The Protective Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid for Stress-induced Accelerated Senescence in Vascular Endothelial Cells.

Background: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that protects against cardiovascular diseases in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and may have pleotropic effects beyond lowering triglycerides. Many degenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, are related to cellular senescence as a pathophysiological mechanism. We aimed to examine whether EPA could protect vascular endothelial cells under stress conditions against stress-induced accelerated senescence (SIAS). Methods: Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to H2O2 as oxidative stress and a high glucose concentration with palmitate as a glucolipotoxic condition. Changes in cell viability, apoptosis, lactate dehydrogenase release, and cell cycle analysis were measured by cell counting kit-8 assay, annexin V/ propidium iodide staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. EPA was applied in stress conditions. The degree of senescence was measured by senescence-associated beta-galactosidase staining and p16 staining using immunofluorescence. Apoptosis and cellular senescence-related proteins were measured by Western blotting. Results: Cultured HUVECs under oxidative and glucolipotoxic stresses revealed accelerated senescence and increased apoptosis. These changes were markedly reversed by EPA administration, and the expressions of apoptosis and cellular senescence-related proteins were reversed by EPA treatment. Conclusion: EPA effectively protects HUVECs against SIAS, which may be one of its pleotrophic effects.

A double-blind, Randomized controlled trial on glucose-lowering EFfects and safety of adding 0.25 or 0.5 mg lobeglitazone in type 2 diabetes patients with INadequate control on metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor therapy: REFIND study.

AIMS: To compare the efficacy and safety of adding low-dose lobeglitazone (0.25 mg/day) or standard-dose lobeglitazone (0.5 mg/day) to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with inadequate glucose control on metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP4) inhibitor therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this phase 4, multicentre, double-blind, randomized controlled, non-inferiority trial, patients with T2DM insufficiently controlled by metformin and DPP4 inhibitor combination therapy were randomized to receive either low-dose or standard-dose lobeglitazone. The primary endpoint was non-inferiority of low-dose lobeglitazone in terms of glycaemic control, expressed as the difference in mean glycated haemoglobin levels at week 24 relative to baseline values and compared with standard-dose lobeglitazone, using 0.5% non-inferiority margin. RESULTS: At week 24, the mean glycated haemoglobin levels were 6.87 ± 0.54% and 6.68 ± 0.46% in low-dose and standard-dose lobeglitazone groups, respectively (p = .031). The between-group difference was 0.18% (95% confidence interval 0.017-0.345), showing non-inferiority of the low-dose lobeglitazone. Mean body weight changes were significantly greater in the standard-dose group (1.36 ± 2.23 kg) than in the low-dose group (0.50 ± 1.85 kg) at week 24. The changes in HOMA-IR, lipid profile and liver enzyme levels showed no significant difference between the groups. Overall treatment-emergent adverse events (including weight gain, oedema and hypoglycaemia) occurred more frequently in the standard-dose group. CONCLUSIONS: Adding low-dose lobeglitazone to metformin and DPP4 inhibitor combination resulted in a non-inferior glucose-lowering outcome and fewer adverse events compared with standard-dose lobeglitazone. Therefore, low-dose lobeglitazone might be one option for individualized strategy in patients with T2DM.

Design of EM Sensor for Non-Contact Detection of Defective Wire Harness in Conveyor System.

For a non-contact detection of defective wire harness in conveyor system, a new method using the electromagnetic (EM) sensor is proposed in this paper. A dual-feed and multi array microstrip patch antenna operating at 5.8 GHz is utilized to design the EM sensor. When the wire harness is located above patch antenna, the equivalent circuit of each patch antenna and wire harness can be modeled as shunt resistor, capacitor, and inductor. Moreover, a capacitive coupling between the patch antenna and the wire harness is generated. Next, the shunt resistor of wire harness increases due to the defect of the wire so that the reflection coefficient of the patch antenna is lower than that of the wire without defect; thus, the defect of wire harness can be detected by magnitude of reflection coefficient at resonant frequency. The performances of the designed EM sensor are verified and compared by the equivalent circuit modeling, full-wave simulation, and measurement.

Korean-english Bilingual Children's Stress Cue Sensitivity and its Relationship with Reading in English.

