•Developed data-mining framework to study plant specialized metabolism.•Compared two next-generation sequencing technologies.•Assigned functional information to >800,000 transcripts from 20 plant ...species.•Described selection of gene candidates associated with six metabolic pathways.
Plants produce a vast array of specialized metabolites, many of which are used as pharmaceuticals, flavors, fragrances, and other high-value fine chemicals. However, most of these compounds occur in non-model plants for which genomic sequence information is not yet available. The production of a large amount of nucleotide sequence data using next-generation technologies is now relatively fast and cost-effective, especially when using the latest Roche-454 and Illumina sequencers with enhanced base-calling accuracy. To investigate specialized metabolite biosynthesis in non-model plants we have established a data-mining framework, employing next-generation sequencing and computational algorithms, to construct and analyze the transcriptomes of 75 non-model plants that produce compounds of interest for biotechnological applications. After sequence assembly an extensive annotation approach was applied to assign functional information to over 800,000 putative transcripts. The annotation is based on direct searches against public databases, including RefSeq and InterPro. Gene Ontology (GO), Enzyme Commission (EC) annotations and associated Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway maps are also collected. As a proof-of-concept, the selection of biosynthetic gene candidates associated with six specialized metabolic pathways is described. A web-based BLAST server has been established to allow public access to assembled transcriptome databases for all 75 plant species of the PhytoMetaSyn Project (www.phytometasyn.ca).
Status of LAMPS at RAON Hong, B.; Ahn, D.S.; Ahn, J.K. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms,
August 2023, 2023-08-00, Letnik:
541
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A new radioactive ion-beam accelerator facility, RAON, is under construction in Korea. Among the seven experimental systems being built, the Large Acceptance Multi-Purpose Spectrometer (LAMPS) in the ...high-energy experimental hall is the versatile detector system for nuclear physics. Its primary goal is to study the nuclear equation of state (EoS) and the symmetry energy of the compressed nuclear matter, which should be essential to understand the effective nuclear interactions and structure of the astrophysical objects like neutron stars. The basic LAMPS system consists of the beam diagnostic elements such as the starting counters and beam drift chambers, the time-projection chamber, the barrel and forward time-of-flight systems, the forward neutron detector array, and the superconducting solenoid magnet. In this paper the overview of the present status of each detector component for LAMPS will be given with some prospects.
Minimally invasive treatment has become a mainstay management strategy for early gastric cancer (EGC). Full-thickness incision of the gastric wall using natural orifice transluminal endoscopic ...surgery (NOTES) has been reported but is not easily applicable in clinical settings at present. The aim of the current study was to assess the feasibility of hybrid NOTES, which consists of endoscopic full-thickness gastric resection and a laparoscopic lymphadenectomy.
This was a prospective, pilot study at a single tertiary care referral center. A total of 14 patients with EGC located above the lower third of the stomach underwent hybrid NOTES. Clinically, the patients had contraindications to exclusive treatment using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The main outcome measure was technical success of hybrid NOTES.
All cases were resected en bloc with negative surgical margins. Histologically, four cases were mucosal cancers, and 10 cases were submucosal cancers. The median tumor size was 26 mm (range 12 - 90 mm). Lymphatic vessel invasion was found in four cases without lymph node metastasis (LNM). The median number of obtained lymph nodes was 18 (range 7 - 67). LNM was discovered in one case of undifferentiated submucosal cancer without lymphovascular invasion. Hybrid NOTES was conducted without intraoperative or postoperative adverse events in nine cases. The median operating time and estimated blood loss of successful cases were 143 minutes (range 110 - 253 minutes) and 16 mL (range 5 - 30 mL), respectively. The median hospital stay was 6 days (range 4 - 10 days). Five cases were converted to a subtotal gastrectomy for various reasons.
Hybrid NOTES could be a bridge between endoscopic resection and laparoscopic surgery and may prevent extensive gastrectomy in patients with EGC.
An ultrafast electrochromic display is fabricated based upon well defined nanotube arrays of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT (see Figure). The thin nature of the nanotube walls (10 – 20 nm) ...offers a short ion‐diffusion distance, which results in an ultrafast switching rate (color‐switching time < 10 ms). The arrayed long nanotube structure furnishes strong coloration.
Display omitted
•Centella asiatica contains bioactive ursane triterpenoid saponins.•C. asiatica cDNA encoding a triterpenoid UDP-glucosyltransferase (UGT) was cloned.•The UGT is a triterpenoid ...carboxylic acid:UDP-glucose 28-O-glucosyltransferase.•UGT73AD1 has narrow specificity, being active with asiatic and madecassic acid.
Triterpene saponins include bioactive compounds with structures consisting of triterpene aglycones (sapogenins) and one or more sugar moieties linked through acetal or ester glycosidic linkages at one or more sites. Centella asiatica (L.) Urban is a medicinal plant that contains bioactive ursane-type saponins, such as madecassoside and asiaticoside. In this work, glucosylation of triterpenoids in C. asiatica was investigated starting with plant extracts. An enzyme capable of glucosylating asiatic and madecassic acids was partially purified. Proteomics methods and cDNA sequence data were employed as tools to obtain a full-length cDNA clone encoding a glucosyltransferase. The recombinant gene product, UGT73AD1, was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by immobilized metal-affinity chromatography. Purified recombinant UGT73AD1 was found to have a narrow specificity, glucosylating asiatic and madecassic acids at the C28 carboxyl. mRNA accumulated in all tissues tested (leaves, stems, roots and flowers), with highest expression in leaves. Thus, UGT73AD1 was identified as a triterpenoid carboxylic acid: UDP-glucose 28-O-glucosyltransferase that appears to be involved in saponin biosynthesis in C. asiatica.
