Search

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate current perception and expected price of personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) and to analyze influencing factors through multi-center hospital-based surveys of outpatients, caregivers, and hearing experts. Methods: A multi-center exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in two groups of respondents with two separate surveys: 1) a perception survey of patients and caregivers who visited an otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic in 5 general hospitals and 2) an opinion survey of hearing specialists about the expected price of PSAPs. A total of 197 outpatient visitors responded to the perception survey, and 42 hearing specialists responded to the opinion survey. Results: Overall perception score (18 questions) was 3.04 (95% CI, 3.00–3.09). When 5 categories of perception (knowledge, needs, cost, expectation, and information categories) were analyzed, cost and expectation showed the highest scores of 3.33 (95% CI, 3.21–3.44) and 3.33 (95% CI, 3.27–3.40), respectively, and needs showed the lowest score of 2.23 (95% CI, 1.97–2.49). The ≥ 60-year-old group showed significantly higher perception of PSAPs (P = 0.002), and the individuals with greater severity of subjective hearing loss showed significantly higher perception of PSAPs (P = 0.002). The expected price of PSAPs of the outpatient visitors was 933.9 USD (95% CI, 811.9–1056.0) per ear. Mean expected price of PSAPs of hearing specialists was 291.3 USD (95% CI, 238.2–344.3) per ear. Conclusion: The perception rate of PSAPs was very low, and there was a discrepancy in the expected price of PSAPs between patients/caregivers and hearing experts. Hearing specialists should make effort to improve perception of PSAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor of tinnitus has not been well known. We tried to evaluate the association between the serum 25-(OH) vitamin D levels and tinnitus among the Korean population to propose the possible role of serum vitamin D in patients with tinnitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated the potential risk factors of tinnitus in relation to serum 25(OH)D levels within the Korean population. It encompassed a health interview, nutrition assessment, and a health examination. Data was sourced from the KNHANES V (2010-2012), conducted by the Division of Health and Nutritional Survey under the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP). Participants were chosen from various sampling units categorized by geography, gender, and age group. The selection was facilitated through household registries using a stratified, multistage, clustered probability sampling approach. Results: Data of 16 408 subjects were collected in this study. There were significant differences in gender, economic status, educational level, and sun exposure duration between the tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D level between hearing loss and normal hearing was also significantly different. The logistic regression models with serum 25(OH) vitamin D quartile and tinnitus as the dependent variable, which were controlled for age, sex, smoking status, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, sun exposure, regular exercise, income, and education, eventually demonstrated that serum vitamin D deficiency and low sun exposure duration significantly increased the risk of tinnitus development. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant association between serum vitamin D levels and tinnitus, driven by large epidemiological data. The results of our study provide baseline data for further research to investigate the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis and management of tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5‐Aryl‐substituted (piperdin‐4‐yl)pyrimidine‐2,4‐diamine derivatives were synthesized and their inhibitory activities were evaluated against TAM kinase (Tyro3, Axl, Mer), respectively. Detailed SAR studies on the fifth position of pyrimidine could lead to the discovery of potent and selective TAM kinase inhibitor. Compounds 6f, 7b, and 7f exhibited potent inhibitory activity and excellent selectivity toward Axl, Tyro3 and Mer kinases. Molecular docking studies corroborated that slight changes of substituents induced dramatic structural change of Met596, 623, 674 backbone carbonyl and amide in the hinge region of Axl, Tyro3, Mer, and resulted in different binding poses of 6f, 7b, and 7f, respectively. It was identified as a strong possibility to control selectivity by structural modification of phenyl substituents of pyrimidine as a new class of TAM kinase inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid-free ionic conductors, known as ionoelastomers, are of great interest because of their potential for developing reliable and resilient ionic devices with elastic mechanical properties. This study presents an intrinsically stretchable diode consisting of a highly stretchable ionoelastomer bilayer vertically stacked with liquid metal electrodes. The bilayer contains two types of ionoelastomer networks: one containing fixed anions with mobile cations and one containing fixed cations with mobile anions. Both ionoelastomers use 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate to provide high stretchability. The junction between the two ionoelastomers creates a diode with excellent non-Faradaic ionic current rectification. The voltage-dependent modulation of the ionic double layer at the interface between the two ionoelastomers provides the rectification. The elastic diode works under cyclic loading to a uniaxial stretch ratio