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Background: Pyrazinamide (PZA) usage has been associated with adverse drug reactions, prompting its avoidance in treating elderly tuberculosis (TB) patients. This study aims to examine whether the administration of PZA is associated with poor outcomes during TB treatment among elderly individuals. Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken on data collected from a prospective cohort conducted between July 2019 and June 2023, which involved tuberculosis patients from 18 institutions across the Republic of Korea. The study aimed to assess the impact of PZA on the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs), medication interruptions, and becoming loss to follow-up (LTFU) during standard short courses of TB treatment in elderly (≥65 years old) patients. Results: PZA was administered to 356 of 390 elderly patients (91.3%), and 98 of the 390 (25.1%) experienced SAEs. Treatment success was significantly lower in patients not treated with PZA compared to those who received PZA (64.7% vs 89.9%, p < 0.001). The incidence of SAEs, medication interruption, or LTFU was higher in patients not given PZA compared those who received PZA (52.9% vs. 27.2%, p = 0.002). A multivariate logistic regression analysis, factoring in covariates such as age, comorbidities, and baseline laboratory data, revealed that PZA was not a risk factor for SAEs, medication interruption, or LTFU in TB treatment (odds ratio [OR] 0.457, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.201–1.041). Conclusion: Treating elderly TB patients with PZA did not increase the incidence of SAEs, medication interruptions, or LTFU during the standard short course of TB treatment. Therefore, considering its potential advantages, incorporating PZA into the treatment regimen for elderly TB patients may be advisable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Convolvulaceae comprises approximately 50–60 genera with approximately 1600–1700 species, exhibiting a rich diversity of morphological characteristics and occupying a broad range of ecological habitats. High-throughput sequencing identified a tentative new virus in the family Geminiviridae infecting Calystegia sepium var. japonica in South Korea. The 2,706 nt long genome comprises six open reading frames (ORFs). The analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the genome and the putative amino acid sequences of ORFs indicated that the virus was closely related to the members of the family Geminiviridae. The genome organization of the virus was similar to that of members of the genus Topilevirus in terms of the number of ORFs and splicing signal. However, the virus, tentatively named bindweed mottle virus (BWMV), may not be assigned to current genera into the family Geminiviridae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Patients with tuberculosis and diabetes have a higher risk of unfavourable anti‐tuberculosis treatment outcomes. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of various diabetes statuses on the outcomes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: Among the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis enrolled in the Korea Tuberculosis Cohort (KTBC) registry and the multicentre prospective cohort study of pulmonary tuberculosis (COSMOTB), those with diabetes and complicated diabetes were identified. The primary and secondary outcomes were unfavourable outcomes and mortality, respectively. The effect of diabetes and complicated diabetes on the outcomes was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Using COSMOTB, subgroup analyses were performed to assess the association between various diabetes statuses and outcomes. Results: In the KTBC, diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.64–2.26) and complicated diabetes (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.67–2.30) were significantly associated with unfavourable outcomes, consistent with the COSMOTB data analysis. Based on subgroup analysis, untreated diabetes at baseline was an independent risk factor for unfavourable outcomes (aOR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.26–5.61). Prediabetes and uncontrolled diabetes increased unfavourable outcomes and mortality without statistical significance. Conclusion: Untreated and complicated diabetes at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis increases the risk of unfavourable outcomes and mortality. The effect of various stages of diabetis mellitus (DM) on the outcomes of patients with tuberculosis (TB) was analysed. Untreated and complicated DM at the time of TB diagnosis increased the risk of unfavourable outcomes. See relatededitorial [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel virus infecting Stellaria aquatica plants, tentatively named "Stellaria aquatica virus C" (StAVC), was identified in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea. Its monopartite genome consists of a single-stranded RNA of 15,024 nucleotides, and it shares 38.24 to 56.2% nucleotide sequence identity with known closterovirus genome sequences. Its genome contains nine hypothetical open reading frames. These encode the multifunctional protein RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), hydrophobic protein (P7), heat shock protein 70 homolog (HSP70h), coat protein homolog (CPh), minor coat protein (CPm), and major coat protein (CP), along with proteins involved in suppressing RNA silencing. