In this article, we report the results of electrochemical monitoring regarding a multicellular photosynthetic cyanobacterial species using a photoelectrochemical sensor. The sensor utilizes the ...photosynthesis-based reducing action of the cyanobacteria (Spirulina maxima) on an electrochemical mediator (2-hydroxyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) and reoxidation of the mediator at an electrode. When the amperometric signals from the cyanobacteria are compared with dry cell weight, chlorophyll a concentration, and pH, the amperometric signals from the system show a considerable relationship with the chlorophyll a concentration in the cyanobacteria during the cultivation over 54 days.
The purpose of our research was to test the hypothesis that silk protein hydrolysate increases glucose uptake in cultured murine embryonic fibroblasts. Insulin sensitizing activity was observed in a ...cell-based glucose uptake assay using 3T3-L1 embryonic fibroblasts. The treatment of 1 mg/mL of silk peptide E5K6 plus 0.2 nM insulin was associated with a significant increase in glucose uptake (124.0% ± 2.5%) compared to treatment with 0.2 nM insulin alone. When the 3T3-L1 cells were induced to differentiate into fibroblasts, fat droplets formed inside the cells. Silk peptide E5K6 reduced the formation of fat droplets at the 1-mg/mL dosage (86.1% ± 2.5%) when compared to the control (100.0% ± 5.8%). A 1 mg/mL dose of silk peptide E5K6 significantly increased GLUT 4 expression (131.5% ± 4.0%). The treatment of 1 mg/mL of silk peptide E5K6 did not present any changes for adipogenic expressed genes, but leptin expression was significantly increased by silk peptide E5K6 supplementation (175.9% ± 11.1%). From these results, silk peptide E5K6 increased glucose uptake via up-regulation of GLUT 4 and decreased fat accumulation via the up-regulation of leptin.
In this study, a combined reflector was suggested to improve the efficiency of high-power near-infrared (NIR) emitters. The combined reflector was fabricated by combining a distributed Bragg ...reflector (DBR) and an omnidirectional reflector (ODR). In the wafer bond process required for fabricating a high-power NIR emitter, the combined reflector was fabricated such that the developed DBR, which grew as the lowest layer of the epitaxial structure, bonded directly to the ODR deposited on the silicon wafer. The DBR in the combined reflector efficiently reflected photons emitted downward at a certain angle of 20° from the active region. A large number of photons, except at a certain angle by the DBR, are reflected by the other ODR. Therefore, the combined reflector might have favorable reflectivity properties produced by either DBRs or ODRs. As a result, photons emitted downward from the active region of the near-infrared emitter could be efficiently reflected upward and sideways by using a combined reflector of DBRs and ODR. From the results of the characteristics, the NIR emitter with the efficient combined reflector displays a 166% and 118% higher output power than that with either DBRs or ODR. Further, it was re-proved that there exist paramount characteristics of DBRs and ODR in a combined reflector through measurement of photometric and radial theta.
•A combined reflector was suggested for improving the efficiency of high-power near-infrared (NIR) emitters.•Light efficiency of 850-nm GaAs based LEDs was effectively increased by using the combined reflector (DBR + ODR).
The honeybee inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) peptide acts as an antifungal peptide and insecticidal venom toxin. However, the ICK peptide from bumblebees has not been characterized. Here, we report the ...molecular cloning and antifungal activity of a bumblebee (Bombus ignitus) ICK peptide (BiICK). We identified a BiICK that contains an ICK fold. The BiICK was expressed in the epidermis, fat body, and venom gland of B. ignitus worker bees. A 6.7-kDa recombinant BiICK peptide was expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Recombinant BiICK peptides directly bound to Beauveria bassiana, Ascosphaera apis, and Fusarium graminearum, but they did not bind to Escherichia coli, Paenibacillus larvae, or Bacillus thuringiensis. Consistent with this finding, BiICK exhibited antifungal activity against fungi. These results demonstrate that BiICK acts as an antifungal peptide.
