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Onion (Allium cepa L.) peels were extracted by ethanol, hot water and subcritical water (SW) extraction and their antioxidant activities were evaluated. Extraction yields of SW extraction were 4-fold higher than ethanol extraction. However, the ethanol extraction increased the total phenolics contents (327.5 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoids contents (183.95 mg QE/g extract) in the onion peel extract. The onion peel extracts by ethanol extraction showed greater DPPH radical scavenging activities and greater antioxidant activities determined by ferric thiocyanate assay than those by hot water extraction and SW extraction at 165°C. Antioxidant activity of onion peel extract by SW extraction at 110°C was similar to that of ethanol extraction. HPLC profiles revealed that SW extraction at lower temperature (110°C) increased the concentration of quercetin. These results demonstrated that the onion peel extracts produced by SW extraction technique have great potential as a source for useful antioxidant.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of a novel flavonoid, 7-O-butyl naringenin, as well as natural flavonoids (quercetin, naringenin) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). 7-O-butyl naringenin showed great anti-MRSA, with a MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value of 0.625 mM. The number of cells treated with 25 μM 7-O-butyl naringenin was reduced by 5.2 log CFU/mL compared with the control (DMSO). The result indicated that 7-O-butyl naringenin was more effective than the two natural flavonoids against MRSA, and may have potential as a novel therapeutic agent for MRSA infections.

Antioxidant and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of citrus (Citrus unshiu) peel extracts and their acid hydrolysates were evaluated. Citrus peel extracts were extracted by subcritical water, hot water, and ethanol. Subcritical water extraction led to extract more phenolic compounds than hot water or ethanol extraction. Acid hydrolysis more than doubled the extracts’ total phenolics and flavonoids. Acid hydrolysates showed greater DPPH-radical scavenging activities and antioxidant activities, as assayed by β-carotene bleaching and ferric thiocyanate, than the initial extracts. Anti-inflammatory activities of citrus peel extracts and hydrolysates, determined by the inhibition of hyaluronidase activity, showed that the inhibition activities of hot water and ethanol extracts increased from 2.1 and 1.8% to 37.0 and 18.5%, respectively, upon acid hydrolysis; however, the anti-inflammatory activity of the subcritical water extract was not improved. These results indicated that acid hydrolysis of citrus peel extracts regardless of their extraction methods improved the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidative effects of the onion peels extract prepared via the subcritical water extraction (SWE) method. First, the number of cells treated with the extract was reduced by 0.7–1.1 log CFU/mL compared with the control. The SWE extract showed 76.08% scavenging activity and it was more effective than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) at 61.3 ppm in lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects. In addition, the antioxidative effect of SWE extract measured via the ferric thiocyanate (FTC) method was 2-fold that of BHT. The results of this study suggest that the onion peels extract prepared via the SWE method may have potential alternative antimicrobial and antioxidative effects as functional substances.

In this study, the antimicrobial effects of an onion peel extract prepared using subcritical water extraction (SWE) were assessed for possible development into new bio-functional materials. The extraction temperatures were controlled to 110 and 160°C. At 0.15, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 mg extract/mL of broth, the growth inhibition and bactericidal activity of SWE extracts against Bacillus cereus KCCM 40935 and KCCM 11341 were compared with those of ethanol and hot-water extracts. In the case of B. cereus KCCM 40935, it appeared that over 0.6 mg/mL of SWE (110°C) extract exerted a bactericidal effect, and 1.2 mg/mL of SWE (160°C) extract exerted a bacteriostatic effect during culturing, and also that B. cereus KCCM 11341 was more resistant than B. cereus KCCM 40935. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that the death time of 107 CFU/mL of B. cereus KCCM 40935 treated with SWE (110°C) extract at 1.2 mg/mL was 60 min at maximum in 0.8% NaCl. Additionally, the cells damaged by SWE extract were observed with a SEM. It was suggested that an extract of onion peels prepared via SWE (110°C) could be used as a functional biomaterial for the food or pharmaceutical industries.

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition with an unpredictable trajectory, making effective communication between patients and healthcare providers crucial for optimizing outcomes. This study aims to investigate and compare the communication needs regarding HF trajectory and palliative care between patients and healthcare providers and to identify factors associated with the communication needs of patients with HF. A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 100 patients with HF and 35 healthcare providers. Data were collected using structured questionnaires assessing communication needs, health literacy, self-care behavior, and social support. Statistical analyses were performed, including Spearman's rank correlation, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analyses. Patients prioritized communication related to device-related questions, whereas healthcare providers focused more on aspects of HF in daily life. Both groups ranked end-of-life communication as the lowest priority. The communication needs of patients were positively correlated with health literacy (r = 0.27, p = .007), self-care behavior (r = 0.32, p = .001), and social support (r = 0.24, p = .016). Multiple regression analyses indicated that self-care behavior was a significant factor influencing the communication needs of patients (β = 0.27, p = .011). Enhanced patient-centered communication strategies are required to address the communication priority gaps between patients and healthcare providers. Improving health literacy, supporting self-care behaviors, and leveraging social support are critical in meeting patients' communication needs. Tailored communication training for healthcare providers can bridge this gap and improve overall HF management.

