Search

Abstract Integrating safety features to cut off excessive current during accidental internal short circuits in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) can reduce the risk of thermal runaway. However, making this concept practical requires overcoming challenges in both material development and scalable manufacturing. Here, we demonstrate the roll-to-roll production of a safety reinforced layer (SRL) on current collectors at a rate of 5 km per day. The SRL, made of molecularly engineered polythiophene (PTh) and carbon additives, interrupts current flow during voltage drops or overheating without adversely affecting battery performance. Impact testing on 3.4-Ah pouch cells shows that the SRL reduces battery explosions from 63% to 10%. This work underscores the potential of integrating material science with manufacturing technology to enhance battery safety.

Background: Esophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancers are associated with chronic blood loss, poor nutrition, and surgical interventions that interfere with iron absorption. Patients with these cancers often have a higher incidence of chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) than patients with other malignancies. Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of intravenous iron or erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESA) for CIA treatment in patients with esophagogastric or pancreaticobiliary cancer. Design: Retrospective, comparative chart review of patients with esophagogastric or pancreaticobiliary cancer who received ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), or darbepoetin alfa (DA), and myelosuppressive chemotherapy at Chungbuk National University Hospital between June 2018 and December 2022. Methods: To assess the efficacy of FCM or DA over time, data on hemoglobin (Hb) levels were collected from the time of administration of FCM or DA (baseline) until 6 months post-baseline, when available. Results: In total, 214 patients (124 in the FCM and 90 in the DA group) were included in the analysis. The FCM group had a higher maximum Hb level and Hb changes for 3 months (mean ± standard deviation) following FCM or DA administration from baseline than the DA group (11.3 ± 1.5 versus 10.9 ± 1.2 g/dL, p = 0.02 and 2.0 ± 1.4 versus 1.5 ± 1.1 g/dL, p = 0.004, respectively). The FCM group had a higher proportion of Hb responders than the DA group (83.9% versus 68.9%, p = 0.013). Based on multivariable analysis, only the CIA treatment group was a significant factor for Hb response (odds ratio = 2.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–4.06, p = 0.036). Conclusion: Both FCM and DA are effective, and FCM showed a higher Hb response than DA for CIA treatment in patients with esophagogastric or pancreaticobiliary cancer. Therefore, further randomized controlled trials should determine the optimal treatment for CIA in patients with these cancers undergoing myelosuppressive chemotherapy.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of bivalent and monovalent COVID-19 vaccines throughout the 2022-2023 winter season based on real-world data. Methods: This retrospective observational matched cohort study used the national vaccination program and a surveillance dataset from the Republic of Korea, and included adults aged >18 years who received bivalent or monovalent COVID-19 vaccines between October 11, 2022, and December 17, 2022. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratio for COVID-19 infection between the groups. Results: We included 29,245 matched individuals in the bivalent and monovalent vaccine groups, respectively. The bivalent vaccine recipients showed 12.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.5-17.7%) additional protection against COVID-19 infection compared with the monovalent vaccine recipients. The additional protection provided by bivalent vaccines was significantly higher among residents of long-term care facilities (39.4%, 95% CI 21.6-53.1%). Maximum additional protection was observed 3 to 4 months after completing the vaccination (17.6%, 95% CI 6.6-27.3%). Conclusion: Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines showed significantly better protection against infection than monovalent vaccines among adults during the 2022-2023 winter season. Our results highlight that immunization programs with bivalent vaccines comprising recent variants can be an effective measure to prepare for seasonal COVID-19 circulation.

