A Three-Dimensional Micro-Organ Culture System for Microtumor Spheroids from Human Malignant Glioma Specimens

Tumor.tissue obtained from seven human malignant gliomas was minced and explanted into agarose-coated culture plates. After five to seven days, these microtumor fragments emerged as spheroids in four tumors and were maintained as multicellular organotypic spheroids for more than eight weeks. The morphological features and growth characteristics of different spheroids were studied and compared with the histology of the original tumor specimens. Light microscopic and ultrastructural studies of the spheroids demonstrated that morphological structures were similar to those of the original tumor tissue in vivo. The microtumor spheroids contained connective tissue, blood vessels, and macrophages, maintaining a three dimensional-architectural resemblance to the original tumors. Volumetric measurement of the spheroids showed that the size decreased initially and did not change thereafter over a period of time. This growth pattern of the spheroids was consistent with that of tumors in vivo, suggesting the linkage of cell proliferation and loss. This in vitro culture system for surgically removed brain tumor specimens may serve as an alternative to the in vivo xenograft model for the research of brain tumor biology, invasion and immunology and provide a valuable technique for the evaluation of new therapies, such as biologic response modifiers

Autonomous Control Strategy of DC Microgrid for Islanding mode using Power Line Communication

This paper proposes a DC-bus signaling (DBS) method for autonomous power management in a DC microgrid, used to improve its reliability. Centralized power management systems require communication between the power sources and loads. However, the DBS method operates based on the common DC-bus voltage and does not require communication. Based on the DC-bus voltage band, the DC-bus voltage can be used to inform the status of the DC-bus in various scenarios. The DC microgrid operates independently to maintain the system stably in the DC-bus voltage band. The DC microgrid can be divided into a grid-connected mode and an islanding mode. This paper proposes a control strategy based on power management of various independent components in islanding mode. In addition, the autonomous control method for switching the converter???s operation between grid-connected mode and islanding mode is proposed. A DC microgrid test bed consisting of a grid-connected AC/DC converter, a bidirectional DC/DC converter, a renewable energy simulator, DC home appliances and a DC-bus protector is used to test the proposed control strategy. The proposed autonomous control strategy is experimentally verified using the DC microgrid test bed

HAE-RAE Bench: Evaluation of Korean Knowledge in Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on massive corpora demonstrate impressive capabilities in a wide range of tasks. While there are ongoing efforts to adapt these models to languages beyond English, the attention given to their evaluation methodologies remains limited. Current multilingual benchmarks often rely on back translations or re-implementations of English tests, limiting their capacity to capture unique cultural and linguistic nuances. To bridge this gap for the Korean language, we introduce HAE-RAE Bench, a dataset curated to challenge models lacking Korean cultural and contextual depth. The dataset encompasses six downstream tasks across four domains: vocabulary, history, general knowledge, and reading comprehension. Contrary to traditional evaluation suites focused on token or sequence classification and specific mathematical or logical reasoning, HAE-RAE Bench emphasizes a model's aptitude for recalling Korean-specific knowledge and cultural contexts. Comparative analysis with prior Korean benchmarks indicates that the HAE-RAE Bench presents a greater challenge to non-native models, by disturbing abilities and knowledge learned from English being transferred.Comment: Revised Erro

Protective Effects of Emodin and Chrysophanol Isolated from Marine Fungus Aspergillus sp. on Ethanol-Induced Toxicity in HepG2/CYP2E1 Cells

Alcohol-induced liver injury progresses from fatty infiltration followed by a harmful cause of inflammation leading to an irreversible damage. In this study, two compounds (emodin and chrysophanol) isolated from marine fungus Aspergillus sp. were examined for their protective effects against ethanol-induced toxicity in vitro. Ethanol-induced HepG2/CYP2E1 cells were treated with the compounds at various concentrations, and the results showed that there was a dose-dependent decrease of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity and increase of glutathione (GSH) in the culture media with an increase in cell viability. Furthermore, the protective effects of the compounds were evaluated by protein expression levels of GGT, GSH, and CYP2E1 using Western blot. Among the compounds, emodin addressed to the ethanol-induced cytotoxicity more effectively compared to the chrysophanol. It could be suggested that emodin isolated from this genus would be a potential candidate for attenuating ethanol induced liver damage for further industrial applications such as functional food and pharmaceutical developments

Oyaksungisan, a Traditional Herbal Formula, Inhibits Cell Proliferation by Induction of Autophagy via

Oyaksungisan (OY) is a traditional herbal formula broadly used to treat beriberi, vomiting, diarrhea, and circulatory disturbance in Asian countries from ancient times. The effect of OY on cancer, however, was not reported until now. In this study, we have demonstrated that OY inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell death via modulating the autophagy on human colon cancer cells. In HCT116 cells, OY increased the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I, a marker of autophagy, and treatment with 3-MA, an inhibitor of autophagy, and considerably reduced the formation of autophagosomes. In addition, OY regulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades; especially, JNK activation was closely related with autophagy effect by OY in HCT116 cells. Our results indicate that autophagy induction is responsible for the antiproliferative effect by OY, despite the weak apoptosis induction in HCT116 cells. In conclusion, OY might have a potential to be developed as an herbal anticancer remedy

Inaccuracy of Intraocular Lens Power Prediction for Cataract Surgery in Angle-Closure Glaucoma

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power predictions for cataract surgery in eyes with primary angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). Because of shifting of the capsular bag apparatus and shortening of the axial length, preoperative calculation of IOL power may be inaccurate for eyes with ACG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective comparative case series comprised of 42 eyes from 42 patients with primary ACG and 45 eyes from 45 subjects with normal open-angles undergoing uneventful cataract surgery. Anterior segment biometry including anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and axial length were compared. Using the SRK-II formula, the powers of the implanted IOL and the actual postoperative spherical equivalent (SE) refractive errors were compared between the two groups. Also, the absolute values of differences between predicted and residual SE refractive errors were also analyzed for each group. RESULTS: In ACG patients, anterior chamber depth and axial length were shorter and the lens was thicker than normal controls (all p < 0.001). Even though residual SE refractive error was not significantly different (p = 0.290), the absolute value of the difference between predicted and residual SE refractive error was 0.64 +/- 0.50 diopters in AGC patients and 0.39 +/- 0.36 diopters in control subjects (p = 0.012). The number of eyes that resulted in inaccurate IOL power predictions of more than 0.5 diopters were 21 (50.00%) in the ACG group, but only 12 (26.67%) in the control group (p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: IOL power predictions for cataract surgery in ACG patients can be inaccurate, and it may be associated with their unique anterior segment anatomy.ope

Penetrating Carotid Artery Injuries Treated by an Urgent Endovascular Stent Technique: Report of Two Cases

Penetrating neck injuries are potentially dangerous and require emergent management because of the presence of vital structures in the neck. Penetrating vascular trauma to zone I and III of the neck is potentially life-threatening. An accurate diagnosis and adequate surgical intervention are critical to the successful outcome of penetrating trauma in the neck. We experienced some cases with externally penetrating injuries in neck zone II in which the patients were confirmed to have the presence of large vessel injuries in neck zones I and III. Here we report on the endovascular stent techniques used in two cases to address penetrating carotid artery injuries and review the literature