We isolated 5 highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4.b viruses from wild waterfowl feces in South Korea during November 2022. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis ...revealed novel genotypes produced by reassortment with Eurasian low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses. Enhanced surveillance will be required to improve prevention and control strategies.
Liver disease is the spectrum of liver damage ranging from simple steatosis called as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Clinically, NAFLD and type 2 diabetes ...coexist. Type 2 diabetes contributes to biological processes driving the severity of NAFLD, the primary cause for development of chronic liver diseases. In the last 20 years, the rate of non-viral NAFLD/NASH-derived HCC has been increasing rapidly. As there are currently no suitable drugs for treatment of NAFLD and NASH, a class of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes is sometimes used to improve liver failure despite the risk of side effects. Therefore, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the development and progression of NAFLD and NASH are important issues. In this review, we will discuss the pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH and NAFLD/NASH-derived HCC and the current promising pharmacological therapies of NAFLD/NASH. Further, we will provide insights into "adipose-derived adipokines" and "liver-derived hepatokines" as diagnostic and therapeutic targets from NAFLD to HCC.
Background
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to promote tumour growth and metastasis in human cell lines. The superoxide anion (•O2−) is produced during ROS formation and is involved in ...tumour cell signalling.
Objectives
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) has been applied to canine mammary gland tumours to investigate its antitumour effects in vitro.
Methods
Cell proliferation, cell cycle cell migration assays, reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis were performed to determine the effects of SOD on canine mammary tumour cell line.
Results
SOD treatment resulted in anti‐proliferative effects and mediated cell cycle arrest in the canine mammary gland tumour cell lines (CIPp and CIPm). It also downregulated the expression of N‐cadherin and Vimentin.
Conclusions
The results confirmed that SOD inhibits tumour cell proliferation and migration, thus supporting the potential applications of SOD as a chemotherapeutic agent for canine mammary gland tumours.
SOD treatment showed anti‐proliferative effects and mediated cell cycle arrest in the canine mammary gland tumour cell line (CIPp and CIPm). Our results show that SOD inhibits the proliferation and migration of tumour cells through downregulating the expression of N‐cadherin and Vimentin activity. These findings support the potential application of SOD as a chemotherapeutic strategy for canine mammary gland tumours.
The radiological image of an intact tectorial membrane (TM) became an important favorable prognostic factor for craniovertebral instability. This study visualized the fascial layers of the TM and ...adjacent connective tissues with clinical significance by micro-CT and histological analysis. The TM firmly attached to the bony surface of the clivus, traversed the atlantoaxial joint posteriorly, and was inserted to the body of the axis showing wide distribution on the craniovertebral junction. The supradental space between the clivus, dens of the axis, anterior atlantooccipital membrane, and the TM contained profound venous networks within the adipose tissues. At the body of the axis, the compact TM layer is gradually divided into multiple layers and the deeper TM layers reached the axis while the superficial layer continued to the posterior longitudinal ligament of the lower vertebrae. The consistent presence of the fat pad and venous plexus in the supradental space and firm stabilization of the TM on the craniovertebral junction was demonstrated by high-resolution radiologic images and histological analysis. The evaluation of the TM integrity is a promising diagnostic factor for traumatic craniovertebral dislocation.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a pandemic, causing significant burden on public health worldwide. Although the ...timely development and production of mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been successful, issues still exist in vaccine platforms for wide use and production. With the potential for proliferative capability and heat stability, the Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-vectored vaccine is a highly economical and conceivable candidate for treating emerging diseases. In this study, a recombinant NDV-vectored vaccine expressing the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, rK148/beta-S, was developed and evaluated for its efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in K18-hACE-2 transgenic mice. Intramuscular vaccination with low dose (106.0 EID50) conferred a survival rate of 76 % after lethal challenge of a SARS-CoV-2 beta (B.1.351) variant. When administered with a high dose (107.0 EID50), vaccinated mice exhibited 100 % survival rate and reduced lung viral load against both beta and delta variants (B.1.617.2). Together with the protective immunity, rK148/beta-S is an accessible and cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
A precise anatomical understanding of the adductor canal (AC) and its neural components is essential for discerning the action mechanism of the AC block. We therefore aimed to clarify the detailed ...anatomy of the AC using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), histological evaluation, and immunofluorescence (IF) assays.
Gross dissections of 39 thighs provided morphometric data relevant to injection landmarks. Serial sectional images of the AC were defined using micro-CT and ultrasonography. The fascial and neural structures of the AC proper were histologically evaluated using Masson's trichrome and Verhoeff-Van Gieson staining, and double IF staining using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neurofilament 200 antibodies.