Background and Objectives: This study aims to bridge these gaps by utilizing data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2015), examining the nuanced associations between milk consumption’s quantity, frequency, and type and the prevalence of dental caries. Materials and Methods: Utilizing data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2015), this study explores the association between milk consumption and the prevalence of dental caries in a sample of 4843 subjects (weighted n = 15,581), including 2856 males and 1987 females; weighted sample sizes were 6656 and 8925 for men and women, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries was assessed by evaluating the number of decayed, filled, and missing teeth. Results: The analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between increased milk consumption and the risk of developing dental caries, with an overall odds ratio of 1.653 (95% CI: 1.153–2.370, p < 0.05). The association was more pronounced in females, exhibiting an odds ratio of 1.865 (95% CI: 1.157–3.006, p < 0.05), and age was identified as a significant variable, particularly among participants aged 50 and above. In contrast, the relationship among the male group, though positive (odds ratio: 1.613, 95% CI: 0.991–2.625), was not statistically significant (p = 0.054). Conclusion: These findings suggest that milk consumption may be a potential risk indicator for dental caries, particularly among women, emphasizing the need for targeted dietary recommendations in dental health practices.

Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) activation are opposing modulators of endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis. Exercise reduces atherosclerosis plaques and enhances endothelial function. Our aim was to understand how exercise affects ER stress and UCP2 activation, and how that relates to endothelial dysfunction in an atherosclerotic murine model. Wild type (C57BL/6, WT) and apolipoprotein-E-knockout (ApoEtm1Unc, ApoE KO) mice underwent treadmill exercise training (EX) or remained sedentary for 12 weeks. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent vasodilation was determined in the presence of an eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME), UCP2 inhibitor (genipin), and ER stress inducer (tunicamycin). UCP2, ER stress markers and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling were quantified by western blotting. p67phox and superoxide were visualized using immunofluorescence and DHE staining. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured by nitrate/nitrite assay. ACh-induced vasodilation was attenuated in coronary arterioles of ApoE KO mice but improved in ApoE KO-EX mice. Treatment of coronary arterioles with L-NAME, tunicamycin, and genipin significantly attenuated ACh-induced vasodilation in all mice except for ApoE KO mice. Exercise reduced expression of ER stress proteins, TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling cascades, and Bax expression in the heart of ApoE KO-EX mice. Further, exercise diminished superoxide production and NADPH oxidase p67phox expression in coronary arterioles while simultaneously increasing UCP2 expression and nitric oxide (NO) production in the heart of ApoE KO-EX mice. Routine exercise alleviates endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerotic coronary arterioles in an eNOS, UCP2, and ER stress signaling specific manner, and resulting in reduced TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome activity and oxidative stress.

Abstract The lymphatic system plays a key role in tissue fluid homeostasis, immune cell trafficking, and fat absorption. We previously reported a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based lymphatic reporter mouse, where EGFP is expressed under the regulation of the Prox1 promoter. This reporter line has been widely used to conveniently visualize lymphatic vessels and other Prox1-expressing tissues such as Schlemm’s canal. However, mice have a number of experimental limitations due to small body size. By comparison, laboratory rats are larger in size and more closely model the metabolic, physiological, and surgical aspects of humans. Here, we report development of a novel lymphatic reporter rat using the mouse Prox1-EGFP BAC. Despite the species mismatch, the mouse Prox1-EGFP BAC enabled a reliable expression of EGFP in Prox1-expressing cells of the transgenic rats and allowed a convenient visualization of all lymphatic vessels, including those in the central nervous system, and Schlemm’s canal. To demonstrate the utility of this new reporter rat, we studied the contractile properties and valvular functions of mesenteric lymphatics, developed a surgical model for vascularized lymph node transplantation, and confirmed Prox1 expression in venous valves. Together, Prox1-EGFP rat model will contribute to the advancement of lymphatic research as a valuable experimental resource.

A 61-year-old male patient with atherosclerotic critical limb ischemia in the left leg underwent stent insertion into the left superficial femoral artery. Stenting procedures improved Rutherford grade from III-5 to II-4. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor stimulated the production of white blood cells over four-fold and mononuclear cells (MNCs) 1.5-fold in the whole blood. Transplantation of 7.9×10 9 autologous MNCs into the left femoral artery rapidly decreased the leg pain intensity, with further improvement of Rutherford grades from II-4 to 0-0 without any side effects. In the four-year follow-up, significant improvement was found in terms of ankle brachial index, from nondetectable to 0.67, and peak systolic velocity, from 14.8 to 36.1 cm/s. Limb salvage and decreased resting pain were the notable outcomes of the treatment.

