fundus structures such as the macula, refining extraction algorithms, and expanding the types of classified eye diseases.

Plaque modification and stabilization after drug-coated balloon angioplasty for intracranial atherosclerotic lesions.

OBJECTIVES: A drug-coated balloon (DCB) has potential applications in the treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD). We aimed to evaluate changes of vessel wall features of ICAD lesions after DCB treatment by using vessel wall MRI (VWMRI). METHODS: We retrospectively included patients with symptomatic ICAD who underwent DCB angioplasty alone. The incidences of stenosis of the lumen area, vessel wall thickening, hyperintense plaques, and prominent wall enhancement were compared between the baseline and follow-up VWMRI. RESULTS: There were 29 ICAD lesions from 29 patients, of which 22 were stenosis and 7 were occlusion. The median interval between DCB treatment and follow-up VWMRI was 4.1 [3.3, 6.7] months. After DCB treatment, follow-up VWMRI showed a significant decrease in the stenosis degree of the lumen area (83% [71%, 96%] vs 15% [3%, 41%], p < 0.001). Thirty-eight percent (11/29) of the patients observed normal appearance of the target vessel wall on follow-up VWMRI. In the stenosis group, the prevalence of hyperintense plaques decreased from 66.7% (14/21) at baseline to 23.8% (5/21) at follow-up, and prominent wall enhancement decreased from 66.7% (14/21) at baseline to 19.0%(4/21) at follow-up. The incidence of hyperintense plaques (p = 0.028) and vessel wall thickening (p = 0.018) tended to decrease with follow-up time. Although not significant (p = 0.106), a similar trend was observed between the incidence of prominent wall enhancement and follow-up time. CONCLUSION: Vascular healing with plaque modification and stabilization occurred following DCB treatment of ICAD lesions. KEY POINTS: • A drug-coated balloon (DCB) has potential applications in the treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD). • Vascular healing with plaque modification and stabilization occurred following DCB treatment of ICAD lesions.

Risk of autoimmune skin and connective tissue disorders after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Data on the association between the development of autoimmune diseases and COVID-19 vaccination are limited. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and risk of autoimmune connective tissue disorders following mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: This nationwide population-based study was conducted in South Korea. Individuals who received vaccination between September 8, 2020-December 31, 2021, were identified. Historical prepandemic controls were matched for age and sex in 1:1 ratio. The incidence rate and risk of disease outcomes were compared. RESULTS: A total of 3,838,120 vaccinated individuals and 3,834,804 controls without evidence of COVID-19 were included. The risk of alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, primary cicatricial alopecia, psoriasis, vitiligo, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, sarcoidosis, Behcet disease, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjogren syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, dermato/polymyositis, and bullous pemphigoid was not significantly higher in vaccinated individuals than in controls. The risk was comparable according to age, sex, type of mRNA-based vaccine, and cross-vaccination status. LIMITATIONS: Possible selection bias and residual confounders. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that most autoimmune connective tissue disorders are not associated with a significant increase in risk. However, caution is necessary when interpreting results for rare outcomes due to limited statistical power.

HA-ADT suppresses esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression via apoptosis promotion and autophagy inhibition.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths. We have previously connected a non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronic acid (HA), with a common hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor, 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiol-3-thione (ADT-OH), to reconstruct a novel conjugate, HA-ADT. In this study, we determined the effect of HA-ADT on the growth of ESCC. Our data suggested that HA-ADT exerted more potent effects than sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, a fast H2S-releasing donor) and morpholin-4-ium (4-methoxyphenyl)-morpholin-4-ylsulfanylidenesulfido-λ5-phosphane (GYY4137, a slow H2S-releasing donor) on inhibiting the viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of human ESCC cells. HA-ADT increased apoptosis by suppressing the protein expressions of phospho (p)-Ser473-protein kinase B (PKB/AKT), p-Tyr199/Tyr458-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and p-Ser2448-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), but suppressed autophagy through the inhibition of the protein levels of p-Ser552-ß-catenin, p-Ser9-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß), and Wnt3a in human ESCC cells. In addition, HA-ADT was more effective in terms of the growth inhibition of human ESCC xenograft tumor than NaHS and GYY4137. In conclusion, HA-ADT can suppress ESCC progression via apoptosis promotion and autophagy inhibition. HA-ADT might be efficacious for the treatment of cancer.

