Aplp1 interacts with Lag3 to facilitate transmission of pathologic α-synuclein.

Pathologic α-synuclein (α-syn) spreads from cell-to-cell, in part, through binding to the lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (Lag3). Here we report that amyloid ß precursor-like protein 1 (Aplp1) interacts with Lag3 that facilitates the binding, internalization, transmission, and toxicity of pathologic α-syn. Deletion of both Aplp1 and Lag3 eliminates the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the accompanying behavioral deficits induced by α-syn preformed fibrils (PFF). Anti-Lag3 prevents the internalization of α-syn PFF by disrupting the interaction of Aplp1 and Lag3, and blocks the neurodegeneration induced by α-syn PFF in vivo. The identification of Aplp1 and the interplay with Lag3 for α-syn PFF induced pathology deepens our insight about molecular mechanisms of cell-to-cell transmission of pathologic α-syn and provides additional targets for therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease and related α-synucleinopathies.

Cost-benefit analysis of human adenovirus vaccine development in a Korean military setting.

BACKGROUND: Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a prevalent causative agent of acute respiratory disease (ARD) and is frequently responsible for outbreaks, particularly in military environments. Current vaccines do not effectively cover HAdV subtypes commonly found among Korean military personnel, highlighting the need for a new targeted vaccine. This study presents a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the economic viability of developing and implementing such a vaccine within a military context. METHODS: We adopted a societal perspective for this cost-benefit analysis, which included estimating costs associated with vaccine development, production, and distribution over a projected timeline. We assumed a development period of five years, after which vaccine production and administration were initiated in the sixth year. The cost associated with vaccine development, production, and dispensation was considered. The benefits were calculated based on both direct and indirect cost savings from preventing HAdV infections through vaccination. All financial figures were expressed in 2023 US dollars. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore the impact of varying factors such as vaccination rate, incidence of infection, vaccine efficacy, and discount rate. RESULTS: For the base case scenario, we assumed a vaccination rate of 100 %, an incidence rate of 0.02, and a vaccine efficacy of 95 %, applying a 3 % discount rate. Initially, in the sixth year, the benefit-cost ratio stood at 0.71, suggesting a cost disadvantage at the onset of vaccination. However, this ratio improved to 1.32 in the following years, indicating a cost benefit from the seventh year onward. The cumulative benefit-cost ratio over a decade reached 2.72. The outcomes from the sensitivity analysis were consistent with these findings. CONCLUSION: Our cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that the introduction of an HAdV vaccine for the Korean military is economically advantageous, with substantial cost benefits accruing from the seventh year after the commencement of vaccination.

CLDN18: Clinical, Pathological, and Genetic Signatures with Drug Screening in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: The CLDN18 gene, encoding claudin 18.1 and claudin 18.2, is a key component of tight junction strands in epithelial cells that form a paracellular barrier that is critical in Stomach Adenocarcinoma (STAD). METHODS: Our study included 1,095 patients with proven STAD, 415 from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and 680 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We applied various analyses, including gene set enrichment analysis, pathway analysis, and in vitro drug screening to evaluate survival, immune cells, and genes and gene sets associated with cancer progression, based on CLDN18 expression levels. Gradient boosting machine learning (70% for training, 15% for validation, and 15% for testing) was used to evaluate the impact of CLDN18 on survival and develop a survival prediction model. RESULTS: High CLDN18 expression correlated with worse survival in lymphocyte-poor STAD, accompanied by decreased helper T cells, altered metabolic genes, low necrosis-related gene expression, and increased tumor proliferation. CLDN18 expression showed associations with gene sets associated with various stomach, breast, ovarian, and esophageal cancers, while pathway analysis linked CLDN18 to immunity. Incorporating CLDN18 expression improved survival prediction in a machine learning model. Notably, nutlin-3a and niraparib effectively inhibited high CLDN18-expressing gastric cancer cells in drug screening. CONCLUSION: Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the biological role of CLDN18-based bioinformatics and machine learning analysis in STAD, shedding light on its prognostic significance and potential therapeutic implications. To fully elucidate the molecular intricacies of CLDN18, further investigation is warranted, particularly through in vitro and in vivo studies.

The Mst1/2-BNIP3 axis is required for mitophagy induction and neuronal viability under mitochondrial stress.