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that, based on its HSP70h amino acid sequence, StAVC is closely related to members of the genus Closterovirus within the family Closteroviridae. This is the first record of the full genome sequence of StAVC in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 1979 and 1997 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this paper shows that the growing return to social skills documented by Deming (2017. "The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market." Quarterly Journal of Economics 132 (4): 1593–640) has been largely concentrated on college-educated workers, rather than on high school-educated workers. These findings are corroborated by the pronounced occupational sorting of college-educated workers into occupations requiring high levels of social skills. Moreover, the wage premium for college-educated workers employed in these occupations has increased markedly. Our empirical evidence provides one possible source of rising wage inequality within and between education levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a postmenstrual age (PMA) prediction model based on segmentation volume and to evaluate the brain maturation index using the proposed model. Methods: Neonatal brain MRIs without clinical illness or structural abnormalities were collected from four datasets from the Developing Human Connectome Project, the Catholic University of Korea, Hammersmith Hospital (HS), and Dankook University Hospital (DU). T1- and T2-weighted images were used to train a brain segmentation model. Another model to predict the PMA of neonates based on segmentation data was developed. Accuracy was assessed using mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean error (ME). The brain maturation index was calculated as the difference between the PMA predicted by the model and the true PMA, and its correlation with postnatal age was analyzed. Results: A total of 247 neonates (mean gestation age 37 ± 4 weeks; range 24–42 weeks) were included. Thirty-one features were extracted from each neonate and the three most contributing features for PMA prediction were the right lateral ventricle, left caudate, and corpus callosum. The predicted and true PMA were positively correlated (coefficient = 0.88, p <.001). MAE, RMSE, and ME of the external dataset of HS and DU were 1.57 and 1.33, 1.79 and 1.37, and 0.37 and 0.06 weeks, respectively. The brain maturation index negatively correlated with postnatal age (coefficient = − 0.24, p <.001). Conclusion: A model that calculates the regional brain volume can predict the PMA of neonates, which can then be utilized to show the brain maturation degree. Clinical relevance statement: A brain maturity index based on regional volume of neonate's brain can be used to measure brain maturation degree, which can help identify the status of early brain development. Key Points: • Neonatal brain MRI segmentation model could be used to assess neonatal brain maturation status. • A postmenstrual age (PMA) prediction model was developed based on a neonatal brain MRI segmentation model. • The brain maturation index, derived from the PMA prediction model, enabled the estimation of the neonatal brain maturation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Remimazolam is safe and effective for moderate sedation during flexible bronchoscopy, but its safety and efficacy during endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) remains undetermined. The REST trial (NCT06275594) will be a prospective randomized study of remimazolam in patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA with conscious sedation. The primary aim is to evaluate whether remimazolam is safe and effective for moderate sedation during EBUS-TBNA compared to real-world midazolam and on-label midazolam. Methods: The REST trial will recruit 330 patients from four university hospitals with mediastinal lesions suspected of being lung cancer who are eligible for EBUS-TBNA under moderate sedation. The participants will be randomized into groups using remimazolam, real-world midazolam, and on-label midazolam (US prescribing information dosage) to perform EBUS-TBNA for procedural sedation. The primary endpoint will be procedural success using composite measures. Discussion: The REST trial will prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of remimazolam during EBUS-TBNA under moderate sedation. It will provide information for optimizing sedation modalities and contribute to practical benefits in patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06275594). Prospectively registered on 15 February 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An evaluation of the persistence of symptoms following COVID-19 in economically active young and middle-aged adults is crucial due to its significant socioeconomic impact resulting from compromised work performance. Methods: A prospective, multicenter study at 12 South Korean hospitals from January to December 2022 involved telephone interviews along with validated questionnaires. Results: Among 696 participants with a median age of 32 and no prior diagnoses, 30% of participants experienced persistent fatigue, while 21.4% suffered from sleep disturbance at 6 months following infection. Additionally, approximately 25% of the participants exhibited depression that endured for up to 6 months. Symptomatic individuals at 3 months exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of persistent fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depression at 6 months compared to those who remained asymptomatic. Notably, sleep disturbance and persistent fatigue at 3 months emerged as significant independent predictors of the presence of depression at 6 months. Conclusions: Even among young and middle-aged healthy adults, prolonged fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression exhibit a significant prevalence and persisted for up to 6 months. Therefore, implementing a workplace management protocol for these symptoms is essential to mitigate the socioeconomic burden caused by the impairment of work efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although remimazolam is an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine with a shorter elimination half-life and faster recovery time than midazolam, studies evaluating its