In July 2023, cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were reported at 2 shelters for stray cats in Seoul, South Korea. The cause of infection was suspected to be improperly sterilized raw food made from domestic duck meat, which was manufactured in South Korea. All viruses isolated from cats at the shelters and from the raw food belonged to HPAI A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b. The gene constellation of all viruses was most similar to that of viruses isolated in Korea in November 2022. Of note, the viruses isolated from infected cats harbored mutations E627K or D701N in polymerase basic 2, which are indicative of adaptation to mammals. Postmortem examination revealed systemic pathologic lesions and the presence of widespread virus in different tissues. Thus, consumption of raw duck meat contaminated with HPAI virus likely caused systemic symptoms and death in cats, indicating the introduction of mammal-adapted mutations of the virus.

Indocyanine green (ICG), a near infrared (NIR) dye clinically approved in medical diagnostics, possesses great heat conversion efficiency, which renders itself as an effective photosensitizer for photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer. However, there remain bottleneck challenges for use in PTT, which are the poor photo and plasma stability of ICG. To address these problems, in this research, ICG-loaded silver nanoparticles were prepared and evaluated for the applicability as an effective agent for photothermal cancer therapy. PEGylated bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated silver core/shell nanoparticles were synthesized with a high loading of ICG (\"PEG-BSA-AgNP/ICG\"). Physical characterization was carried out using size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry to identify successful preparation and size stability. ICG-loading content and the photothermal conversion efficiency of the particles were confirmed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and laser instruments. In vitro studies showed that the PEG-BSA-AgNP/ICG could provide great photostability for ICG, and their applicability for PTT was verified from the cellular study results. Furthermore, when the PEG-BSA-AgNP/ICG were tested in vivo, study results exhibited that ICG could stably remain in the blood circulation for a markedly long period (plasma half-life: 112 min), and about 1.7% ID/g tissue could be accumulated in the tumor tissue at 4 h post-injection. Such nanoparticle accumulation in the tumor enabled tumor surface temperature to be risen to 50°C (required for photo-ablation) by laser irradiation and led to successful inhibition of tumor growth in the B16F10 s.c. syngeneic nude mice model, with minimal systemic toxicity. Our findings demonstrated that PEG-BSA-AgNPs could serve as effective carriers for delivering ICG to the tumor tissue with great stability and safety.

Purpose Accurate prediction of pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast cancer using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US)-guided biopsy may aid in selecting patients who forego surgery for breast cancer. We evaluated the accuracy of US-guided biopsy aided by MRI in predicting pCR in the breast after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods After completion of NAC, 40 patients with near pCR (either tumor size ≤ 0.5 cm or lesion-to-background signal enhancement ratio (L-to-B SER) ≤ 1.6 on MRI) and no diffused residual microcalcifications were prospectively enrolled at a single institution. US-guided multiple core needle biopsy (CNB) or vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) of the tumor bed, followed by standard surgical excision, was performed. Matched biopsy and surgical specimens were compared to assess pCR. The negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy, and false-negative rate (FNR) were analyzed. Results pCR was confirmed in 27 (67.5%) surgical specimens. Preoperative biopsy had an NPV, accuracy, and FNR of 87.1%, 90.0%, and 30.8%, respectively. NPV for hormone receptor-negative and hormone receptor-positive tumors were 83.3% and 100%, respectively. Obtaining at least 5 biopsy cores based on tumor size ≤ 0.5 cm and an L-to-B SER of ≤ 1.6 on MRI (27 patients) resulted in 100% NPV and accuracy. No differences in accuracy were noted between CNB and VAB (90% vs. 90%). Conclusions Investigation using stringent MRI criteria and ultrasound-guided biopsy could accurately predict patients with pCR after NAC. A larger prospective clinical trial evaluating the clinical safety of breast surgery omission after NAC in selected patients will be conducted based on these findings.

Abstract Background Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is an emerging minimally invasive mitral valve repair treatment for dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), but reports on its outcomes are limited. Objective Describe the clinical characteristics and complications in dogs with MMVD undergoing TEER. Animals Twenty client-owned dogs with MMVD stages B2, C, and D. Methods Retrospective case series. Cases were identified by review of hospital medical records between September 2023 and September 2024. Results Twenty dogs underwent TEER; of these, 13 (65%) survived. Seven dogs died within 9 days because of mitral leaflet tear or single-leaflet device attachment (4/7 dogs, 57.1%), tracheal collapse (1/7 dogs, 14.3%), presumed post-procedure neurologic deficit with a history of hydrocephalus (1/7 dogs, 14.3%), and presumed cardiogenic shock (1/7 dogs, 14.3%). Significant reductions in vertebral heart score (11.6 [9.6–13.1] vs. 11.0 [8.3–11.9] vertebrae; p < 0.01), vertebral left atrial size (2.90 [2.1–3.6] vs. 2.60 [2.0–3.3] vertebrae; p < 0.01), left atrium-to-aortic root ratio (2.09 [1.5–2.5] vs. 1.69 [1.3–2.2]; p < 0.05), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter normalized for body weight (2.1 [1.5–2.3] vs. 1.76 [1.4–2.2]; p < 0.05), regurgitant fraction (77.83 [73.2–83.0] vs. 55.38 [20.5–73.6] %; p < 0.05), and regurgitant volume (3.96 [2.1–6.2] vs. 1.25 [0.4–3.5] ml/kg; p < 0.05) were observed 3 months after TEER. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair resulted in a significant reduction in left atrium and ventricle size and should be further investigated as a potential treatment option for dogs with MMVD.