Morning Glory Syndrome associated with Autosomal Dominant Alport Syndrome with a Heterozygous Mutation

Morning glory syndrome (MGS) is a rare congenital optic disc anomaly with a characteristic fundal finding with severe visual impairment. It may occur in association with various systemic manifestations, even though most of the reported cases were isolated. A 6-year-old male visited the nephrology clinic with a history of microscopic hematuria and at the age of 12 years, he was diagnosed thin glomerular basement membrane nephropathy by kidney biopsy. After the following years, the patient had progressive deterioration of visual acuity, and diagnosed as MGS. Whole Exome Sequencing of this patient and his mother revealed heterozygous COL4A4 mutations [c.81_86del (p.Ile29_Leu30del)]. It is more reasonable to consider MGS seen in this patient as a coincidental finding of autosomal dominant Alport syndrome. To our knowledge, this case represents the first case report of autosomal dominant Alport syndrome associated with MGS

Comparative Analysis Of Energy Expenditure Assessments From The Graded Exercise Test Vs. Galaxy Watch And Apple Watch In Korean College Students During A 30-minute Workout: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES In the modern era, there is heightened interest in understanding energy expenditure during exercise. Consequently, wearable devices such as the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch have emerged as pivotal tools for daily health monitoring, given their convenience and increasing popularity. This study aimed to compare the calculated energy expenditure derived from the graded exercise test with readings from Galaxy and Apple Watches during a 30-min exercise session among Korean university students. Through this, we anticipate offering both motivation and clear insights into energy expenditure, thereby potentially aiding in weight management strategies for contemporary individuals. METHODS This study involved 27 college students from Korea National University of Transportation in Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. We utilized COSMED's exercise load respiratory gas analysis system (Quark-CPET, COSMED, Rome, Italy), along with the Galaxy Watch (Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung, Seoul, Korea) and the Apple Watch (Apple watch series 5, Apple, Cupertino, USA) for measurements. Energy expenditure was monitored in real-time every 5 min throughout the 30-min exercise session. For statistical evaluations, we employed a one-way analysis of variance. Subsequent post-tests utilized the Tukey post-hoc test and Pearson correlation, with a significance level set at p0.05). Conversely, a notable difference was observed when comparing energy expenditure data from the graded exercise test to that of the Apple Watch for time intervals of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min (p>0.05), although the 5-min interval did not exhibit a significant difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, a robust positive correlation was evident between the energy expenditure values derived from the graded exercise test and those from both the Galaxy Watch (r=0.952, p<0.001) and the Apple Watch (r=0.917, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both devices demonstrated high reliability in calculating energy expenditure. Notably, the Galaxy Watch exhibited a more precise calculation compared to the Apple Watch, with a relative reliability margin of 3.5% higher. For individuals, especially those struggling with obesity, precise wearable devices that accurately reflect energy consumption can significantly boost motivation for exercise. Consequently, this study lays a foundation for future advancements in energy expenditure measurement tools, emphasizing enhanced convenience, reliability, and mobility

Injectable Human Hair Keratin–Fibrinogen Hydrogels for Engineering 3D Microenvironments to Accelerate Oral Tissue Regeneration

Traumatic injury of the oral cavity is atypical and often accompanied by uncontrolled bleeding and inflammation. Injectable hydrogels have been considered to be promising candidates for the treatment of oral injuries because of their simple formulation, minimally invasive application technique, and site-specific delivery. Fibrinogen-based hydrogels have been widely explored as effective materials for wound healing in tissue engineering due to their uniqueness. Recently, an injectable foam has taken the spotlight. However, the fibrin component of this biomaterial is relatively stiff. To address these challenges, we created keratin-conjugated fibrinogen (KRT-FIB). This study aimed to develop a novel keratin biomaterial and assess cell–biomaterial interactions. Consequently, a novel injectable KRT-FIB hydrogel was optimized through rheological measurements, and its injection performance, swelling behavior, and surface morphology were investigated. We observed an excellent cell viability, proliferation, and migration/cell–cell interaction, indicating that the novel KRT-FIB-injectable hydrogel is a promising platform for oral tissue regeneration with a high clinical applicability

