Anti-Obesity and Anti-Adipogenic Effects of Administration of Arginyl-Fructose-Enriched Jeju Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Extract in C57BL/6 Mice and in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes Models.

In our previous study, we reported that arginyl-fructose (AF), one of the Amadori rearrangement compounds (ARCs) produced by the heat processing of Korean ginseng can reduce carbohydrate absorption by inhibiting intestinal carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes in both in vitro and in vivo animal models. This reduced absorption of carbohydrate might be helpful to control body weight gain due to excessive carbohydrate consumption and support induced calorie restriction. However, the weight management effect, except for the effect due to anti-hyperglycemic action, along with the potential mechanism of action have not yet been determined. Therefore, the efforts of this study are to investigate and understand the possible weight management effect and mechanism action of AF-enriched barley extracts (BEE). More specifically, the effect of BEE on lipid accumulation and adipogenic gene expression, body weight gain, body weight, plasma lipids, body fat mass, and lipid deposition were evaluated using C57BL/6 mice and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes models. The formation of lipid droplets in the 3T3-L1 treated with BEE (500 and 750 µg/mL) was significantly blocked (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (30% fat) for 8 weeks with BEE (0.3 g/kg-body weight). Compared to the high fat diet control (HFD) group, the cells treated with BEE significantly decreased in intracellular lipid accumulation with concomitant decreases in the expression of key transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBP/α), the mRNA expression of downstream lipogenic target genes such as fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c). Supplementation of BEE effectively lowered the body weight gain, visceral fat accumulation, and plasma lipid concentrations. Compared to the HFD group, BEE significantly suppressed body weight gain (16.06 ± 2.44 g vs. 9.40 ± 1.39 g, p < 0.01) and increased serum adiponectin levels, significantly, 1.6-folder higher than the control group. These results indicate that AF-enriched barley extracts may prevent diet-induced weight gain and the anti-obesity effect is mediated in part by inhibiting adipogenesis and increasing adiponectin level.

Health-related quality of life in adult patients with asthma according to asthma control and severity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The utility values are increasingly being used in economic evaluations and health policy decision making. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the utility values for asthma, particularly with respect to severity and asthma control. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for studies published until July, 2020, reporting the utilities of adult asthma. We extracted utility values derived by nine indirect and four direct utility instruments. Meta-analyses were performed for each utility instrument according to health states based on the level of asthma control and severity. Results: Fifty-two eligible studies were included in our systematic review, of which forty studies were used in the meta-analyses. Among the 13 utility instruments, the most used was EQ-5D-3L, whereas EQ-5D-5L showed the narrowest 95% confidence interval (95% CI, 0.83-0.86) of pooled utility. The pooled utility of asthma declined with worsening control levels and severity. The pooled utility value of EQ-5D-3L was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.63-0.80) for uncontrolled, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.75-0.88) for partly controlled, and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.84-0.90) for well-controlled asthma. Conclusion: Our study shows that EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L are appropriate for economic evaluations in terms of availability and variability of information, respectively. Asthma patients had poorer utility values with worsened severity and level of asthma control. This study will be useful for health economists conducting economic evaluations of asthma treatments.

Visual Outcomes and Optical Quality of Accommodative, Multifocal, Extended Depth-of-Focus, and Monofocal Intraocular Lenses in Presbyopia-Correcting Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.

Importance: A bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) can help compare the various types of multifocal and monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) used in clinical practice. Objective: To compare outcomes of presbyopia-correcting IOLs frequently recommended in clinical practice through a bayesian NMA based on a systematic review. Data Sources: Medline (PubMed) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched on May 15, 2021, from inception. Study Selection: Based on the research question, randomized clinical trials assessing multifocal IOLs in patients who underwent bilateral cataract extraction were searched. Nonrandomized studies, studies in patients with unilateral or contralateral cataract extractions, duplicated studies, conference abstracts, and nonpeer-reviewed articles were excluded. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Descriptive statistics and outcomes were extracted. The NMA was conducted to compare different types of IOLs. The mean differences for continuous variables, odds ratios for binary variables, 95% credible intervals (CrIs), and ranks of interventions were estimated. Main Outcomes and Measures: The outcomes examined included binocular visual acuities by distance and optical quality, including glare, halos, and spectacle independence. Results: This NMA included 27 studies comprising 2605 patients. For uncorrected near visual acuity, trifocal IOLs (mean difference, -0.32 [95% CrI, -0.46 to -0.19]) and old bifocal diffractive IOLs (mean difference, -0.33 [95% CrI, -0.50 to -0.14]) afforded better visual acuity than monofocal IOLs. Regarding uncorrected intermediate visual acuity, extended depth-of-focus IOLs provided better visual acuity than monofocal IOLs. However, there were no differences between extended depth-of-focus and trifocal diffractive IOLs in pairwise comparisons. For uncorrected distant visual acuity, all multifocal IOLs were comparable with monofocal IOLs. There were no statistical differences between multifocal and monofocal IOLs regarding contrast sensitivity, glare, or halos. Conclusions and Relevance: For patients considering a multifocal IOL due to presbyopia, bilateral implantation of a trifocal IOL might be an optimal option for patients without compromising distant visual acuity.

Inkjet printing of blue phosphorescent light-emitting layer based on bis(3,5-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl))diphenylsilane.

In this study, micropatterning of a blue light emitting, tetraphenylsilane-based phosphorescent material by inkjet printing was investigated. Bis(3,5-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl))diphenylsilane (SimCP2) doped with iridium bis(4,6-difluorophenypyridinato)picolate (FIrpic) was dissolved in a solvent mixture, and various conditions for the solvent composition and drying of films were examined. Homogeneous dot and line patterns with controllable thickness and smooth surface were obtained from a mixture of chlorobenzene and cyclohexanone at a moderate printing speed of 3 mm s-1 and a droplet ejection frequency of 70 Hz. An inkjet-printed device was designed and fabricated in [ITO/PEDOT:PSS /PVK/SimCP2:Flrpic/TSPO1/TPBi/LiF/Al] configuration, from which sky-blue light (0.14, 0.25) was obtained with a luminous efficiency of 10.73 cd A-1 and a power efficiency of 6.13 lm W-1. This amounted to 68% of the performance of an identical device where the emitting layer was spin coated. These results show the potential of inkjet printing as a low-cost patterning method for low molecular weight emitters in blue light emitting devices.

Scapular metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as acute bleeding and hematoma: A case report of safe and effective treatment.

RATIONALE: The occurrence of bleeding and hematoma from bone metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is extremely rare. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a case of scapular metastasis of HCC in a 69-year-old man who presented with acute bleeding and hematoma. DIAGNOSES: Chest computed tomography showed a large hematoma within the right pectoral muscle of the right upper chest and an exophytic metastatic mass in the right scapula with bony destruction, which caused the intramuscular hematoma. The final diagnosis was scapular metastasis of HCC presenting as acute bleeding and hematoma. INTERVENTIONS: Selective right subclavian angiography showed a hypervascular metastatic lesion in the right scapula. Subsequently, embolization of the tumoral feeding artery using a microcoil was performed and tumoral bleeding was stopped. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged on hospital day 14 without any complications. LESSONS: Despite being extremely rare, the possibility of bleeding from bone metastasis of HCC needs to be considered. Transcatheter arterial embolization may be an effective means to treat bleeding from bone metastasis of HCC.