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Natural killer (NK) cells are a part of the innate immune system, providing the first line of defense against cancer cells and pathogens at an early stage. Hence, they are attracting attention as a valuable resource for allogeneic cell immunotherapy. However, NK cells exist with limited proportion in blood, and obtaining sufficient clinical-grade NK cells with highly viable and minimal stress is critical for successful immune cell therapy. Conventional purification methods via immunoaffinity or density gradient centrifugation had several limitations in yield, purity, and cellular stress, which might cause an increased risk for graft versus host disease and reduced efficacy due to NK cell malfunction, exhaustion, and apoptosis. Moreover, reducing the variations of isolation performance caused by the manual process is another unmet need for uniform quality of the living drug. Here, an automated system using an NK disc (NKD) based on continuous centrifugal microfluidics (CCM) technology was developed to isolate NK cells from whole blood with high yield, purity, reproducibility, and low stress. The CCM technology, which operates fluidic manipulation under disc rotation, enabled precise extraction of the ultra-thin target fluid layer generated by blood centrifugation. Compared to the conventional manual method, the CCM-NKD isolated NK cells with higher yield (recovery rate) and purity, while maintaining better reproducibility. Furthermore, since the CCM-NKD maintained substantially milder centrifugation conditions (120 ×gfor 10 min) compared to the conventional approach (1200 ×gfor 20 min), it showed reduced cellular stress and increased antioxidant capacity in the isolated NK cells. Based on the results, the CCM-NKD is expected to be a useful tool to provide highly intact and viable cell weapons for successful immune cell therapy.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) characterized by hyperglycemia is a chronic metabolic disorder that leads to many symptoms and vascular complications. Despite the close association between DM and cancer progression, the response and role of endothelial cells (ECs) under diabetic conditions in tumor metastasis remain to be elucidated. In this study, we sought to determine whether and how ECs under diabetic conditions contribute to tumor metastasis. We have taken advantage of syngeneic mouse tumor models of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and melanoma (B16F10) cells and a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemia model. We demonstrated that hyperglycemia increased the metastasis of LLC and B16F10 cells in an experimental metastasis model with an intravenous injection of the tumor cells. We also found that hyperglycemia promoted lung metastasis of tumor cells by increasing the adhesiveness of ECs to facilitate the adhesion of tumor cells to ECs rather than affecting the metastatic behavior of tumor cells themselves. From the analysis of gene expression in primary lung ECs from STZ-treated mice, we identified that vWF promoted the adhesion of tumor cells to ECs and the transendothelial migration of tumor cells. Mechanistically, hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in ECs, and increased oxidative stress enhanced vWF expression in ECs through an increase in the transcription factor GATA1. These results provide evidence for the role of vWF in ECs in promoting hyperglycemia-induced tumor metastasis and potential therapeutic targets for the regulation of vWF expression in ECs and hyperglycemia-induced tumor metastasis.

Oxygen-based electrocatalysis is an integral aspect of a clean and sustainable energy conversion/storage system. The development of economic bifunctional electrocatalysts with high activity and durability during reversible reactions remains a great challenge. The tailored porous structure and separately presented active sites for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR and OER) without mutual interference are most crucial for achieving desired bifunctional catalysts. Here, we report a hybrid composed of sheath–core cobalt oxynitride (CoOx@CoNy) nanorods grown perpendicularly on N-doped carbon nanofiber (NCNF). The brush-like CoOx@CoNynanorods, composed of metallic Co4N cores and oxidized surfaces, exhibit excellent OER activity (E= 1.69 V at 10 mA cm–2) in an alkaline medium. Although pristine NCNF or CoOx@CoNyalone had poor catalytic activity in the ORR, the hybrid showed dramatically enhanced ORR performance (E= 0.78 V at −3 mA cm–2). The experimental results coupled with a density functional theory (DFT) simulation confirmed that the broad surface area of the CoOx@CoNynanorods with an oxidized skin layer boosts the catalytic OER, while the facile adsorption of ORR intermediates and a rapid interfacial charge transfer occur at the interface between the CoOx@CoNynanorods and the electrically conductive NCNF. Furthermore, it was found that the independent catalytic active sites in the CoOx@CoNy/NCNF catalyst are continuously regenerated and sustained without mutual interference during the round-trip ORR/OER, affording stable operation of Zn–air batteries.