safety and efficacy during bronchoscopy are limited. This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of remimazolam with those of midazolam for bronchoscopy. This prospective randomized parallel-group study was conducted at a single institution. The primary outcome was the time from the end of the procedure to full alertness. Other procedural time parameters, satisfaction profiles, and adverse effects were thoroughly evaluated. The time taken to reach peak sedation and the time from the end of the procedure to full alertness was significantly shorter in the remimazolam group than in the midazolam group (median [interquartile range], 2 min [1–4] vs. 3 min [2–5], P = 0.006; and median, 2 min [1–5] vs. 5 min [1–12], P = 0.035, respectively). In patients with non-biopsy procedures (n = 79), participant satisfaction was significantly higher in the remimazolam group than in the midazolam group (median rated scale, 10 vs. 7, P = 0.042). Physician satisfaction and willingness to repeat the procedure were similar between groups. Although the incidence of adverse effects was similar between the groups and there was no significant difference, the midazolam group had a higher antidote administration rate than the remimazolam group (15.7% vs. 4.1%, P = 0.092). Remimazolam is effective and safe for achieving adequate sedation, with a shorter onset time and faster neuropsychiatric recovery than midazolam. It may be a new option for sedation during bronchoscopy. Trial registration: The trial registration number is NCT05994547, and the date of first registration is 16/08/2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder bed fusion (PBF), an additive manufacturing technology, has been widely used in the manufacturing field to create complex designs. Most PBF process studies have investigated the effect of laser power and scan speed on the mechanical properties and porosity of microstructure. In this study, five process conditions were selected to obtain superior properties of maraging steel, which were validated by absolute density analysis, hardness, and tensile tests. Maraging steel exhibits diverse mechanical properties depending on the heat-treatment combinations of solution annealing and aging. Mechanical property tests were conducted to compare the various temperature properties of the fabricated maraging steel under optimal conditions. Maraging steel exhibited a hardness of 612.7 HV and a tensile strength of 1925.6 MPa at 25 °C, and the strength was greater than 1000 MPa at temperatures below 600 °C. Additionally, the applicability of a fabricated die for maraging steel was investigated. The maraging steel die and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) D2 were analyzed by a forging process based on die load data sensing with a piezoelectric bolt. The maximum loads of the sensor in horizontal and vertical directions were 24.7% and 15.8% lower for the fabricated die than those of AISI D2. The findings confirm that the fabricated maraging steel is a suitable manufacturing process for commercial processes and can be used to manufacture dies with complex shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) may lead to the discontinuation of antituberculosis (anti-TB) treatment (ATT). Some studies have suggested that metabolic disorders increase the risk of DILI during ATT. This study aimed to identify risk factors for DILI, particularly metabolic disorders, during ATT. Methods A multicenter prospective observational cohort study to evaluate adverse events during ATT was conducted in Korea from 2019 to 2021. Drug-susceptible patients with TB who had been treated with standard ATT for 6 months were included. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence of 1 or more metabolic conditions, such as insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia. We monitored ATT-related adverse events, including DILI, and treatment outcomes. The incidence of DILI was compared between individuals with and without metabolic disorders, and related factors were evaluated. Results Of 684 patients, 52 (7.6%) experienced DILI, and 92.9% of them had metabolic disorders. In the multivariable analyses, underlying metabolic disorders (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.85; 95% CI, 1.01–8.07) and serum albumin <3.5 g/dL (aHR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.29–3.96) were risk factors for DILI during ATT. In the 1-month landmark analyses, metabolic disorders were linked to an elevated risk of DILI, especially significant alanine aminotransferase elevation. The treatment outcome was not affected by the presence of metabolic disorders. Conclusions Patients with metabolic disorders have an increased risk of ATT-induced liver injury compared with controls. The presence of metabolic disorders and hypoalbuminemia adversely affects the liver in patients with ATT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Isoniazid-monoresistant tuberculosis (Hr-TB) has emerged as a global challenge, necessitating detailed guidelines for its diagnosis and treatment. We aim to consolidate the Korean guidelines for Hr-TB management by gathering expert opinions and reaching a consensus.Patients and Methods: A conventional Delphi method involving two rounds of surveys was conducted with 96 experts selected based on their clinical and research experience and involvement in nationwide tuberculosis studies and development of the Korean guidelines on tuberculosis. The survey consisted of three sections of questionnaires on diagnosis, treatment, and general opinions on Hr-TB.Results: Among the 96 experts, 72 (75%) participated in the two rounds of the survey. A majority of experts (96%) strongly agreed on the necessity of molecular drug susceptibility testing (DST) for isoniazid and rifampin resistance in all tuberculosis patients and emphasized the importance of interpreting mutation types (inhA or katG) and