Mitophagy induction upon mitochondrial stress is critical for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and cellular function. Here, we found that Mst1/2 (Stk3/4), key regulators of the Hippo pathway, are required for the induction of mitophagy under various mitochondrial stress conditions. Knockdown of Mst1/2 or pharmacological inhibition by XMU-MP-1 treatment led to impaired mitophagy induction upon CCCP and DFP treatment. Mechanistically, Mst1/2 induces mitophagy independently of the PINK1-Parkin pathway and the canonical Hippo pathway. Moreover, our results suggest the essential involvement of BNIP3 in Mst1/2-mediated mitophagy induction upon mitochondrial stress. Notably, Mst1/2 knockdown diminishes mitophagy induction, exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduces cellular survival upon neurotoxic stress in both SH-SY5Y cells and Drosophila models. Conversely, Mst1 and Mst2 expression enhances mitophagy induction and cell survival. In addition, AAV-mediated Mst1 expression reduced the loss of TH-positive neurons, ameliorated behavioral deficits, and improved mitochondrial function in an MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model. Our findings reveal the Mst1/2-BNIP3 regulatory axis as a novel mediator of mitophagy induction under conditions of mitochondrial stress and suggest that Mst1/2 play a pivotal role in maintaining mitochondrial function and neuronal viability in response to neurotoxic treatment.

Comprehensive mapping of Epithelial Na+ channel α expression in the mouse brain.

Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is responsible for regulating Na+ homeostasis. While its physiological functions have been investigated extensively in peripheral tissues, far fewer studies have explored its functions in the brain. Since our limited knowledge of ENaC's distribution in the brain impedes our understanding of its functions there, we decided to explore the whole-brain expression pattern of the Scnn1a gene, which encodes the core ENaC complex component ENaCα. To visualize Scnn1a expression in the brain, we crossed Scnn1a-Cre mice with Rosa26-lsl-tdTomato mice. Brain sections were subjected to immunofluorescence staining using antibodies against NeuN or Myelin Binding Protein (MBP), followed by the acquisition of confocal images. We observed robust tdTomato fluorescence not only in the soma of cortical layer 4, the thalamus, and a subset of amygdalar nuclei, but also in axonal projections in the hippocampus and striatum. We also observed expression in specific hypothalamic nuclei. Contrary to previous reports, however, we did not detect significant expression in the circumventricular organs, which are known for their role in regulating Na+ balance. Finally, we detected fluorescence in cells lining the ventricles and in the perivascular cells of the median eminence. Our comprehensive mapping of Scnn1a-expressing cells in the brain will provide a solid foundation for further investigations of the physiological roles ENaC plays within the central nervous system.

Prevalence and Burden of Human Adenovirus-Associated Acute Respiratory Illness in the Republic of Korea Military, 2013 to 2022.

BACKGROUND: Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a common cause of acute respiratory disease (ARD) and has raised significant concerns within the Korean military. Here, we conducted a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of HAdV-associated ARD by evaluating its prevalence, clinical outcomes, and prognosis. METHODS: We reviewed data from multiple sources, including the New Defense Medical Information System, Defense Medical Statistical Information System, Ministry of National Defense, Army Headquarters, Navy Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters, and Armed Forces Medical Command. We analyzed data of patients who underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for respiratory viruses between January 2013 and July 2022 in all 14 Korean military hospitals. The analysis included the PCR test results, demographic characteristics, health care utilization, and prognosis including types of treatments received, incidence of pneumonia, and mortality. RESULTS: Among the 23,830 individuals who underwent PCR testing at Korean military hospitals, 44.78% (10,670 cases) tested positive for respiratory viruses. Across all military types and ranks, HAdV was the most prevalent virus, with a total of 8,580 patients diagnosed, among HAdV, influenza virus, human metapneumovirus, human parainfluenza virus, and human respiratory syncytial virus. HAdV-infected patients exhibited higher rates of healthcare use compared to non-HAdV-infected patients, including a greater number of emergency visits (1.04 vs. 1.02) and outpatient visits (1.31 vs. 1.27), longer hospitalizations (8.14 days vs. 6.84 days), and extended stays in the intensive care unit (5.21 days vs. 3.38 days). Furthermore, HAdV-infected patients had a higher proportion of pneumonia cases (65.79% vs. 48.33%) and greater likelihood of receiving advanced treatments such as high flow nasal cannula or continuous renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that HAdV posed a significant public health concern within the Korean military prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Given the potential for a resurgence of outbreaks in the post-COVID-19 era, proactive measures, such as education, environmental improvements, and the development of HAdV vaccines, are crucial for effectively preventing future outbreaks.

JAK2 Loss Arising From Tumor-Spread-Through-Air-Spaces (STAS) Promotes Tumor Progression by Suppressing CD8+ T Cells in Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Machine Learning Approach.

