Numerical simulation of the heavy rainfall caused by a convection band over Korea: a case study on the comparison of WRF and CReSS

This study investigates the capability of two numerical models, namely the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and Cloud Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS), to simulate the heavy rainfall that occurred on September 21, 2010 in the middle of the Korean peninsula. This event was considered part of the typical rainfall caused by intense quasi-stationary convection band, leading to a large accumulated rainfall amount within a narrow area. To investigate the relevant characteristics of this heavy rainfall and the feasibility of the numerical models to simulate them, the experiments using both numerical models were designed with a focus on Korea with a horizontal grid spacing of 2 km. The initial and later boundary conditions were interpolated using the output of the mesoscale model of Japan Meteorological Agency and integration spanned the 24-h period from 2100 UTC on September 20, 2010 when the rainfall started in the Yellow Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the rainfall simulated by CReSS are closer than those of the WRF to the in situ observations (655 stations). The WRF simulation reveals the deficiency in capturing the unusual stagnant behavior of this event. The spatial and vertical patterns of reflectivity are consistent with the rainfall pattern, supporting that strong reflectivity coincides with the convective activity that accompanies excessive rainfall. The thermodynamic structure is the main driver of the different behavior between both simulations. The higher equivalent potential temperature, deep moist absolutely unstable layer and strong veering wind shear seen in the CReSS simulation play a role in the development of a favorable environment for inducing convection.National Institute of Meteorological Research (Korea) (Grant (NIMR-2012-B-7))Korea. Meteorological Administratio

Evaluation of the transporter-mediated herb-drug interaction potential of DA-9801, a standardized dioscorea extract for diabetic neuropathy, in human in vitro and rat in vivo

BACKGROUND: Drug transporters play important roles in the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs and thereby, modulate drug efficacy and toxicity. With a growing use of poly pharmacy, concurrent administration of herbal extracts that modulate transporter activities with drugs can cause serious adverse reactions. Therefore, prediction and evaluation of drug-drug interaction potential is important in the clinic and in the drug development process. DA-9801, comprising a mixed extract of Dioscoreae rhizoma and Dioscorea nipponica Makino, is a new standardized extract currently being evaluated for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a phase II clinical study. METHOD: The inhibitory effects of DA-9801 on the transport functions of organic cation transporter (OCT)1, OCT2, organic anion transporter (OAT)1, OAT3, organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1, OATP1B3, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) were investigated in HEK293 or LLC-PK1 cells. The effects of DA-9801 on the pharmacokinetics of relevant substrate drugs of these transporters were also examined in vivo in rats. RESULTS: DA-9801 inhibited the in vitro transport activities of OCT1, OCT2, OAT3, and OATP1B1, with IC(50) values of 106, 174, 48.1, and 273 μg/mL, respectively, while the other transporters were not inhibited by 300 μg/mL DA-9801. To investigate whether this inhibitory effect of DA-9801 on OCT1, OCT2, and OAT3 could change the pharmacokinetics of their substrates in vivo, we measured the pharmacokinetics of cimetidine, a substrate for OCT1, OCT2, and OAT3, and of furosemide, a substrate for OAT1 and OAT3, by co-administration of DA-9801 at a single oral dose of 1,000 mg/kg. Pre-dose of DA-9801 5 min or 2 h prior to cimetidine administration decreased the C(max) of cimetidine in rats. However, DA-9801 did not affect the elimination parameters such as half-life, clearance, or amount excreted in the urine, suggesting that it did not inhibit elimination process of cimetidine, which is governed by OCT1, OCT2, and OAT3. Moreover, DA-9801 did not affect the pharmacokinetic characteristics of furosemide, as evidenced by its unchanged pharmacokinetic parameters. CONCLUSION: Inhibitory effects of DA-9801 on OCT1, OCT2, and OAT3 observed in vitro may not necessarily translate into in vivo herb-drug interactions in rats even at its maximum effective dose

