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BACKGROUND Global warming and the indiscriminate use of pesticides have increased the propagation of the stored-product insect pests, leading to enormous losses in the agriculture and food industries. The most used insect repellents are synthetic derivatives; however, these have an adverse effect on human health as well as on the environment. Therefore, we attempted to find materials with insect repellent activity in natural products. The present study aimed to identify the single chemical component with intense insect repellent activity in extracts from four different Oriental medicinal plant materials: (i) Anethum graveolens L. (dill) seeds; (ii) Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (capillary wormwood) leaves; (iii) smoked Prunus mume Siebold & Zucc. (mume) fruits; and (iv) Rhus javanica L. (galls). RESULTS As a result of the bioassay-guided fractionation of each extract against the Plodia interpunctella, stored-product insect, the n-hexane fraction of dill seeds extract was confirmed as the optimal fraction between all of the fractions. In total, 32 chemical components were identified from the n-hexane fraction of dill seeds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, and the two main components were dillapiole (47.51%) and carvone (26.76%). Of the two components, dillapiole was confirmed as the key component playing an essential role in insect repellent activity. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that dillapiole has the potential to be used as a natural insect repellent for the control of P. interpunctella infestation in agricultural and food products during distribution and storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background and Purpose: Structural brain networks possess a few hubs, which are not only highly connected to the rest of the brain but are also highly connected to each other. These hubs, which form a rich-club, play a central role in global brain organization. To investigate whether the concept of rich-club sheds new light on poststroke recovery, we applied a novel network-theoretical quantification of lesions to patients with stroke and compared the outcomes with what lesion size alone would indicate. Methods: Whole-brain structural networks of 73 patients with ischemic stroke were reconstructed using diffusion-weighted imaging data. Disconnectomes, a new type of network analyses, were constructed using only those fibers that pass through the lesion. Fugl-Meyer upper extremity scores and their changes were used to determine whether the patients show natural recovery or not. Results: Cluster analysis revealed 3 patient clusters: small-lesion-good-recovery, midsized-lesion-poor-recovery (MLPR), and large-lesion-poor-recovery (LLPR). The small-lesion-good-recovery consisted of subjects whose lesions were small, and whose prospects for recovery were relatively good. To explain the nondifference in recovery between the MLPR and LLPR clusters despite the difference (LLPR>MLPR) in lesion volume, we defined the metric to be the sum of the entries in the disconnectome and, more importantly, the to be the sum of all entries in the disconnectome corresponding to edges with at least one node in the rich-club. Unlike lesion volume and corticospinal tract damage (MLPR , this relationship was reversed (MLPR>LLPR) or showed no difference for . Conclusions: Smaller lesions that focus on the rich-club can be just as devastating as much larger lesions that do not focus on the rich-club, pointing to the role of the rich-club as a backbone for functional communication within brain networks and for recovery from stroke.

Introduction Contemporary epidemiological data on Bell's palsy are crucial to clarify disease burden and improve management strategies. We aimed to examine the epidemiology of, and factors associated with, Bell's palsy treated with steroids in Korea. Methods Using the National Health Insurance claims data from 2008 to 2018, we determined the incidence, recurrence rate, and management trends of Bell's palsy treated with steroids. We defined Bell's palsy cases based on diagnostic codes and concurrent treatment with steroids. Results The incidence of Bell's palsy showed an increasing trend (from 23.0 per 100 000 persons in 2008 to 30.8 per 100 000 persons in 2018). Age (60-69 y), sex (men), and month (January) were risk factors of Bell's palsy. The recurrence rate of Bell's palsy over the 11-y period was 1.5%. Male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.2) and physiotherapy (HR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.8-0.99) were independently associated with the recurrence of Bell's palsy. During the study period, the use of electrodiagnostic testing steadily increased, whereas that of physiotherapy steadily decreased, and antiviral therapy fluctuated,. Discussion The incidence and recurrence rates presented in this study are comparable with those reported in earlier studies that included patients with Bell's palsy, regardless of the use of steroids, and documented an increase in the burden of Bell's palsy. Further randomized controlled trials are required to ascertain the long-term effects of physiotherapy on recurrent Bell's palsy.

Cortical connectivity analysis is a widely used method for understanding the causes of neurological disorders and related brain mechanisms. Although there exist numerous activity analysis toolboxes for functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), there are only a few cortical connectivity analysis toolboxes. In 2019, we released a MATALB toolbox named OptoNet , which has helped researchers to analyze brain networks using fNIRS. In this study, we developed an advanced MATLAB toolbox, named OptoNet II, to add new features that overcome the shortcomings of OptoNet . With these new features, OptoNet II can efficiently analyze cortical connectivity according to brain region using any fNIRS channel sets and can present the results of two connectivity analyses with auto-thresholding based on surrogate tests. To evaluate the efficacy of the new functions, the finger-tapping task experiment was carried out before and after transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the primary motor area. OptoNet II can efficiently show the effects of tDCS on functional brain region connectivity, which has been difficult to confirm by conventional methods. In this article, we propose the OptoNet II as a useful and efficient toolbox for researchers who want to perform cortical connectivity analysis using fNIRS.

Objectives The number of patients undergoing oral anticoagulant therapy for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease is increasing. However, the risk of bleeding after tooth extraction in patients receiving warfarin is unclear. Here, we assess the risk of bleeding after tooth extraction in patients on warfarin. Materials and methods The study included 260 patients taking warfarin who underwent tooth extraction (694 teeth). The patients were divided into those whose teeth were extracted while they were taking warfarin, those who discontinued warfarin before extraction, and those who underwent extraction while receiving heparin bridging therapy. Bleeding complications in the two groups were compared. Results Of the 260 patients, 156 underwent extraction while taking warfarin, 70 stopped taking warfarin before extractions, and 34 received heparin bridging therapy and stopped taking either medication before extractions. Bleeding complications occurred in 9 patients (3.5%) and 9 tooth sites (1.3%). Among the 9 patients with bleeding complications, 6 underwent extraction while taking warfarin, 2 stopped warfarin before extraction, and 1 underwent extraction after receiving heparin bridging therapy. No significant difference was seen between patient groups regarding bleeding after extractions (P=0.917). Conclusion Warfarin use does not increase the risk of post-extraction bleeding and can therefore be continued during tooth extraction.

