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In this study, we successfully fabricated vertically aligned Zn 2 SnO 4 (ZTO)-Fe 3 O 4 core-shell microsphere (MS)-based thermal interface material (TIM) formed by an external magnetic field. The thermal conductivity of the randomly distributed ZTO-Fe 3 O 4 core-shell/PDMS-based TIMs was enhanced with increasing loading fraction of fillers and TIM with 25 vol % fillers 2.5 times effectively reduced GPU temperature compared to bare PDMS sample. Moreover, the vertically-aligned 25 vol% ZTO-Fe 3 O 4 core-shell filler embedded TIM additionally reduced temperature by 5.1 % and 24.1 % compared to randomly dispersed ZTO-Fe 3 O 4 MS TIMs and bare PDMS, respectively. Experimental results showed that the ZTO-Fe 3 O 4 TIMs can be used as high thermal conductivity TIM filler, and vertically aligned core-shell filler can maximize thermal conductivity by forming an effective thermal path from bottom to top. The theoretical analysis results obtained using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6 simulation corresponded well with experimental ones. Our suggested vertically aligned ZTO-Fe 3 O 4 core-shell-based TIM can provide an effective heat dissipation path for advanced semiconductor devices with a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer (HR+/HER2-BC) is the most common type with a favorable prognosis under endocrine therapy. However, it still demonstrates unpredictable progression and recurrences influenced by high tumoral diversity and microenvironmental status. To address these heterogeneous molecular characteristics of HR+/HER2-BC, we aimed to simultaneously characterize its transcriptomic landscape and genetic architecture at the same resolution. Using advanced single-cell RNA and DNA sequencing techniques together, we defined four distinct tumor subtypes. Notably, the migratory tumor subtype was closely linked to genomic alterations of EGFR, related to the tumor-promoting behavior of IL6-positive inflammatory tumor-associated fibroblast, and contributing to poor prognosis. Our study comprehensively utilizes integrated analysis to uncover the complex dynamics of this breast cancer subtype, highlighting the pivotal role of the migratory tumor subtype in influencing surrounding cells. This sheds light on potential therapeutic targets by offering enhanced insights for HR+/HER2-BC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was applied to predict the thermo-hydraulic performance of the offset-strip fin heat exchanger. The ANN model was used for predicting the thermo-hydraulic performance to improve the prediction accuracy and extend the applicable range compared to the results of using the empirical equations reported in previous studies. The main parameters of these empirical equations were fin height (0.134 < α < 0.997), fin length (0.012 < δ < 0.048), fin width (0.041 < γ < 0.121), and Reynolds number (120 < Re <104). In addition, the Fanning friction factor f and the Colburn factor j were considered as the outputs of the ANN model. The impact of the parameters on the thermo-hydraulic performance of the heat exchanger was quantitatively evaluated, and the prediction accuracy was improved over a wide range for the thermo-hydraulic performance generated by the ANN model. Thus, the results obtained using the ANN model agreed well with the experimental data over a wider range than possible for the previous empirical correlations, showing extremely high accuracy and validity of the ANN model in comparison to the empirical equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The STS Thoracic Surgery Practice and Access Task Force - 2019 Workforce Report noted gender-based differences in the income of cardiothoracic surgeons in the United States. We analysed the 2019 Medicare payment data for thoracic and cardiac surgeons to investigate the gender-based payment gap among cardiothoracic surgeons. METHODS The 2019 Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners by Provider and Services data set merged with the Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File was utilized to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of gender differences in Medicare payments, numbers of services, unique billing codes, years in practice, Medicare beneficiary age, regional population density (rural-urban commuting area code) and patient panel complexity (hierarchical condition category) for providers. The providers' self-reported gender (women or men) and provider type (thoracic surgery or cardiac surgery) were binarily set according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services standards. Independent analyses were performed with thoracic and cardiac surgeons. We also used the 2013 and 2016 Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners by Provider and Services data sets to analyse the trends in adjusted gender-based payment differences across 2013, 2016 and 2019. RESULTS After controlling for the covariates, women thoracic surgeons received $25,183.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) $16,307.60, $34,059.40] less than the mean Medicare payment than men thoracic surgeons. Likewise, women cardiac surgeons received $20,960 [95% confidence interval (CI) $1,014.80, $40,902.80] less than the mean adjusted Medicare payment than their men counterparts. CONCLUSIONS In 2019, women cardiothoracic surgeons received a significantly lower mean Medicare payment than men cardiothoracic surgeons after controlling for the number of services, unique billing codes, the complexity of the patient panel, years in practice and regional population density. The payment gap between women and men exhibited no statistically significant change over 2013, 2016 and 2019. Future studies are warranted to understand the association between gender representation and the pay gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, the gold-standard treatment for sternoclavicular septic arthritis has been surgery due to the high failure and complication rates of medical treatment. In particular, presentation of Fusobacterium sternoclavicular septic arthritis has been rarely reported and very sparsely investigated, and only one other case report of septic arthritis caused by this pathogen exists in literature. Case presentation: We report a case of an otherwise healthy 38-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with sternoclavicular septic arthritis as a complication of Fusobacterium necrophorum mediastinitis. Our patient underwent successful management through nonstandard, conservative treatment of 7 weeks of intravenous piperacillin + tazobactam followed by 6 weeks of oral amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. Conclusion: We highlight a case of the rare presentation of Fusobacterium necrophorum sternoclavicular septic arthritis that did not require surgical intervention for successful management. Though infection of the sternoclavicular joint is unusual, it continues to be seen in thoracic surgery, and there are increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant organisms. This case broadens insight into the clinical course and treatment of such conditions. The success of conservative management in this case aligns with the similar nonsurgical course of the one previous report of Fusobacterium sternoclavicular septic arthritis occurrence. Thus, further discussion and thought for reevaluating the current standard practice of surgery for sternoclavicular joint infection is suggested. Our case supports assessing a patient's overall health, causative organism, and extent of infection in interventional course and taking the feasibility of conservative management into more weighted consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functionalization of coordinated dinitrogen to form nitrogen-element bonds en route to nitrogen-containing molecules is a long-standing challenge in chemical synthesis. The strong triple bond and the nonpolarity of the N2 molecule pose thermodynamic and kinetic challenges for promoting reactivity. While heterogeneous, homogeneous, and biological catalysts are all known for catalytic nitrogen fixation to ammonia, the catalytic synthesis of more complicated nitrogen-containing organic molecules has far less precedent. The example of silyl radical additions to coordinated nitrogen to form silylamines stands as the lone example of a catalytic reaction involving N2 to form a product other than