Risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events associated with montelukast use in children and adolescents: a population-based case-crossover study.

PURPOSE: Montelukast is used extensively in children and adolescents for allergic rhinitis and asthma. However, concerns have been raised regarding the increased risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPAEs) associated with montelukast use. Therefore, our case-crossover study was conducted to observe whether there is an increased risk of NPAEs associated with montelukast use in children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based case-crossover study using the customised Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) dataset was conducted. Paediatric patients aged between 0 and 19 years diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma with a history of at least one montelukast prescription between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2021 were included. Exposure to montelukast was assessed during 3-, 7-, 14-, 28- and 56-day hazard periods prior to each patient's NPAE. Stratified analyses according to age group, gender and season for the risk of NPAEs associated with montelukast use in the previous 7 days and 14 days were performed, respectively. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted ORs (aORs) with their corresponding 95% CIs, adjusting for concomitant medications. RESULTS: A total of 161 386 paediatric patients was identified. An increased risk of NPAEs associated with montelukast was found in all time window periods, including 3-day (aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.32), 7-day (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.33), 14-day (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.37), 28-day (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.41) and 56-day (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.22) preceding hazard periods compared with use in the four control periods. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma should be prescribed montelukast with caution considering clinical benefits.

Human Placenta Extract (HPH) Suppresses Inflammatory Responses in TNF-α/IFN-γ-Stimulated HaCaT Cells and a DNCB Atopic Dermatitis (AD)-Like Mouse Model.

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory disease, severely interferes with patient life. Human placenta extract (HPH; also known as human placenta hydrolysate) is a rich source of various bioactive substances and has widely been used to dampen inflammation, improve fatigue, exert anti-aging effects, and promote wound healing. However, information regarding HPH's incorporation in AD therapies is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate HPH's effective potential in treating AD using tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ-stimulated human keratinocytes (HaCaT), immunized splenocytes, and a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD mouse model. In TNF-α /IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT cells, HPH markedly reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restored the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), superoxide dismutase 1(SOD1), catalase, and filaggrin (FLG). HPH reduced interleukin (IL)-6; thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC); thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP); and regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and presumably secreted (RANTES) levels and inhibited nuclear factor kappa B phosphorylation. Additionally, HPH suppressed the T helper 2 (Th2) immune response in immunized splenocytes. In the AD-like mouse model, it significantly mitigated the DNCB-induced elevation in infiltrating mast cells and macrophages, epidermal thickness, and AD symptoms. HPH also reduced TSLP levels and prevented FLG downregulation. Furthermore, it decreased the expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TARC, RANTES, and immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum and AD-like skin lesion. Overall, our findings demonstrate that HPH effectively inhibits AD development and is a potentially useful therapeutic agent for AD-like skin disease.

Interaction of sexual violence perpetration and victimization on suicide attempts in Korean adolescents on additive and multiplicative scales: a population-based cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the associations and interaction between sexual violence perpetration and victimization on suicide attempts using a large representative sample of adolescents from South Korea. METHODS: Based on data from 515,247 adolescents aged 12-18 years from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (2006-2012), a nationally representative repeated cross-sectional survey, we obtained self-reports of suicide attempts over the past year and of lifetime sexual violence perpetration and victimization. Using complex survey weights, weighted logistic regression models were employed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs). The interaction analyses were conducted on both additive and multiplicative scales. All analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls. RESULTS: Lifetime prevalence of sexual violence perpetration were 1.3% for boys and 0.4% for girls, and about 40% of those perpetrating sexual violence were also victims. After adjusting for several covariates, sexual violence perpetration was independently associated with suicide attempts in boys (ORadjusted for boys 1.80 [95% confidence intervals: 1.53, 2.11]), whereas in girls, the association was only marginally significant (ORadjusted for girls 1.27 [1.00, 1.63]). We found the negative multiplicative and additive interaction between the sexual violence perpetration and victimization on suicide attempts for both boys and girls (the ratio of ORs 0.30 [0.23, 0.39] for boys and 0.20 [0.12, 0.31] for girls; relative excess risk due to interaction - 1.20 [-1.91, - 0.50] for boys and - 2.33 [-3.00, - 1.66] for girls). CONCLUSION: Sexual violence perpetration and victimization were independently and interactively associated with suicide attempts in adolescents, with a sub-additive interaction found between these two variables. Public mental health services and policies should recognize the importance of actively involving adolescents who had sexually perpetrated others as key intervention targets.

