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The upcycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste can simultaneously produce value-added chemicals and reduce the growing environmental impact of plastic waste.

Objective: This study investigated the correlations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE).Methods:In total, 46 patients who underwent elbow MRI and NCS at a single center from 2014 to 2018 were included. Motor studies, including segmental and inching tests, and sensory NCS were performed. The 5-point severity score was evaluated based on the signal change and swelling in the fat-suppressed T2 weighted sequence. The findings of MRI and NCS were grouped into 3 categories. The Spearman rank test was used to evaluate correlations between the severity score on MRI and electrodiagnostic parameters.Results:The locations of the lesions on MRI and NCS were correlated in 20 of the 46 patients with UNE, while the other 20 patients had no correlations. Six patients who could not be categorized according to the location showed various findings. The severity score based on MRI showed significant negative correlations with amplitude on the segmental study (r = -0.423, p = 0.002) and the inching study (r = -0.456, p = 0.002), and with conduction velocity in the segmental study (r = -0.526, p < 0.001) and the inching study (r = -0.548, p < 0.001).Conclusion Electrodiagnostic outcomes had negative correlations with the severity score, reflecting the structural changes seen on MRI. Combining electrodiagnostic studies and MRI could make the diagnosis and localization more precise.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a cyst dyeing technique that was used during the surgical excision of facet joint cysts in 2 cases. We evaluated the patients’ clinical outcomes and perioperative complications after decompression of lumbar spinal stenosis caused by the cysts. Two patients, who underwent surgical decompression for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis caused by facet cysts in August and October 2020, were reviewed. Their main complaints were severe low back pain and sciatica 1 or 2 months ago, for which they visited Wooridul Spine Hospital, Daegu, Korea. Under general anesthesia, the cysts were removed with the cyst dyeing method, using indigo carmine. Clinical outcomes were assessed by preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Perioperative complications were observed.Favorable clinical outcomes and no perioperative complications were reported. Low back pain and sciatica improved, as shown by changes of the VAS score from 9 or 8 to 1, and no dural defects were observed. The cyst dyeing method is an effective technique for the surgical removal of symptomatic lumbar spine facet joint cysts.

This study uses the finite element method and numerical analysis to develop an eco-friendly composite material with shielding capabilities. A preliminary study was performed to predict the mechanical properties of the composite material. Polyethylene terephthalate and aluminum powder (AP) were selected as the matrix and enhancer, respectively. The particles of AP are spherical, with a diameter of 1 μm. Material properties were investigated as the AP volume fraction (VF) increased from 5–70%. The FEM results show that the physical properties for AP VFs improve by up to 40%, but there is no significant change in the elastic modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio at an AP VF of 50–70%. However, the numerical analysis models show that the elastic properties for AP VFs improve by up to 70%. The mechanical properties improved as the VF increased, and the FEM predicted values were reliable for VFs up to 40%. However, it was confirmed that 40% is the limit of AP VF in the FEM. In addition, the FEM and numerical analysis predictions showed that the most similar numerical analysis model was the Halpin–Tsai model. The predictions of the Halpin–Tsai model allowed prediction of the maximum VF above the FEM limit. If the correction coefficients of the FEM and numerical analysis models are derived based on the predictions of this study and future experimental results, reliable predictions can be obtained for the physical properties of composite materials.

This study comparatively analyzed the behavior of elastic properties by aspect ratio of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers that are added when creating a composite material of polypropylene and UHMWPE. The volume fraction (VF) of UHMWPE fibers added to polypropylene was fixed at 5%. The elastic properties were lumped for analysis according to the aspect ratio of the UHMWPE fibers oriented on the polypropylene matrix; they were analyzed using the Halpin–Tsai model, which involves a theoretical approach and finite element analysis based on the homogenization method. Finite element analysis was performed for fiber aspect ratios of 0.2 to 30 UHMWPE via the homogenization technique using the ANSYS Material Designer. For theoretical comparison, UHMWPE fiber aspect ratios of 0.2 to 100 were comparatively analyzed using the Halpin–Tsai model. When the aspect ratio of UHMWPE fiber was 0.2, it was calculated as 1518 MPa, and when the aspect ratio was 30, it was 2365 MPa, and it increased by 55.8%. As the aspect ratio increased, E22 and G12 converged to a constant value (1550 MPa). In the future, when the volume fraction of UHMWPE changes from 0 to 50%, a study must be conducted to analyze the predicted behavior of the elastic properties when the aspect ratio of the UHMWPE fiber changes.