additional molecular DST for fluoroquinolones for confirmed isoniazid-resistant cases. Over 95.8% of experts recommended treating Hr-TB with a combination of rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, and levofloxacin for six months, without exceeding 12 months unless necessary. They also acknowledged the drawbacks of long-term pyrazinamide use due to its side effects and agreed on shortening its duration by extending the duration of the rest of the treatment with a modified combination of choice.Conclusion: This Delphi survey enabled Korean tuberculosis experts to reach a consensus on diagnosing and treating Hr-TB. These findings will be valuable for developing the upcoming revised Korean guidelines for Hr-TB management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korean sweet potatoes were bred by various cultivars introduced from Japanese, American, Porto Rico, China, and Burundi. This issue enriched their genetic diversity but also resulted in a mixture of cultivars. For genotyping, we collected and sequenced 66 sweet potato germplasms from different localities around Korea, including 36 modern cultivars, 5 local cultivars, and 25 foreign cultivars. This identified 447.6 million trimmed reads and 324.8 million mapping reads and provided 39,424 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers. Phylogenetic clustering and population structure analysis distinctly classified these germplasms into 5 genetic groups, group 1, group 2, group 3, group 4, and group 5, containing 20, 15, 10, 7, and 14 accessions, respectively. Sixty-three significant SNPs were selected by genome-wide association for sugar composition-related traits (fructose, glucose, and total sugars), total starch, amylose content, and total carotenoid of the storage root. A total of 37 candidate genes encompassing these significant SNPs were identified, among which, 7 genes were annotated to involve in sugar and starch metabolism, including galactose metabolism (itf04g30630), starch and sucrose metabolism (itf03g13270, itf15g09320), carbohydrate metabolism (itf14g10250), carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism (itf12g19270), and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism (itf03g21950, itf15g04880). This results indicated that sugar and starch are important characteristics to determine the genetic diversity of sweet potatoes. These findings not only illustrate the importance of component traits to genotyping sweet potatoes but also explain an important reason resulting in genetic diversity of sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous research has demonstrated that the amygdala is enlarged in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the precise onset of this enlargement during infancy, how it relates to later diagnostic behaviors, whether the timing of enlargement in infancy is specific to the amygdala, and whether it is specific to ASD (or present in other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as fragile X syndrome) are all unknown.Methods: Longitudinal MRIs were acquired at 6-24 months of age in 29 infants with fragile X syndrome, 58 infants at high likelihood for ASD who were later diagnosed with ASD, 212 high-likelihood infants not diagnosed with ASD, and 109 control infants (1,099 total scans).Results: Infants who developed ASD had typically sized amygdala volumes at 6 months, but exhibited significantly faster amygdala growth between 6 and 24 months, such that by 12 months the ASD group had significantly larger amygdala volume (Cohen's d=0.56) compared with all other groups. Amygdala growth rate between 6 and 12 months was significantly associated with greater social deficits at 24 months when the infants were diagnosed with ASD. Infants with fragile X syndrome had a persistent and significantly enlarged caudate volume at all ages between 6 and 24 months (d=2.12), compared with all other groups, which was significantly associated with greater repetitive behaviors.Conclusions: This is the first MRI study comparing fragile X syndrome and ASD in infancy, demonstrating strikingly different patterns of brain and behavior development. Fragile X syndrome-related changes were present from 6 months of age, whereas ASD-related changes unfolded over the first 2 years of life, starting with no detectable group differences at 6 months. Increased amygdala growth rate between 6 and 12 months occurs prior to social deficits and well before diagnosis. This gradual onset of brain and behavior changes in ASD, but not fragile X syndrome, suggests an age- and disorder-specific pattern of cascading brain changes preceding autism diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is heritable, and younger siblings of ASD probands are at higher likelihood of developing ASD themselves. Prospective MRI studies of siblings report that atypical brain development precedes ASD diagnosis, although the link between brain maturation and genetic factors is unclear. Given that familial recurrence of ASD is predicted by higher levels of ASD traits in the proband, the authors investigated associations between proband ASD traits and brain development among younger siblings.Methods: In a sample of 384 proband-sibling pairs (89 pairs concordant for ASD), the authors examined associations between proband ASD traits and sibling brain development at 6, 12, and 24 months in key MRI phenotypes: total cerebral volume, cortical surface area, extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid, occipital cortical surface area, and splenium white matter microstructure. Results from primary analyses led the authors to implement a data-driven approach using functional connectivity MRI at 6 months.Results: Greater levels of proband ASD traits were associated with larger total cerebral volume and surface area and larger surface area and reduced white matter integrity in components of the visual system in siblings