Design, synthesis and evaluation the bioactivities of novel 1,3-dimethyl-6-amino-1H-indazole derivatives as anticancer agents

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) is a heme-containing enzyme mainly responsible for the metabolism of tryptophan to kynurenine. To date, the IDO1 inhibitors have been developed intensively for the re-activation of the anticancer immune response. In this report, we designed, and synthesized novel 1,3-dimethyl-6-amino indazole derivatives as IDO1 inhibitors based on the structure of IDO1 active site. We further examined their anticancer activity on hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells (FaDu), squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (YD-15), breast cancer cells (MCF7), and human dental pulp stem cells (HDPSC). Of them, compound N-(4-bromobenzyl)-1,3-dimethyl-1H-indazol-6-amine (7) remarkably suppressed IDO1 expression in a concentration - dependent manner. In addition, 7 was the most potential anticancer compound with inducing apoptosis activity as well as selectively activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways on FaDu cells. Finally, compound 7 suppressed cell mobility in wound healing assay with the reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase MMP9. Taken together, we believe that 7 is the most promising compound, which may be applied to treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Computational Integral Imaging Reconstruction via Elemental Image Blending without Normalization

This paper presents a novel computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) method using elemental image blending to eliminate the normalization process in CIIR. Normalization is commonly used in CIIR to address uneven overlapping artifacts. By incorporating elemental image blending, we remove the normalization step in CIIR, leading to decreased memory consumption and computational time compared to those of existing techniques. We conducted a theoretical analysis of the impact of elemental image blending on a CIIR method using windowing techniques, and the results showed that the proposed method is superior to the standard CIIR method in terms of image quality. We also performed computer simulations and optical experiments to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results showed that the proposed method enhances the image quality over that of the standard CIIR method, while also reducing memory usage and processing time.

Compressible lattice Boltzmann method with rotating overset grids

The numerical instability of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) at high Mach or high Reynolds number flow is well identified, and it remains a major barrier to its application in more complex configurations such as moving geometries. This work combines the compressible lattice Boltzmann model with rotating overset grids (the so-called Chimera method, sliding mesh, or moving reference frame) for high Mach flows. This paper proposes to use the compressible hybrid recursive regularized collision model with fictitious forces (or inertial forces) in a noninertial rotating reference frame. Also, polynomial interpolations are investigated, which allow fixed inertial and rotating noninertial grids to communicate with each other. We suggest a way to effectively couple the LBM with the MUSCL-Hancock scheme in the rotating grid, which is needed to account for thermal effect of compressible flow. As a result, this approach is demonstrated to have an extended Mach stability limit for the rotating grid. It also demonstrates that this complex LBM scheme can maintain the second-order accuracy of the classic LBM by appropriately using numerical methods like polynomial interpolations and the MUSCL-Hancock scheme. Furthermore, the method shows a very good agreement on aerodynamic coefficients compared to experiments and the conventional finite-volume scheme. This work presents a thorough academic validation and error analysis of the LBM for simulating moving geometries in high Mach compressible flows.

Antitumor effects of valdecoxib on hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells

The antitumoral effects of valdecoxib (Val), an United States Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-inflammatory drug that was withdrawn due to the side effects of increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events, were investigated in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells by performing a cell viability assay, transwell assay, immunofluorescence imaging, and Western blotting. Val markedly inhibited cell viability with an IC50 of 67.3 μM after 48 h of treatment, and also downregulated cell cycle proteins such as Cdks and their regulatory cyclin units. Cell migration and invasion were severely suppressed by inhibiting integrin α4/FAK expression. In addition, Val activated the cell cycle checkpoint CHK2 in response to excessive DNA damage, which led to the activation of caspase-3/9 and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, the signaling cascades of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways were significantly inhibited by Val treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that Val can be used for the treatment of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Associations among depression, demographic variables, and language impairments in chronic post-stroke aphasia

INTRODUCTION

Depression may influence treatment participation and outcomes of people with post-stroke aphasia, yet its prevalence and associated characteristics in aphasia are poorly understood. Using retrospective data from an overarching experimental study, we examined depressive symptoms and their relationship to demographic and language characteristics in people with chronic aphasia. As a secondary objective, we compared prevalence of depressive symptoms among the overarching study's included and excluded participants.

METHODS

We examined retrospective data from 121 individuals with chronic aphasia including depression scale scores, demographic information (sex, age, time post onset of stroke, education, race/ethnicity, and Veteran status), and scores on assessments of general and modality-specific language impairments.

RESULTS

Approximately 50% of participants reported symptoms indicative of depressive disorders: 23% indicative of major depression and 27% indicative of mild depression. Sex (males) and comparatively younger age emerged as statistically significant variables associated with depressive symptoms; naming ability was minimally associated with depressive symptoms. Time post onset of stroke, education level, race/ethnicity, Veteran status, and aphasia severity were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Depression-scale scores were significantly higher for individuals excluded from the overarching study compared to those who were included.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of depressive disorders in this sample was higher than rates of depression reported in the general stroke literature. Participant sex, age, and naming ability emerged as factors associated with depressive symptoms, though these links appear complex, especially given variable reports from prior research. Importantly, depressive symptoms do not appear to diminish over time for individuals with chronic aphasia. Given these results and the relatively limited documentation of depression in aphasia literature, depression remains a pressing concern for aphasia research and routine clinical care.

