ABSTRACT

No abstract

Glycolic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid derived from fruit and milk sugars, has been used commonly as a cosmetic ingredient since it was discovered to have photoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidant effects on ultraviolet (UV)B-irradiated skin. Little is known, however, about the functional role of glycolic acid on UV-induced skin tumorigenesis. In the present study, we examined the effect of glycolic acid on UV (UVA + UVB)-induced skin tumorigenesis and assessed several significant contributing factors in SKH-1 hairless mice. Inbred hairless female mice (15 animals/group) were irradiated for 5 d/wk at a total dose of 74.85 J/cm(2) UVA and 2.44 J/cm(2) UVB for 22 wk. Glycolic acid was applied topically twice a week at a dose of 8 mg/cm(2) immediately after UV irradiation. Glycolic acid reduced UV-induced skin tumor development. The protective effect of glycolic acid was a 20% reduction of skin tumor incidence, a 55% reduction of tumor multiplicity (average number of tumors/mouse), and a 47% decrease in the number of large tumors (larger than 2 mm). Glycolic acid also delayed the first appearance of tumor formation by about 3 wk. The inhibitory effect of glycolic acid on UV-induced tumor development was accompanied by decreased expression of the following UV-induced cell-cycle regulatory proteins: proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin D1, cyclin E, and the associated subunits cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (cdk2) and cdk4. In addition, the expression of p38 kinase, jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) also was lower in UV + glycolic acid-treated skin compared with expression in UV-irradiated skin. Moreover, transcription factors activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation was significantly lower in UV + glycolic acid-treated skin compared with activation in UV-irradiated skin. These results show that glycolic acid reduced UV-induced skin tumor development. The decreased expression of the cell-cycle regulatory proteins PCNA, cyclin D1, cyclin E, cdk2, and cdk4 and the signal mediators JNK, p38 kinase, and MEK may play a significant role in the inhibitory effect of glycolic acid on UV-induced skin tumor development. In addition, the inhibition of activation of transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappaB could contribute significantly to the inhibitory effect of glycolic acid.

YBO 3 :Tb fine particles with high photoluminescence were prepared by a spray pyrolysis process. The emission intensity of YBO 3 :Tb particles under vacuum ultraviolet ͑VUV͒ excitation was optimized by controlling the Tb content, excess quantity of boron, and heat-treatment temperature. The highest luminescent intensity under VUV excitation was obtained when 10 atom % Tb with respect to yttrium and 25% excess boron of the stoichiometric quantity were used at 1150°C post-treatment temperature. It was tried to simultaneously control the morphological and luminous properties of YBO 3 :Tb particles via the modification of the precursor solution to be sprayed. The YBO 3 :Tb particles prepared from a nitrate aqueous solution which was obtained by only dissolving yttrium nitrate, terbium nitrate, and boric acid in purified water showed rod-like morphology. When the nitrate aqueous solution was modified by NH 4 OH, however, the prepared particles had not only a spherical-like shape, but also fine and more uniform size distribution than the rod-like particles prepared and the commercial YBO 3 :Tb particles. In addition, the YBO 3 :Tb particles prepared from the NH 4 OH-assisted spray solution showed improved luminescent intensity compared with the particles with a rod-like shape. From X-ray diffraction analysis, it was found that an enhancement of the crystallinity of YBO 3 :Tb was achieved by using NH 4 OH as a chemical additive. Finally, the photoluminescence intensity of YBO 3 :Tb particles optimized in terms of the composition, heat-treatment condition, and morphology was higher than that of the commercial YBO 3 :Tb particles as well as Zn 2 SiO 4 :Mn.

No abstract

In recent years, the emergence of digital therapeutics as a novel approach to managing conditions has garnered significant attention. This approach involves using evidence-based therapeutic interventions that are facilitated by high-quality software programs to treat, manage, or prevent medical conditions. The incorporation of digital therapeutics into the Metaverse has increased the feasibility of their implementation and application in all areas of medical services. In urology, substantial digital therapeutics are being produced and researched, including mobile apps, bladder devices, pelvic floor muscle trainers, smart toilet systems, mixed reality-guided training and surgery, and training and telemedicine for urological consultations. The purpose of this review article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current impact of the Metaverse on the field of digital therapeutics and identify its current trends, applications, and future perspectives in the field of urology.

The homozygous deletion of the GSTM1 gene was associated with high lung cancer susceptibility, whereas the mEPHX genotype showed no significant connection with risk of lung cancer in a sample Korean population.

Recently, cognitive serious games have successfully been employed to train cognitive abilities in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and related disorders. However, despite the continuous rehabilitation game design and its applications, the existing cognitive exercise games fall short of user interaction and personalized elements with regard to difficult levels, which leads to users leaving early and losing interests during the gameplay. In this regard, the purpose of the study was to design and develop the serious game inclusive of playful elements for user motivation, the web-based mobile application system for easy accessibility, and Artificial Intelligence– (AI–) based difficulty level adjustment system for prevention from earlier leaving out in the middle of the play so that the elderly users can feel entertaining and immersed into the cognitive game voluntarily. This study was designed as an eight-week pilot experiment with thirty-seven participants in their 60s to 80s for the game’s usability assessment purpose. Results of the study showed that the AI-based cognitive exercise game was acceptable, interesting, and motivating for the elderly people and the test results before and after the eight-week training suggest a relationship between longer the training on the game and lower cognitive assessment scores including geriatric quality of life scale, geriatric depression scale, and Korean version of mini-mental state examination (MMSE). These correlations demonstrate the potential value of serious games in clinical assessment of cognitive status for the elderly users with varying cognitive ability. Based on these results, the elderly-centered serious game with playful element can be potentially used in clinical settings, allowing the cognitive training to be more enjoyable and more medically effective. Given these promising results, a more focused study can extend to the game system or additional game tools or features to be explored that solely target the elderly by applying AI and advanced visualization devices.