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Today's society is in a trend toward external beauty rather than internal beauty due to rapid changes. As of the 21st century, with the development of high-tech technology, humans are familiar with the Internet and SNS, and the world is sharing with each other and making various exchanges. Among them, with this development, modern people are increasingly interested in the fashion and beauty industries, increasing individual values and accelerating the trend cycle, creating new trends according to social and cultural trends. In particular, it is an era in which consumers are centered from Generation Y to Generation Z, which were born and grown together in the digital era, and are highly influential and led. Entering Generation Z, he is leading the era by directly expressing his inner desire and beauty differentiated from free and future-oriented others that deviate from the existing framework of dissolutionism. With this development of the times, new elements are added to the existing disintegrationism, which can be new to the new disintegrationism created by reflecting the needs of consumers. Maison Margiela, a fashion brand that represented the disintegrationism of the past, embraces various cultures and presents creative and interesting designs to the public. Nail art design has an identity as a diversified visual element, and modern people need a new design that fits the trend in a new aspect. Therefore, this study aims to produce autonomous, individualized, and diversified gel nail art designs as works to satisfy consumers' needs by examining the trend and aesthetic value of the times as a new deconstructionist characteristic of fashion brand Maison Margiela. As a method of this study, the characteristics of neodisintegrationism in Maison Margiela fashion were analyzed through previous studies, books, and the Internet, and based on studies by Kim (2021), Lee (2018), Wu (2021), and Park & Kim (2020) were combined with the characteristics of recreational gel nail art. The materials for producing the work were gel polish, gel brush, glitter, wire, and full tip No. 3. The conclusion of this paper is based on the design of Maison Martin Margiela, a representative fashion brand of neo-disintegrationism for diverse and creative designs, and the gel nail art design is presented by classifying the characteristics of neo-disintegrationism into playfulness, diversity, and reinvention recombination. The research results produced by the work are as follows. First, with Yoo Hee-sung's design, Work 1 first produced a sense of freedom as a design element from a design suppressed by a design that deviates from the existing framework of nail art. Work 2 is a design using space, designed for pure purpose, not intentional expression, and produced works in a fun and playful atmosphere. Second, with the diversity design, Work 3 expressed color expression and see-through flowers, and produced works by expressing gender boundaries from a neutral perspective. Work 4 was produced with a design that expresses an open and intriguing inner desire by expressing a part of it in three dimensions. Third, with the reinvention and recombination design, Work 5 was transformed and applied using space in three dimensions to produce works by expressing them in a auditory design. Work 6 was recombined by applying the existing gradation technique and produced a work with a design that gives a familiar image rather than unfamiliarity by using curves to create an integrated harmony of play and diversity. Therefore, this study was produced as a gel nail art work by applying the new deconstructionist Maison Margiela's fashion elements and sublimated into art works, and individual personality and original design showed trends and usability in nail industrial sites, and it is hoped that gel nail design research will be continuously conducted.

Symptomatic ganglion cysts within the knee joint are rare, and the mainstay of treatment for these cases has been surgical excision. We present a case of a ganglion cyst of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) treated with ultrasound-guided aspiration in an outpatient clinic. A 45-year-old woman presented to the hospital with posterior right knee pain after falling down. We were able to identify well circumscribed 2.2cm mass confined to ACL on Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We performed percutaneous needle aspiration of the ACL ganglion cyst under ultrasound (US) guidance. The patient's symptoms improved immediately after the procedure and she had no complications. Four weeks later, follow-up revealed that the patient's symptoms had disappeared. Six months later, a recurrence of a ganglion cyst was confirmed on follow-up and was treated in the same way.

With development of advanced technologies, the field of beauty is under strong pressure to try new approaches in line with the highly increasing interest in advance 3D printing based on 3D graphic design data. An increasing number of researches have been conducted to develop beauty and art design object using computer design programs. As part of this, three works were presented in this paper in which body painting designs and object were applied to mannequins by producing them with help of 3D printing techniques based on the motive of fractal that started from nature. This study examined how the generation principle of fractal geometry appears in the form of nature. The generation principle of fractal geometry models nature, fibonacci, and crystalline pattern by non-linearity, irregularity, and randomness around the iterative rule of self similarity. The present study is thought to be meaningful in that it suggests the possibility and practical value of a design method that can be technically and easily accessible to those majoring in beauty by means of its utility as a low-end 3D printing object.

The accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) causes metabolic dysfunction and neuronal cell damage. Methylglyoxal (MG) is a major glycating agent that reacts with basic residues present in proteins and promotes the formation of AGEs. Sciadopitysin, a type of biflavonoid, exerts protective effects against neuronal cell damage; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been studied. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of sciadopitysin against MG-mediated cytotoxicity in SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells. Our results demonstrated that pretreatment of SK-N-MC cells with sciadopitysin improved the cell viability that was inhibited by MG and inhibited the apoptosis induced by MG. Sciadopitysin attenuated intracellular Ca2+ , NOX4 levels, oxidative stress, and MG-protein adduct levels, and increased nuclear Nrf2 and glyoxalase 1 levels in the presence of MG. These results suggest that sciadopitysin exerts neuroprotective effects against MG-induced death of human SK-N-MC cells via its antioxidative action. This study highlights sciadopitysin as a promising candidate for antioxidant therapy and designing natural drugs against AGE-induced neurodegenerative disorders.

Exposure to heavy metals, including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), is a major health hazard. The toxic effects of these heavy metals can exist in a latent state. These met...

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an endocrine disrupting compound and persistent organic pollutant that has been associated with diabetes in several epidemiological studies. Oleuropein, a major phenolic compound in olive fruit, is a superior antioxidant and radical scavenger. This study aimed to examine the effects of oleuropein against TCDD-induced stress response in a pancreatic beta cell line, INS-1 cells. Cells were pre-incubated with various concentrations of oleuropein and then stimulated with TCDD (10 nM) for 48 hrs. When treated with TCDD, INS-1 cells produced robust amounts of prostaglandin E

Oxidative stress is considered a prime contributor to skin aging. Aged skin can be characterized by increased wrinkles and dry and dull appearance, which are associated with increased collagen degradation and inadequate desquamation, respectively. We investigated the antioxidant and skin anti-aging effects of a Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GLE), an aqueous ethanol extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves, and the molecular mechanisms involved, using HaCaT keratinocytes. HaCaT cells were pretreated with GLE (0–15 μg/mL) and then treated with H2O2 (0.2 mM), and the cell viability and metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) protein level were measured. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the GLE’s effects, the cells were incubated with GLE, and then glutathione content, cell migration rate, and the levels of proteins, i.e., MMPs, Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), and mitogen-activated protein kinases, were measured. GLE pretreatment caused decreases in cytotoxicity and the level of MMP-1, a key enzyme that degrades collagen in dermis, induced by H2O2 in HaCaT cells. GLE (5–15 μg/mL) caused increases in glutathione content and HO-1 level in cells, which appeared to be associated with the increase in Nrf2, a principal transcription factor for the antioxidant response. GLE also increased keratinocyte migration, which might result from the increase in KLK-7, a key enzyme that degrades corneodesmosomes and thus stimulates desquamation of corneocytes in epidermis. GLE increased the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, which might contribute to the antioxidant and skin anti-aging effects of GLE demonstrated in our results. Our results suggest that GLE may have skin anti-aging effects by protecting keratinocytes against excessive oxidative stress via stimulation of antioxidant response, reducing wrinkle formation via a decrease in MMP-1 expression, and stimulating desquamation via an increase in KLK-7 expression.

This study aimed to apply and verify the effectiveness of a mobile-based dental infection control education application to enable students majoring in dental hygiene to learning dental infection control education without time and space constraints.This study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design to examine differences in learning outcomes between an experimental group that learned through the mobile application and a control group that learned with handouts. The Infection Prevention and Control Mobile Application (IPC App) and handouts were developed by referring to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings. Both the experimental and control groups were guided to perform self-regulated learning, where they independently led and managed their learning for two weeks. The study was conducted at the D university college with 42 students from the second grade in the Department of Dental Hygiene from August to October 2021. Differences in knowledge, self-efficacy, and summative evaluation were analyzed using an independent sample t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance (p 0.05).The findings confirmed that the experimental group who learned through the IPC mobile application had improved their knowledge and indicated a higher summative evaluation than the control group that learned via learning documents (p 0.05).Owing to the high accessibility and repeatability of the learning content, the mobile application recommended in this study may serve as an effective self-directed learning tool for students to gain knowledge on the standard precautions for dental infection control.