BACKGROUND: Tumor spread through air spaces (STAS) is a recently discovered risk factor for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The aim of this study was to investigate specific genetic alterations and anticancer immune responses related to STAS. By using a machine learning algorithm and drug screening in lung cancer cell lines, we analyzed the effect of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) on the survival of patients with LUAD and possible drug candidates. METHODS: This study included 566 patients with LUAD corresponding to clinicopathological and genetic data. For analyses of LUAD, we applied gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), in silico cytometry, pathway network analysis, in vitro drug screening, and gradient boosting machine (GBM) analysis. RESULTS: The patients with STAS had a shorter survival time than those without STAS (P < 0.001). We detected gene set-related downregulation of JAK2 associated with STAS using GSEA. Low JAK2 expression was related to poor prognosis and a low CD8+ T-cell fraction. In GBM, JAK2 showed improved survival prediction performance when it was added to other parameters (T stage, N stage, lymphovascular invasion, pleural invasion, tumor size). In drug screening, mirin, CCT007093, dihydroretenone, and ABT737 suppressed the growth of lung cancer cell lines with low JAK2 expression. CONCLUSION: In LUAD, low JAK2 expression linked to the presence of STAS might serve as an unfavorable prognostic factor. A relationship between JAK2 and CD8+ T cells suggests that STAS is indirectly related to the anticancer immune response. These results may contribute to the design of future experimental research and drug development programs for LUAD with STAS.

Electrostatic catalysis of a click reaction in a microfluidic cell.

Electric fields have been highlighted as a smart reagent in nature's enzymatic machinery, as they can directly trigger or accelerate chemical processes with stereo- and regio-specificity. In enzymatic catalysis, controlled mass transport of chemical species is also key in facilitating the availability of reactants in the active reaction site. However, recent progress in developing a clean catalysis that profits from oriented electric fields is limited to theoretical and experimental studies at the single molecule level, where both the control over mass transport and scalability cannot be tested. Here, we quantify the electrostatic catalysis of a prototypical Huisgen cycloaddition in a large-area electrode surface and directly compare its performance to the conventional Cu(I) catalysis. Our custom-built microfluidic cell enhances reagent transport towards the electrified reactive interface. This continuous-flow microfluidic electrostatic reactor is an example of an electric-field driven platform where clean large-scale electrostatic catalytic processes can be efficiently implemented and regulated.

Effects of particle size on the pretreatment efficiency and subsequent biogas potential of polylactic acid.

The fragmentation of bioplastics (BPs) before pretreatment and anaerobic digestion is conducted for higher efficiency; however, based on the literature, the size reduction varies widely. In this study, initially, various combinations of thermal-alkaline pretreatments were applied at different strengths to the polylactic acid (PLA) in three groups (<0.5, 0.5 < size < 1.0, and 1.0 < size < 2.0 mm). After pretreatment, the solubilization of PLA was increased to 11.5-40.0 % using alkaline dosage and temperature ranging from 50 to 200 g OH-/kg BP, 60-100 °C, respectively, in a 1-10 h timeframe. The results were statistically proved using a 3D response surface graph, where the pretreatment was more effective for smaller particle sizes. The reduction in particle size also increased the CH4 production, which was more pronounced at the strong pretreatment (24 % increment vs. 10-15 %). Computed results indicated 44-86 % conversion of pretreated PLA particles to CH4, supported by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, especially focusing on the intensity of -OH bands.

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Together with a Decline in CD8+ T Cells Predict a Worse Prognosis for Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in tumor microenvironment regulation and cancer progression. This study assessed the significance and predictive potential of CAFs in breast cancer prognosis. METHODS: The study included 1503 breast cancer patients. Cancer-associated fibroblasts were identified using morphologic features from hematoxylin and eosin slides. The study analyzed clinicopathologic parameters, survival rates, immune cells, gene sets, and prognostic models using gene-set enrichment analysis, in silico cytometry, pathway analysis, in vitro drug-screening, and gradient-boosting machine (GBM)-learning. RESULTS: The presence of CAFs correlated significantly with young age, lymphatic invasion, and perineural invasion. In silico cytometry showed altered leukocyte subsets in the presence of CAFs, with decreased CD8+ T cells. Gene-set enrichment analysis showed associations with critical processes such as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and immune modulation. Drug sensitivity analysis in breast cancer cell lines with varying fibroblast activation protein-α expression suggested that CAF-targeted therapies might enhance the efficacy of certain anticancer drugs including ARRY-520, ispinesib-mesylate, paclitaxel, and docetaxel. Integrating CAF presence with machine-learning improved survival prediction. For breast cancer patients, CAFs were independent prognostic markers for worse disease-specific survival and disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the significance of CAFs in breast cancer biology and provided compelling evidence of their impact on patient outcomes and treatment response. The findings offer valuable insights into the potential of CAFs as prognostic and predictive biomarkers and support the development of CAF-targeted therapies to improve breast cancer management.