ammonia. This Review surveys the field of molecular transition metal complexes as well as recent boron examples for the formation of nitrogen-element bonds. Emphasis is placed on the coordination and activation modes of N2 in the various metal compounds from across the transition series and how these structures can rationally inform reactivity studies. Over the past few decades, the field has evolved from the addition of carbon electrophiles in a manner similar to that of protonation reactions to more organometallic-inspired reactivity, including insertions, 1,2-additions, and cycloadditions. Various N-C, N-Si, and N-B bond-forming reactions have been discovered, highlighting that the challenge for catalytic chemistry is not in the reactivity of coordinated dinitrogen but rather removal of the functionalized ligand from the coordination sphere of the metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to improve the hydrolysis and degradation of primary sludge by using wild-type enzymes (protease and lipase) and establishing the optimal enzymatic cocktail ratio. Primary sludge from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea (Ulsan, Pohang, and Busan) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis. Protease and lipase were isolated from enzyme-producing microorganisms cultured from secondary sludge collected at 8 different digester sites in Korea. Primary sludge degradation through enzymatic hydrolysis was monitored by measuring the reduction in the volatile suspended solids (VSS) content of the sludge and enzyme cocktail mix for 72 h at 40oC and pH 7.0. The enzymatic cocktail of Ulsan primary sludge treated with protease to lipase at a ratio of 1:3 was found to be optimal at 33.3% VSS reduction. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were employed to the optimal enzyme cocktail to measure the potential of the hydrolyzed substrate for further degradation (VSS reduction) and bioconversion to biogas using 125 mL serum bottles as anaerobic reactors for 30 days. BMP tests showed that there was an increase in biogas production by 84.1%, methane production by 89.8%, and methane yield by 9.6%. Methane production rate was also increased. The significant VSS concentration reduction and higher biogas and methane yield of the enzyme-treated primary sludge correlate to the fact that the complex polymeric organic materials were degraded leading to efficient utilization by the microorganisms in the anaerobic digestion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intramedullary hip nails may be classified as blades or screws depending on the type of lag screw used. Recently, a combination of lag screw types with a U-clip insertion has also been used. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of these new screw types. Methods: A total of 185 patients with trochanteric femoral fractures (age ≥ 65 years) who underwent surgery with intramedullary nails were selected. Surgeries with InterTrochanteric/SubTrochanteric (ITST), Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation (PFNA), and Gamma 3 U-Blade lag screws were performed between January 2011 and June 2016. The AO/OTA classification, presence of a basicervical fracture type on 3D-CT, BMI, BMD, reduction quality, position of the lag screw, TAD (tip apex distance) of the lag screw, sliding distance of the lag screw, varus change (neck shaft angle), radiological union period, fixation failure and functional outcome as determined by walking ability were analyzed. Results: There were 3/60 (5.0%) cases of fixation failure in the ITST group, all caused by cut-out; 4/57 (7.0%) in the PFNA II group: 3 caused by cut-through and 1 by metal fracture; 1/68 (1.5%) in the Gamma 3 U-Blade lag screw group (P = 0.301). In each group, the sliding distance of the lag screw showed a significant difference (P = 0.017), whereas significant sliding over 10 mm showed no statistically significant results. Conclusion: There was only one (1.5%) case of fixation failure in the Gamma 3 U-Blade lag screw group. The sliding distance of the U-Blade was found to be in the middle, between the PFNA II (shorter) and ITST (longer) implants. The new rotational control lag screw seems to be comparable to other screw types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Economic growth and urbanization have reduced urban land resources to the point that such resources are now, in some cases severely, limited. In order to support sustainable development and to solve the problem of land shortages in urban areas, one practical solution is the shifting of land usage from above the surface to underground. However, in most countries, including Korea, the cadastral system cannot adequately handle the legal, administrative, and technical aspects of the registration and maintenance of underground parcels. The main purpose of this research, therefore, was to propose a conceptual registration framework for 3D underground parcels. In order to do that, issues of unregistered underground space were summarized, and the legal, administrative, and technical limitations were revealed. In consideration of these limitations, the registration framework for 3D underground parcels is herein proposed. This framework consists of four steps: 1) preparation of 3D underground parcel data with consideration for information regarding 3D underground cadastral surveying and building-components; 2) definition of 3D underground parcels, based on deep underground regulation in Korea and the registration extent, registration unit, absolute height and relative height of systems; 3) 3D underground cadastral registration according to the three types of cadastral maps and land registration; 4) registration of 3D underground rights, such as ownership and sectional superficies of the 3D underground parcel. Finally, in order to implement the proposed registration framework for a 3D underground parcel, legal, administrative, and technical improvements are proposed. Highlights • The exiting cadastral system cannot fully support land administration related to 3D underground space in most countries. • A registration framework for 3D underground parcel is required to efficiently manage underground properties in urban area. • The proposed registration framework for the 3D underground parcel establishes the workflow of the 3D underground cadastral system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Since aluminum responds to various oxidizers and has a high energy density, there are high expectations for its usefulness as a fuel. However, it is covered with an aluminum oxide film, which has a high melting point, and thus, its ignition is difficult. One method suggested to solve this problem is nickel coating; however, in contrast to the extensive amount of research conducted on the overall phenomenon of aluminum combustion, research regarding Ni-coated aluminum is still in nascent stages. This study was carried out to further elucidate the ignition mechanism; thus, millimeter-sized (∼2.38 mm) aluminum particles were used to observe the surface where ignition occurs in air. The spatial and temporal resolutions were heightened by prolonging the heating period. The aluminum particles were nickel coated using electro/electroless methods, and surface analysis by SEM, thermal analysis by TGA/DSC, and species analysis by XRD and EDS were carried out. In addition, two-wavelength pyrometry was used to measure the ignition temperature. The results show that regardless of the nickel content in the coating of the aluminum particles, the ignition temperature was approximately 2400 K, similar to the melting point of aluminum oxide. The thermodynamic and thermophysical characteristics of nickel, aluminum, aluminum oxide, and nickel (II) oxide, and the surface/cross-sectional analysis, thermal and species analysis, and high-speed cinematography of the quenched samples provided a detailed explanation of the ignition process. Through this ignition mechanism, the emitted spectrum of AlO (as an intermediate combustion material) was traced to explain the decrease in ignition delay with increase in nickel content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Modified OpenFOAM accurately predicts large-scale 2-phase flow, conjugate heat transfer & boiling in CE-PECS using temp-dependent properties. The PECS (Passive Ex-vessel corium retaining and Cooling System) is installed inside the EU (European Union)-APR (Advanced Power Reactor) 1400 to prevent