Psychological Stress in Parents of Children with Atopic Dermatitis: A Cross-sectional Study from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronically relapsing inflammatory skin condition that has profound impacts on quality of life of patients and their family. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychological stress in parents of children with atopic dermatitis in Korea, using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). This cross-sectional study included parents of participants under 19 years of age (970 with atopic dermatitis and 5,733 without atopic dermatitis after excluding those who meet the exclusion criteria) from the 2009 to 2012 KNHANES. The psychological stress state was evaluated with the following four questionnaire items: self-perception of stress, depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and diagnosis of depression by a physician. After adjusting for age, gender, education level, occupation, and marital status, logistic regression analyses indicated that mothers of children with atopic dermatitis had a higher frequency of stress perception (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.46 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.22-1.74), p < 0.01) and suicidal ideation (aOR 1.40 (95% CI 1.1-1.79), p < 0.01) than those without atopic dermatitis. In contrast, fathers of children with atopic dermatitis did not show a significant difference in all items compared with those of children without atopic dermatitis. Understanding the psychological stress in parents of children with atopic dermatitis is important for clinicians, since evaluation, management and support for parents, especially mothers, of children with atopic dermatitis are required.

Radiographic rotational profiles of the proximal and distal humerus: analysis of 46 computed tomography scans with 3-dimensional simulation.

BACKGROUND: To date, no study has investigated the radiographic rotational profiles (RRPs) of the proximal and distal humerus. However, malrotation after minimally invasive surgery for humeral fracture has been an unsolved problem. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the RRPs of the proximal and distal humerus that linearly correlate with rotational status and show significant differences as the rotational status changes. METHODS: Forty-six computed tomography scans of the humerus were 3-dimensionally reconstructed, and 5 rotational statuses (20° and 10° of internal rotation; neutral; and 10° and 20° of external rotation) were simulated. Seven candidate RRPs of the proximal humerus and 4 candidates of the distal humerus were measured for each rotational status. The overall differences and trends in the RRPs as the rotational status changed were evaluated, and multiple comparisons were performed between the RRPs for each of the 5 rotational statuses. Moreover, the correlations between the RRPs and rotational status with adjustment of retroversion were analyzed. Finally, interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities were evaluated. RESULTS: The following proximal and distal RRPs were linearly correlated with rotational status, differed significantly between the rotational statuses, and showed a relatively low prediction error and excellent interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities: the distance from the tip of the lesser tuberosity to the lateral margin of the proximal humerus (PL1) and the medial margin of the head (PL2), as well as the PL1 to PL2 ratio (PRL), in the proximal humerus; and the distance from the medial margin of the olecranon process to the medial epicondyle (DOP), the widest width of the overlapped olecranon fossa (DOF), and the distance from the lateral margin of the capitellum to the lateral epicondyle (DC) in the distal humerus. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that PL1, PL2, and PRL in the proximal humerus and DOP, DOF, and DC in the distal humerus are potentially useful and reproducible RRPs for restoring the intrinsic rotational alignment in humeral fractures.

Safety Helmet Detection Based on YOLOv5 Driven by Super-Resolution Reconstruction.

High-resolution image transmission is required in safety helmet detection problems in the construction industry, which makes it difficult for existing image detection methods to achieve high-speed detection. To overcome this problem, a novel super-resolution (SR) reconstruction module is designed to improve the resolution of images before the detection module. In the super-resolution reconstruction module, the multichannel attention mechanism module is used to improve the breadth of feature capture. Furthermore, a novel CSP (Cross Stage Partial) module of YOLO (You Only Look Once) v5 is presented to reduce information loss and gradient confusion. Experiments are performed to validate the proposed algorithm. The PSNR (peak signal-to-noise ratio) of the proposed module is 29.420, and the SSIM (structural similarity) reaches 0.855. These results show that the proposed model works well for safety helmet detection in construction industries.

Exploration on Electronic Properties of Self-Assembled Indium Nitrogen Nanosheets and Nanowires by a Density Functional Method.