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GLE) shows diverse biological effects, and it is used as an ingredient in some skincare products. GLE and a few purified compounds are known to inhibit melanogenesis. However, there are very few reports on the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of melanogenesis by GLE. We investigated the anti-melanogenic effect of a GLE, an aqueous ethanol extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves, and the molecular mechanisms involved. B16F10 murine melanoma cells were treated with various concentrations of GLE (0–100 μg/mL), together with 0.1 nM α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), which was used to induce melanogenesis. Cell proliferation, total melanin content, cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, and cellular tyrosinase activity were measured. The cellular levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), and the phosphorylation levels of Akt, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and β-catenin were analyzed. GLE inhibited α-MSH-induced melanogenesis and ROS generation, without causing cytotoxicity. GLE decreased cellular tyrosinase activity and the levels of MITF, tyrosinase, and TYRP1. GLE decreased the phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) and GSK3β (Ser9) and increased the phosphorylation of β-catenin (Ser33/37/Thr41). Our results suggest that GLE can inhibit α-MSH-induced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells by downregulating the expression of melanogenic proteins, i.e., MITF, tyrosinase, and TYRP1. The downregulation of melanogenic protein expression appears to result from stimulating β-catenin degradation, which is induced by phosphorylation by GSK3β that is activated via inhibition of Akt. GLE’s antioxidant activity can also play a role in its anti-melanogenic effect.

Herpes zoster develops when latent varicella zoster virus is reactivated in the trigeminal or dorsal root ganglions. Zoster-associated pain (ZAP) is neuropathic pain caused by the herpes zoster virus. Histological studies of postherpetic neuralgia patients suggest that inflammation is involved in ZAP. The effectiveness of local anesthetic and steroid epidural injections in ZAP patients has been reported. However, most studies included patients with acute herpes zoster, and the safety and therapeutic effects of different doses of epidural steroids in ZAP patients remain elusive. In this study, we randomly assigned 42 patients with severe ZAP beyond the acute phase, as determined by a numeric rating scale (NRS) score ≥7, to receive continuous epidural infusion of local anesthetics with either a one-time 5-mg dose or intermittent repeated doses (15 mg total) of dexamethasone. We found that intermittent repeated epidural dexamethasone bolus resulted in reduced NRS scores and an increased likelihood of complete remission in ZAP patients without any adverse effects. Thus, our results suggest that intermittent repeated epidural dexamethasone administration is safe and effective for treatment of ZAP beyond the acute phase.

4차 산업혁명 시대에 고객맞춤형 제품에 대한 니즈가 높아지고 고객의 참여로 인해 다양한 네트워크가 형성되어 데이터 기반의 서비스 플랫폼 비즈니스가 활성화 되고 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 서비스디자인 프로세스를 적용한 고객참여형 온라인 쇼핑몰 브랜드 아이덴티티 개발이다. 고객의 브랜드 경험, 즉 브랜딩관점에서 고객 니즈 발굴을 기반으로 서비스 컨셉을 구축하고, 서비스 핵심 특성이 고객이 브랜드를 경험하는 모든 터치포인트에 전달될 수 있도록 브랜드 아이덴티티를 정립하여 이를 기반으로 언어적인 측면과 시각적인 측면을 모두 고려하여 브랜드 경험 디자인을 하였다. 특히 브랜드 개발에 있어 단순히 시각 요소 개발이 아닌 브랜드의 핵심 가치로 정의되는 핵심 아이덴티티를 기반으로 언어적인 아이덴티티 요소인 브랜드 네이밍과 시각적인 아이덴티티 요소인 비주얼 아이덴티티 시스템을 일관성 있게 개발하여 고객들에게 하나의 목소리로 브랜드 이미지를 전달될 수 있게 하였다. 연구의 범위와 방법은 전반부에서는 브랜드 아이덴티티 및 아이덴티티 요소, 서비스디자인 프로세스에 대한 문헌연구를 진행하였다. 이후 서비스디자인 프로세스에 따라 브랜드 아이덴티티를 개발하였다. 즉, Discover단계에서는 고객 니즈를 파악하여 서비스 특성을 설계하였고, Define 단계에서는 고객 Pain point를 중심으로 브랜드 개발 방향성을 제안하였다. Develop 단계에서는 핵심 아이덴티티, 브랜드 네이밍, 브랜드 디자인 개발을 진행하였고 Deliver단계에서는 앞서 개발 된 브랜드 아이덴티티 요소를 기반으로 커뮤니케이션 방안으로서 커뮤니케이션 메시지 도출, 브랜드 플랫폼을 제안하였다. 본 연구는 서비스 기반의 플랫폼 브랜드 개발로서 고객의 경험 가치를 증대시킬 수 있도록 브랜드 아이덴티티 구축을 통해 서비스경험을 제고하였고, 프레임워크를 기반으로 브랜드 아이덴티티를 요소를 체계적으로 개발하였다는 부분에 의미가 있다.

