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In an effort to discover novel scaffolds of non-nucleotide-derived Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) inhibitors to stimulate the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway, we designed and synthesised pyrrolopyrimidine and pyrrolopyridine derivatives and performed structure-activity relationship (SAR) study. We found 18p possessed high potency (IC50 = 25.0 nM) against ENPP1, and activated STING pathway in a concentration dependent manner. Also, in response to STING pathway activation, cytokines such as IFN-β and IP-10 were induced by 18p in a concentration dependent manner. Finally, we discovered that 18p causes inhibition of tumour growth in 4T1 syngeneic mouse model. This study provides new insight into the designing of novel ENPP1 inhibitors and warrants further development of small molecule immune modulators for cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common cause of drug hypersensitivity reactions is iodinated contrast media (ICM). ICM-induced hypersensitivity had been considered to be a non-immunological reaction, but evidence for an immunological mechanism has increased recently. Thus, we evaluated whether HLA-A, -B, and -C alleles were associated with ICM-induced hypersensitivity. In total, 126 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography studies through outpatient clinics at a tertiary referral hospital between 2008 and 2012 were assessed. Sixty-one patients experienced ICM-induced hypersensitivity and the remainder, 65, were ICM-tolerant patients (control). ICM-induced hypersensitivity patients showed 51 with immediate, 7 with non-immediate, 3 with both or mixed type. HLA-A, -B, and -C genotyping was performed using a PCR sequence-based typing method. Four kinds of ICM were used: iopromide, iohexol, iobitridol, and iodixanol. The most used ICM among the hypersensitivity patients was iopromide. Significant difference in the frequency of HLA-B*58:01 (odds ratios [OR], 3.90; p = 0.0200, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-13.07) was observed between ICM-induced immediate hypersensitivity and control. There were statistically significant differences in the frequencies of the HLA-B*38:02 (OR, 10.24; p = 0.0145; 95% CI, 1.09-96.14) and HLA-B*58:01 (OR, 3.98; p = 0.0348; 95% CI, 1.03-15.39) between iopromide-induced immediate hypersensitivity and control. The mechanism of ICM-induced hypersensitivity remains unknown, but this study showed associations, although weak, with HLA-B*58:01 alleles for ICM-induced immediate hypersensitivity and HLA-B*38:02 and HLA-B*58:01 for iopromideinduced immediate hypersensitivity as risk predictors. Further studies are needed to validate the associations in larger samples and to identify the functional mechanism behind these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious viral infection, occurs more common in children than in adults. However, there was a recent outbreak of Coxsackievirus A6-induced infection with an atypical presentation among the adult population. Stevens–Johnson syndrome is a severe mucocutaneous disease characterized by extensive necrosis and detachment of the epidermis, and this condition is commonly caused by medications. Herein, we describe a 30-year-old male patient taking allopurinol for the management of gout. The patient presented with numerous erythematous papules, vesicles, and patches with mucosal eruptions on the whole body, oral mucositis, and fever, and he was finally diagnosed with hand-foot-and-mouth disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sargassum macrocarpum is a rich source of anti-inflammatory compounds. Recently, one of the compounds, tuberatolide B, has been reported as a functional anti-inflammatory additive for foods and nutraceuticals. The artificial seeding, growth and maturation of S. macrocarpum were investigated from May 2018 to September 2019. Indoor culture experiments for induction of egg release were conducted at temperatures of 17, 20, 23, and 26°C and irradiances of 0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 µmol photons m-2 s-1 under 14 : 10 h (L : D) photoperiod. Within a given treatment combination, higher temperatures and irradiance levels favoured the maturation of receptacles in S. macrocarpum. Using artificial temperature and irradiance control, thalli matured one month earlier than thalli in nature. Under natural condition, receptacle formation began in April, and the eggs were released in June and July. The release of eggs from the receptacles was promoted at 17-20°C and 40-80 µmol photons m-2 s-1, and the fastest growth of germlings occuring at 15-17°C and 40 µmol photons m-2 s-1. For mature thalli, 300 g wet-weight was sufficient to seed 100 m of seed string. Thalli grew to 10.5 ± 2.6 cm in length at a density of 6.7 ± 3.3 individuals m-1 after 1 year of cultivation, from germination. This study demonstrates that it is possible to cultivate S. macrocarpum for the production of anti-inflammatory products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mariculture is regarded as the only option to supply the increasing demands for seaweeds as human food, feeds, fodder, and phycolloids in a sustainable manner. Technologies for culturing a range of seaweed species have been developed successively in Korea since the 1970s. In 2017, Korean marine farms produced 1,761,526 t of seaweed. The key focus of the industry is on the production of Pyropia (523,648 t), Undaria (622,613 t), and Saccharina (542,285 t). Pyropia is