Association of Left Vertebral Artery Hypoplasia with Posterior Circulation Stroke and the Functional Outcome of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation-Related Cardioembolic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A cardiogenic embolus could reach the posterior circulation through the right vertebral artery because of a relatively larger diameter in cases of left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Hence, we investigated whether left vertebral artery hypoplasia is associated with cardiac embolisms with atrial fibrillation in the posterior circulation and its functional outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this monocentric retrospective study, patients with acute cardioembolic stroke with atrial fibrillation were enrolled and underwent CT or neck MRA, which visualized the aortic arch and subclavian arteries. The laterality and size of vertebral artery hypoplasia were recorded. Posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and the functional outcomes after 3 months were investigated.

RESULTS

This study included 407 patients; the patients with left vertebral artery hypoplasia experienced a higher rate of posterior circulation stroke (19 versus 73; 42.2% versus 20.2%; P = .001) and basilar artery occlusion (5 versus 10; 11.1% versus 2.8%; P = .005) than the patients without left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Multivariate analysis revealed that left vertebral artery hypoplasia showed an association with lower odds of achieving a good functional outcome 3 months after the stroke (OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9; P = .027).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with cardioembolic stroke and left vertebral artery hypoplasia had posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and poor functional outcomes after 3 months.

Rapid and economic preparation of wearable thermotherapy pad based on simple cut-patterning of metal foil supported by plastic sheets

Stretchable and skin-mountable heaters have found application in the emerging industry of wearable thermotherapy devices. However, despite their excellent heating performances, most of them commonly suffer from complex, time-consuming, costly, or insufficiently reproducible fabrication processes. In this study, we report a simple, economic, and reproducible strategy to fabricate high-performance stretchable heaters based on facile cut-patterning of plastic sheet/metal foil/plastic sheet (PMP) structures. Further, this method can be executed without expensive materials or cumbersome material synthesis. The fabricated PMP heater is confirmed to exhibit excellent and uniform heating performance at a low voltage and satisfactory electrothermal stability even under high strain and repeated loads. Additionally, the proposed heater designs can be easily customized by simply changing the computer-aided design drawings during the cutting process, which also enables fabrication of devices with large area. The fabricated PMP heater is confirmed to be able to maintain conformal contact with target surfaces even under stretched conditions, inducing a fairly uniform temperature distribution. Finally, it is successfully demonstrated that a PMP heating band can be easily worn on the wrist and is capable of transferring enough heat to increase blood perfusion in the heated area even at a low voltage, highlighting its potential in wearable thermotherapy.

A simple, economic, and reproducible fabrication route to high-performance stretchable heaters is proposed towards wearable thermotherapy.

M13 Bacteriophage-Assisted Morphological Engineering of Crack-Based Sensors for Highly Sensitive and Wide Linear Range Strain Sensing

Despite their extraordinary mechanosensitivities, most channel-like crack-based strain sensors are limited by their poor levels of stretchability and linearity. This work presents a simple yet efficient way of modulating the cracking structure of thin metal films on elastomers to facilitate the development of high-performance wearable strain sensors. A net-shaped crack structure based on a thin platinum (Pt) film can be produced by coating an elastomer surface with M13 bacteriophages (phages) and consequently engineering the surface strain upon stretching. This process produces a Pt-on-phage (PoP) strain sensor that simultaneously exhibits high levels of stretchability (24%), sensitivity (maximum gauge factor ≈ 845.6 for 20-24%), and linearity (R² ≈ 0.988 up to 20%). In addition, the sensor performance can be further modulated by either changing the phage coating volume or adding a silver nanowire coating to the PoP sensor film. The balanced strain-sensing performance, combined with fast response times and high levels of mechanical flexibility and operational stability, enables the devices to detect a wide range of human motions in real time after being attached to various body parts. Furthermore, PoP-based strain sensors can be usefully extended to detect more complex multidimensional strains through further strain engineering on a cross-patterned PoP film.

Induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by tomentosin in hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and Huh7 cells

Tomentosin, a sesquiterpene lactone, is known to possess various biological activities. However, its anticarcinogenic activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells has not been investigated in detail. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the cytotoxic mechanism of tomentosin in human HCC cell lines HepG2 and Huh7. WST-1, cell counting, and colony formation assay results showed that treatment with tomentosin decreased the viability and suppressed the proliferation rate of HepG2 and Huh7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis revealed increased population of cells at the SubG1 and G2/M stage, and decreased population of cells at the G0/1 stage in HepG2 and Huh7 cells treated with tomentosin. Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining and TUNEL assay results showed increased apoptotic cell population and DNA fragmentation in HepG2 and Huh7 cells treated with tomentosin. Western blotting analysis results showed that tomentosin treatment significantly increased the expression level of Bax, Bim (short form), cleaved PARP1, FOXO3, p53, pSer15p53, pSer20p53, pSer46p53, p21, and p27, but decreased the expression of Bcl2, caspase3, caspase7, caspase9, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4, CDK6, cyclinB1, cyclinD1, cyclinD2, cyclinD3, and cyclinE in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, this study revealed that tomentosin, which acted through cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, may be a useful therapeutic option against HCC.

The organ-specific differential roles of rice DXS and DXR, the first two enzymes of the MEP pathway, in carotenoid metabolism in Oryza sativa leaves and seeds

BACKGROUND

Deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) are the enzymes that catalyze the first two enzyme steps of the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway to supply the isoprene building-blocks of carotenoids. Plant DXR and DXS enzymes have been reported to function differently depending on the plant species. In this study, the differential roles of rice DXS and DXR genes in carotenoid metabolism were investigated.

RESULTS

The accumulation of carotenoids in rice seeds co-expressing OsDXS2 and stPAC was largely enhanced by 3.4-fold relative to the stPAC seeds and 315.3-fold relative to non-transgenic (NT) seeds, while the overexpression of each OsDXS2 or OsDXR caused no positive effect on the accumulation of either carotenoids or chlorophylls in leaves and seeds, suggesting that OsDXS2 functions as a rate-limiting enzyme supplying IPP/DMAPPs to seed carotenoid metabolism, but OsDXR doesn't in either leaves or seeds. The expressions of OsDXS1, OsPSY1, OsPSY2, and OsBCH2 genes were upregulated regardless of the reductions of chlorophylls and carotenoids in leaves; however, there was no significant change in the expression of most carotenogenic genes, even though there was a 315.3-fold increase in the amount of carotenoid in rice seeds. These non-proportional expression patterns in leaves and seeds suggest that those metabolic changes of carotenoids were associated with overexpression of the OsDXS2, OsDXR and stPAC transgenes, and the capacities of the intermediate biosynthetic enzymes might be much more important for those metabolic alterations than the transcript levels of intermediate biosynthetic genes are. Taken together, we propose a 'Three Faucets and Cisterns Model' about the relationship among the rate-limiting enzymes OsDXSs, OsPSYs, and OsBCHs as a "Faucet", the biosynthetic capacity of intermediate metabolites as a "Cistern", and the carotenoid accumulations as the content of "Cistern".

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that OsDXS2 plays an important role as a rate-limiting enzyme supplying IPP/DMAPPs to the seed-carotenoid accumulation, and rice seed carotenoid metabolism could be largely enhanced without any significant transcriptional alteration of carotenogenic genes. Finally, the "Three Faucets and Cisterns model" presents the extenuating circumstance to elucidate rice seed carotenoid metabolism.

Transparent and stretchable strain sensors based on metal nanowire microgrids for human motion monitoring

Optical transparency is increasingly considered as one of the most important characteristics required in advanced stretchable strain sensors for application in body-attachable systems. In this paper, we present an entirely solution-processed fabrication route to highly transparent and stretchable resistive strain sensors based on silver nanowire microgrids (AgNW-MGs). The AgNW-MG strain sensors are readily prepared by patterning the AgNWs on a stretchable substrate into a MG geometry via a mesh-template-assisted contact-transfer printing. The MG has a unique architecture comprising the AgNWs and can be stretched to ε = 35%, with high gauge factors of ∼6.9 for ε = 0%-30% and ∼41.1 for ε = 30%-35%. The sensor also shows a high optical transmittance of 77.1% ± 1.5% (at 550 nm) and stably maintains the remarkable optical performance even at high strains. In addition, the sensor responses are found to be highly reversible with negligible hysteresis and are reliable even under repetitive stretching-releasing cycles (1000 cycles at ε = 10%). The practicality of the AgNW-MG strain sensor is confirmed by successfully monitoring a wide range of human motions in real time after firmly laminating the device onto various body parts.

Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Resistive Strain Sensors Based on Microstructured Metal Nanowire/Elastomer Composite Films

High sensitivity and high stretchability are two conflicting characteristics that are difficult to achieve simultaneously in elastic strain sensors. A highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensor comprising a microstructured metal nanowire (mNW)/elastomer composite film is presented. The surface structure is easily prepared by combining an mNW coating and soft-lithographic replication processes in a simple and reproducible manner. The densely packed microprism-array architecture of the composite film leads to a large morphological change in the mNW percolation network by efficiently concentrating the strain in the valley regions upon stretching. Meanwhile, the percolation network comprising mNWs with a high aspect ratio is stable enough to prevent electrical failure, even under high strains. This enables the sensor to simultaneously satisfy high sensitivity (gauge factor ≈81 at >130% strain) and high stretchability (150%) while ensuring long-term reliability (10 000 cycles at 150% strain). The sensor can also detect strain induced by bending and pressure, thus demonstrating its potential as a versatile sensing tool. The sensor is successfully utilized to monitor a wide range of human motions in real time. Furthermore, the unique sensing mechanism is easily extended to detect more complex multiaxial strains by optimizing the surface morphology of the device.

Highly sensitive and selective multidimensional resistive strain sensors based on a stiffness-variant stretchable substrate

Highly stretchable strain sensors that are capable of collecting complex multi-axial, multidimensional strain information in real time are crucial in practical applications for human motion detection. Here we present a highly sensitive and selective multidimensional resistive strain sensor based on a monolithic integration of a stiffness-variant stretchable substrate and sensing film comprising a cross-shaped silver nanowire percolation network in a single device. The multidimensional strain sensor efficiently distinguishes strains in various directions with a large gauge factor (GF) of >20 and a wide strain-detectable range of up to 60%. The sensor also features a maximum difference in GF between the x- and y-axes of >20 and long-term performance stability for up to 500 strain cycles. The practicality of the sensor as a human motion detector is demonstrated by attaching it directly to a part of the human body and measuring the multidimensional strains that occur during motions in real time.

Effect of Dietary sugar beet pulp supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal Microflora, blood profiles and Diarrhea incidence in weaning pigs

Background

In 2006, the European Union (EU) has decided to forbid use of antibiotics as growth promoters. Although many researches had been conducted about fiber source as alternatives of antibiotics, there are still lack of reports in the literature about the optimum level of sugar beet pulp supplementation, affecting growth performance and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs. Therefore, different level of sugar beet pulp was added to diets to determine the effects of sugar beet pulp supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microflora, blood profile and incidence of diarrhea in weaning pigs.

Methods

A total of 200 weaning pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc], averaging 9.01 ± 1.389 kg of initial body weight were, allotted to 5 treatments in a randomized complete block (RCB) design. Each treatment was composed of 4 replicates with 10 pigs per pen. The treatments were control treatment: Corn-SBM basal diet + ZnO (phase 1: 0.05%; phase 2; 0.03%) and four different levels of sugar beet pulp were supplemented in Corn-SBM basal diet (3, 6, 9 or 12%). Two phase feeding programs (phase 1: 1–2 weeks; phase 2: 3–5 weeks) were used for 5 week of growth trial.

Results

In feeding trial, there were no significant differences in growth performance and incidence of diarrhea among treatments. The E.coli counts were not significantly different among dietary treatments but linear response was observed in Lactobacillus counts as sugar beet pulp supplementation increased (P < 0.05). In addition, IGF-1, IgA and IgG were not affected by dietary treatments. However, the BUN concentration was decreased when pigs were fed the treatments of diets with SBP compared to that of control treatment (P < 0.05). In nutrient digestibility, crude fiber and NDF digestibilities were improved as the sugar beet pulp increased (P < 0.05). However, digestibilities of crude ash, crude fat, crude fiber and nitrogen retention were not affected by dietary sugar beet pulp levels.

Conclusion

This experiment demonstrated that sugar beet pulp can be supplemented in weaning pigs’ diet instead of ZnO to prevent postweaning diarrhea without any detrimental effect on growth performance.

Various levels of copra meal supplementation with β-Mannanase on growth performance, blood profile, nutrient digestibility, pork quality and economical analysis in growing-finishing pigs

BACKGROUND

To reduce use of main feed ingredient like corn, soy bean meal (SBM) and wheat, alternative ingredients has been studied like copra meal (CM). Production amount of CM which has been high makes CM to be an alternative feed stuff. However, low digestibility on AA and low energy content by high fiber content can be an obstacle for using CM. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of CM supplementation with β-mannanase on growth performance, blood profile, nutrient digestibility, pork quality and economic analysis in growing-finishing pigs.