In the field of stimuli-responsive polymer research, poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAAm) has been widely studied, because this material has unique properties which respond to temperatures near to that of the human body, approximately 36 °C. In this study, a nano-patterned PNIPAAm hydrogel was prepared using UV-irradiation and soft lithography. Chemical changes in the C–C double bonds of the PNIPAAm hydrogel were confirmed by FT-IR analysis. The thermal properties of the hydrogel were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which confirmed its low critical solution temperature (LCST). The highest gel content of approximately 46% was achieved at 120 min UV-irradiation. The nano-patterned morphology of the PNIPAAm hydrogel exhibited temperature-dependent reversible shape transformation. This study shows that the reversible shape transformation of the PNIPAAm hydrogel was due to swelling and shrinking.

In the elderly, walking while simultaneously engaging in other activities becomes more difficult. This study aimed to examine the changes in cortical activity during walking with aging. We try to reveal the effects of an additional task and increased walking speed on cortical activation in the young-old and the old-old elderly. Twenty-seven young-old (70.2 ± 3.0 years) and 23 old-old (78.0 ± 2.3 years) participated in this study. Each subject completed four walking tasks on the treadmill, a 2 × 2 design; two single-task (ST) walking conditions with self-selected walking speed (SSWS) and fast walking speed (FWS), and two dual-task (DT) walking conditions with SSWS and FWS. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was applied for measurement of cerebral oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) concentration during walking. Cortical activities were increased during DT conditions compared with ST conditions but decreased during the FWS compared with the SSWS on the primary leg motor cortex, supplementary motor area, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in both the young-old and the old-old. These oxyHb concentration changes were significantly less prominent in the old-old than in the young-old. This study demonstrated that changes in cortical activity during dual-task walking are lower in the old-old than in the young-old, reflecting the reduced adaptive plasticity with severe aging.

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with improved motor function of the lower extremities in response to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in patients with ischemic stroke. This study was a post hoc analysis of data from a prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial of MSC therapy for patients with ischemic stroke patients associated with severe middle cerebral artery territory (STARTING-2 trial). Lower limb motor function was scored based on the lower limb of Fugl–Meyer assessment (FMA-LL) score before MSC therapy and at 3 months after stroke. All FMA-LL changes greater than or equal to six points were considered clinically significant. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression models were used to determine possible predictors of clinically significant lower limb motor response to MSC therapy. Twelve (33%) of the thirty-six patients receiving MSC therapy reached a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of FMA-LL. The two independent factors with the greatest impact on response to MSC therapy for achieving an MCID in FMA-LL score were: (1) the time from stroke onset to MSC therapy, and (2) age (p &lt, 0.05). In addition, obese stroke patients responded better to MSC therapy than stroke patients with normal weight. In conclusion, this post hoc analysis might suggest the need for recruiting stroke patients at younger and early after stroke onset in future clinical trials of MSC therapy for stroke.

As visual perception development proceeds rapidly after birth, early detection of developmental maturity is required. Healthy infants do not have many opportunities for visual perception evaluation, so a reliable evaluation method is necessary. This retrospective study included 276 healthy full-term infants p < 0.05). In those 12 month and above, no clinical factors were significantly associated with the PreViAs scores in all domains. The PreViAs questionnaire is a useful tool for visual assessment of healthy full-term infants under 24 months of age, suggesting reference values and cutoff scores according to age, and estimating the maturation age for visual perception development of each domain.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Cerebrolysin combined with rehabilitation therapy supports additional motor recovery in stroke patients with severe motor impairment. This study analyzed the combined data from the two phase IV prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Stroke patients were included within seven days after stroke onset and were randomized to receive a 21-day treatment course of either Cerebrolysin or placebo with standardized rehabilitation therapy. Assessments were performed at baseline, immediately after the treatment course, and 90 days after stroke onset. The plasticity of the motor system was assessed by diffusion tensor imaging and resting state fMRI. In total, 110 stroke patients were included for the full analysis set (Cerebrolysin n = 59, placebo n = 51). Both groups showed significant motor recovery over time. Repeated-measures analysis of varianceshowed a significant interaction between time and type of intervention as measured by the Fugl–Meyer Assessment (p &lt, 0.05). The Cerebrolysin group demonstrated less degenerative changes in the major motor-related white matter tracts over time than the placebo group. In conclusion, Cerebrolysin treatment as an add-on to a rehabilitation program is a promising pharmacologic approach that is worth considering in order to enhance motor recovery in ischemic stroke patients with severe motor impairment.

BackgroundInclined walking requires more cardiopulmonary metabolic energy and muscle strength than flat-level walking. This study sought to investigate changes in lower-limb muscle activity and cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost during treadmill walking with different inclination grades and to discern any correlation between these two measures in older adults.MethodsTwenty-four healthy older adults (n = 11 males; mean age: 75.3 ± 4.0 years) participated. All participants walked on a treadmill that was randomly inclined at 0% (condition 1), 10% (condition 2), and 16% (condition 3) for five minutes each. Simultaneous measurements of lower-limb muscle activity and cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost during inclined treadmill walking were collected. Measured muscles included the rectus abdominis (RA), erector spinae (ES), rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), vastus medialis (VM), tibialis anterior (TA), medial head of the gastrocnemius (GCM), and soleus (SOL) muscles on the right side.ResultsAs compared with 0% inclined treadmill gait, the 10% inclined treadmill gait increased the net cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost by 22.9%, while the 16% inclined treadmill gait increased the net cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost by 44.2%. In the stance phase, as the slope increased, activity was significantly increased in the RA, RF, VM, BF, GCM, and SOL muscles. In the swing phase, As the slope increased activity was significantly increased in the RA, RF, VM, BF, and TA muscles. SOL muscle activity was most relevant to the change in cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost in the stance phase of inclined treadmill walking. The relationship between the increase in cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost and changes in muscle activity was also significant in the VM, GCM, and RF.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that changes in SOL, VM, GCM, and RA muscle activity had a significant relationship with cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost increment during inclined treadmill walking. These results can be used as basic data for various gait-training programs and as an indicator in the development of assistive algorithms of wearable walking robots for older adults.Trial registrationClinical trials registration information:ClinicalTrials.govIdentifier:NCT04614857(05/11/2020).