who developed ASD. This aligned with weaker functional connectivity between several networks and the visual system among all siblings during infancy.Conclusions: The findings provide evidence that specific early brain MRI phenotypes of ASD reflect quantitative variation in familial ASD traits. Multimodal anatomical and functional convergence on cortical regions, fiber pathways, and functional networks involved in visual processing suggest that inherited liability has a role in shaping the prodromal development of visual circuitry in ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchiectasis show various ventilatory disorders in pulmonary function. The characteristics and severity of patients with bronchiectasis according to these pulmonary dysfunctions are still very limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, radiologic feature and the disease severity of patients with bronchiectasis according to spirometric patterns. We retrospectively evaluated 506 patients with bronchiectasis who underwent pulmonary lung function test (PFT) at a referral hospital between 2014 to 2021. The results showed that cylindrical type was the most common (70.8%) type of bronchiectasis on chest Computed tomography (CT), and 70% of patients had bilateral lung involvement. On the other hand, obstructive ventilatory disorder was the most common (51.6%), followed by normal ventilation (30%) and restrictive ventilatory disorder (18.4%). The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) was highest in patients with obstructive ventilatory disorders, Modified Reiff score [median (interquartile range)] [6 (3–10), P < 0.001], FACED (FEV1, Age, Chronic colonization, Extension, and Dyspnea) score [3 (1–4), P < 0.001], and Bronchiectasis Severity (BSI) score [8 (5–11), P < 0.001] showed significantly highest values of obstructive ventilatory disorder rather than restrictive ventilatory disorder and normal ventilation. More than half of patients with bronchiectasis had obstructive ventilatory disorder. Bronchiectasis with obstructive ventilatory disorders has more dyspnea symptom, more disease severity and more radiologic severity. There was no significant association between spirometric pattern and radiologic type, but the more severe the radiologic severity, the more severe the lung function impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infant brain undergoes a remarkable period of neural development that is crucial for the development of cognitive and behavioral capacities (Hasegawa et al., 2018). Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to characterize the developmental trajectories and is critical in neuroimaging studies of early brain development. However, missing data at different time points is an unavoidable occurrence in longitudinal studies owing to participant attrition and scan failure. Compared to dropping incomplete data, data imputation is considered a better solution to address such missing data in order to preserve all available samples. In this paper, we adapt generative adversarial networks (GAN) to a new application: longitudinal image prediction of structural MRI in the first year of life. In contrast to existing medical image-to-image translation applications of GANs, where inputs and outputs share a very close anatomical structure, our task is more challenging as brain size, shape and tissue contrast vary significantly between the input data and the predicted data. Several improvements over existing GAN approaches are proposed to address these challenges in our task. To enhance the realism, crispness, and accuracy of the predicted images, we incorporate both a traditional voxel-wise reconstruction loss as well as a perceptual loss term into the adversarial learning scheme. As the differing contrast changes in T1w and T2w MR images in the first year of life, we incorporate multi-contrast images leading to our proposed 3D multi-contrast perceptual adversarial network (MPGAN). Extensive evaluations are performed to assess the qualityand fidelity of the predicted images, including qualitative and quantitative assessments of the image appearance, as well as quantitative assessment on two segmentation tasks. Our experimental results show that our MPGAN is an effective solution for longitudinal MR image data imputation in the infant brain. We further apply our predicted/imputed images to two practical tasks, a regression task and a classification task, in order to highlight the enhanced task-related performance following image imputation. The results show that the model performance in both tasks is improved by including the additional imputed data, demonstrating the usability of the predicted images generated from our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufficient physical activity (PA) is highly recommended to improve the prognosis after stroke. However, there have been only a few studies evaluating the changes in PA level after stroke. We aimed to identify the changes in PA level between before and after stroke, and to determine the association between PA and adverse outcomes. This observational, retrospective cohort study was performed using the Nationwide Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database in South Korea. Subjects between the ages of 20 to 80 years, who had a first-ever ischemic stroke from 2010 to 2013, were included. Subjects were divided into either the "sufficient" or "insufficient" subgroups, depending on the result of the self-reported PA questionnaire. Adverse outcomes, including all-cause mortality, stroke recurrence, and myocardial infarction (MI), were collected from a post-stroke health checkup to 2017. Of the 34,243 subjects with ischemic stroke, only 21.24% had sufficient PA level after stroke. Among those with insufficient PA level, only 17.34% improved their PA level after stroke. Subjects with sufficient PA level after stroke, regardless of their PA