CCI (corium-concrete interaction) and to cool down the corium under an ex-vessel severe accident. The main phenomenon in the PECS is the natural convection of the cooling water generated by the heat from the corium. A verification experiment on the cooling capability of the PECS has been conducted in the CE (Cooling Experiment)-PECS. A benchmark CFD analysis of the CE-PECS (Cooling Experiment-PECS) was performed using the modified OpenFOAM solver. In this study, the physical properties such as specific heat, dynamic viscosity, and density of water were modified to provide inputs as a function of temperature. Since the modified solver was developed to analyze PECS, the mesh was made as simple as and the number of cells is also optimized to reduce the computational load. As a result of a simulation using the improved solver, the prediction of both the mass flow rate and the temperature change of the cooling water showed good accuracy compared to the case of inputting the existing constant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Transforming growth factor-beta proteins (TGF-βs) are multifunctional growth factors and powerful modulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in a variety of cancer types including breast and lung cancer cells. Here, we demonstrated the inhibitory effect of berberine (BBR) on tumor growth and metastasis of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells via suppression of TGF-β1 expression. Methods: The levels of mRNA expression were analyzed by real-time PCR. The levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TGF-β1 protein expression were analyzed by zymography and confocal microscopy, respectively. Cell migration was analyzed by wound healing assay. Tumorigenicity of TNBC cells such as tumor growth and metastasis was analyzed using xenograft models. Results: In a clinical data set, aberrant TGF-β1 expression was associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Our in vitro results using TNBC cells showed that the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 and the capacity for cell migration were increased by TGF-β1 treatment. In contrast, basal levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were suppressed by a specific TGF-β receptor I inhibitor, SB431542. In addition, TGF-β1–induced MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and cell migration were decreased by SB431542. Interestingly, we showed for the first time that BBR decreased the level of TGF-β1, but not TGF-β2, in TNBC cells. Furthermore, BBR significantly decreased the level of MMP-2 expression as well as the capacity for cell migration in TNBC cells. Finally, we examined the effect of BBR on in vivo tumor growth and lung metastasis in MDA-MB231 and 4T1 breast cancer xenograft models and showed that both were significantly decreased following BBR treatment. Conclusion: BBR suppresses tumorigenicity of TNBC cells through inhibition of TGF-β1 expression. Therefore, we demonstrate that BBR could be a promising drug for treatment of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What roles do grassroots movements play in urban change? While many studies have focused on the substantive effects of grassroots movements in specific times and places, few have examined how a movement sustains its long-term development through changing sociopolitical and urban circumstances, and how this long-term, historical evolvement affects urban change. In exploring the development of the community movements over half a century in Korea, this paper examines the community movements’ various incarnations, from its function as a repository for early protest activism to recent collaborative efforts in response to the complex transformation of political and social systems and the subsequent development of urban and regional policies. Throughout this transformation in Korea, grassroots community movements have acted as a critical social catalyst, exerting major influence on the country’s shift from a prototypical modernist planning structure to a decentralised, participatory system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of local and community governance has garnered increasing attention from researchers in recent years, with the resulting assessments generally identifying both the advantages and obstacles. On the positive side, collaborative community governance is often viewed as a new participatory space facilitating democratic practices with favourable social and relational outcomes. Conversely, the issues of power imbalances and the continued hierarchical influence of the central government are often cited as obstacles to genuine public engagement and horizontal collaboration among diverse actors. In particular, numerous studies argue that the governance structure and initial motivation exert significant influence over the governance processes and outcomes due to the different prioritisation of goals and strategies. Such considerations demonstrate the need for additional comparative studies in diverse contexts. In addition to addressing the limitation of the existing process-focused evaluations, this study proposes an analytic framework of collaborative community governance that identifies the multiple relationships between institutional setting, governance process and outcomes, and examines two community-building initiatives in Korea. The findings demonstrate that collaborative community governance worked as an experiential incubator for individual transformation, social and relational resource building and political empowerment. The comparative analysis of two different collaborative forms reveals that differences in structure and the mode of communication resulted in building different types of relational capital (bonding vs bridging). The lack of preliminary discussions and arrangement for institutional design is highlighted as a source of problems such as excessive dependency on particular communication modes, opaque system of representation and asymmetrical development of relational resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread recognition that conspiracy theories carry the potential for serious harm, relatively little research has investigated possible antidotes to conspiracy beliefs. Previous theorizing posits that belief in conspiracy theories is driven in part by existential motives related to a sense of control and social motives aimed at maintaining a positive image of oneself and one's ingroup. Using electoral contests as the context, we investigated whether the act of voting (i.e., addressing existential motives) and seeing one's preferred candidate win (i.e., addressing social motives) were associated with a reduction in conspiracy beliefs. In two two-wave studies of high-profile U.S. elections, we measured endorsement of conspiracy beliefs before the election and after the results were known, thereby tracking change in conspiracy belief endorsement over time. Both Study 1 (2020 U.S. Presidential election) and Study 2 (2021 Georgia Senate runoff election) showed a significant decrease in conspiracy beliefs among people who supported the winning candidate, consistent with the importance of social motives. The findings highlight the merits of one's political ideology receiving support and recognition for potentially abating conspiracy beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operating region of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) is limited by the maximum-allowable voltage ripple of cells, which is associated with the arm energy variation. Injecting the controlled second-order harmonic component into the circulating current can reduce energy variation of the arm and, thus, extend the operating region of MMC. Care must be taken, however, that the second-order circulating current affects the arm current, and inappropriately injected harmonic current may cause an undesirable arm current polarity change. Therefore, this paper first investigates and proposes the maximum-allowable second-order circulating current for extending the operating region reliably and efficiently. The active and reactive power capability of MMC is further elaborated and illustrated in line with the maximum excess energy capability for two cases, running with: 1) the original operating region and 2) the extended operating region. Finally, the P-Q diagrams for contingent operating conditions with faulty or disabled submodules are presented. Understanding the