For identifying speakers of quoted speech or extracting social networks from literature, it is indispensable to extract character names and nominals. However, detecting proper nouns in the novels translated into or written in Korean is harder than in English because Korean does not have a capitalization feature. In addition, it is almost impossible for any proper noun dictionary to include all kinds of character names that have been created or will be created by authors. Fortunately, a previous study shows that utilizing postpositions for animate nouns is a simple and effective tool for character identification in Korean novels without a proper noun dictionary and a training corpus. In this article, we propose a character identification method utilizing the semantic relation with known animate nouns. For 80 novels in Korean, the proposed method increases the micro- and macro-average recall by 13.68% and 11.86%, respectively, while decreasing the micro-average precision by 0.28% and increasing the macro-average precision by 0.07% compared to the previous study. If we focus on characters that are responsible for more than 1% of the character name mentions in each novel, the micro- and macro-average F-measure of the proposed method are 96.98% and 97.32%, respectively.

Rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells or circulating fetal cells, provide important information for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer and prenatal diagnosis. Since undercounting only a few cells can lead to significant misdiagnosis and incorrect decisions in subsequent treatment, it is crucial to minimize cell loss, particularly for rare cells. Moreover, the morphological and genetic information on cells should be preserved as intact as possible for downstream analysis. The conventional immunocytochemistry (ICC), however, fails to meet these requirements, causing unexpected cell loss and deformation of the cell organelles which may mislead the classification of benign and malignant cells. In this study, a novel ICC technique for preparing lossless cellular specimens was developed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of rare cell analysis and analyze intact cellular morphology. To this end, a robust and reproducible porous hydrogel pellicle was developed. This hydrogel encapsulates cells to minimize cell loss from the repeated exchange of reagents and prevent cell deformation. The soft hydrogel pellicle allows stable and intact cell picking for further downstream analysis, which is difficult with conventional ICC methods that permanently immobilize cells. The lossless ICC platform will pave the way for robust and precise rare cell analysis toward clinical practice.

The role of the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treatment of solitary liver metastasis has not been established yet. Both hepatic resection (HR) and RFA have been used increasingly in the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.

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In this research, we proposed nondestructive evaluation method of a flaw in an optical glass lens by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). An optical glass lens is used for improving signal coupling between fibers, emitters and detectors. The shape of optical glass lens is an aspherical lens with 3mm in length and 6.35 mm in diameter. For nondestructive evaluation of an aspherical lens, we made of the measuring system by RUS. For flaw evaluation by the RUS to verify the data obtained from the experiment, we carried out simulation by explicit finite elements method, and compared the experimental results with simulation results. Also, we compared the resonant frequencies of specimens with some defect with those of acceptable specimens. The histogram drawn from these data and the available resonance mode surveyed were used to classify the acceptable specimens in the plant.

This study evaluates cracks in a ceramic ferrule. When an optical fiber is connected to machinery, a ferrule is used to precisely set the optical axes of an optical fiber. A ferrule is a cylinder of 10.5mm in length and 2.5mm in diameter. The crack size of a ferrule can range from 10.40[removed info]m to 32.35[removed info]m. An acceptable ferrule must have no cracks. In this paper, we predicted and examined defects by Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS). To verify the data obtained from the experiment, we carried out simulation by explicit finite elements method, and compared the experimental results with simulation results. The average error range is 1~2 percent between the experimental resonant frequency of the acceptable specimens and the simulated FEM resonant frequency. Also, we compared the resonant frequencies of specimens with a crack with those of acceptable specimens. The histogram drawn from these data and the available mode surveyed were used to classify the specimens in the plant as either cracked or non-cracked specimens.

Aluminum or CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) tube subjected to axial loading sustains load, and absorbs energy during axial collapse. The aluminum tube absorbs energy by stable plastic deformation, while the CFRP tube with higher specific strength and stiffness than those of the aluminum tube absorbs energy by unstable brittle failure. To achieve a synergy effect by combining the two members, aluminum/CFRP compound tubes were manufactured, which are composed of aluminum tubes wrapped with CFRP outside aluminum tubes with different fiber orientation angle of CFRP and number of plies. The axial quasi-static collapse tests were performed for the tubes. The collapse characteristics of the tubes were compared with those of respective aluminum tube and CFRP circular tube. Test results showed that the collapse of the aluminum/CFRP tubes complemented unstable brittle failure of the CFRP tube due to the ductile characteristics of the inner aluminum tube. The collapse modes and the absorbed energy were influenced by the fiber orientation angle of CFRP and the number of plies. The absorbed energy per unit mass, which is in the light-weigh aspect, was higher in the aluminum/CFRP compound tube than in the aluminum tube or the CFRP tube alone.