Lexical stress plays a critical role in multisyllabic word reading in English. However, assignment of English lexical stress, which is neither fixed nor marked in writing, can pose significant challenges for English learners and has not been well-understood. The present study aims to fill the research gap by studying sensitivity to lexical stress cues and its contribution to their word reading performance among young English-language learners whose first language is Korean. The fundamental differences in prosodic systems between Korean and English provide theoretical significance of studying how bilingual children having no lexical stress in their first language process English lexical stress. This study focuses on two major cues to English lexical stress: morphological and orthographic cues. Findings revealed that the participants are sensitive to the two stress cues, with better performance with orthographic cues to stress assignment. However, no statistically significant correlations were found among variables on stress cue sensitivity with those on reading.

Performance Evaluation of Biozentech Malaria Scanner in Plasmodium knowlesi and P. falciparum as a New Diagnostic Tool.

The computer vision diagnostic approach currently generates several malaria diagnostic tools. It enhances the accessible and straightforward diagnostics that necessary for clinics and health centers in malaria-endemic areas. A new computer malaria diagnostics tool called the malaria scanner was used to investigate living malaria parasites with easy sample preparation, fast and user-friendly. The cultured Plasmodium parasites were used to confirm the sensitivity of this technique then compared to fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and light microscopic examination. The measured percentage of parasitemia by the malaria scanner revealed higher precision than microscopy and was similar to FACS. The coefficients of variation of this technique were 1.2-6.7% for Plasmodium knowlesi and 0.3-4.8% for P. falciparum. It allowed determining parasitemia levels of 0.1% or higher, with coefficient of variation smaller than 10%. In terms of the precision range of parasitemia, both high and low ranges showed similar precision results. Pearson's correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation data coming from all methods. A strong correlation of measured parasitemia (r2=0.99, P<0.05) was observed between each method. The parasitemia analysis using this new diagnostic tool needs technical improvement, particularly in the differentiation of malaria species.

Independent muscle of extensor hallucis capsularis: a cadaveric case report.

Extensor hallucis capsularis (EHC) is an accessory tendon located medially to extensor halluces longus (EHL) tendon. Most EHC is known to originate as a tendinous slip of the EHL tendon, although it may be splitted from the tibialis anterior (TA) tendon or the extensor halluces brevis (EHB) tendon. During routine dissection of a 49-year-old male cadaver, independent muscle bellies of EHC were discovered bilaterally. The EHL muscle arose from the middle anteromedial aspect of fibula, lateral to the origin of TA muscle and medial to extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. An additional muscle bellies were separated from EHL muscle at the point of 6 cm away from EHL origin in the right leg, and 3 cm away in the left. They coursed downward as EHC to reach the first metatarsophalangeal joint capsule. This muscle, unlike the variations identified to date, is considered to extend to EHC, and the name "extensor hallucis capsularis muscle" is offered. This kind of variation may be important for investigating the development of deformity at the first metatarsophalangeal joint, such as hallux valgus.

Therapeutic Effects of Hyaluronic Acid in Bacterial Pneumonia in Ex Vivo Perfused Human Lungs.

Rationale: Recent studies have demonstrated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) released during acute lung injury (ALI) were inflammatory.Objectives: The current study was undertaken to test the role of EVs induced and released from severe Escherichia coli pneumonia (E. coli EVs) in the pathogenesis of ALI and to determine whether high-molecular-weight (HMW) hyaluronic acid (HA) administration would suppress lung injury from E. coli EVs or bacterial pneumonia.Methods:E. coli EVs were collected from the perfusate of an ex vivo perfused human lung injured with intrabronchial E. coli bacteria for 6 hours by ultracentrifugation and then given intrabronchially or intravenously to naive human lungs. One hour later, HMW HA was instilled into the perfusate (n = 5-6). In separate experiments, HMW HA was given after E. coli bacterial pneumonia (n = 6-10). In vitro experiments were conducted to evaluate binding of EVs to HMW HA and uptake of EVs by human monocytes.Measurements and Main Results: Administration of HMW HA ameliorated the impairment of alveolar fluid clearance, protein permeability, and acute inflammation from E. coli EVs or pneumonia and reduced total bacteria counts after E. coli pneumonia. HMW HA bound to E. coli EVs, inhibiting the uptake of EVs by human monocytes, an effect associated with reduced TNFα (tumor necrosis factor α) secretion. Surprisingly, HMW HA increased E. coli bacteria phagocytosis by monocytes.Conclusions: EVs induced and released during severe bacterial pneumonia were inflammatory and induced ALI, and HMW HA administration was effective in inhibiting the uptake of EVs by target cells and decreasing lung injury from E. coli EVs or bacterial pneumonia.