This study proposes an electromagnetic shielding material sprayed with silver-coated copper powder (core-shell powder). The shielding properties of the material are analyzed in details section. Cross-sectional observation and sheet resistance measurement were used to determine the thickness and electrical conductivity of the electromagnetic shielding layer, which was generated by spray-coating; this aided in confirming the uniformity of the coating film. The results indicate that the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness increases when the silver-coated copper paste (core-shell paste) is used as the coating material rather than the conventional aluminum base. The proposed material can be used in various frequency ranges owing to the excellent shielding effectiveness of the core-shell paste used in this study. Further investigations on the optimized spray-coating type of electromagnetic shielding material are required based on the composition of the core-shell paste and the thickness of the coating film.

Memory is supported by a specific collection of neurons distributed in broad brain areas, an engram. Despite recent advances in identifying an engram, how the engram is created during memory formation remains elusive. To explore the relation between a specific pattern of input activity and memory allocation, here we target a sparse subset of neurons in the auditory cortex and thalamus. The synaptic inputs from these neurons to the lateral amygdala (LA) are not potentiated by fear conditioning. Using an optogenetic priming stimulus, we manipulate these synapses to be potentiated by the learning. In this condition, fear memory is preferentially encoded in the manipulated cell ensembles. This change, however, is abolished with optical long-term depression (LTD) delivered shortly after training. Conversely, delivering optical long-term potentiation (LTP) alone shortly after fear conditioning is sufficient to induce the preferential memory encoding. These results suggest a synaptic plasticity-dependent competition rule underlying memory formation., Cellular activity level at the time of learning is thought to be a critical factor to determine which neurons are recruited to encode memory. Here, the authors show that competitive synaptic plasticity mechanisms influence which neurons will encode a fear memory.

This study proposes an isotropic composite material with enhanced elastic properties based on a reinforcement mechanism using ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) spherical molecules. Elastic properties are predicted through finite element analysis by randomly mixing UHMWPE using polypropylene (PP) as a matrix. The change in elastic properties of the composite is calculated for volume fractions of UHMWPE from 10 to 70%. Furthermore, the results of finite element analysis are compared and analyzed using a numerical approach. The results show that the physical properties of the composite material are enhanced by the excellent elastic properties of the UHMWPE, and the finite element analysis results confirm that it is effective up to a volume fraction of 35%.

In this paper, a study was conducted to find a self-diagnosis method to prevent the spread of COVID-19 based on machine learning. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. According to WHO(World Health Organization)'s situation report published on May 18th, 2020, COVID-19 has already affected 4,600,000 cases and 310,000 deaths globally and still increasing. The most severe problem of COVID-19 virus is that it spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, which occurs in everyday life. And also, at this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.Because of the secure diffusion method and the absence of a vaccine, it is essential to self-diagnose or do a self-diagnosis questionnaire whenever possible. But self-diagnosing has too many questions, and ambiguous standards also take time. Therefore, in this study, using SVM(Support Vector Machine), Decision Tree and correlation analysis found two vital factors to predict the infection of the COVID-19 virus with an accuracy of 80%. Applying the result proposed in this paper, people can self-diagnose quickly to prevent COVID-19 and further prevent the spread of COVID-19. © 2021 Karadeniz Technical University. All rights reserved.

In the 4th industrial revolution, big data and artificial intelligence are becoming more and more important. This is because the value can be four by applying artificial intelligence techniques to data generated and accumulated in real-time. Various industries utilize them to provide a variety of services and products to customers and enhance their competitiveness. The KNN algorithm is one of such analysis methods, which predicts the class of an unlabeled instance by using the classes of nearby neighbors. It is used a lot because it is simpler and easier to understand than other methods. In this study, we proposed a GBW-KNN algorithm that finds KNN after assigning weights to each individual based on the KNN graph. In addition, a statistical test was conducted to see if there was a significant difference in the performance difference between the KNN and GBW-KNN methods. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the performance of GBW-KNN was excellent overall, and the difference in performance between the two methods was significant.