Effects of Protein-Enriched Nutritional Support on Skeletal Muscle Mass and Rehabilitative Outcomes in Brain Tumor Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Patients with brain tumors require extensive and prolonged rehabilitation efforts as they suffer from lesion-induced motor weakness as well as treatment-related side effects, often leading to a significant decline in function. Protein supplements have shown positive effects on promoting muscle strength and physical performance in various tumor etiologies. However, reports on their effects specifically in brain tumor patients remain scarce. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of protein supplements in enhancing rehabilitative outcomes via muscle strengthening and functional gain in brain tumor patients with neurological demise. Sixty brain tumor patients were randomly assigned to either a protein supplement or a control group, receiving either protein supplements or a placebo for 6 weeks, in conjunction with conventional rehabilitation therapy. Assessments before and after the intervention included laboratory tests, anthropometric measures using bioimpedance analysis, and functional assessments, which included the MMSE, the modified Barthel Index, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Brief Fatigue Inventory, the Timed Up and Go test, the 6-min walk test, the isokinetic quadriceps muscle strength test, and the handgrip power. After the intervention, the levels of serum hemoglobin, protein, albumin, and C-reactive protein were improved in both groups, however, the change was significant only in the protein group. The muscle strength was enhanced in both groups, however, the significant increase in pinch grasp power was only noted in the protein group (P \u3c 0.05). The distance on 6MWT was also significantly extended at follow-up in the protein group (P \u3c 0.01). In the subgroup analysis according to nutritional status, the moderate malnutrition group showed greater augmentation of muscle mass than those with adequate nutrition (P \u3c 0.05). Interestingly, the amelioration of malnutrition was observed only the in protein group. This study using protein supplements to promote the rehabilitative potential of brain tumor patients revealed a significant effect on improving hemodynamic nutritional indices, muscle power reimbursement, and functional improvement, especially in malnourished patients. The safety and feasibility of protein supplements in brain tumor patients were affirmative in this study. Further studies with more patients may help confirm the secondary functional gain resulting from increased muscle power.Trial registration: This study was retrospectively registered in the Clinical Research Information Service, CRIS no. KCT0009113 on Jan 12, 2024

Binge Drinking and Its Relation to Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Adult Men

Background: It is reported that heavy drinking increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. But there have been few studies on the relationship between the intensity of drinking and metabolic syndrome when drinking the same amount of alcohol. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the frequency of binge drinking and metabolic syndrome in Korean adult men.Methods: From the database of the 4th and 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2007?2010, data of 8,305 adult men (≥19 years of age) was included in this analysis. Cross-sectional relationship between the frequency of binge drinking and metabolic syndrome was investigated adjusting for pure alcohol consumed per day.Results: Adjusting for various confounders including pure alcohol consumed per day, the adjusted odds ratio for metabolic syndrome in those in higher frequency (more than 1/wk) binge drinking group was 1.62 (95% confidence interval, 1.30 to 2.03; P for trend = <0.001) compared to those in the non-binge drinking group. Through analysis of the relationship between pure alcohol consumed per day and metabolic syndrome, it was found that pure alcohol consumed per day had a positive relation to metabolic syndrome in the higher frequency binge drinking group (P for trend = 0.041). The relationship was inverse in the non-binge drinking group (P for trend = 0.002).Conclusion: Our study found a positive relationship between frequency of binge drinking and metabolic syndrome in adult men. And the effect of drinking on metabolic syndrome may depend on the frequency of binge drinking. Further studies are required to confirm this association.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2014-01/102/0000052039/10SEQ:10PERF_CD:SNU2014-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A079543DEPT_CD:806CITE_RATE:0FILENAME:binge drinking and its relation to metabolic syndrome in korean adult men.pdfDEPT_NM:의과학과SCOPUS_YN:NCONFIRM:

Antiatherosclerotic Effect of Korean Red Ginseng Extract Involves Regulator of G-Protein Signaling 5

Regulator of G-protein signaling 5 (RGS5), an inhibitor of Gα(q) and Gα(i) activation, has been reported to have antiatherosclerosis. Previous studies showed antiatherosclerotic effect of Korean red ginseng water extract (KRGE) via multiple signaling pathways. However, potential protective effect of KRGE through RGS5 expression has not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the antiatherosclerotic effect of KRGE in vivo and in vitro and its role on RGS5 mRNA expression. Elevated levels of total cholesterol, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and triglyceride (TG) in western diet groups of low-density lipoprotein receptor deficient LDLr−/− mice were reversed by oral administration of KRGE. KRGE suppressed transcriptional activity of tumor necrotic factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and leptin in adipose tissue. It also potently repressed western diet-induced atheroma formation in aortic sinus. While KRGE showed reduced mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, it enhanced mRNA expression of RGS5. Moreover, RGS5 siRNA transfection of microglia cells pretreated with KRGE reversed its inhibitory effect on the expression of iNOS, COX-2, and IL-1β mRNA. In conclusion, KRGE showed antiatherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory effects in western diet fed LDLr−/− mice and this effect could partly be mediated by RGS5 expression

Favorable response to doxorubicin combination chemotherapy does not yield good clinical outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer with triple-negative phenotype