Three cultivars of green pepper with unique fruit shapes, ‘Kkwariput’, ‘Gilsang’, and ‘Cheongyang’, were investigated for changes in physiology and functional compounds during storage to optimize postharvest management. The results showed that the respiration and ethylene production rates of ‘Gilsang’ were lower than those of ‘Kkwariput’ and ‘Cheongyang’, having the lowest weight loss during storage at both 4℃ and 20℃. The ‘Cheongyang’ pepper exhibited the highest firmness among the three cultivars, and it remained high until the end of storage. The soluble solids content and the titratable acidity were significantly higher in ‘Cheongyang’ than in ‘Gilsang’ and ‘Kkwariput’. With regards to fruit color, in all three cultivars the L* values decreased while the a* values increased with storage time. Based on the appearance index, ‘Cheongyang’ had a longer shelf life at 20℃ than ‘Gilsang’ or ‘Kkwariput’. However, ‘Gilsang’ showed the lowest seed browning rate at 5 day at 20℃ among the three cultivars after 14 day of cold storage at 4℃. The results of functional compounds analysis showed that capsaicin content increased with storage time, with the highest content found in ‘Cheongyang’. Antioxidant capacity, as determined by ABTS and DPPH assays, increased with storage time, and ‘Cheongyang’ showed higher antioxidant retention capacity than ‘Gilsang’ and ‘Kkwariput’. The highest vitamin C content was also found in ‘Cheongyang’. Based on the overall superior results of the ‘Cheongyang’ cultivar, this study suggests a close correlation between the retention capacity of functional compounds and the shelf life in green peppers.

This paper describes a method to gauge the stiffness of nanosized liposomes – a nanoscale vesicle – using a custom-made recapture platform coupled to a solid-state nanopore sensor. The recapture platform electrically profiles a given liposome vesicle multiple times through automated reversal of the voltage polarity immediately following a translocation instance to re-translocate the same analyte through the nanopore – provides better statistical insight at the molecular level by analyzing the same particle multiple times compared to conventional nanopore platforms. The capture frequency depends on the applied voltage with lower voltages (i.e., 100 mV) permitting higher recapture instances than at higher voltages (>200 mV) since the probability of particles exiting the nanopore capture radius increases with voltage. The shape deformation was inferred by comparing the normalized relative current blockade ((Formula presented.) at the two voltage polarities to that of a rigid particle, i.e., polystyrene beads. We found that liposomes deform to adopt a prolate shape at higher voltages. This platform can be further applied to investigate the stiffness of other types of soft matters, e.g., virus, exosomes, endosomes, and accelerate the potential studies in pharmaceutics for increasing the drug packing and unpacking mechanism by controlling the stiffness of the drug vesicles.

The one-way gas valve developed in this study was designed to prevent the breakage of packages from increased internal pressure, which is a problem in packaged Kimchi, and simultaneously reduce the outflow of the offodor release. The effect of the one-way gas valve on the headspace atmospheric compositions was investigated in the packaging system. The changes of atmospheric compositions and quality factors of Kimchi, such as CO2 accumulation, pH, titratable acidity, and salinity, were measured during a 4-week storage period at 4oC. The Kimchi package with the one-way gas valve dramatically reduced pressure build-up in the pouch by allowing the controlled flow of gas to the atmosphere. In addition, the package design allows the possibility of controlling the gas generated from Kimchi by adjusting the viscosity of the open pressure control oil. The one-way gas valve did not affect the sensory characteristics of Kimchi products during the storage period. Furthermore, the deodorizing capability of the activated carbon contained in the one-way gas valve effectively reduced the off-odor of Kimchi products released along with carbon dioxide. The novel one-way gas valve is considered to be an active packaging system that can solve major problems of expansion and offodor leakage in the packaging of Kimchi.

Background Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly proliferative, rapidly growing tumor with a poor prognosis, even in cases of limited disease (LD). Timely and accurate high-intensity therapy is necessary. For concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), etoposide/platinum (EP)-based regimens are recommended, although irinotecan/platinum (IP)-based regimens are also effective with radiotherapy. This large-scale, retrospective, nationwide cohort study aimed to analyze the efficacy of CCRT in patients with LD-SCLC. Methods Population data registered between January 2008 and December 2018 was extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea database. Survival outcomes of 4446 LD-SCLC patients who received CCRT were analyzed. Results Patients who received EP-CCRT (n = 4187) showed better time to first subsequent therapy (TFST: 11.2 months) and overall survival (OS: 22.2 months) than those who received IP-CCRT (n = 259; TFST: 9.6 months, P = 0.0477; OS: 16.4 months, P n = 925; OS: 9.1 months) provided a better survival benefit than single-agent chemotherapy (n = 815; OS: 7.5 months). IP-based chemotherapy resulted in better OS (9.6 months) than EP-based chemotherapy (7.1 months, P = 0.017) in platinum-resistant relapsed patients; the opposite was observed for platinum-sensitive relapsed patients (OS: EP, 17.2 months; IP, 6.6 months; P Conclusion In the Korean population, the effects of EP-CCRT on OS and TFST are significantly more favorable than those of IP-CCRT.

To investigate the efficacy of irinotecan-based (IP) and etoposide-based (EP) platinum combinations, and of single-agent chemotherapy, for treatment of extensive-disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), we performed a large-scale, retrospective, nationwide, cohort study. The population data were extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea database from January 1, 2008, to November 30, 2016. A total of 9,994 patients were allocated to ED-SCLC and analyzed in this study. The primary objectives were to evaluate the survival outcomes of systemic first-line treatments for ED-SCLC. For first-line treatment, patients who received IP showed a better time to first subsequent therapy (TFST) of 8.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.50–9.40) than those who received EP, who had a TFST of 6.8 months (95% CI, 6.77–6.97, P

Background/aims This study aimed to assess adherence to physical activity guidelines in cancer survivors and to investigate related factors. Methods The cross-sectional data of 39,845 community-dwelling participants aged ≥ 20 years (1,254 cancer survivors) in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. The age- and sex-stratified prevalence for meeting exercise guidelines was obtained. The correlates of meeting exercise recommendations were evaluated by using complex-sample logistic regression models. Results Overall, 36.2% and 20.5% of cancer survivors met the recommendations for aerobic and resistance exercises, respectively. Cancer survivors and noncancer controls had similar low adherence to exercise recommendations in most age and sex groups, except young female cancer survivors (20 to 49 years old) who showed higher engagement in aerobic exercise than female noncancer controls in the same age group. Old cancer survivors (≥ 65 years) were less likely to engage in recommended levels of aerobic exercise than young cancer survivors (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24 to 0.79). Female cancer survivors were less likely to meet resistance exercise guidelines than male cancer survivors (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.50). In addition, cancer survivors with current smoking status and cardiovascular disease were less likely to meet aerobic exercise recommendations. Conclusions The prevalence of meeting exercise guidelines are low in Korean cancer survivors and varied by age and sex. Old age is associated with an insufficient level of aerobic exercise, and female sex is associated with low participation in resistance exercise.