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•The cDNA of bumblebee (Bombus ignitus) inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) peptide (BiICK) was cloned.•BiICK directly binds to fungi but not to Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria.•BiICK acts as an antifungal peptide.
Background No large-scale study has compared the clinical impact of triple antiplatelet therapy (TAPT: aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol) and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on adverse limb ...events in patients with diabetes after endovascular therapy (EVT) for peripheral artery disease. Thus, we investigate the effect of cilostazol added to a DAPT on the clinical outcomes after EVT in patients with diabetes using a nationwide, multicenter, real-world registry. Methods and Results A total of 990 patients with diabetes who underwent EVT were enrolled from the retrospective cohorts of a Korean multicenter EVT registry and were divided according to the antiplatelet regimen (TAPT n=350; 35.4% versus DAPT n=640; 64.6%). After propensity score matching based on clinical characteristics, a total of 350 pairs were compared for clinical outcomes. The primary end points were major adverse limb events, a composite of major amputation, minor amputation, and reintervention. For the matched study groups, the lesion length was 125.4±102.0 mm, and severe calcification was observed in 47.4%. The technical success rate (96.9% versus 94.0%;
=0.102) and the complication rate (6.9% versus 6.6%;
>0.999) were similar between the TAPT and DAPT groups. At 2-year follow-up, the incidence of major adverse limb events (16.6% versus 19.4%;
=0.260) did not differ between the 2 groups. However, the TAPT group showed less minor amputation than the DAPT group (2.0% versus 6.3%;
=0.004). In multivariate analysis, TAPT was an independent predictor of minor amputation (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.354 95% CI, 0.158-0.794;
=0.012). Conclusions In patients with diabetes undergoing EVT for peripheral artery disease, TAPT did not decrease the incidence of major adverse limb events but may be associated with a decreased risk of minor amputation.
Osmia cornifrons is a cavity-nesting solitary species used as an apple pollinator in Korea. To elucidate the developmental characteristics of O. cornifrons, we investigated its development from the ...egg to adulthood, including a dormant prepupal phase and mating through indoor rearing (25°C, 65% R.H.). The egg durations of the female and male bees were 3.6±0.8days and 3.1±1.3days, respectively. During larval development, the head widths of the 1st to 5th instars ranged from 0.7±0.1mm to 1.3±0.1mm. The peak of the growth in head width was the 2nd instar. The larval lengths ranged from 3.7±0.6mm to 13.6±1.3mm. The peak of growth was the 4th instar. The larval weights ranged from 4.5±1.2mg to 78.3±16.1mg. The peak of growth was the 3rd instars. The total larval durations of from the 1st to 5th instars for the females and males were 14.0±6.0days and 13.2±5.8days, respectively. The spinning durations of the females and males were 2.2±0.7days and 2.3±0.8days, the prepupation durations were 55.5±5.9days and 55.8±2.9days, and the pupation durations were 26.4±2.1days and 25.3±2.3days, respectively. The average longevity of the female adults and male adults was 21.8±8.7days and 24.4±12.4days, respectively. The total duration of from the egg to an adult bee of the O. cornifrons females and males was 123.5days and 124.1days, respectively. Mating consisted of the three following phases: the precopulatory (courtship and attempting copulation), copulation and postcopulatory phases. The mating times of the precopulatory, copulation and postcopulatory phases were 159.6±288.9, 8.4±7.1, 12.9±4.5, and 198.8±69.8s.
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•The ecological and developmental characteristics of Osmia cornifrons were investigated in the rearing room.•The developmental period of the O. cornifrons life cycle was elucidated through indoor rearing.•The mating characteristics of the O. cornifrons bees were investigated.
•The reassortment event of influenza A virus genomes can generate a novel strain.•The influenza A NS1 protein counteracts antiviral responses of hosts.•The PDZ-binding motif (PBM) of influenza A NS1 ...also affects viral pathogenesis.•The PBM of avian H5N1 NS1 enhanced replication and transmission of human H1N1 virus.•The PBM of NS1 may determine the persistence of influenza A viruses.
