Mechanisms of an extraordinary East Asian summer monsoon event in July 2011

Previous studies have demonstrated that the strong East Asian summer monsoon results mainly from the westward intensification of the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH), or equivalently, the enhancement of the western North Pacific subtropical high. However, during early July in 2011 a strong southerly or southeasterly moist flow gave rise to a large amount of precipitation over southwestern Japan and Korea and anomalous dry conditions over central China because of the extraordinary intensification of the NPSH to the north. The formation of the anomalous high that occurred to the east of central Japan during early July is very rare, and its physical mechanisms are investigated in this study. The regressed circulation anomalies and wave-activity flux vectors for July 2011 and data from the previous 32 years show that two teleconnection patterns due to Rossby wave trains are the most important mechanisms: Rossby wave propagation from the eastern North Atlantic and western Europe to East Asia following the North Eurasian jet and East Asian jet in the upper level, and northward propagation of Rossby waves forced by diabatic heating over the western North Pacific (WNP) region in the lower level. This simultaneous forcing of a significant negative phase of the summertime North Atlantic Oscillation in the higher latitudes and enhanced diabatic heating over the subtropical WNP is found to be the cause of the abnormal development of the anomalous high to the east of central Japan, resulting in extremely wet conditions in Korea and southern Japan and dry conditions in southern China

The Effectiveness of Budesonide Nasal Irrigation After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Asthma

Objectives Budesonide nasal irrigation was introduced recently for postoperative management of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. The safety and therapeutic effectiveness of this procedure is becoming accepted by many physicians. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative steroid irrigation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma. Methods This prospective study involved 12 chronic rhinosinusitis patients with nasal polyps and asthma who received oral steroid treatment for recurring or worsening disease. The 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) and Lund-Kennedy endoscopy scores were checked before nasal budesonide irrigation, and 1, 2, 4, and 6 months after irrigation. We also calculated the total amount of oral steroids and inhaled steroids in the 6 months before irrigation and the 6 months after it. Results The mean SNOT-22 score improved from 30.8±14.4 before irrigation to 14.2±8.7 after 6 months of irrigation (P=0.030). The endoscopy score also improved from 7.4±4.7 before irrigation to 2.2±2.7 after 6 months (P<0.001). The total amount of oral steroid was decreased from 397.8±97.6 mg over the 6 months before irrigation to 72.7±99.7 mg over the 6 months after irrigation (P<0.001). Conclusion Nasal irrigation with budesonide is an effective postoperative treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma, which recurs frequently, reducing the oral steroid intake

Mannosylated-serum albumin nanoparticle imaging to monitor tumor-associated macrophages under anti-PD1 treatment

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) block tumor growth by reinvigorating the immune system; however, determining their efcacy only by the changes in tumor size may prove inaccurate. As the immune cells including macrophages in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are associ‑ ated with the response to anti-PD1 therapy, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) imaging using nanoparticles can noninvasively provide the immune enrichment status of TME. Herein, the mannosylated-serum albumin (MSA) nano‑ particle was labeled with radioactive isotope 68Ga to target the mannose receptors on macrophages for noninvasive monitoring of the TME according to anti-PD1 therapy. Results B16F10-Luc and MC38-Luc tumor-bearing mice were treated with anti-PD1, and the response to anti-PD1 was determined by the tumor volume. According to the fow cytometry, the responders to anti-PD1 showed an increased proportion of TAMs, as well as lymphocytes, and the most enriched immune cell population in the TME was also TAMs. For noninvasive imaging of TAMs as a surrogate of immune cell augmentation in the TME via anti-PD1, we acquired [ 68Ga] Ga-MSA positron emission tomography. According to the imaging study, an increased number of TAMs in responders at the early phase of anti-PD1 treatment was observed in both B16F10-Luc and MC38-Luc tumorbearing mice models. Conclusion As representative immune cells in the TME, non-invasive imaging of TAMs using MSA nanoparticles can refect the immune cell enrichment status in the TME closely associated with the response to anti-PD1. As non-inva‑ sive imaging using MSA nanoparticles, this approach shows a potential to monitor and evaluate anti-tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2020R1A6A3A13069409), the Korean government the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2020R1A2C2010202, 2020R1A4A2002903, 2020M3A9B6038086, 2021M2E7A2079570, 2021R1A2C3009427, 2022M3E5F2018261), and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (HI19C0339, HN22C0644). This study also was carried out by the research fund supported by the fund project of Park Yang Sook - Chung Yung Ho in Seoul National University

A Study on Field Emission Characteristics of Planar Graphene Layers Obtained from a Highly Oriented Pyrolyzed Graphite Block

This paper describes an experimental study on field emission characteristics of individual graphene layers for vacuum nanoelectronics. Graphene layers were prepared by mechanical exfoliation from a highly oriented pyrolyzed graphite block and placed on an insulating substrate, with the resulting field emission behavior investigated using a nanomanipulator operating inside a scanning electron microscope. A pair of tungsten tips controlled by the nanomanipulator enabled electric connection with the graphene layers without postfabrication. The maximum emitted current from the graphene layers was 170 nA and the turn-on voltage was 12.1 V