A plasmonic nanopore sensor enabling detection of bimodal optical and electrical molecular signatures was fabricated and tested for its ability to characterize low affinity ligand-receptor interactions. This plasmonic nanosensor uses self-induced back-action (SIBA) for optical trapping to enable SIBA-actuated nanopore electrophoresis (SANE) through a nanopore located immediately below the optical trap volume. A natural killer (NK) cell inhibitory receptor heterodimer molecule CD94/NKG2A was synthesized to target a specific peptide-presenting Qa-1b Qdm ligand as a simplified model of low-affinity interactions between immune cells and peptide-presenting cancer cells that occurs during cancer immunotherapy. A cancer-irrelevant Qa-1b GroEL ligand was also targeted by the same receptor as a control experiment to test for non-specific binding. The analysis of different pairs of bimodal SANE sensor signatures enabled discrimination of ligand, receptor and their complexes and enabled differentiating between specific and non-specific ligand interactions. We were able to detect ligand-receptor complex binding at concentrations over 500 times lower than the free solution equilibrium binding constant (K D ). Additionally, SANE sensor measurements enabled estimation of the fast dissociation rate (k off) for this low-affinity specific ligand-receptor system, previously shown to be challenging to quantify with commercial technologies. The k off value of targeted peptide-presenting ligands is known to correlate with the subsequent activation of immune cells in vivo, suggesting the potential utility of the SANE senor as a screening tool in cancer immunotherapy.

Background: Low-frequency rTMS can induce upregulation of excitability in the contralateral hemisphere by interhemispheric interaction. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of interhemispheric modulation on hemodynamic changes after applying low-frequency rTMS over the anatomical hand knob (HK) and the hand motor hotspot (hMHS) in the dominant motor cortex. Methods: Ten healthy right-handed participants without a history of neurological or psychiatric symptoms (five males; 29.8±2.8 years) participated in this single-blind, randomized, cross-over study. rTMS was applied under three conditions over the dominant (left) hemisphere for 20 minutes: 1) 1 Hz rTMS stimulation on the HK (HK-rTMS), 2) 1 Hz rTMS stimulation on the hMHS (hMHS-rTMS), and 3) sham stimulation (Sham-rTMS). For all participants, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was applied for measurement of cerebral oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) and deoxyhemoglobin (deoxyHb) concentration over the non-dominant (right) hemisphere during a serial reaction time task (SRTT) with the non-dominant (left) hand before and after each condition. Results: The average coordinates of the hMHS (x = – 39.60 mm, y = – 17.11 mm, z = 66.40 mm) were anterior and lateral to the HK (x = – 36.72 mm, y = – 28.87 mm, z = 56.41 mm). In fNIRS time-series analysis, the integral value of oxyHb was significantly increased over the motor cortical region of the non-dominant hemisphere after the hMHS-rTMS compared with Sham-rTMS. The HK-rTMS also showed slight increment of oxyHb concentration but without statistical significance. The SPM group analysis showed greater magnitude of the activity in hMHS-rTMS than that of HK-rTMS after stimulation (p

A transparotid approach, with a retromandibular or preauricular incision, is an alternative surgical approach for treating a subcondylar fracture and reducing the potential for complications such as injury to the facial nerves. However, retromandibular and preauricular incisions are both created far away from the parotid gland-dissection area. Thus, it is necessary to undermine the skin and retract it anteriorly to access the surgical field. Here, we introduce a modified approach wherein the incision allows for direct access to the fracture site. This approach may be adopted to shorten the incision length, reduce the retraction trauma at the surgical site, and help prevent injury to the facial nerve.

Chilling injury (CI), which causes seed browning in pepper, may arise following long-term cold storage, and is a major cause of postharvest losses. To explore potential strategies of minimizing the associated postharvest losses, the present study investigated the optimal pepper harvest time that could reduce levels of seed browning, in addition to the relationship between fruit maturity and seed browning. Fruits harvested 15 days after flowering (DAF) were sensitive to cold storage at 4 &deg, C and exhibited 100% seed browning (CI index, 4.0), in contrast, the seed browning rate of fruits harvested 35 DAF was 10% (CI index, 0.4) within 7 days of cold storage. Seed antioxidant activity was higher in seeds harvested at early stages (15 DAF to 20 DAF) than in seeds harvested at later stages (40 DAF to 50 DAF) at the beginning of storage. Pericarps of fruit harvested at 50 DAF exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. Lipoxygenase, catalase, and peroxidase activity, and the expression levels of cell wall-related genes, pectin methylesterase-like protein, and endo-&beta, 1,4-glucanase were higher in seeds of immature fruit harvested 15 DAF than in seeds of mature fruit harvested 35 DAF. The seeds of the fruit harvested 35 DAF were fully developed with the seed coat separated from the endosperm and did not turn brown under low-temperature storage. The lack of seed browning observed in mature fruit under low-temperature storage could be attributed to physical protection provided by the seed coat rather than cold stress resistance conferred by antioxidants.