economically the most important species in Korea, accounting for up to 68% of total production value. As the top exporter of Pyropia in the world, Korea exported up to US $525 million of Pyropia products to 110 countries in 2018. Other economically important genera include Sargassum, Ulva, Capsosiphon, Codium, and Gracilariopsis, all of which are used for food, and Gelidium, Pachymeniopsis, and Ecklonia which are used as raw material for phycocolloid extraction. Significant work has gone into developing more productive strains of key seaweed species, and in 2012 the Korean government began to certify seaweed varieties. To date, 19 seaweed cultivars have been registered including 13 Pyropia, 5 Undaria, and 1 Saccharina. The industry is now seeking not only to increase productivity but also to add value through processing. Convenience foods and snacks have been developed that target health-conscious consumers and utilize the nutritional properties of seaweeds. The industry is also seeking to promote the sustainability of seaweed farming. One seaweed company in Korea obtained the world's first ASC-MSC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council-Marine Stewardship Council) certification in 2019 and more are expected to follow their lead. With continued research support, the Korean seaweed industry plans to continue to expand to meet new market demands at a sustainable pace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can induce severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. We performed HLA genotyping and lymphocyte activation tests (LATs) for five AED-induced SCAR patients (three males and two females; aged 40-66 years old). Three patients were treated with carbamazepine (CBZ) for pain control, one was treated with phenytoin (PHT) for seizure prevention, and one was treated with valproic acid (VPA) for seizure prevention. One patient was diagnosed with CBZ-induced DRESS syndrome and the remaining patients were diagnosed with SJS. All patients recovered from SCARs after stopping suspicious drugs and supportive care. LATs were conducted to confirm the culprit drug responsible for inducing SCARs; and LAT results were positive for the suspected culprit drugs, in all except in one case. HLA-A, -B, and -C alleles were determined using PCR-sequence-based typing method. The common alleles of HLA were -A*02:01, -B*51:01, and -C*03:04 which were carried by three patients (60%) for each allele. The patient with CBZ-induced DRESS syndrome carried the HLAA* 31:01 allele. One patient with CBZ-induced SJS and one patient with VPA-induced SJS carried the HLA-B*15:11 allele. No patients carried the HLA-B*15:02 allele, which is a known risk allele of AED-induced SCARs. Further investigation of the three common alleles found in the five AED-induced SCARs patients is needed. We demonstrated the usefulness of LAT for confirming the culprit drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccharina japonica was introduced to both Korea and China from Hokkaido, Japan, and it has become an economically important species in both nations. After a long period of cultivation, several varieties of S. japonica have been developed in Korea and China. In this study, we conducted aquacultural research on the persistence of thalli from two kelp cultivars, one from China (Huangguan No. 1) and one from Korea (Sugwawon No. 301), between December 2015 and November 2016 in Haenam, Korea. The maximum length was 247.8 ± 13.0 and 227.5 ± 42.0 cm, respectively, which were significantly longer in Sugwawon No. 301 than in Huangguan No. 1. The maximum width was 29.9 ± 5.4 and 23.2 ± 1.9 cm, respectively, which were significantly wider in Huangguan No. 1 than in Sugwawon No. 301. The mean biomass obtained from the culture ropes was for Sugwawon No. 301 was 3.5 ± 0.3 kg wet wt m-1 and for while Huangguan No. 1 was 3.1 ± 1.0 kg wet wt m-1 of culture rope. After August, the persistence of the thalli of Sugwawon No. 301 was two months longer than that of Huangguan No. 1. We found that the Sugwawon No. 301 performed as well as the Huangguan No. 1 in Korean waters possibly due to increased flexibility as a result of the different cell arrangements of the two cultivars. Overall, the use of the Sugwawon No. 301 cultivar rather than the Huangguan No. 1 cultivar of S. japonica appears the best alternative to help to ensure a stable year round algal feed supply for the Korean abalone industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercialization and proliferation of intelligent transport systems (ITS) are progressing worldwide, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. Meanwhile, analysis of the related electromagnetic environment is essential for safety-related legislation. However, the theoretical analysis for multiple vehicles poses an electrically large problem and requires enormous computational resources. In this letter, we propose a method of superposition that requires much less computational resources by subgrouping the computational domain and using an efficient post-processing method. The proposed method approximates the original problem by superpositioning the individual subdomain analysis data, including scatterers near the source and observation points. This letter also presents guidelines for applying the proposed method and examples for comparison with full analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A reproducible analytical method using reverse-phase high liquid performance chromatography combined with UV detecting was developed for the quantitative determination of four compounds isolated from the ethanol extract of Phaseolus angularis seeds (PASE): oleanolic acid (1), oleanolic acid acetate (2), stigmasterol (3) and β-sitosterol (4). This method was fully validated in terms of linearity (r² > 0.999), accuracy (98.5%-100.8%), precision (<0.92%), LOD (<0.0035 mg/mL), and LOQ (<0.0115 mg/mL). The effects of the PASE and isolated compounds 1-4 on TLR4 activation were tested in THP1-Blue cells. Among the tested substances, compound 2 showed potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3.89 ± 0.17 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

