Surviving the Cold: Assessing Long-term Outcomes among Korean CKD Patients Exposed to Low Perceived Temperature During Winter.

Perceived temperature (PT), which encompasses meteorological factors such as wind speed, cloud cover, and humidity, reflects the actual effect of temperature on the human body. However, limited data exist on the health implications of prolonged exposure to low temperatures during winter in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated the association between winter PT and long-term outcomes among CKD patients. A total of 32,870 CKD patients from three tertiary hospitals in Seoul were enrolled in this retrospective study (2001-2018). PT was calculated using Staiger's equation, integrating temperature data from 29 automated weather stations across Seoul, along with dew point temperature, wind velocity, and cloud cover data. Kriging interpolation was utilized to estimate PT values at the patients' locations. Overall mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were assessed using a time-varying Cox proportional hazards model. Additionally, the Cox regression model evaluated PT corresponding to temperature thresholds for cold surge watches or warnings. Over a median follow-up of 6.14 ± 3.96 years, 6,147 deaths (18.7%) were recorded. We found that as the average or minimum PT and Ta decreased by 1°C, the risk of overall mortality significantly increased. In multivariable analyses, the hazard ratio (HR) for the average PT was 1.049 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.028-1.071), and that for the minimum PT was 1.038 (CI 1.027-1.052). Furthermore, a cold surge warning at a PT of -25.63°C indicated an HR of 1.837 (CI 1.764-1.914) and a C-index of 0.792. The increased risk of mortality was more pronounced in patients with low or middle socioeconomic statuses. For MACEs, lower average and minimum PT and Ta were associated with an increased risk, following a similar trend to overall mortality, although not all results reached statistical significance. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted public health policies to mitigate risks among vulnerable CKD patients.

The Relationship Between Brain Activation for Taking Others' Perspective and Interoceptive Abilities in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An fMRI Study.

Objectives: In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we aimed to investigate the differences in brain activation between individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals during perspective taking. We also examined the association between brain activation and empathic and interoceptive abilities. Methods: During scanning, participants from the ASD (n=17) and TD (n=22) groups were shown pain stimuli and asked to rate the level of the observed pain from both self- and other-perspectives. Empathic abilities, including perspective taking, were measured using an empathic questionnaire, and three dimensions of interoception were assessed: interoceptive accuracy, interoceptive sensibility, and interoceptive trait prediction errors. Results: During self-perspective taking, the ASD group exhibited greater activation in the left precuneus than the TD group. During other-perspective taking, relative hyperactivation extended to areas including the right precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus, left caudate nucleus, and left amygdala. Brain activation levels in the right superior frontal gyrus while taking other-perspective were negatively correlated with interoceptive accuracy, and those in the left caudate were negatively correlated with perspective taking ability in the ASD group. Conclusion: Individuals with ASD show atypical brain activation during perspective taking. Notably, their brain regions associated with stress reactions and escape responses are overactivated when taking other-perspective. This overactivity is related to poor interoceptive accuracy, suggesting that individuals with ASD may experience difficulties with the self-other distinction or atypical embodiment when considering another person's perspective.

Effects of polygenic risk score and sodium and potassium intake on hypertension in Asians: A nationwide prospective cohort study.

Genetic factors, lifestyle, and diet have been shown to play important roles in the development of hypertension. Increased salt intake is an important risk factor for hypertension. However, research on the involvement of genetic factors in the relationship between salt intake and hypertension in Asians is lacking. We aimed to investigate the risk of hypertension in relation to sodium and potassium intake and the effects of genetic factors on their interactions. We used Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study data and calculated the polygenic risk score (PRS) for the effect of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP). We also conducted multivariable logistic modeling to evaluate associations among incident hypertension, PRSSBP, PRSDBP, and sodium and potassium intake. In total, 41,351 subjects were included in the test set. The top 10% PRSSBP group was the youngest of the three groups (bottom 10%, middle, top 10%), had the highest proportion of women, and had the highest body mass index, baseline BP, red meat intake, and alcohol consumption. The multivariable logistic regression model revealed the risk of hypertension was significantly associated with higher PRSSBP, higher sodium intake, and lower potassium intake. There was significant interaction between sodium intake and PRSSBP for incident hypertension especially in sodium intake ≥2.0 g/day and PRSSBP top 10% group (OR 1.27 (1.07-1.51), P = 0.007). Among patients at a high risk of incident hypertension due to sodium intake, lifestyle modifications and sodium restriction were especially important to prevent hypertension.

