163559 research outputs found
Sort by
Comparative effectiveness of kilo- and megavoltage energies in low-dose radiotherapy for painful degenerative musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textPurposeThis study aimed to assess the impact of different energy levels on the effectiveness of low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) for treating painful degenerative musculoskeletal diseases, as comparative efficacy data are currently lacking.MethodsA systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify studies with response information on the energy used (kilovoltage [kV] vs. megavoltage [MV]). The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR), and the secondary endpoint was the complete response rate (CRR). Exploratory subgroup analyses included treatment site, study period, study design, country, and dose per fraction.ResultsA total of 33 studies involving 12,143 patients were analyzed. Short-term follow-up (up to 6 months) showed a pooled ORR of 64% (95% CI 46-78%) for kV and of 62% (95% CI 54-70%) for MV. Long-term follow-up (at least 12 months) revealed a pooled ORR of 85% (95% CI 65-95%) for kV and of 69% (95% CI 62-75%) for MV. Subgroup analysis indicated no significant differences in ORR for energy level stratified by treatment site and other factors. Regarding dose per fraction (0.5 Gy vs. 1.0 Gy), comparable ORRs were demonstrated between the two energies. No clinical side effects were noted.ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that the known effectiveness of LDRT in painful degenerative musculoskeletal disease may not depend on the energy used. Additional studies using standardized evaluation methods are warranted to establish consistency and enhance the comprehensiveness of research. Further research is also needed to explore treatment modality selection considering disease-specific biology.Y
Monsters of Simulacra: The Transformation of Godzilla During Japans Period of Rapid Economic Growth and the Dissociation of Postwar Sensibilities
No full textSupport Movement for Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors and Peace Discourse in Japan: Peace for Anti-Colonialism and Son Jin-doos Act
No full textLimitations of neutralizing antibody titers in COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials and a call for additional correlates of protection
No full textThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated development of various vaccine platforms. Among them, mRNA vaccines played a crucial role in controlling the pandemic due to their swift development and efficacy against virus variants. Despite the success of these vaccines, recent studies highlight challenges in evaluating vaccine efficacy, especially in individuals with prior COVID-19 infection. Weakened neutralizing antibody responses after additional doses are observed in these populations, raising concerns about using neutralizing antibody titers as the sole immune correlate of protection. While neutralizing antibodies remain the primary endpoint in immunogenicity trials, they may not fully capture the immune response in populations with widespread prior infection or vaccination. This review explores reduced neutralizing antibody responses in previously infected individuals, and their impact on vaccine efficacy evaluation. It also offers recommendations for improving efficacy assessment, stressing incorporation of additional immune markers such as cell-mediated immunity to enable more comprehensive understanding of vaccine-induced immunity.Y
Comparing dynamic viewpoint control techniques for teleoperated robotic welding in construction
No full textDynamic viewpoints offer effective visual feedback in teleoperation for construction, where tasks often require precise manipulation during frequent viewpoint adjustments. However, the comparative performance of various dynamic viewpoint control techniques remains unclear. This paper investigates the impact of dynamic viewpoint control techniques on task performance and user experience during teleoperation in construction. A user study was conducted in a remote welding-at-height scenario with 20 participants, including experienced welders and university students, to compare five techniques: (1) coupled vision-motion, (2) decoupled vision-motion with hand or head motion-based control, and (3) hybrid vision-motion with manual or automatic switching. Results showed that decoupled vision-motion with head motion-based control outperformed other techniques in task efficiency and user preference. Hybrid vision-motion with manual switching was more effective than decoupled vision-motion in contexts involving occlusions, reducing physical demand and enhancing welding quality. Based on these findings, guidelines are proposed for viewpoint control in teleoperated construction robots.N