Molybdenum Carbide Anchored on N,S Co-Doped Carbon Composite Derived from Lignosulfonate as a High Performance Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A composite of Mo2C nanoparticles dispersed onto a nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon scaffold (Mo2C/N,S-C) was prepared by a simple and environmentally friendly method of one-pot annealing of MoCl5, urea, and lignosulfonate under a N2 atmosphere at 700 °C. Lignosulfonate, a by-product of the sulfite pulping process, was employed as a feedstock to fabricate the S-doped carbon scaffold and carbide simultaneously, and urea acted as a nitrogen source for N-doping to carbon. The as-prepared Mo2C/N,S-C catalyst showed high performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with a small overpotential of 105 mV at 10 mAcm−2, and good stability for 3000 cycles. The improved HER performance of the Mo2C/N,S-C originated from the interplay between the highly active Mo2C nanoparticles and the N,S co-doped carbon scaffold with its high electrical conductivity and large surface area. Furthermore, N,S co-doping to carbon improved the hydrophilicity of the catalyst surface, thus further enhancing the HER activity

Wireless Low Power Light Emitting Device with RGB LED

Color therapy is a type of alternative medicine. It utilizes the emission of a specific wavelength of light to treat diseased areas. This study presents a wireless, low-power light-emitting device with RGB LED to conduct color therapy. The device is small-sized, adhesive to the skin, and without a tether line for power or communication. Aided by the property of skin adhesiveness, the device provides a therapeutic effect comparable to that of available devices, over a short radiation distance and consumes low power. The therapeutic dosage parameters including color wavelength combination, LED brightness, and illumination time can be regulated through the smartphone application. The wavelength consistency over intensities and the intensity accuracy were validated. With effective calibration, the emission of light by the LED can be effectively regulated to ensure therapeutic effects

Profiling of In Vitro Bioaccessibility and Intestinal Uptake of Flavonoids after Consumption of Commonly Available Green Tea Types

The aim of this study was to profile the bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption of epicatechins and flavonols in different forms of green tea and its formulation: loose leaf tea, powdered tea, 35% catechins containing GTE, and GTE formulated with green tea-derived polysaccharide and flavonols (CATEPLUS™). The bioaccessibillity and intestinal absorption of epicatechins and flavonols was investigated by using an in vitro digestion model system with Caco-2 cells. The bioaccessibility of total epicatechins in loose leaf tea, powdered tea, GTE, and CATEPLUS™ was 1.27%, 2.30%, 22.05%, and 18.72%, respectively, showing that GTE and CATEPLUS™ had significantly higher bioaccessibility than powdered tea and loose leaf tea. None of the flavonols were detected in powdered tea and loose leaf tea, but the bioaccessibility of the total flavonols in GTE and CATEPLUS™ was 85.74% and 66.98%, respectively. The highest intestinal absorption of epicatechins was found in CATEPLUS™ (171.39 ± 5.39 ng/mg protein) followed by GTE (57.38 ± 9.31), powdered tea (3.60 ± 0.67), and loose leaf tea (2.94 ± 1.03). The results from the study suggest that formulating green tea extracts rich in catechins with second components obtained from green tea processing could enhance the bioavailability of epicatechins

Association of Dietary Patterns with Weight Status and Metabolic Risk Factors among Children and Adolescents

Unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with obesity in children and adolescents. However, few studies have investigated the relationships between dietary patterns and obesity-related metabolic disorders among Asians. We identified dietary patterns in children and adolescents and examined the associations between these patterns and obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in South Korea. This study is a cross-sectional design. We used baseline data from an intervention study of 435 Korean children and adolescents aged 6–17 years. Insulin resistance was assessed as HOMA-IR ≥ 2.6. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed by cardiovascular disease risk factor clustering. Dietary intakes were estimated using 3-day food records. Factor analysis was used to obtain dietary patterns, and we examined the associations between dietary patterns and obesity-related markers adjusted for potential covariates. Three dietary patterns were identified as fast food and soda (FFS), white rice and kimchi (WRK), and oil and seasoned vegetable (OSV) patterns. Compared with participants in the lower intake of FFS pattern, those in the top intake were associated with a higher waist circumference (WC) (β = 1.55), insulin level (β = 1.25), and body mass index (BMI) (β = 0.53) and it was positively associated with HOMA-IR ≥ 2.6 (OR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.227–3.638) (p &lt; 0.05). WRK pattern was associated with lower weight and higher HDL cholesterol, and the OSV pattern was associated with a lower weight, WC, and insulin level (p &lt; 0.05). The FFS pattern showed a positive relation with WC, serum insulin, and BMI, and the other two dietary patterns indicated a preventive effect of those parameters. The FFS pattern was associated with significantly elevated insulin resistance among children and adolescents