Screening for Early Gastric Cancer Using a Noninvasive Urine Metabolomics Approach

The early detection of gastric cancer (GC) could decrease its incidence and mortality. However, there are currently no accurate noninvasive markers for GC screening. Therefore, we developed a noninvasive diagnostic approach, employing urine nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics, to discover putative metabolic markers associated with GC. Changes in urine metabolite levels during oncogenesis were evaluated using samples from 103 patients with GC and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Approximately 70% of the patients with GC (n = 69) had stage I GC, with the majority (n = 56) having intramucosal cancer. A multivariate statistical analysis of the urine NMR data well discriminated between the patient and control groups and revealed nine metabolites, including alanine, citrate, creatine, creatinine, glycerol, hippurate, phenylalanine, taurine, and 3-hydroxybutyrate, that contributed to the difference. A diagnostic performance test with a separate validation set exhibited a sensitivity and specificity of more than 90%, even with the intramucosal cancer samples only. In conclusion, the NMR-based urine metabolomics approach may have potential as a convenient screening method for the early detection of GC and may facilitate consequent endoscopic examination through risk stratification

Mesenteric extraskeletal osteosarcoma with telangiectatic features: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor, with a predominant occurrence in the extremities. Only two cases of mesenteric extraskeletal osteosarcoma have been documented. We describe an unusual case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma with telangiectatic features occurring in the mesentery.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 67-year-old male presented with blood-tinged stool of 1-month's duration. On colonoscopy, a solid mass was detected protruding from the colon wall. Computed tomography showed a 15 × 9.7 cm heterogeneously enhancing mass, with mottled calcification and a cystic portion, occupying the left upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity. Curative resection of the tumor was performed, and the excised tumor was composed of large multilocular cysts containing old hematomas and necrotic debris. The histology revealed an osteosarcoma showing osteoid formation and blood-filled spaces lined with atypical cells. Despite postoperative chemotherapy, he developed a recurrent peritoneal mass and multiple lung metastases 3 months postoperatively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Given the rarity of cases of mesenteric extraskeletal osteosarcoma, its biologic behavior at this location remains to be determined. However, extraskeletal osteosarcoma with telangiectatic features is an uncommon entity to be recognized because of the possible fatal outcome related to the tumors.</p

Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation During Hemiplegic Arm Reaching in Individuals with Stroke: An Exploratory Study

SummaryObjective/BackgroundThis study investigated the effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on muscle activity and elbow motion during arm reaching with hemiplegic arm in participants with stroke.MethodsSixteen adults with stroke who resided in a community were recruited in this study. The RAS consisted of sound emitted from a digital metronome. While sitting upright in a chair, participants reached their arms towards a target (a switch on a table) both with and without RAS. The three-dimensional motion analysis system and surface electromyography system were used for measurements during the reaching tasks.ResultsWe found that RAS elicited better performance in reaching movements than those movements performed without RAS. RAS shortened the movement time (p = .002), reduced the change in acceleration (p = .001), increased the elbow extension range of motion (p = .001), increased muscle activation of the triceps brachii (p = .024), and reduced the co-contraction ratio (p = .015) of the affected arm.ConclusionRAS might be a useful technique to facilitate improvements in motor function of the affected arm in patients with stroke

Cerebral artery signal intensity gradient from Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography and clinical outcome in lenticulostriate infarction: a retrospective cohort study