METHODS

A total of 100 growing pigs ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc) averaging 31.22 ± 2.04 kg body weight were allotted to 5 different treatments by weight and sex in a randomized complete block (RCB) design in 5 replicate with 4 pigs per pen. Treatments were 1) Control (corn-SBM based diet + 0.1% of β-mannanase (800 IU)), 2) CM10 (10% copra meal + 0.1% β-mannanase (800 IU)), 3) CM15 (15% copra meal + 0.1% β-mannanase (800 IU)), 4) CM20 (20% copra meal + 0.1% β-mannanase (800 IU)) and 5) CM25 (25% copra meal + 0.1% β-mannanase (800 IU)). Four phase feeding program was used: growing I (week 1-3), growing II (week 4-6), finishing I (week 7-9) and finishing II (week 10-12).

RESULTS

In growth performance, there was no significant difference among treatments during whole experimental period. In growingI phase, G:F ratio tended to increase when CM was increased (P = 0.05), but ADG and ADFI tended to decrease in finishingII phase (linear, P = 0.08). Also, increasing CM reduced ADG (linear, P = 0.02) and feed efficiency (linear, P = 0.08) during the whole finishing period. In blood profiles, BUN was linearly increased as CM increased (linear, P = 0.02) at growingII period. In digestibility trial, there was no significant difference in dry matter, crude fat, crude ash and nitrogen digestibility. However, crude protein digestibility was decreased linearly (linear, P = 0.02). In economic analysis, feed cost per weight gain and total feed cost per pig were reduced in overall period when CM was provided by 25% (linear, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

CM with 0.1% of β-mannanase (800 IU) could be supplemented instead of corn and SBM up to 25% without detrimental effects on growth performance and pork quality of growing-finishing pigs.

Simple Approach to High-Performance Stretchable Heaters Based on Kirigami Patterning of Conductive Paper for Wearable Thermotherapy Applications

Recent efforts to develop stretchable resistive heaters open up the possibility for their use in wearable thermotherapy applications. Such heaters should have high electrothermal performance and stability to be used practically, and the fabrication must be simple, economic, reproducible, and scalable. Here we present a simple yet highly efficient way of producing high-performance stretchable heaters, which is based on a facile kirigami pattering (the art of cutting and folding paper) of a highly conductive paper for practical wearable thermotherapy. The resulting kirigami heater exhibits high heating performance at low voltage (>40 °C at 1.2 V) and fast thermal response (<60 s). The simple kirigami patterning approach enables the heater to be extremely stretchable (>400%) while stably retaining its excellent performance. Furthermore, the heater shows the uniform spatial distribution of heat over the whole heating area and is highly durable (1000 cycles at 300% strain). The heater attached to curvilinear body parts shows stable heating performance even under large motions while maintaining intimate conformal contact with the skin thanks to the high stretchability and sufficient restoring force. The usability of the heater as a wearable thermotherapy device is demonstrated by increased blood flow at the wrist during operation.

Wearable Resistive Pressure Sensor Based on Highly Flexible Carbon Composite Conductors with Irregular Surface Morphology

Wearable pressure sensors are crucial building blocks for potential applications in real-time health monitoring, artificial electronic skins, and human-to-machine interfaces. Here we present a highly sensitive, simple-architectured wearable resistive pressure sensor based on highly compliant yet robust carbon composite conductors made of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) forest embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix with irregular surface morphology. A roughened surface of the VACNT/PDMS composite conductor is simply formed using a sandblasted silicon master in a low-cost and potentially scalable manner and plays an important role in improving the sensitivity of resistive pressure sensor. After assembling two of the roughened composite conductors, our sensor shows considerable pressure sensitivity of ∼0.3 kPa^-1 up to 0.7 kPa as well as stable steady-state responses under various pressures, a wide detectable range of up to 5 kPa before saturation, a relatively fast response time of ∼162 ms, and good reproducibility over 5000 cycles of pressure loading/unloading. The fabricated pressure sensor can be used to detect a wide range of human motions ranging from subtle blood pulses to dynamic joint movements, and it can also be used to map spatial pressure distribution in a multipixel platform (in a 4 × 4 pixel array).

Thresholds and ultrasensitivity from negative cooperativity

Negative cooperativity is a phenomenon in which the binding of one or more molecules of a ligand to a multimeric receptor makes it more difficult for subsequent ligand molecules to bind. Negative cooperativity can make a multimeric receptor's response more graded than it would otherwise be. However, through theory and experimental results, we show that if the ligand binds the receptor with high affinity and can be appreciably depleted by receptor binding, then negative cooperativity produces a qualitatively different type of response: a highly ultrasensitive response with a pronounced threshold. Because ultrasensitivity and thresholds are important for generating various complex systems-level behaviors, including bistability and oscillations, negative cooperativity may be an important ingredient in many types of biological responses.