unique shape and change of P-Q capability with credible submodule failure contingency should be crucial for planning MMC-HVDC lines, and determining the energy requirements and the level of redundancy in submodules properly in order to achieve the envisioned benefits of the new HVDC. The efficacy and accuracy of the research findings are validated for the MMC-HVDC system using PSCAD/EMTDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power gating circuit suffers from large amount of rush current during wakeup, especially when all switch cells are turned on simultaneously. If each switch cell is turned on at a different time, rush current can be reduced. It is shown in this paper that rush current can be reduced even more if signal transition time (or signal slew) to each switch cell is adjusted. We define wakeup scheduling as to determine turn-on time and signal slew of each switch cell; the goal is to minimize wakeup delay while keeping rush current below the maximum value that is allowed. The determined turn-on time and signal slew are implemented using a buffered tree. The wakeup scheduling and buffered tree construction are integrated into a design flow. To adapt to process variation, we use adjustable delay buffers in the wakeup network. We also apply grid-based design flow and use Schmitt triggers to implement large designs. Experiments in an industrial 1.1 V, 32-nm technology demonstrate that the wakeup delay is reduced by 12% on average of example circuits compared with turn-on scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process in tumor invasion and migration. Transforming growth factor-βs (TGF-βs) are multifunctional growth factors and powerful modulators of the EMT. Here, we investigated the relationship between TGF-β expression and invasion by treated triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Our results show that invasion capacity of TNBC cells was markedly higher than that of non-TNBC cells. In addition, EMT-related gene signatures, including vimentin (vim), fibronectin (FN), snail, and slug were highly expressed in TNBC cells. Interestingly, our results show that TGF-β1 and β2 mRNA expression levels were higher in TNBC cells than those in non-TNBC cells. Thus, we examined the effect of the TGF-β receptor I/II inhibitor LY2109761 on EMT-related gene expression and cell motility. Our data show that vim, FN, and slug mRNA expression levels dose-dependently decreased in response to LY2109761. TNBC cell motility also decreased in response to LY2109761. Finally, we investigated the effect of LY2109761 on TGF-β1 or TGF-β2-induced E-cadherin (E-cad), vim, and FN mRNA and protein expression. The reduction in E-cad and induction of vim and FN expression by TGF-β1 or TGF-β2 were completely reversed by LY2109761 treatment in HCC1806 TNBC cells. Taken together, we demonstrated that elevated TGF-β expression triggers invasion and migration by TNBCs through the EMT process. Inhibiting the TGF-β signaling pathway is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for treating TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a flexible perovskite photodetector is demonstrated with a transferable TiO2 nanorod (NR) as an electron transport layer (ETL). The TiO2 NRs are grown by the hydrothermal method on Ni metal buffer layer/Si (100) substrates. During the growth process of TiO2 NRs in solution, the Ni sacrificial buffer layer is removed by hydrochloric acid in the initial stage. The resulting suspended seed layer can then sustain the growth of TiO2 NRs in both the top and bottom directions. The successfully grown TiO2 NRs are now transferred onto an ITO‐coated PET substrate as an ETL for the flexible Cs2AgBiBr6 perovskite photodetectors. The fabricated photodetector operates under a wavelength of 405 nm, and at an external bias voltage of −0.3 V, it exhibits an outstanding performance with an on/off ratio of 1.23 × 104, photoresponsivity (R) of 0.666 A W−1, and a detectivity (D*) of 9.29 × 1012 Jones. In terms of flexibility, the optoelectronic performance of each device is well kept within 5% after 300 bending test cycles with a radius of 1 cm. The suggested transferable TiO2 NRs can improve the efficiency of flexible optoelectronic devices that require synergistic electron transfer effects by using heterostructures with TiO2 nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family, a complex and imperative group of proangiogenic factors, acts as strong cell growth chemokines and is essential for the progression of malignancy in humans. In the present study, it was observed that aberrant PDGFB expression is associated with survival rates in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer unlike other subtypes, including PDGFA, PDGFC and PDGFD. Accordingly, the effect of specific PDGF receptor (PDGFR) inhibitors on ER-α+ breast cancer cells was investigated. To block the PDGF-BB signaling pathway, PDGFR inhibitors (sunitinib or ponatinib) were employed. Sunitinib and ponatinib were found to arrest the cell cycle at the G0-G1 phase. In addition, the two PDGFR inhibitors were revealed to significantly inhibit cell growth and decrease the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1, which is one of the metastasis-related genes. Finally, the combined effects of the two PDGFR inhibitors with tamoxifen were investigated. The results demonstrated that the combination of two PDGFR inhibitors with tamoxifen inhibited the growth of cells more consistently, compared with the effect mediated by tamoxifen alone. Therefore, it is proposed that PDGFR inhibitors, including sunitinib and ponatinib, should be applied effectively to treat ER-α+ breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) isoforms and PDGF receptors have important functions in the regulation of growth and survival of various cell types. Herein, it was found that aberrant PDGFC expression is closely associated with survival rates in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. In addition, PDGFC expression was identified to be significantly increased in TNBC cells unlike other subtypes such as PDGFA, PDGFB, and PDGFD. Apparently, the effects of specific PDGF receptor (PDGFR) inhibitors such as sunitinib and ponatinib on HCC1806 and Hs578T TNBC cells were investigated. Both inhibitors decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the inhibitors completely inhibited cell growth in both the cell lines and decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), one of the metastasis-related genes. Cell migration was also decreased by the inhibitors. Finally, the combined effects of the inhibitors with doxorubicin (DOX) were investigated. The results showed that the combination of two PDGFR inhibitors with DOX inhibited the growth of cells and enhanced the apoptotic cell death more uniformly than DOX. Consequently, it is demonstrated that PDGFR inhibitors, sunitinib and ponatinib hold the potential for effective treatment of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simulating IR signatures and flow structure of plume at the rear of solid rocket motor. • Using HTPB (weak afterburning) and NEPE (strong afterburning) propellants. • Confirming the effect of altitude, flight Mach number, and motor size. In this study, radiation signatures of rocket plumes based on HTPB and NEPE propellants are simulated under varying altitudes, flight Mach numbers, and motor size. The flow field of plume is calculated by computational fluid dynamics, and the infrared signature is predicted using a Ludwig model. To verify the numerical method, experiments were conducted using small rocket motors and radiometric FTIR. The acceptable agreement between numerical calculation and the experiment was obtained in 2 – 5 μm wavelength region. The total radiance decreases with increasing altitude whether afterburning exists or not. A decreasing rate in the radiance of the plume with strong afterburning is larger than that of the plume with weak afterburning. The change in total intensity according to altitude depends on the afterburning and is directly affected by the radiating area. As the flight Mach number increases, total radiance, total intensity, and radiating area decrease. The motor size makes radiation intensity increase exponentially; exponent value is from 2.6 to 2.7. As the motor size increases, the effect of altitude increases, while the effect of flight Mach number decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WNT5A