A DRAINAGE SYSTEM FOR MITIGATING MOISTURE DAMAGE TO BRIDGE DECK PAVEMENTS

This study presents the development of a new drainage system that can quickly drain water that has penetrated into bridge deck pavements. The new drainage system is expected to significantly reduce potholes that typically lead to premature failure of pavements. This system can be established by applying a thin drainage layer between the waterproofing layer and top wearing course. The most important factors for this system are to meet satisfactory performance of the waterproofing layer and to develop appropriate construction technique for the thin drainage layer. The drainage layer was formulated with porous asphalt mixtures designed for the max aggregate size of 10 mm, and was validated through various physical and mechanical laboratory tests to confirm its performance characteristics. For the waterproofing layer, methyl methacrylate (MMA) – type material was introduced, and a series of mechanical tests were performed to estimate the applicability of the MMA material for waterproofing. It was observed from the tests that the MMA material satisfied all specification requirements. In addition, to evaluate the field performance of the new drainage system, a field study was conducted on a real bridge. Field performance observations on both the waterproofing and pavement materials indicated that the new drainage system performs much better than traditional methods in draining water that has penetrated into pavement layers

Facial reanimation with masseter nerve–innervated free gracilis muscle transfer in established facial palsy patients

Background The masseter nerve is a useful donor nerve for reconstruction in patients with established facial palsy, with numerous advantages including low morbidity, a strong motor impulse, high reliability, and fast reinnervation. In this study, we assessed the results of masseter nerve–innervated free gracilis muscle transfer in established facial palsy patients. Methods Ten patients with facial palsy who received treatment from January 2015 to January 2017 were enrolled in this study. Three patients received masseter nerve–only free gracilis transfer, and seven received double-innervated free gracilis transfer (masseter nerve and a cross-face nerve graft). Patients were evaluated using the Facial Assessment by Computer Evaluation software (FACEgram) to quantify oral commissure excursion and symmetry at rest and when smiling after muscle transfer. Results The mean time between surgery and initial movement was roughly 167.7 days. A statistically significant increase in excursion at rest and when smiling was seen after muscle transfer. There was a significant increase in the distance of oral commissure excursion at rest and when smiling. A statistically significant increase was observed in symmetry when smiling. Terzis’ functional and aesthetic grading scores showed significant improvements postoperatively. Conclusions Masseter nerve innervation is a good option with many uses in in established facial palsy patients. For some conditions, it is the first-line treatment. Free gracilis muscle transfer using the masseter nerve has excellent results with good symmetry and an effective degree of recovery

Fibre-integrated van der Waals quantum sensor with an optimal cavity interface

Integrating quantum materials with fibre optics adds advanced functionalities to a variety of applications, and introduces fibre-based quantum devices such as remote sensors capable of probing multiple physical parameters. However, achieving optimal integration between quantum materials and fibres is challenging, particularly due to difficulties in fabrication of quantum elements with suitable dimensions and an efficient photonic interface to a commercial optical fibre. Here we demonstrate a new modality for a fibre-integrated van der Waals quantum sensor. We design and fabricate a hole-based circular Bragg grating cavity from hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), engineer optically active spin defects within the cavity, and integrate the cavity with an optical fibre using a deterministic pattern transfer technique. The fibre-integrated hBN cavity enables efficient excitation and collection of optical signals from spin defects in hBN, thereby enabling all-fibre integrated quantum sensors. Moreover, we demonstrate remote sensing of a ferromagnetic material and of arbitrary magnetic fields. All in all, the hybrid fibre-based quantum sensing platform may pave the way to a new generation of robust, remote, multi-functional quantum sensors.Comment: 13 Pages, 4 Figure

Cortical synaptogenesis and excitatory synapse number are determined via a Neuroligin-1-dependent intercellular competition

Members of the neuroligin (NL) family of cell-adhesion proteins are found at excitatory and inhibitory synapses and are mutated in some familial forms of autism spectrum disorders. Although they display synaptogenic properties in heterologous systems, a function of NLs in vivo in regulating synapse formation and synapse number has been difficult to establish. Here we show that neuroligin-1 (NL1), which is located at excitatory post-synaptic densities, does regulate activity-dependent synaptogenesis as well as mature synapse number on cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in vivo. However, synapse number is not sensitive to absolute NL1 levels but rather to transcellular differences in the relative amounts of NL1. These effects are independent of the cell-autonomous regulation of NMDA-type glutamate receptors by absolute levels of NL1. Our data indicate that transcellular competitive processes govern synapse formation and number in developing cortex and that NL1 plays a central function in these processes