The elastic properties of polypropylene (PP) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) textile composites were predicted using finite element analysis (FEA). A three-dimensional (3D) model of composites was generated by introducing a cloth made from UHMWPE fibers into a PP matrix. Regarding the weaving type, the reinforcement was fabricated by replicating plain and twill-woven materials. Additionally, the elastic properties of the composites were compared and evaluated by varying the volume fraction of UHMWPE in the composites from 45% to 75%. The elastic modulus of the composites containing textiles prepared using the plain weaving method was greater than that of the composites containing textiles prepared using the twill weaving method. Along the axial direction, the shear modulus calculation results for the plain-woven reinforcement textiles were distinct. However, the shear moduli in both directions were similar in the twill-woven reinforcement materials. Moreover, the future development of composites should quantify the simulation by measuring the tensile strength and shear strength of real materials.

Hepatic gluconeogenesis is the central pathway for glucose generation in the body. The imbalance between glucose synthesis and uptake leads to metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Small leucine zipper protein (sLZIP) is an isoform of LZIP and it mainly functions as a transcription factor. Although sLZIP is known to regulate the transcription of genes involved in various cellular processes, the role of sLZIP in hepatic glucose metabolism is not known. In this study, we investigated the regulatory role of sLZIP in hepatic gluconeogenesis and its involvement in metabolic disorder. We found that sLZIP expression was elevated during glucose starvation, leading to the promotion of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and glucose-6-phosphatase expression in hepatocytes. However, sLZIP knockdown suppressed the expression of the gluconeogenic enzymes under low glucose conditions. sLZIP also enhanced glucose production in the human liver cells and mouse primary hepatic cells. Fasting-induced cyclic adenosine monophosphate impeded sLZIP degradation. Results of glucose and pyruvate tolerance tests showed that sLZIP transgenic mice exhibited abnormal blood glucose metabolism. These findings suggest that sLZIP is a novel regulator of gluconeogenic enzyme expression and plays a role in blood glucose homeostasis during starvation.

Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) for adjacent segmental disease (ASD) after anterior cervical fusion (ACF). As ACF is accepted as the standard treatment for cervical spondylosis, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of various surgical techniques to overcome symptomatic ASD after the previous surgery. Herein, PCF was performed for the treatment of symptomatic ASD and the feasibility of the surgery was evaluated. Methods Forty nine patients who underwent PCF due to symptomatic ASD from August 2008 to November 2017 were identified. For demographic and perioperative data, the sex, age, types of previous surgery, ASD levels, operation times, and bleeding amount were recorded. The clinical outcome was assessed using the visual analogue scale for the neck and arm, the modified Odom’s criteria as well as neck disability index. Radiologic evaluations were performed by measuring disc softness, disc height, the cervical 2–7 sagittal vertical axis, cervical cobb angle, and facet violation. Results Thirty-seven patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups based on the location of the pathology; paracentral (group P) or foramina (group F). Both groups showed significant clinical improvement (p0.05). Conclusion PCF showed satisfactory clinical and radiologic outcomes for both paracentral and foraminal pathologies of ASD after ACF. Complications related to anterior revision were also avoided. PCF can be considered a feasible and safe surgical option for ASD after ACF.

Fat-mass and obesity-associated protein (Fto) is highly expressed in the brain including, the hippocampus, and its expression is significantly decreased in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease patients. In the present study, we measured Fto immunoreactivity and protein levels in the hippocampus of obese and aged mice, which were induced by high-fat diet for 12 weeks and D-galactose treatment for 10 weeks, respectively. The obesity and aging phenotypes were assessed by physiological parameters and Morris water maze test, respectively. High fat diet fed mice showed significant increases in body weight and blood glucose levels compared to that in the control or D-galactose-induced aged mice. In addition, treatment with D-galactose significantly decreased the spatial memory. Fto immunoreactivity in the control group was mainly detected in the pyramidal cells of the CA1 and CA3 regions and in the granule cells of the dentate gyrus. In the hippocampus of high-fat diet-fed mice, Fto immunoreactive structures were similarly found in the hippocampus compared to that in the control group, but Fto immunoreactivity in high-fat diet-fed mice was also found in the stratum oriens and radiatum of the CA1 and CA3 regions and the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus. In the hippocampus of D-galactose-induced aged mice, fewer Fto immunoreactive structures were detected in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus compared to the control group. Fto mRNA and protein levels based on quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays were slightly increased in the hippocampus of high-fat diet-fed mice compared to that in control mice. In addition, Fto mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in the aged hippocampus compared to that in the control group. Fto protein levels are susceptible to the aging process, but not in the hippocampus of high-fat diet-induced obesity. The reduction of Fto in aged mice may be associated with reduced memory impairment in mice.