Three-dimensional (3D) strain induced in self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) epitaxial films provides an unrivaled method to induce very large strains in thin films. Here, by growing VAN films of EuTiO3 (ETO)- Eu2O3 (EO) with different EO fractions, the vertical strain was systematically increased in ETO, up to 3.15%, and the Eu-Ti-Eu bond angle along decreased by up to 1��, leading to a weakening of the antiferromagnetic interactions, and switching from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic behaviour. Our work has shown for the first time that Eu-Ti-Eu superexchange interactions play a key role in determining the magnetic ground state of ETO. More broadly, our work serves as an exemplar to show that multifunctionalities in strong spin-lattice coupling perovskite oxides can be uniquely tuned at the atomic scale using simple VAN structures., China Scholarship Council and Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust.

In self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) thin films of La2CuO4+δ + LaCuO3, we find from DC magnetic susceptibility measurements, weak signatures of superconductivity at ∼120 K. This compares to a maximum TC of 40 K in bulk La2CuO4+δ. The 120 K signature occurs only when both c-axis and a-axis oriented La2CuO4+δ grains are present in the films. The superconductivity was lost after 3 months of storage but was recovered by annealing in oxygen. From lattice parameter analyses undertaken close to the c/a grain boundaries, it was determined that expansion of the La perovskite block in c-La2CuO4+δ enables the differently oriented grains to join at the interface. This expansion is consistent with the higher TC interfacial region. The work shows a new direction for increasing TC in cuprates - namely careful strain engineering of the crystal structure independently in-plane and out-of-plane.

Strongly correlated manganites have a wide range of fascinating magnetic and electronic properties, one example being the coexistence of ferromagnetic and insulating properties in lightly-doped bulk. However, it is difficult to translate bulk properties to films. Here, this problem is overcome by thin film nanoengineering of the test case system, La0.9Ba0.1MnO3 (LBMO). This was achieved by using vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) thin films of LBMO + CeO2 in which CeO2 nanocolumns form embedded in a LBMO matrix. The CeO2 columns produce uniform tensile straining of the LBMO. Also light Ce doping of intrinsic cation vacancies in the LBMO occurs. Together, these factors strongly reduced the double exchange coupling and metallicity. Hence, while standard plain reference films showed an insulator-to-metal transition at >200 K, originating from defects and complex structural relaxation, the VAN LBMO films exhibited ferromagnetic insulating properties (while maintaining a Tc of 188 K). This is the first time that a combined strain + doping method is used in a VAN system to realise exemplary properties which cannot be realised in plain films. This work represents an important step in engineering high performance spintronic and multiferroic thin film devices.

