Synergistic multi-doping effects on the Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte for fast lithium ion conduction.

Here, we investigate the doping effects on the lithium ion transport behavior in garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) from the combined experimental and theoretical approach. The concentration of Li ion vacancy generated by the inclusion of aliovalent dopants such as Al(3+) plays a key role in stabilizing the cubic LLZO. However, it is found that the site preference of Al in 24d position hinders the three dimensionally connected Li ion movement when heavily doped according to the structural refinement and the DFT calculations. In this report, we demonstrate that the multi-doping using additional Ta dopants into the Al-doped LLZO shifts the most energetically favorable sites of Al in the crystal structure from 24d to 96 h Li site, thereby providing more open space for Li ion transport. As a result of these synergistic effects, the multi-doped LLZO shows about three times higher ionic conductivity of 6.14 × 10(-4) S cm(-1) than that of the singly-doped LLZO with a much less efforts in stabilizing cubic phases in the synthetic condition

Quality characteristics of rice inoculated with Inonotus obliquus mycelia and incubated under different cultivating conditions

This study was performed to investigate the quality characteristics of Inonotus obliquus mycelia rice incubated with I. obliquus (KCTC 256152). Different volumes of mycelial culture of I. obliquus were used for production of I. obliquus mycelia rice. Twenty percent of the mycelial culture was added to rice and designated as IOR-20, 30% as IOR-30 and 40% as IOR-40. Using the I. obliquus mycelia rice, the contents of β-1,3-glucan, betulin, total polyphenol and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazol (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, Hunter`s color values, free amino acid content, and mineral content were investigated. The β-1,3-glucan content in I. obliquus mycelia rice were in the order of IOR-30(729.7 μg/g) > IOR-20(716.0 μg/g) > IOR-40(690.5 μg/g) and those of betulin content were OR-30(1273.7 μg/g) > IOR-40 (1247.81 μg/g) > IOR-20 (1209.82 μg/g). The highest content of total polyphenols (353.6 μg/g) and activity of DPPH radical scavenging were observed in the IOR-30. The higher contents for β-1,3-glucan, betulin, polyphenol, and DPPH radical scavenging were found in 30% mycelial culture treatment, showing the best condition for the production of I. obliquus mycelia. Aspartic acid (10.28 to 29.44 μg/100 g), threonine (5.43 to 11.00 μg/100 g), serine (8.84 to 14.53 μg/100 g), glutamic acid (31.01 to 53.61 μg/100 g), glycine (4.77 to 10.26 μg/100 g), valine (2.93 to 6.57 μg/100 g), and lysine (5.20 to 14.41 μg/100 g) contents were determined in the I. obliquus mycelia rice and the order was as follows; IOR-20>IOR-30>IOR-40. The IOR-30 sample exhibited the highest levels of K(899.1±8.1 mg/kg), Mg(427.3±9.3 mg/kg), Ca(480.2±6.9 mg/kg), Na(296.1±9.2 mg/kg).Keywords: Rice, Inonotus obliquus (KCTC 256152), β-1,3-glucan, betulin, quality characteristicsAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(33), pp. 5131-513

Cognitive and behavioral effects of lamotrigine and carbamazepine monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed or untreated partial epilepsy

AbstractPurposeIn this prospective study, we compared the long-term cognitive and behavioral effects of lamotrigine (LTG) and carbamazepine (CBZ) in patients with newly diagnosed or untreated partial epilepsy.MethodsThis was a multicenter, open-label, randomized study that compared monotherapy with LTG and CBZ in newly diagnosed or untreated patients with partial epilepsy. We employed an 8-week titration period and a 40-week maintenance period. Neuropsychological tests, Symptom Check List-90, and QOLIE-31 were assessed at baseline, 16 weeks, and 48 weeks after drug treatment. A group-by-time interaction was the primary outcome measure and was analyzed by use of the linear mixed model.ResultsA total of 110 patients were eligible and 73 completed the 48-week study (LTG, n=39; CBZ, n=34). Among the cognitive tests, significant group-by-time interaction was identified only in phonemic fluency of Controlled Oral Word Association Task (p=0.0032) and Stroop Color–Word Interference (p=0.0283), with a significant better performance for LTG group. All other neuropsychological tests included did not show significant group-by-time interactions. Among the subscales of Symptom Check List-90, significant group-by-time interactions were identified in Obsessive-Compulsive (p=0.0005), Paranoid Ideation (p=0.0454), Global Severity Index (p=0.0194), and Positive Symptom Total (p=0.0197), with a significant improvement for CBZ group. QOLIE-31 did not show significant group-by-time interactions.ConclusionOur data suggest that epilepsy patients on LTG have better performance on phonemic fluency and the task of Stroop Color–Word Interference than do patients on CBZ, whereas patients on CBZ had more favorable behavioral effects on two subscales and two global scores of Symptom Check List-90 than did patients on LTG

Quercetin, the active phenolic component in kiwifruit, prevents hydrogen peroxide-induced inhibition of gap-junction intercellular communication

We evaluated the effects of the two main kiwifruit cultivars (gold kiwifruit (GOK) and green kiwifruit (GRK)) and their active phenolic compound, quercetin, on H2O2-induced inhibition of gap-junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells. We found that both GOK and GRK protect WB-F344 cells from H2O2-induced inhibition of GJIC. The extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)-connexin 43 (Cx43) signalling pathway is crucial for the regulation of GJIC, and both GOK and GRK blocked the H2O2-induced phosphorylation of Cx43 and ERK1/2 in WB-F344 cells. Quercetin alone attenuated the H2O2-mediated ERK1/2-Cx43 signalling pathway and consequently reversed H2O2-mediated inhibition of GJIC in WB-F344 cells. A free radical-scavenging assay using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl showed that the scavenging activity of quercetin was higher than that of a synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene, per mol, suggesting that the chemopreventive effect of quercetin on H2O2-mediated inhibition of ERK1/2-Cx43 signalling and GJIC may be mediated through its free radical-scavenging activity. Since the carcinogenicity of reactive oxygen species such as H2O2 is attributable to the inhibition of GJIC, GOK, GRK and quercetin may have chemopreventive potential by preventing the inhibition of GJI

