Bronchitis, COPD, and pneumonia after viral endemic of patients with leprosy on Sorok Island in South Korea.

Viral respiratory diseases (VRDs) cause lung inflammation and inflammatory cytokine production. We study whether dapsone is responsible for its observed preventive treatment effects of the sustained viral RNA interferon response. Around 2008 and 2012, Korea's Dementia Management Act stipulated drastic changes in the administration of dementia medication by medical staff. Participants were randomized and we compared leprosy patients with VRDs after prescribing dapsone as a standard treatment from 2005 to 2019. Significance was evaluated based on the dapsone-prescribed (+) subgroup and the dapsone-unprescribed (-) subgroup of the VRD diagnosed (+) and VRD undiagnosed (-) subgroup. We analyzed VRD ( +)/(- with dapsone (+)/(-) group and used a T-test, and designed the equation of acetylation with dapsone and acetylcholine (AA) equation. The 6394 VRD participants who received the dapsone intervention compared to the 3255 VRD participants in the control group demonstrated at T2 VRD (+) dapsone (-) (mean (M) = 224.80, SD = 97.50): T3 VRD (-) dapsone (+) (M = 110.87, SD = 103.80), proving that VRD is low when dapsone is taken and high when it is not taken. The t value is 3.10, and the p value is 0.004395 (significant at p < 0.05). After an increase in VRDs peaked in 2009, bronchitis, COPD, and pneumonia surged in 2013. The AA equation was strongly negatively correlated with the prevalence of bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): with bronchitis, r(15) = -0.823189, p = 0.005519, and with COPD, r(15) = -0.8161, p = 0.000207 (significant at p < 0.05). Dapsone treated both bronchitis and COPD. This study provides theoretical clinical data to limit acetylcholine excess during the VRD pandemic for bronchitis, COPD, and pneumonia.

The Neuroinflammasome in Alzheimer's Disease and Cerebral Stroke.

AIM/BACKGROUND: This review investigated a patient with Alzheimer's disease (AD) treated with 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) as a neuroinflammasome competitor. METHODS: We monitored AD's progression through numeric clinical staging (NCS) with a new biomarker. NCS was determined by the presence of AD symptoms and neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms caused by anti-AD (AAD) drugs (D) as a biomarker. We also monitored the function of DDS for stroke in a no-intake emergency state. RESULTS: By introducing (D), AD's progression was monitored through NCS staging. AAD side effects and neuropsychiatric symptoms were identified. DDS was stopped in patients with stroke with NCS 6 caused by AAD, and it rapidly proceeded to cerebral infarct. CONCLUSIONS: AAD can occasionally exacerbate AD and stroke. DDS can alleviate mild cognitive impairment (MCI), early AD and stroke. We clinically confirmed the role of DDS as a neuroinflammasome competitor after stroke. DDS preserved neuronal survival within 24-55 h in the Seoul Study cohort.

Recovery of Dementia Syndrome following Treatment of Brain Inflammation.

AIM/BACKGROUND: This research aims to prevent progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease. A Japanese study of leprosy patients revealed that the incidence of dementia in leprosy patients was lower than that in patients taking dapsone who had never been treated. But a similar study the following year refuted the finding of less dementia in leprosy patients taking dapsone. According to conflicting reports, Mycobacterium leprae was a factor in reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, we formed a hypothesis that if dapsone is administered to patients without leprosy but with MCI and the prophylactic effect of dementia syndrome is observed over a long period of time, we can determine whether dapsone can prevent the progression of MCI to dementia syndrome. If dementia does not occur after treating inflammation in brain cells while dementia develops after a certain long-term period (usually within 2-3 years), brain cell inflammation can be demonstrated as the cause of dementia. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort research. We report on an elderly patient diagnosed with MCI from February 2008 to January 2019. The patient took dapsone 100 mg once a day from 2010 to 2015 for the treatment of MCI. Since 2016, the production of dapsone has ceased in Korea. In June 2018, the patient was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The patient took Aricept for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease but complained of serious side effects. And dapsone was re-administered to the patient from November 2018. RESULTS: The patient recovered to MCI and improved her daily life owing to the treatment with dapsone. The drug controls the inflammatory response in the brain, irrespective of whether proteins are deposited in neurons. CONCLUSIONS: This finding means that dementia syndrome is an inflammatory disease. This research suggests that diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease should be based on the presence or absence of inflammation in neurons. Because inflammation in neurons can occur in middle age due to various causes, we can treat inflammation in neurons and prevent and treat dementia syndrome, including Alzheimer's disease.

