Quantitative Changes of Phenolic Compounds in Pine Twigs by Variety, Harvest Season, and Growing Region.

Three new phenolic compounds including pinosylvin 3-methoxy-5-O-ß-D-glucoside (PMG), taxiresinol 4'-O-α-L-rhamnoside (TRR), and lariciresinol 4'-O-α-L-rhamnoside (LRR) were first isolated and identified from red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) twigs, together with four known compounds, such as (+)-catechin (CC), dihydromyricetin (DHM), dihydroquercetin 3-O-ß-D-glucoside (DHQG), and dihydroquercetin (DHQ). Additionally, the concentrations of seven phenolic compounds in pine twigs were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography based on cultivars, harvest seasons, and growing environments. Red and black pine twigs contain 379.33 and 308.83 mg/100 g of PMG as the predominant phenolics, respectively, and their contents were significantly higher in spring than in autumn. Red pine twigs contain higher amounts of three dihydroflavonols (DHM: 87.82, DHQG: 38.47, and DHQ: 68.07 mg/100 g) and two lignans (LRR: 15.63, TRR: 30.72 mg/100 g) than black pine twigs, except for higher (+)-CC level (21.88 mg/100 g) in black pine twigs. Two pine twigs had much higher flavonoid and lignan levels in the autumn than they had in the spring. Two pine twigs harvested in several different areas do not significantly differ in their phenolic compositions and contents. These results suggest that red pine twigs possessing phytochemical phenolics may be useful as potential sources for promoting human health.

Respiratory Safety Evaluation in Mice and Inhibition of Adenoviral Amplification in Human Bronchial Endothelial Cells Using a Novel Type of Chlorine Dioxide Gas Reactor.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing demand for effective and safe disinfectants. A novel use of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas, which can satisfy such demand, has been reported. However, its efficacy and safety remain unclear. For the safe use of this gas, the stable release of specific concentrations is a must. A new type of ClO2 generator called Dr.CLOTM has recently been introduced. This study aimed to investigate: (1) the effects of Dr.CLOTM on inhibiting adenoviral amplification on human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells; and (2) the acute inhalation safety of using Dr.CLOTM in animal models. After infecting HBE cells with a recombinant adenovirus, the inhibitory power of Dr.CLOTM on the virus was expressed as IFU/mL in comparison with the control group. The safety of ClO2 gas was indirectly predicted using mice by measuring single-dose inhalation toxicity in specially designed chambers. Dr.CLOTM was found to evaporate in a very constant concentration range at 0-0.011 ppm/m3 for 42 days. In addition, 36-100% of adenoviral amplification was suppressed by Dr.CLOTM, depending on the conditions. The LC50 of ClO2 gas to mice was approximately 68 ppm for males and 141 ppm for females. Histopathological evaluation showed that the lungs of female mice were more resistant to the toxicity from higher ClO2 gas concentrations than those of male mice. Taken together, these results indicate that Dr.CLOTM can be used to provide a safe indoor environment due to its technology that maintains the stable concentration and release of ClO2 gas, which could suppress viral amplification and may prevent viral infections.

Flexible Pyroresistive Graphene Composites for Artificial Thermosensation Differentiating Materials and Solvent Types.

When we touch an object, thermosensation allows us to perceive not only the temperature but also wetness and types of materials with different thermophysical properties (i.e., thermal conductivity and heat capacity) of objects. Emulation of such sensory abilities is important in robots, wearables, and haptic interfaces, but it is challenging because they are not directly perceptible sensations but rather learned abilities via sensory experiences. Emulating the thermosensation of human skin, we introduce an artificial thermosensation based on an intelligent thermo-/calorimeter (TCM) that can objectively differentiate types of contact materials and solvents with different thermophysical properties. We demonstrate a TCM based on pyroresistive composites with ultrahigh sensitivity (11.2% °C-1) and high accuracy (<0.1 °C) by precisely controlling the melt-induced volume expansion of a semicrystalline polymer, as well as the negative temperature coefficient of reduced graphene oxide. In addition, the ultrathin TCM with coplanar electrode design shows deformation-insensitive temperature sensing, facilitating wearable skin temperature monitoring with accuracy higher than a commercial thermometer. Moreover, the TCM with a high pyroresistivity can objectively differentiate types of contact materials and solvents with different thermophysical properties. In a proof-of-principle application, our intelligent TCM, coupled with a machine-learning algorithm, enables objective evaluation of the thermal attributes (coolness and wetness) of skincare products.