Computational Three-Dimensional Imaging System via Diffraction Grating Imaging with Multiple Wavelengths

This paper describes a computational 3-D imaging system based on diffraction grating imaging with laser sources of multiple wavelengths. It was proven that a diffraction grating imaging system works well as a 3-D imaging system in our previous studies. The diffraction grating imaging system has advantages such as no spherical aberration and a low-cost system, compared with the well-known 3-D imaging systems based on a lens array or a camera array. However, a diffraction grating imaging system still suffers from noises, artifacts, and blurring due to the diffraction nature and illumination of single wavelength lasers. In this paper, we propose a diffraction grating imaging system with multiple wavelengths to overcome these problems. The proposed imaging system can produce multiple volumes through multiple laser illuminators with different wavelengths. Integration of these volumes can reduce noises, artifacts, and blurring in grating imaging since the original signals of 3-D objects inside these volumes are integrated by our computational reconstruction method. To apply the multiple wavelength system to a diffraction grating imaging system efficiently, we analyze the effects on the system parameters such as spatial periods and parallax angles for different wavelengths. A computational 3-D imaging system based on the analysis is proposed to enhance the image quality in diffraction grating imaging. Optical experiments with three-wavelength lasers are conducted to evaluate the proposed system. The results indicate that our diffraction grating imaging system is superior to the existing method.

Cellular Effects of Ultraviolet-Radiated Reduced-Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Human Hypopharyngeal Adenocarcinoma Cells

The cellular effects of ultraviolet (UV)-radiated reduced-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles were investigated on human hypopharyngeal adenocarcinoma cells (FaDu). In 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the viability of FaDu cells exposed to UV (254 nm) for 10 minutes, in the presence of reduced-TiO₂ nanoparticles in rutile, was dose- and time-dependently decreased. The UV-radiated reduced-TiO₂ suppressed the cell proliferation by inhibiting the expression of cell cycle kinase, cyclin dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2), and its functional regulators Cyclin E and Cyclin B1 as well as proliferation-regulating proteins of p85 regulatory sub-unit of phosphoinositide3-kinases (PI3K p85), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT/p-PKB) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR). In addition, the mitochondria disintegration and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage were confirmed by detecting the accumulated Bax in cytoplasm, phosphorylated-H2A histone family member X (γ-H2AX) in chromosomes and phosphorylated checkpoint 2 (p-Chk2). Our results support that UV-activated reduced-TiO₂ in rutile sensitized UV-induced proliferation suppression of FaDu cancer cells by the enhanced photocat-alytic activity.

Image Enhancement of Computational Reconstruction in Diffraction Grating Imaging Using Multiple Parallax Image Arrays

This paper describes an image enhancement method of computational reconstruction for 3-D images with multiple parallax image arrays in diffraction grating imaging. A 3-D imaging system via a diffraction grating provides a parallax image array (PIA) which is a set of perspective images of 3-D objects. The parallax images obtained from diffraction grating imaging are free from optical aberrations such as spherical and chromatic aberrations that are always involved in the 3-D imaging via a lens array. The diffraction grating imaging system for 3-D imaging also can be made at a lower cost system than a camera array system. However, the parallax images suffer from the speckle noise due to a coherent source; also, the noise degrades image quality in 3-D imaging. To remedy this problem, we propose a 3-D computational reconstruction method based on multiple parallax image arrays which are acquired by moving a diffraction grating axially. The proposed method consists of a spatial filtering process for each PIA and an overlapping process. Additionally, we provide theoretical analyses through geometric and wave optics. Optical experiments are conducted to evaluate our method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is superior to the existing method in 3-D imaging using a diffraction grating.

Physicochemical Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity of Reduced TiO₂ Prepared by Birch-Type Reduction

A simple and fast reduction method of TiO₂ was developed by the Birch-type suspension reaction. The physicochemical properties of the reduced TiO₂ (r-R-TiO₂: reduced TiO₂ in rutile phase; r-AR-TiO₂: reduced TiO₂ in mixed phase of anatase and rutile) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectrum, Raman spectrum, high resolution TEM, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. The reduced TiO₂ showed the characteristic features in the crystallinity, lattice pattern, surface functional group and the biophysical properties of zeta potential and size. Under the reaction condition, the rutile phase of TiO₂ (R-TiO₂) was selectively reduced into r-RTiO₂ under the reaction condition. Finally r-R-TiO₂ showed photocatalytic activity on visible-light illuminated YD-38 cancer cells with high cytotoxicity.