A latent profile analysis on adolescents' Non-Suicidal Self-Injury related to intrapersonal and interpersonal factors.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents continues to be a significant public health concern worldwide. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that the global prevalence of NSSI in adolescents aged 12-18 years was 17.2%, with higher rates reported among females (19.7%) than males (14.8%). This behavior has been linked to several negative outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. The present study aimed to classify adolescents based on intrapersonal and interpersonal factors associated with NSSI proposed in Nock's (2009) integrated model of NSSI, to identify distinct clusters targeting specific risk factors. This encompassed negative cognition, emotional vulnerability, poor coping skill, peer-victimization, family adaptability, and perceived stress. A total of 881 adolescents aged 11-16 years in South Korea completed self-reported questionnaires on automatic thoughts, depression, emotional regulation, peer victimization, family adaptability and perceived stress. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed three distinct classes: "the severe group", "the moderate group", "the mild group". Class 3 ("severe group": N = 127) exhibited greater severity related to NSSI, including negative cognition, emotional vulnerability, poor coping skills, peer victimization, and perceived stress, with weaker levels of factors that can prevent NSSI compared to class 1 ("mild group": N = 416) and class 2 ("moderated group": N = 338). The present study emphasizes the importance of considering both intrapersonal (e.g., negative automatic thoughts & emotional dysregulation) and interpersonal factors (i.e., peer victimization) when understanding NSSI - among adolescents. These findings can be utilized to develop interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence and severity of NSSI among adolescents.

Extraction and characterization of mung bean proteins using different alkaline solutions.

This study investigated the effects of alkaline solutions on the production and characteristics of mung bean proteins (MBPs). MBPs were prepared using alkaline solutions of NaOH, NaHCO3, and Na2CO3 and designated MPN, MPH, and MPC, respectively. The yield, protein recovery, and crude protein content of MBP were not significantly different at different alkali concentrations (0.01-0.1%). Although there was no significant difference in MBP yield between alkali types, protein recovery and crude protein content increased in the following order: MPN > MPC > MPH. The essential and branched-chain amino acid contents, molecular weight distribution, and ζ-potential did not differ between MBPs. Regarding MBP pH-dependent solubility, MPN solubility was lower at pH 6-8 than that of MPH and MPC. This pattern was commonly observed for other physical properties. Overall, MBP was prepared using NaHCO3, and Na2CO3 and its functional properties were better when Na2CO3 was used than when NaOH was used. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01624-x.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) for the diagnosis of pronunciation of speech sound disorders in Korean children.

This study presents a model of automatic speech recognition (ASR) that is designed to diagnose pronunciation issues in children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) to replace manual transcriptions in clinical procedures. Because ASR models trained for general purposes mainly predict input speech into standard spelling words, well-known high-performance ASR models are not suitable for evaluating pronunciation in children with SSDs. We fine-tuned the wav2vec2.0 XLS-R model to recognise words as they are pronounced by children, rather than converting the speech into their standard spelling words. The model was fine-tuned with a speech dataset of 137 children with SSDs pronouncing 73 Korean words that are selected for actual clinical diagnosis. The model's Phoneme Error Rate (PER) was only 10% when its predictions of children's pronunciations were compared to human annotations of pronunciations as heard. In contrast, despite its robust performance on general tasks, the state-of-the-art ASR model Whisper showed limitations in recognising the speech of children with SSDs, with a PER of approximately 50%. While the model still requires improvement in terms of the recognition of unclear pronunciation, this study demonstrates that ASR models can streamline complex pronunciation error diagnostic procedures in clinical fields.

Pharmacodynamics Between a Dual Delayed-Release Formulation of Low-Dose Esomeprazole and Famotidine in Healthy Korean Subjects.