Impacts of oxidative stress and anti-oxidants on the development, pathogenesis, and therapy of sickle cell disease: A comprehensive review.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most severe monogenic hemoglobinopathy caused by a single genetic mutation that leads to repeated polymerization and depolymerization of hemoglobin resulting in intravascular hemolysis, cell adhesion, vascular occlusion, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Hemolysis causes oxidative damage indirectly by generating reactive oxygen species through various pathophysiological mechanisms, which include hemoglobin autoxidation, endothelial nitric oxide synthase uncoupling, reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, and elevated levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine. Red blood cells have a built-in anti-oxidant system that includes enzymes like sodium dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, along with free radical scavenging molecules, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione, which help them to fight oxidative damage. However, these anti-oxidants may not be sufficient to prevent the effects of oxidative stress in SCD patients. Therefore, in line with a recent FDA request that the focus to be placed on the development of innovative therapies for SCD that address the root cause of the disease, there is a need for therapies that target oxidative stress and restore redox balance in SCD patients. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the role of oxidative stress in SCD and the potential benefits of anti-oxidant therapies. It also discusses the challenges and limitations of these therapies and suggests future directions for research and development.

Association between dyslipidemia and the risk of incident chronic kidney disease affected by genetic susceptibility: Polygenic risk score analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of dyslipidemia on kidney disease outcomes has been inconclusive, and it requires further clarification. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of genetic factors on the association between dyslipidemia and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) using polygenic risk score (PRS). METHODS: We analyzed data from 373,523 participants from the UK Biobank aged 40-69 years with no history of CKD. Baseline data included plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride, as well as genome-wide genotype data for PRS. Our primary outcome, incident CKD, was defined as a composite of estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and CKD diagnosis according to International Classification of Disease-10 codes. The effects of the association between lipid levels and PRS on incident CKD were assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model. To investigate the effect of this association, we introduced multiplicative interaction terms into a multivariate analysis model and performed subgroup analysis stratified by PRS tertiles. RESULTS: In total, 4,424 participants developed CKD. In the multivariable analysis, PRS was significantly predictive of the risk of incident CKD as both a continuous variable and a categorized variable. In addition, lower total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and higher triglyceride levels were significantly associated with the risk of incident CKD. There were interactions between triglycerides and intermediate and high PRS, and the interactions were inversely associated with the risk of incident CKD. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that PRS presented significant predictive power for incident CKD and individuals in the low-PRS group had a higher risk of triglyceride-related incident CKD.

The estimated mediating roles of anemia-related variables in the association between kidney function and mortality: a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study.

Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), impacting long-term outcomes such as mortality and morbidity. Analyzing NHANES data from 1999 through 2016 for adults aged ≥ 20 years, we assessed the mediating effects of anemia biomarkers (hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell distribution width [RDW], and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration [MCHC]) on CKD-related outcomes by using hazard ratios from a biomarker-adjusted model. Of 44,099 participants, 7463 experienced all-cause death. Cox proportional hazard models revealed a higher all-cause mortality risk in the > 45 years and CKD groups than in the early CKD group. Hemoglobin, hematocrit and MCHC were inversely related to all-cause mortality; RDW was related to mortality. Single mediation analysis showed greater mediating effects of anemia indicators on CKD and mortality in the elderly (> 65 years) population than those in the general population. In the multimediation analysis, the combined mediating effect of anemia was higher in the CKD population than in the general population. This study showed a proportional increase in the mediating effect of anemia with CKD stage, suggesting potential therapeutic avenues. However, further exploration of other mediating factors on kidney outcomes is necessary.

Antibiotic-induced intestinal microbiota depletion can attenuate the acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition via NADPH oxidase 2 and trimethylamine-N-oxide inhibition.

Intestinal microbiota and their metabolites affect systemic inflammation and kidney disease outcomes. Here, we investigated the key metabolites associated with the acute kidney injury (AKI)-to chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition and the effect of antibiotic-induced microbiota depletion (AIMD) on this transition. In 61 patients with AKI, 59 plasma metabolites were assessed to determine the risk of AKI-to-CKD transition. An AKI-to-CKD transition murine model was established four weeks after unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) to determine the effects of AIMD on the gut microbiome, metabolites, and pathological responses related to CKD transition. Human proximal tubular epithelial cells were challenged with CKD transition-related metabolites, and inhibitory effects of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) signals were tested. Based on clinical metabolomics, plasma trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) was associated with a significantly increased risk for AKI-to-CKD transition [adjusted odds ratio 4.389 (95% confidence interval 1.106-17.416)]. In vivo, AIMD inhibited a unilateral IRI-induced increase in TMAO, along with a decrease in apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. The expression of NOX2 and oxidative stress decreased after AIMD. In vitro, TMAO induced fibrosis with NOX2 activation and oxidative stress. NOX2 inhibition successfully attenuated apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis with suppression of G2/M arrest. NOX2 inhibition (in vivo) showed improvement in pathological changes with a decrease in oxidative stress without changes in TMAO levels. Thus, TMAO is a key metabolite associated with the AKI-to-CKD transition, and NOX2 activation was identified as a key regulator of TMAO-related AKI-to-CKD transition both in vivo and in vitro.