Image Enhancement for Computational Integral Imaging Reconstruction via Four-Dimensional Image Structure

This paper describes the image enhancement of a computational integral imaging reconstruction method via reconstructing a four-dimensional (4-D) image structure. A computational reconstruction method for high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) images is highly required in 3-D applications such as 3-D visualization and 3-D object recognition. To improve the visual quality of reconstructed images, we introduce an adjustable parameter to produce a group of 3-D images from a single elemental image array. The adjustable parameter controls overlapping in back projection with a transformation of cropping and translating elemental images. It turns out that the new parameter is an independent parameter from the reconstruction position to reconstruct a 4-D image structure with four axes of x, y, z, and k. The 4-D image structure of the proposed method provides more visual information than existing methods. Computer simulations and optical experiments are carried out to show the feasibility of the proposed method. The results indicate that our method enhances the image quality of 3-D images by providing a 4-D image structure with the adjustable parameter.

Early cidofovir administration might be associated with a lower probability of respiratory failure in treating human adenovirus pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study

Objective

To compare outcomes of early and delayed treatment with cidofovir for human adenovirus (HAdV) pneumonia.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study in Korean military hospitals was conducted between January 2012 and December 2018. Patients with potentially severe HAdV pneumonia with risk factors for respiratory failure were included and divided into early (within 7 days from symptom onset) and delayed (after 7 days from symptom onset) treatment groups. The primary outcome was respiratory failure development within 21 days after symptom onset.

Results

A total of 89 patients with potentially severe HAdV pneumonia were enrolled in the cohort; they included 62 early and 27 delayed treatment patients. All patients were males in their early 20s. Significantly fewer patients in the early treatment group progressed to respiratory failure (8/62, 12.9%), compared to the delayed group (18/27, 66.7%, p < 0.001). Early treatment was associated with a lower 21-day probability of respiratory failure by the Kaplan–Meier method (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, monocyte count, hypoxaemia, confusion, whole lung involvement, and early cidofovir treatment within 7 days from symptom onset were included, and monocyte count (HR 0.995, 95%CI 0.991–1.000, p 0.042), confusion (HR 4.964, 95%CI 1.189–20.721, p = 0.028), and early cidofovir treatment (HR 0.319, 95%CI 0.115–0.883, p = 0.028) were significantly associated with respiratory failure.

Conclusions

Early administration of cidofovir was associated with a lower hazard for respiratory failure development. It is suggested that cidofovir be administered within 7 days from symptom onset to prevent respiratory failure in patients with potentially severe HAdV pneumonia.

Computational reconstruction for three-dimensional imaging via a diffraction grating

This paper describes a computational reconstruction method for 3-D imaging via a diffraction grating. An optical device consisting of a diffraction grating with a camera produces a parallax image array (PIA) for 3-D imaging in an efficient way according to recent researches. Unlike other capturing systems for a PIA such as a lens array with a camera and a camera array, a diffraction grating with a camera has an advantage in terms of the optical system complexity. However, since the diffraction grating is transparent, the captured raw image by the diffraction grating has no feature to detect the boundary of each parallax image. Moreover, the diffraction grating allows parallax images to overlap each other due to its optical property. Those problems prevent computational reconstruction from generating 3-D images. To remedy those problems, we propose a 3-D computational reconstruction method via a diffraction grating. The proposed method using a diffraction grating includes analyzing the PIA pickup process and converting a captured raw image into a well-defined PIA. Our analysis introduces a virtual pinhole; thus, a diffraction grating works as a camera array. Also, it defines the effective object area to segment parallax images and provides a mapping between each segmented parallax image and corresponding virtual pinhole. The minimum image area is also defined to determine the minimum field of view for our reconstruction. Optical experimental results indicated the proposed theoretical analysis and computational reconstruction in diffraction grating imaging are feasible in 3-D imaging. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on 3-D computational reconstruction via a diffraction grating.

Photonic crystals for nano-light in moiré graphene superlattices

Graphene is an atomically thin plasmonic medium that supports highly confined plasmon polaritons, or nano-light, with very low loss. Electronic properties of graphene can be drastically altered when it is laid upon another graphene layer, resulting in a moiré superlattice. The relative twist angle between the two layers is a key tuning parameter of the interlayer coupling in thus-obtained twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). We studied the propagation of plasmon polaritons in TBG by infrared nano-imaging. We discovered that the atomic reconstruction occurring at small twist angles transforms the TBG into a natural plasmon photonic crystal for propagating nano-light. This discovery points to a pathway for controlling nano-light by exploiting quantum properties of graphene and other atomically layered van der Waals materials, eliminating the need for arduous top-down nanofabrication.

Different Cellular Effects of Platinum Nanoparticles on RAW 264.7 Cells

The cellular effects of platinum nanoparticle (PtNP) and platinum nanocolloid (PtNC) were investigated on murine leukemia Raw 264.7 cells. PtNP induced strong cytotoxic effects on Raw 264.7 cells while PtNC showed only mild cytotoxicity. Dramatic reduction in cell growth and morphological changes were observed for cells treated with PtNPs while PtNC did not show these effects. Both PtNPs and PtNC suppressed nitric oxide production, but PtNPs were superior to PtNC. PtNP strongly suppressed the expression of iNOS, COX-2 proteins and the phosphorylation of AKT on LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells while PtNC showed only weak effects on these proteins. Our data showed that the preparation method of platinum nanoparticles may cause different cellular effects on cell growth and signaling.

