Better nerve regeneration with distally based fascicular turnover flap than with conventional autologous nerve graft in a rat sciatic nerve defect model.

The authors hypothesize that a fascicular turnover flap will achieve better nerve regeneration in nerve gap repair than a conventional nerve graft in a rat sciatic nerve defect model. Seven-millimeter-long sciatic nerve defects were repaired with an autologous nerve graft, a proximal fascicular turnover flap, or a distal fascicular turnover flap. Following walking footprint analysis 8 weeks after the surgery, the gastrocnemius-soleus muscles of the hind limbs, nerve graft, and flaps were harvested for wet muscle weight assessment, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy. The distal fascicular turnover flap exhibited improvement in the sciatic function index similar as that observed for the autologous nerve graft. Histologically, cross sections showed a higher staining intensity for S-100 in the distal fascicular turnover flap group than for S-100 in the nerve graft group (p = 0.01). In the longitudinal sections, the staining intensity for NF-200 was higher in the distal fascicular turnover flap group than in the nerve graft (p = 0.009) and proximal fascicular turnover flap (p = 0.004) groups. More mature capillaries were observed in the proximal (p < 0.001) and distal (p = 0.029) fascicular turnover flap groups than in the nerve graft group. Transmission electron microscopy results showed a compact, regular myelin sheath around the myelinated nerve fibers in the distal fascicular turnover flap group, unlike observations in the nerve graft and proximal fascicular turnover flap groups. This study demonstrates better nerve regeneration in nerve gap repair with the distal fascicular turnover flap than with the conventional nerve graft.

Subsegmental Osteotomy Technique With Distraction Osteogenesis for Natural Frontal Contouring in Metopic Synostosis.

Vectoring issues occur due to the dynamics of unidirectional procedure that is selected. To circumvent such difficulties, we have devised subsegmental osteotomy with distraction. In our technique, frontal bone flap was divided into 4 segments that were linked to each other by suturing wires in an 8-year-old patient with trigonocephaly. Subsegmental osteotomy and wiring of bone flap enabled us to slide bone in a more curvilinear manner and achieve natural contour. Distraction was initiated on postoperative day 7 at the rate of 1 mm/d for 20-mm gain. At the 9-year follow-up, the patient showed improved head shape and intellectual status.

BeUpright: Posture Correction Using Relational Norm Intervention.

Research shows the critical role of social relationships in behavior change, and the advancement of mobile technologies brings new opportunities of using online social support for persuasive applications. In this paper, we propose Relational Norm Intervention (RNI) model for behavior change, which involves two individuals as a target user and a helper respectively. RNI model uses Negative Reinforcement and Other-Regarding Preferences as motivating factors for behavior change. The model features the passive participation of a helper who will undergo artificially generated discomforts (e.g., limited access to a mobile device) when a target user performs against a target behavior. Based on in-depth discussions from a two-phase design workshop, we designed and implemented BeUpright, a mobile application employing RNI model to correct sitting posture of a target user. Also, we conducted a two-week study to evaluate the effectiveness and user experience of BeUpright. The study showed that RNI model has a potential to increase efficacy, in terms of behavior change, compared to conventional notification approaches. The most influential factor of RNI model in the changing the behavior of target users was the intention to avoid discomforting their helpers. RNI model also showed a potential to help unmotivated individuals in behavior change. We discuss the mechanism of RNI model in relation to prior literature on behavior change and implications of exploiting discomfort in mobile behavior change services.

Synthesis of Dicyclopentadiene Oligomer Over Nanoporous Al-MCM-41 Catalysts.

One step reaction composed of DCPD oligomerization and DCPD oligomer isomerization was investigated over nanoporous Al-MCM-41 catalysts. The effects of aluminum grafting over MCM-41 on the catalyst characteristics were studied with respect to the synthesis of TCPD isomer. Physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were analyzed by N2 adsorption, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine. The overall number of acid sites as well as the number of Lewis acid sites increased with increasing of aluminum content over MCM-41. When utilizing MCM-41 and Al-MCM-41 as the catalyst, DCPD oligomerization reaction activity greatly increased compared to the thermal reaction. The highest TCPD isomer selectivity over the Al-MCM-41 catalyst with the highest aluminum content could be ascribed to the largest amount of acid sites. This study showed an increased level of TCPD isomer selectivity by an increasing level of Lewis acid sites through aluminum addition over MCM-41.

Sesquiterpenoids from the Rhizomes of Curcuma phaeocaulis and Their Inhibitory Effects on LPS-Induced TLR4 Activation.

Two new guaiane-type (2, 6) and one new furanogermacrane-type (11) sesquiterpenoids have been isolated along with twelve known compounds from an EtOAc-soluble extract of Curcuma phaeocaulis rhizomes. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using a combination of NMR, MS, and circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The inhibitory effects of each compound on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation in THP-1-Blue cells were assessed, and compound 4 showed more potent inhibitory activity against LPS-stimulated TLR4 activation.

Detection of SFTS Virus in Ixodes nipponensis and Amblyomma testudinarium (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Collected From Reptiles in the Republic of Korea.