By nature of their segmented RNA genome, influenza A viruses (IAVs) have the potential to generate variants through a reassortment process. The influenza nonstructural (NS) gene is critical for a virus to counteract the antiviral responses of the host. Therefore, a newly acquired NS segment potentially determines the replication efficiency of the reassortant virus in a range of different hosts. In addition, the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif (PBM) has been suggested as a pathogenic determinant of IAVs. To gauge the pandemic potential from human and avian IAV reassortment, we assessed the replication properties of NS-reassorted viruses in cultured cells and in the lungs of mice and determined their transmissibility in guinea pigs. Compared with the recombinant A/Korea/01/2009 virus (rK09; 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain), the rK09/VN:NS virus, in which the NS gene was adopted from the A/Vietnam/1203/2004 virus (a human isolate of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus strains), exhibited attenuated virulence and reduced transmissibility. However, the rK09/VN:NS-PBM virus, harboring the PBM in the C-terminus of the NS1 protein, recovered the attenuated virulence of the rK09/VN:NS virus. In a guinea pig model, the rK09/VN:NS-PBM virus showed even greater transmission efficiency than the rK/09 virus. These results suggest that the PBM in the NS1 protein may determine viral persistence in the human and avian IAV interface.
Purpose:
We aimed to evaluate (1) the intraoperative parameters, (2) cup position, (3) complications, (4) long-term results, and (5) the survivorship of cementless total hip arthroplastys (THAs) with ...use of ceramic bearings in patients with a history of acetabular fracture.
Methods:
We compared 57 THAs in patients, who were treated due to previous acetabular fracture (posttraumatic group), with 57 propensity score-matched THAs in patients, who were operated due to femoral head osteonecrosis (osteonecrotic group), at a minimum of 5-year follow-up.
Results:
The operation time was longer (p = 0.008), and the volume of transfusion was larger (p = 0.0.23) in the posttraumatic group. The cup abduction (39.4° ± 6.0° vs. 39.7°±4.8°) and anteversion (24.7° ± 8.0° vs. 26.7°±7.7°) were similar between the two groups. There was one dislocation in the posttraumatic group. There was no ceramic fracture in either group. One posttraumatic patient underwent excision of exuberant heterotrophic ossification at 3 years after the arthroplasty. The mean University of California, Los Angeles activity improved from 3.6 to 4.9 points in the posttraumatic group and 3.5 to 5.2 points in the osteonecrotic group. All acetabular cups and femoral stems had bone-ingrown stability. When reoperation for any reason was used as the end point, the 10-year survival rate was 98.3% (95% CI: 95.0–100) in the posttraumatic group and 100% in the osteonecrotic group.
Conclusion:
In our study, posttraumatic patients had longer operation time and larger volume of transfusion than osteonecrotic patients. However, medium-term results and survivorship were similar with those of osteonecrotic patients.
Molecular-targeted therapy has gained attention because of its high efficacy and weak side effects. Previously, we confirmed that transmembrane 4 superfamily member 5 protein (TM4SF5) can serve as a ...molecular target to prevent or treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We recently extended the application of the peptide vaccine, composed of CpG-DNA, liposome complex, and TM4SF5 peptide, to prevent colon cancer in a mouse model. Here, we first implanted mice with mouse colon cancer cells and then checked therapeutic effects of the vaccine against tumor growth. Immunization with the peptide vaccine resulted in robust production of TM4SF5-specific antibodies, alleviated tumor growth, and reduced survival rate of the tumor-bearing mice. We also found that serum levels of VEGF were markedly reduced in the mice immunized with the peptide vaccine. Therefore, we suggest that the TM4SF5-specific peptide vaccine has a therapeutic effect against colon cancer in a mouse model.
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