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SummaryFollowing ovulation, oocytes undergo a time-dependent deterioration in quality referred to as post-ovulatory ageing. Although various factors influence the post-ovulatory ageing of oocytes, oxidative stress is a key factor involved in deterioration of oocyte quality. Artemisia asiatica Nakai ex Pamp. has been widely used in East Asia as a food ingredient and traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Recent studies have shown that A. asiatica exhibits antioxidative effects. In this study, we investigated whether A. asiatica has the potential to attenuate deterioration in oocyte quality during post-ovulatory ageing. Freshly ovulated mouse oocytes were cultured with 0, 50, 100 or 200 μg/ml ethanol extracts of A. asiatica Nakai ex Pamp. After culture for up to 24 h, various ageing-induced oocyte abnormalities, including morphological changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, apoptosis, chromosome and spindle defects, and mitochondrial aggregation were determined. Treatment of oocytes with A. asiatica extracts reduced ageing-induced morphological changes. Moreover, A. asiatica extracts decreased ROS generation and the onset of apoptosis by preventing elevation of the Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio during post-ovulatory ageing. Furthermore, A. asiatica extracts attenuated the ageing-induced abnormalities including spindle defects, chromosome misalignment and mitochondrial aggregation. Our results demonstrate that A. asiatica can relieve deterioration in oocyte quality and delay the onset of apoptosis during post-ovulatory ageing.

Minimally invasive treatment of symptomatic thyroid nodules is now commonplace. Ethanol ablation (EA) of thyroid cystic nodules has been performed since the 1990s, but there is no global consensus or guideline. Although various limitations of EA have been described, recommendations for practical application are necessary. Therefore, the Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology initiated the present consensus statement and here we provide recommendations for the role of EA in the management of symptomatic thyroid nodules. These recommendations are based on evidence to date from the literature and expert opinion.

The Healthy City program is a comprehensive health promotion program implemented by local governments to improve citizens’ health. The Healthy City program aims to improve citizens’ quality of life through health promotion activities in daily life. It also improves health by eliminating health risk factors and increasing citizens’ happiness. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the Healthy City program on the happiness index of local residents and the correlation between the Healthy City program and the happiness index using quality of life as a parameter. We conducted a questionnaire survey of residents of Seoul, where Healthy City networks are actively promoted. A total of 392 responses were obtained. Structural equations were used to analyze the collected data. The Healthy City program had positive effects on the happiness index. In other words, it increased the happiness index by improving the health of the local residents. Relevant policy efforts are also being made to advance health services through Healthy City programs. For an effective Healthy City program, it is necessary to implement policies regarding health equity, to expand Healthy City programs based on a settings approach, and to implement a sustainable Healthy City program through the establishment of Healthy City governance.

Abstract The reaction mechanism of copper-electroless deposition (Cu-ELD) under various electrolyte conditions was investigated by in-situ and ex-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses using an attenuated total reflection-liquid cell. In the analysis of the surface reaction, we found that gem-diol (CH 2 (OH)O), which is the hydrated form of formaldehyde, was oxidized to HCOO − by the Pd catalyst, thereby generating H 2 O at room temperature. In this case, copper nuclei were generated around the Pd catalyst and developed to form a dense Cu film, which may have resulted in “bottom-up growth” in the via filling process. At 60 °C, however, the spontaneous oxidation of gem-diol was observed in our FTIR analysis, even without a Pd catalyst. Therefore, Cu-ethylenediaminetetraacetate was spontaneously reduced in the electrolyte, and then precipitated onto the Si surface. In this case, the surface morphology of the as-grown copper film was very coarse and it exhibited poor surface adhesion. Furthermore, when the Cu-ELD was performed on Pd/Si at 60 °C, the surface reaction catalyzed by the Pd particles occurred simultaneously with the spontaneous reaction in the electrolyte. Based on these results, we concluded that optimization of the Cu-ELD process requires the suppression of this spontaneous reaction by either modifying the electrolyte or using additives.