A survey of reptile-associated ticks and their infection status with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus was conducted to determine the relative abundance and distribution among lizards, skinks, and snakes in the Republic of Korea (ROK). In total, 132 reptiles, including 49 lizards (two species), 15 skinks (one species), and 68 snakes (eight species) were collected. In total, 84 ixodid ticks belonging to two genera (Ixodes and Amblyomma) were collected from 28/132 (21.2%) lizards, skinks, and snakes. Ixodes nipponensis Kitaoka & Saito was only collected from lizards and skinks, while Amblyomma testudinarium Koch was only collected from snakes. Takydromus wolteri had the highest tick index (0.7; total number ticks/total number collected hosts) among lizards and skinks, while Rhabdophis tigrinus had the highest tick index (2.2) among the snakes. Ixodes nipponensis larvae and nymphs accounted for 11.1% and 88.9%, respectively, of all ticks collected from lizards and skinks, while only A. testudinarium nymphs were collected from snakes. Nymphs of both species of ticks were collected from lizards and skinks from April to October, while I. nipponensis larvae were collected only from September to October. Ixodes nipponensis larvae and nymphs were preferentially attached to the lateral trunk (83.3%) and the foreleg axillae (16.7%) of lizards and skinks. SFTS virus was detected in both I. nipponensis and A. testudinarium collected from lizards and snakes. Phylogenetic analysis of SFTS viruses of ticks collected from two lizards and one snake demonstrated close relationships with SFTS virus strains observed from humans and ticks in the ROK, China, and Japan. These results implicate lizards and snakes as potential hosts of SFTS virus.

Synthesis of Tricyclopentadiene Over Nanoporous MCM-41 Catalysts.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the catalytic potential of metal oxide/MCM-41 catalysts in dicyclopentadiene oligomerization/dicyclopentadiene oligomer isomerization. Molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, and titanium oxide were loaded on MCM-41 using the modified atomic layer deposition method. The amount of the acid site with weak strength has been increased through metal oxide deposition. The oligomer yield in dicyclopentadiene oligomerization/dicyclopentadiene oligomer isomerization did not change with increasing of the amount of acid site. The highest tricyclopentadiene isomer selectivity over the MoO3/MCM-41 catalyst could be attributed to having the highest overall number of acid sites among the catalysts.

Electron small polarons and their transport in bismuth vanadate: a first principles study.

Relatively low electron mobility has been thought to be a key factor that limits the overall photocatalytic performance of BiVO4, but the behavior of electrons has not been fully elucidated. We examine electron localization and transport in BiVO4 using hybrid density functional theory calculations. An excess electron is found to remain largely localized on one V atom. The predicted hopping barrier for the small polaron is 0.35 eV (with inclusion of 15% Hartree-Fock exchange), and tends to increase almost linearly with lattice constant associated with pressure and/or temperature changes. We also examine the interaction between polarons, and discuss the possible concentration-dependence of electron mobility in BiVO4.

Novel reconstructive methods of the conchal central strut using an absorbable plate after total harvesting of the conchal cartilage.

PURPOSE: Conchal cartilage is widely used in the field of plastic surgery, but donor-site morbidity is inevitable when all of the conchal cartilage is harvested. To maintain ear shape, the authors introduce a new method using an absorbable plate to reconstruct the conchal central strut after total harvesting of the conchal cartilage. METHODS: In total, 18 subjects underwent surgery, and 14 subjects who were followed up for more than 12 months were included in this article. Before the total harvesting of the conchae, an absorbable plate was adjusted to the proper curvature and length. After harvesting, the central strut was reconstructed by the precrafted absorbable plate. When the harvested cartilage was too large or one implant was not sufficient to reconstruct the central strut, an additional implant was added to the cymba conchae.Outcomes were evaluated by photogrammetry and questionnaires. Seven items were selected to evaluate the shape of the ear and conchal cavity. The authors compared preoperative and postoperative photographs, looking at proportion indices of 7 items using Photoshop. Ten assessors who did not participate in the operation were also shown preoperative and postoperative photographs and answered questionnaires about the shapes of the ear, conchal cavity, and conchal central strut. RESULTS: Except for the effective conchal cavity height index, no statistically significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative ear shapes. Additionally, the questionnaire showed excellent assessments for all items. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction of the central strut using an absorbable plate after total harvest of the conchal cartilage was a simple and effective method to prevent ear collapse.

ProMiR II: a web server for the probabilistic prediction of clustered, nonclustered, conserved and nonconserved microRNAs.

ProMiR is a web-based service for the prediction of potential microRNAs (miRNAs) in a query sequence of 60-150 nt, using a probabilistic colearning model. Identification of miRNAs requires a computational method to predict clustered and nonclustered, conserved and nonconserved miRNAs in various species. Here we present an improved version of ProMiR for identifying new clusters near known or unknown miRNAs. This new version, ProMiR II, integrates additional evidence, such as free energy data, G/C ratio, conservation score and entropy of candidate sequences, for more controllable prediction of miRNAs in mouse and human genomes. It also provides a wider range of services, e.g. the prediction of miRNA genes in long nonrelated sequences such as viral genomes. Importantly, we have validated this method using several case studies. All data used in ProMiR II are structured in the MySQL database for efficient analysis. The ProMiR II web server is available at http://cbit.snu.ac.kr/~ProMiR2/.