Ultrasound-guided intra-articular corticosteroid injection in a patient with manubriosternal joint involvement of ankylosing spondylitis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Manubriosternal joint (MSJ) disease is a rare cause of anterior chest pain but can be a major sign of systemic arthritic involvement. In patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a type of systemic arthritis, chest pain can be due to MSJ involvement and can be improved by ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection into the joint. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old man visited our pain clinic complaining of anterior chest pain. There were no abnormal findings on lateral sternum X-ray, but arthritic changes in the MSJ were observed on single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography. We performed additional laboratory tests, and he was finally diagnosed with AS. For pain relief, we performed ultrasound-guided intra-articular (IA) corticosteroid injections into the MSJ. After the injections, his pain nearly resolved. CONCLUSION: For patients complaining of anterior chest pain, AS should be considered, and single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography can be helpful in diagnosis. In addition, ultrasound-guided IA corticosteroid injections may be effective for pain relief.

Configurational Approach to Understand Preventive Behavior Adoption among a Non-Adhering Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study examined the risk preventive responses of individuals, especially those who do not adhere to preventive measures (e.g. anti-maskers) for COVID-19, by integrating three dominant theories in risk and health communication. The complex causal relationship between motivational elements and individuals' preventive behavior adoption was studied using Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. With a survey (N = 372) of non-abiding populations, this study found generalizable and unique configurations of motivational elements. Different effects of key motivational variables from three theories were found with different demographic factors. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.

Unveiling the positive effect of mineral induced natural organic matter (NOM) on catalyst properties and catalytic dechlorination performance: An experiment and DFT study.

Herein, we report the significant effects of natural organic matter contained in natural zeolite (Z-NOM) on the physicochemical characteristics of a Ni/Fe@natural zeolite (NF@NZ) catalyst and its decontamination performance toward the dechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE). Z-NOM predominantly consists of humic-like substances and has demonstrable utility in the synthesis of bimetallic catalysts. Compared to NF@NZ600C (devoid of Z-NOM), NF@NZ had increased dispersibility and mobility and showed significant enhancement in the catalytic dechlorination of TCE owing to the encapsulation of Ni0/Fe0 nanoparticles by Z-NOM. The results of corrosion experiments, spectroscopic analyses, and H2 production experiments confirmed that Ni0 acted as an efficient cocatalyst with Fe0 to enhance the dechlorination of TCE to ethane, and Z-NOM-capped Ni0 showed improved adsorption of TCE and atomic hydrogen on their reactive sites and oxidation resistance. The density functional theory (DFT) studies have substantiated the improved adsorption of TCE due to the presence of NOM (especially by COOH structure) and the enhanced charge density at the Ni site in the Ni/Fe bimetal alloy for the stronger adsorption of hydrogen atoms that ultimately enhanced the TCE reduction reaction. These findings illustrate the efficiency of NOM containing natural minerals toward the synthesis of bimetallic catalysts for practical applications.

NaOH-assisted H2O2 post-modification as a novel approach to enhance adsorption capacity of residual coffee waste biochars toward radioactive strontium: Experimental and theoretical studies.

In this study, NaOH-assisted H2O2 post-modification was proposed as a novel strategy to enhance the adsorption of radioactive strontium (Sr) onto residual coffee waste biochars (RCWBs). To validate its viability, the adsorption capacities and mechanisms of Sr(II) using pristine (RCWBP), H2O2 post-modified (RCWBHP), and NaOH-assisted H2O2 post-modified residual coffee waste biochars (RCWBNHP) were experimentally and theoretically investigated. The highest adsorption capacity of Sr(II) for RCWBNHP (10.91 mg/g) compared to RCWBHP (5.57 mg/g) and RCWBP (5.07 mg/g) was primarily attributed to higher negative surface zeta potential (RCWBNHP = -5.66 → -30.97 mV; RCWBHP = -0.31 → -11.29 mV; RCWBP = 1.90 → -10.40 mV) and decoration of Na on the surfaces of RCWBP via NaOH-assisted H2O2 post-modification. These findings agree entirely with the theoretical observations that the adsorption of Sr(II) onto RCWBP and RCWBHP was controlled by electrostatic interactions involving carbonyls whereas enriched carboxylic acids and decorated Na on the surfaces of RCWBNHP through the replacement of Mg and K by NaOH-assisted H2O2 modification stimulated electrostatic interactions and cation exchanges governing the adsorption of Sr(II). Hence, NaOH-assisted H2O2 post-modification seemed to be practically applicable for improving the adsorption capacity of Sr(II) using RCWB-based carbonaceous adsorbents in real water matrices.

