This research is to investigate the four years growth mountain-cultivated ginseng ripened twenty-two weeks into four years fermented persimmon vinegar (tentatively: Sansamcho) ingestion on ...obese-related factors during dietary control. The Sansamcho was ingested orally, two times a day, after every meal for six weeks to the male rats. Groups were divided into the control (CON), the restricted diet (RD), and the weight cycling (WC). And, each groups has its own sub-groups as the -control (-CON), 2.5 times diluted Sansamcho ingestion (-MPV2.5), and 5.0 times diluted Sansamcho ingestion (-MPV5.0) groups, respectively. The number of rat was consisted of seven in each group. After six weeks rearing periods was done, abdominal fats (retroperitoneal fat, mesentery fat, and epididymal fat) and energy metabolic-related protein (AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; PPAR-${\alpha}$: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\alpha}$; and CPT-1: carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1) were weighed and analyzed. Amount of stored fat was significantly or tended to decrease by Sansamcho ingestion. In addition, sum of fats increasing were suppressed by the material. On the contrary, energy metabolism-related protein expression was significantly increased or tended to increase by Sansamcho ingestion. This results suggested that increased energy metabolism using Sansamcho was restrained effectively visceral fat store by high-fat diet and/or dietary control. In other words, it has a good function to suppress weight cycling which is the most insoluble problem. Therefore, the fusion material, Sansamcho, may expect to utilize as the obese-suppression-food. 본 연구는 4년근 산양삼을 4년 숙성된 감식초에 22주간 혼입숙성하여 만든 산양삼감식초(가칭: 산삼초)를 활용하여 식이제한을 하였을 때 나타나는 비만관련 요소들을 분석하였다. 웅성 흰쥐 63마리를 대상으로 고지방식을 공급하면서 식후 2회, 6주간 산삼초를 경구투여하였다. 집단은 대조군, 제한식이군, 웨이트사이클링군으로 구분하였으며, 이를 다시 대조군, 산삼초 2.5배 희석 섭취군, 산삼초 5.0배 희석 섭취군으로 각각 구분하였다. 각 집단은 7마리씩으로 하였다. 6주간의 사육이 종료된 후, 복강내 지방(복막후지방, 장간막지방, 부고환지방)과 대사관련 단백질(AMPK, PPAR-${\alpha}$, CPT-1)의 발현을 분석하였다. 결과를 볼 때, 모든 집단에서 산삼초 섭취에 의한 지방저장량의 유의한 감소 또는 감소 경향이 나타났으며, 지방저장량의 총합계 역시 산삼초 섭취에 의해 증가가 억제되었다. 이와는 반대로 대사관련 단백질 발현은 모든 항목에서 산삼초 섭취에 의해 유의한 증가 혹은 증가 경향이 나타났다. 이 결과는 산삼초 섭취에 의한 에너지 대사의 효과적인 상승이 고지방식이 또는 식이제한을 하였을 경우에도 체내 지방 저장량의 증가를 억제하였다는 것이다. 즉, 비만의 가장 큰 문제점인 웨이트사이클링의 억제를 위한 좋은 기능성을 보유하고 있다고 판단된다. 이를 통하여 임업산물인 산양삼과 감식초의 융합소재인 산삼초를 비만억제 식품으로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.
Structural control of solubilizing side groups in fullerene-based electron acceptors is critically important to optimize their performance in bulk heterojunction (BHJ)-type polymer solar cell (PSC) ...devices. The structural changes of fullerene derivatives affect not only their optical and electrochemical properties but also their solubility and miscibility with electron donor polymers. Herein, we synthesized a series of o-xylenyl C60 bis-adduct (OXCBA) derivatives with different solubilizing side groups to systematically investigate the effects of fullerene derivative structures on the photovoltaic properties of PSCs. The xylenyl side groups on the OXCBA were modified to produce several different OXCBA derivatives in which the xylenyl groups were functionalized with fluorine (FXCBA), nitro (NXCBA), methoxy and bromine (BMXCBA), and phenyl groups (ACBA). End group modifications of OXCBA dramatically affect photovoltaic performance in blend films with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), resulting in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) ranging from 1.7 to 5.3%. We found that this large range in PCE values is mainly due to differences in the blend morphology and interfacial area of the P3HT:OXCBA derivative films caused by changes in the hydrophobicity of the OXCBA derivatives and their interaction with P3HT. The trend in photovoltaic performance of the different OXCBA derivatives agrees well with those of the interfacial tension, PL quenching, and exciton dissociation probability, which suggests that changes in the interaction with P3HT are largely responsible for their photovoltaic performances. Finally, the OXCBA derivatives were applied in inverted type PSC devices. We note that P3HT:OXCBA blend devices exhibited more than 5% PCE with excellent air stability, which is one of the best inverted type devices based on the P3HT polymer in a simple device architecture without any extra interlayers.