PURPOSE: Gastritis, one of the most common clinically diagnosed conditions, is defined as the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the gastric mucosa. Drugs for gastritis include histamine-2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which reduce acidity in the stomach, and antacids, which neutralize acid. Esomeprazole is a PPI for gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastric and duodenal ulcers that has been shown to be safe and effective at a 10 mg dose. Dual-release drugs have not yet been approved for the treatment of gastritis domestically or internationally. In this study, a dual delayed-release (DR) esomeprazole (10 mg), was compared to famotidine (20 mg) to determine its effectiveness in the treatment of gastritis. METHODS: This study was a randomized, open-label, multiple-dose, 2-treatment, 2-period, 2-sequence crossover study with a 7-day washout between periods. In each period, the subjects were administered one dose of esomeprazole (10 mg) or famotidine (20 mg) for 7 days at each period. The 24-hour gastric pH was recorded after single and multiple doses. The percentage of time (duration%) that the pH was maintained above 4 in the 24 hours after 7 days of repeated dosing was evaluated. FINDINGS: The mean percentages of time that the gastric pH was above 4 after multiple doses over 7 days of a dual DR esomeprazole (10 mg) and famotidine (20 mg) was 47.31% ± 14.85% and 23.88% ± 10.73%. IMPLICATIONS: Multiple doses of a dual DR esomeprazole (10 mg) showed effective gastric acid secretion suppression compared to famotidine with comparable safety and tolerability. These results provide evidence supporting the clinical use of a dual DR esomeprazole (10 mg) to treat gastritis. CLINICALTRIALS: gov identifier: NCT04967014.

Superior Capsular Reconstruction with the mini open key-hole Technique using Achilles allograft demonstrates favorable outcomes for patients with preoperative pseudoparalysis but worse outcome and strength with longer duration pseudoparalysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether unique SCR with key-hole technique using Achilles allograft can improve pseudoparalysis in patients with irreparable rotator cuff tears and additionally to identify preoperative factors that influence clinical outcomes. METHODS: Between January 2018 and October 2021, patient data from SCR with our institution's unique key-hole technique using Achilles were retrospectively collected (minimum 2-years follow up). The patients were categorized into pseudoparalysis group (P group) and no pseudoparalysis group (NP group). Active range of motion (ROM) of shoulder, clinical scores (constant and pain visual analog scale scores) and muscle strength was assessed preoperatively and at 2-years postoperatively. And the correlation between preoperative and postoperative clinical data was analyzed through simple linear regression in the P group. RESULTS: 69 patients who underwent SCR with key-hole technique using Achilles, were included in the study. Group P and NP had 24 and 45 cases, respectively. Preoperative ROM (FE, ER), constant score and muscle strength (FE, ER) were significantly lower in P group than NP group. At 2-year follow-up the active ROM (FE, p<0.001, ER, p<0.001), constant score, VAS, muscle strength (FE, p<0.001, ER, p<0.001) were improved in the P group. In P group, pseudoparalysis recovered in 21 out of 24 patients (87.5%) at 2-year after surgery. The minimum clinically important difference of patient reported outcomes (Constant Score / VAS) were 8.15/1.05 for the P group and 9.47/0.92 for the NP group. Among the 3 cases of recovery failed, 2 cases were due to graft failure, and 1 case had delayed recovery. Prolonged preoperative pseudoparalysis and weaker preoperative external rotation strength were associated with worse clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Superior capsular reconstruction with mini open key-hole technique using Achilles allograft demonstrates favorable outcomes for patients with preoperative pseudoparalysis. However, for SCR with the pseudoparalyis patients the careful attention is needed because the longer pseudoparalysis duration and the weaker external rotation strength could have the tendency of worse postoperative outcomes.

Draft genome sequences of two wide-host-range phages of Listeria monocytogenes from food processing environments in the United States.

Listeria monocytogenes is notorious for persistence in food facilities. Phages can significantly impact the ecology of Listeria, but there is a dearth of genome sequence data for Listeria phages from food processing ecosystems. We report the genome sequences of two Listeria phages from turkey processing facilities in the USA.

Design of DNA Storage Coding Scheme With LDPC Codes and Interleaving.