level prior to stroke, showed a lower risk of composite adverse outcomes (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR], 95% CI: 0.85, 0.80–0.90). Subjects who went from insufficient to sufficient PA level (HR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81–0.93) showed a significantly lower risk of composite adverse outcomes. Achieving a sufficient PA level after ischemic stroke appears to significantly reduce major adverse events. Further effort is needed to promote the PA level after ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human brain grows the most dramatically during the perinatal and early post-natal periods, during which pre-term birth or perinatal injury that may alter brain structure and lead to developmental anomalies. Thus, characterizing cortical thickness of developing brains remains an important goal. However, this task is often complicated by inaccurate cortical surface extraction due to small-size brains. Here, we propose a novel complex framework for the reconstruction of neonatal WM and pial surfaces, accounting for large partial volumes due to small-size brains. The proposed approach relies only on T1-weighted images unlike previous T2-weighted image-based approaches while only T1-weighted images are sometimes available under the different clinical/research setting. Deep neural networks are first introduced to the neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pipeline to address the mis-segmentation of brain tissues. Furthermore, this pipeline enhances cortical boundary delineation using combined models of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/GM boundary detection with edge gradient information and a new skeletonization of sulcal folding where no CSF voxels are seen due to the limited resolution. We also proposed a systematic evaluation using three independent datasets comprising 736 pre-term and 97 term neonates. Qualitative assessment for reconstructed cortical surfaces shows that 86.9% are rated as accurate across the three site datasets. In addition, our landmark-based evaluation shows that the mean displacement of the cortical surfaces from the true boundaries was less than a voxel size (0.532 ± 0.035 mm). Evaluating the proposed pipeline (namely NEOCIVET 2.0) shows the robustness and reproducibility across different sites and different age-groups. The mean cortical thickness measured positively correlated with post-menstrual age (PMA) at scan (p < 0.0001); Cingulate cortical areas grew the most rapidly whereas the inferior temporal cortex grew the least rapidly. The range of the cortical thickness measured was biologically congruent (1.3 mm at 28 weeks of PMA to 1.8 mm at term equivalent). Cortical thickness measured on T1 MRI using NEOCIVET 2.0 was compared with that on T2 using the established dHCP pipeline. It was difficult to conclude that either T1 or T2 imaging is more ideal to construct cortical surfaces. NEOCIVET 2.0 has been open to the public through CBRAIN (https://mcin-cnim.ca/technology/cbrain/), a web-based platform for processing brain imaging data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: To determine which components should be measured and which window settings are appropriate for computerized tomography (CT) size measurements of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and to explore interobserver agreement and accuracy according to the eighth edition of TNM staging. Methods: A total of 165 patients with surgically resected lung ADC earlier than stage 3A were included in this study. One radiologist and two pulmonologists independently measured the total and solid sizes of components of tumors on different window settings and assessed solidity. CT measurements were compared with pathologic size measurements. Results: In categorizing solidity, 25% of the cases showed discordant results among observers. Measuring the total size of a lung adenocarcinoma predicted pathologic invasive components to a degree similar to measuring the solid component. Lung windows were more accurate (intraclass correlation [ICC] = 0.65–0.81) than mediastinal windows (ICC = 0.20–0.72) at predicting pathologic invasive components, especially in a part‐solid nodule. Interobserver agreements for measurement of solid components were good with little significant difference (lung windows, ICC = 0.89; mediastinal windows, ICC = 0.91). A high level of interobserver agreement was seen between the radiologist and pulmonologists and between residents (from the division of pulmonology and critical care) versus a fellow (from the division of pulmonology and critical care) on different windows. Conclusions: A considerable percentage (25%) of discrepancies was encountered in categorizing the solidity of lesions, which may decrease the accuracy of measurements. Lung window settings may be superior to mediastinal windows for measuring lung ADCs, with comparable interobserver agreement and moderate accuracy for predicting pathologic invasive components. Key points: Significant findings of the study: Lung window settings are better for evaluating part‐solid lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), with comparable interobserver agreement and moderate accuracy for predicting pathologic invasive components. The considerable percentage (25%) of discrepancies in categorizing solidity of the lesions may also have decreased the accuracy of measurements. What this study adds: For accurate measurement and categorization of lung ADC, robust quantitative analysis is needed rather than a simple visual assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: family similarity; parent-child dynamics; parenting; psychological processes; neurobiological processes; positive youth development; quantitative similarity EN family similarity parent-child dynamics parenting psychological processes neurobiological processes positive youth development quantitative similarity 1 3 3 01/31/22 20220128 NES 220128 Family members are responsive to one another not just in what they verbally communicate with one another, but can also be connected through psychological, behavioral, physiological, and neural processes. Family similarity, parent-child dynamics, parenting, psychological processes, positive youth development, neurobiological processes, quantitative similarity Shi and Campione-Barr found that sibling temperament similarity and parenting similarity together predicted more positive family dynamics across time, whereas discrepancies in sibling temperament and parenting together also predicted more positive family dynamics across time. [Extracted from the article]