Privacy-preserving aggregation of personal health data streams

Recently, as the paradigm of medical services has shifted from treatment to prevention, there is a growing interest in smart healthcare that can provide users with healthcare services anywhere, at any time, using information and communications technologies. With the development of the smart healthcare industry, there is a growing need for collecting large-scale personal health data to exploit the knowledge obtained through analyzing them for improving the smart healthcare services. Although such a considerable amount of health data can be a valuable asset to the smart healthcare fields, they may cause serious privacy problems if sensitive information of an individual user is leaked to outside users. Therefore, most individuals are reluctant to provide their health data to smart healthcare service providers for data analysis and utilization purpose, which is the biggest challenge in smart healthcare fields. Thus, in this paper, we develop a novel mechanism for privacy-preserving collection of personal health data streams that is characterized as temporal data collected at fixed intervals by leveraging local differential privacy (LDP). In particular, with the proposed approach, a data contributor uses a given privacy budget of LDP to report a small amount of salient data, which are extracted from an entire health data stream, to a data collector. Then, a data collector can effectively reconstruct a health data stream based on the noisy salient data received from a data contributor. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides significant accuracy gains over straightforward solutions to this problem.

Platinum Nanoparticles Induce Apoptosis on Raw 264.7 Macrophage Cells

The cellular effects of platinum nanoparticles (PNP05, average size of 5 nm, and PNP30, average size of 30 nm) were investigated on murine leukemia Raw 264.7 cells. Cells treated with various concentrations of PNPs showed size-dependent cytotoxicity in an MTT assay with PNP5 of smaller nanoparticles higher toxicity than PNP30. Investigations on cell morphology, Annexin V assay, DNA fragmentation and the activity of caspase-3/-7 showed that PNPs induced apoptosis on Raw 264.7 cells by changing cell morphology and density, increasing cell population in apoptosis and causing nucleus fragmentation. Further study on caspase activity by Western blotting revealed that the apoptosis was induced by the activation of caspase-3 and -7. In addition, PNPs inactivated DNA repair system, generating dose-dependent DNA ladder bands on agarose gel electrophoresis. Taken together, PNPs triggered cytotoxicity on Raw 264.7 cells by suppressing cell growth/survival and inducing apoptosis.

Morphological Feature of Pluronic F127 and Its Application in Burn Treatment

The morphological features of pluronic F127 at various concentrations were investigated and 20% aqueous pluronic F127 solution was chosen for the preparation of biomembrane. The pluronic solution was mixed with appropriate concentration of excipients such as PVA, Povidon S630, PG, Nipagin, Neomycin and Panthenol. The prepared pluronic F127 was thermosensitive, a liquid phase at low temperatures (≤10 °C) but converting into gel at temperatures above 20 °C, and formed stable biomembrane at 37 °C. The neomycin impregnated pluronic membrane suppressed the bacterial growth on agar plate by the sustained release of neomycin. The histological images of skin tissue after applying pluronic gel to burn injured area on rabbit confirmed that the pluronic F127 formulation functioned as a matrix to release drug as well as a biomembrane to protect burn injury. Thus, the formulated pluronic F127 may have a potential for the application of local treatment on burn injury.

Longitudinal cortical thinning and cognitive decline in patients with early- versus late-stage subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Biomarker changes in cognitively impaired patients with small vessel disease are largely unknown. The rate of amyloid/lacune progression, cortical thinning and cognitive decline were evaluated in subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment (svMCI) patients.

METHODS

Seventy-two svMCI patients were divided into early stage (ES-svMCI, n = 39) and late stage (LS-svMCI, n = 33) according to their Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes score. Patients were annually followed up with neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging for 3 years, and underwent a second [¹¹ C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography scan within a mean interval of 32.4 months.

RESULTS

There was no difference in the rate of increase in PiB uptake or lacune number between the ES-svMCI and LS-svMCI. However, LS-svMCI showed more rapid cortical thinning and cognitive decline than did the ES-svMCI.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that, whilst the rate of change in pathological burden did not differ between ES-svMCI and LS-svMCI, cortical thinning and cognitive decline progressed more rapidly in the LS-svMCI.

Multipoint scanning dual-detection confocal microscopy for fast 3D volumetric measurement

We propose a multipoint scanning dual-detection confocal microscopy (MS-DDCM) system for fast 3D volumetric measurements. Unlike conventional confocal microscopy, MS-DDCM can accomplish surface profiling without axial scanning. Also, to rapidly obtain 2D images, the MS-DDCM employs a multipoint scanning technique, with a digital micromirror device used to produce arrays of effective pinholes, which are then scanned. The MS-DDCM is composed of two CCDs: one collects the conjugate images and the other collects nonconjugate images. The ratio of the axial response curves, measured by the two detectors, provides a linear relationship between the height of the sample surface and the ratio of the intensity signals. Furthermore, the difference between the two images results in enhanced contrast. The normalising effect of the MS-DDCM provides accurate sample heights, even when the reflectance distribution of the surface varies. Experimental results confirmed that the MS-DDCM achieved high-speed surface profiling with improved image contrast capability.