Long-term exposure to high perceived temperature and risk of mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease.

Health risks due to climate change are emerging, particularly from high-temperature exposure. The perceived temperature is an equivalent temperature based on the complete heat budget model of the human body. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the effect of perceived temperature on overall mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease. In total, 32,870 patients with chronic kidney disease in Seoul participated in this retrospective study (2001-2018) at three medical centers. The perceived temperature during the summer season was calculated using meteorological factors, including the air temperature near the automated weather station, dew point temperature, wind velocity, and total cloud amount. We assessed the association between perceived temperature using Kriging spatial interpolation and mortality in patients with CKD in the time-varying Cox proportional hazards model that was adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, estimated glomerular filtration rate, smoking, alcohol consumption, and educational level. During the 6.14 ± 3.96 years of follow-up, 3863 deaths were recorded. In multivariable analysis, the average level of perceived temperature and maximum level of perceived temperature demonstrated an increased risk of overall mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease. The concordance index for mortality of perceived temperature was higher than temperature, discomfort index, and heat index. When stratified by age, diabetes mellitus, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, patients with chronic kidney disease with young age (age <65 years) showed higher hazard ratio for mortality (interaction P = 0.049). Moreover, the risk of death in the winter and spring seasons was more significant compared to that of the summer and autumn seasons. Therefore, long-term exposure to high perceived temperature during summer increases the risk of mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease.

Ortho-Carborane Decorated Multi-Resonance TADF Emitters: Preserving Local Excited State and High Efficiency in OLEDs.

A novel class of o-carboranyl luminophores, 2CB-BuDABNA (1) and 3CB-BuDABNA (2) is reported, in which o-carborane moieties are incorporated at the periphery of the B,N-doped multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) core. Both compounds maintain the inherent local emission characteristics of their MR-emitting core, exhibiting intense MR-TADF with high photoluminescence quantum yields in toluene and rigid states. In contrast, the presence of the dark lowest-energy charge transfer state, induced by cage rotation in THF, is suggested to be responsible for emission quenching in a polar solvent. Despite the different arrangement of the cage on the DABNA core, both 1 and 2 show red-shifted emissions compared to the parent compound BuDABNA (3). By utilizing 1 as the emitter, high-efficiency blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are achieved with a remarkable maximum external quantum efficiency of 25%, representing the highest reported efficiency for OLEDs employing an o-carboranyl luminophore as the emitter.

Targeting the m6A RNA methyltransferase METTL3 attenuates the development of kidney fibrosis.

Kidney fibrosis is a major mechanism underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD). N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is associated with organ fibrosis. We investigated m6A profile alterations and the inhibitory effect of RNA methylation in kidney fibrosis in vitro (TGF-ß-treated HK-2 cells) and in vivo (unilateral ureteral obstruction [UUO] mouse model). METTL3-mediated signaling was inhibited using siRNA in vitro or the METTL3-specific inhibitor STM2457 in vivo and in vitro. In HK-2 cells, METTL3 protein levels increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner along with an increase in the cellular m6A levels. In the UUO model, METTL3 expression and m6A levels were significantly increased. Transcriptomic and m6A profiling demonstrated that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition- and inflammation-related pathways were significantly associated with RNA m6A methylation. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of METTL3 in HK-2 cells decreased TGF-ß-induced fibrotic marker expression. STM2457-induced inhibition of METTL3 attenuated the degree of kidney fibrosis in vivo. Furthermore, METTL3 protein expression was significantly increased in the tissues of CKD patients with diabetic or IgA nephropathy. Therefore, targeting alterations in RNA methylation could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating kidney fibrosis.

Formation techniques for upper active channel in monolithic 3D integration: an overview.