is abnormally increased in a variety of cancers including breast cancer and has an adverse effect on the prognosis. However, the biological function of WNT5A is not fully known in HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. Using public clinical data, we analyzed disease-free survival (DFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Here, we found that abnormal WNT5A induction is a correlation with the poor prognosis of HER2+ breast cancer. WNT5A expression was also decreased by pan-HER inhibitor neratinib but not by trastuzumab. In addition, WNT5A augmented cell invasiveness of HER2+ breast-cancer cells. To find WNT5A-induced metastatic-related factors, we did a human cytokine array. The levels of GM-CSF and CXCL8 were significantly increased by WNT5A. CXCL8 also accelerated cell invasiveness in HCC1954 breast-cancer cells. The expression of CXCL8 induced by WNT5A has been significantly reduced by MEK inhibitor, binimetinib. Finally, we studied the effect of CXCR2 antagonist, SB225002, to verify the relevance of CXCL8 in WNT5A-induced cell invasion. As expected, we found that WNT5A-induced cell invasion is completely inhibited by SB225002. Taken together, we have demonstrated that WNT5A directly mediates cell invasion through the induction of CXCL8 and ultimately affects the survival rate of HER2+ breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of secondary sludge is a rate-limiting step due to the bacterial cell wall. In this study, experiments were performed to characterize secondary sludges from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and to investigate the feasibility of using bacteriophage lysozymes to speed up AD by accelerating the degradation of bacterial cell walls. Protein was the main organic material (67.7% of volatile solids in the sludge). The bacteriophage T4 lysozyme (T4L) was tested for hydrolysis and biochemical methane potential. Variations in the volatile suspended solid (VSS) concentration and biogas production were monitored. The VSS reduction efficiencies by hydrolysis using T4L for 72 h increased and ranged from 17.8% to 26.4%. Biogas production using T4L treated sludges increased and biogas production was increased by as much as 82.4%. Biogas production rate also increased, and the average reaction rate coefficient of first-order kinetics was 0.56 ± 0.02/d, which was up to 47.5% higher compared to the untreated samples at the maximum. Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia, Gammaproteobacteria, and Sphingobacteriia were major microbial classes in all sludges. The interpretation of the microbial community structure indicated that T4L treatment is likely to increase the rate of cell wall digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the association between initial fibrinogen levels and massive transfusion (MT) in emergency department (ED) patients with primary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the ED of a university-affiliated, tertiary referral center from January 2004 to August 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: the MT group, which included those who received a transfusion of 10 or more units of packed red blood cells within the first 24 h, and the Non-MT group. Results: Out of the 364 patients included in the study, 97 (26.6%) required MT. Fibrinogen, shock index, and lactate were independently associated with MT (odds ratio [OR] 0.987; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.983–0.991; p < 0.001, OR 7.277; 95% CI 1.856–28.535; p = 0.004, and OR 1.261; 95% CI 1.021–1.557; p = 0.031, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for fibrinogen, shock index, and lactate in predicting MT was 0.871 (95% CI 0.832–0.904; p < 0.001), 0.821 (95% CI 0.778–0.859; p < 0.001), and 0.784 (95% CI 0.738–0.825; p < 0.001), respectively. When the cutoff value of fibrinogen was 400 mg/dL, both the sensitivity and negative predictive values for predicting MT were 100.0%. When the cutoff value of fibrinogen was 100 mg/dL, the specificity and positive predictive values were 91.8% and 70.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The initial fibrinogen levels were independently associated with the need for MT in ED patients with primary PPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The timing of preoperative imaging in patients with lung cancer is a debated topic, as there are limited data on cancer progression during the interval between clinical staging by imaging and pathological staging after resection. We quantified disease progression during this interval in patients with early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to better understand if its length impacts upstaging. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed our institutional database to identify patients who underwent surgery for clinically staged T1N0M0 NSCLC from January 2015 through September 2022. Tumour upstaging between chest computed tomography (CT) and surgery were analysed as a function of time (<30, 30–59, ≥60 days) for different nodule subtypes. We analysed data across 3 timeframes using Pearson's chi-squared and analysis of variance tests. RESULTS During the study period, 622 patients underwent surgery for clinically staged T1N0M0 NSCLC. CT-to-surgery interval was <30 days in 228 (36.7%), 30–59 days in 242 (38.9%) and ≥60 days in 152 (24.4%) with no differences in patient or nodule characteristics observed between these groups. T-stage increased in 346 patients (55.6%) between CT imaging and surgery. Among these patients, 126 (36.4%) had ground-glass nodules, 147 (42.5%) had part-solid nodules and 73 (21.1%) had solid nodules. CT-to-surgery interval length was not associated with upstaging of any nodule subtype (full-cohort, P  = 0.903; ground-glass, P  = 0.880; part-solid, P  = 0.858; solid, P  = 0.959). CONCLUSIONS This single-centre experience suggests no significant association between tumour upstaging and time from imaging to lung resection in patients with clinical stage IA NSCLC. Further studies are needed to better understand the risk factors for upstaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cation substitution technique in halide perovskites (HPs) is one of the famous schemes to enhance the characteristics of HPs-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we fabricated rubidium (Rb) substituted inorganic double halide perovskites (HPs) Cs 2−x Rb x AgBiBr 6 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) film-based resistive switching (RS) devices and investigated effects of Rb cation substitution on characteristics of RS devices. Grain sizes of the formed Cs 2−x Rb x AgBiBr 6 films gradually increased as increase of Rb contents in the precursor. All of the fabricated RS devices demonstrated non-volatile bipolar RS behavior, device with the Rb content x = 0.1 showed a particularly high on/off ratio (9.29 × 102) of about 30 times greater than pristine Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 -based ones (3.09 × 10). In addition, it has been shown that an appropriate amount of Rb substitution at the level of x = 0.1 can effectively prevent the appearance of other crystalline phases at high humidity condition of > 80 %. Through various analytical techniques including SEM, XPS, and SCLC measurement, it was confirmed that an enlargement in grain size resulting in a decrease in defects such as Br vacancies in the fabricated film can lead to an increase in resistance at a high resistance state (HRS) and high on/off resistance ratio. This study provides a facile and feasible way to enhance performances of HPs-based RS devices for practical electronic memory applications. [Display omitted] • We fabricated rubidium (Rb) substituted inorganic double halide perovskites (HPs) Cs 2−x Rb x AgBiBr 6 film-based resistive switching (RS) devices • Grain sizes of Cs 2−x Rb x AgBiBr 6 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) films gradually increased as increase of Rb contents. • Cs 2−x Rb x AgBiBr 6 -based RS devices with x = 0.1 showed a particularly high on/off ratio (9.29 × 102) of about 30 times greater than pristine one. • An appropriate amount of Rb substitution at the level of x = 0.1 can prevent the appearance of other phases at high humidity condition of > 80 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian tracking is a challenging task in the area of visual object tracking research and it is a vital component of various vision-based applications