Objectives To investigate the levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior, and the factors associated with these, in middle-aged and elderly stroke survivors who had no limitations to their physical activity. Study design and main outcome measures We analyzed physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns using data from 12,986 community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 years without activity limitation: 377 stroke survivors, 531 ischemic heart disease (IHD) survivors, and 12,078 healthy controls in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The prevalence and associated factors of compliance to aerobic activity guidelines and prolonged sedentary time were investigated using complex-sample statistics. Results Stroke survivors spent less time in transport-related activities and walking than healthy controls. Stroke survivors, despite having no restriction in daily and social activities, had lower rates of compliance with aerobic activity guidelines (32.4%) and a higher prevalence of long sedentary time (56.6%) than IHD survivors (aerobic activity, 36.3%; sedentary behavior, 55.1%) and healthy controls (aerobic activity, 42.4%; sedentary behavior, 46.2%). Stroke survivors with hypertension were less likely to engage in recommended aerobic activity. Higher levels of education were positively associated with both aerobic activity compliance and long sedentary time. Although older age was associated with long sedentary time, stroke survivors with hypercholesterolemia and those who were married and living with their spouses were less likely to have a long sedentary time. Conclusions Nondisabled stroke survivors tended to spend less time in aerobic activity and more time in sedentary behavior than IHD survivors and healthy controls, and environmental factors had a considerable impact on their levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior.

Background We investigated the efficacy of a maxillary Jackson-Pratt (J-P) suction drain for preventing maxillary sinus hematoma and facial swelling after maxillary Le Fort I osteotomy (LF1). Methods We retrospectively evaluated 66 patients who underwent LF1 at a single institution. Of these, 41 had a J-P suction tube inserted in the mandible and maxilla (maxillary insertion), and 25 had a J-P drain inserted in the mandible only (no maxillary insertion). Facial CT was obtained before and 4 days after surgery. We compared mean midfacial swelling and maxillary sinus haziness by t test and examined correlations between bleeding amount and body mass index (BMI). Results For the maxillary-insertion group, the ratio of total maxillary sinus volume to haziness (57.5 ± 24.2%) was significantly lower than in the group without maxillary drain insertion (65.5% ± 20.3; P = .043). This latter group, however, did not have a significantly greater midfacial soft tissue volume (7575 mm3) than the maxillary-insertion group (7250 mm3; P = .728). BMI did not correlate significantly with bleeding amount or facial swelling. Conclusions Suction drainage in the maxilla reduced maxillary sinus haziness after orthognathic surgery but did not significantly reduce midfacial swelling.

A plasmonic nanopore sensor enabling detection of bimodal optical and electrical molecular signatures was fabricated and tested for its ability to characterize low affinity ligand-receptor interactions. This plasmonic nanosensor uses a Self- Induced Back-Action (SIBA) mechanism for optical trapping to enable SIBA-Actuated Nanopore Electrophoresis (SANE) sensing through a nanopore located immediately below the optical trap volume. The ligand-receptor model consisted of a Natural Killer (NK) cell inhibitory receptor heterodimer molecule CD94/NKG2A that was synthesized to target a specific peptide-presenting Qa-1b Qdm ligand. The latter interaction pair was used as a simplified model of lowaffinity interactions between immune cells and peptide-presenting cancer cells that occur during cancer immunotherapy. A cancer-irrelevant GroEL ligand was also targeted by the same receptor in control experiments to test for non-specific interactions. Although the analysis of different pairs of bimodal SANE sensor signatures enabled some level of discrimination between specific and non-specific interactions the separation was not complete, which suggested the need for multi-dimensional data analyses in future work. Nevertheless, the SANE sensor showed ability to quantify the fast dissociation rate (koff) in this low-affinity model system that was previously shown to be challenging to quantify with commercial technologies. The koff value of targeted peptide-presenting ligands is known to correlate with the subsequent activation of immune cells in vivo, suggesting the potential utility of the SANE sensor as a screening tool in cancer immunotherapy.

Background and purpose Various clinical and neuroimaging predictive factors have been identified for the recovery of upper extremity (UE) motor function after stroke. However, few studies have addressed factors related to the recovery of lower extremity (LE) motor function after stroke or performed direct comparisons of UE and LE motor recovery in the same set of patients. In this study, predictive factors for UE and LE motor recovery after stroke were investigated using clinical and neuroimaging characteristics. Methods Forty-two subacute ischaemic stroke patients underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition and cognitive/behavioral assessments using the Fugl-Meyer assessment, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) 2 weeks after stroke onset. Neuroimaging factors, including corticospinal tract (CST) fractional anisotropy, lesion volume, CST lesion load and interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity, were extracted. The outcome of motor function was assessed by Fugl-Meyer assessment scores 3 months after onset. Results Early clinical and neuroimaging factors for predicting motor recovery were noticeably different for UE and LE. UE motor function recovery was related to age, NIHSS, MMSE, CST lesion load, lesion volume, ipsilesional CST integrity and interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity. In contrast, LE motor recovery was related to ipsilesional and contralesional CST integrity and MMSE. Specifically, LE recovery showed a strong relationship to the preservation of cognitive function compared with motor impairment. Conclusions Our results indicate that different mechanisms underlie UE and LE motor recovery after stroke. LE motor recovery seems to be more intensively modulated by cognitive functions than UE.

This study aimed to identify the independent association of handgrip strength and current smoking with cardiometabolic risk in adolescents. Data of 1806 adolescents (12&ndash, 18 years) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed by complex samples logistic regression analyses. Handgrip strength was normalized by body weight into relative handgrip strength. A cardiometabolic risk index score was calculated from the z-scores of the following components: waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. Relative handgrip strength showed an inverse association with high cardiometabolic risk, with an adjusted odds ratio of 8.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7&ndash, 19.3) for boys and 5.7 (95% CI, 2.9&ndash, 11.2) for girls on comparing the lowest and the highest age-and sex-specific quartiles of relative handgrip strength. The adjusted odds ratios for high cardiometabolic risk on comparing the second quartile and the highest quartile of relative handgrip strength were 3.9 (95% CI, 1.7&ndash, 8.9) in boys and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.3&ndash, 5.3) in girls. Current smoking was independently associated with high cardiometabolic risk in boys aged 15&ndash, 18 years. These findings suggest the need to increase muscle strength in adolescents and reduce smoking in older boys to promote cardiometabolic health.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used to modulate neuronal excitability of the human brain. Distant effects on contralateral corticomotor excitability can be exerted by interhemispheric modulation by low-frequency rTMS on ipsilateral hemisphere. To modulate corticospinal excitability, accurate determination of the stimulation site is important to maximize the effects of rTMS. In the present study, we investigated the difference in the distant effect of 1 Hz rTMS with respect to inducing functional improvement in the non-dominant hand by inhibiting the dominant hemisphere depending on cortical target areas. Ten healthy right-handed volunteers without any neurological disorders were enrolled. The anatomical hand knob (HK) identified from individual magnetic resonance imaging and the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) induced hand motor hotspot (hMHS) by recording motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the contralateral first dorsal interosseous muscle were determined. All participants underwent three conditions of 1 Hz rTMS on left hemisphere intervention; rTMS application over the HK, rTMS application over the hMHS, and sham-rTMS. Before and after each intervention, all participants undergone motor function assessments with their left hand. The cortical mapping showed that the hMHS was located anteriorly and laterally compared to the HK. Motor function tests showed the most significant improvements after the hMHS stimulation. When we compared the distant effects of target site on corticospinal excitability and motor behavior, delivering 1 Hz rTMS to the hMHS was more effective than delivering it to the HK for improving corticomotor excitability, motor skill, and dexterity. These results suggest that TMS-induced hMHS is an optimal target area to induce distant effect of low-frequency rTMS in motor function.

