Design guidelines for movement-assistive clothing based on a comprehensive understanding of older adults' needs and preferences.

This study aimed to explore the needs and wants of older adults in the context of movement-assistive clothing (MSC), with a focus on muscle strength and posture correction. A survey was conducted to understand the needs and wants of older adults, considering aspects of functions and designs, and to evaluate the comfort, safety, ease of use, usefulness, and intention of users to purchase and use products. A total of 408 individuals aged > 65 years participated in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive analyses, such as mean, standard deviation, percentages, Cronbach's alpha, chi-square test, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and regression using IBM SPSS 27.0. Exploratory Factor Analysis was also conducted to test the hypotheses. Open-ended questions were extracted using major themes after color-coding. Based on the results, design recommendations were derived, including the development of pants and innerwear with casual, minimalist styles, featuring achromatic colors, and utilizing stretchy, breathable fabrics. Comfort, safety, ease of use, and usefulness emerged as critical factors influencing the purchase and use of MSC by older adults. This study aimed to establish design guidelines by understanding the needs and wants of older adults and considering the aspects of movement-assistive clothing to relieve musculoskeletal issues. Accordingly, these findings are expected to aid in the creation of wearable suits using flexible fabric artificial muscles for active musculoskeletal correction in older adults.

Correlation of masticatory muscle activity and occlusal function with craniofacial morphology: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Masticatory function, including masticatory muscle activity and occlusal function, can be affected by craniofacial morphology. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between craniofacial morphology and masticatory function in participants who had completed orthodontic treatment at least two years before and had stable occlusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourty-two healthy participants were prospectively enrolled and divided into three vertical cephalometric groups according to the mandibular plane angle. Masticatory muscle activity (MMA) in the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles was assessed using surface electromyography. The occlusal contact area (OCA) and occlusal force (OF), defined as occlusal function in this study, were evaluated using occlusal pressure mapping system. Masticatory muscle efficiency (MME) was calculated by dividing MMA by OF. The craniofacial morphology was analyzed using a lateral cephalogram. The masticatory function was compared using one-way analysis of variance. Pearson correlations were used to assess relationships between craniofacial morphology and masticatory function. RESULTS: The hypodivergent group had the lowest MMAand the highest MME in the masseter (167.32 ± 74.92 µV and 0.14 ± 0.06 µV/N, respectively) and anterior temporalis muscles (0.18 ± 0.08 µV/N, p < 0.05). MMA in the masseter showed a positive relationship with mandibular plane angle (r = 0.358), whereas OCA (r = -0.422) and OF (r = -0.383) demonstrated a negative relationship (p < 0.05). The anterior temporalis muscle activity negatively correlated with ramus height (r = -0.364, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vertical craniofacial morphology was related to masticatory function. Hypodivergent individuals may have low MMA and high occlusal function, resulting in good masticatory muscle efficiency. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hypodivergent individuals require careful consideration in orthodontic diagnosis and prosthetic treatment planning.

Synthesis of Succinimide-Linked Indazol-3-ols Derived from Maleimides under Rh(III) Catalysis.

The structural modification of N-aryl indazolols as tautomers of N-aryl indazolones has been established as a hot topic in pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry. We herein disclose the rhodium(III)-catalyzed 1,4-addition reaction of maleimides with N-aryl indazol-3-ols, which provides the succinimide-bearing indazol-3-ol scaffolds with complete regioselectivity and a good functional group tolerance. Notably, the versatility of this protocol is demonstrated by the use of drug-molecule-linked and fluorescence-probe-linked maleimides.

Novel Specific Pyruvate Kinase M2 Inhibitor, Compound 3h, Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy through Suppressing Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in LNCaP Cells.