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays an essential role in early postnatal brain development. Extra-axial CSF (EA-CSF) volume, which is characterized by CSF in the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain, is a promising marker in the early detection of young children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Previous studies have focused on global EA-CSF volume across the entire dorsal extent of the brain, and not regionally-specific EA-CSF measurements, because no tools were previously available for extracting local EA-CSF measures suitable for localized cortical surface analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for the localized, cortical surface-based analysis of EA-CSF. The proposed processing framework combines probabilistic brain tissue segmentation, cortical surface reconstruction, and streamline-based local EA-CSF quantification. The quantitative analysis of local EA-CSF was applied to a dataset of typically developing infants with longitudinal MRI scans from 6 to 24 months of age. There was a high degree of consistency in the spatial patterns of local EA-CSF across age using the proposed methods. Statistical analysis of local EA-CSF revealed several novel findings: several regions of the cerebral cortex showed reductions in EA-CSF from 6 to 24 months of age, and specific regions showed higher local EA-CSF in males compared to females. These age-, sex-, and anatomically-specific patterns of local EA-CSF would not have been observed if only a global EA-CSF measure were utilized. The proposed methods are integrated into a freely available, open-source, cross-platform, user-friendly software tool, allowing neuroimaging labs to quantify local extra-axial CSF in their neuroimaging studies to investigate its role in typical and atypical brain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caragana microphylla is a leguminosae plant and grows mainly in semi-arid areas of northwest China and Mongolia. However, the lack of studies on C. microphylla reference genes limits the accurate understanding of the molecular biology mechanisms in this crop under abiotic stresses. In this study, we selected nine candidate genes from salt-treated C. microphylla transcriptome data and evaluated their stability by using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder in salt and drought conditions. In addition, the relative expressions of Delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase 2 (P5CS2) and Catalase 2 (CAT2) were examined to confirm the stability of the candidate reference genes. As a results, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase C2 (GAPC2) and 26S proteasome regulatory subunit (RPN5) were the most stable in both salt and drought treatments. The relative expression of P5CS2 and CAT2 also showed more stable levels in normalization by GAPC2 and RPN5 than the most unstable gene, Ubiquitin 4 (UBQ4). Therefore, it is believed that these candidate reference genes selected and validated in our study could be used to study the molecular biological study of response to salt and drought stress in C. microphylla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sleep patterns in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to diverge from typical development in the second or third year of life. Little is known, however, about the occurrence of sleep problems in infants who later develop ASD and possible effects on early brain development. In a longitudinal neuroimaging study of infants at familial high or low risk for ASD, parent-reported sleep onset problems were examined in relation to subcortical brain volumes in the first 2 years of life.Methods: A total of 432 infants were included across three study groups: infants at high risk who developed ASD (N=71), infants at high risk who did not develop ASD (N=234), and infants at low risk (N=127). Sleep onset problem scores (derived from an infant temperament measure) were evaluated in relation to longitudinal high-resolution T1 and T2 structural imaging data acquired at 6, 12, and 24 months of age.Results: Sleep onset problems were more common at 6-12 months among infants who later developed ASD. Infant sleep onset problems were related to hippocampal volume trajectories from 6 to 24 months only for infants at high risk who developed ASD. Brain-sleep relationships were specific to the hippocampus; no significant relationships were found with volume trajectories of other subcortical structures examined (the amygdala, caudate, globus pallidus, putamen, and thalamus).Conclusions: These findings provide initial evidence that sleep onset problems in the first year of life precede ASD diagnosis and are associated with altered neurodevelopmental trajectories in infants at high familial risk who go on to develop ASD. If replicated, these findings could provide new insights into a potential role of sleep difficulties in the development of ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined functional connectivity between the locus coeruleus (LC) and the salience network in healthy young and older adults to investigate why people become more prone to distraction with age. Recent findings suggest that