Immunomodulation of Lactobacillus pentosus PL11 against Edwardsiella tarda infection in the head kidney cells of the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).

Wild and farm-raised fish can be simultaneously exposed to different types of pathogens in their habitats. Hence, it is important to study their effects, whether isolated or in combination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus pentosus PL11 on the transcription of specific cytokine genes related to immune response, using Japanese eel macrophages as an in vitro model. Head kidney leukocytes were isolated from Japanese eels and cell viability was determined using an MTT reagent. In addition, the Griess reagent was used to determine the nitric oxide (NO) production while, an enzyme-linked immunosobent assay (ELISA) and a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were utilized to quantify the level of proinflammatory cytokines. The results of the study indicated that infection by Edwardsiella tarda alone causes a higher rate of cell death and an increase in the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß, 822.67 ± 29.48 pg mL(-1)), interleukin-6 (IL-6, 13.57 ± 0.55 pg mL(-1)), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, 2033.67 ± 84.68 pg mL(-1)). However, co-culture with L. pentosus PL11 downregulates the production of NO and the related IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α by 46%, 88.4%, 59%, and 77%, respectively. Quantification of the mRNA expression level revealed it to be consistent with the ELISA analysis. Hence, we infer that L. pentosus PL11 plays a significant role in the immunmodulation of the inflammatory responses that arise in fish owing to infection by pathogenic bacteria such as Edwardsiella tarda.

Electrodeposition of Pt nanostructures with reproducible SERS activity and superhydrophobicity.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and water wettability are important characteristic properties of nanostructured surfaces with respect to their practical applications. In the present work, we report a simple one-step electrodeposition of nanostructured Pt surfaces. The tree-like Pt nanostructures exhibited reproducible SERS activity, and they also showed superhydrophobic natures after n-dodecanethiol modification. The growth process of Pt nanostructures as a function of deposition charge was monitored using a scanning electron microscope, from which the correlation between the structural variation of the Pt nanostructures and the SERS activity and wettability was investigated. The SERS activity was dependent on the presence of sharp edge sites, whereas the wettability was dependent on the apex structures. Well-defined Pt tree nanostructures exhibited high, reproducible, and electrochemically stable SERS activity. The straightforward fabrication of multi-functional Pt nanostructures presented in this work would allow new opportunities for the application of nanostructured metal surfaces.

Electrodeposition of triangular Pd rod nanostructures and their electrocatalytic and SERS activities.

We report a simple one-step electrodeposition of triangular Pd rod nanostructures on clean Au substrates without additives. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electrochemical techniques were utilized to characterize the structural features of the triangular Pd rod nanostructures. The regulation of the electrodeposition rate by optimizing the electrolyte concentration and applied potential was critical for the anisotropic growth of Pd in the vertical direction. The triangular Pd rod structures exhibited electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation reactions. These surfaces could be effectively utilized as reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates to produce stable SERS signals under electrochemical systems. A simple preparation of well-defined triangular Pd rod structures would allow new opportunities in various areas utilizing Pd-based nanostructured surfaces.

Highly reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active Au nanostructures prepared by simple electrodeposition: origin of surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity and applications as electrochemical substrates.

The fabrication of effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates has been the subject of intensive research because of their useful applications. In this paper, dendritic gold (Au) rod (DAR) structures prepared by simple one-step electrodeposition in a short time were examined as an effective SERS-active substrate. The SERS activity of the DAR surfaces was compared to that of other nanostructured Au surfaces with different morphologies, and its dependence on the structural variation of DAR structures was examined. These comparisonal investigations revealed that highly faceted sharp edge sites present on the DAR surfaces play a critical role in inducing a high SERS activity. The SERS enhancement factor was estimated to be greater than 10(5), and the detection limit of rhodamine 6G at DAR surfaces was 10(-8)M. The DAR surfaces exhibit excellent spot-to-spot and substrate-to-substrate SERS enhancement reproducibility, and their long-term stability is very good. It was also demonstrated that the DAR surfaces can be effectively utilized in electrochemical SERS systems, wherein a reversible SERS behavior was obtained during the cycling to cathodic potential regions. Considering the straightforward preparation of DAR substrates and the clean nature of SERS-active Au surfaces prepared in the absence of additives, we expect that DAR surfaces can be used as cost-effective SERS substrates in analytical and electrochemical applications.