Quantitative Changes of Flavonol Glycosides from Pine Needles by Cultivar, Harvest Season, and Thermal Process.

Five flavonol glycosides including quercetin 3-O-ß-D-glucoside (QG), kaempferol 3-O-ß-D-glucoside (KG), quercetin 3-O-(6″-O-acetyl)-ß-D-glucoside (QAG), kaempferol 3-O-(6″-O-acetyl)-ß-D-glucoside (KAG), and quercetin 3-O-(3″-O-p-coumaroyl)-ß-D-glucoside (QCG) were isolated and purified from red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) nee-dles, and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometer spectral analyses. In addition, the quantification of the five flavonol glycosides in pine needles was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis according to cultivar, growing district, harvest season, and thermal processing. The red pine needles had higher amounts of the five flavonol glycosides than the black pine needles except for QCG. There were no large differences in flavonoid composition and content among pine needles grown in three different areas. Levels of the five flavonol glycosides in red pine needles harvested during Spring ranged from 6.13 to 27.03 mg/100 g dry weight. Levels of two flavonol glycosides, QG and KG, gradually decreased with increasing harvest time, whereas the acylated flavonol glycoside, QCG, a predominant flavo-noid in pine needles, increased gradually with increasing harvest time. Two acetyl flavonol glycosides, QAG and KAG, increased steadily through Spring to Autumn, and then decreased gradually by Winter. Meanwhile heat treatments, such as roasting and steaming, increased the five flavonol glycosides during heating for 3 min, but then slowly decreased these when heating for 10 min. Microwave processing increased to some extent the five flavonol glycosides when heating for 3 min, and remained unchanged during the 10 min heating. These results suggest that the pretreated red pine needles with enhanced flavonoid content may be useful as potential sources for nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals.

Proposal and Assessment of a De-Identification Strategy to Enhance Anonymity of the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model (OMOP-CDM) in a Public Cloud-Computing Environment: Anonymization of Medical Data Using Privacy Models.

BACKGROUND: De-identifying personal information is critical when using personal health data for secondary research. The Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model (CDM), defined by the nonprofit organization Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics, has been gaining attention for its use in the analysis of patient-level clinical data obtained from various medical institutions. When analyzing such data in a public environment such as a cloud-computing system, an appropriate de-identification strategy is required to protect patient privacy. OBJECTIVE: This study proposes and evaluates a de-identification strategy that is comprised of several rules along with privacy models such as k-anonymity, l-diversity, and t-closeness. The proposed strategy was evaluated using the actual CDM database. METHODS: The CDM database used in this study was constructed by the Anam Hospital of Korea University. Analysis and evaluation were performed using the ARX anonymizing framework in combination with the k-anonymity, l-diversity, and t-closeness privacy models. RESULTS: The CDM database, which was constructed according to the rules established by Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics, exhibited a low risk of re-identification: The highest re-identifiable record rate (11.3%) in the dataset was exhibited by the DRUG_EXPOSURE table, with a re-identification success rate of 0.03%. However, because all tables include at least one "highest risk" value of 100%, suitable anonymizing techniques are required; moreover, the CDM database preserves the "source values" (raw data), a combination of which could increase the risk of re-identification. Therefore, this study proposes an enhanced strategy to de-identify the source values to significantly reduce not only the highest risk in the k-anonymity, l-diversity, and t-closeness privacy models but also the overall possibility of re-identification. CONCLUSIONS: Our proposed de-identification strategy effectively enhanced the privacy of the CDM database, thereby encouraging clinical research involving multiple centers.

A Multi-Component Analysis of CPTED in the Cyberspace Domain.

The visual fidelity of a virtual environment lacks the exceedingly complex layers from the physical world, but the continuous improvements of image rendering technology and computation powers have led to greater demands for virtual simulations. Our study employs Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a risk control measure and utilizes two principles: Access Control and Natural Surveillance. We conducted an experiment with (n-sample: 100) graduate students. For the experiment, we utilized the Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) to quantitatively analyze the risk. Furthermore, we adopted the lme4 package for R to estimate the mixed effect of the 6,242,880 observations retrieved from Kaggle. Based on the two experiments, we were able to critically evaluate the contributions of CPTED through a multi-component analysis. Our study investigates how spatial syntax and territorial demarcation may translate in the cyberspace realm. We found that the corollaries of the mophology in the virtual environment effects the distribution of crime. The results of our study discusses how to determine the criminogenic designs and capacity in the cyberspace realm.

A study of skin characteristics according to humidity during sleep.