Background: Concerning of progression of deformity, it is reluctant to utilize a posterior approach if preoperative sagittal alignment is kyphotic or straight. The purpose of this study was to determine interval changes in cervical segmental angles after posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) and analyzing factors affecting cervical sagittal re-alignment in the postoperative period. Methods: Within 2 days and 6 months after PCF, postoperative plain radiograph was obtained to compare the cervical sagittal alignment with preoperative alignment in 286 consecutive patients. Sagittal angle between C2 and C7 formed by lines drawn at the base of axis and the superior endplate of the C7 vertebral body on lateral radiograph. To evaluate clinical outcomes, patients were routinely asked to gauge levels of pain they feeling at that point in time by visual analogue scale (VAS) on admission, prior to postoperative radiographs and 6 months after operation follow-up in outpatient. Results: More than two-third of the patients presenting with kyphotic or straight curvature improved short-term following operation. On follow-up plain radiographs after 6 months, the improvement of sagittal alignment was well maintained, but rather more prominent (P

In the present study, we investigated the effects of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) on novel object recognition, cell proliferation, and neuroblast differentiation in the hippocampus. To facilitate penetration into the blood–brain barrier and neuronal plasma membrane, we created a Tat-HSP70 fusion protein. Eight-week-old mice received intraperitoneal injections of vehicle (10% glycerol), control-HSP70, or Tat-HSP70 protein once a day for 21 days. To elucidate the delivery efficiency of HSP70 into the hippocampus, western blot analysis for polyhistidine was conducted. Polyhistidine protein levels were significantly increased in control-HSP70- and Tat-HSP70-treated groups compared to the control or vehicle-treated group. However, polyhistidine protein levels were significantly higher in the Tat-HSP70-treated group compared to that in the control-HSP70-treated group. In addition, immunohistochemical study for HSP70 showed direct evidences for induction of HSP70 immunoreactivity in the control-HSP70- and Tat-HSP70-treated groups. Administration of Tat-HSP70 increased the novel object recognition memory compared to untreated mice or mice treated with the vehicle. In addition, the administration of Tat-HSP70 significantly increased the populations of proliferating cells and differentiated neuroblasts in the dentate gyrus compared to those in the control or vehicle-treated group based on the Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX) immunostaining. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) was significantly enhanced in the dentate gyrus of the Tat-HSP70-treated group compared to that in the control or vehicle-treated group. Western blot study also demonstrated the increases of DCX and pCREB protein levels in the Tat-HSP70-treated group compared to that in the control or vehicle-treated group. In contrast, administration of control-HSP70 moderately increased the novel object recognition memory, cell proliferation, and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus compared to that in the control or vehicle-treated group. These results suggest that Tat-HSP70 promoted hippocampal functions by increasing the pCREB in the hippocampus.

Manifold microchannel heat sinks (MMCHSs) have attracted attention for the thermal management of high-performance electronics owing to their high heat dissipation rate and low pressure drop compared to conventional microchannels. This study used a full 3D conjugated simulation to analyze the effects of changes in the geometry and operating environment on the thermal and hydraulic performance of MMCHS. The findings provide a holistic view of MMCHS design for performance improvement. Twelve manifold geometries were designed by changing the direction and width of the manifold outlet in each case. Using water as the working fluid, we evaluated each manifold's thermal and hydraulic performance in the flow rate range of 100–500 g/min, and compared their thermal resistances per unit pumping power to determine the most efficient manifold structure for each operating environment. Compared to a conventional microchannel, the MMCHS reduced the thermal resistance by up to 47% and the pressure dropped by up to 90%, depending on the geometry. The thermal performance index (TPI), which relates thermal performance to pressure drop, was improved by 139% in the current MMCHS design over the TPI of a conventional microchannel. This sizeable improvement resulted from the excellent temperature uniformity and shortened the fluid flow path in the microchannel.