Stroke patients vary considerably in terms of outcomes: some patients present ‘natural’ recovery proportional to their initial impairment (fitters), while others do not (non-fitters). Thus, a key challenge in stroke rehabilitation is to identify individual recovery potential to make personalized decisions for neuro-rehabilitation, obviating the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This goal requires (i) the prediction of individual courses of recovery in the acute stage; and (ii) an understanding of underlying neuronal network mechanisms. ‘Natural’ recovery is especially variable in severely impaired patients, underscoring the special clinical importance of prediction for this subgroup. Fractional anisotropy connectomes based on individual tractography of 92 patients were analysed 2 weeks after stroke (TA) and their changes to 3 months after stroke (TC − TA). Motor impairment was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FMUE) scale. Support vector machine classifiers were trained to separate patients with natural recovery from patients without natural recovery based on their whole-brain structural connectomes and to define their respective underlying network patterns, focusing on severely impaired patients (FMUE, Koch et al. apply computational approaches to the structural whole brain connectome in stroke to identify (i) features that predict in the acute phase whether individual patients, especially those with severe impairments, will show natural recovery; and (ii) the distributed networks relevant to such recovery.

Quarantine often provokes negative psychological consequences. Thus, we aimed to identify the psychological and behavioral responses and stressors of caregivers quarantined with young patients after a close contact to a coronavirus disease 2019 case at a children's hospital. More than 90% of the caregivers reported feelings of worry and nervousness, while some of them reported suicidal ideations (4.2%), and/or homicidal ideations (1.4%). Fear of infection of the patient (91.7%) and/or oneself (86.1%) were most frequently reported stressors. A multidisciplinary team including infection control team, pediatrician, psychiatrist, nursing staff and legal department provided supplies and services to reduce caregiver's psychological distress. Psychotropic medication was needed in five (6.9%), one of whom was admitted to the psychiatry department due to suicidality. Quarantine at a children's hospital makes notable psychological impacts on the caregivers and a multidisciplinary approach is required.

Aim This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA) in the Korean community-dwelling population. Methods This study included 11 814 individuals (5025 men and 6789 women) ≥50 years of age from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Radiographic hip OA was defined as having a Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale score ≥2. Painful hip OA was defined as radiographic hip OA with the presence of hip pain. The prevalence of radiographic hip OA was evaluated with respect to age group, sex and presence of hip pain. The associations of sociodemographic and clinical variables with hip OA and hip pain were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results The weighted prevalence of radiographic hip OA and painful hip OA was 1.1% and 0.2%, respectively, in Korea. Older age (≥75 years) and male sex were independently associated with radiographic hip OA and painless hip OA. Comorbid musculoskeletal pain (knee pain) was independently associated with painful hip OA. The difference between painful and painless hip OA was the presence of comorbid musculoskeletal pain (knee pain and low back pain). Although hip pain was more common in women than in men, it was associated with the severity of hip OA only in men. Conclusions Radiographic hip OA is rare in Korean middle-aged and elderly people. Furthermore, hip pain is infrequent in radiographic hip OA. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 20-26.

The aim of this study was to investigate the vitamin D status and related factors in community-dwelling Korean stroke survivors. Data of 23,872 individuals ≥20 y who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) were analyzed. Participants who had ever been diagnosed with stroke by a doctor were defined as stroke survivors (n=431). The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level was measured by radioimmunoassay, and vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25(OH)D

Background: Recovery prediction can assist in the planning for impairment-focused rehabilitation after a stroke. This study investigated a new prediction model based on a lesion network analysis. To predict the potential for recovery, we focused on the next link-step connectivity of the direct neighbors of a lesion. Methods: We hypothesized that this connectivity would contribute to recovery after stroke onset. Each lesion in a patient who had suffered a stroke was transferred to a healthy subject. First link-step connectivity was identified by observing voxels functionally connected to each lesion. Next (second) link-step connectivity of the first link-step connectivity was extracted by calculating statistical dependencies between time courses of regions not directly connected to a lesion and regions identified as first link-step connectivity. Lesion impact on second link-step connectivity was quantified by comparing the lesion network and reference network. Results: The lower the impact of a lesion was on second link-step connectivity in the brain network, the better the improvement in motor function during recovery. A prediction model containing a proposed predictor, initial motor function, age, and lesion volume was established. A multivariate analysis revealed that this model accurately predicted recovery at 3 months poststroke ( R 2 = 0.788; cross-validation, R 2 = 0.746, RMSE = 13.15). Conclusion: This model can potentially be used in clinical practice to develop individually tailored rehabilitation programs for patients suffering from motor impairments after stroke.