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We analyzed the responses to first line treatment and clinical outcomes of metastatic breast cancer patients treated with palliative doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) according to molecular cancer subtype.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective analysis was performed for 110 metastatic breast cancer patients selected on the basis of palliative AC treatment and the availability of immunohistochemical data for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/neu) status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 110 patients analyzed, 71 (64.5%) were hormone receptor positive (HR+), 14 (12.7%) were HER2+, and 25 (22.7%) were triple negative (TN). There were no differences in age, stage at diagnosis, total number of cycles of palliative chemotherapy, incidence of visceral metastasis, and metastatic sites with the exception of liver among breast cancer subtypes. The overall response rates to AC were 55.9% for the HR+ subgroup, 42.9% for the HER2+ subgroup, and 56.5% for the TN subgroup. The progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with HER2+ and TN were significantly shorter than in the HR+ (median PFS, 9.1 <it>vs </it>8.1 <it>vs </it>11.5 months, respectively; p = 0.0002). The overall survival (OS) was 25.4 months in the TN subgroup and 27.3 months in HER2+ subgroup. The median OS for these two groups was significantly shorter than for patients in the HR+ subgroup (median, 38.5 months; 95% CI, 30.1-46.9 months; p < 0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The response to palliative AC chemotherapy did not differ among breast cancer subtypes. Despite chemosensitivity for palliative AC, the TN subtype has a shorter overall survival than non-TN subtypes. Innovative treatment strategies should be developed to slow the course of disease.</p

Chirality control of inorganic materials and metals by peptides or amino acids

Chirality exists everywhere in nature and may be one of the most important features in biological systems. The chirality of amino acid molecules is transferred to the peptide sequences, determining the secondary and further three-dimensional structures. As a result, even the macroscopic chirality observed in many living features can be controlled by the peptide sequence. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that achiral inorganic materials and metals, according to the crystallographic point group, can develop chiral morphologies that are precisely controlled by the amino acids and peptides. As a result, strong chiral optical responses can be generated even at visible wavelengths. In this review, we have highlighted recent pioneering examples to show the enantioselective interactions between inorganic materials/metals and amino acids/peptides and discussed the underlying mechanisms.Y

Observation of Kondo condensation in a degenerately doped silicon metal

When a magnetic moment is embedded in a metal, it captures itinerant electrons to form the Kondo cloud1,2, which can spread out over a few micrometres3,4. For a metal with dense magnetic impurities such that Kondo clouds overlap with each other, correlated ground states are formed. When the impurities form a regular lattice, the result is a heavy fermion or anti-ferromagnetic order depending on the dominant interaction5,6. Even in the case of random impurities, overlapping Kondo clouds are expected to form a coherent ground state. Here, we examine this issue by performing electrical transport and high-precision tunnelling density-of-states (DOS) spectroscopy measurements in a highly P-doped crystalline silicon metal where disorder-induced localized magnetic moments exist7. We detect the Kondo effect in the resistivity of the Si metal below 2 K and an exotic pseudogap in the DOS with gap edge peaks at a Fermi energy below 100 mK. The DOS gap and peaks are tuned by applying an external magnetic field and transformed into a metallic Altshuler-Aronov gap8 in the paramagnetic disordered Fermi liquid (DFL) phase. We interpret this phenomenon as the Kondo condensation, the formation of a correlated ground state of overlapping Kondo clouds, and its transition to a DFL. The boundary between the Kondo condensation and DFL phases is identified by analysing distinct DOS spectra in the magnetic field-temperature plane. A detailed theoretical analysis using a holographic method 9 , 10 , 11 reproduces the unusual DOS spectra, 1, supporting our scenario. Our work demonstrates the observation of the magnetic version of Bardeen-Cooper-Shrieffer (BCS) pair condensation and will be useful for understanding complex Kondo systems.Comment: 34 pages,5+6 figures, accepted in nature physic

Brief Education on Microvasculature and Pit Pattern for Trainees Significantly Improves Estimation of the Invasion Depth of Colorectal Tumors

Objectives. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of education for trainees on the gross findings identified by conventional white-light endoscopy (CWE), the microvascular patterns identified by magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy (MNE), and the pit patterns identified by magnifying chromoendoscopy (MCE) in estimation of the invasion depth of colorectal tumors. Methods. A total of 420 endoscopic images of 35 colorectal tumors were used. Five trainees estimated the invasion depth of the tumors by reviewing the CWE images before education. Afterwards, the trainees estimated the invasion depth of the same tumors after brief education on CWE, MNE and MCE images, respectively. Results. The initial diagnostic accuracy for deep submucosal invasion before education and after education on CWE, MNE, and MCE findings was 54.3%, 55.4%, 67.4%, and 76.6%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy increased significantly after MNE education (P=0.028). The specificity for deep submucosal invasion before education and after education on CWE, MNE, and MCE findings was 47.9%, 45.7%, 65.0%, and 80.7%, respectively. The specificity increased significantly after MNE (P=0.002) and MCE (P=0.005) education. Conclusion. Brief education on microvascular pattern identification by MNE and pit pattern identification by MCE significantly improves trainees’ estimations of the invasion depth of colorectal tumors