INTRODUCTION: During sleep, the skin is exposed to various environments for example low or high humidity and temperature. And the average of 7-8 hours of sleeping in those situations can affect skin condition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine skin characteristics according to humidity during sleep. METHOD: Eleven healthy women in their ages of 20s and 30s were controlled. They slept more than 7 hours at lower than 30% relative humidity (RH) environment on the first day and at higher than 70% on the second day. The room temperature was controlled to 22 ± 5°C. Three measurement points were (a) before for sleep (after wash), (b) after 7 hours sleep (morning), and (c) after wash. Skin hydration, sebum secretion, and trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured. The statistical significance was determined at P < 0.05. RESULT: After 7 hours of sleep in 30% RH condition, skin hydration decreased by 24.23% significantly, but there was no significant difference after sleeping in 70% RH. The sebum level was increased after sleep at 30% RH. The TEWL did not show differences according to the humidity during sleep but significantly increased after facial cleansing in 30% RH sleeping condition. DISCUSSION: In this study, we confirmed that the changes in skin characteristics may be affected by humidity during sleep. When sleeping in dry environment, skin hydration decreases but the amount of sebum increases to compensate for skin dryness. Therefore, this study might suggest how to care the skin before sleep depending on the room humidity.

Clinical and Laboratory Findings of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection.

There is a paucity of data regarding the differentiating characteristics of patients with laboratory-confirmed and those negative for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in South Korea. This hospital-based retrospective study compared MERS-CoV-positive and MERS-CoV-negative patients. A total of seven positive patients and 55 negative patients with a median age of 43 years (P = 0.845) were included. No statistical differences were observed with respect to their sex and the presence of comorbidities. At the time of admission, headache (28.6% vs. 3.6%; odds ratio [OR], 10.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-92.27), myalgia (57.1% vs. 9.1%; OR, 13.33; 95% CI, 2.30-77.24), and diarrhea (57.1% vs. 14.5%; OR, 7.83; 95% CI, 1.47-41.79) were common among MERS-CoV-positive patients. MERS-CoV-positive patients were more likely to have a low platelet count (164 ± 76.57 vs. 240 ± 79.87) and eosinophil (0.27 ± 0.43 vs. 2.13 ± 2.01; P = 0.003). Chest radiography with diffuse bronchopneumonia was more frequent in MERS-CoV-positive patients than in negative patients (100% vs. 62.5%; P = 0.491). The symptoms of headache, myalgia, and diarrhea, as well as laboratory characteristics, including low platelet counts and eosinophil, and chest X-ray showing diffuse bronchopneumonia might enhance the ability to detect patients in South Korea infected with MERS-CoV.

Estrogen receptor-related receptor γ regulates testicular steroidogenesis through direct and indirect regulation of steroidogenic gene expression.

Biosynthesis of testosterone, which mainly occurs in testicular Leydig cells, is controlled by steroidogenic proteins, such as StAR and P450c17. Although estrogen-related receptor gamma (ERRγ), an orphan nuclear receptor, is expressed in the testis, its role is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the expression of ERRγ in Leydig cells and its molecular action on testicular steroidogenesis. ERRγ is expressed in mouse Leydig cells from pre-pubertal stages. ERRγ overexpression in primary Leydig cells elevated the production of testosterone with a marked increase of P450c17 expression at both mRNA and protein levels, albeit decreased expression of StAR. Promoter-reporter analyses showed that ERRγ directly regulated the P450c17 promoter. Further deletion mutant analyses of the P450c17 promoter revealed that ERRγ activated expression of the P450c17 gene by binding to an ERRγ response element within the P450c17 promoter. Meanwhile, ERRγ suppressed cAMP-induced activation of the StAR promoter, which was likely due to ERRγ-mediated inhibition of the transcriptional activity of Nur77, which is induced by cAMP and regulates StAR gene expression in Leydig cells. Interestingly, ERRγ coexpression also decreased the protein level of Nur77, which occurred through proteasomal degradation, suggesting ERRγ-mediated regulation of steroidogenesis at another level. Taken together, these findings suggest that ERRγ regulates testicular steroidogenesis, both directly controlling and indirectly fine-tuning the expression of steroidogenic genes.

Inflated Sporopollenin Exine Capsules Obtained from Thin-Walled Pollen.

