Development of a standardized in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation set-up

Objective. This study evaluated whether chest compression in a standardized inhospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) set-up can be performed as effectively as when the rescuer is kneeling beside the patient lying on the floor. Specifically, the in-hospital test was standardized according to the rescuers’ average knee height. Methods. Experimental intervention (test 1) was a standardized, in-hospital CPR set-up: first, the bed height was fixed at 70 cm. Second, the height difference between the bed and a step stool was set to the average knee height of the CPR team members (45 cm). Control intervention (test 2) was kneeling on floor. Thirty-eight medical doctors on the CPR team each performed 2 minutes of chest compressions in test 1 and 2 in random order (cross-over trial). A Little Anne was used as a simulated patient who had experienced cardiac arrest. Chest compression parameters, such as average depth and rate, were measured using an accelerometer device. Results. In all tests, the average depths were those recommended in the most recent CPR guidelines (50–60 mm); there were no significant differences between Tests 1 and 2 (53.1 ± 4.3 mm vs. 52.6 ± 4.8 mm, respectively; p = 0.398). The average rate in Test 2 (119.1 ± 12.4 numbers/min) was slightly faster than that in Test 1 (116.4 ± 10.2 numbers/ min; p = 0.028). No differences were observed in any other parameters. Conclusions. Chest compression quality in our standardized in-hospital CPR set-up was similar with that performed in a kneeling position on the floor. Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service: KCT000159

Pathogen-induced binding of the soybean zinc finger homeodomain proteins GmZF-HD1 and GmZF-HD2 to two repeats of ATTA homeodomain binding site in the calmodulin isoform 4 (GmCaM4) promoter

Calmodulin (CaM) is involved in defense responses in plants. In soybean (Glycine max), transcription of calmodulin isoform 4 (GmCaM4) is rapidly induced within 30 min after pathogen stimulation, but regulation of the GmCaM4 gene in response to pathogen is poorly understood. Here, we used the yeast one-hybrid system to isolate two cDNA clones encoding proteins that bind to a 30-nt A/T-rich sequence in the GmCaM4 promoter, a region that contains two repeats of a conserved homeodomain binding site, ATTA. The two proteins, GmZF-HD1 and GmZF-HD2, belong to the zinc finger homeodomain (ZF-HD) transcription factor family. Domain deletion analysis showed that a homeodomain motif can bind to the 30-nt GmCaM4 promoter sequence, whereas the two zinc finger domains cannot. Critically, the formation of super-shifted complexes by an anti-GmZF-HD1 antibody incubated with nuclear extracts from pathogen-treated cells suggests that the interaction between GmZF-HD1 and two homeodomain binding site repeats is regulated by pathogen stimulation. Finally, a transient expression assay with Arabidopsis protoplasts confirmed that GmZF-HD1 can activate the expression of GmCaM4 by specifically interacting with the two repeats. These results suggest that the GmZF-HD1 and –2 proteins function as ZF-HD transcription factors to activate GmCaM4 gene expression in response to pathogen

Gut taste receptor type 1 member 3 is an intrinsic regulator of Western diet-induced intestinal inflammation

Background Long-term intake of a Western diet (WD), characterized by a high-fat content and sugary drinks, is hypothesized to contribute to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Despite the identified clinical association, the molecular mechanisms by which dietary changes contribute to IBD development remain unknown. Therefore, we examined the influence of long-term intake of a WD on intestinal inflammation and the mechanisms by which WD intake affects IBD development. Methods Mice fed normal diet or WD for 10weeks, and bowel inflammation was evaluated through pathohistological and infiltrated inflammatory cell assessments. To understand the role of intestinal taste receptor type 1 member 3 (TAS1R3) in WD-induced intestinal inflammation, cultured enteroendocrine cells harboring TAS1R3, subjected to RNA interference or antagonist treatment, and Tas1r3-deficient mice were used. RNA-sequencing, flow cytometry, 16S metagenomic sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses were performed to examine the involved mechanisms. To demonstrate their clinical relevance, intestinal biopsies from patients with IBD and mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis were analyzed. Results Our study revealed for the first time that intestinal TAS1R3 is a critical mediator of WD-induced intestinal inflammation. WD-fed mice showed marked TAS1R3 overexpression with hallmarks of serious bowel inflammation. Conversely, mice lacking TAS1R3 failed to exhibit inflammatory responses to WD. Mechanistically, intestinal transcriptome analysis revealed that Tas1r3 deficiency suppressed mTOR signaling, significantly increasing the expression of PPARγ (a major mucosal defense enhancer) and upregulating the expression of PPARγ target-gene (tight junction protein and antimicrobial peptide). The gut microbiota of Tas1r3-deficient mice showed expansion of butyrate-producing Clostridia. Moreover, an increased expression of host PPARγ-signaling pathway proteins was positively correlated with butyrate-producing microbes, suggesting that intestinal TAS1R3 regulates the relationship between host metabolism and gut microflora in response to dietary factors. In cultured intestinal cells, regulation of the TAS1R3–mTOR–PPARγ axis was critical for triggering an inflammatory response via proinflammatory cytokine production and secretion. Abnormal regulation of the axis was observed in patients with IBD. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the TAS1R3–mTOR–PPARγ axis in the gut links Western diet consumption with intestinal inflammation and is a potential therapeutic target for IBD.This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education (Grant NRF-2021R1A2C3010280), and the Korea Mouse Phenotyping Project through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Grant NRF-2013M3A9D5072550). The funding sources had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, or in the writing of the manuscrip