Equilibrium geometries and properties of self-assembled (InN)12n (n = 1-9) nanoclusters (nanowires and nanosheets) are studied using the GGA-PBE (general gradient approximation with Perdew-Burke-Ernzerh) method. The relative stabilities and growth patterns of semiconductor (InN)12n nanoclusters are investigated. The odd-numbered nano-size (InN)12n (n is odd) have weaker stabilities compared with the neighboring even-numbered (InN)12n (n is even) ones. The most stable (InN)48 nanosheet is selected as a building unit for self-assembled nano-size film materials. In particular, the energy gaps of InN nanoclusters show an even-odd oscillation and reflect that (InN)12n (n = 1-9) nanoclusters are good optoelectronic materials and nanodevices due to their energy gaps in the visible region. Interestingly, the calculated energy gaps for (InN)12n nanowires varies slightly compared with that of individual (InN)12 units. Additionally, the predicted natural atomic populations of In atoms in (InN)12n nanoclusters show that the stabilities of (InN)12n nanoclusters is enhanced through the ionic bonding and covalent bonding of (InN)12n (n = 1-9) nanoclusters.

Analysis of Medication Errors Reported by Community Pharmacists in the Republic of Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and objectives: We aimed to describe medication-related incidents or medication errors (MEs) reported by community pharmacists and analyze the prevalent medications involved. Materials and Methods: We extracted ME reports from databases comprising patient safety incidents reported to the Korean Pharmaceutical Association between January 2013 and June 2021. Medications were analyzed according to the second (therapeutic subgroup) and fifth (chemical substance) levels of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification. Results: A total of 9046 MEs were identified, most of which were near miss reports (88.3%). Among the errors that reached the patients (521 cases), harmful incidents accounted for 76.8%. Most MEs occurred during prescription (89.5%), while harmful MEs occurred mainly during dispensing (73.3%). In the prescription step, wrong drugs (44.8%), dosing errors (27.0%), and wrong durations (14.0%) were common. Anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic products (M01), drugs for acid-related disorders (A02), and antihistamines for systemic use (R06) were the most frequently reported medication classes involved. Harmful incidents were most common for dosing errors (31.0%) and wrong drugs (26.8%) and were common with warfarin, levothyroxine, and glimepiride. Conclusions: The MEs reported by community pharmacists were mainly prescribing errors, most of which were rectified before reaching patients. The prevalent medications involved in harmful errors include anti-diabetic, anti-thrombotic, and anti-inflammatory agents.

Wide-viewing holographic stereogram based on self-interference incoherent digital holography.

We propose a holographic stereogram synthesis method which uses holograms that are optically captured by self-interference incoherent digital holography (SIDH) based on a geometric phase lens. SIDH is a promising solution for hologram acquisition under low-coherence lighting condition. A mechanical scanning system is constructed to acquire multiple perspective holograms. Numerical simulations and experimental analyses conducted using high-resolution diffractive optical element demonstrate that the proposed method can produce a wide-viewing hologram which can realize realistic 3D scenarios with depth cues such as accommodation and motion parallax. The future objectives include the implementation of a multiple-camera system for holographic videos.

Diagnostic effect of artificial intelligence solution for referable thoracic abnormalities on chest radiography: a multicenter respiratory outpatient diagnostic cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: We aim ed to evaluate a commercial artificial intelligence (AI) solution on a multicenter cohort of chest radiographs and to compare physicians' ability to detect and localize referable thoracic abnormalities with and without AI assistance. METHODS: In this retrospective diagnostic cohort study, we investigated 6,006 consecutive patients who underwent both chest radiography and CT. We evaluated a commercially available AI solution intended to facilitate the detection of three chest abnormalities (nodule/masses, consolidation, and pneumothorax) against a reference standard to measure its diagnostic performance. Moreover, twelve physicians, including thoracic radiologists, board-certified radiologists, radiology residents, and pulmonologists, assessed a dataset of 230 randomly sampled chest radiographic images. The images were reviewed twice per physician, with and without AI, with a 4-week washout period. We measured the impact of AI assistance on observer's AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the alternative free-response ROC (AUAFROC). RESULTS: In the entire set (n = 6,006), the AI solution showed average sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.885, 0.723, and 0.867, respectively. In the test dataset (n = 230), the average AUC and AUAFROC across observers significantly increased with AI assistance (from 0.861 to 0.886; p = 0.003 and from 0.797 to 0.822; p = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic performance of the AI solution was found to be acceptable for the images from respiratory outpatient clinics. The diagnostic performance of physicians marginally improved with the use of AI solutions. Further evaluation of AI assistance for chest radiographs using a prospective design is required to prove the efficacy of AI assistance. KEY POINTS: • AI assistance for chest radiographs marginally improved physicians' performance in detecting and localizing referable thoracic abnormalities on chest radiographs. • The detection or localization of referable thoracic abnormalities by pulmonologists and radiology residents improved with the use of AI assistance.