To determine the antiangiogenic effect of cyclosporin A (CSA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated the effect of CSA on the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were prepared from the synovial tissues of RA patients, and cultured in the presence of CSA. The production of VEGF by FLS was measured in culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and activator protein 1 (AP-1) binding activity for VEGF transcription were determined by polymerase chain reaction and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, respectively. CSA dose-dependently inhibited both constitutive and transforming growth factor β-induced VEGF production at the protein and mRNA levels. The suppressive action of CSA on VEGF synthesis was calcineurin dependent, as evidenced by a comparable inhibition by FK-506. Agonists of cAMP, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and N-2-O-dibutyryl-cAMP, mimicked the effect of CSA on VEGF production, while a cAMP antagonist, 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine, abrogated the effect of CSA. A gel mobility shift assay showed that the inhibitory effect of CSA was associated with decreased AP-1 binding activity to the VEGF promoter, in a cAMP-dependent manner. CSA may exert an antiangiogenic effect by inhibiting AP-1-mediated VEGF expression in rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), a biodegradable polymer, is a carrier for drug delivery systems. This study was undertaken to investigate the tolerogenic effect of single administration of PLGA entrapping type II collagen (CII) on the development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The biophysical properties of PLGA nanoparticles entrapping CII (PLGA-CII) were investigated by in vitro release testing of CII, immunohistochemistry analysis, and electron microscopy. PLGA-CII was fed singly to animals 14 days before immunization, and the effect on joint inflammation was assessed. Circulating IgG anti-CII antibodies and T cell responses to CII in draining lymph nodes were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and ³H-thymidine incorporation assay, respectively. The expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) for transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) was determined by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. The in vitro release test showed that CII was slowly discharged from PLGA-CII over a period of a month. After single administration of PLGA-CII, numerous particles ~300 nm in size were detectable in Peyer's patches, by electron microscopy and immunohistochemical staining for CII, 14 days after the original feeding. Mice fed a single dose of PLGA containing 40 μg of CII had significantly reduced values for incidence and severity of arthritis, serum IgG anti-CII antibodies, and CII-specific T cell proliferation as compared with mice fed solvent alone, those fed 6 doses of 20 μg CII alone, and those fed a single dose of PLGA alone. PLGA-CII was also able to suppress CIA after disease onset. Moreover, PLGA-CII–fed mice showed a higher level of TGFβ mRNA expression in Peyer's patches, but a lower level of TNFα mRNA expression in draining lymph nodes, compared with the other groups of mice. Our data show that PLGA may serve as a powerful vehicle to promote the tolerance effect of oral CII and that single administration of PLGA-CII may hold promise as a new treatment strategy in rheumatoid arthritis.

To evaluate the clinical significance of enlarged perihepatic lymph nodes in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

AIM: The objective of this study was to analyse the MR imaging findings of infantile fibromatosis of childhood and to correlate them with histopathological features.

IMPORTANCE: Assessment of whether past electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use or initiating smoking with e-cigarettes is associated with suicidal behaviors among adolescents is needed to inform future research and public health interventions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between starting smoking with e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes and suicidal behaviors among Korean adolescents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data on adolescents in grades 7 through 12 who participated in the nationwide Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey between 2015 and 2018. EXPOSURES: Type of cigarette initially smoked: electronic or conventional. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between initial cigarette type and suicidal behaviors, including suicidal ideation and suicide planning and attempts. All participants completed questionnaires about their history of suicidal behavior and were categorized into groups according to the type of cigarette used at initiation of smoking and any subsequent change (or lack of change) in the type of cigarette used. RESULTS: A total of 255?887 Korean adolescents (51.2% male; mean (SD) age, 15.0 [1.8] years) were included in the primary analysis. Among 131 094 male adolescents, 3310 boys (2.5%) initially used e-cigarettes and 27 368 boys (20.9%) initially used conventional cigarettes. Among 124 793 female adolescents, 952 girls (0.8%) initially used e-cigarettes and 9296 girls (7.4%) initially used conventional cigarettes. Of those who initially used e-cigarettes, 178 of 3310 boys (5.4%) and 134 of 952 girls (14.1%) attempted suicide. Of those who initially used conventional cigarettes, 946 of 27 368 boys (3.5%) and 911 of 9296 girls (9.8%) attempted suicide. Adolescents who initially used e-cigarettes had a higher risk of suicidal behaviors, including suicide planning (boys: adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.63 [95% CI, 1.40-1.89]; P?<?.001; girls: AOR, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.23-1.95]; P?<?.001) and suicide attempts (boys: AOR, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.28-1.87]; P?<?.001; girls, AOR, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.29-2.10]; P?<?.001) compared with those who initially used conventional cigarettes. Changing from e-cigarettes to conventional cigarettes was associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts among both boys (AOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.39-2.57; P?<?.001) and girls (AOR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.53-3.64; P?<?.001) compared with changing from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, the initial use of e-cigarettes vs conventional cigarettes was associated with suicidal behaviors among adolescents. In future research on the association of e-cigarette use with adolescent mental health and interventions for suicide prevention, the type of cigarette initially used and changing the cigarette type should be considered.