Efficacy and safety of gemigliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled with combination treatment of metformin and sulphonylurea: a 24-week, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (TROICA study).

AIMS: To assess the efficacy and safety of gemigliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, added to metformin and sulphonylurea in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 219 Korean patients inadequately controlled with metformin and glimepiride. Participants were randomized to gemigliptin 50 mg once daily or placebo added to metformin and glimepiride. The primary endpoint was change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level from baseline to week 24. RESULTS: The baseline HbA1c was 8.2% in both groups. The addition of gemigliptin to metformin and glimepiride significantly reduced HbA1c levels at week 24 compared with placebo (between-group difference in adjusted mean change -0.87%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.09% to -0.64%). Fasting plasma glucose level was also significantly reduced with gemigliptin (-0.93 mmol/L, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.35 mmol/L), and a higher proportion of participants achieved an HbA1c level of <7% (39.3% vs 5.5%; P <.001) in the gemigliptin group than in the placebo group. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were modestly but significantly reduced in the gemigliptin group compared with the placebo group (-0.21 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.03 mmol/L for total cholesterol, -0.18 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.34 to -0.01 mmol/L for LDL cholesterol). The incidence of hypoglycaemia was 9.4% in the gemigliptin group and 2.7% in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Gemigliptin significantly improved glycaemic control in patients with T2DM inadequately controlled with metformin and sulphonylurea. The incidence of hypoglycaemia was higher with gemigliptin than with placebo, which highlights the importance of optimal dose adjustment for sulphonylurea.

Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutic Effect of Adiponectin Gene Delivery Using a Polymeric Carrier in an Acute Lung Injury Model.

PURPOSE: Adiponectin (APN) is an adipokine with anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects. In this study, the therapeutic effect of APN gene delivery using a polymeric carrier was evaluated in an acute lung injury (ALI) model. METHODS: Polyethylenimine (2 kDa, PEI2K), PEI25K (25 kDa), polyamidoamine (generation 2, PAMG2), dexamethasone-conjugated PEI2k (PEI2K-Dexa), and dexamethasone-conjugated PAMG2 (PAMG2-Dexa) were evaluated in vitro and in vivo as gene carriers. Formation of plasmid DNA (pDNA)/carrier complexes was confirmed by gel retardation and heparin competition assays. Delivery efficiency was measured by a luciferase assay and fluorescence microscopy. In an ALI animal model, pAPN/carrier complexes were delivered by intratracheal administration. Therapeutic effects were evaluated by cytokine assays and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. RESULTS: Gel retardation assays showed that PEI2K-Dexa and PAMG2-Dexa formed complexes with pDNA. In L2 lung epithelial cells, PAMG2-Dexa yielded higher transfection efficiency than PEI2K, PAMG2, PEI25K, lipofectamine, and PEI2K-Dexa. In vivo experiments showed that PAMG2-Dexa delivered DNA more efficiently to lung tissue than PEI2K-Dexa and PEI25K. Delivery of pAPN/PAMG2-Dexa complexes upregulated APN expression in the lungs of mice with ALI. As a result, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1ß were decreased. H&E staining showed that inflammation in the lungs of mice with ALI was reduced by delivery of the APN gene. CONCLUSION: Delivery of the APN gene using PAMG2-Dexa reduced inflammation in the lungs of mice with ALI. The APN gene could be a useful tool in the development of gene therapy for ALI.

Bilateral chylothorax following anterior cervical spine surgery.

Bilateral chylothorax following anterior cervical spine surgery is very rare. This report documents the first case of chylothorax after anterior cervical spine surgery through a right-side surgical approach. Unidentified chyle leakage can easily remain unrecognized and, thus, is difficult to treat. For early diagnosis and treatment, it is very important to consider the possibility of chylothorax following anterior cervical spine surgery, even when using a right-side surgical approach.

Characterization of Pv92, a Novel Merozoite Surface Protein of Plasmodium vivax.