Fluorescent Phenotyping of Blood Cells Using a Differential Sensing Strategy: Differentiating Physiological Aging Stages and Neuro-Degenerative Disease Drugs.

Blood continually contributes to the maintenance of homeostasis of the body and contains information regarding the health state of an individual. However, current hematological analyses predominantly rely on a limited number of CD markers and morphological analysis. In this work, differentially sensitive fluorescent compounds based on TCF scaffolds are introduced that are designed for fluorescent phenotyping of blood. Depending on their structures, TCF compounds displayed varied responses to reactive oxygen species, biothiols, redox-related biomolecules, and hemoglobin, which are the primary influential factors within blood. Contrary to conventional CD marker-based analysis, this unbiased fluorescent phenotyping method produces diverse fingerprints of the health state. Precise discrimination of blood samples from 37 mice was demonstrated based on their developmental stages, ranging from 10 to 19 weeks of age. Additionally, this fluorescent phenotyping method enabled the differentiation between drugs with distinct targets, serving as a simple yet potent tool for pharmacological analysis to understand the mode of action of various drugs.

Continuous production of high-concentrated ammonia broth through fermentation.

Being considered as a valuable resource and energy carrier, extensive research is going on to efficiently extract ammonia (NH3) from anaerobic digestate. However, due to the well-known NH3 inhibition on methanogens, the total NH3 nitrogen (TAN) concentration is typically limited to 1-4 g N/L in digestate, making the NH3 extraction process energy-consumptive. Here, NH3 fermentation, specifically targeting augmented NH3 production through biological reaction, was performed in a continuous mode. With the increase of gelatin input (10 to 150 g COD/L), NH3 concentration and volumetric productivity gradually increased, reaching 12.0 g TAN-N/L and 36.0 g NH3-N/L/d, which were the highest values ever reported. The stepwise increase in NH3 exposure prompted a shift in microbial dominance towards Hathewaya (from 1 % to 68 %), a critical factor for having high NH3 tolerance. Finally, NH3 stripping results suggested that highly concentrated broth could reduce the specific energy consumption for NH3 extraction to 1/3.

Association between health-related quality of life and heart rate variability in elderly individuals with cognitive impairment in Korea: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment, a characteristic and prior stage of dementia, is a serious public health concern in Korea a country with rapidly aging population. In a neurovisceral integration model, cognitive ability is connected to emotional and autonomic regulation via an interconnection in the brain, which may be associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: This study investigated the association between the HRQoL and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and heart rate variability (HRV) among 417 patients who visited the Neurology Department in Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. RESULTS: The mean age of 275 patients in the cognitive impairment group (CIG) was higher than that of 142 patients in the normal cognition group (NCG) (74.85 years vs. 72.96 years, p < 0.001). In a generalized linear model with a beta coefficient (ß), an increase in HRQoL was associated with higher HRV levels was observed only in CIG (CIG: the standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN) (ln, ms): ß = 0.02, p = 0.007; Total power spectral density (TP) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.007; High frequency (HF) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.015; Low frequency (LF) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.003) (NCG: SDNN (ln, ms): ß = 0.01, p = 0.214; TP (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.144; HF (ln, ms2): ß = 0.00, p = 0.249; LF (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.294). CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant association between HRQoL and HRV in Korean elders with cognitive impairment. However, this study is cross-sectional, so we cannot define direct causation. Further studies are needed to support our findings and to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying these associations, especially in people cognitively impaired.

Effects of Chest Mobilization and Breathing Exercises on Respiratory Function, Trunk Stability, and Endurance in Chronic Stroke Patients after Coronavirus Disease.