In this paper, we propose a new coding scheme for DNA storage using low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and interleaving techniques. While conventional coding schemes generally employ error correcting codes in both inter and intra-oligo directions, we show that inter-oligo LDPC codes, optimized by differential evolution, are sufficient in ensuring the reliability of DNA storage due to the powerful soft decoding of LDPC codes. In addition, we apply interleaving techniques for handling non-uniform error characteristics of DNA storage to enhance the decoding performance. Consequently, the proposed coding scheme reduces the required number of oligo reads for perfect recovery by 26.25% ~ 38.5% compared to existing state-of-the-art coding schemes. Moreover, we develop an analytical DNA channel model in terms of non-uniform binary symmetric channels. This mathematical model allows us to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed coding scheme while isolating the experimental variation, as well as confirm the independent effects of LDPC codes and interleaving techniques.

Development of an innovative approach using portable eye tracking to assist ADHD screening: a machine learning study.

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects a significant proportion of the pediatric population, making early detection crucial for effective intervention. Eye movements are controlled by brain regions associated with neuropsychological functions, such as selective attention, response inhibition, and working memory, and their deficits are related to the core characteristics of ADHD. Herein, we aimed to develop a screening model for ADHD using machine learning (ML) and eye-tracking features from tasks that reflect neuropsychological deficits in ADHD. Methods: Fifty-six children (mean age 8.38 ± 1.58, 45 males) diagnosed with ADHD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition were recruited along with seventy-nine typically developing children (TDC) (mean age 8.80 ± 1.82, 33 males). Eye-tracking data were collected using a digital device during the performance of five behavioral tasks measuring selective attention, working memory, and response inhibition (pro-saccade task, anti-saccade task, memory-guided saccade task, change detection task, and Stroop task). ML was employed to select relevant eye-tracking features for ADHD, and to subsequently construct an optimal model classifying ADHD from TDC. Results: We identified 33 eye-tracking features in the five tasks with the potential to distinguish children with ADHD from TDC. Participants with ADHD showed increased saccade latency and degree, and shorter fixation time in eye-tracking tasks. A soft voting model integrating extra tree and random forest classifiers demonstrated high accuracy (76.3%) at identifying ADHD using eye-tracking features alone. A comparison of the model using only eye-tracking features with models using the Advanced Test of Attention or Stroop test showed no significant difference in the area under the curve (AUC) (p = 0.419 and p=0.235, respectively). Combining demographic, behavioral, and clinical data with eye-tracking features improved accuracy, but did not significantly alter the AUC (p=0.208). Discussion: Our study suggests that eye-tracking features hold promise as ADHD screening tools, even when obtained using a simple digital device. The current findings emphasize that eye-tracking features could be reliable indicators of impaired neurobiological functioning in individuals with ADHD. To enhance utility as a screening tool, future research should be conducted with a larger sample of participants with a more balanced gender ratio.

Symptom clusters in adolescent depression and differential responses of clusters to pharmacologic treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Symptoms of depression in adolescents are widely variable, but they are often interactive and clustered. The analysis of interactions and clusters among individual symptoms may help predict treatment outcomes. We aimed to determine clusters of individual symptoms in adolescent depression and their changes in the response to pharmacological treatment. METHOD: A total of 95 adolescents, aged 12-17 years, with major depressive disorder were included. Participants were treated with escitalopram, and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline (V1) and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks (V6). The severity of depression was assessed using the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised. To construct network and clustering structures among symptoms, the Gaussian graphical model and Exploratory Graph Analysis with the tuning parameter to minimize the extended Bayesian information criterion were adopted. RESULTS: Exploratory Graph Analysis revealed that symptoms of depression comprised four clusters: impaired activity, somatic concerns, subjective mood, and observed affect. The main effect of visit with decreased symptom severity was significant in all four clusters; however, the degree of symptom improvement differed among the four clusters. The effect size of score differences from V1 to V6 was the highest in the subjective mood (Cohen's d = 1.075), and lowest in impaired activity (d = 0.501) clusters. CONCLUSION: The present study identified four symptom clusters associated with adolescent depression and their differential changes related to antidepressant treatment. This finding suggests that escitalopram was the most effective at improving subjective mood among different clusters. However, other therapeutic modalities may be needed to improve other clusters of symptoms, consequently leading to increased overall improvement of depression in adolescents.

Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury: comparisons of the psychological correlates and suicidal presentations across diagnostic subgroups.

BACKGROUND: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) combined with suicide ideation increases the risk of suicidal behaviors. Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are comorbidities of NSSI compounding this relationship. The present study compared diagnostic subgroups of NSSI based on current depression and PTSD on psychological correlates (i.e., vulnerabilities and impairment) and suicidal presentations (i.e., suicidal cognitions and behaviors) in a psychiatric sample of adolescents. METHODS: Eighty-seven adolescents meeting DSM-5 criteria for NSSI and 104 age-range-matched nonclinical controls (NC) participated. Participants completed self-report measures on psychological vulnerabilities and impairment (e.g., emotion regulation difficulties, negative cognitions). Adolescents with NSSI also completed clinical interviews on psychiatric diagnoses and a recent self-injurious behavior (SIB). Scores on the psychological correlates of NSSI were compared between adolescents with NSSI and NC, and across three diagnostic subgroups of NSSI (A: NSSI+/depression-/PTSD-, n = 14; B: NSSI+/depression+/PTSD-, n = 57; C: NSSI+/depression+/PTSD+, n = 14). Differences between NSSI diagnostic subgroups were tested on the motives for SIB and accompanying suicidal presentations (e.g., desire, intent, motive, lethality). RESULTS: Common comorbidities of NSSI included depression, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD. The NSSI subgroup classification was significantly associated with panic disorder, which was controlled for in the subsequent group comparisons. Overall, adolescents who engage in NSSI with vs. without depression reported more psychological vulnerabilities and impairment and a greater degree of suicidal thoughts/desire in SIB (i.e., groups B, C >A), which remained significant after controlling for panic disorder. An increased odds of the suicidal motive for SIB was found in adolescents with all three conditions (i.e., group C: NSSI+/depression+/PTSD+) compared to those with NSSI but neither depression nor PTSD (i.e., group A: NSSI+/depression-/PTSD-); however, this was not significant after controlling for panic disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological underpinnings of adolescent NSSI in clinical contexts may be largely associated with concurrent depression. Suicidal motives in adolescents who engage in NSSI in the presence of depression and PTSD may be confounded by the co-occurrence of panic disorder. This study warrants the importance of attending to the comorbid depression with NSSI in adolescents as it is related to an increase in suicidal desire accompanying SIB.

Differentiation of Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Dental Stem Cells through Epithelial-Mesenchymal Interaction.

Research on tooth regeneration using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is valuable for autologous dental regeneration. Acquiring mesenchymal and epithelial cells as a resource for dental regeneration is necessary because mesenchymal-epithelial interactions play an essential role in dental development. We reported the establishment of hiPSCs-derived dental epithelial-like cell (EPI-iPSCs), but hiPSCs-derived dental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have not yet been reported. This study was conducted to establish hiPSCs-derived MSCs and to differentiate them into dental cells with EPI-iPSCs. Considering that dental MSCs are derived from the neural crest, hiPSCs were induced to differentiate into MSCs through neural crest formation to acquire the properties of dental MSCs. To differentiate hiPSCs into MSCs through neural crest formation, established hiPSCs were cultured and differentiated with PA6 stromal cells and differentiated hiPSCs formed neurospheres on ultralow-attachment plates. Neurospheres were differentiated into MSCs in serum-supplemented medium. Neural crest-mediated MSCs (NC-MSCs) continuously showed typical MSC morphology and expressed MSC markers. After 8 days of odontogenic induction, the expression levels of odontogenic/mineralization-related genes and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) proteins were increased in the NC-MSCs alone group in the absence of coculturing with dental epithelial cells. The NC-MSCs and EPI-iPSCs coculture groups showed high expression levels of amelogenesis/odontogenic/mineralization-related genes and DSPP proteins. Furthermore, the NC-MSCs and EPI-iPSCs coculture group yielded calcium deposits earlier than the NC-MSCs alone group. These results indicated that established NC-MSCs from hiPSCs have dental differentiation capacity with dental epithelial cells. In addition, it was confirmed that hiPSCs-derived dental stem cells could be a novel cell source for autologous dental regeneration.