Monitoring rate and predictability of intraoperative monitoring in patients with intradural extramedullary and epidural metastatic spinal tumors

STUDY DESIGN

Single-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the monitoring rate, sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative monitoring (IOM) during removal of intradural extramedullary (IDEM) or epidural metastatic spinal tumors. Also, to assess the efficacy of monitoring somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEP) when motor-evoked potentials (MEP) are not measurable.

SETTING

The Neuro-Oncology Clinic, National Cancer Center, Korea.

METHODS

Patients (n=101) with IDEM or epidural metastatic spinal tumors at the cord level underwent surgeries monitored with SSEP and/or MEP. The monitoring rate was defined as negative when MEP or SSEP could not be measured after reversal of the neuromuscular block under general anesthesia. Positive IOM changes included more than a 50% change in the MEP or SSEP amplitude and more than a 10% delay in SSEP latency.

RESULTS

MEP was measurable in 73% of patients. The MEP monitoring rate in patients with motor power grades of 3 or less was 39%, which was lower than that of SSEP (83%). The sensitivity, specificity and predictability of MEP for motor changes were 93, 90 and 91%, respectively. Conversely, the sensitivity, specificity and predictability of SSEP were 62, 97 and 89%, respectively. In patients in whom MEP was not measurable (n=24), SSEP was monitored with a predictability of 83%.

CONCLUSION

In cases of extramedullary spinal tumors, MEP shows a higher sensitivity than SSEP does. However, the monitoring rate of MEP in non-ambulatory patients was lower than that of SSEP. In those cases, SSEP can be useful to monitor for postoperative neurological deficits.

Family-based Whole Exome Sequencing of Autism Spectrum Disorder Reveals Novel De Novo Variants in Korean Population

Objectives

The objective of this family-based whole exome sequencing (WES) is to examine genetic variants of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Korean population.

Methods

The probands with ASD and their biological parents were recruited in this study. We ascertained diagnosis based on DSM-5™ criteria, using Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised. We selected probands with typical phenotypes of ASD both in social interaction/communication and repetitive behaviour/limited interest domains, with intellectual disability (IQ < 70), for attaining homogeneity of the phenotypes. First, we performed WES minimum 50× for 13 probands and high-coverage pooled sequencing for their parents. We performed additional WES for 38 trio families, at least 100× depth. De novo mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. All the sequence reads were mapped onto the human reference genome (hg19 without Y chromosome). Bioinformatics analyses were performed by BWA-MEM, Picard, GATK, and snpEff for variant annotation. We selected de novo mutation candidates from probands, which are neither detected in two pooled samples nor both parents.

Results

Fifty-one subjects with ASD (5 females, 40∼175 months, mean IQ 42) and their families were included in this study. We discovered 109 de novo variants from 46 families. Twenty-nine variants are expected to be amino acid changing, potentially causing deleterious effects. We assume CELSR3, MYH1, ATXN1, IDUA, NFKB1, and C4A/C4B may have adverse effect on central nerve system.

Conclusions

We observed novel de novo variants which are assumed to contribute to development of ASD with typical phenotypes and low intelligence in WES study.

Disclosure of interest

This work has been supported by Healthcare Technology R&D project (No: A120029) by Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea.

RGD Conjugated Dendritic Polylysine for Cellular Delivery of Antisense Oligonucleotide

Dendritic polylysines (DPL) are highly branched nano-sized spherical polymer with positively charged primary amino groups on surface. This structural feature is useful for a delivery of antisense oligonucleotide or siRNA. In this study, we modified the surface of DPL with cyclic RGD (and iRGD) peptide by conjugation reaction generating RGD (and iRGD) peptide conjugated dendritic poly-lysines, RGD-DPL or iRGD-DPL. The prepared conjugates were evaluated for integrin receptor-mediated cellular delivery of antisense oligonucleotide. The conjugation of RGD or iRGD peptide on DPL was monitored by measuring the retention time in capillary zone electrophoresis and the absorbance at UV-Vis spectroscopy. Cellular delivery by DPL-RGD (or -iRGD)/antisense oligonucleotide complex was examined by antisense splicing correction assay on integrin alpha v/beta 3 positive A375B3-Luc cells, which were stably transfected with plasmid pLuc/705. DPL-RGD (or -iRGD)/antisense oligonucleotide complexes exhibited integrin receptor mediated uptake on A375B3 cells without inducing cellular toxicity. In addition, the delivery of antisense oligonucleotide was integrin receptor-dependent with moderate efficiency.