Background and objectives: This study investigates the effects of chest mobilization and breathing exercises on respiratory function, trunk stability, and endurance in chronic stroke patients who have contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: Thirty inpatients of a tertiary hospital in South Korea, who had a history of COVID-19 and were diagnosed with stroke within the last 6 months, were randomly assigned to either chest mobilization exercise with breathing exercise (CMEBE) or conservative physical therapy with breathing exercise (CPTBE) groups. The respiratory function, trunk stability, and endurance were measured at baseline and 6 weeks after the interventions. Results: Both CMEBE and CPTBE groups showed improvements in respiratory function, trunk stability, and endurance after the intervention (p < 0.05). However, the CMEBE group showed significantly greater improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (p < 0.05), trunk stability (p < 0.05), and endurance (p < 0.05) than the CPTBE group. No significant intergroup difference was observed in forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow. Conclusions: The combination of chest mobilization and breathing exercises improved respiratory muscle mobility and endurance, stabilized the trunk, and enhanced balance and the transfer of weight. The findings suggest that this intervention could be beneficial in improving respiratory function and endurance in stroke patients.

Hyperkalemia Detection in Emergency Departments Using Initial ECGs: A Smartphone AI ECG Analyzer vs. Board-Certified Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Hyperkalemia is a potentially fatal condition that mandates rapid identification in emergency departments (EDs). Although a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) can indicate hyperkalemia, subtle changes in the ECG often pose detection challenges. An artificial intelligence application that accurately assesses hyperkalemia risk from ECGs could revolutionize patient screening and treatment. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and reliability of a smartphone application, which utilizes camera-captured ECG images, in quantifying hyperkalemia risk compared to human experts. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of ED hyperkalemic patients (serum potassium ≥ 6 mmol/L) and their age- and sex-matched non-hyperkalemic controls. The application was tested by five users and its performance was compared to five board-certified emergency physicians (EPs). RESULTS: Our study included 125 patients. The area under the curve (AUC)-receiver operating characteristic of the application's output was nearly identical among the users, ranging from 0.898 to 0.904 (median: 0.902), indicating almost perfect interrater agreement (Fleiss' kappa 0.948). The application demonstrated high sensitivity (0.797), specificity (0.934), negative predictive value (NPV) (0.815), and positive predictive value (PPV) (0.927). In contrast, the EPs showed moderate interrater agreement (Fleiss' kappa 0.551), and their consensus score had a significantly lower AUC of 0.662. The physicians' consensus demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.203, specificity of 0.934, NPV of 0.527, and PPV of 0.765. Notably, this performance difference remained significant regardless of patients' sex and age (P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a smartphone application can accurately and reliably quantify hyperkalemia risk using initial ECGs in the ED.

Application of Enzyme-Linked Fluorescence Assay (ELFA) to Obtain In Vivo Matured Dog Oocytes through the Assessment of Progesterone Level.

Successful dog cloning requires a sufficient number of in vivo matured oocytes as recipient oocytes for reconstructing embryos. The accurate prediction of the ovulation day in estrus bitches is critical for collecting mature oocytes. Traditionally, a specific serum progesterone (P4) range in the radioimmunoassay (RIA) system has been used for the prediction of ovulation. In this study, we investigated the use of an enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) system for the measurement of P4. Serum samples of estrus bitches were analyzed using both RIA and ELFA, and the measured P4 values of ELFA were sorted into 11 groups based on the standard concentration measured in RIA and compared. In addition, to examine the tendency of changes in the P4 values in each system, the P4 values on ovulation day (from D - 6 to D + 1) in both systems were compared. The ELFA range of 5.0-12.0 ng/mL was derived from the RIA standard range of 4.0-8.0 ng/mL. The rates of acquired matured oocytes in RIA and ELFA were 55.47% and 65.19%, respectively. The ELFA system successfully produced cloned puppies after the transfer of the reconstructed cloned oocytes. Our findings suggest that the ELFA system is suitable for obtaining in vivo matured oocytes for dog cloning.

Inhibition of adipose tissue angiogenesis prevents rebound weight gain after caloric restriction in mice fed a high-fat diet.

AIMS: We investigated whether modulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) vasculature regulates rebound weight gain (RWG) after caloric restriction (CR) in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). MAIN METHODS: We compared changes in energy balance, hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression, and characteristics of WAT by RT-qPCR, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, and adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction spheroid sprouting assay in obese mice fed a HFD ad libitum (HFD-AL), mice under 40 % CR for 3 or 4 weeks, mice fed HFD-AL for 3 days after CR (CRAL), and CRAL mice treated with TNP-470, an angiogenic inhibitor. KEY FINDINGS: WAT angiogenic genes were expressed at low levels, but WAT vascular density was maintained in the CR group compared to that in the HFD-AL group. The CRAL group showed RWG, fat regain, and hyperphagia with higher expression of angiogenic genes and reduced pericyte coverage of the endothelium in WAT on day 3 after CR compared to the CR group, indicating rapidly increased angiogenic activity after CR. Administration of TNP-470 suppressed RWG, fat regain, and hyperphagia only after CR compared to the CRAL group. Changes in circulating leptin levels and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression were correlated with changes in weight and fat mass, suggesting that TNP-470 suppressed hyperphagia independently of the hypothalamic melanocortin system. Additionally, TNP-470 increased gene expression related to thermogenesis, fuel utilization, and browning in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and WAT, indicating TNP-470-induced increase in thermogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE: Modulation of the WAT vasculature attenuates RWG after CR by suppressing hyperphagia and increasing BAT thermogenesis and WAT browning.