The Role of Adipokines in Tumor Progression and Its Association with Obesity.

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for various malignancies and emerging evidence suggests that adipokines play a pivotal role in linking excess adiposity to tumorigenesis. Adipokines are bioactive molecules secreted by adipose tissue and their altered expression in obesity contributes to a pro-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic, and growth-promoting microenvironment conducive to tumorigenesis. Leptin, a key adipokine, activates survival and proliferative signaling pathways whereas adiponectin exhibits tumor-suppressive effects by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Visfatin has also been documented to promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion. Moreover, emerging studies suggest that adipokines, such as resistin, apelin, and chemerin, which are overexpressed in obesity, may also possess oncogenic functions. Despite advancements in our understanding of the roles of individual adipokines in cancer, the intricate interplay and crosstalk between adipokines, tumor cells, and the tumor microenvironment remain complex and multifaceted. This review highlights the evolving knowledge of how adipokines contribute to obesity-related tumorigenesis, shedding light on the potential of targeting adipokine signaling pathways as a novel therapeutic approach for obesity-associated cancers. Further research on the specific mechanisms and interactions between adipokines and tumor cells is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of obesity-associated cancer pathogenesis.

Enhancing Performance and Stability of Sn-Pb Perovskite Solar Cells with Oriented Phenyl-C61-Butyric Acid Methyl Ester Layer via High-Temperature Annealing.

Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) can be used as a passivation material in perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) in order to reduce the trap site of the perovskite. Here, we show that a thick PCBM layer can form a smoother surface on the SnO2 substrate, improving the grain size and reducing the microstrain of the perovskite. High-temperature annealing treatment of PCBM layer not only increases its solvent resistance to perovskite precursor or antisolvent, but also enhances its molecular alignment, resulting in improved conductivity as an electron transport layer. High-temperature annealed PCBM (HT-PCBM) effectively minimizes trap-assisted nonradiative recombination by reducing trap density in perovskite and improving the electrical properties at the interface between SnO2 and perovskite layers. This HT-PCBM process significantly enhances the performance of the PeSCs, including the open-circuit voltage (VOC) from 0.39 to 0.77 V, fill factor from 52% to 65%, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 6.03% to 15.50%, representing substantial improvements compared to devices without PCBM. This PCE is the highest efficiency among conventional (n-i-p) Sn-Pb PeSCs reported to date. Moreover, passivating the trap sites of SnO2 and separating the interface between the Sn-containing perovskite and the substrate effectively have improved the stability of the Sn-Pb perovskite in the n-i-p structure. The optimized best device with HT-PCBM has maintained an efficiency of over 90% for more than 300 h at 85 °C and 5000 h at room temperature in a glovebox atmosphere.

Immunogenicity and safety of concomitant bivalent COVID-19 and quadrivalent influenza vaccination: implications of immune imprinting and interference.

OBJECTIVES: Concomitant COVID-19 and influenza vaccination would be an efficient strategy. Although the co-administration of monovalent COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations showed acceptable immunogenicity, it remains unknown whether the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine could intensify immune interference. We aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of concomitant BA.5-based bivalent COVID-19 and influenza vaccination. METHODS: An open-label, nonrandomized clinical trial was conducted for 154 age-matched and sex-matched healthy adults between October 2022 and December 2022. Participants received either a concomitant bivalent COVID-19 mRNA booster and quadrivalent influenza vaccination (group C) or separate vaccinations (group S) at least 4 weeks apart. Solicited and unsolicited adverse events were reported up to 6 months postvaccination. Immunogenicity was evaluated by anti-spike (S) IgG electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, focus reduction neutralization test, and hemagglutination inhibition assay. RESULTS: Group C did not meet the noninferiority criteria for the seroconversion rates of anti-S IgG and neutralizing antibodies against the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain compared with group S (44.2% vs. 46.8%, difference of -2.6% [95% CI, -18 to 13.4]; 44.2% vs. 57.1%, difference of -13.0% [95% CI to -28.9 to 2.9]). However, group C showed a stronger postvaccination neutralizing antibody response against Omicron BA.5 (72.7% vs. 64.9%). Postvaccination geometric mean titers for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza strains were similar between groups, except for influenza B/Victoria. Most adverse events were mild and comparable between the study groups. DISCUSSION: Concomitant administration of bivalent COVID-19 mRNA and quadrivalent influenza vaccines showed tolerable safety profiles and sufficient immunogenicity, particularly attenuating immune imprinting induced by previous ancestral vaccine strains.