Competitive adsorption of pharmaceuticals in lake water and wastewater effluent by pristine and NaOH-activated biochars from spent coffee wastes: Contribution of hydrophobic and π-π interactions.

This study investigated the competitive adsorption mechanisms of pharmaceuticals (i.e., naproxen, diclofenac, and ibuprofen) toward the pristine and NaOH-activated biochars from spent coffee wastes (SCW) in lake water and wastewater effluent. The kinetic and isotherm studies revealed that the improved physicochemical characteristics and physically homogenized surfaces of the pristine SCW biochar through the chemical activation with NaOH were beneficial to the adsorption of pharmaceuticals (competitive equilibrium adsorption capacity (Qe, exp): NaOH-activated SCW biochar (61.25-192.07 µmol/g) > pristine SCW biochar (14.81-20.65 µmol/g)). The adsorptive removal of naproxen (Qe, exp = 14.81-18.81 µmol/g), diclofenac (Qe, exp = 15.73-20.00 µmol/g), and ibuprofen (Qe, exp = 16.20-20.65 µmol/g) for the pristine SCW biochar showed linear correlations with their hydrophobicity (log D at pH 7.0: ibuprofen (1.71) > diclofenac (1.37) > naproxen (0.25)). However, their Qe, exp values for the NaOH-activated SCW biochar (naproxen (176.39-192.07 µmol/g) > diclofenac (78.44-98.74 µmol/g) > ibuprofen (61.25-80.02 µmol/g)) were inversely correlated to the order of their log D values. These results suggest that the reinforced aromatic structure of the NaOH-activated SCW biochar facilitated the π-π interaction. The calculated thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the competitive adsorption of pharmaceuticals on the NaOH-activated SCW biochar compared to pristine SCW biochar occurred more spontaneously over the entire pH (5.0-11.0) and ionic strength (NaCl: 0-0.125 M) ranges. These observations imply that the NaOH-activated SCW biochar might be potentially applicable for the removal of pharmaceuticals in lake water and wastewater effluent.

Probing Magnetism in Artificial Metal-Organic Complexes Using Electronic Spin Relaxometry.

Single spins are considered as a versatile candidate for miniaturizing information devices down to the nanoscale. To engineer the spin's properties, metal-organic frameworks provide a promising route which in turn requires thorough understanding of the metal-molecule interaction. Here, we investigate the magnetic robustness of a single iron (Fe) atom in artificially built Fe-tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) complexes by using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We find that the magnetic anisotropy and spin relaxation dynamics of the Fe atom within the complexes remain unperturbed in comparison to well-isolated Fe atoms. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations support our experimental findings, suggesting that the 3d orbitals of the Fe atom remain largely undisturbed while the 4s and 4p orbitals are rearranged in the process of forming a complex. To precisely determine the location of the spin center within the complex, we utilize STM-based spin relaxometry, mapping out the spatial dependence of spin relaxation with subnanometer resolution. Our work suggests that the magnetic properties of atoms can remain unchanged while being embedded in a weakly bound molecular framework.

Cancer Control Continuum in Korean American Community Newspapers: What Is the Association with Source Nationality-US vs. Korea?

Prior research suggests that cancer information obtained from Korean American community media, which are the primary health information sources among the population, does not connect to Korean Americans' increased cancer knowledge or cancer protective/detective behavior. We aim to identify the reason by analyzing cancer type, cancer control continuum, and cancer topic presented in Korean American community newspapers. The nationality of news source, US and Korea, and its association with the cancer coverage were examined. We found that among articles that cited any source, nearly one third used a source from Korea. The source nationality was associated with cancer coverage. In particular, cancer risk factors and screening were more likely to be discussed when a US source was cited as compared to when no source was cited. Korean sources were never or rarely observed in articles focusing on a few cancer sites (e.g., breast and prostate, which Korean Americans have higher risks compared to native Koreans), cancer preventive behaviors (diet, physical activity, no smoking), and specific cancer detection methods (mammogram, pap-smear). We suggest Korean American media to reflect the cancer priority and information needs among Korean Americans, which are varied from native Koreans, and to acknowledge the differences in cancer prevention and detection guidelines between the U.S. and Korean healthcare system. Also, the U.S. government should disseminate cancer screening and prevention guidelines, customized to racial/ethnic groups' cancer prevalence and communication preference.