Association Between the Loss of Gait Harmony and Cognitive Impairment: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Functional limitations and disabilities have been associated with a decrease in cognitive function due to increasing age. Gait performance and cognitive function have been associated with gait variability in executive function, the phase domain in memory, and gait abnormalities in cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate whether gait harmony was associated with cognitive function in the older adult population. Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether gait harmony was associated with cognitive function and explore each cognitive function in a specific harmonic state. METHODS: The study population included 510 adults aged ≥60 years who visited the Department of Neurology at the Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Gait data were collected using a 3D motion capture device with a wireless inertial measurement unit system. For cognitive function assessments, we used the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-Core test, which evaluates the level of cognitive function or impairment in 5 cognitive domains. RESULTS: In general, the association between the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-Core tests and the stance-to-swing ratio in the >1.63 ratio group yielded lower ß coefficients than those in the 1.50-1.63 ratio group. After adjustment for confounders, the odds ratio (OR) for the Digit Symbol Coding test (adjusted OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.20-0.88) and the Korean version of the Color Word Stroop Test: 60 seconds (adjusted OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29-0.89) for frontal and executive function were significantly lower for the >1.63 ratio group than the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the gait phase ratio is a valuable indicator of walking deficits and may also be associated with cognitive impairment in older adults.

Hierarchical entanglement shells of multichannel Kondo clouds.

Impurities or boundaries often impose nontrivial boundary conditions on a gapless bulk, resulting in distinct boundary universality classes for a given bulk, phase transitions, and non-Fermi liquids in diverse systems. The underlying boundary states however remain largely unexplored. This is related with a fundamental issue how a Kondo cloud spatially forms to screen a magnetic impurity in a metal. Here we predict the quantum-coherent spatial and energy structure of multichannel Kondo clouds, representative boundary states involving competing non-Fermi liquids, by studying quantum entanglement between the impurity and the channels. Entanglement shells of distinct non-Fermi liquids coexist in the structure, depending on the channels. As temperature increases, the shells become suppressed one by one from the outside, and the remaining outermost shell determines the thermal phase of each channel. Detection of the entanglement shells is experimentally feasible. Our findings suggest a guide to studying other boundary states and boundary-bulk entanglement.

Use of reverse osmosis concentrate for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from pig slurry.

Due to the high global warming potential (GWP) in a short time scale (GWP100 = 28 vs. GWP20 = 86), mitigating CH4 emissions could have an early impact on reducing current global warming effects. The manure storage tank emits a significant amount of CH4, which can diminish the environmental benefit resulting from the anaerobic digestion of manure that can generate renewable energy. In the present study, we added the reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) rich in salt to the pig slurry (PS) storage tank to reduce CH4 emissions. Simultaneously, pure NaCl was tested at the same concentration to compare and verify the performance of ROC addition. During 40 days of storage, 1.83 kg CH4/ton PS was emitted, which was reduced by 7-75% by the addition of ROC at 1-9 g Na+/L. This decrease was found to be more intensive than that found upon adding pure sodium, which was caused by the presence of sulfate rich in ROC, resulting in synergistic inhibition. The results of the microbial community and activity test showed that sodium directly inhibited methanogenic activity rather than acidogenic activity. In the subsequent biogas production from the stored PS, more CH4 was obtained by ROC addition due to the preservation of organic matter during storage. Overall, 51.2 kg CO2 eq./ton PS was emitted during the storage, while 8 kg CO2 eq./ton PS was reduced by biogas production in the case of control, resulting in a total of 43.2 kg CO2 eq./ton PS. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions was reduced by ROC addition at 5 g Na+/L by 22 and 65 kg CO2 eq./ton PS, considering GWP100 and GWP20 of CH4, respectively, where most of the reduction was achieved during the storage process. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report using salty waste to reduce GHG emissions in a proper place, e.g., a manure storage tank.