The Soy Peptide Phe-Leu-Val Reduces TNFα-Induced Inflammatory Response and Insulin Resistance in Adipocytes

Obesity-induced adipose inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of obesity-induced metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In the presence of obesity, hypertrophic adipocytes release inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), which enhance the recruitment and activation of macrophages, and in turn augment adipose inflammation. We demonstrate that the soy peptide Phe-Leu-Val (FLV) reduces inflammatory responses and insulin resistance in mature adipocytes. Specifically, the soy peptide FLV inhibits the release of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, MCP-1, and IL-6) from both TNFα-stimulated adipocytes and cocultured adipocytes/macrophages. This inhibition is mediated by the inactivation of the inflammatory signaling molecules c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and IκB kinase (IKK), and the downregulation of IκBα in the adipocytes. In addition, soy peptide FLV enhances insulin responsiveness and increases glucose uptake in adipocytes. More importantly, we, for the first time, found that adipocytes express peptide transporter 2 (PepT2) protein, and the beneficial action of the soy peptide FLV was disrupted by the peptide transporter inhibitor GlySar. These findings suggest that soy peptide FLV is transported into adipocytes by PepT2 and then downregulates TNFα-induced inflammatory signaling, thereby increasing insulin responsiveness in the cells. The soy peptide FLV, therefore, has the potential to prevent obesity-induced adipose inflammation and insulin resistance.

Polyfluorinated substances in abiotic standard reference materials

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a wide range of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) which have values assigned for legacy organic pollutants and toxic elements. Existing SRMs serve as homogenous materials that can be used for method development, method validation, and measurement for contaminants that are now of concern. NIST and multiple groups have been measuring the mass fraction of a group of emerging contaminants, polyfluorinated substances (PFASs), in a variety of SRMs. Here we report levels determined in an interlaboratory comparison of up to 23 PFASs determined in five SRMs: sediment (SRMs 1941b and 1944), house dust (SRM 2585), soil (SRM 2586), and sludge (SRM 2781). Measurements presented show an array of PFASs, with perfluorooctane sulfonate being the most frequently detected. SRMs 1941b, 1944, and 2586 had relatively low concentrations of most PFASs measured while 23 PFASs were at detectable levels in SRM 2585 and most of the PFASs measured were at detectable levels in SRM 2781. The measurements made in this study were used to add values to the Certificates of Analysis for SRMs 2585 and 2781.

Preparation of Pluronic Grafted Dendritic alpha,epsilon-poly(L-lysine)s and Characterization as a Delivery Adjuvant of Antisense Oligonucleotide

A series of pluronic grafted dendritic alpha,epsilon-poly(L-lysine)s (DPL-PF127) were synthesized by a conjugation reaction and evaluated the potential use of DPL-PF127 as a delivery agent of antisense oligonucleotide into A375 B3 cells. The structural features of the DPL-PF127 were identified by NMR and FT-IR. The number of pluronic F127 on DPL surface, determined by fluorescamine assay, increased proportionally to the mole ratio between DPL and activated PF127 in reaction. DPL- PF127 showed the physical properties of decrease in zetapotential and increase in size as the mole ratio of PF127 to DPL increased. The complex formation of DPL-PF127 with oligonucleotide was confirmed by running capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and agarose gel electrophoresis. DPL-PF127, prepared at the mole ratio of 1:10 in reaction, was the most suitable as a delivery adjuvant of oligonucleotide. In addition, DPL-PF127/oligonucleotide complexes were taken into A375B3 cell without cellular toxicity and delivered antisense oligonucleotide into cell.

Assembly and Calcium Binding Properties of Quantum Dot-Calmodulin Calcium Sensor

We have developed the first nanoengineered quantum dot molecular complex designed to measure changes of calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration at high spatial and temporal resolutions in real time. The sensor is ratiometric and composed of three components: a quantum dot (QD) emitting at 620 nm as a fluorescence donor, an organic dye (Alexa Fluor 647) as a fluorescence acceptor, and a calmodulin-M13 (CaM-M13) protein part as a calcium sensing component. In this work, we have determined the maximal number of CaM-M13 required for saturating a single QD particle to be approximately 16. The dissociation constant, Kd of the QD-based calcium ion sensor was also estimated to be around 30 microM.

Five-year decreased incidence of surgical site infections following gastrectomy and prosthetic joint replacement surgery through active surveillance by the Korean Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System

BACKGROUND

Surveillance of healthcare-associated infection has been associated with a reduction in surgical site infection (SSI).

AIM

To evaluate the Korean Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (KONIS) in order to assess its effects on SSI since it was introduced.

METHODS

SSI data after gastrectomy, total hip arthroplasty (THA), and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between 2008 and 2012 were analysed. The pooled incidence of SSI was calculated for each year; the same analyses were also conducted from hospitals that had participated in KONIS for at least three consecutive years. Standardized SSI rates for each year were calculated by adjusting for SSI risk factors. SSI trends were analysed using the Cochran-Armitage test.

FINDINGS

The SSI rate following gastrectomy was 3.12% (522/16,918). There was a significant trend of decreased crude SSI rates over five years. This trend was also evident in analysis of hospitals that had participated for more than three years. The SSI rate for THA was 2.05% (157/7656), which decreased significantly from 2008 to 2012. The risk factors for SSI after THA included the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance risk index, trauma, reoperation, and age (60-69 years). The SSI rate for TKA was 1.90% (152/7648), which also decreased significantly during a period of five years. However, the risk-adjusted analysis of SSI did not show a significant decrease for all surgical procedures.