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of glycolysis. Although PKM2 is overexpressed in various tumor tissues, its functional role in cancer chemotherapy remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of a new PKM2 inhibitor, compound 3h, through the cell metabolism and associated signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. To evaluate the molecular basis of specific PKM2 inhibitors, the interactions of compounds 3h and 3K with the PKM2 protein were assessed via molecular docking. We found that, compared to compound 3K, compound 3h exhibited a higher binding affinity for PKM2. Moreover, compound 3h significantly inhibited the pyruvate kinase activity and PKM2 expression. Cytotoxicity and colony formation assays revealed the potent anticancer activity of compound 3h against LNCaP cells. Compound 3h significantly increased the apoptotic and autophagic cell death in LNCaP cells. In addition, compound 3h induced AMPK activation along with the inhibition of the mTOR/p70S6K pathway. Furthermore, compound 3h significantly inhibited glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration, as determined by analyzing the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) production. Our results revealed that compound 3h caused apoptotic and autophagic cell death in LNCaP cells by inhibiting cancer cell metabolism. Therefore, blocking glycolytic pathways using specific PKM2 inhibitors can target cancer cell metabolism in PKM2-overexpressed prostate cancer cells.

The Association between Plasma Concentration of Phytoestrogens and Hypertension within the Korean Multicenter Cancer Cohort.

In order to examine the association between plasma phytoestrogen concentration (genistein, daidzein, equol and enterolactone) and hypertension, we conducted a nested case-control study for 229 hypertension cases including 112 prehypertension and 159 healthy controls derived from the Korean Multi-center Cancer Cohort (KMCC). The concentration of plasma phytoestrogens was measured using time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. We assessed the association between plasma phytoestrogens and hypertension using logistic regression models using odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI). The highest tertile of plasma equol and enterolactone concentration exhibited a significantly decreased risk of hypertension (equol, OR = 0.34, 95%CI 0.20-0.57; enterolactone, OR = 0.32, 95%CI 0.18-0.57), compared with the lowest tertile. Equol and enterolactone showed reduced ORs for prehypertension (the highest tertile relative to the lowest tertile, OR = 0.50, 95%CI 0.26-0.96; OR = 0.38, 95%CI 0.19-0.75, respectively) and hypertension (OR = 0.42, 95%CI 0.22-0.81; OR = 0.28, 95%CI 0.14-0.54, respectively). There was a stronger association in hypertension (the highest tertile relative to the lowest tertile in obesity vs. non-obesity; equol, OR = 0.06 vs. 0.63; enterolactone, OR = 0.07 vs. 0.46; both p-heterogeneity < 0.01). This study suggests that equol and enterolactone may contribute to prevent primarily prehypertension and hypertension, and control cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on the continuum of hypertension and CVD. Further study to assess hypertension risk based on useful biomarkers, including phytoestrogens, may contribute to primary prevention of hypertension.

Synthesis of spirosuccinimides via annulative cyclization between N-aryl indazolols and maleimides under rhodium(III) catalysis.

The rhodium(III)-catalyzed spiroannulation reaction between N-aryl indazol-3-ols and maleimides is described herein. The developed method is showcased by the construction of spirosuccinimides using bioactive molecule-linked and chemical probe-linked maleimides. Combined mechanistic investigations including the determination of an isolable rhodacycle complex aided the elucidation of a plausible reaction mechanism.

Synthesis of (2H)-Indazoles and Dihydrocinnolinones through Annulation of Azobenzenes with Vinylene Carbonate under Rh(III) Catalysis.

The Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H functionalization and subsequent intramolecular cyclization between azobenzenes and vinylene carbonate is described herein. Depending on the electronic property of azobenzenes, this transformation results in the formation of (2H)-indazoles or dihydrocinnolin-4-ones through the generation of ortho-alkylated azo-intermediates followed by decarboxylation. Surprisingly, vinylene carbonate acts as an acetaldehyde or acetyl surrogate to enable the [4 + 1] or [4 + 2] annulation reaction. This transformation is characterized by its mild reaction conditions, simplicity, and excellent functional group compatibility.

Long-term stability of miniscrew anchored maxillary molar distalization in Class II treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate treatment stability of miniscrew-anchored maxillary distalization in Class II malocclusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included a distalization (n = 19) and a control (n = 19) group; a patient group with minor corrections served the control. Lateral cephalograms of 38 adult patients were taken before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 3-4 years after (T2) treatment. Horizontal and vertical movement and tipping of the maxillary first molars (U6) and central incisors (U1) were measured along with skeletal craniofacial parameters at three time points to compare the two groups regarding the achieved treatment effects and their stability. RESULTS: Total arch distalization therapy led to 4.2 mm of distal movement of U6 without distal crown tipping (0.6° of axis change) and 3.3° of occlusal plane steepening. Over an average retention period of 42 months, maxillary total arch distalization provided high stability of treatment results, showing the same amount of mesial movement (0.7 mm) as the control group. CONCLUSIONS: In Class II treatment, miniscrew-anchored maxillary total arch distalization can provide stable distal movement of the maxillary first molars and central incisors.