Several lymphatic reporter mouse lines have recently been developed to significantly improve imaging of lymphatic vessels. Nonetheless, the usage of direct visualization of lymphatic vessels has not been fully explored and documented. Here, we characterized a new Prox1-tdTomato transgenic lymphatic reporter mouse line, and demonstrated how this animal tool enables the researchers to efficiently assess developmental, surgical and pathological lymphangiogenesis by direct visualization of lymphatic vessels. Moreover, we have derived embryonic stem cells from this reporter line, and successfully differentiated them into lymphatic vessels in vivo. In conclusion, these experimental tools and techniques will help advance lymphatic research.

Lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) are differentiated from blood vascular endothelial cells (BECs) during embryogenesis and this physiological cell fate specification is controlled by PROX1, the master regulator for lymphatic development. When Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) infects host cells, it activates the otherwise silenced embryonic endothelial differentiation program and reprograms their cell fates. Interestingly, previous studies demonstrated that KSHV drives BECs to acquire a partial lymphatic phenotype by upregulating PROX1 (forward reprogramming), but stimulates LECs to regain some BEC-signature genes by downregulating PROX1 (reverse reprogramming). Despite the significance of this KSHV-induced bidirectional cell fate reprogramming in KS pathogenesis, its underlying molecular mechanism remains undefined. Here, we report that IL3 receptor alpha (IL3Rα) and NOTCH play integral roles in the host cell type-specific regulation of PROX1 by KSHV. In BECs, KSHV upregulates IL3Rα and phosphorylates STAT5, which binds and activates the PROX1 promoter. In LECs, however, PROX1 was rather downregulated by KSHV-induced NOTCH signal via HEY1, which binds and represses the PROX1 promoter. Moreover, PROX1 was found to be required to maintain HEY1 expression in LECs, establishing a reciprocal regulation between PROX1 and HEY1. Upon co-activation of IL3Rα and NOTCH, PROX1 was upregulated in BECs, but downregulated in LECs. Together, our study provides the molecular mechanism underlying the cell type-specific endothelial fate reprogramming by KSHV.

Background Decitabine was evaluated for its efficacy and safety in Korean patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with IPSS score of 0.5 or over.Design and Methods Decitabine 20 mg/m2/day was given intravenously over one hour for five consecutive days every four weeks. The primary end point was overall response rate.Results A total of 101 patients were analyzed. The International Prognostic Scoring System risk category was Intermediate-2/High in 47.5%. A median of 5 courses (range 1–18) were delivered. The overall response rate was 55.4% (13 complete responses, one partial response, 23 marrow complete responses, and 19 hematologic improvements). Forty-eight patients (47.5%) showed some hematologic improvement. With a median follow-up duration of 478 days (range 69–595), median overall survival was 17.7 months. Patients who showed hematologic improvement had significantly longer overall survival than those who did not (19.2 vs. 15.9 months, P=0.006 by landmark analysis at six months). The difference in overall survival was evident in the Intermediate-2/High risk group but not in the Intermediate-1 risk group. The progression-free survival and acute myeloid leukemia-free survival were 61.9% and 77.9% at one year, respectively. Among 489 assessable treatment courses, there were 97 fever episodes requiring intravenous antimicrobials.Conclusions Decitabine treatment was feasible and effective in Korean patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, and the overall survival was significantly longer in patients showing hematologic improvement.

The role that children play in the transmission of the omicron variant is unclear. Here we report an outbreak that started in young children attending various pediatric facilities, leading to extensive household transmission that affected 75 families with 88 confirmed case-patients in 3 weeks. Tailored social and public health measures directed towards children and pediatric facilities are warranted with the emergence of highly transmissible omicron variant to mitigate the impact of coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]