CONCLUSION

The SSI incidence of gastrectomy and prosthetic joint replacement declined over five years as a result of active surveillance by KONIS.

Trends in the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of causative pathogens of device-associated infection in Korean intensive care units from 2006 to 2013: results from the Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (KONIS)

BACKGROUND

For all countries, information on pathogens causing healthcare-associated infections is important in order to develop proper strategies for preventing and treating nosocomial infections.

AIM

To assess the change in frequencies and antimicrobial resistance of pathogens causing device-associated infections (DAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) in South Korea between July 2006 and June 2014.

METHODS

Data from the Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (KONIS) were analysed, including three major DAI types in ICUs.

FINDINGS

The frequency of Gram-negative bacteria gradually increased for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (from 24.6% to 32.6% and from 52.8% to 73.5%, respectively). By contrast, the frequency of Gram-positive bacteria decreased from 58.6% to 49.2% for CLABSI, and from 44.3% to 23.8% for VAP (P < 0.001). Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent causative pathogen in CLABSI throughout the surveillance period, but for VAP was replaced as the most frequent pathogen by Acinetobacter baumannii as of 2010. Candida albicans was the most frequent pathogen for catheter-associated urinary tract infection. The meticillin resistance rate in S. aureus decreased from 95% to 90.2% (P < 0.001); amikacin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli decreased from 43.8% to 14.7% and from 15.0% to 1.8%, respectively (P < 0.001); imipenem resistance in A. baumannii increased from 52.9% to 89.8% (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria as nosocomial pathogens for CLABSI and VAP has increased. The prevalence of A. baumannii causing DAIs in Korean ICUs has increased rapidly, as has the rate of carbapenem resistance in these bacteria.

Quercetin reduces obesity-induced hepatosteatosis by enhancing mitochondrial oxidative metabolism via heme oxygenase-1

BACKGROUND

Obesity-induced hepatic lipid accumulation causes lipotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance, and is implicated in non-alcoholic hepatic pathologies such as steatohepatitis and fibrosis. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an important antioxidant enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in heme degradation, protects against oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation. Here, we demonstrate that the phytochemical, quercetin, a natural polyphenol flavonoid, protects against hepatic steatosis in obese mice fed a high-fat diet, and that it does so by inducing HO-1 and stimulating increased hepatic mitochondrial oxidative metabolism.

METHODS

Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a regular diet (RD), a high-fat diet (HFD), and an HFD supplemented with quercetin for 9 weeks. Levels of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolic transcripts/proteins were measured by real-time PCR and/or Western blotting. HO-1 transcripts/proteins were measured real-time PCR and/or Western blotting.

RESULTS

Quercetin upregulated genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism in lipid-laden hepatocytes and the livers of HFD-fed obese mice, and this was accompanied by increased levels of the transcription factor, nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), and HO-1 protein. The HO-1 inducer hemin and the HO-1 byproduct carbon monoxide (CO) also enhanced hepatic oxidative metabolism in HFD-fed obese mice. Moreover, the metabolic changes and the lipid-lowering effects of quercetin were completely blocked by the HO-1 inhibitor ZnPP and by deficiency of Nrf-2.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that quercetin stimulates hepatic mitochondrial oxidative metabolism by inducing HO-1 via the Nrf-2 pathway. Quercetin may be useful in protecting against obesity-induced hepatosteatosis.

Antioxidative Activity of Platinum Nanocolloid and Its Protective Effect Against Chemical-Induced Hepatic Cellular Damage

Oxidative stress, a major cause of cellular injuries, is closely associated with a variety of chronic diseases such as cancer, liver diseases, degenerative brain disease and aging. In this study, we investigated antioxidant properties of platinum nanocolloid (PNC) against various oxidative stress conditions in vitro/in vivo by treating PNC on liver cell or tissue. Antioxidant activities of the PNC were determined by measuring quenching capacity on reactive oxygen species and its protective action against hydrogen peroxide or CCl4-induced oxidative cellular damage in HepG2 cell or liver tissue of mice. In vitro study, PNC markedly suppressed the production H2O2, ·OH, α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl radical and nitric oxide in a dose-dependent manner. PNC also inhibited hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative cellular damage in HepG2 hepatocytes. In vivo study with mice, PNC reduced hepatic lipid peroxidation and CCl4 induced toxicity. Our results support that platinum nanocolloid has antioxidant activities and protects hepatic cellular oxidative damage. Thus platinum nanocolloid may have a potential to be used as an antioxidant supplement.

Trends in the incidence rate of device-associated infections in intensive care units after the establishment of the Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System

BACKGROUND

The effectiveness of continuous nationwide surveillance on healthcare-associated infections should be investigated in each country.

AIM

To assess the rate of device-associated infections (DAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) since the establishment of the Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (KONIS).