Patrinia villosa (Thunb.) Juss is a traditional herb commonly used in East Asia including Korea, Japan, and China. It has been administered to reduce and treat inflammation in Donguibogam, Korea. The mechanism for its anti-inflammatory effects has already been reported. In this study, we confirmed the efficacy of Patrinia villosa (Thunb.) Juss ethanol extract (Pv-EE) for inducing autophagy and investigate its anti-melanogenic properties. Melanin secretion and content were investigated using cells from the melanoma cell line B16F10. Pv-EE inhibited melanin in melanogenesis induced by α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). The mechanism of inhibition of Pv-EE was confirmed by suppressing the mRNA of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), decreasing the phosphorylation level of CREB, and increasing the phosphorylation of ERK. Finally, it was confirmed that Pv-EE induces autophagy through the autophagy markers LC3B and p62, and that the anti-melanogenic effect of Pv-EE is inhibited by the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyl adenine (3-MA). These results suggest that Pv-EE may be used as a skin protectant due to its anti-melanin properties including autophagy.

To compare the attenuating effects of milrinone versus nitroglycerin on pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increase caused by repeat intravenous bolus injection of absolute ethanol in anesthetized dogs.Twenty-four dogs were randomly distributed into three groups: a control group (group C), a nitroglycerin group (treated with a continuous infusion of nitroglycerin at 5.0 microg/kg/min; group N), and a milrinone group (treated with a continuous infusion of milrinone at 3.0 microg/kg/min after an initial bolus dose of 100 microg/kg; group M). Absolute ethanol (0.1 mL/kg) was injected at 10-minute intervals via a 5-F angiographic catheter advanced into the proximal portion of the inferior vena cava. Immediately before and after each intravenous injection of absolute ethanol, hemodynamic values were obtained through a pulmonary arterial catheter.Group M showed more stable hemodynamic values of systolic, mean, and diastolic PAP and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) compared with groups C and N. In addition, group M showed significantly higher values of cardiac output versus group C at 10 minutes after the 10th bolus of ethanol. After restoration of spontaneous breathing, group M also showed the least hemodynamic changes in systolic, mean, and diastolic PAPs and PVR among the groups.Although a continuous infusion of nitroglycerin or milrinone effectively prevented cardiovascular deterioration, milrinone was superior to nitroglycerin in managing the acute hemodynamic changes that resulted from repeated intravenous bolus injections of absolute ethanol (0.1 mL/kg) in healthy anesthetized dogs.

Abstract Background Cleansing of the vulva and perineum is recommended during preparation for vaginal delivery, and special attention is paid to cleansing before episiotomy because episiotomy is known to increase the risk of perineal wound infection and/or dehiscence. However, the optimal method of perineal cleansing has not been established, including the choice of antiseptic agent. To address this issue, we designed a randomized controlled trial to examine whether skin preparation with chlorhexidine-alcohol is superior to povidone-iodine for the prevention of perineal wound infection after vaginal delivery. Methods In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, term pregnant women who plan to deliver vaginally after episiotomy will be enrolled. The participants will be randomly assigned to use antiseptic agents for perineal cleansing (povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine-alcohol). The primary outcome is superficial or deep perineal wound infection within 30 days after vaginal delivery. The secondary outcomes are the length of hospital stay, physician office visits, or hospital readmission for infection-related complications, endometritis, skin irritations, and allergic reactions. Discussion This study will be the first randomized controlled trial aiming to determine the optimal antiseptic agent for the prevention of perineal wound infections after vaginal delivery. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05122169. First submitted date on 8 November 2021. First posted date on 16 November 2021

Experiments on hole transport in DNA have been interpreted as showing that a hole introduced onto a guanine (G) followed by a series of adenines (As) in a DNA duplex travels through the first three As by tunneling and then, with thermal energy, makes the transition onto the bridge of As. It has been widely believed that, once on the bridge, the hole is localized on a single A and proceeds by hopping between As. In the experiments, the holes on the A bridge diffuse, with little attenuation, until trapped by a GGG sequence. Recently, it has been discovered by Bixon and Jortner that the model of tunneling followed by hopping between As cannot account for the very weak dependence on bridge size of the relative chemical yields and the ratios of the rates for the two processes. In earlier calculations, we have shown that interaction with water results in the hole becoming a polaron spread over approximately four As. According to these calculations, the energy of the hole on the polaron is decreased so much that it is lower than that of the hole on G and even that of GGG. Estimates of energy fluctuations, due to fluctuations in the environment and conformational changes of the DNA, find them to be large enough so that GGG, and even G, can still act as hole traps, but trapping on the former is still very much more likely because of its lower energy.