Extremely stretchable conductors based on hierarchically-structured metal nanowire network

We describe a new class of extremely stretchable conductor based on a hierarchically-structured metal nanowire network prepared by a simple prestraining of a micro-prism-arrayed elastomeric substrate.

Virus based Full Colour Pixels using a Microheater

Mimicking natural structures has been received considerable attentions, and there have been a few practical advances. Tremendous efforts based on a self-assembly technique have been contributed to the development of the novel photonic structures which are mimicking nature’s inventions. We emulate the photonic structures from an origin of colour generation of mammalian skins and avian skin/feathers using M13 phage. The structures can be generated a full range of RGB colours that can be sensitively switched by temperature and substrate materials. Consequently, we developed an M13 phage-based temperature-dependent actively controllable colour pixels platform on a microheater chip. Given the simplicity of the fabrication process, the low voltage requirements and cycling stability, the virus colour pixels enable us to substitute for conventional colour pixels for the development of various implantable, wearable and flexible devices in future.

Simple and cost-effective fabrication of highly flexible, transparent superhydrophobic films with hierarchical surface design

Optical transparency and mechanical flexibility are both of great importance for significantly expanding the applicability of superhydrophobic surfaces. Such features make it possible for functional surfaces to be applied to various glass-based products with different curvatures. In this work, we report on the simple and potentially cost-effective fabrication of highly flexible and transparent superhydrophobic films based on hierarchical surface design. The hierarchical surface morphology was easily fabricated by the simple transfer of a porous alumina membrane to the top surface of UV-imprinted polymeric micropillar arrays and subsequent chemical treatments. Through optimization of the hierarchical surface design, the resultant superhydrophobic films showed superior surface wetting properties (with a static contact angle of >170° and contact angle hysteresis of <3.5°) in the Cassie-Baxter wetting regime, considerable dynamic water repellency (with perfect bouncing of a water droplet dropped from an impact height of 30 mm), and good optical transparency (>82% at 550 nm wavelength). The superhydrophobic films were also experimentally found to be robust without significant degradation in the superhydrophobicity, even under repetitive bending and pressing for up to 2000 cycles. Finally, the practical usability of the proposed superhydorphobic films was clearly demonstrated by examining the antiwetting performance in real time while pouring water on the film and submerging the film in water.

Spontaneous Zone III rupture of the flexor tendons of the ulnar three digits in elderly Korean farmers

Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture is a rare condition and the aetiology is not clear. We report 12 elderly Korean farmers with spontaneous flexor tendon ruptures. We found the rupture in the dominant hand in ten patients. A rupture in the little finger was found in all 12 patients (seven with both flexor tendons ruptured and five with only the profundus ruptured), in the ring finger in four patients (the profundus ruptured in all and both flexor tendons in two patients), and in the middle finger a partial rupture of the profundus in one patient. The tendons were ruptured close to the hook of the hamate. Repetitive friction between the flexor tendons and the hamate hook may cause the ruptures. The hamate hook was excised and the ruptured profundus tendons were reconstructed with tendon transfers with quite favourable functional recovery at follow-up of 1 to 2 years. The ruptured superficialis tendons were not reconstructed. Level of Evidence IV.

INCB018424 induces apoptotic cell death through the suppression of pJAK1 in human colon cancer cells

Janus kinase (JAK) is one of the main upstream activators of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) that are constitutively activated in various malignancies and are associated with cell growth, survival, and carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of JAKs in colorectal cancer in order to develop effective therapeutic targets for INCB018424, which is the first JAK1/2 inhibitor to be approved by FDA. After examining the basal expression levels of phospho-JAK1 and phospho-JAK2, we measured the effects of INCB018424 on the phosphorylation of JAK1/2 using western blot analysis. Cell viability was determined using the trypan blue exclusion assay. The cell death mechanism was identified by the activation of caspase 3 using western blot and annexin V staining. The basal levels of phospho-JAK1 and phospho-JAK2 were cancer cell type dependent. Colorectal cancer cell lines that phosphorylate both JAK1 and JAK2 include DLD-1 and RKO. INCB018424 inactivates both JAK1 and JAK2 in DLD-1 cells but inactivates only JAK1 in RKO cells. Cell death was proportional to the inactivation of JAK1 but not JAK2. INCB018424 causes caspase-dependent cell death, which is prevented by treatment with z-VAD. The inhibition of JAK1 phosphorylation seemed sufficient to allow INCB018424-mediated apoptosis. JAK1 is a key molecule that is involved in colon cancer cell survival and the inhibition of JAK1 by INCB01424 results in caspase-dependent apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. The use of selective JAK1 inhibitors could be an attractive therapy against colorectal cancer, but further clinical investigations are needed to test this possibility.