The discovery and understanding of antigenic proteins are essential for development of a vaccine against malaria. In Plasmodium falciparum, Pf92 have been characterized as a merozoite surface protein, and this protein is expressed at the late schizont stage, but no study of Pv92, the orthologue of Pf92 in P. vivax, has been reported. Thus, the protein structure of Pv92 was analyzed, and the gene sequence was aligned with that of other Plasmodium spp. using bioinformatics tools. The recombinant Pv92 protein was expressed and purified using bacterial expression system and used for immunization of mice to gain the polyclonal antibody and for evaluation of antigenicity by protein array. Also, the antibody against Pv92 was used for subcellular analysis by immunofluorescence assay. The Pv92 protein has a signal peptide and a sexual stage s48/45 domain, and the cysteine residues at the N-terminal of Pv92 were completely conserved. The N-terminal of Pv92 was successfully expressed as soluble form using a bacterial expression system. The antibody raised against Pv92 recognized the parasites and completely merged with PvMSP1-19, indicating that Pv92 was localized on the merozoite surface. Evaluation of the human humoral immune response to Pv92 indicated moderate antigenicity, with 65% sensitivity and 95% specificity by protein array. Taken together, the merozoite surface localization and antigenicity of Pv92 implicate that it might be involved in attachment and invasion of a merozoite to a new host cell or immune evasion during invasion process.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral DA-1229 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have inadequate glycaemic control with diet and exercise.

BACKGROUND: DA-1229 is a novel, potent and selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-IV) inhibitor that is orally bioavailable. We aimed to evaluate the optimal dose, efficacy and safety of DA-1229, in Korean subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus suboptimally controlled with diet and exercise. METHODS: We enrolled 158 patients (mean age, 53 years and a mean BMI, 25.6 kg/m(2) ). The mean baseline fasting plasma glucose level, HbA1c and duration of diabetes were 8.28 mmol/L, 7.6% (60 mmol/mol) and 3.9 years, respectively. After 2 or 6 weeks of an exercise and diet program followed by 2 weeks of a placebo period, the subjects were randomized into one of four groups for a 12-week active treatment period: placebo, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg of DA-1229. RESULTS: All three doses of DA-1229 significantly reduced HbA1c from baseline compared to the placebo group (-0.09 in the placebo group vs. -0.56, -0.66 and -0.61% in 2.5, 5 and 10-mg groups, respectively) but without any significant differences between the doses. Insulin secretory function, as assessed by homeostasis model assessment ß-cell, the insulinogenic index, 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) C-peptide and post-OGTT C-peptide area under the curve (AUC)0-2h, significantly improved with DA-1229 treatment. The incidence of adverse events was similar between the treatment groups and DA-1229 did not affect body weight or induce hypoglycaemic events. CONCLUSIONS: DA-1229 monotherapy (5 mg for 12 weeks) improved HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose level, OGTT results and ß-cell function. This drug was well tolerated in Korean subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anagliptin in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anagliptin in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. A total of 109 patients were randomized to 100 mg (n=37) or 200 mg (n=33) anagliptin twice daily or placebo (n=39). The primary objective was to alter HbA1c levels from baseline at a 24-week endpoint. The overall baseline mean age and body mass index were 56.20 ± 9.77 years and 25.01 ± 2.97 kg/m(2), respectively, and the HbA1c level was of 7.14 ± 0.69 %. Anagliptin at 100 mg and 200 mg produced significant reductions in HbA1c (-0.50 ± 0.45 % and -0.51 ± 0.55%, respectively), and the placebo treatment resulted in an increase in HbA1c by 0.23 ± 0.62 %. Both doses of anagliptin produced significant decreases in fasting plasma glucose (-0.53 ± 1.25 mmol/L and -0.72 ± 1.25 mmol/L, respectively) and the proinsulin/insulin ratio (-0.04 ± 0.15 and -0.07 ± 0.18, respectively) compared with placebo. No meaningful body weight changes from baseline were observed in three groups. Plasma dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 activity was significantly inhibited after 24 weeks of anagliptin treatment, and >75% and >90% inhibitions were observed during the meal tolerance tests with 100 mg and 200 mg anagliptin, respectively. The incidences of adverse or serious adverse events were similar among the three study groups. Twice-daily anagliptin therapy effectively inhibited DPP-4 activity and improved glycemic control and was well-tolerated in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Identification of Immunodominant B-cell Epitope Regions of Reticulocyte Binding Proteins in Plasmodium vivax by Protein Microarray Based Immunoscreening.