카지노 산업의 핵심은 카지노 종사원이며 고객과의 접점에서 서비스를 하다 보니 고객불량행동을 경험하게 되어 있다. 본 연구는 고객과의 상호작용 통하여 근무하고 있는 카지노 종사원들을 대상으로 종사원이 지각하는 고객불량행동이 심리적 안녕감과 자아존중감에 미치는 영향과 감성지능의 조절효과를 살펴보고자 한다. 분석 결과 다음과 같은 연구결과가 얻을 수 있었다. 첫째, 고객불량행동이 카지노 종사원의 자아존중감에 미치는 연구결과, 고객불량행동은 자아존중감에 저하하는 방향으로 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났고 고객불량행동을 높게 인식하게 될수록 카지노 종사원들의 자아존중감은 떨어지는 결과가 나타났다. 둘째, 고객불량행동이 카지노 종사원의 심리적 안녕감에 미치는 연구결과 고객불량행동은 심리적 안녕감을 감소시키는 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 고객불량행동을 높게 인식할수록 카지노 종사원들의 심리적 안녕감은 감소되는 결과가 도출되었다. 셋째, 심리적 안녕감이카지노 종사원의 자아존중감에 미치는 영향 결과 개인적 성장, 자기수용, 삶의 목적, 긍정적 대인관계, 자율성, 환경통제력의 하위요인 중에서 낮은 설명력을 가진 환경통제력, 개인적 성장을 제외한 요인이 자아존중감에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 확인되었다. 카지노 종사원의 심리적 안녕감이 높게 인식할수록 자아존중감이 올라가는 결과가 도출되었다. 넷째, 고객불량행동과 자아존중감과의 관계에서 삶의 질 즉 심리적 안녕감의 매개역할과 관련해서는 고객불량행동과 자아존종감과의 사이에서 간접효과가 있는 것으로 나타났으며 심리적 안녕감이 고객불량행동, 자아존중감의 관계에서 부분매개를 한다고 해석할 수 있으며 고객불량행동을 경험한 카지노 종사원이 심리적 안녕감을 매개로 자아존중감이 높아지는 효과를 가진다고 해석할 수 있었다. 다섯째, 고객불량행동이 자아존중감에 영향을 미칠 경우 감성지능의 조절효과를 본 결과 감성지능 전체, 자기감성이해, 감성조절은 채택되었고 타인감성이해와 감성활용은 기각되었으며, 고객불량행동이 심리적 안녕감에 영향을 미칠 경우 감성지능은 조절효과를 보이지 않았다. 이는 곧 카지노 종사원은 고객불량행동으로 분노를 느끼더라도 본인의 심리적 안녕감을 통제하고 컨트롤 하는 대처능력이 높았다고 할 수 있다. 감성지능의 조절효과는 고객불량행동과 자아존중감 사이에서만 부분조절을 하는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 카지노 종사원이 지각하는 고객불량행동으로 인하여 심리적 안녕감과 자아존중감에 미치는 연구결과로 개인의 삶의 질적인 영향을 준다고 생각되어지는 심리적 측면들을 통하여 자아존중감 높이기 위한 인적자원관리시스템에 기여함이며, 연구결과를 기초로 고객불량행동에 대한 카지노 종사원의 인적자원관리의 활용방안을 제시하고자 하였다.

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) has been used as a component of skin whitening cream. However, very little is known about the mechanisms for how THC regulates melanogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate mechanisms involved in the regulation of melanogenesis by THC using B16F10 murine melanoma cells. B16F10 cells were treated with various concentrations of THC (0–30 µg/mL) in the presence of 0.1 nM ±-melanocyte stimulating hormone (±-MSH). Total melanin content; intracellular tyrosinase activity; and levels of melanogenic proteins, i.e., microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), and signaling proteins, i.e, Akt, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and β-catenin, were analyzed. Change in cell morphology was also observed. THC-Treatment caused a significant and dose-dependent decrease in total melanin content compared to control cells treated with α-MSH alone. At the early stage of melanogenesis, when melanin secretion was minimal, THC-treatment caused decreases in the activity of tyrosinase and the levels of tyrosinase and MITF proteins. Conversely, at the late stage of melanogenesis, when melanin secretion was evidently exhibited in control cells, remarkable increases in the intracellular levels of tyrosinase and TYRP1, the melanosomal proteins, were observed in THC-treated cells. THC-treatment caused decreases in Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation and β-catenin content. A significant alteration of cell morphology, i.e. elongation and loss of dendritic structure, was also observed. The present study demonstrated that THC-treatment inhibited α-MSH-induced melanin synthesis in B16F10 cells by downregulating MITF and tyrosinase proteins and decreasing tyrosinase activity. In addition, THC inhibited secretion of melanosomes, which appears to be associated with cell morphology alteration accompanying a loss of dendritic structure. THC caused decreases in the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β and the content of β-catenin, suggesting involvement of GSK3β activation and subsequent attenuation of β-catenin signaling in the anti-melanogenic effects of THC.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a well-known environmental contaminant that produces a wide variety of adverse effects in humans. Catalpol, a major bioactive compound enriched in the dried root of Rehmannia glutinosa, is a major iridoid glycoside that alleviates bone loss. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the effects of catalpol remain unclear. The present study evaluated the effects of catalpol on TCDD-induced cytotoxicity in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Catalpol inhibited TCDD-induced reduction in cell viability and increases in apoptosis and autophagic activity in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Additionally, pretreatment with catalpol significantly decreased the nitric oxide and nitrite levels compared with a control in TCDD-treated cells and significantly inhibited TCDD-induced increases in the levels of cytochrome P450 1A1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Pretreatment with catalpol also effectively restored the expression of superoxide dismutase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and significantly enhanced the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 and osteoblast differentiation markers, including alkaline phosphatase and osterix. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that catalpol has preventive effects against TCDD-induced damage in MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent environmental pollutant. TCDD accumulates in the food chain, mainly in the fatty tissues of the human body where it causes various toxic effects. Biochanin A is a natural organic compound in the class of phytochemicals known as flavonoids. We investigated whether biochanin A suppresses TCDD-induced loss of adipogenic action using 3T3-L1 adipocytes as a cell culture model of wasting syndrome. In the present study, biochanin A suppressed TCDD-induced loss of lipid accumulation. Pretreating the cells with biochanin A increased the levels of the adipogenesis-associated factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and adiponectin, which were inhibited by TCDD. TCDD decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, which was effectively restored by pretreatment with biochanin A. Biochanin A also inhibited the TCDD-driven decrease in production of insulin receptor substrate-1 and glucose transporter 4. These results suggest a preventive effect of biochanin A against TCDD in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes. TCDD increased production of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), prostaglandin E2, cytosolic phospholipase A2, and cyclooxygenase-1, while reducing the level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha. However, biochanin A inhibited these TCDD-induced effects. We conclude that biochanin A is an attractive compound for preventing TCDD-induced wasting syndrome.