such as surveillance systems, human-following robots, and autonomous vehicles. In this paper, we proposed a single pedestrian tracking (SPT) framework for identifying each instance of a person across all video frames through a tracking-by-detection paradigm that combines deep learning and metric learning-based approaches. The SPT framework comprises three main modules: detection, re-identification, and tracking. Our contribution is a significant improvement in the results by designing two compact metric learning-based models using Siamese architecture in the pedestrian re-identification module and combining one of the most robust re-identification models for data associated with the pedestrian detector in the tracking module. We carried out several analyses to evaluate the performance of our SPT framework for single pedestrian tracking in the videos. The results of the re-identification module validate that our two proposed re-identification models surpass existing state-of-the-art models with increased accuracies of 79.2% and 83.9% on the large dataset and 92% and 96% on the small dataset. Moreover, the proposed SPT tracker, along with six state-of-the-art (SOTA) tracking models, has been tested on various indoor and outdoor video sequences. A qualitative analysis considering six major environmental factors verifies the effectiveness of our SPT tracker under illumination changes, appearance variations due to pose changes, changes in target position, and partial occlusions. In addition, quantitative analysis based on experimental results also demonstrates that our proposed SPT tracker outperforms the GOTURN, CSRT, KCF, and SiamFC trackers with a success rate of 79.7% while beating the DiamSiamRPN, SiamFC, CSRT, GOTURN, and SiamMask trackers with an average of 18 tracking frames per second. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of multi-dimensional grains of solid rocket motor propellant was carried out using the partial interface tracking method. This method applies the Lagrangian approach to the axisymmetric area of the X – Y plane and the fin area of the Y – Z plane to analyze the multi-dimensional grain burnback. The Lagrangian approach is an effective way to simulate the axisymmetric or 2D shape of a grain, but it is difficult to determine the 3D shape using this method. Therefore, the partial interface tracking method was designed to solve this problem and to get solutions quickly. The grid data resulting from this method is generated in a standard file format, which makes it easy to check the grid shape through commercial modeling software. This method showed good agreement with previous literature and was effective for numerous different grains. Also, it was confirmed that the code can be applicable to the 0D flow field model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) has a clinically aggressive nature. It is prevalent in young women and is known to often relapse rapidly. To date, the molecular mechanisms regarding the aggressiveness of BLBC have not been fully understood. In the present study, mechanisms of aggressiveness of BLBC involving EGFR and/or HER2 expression and interactions between tumor and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were explored. The prognosis of breast cancer patients who underwent surgery at Samsung Medical Center was analyzed. It was found that the co-expression of EGFR and HER2 was associated with a worse prognosis. Therefore, we generated EGFR-positive BLBC cells with stable HER2 overexpression and analyzed the profile of secretory cytokines. Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) expression was increased in HER2-overexpressed BLBC cells. Recombinant human CCL2 treatment augmented the motility of TAMs. In addition, the conditioned culture media of HER2-overexpressed BLBC cells increased the motility of TAMs. Furthermore, activation of TAMs by CCL2 or the conditioned culture media of HER2-overexpressed cells resulted in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-8 and IL-1β. These observations reveal that CCL2 derived from EGFR and HER2 co-expressed BLBC cells can lead to increased TAM recruitment and the induction of IL-8 and IL-1β from recruited TAMs, triggering the tumorigenesis of breast cancer with the expression of both EGFR and HER2. Our findings demonstrate that EGFR+ and HER2+ BLBC aggressiveness is partially mediated through the interaction between BLBC and TAMs recruited by CCL2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an improved approach for monitoring the spatial concentrations of hourly particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) via a deep neural network (DNN) using geostationary ocean color imager (GOCI) images and unified model (UM) reanalysis data over the Korean Peninsula. The DNN performance was optimized to determine the appropriate training model structures, incorporating hyperparameter tuning, regularization, early stopping, and input and output variable normalization to prevent training dataset overfitting. Near-surface atmospheric information from the UM was also used as an input variable to spatially generalize the DNN model. The retrieved PM2.5 from the DNN was compared with estimates from random forest, multiple linear regression, and the Community Multiscale Air Quality model. The DNN demonstrated the highest accuracy compared to that of the conventional methods for the hold-out validation (root mean square error (RMSE) = 7.042 μg/m3, mean bias error (MBE) = −0.340 μg/m3, and coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.698) and the cross-validation (RMSE = 9.166 μg/m3, MBE = 0.293 μg/m3, and R2 = 0.49). Although the R2 was low due to underestimated high PM2.5 concentration patterns, the RMSE and MBE demonstrated reliable accuracy values (<10 μg/m3 and 1 μg/m3, respectively) for the hold-out validation and cross-validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of precision medicine for chemotherapy requires the individualization of the therapeutic regimen for each patient. This approach improves treatment efficacy and reduces the probability of administering ineffective drugs. To ensure accurate decision-making in a timely manner, anticancer drug efficacy tests must be performed within a short timeframe using a small number of cancer cells. These requirements can be satisfied via microfluidics-based drug screening platforms, which are composed of complex fluidic channels and closed systems. Owing to their complexity, skilled manipulation is required. In this study, we developed a microfluidic platform, to accurately perform multiple drug efficacy tests using a small number of cells, which can be conducted via simple manipulation. As it is a small, open-chamber system, a minimal number of cells could be loaded through simple pipetting. Furthermore, the extracellular matrix gel inside the chamber provides an in vivo-like environment that enables the localized delivery of the drugs to spontaneously diffuse from the channels underneath the chamber without a pump, thereby efficiently and robustly testing the efficacy and resistance of multiple drugs. We demonstrated that this platform enabled the rapid and facile testing of multiple drugs using a small number of cells (~ 10,000) over a short period of time (~ 2 days). These results provide the possibility of using this powerful platform for selecting therapeutic medication, developing new drugs, and delivering personalized medicine to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A full-scale WWTP treating PRW was monitored to evaluate pollutant removal. • Removal efficiencies of SCOD and benzene in influent were achieved more than 70%. • Sulfuritalea and Azoarcus were mainly responsible for degradation of benzene. • Ottowia and Thauera were possibly involved in phenol degradation as well. This research investigated the process efficiency and microbial communities and their diversity in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) fed with petroleum refining wastewater (PRW) that contained toxic hydrocarbon contaminants and carcinogens. Process parameters and bacterial community structures were monitored for six months to create a link between microbial dynamics and influent characteristics of petrochemical wastewater. The WWTP showed a stable process with efficiencies >70% for both soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and benzene removal. More than 30 genera were identified by metagenomic