Summary Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) with an alternating stacked structure of an organic layer and an inorganic layer draw significant attention for photovoltaics, multiple quantum-well, and passivation of three-dimensional perovskites. Although the low-cost and simple spin-coating process of these materials offers a vast platform to study fundamental properties and help them achieve rapid progress in electronics and optoelectronics, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth is also necessary for large-area, epitaxial, selective, and conformal growth. Here, one-step CVD strategies for 2D OIHP growth are proposed, and the growth trends depending on the precursor and substrate conditions are discussed. We report a CVD-grown nontoxic, lead-free 2D tin-OIHP flake to show the system offering a universal route to synthesize perovskite crystals based on arbitrary organic and inorganic components., Graphical abstract, Highlights • CVD strategies for 2D OIHP growth are introduced • Temperature dependences of CVD-grown BA2PbI4 are discussed • Epitaxial growth of BA2PbI4 is observed on mica and c-plane sapphire • CVD-grown 2D tin-OIHP (PEA2SnI4) is demonstrated, Applied sciences; Materials synthesis; Nanomaterials

In this study, the characteristics of a composite material composed of polypropylene (PP) and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are investigated. The elastic properties of the PP/UHMWPE composite material composed of short UHMWPE fibers with a low aspect ratio and long UHMWPE fibers with a high aspect ratio are compared and analyzed. In addition, the elastic properties of the PP/UHMWPE composite materials are calculated via finite element analysis and the Halpin–Tsai model by changing the volume fraction of the UHMWPE fibers. The results show that when UHMWPE fibers with a low aspect ratio and volume fraction are used, the results of the modulus of elasticity based on the finite element analysis are consistent with those obtained using the Halpin–Tsai model, although the fiber volume fraction of the UHMWPE fibers increases. Meanwhile, the deviation between the results yielded by both methods increases with the aspect ratio of the fiber. In terms of the shear modulus, the Halpin–Tsai model shows a linear trend. The results from the finite element analysis differ significantly from those of the Halpin–Tsai model owing to the random orientation of the UHMWPE fibers inside the fiber. Using a contour graph constructed based on the finite element analysis results, the aspect ratio and volume fraction of the UHMWPE fibers can be inversely calculated based on the elastic properties when synthesizing a PP/UHMWPE fiber composite. In future studies, the interfacial bonding properties of UHMWPE fibers and PP should be compared and analyzed experimentally.

In this study, we calculated the elastic properties of polypropylene composites mixed with ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers. We applied micromechanics models that use numerical analysis, conducted finite element analysis using the homogenization method, and comparatively analyzed the characteristics of polypropylene (PP) containing UHMWPE fibers as reinforcement. The results demonstrate that elastic properties improved as the volume fraction of UHMWPE fiber increased. It was confirmed that the fibers had anisotropic elastic properties due to the shape of the fibers. In addition, it is necessary to compare these findings with future experimental results to obtain data for developing UHMWPE–PP composites.

Ternary metal-oxy-chalcogenides are emerging as next-generation layered semiconductors beyond binary metal-chalcogenides (i.e., MoS2). Among ternary metal-oxy-chalcogenides, especially Bi2O2Se has been demonstrated in field-effect transistors and photodetectors, exhibiting ultrahigh performance with robust air stability. The growth method for Bi2O2Se that has been reported so far is a powder sublimation based chemical vapor deposition. The first step for pursuing the practical application of Bi2O2Se as a semiconductor material is developing a gas-phase growth process. Here, we report a cracking metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (c-MOCVD) for the gas-phase growth of Bi2O2Se. The resulting Bi2O2Se films at very low growth temperature (∼300 °C) show single-crystalline quality. By taking advantage of the gas-phase growth, the precise phase control was demonstrated by modulating the partial pressure of each precursor. In addition, c-MOCVD-grown Bi2O2Se exhibits outstanding electrical and optoelectronic performance at room temperature without passivation, including maximum electron mobility of 127 cm2/(V·s) and photoresponsivity of 45134 A/W.