Methylglyoxal (MG), a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound, is a major cell-permeant precursor of advanced glycation end-products, which are associated with several conditions, including diabetes and degenerative diseases. Crocin, a constituent of saffron, is involved in many pharmacological activities. Recent studies have reported that crocin exerts protective effects against bone diseases. Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells that are responsible for bone resorption. The up- or down-regulation of their proliferation and differentiation is often associated with many bone-related diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of crocin on osteoclast differentiation and to clarify its mechanism of action in the presence of MG. We demonstrated that crocin reversed MG-induced inhibition of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity and bone resorption activity in osteoclasts. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that crocin treatment decreased the expression of TNF receptor-associated factor-6 (TRAF6), Akt2, extracellular-signal-regulated kinase-1 (ERK1), osteopetrosis-associated transmembrane protein 1 (OSTM1), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) genes in the presence of MG. Crocin pretreatment also reversed MG-induced changes in mitochondrial mass, mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial superoxide, and glyoxalase I levels. Taken together, our data suggest that crocin may be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic bone disorders.

Background: Dynamic preload parameters such as pulse pressure variation (PPV) and stroke volume variation (SVV) have widely been used as accurate predictors for fluid responsiveness in patients under mechanical ventilation. To circumvent the limitation of decreased cyclic change of intrathoracic pressure, we performed an intermittent PEEP challenge test to evaluate whether PPV or SVV can predict fluid responsiveness during one-lung ventilation (OLV). Methods: Forty patients undergoing OLV were analyzed. Baseline hemodynamic variables including PPV and SVV and respiratory variables were recorded after chest opening in lateral position under OLV (T1). Five minutes after application of PEEP 10 cmH2O, the parameters were recorded (T2). Thereafter, PEEP was withdrawn to 0 cmH2O for 5 minutes (T3), and fluid loading was performed with balanced crystalloid solution 6 mL/kg of ideal body weight for 5 minutes. Five minutes after completion of fluid loading, all variables were recorded (T4). The patient was classified as fluid responder if SV increased ≥10% after fluid loading and as non-responder if SV increased

Proximity effect, which is the coupling between distinct order parameters across interfaces of heterostructures, has attracted immense interest owing to the customizable multifunctionalities of diverse 3D materials. This facilitates various physical phenomena, such as spin order, charge transfer, spin torque, spin density wave, spin current, skyrmions, and Majorana fermions. These exotic physics play important roles for future spintronic applications. Nevertheless, several fundamental challenges remain for effective applications: unavoidable disorder and lattice mismatch limits in the growth process, short characteristic length of proximity, magnetic fluctuation in ultrathin films, and relatively weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Meanwhile, the extensive library of atomically thin, 2D van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with unique characteristics such as strong SOC, magnetic anisotropy, and ultraclean surfaces, offers many opportunities to tailor versatile and more effective functionalities through proximity effects. Here, this paper focuses on magnetic proximity, i.e., proximitized magnetism and reviews the engineering of magnetism-related functionalities in 2D vdW layered heterostructures for next-generation electronic and spintronic devices. The essential factors of magnetism and interfacial engineering induced by magnetic layers are studied. The current limitations and future challenges associated with magnetic proximity-related physics phenomena in 2D heterostructures are further discussed.