Sporopollenin is a physically robust and chemically resilient biopolymer that comprises the outermost layer of pollen walls and is the first line of defense against harsh environmental conditions. The unique physicochemical properties of sporopollenin increasingly motivate the extraction of sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) from pollen walls as a renewable source of organic microcapsules for encapsulation applications. Despite the wide range of different pollen species with varying sizes and wall thicknesses, faithful extraction of pollen-mimetic SECs has been limited to thick-walled pollen capsules with rigid mechanical properties. There is an unmet need to develop methods for producing SECs from thin-walled pollen capsules which constitute a large fraction of all pollen species and have attractive materials properties such as greater aerosol dispersion. Herein, we report the first successful extraction of inflated SEC microcapsules from a thin-walled pollen species (Zea mays), thereby overcoming traditional challenges with mechanical stability and loss of microstructure. Morphological and compositional characterization of the SECs obtained by the newly developed extraction protocol confirms successful protein removal along with preservation of nanoscale architectural features. Looking forward, there is excellent potential to apply similar strategies across a wide range of unexplored thin-walled pollen species.

Carbon dioxide pneumothorax occurring during laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy due to a congenital diaphragmatic defect: a case report.

During laparoscopic surgery, carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumothorax can develop due to a congenital defect in the diaphragm. We present a case of a spontaneous massive left-sided pneumothorax that occurred during laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy, because of an escape of intraperitoneal CO2 gas, under pressure, into the pleural cavity through a congenital defect in the esophageal hiatus of the left diaphragm. This was confirmed on intraoperative chest radiography and laparoscopic inspection. This CO2 pneumothorax caused tolerable hemodynamic and respiratory consequences, and was rapidly reversible after release of the pneumoperitoneum. Thus, a conservative approach was adopted, and the remainder of the surgery was completed, laparoscopically. Due to the high solubility of CO2 gas and the extra-pulmonary mechanism, CO2 pneumothorax with otherwise hemodynamically stable conditions can be managed by conservative modalities, avoiding unnecessary chest tube insertion or conversion to an open procedure.

Eco-friendly streamlined process for sporopollenin exine capsule extraction.

Sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) extracted from Lycopodium clavatum spores are an attractive biomaterial possessing a highly robust structure suitable for microencapsulation strategies. Despite several decades of research into SEC extraction methods, the protocols commonly used for L. clavatum still entail processing with both alkaline and acidolysis steps at temperatures up to 180 °C and lasting up to 7 days. Herein, we demonstrate a significantly streamlined processing regimen, which indicates that much lower temperatures and processing durations can be used without alkaline lysis. By employing CHN elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and dynamic image particle analysis (DIPA), the optimum conditions for L. clavatum SEC processing were determined to include 30 hours acidolysis at 70 °C without alkaline lysis. Extending these findings to proof-of-concept encapsulation studies, we further demonstrate that our SECs are able to achieve a loading of 0.170 ± 0.01 g BSA per 1 g SECs by vacuum-assisted loading. Taken together, our streamlined processing method and corresponding characterization of SECs provides important insights for the development of applications including drug delivery, cosmetics, personal care products, and foods.

Phenotypic regulation of liver cells in a biofunctionalized three-dimensional hydrogel platform.

Loss of function is a major challenge for hepatocytes that are cultured on two-dimensional (2D) cell culture platforms. Biofunctionalized three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds produced by microfabrication strategies can overcome these limitations by presenting vital environmental cues, strong mechanical properties, and three-dimensional geometry to enable high-fidelity liver tissue engineering. Herein, we report the detailed investigation of hepatocarcinoma (Huh 7.5) cellular behavior in a collagen-functionalized microsphere-templated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel scaffold which promotes 3D hepatic sheet morphology. Collagen conjugation led to improved liver-specific functions, including albumin production and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activity. Importantly, the gene expression of numerous cell-adhesion markers was enhanced along with stimulated innate hepatocyte fibronectin production. Taken together, the findings reveal a close connection between hepatic cell morphology and gene expression, offering evidence that surface-coated collagen in the 3D hydrogel platform triggers the upregulation of hepatocyte-specific transcription factors and the secretion of liver metabolic markers.

Natural Sunflower Pollen as a Drug Delivery Vehicle.

In nature, pollen grains play a vital role for encapsulation. Many pollen species exist which are often used as human food supplements. Dynamic image particle analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy analysis confirmed the size, structural uniformity, and macromolecular encapsulation in sunflower pollen, paving the way to explore natural pollen grains for the encapsulation of therapeutic molecules.

Biofunctionalized Hydrogel Microscaffolds Promote 3D Hepatic Sheet Morphology.