Modulatory effect of ginseng total saponins on dopamine release and tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression induced by nicotine in the mouse

Abstract Several studies have demonstrated that behavioral activation induced by psychostimulants is prevented by ginseng total saponin (GTS), which has been known to act on the central dopaminergic system. In an attempt to investigate whether the effect of GTS is through its inhibitory action on the elevated dopaminergic transmission, we examined the effect of GTS on nicotine-induced dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NA) of freely moving rats using in vivo microdialysis. Systemic injection of nicotine (3 mg/kg; i.p.) produced a mild increase in extracellular DA of dialysates samples in the NA (132 913% over basal levels at the peak). GTS (100 mg/kg; i.p.) had no effect on resting levels of extracelluar DA. However, an increase in accumbens DA release produced by systemic nicotine was completely blocked by systemic pre-treatment with GTS (100 mg/kg; i.p.). In addition, the effect of GTS on nicotine-induced tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and immediate early gene expression in ventral tegmental area (VTA) or NA regions was examined. A single injection of nicotine increased TH mRNA level at VTA region. GTS, which did not affect the basal TH mRNA expression, attenuated nicotine-induced TH mRNA expression. Nicotine slightly increased both c-fos and c-jun mRNA level and GTS, which did not affect the basal c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression, further enhanced nicotine-induced c-fos and c-jun mRNA level at both VTA and NA regions. Our results suggest that GTS may have an inhibitory action against nicotine-induced DA release in NA region and TH mRNA expression in VTA region. GTS may exert an potentiative effect on both c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression at NA region through inhibiting the release of DA in NA

The First Very Long Baseline Interferometry Image of 44 GHz Methanol Maser with the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA)

We have carried out the first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging of 44 GHz class I methanol maser (7_{0}-6_{1}A^{+}) associated with a millimeter core MM2 in a massive star-forming region IRAS 18151-1208 with KaVA (KVN and VERA Array), which is a newly combined array of KVN (Korean VLBI Network) and VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). We have succeeded in imaging compact maser features with a synthesized beam size of 2.7 milliarcseconds x 1.5 milliarcseconds (mas). These features are detected at a limited number of baselines within the length of shorter than approximately 650 km corresponding to 100 Mlambda in the uv-coverage. The central velocity and the velocity width of the 44 GHz methanol maser are consistent with those of the quiescent gas rather than the outflow traced by the SiO thermal line. The minimum component size among the maser features is ~ 5 mas x 2 mas, which corresponds to the linear size of ~ 15 AU x 6 AU assuming a distance of 3 kpc. The brightness temperatures of these features range from ~ 3.5 x 10^{8} to 1.0 x 10^{10} K, which are higher than estimated lower limit from a previous Very Large Array observation with the highest spatial resolution of ~ 50 mas. The 44 GHz class I methanol maser in IRAS 18151-1208 is found to be associated with the MM2 core, which is thought to be less evolved than another millimeter core MM1 associated with the 6.7 GHz class II methanol maser.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Comparative Analysis Of Energy Expenditure Assessments From The Graded Exercise Test Vs. Galaxy Watch And Apple Watch In Korean College Students During A 30-minute Workout: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES In the modern era, there is heightened interest in understanding energy expenditure during exercise. Consequently, wearable devices such as the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch have emerged as pivotal tools for daily health monitoring, given their convenience and increasing popularity. This study aimed to compare the calculated energy expenditure derived from the graded exercise test with readings from Galaxy and Apple Watches during a 30-min exercise session among Korean university students. Through this, we anticipate offering both motivation and clear insights into energy expenditure, thereby potentially aiding in weight management strategies for contemporary individuals. METHODS This study involved 27 college students from Korea National University of Transportation in Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. We utilized COSMED's exercise load respiratory gas analysis system (Quark-CPET, COSMED, Rome, Italy), along with the Galaxy Watch (Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung, Seoul, Korea) and the Apple Watch (Apple watch series 5, Apple, Cupertino, USA) for measurements. Energy expenditure was monitored in real-time every 5 min throughout the 30-min exercise session. For statistical evaluations, we employed a one-way analysis of variance. Subsequent post-tests utilized the Tukey post-hoc test and Pearson correlation, with a significance level set at p0.05). Conversely, a notable difference was observed when comparing energy expenditure data from the graded exercise test to that of the Apple Watch for time intervals of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min (p>0.05), although the 5-min interval did not exhibit a significant difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, a robust positive correlation was evident between the energy expenditure values derived from the graded exercise test and those from both the Galaxy Watch (r=0.952, p<0.001) and the Apple Watch (r=0.917, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both devices demonstrated high reliability in calculating energy expenditure. Notably, the Galaxy Watch exhibited a more precise calculation compared to the Apple Watch, with a relative reliability margin of 3.5% higher. For individuals, especially those struggling with obesity, precise wearable devices that accurately reflect energy consumption can significantly boost motivation for exercise. Consequently, this study lays a foundation for future advancements in energy expenditure measurement tools, emphasizing enhanced convenience, reliability, and mobility