A Case of Nasal Septum Gossypiboma 14 Years After Septorhinoplasty

Gossypiboma, an infrequent surgical complication, describes a mass of cotton material inadvertently left in the body cavity after an operation. It is an extremely rare iatrogenic complication of nasal surgery, with only a few cases reported in literature to date. Here we present a case of gossypiboma in the nasal septum of a 35-year-old male patient who previously underwent septorhinoplasty fourteen years prior. He was treated by endoscopic endonasal surgery to remove the lesion. Pathologic findings showed a foreign body (gauze filament) with a giant cell reaction. This report will be helpful for treating patients with similar histories in the future

In Vitro inhibitory activity of Alpinia katsumadai extracts against influenza virus infection and hemagglutination

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Alpinia katsumadai </it>(AK) extracts and fractions were tested for <it>in vitro </it>antiviral activities against influenza virus type A, specially human A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and avian A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2), by means of time-of-addition experiments; pre-treatment, simultaneous treatment, and post treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In pre-treatment assay, the AK extracts and AK fractions did not show significant antiviral activity. During the simultaneous treatment assay, one AK extract and five AK fractions designated as AK-1 to AK-3, AK-5, AK-10, and AK-11 showed complete inhibition of virus infectivity against A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). The 50% effective inhibitory concentrations (EC₅₀) of these one AK extracts and five AK fractions with exception of the AK-9 were from 0.8 ± 1.4 to 16.4 ± 4.5 <it>μ</it>g/mL against A/PR/8/34 (H1N1). The two AK extracts and three AK fractions had EC₅₀values ranging from <0.39 ± 0.4 to 2.3 ± 3.6 <it>μ</it>g/mL against A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). By the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, the two AK extracts and five AK fractions completely inhibited viral adsorption onto chicken RBCs at less than 100 <it>μ</it>g/mL against both A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). Interestingly, only AK-3 was found with inhibition for both viral attachment and viral replication after showing extended antiviral activity during the post treatment assay and quantitative real-time PCR.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that AK extracts and fractions had strong anti-influenza virus activity that can inhibit viral attachment and/or viral replication, and may be used as viral prophylaxis.</p

One-Step Generation of a Drug-Releasing Hydrogel Microarray-On-A-Chip for Large-Scale Sequential Drug Combination Screening

Large-scale screening of sequential drug combinations, wherein the dynamic rewiring of intracellular pathways leads to promising therapeutic effects and improvements in quality of life, is essential for personalized medicine to ensure realistic cost and time requirements and less sample consumption. However, the large-scale screening requires expensive and complicated liquid handling systems for automation and therefore lowers the accessibility to clinicians or biologists, limiting the full potential of sequential drug combinations in clinical applications and academic investigations. Here, a miniaturized platform for high-throughput combinatorial drug screening that is &quot;pipetting-free&quot; and scalable for the screening of sequential drug combinations is presented. The platform uses parallel and bottom-up formation of a heterogeneous drug-releasing hydrogel microarray by self-assembly of drug-laden hydrogel microparticles. This approach eliminates the need for liquid handling systems and time-consuming operation in high-throughput large-scale screening. In addition, the serial replacement of the drug-releasing microarray-on-a-chip facilitates different drug exchange in each and every microwell in a simple and highly parallel manner, supporting scalable implementation of multistep combinatorial screening. The proposed strategy can be applied to various forms of combinatorial drug screening with limited amounts of samples and resources, which will broaden the use of the large-scale screening for precision medicine

Active Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Immunization against Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) in Korea

SUMMARY: Surveillance of vaccine safety is one of the public health interventions used to investigate the causal relationship between vaccines and adverse events. Using active surveillance data, we aimed to compile a detailed summary describing the safety of the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. Computer-assisted telephone interview was used to investigate adverse events for 9,000 subjects who ha

Global Lysine Acetylome Analysis of LPS-Stimulated HepG2 Cells Identified Hyperacetylation of PKM2 as a Metabolic Regulator in Sepsis

Sepsis-induced liver dysfunction (SILD) is a common event and is strongly associated with mortality. Establishing a causative link between protein post-translational modification and diseases is challenging. We studied the relationship among lysine acetylation (Kac), sirtuin (SIRTs), and the factors involved in SILD, which was induced in LPS-stimulated HepG2 cells. Protein hy-peracetylation was observed according to SIRTs reduction after LPS treatment for 24 h. We identified 1449 Kac sites based on comparative acetylome analysis and quantified 1086 Kac sites on 410 proteins for acetylation. Interestingly, the upregulated Kac proteins are enriched in glycolysis/glu-coneogenesis pathways in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) category. Among the proteins in the glycolysis pathway, hyperacetylation, a key regulator of lactate level in sepsis, was observed at three pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) sites. Hyperacetylation of PKM2 induced an increase in its activity, consequently increasing the lactate concentration. In conclusion, this study is the first to conduct global profiling of Kac, suggesting that the Kac mechanism of PKM2 in glycolysis is associated with sepsis. Moreover, it helps to further understand the systematic information regarding hyperacetylation during the sepsis process. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1