The schizontocidal activity of daphnetin against malaria parasites in vitro and in vivo

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the in vitro and in vivo schizontocidal activity of daphnetin.

METHODS

Schizontocidal activity of daphnetin was tested using an in vitro assay based on the routine in vitro cultivation of P. falciparum FCC1 strain. The in vivo antimalarial effects of daphnetin at various dosages were assessed in mice infected with P. b. erghei ANKA according to "4-day suppress assay".

RESULTS

In vitro, daphnetin exhibited potent schizontocidal activity comparable to chloroquine(CQ) at the dose range of 1-10 mumol/L. In vivo, 50 or 100 mg/kg.d-1 x 4 d daphnetin i.g. and 10, 50 or 100 mg/kg.d-1 x 4 d dephnetin i.p. showed antimalarial efficacy comparable to CQ 10 mg/kg.d-1 x 4 d i.g. in mice infected with P. berghei ANKA, evaluated by both the reduction rate of parasitemia on D4 and the average surviving days in 30 days.

CONCLUSION

Daphnetin displays certain schizontocidal activity both in vitro and in vivo.

The expression of Bok is regulated by serum in HC11 mammary epithelial cells

Epithelial cells within the mammary gland undergo apoptosis during weaning. To determine the expression of Bok mRNA (a member of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family) in the mammary gland and its regulation, we examined the expression of the Bok transcript in the mouse mammary gland and HC11 mammary epithelial cells in culture through RT-PCR. The Bok mRNA expression was found in the mammary gland. The expression of the Bok mRNA level was induced through serum starvation and overexpression of Bok induced apoptosis in HC11 cells in culture. These results indicate that the expression of Bok mRNA in the mammary gland is regulated through serum starvation. It also may be related to the mammary involution.

Actin Directly Interacts with Phospholipase D, Inhibiting Its Activity

Mammalian phospholipase D (PLD) plays a key role in several signal transduction pathways and is involved in many diverse functions. To elucidate the complex molecular regulation of PLD, we investigated PLD-binding proteins obtained from rat brain extract. Here we report that a 43-kDa protein in the rat brain, beta-actin, acts as a major PLD2 direct-binding protein as revealed by peptide mass fingerprinting in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We also determined that the region between amino acids 613 and 723 of PLD2 is required for the direct binding of beta-actin, using bacterially expressed glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins of PLD2 fragments. Intriguingly, purified beta-actin potently inhibited both phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate- and oleate-dependent PLD2 activities in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 5 nm). In a previous paper, we reported that alpha-actinin inhibited PLD2 activity in an interaction-dependent and an ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1)-reversible manner (Park, J. B., Kim, J. H., Kim, Y., Ha, S. H., Kim, J. H., Yoo, J.-S., Du, G., Frohman, M. A., Suh, P.-G., and Ryu, S. H. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 21295-21301). In vitro binding analyses showed that beta-actin could displace alpha-actinin binding to PLD2, demonstrating independent interaction between cytoskeletal proteins and PLD2. Furthermore, ARF1 could steer the PLD2 activity in a positive direction regardless of the inhibitory effect of beta-actin on PLD2. We also observed that beta-actin regulates PLD1 and PLD2 with similar binding and inhibitory potencies. Immunocytochemical and co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated the in vivo interaction between the two PLD isozymes and actin in cells. Taken together, these results suggest that the regulation of PLD by cytoskeletal proteins, beta-actin and alpha-actinin, and ARF1 may play an important role in cytoskeleton-related PLD functions.