Development of artificial tissues providing the proper geometrical, mechanical, and environmental cues for cells is highly coveted in the field of tissue engineering. Recently, microfabrication strategies in combination with other chemistries have been utilized to capture the architectural complexity of intricate organs, such as the liver, in in vitro platforms. Here it is shown that a biofunctionalized poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel scaffold, fabricated using a sphere-template, facilitates hepatic sheet formation that follows the microscale patterns of the scaffold surface. The design takes advantage of the excellent diffusion properties of porous, uniform 3D hydrogel platforms, and the enhanced-cell-extracellular matrix interaction with the display of conjugated collagen type I, which in turn elicits favorable Huh-7.5 response. Collectively, the experimental findings and corresponding simulations demonstrate the importance of biofunctionalized porous scaffolds and indicate that the microscaffold shows promise in liver tissue engineering applications and provides distinct advantages over current cell sheet and hepatocyte spheroid technologies.

Plasmonic Nanohole Sensor for Capturing Single Virus-Like Particles toward Virucidal Drug Evaluation.

A plasmonic nanohole sensor for virus-like particle capture and virucidal drug evaluation is reported. Using a materials-selective surface functionalization scheme, passive immobilization of virus-like particles only within the nanoholes is achieved. The findings demonstrate that a low surface coverage of particles only inside the functionalized nanoholes significantly improves nanoplasmonic sensing performance over conventional nanohole arrays.

Extracellular Matrix Functionalization and Huh-7.5 Cell Coculture Promote the Hepatic Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a 3D ICC Hydrogel Scaffold.

In this study, we constructed a microporous hydrogel scaffold with hexagonally packed interconnected cavities and extracellular matrix (ECM)-functionalized interior surface, and systematically investigated the hepatic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAD-MSCs) under the influence of three key factors: three-dimensional (3D) geometry, ECM presence, and coculture with hepatocyte-derived cell line. Results confirmed that (i) hepatic differentiation of hAD-MSC is more efficient in a 3D microporous scaffold than in 2D monolayer culture; (ii) the presence of both ECM components (fibronectin and collagen-I) in the scaffold is superior to collagen-I only, highlighting the importance of fibronectin; and (iii) coculture with Huh-7.5 hepatocyte-derived cells promoted liver-specific functions of the hAD-MSC-derived hepatocytes. The optimized differentiation process only took 21 days to complete, a time length that is shorter or at least comparable to previous reports, and more importantly, yielded an albumin production more than 10-fold higher than conventional 2D culture. Our approach of optimizing hAD-MSC hepatic differentiation could provide a potential solution to the challenges such as hepatocyte transplantation or the establishment of human physiologically relevant liver models in vitro.

Bio-inspired Hierarchical Nanowebs for Green Catalysis.

Bio-inspired 3D hierarchical nanowebs are fabricated using silicon micropillars, carbon nanotubes (CNT), and manganese oxide. The Si pillars act as artificial branches for growing CNTs and the secondary metal coating strengthens the structures. The simple but effective structure provides both chemical and mechanical stability to be used as a green catalyst for recycling waste polymers into raw materials.

A Highly Sensitive and Reliable Strain Sensor Using a Hierarchical 3D and Ordered Network of Carbon Nanotubes.

A 3D network of single-walled carbon nanotubes embedded in poly-(dimethylsiloxane) is presented as a promising route to the fabrication of a flexible film with ordered and interconnected single-walled carbon nanotubes. This is possible using a simple transfer method of as-grown hierarchical single-walled carbon nanotubes on a Si pillar substrate. This film is used as a highly sensitive strain gauge sensor. This type of network embedded in a polymer film should be applicable to many fields involving mechanically stable and reliable strain sensors.

TiO2 particles on a 3D network of single-walled nanotubes for NH3 gas sensors.

Ammonia (NH3) gas is one of the gases which causes damage to environment such as acidification and climate change. In this study, a gas sensor based on the three-dimensional (3D) network of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) was fabricated for the detection of NH3 gas in dry air. The sensor showed enhanced performance due to the fast gas diffusion rate and weak interactions between the carbon nanotubes and the substrate. Metal oxide particles were introduced to enhance the performance of the gas sensor. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was employed to deposit the metal oxide in the complex structure, and good control over thickness was achieved. The hybrid gas sensor consisting of the 3D network of SWNTs with anatase TiO2 particles showed stable, repeatable, and enhanced gas sensor performance. The phase of TiO2 particles was characterized by Raman and the morphology of the TiO2 particles on the 3D network of SWNTs was analyzed by transmission electron microscope.