of 6 (strain of 500%), allowing the development of a highly stretchable ionic OR logic gate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the remarkable progress in the development of sweat sensors, self‐powered sweat‐responsive sensing displays that detect sweat in electric signals with simultaneous and direct visualization of the sweat is rarely demonstrated. Here, a self‐powered sweat‐responsive structural color (SC) display enabled by ionomer‐doped block copolymer (BCP) photonic crystals (PCs) is presented. The sweat‐responsive BCP PC is developed by employing a cross‐linking single‐mobile ionomer (SMI) with mobile anions anchored to immobile polycations to a 1‐D BCP PC. The hydrophobic SMI‐doped BCP PC is mechanically robust as well as water and temperature‐resistive, exhibiting ionomer concentration‐dependent full visible SCs. Moreover, the mobile anions periodically confined in the SMI‐doped BCP PC harvest triboelectric energy, giving rise to a high‐power density of ≈0.774 Mw cm−2. Cation‐sensitive SC variation is observed in the SMI‐doped BCP PC, allowing the visualization of sweat containing various cations. A skin‐patchable self‐powered sweat‐responsive display is demonstrated in which kirigami‐patterned SMI‐doped BCP PC incorporated in the display can withstand up to 50% strain during exercise. Sweat from the exercise is visualized via SC display and measured using both ionic resistance changes and triboelectric signals. In addition, the integration of sweat sensing membrane into SMI‐doped BCP PC enables the quantification of sweat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although cigarette smoking is the most significant risk factor for laryngeal cancer, other risk factors might also be associated with the development of laryngeal cancer. We investigated whether underweight and type 2 diabetes are associated with laryngeal cancer in a Korean population.Methods: A total of 9,957,059 participants (≥20 years) without prior history of cancer who underwent a National Health Insurance Service health checkup in 2009 were followed up until December 31, 2018. Newly diagnosed laryngeal cancer was identified using claim data, and underweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2. A Cox proportional-hazards models with multivariable adjustment were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).Results: During the median follow-up period of 8.3 years, 3504 cases of laryngeal cancer occurred. Underweight was associated with increased risk of laryngeal cancer after adjusting for potential confounders (HR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.22-1.69) compared to those who were not underweight. Underweight and type 2 diabetes were synergistically associated with higher risk of laryngeal cancer (HR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.54-3.51), compared to those without either condition. This relationship was stronger in those with an age < 65 years (HR: 3.33, 95% CI: 1.88-5.87) and alcohol consumption (HR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.64-4.53).Conclusions: These results suggest that underweight may be a significant risk factor for laryngeal cancer and that underweight and type 2 diabetes might synergistically increase the risk of laryngeal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policosanols have hypocholesterolemic activity; however, the molecular mechanism of the policosanol effects is currently poorly characterized. We hypothesized that hexacosanol, a policosanol compound derived from barley sprout, may decrease cellular and plasma cholesterol levels; we thus investigated the hypocholesterolemic activity and mechanism of hexacosanol on both hepatocytes and high-fat–induced obese C57BL/6J mice. The reduction of total cholesterol, free cholesterol, and cholesteryl ester concentrations was confirmed in hexacosanol-stimulated hepatocytes (−38%, −33%, and −53%, respectively). Plasma, hepatic cholesterol concentrations, and hepatic steatosis were significantly reduced in high-fat–fed mice orally administered with hexacosanol (0.7 mg/kg body weight a day) for 8 weeks compared with those of vehicle-fed control mice (−15% and −40%, respectively). Hexacosanol in fact bound to the allosteric regulation site of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)- β subunit and thus activated AMPK that inhibited the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase by inhibitory phosphorylation. In addition, activation of AMPK by hexacosanol induced hepatic autophagy activity, which could further reduce hepatic lipid accumulation. Alternatively, hexacosanol suppressed the nuclear translocation and activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), a key transcription factor in cholesterol biosynthesis. These results collectively suggest that hexacosanol is a major hypocholesterolemic compound in barley sprouts with regulation of AMPK activation and SREBP-2 suppression. These suppress 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase at both mRNA expression and protein activity levels. In conclusion, hexacosanol activates AMPK and hepatic autophagy and inhibits SREBP2, resulting in hypocholesterolemic activities and improvement of hepatic steatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olfactory receptors (ORs) comprise the largest G protein-coupled receptor gene superfamily. Recent studies indicate that ORs are also expressed in non-olfactory organs, including metabolically active tissues, although their biological functions in these tissues are largely unknown. In this study, OR1A1 expression was detected in HepG2 liver cells. OR1A1 activation by (−)-carvone, a known OR1A1 