Plasmodium falciparum can invade all stages of red blood cells, while Plasmodium vivax can invade only reticulocytes. Although many P. vivax proteins have been discovered, their functions are largely unknown. Among them, P. vivax reticulocyte binding proteins (PvRBP1 and PvRBP2) recognize and bind to reticulocytes. Both proteins possess a C-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain, which drives adhesion to reticulocytes. PvRBP1 and PvRBP2 are large (> 326 kDa), which hinders identification of the functional domains. In this study, the complete genome information of the P. vivax RBP family was thoroughly analyzed using a prediction server with bioinformatics data to predict B-cell epitope domains. Eleven pvrbp family genes that included 2 pseudogenes and 9 full or partial length genes were selected and used to express recombinant proteins in a wheat germ cell-free system. The expressed proteins were used to evaluate the humoral immune response with vivax malaria patients and healthy individual serum samples by protein microarray. The recombinant fragments of 9 PvRBP proteins were successfully expressed; the soluble proteins ranged in molecular weight from 16 to 34 kDa. Evaluation of the humoral immune response to each recombinant PvRBP protein indicated a high antigenicity, with 38-88% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Of them, N-terminal parts of PvRBP2c (PVX_090325-1) and PvRBP2 like partial A (PVX_090330-1) elicited high antigenicity. In addition, the PvRBP2-like homologue B (PVX_116930) fragment was newly identified as high antigenicity and may be exploited as a potential antigenic candidate among the PvRBP family. The functional activity of the PvRBP family on merozoite invasion remains unknown.

Metagonimus yokogawai: a 100-kDa somatic antigen commonly reacting with other trematodes.

This study was undertaken to characterize the properties of a 100 kDa somatic antigen from Metagonimus yokogawai. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against this 100 kDa antigen, and their immunoreactivity was assessed by western blot analysis with patients' sera. The mAbs against the 100 kDa antigen commonly reacted with various kinds of trematode antigens, including intestinal (Gymnophalloides seoi), lung (Paragonimus westermani), and liver flukes (Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola hepatica). However, this mAb showed no cross-reactions with other helminth parasites, including nematodes and cestodes. To determine the topographic distribution of the 100 kDa antigen in worm sections, indirect immunoperoxidase staining was performed. A strong positive reaction was observed in the tegumental and subtegumental layers of adult M. yokogawai and C. sinensis. The results showed that the 100 kDa somatic protein of M. yokogawai is a common antigen which recognizes a target epitope present over the tegumental layer of different trematode species.

An Anatomically Complicated Living Donor Kidney Transplantation from Hepatitis B Surface Antigen-Positive Donor to Negative Recipient With Size Discrepancy.

The deficiency of organ donors remains a barrier to kidney transplantation. Living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) can overcome graft shortage, resulting in better outcomes. Many efforts are being made to expand the donor pool, such as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive donors to negative recipients and anatomically complicated donor kidneys with size discrepancies. We report a case in which we overcame various problems in LDKT. The recipient was a 56-year-old, 106-kg, HBsAg negative male with diabetic nephropathy. The donor was a 63-year-old female, 56-kg, hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier with dual renal arteries. Preoperative antiviral medication was provided to the donor for negative conversion of HBV-DNA. The recipient was given HBV vaccination (antihepatitis B antibody: 2.25-36.16 mIU/mL). Anti-HBV immunoglobulin was intraoperatively administered to prevent transmission. The donor and recipient had an absolute weight difference (50 kg). In addition, the donor's kidney had a main and an accessory artery in the upper pole, which were anastomosed to the recipient's right external iliac and inferior epigastric artery, respectively. Follow-up serum creatinine levels decreased. Doppler ultrasonography showed good vascular flow within the reference range of the resistive index. The recipient's follow-up HBV-DNA titer was negative with antiviral medication. We successfully performed LDKT from an HBV-positive donor to a negative recipient by perioperative antiviral treatment and overcame a significant size discrepancy and anatomic challenges by preserving even a small portion of the kidney graft.