The concept of three-dimensional stacking of device layers has attracted significant attention with the increasing difficulty in scaling down devices. Monolithic 3D (M3D) integration provides a notable benefit in achieving a higher connection density between upper and lower device layers than through-via-silicon. Nevertheless, the practical implementation of M3D integration into commercial production faces several technological challenges. Developing an upper active channel layer for device fabrication is the primary challenge in M3D integration. The difficulty arises from the thermal budget limitation for the upper channel process because a high thermal budget process may degrade the device layers below. This paper provides an overview of the potential technologies for forming active channel layers in the upper device layers of M3D integration, particularly for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices and digital circuits. Techniques are for polysilicon, single crystal silicon, and alternative channels, which can solve the temperature issue for the top layer process.

Visible-Light Communication with Lighting: RGB Wavelength Division Multiplexing OLEDs/OPDs Platform.

A multichannel/multicolor visible light communication (VLC) system using entirely organic components, including organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic photodiodes (OPDs), is developed to demonstrate indoor lighting applications where the integration of OLEDs and OPDs has significant potential. To achieve this, tricolor (Red/Green/Blue(R/G/B))-selective OPD arrays for the receiver and tricolor OLED arrays for the emitter are developed. For (R/G/B)-selective OPDs, a Fabry-Pérot electrode to enhance color selectivity and a thick junction structure to effectively accommodate a wide range of driving voltages are introduced. For tricolor OLEDs, fluorescent-emitting materials are used to enhance the operating frequency in addition to introducing a cavity structure to achieve narrow emission. Utilizing these spectrally refined tricolor OPDs/OLEDs, a VLC system is designed for indoor lighting applications, and a systematic analysis of their signal-to-interference ratio dependence on the distance or angle between the transmitter and receiver is performed. The study's findings indicate the importance of emission angle-dependent wavelength shift of the OLED and the luminosity function, which varies with wavelength, in the R/G/B mixed-white-light-based VLC systems. Finally, the feasibility of VLC using tricolor OPDs/OLEDs in the real-life context of indoor white-color lighting is demonstrated, showing that the transmitted data patterns well-matched the received data patterns.

Graph Theoretical Analysis of Brain Structural Connectivity in Patients with Alcohol Dependence.

This study aimed to compare brain structural connectivity using graph theory between patients with alcohol dependence and social drinkers. The participants were divided into two groups; the alcohol group (N=23) consisting of patients who had been hospitalized and had abstained from alcohol for at least three months and the control group (N=22) recruited through advertisements and were social drinkers. All participants were evaluated using 3T magnetic resonance imaging. A total of 1000 repeated whole-brain tractographies with random parameters were performed using DSI Studio. Four hundred functionally defined cortical regions of interest (ROIs) were parcellated using FreeSurfer based on the Schaefer Atlas. The ROIs were overlaid on the tractography results to generate 1000 structural connectivity matrices per person, and 1000 matrices were averaged into a single matrix per subject. Graph analysis was performed through igraph R package. Graph measures were compared between the two groups using analysis of covariance, considering the effects of age and smoking pack years. The alcohol group showed lower local efficiency than the control group in the whole-brain (F=5.824, p=0.020), somato-motor (F=5.963, p=0.019), and default mode networks (F=4.422, p=0.042). The alcohol group showed a lower global efficiency (F=5.736, p=0.021) in the control network. The transitivity of the alcohol group in the dorsal attention network was higher than that of the control (F=4.257, p=0.046). Our results imply that structural stability of the whole-brain network is affected in patients with alcohol dependence, which can lead to ineffective information processing in cases of local node failure.

The potential role of formononetin in cancer treatment: An updated review.

Currently, cancer is one of the main research topics, due to its high incidence and drug resistance to existing anti-cancer drugs. Formononetin, a natural product with phytoestrogenic properties and diverse biological functions, has attracted the attention of researchers working on anticancer drugs. Formononetin emerges as an intriguing bioactive substance compared to other isoflavones as it exhibits potent chemotherapeutic activity with less toxicity. Formononetin effectively plays a significant role in inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and metastatic abilities of cancer cells by targeting major signaling pathways at the junction of interconnected pathways. It also induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by modulating mediator proteins. It causes upregulation of key factors such as p-AKT, p38, p21, and p53 and downregulation of NF-κB. Furthermore, formononetin regulates the neoplastic microenvironment by inactivating the ERK1/2 pathway and lamin A/C signaling and has been reported to inactivate JAK/STAT, PKB or AKT, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and to suppress cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in human cancer cells. To assist researchers in further exploring formononetin as a potential anticancer therapeutic candidate, this review focuses on both in vitro and in vivo proof of concept studies, patents, and clinical trials pertinent to formononetin's anticancer properties. Overall, this review discusses formononetin from a comprehensive perspective to highlight its potential benefits as an anticancer agent.