PurposeLenticulostriate infarction requires further research of arterial hemodynamic factors, as the disease is diagnosed in the absence of major arterial stenosis or cardioembolism.MethodsIn this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we included patients who were hospitalized for lenticulostriate infarction from January 2015 to March 2021 at three stroke centers in South Korea. We obtained hemodynamic information on cerebral arteries using signal intensity gradient (SIG), an in-vivo approximated wall shear stress (WSS) derived from Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography (TOF-MRA). A favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale of 0 to 2 at hospital discharge.ResultsA total of 294 patients were included, of whom 146 (49.7%) had an unfavorable outcome. The unfavorable outcome group showed significantly lower SIG in both middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) than the favorable group (5.2 ± 1.2 SI/mm vs. 5.9 ± 1.2, p &lt; 0.001), and similar findings were observed in other cerebral arteries. The SIGs in both MCAs were independently associated with favorable outcome, with an odds ratio of 1.42 (95% confidence interval, 1.11–1.80; p = 0.005) for the right MCA and 1.49 (95% CI, 1.15–1.93; p = 0.003) for the left MCA, after adjusting for potential confounders. Similar findings were observed in other cerebral artery SIGs.ConclusionCerebral artery SIG from TOF-MRA was significantly associated with short-term functional outcomes in patients with lenticulostriate infarction. Further studies are needed to investigate the temporal relationships of SIG in patients with cerebral infarction

Customized Energy Down-Shift using Iridium Complexes for Enhanced Performance of Polymer Solar Cells

School of Molecular Sciences(Chemistry)For the higher performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs), many researchers tried to develop new polymers that can absorb broader range of spectrum. However, there are some limits to absorb broader range with single donor. Therefore, multi donor systems and energy transfer systems have been researched. With two different donors it is easier to enhance absorption range. As a result, multi donor and energy transfer was successful to increase performance. However, the existing systems are applying polymer-polymer systems. When two different polymers are mixed, the compatibility between two polymers is critical to morphology of blend film. Also, in polymer-polymer energy transfer, the boundary between charge transfer and energy transfer is unclear. Therefore, for the first time, we developed customized iridium (Ir(III)) complexes, with Ir(III) complex incorporated into the active materials poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene/benzodithiophene) (PTB7, amorphous) or poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT, high crystalline) as energy donor additives. The Ir(III) complex with the 2-phenyl quinolone ligand energy donor increased the power conversion efficiency of the corresponding devices by approximately 20%. The enhancements are attributed to the improved molecular compatibility and energy level between the Ir(III) complex and the active materials, long F??rster resonance energy transfer radius, and high energy down-shift efficiency. Overall, we reveal Ir(III) complex additives for amorphous and highly crystalline polymer active materialsthese additives would enable efficient energy transfer in polymer solar cells, while retaining the desirable active layer morphology, thereby resulting in improved light absorption and conversion.ope

Factors Associated with Disruptive Behavioral Symptoms in Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder

Background and Objective Little is known about the factors associated with disruptive behaviors in idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD). Thus, we report the demographic and clinical characteristics of iRBD patients with disruptive behaviors. Methods Patients diagnosed as having iRBD through video-polysomnography were included in the present study. The REM sleep behavior disorder questionnaire-Hong Kong (RBDQ-HK) was used to divide participants into two groups according to the presence or absence of disruptive behaviors. Neuropsychological tests as well as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were also conducted. Results Of 188 iRBD patients, 160 patients showed more disruptive behaviors and were of a younger age (66.8 ± 7.4 vs. 70.5 ± 6.0, p = 0.012), of a higher proportion of men (69.4% vs. 39.3%, p = 0.004), and showed lower Apnea-Hypopnea Indexes (AHI) (9.2 ± 0.9 vs. 17.8 ± 2.2, p < 0.001) than those without disruptive behavioral symptoms. No statistically significant differences in PSQI, ESS, BDI, or neuropsychological testing were found. In multiple logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 70 [odds ratio (OR) = 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.15–0.87, p = 0.023], male sex (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.14–6.91, p = 0.025), and score of item 4 (violent or aggressive dreams) of RBDQ-HK (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.17–2.12, p = 0.003) all showed a significant association with disruptive behaviors. Conclusions Age < 70, male sex, lower AHI, and frequent violent or aggressive dreams are associated with an increased risk of disruptive behavioral symptoms in iRBD. Therapeutic plans including clonazepam medication should be individualized considering patients’ demographic and clinical features