To propose a hypothesis about the embryogenesis of the subaortic left innominate vein, the authors reviewed the radiologic features of 14 patients diagnosed with subaortic left innominate vein made by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan. The authors retrospectively analyzed the level of the aortic arch, associated aortic arch anomalies, and the presence or absence of obliteration of the prevascular space. A high aortic arch was seen in 10 patients, five with a cervical, two with a right and, one with a double aortic arch. The prevascular space was occupied by the aortic arch, the great arteries, or both in all 10 patients with a high arch. In the remaining four patients with a normal aortic arch, the prevascular space was preserved, but abnormal elongation of the aortic segment between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery was seen in three. The authors postulate that precardinal anastomosis can develop in any pathway where there is the available space. In the presence of abnormal elongation of the aortic arch and resultant widening of the subaortic space, the chance of the development of a subaortic left innominate vein increases.

Abstract: Objective. To analyze the findings of intramuscular vascular malformations of an extremity on MR imaging and to correlate these findings with histopathologic examination. Design and patients. The findings on MR imaging and the medical records of 14 patients with an intramuscular vascular malformation of the extremity were retrospectively studied. All patients underwent surgical excision. Diagnoses were based on the results of pathologic examination. Findings on MR imaging were noted and correlated with the histopathologic findings. Results. Intramuscular vascular malformations of an extremity showed multi-septate, honeycomb, or mixed appearance on MR imaging. Multi-septate areas correlated with dilated and communicating vascular spaces with flattened endothelium. Honeycomb areas corresponded to vascular spaces with inconspicuous small lumina and thickened vascular walls. Areas of increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images were found in all intramuscular vascular malformations. Infiltrative margins were more commonly seen in intramuscular lymphaticovenous malformations. Adherence to neurovascular structures and orientation of the lesion along the long axis of the affected muscle were more commonly seen in intramuscular venous malformations. Conclusions. Intramuscular vascular malformations showed either a multi-septate, honeycomb, or mixed appearance, reflecting the size of the vascular spaces and the thickness of the smooth muscles of the vessel walls. Prediction of the subtype of an intramuscular vascular malformation of an extremity on MR imaging seems to be difficult, although there are associated findings that may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of each subtype.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to elucidate characteristic findings of tuberculous (TB) colitis at double-contrast barium enema examination (DCBE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with TB colitis diagnosed by biopsy (n=13) or therapeutic trial (n=12) were included. DCBE findings were retrospectively analyzed, with special emphasis on distribution of lesions and mucosal changes. RESULTS: Involvement was asymmetric in 12. The lesion was noted more commonly in the ascending colon (n=23), cecum (n=21), and terminal ileum (n=19) compared with the transverse colon (n=15) and descending and sigmoid colon (n=9). Skipped lesions were seen in 13 patients. Sixteen patients had multiple ulcers that were mostly transverse or circumferential in alignment (n=11). Depth of ulcers was superficial (<2 mm) in 9 patients and deep in 13. Two patients had fistulas. Twelve patients had inflammatory polyposis. Three patients presented with mass, and misdiagnosis of malignant tumor was made in two. Thickening, deformity, and incompetence of the ileocecal valve were frequently noted (5, 6, and 8, respectively). CONCLUSION: DCBE revealed detailed mucosal changes of TB colitis. Ulcers aligned in transverse or circumferential pattern, involvement of the right side colon, and deformity of the ileocecal valve suggest diagnosis of TB colitis.

Our goal was to analyze patients with pulmonary lobular low attenuation (LLA) on thin section CT with regard to the underlying pulmonary diseases and the dynamic changes occurring in the low attenuation regions during respiration.

The advent of new technologies and growing demand for fuel cell innovation has led to the development of novel non-carbon material strategies with inherent electrical conductance and corrosion resistance. Problems are often observed with carbon-based support materials, due to their limited electrochemical stability. The emphasis is therefore on fabricating high-performance, stable non-carbon alternatives that exhibit advantageous electrochemical properties compared to conventional carbon black, and are thus regarded as ideal electrocatalyst support materials. In this work, we investigated the influence of dopants, and the morphology of conductive, porous doped tin-based oxides, on corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity for fuel cell electrode applications. Among the various doping elements, fluorine anion doping into tin oxide plays a key role in the formation of such structures as a complexing agent for improving electrical conductivity and suppressing electrochemical dissolution processes. When used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells with platinum electrocatalyst loading, fluorine tin oxide nanotubes exhibit not only cell performance comparable to that of state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C, but also excellent cycling stability. The superior electrochemical performance and stability of this novel non-carbon support material is due to its unique features, i.e., excellent electrical conductivity, electrochemical corrosion resistance, and electronic and compressive strain effects due to strong metal-support interactions.

We previously reported that as many as one third of hospitalized patients with asthma treated with a low to medium daily dose of inhaled steroids (ICSs) for an average of 4.5 years showed adrenal insufficiency (AI).

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