analysis, and the bacterial populations changed significantly during the operation period. Among them, genera Sulfuritalea (11.9 ± 3.5%) , Ottowia (4.3 ± 2.2%) , Thauera (3.1 ± 7.2%) and Hyphomicrobium (1.3 ± 0.7%) were dominant and important bacterial genera that may have been responsible for the degradation of aromatic compounds such as benzene and phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoresistance is one of the major causes of therapeutic failure in breast cancer patients. In this study, the mechanism of chemoresistance in human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells (MDA-MB-231) induced by doxorubicin (DOX) gradient was investigated. These DOX-resistant cells showed higher drug efflux rate, increased anchorage-independent growth when cultured in suspension, and increased tumor-forming ability in nude mice, compared to the wild-type MDA-MB-231 cells. RNA sequencing analysis showed an increase in the expression of genes involved in membrane transport, antiapoptosis, and histone regulation. Kaplan-Meier plot analysis of TNBC patients who underwent preoperative chemotherapy showed that the relapse free survival (RFS) of patients with high HIST1H2BK (histone cluster 1 H2B family member k) expression was significantly lower than that of patients with low HIST1H2BK expression. Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that the level of HIST1H2BK expression was increased in resistant cells. The cytotoxicity analysis showed that the DOX resistance of resistant cells was reduced by treatment with a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. Our results suggest that, in DOX-resistant cells, HIST1H2BK expression can be rapidly induced by the high expression of genes involved in membrane transport, antiapoptosis, and histone regulation. In conclusion, chemoresistance in MDA-MB-231 cells can occur in a relatively short period by DOX gradient via this previously known mechanism of resistance, and DOX resistance is dependent on the specificity of resistant cells to HDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spheroids are recognized for replicating the physiological microenvironment of tumours. However, because of the lack of controllability of the spheroid size, the response to anticancer drugs is variable in conventional spheroid culture methods. In this paper, we describe a method to generate several hundreds of spheroids of various types of cancer cells including patient derived cancer cells (PDCs) using a microfluidic device with pillars (diameter: 40 μm, height: 70 μm, center-to-center distance: 140 μm), called a microfluidic pillar array (μFPA) device. About three hundred glioma (U87) spheroids were obtained in the μFPA device within 3 days, and about 90% of them ranged from 175 to 225 μm. These spheroids were more resistant to doxorubicin at 10 μM than U87 cells in a monolayer. The former showed higher expression of CD133, a cancer stem cell marker, than the latter. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), another cancer stem cell marker, was found in the nucleus of the former, but found in the cytoplasm of the cells in a monolayer. Drug responses of spheroids of another glioma cell line (U251) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) primary cells were also easily quantified by measuring changes in spheroid size at different concentrations of their respective drug on the μFPA device. The μFPA device can be a powerful platform for obtaining uniform spheroids and monitoring the drug response of cancer cells including PDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report successful endovascular treatment of a previously implanted balloon-expandable stent bursting fracture with concomitant large pseudoaneurysm formation in the left common iliac artery (LCIA). Case Report: A 72-year-old man had been previously treated with balloon-expandable stents for severe stenotic lesion in the LCIA and left external iliac artery. Seven years later, the patient complained pain in both lower legs and back. Angiography demonstrated a 3.5-cm-sized pseudoaneurysm in the LCIA with embedded metal fragments around the lesion. An endovascular treatment was selected using a limb extension graft for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. The device was successfully deployed, and no endoleak was observed. At 1-month follow-up, computed tomography scan confirmed patency of the implanted stent graft devices in the LCIA and the absence of any endoleak. Conclusion: Endovascular approach using a limb extension graft stent for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair can be used for treating stent fracture-related pseudoaneurysm in the common iliac artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mutations in glucocerebrosidase (GBA) cause Gaucher disease (GD) and increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Since both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the pathogenesis of sporadic PD, we investigated the susceptibility of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons in L444P GBA heterozygous knock-in (GBA+/L444P) mice to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a selective dopaminergic mitochondrial neurotoxin. Method: We used GBA+/L444P mice, α-synuclein knockout (SNCA-/-) mice at 8 months of age, and adeno-associated virus (AAV)-human GBA overexpression to investigate the rescue effect of DA neuronal loss and susceptibility by MPTP. Mitochondrial morphology and functional assay were used to identify mitochondrial defects in GBA+/L444P mice. Motor behavioral test, immunohistochemistry, and HPLC were performed to measure dopaminergic degeneration by MPTP and investigate the relationship between GBA mutation and α-synuclein. Mitochondrial immunostaining, qPCR, and Western blot were also used to study the effects of α-synuclein knockout or GBA overexpression on MPTP-induced mitochondrial defects and susceptibility. Results: L444P GBA heterozygous mutation reduced GBA protein levels, enzymatic activity and a concomitant accumulation of α-synuclein in the midbrain of GBA+/L444P mice. Furthermore, the deficiency resulted in defects in mitochondria of cortical neurons cultured from GBA+/L444P mice. Notably, treatment with MPTP resulted in a significant loss of dopaminergic neurons and striatal dopaminergic fibers in GBA+/L444P mice compared to wild mice. type (WT) mice. Levels of striatal DA and its metabolites were more depleted in the striatum of GBA+/L444P mice. Behavioral deficits, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial defects were more exacerbated in GBA+/L444P mice after MPTP treatment. Importantly, MPTP induced PD-like symptoms were significantly improved by knockout of α-synuclein or augmentation of GBA via AAV5-hGBA injection in both WT and GBA+/L444P mice. Intriguingly, the degree of reduction in MPTP induced PD-like symptoms in GBA+/L444P α-synuclein (SNCA)-/- mice was nearly equal to that in SNCA-/- mice after MPTP treatment. Conclusion: Our results suggest that GBA deficiency due to L444P GBA heterozygous mutation and the accompanying accumulation of α-synuclein render DA neurons more susceptible to MPTP intoxication. Thus, GBA and α-synuclein play dual physiological roles in the survival of DA neurons in response to the mitochondrial dopaminergic neurotoxin, MPTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression is associated with cancer development, metastasis, and poor prognosis. Here, we have investigated the regulatory mechanism of IL-1β expression, and the inhibitory effect of zerumbone (ZER) on IL-1β expression and IL-1β-induced signatures, including cell invasion and signaling activation in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. The basal IL-1β and cell invasiveness levels were significantly higher in TNBC cells, compared with non-TNBC cells. The invasiveness of TNBC cells was also increased following IL-1β treatment. In contrast, the invasiveness of TNBC cells was decreased following IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) treatment. Additionally, the basal IL-1β level and the invasiveness of TNBC cells were decreased by Bay11-7085. In contrast, overexpression of NF-κB (p65) caused an increase in IL-1β expression in TNBC cells. Our results showed that treatment with ZER decreased the basal IL-1β expression level, and the phosphorylation level of NF-κB, in TNBC cells. Furthermore, we found that ZER completely suppressed IL-1β-induced NF-κB phosphorylation, but did not suppress IL-1β-induced Akt phosphorylation, in TNBC cells. Our results also demonstrate that IL-1β-induced cell invasion is suppressed by ZER in TNBC cells. Taken together, we demonstrated that IL-1β expression is regulated by the NF-κB-dependent pathway, and that elevated IL-1β is directly influencing the invasiveness of TNBC cells. ZER down-regulates IL-1β expression through the inhibition of NF-κB activity, and then suppresses cell invasiveness of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibronectin (FN), an extracellular matrix ligand, plays a pivotal role in cell adhesion, migration, and oncogenic transformation. Aberrant FN expression is associated with poor prognoses in various types of cancer, including breast cancer. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between FN induction and HER2 expression in breast cancer cells. Our results showed that the level of FN expression increased in response to HER family ligands, EGF and TGF-α in a time- and dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, EGF-induced FN expression decreased in response to trastuzumab, which is a HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody. However, EGF-induced FN expression was not affected by trastuzumab in JIMT-1 breast cancer cells, which are trastuzumab insensitive cells. Next, we introduced the HER2 gene into MDA-MB231 cells to verify the relationship between FN and HER2. The level of FN expression significantly increased in HER2-overexpressed MDA-MB231 cells. In contrast, the induction of FN by HER2 was significantly decreased in response to trastuzumab treatment. In addition, the induction of FN by HER2 was down-regulated by the MEK 1/2 specific inhibitor, U0126. Using conditioned culture media of vec- and HER2-overexpressed MDA-MB231 cells, we observed the cell morphology, adhesion, and invasion of MDA-MB231 cells. Interestingly, in conditioned culture media of HER2-overexpressed MDA-MB231 cells, the cell morphology was altered, and adhesion and invasion of MDA-MB231 cells significantly increased. In addition, our results showed that recombinant human FN augmented cell adhesion and invasion of MDA-MB231 cells while these inductions decreased in response to an FN inhibitor. Therefore, we demonstrated that the induction of FN by HER2 triggers cell adhesion and invasion capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-1 (IL1) is a proinflammatory cytokine and promotes cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness in a diversity of cancers, such as breast and colon cancer. Here, we focused on the pharmacological effect of Entelon® (ETL) on the tumorigenesis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells by IL1-alpha (IL1A). IL1A enhanced the cell growth and invasiveness of TNBC cells. We observed that abnormal IL1A induction is related with the poor prognosis of TNBC patients. IL1A also increased a variety of chemokines such as CCL2 and IL8. Interestingly, IL1A expression was reduced by the ETL treatment. Here, we found that ETL significantly decreased the MEK/ERK signaling pathway in TNBC cells. IL1A expression was reduced by UO126. Lastly, we studied the effect of ETL on the metastatic potential of TNBC cells. Our results showed that ETL significantly reduced the lung metastasis of TNBC cells. Our results showed that IL1A expression was regulated by the MEK/ERK- and PI3K/AKT-dependent pathway. Taken together, ETL inhibited the MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and suppressing the lung metastasis of TNBC cells through downregulation of IL1A. Therefore, we propose the possibility of ETL as an effective adjuvant for treating TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric aerosols, from both natural and anthropogenic, are known to be major air pollutants affecting climate, environment and human health. The importance of monitoring air pollution on the Korean peninsula has been growing due to deteriorating air quality. Recently, there has been an increase in the ground air pollution observation network on the Korean peninsula because of the concern about the serious high concentration particulate matters (PMs) cases. However, these point-based observations are costly and they have limitations in analyzing temporal and spatial changes such as long-range transport of PMs. To overcome these limitations, studies have been progressed to estimate the ground concentration of particulate matter (PM) using satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD). The AOD, which represents the integral value of the aerosol extinction coefficient on the atmospheric optical path, and the PM, which collects the air from the ground and measures the concentration, can be expressed empirically. In order to improve the performance of the PM concentration estimation, a vertical correction method using a planetary boundary layer and a humidity correction method considering hygroscopic growth of an aerosol have been used.In this study, a multiple linear regression model was used to estimate PM2.5 and PM10 (PMs with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 and 10 μm, respectively) in the Korean Peninsula. Factors for estimating the PM include the AOD and the altitude of the planetary boundary layer to consider the vertical correction, the hygroscopic growth coefficient for the humidity correction, and the wind speed and surface pressure to take into account the vertical mixing and horizontal diffusion of the aerosol. In addition, seasonal modeling and air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide were introduced as factors to improve PMs estimation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin suppresses tumor development. However, the exact relationship between melatonin and cancer stem cells (CSCs) is poorly understood. This study found that melatonin inhibits colon CSCs by regulating the PrPC‐Oct4 axis. In specimens from patients with colorectal cancer, the expressions of cellular prion protein (PrPC) and Oct4 were significantly correlated with metastasis and tumor stages. Co‐treatment with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) and melatonin inhibited the stem cell markers Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, and ALDH1A1 by downregulating PrPC. In this way, tumor growth, proliferation, and tumor‐mediated angiogenesis were suppressed. In colorectal CSCs, PRNP overexpression protects Oct4 against inhibition by 5‐FU and melatonin. In contrast, Nanog, Sox2, and ALDH1A1 have no such protection. These results indicate that PrPC directly regulates Oct4, whereas it indirectly regulates Nanog, Sox2, and ALDH1A1. Taken together, our findings suggest that co‐treatment with anticancer drug and melatonin is a potential therapy for colorectal cancer. Furthermore, PrPC maintains cancer stemness during tumor progression. Therefore, targeting the PrPC‐Oct4 axis may prove instrumental in colorectal cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterozygous mutations in glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) are a major genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies. Mutations in GBA1 leads to GBA1 enzyme deficiency, and GBA1-associated parkinsonism has an earlier age of onset and more progressive parkinsonism. To investigate a potential influence of GBA1 deficiency caused by mutations in GBA1 on the disease progression of PD, GBA1 mice carrying D409H knock-in mutation were crossbred with the human A53T (hA53T) α-synuclein transgenic mice. Here, we show that GBA1 enzyme activity plays a significant role in the hA53T α-synuclein induced α-synucleinopathy. The expression of D409H GBA1 markedly shortens the lifespan of hA53T α-synuclein transgenic mice. Moreover, D409H GBA1 expression exacerbates the formation of insoluble aggregates of α-synuclein, glial activation, neuronal degeneration, and motor abnormalities in the hA53T α-synuclein transgenic mice. Interestingly, the expression of D409H GBA1 results in the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of hA53T transgenic mice. Taken together, these results indicate that GBA1 deficiency due to D409H mutation affects the disease onset and course in hA53T α-synuclein transgenic mice. Therefore, strategies aimed to maintain GBA1 enzyme activity could be employed to develop an effective novel therapy for GBA1 linked-PD and related α-synucleinopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]