The posteromedial branch insertion of the nerve to vastus medialis (NVM) into the lateral border of the AC proper was lower (14.5 ± 2.4 cm mean ± SD above the base of the patella) than the origin of the proximal AC. The AC consists of a thin subsartorial fascia in the proximal region and a thick aponeurosis-like vastoadductor membrane in the distal region. In the proximal AC, the posteromedial branch of the NVM (pmNVM) consistently contained both sensory and motor fibers, and more ChAT-positive fibers were observed than in the saphenous nerve (27.5 ± 11.2 / 104 vs. 4.2 ± 2.6 / 104 counts/µm2, P < 0.001).
Anatomical differences in fascial structures between the proximal and distal AC and a mixed neural component of the neighboring pmNVM have been visualized using micro-CT images, histological evaluation, and IF assays.
Background
Maize has great importance in South Sudan as the most cultivated cereal after sorghum; however, numerous challenges are encountered in its production. To raise maize production, it is ...critical to exploit the wealth of its genetic variation for grain yield enhancement.
Objective
This study aimed to conduct association analysis to identify specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers associated with quantitative agronomic traits.
Methods
Genetic variation and population structure were investigated among 31 maize accessions by association analysis using 50 SSR markers and seven quantitative agronomic traits.
Results
The genotypes exhibited abundant genetic variation, and 418 alleles were detected with an average of 8.4 alleles per locus. The average genetic diversity, major allele frequency, and polymorphic information content were 0.754, 0.373, and 0.725, respectively. The population structure based on 50 SSR markers divided the maize accessions into two main groups and an admixed group without considering their descent. Association analysis was performed using a general linear model (Q GLM) and a mixed linear model (Q + K MLM). Q GLM detected 44 trait-marker associations involving 23 SSR markers. Q + K MLM detected four marker-trait associations involving three SSR markers (umc2286, umc1303, umc1429) associated with days to tasseling, days to silking, leaf length, and leaf width.
Conclusions
The detected significant SSR markers related to agronomic traits could be useful for future genetic studies. Additionally, markers affecting several agronomic traits and overlapped SSR markers require further testing on a wide range of genotypes prior to their consideration as candidate markers for marker assisted selection for South Sudan maize improvement.
In East Asia, particularly South Korea, the two cultivated varieties of Perilla are commonly grown. They are clearly distinguished by their aromatic substances and have different uses as leafy ...vegetables or oil crop. This study was performed for the development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers linked to volatile compounds in Perilla leaves that show differences between cultivated var. frutescens (CF), weedy var. frutescens (WF), and weedy var. crispa (WC) of Perilla. Fifty Perilla SSR primer sets were used to analyze genetic diversity for the 80 Perilla accessions of the three types. A total of 276 alleles were detected, with an average of 5.5 alleles per locus. The average genetic diversity values for CF, WF, and WC accessions were 0.402, 0.583, and 0.437, respectively. WF accessions exhibited the highest genetic diversity among the three types of the Perilla crop. Phylogenetic tree analysis classified 80 Perilla accessions of the three types into four groups, showing 37.2 % genetic similarity. Three types of the Perilla crop were clearly distinguished except for outstanding accessions. Through the application of an association analysis involving 50 Perilla SSR primer sets and five volatile compounds (perilla aldehyde, perilla ketone, myristicin, dill apiol, (Z,E)-α-farnesene) in the three types of the Perilla accessions, we detected 11 significant marker-trait associations duplicated in both Q GLM and Q + K MLM methods. These findings serve as valuable insights for identifying the aromatic substances in Perilla plants originating from various regions of South Korea.
Permafrost-underlain tundra soils in Northern Hemisphere are one of the largest reservoirs of terrestrial carbon, which are highly sensitive to microbial decomposition due to climate warming. ...However, knowledge about the taxonomy and functions of microbiome residing in different horizons of permafrost-underlain tundra soils is still limited. Here we compared the taxonomic and functional composition of microbiome between different horizons of soil cores from a moist tussock tundra ecosystem in Council, Alaska, using 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. The composition, diversity, and functions of microbiome varied significantly between soil horizons, with top soil horizon harboring more diverse communities than sub-soil horizons. The vertical gradient in soil physico-chemical parameters were strongly associated with composition of microbial communities across permafrost soil horizons; however, a large fraction of the variation in microbial communities remained unexplained. The genes associated with carbon mineralization were more abundant in top soil horizon, while genes involved in acetogenesis, fermentation, methane metabolism (methanogenesis and methanotrophy), and N cycling were dominant in sub-soil horizons. The results of phylogenetic null modeling analysis showed that stochastic processes strongly influenced the composition of the microbiome in different soil horizons, except the bacterial community composition in top soil horizon, which was largely governed by homogeneous selection. Our study expands the knowledge on the structure and functional potential of microbiome associated with different horizons of permafrost soil, which could be useful in understanding the effects of environmental change on microbial responses in tundra ecosystems.
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