Backgroud Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are often associated with delayed myelopathy. Surgical treatment of delayed myelopathy following an OVCF comprises spinal canal decompression and stable fixation of the vertebral column with an acceptable sagittal alignment. However, such surgical methods are not usually feasible because of medical comorbidities and osteoporosis. We devised a novel, simple technique to decompress the spinal canal and reconstruct the middle column by translating the fractured vertebral body anteriorly through a posterior approach and verified the validity of the new technique. Methods We conducted a single-center, retrospective study. Patients who underwent vertebral body anterior translation (VBaT) between 2014 and 2017 due to delayed myelopathy after OVCFs were included. Through a posterior approach, discs between the fractured vertebra and the adjacent vertebrae were released. The fractured vertebra was translated anteriorly with pedicle screws and rods to realign the middle column. Radiological and functional improvement was analyzed. Results There were 12 consecutive patients. The mean age was 70.3 ± 9.4 years. There were 8 female and 4 male patients. Follow-up period was 35.9 ± 13.1 months. Nine patients had pedicle screw augmentation with polymethyl methacrylate. The mean number of fusion segments was 3.4 (range, 2–4). There were 3 types of spinal canal invasion. Five patients had vertebral body vacuum clefts with posterior wall fractures. Five patients had vertebral body angulation with endplate protrusion. Two patients had 3 column fractures. In radiological analysis, the regional kyphotic angle was 35.1° ± 9.1° preoperatively and improved to 8.8° ± 6.8° postoperatively and 9.8° ± 6.1° at the final follow-up (p < 0.001). The anterior vertebral body height ratio was 27.6% ± 7.0% preoperatively and improved to 80.5% ± 13.7% postoperatively and 83.7% ± 12.5% at the final follow-up (p < 0.001). The spinal canal invasion ratio was 52.6% ± 9.1% preoperatively and improved to 25.2% ± 10.4% postoperatively (p < 0.001). Neurological deficit was improved in all patients by 1–3 grades according to Nurick's grading system. Conclusions In delayed myelopathy following an OVCF, although the posterior cortex invades the spinal canal, it is usually already in the union state. Therefore, it can bear compression force as a middle column if realigned to be in line with the adjoining vertebrae. VBaT demonstrated satisfactory reduction of kyphosis and maintenance of stability until the last follow-up.

Study design Retrospective study. Purpose To determine prognostic factors of neurological complications (NCs) of posterior thoracolumbar surgeries. Overview of literature There have been few reports on the prognosis of NCs according to the causes and treatment methods. Methods The subjects were 65 patients who had NCs for 19 years (1995-2013) after posterior thoracolumbar surgeries in Seoul Sacred Heart General Hospital. The degree of neurological injury was assessed using numeric scales as follows: G1, increased leg pain or sensory loss; G2, hemiparesis; G3, paraparesis; G4, cauda equine syndrome; and G5, complete paraplegia. The relative degree of neurological recovery was evaluated using four numeric scales as follows: Gr1, complete recovery; Gr2, almost complete recovery with residual sensory loss or numbness; Gr3, partial recovery with apparent neurological deficit; and Gr4, no recovery. The prognostic factors were investigated in terms of demographic and surgical variables that were available in a retrospective review. Results The causes were as follows: epidural hematoma (EH), 25 patients (38.5%); insufficient decompression and fusion, 14 patients (21.5%); mechanical injury, 11 patients (16.9%); insufficient discectomy, four patients (6.2%); and unknown, 11 patients (23.1%). The grade of neurological injury was as follows: G1, 11 patients (16.9%); G2, 34 patients (52.3%); G3, 15 patients (23.1%); G4, three patients (4.6%); and G5, two patients (3.1%). Thirteen patients received conservative treatment, and 52 underwent revision surgeries. Neurological recovery was as follows: Gr1, 21 patients (32.3%); Gr2, 17 patients (26.2%); Gr3, 20 patients (30.8%); and Gr4, seven patients (10.8%). The prognosis depended on the causes (p =0.041). The subgroup analysis of the revision group revealed a significant correlation between the degree of neurological recovery and the timing of revision, irrespective of causes (r =0.413, p =0.002). Conclusions The prognosis of NC depended on the causes. EH was the best and unknown was the worst prognostic factor. Revision should be performed as soon as possible for a better prognosis.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term clinical results and survivorship of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) in patients younger than 60 years of age. Materials and Methods: One hundred and six cases of medial UKA with a minimum follow-up of 10 years were selected for this study. There were 80 patients and the preoperative diagnosis was osteoarthritis in all cases. The mean age of the patients was 54.2 years and the mean duration of followup was 12.1 years. Clinical assessments were performed using the Knee Society clinical rating system, and a survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The mean knee and function scores improved from 52.8±8.4 points and 56.6±10.6 points preoperatively to 85.4±9.1 points and 84.7±10.4 points at the last follow-up, respectively (p

For soft grippers to be applied in atypical industrial environments, they must conform to an object’s exterior shape and momentarily change their stiffness. However, many of the existing grippers have limitations with respect to these functions: they grasp an object with only a single curvature and a fixed stiffness. Consequently, those constraints limit the stability of grasping and the applications. This paper introduces a new multicurvature, variable-stiffness soft gripper. Inspired by the human phalanx and combining the phalanx structure and particle jamming, this work guarantees the required grasping functions. Unlike the existing soft pneumatic grippers with one curvature and one stiffness, this work tries to divide the pressurized actuating region into three parts to generate multiple curvatures for a gripper finger, enabling the gripper to increase its degrees of freedom. Furthermore, to prevent stiffness loss at an unpressurized segment, this work combines divided actuation and the variable-stiffness capability, which guarantee successful grasping actions. In summary, this gripper generates multiple grasping curvatures with the proper stiffness, enhancing its dexterity. This work introduces the new soft gripper’s design, analytical modeling, and fabrication method and verifies the analytic model by comparing it with FEM simulations and experimental results.

In Korea, to prevent the extinction of Glehnia littoralis, a cultivation method to improve productivity is being studied and quality maintenance technology is required after harvest. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of MAP on the postharvest quality of G. littoralis. The control showed a weight loss rate of more than 5% after 3 days of storage and lost its marketability, whereas MAP treatment (PE or MPE) showed a weight loss rate of about 2–3% during storage for more than 30 days. In the control, MDA and electrolyte leakage increased due to chilling injury. The total chlorophyll content was low and remained constant until about 23 days of storage in the PE treatment group and 15 days in the MPE treatment group. Among the phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, isoquercetin, and nicotiflorin were maintained at significantly higher levels in the PE than in the MPE. In addition, bergapten showed a highly significant upward trend in the MPE, especially after 25 days of storage when the yellowing progressed. In conclusion, MAP treatment effectively maintains quality while minimizing lipid peroxidation and maintaining phenolic compounds during low-temperature storage after harvest of G. littoralis.