Smoking and Periodontitis Can Play a Synergistic Role in the Development of Psoriasis: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder involving the periodontium. The precise nature of the association between periodontitis and psoriasis has not been determined. OBJECTIVE: This nationwide population-based study investigated the relationship between periodontitis and the risk of psoriasis. METHODS: A health screening database, which is a sub-dataset of the Korean National Health Insurance System database, was used in this study. Subjects with (n = 1,063,004) and without (n = 8,655,587) periodontitis who underwent health examinations from January to December 2009 were followed for 9 years. RESULTS: In multivariable analysis, compared to the non-periodontitis group, periodontitis patients had a significantly higher risk of developing psoriasis (hazard ratio 1.116, 95% confidence interval 1.101-1.13). Non-smokers with periodontitis had an 11% increase in risk of psoriasis and smokers with periodontitis had a 26.5% increase in risk of psoriasis compared to non-smokers without periodontitis. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights periodontitis as a potential independent risk factor for psoriasis, increasing awareness of the synergistic role of smoking and periodontitis in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Leukaemia Cutis: Clinical Features and Outcomes of 56 Patients.

Leukaemia is a malignant neoplasm of the haematopoietic system. Cutaneous manifestations of leukaemia are called leukaemia cutis, and are regarded as a sign of poorer prognosis and shorter survival time. A single-institution retrospective review was performed of medical records of patients diagnosed with leukaemia cutis in the dermatology department of Seoul St Mary's Hospital between January 2012 and April 2021. Fifty-six cases with cutaneous leukaemic involvement and underlying haematological malignancy were included (40 acute myelogenous leukaemia, 8 acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, 3 chronic myeloid leukaemia, 2 chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and 3 myelodysplastic syndrome). Male-female ratio 1.9:1, mean age at diagnosis 45.8 years. Plaques (28%) and papules (27%) were the most common skin lesions, followed by patches (18%) and nodules (16%). Mean time from diagnosis of leukaemia to development of leukaemia cutis was 12.3 months. Forty-six patients (84%) died during the 7-year follow-up; mean time from diagnosis of leukaemia cutis to death was 5.4 months. The results suggest that leukaemia cutis is associated with poor outcomes in patients with leukaemia. Comprehensive skin examination of these patients may help diagnose leukaemia cutis early, enabling prompt treatment.

Ultrasmall polymer-coated cerium oxide nanoparticles as a traumatic brain injury therapy.

No medication has been approved for secondary injuries after traumatic brain injury (TBI). While free radicals are considered a major mediator of secondary injury, conventional antioxidants only have modest clinical efficacy. Here, we synthesized CX201 consisting of core cerium oxide nanoparticles coated with 6-aminocaproic acid and polyvinylpyrrolidone in aqueous phase. CX201 with 3.49 ± 1.11 nm of core and 6.49 ± 0.56 nm of hydrodynamic diameter showed multi-enzymatic antioxidant function. Owing to its excellent physiological stability and cell viability, CX201 had a neuroprotective effect in vitro. In a TBI animal model, an investigator-blinded randomized experiment showed a single intravenously injected CX201 significantly improved functional recovery compared to the control. CX201 reduced lipid peroxidation and inflammatory cell recruitment at the damaged brain. These suggest ultrasmall CX201 can efficiently reduce secondary brain injuries after TBI. Given the absence of current therapies, CX201 may be proposed as a novel therapeutic strategy for TBI.