Molecular characterization of Hmg2 gene encoding a 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase in rice

Three genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR, EC1.1.1.34), which converts HMG-CoA into mevalonate in the early key step of the plant isoprenoid pathway, were isolated by RT-PCR and rice cDNA and genomic library screening. A genomic Southern blot analysis confirmed that HMGR genes are present in three copies in rice. Of the three, the HMGR 2 gene (Hmg2) obtained as a cDNA clone and its genomic clone had 4 exons and 3 introns, and encoded a 576 amino acid peptide containing an open reading frame of 1,728 bp with a calculated Mw. of 61,150. The structure of rice Hmg2 had common features, based on its nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence homologies, with other plant HMGR genes published to date. Rice Hmg2 transcripts were constitutively detected in all parts of the rice plant, except in lamina and their levels were high particularly in the leaf part of the dark-grown seedlings and mature flowers. Our result showed that mRNA levels of rice Hmg2 were strongly induced in seedlings and influorescence in the early development stage. Rice Hmg2 possibly has a housekeeping role involved in the sterol biosynthesis, among the possible roles of plant HMGR genes that have been suggested in other plants [Weissenborn et al. (1995)].

Molecular cloning and high-level expression of G2 protein of hantaan (HTN) virus 76-118 strain in the yeast Pichia pastoris KM71

Hantaan viral G2 envelope gene, which is known to be one of major antigens and induce neutralizing antibodies, was cloned into expression vector pHIL-S1 which consists of AOX1 promoter, PHO1 signal sequence, HIS4 gene and other components. The recombined plasmid was transformed into methylotropic yeast, Pichia pastoris of KM71 and recombinant strains harboring multi-copy of G2 gene were selected. Expression of the cloned G2 gene was confirmed with Western blot analysis using anti-sera of guinea pig immunized with the carboxyl terminal region of G2 protein expressed in Escherichia coli. The expression of G2 gene from the recombinant strain was tightly repressed by dextrose and effectively induced by methanol, an inducer of AOX1 promoter. The highest expression level was observed from 1 day after induction and maintained at the same level for up to 4 days.

Phosphorus cycling through phosphine in paddy fields

Phosphine emission fluxes from paddy fields, phosphine ambient levels in air, and the vertical profile of matrix-bound phosphine in soil have been measured throughout the growing season of rice in Beijing, China. It was found that both the seasonal and diurnal emission fluxes and ambient levels fluctuate significantly. During the drainage period, phosphine released from the soil with the highest diurnal average flux on the first period of drainage (approx. 17.7 ng m(-2) h(-1)), whereas its highest ambient level (approx. 250 ng m(-3)) occurred at 06.00 h. During the flooded period, phosphine emission was low, and the peaks of phosphine emissions occurred at midnight. The average flux of PH3 emission for the whole season was found to be approximately 1.78 ng m(-2) h(-1). The mass fraction of matrix-bound phosphine is approximately 0.18 approximately 1.42 x 10(-7) (m/m) part of organic phosphorus or 3.4 approximately 9.2 x 10(-9) (m/m) part of total phosphorus in paddy soil. The amount of phosphine emitted to the atmosphere was only a small fraction of the phosphine that remained in the soil in the matrix-bound form. Soil serves both as the source and the sink of PH3.

Cardiac phospholipase D2 localizes to sarcolemmal membranes and is inhibited by alpha-actinin in an ADP-ribosylation factor-reversible manner

Myocardial phospholipase D (PLD) has been implicated in the regulation of Ca(2+) mobilization and contractile performance in the heart. However, the molecular identity of this myocardial PLD and the mechanisms that regulate it are not well understood. Using subcellular fractionation and Western blot analysis, we found that PLD2 is the major myocardial PLD and that it localizes primarily to sarcolemmal membranes. A 100-kDa PLD2-interacting cardiac protein was detected using a protein overlay assay employing purified PLD2 and then identified as alpha-actinin using peptide-mass fingerprinting with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy. The direct association between PLD2 and alpha-actinin was confirmed using an in vitro binding assay and localized to PLD2's N-terminal 185 amino acids. Purified alpha-actinin potently inhibits PLD2 activity (IC(50) = 80 nm) in an interaction-dependent and ADP-ribosylation factor-reversible manner. Finally, alpha-actinin co-localizes with actin and with PLD2 in the detergent-insoluble fraction from sarcolemmal membranes. These results suggest that PLD2 is reciprocally regulated in sarcolemmal membranes by alpha-actinin and ARF1 and accordingly that a major role for PLD2 in cardiac function may involve reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton.