In this study, the characteristics of growing an intermetallic compound(IMC) layer at solder joint in photovoltaic (PV) ribbon solder joint were investigated through the thermal ageing test. Also, the growth rate of IMC in the ribbon solder joint, which depend on the temperature and time, was predicted through the ageing test. That the ageing test were performed under three different conditions: 90 °C, 120 °C and 150 °C. Also, we prepare the two type solder composition(60Sn40Pb, 62Sn2Ag36Pb) to analyze Ag addition effect in solder to forming IMC layer. Following testing, the IMC layer formed Ag3Sn in Ag sintered layer by Sn diffusion phenomena at high temperature. The thickness of Ag3Sn in solder joint was measured by cross-section images during the thermal ageing test. The Ag3Sn IMC layer was filled in sintered Ag layer in 70 h under the harshest conditions of 150 °C and 750 h at 120 °C. The Ag3Sn thicknesses were calculated to activation energies forming IMC layer in solder joints. The results, the Ag3Sn growth rates under the various temperatures were predicted for long-term reliability of PV modules.

In this study, to improve the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) with the objective of developing a composite with ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) as a reinforcement, the mechanical properties of the composite material were investigated via numerical analysis and finite element analysis (FEA). Based on a mathematical approach, the modulus of elasticity, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio were calculated using a numerical model, and, through FEA with application of the homogenization method, the elastic properties were predicted, and the results were comparatively analyzed. In the future, it will be necessary to compare experimental and numerical analysis results to verify the findings of this study.

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory process in the pancreas that is common in dogs. This study was designed to compare cytokines between healthy dogs and dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis. For the canine cytokine antibody array, three healthy dogs and three dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis were included. Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-10, GM-CSF, and TNF-α were not detected in either group based on the results. Conversely, IL-8 (p = 0.035), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP)-1 (p = 0.0138), Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGE) (p = 0.0079), and stem cell factor (SCF) (p = 0.034) were significantly increased in dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis. However, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (p = 0.6971) did not differ significantly between groups. For the canine serum Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), eight healthy dogs and eight dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis were included. ELISA revealed that IL-8 (p < 0.0001), MCP-1 (p < 0.0001), RAGE (p = 0.006), and SCF (p = 0.0002) were all significantly upregulated in the experimental group. We confirmed multiple patterns of cytokines in suspected acute pancreatitis of dogs via canine cytokine antibody array using a small quantity of serum. After this procedure, we reevaluated the cytokines, which were significantly increased in dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis, by ELISA, with more samples. Through this study, we confirmed that MCP-1, RAGE, and SCF were newly suggested factors in dogs with suspected acute pancreatitis.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) function as central modulators of tissue remodeling. Abnormal expression and altered activity of MMPs result in excessive extracellular matrix degradation and increased tumor metastasis in various cancers. Small leucine zipper protein (sLZIP), belonging to the leucine zipper transcription factor family, functions as a transcriptional regulator of genes involved in various cellular processes. However, its role in MMP expression and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) metastasis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of sLZIP in MMP-13 expression and its involvement in CRPC metastasis. sLZIP increased MMP-13 transcription by directly binding to its promoter in CRPC cells. We found that the expression levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which represses MMP transcription, were elevated in CRPC cells. However, sLZIP suppressed the inhibitory effect of GR and enhanced the secretion of MMP-13 in CRPC cells. sLZIP promoted cell migration and invasion; however, a specific MMP-13 inhibitor blocked sLZIP-induced cell motility. Depletion of sLZIP using the CRISPR/Cas9 system downregulated MMP-13 messenger RNA expression in PC3 cells. Mice injected with sLZIP-depleted PC3 cells showed significantly reduced metastatic tumor volume in the lung compared with mice injected with control PC3 cells. Our findings suggest that sLZIP plays an important role in MMP-13 induction and CRPC metastasis. Therefore, sLZIP inhibition could be a novel therapeutic strategy for metastatic GR-enriched CRPC.