Zika virus (ZIKV) directly infects neural progenitors and impairs their proliferation. How ZIKV interacts with the host molecular machinery to impact neurogenesis in vivo is not well understood. ...Here, by systematically introducing individual proteins encoded by ZIKV into the embryonic mouse cortex, we show that expression of ZIKV-NS2A, but not Dengue virus (DENV)-NS2A, leads to reduced proliferation and premature differentiation of radial glial cells and aberrant positioning of newborn neurons. Mechanistically, in vitro mapping of protein-interactomes and biochemical analysis suggest interactions between ZIKA-NS2A and multiple adherens junction complex (AJ) components. Functionally, ZIKV-NS2A, but not DENV-NS2A, destabilizes the AJ complex, resulting in impaired AJ formation and aberrant radial glial fiber scaffolding in the embryonic mouse cortex. Similarly, ZIKA-NS2A, but not DENV-NS2A, reduces radial glial cell proliferation and causes AJ deficits in human forebrain organoids. Together, our results reveal pathogenic mechanisms underlying ZIKV infection in the developing mammalian brain.
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•ZIKV-NS2A, but not DENV-NS2A, depletes RGCs in the embryonic mouse cortex•ZIKV-NS2A expression causes mis-positioning of newborn neurons in the mouse cortex•ZIKA-NS2A interacts with and depletes adherens junction (AJ) complex proteins•ZIKV-NS2A impairs RGC proliferation and AJ formation in human forebrain organoids
Zika virus infects neural stem cells and causes microcephaly. In this study, Yoon et al. showed that NS2A protein encoded by Zika virus, but not by Dengue virus, impairs proliferation of radial glial cells in both embryonic mouse cortex and human forebrain organoids. Mechanistically, ZIKV-NS2A disrupts adherens junction formation.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is highly effective in preventing disease progression of rabies when used in timely and appropriate manner. The key treatment for PEP is infiltration of rabies immune ...globulin (RIG) into lesion site after bite exposure, besides wound care and vaccination. Unfortunately, however, RIG is expensive and its supply is limited. Currently, several anti-rabies virus monoclonal antibody (mAb) products are under development as alternatives to RIG, and two recently received regulatory approval in India. In this study, fully human mAbs that recognize different rabies virus glycoprotein conformational antigenic site (II and III) were created from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of heathy vaccinated subjects. These mAbs neutralized a diverse range of lyssavirus types. As at least two anti-rabies virus mAbs are recommended for use in human PEP to ensure broad coverage against diverse lyssaviruses and to minimize possible escape variants, two most potent mAbs, NP-19-9 and 11B6, were selected to be used as cocktail treatment. These two mAbs were broadly reactive to different types of lyssaviruses isolates, and were shown to have no interference with each other. These results suggest that NP-19-9 and 11B6 are potent candidates to be used for PEP, suggesting further studies involving clinical studies in human.
Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have been used as major crops in multiple regions since ancient times, and they contain various nutrients that can affect ...human hair health. This study investigated the various biological effects of a complex of millet extract and wheat extract (MWC) on hair health. Human immortalized dermal papilla cells (iDPCs) for an in vitro study and an anagen-synchronized mouse model for an in vivo study were employed. These findings revealed that the application of the MWC in vitro led to an increase in the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and SOD1), growth factors (IGF-1, VEGF, and FGF7), and factors related to hair growth (wnt10b, β-catenin) while decreasing inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels (IL-6 and TNFα). The mRNA levels of hair follicles (HFs) in the dorsal skin of the mouse model in the early and late telogen phases were also measured. The mRNA levels in the in vivo study showed a similar alteration tendency as in the in vitro study in the early and late telogen phases. In this model, MWC treatment elongated the anagen phase of the hair cycle. These findings indicate that the MWC can suppress oxidative stress and inflammation and may elongate the anagen phase by enhancing the growth factors involved in the wnt10b/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study suggests that the MWC might have significant potential as a functional food for maintaining hair health.
•We developed a monolithic projection-based method for natural convection problems.•Non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq (NOB) approximation is considered in the problems.•The proposed method uses the ...Crank–Nicolson scheme with staggered time stepping.•A pressure-correction scheme is used for the variable-coefficient Poisson equation.•We investigated the effects of NOB approximation on 2D and 3D problems.