Robust Powerline Equipment Inspection System Based on a Convolutional Neural Network.

Electric power line equipment such as insulators, cut-out-switches, and lightning-arresters play important roles in ensuring a safe and uninterrupted power supply. Unfortunately, their continuous exposure to rugged environmental conditions may cause physical or electrical defects in them which may lead to the failure to the electrical system. In this paper, we present an automatic real-time electrical equipment detection and defect analysis system. Unlike previous handcrafted feature-based approaches, the proposed system utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based equipment detection framework, making it possible to detect 17 different types of powerline insulators in a highly cluttered environment. We also propose a novel rotation normalization and ellipse detection method that play vital roles in the defect analysis process. Finally, we present a novel defect analyzer that is capable of detecting gunshot defects occurring in electrical equipment. The proposed system uses two cameras; a low-resolution camera that detects insulators from long-shot images, and a high-resolution camera which captures close-shot images of the equipment at high-resolution that helps for effective defect analysis. We demonstrate the performances of the proposed real-time equipment detection with up to 93% recall with 92% precision, and defect analysis system with up to 98% accuracy, on a large evaluation dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed system achieves state-of-the-art performance in automatic powerline equipment inspection.

Prognostic implications of and relationship between CpG island hypermethylation and repetitive DNA hypomethylation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the relationship between CpG island DNA hypermethylation and global genomic DNA hypomethylation and their prognostic implications in hepatocellular carcinoma. The association of DNA methylation changes with clinicopathologic factors and the chronological ordering of DNA methylation changes along multistep hepatocarcinogenesis were also assessed. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 20) and nonneoplastic liver samples (n = 72) were analyzed for their methylation status at 41 CpG island loci and 3 repetitive DNA elements (LINE-1, ALU, and SAT2) using MethyLight or combined bisulfite restriction analysis. After selection of 19 CpG island loci showing cancer-specific DNA methylation, another set of 99 hepatocellular carcinoma samples was analyzed for these loci. RESULTS: The number of methylated genes in hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with a cirrhotic liver than in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with a noncirrhotic liver (9.9 versus 7.0, P = 0.001). Hepatocellular carcinoma from female patients showed a higher number of methylated genes than hepatocellular carcinoma from male patients (11.2 versus 8.4, P = 0.006). The genes CRABP1 and SYK showed significant association between CpG island hypermethylation and patients' poor survival. SAT2 hypomethylation occurred earlier than LINE-1 or ALU hypomethylation along the multistep hepatocarcinogenesis. Depending on the type of CpG island locus, a direct, inverse, or no relationship between CpG island hypermethylation and repetitive DNA hypomethylation was observed in hepatocellular carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The varying relationships between the hypermethylation of individual CpG island loci and the hypomethylation of repetitive elements suggests that they are not mechanically linked. SYK and CRABP1 hypermethylation may serve as useful tumor markers for prognostication of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Clinicopathological features of CpG island methylator phenotype-positive colorectal cancer and its adverse prognosis in relation to KRAS/BRAF mutation.

CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) is a recently described subset of colorectal cancers (CRC) with widespread methylation of multiple promoter CpG islands. But the prognostic implication of CIMP in CRC has not been clarified. Thus, the aim of the present study was to differentiate the unique characteristics of CIMP from those of microsatellite instability (MSI)-high CRC, especially with regard to prognosis. CIMP, MSI, and mutations of KRAS codons 12 and 13 and of BRAF codon 600 were evaluated in 134 sporadic CRC. Patient survival and other clinicopathological variables were correlated with CIMP or genetic changes. High CIMP, high MSI, and mutations in KRAS or BRAF were detected in 31.3%, 14.2%, 33.6%, and 4.5% of overall CRC, respectively. High CIMP was closely associated with MSI and BRAF mutation but not with KRAS mutation. CIMP-high, microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC were significantly associated with proximal location and nodal metastasis and had close but non-significant associations with liver metastasis. A worse clinical outcome was found for CIMP-high, MSS CRC with KRAS/BRAF mutation but not for those lacking KRAS/BRAF mutation. The findings support the contention that CIMP-high CRC have distinct clinicopathological and epidemiological features and suggest that the alleged poor clinical outcome of CIMP-high CRC patients is closely associated with the presence of KRAS/BRAF mutation.