Improving the accuracy of coliform detection in meat products using modified dry rehydratable film method.

This study was undertaken to improve the detection accuracy for coliform bacteria, by analyzing biochemical properties of false positive and false negative colonies isolated from two dry rehydratable film methods, 3 M™ Petrifilm™ E. coli/Coliform count (PCC) and MC-Media Pad coliform count (MCC). The detection accuracy of PCC and MCC was determined to be 99.4% and 97.9%, respectively, with the detection error being 0.6% and 2.1%, respectively. False positive colonies (red colony without gas) on PCC were identified as Hafnia alvei and Enterobacter cloacae. All false positive colonies on MCC were identified as Aeromonas caviae; this organism gives a positive oxidase test, whereas coliform bacteria are oxidase negative. In conclusion, we propose that for improving detection accuracy of coliform bacteria, the incubation time of PCC should be modified and increased from 24 h to 48 h, and the oxidase test of MCC isolates should be included in the Korea Food Code.

A Decoy Peptide Targeted to Protein Phosphatase 1 Attenuates Degradation of SERCA2a in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

Neointimal growth in the injured vasculature is largely facilitated by the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), which associates with reduced sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) activity. The gene transfer-mediated restoration of the SERCA2a level thus attenuates neointimal growth and VSMC proliferation. We previously reported that a peptide targeted to protein phosphatase 1, ψPLB-SE, normalizes SERCA2a activity in cardiomyocytes. In this study, we found that ψPLB-SE attenuated neointimal growth in balloon-injured rat carotid arteries, and the proliferation and migration of VSMC cultured in high-serum media (synthetic conditions). In parallel, ψPLB-SE inhibited the degradation of SERCA2a in the injured carotid arteries and VSMC under synthetic conditions. The calpain inhibitor MDL28170 also attenuated SERCA2a degradation and VSMC proliferation under synthetic conditions, indicating that calpain degrades SERCA2a. The Ca2+ ionophore A23187 induced SERCA2a degradation in VSMC, which was blocked by either ψPLB-SE or MDL28170. Additionally, ψPLB-SE normalized the cytosolic Ca2+ level in VSMC that was increased by either A23187 or synthetic stimulation. Collectively, these data indicate that ψPLB-SE corrects the abnormal Ca2+ handling by activating SERCA2a, which further protects SERCA2a from calpain-dependent degradation in VSMC. We conclude that ψPLB-SE may form the basis of a therapeutic strategy for vascular proliferative disorders.

Pallidal deep brain stimulation in primary cervical dystonia with phasic type : clinical outcome and postoperative course.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze in detail the relationship between outcome and time course of effect in medically refractory primary cervical dystonia (CD) with phasic type that was treated by bilateral globus pallidus internus (Gpi) deep brain stimulation (DBS). METHODS: Six patients underwent bilateral implantation of DBS into the Gpi under the guide of microelectrode recording and were followed for 18.7 +/- 11.1 months. The mean duration of the CD was 5.8 +/- 3.4 years. The mean age at time of surgery was 54.2 +/- 10.2 years. Patients were evaluated with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and relief scale using patient self-reporting. RESULTS: The TWSTRS total scores improved by 64.5%, 65.5%, 75.8%, and 76.0% at 3, 6, 12 months, and at the last available follow-up after surgery, respectively. Statistically significant improvements in the TWSTRS scores were observed 3 months after surgery (p = 0.028) with gradual improvement up to 12 months after surgery, thereafter, the improvement was sustained. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the scores at 3 and 12 months. Subjective improvement reported averaged 81.7 +/- 6.8% at last follow-up. Mild dysarthria, the most frequent adverse event, occurred in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the bilateral Gpi-DBS can offer a significant therapeutic effect from 3 months postoperatively in patients with primary CD with phasic type, without significant side effects.