The comparison of esophageal variceal ligation plus propranolol versus propranolol alone for the primary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding

Background/AimsTo investigate the efficacy and longterm outcome of esophageal variceal ligation (EVL) plus propranolol in comparison with propranolol alone for the primary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding.MethodsA total of 504 patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. 330 patients were in propranolol group (Gr1) and 174 patients were in EVL plus propranolol group (Gr2). The endpoints of this study were esophageal variceal bleeding and mortality. Association analyses were performed to evaluate bleeding and mortality between Gr1 and Gr2.ResultsEVL was more applied in patients with high risk, such as large-sized varices (F2 or F3) or positive red color signs. Total 38 patients had bleeds, 32 in Gr1 and 6 in Gr2. The cumulative probability of bleeding at 120 months was 13% in Gr1 versus 4% in Gr2 (P=0.04). The predictive factors of variceal bleeding were red color signs (OR 2.962, P=0.007) and the method of propranolol plus EVL (OR 0.160, P=0.000). 20 patients died in Gr1 and 12 in Gr2. Mortality rates are similar in the two groups compared, 6.7% in Gr1 and 6.9% in Gr2. The cumulative probability of mortality at 120 months was not significantly different in the two groups (7% in Gr1, 12% in Gr2, P=0.798). The prognostic factors for mortality were age over 50 (OR 5.496, P=0.002), Child-Pugh class B (OR 3.979, P=0.001), and Child-Pugh class C (OR 10.861, P=0.000).ConclusionsEVL plus propranolol is more effective than propranolol alone in the prevention of the first variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis

The Role of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux as a Risk Factor in Laryngeal Cancer: A Preliminary Report

Objectives. To evaluate the significance of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) as a risk factor in laryngeal cancer.Methods. We performed a case-control study with 29 consecutive laryngeal cancer patients who had undergone 24-hour ambulatory double pH monitoring from 2003 to 2006. The control group included 300 patients who had undergone 24-hour ambulatory double pH monitoring due to LPR-related symptoms. We analyzed the prevalence of LPR and numerous parameters from the 24-hour ambulatory double pH monitoring in the laryngeal cancer patient and control groups. Pathologic LPR is defined when more than three episodes of LPR occur in 24 hours.Results. The prevalence of pathologic LPR was significantly higher in the laryngeal cancer group than the control group (P=0.049). The reflux number of the upper probe was significantly higher in the laryngeal cancer group (P&lt;0.001). However the effects of pathologic LPR on laryngeal cancer risk were diluted after adjusting for smoking and alcohol consumption in the multivariable logistic regression.Conclusion. The pathologic LPR might be a possible risk factor in the development of laryngeal cancer. A further study should be necessary to verify the exact role of LPR in laryngeal cancer

Detection Rates of Bacteria in Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion in Children

This study was performed to investigate polymerase chain reaction-based detection of bacterial DNA in middle ear fluid and assess the correlation between the PCR-positive rate with several factors associated with middle ear effusion. The purpose was to gain a further understanding of bacterial infection as a major cause of otitis media with effusion. Of the 278 specimens of middle ear fluid, 39 (14%) tested positive by ordinary culture. The overall detection rate of bacterial DNA using the PCR method was 36.7% for middle ear effusion, and bacterial DNA detection rates of Hemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis in the middle ear effusion were 29.1%, 4.7% and 10.8%, respectively. The bacterial DNA detection rate was higher in ears with a history of acute otitis media than those without the history. High detection rates were observed in patients younger than 48 months who have had a higher tendency to present with acute otitis media. We concluded that PCR is a more sensitive method for the detection of bacteria in middle ear effusion than ordinary culture, and acute otitis media is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion

Protective and therapeutic effects of an extract mixture of alder tree, labiate herb, milk thistle green bean-rice bran fermentation, and turnip against ethanol-induced toxicity in the rat

An herbal extract mixture and yogurt added to the herbal extract mixture were tested for their protective and therapeutic effects on ethanol-induced liver injury. The herbal extract mixture, yogurt and commercial drugs were used for treatment for two weeks prior to administering a single oral dose of ethanol (3 g/kg body weight). The herbal extract mixture and yogurt added to the herbal extract mixture were found to provide protection against ethanol-induced toxicity comparable to the commercial drug treatment, according to the serum and histopathological analysis. It was also shown that co-treatment with herbal extract mixture and yogurt against a triple oral dose of ethanol (2 g/kg body weight, over one week) provided protection against ethanol toxicity. After the initial set of experiments, the herbal extract mixture and yogurt treatments were extended for three more weeks. When compared to the positive control, further treatment with both the herbal extract and yogurt significantly reduced liver injury and resulted in a lower grade of lipid deposition