Effect of 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitor on Storage Symptoms in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Purpose Many patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) have storage symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of treatment with a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5ARI) on storage symptoms in patients with BPH. Methods This study was conducted in 738 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to BPH. Patients with a prostate volume of higher than 30 mL on the transrectal ultrasound were classified into two groups: group A, in which an alpha blocker was solely administered for at least 12 months, and group B, in which a combination treatment regimen of an alpha blocker plus 5ARI was used. This was followed by an analysis of the changes in parameters such as the total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), voiding symptom subscore, and storage symptom subscore between the two groups. In addition, we examined whether there was a significant difference between the two groups in the degree of change in storage symptoms between before and after the pharmacological treatment. Results Of the 738 men, 331 had a prostate volume ≥30 mL, including 150 patients in group A and 181 patients in group B. Total IPSS, the voiding symptom subscore, and the storage symptom subscore were significantly lower after treatment than before treatment in both groups (P<0.05). A comparison of the degree of change between before and after treatment, however, showed no significant differences in the storage symptom subscore between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Alpha blocker and 5ARI combination treatment is effective for patients with BPH including storage symptoms. However, 5ARI does not exert a significant effect on storage symptoms in BPH patients

Real-Time Monitoring of Neural Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing

Stem cells are useful for cell replacement therapy. Stem cell differentiation must be monitored thoroughly and precisely prior to transplantation. In this study we evaluated the usefulness of electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) for in vitro real-time monitoring of neural differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). We cultured hMSCs in neural differentiation media (NDM) for 6 days and examined the time-course of impedance changes with an ECIS array. We also monitored the expression of markers for neural differentiation, total cell count, and cell cycle profiles. Cellular expression of neuron and oligodendrocyte markers increased. The resistance value of cells cultured in NDM was automatically measured in real-time and found to increase much more slowly over time compared to cells cultured in non-differentiation media. The relatively slow resistance changes observed in differentiating MSCs were determined to be due to their lower growth capacity achieved by induction of cell cycle arrest in G0/G1. Overall results suggest that the relatively slow change in resistance values measured by ECIS method can be used as a parameter for slowly growing neural-differentiating cells. However, to enhance the competence of ECIS for in vitro real-time monitoring of neural differentiation of MSCs, more elaborate studies are needed

Feasibility of video-based real-time nystagmus tracking: a lightweight deep learning model approach using ocular object segmentation

BackgroundEye movement tests remain significantly underutilized in emergency departments and primary healthcare units, despite their superior diagnostic sensitivity compared to neuroimaging modalities for the differential diagnosis of acute vertigo. This underutilization may be attributed to a potential lack of awareness regarding these tests and the absence of appropriate tools for detecting nystagmus. This study aimed to develop a nystagmus measurement algorithm using a lightweight deep-learning model that recognizes the ocular regions.MethodThe deep learning model was used to segment the eye regions, detect blinking, and determine the pupil center. The model was trained using images extracted from video clips of a clinical battery of eye movement tests and synthesized images reproducing real eye movement scenarios using virtual reality. Each eye image was annotated with segmentation masks of the sclera, iris, and pupil, with gaze vectors of the pupil center for eye tracking. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of model performance and its execution speeds in comparison to various alternative models using metrics that are suitable for the tasks.ResultsThe mean Intersection over Union values of the segmentation model ranged from 0.90 to 0.97 for different classes (sclera, iris, and pupil) across types of images (synthetic vs. real-world images). Additionally, the mean absolute error for eye tracking was 0.595 for real-world data and the F1 score for blink detection was ≥ 0.95, which indicates our model is performing at a very high level of accuracy. Execution speed was also the most rapid for ocular object segmentation under the same hardware condition as compared to alternative models. The prediction for horizontal and vertical nystagmus in real eye movement video revealed high accuracy with a strong correlation between the observed and predicted values (r = 0.9949 for horizontal and r = 0.9950 for vertical; both p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe potential of our model, which can automatically segment ocular regions and track nystagmus in real time from eye movement videos, holds significant promise for emergency settings or remote intervention within the field of neurotology

Akt1-Inhibitor of DNA binding2 is essential for growth cone formation and axon growth and promotes central nervous system axon regeneration.