This paper presents an efficient monolithic projection-based method with staggered time discretization (MPM-STD) to examine the non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq (NOB) effects in several natural convection problems involving dramatic temperature-dependent changes in fluid properties. The proposed approach employs the Crank–Nicolson scheme along with staggered time discretization to discretize the momentum and energy equations. The momentum and energy equations are decoupled by evaluating the velocity vector at integral time levels (n+1), and the scalar variables (pressure and temperature) at half-integral time levels (n+12). The observed density variations in all terms result in a variable-coefficient Poisson equation, which is difficult to solve efficiently. The convergence is accelerated via adoption of an appropriate pressure-correction scheme that transforms the aforementioned Poisson equation to a constant-coefficient form. The numerical simulations concerning two-dimensional (2D) periodic NOB Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) in glycerol and 2D differentially heated cavity (DHC) problem in air confirmed the second-order temporal and spatial accuracies of the proposed method. By simulating the 2D DHC problem in air and the RBC problem in liquid (water or glycerol) considering NOB effects, it is concluded that the proposed MPM-STD significantly mitigates the time-step restriction, thereby increasing the computational efficiency, which exceeds that of existing semi-implicit and explicit schemes. Moreover, the potential of the proposed approach with regard to solving challenging three-dimensional (3D) turbulent problems is demonstrated by performing direct simulations of turbulent RBCs under NOB effects involving temperature differences up to 60 K with a corresponding Rayleigh number (Ra=106).
Thyroid carcinoma, a disease in which malignant cells form in the thyroid tissue, is the most common endocrine carcinoma, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounting for nearly 80% of total ...thyroid carcinoma cases. However, the management of metastatic or recurrent therapy-refractory PTC is challenging and requires complex carcinoma therapy. In this study, we proposed a new clinical approach for the treatment of therapy-refractory PTC. We identified sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) as an essential factor for the survival of PTC cells refractory to the treatment with paclitaxel or sorafenib. We validated its use as a potential target for developing drugs against resistant PTC, by using patient-derived paclitaxel- or sorafenib-resistant PTC cells. We further discovered novel SERCA inhibitors, candidates 7 and 13, using the evolutionary chemical binding similarity method. These novel SERCA inhibitors determined a substantial reduction of tumors in a patient-derived xenograft tumor model developed using paclitaxel- or sorafenib-resistant PTC cells. These results could provide a basis for clinically meaningful progress in the treatment of refractory PTC by identifying a novel therapeutic strategy: using a combination therapy between sorafenib or paclitaxel and specific SERCA inhibitors for effectively and selectively targeting extremely malignant cells such as antineoplastic-resistant and carcinoma stem-like cells.
Cefadroxil and cefradine have frequently been detected in surface waters, however toxicological studies in aquatic organisms have mostly been limited to acute lethal effects. In the present study, ...endocrine disruption caused by cefadroxil and cefradine, and its underlying mechanism were investigated by chronic exposure of Daphnia magna (21 d) and Oryzias latipes (120 d). In medaka fish, the effects on growth, mortality, and reproduction, as well as on the levels of hormones and genes related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis, were investigated after 120 d exposure. In D. magna, the chronic effects on growth were observed at the highest concentration of 83.0 mg L−1 cefadroxil and 80.8 mg L−1 cefradine. The growth of juvenile fish was significantly impaired by exposure to cefradine. Following exposure to cefadroxil and cefradine for 120 d, sex-dependent changes in E2 hormones were observed and their levels were supported by the regulation of genes along the HPG axis. We found that chronic exposure to cefadroxil and cefradine impaired growth and reproduction in a freshwater invertebrate and fish, and altered the levels of sex hormones and genes associated with the HPG axis in fish.
•Cefadroxil and cefradine impaired growth in a freshwater invertebrate and a fish.•Cephalosporin antibiotics altered gene transcriptions of the HPG axis in fish.•Cefadroxil and cefradine modulated sex hormones and genes in a sex-dependent way.
A broadband spectrum channelizer employing pulsewidth-modulated local-oscillator (PWM-LO)-based sub-band amplitude control is demonstrated. The channelizer has an analog bandwidth of 800 MHz and ...partitions the input spectrum into eight contiguous sub-bands. The design employs an approach based on frequency folding from harmonics of multi-phase periodic clocks and allows for scaling the relative gain of the sub-bands over a 20-dB range. This relaxes the compression performance of the channelizer baseband and sub-analog-to-digital converter (ADC) dynamic range in the presence of large sub-bands. Gain control on individual sub-bands is performed by employing customized PWM-LO waveforms, where the PWM-LO pulses are generated using delay-locked loops (DLLs). Off-chip learning employing a neural network is used to estimate the PWM symbol pulsewidths required for setting the desired LO harmonic levels. A 1.6-GS/s spectrum channelizer integrated circuit (IC) is implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process to verify the architecture. The measured channelizer gain is 51.6-56.5 dB without gain scaling and provides a range of 37-59 dB with PWM-LO gain control. Gain scaling at a specific harmonic improves blocker compression in an unattenuated sub-band from −34 to −16 dBm. The in-band gain compression with gain scaling also increases from −32 to −17 dBm.
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