Impact of decreased levels of total CO2 on in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19.

Decreased total CO2 (tCO2) is significantly associated with all-cause mortality in critically ill patients. Because of a lack of data to evaluate the impact of tCO2 in patients with COVID-19, we assessed the impact of tCO2 on all-cause mortality in this study. We retrospectively reviewed the data of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in two Korean referral hospitals between February 2020 and September 2021. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We assessed the impact of tCO2 as a continuous variable on mortality using the Cox-proportional hazard model. In addition, we evaluated the relative factors associated with tCO2 ≤ 22 mmol/L using logistic regression analysis. In 4,423 patients included, the mean tCO2 was 24.8 ± 3.0 mmol/L, and 17.9% of patients with tCO2 ≤ 22 mmol/L. An increase in mmol/L of tCO2 decreased the risk of all-cause mortality by 4.8% after adjustment for age, sex, comorbidities, and laboratory values. Based on 22 mmol/L of tCO2, the risk of mortality was 1.7 times higher than that in patients with lower tCO2. This result was maintained in the analysis using a cutoff value of tCO2 24 mmol/L. Higher white blood cell count; lower hemoglobin, serum calcium, and eGFR; and higher uric acid, and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly associated with a tCO2 value ≤ 22 mmol/L. Decreased tCO2 significantly increased the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19. Monitoring of tCO2 could be a good indicator to predict prognosis and it needs to be appropriately managed in patients with specific conditions.

Periostin deficiency attenuates kidney fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by improving pancreatic ß-cell dysfunction and reducing kidney EMT.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is associated with kidney fibrosis. A previous study revealed that periostin (POSTN) contributes to kidney fibrosis. This study examined the role of POSTN in DN. The urinary concentrations of POSTN and TNC increased according to the severity of DN in human samples. Streptozotocin (STZ) was administered after unilateral nephrectomy (UNXSTZ) to induce DN in wild-type and Postn-null mice. Four experimental groups were generated: wild-typeham (WT Sham), wild-type UNXSTZ (WT STZ), Postn-null Sham (KO Sham), and Postn-null UNXSTZ (KO STZ). After 20 weeks, the KO STZ group had lower levels of urine albumin excretion, glomerular sclerosis, and interstitial fibrosis than those of the WT STZ group. Additionally, the KO STZ group had lower expression of fibrosis markers, including TNC. The KO STZ group showed better glucose regulation than the WT STZ model. Furthermore, the KO STZ group exhibited significantly preserved pancreatic islet integrity and insulin expression. HK-2 cells were used to observe the aggravation of fibrosis caused by POSTN under TGF-ß conditions. We stimulated INS-1 cells with streptozotocin and evaluated the viability of these cells. The anti-POSTN antibody treatment of INS-1 cells with streptozotocin resulted in higher cell viability than that with treatment with streptozotocin alone. The absence of POSTN in DN contributes to renal fibrosis alleviation by improving pancreatic ß-cell function. Additionally, there is an association between POSTN and TNC.

Aqueous-Phase Formation of Two-Dimensional PbI2 Nanoplates for High-Performance Self-Powered Photodetectors.

The process of the aqueous synthesis of nanomaterials has gained considerable interest due to its ability to eliminate the need for complex organic solvents, which aligns with the principles of green chemistry. Fabricating nanostructures in aqueous solutions has gained recognition for its potential to develop ultrasensitive, low-energy, and ultrafast optoelectronic devices. This study focuses on synthesizing lead iodide (PbI2) nanoplates (NPs) using a water-based solution technique and fabricating a planar photodetector. The planar photodetectors (ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au) demonstrated a remarkable photosensitivity of 3.9 × 103 and photoresponsivity of 0.51 mA/W at a wavelength of 405 nm. Further, we have carried-out analytical calculations for key performance parameters including open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), on-off ratio, responsivity (R), and specific detectivity (D*) at zero applied bias, while photodetector operating in self-powered mode. These values are as follows: Voc = 0.103 V, Isc = 1.93 × 10-8, on-off ratio = 103, R = 4.0 mA/W, and D* = 3.3 × 1011 Jones. Particularly, the asymmetrical output properties of ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au detector provided additional evidence of the effective creation of a Schottky contact. Therefore, the photodetector exhibited a photo-response even at 0 V bias (rise/decay time ~1 s), leading to the realization of self-powered photodetectors. Additionally, the device exhibited a rapid photo-response of 0.23/0.38 s (-5 V) in the visible range. This study expands the scope of aqueous-phase synthesis of PbI2 nanostructures, enabling the large-area fabrication of high-performance photodetectors.