Mechanistic studies of axon growth during development are beneficial to the search for neuron-intrinsic regulators of axon regeneration. Here, we discovered that, in the developing neuron from rat, Akt signaling regulates axon growth and growth cone formation through phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) on Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2). This enhances Id2 protein stability by means of escape from proteasomal degradation, and steers its localization to the growth cone, where Id2 interacts with radixin that is critical for growth cone formation. Knockdown of Id2, or abrogation of Id2 phosphorylation at S14, greatly impairs axon growth and the architecture of growth cone. Intriguingly, reinstatement of Akt/Id2 signaling after injury in mouse hippocampal slices redeemed growth promoting ability, leading to obvious axon regeneration. Our results suggest that Akt/Id2 signaling is a key module for growth cone formation and axon growth, and its augmentation plays a potential role in CNS axonal regeneration

Ag Seed-Layer Formation by Electroless Plating for Ultra-Large-Scale Integration Interconnection

A high density of Pd catalytic particles is an important factor for obtaining a uniform and continuous Ag seed layer in electroless plating. Adequate surface pretreatment is critical for the formation of such a Pd catalytic particle population. In this study, electroless plating of Ag thin films on TiN substrates was performed using Sn sensitization and Pd activation as pretreatment methods. Sn surface sensitization improves surface wetting and aids in the formation of a Pd catalytic layer in surface-oxidative Pd activation. The Pd activation supported by Sn sensitization also accelerated the formation of a continuous thin Ag film. Furthermore, a thin Ag seed layer deposited on a patterned structure showed excellent conformality.This work was supported by KOSEF through the Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage, and the Institute of Chemical Processing in Seoul National University

Strong Contrast Stagnation of Unilateral Vertebral Artery on Three-Dimensional Black Blood-Enhanced MRI Predicts Acute Medulla Infarction

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate angiographic and contrast enhancement (CE) patterns on three-dimensional (3D) black blood (BB) contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with acute medulla infarction. Materials and Methods From January 2020 to August 2021, we retrospectively analyzed stroke 3D BB contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) findings of patients visiting the emergency room for symptom evaluation of acute medulla infarction. In total, 28 patients with acute medulla infarction were enrolled in this study. Four types of 3D BB contrast-enhanced MRI and MRA were classified as follows: 1=unilateral contrast-enhanced vertebral artery (VA)+no visualization of VA on MRA; 2=unilateral enhanced VA+hypoplastic VA; 3=no enhanced VA+unilateral complete occlusion of VA; 4=no enhanced VA+normal VA (including hypoplasia) on MRA. Results Of the 28 patients with acute medulla infarction, 7 (25.0%) showed delayed positive findings after 24 hours on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Of these patients, 19 (67.9%) showed CE of the unilateral VA on 3D BB contrast-enhanced MRI (type 1 and 2). Of the 19 patients with CE of VA on 3D BB contrast-enhanced MRI, 18 showed no visualization of enhanced VA on MRA (type 1), and 1 showed hypoplastic VA. Of the 7 patients with delayed positive findings on DWI, 5 showed CE of the unilateral VA and no visualization of the enhanced VA on MRA (type 1). Symptom onset to door time or initial MR check time was significantly shorter in the groups with delayed positive findings on DWI (P<0.05). Conclusion Unilateral CE on 3D BB contrast-enhanced MRI and no visualization of the VA on MRA are related to the recent occlusion of the distal VA. These findings suggest that the recent occlusion of the distal VA is related to acute medulla infarction, including delayed visualization on DWI

Patterned Si thin film electrodes for enhancing structural stability

A patterned film (electrode) with lozenge-shaped Si tiles could be successfully fabricated by masking with an expanded metal foil during film deposition. Its electrochemical properties and structural stability during the charge-discharge process were examined and compared with those of a continuous (conventional) film electrode. The patterned electrode exhibited a remarkably improved cycleability (75% capacity retention after 120 cycles) and an enhanced structural stability compared to the continuous electrode. The good electrochemical performance of the patterned electrode was attributed to the space between Si tiles that acted as a buffer against the volume change of the Si electrode

Local Corrosion of the Oxide Passivation Layer during Cu Chemical Mechanical Polishing

In this article, we analyze the effect of complexing agents in Cu chemical mechanical polishing slurry on the formation of oxide and the evolution of stress. The passivation property and surface morphology of the oxide on the surface showed significant differences depending on the kind of complexing agent. Oxalic acid showed fast oxide formation with poor passivation performance, and this caused large tensile stress evolution over 250 MPa in the Cu film. The synergetic effect of stress evolution and temperature increase due to the friction during the polishing caused severe pitting of the Cu surface after polishing in oxalic-acidbased slurry.This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation through the Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage, the Fundamental Research and Development Program for Core Technology of Materials funded by the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy, and by the Institute of Chemical Processes at Seoul National University