Cherry tomato is a perishable fruit vegetable that requires packaging for a relatively long distribution period. In this study, we combined the effects of changing the normal composition of air in the package and short-term pre-storage treatment of fruits with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and high CO2 to maintain quality and extend the distribution period of ‘Unicorn’ cherry tomato. The treatments were modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), active modified atmosphere packaging (AMAP), high CO2 + MAP, and 1-MCP + MAP. All the treatments were sealed with 40,000 cc/m2 day atm oxygen transmission rate (OTR) film and stored at 20 and 10 °C up to 11 and 15 days, respectively. Based on the observed results of physicochemical and antioxidant parameters, the order of importance to prolong storability and maintain antioxidant properties of cherry tomatoes could be MAP + CO2 > MAP + 1-MCP > AMAP > MAP. The current study provides important practical information on the packaging systems of cherry tomatoes to extend the distribution period and maintain antioxidant properties for the satisfaction of either the domestic or the neighboring overseas consumers.

Owing to the increase in need for high-performance energy storage devices, activated carbon has attracted considerable attention as an electrode material for electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). However, the conventional manufacturing process of activated carbon is seriously limited by the depletion of raw material sources. Biomass-based activated carbon, which is currently considered as a breakthrough, exhibits performance limitations such as low specific capacitance and poor high-rate performance. In this study, we propose the use of fluorine-doped mesoporous carbon (F-MAC), which is derived from Ecklonia cava using fluorine impregnation and KOH activation, to address the above challenges. F-MAC exhibits high specific capacitance (184 F/g), excellent high-rate performance (155 F/g at a current density of 20 A/g), and superior cycle stability (82.8% capacitance retention after 2,000 cycles). These performance improvements are attributed to the increased surface area, high mesopore volume fraction, fluorine-doping effect, and high concentration of oxygen functional groups.

5523 Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI-H) is a biomarker for response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs); however, these neoplasms are heterogenous including Lynch (germline), Lynch-like (somatic) and sporadic ( MLH1-methylated) tumors. Whether mechanisms underlying MSI alter responses to ICIs is unclear. We report data from a phase II pilot study (NCT02899793) of pembrolizumab in recurrent MSI-H endometrial cancer (EC) patients and potential mechanisms of primary/secondary ICI resistance. Methods: Patients with measurable, MSI-H EC confirmed by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction were evaluated by next-generation sequencing and received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 2 years. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. Results: Twenty-five patients (24 evaluable) were treated. Six (25%) patients harbored Lynch/Lynch-like tumors while 18 (75%) had sporadic EC. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was higher in Lynch-like (median 2939, IQR:867-5108) versus sporadic tumors (median 604, IQR:411-798) ( P= 0.0076). Median follow-up was 25.8 months with an ORR of 58% (95% CI, 36.6-77.9%). ORR was 100% in Lynch/Lynch-like patients but only 44% in sporadic patients ( P= 0.024). The 3-year progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) proportions were 100% versus 30% ( P= 0.017) and 100% versus 43% ( P= 0.043), respectively. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (6.8%) occurred in 12 patients. Defective antigen processing/presentation and deranged induction in interferon responses served as mechanisms of resistance in sporadic MSI-H EC. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated prognostic significance of Lynch-like versus sporadic MSI-H EC on ORR, PFS and OS when treated with pembrolizumab. Clinical studies evaluating separate subtypes of MSI-H EC treated with ICIs are warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT02899793.

Background and purpose Brain connectivity analysis has been widely used to investigate brain plasticity and recovery-related indicators of patients with stroke. However, results remain controversial because of interindividual variability of initial impairment and subsequent recovery of function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences in network plasticity and motor recovery-related indicators according to initial severity. Methods We divided participants (16 males and 14 females, aged 54.2 ± 12.0 years) into groups of different severity by Fugl-Mayer Assessment score, i.e. moderate (50–84), severe (20–49) and extremely severe (

We investigated the spontaneous recovery of non-operated traumatic brachial plexus injury (BPI). A total of 25 cases of non-operated traumatic BPI were analysed by retrospective review of medical records; in all cases, consecutive electrodiagnostic studies (ES) were conducted from 1 to 4 months and 18 to 24 months post-trauma. Injury severity was assessed using a modified version of Dumitru and Wilbourn’s scale (DWS) based on ES. Spontaneous recovery of brachial plexus components per subject was analysed using Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test. A two-tailed Fisher’s exact or Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to examine the associations between initial injury severity (DWS grade 2 vs. 3, complete vs. incomplete), accompanying injury type (open vs. closed), main lesion location (supraclavicular vs. infraclavicular lesion), and spontaneous recovery. The most common cause of BPI was traffic accident (TA) (15 cases, 60%), and the most common type of TA-induced BPI was a motorcycle TA (5 cases), accounting for 20% of all injuries. The second most common type of injury was an occupational injury (6 cases, 24%). Thirty-eight (69%) of 55 injured brachial components in 25 cases had DWS grade 3 and 17 brachial components (31%) had grade 2. The DWS grade of brachial plexus components per subject significantly differed between the first and follow-up ES (p = 0.000). However, initial injury severity, accompanying injury type, and main lesion location were not statistically associated with spontaneous recovery (p > 0.05). Spontaneous recovery may be possible even in severe traumatic BPI. Multiple factors should be considered when predicting the clinical course of traumatic BPI.

Background/Aims.The miRNA-200 (miR-200) family may act as key inhibitors of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. However, the potential prognostic value of miR-200s in various human malignancies remains controversial. This meta-analysis analyzed the associations between miR-200 levels and survival outcomes in a variety of tumors.Methods.Eligible published studies were identified by searching the Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and Google scholar databases. Patient clinical data were pooled, and pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to calculate the strength of this association.Results.The pooled HRs suggested that high tissue expression of miR-200 family members was associated with better survival (overall survival [OS]: HR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54–0.91; progression-free survival [PFS]: HR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.52–0.76) in thirty-four eligible articles. In contrast, higher expression of circulating miR-200 members was significantly associated with poor clinical outcome (OS, HR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.15–2.46; PFS, HR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.68–4.07).Conclusion.The results from this meta-analysis suggest that miR-200 family members are potential prognostic biomarkers in patients with various carcinomas. To apply these findings in the clinic, large prospective studies are needed to validate the prognostic values of miR-200s in individual cancer types.