ligand, increased the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), but not intracellular Ca 2+ concentration, thereby inducing protein kinase A (PKA) activity with subsequent phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and upregulation of the CREB-responsive gene hairy and enhancer of split (HES)-1, a corepressor of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) in hepatocytes. In (−)-carvone-stimulated cells, the repression of PPAR-γ reduced the expression of the target gene, mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, which encodes a key enzyme involved in triglyceride synthesis. Intracellular triglyceride level and lipid accumulation were reduced in cells stimulated with (−)-carvone, effects that were diminished following the loss of OR1A1 function. These results indicate that OR1A1 may function as a non-redundant receptor in hepatocytes that regulates the PKA-CREB-HES-1 signaling axis and thereby modulates hepatic triglyceride metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to high demand but limited supply, there has been an increase in the need to replace autologous bone grafts with alternatives that fulfill osteogenic requirements. In this study, two different types of bone grafts were tested for their drug carrying abilities along with their osteogenic properties. Two different types of alendronate-loaded bone grafts, Bio-Oss (bovine bone graft) and InRoad (biphasic synthetic bone graft) were observed to see how different concentrations of alendronate would affect the sustained release to enhance osteogenesis. In this study, defected ovariectomize-induced osteoporotic rat calvarias were observed for 28 days with three different concentrations of alendronate (0 mg, 1 mg, 5 mg) for both Bio-Oss and InRoad. A higher concentration (5 mg) allowed for a more controlled and sustained release throughout the 28-day comparison to those of lower concentrations (0 mg, 1 mg). When comparing Bio-Oss and InRoad through histology and Micro-CT, InRoad showed higher enhancement in osteogenesis. Through this study, it was observed that alendronate not only brings out robust osteogenesis with InRoad bone grafts, but also enhances bone regeneration in an alendronate-concentration-dependent manner. The combination of higher concentration of alendronate and multiple porous bone graft containing internal micro-channel structure of InRoad resulted in higher osteogenesis with a sustained release of alendronate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the mechanism by which C3G, a major dietary anthocyanin, regulates energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Oral administration of C3G reduced hepatic and plasma triglyceride levels, adiposity, and improved glucose tolerance in mice fed high-fat diet. Hepatic metabolomic analysis revealed that C3G shifted metabolite profiles towards fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. C3G increased glucose uptake in HepG2 cells and C2C12 myotubes and induced the rate of hepatic fatty acid oxidation. C3G directly interacted with and activated PPARs, with the highest affinity for PPARα. The ability of C3G to reduce plasma and hepatic triglycerides, glucose tolerance, and adiposity and to induce oxygen consumption and energy expenditure was abrogated in PPARα-deficient mice, suggesting that PPARα is the major target for C3G. These findings demonstrate that the dietary anthocyanin C3G activates PPARs, a master regulators of energy metabolism. C3G is an agonistic ligand of PPARs and stimulates fuel preference to fat. Jia, Wu, Kim et al. show that cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), a major dietary anthocyanin, functions as a ligand for PPARalpha to regulate energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity in mouse models of obesity and diabetes. This study suggests that C3G slows down the metabolism of glucose, making it a promising therapeutic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we studied the mechanism of the triglyceride (TG)‐lowering effect of kaempferol in vitro and in vivo. Kaempferol showed LXR agonistic activities without inducing TGs or the expression of several lipogenic genes in cultured cells. A luciferase and qPCR analysis showed that kaempferol increased the transactivation of PPARα and PPARδ and stimulated gene expression associated with fatty acid oxidation and uptake in hepatocytes. More importantly, kaempferol inhibited protein kinase B (Akt) activity and suppressed SREBP‐1 activation via multiple mechanisms, including through increasing Insig‐2a expression, reducing SREBP‐1 phosphorylation, and increasing GSK‐3 phosphorylation. Collectively, these actions inhibited the SREBP‐1 activation process. Furthermore, as an Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitor, kaempferol led to the induction of hepatic autophagy and resulted in a decrease in lipid droplet formation in the mouse liver. These findings demonstrate that kaempferol exerts its TG‐lowering effect via Akt inhibition and activation of PPARα and PPARδ. Practical applications: Kaempferol is a major dietary flavonoid in various plant‐based foods, and it is used as a valuable ingredient in functional foods, with numerous beneficial properties such as anticancer, antioxidant, and anti‐atherosclerotic activities. Kaempferol exerts its TG‐lowering effect via Akt inhibition and activation of PPARα and PPARδ. Currently, the number of people with hyperlipidemia is rapidly growing in both developed and developing societies; thus, we propose that kaempferol could be used for therapeutic interventions aimed at the treatment of these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]