Effects of Graphene Quantum Dots on Renal Fibrosis Through Alleviating Oxidative Stress and Restoring Mitochondrial Membrane Potential
No full textPodocyte injury and proteinuria in glomerular disease are critical indicators of acute kidney injury progression to chronic kidney disease. Renal mitochondrial dysfunction, mediated by intracellular calcium levels and oxidative stress, is a major contributor to podocyte complications. Despite various strategies targeting mitochondria to improve kidney function, effective treatments remain lacking. This study investigates the potential of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in mitigating renal fibrosis and elucidates their underlying mechanisms. In animal models of Adriamycin-induced nephropathy and 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy, GQDs treatment exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and anti-apoptotic effects by restoring podocyte actin structure. These therapeutic benefits are associated with the downregulation of transient receptor potential channel 5 (TRPC5) activity, which is related to kidney fibrosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. In vitro, GQDs suppress TRPC5, enhancing anti-fibrotic and anti-apoptotic effects by lowering calcium levels under oxidative stress and mechanical pressure. Anti-oxidative and anti-senescent effects are also confirmed. Most significantly, transcriptomics and electron microscopy analyses reveal that GQD treatment enhances mitochondrial respiration-related gene profiles and improves mitochondrial cristae morphology. These findings suggest that GQDs are a promising therapeutic nanomaterial for renal cell damage, capable of modulating calcium-dependent apoptosis associated with mitochondrial injury, potentially slowing fibrosis progression.Y
A multicenter validation and calibration of automated software package for detecting anterior circulation large vessel occlusion on CT angiography
No full textPurposeTo validate JLK-LVO, a software detecting large vessel occlusion (LVO) on computed tomography angiography (CTA), within a multicenter dataset.MethodsFrom 2021 to 2023, we enrolled patients with ischemic stroke who underwent CTA within 24-hour of onset at six university hospitals for validation and calibration datasets and at another university hospital for an independent dataset for testing model calibration. The diagnostic performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity across the entire study population and specifically in patients with isolated middle cerebral artery (MCA)-M2 occlusion. We calibrated LVO probabilities using logistic regression and by grouping LVO probabilities based on observed frequency.ResultsAfter excluding 168 patients, 796 remained; the mean (SD) age was 68.9 (13.7) years, and 57.7% were men. LVO was present in 193 (24.3%) of patients, and the median interval from last-known-well to CTA was 5.7 h (IQR 2.5-12.1 h). The software achieved an AUC of 0.944 (95% CI 0.926-0.960), with a sensitivity of 89.6% (84.5-93.6%) and a specificity of 90.4% (87.7-92.6%). In isolated MCA-M2 occlusion, the AUROC was 0.880 (95% CI 0.824-0.921). Due to sparse data between 20 and 60% of LVO probabilities, recategorization into unlikely (0-20% LVO scores), less likely (20-60%), possible (60-90%), and suggestive (90-100%) provided a reliable estimation of LVO compared with mathematical calibration. The category of LVO probabilities was associated with follow-up infarct volumes and functional outcome.ConclusionIn this multicenter study, we proved the clinical efficacy of the software in detecting LVO on CTA.N
Highly Efficient Oxygen Electrode Design for Anion-Exchange Membrane-Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells
No full textDesigning highly efficient oxygen electrodes is crucial for the development of anion-exchange membrane-unitized regenerative fuel cells (AEM-URFCs) that operate in both water-electrolysis (WE) and fuel-cell (FC) modes. In this article, we introduce a suitable oxygen electrode design that includes oxygen- evolution-reaction (OER) and oxygen-reduction-reaction (ORR) catalysts that exhibit high WE and FC performance. We first investigated three different oxygen electrodes, one with a single layer comprising a mixture of two catalysts, and the others with dual layers comprising separate layers. The AEMURFC with the ORR catalyst as the inner layer and the OER catalyst as the outer layer exhibited excellent WE and FC performance, leading to high round-trip efficiencies. In addition, the effects of the OER- and ORR-catalyst loadings on the oxygen electrode were examined. The resulting optimal AEM-URFC yielded the highest round-trip efficiency of 62% at 20 mA cm among researched AEM-URFCs. In addition, the developed AEM-URFC exhibited durable WE and FC performance over 50 h.Y