In patients with early rheumatoid arthritis, initial combination therapies provide earlier clinical improvement and less progression of joint damage after 1 year compared with initial monotherapies ...(as demonstrated in the BeSt study).
To evaluate whether the initial clinical and radiographic efficacy of combination therapies could be maintained during the second year of follow-up in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.
Randomized, controlled clinical trial with blinded assessors.
18 peripheral and 2 university medical centers in the Netherlands.
508 patients with early active rheumatoid arthritis.
Sequential monotherapy (group 1), step-up combination therapy (group 2), initial combination therapy with tapered high-dose prednisone (group 3), or initial combination therapy with infliximab (group 4). Trimonthly treatment adjustments were made to achieve low disease activity.
Primary end points were functional ability (Health Assessment Questionnaire) and Sharp-van der Heijde score for radiographic joint damage.
Groups 3 and 4 had more rapid clinical improvement during the first year; all groups improved further to a mean functional ability score of 0.6 (overall, P = 0.257) and 42% were in remission (overall, P = 0.690) during the second year. Progression of joint damage remained better suppressed in groups 3 and 4 (median scores of 2.0, 2.0, 1.0, and 1.0 in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively P = 0.004). After 2 years, 33%, 31%, 36%, and 53% of patients in groups 1 through 4, respectively, were receiving single-drug therapy for initial treatment. There were no significant differences in toxicity.
Patients and physicians were aware of the allocated group, and the assessors were blinded.
Currently available antirheumatic drugs can be highly effective in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis in a setting of tight disease control. Initial combination therapies seem to provide earlier clinical improvement and less progression of joint damage, but all treatment strategies eventually showed similar clinical improvements. In addition, combination therapy can be withdrawn successfully and less treatment adjustments are needed than with initial monotherapies.
Aim
The association between cranial ultrasound (CUS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions and neonatal Group B streptococcal (GBS) meningitis outcome has not been studied in detail.
Methods
...This retrospective study assessed CUS, cranial MRI and neurodevelopmental outcome in 50 neonates with GBS meningitis admitted to three neonatal intensive care units in the Netherlands between 1992 and 2014. Death, cognitive outcome and motor outcome below −1 SD were considered as adverse outcomes.
Results
CUS was available in all and MRIs in 31 infants (62%) with 28 CUS (56%) and 27 MRIs (87%) being abnormal. MRI lesions were multifocal (n = 10, 37%), bilateral (n = 22; 82%) and extensive (n = 11; 41%). A total of 10 died in the neonatal period. Median age at assessment was 24 months. Among survivors, abnormal cognitive outcome and motor outcome were seen in 23 and 20 patients, respectively. Abnormal CUS odds ratio (OR) 5.3, p = 0.017, extensive bilateral deep grey lesions (OR 6.7, p = 0.035) and white matter lesions (OR 14.0, p = 0.039) correlated with abnormal motor outcome. Extensive bilateral deep grey matter lesions correlated with abnormal cognitive outcome (OR 8.1, p = 0.029).
Conclusion
Abnormal CUS and the most severely affected MRIs were associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcome in neonatal GBS meningitis.
We previously reported the synthesis and biological activity of novel substituted pyridines and purines having thiazolidinedione with hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities. We now report the ...synthesis and antidiabetic activity of novel substituted pyrimidines having thiazolidinedione moiety. These compounds (entry No.
5a–
i,
10a–
d and
16) were evaluated for their glucose and lipid lowering activity in KKA
y mice. From the results, novel compounds,
5c and
5g, exhibited considerably more potent biological activity than that of the reference compounds, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, respectively.
Studies of genomic copy number variants (CNVs) have identified genes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) such as NRXN1, SHANK2, SHANK3 and PTCHD1. ...Deletions have been reported in PTCHD1 however there has been little information available regarding the clinical presentation of these individuals. Herein we present 23 individuals with PTCHD1 deletions or truncating mutations with detailed phenotypic descriptions. The results suggest that individuals with disruption of the PTCHD1 coding region may have subtle dysmorphic features including a long face, prominent forehead, puffy eyelids and a thin upper lip. They do not have a consistent pattern of associated congenital anomalies or growth abnormalities. They have mild to moderate global developmental delay, variable degrees of ID, and many have prominent behavioral issues. Over 40% of subjects have ASD or ASD‐like behaviors. The only consistent neurological findings in our cohort are orofacial hypotonia and mild motor incoordination. Our findings suggest that hemizygous PTCHD1 loss of function causes an X‐linked neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong propensity to autistic behaviors. Detailed neuropsychological studies are required to better define the cognitive and behavioral phenotype.
Background
Recently, aging has been shown to be associated with sarcopenic obesity (SO), of which decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass are features. Sarcopenia and obesity alone are known to ...be associated with abnormal lipid metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether SO has greater adverse effects on dyslipidemia than on sarcopenia or obesity alone.
Aim
We aimed to investigate the association between SO and dyslipidemia in elderly Koreans.
Subjects and methods
This study was based on data collected during the 2008–2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We included 1,466 men and 2,017 women aged 65 years and over. Sarcopenia was indicated in participants with height- or weight-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle that was 1 standard deviation below the sex-specific mean for the young reference group, and obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥25 kg/m
2
. Dyslipidemia was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III.
Results
After adjusting for confounding factors, the SO group had a higher risk for dyslipidemia odds ratio (OR) 2.82 (95 % confidence interval 1.76–4.51) than the obese group 2.12 (1.11–4.07) and sarcopenic group 1.46 (1.01–2.11) (
p
< 0.001) only in men. Furthermore, the SO group in men had the highest OR for hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypo-high-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, hyper-low-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, and a high ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol even after further adjustments.
Conclusions
In Korean elderly men, SO was associated with an increased risk for dyslipidemia compared with sarcopenia or obesity alone.
PDF