The effect of biomechanical features on classification of dual-task gait.

Early detection of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD) has been a focus of research with the hope that early intervention may improve clinical outcomes. The manifestation of motor impairment in early stages of ADRD has led to the inclusion of gait assessments including spatiotemporal parameters in clinical evaluations. This study aims to determine the effect of adding kinetic and kinematic gait features to classification of different levels of cognitive load in healthy individuals. A dual-task paradigm was used to simulate cognitive impairment in 40 healthy adults, with single-task walking trials representing normal, healthy gait. The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task was administered at two different inter-stimulus intervals representing two levels of cognitive load in dual-task gait. We predicted that a richer dataset would improve classification accuracy relative to spatiotemporal parameters. Repeated Measures ANOVA showed significant changes in 15 different gait features across all three levels of cognitive load. We used three supervised machine learning algorithms to classify data points using a series of different gait feature sets with performance based on the area under the curve (AUC). Classification yielded 0.778 AUC across all three conditions (0.889 AUC Single vs. Dual) using kinematic and spatiotemporal features compared to 0.724 AUC using spatiotemporal features only (0.792 AUC Single vs. Dual). These data suggest that additional kinematic parameters improve classification performance. However, the benefit of measuring a wider set of parameters compared to their cost needs consideration. Further work will lead to a clinically viable ADRD detection classifier.

The effects of low-dose radiation therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's dementia: an interim analysis of a pilot study.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine whether low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) is effective in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included patients according to the following criteria: probable Alzheimer's dementia according to the New Diagnostic Criteria for Alzheimer's Disease; confirmation of amyloid plaque deposits on baseline amyloid positron emission tomography (PET); a Korean Mini-Mental State Examination 2nd edition (K-MMSE-2) score of 13-26; and a Global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5-2 points. LDRT was performed six times at 0.5 Gy each. Post-treatment cognitive function tests and PET-CT examinations were performed to evaluate efficacy. The medication for AD treatment was maintained throughout the study period. RESULTS: At 6 months after LDRT, neurological improvement was seen in 20% of patients. Patient #2 showed improvement in all domains of the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II (SNSB-II). Moreover, the K-MMSE-2 and Geriatric Depression Score-Short Form scores improved from 20 to 23 and from 8 to 2, respectively. For patient #3, the CDR score (sum of box score) improved from 1 (4.0) to 1 (3.5) at 3 months follow-up. Moreover, the Z scores for language and related functions, memory, and frontal executive function improved to -2.56, -1.86, and -1.32, respectively at the 6-month follow-up. Two patients complained of mild nausea and mild hair loss during LDRT, which improved after treatment. CONCLUSION: One of the five patients with AD treated with LDRT experienced a temporary improvement in SNSB-II. LDRT is tolerable in patients with AD. We are currently under follow-up and will conduct cognitive function tests after 12 months after LDRT. A large-scale randomized controlled trial with a longer follow-up period is warranted to determine the effect of LDRT on patients with AD.

Triptycene-Fused Sterically Shielded Multi-Resonance TADF Emitter Enables High-Efficiency Deep Blue OLEDs with Reduced Dexter Energy Transfer.

Designing multi-resonance (MR) emitters that can simultaneously achieve narrowband emission and suppressed intermolecular interactions is challenging for realizing high color purity and stable blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, a sterically shielded yet extremely rigid emitter based on a triptycene-fused B,N core (Tp-DABNA) is proposed to address the issue. Tp-DABNA exhibits intense deep blue emissions with a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) and a high horizontal transition dipole ratio, superior to the well-known bulky emitter, t-DABNA. The rigid MR skeleton of Tp-DABNA suppresses structural relaxation in the excited state, with reduced contributions from the medium- and high-frequency vibrational modes to spectral broadening. The hyperfluorescence (HF) film composed of a sensitizer and Tp-DABNA shows reduced Dexter energy transfer compared to those of t-DABNA and DABNA-1. Notably, deep blue TADF-OLEDs with the Tp-DABNA emitter display higher external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax =24.8 %) and narrower FWHMs (≤26 nm) than t-DABNA-based OLEDs (EQEmax =19.8 %). The HF-OLEDs based on the Tp-DABNA emitter further demonstrate improved performance with an EQEmax of 28.7 % and mitigated efficiency roll-offs.