Role of Charge-Carrier Dynamics Toward the Fabrication of Efficient Air-Processed Organic Solar Cells.

Over the past couple of decades, immense research has been carried out to understand the photo-physics of an organic solar cell (OSC) that is important to enhance its efficiency and stability. Since OSCs undergoes complex photophysical phenomenon, studying these factors has led to designing new materials and implementing new strategies to improve efficiency in OSCs. In this regard, the invention of the non-fullerene acceptorshas greatly revolutionized the understanding of the fundamental processes occurring in OSCs. However, such vital fundamental research from device physics perspectives is carried out on glovebox (GB) processed OSCs and there is a scarcity of research on air-processed (AP) OSCs. This review will focus on charge carrier dynamics such as exciton diffusion, exciton dissociation, charge-transfer states, significance of highest occupied molecular orbital-offsets, and hole-transfer efficiencies of GB-OSCs and compare them with the available data from the AP-OSCs. Finally, key requirements for the fabrication of efficient AP-OSCs will be presented from a charge-carrier dynamics perspective. The key aspects from the charge-carrier dynamics view to fabricate efficient OSCs either from GB or air are provided.

Iterative Soft Decoding Algorithm for DNA Storage Using Quality Score and Redecoding.

Ever since deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was considered as a next-generation data-storage medium, lots of research efforts have been made to correct errors occurred during the synthesis, storage, and sequencing processes using error correcting codes (ECCs). Previous works on recovering the data from the sequenced DNA pool with errors have utilized hard decoding algorithms based on a majority decision rule. To improve the correction capability of ECCs and robustness of the DNA storage system, we propose a new iterative soft decoding algorithm, where soft information is obtained from FASTQ files and channel statistics. In particular, we propose a new formula for log-likelihood ratio (LLR) calculation using quality scores (Q-scores) and a redecoding method which may be suitable for the error correction and detection in the DNA sequencing area. Based on the widely adopted encoding scheme of the fountain code structure proposed by Erlich et al., we use three different sets of sequenced data to show consistency for the performance evaluation. The proposed soft decoding algorithm gives 2.3%  âˆ¼  7.0% improvement of the reading number reduction compared to the state-of-the-art decoding method and it is shown that it can deal with erroneous sequenced oligo reads with insertion and deletion errors.

Antarctic Krill Oil from Euphausia superba Ameliorates Carrageenan-Induced Thrombosis in a Mouse Model.

FJH-KO obtained from Antarctic krill, especially Euphausia superba, has been reported to contain high amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and to exhibit anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its antithrombotic effects have not yet been reported. This study aimed to investigate the antithrombotic effects of FJH-KO in carrageenan-induced thrombosis mouse models and human endothelial cells. Thrombosis was induced by carrageenan injection, whereas the mice received FJH-KO pretreatment. FJH-KO attenuated carrageenan-induced thrombus formation in mouse tissue vessels and prolonged tail bleeding. The inhibitory effect of FJH-KO was associated with decreased plasma levels of thromboxane B2, P-selectin, endothelin-1, ß-thromboglobulin, platelet factor 4, serotonin, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6. Meanwhile, FJH-KO induced plasma levels of prostacyclin I2 and plasminogen. In vitro, FJH-KO decreased the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to human endothelial cells stimulated by TNF-α via eNOS activation and NO production. Furthermore, FJH-KO inhibited the expression of TNF-α-induced adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, our study demonstrates that FJH-KO protects against carrageenan-induced thrombosis by regulating endothelial cell activation and has potential as an antithrombotic agent.