Anesthetic management of an adult patient with Rett syndrome and limited mouth opening -A case report-

Rett syndrome is a neurological disease that occurs only in females and it manifests with mental retardation, seizures, movement disorders, autistic behavior and abnormal breathing. A 19-year-old female with Rett syndrome underwent ophthalmologic surgery under general anesthesia at our institution. Airway control was difficult due to her limited mouth opening. We recommend that anesthesiologists should have proper knowledge about this disease and the patients to avoid the complications and problems that can be encountered during the perioperative period

Usefulness of Pain Distribution Pattern Assessment in Decision-Making for the Patients with Lumbar Zygapophyseal and Sacroiliac Joint Arthropathy

There are currently no initial guides for the diagnosis of somatic referred pain of lumbar zygapophyseal joint (LZJ) or sacroiliac joint (SIJ). We developed a classification system of LZJ and SIJ pain, the "pain distribution pattern template (PDPT)" depending on the pain distribution patterns from a pool of 200 patients whose spinal pain source was confirmed. We prospectively applied the PDPT to determine its contribution to clinical decision-making for 419 patients whose pain was presumed to arise from the LZJs (259 patients) or SIJs (160 patients). Forty-nine percent (128/259) of LZJ and 46% (74/160) of SIJ arthopathies diagnosed by PDPT were confirmed by nerve blocks. Diagnostic reliabilities were significantly higher in Type A and C patterns in LZJ and Type C in SIJ arthropathies, 64%, 80%, and 68.4%, respectively. For both LZJ and SIJ arthropathies, favorable outcome after radiofrequency (RF) neurotomies was similar to the rate of positive responses to diagnostic blocks in Type A to Type D, whereas the outcome was unpredictable in those with undetermined type (Type E). Considering the paucity of currently available diagnostic methods for LZJ and SIJ arthropathies, PDPT is useful in clinical decision-making as well as in predicting the treatment outcome

Cigarette Smoking and Risk of Lung Cancer in Korean Men: The Seoul Male Cancer Cohort Study

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Korea. The aim of this study was to estimate lung cancer risk of cigarette smoking in Korean men by a 10-yr follow-up prospective cohort study using the primary databases. The number of subjects was 14,272 men, who had full information of smoking habits among participants in the Seoul Male Cancer Cohort Study (SMCC). Total 125,053 person-years were calculated by determining the number of days from the start of follow-up, January 1, 1993, until the date of lung cancer diagnosis, death from another cause, or the end of follow-up, December 31, 2002, followed by converting the number of days to years. The information of outcome was obtained by the database of Korea Central Cancer Registry, Seoul Regional Cancer Registry, and Korea Statistical Office. The relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) values of smoking were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression stratified on potential confounders. During the follow-up periods, 78 cases of lung cancer occurred. The cigarette smoking is the major risk factor and increases the 4.18-fold risk of lung cancer in Korean men. In order to control lung cancer, intervention of quitting smoking is needed

Clinical Relevance of Pain Patterns in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Few studies have been conducted to explain the pain patterns resulting from osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). We analyzed pain patterns to elucidate the pain mechanism and to provide initial guide for the management of OVCFs. Sixty-four patients underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (N=55) or kyphoplasty (N=9). Three pain patterns were formulized to classify pains due to OVCFs: midline paravertebral (Type A), diffuse paravertebral (Type B), and remote lumbosacral pains (Type C). The degree of compression was measured using scale of deformity index, kyphosis rate, and kyphosis angle. Numerical rating scores were serially measured to determine the postoperative outcomes. As vertebral body height (VBH) decreased, paravertebral pain became more enlarged and extended anteriorly (p<0.05). Type A and B patterns significantly showed the reverse relationship with deformity index (p<0.05), yet Type C pattern was not affected by deformity index. Postoperative pain severity was significantly improved (p<0.05), and patients with a limited pain distribution showed a more favorable outcome (p<0.05). The improvement was closely related with the restoration of VBH, but not with kyphosis rate or angle. Thus, pain pattern study is useful not only as a guide in decision making for the management of patients with OVCF, but also in predicting the treatment outcome

Multifunctional nanoparticles as a tissue adhesive and an injectable marker for image-guided procedures

Tissue adhesives have emerged as an alternative to sutures and staples for wound closure and reconnection of injured tissues after surgery or trauma. Owing to their convenience and effectiveness, these adhesives have received growing attention particularly in minimally invasive procedures. For safe and accurate applications, tissue adhesives should be detectable via clinical imaging modalities and be highly biocompatible for intracorporeal procedures. However, few adhesives meet all these requirements. Herein, we show that biocompatible tantalum oxide/silica core/shell nanoparticles (TSNs) exhibit not only high contrast effects for real-time imaging but also strong adhesive properties. Furthermore, the biocompatible TSNs cause much less cellular toxicity and less inflammation than a clinically used, imageable tissue adhesive (that is, a mixture of cyanoacrylate and Lipiodol). Because of their multifunctional imaging and adhesive property, the TSNs are successfully applied as a hemostatic adhesive for minimally invasive procedures and as an immobilized marker for image-guided procedures.