new zymogram method, silver-stained fibrin zymography, for separation of protease bands and activity detection using a single substrate gel, was developed. The method takes advantage of the nanoscale sensitivity of both zymography and silver staining. After SDS-PAGE in a gel containing fibrin, the gel was incubated in enzyme reaction buffer and the zymogram was silver-stained. Bands with protease activity were stained with silver in clear areas where the protein substrate had been degraded. The molecular sizes of proteases were accurately determined. Furthermore, proteases of high molecular weight were clearly and sharply resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undariopsis peterseniana is an endangered annual brown alga in Udo, Jeju Island, Korea. There is current interest in the commercial-scale aquaculture of this species for warm-water species development in Korea. Growth and maturation were investigated from January to December 2007 in their natural habitat. Zoospores were transplanted into an intensive seaweed culture ground in Wando, southern coast of Korea, for the mass cultivation of this species. Indoor and outdoor cultivation were conducted from June 2007 to May 2008. Mean production obtained from the zoospore seeding was 31.1 ± 1.5 kg wet wt. m of culture rope during the cultivation period in situ. Transplanted F thalli in Wando had a length 1.7 times longer than their parents in Udo, and their maximal growth period changed from June (at 19.9°C in Udo of natural habitat) to April (at 14.0°C in Wando of culture ground). The relationship between optimal water depth for culture and underwater irradiance during the U. peterseniana cultivation was defined as: $$ y = - 0.78 \times + 7.67\left( {{r^2} = 0.92} \right) $$. This study indicates that U. peterseniana could be successfully transferred to the northern coast beyond the original habitat in Jeju Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between median grain size of sediments and the abundance in the wild of green algal mats ( Ulva prolifera) on the intertidal flats of Muan, Korea, were investigated. The impact of substratum particle size on the growth and survival of germlings was examined in the laboratory. In the wild, the average annual density of algal mats was 7,950 ind m. The algal mats mainly occurred in sands and exhibited patchy distribution. Statistical analysis indicates significant spatial analysis differences and a significant relationship between density and the ratio of sands to silts, suggesting that the distribution and density of this species were related to particle size. In laboratory experiments, the survival rate of U. prolifera germlings was the lowest value (22%) on sediments with a median grain size of 63-125 μm. Laboratory experiments have generally shown a positive relationship between attachment or survival of the alga and substratum particles size. Our laboratory results indicate a clear link between germling settlement/survival and substratum particle size. These results explain the spatial differences in abundance observed in the field in relation to the distribution and ratio of sands to silt on the Muan flats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By disruption of the pullulan synthetase gene ( pul) of Aureobasidium pullulans IMS822 KCTC11179BP, we constructed a mutant strain, A. pullulans NP1221, which produced a pure β-glucan exopolysaccharide. The mutant NP1221 was white, whereas the wild-type strain produced a black dye. When we compared fermentation kinetics between wide-type and mutant strains, the mutant NP1221 did not produce pullulan. Substrate uptake rate and β-glucan production were similar in both strains. However, the biomass yield of mutant NP1221 was 2.3-fold (9.2 g l−1) greater than that of wild-type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicochemical responses to acidification in Pythium porphyrae, the causative organism of red rot disease in Porphyra, were investigated. The acid tolerance of P. porphyrae mycelia under pH 4 (acidic condition) condition increased significantly compared with that of the mycelia under pH 8 (condition equivalent to seawater) condition. Free amino acid levels in the mycelia decreased 1.3–8.8-fold under pH 4 condition. However, some free amino acids such as thed-cysteinolic acid-like component, phosphoethanolamine, glutamic acid, aminoadipic acid and methionine increased 2.6–21.7-fold under the same condition. Proton flux on the mycelia exposed to pH 8 increased significantly compared with the mycelia exposed to pH 4. The patterns of proteins present (examined by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) differed among the pH conditions. These results suggest that P. porphyrae acquires acid tolerance and is able to adapt to the changing pH conditions. This has significant implications for the use of acidic fungicide treatment for prevention of red rot disease on Porphyra farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background   Chlamydophila pneumoniae may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthmatic airway inflammation through chemical mediators secreted by C. pneumoniae-infected bronchial epithelial cells (BECs). Recently, CCL20 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were reported to be released from BECs and to play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Objective and Methods  To determine if C. pneumoniae infection of BECs induces the secretion of CCL20 and VEGF, we measured that by ELISA in human BECs infected with C. pneumoniae. Transcripts of CCL20 and VEGF were assayed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. To investigate the underlying mechanism, the activation of MAPK and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in these C. pneumoniae-infected BECs was measured, as well as the effects of inhibitors of MAPK and ROS on CCL20 and VEGF expression. Results  Compared with non-infected BECs, C. pneumoniae-infected BECs showed enhanced secretion of CCL20 and VEGF. C. pneumoniae-infected BECs also showed enhanced intracellular ROS and an increased ratio of phosphorylated to non-phosphorylated p38. Inhibition of p38 suppressed CCL20 and VEGF secretion, as did a NADPH oxidase blocker and an antioxidant, in C. pneumoniae-infected BECs. Conclusion   C. pneumoniae infection of BECs may play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma through the enhanced production of CCL20 and VEGF. The association between increased cytokine production and increased intracellular ROS suggests that antioxidants may benefit asthmatics in selected situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus subtilis C9 effectively degrades aliphatic hydrocarbons up to a chain length of C19 and produces a lipopeptide-type biosurfactant, surfactin, yet it has no genetic competency. Therefore, to obtain a transformable surfactin producer, the sfp gene cloned from B. subtilis C9 was integrated into the chromosome of B. subtilis 168, a non-surfactin producer, by homologous recombination. The transformants reduced the surface tension of the culture broth from 70.0 mN/m to 28.0 mN/m, plus the surface-active compound produced by the transformants exhibited the same Rf value as that from B. subtilis C9 and authentic surfactin in a thin-layer chromatographic analysis. The integration of the sfp gene into the chromosome of B. subtilis 168 was confirmed by Southern hybridization. Like B. subtilis C9, the transformants readily degraded n-hexadecane, although the original strain did not. It was also statistically confirmed that the hydrocarbon degradation of the transformants was highly correlated to their surfactin production by the determination of the correlation coefficient ( r2=0.997, P<0.01). Therefore, these results indicate that the surfactin produced from B. subtilis enhances the bioavailability of hydrophobic liquids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the detection of the red rot disease fungi Pythium species by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Analysis on the distribution of the Phythium sp.; Effectiveness of the PCR in detecting the red rot disease; Comparison between Pythium sp and other species.

Examines the distribution of free L-cysteine and glutathione in seaweeds. Function of glutathione; Degradation of glutathione during sulphur starvation; Significance of the unusual ratio of cysteine and glutathione.

Examines dicyano{[(1S)-(1-phenylethyl)aziridin-2-yl]methanolato-K[sup2]N,O}boron. Chemical composition; Molecular structure; Preparation of the compound.

Although the recruitment of macrophages to the lung is a central feature of airway inflammation, its function in ongoing Th2 cell-mediated eosinophilic airway inflammation remains controversial. Here, we have demonstrated that the allergen-induced CD11b+ CD11cint macrophage expressing CC chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) in the lung performs a crucial function in the induction of eosinophilic asthma in a murine model. In the lungs of normal mice, residential cells evidencing high granularity phenotypically evidenced CD11bint CD11c+ or CD11b+ CD11cint cells, appearing at a 2:1 ratio. After allergen challenge, however, this reverses dramatically, up to a ratio of one to six. Approximately 91% of increased CD11b+ CD11cint cells evidenced the expression of the CCR3 eotaxin receptor, but not other chemokine receptors, such as CCR5 and CXCR4. Interestingly, the CD11b+ CD11cint cells purified from the lungs of OVA (ovalbumin)-sensitized and challenged mice evidenced higher antigen-presenting activity than was observed in CD11bint CD11c+ cells. In order to investigate the in vivo function of CD11b+ CD11cint cells, the cells were isolated from the lungs of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice and then adoptively transferred prior to the allergen challenge of normal mice. In the CD11b+ CD11cint-transferred mice airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilic inflammation in the lung and Th2 cytokine secretion in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were significantly enhanced as the result of OVA challenge, as compared with the mice that received OVA-primed CD90+ T cells or CD11bint CD11c+ cells. These findings show that CD11b+ CD11cint macrophages expressing CCR3 as key pro-inflammatory cells are both necessary and sufficient for allergen-specific T cell stimulation during ongoing eosinophilic airway inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]