Core-Shell Perovskite Quantum Dots for Highly Selective Room-Temperature Spin Light-Emitting Diodes.

Circularly polarized light (CPL) is a crucial light source with a wide variety of potential applications such as magnetic recording, and 3D display. Here, core-shell heterostructured perovskite quantum dots (QDs) for room-temperature spin-polarized light-emitting diodes (spin-LEDs) are developed. Specifically, a 2D chiral perovskite shell is deposited onto the achiral 3D inorganic perovskite (CsPbBr3 ) core. Owing to the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, the spin state of the injected charge carriers is biased when they are transmitted through the 2D chiral shell. The spin-controlled carriers then radiatively recombine inside the CsPbBr3 emissive core, resulting in CPL emission. It is demonstrated that the (R)- and (S)-1-(2-(naphthyl)ethylamine) (R-/S-NEA) 2D chiral cations enhance the spin polarization degree due to their strong chiroptical properties. Systematical defect analyses confirm that 2D chiral cations (i.e., R-/S-NEA) successfully passivate halide vacancies at the surface of the CsPbBr3 QDs, thereby attaining a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 78%. Moreover, the spin-LEDs prepared with core-shell QDs achieve a maximum external quantum efficiency of 5.47% and circularly polarized electroluminescence with a polarization degree (PCP-EL ) of 12% at room temperature. Finally, various patterns fabricated by inkjet printing the core-shell QDs emit strong CPL, highlighting their potential as an emitter for next-generation displays.

Fluorinated Organic Cations Derived Chiral 2D Perovskite Enabling Enhanced Spin-Dependent Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Chirality-induced spin selectivity observed in chiral 2D organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite holds promise to achieve spin-dependent electrochemistry. However, conventional chiral 2D perovskites suffer from low conductivity and hygroscopicity, limiting electrochemical performance and operational stability. Here, a cutting-edge material design is introduced to develop a stable and efficient chiral perovskite-based spin polarizer by employing fluorinated chiral cation. The fluorination approach effectively promotes the charge carrier transport along the out-of-plane direction by mitigating the dielectric confinement effect within the multi-quantum well-structured 2D perovskite. Integrating the fluorinated cation incorporated spin polarizer with BiVO4 photoanode considerably boosts the photocurrent density while reducing overpotential through a spin-dependent oxygen evolution reaction. Furthermore, the hydrophobic nature of fluorine in spin polarizer endows operational stability to the photoanode, extending the durability by 280% as compared to the device with non-fluorinated spin polarizer.

Complete genome sequence of Salmonella bacteriophage SS3e.

A Salmonella lytic bacteriophage, SS3e, was isolated, and its genome was sequenced completely. This phage is able to lyse not only various Salmonella serovars but also Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Enterobacter cloacae, and Serratia marcescens, indicating a broad host specificity. Genomic sequence analysis of SS3e revealed a linear double-stranded DNA sequence of 40,793 bp harboring 58 open reading frames, which is highly similar to Salmonella phages SETP13 and MB78.

Effect of micro-vibration culture system on embryo development.

PURPOSE: Micro-vibration culture system was examined to determine the effects on mouse and human embryo development and possible improvement of clinical outcomes in poor responders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The embryonic development rates and cell numbers of blastocysts were compared between a static culture group (n = 178) and a micro-vibration culture group (n = 181) in mice. The embryonic development rates and clinical results were compared between a static culture group (n = 159 cycles) and a micro-vibration culture group (n = 166 cycles) in poor responders. A micro-vibrator was set at a frequency of 42 Hz, 5 s/60 min duration for mouse and human embryo development. RESULTS: The embryonic development rate was significantly improved in the micro-vibration culture group in mice (p < 0.05). The cell numbers of mouse blastocysts were significantly higher in the micro-vibration group than in the static culture group (p < 0.05). In the poor responders, the rate of high grade embryos was not significantly improved in the micro-vibration culture group on day 3. However, the optimal embryonic development rate on day 5 was improved in the micro-vibration group, and the total pregnancy rate and implantation rate were significantly higher in the micro-vibration group than in the static culture group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Micro-vibration culture methods have a beneficial effect on embryonic development in mouse embryos. In poor responders, the embryo development rate was improved to a limited extent under the micro-vibration culture conditions, but the clinical results were significantly improved.