Optimization of processing conditions for the sterilization of retorted short-rib patties using the response surface methodology.

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum sterilization conditions for short-rib patties in retort trays by considering microbiological safety, nutritive value, sensory characteristics, and textural properties. In total, 27 sterilization conditions with various temperatures, times, and processing methods were tested using a 3(3) factorial design. The response surface methodology (RSM) and contour analysis were applied to find the optimum sterilization conditions for the patties. Quality attributes were significantly affected by the sterilization temperature, time, and processing method. From RSM and contour analysis, the final optimum sterilization condition of the patties that simultaneously satisfied all specifications was determined to be 119.4°C for 18.55min using a water-cascading rotary mode. The findings of the present study suggest that using optimized sterilization conditions will improve the microbial safety, sensory attributes, and nutritional retention for retorted short-rib patties.

Evaluation of nanoporous gold with controlled surface structures for laser desorption ionization (LDI) analysis: surface area versus LDI signal intensity.

The structural effect of a nanoporous gold (NPG) surface on the signal intensities of laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) were investigated using NPG surfaces with controlled structures. The relationship between surface area and LDI efficiency was compared and evaluated. Comparisons between bare flat gold and NPG surfaces show that nanostructures increased LDI efficiency. We also found that the LDI signal decreased with increasing depth of nanoporous layers, thus increasing the surface area. This result agrees with a previous report (Shin J. A. et al., J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2010, 21, 989) in which the LDI efficiency of small molecules decreased for ZnO wires with longer lengths. This observation was explained by the penetration and deposition of samples into locations inaccessible to photons because of structural screening. The LDI-MS analysis of oils with NPG surfaces (but without matrix) showed the same trend whereby the NPG with about a 200 nm depth of porous area showed the highest sensitivity. This study clearly shows that the active surface area for solution chemistry can differ from LDI-MS and that NPGs can function as a substrate for LDI oil analysis.

Electroless Pt deposition on Mn3O4 nanoparticles via the galvanic replacement process: electrocatalytic nanocomposite with enhanced performance for oxygen reduction reaction.

A novel electroless Pt deposition method was exploited by employing the galvanic replacement process occurring between the Mn(3)O(4) surface and PtCl(4)(2-) complexes. The newly discovered process provides a simple protocol to produce the catalytic nanocomposite, in which a high density of ultrafine Pt nanocrystals is stably immobilized in a homogeneously dispersive state on the surface of Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles. When the eletrocatalytic activity was tested for the oxygen reduction reaction, which limits the rate of the overall process in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, the resulting Pt/Mn(3)O(4) nanocomposite showed highly enhanced specific activity and durability, compared with those of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Simple electrochemical deposition of au nanoplates from au(I) cyanide complexes and their electrocatalytic activities.

Nanostructured Au surfaces have unique and attractive properties as functional materials in many fields such as heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis. Electrochemical deposition of Au has received much attention as a simple route for the fabrication of Au surface nanostructures. In this study, we report a simple electrodeposition of Au nanoplate structures from Au(CN)(2)(-) on Au surfaces in the absence of additives or premodification of electrode surfaces. The shape of the Au nanoplates as well as their surface structures is unique compared to other Au nanostructures electrodeposited from commonly employed AuCl(4)(-) complexes. The nanoplate Au surfaces exhibit unique electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction and glucose oxidation, which originate from the Au(110) and Au(100) facets present on nanoplate surfaces. A simple preparation of well-defined Au nanoplate structures would allow new opportunities in various areas utilizing Au-based substrates through further modification of Au surfaces.

Simple fabrication of porous gold-film electrodes and their electroanalytical applications.

A simple strategy to fabricate porous three-dimensional gold-film electrodes using gold-coated microspheres (AuMS) is presented. The AuMS deposited on gold (AuMS/Au) are electrically interconnected, and show unique electrochemical properties indicating porous surface structures. The AuMS/Au electrodes exhibit electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction and peroxide oxidation, which indicates that the apparent macroporous structures also retain porous regions with nanometer-scale dimensions. The porous structures on AuMS/Au electrodes also provide a selective voltammetric response for glucose against ascorbic acid due to the different electron-transfer kinetics. Since AuMS/Au electrodes are simple to prepare compared with previously suggested systems, the present system could offer potential in electroanalytical applications as new gold-based substrates for further modifications of surfaces.