Induction of apoptosis in colon cancer cells by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) decrease the incidence of colon cancer. In addition, NSAIDs reduce the number and size of polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. The mechanisms of the anti-neoplastic effect of NSAIDs are still far from complete understanding, but one possible mechanism is the induction of apoptosis. Several lines of evidence suggest that NSAIDs-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells are mediated through the cyclooxygenase (COX)-independent pathway. In this study we explored the mechanism of NSAIDs-induced apoptosis in the colon cancer cell line, HT-29. We confirmed that NSAIDs induce apoptosis in HT-29 cells irrespective of their COX-selectivity. Indomethacin enhanced the expression of p21waf-1 in HT-29 cells. However the expression of apoptosis-related genes such as Fas, bcl-2 and bax was not affected by indomethacin. Intra- and extra-cellular calcium chelators, protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor, protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor and protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors did not influence indomethacin-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. We concluded that NSAIDs-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells may be independent from signals transducted through [Ca++]i, PTK, PKA, PKC or the expression of apoptosis-related genes. In contrast, our results demonstrating the induction of p21waf-1 transcription by NSAIDs suggest the possible association of NSAIDs-induced apoptosis and cell-cycle control in colon cancer cells.

Characterization of the truncated thrombopoietin variants

Thrombopoietin (Tpo) is a specific cytokine which regulates megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation. We isolated a truncated mouse Tpo cDNA, the product of which turned out to function neither as an active Tpo variant nor as an antagonist. To define the functional domains of the Tpo molecule further, various truncated and point-mutated Tpo molecules were prepared and their biological activity was assayed. It was found that deletion of the amino terminal side of a potential proteolytic cleavage site, Arg-Arg motif, caused complete loss of Tpo's activity, and that point-mutants lacking one of four conserved cysteine residues lost Tpo activity. We also noticed that Tpo activity was inhibited by the reducing agent. Thus, it was concluded that the amino terminal half of the Tpo is sufficient for Tpo activity, and that the cysteine residues, especially the last cysteine residue located two amino acids away from the Arg-Arg motif, are critical for this activity.

Experimental studies on combinations of pyronaridine/primaquine versus chloroquine/primaquine

The toxicity of combined use of blood schizontocide pyronaridine (PND) and primaquine (PQ) in mice and rats was significantly lower than that of chloroquine (CQ) plus primaquine (PQ). PND 1/2 LD50 (ca 600 mg/kg) in combination with PQ reduced the toxic action of PQ in mice, while CQ 1/2 LD50 (ca 300 mg/kg) plus PQ produced synergistic toxic effect. In animal models such as Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite infection in mice and P. cynomolgi sporozoite infection in rhesus monkeys, the tissue schizontocidal action of PQ was not affected by PND. Therefore, clinical evaluation of PND/PQ in comparison with CQ/PQ in treating vivax malaria is suggested.

Antimalarial and toxic effect of triple combination of pyronaridine, sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine

The triple combination of pyronaridine, sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine which has been proven to be efficient in delaying emergence of drug resistance of rodent malarial parasites was further studied for potential application to malaria control. The antimalarial effect of the triple combination on Plasmodium berghei ANKA-infected mice and the toxic effects in mice and rats were additive. A single dose of pyronaridine 500 mg in combination with sulfadoxine, 1000 or 1500 mg, and pyrimethamine, 50 or 75 mg, given to 72 acute falciparum malaria patients resulted in a 100% cure rate with nil or mild side effects, and no recrudescence of asexual parasite over 4-week follow-up. Preliminary experiments on the drug effect on sporogony showed that the drug combination at the dose used could not completely interrupt the sporozoite formation although many retarded oocysts were found.

Endoscopic sphincteropapillotomy: an analysis of 108 cases

Since 1976, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been done in 1,618 cases at Kwangju Christian Hospital in Kwangju, Korea. Between November 1981 and September 1984, endoscopic sphincteropapillotomy (EST) was performed on 108 patients. The results are as follows: 1. Common bile duct stones were found in 98 of the patients (including 7 patients on whom T-tube cholangiography was done), ascaris in the common bile ducts of 6 of the patients, fibrotic stenosis of a periampullary choledochoduodenal fistula in 1 of the patients, and impacted stones in the ampulla of Vater in 3 of the patients (a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography was also done on these 3 patients). 2. In the case of 5 of the patients stones were extracted under direct vision, in the case of 39 of the patients stones passed in the stool, and in the case of 31 of the patients stone elimination was confirmed on repeated ERCP or T-tube cholangiography. In the case of 26 of the patients, small stones were removed, large stones remained and symptoms and laboratory findings showed improvement. 3. As complications after EST, bleeding developed in 4 patients, acute pancreatitis with a pancreatic pseudocyst developed in 1 patient, and another patient died of sepsis following cholangitis. 4. The overall success rate was 93.5%; morbidity rate, 5.6% and the mortality rate, 0.9%.