METHODS

Nationwide data were obtained on the incidence rate of DAI in ICUs reported to KONIS by all participating hospitals. The three major DAIs were studied: ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The pooled and year-wise incidence rates (cases per 1000 device-days) of these DAIs were determined for the period 2006 and 2012. In addition, data from institutions that had participated in KONIS for at least three consecutive years were analysed separately.

FINDINGS

The number of ICUs participating in KONIS gradually increased from 76 in 2006 to 162 in 2012. Between 2006 and 2012, the incidence rate per 1000 device-days for VAP decreased significantly from 3.48 to 1.64 (F = 11, P < 0.01), for CAUTI the rate decreased non-significantly from 1.85 to 1.26 (F = 2.02, P = 0.07), and for CABSI the rate also decreased non-significantly from 3.4 to 2.57 (F = 1.73, P = 0.12). In the 132 ICUs that had participated in KONIS for at least three consecutive years, the VAP rate significantly decreased from the first year to third year (F = 20.57, P < 0.01), but the rates of CAUTI (F = 1.06, P = 0.35) and CABSI (F = 1.39, P = 0.25) did not change significantly.

CONCLUSION

The decreased incidence rate of VAP in ICUs in Korea might be associated with the continuous prospective surveillance provided by KONIS.

The prevalence of bronchiectasis in patients with Marfan syndrome

An association has been suggested between Marfan syndrome (MFS) and the nodular bronchiectatic form of lung disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). We evaluated the prevalence of bronchiectasis in 79 adult patients with MFS using computed tomography (CT) imaging. Airway dilation indicative of bronchiectasis (22/79, 28%) and bronchioloectasis (10/79, 13%) were relatively common, although the extent of dilation was not severe and was frequently confined to a single lobe. However, bronchiolitis was evident in only three patients (4%), and no patient was diagnosed with NTM lung disease.

Factors related with metastasis of right retroesophageal lymph nodes in papillary thyroid cancer

AIM

Right retroesophageal lymph nodes (RRLNs) should be involved in central lymph nodes (CLNs) dissection in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This study assessed the incidence and factors related to RRLNs metastasis.

METHODS

From January 2008 to March 2010, 129 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with CLNs dissection including RRLNs were enrolled. The predictive value of RRLNs metastasis was assessed.

RESULTS

Twenty six (20.1%) of 129 patients exhibited nodal metastasis in RRLNs. Metastasis of RRLNs was associated with large tumor size (>1 cm; P<0.01), multiplicity (P=0.03), preoperative LN enlargement (P<0.01), metastasis of non-retroesophageal lateral LN (P<0.01) and large number of CLNs metastases (P<0.01) in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor size (>1 cm) and metastasis of non-retroesophageal lateral LN were independent correlates of RRLNs metastases.

CONCLUSION

RRLNs may be removed during operation for PTC, particularly in patients with tumor >1 cm and lateral LN metastases.

Evolution of atomic structure in Al75Cu25 liquid from experimental and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation studies

X-ray diffraction and electrostatic levitation measurements, together with the ab initio molecular dynamics simulation of liquid Al(75)Cu(25) alloy have been performed from 800 to 1600 K. Experimental and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation results match well with each other. No abnormal changes were experimentally detected in the specific heat capacity over total hemispheric emissivity and density curves in the studied temperature range for a bulk liquid Al(75)Cu(25) alloy measured by the electrostatic levitation technique. The structure factors gained by the ab initio molecular dynamics simulation precisely coincide with the experimental data. The atomic structure analyzed by the Honeycutt-Andersen index and Voronoi tessellation methods shows that icosahedral-like atomic clusters prevail in the liquid Al(75)Cu(25) alloy and the atomic clusters evolve continuously. All results obtained here suggest that no liquid-liquid transition appears in the bulk liquid Al(75)Cu(25) alloy in the studied temperature range.

Preparation and Biophysical Characterization of Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer-Poly(acrylic acid) Graft

A series of PAMAM dendrimer generation 5-poly(acrylic acid) grafts were prepared to evaluate the potential use of dendritic grafts as a drug encapsulated nanocarrier. The structural features of the synthesized polymer graft were identified by FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectra and the biophysical properties were characterized by measuring its particle size and zeta potential. The prepared dendrimer G5-PAA grafts had particle size in the range of 600 to 900 nm and the size increased proportionally with the number of PAA on dendrimer surface. The electrostatic property of the dendrimer G5-PAA, carried out by HPLC reversed phase column analysis and the measurement of zeta potential, revealed that both migration time and zeta potential were dependent on the number of grafted PAA. The number of free amino groups on dendrimer G5-PAA, determined quantitatively by fluorescamine assay, was in a reverse order with the reaction mole ratio of dendrimer to PAA. In addition, dendrimer G5-PAA showed a pH-dependent solubility in aqueous solution with characteristic pH region of solubility, depending on the dendrimer generation. The observed biophysical properties indicate that PAMAM dendrimer G5-PAA is promising as a drug encapsulated nanocarrier.