Methylation profiles of multiple CpG island loci in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma versus those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas.

CONTEXT: CpG island hypermethylation is attracting attention because of its importance as a tumor marker and its potential mechanism for the development of human cancers. Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma has been poorly investigated with respect to CpG island hypermethylation, and the number of genes known to be methylated in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas is fewer than 20. OBJECTIVE: To generate methylation profiles of 24 CpG island loci in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, to correlate methylation findings with clinicopathologic findings, and to compare these findings with those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. DESIGN: Sixty-three extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and 48 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas were investigated for hypermethylation in 24 CpG island loci by using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: A total of 61 (96.8%) of 63 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas showed hypermethylation in at least one of the examined loci, and a high methylation frequency was seen in HOXA1 (95.2%), HPP1 (69.8%), and NEUROG1 (61.9%). The number of methylated CpG island loci was greater in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas with nodal metastasis than in those without nodal metastasis (P = .047), and hypermethylation of TIG1 was closely associated with nodal metastasis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (P = .007). CDH1 and NEUROG1 were more frequently methylated in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma than in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, whereas CHFR, GSTP1, IGF2, MGMT, MINT31, p14, and RBP1 were more frequently methylated in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: the differences was statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: A close relationship exists between CpG island hypermethylation and nodal metastasis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. Methylation profiles of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas are somewhat similar to but distinct from those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas.

Methylation profiles of CpG island loci in major types of human cancers.

Several reports have described aberrant methylation in various types of human cancers. However, the interpretation of methylation frequency in various human cancers has some limitations because of the different materials and methods used for methylation analysis. To gain an insight into the role of DNA hypermethylation in human cancers and allow direct comparison of tissue specific methylation, we generated methylation profiles in 328 human cancers, including 24 breast, 48 colon, 61 stomach, 48 liver, 37 larynx, 24 lung, 40 prostate, and 46 uterine cervical cancer samples by analyzing CpG island hypermethylation of 13 genes using methylation-specific PCR. The mean numbers of methylated genes were 6.5, 4.4, 3.6, 3.4, 3.1, 3.1, 3.1, and 2.1 in gastric, liver, prostate, larynx, colon, lung, uterine cervix, and in breast cancer samples, respectively. The number of genes that were methylated at a frequency of more than 40% in each tumor type ranged from nine (stomach) to one (breast). Generally genes frequently methylated in a specific cancer type differed from those methylated in other cancer types. The findings indicate that aberrant CpG island hypermethylation is a frequent finding in human cancers of various tissue types, and each tissue type has its own distinct methylation pattern.

BRAF and KRAS mutations in prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Constitutive activation of the kinase cascade involving RAS, RAF, MEK and ERK is common to human cancers, and mutations of KRAS and BRAF are mutually exclusive and serve as alternatives to activate the RAS/RAF/ERK signaling pathway. RAS mutations are known to occur in prostate adenocarcinomas, but little is known about BRAF mutations in these tumors. In the present study, BRAF and KRAS mutations were characterized in 206 prostate adenocarcinomas by enhanced PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing. The identified KRAS and BRAF mutations were then analyzed with respect to preoperative serum PSA levels, Gleason scores and tumor stages. Mutations in codon 600 of BRAF were identified in 21 (10.2%) of 206 prostate adenocarcinomas. KRAS mutations in codons 12 or 13 were found in 15 (7.3%) of 206 prostate adenocarcinomas. However, no tumor specimen contained both BRAF and KRAS mutations. Prostate adenocarcinomas with a BRAF mutation tended to show higher preoperative serum PSA levels, Gleason scores and tumor stages than prostate adenocarcinomas with a KRAS mutation. The results obtained show that BRAF mutations are as uncommon as KRAS mutations in prostate adenocarcinoma. Although BRAF and KRAS are members of the same RAS/ERK signaling pathway, prostate adenocarcinomas with a BRAF mutation showed clinicopathologic features that differed from those of prostate adenocarcinoma with a KRAS mutation.