Soluble ST2 is an early marker and treatment target for hypertensive nephrosclerosis signatured in glomerular mesangial cells
No full textThe absence of a biologic marker for hypertensive nephrosclerosis (HN) remains a challenge. This study aimed at exploring the relationship between sST2 and early HN and examining their interaction in glomerular mesangial cells. The serum sST2 levels of healthy controls (HC; n=9), patients with HN (n=15), and patients with lupus nephritis (LN; n=27) were measured using ELISA. The association between the serum sST2 levels and clinicopathologic characteristics, including kidney function and mesangial proliferation, were assessed. The expression of ST2 and fibrotic markers in glomerular mesangial cells in hypertensive conditions was evaluated using a 5/6 nephrectomy rat model. To mimic intraglomerular hypertension, human primary glomerular mesangial cells (hPGMCs) were subjected to a 3-mmHg pressure using a newly developed mechanical pressurizing device. The cells were then treated with anti-ST2 antibody (0.5 and 1 μg/mL) to examine inflammation, apoptosis, and necrosis. The serum sST2 levels were significantly higher in the HN and LN groups than in the HC group. Increased expression of ST2 and fibrotic markers in glomerular mesangial cells was observed in the hypertension-induced animal model. In the in vitro study, pressure-stimulated hPGMCs exhibited increased population of early and late apoptosis, which were markedly reduced after treatment with anti-ST2 antibody (1.0 μg/mL). ST2 indicates the early pathologic changes of hypertensive kidney damage and may serve as a mesangial cell-specific marker for HN in terms of determining kidney function and pathologic findings. Thus, ST2 blockade could be a novel therapeutic approach for HN.N
Alveolar Ridge Preservation Using a Collagenated Xenograft: A Randomized Clinical Trial
No full textObjectives: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of cancellous bovine bone mineral granules and 10% porcine collagen (deproteinized bovine bone mineral with collagen [DBBM-C]; (OCS-B Collagen® [Straumann XenoFlex], NIBEC, Korea) in a mouldable block form, with or without socket seal, using autogenous free gingival graft (FGG). Methods: Fifty-four patients were included and randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) spontaneous healing (control group), (2) alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) using DBBM-C (DBBM-C group), and (3) ARP employing DBBM-C sealed with FGG (DBBM-C/FGG group). Bone biopsy and implant fixture placement were performed 180 days after ARP. Cone-beam computed tomography, histological analysis, implant stability, and three-dimensional volumetric analysis were conducted. Results: Of the 54 patients, 4 dropped out owing to loss of follow-up and osseointegration failure. The changes in alveolar bone during follow-up were not significantly different. Between 84- and 180-day postextraction, the volume of the DBBM-C and DBBM-C/FGG groups was maintained at 3 mm below the alveolar ridge crest (0.72 ± 0.80 mm, 6.05 ± 6.69%), whereas the volume in the control group decreased (–0.37 ± 1.31 mm, –2.10% ± 8.37%) (P = .026). The DBBM-C/FGG group exhibited less horizontal ridge resorption at 1 mm below the alveolar crest (–9.19 ± 5.09 mm, –73.67% ± 32.53%) between preextraction and 84 days postextraction (P = .049). In all groups, the implant stability quotient remained above 70. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, both ARP using DBBM-C with and without socket sealing effectively preserved the width dimension of the alveolar ridge, with no significant difference in alveolar bone resorption. However, socket sealing appeared to enhance the stability of the bone graft and bone quality. Clinical Relevance: The use of DBBM-C for ARP seems to aid in volume maintenance as compared with spontaneous healing. Gingival sealing with an FGG can help maintain the width of the alveolar ridge. This clinical trial was not registered prior to participant recruitment and randomization. This study was registered at WHO ICTRP (https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=KCT0008266).Y