the LC plays an important role in focusing processing on salient or goal-relevant information from multiple incoming sensory inputs (Mather et al., 2016). We hypothesized that the connection between LC and the salience network declines in older adults, and therefore the salience network fails to appropriately filter out irrelevant sensory signals. To examine this possibility, we used resting-state-like fMRI data, in which all task-related activities were regressed out (Fair et al., 2007; Elliott et al., 2019) and performed a functional connectivity analysis based on the time-course of LC activity. Older adults showed reduced functional connectivity between the LC and salience network compared with younger adults. Additionally, the salience network was relatively more coupled with the frontoparietal network than the default-mode network in older adults compared with younger adults, even though all task-related activities were regressed out. Together, these findings suggest that reduced interactions between LC and the salience network impairs the ability to prioritize the importance of incoming events, and in turn, the salience network fails to initiate network switching (e.g., Menon and Uddin, 2010; Uddin, 2015) that would promote further attentional processing. A chronic lack of functional connection between LC and salience network may limit older adults' attentional and executive control resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a seller who has private information about the quality of her good but is uncertain about buyer arrivals. Assuming that the high‐quality seller insists on a price, we show that the low‐quality seller's surplus and pricing strategy crucially depend on buyers' knowledge about the demand state. If they are also uncertain about demand, then demand uncertainty increases the low‐quality seller's expected payoff, and her optimal strategy is to lower the price after some time. If buyers know the demand state, then demand uncertainty does not affect the low‐quality seller's payoff, but she must employ a sophisticated pricing strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proper geometric representation of the cortical regions is a fundamental task for cortical shape analysis and landmark extraction. However, a significant challenge has arisen due to the highly variable, convoluted cortical folding patterns. In this paper, we propose a novel topological graph representation for automatic sulcal curve extraction (TRACE). In practice, the reconstructed surface suffers from noise influences introduced during image acquisition/surface reconstruction. In the presence of noise on the surface, TRACE determines stable sulcal fundic regions by employing the line simplification method that prevents the sulcal folding pattern from being significantly smoothed out. The sulcal curves are then traced over the connected graph in the determined regions by the Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm. For validation, we used the state-of-the-art surface reconstruction pipelines on a reproducibility data set. The experimental results showed higher reproducibility and robustness to noise in TRACE than the existing method (Li et al. 2010) with over 20% relative improvement in error for both surface reconstruction pipelines. In addition, the extracted sulcal curves by TRACE were well-aligned with manually delineated primary sulcal curves. We also provided a choice of parameters to control quality of the extracted sulcal curves and showed the influences of the parameter selection on the resulting curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), Bacillus sp. JS on the growth of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum ‘Xanthi’) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Crispa’), were evaluated by comparing various growth parameters between plants treated with the bacterium and those exposed to water or nutrient broth as control. In both tobacco and lettuce, fresh weight and length of shoots were increased upon exposure to Bacillus sp. JS. To explain the overall de novo expression of plant proteins by bacterial volatiles, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed on samples from PGPR-treated tobacco plants. Our results showed that chlorophyll a/b binding proteins were significantly up-regulated, and total chlorophyll content was also increased. Our findings indicate the potential benefits of using Bacillus sp. JS as a growth-promoting factor in agricultural practice, and highlight the need for further research to explore these benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain enlargement has been observed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the timing of this phenomenon, and the relationship between ASD and the appearance of behavioural symptoms, are unknown. Retrospective head circumference and longitudinal brain volume studies of two-year olds followed up at four years of age have provided evidence that increased brain volume may emerge early in development. Studies of infants at high familial risk of autism can provide insight into the early development of autism and have shown that characteristic social deficits in ASD emerge during the latter part of the first and in the second year of life. These observations suggest that prospective brain-imaging studies of infants at high familial risk of ASD might identify early postnatal changes in brain volume that occur before an ASD diagnosis. In this prospective neuroimaging study of 106 infants at high familial risk of ASD and 42 low-risk infants, we show that hyperexpansion of the cortical surface area between 6 and 12 months of age precedes brain volume overgrowth observed between 12 and 24 months in 15 high-risk infants who were diagnosed with autism at 24 months. Brain volume overgrowth was linked to the emergence and severity of autistic social deficits. A deep-learning algorithm that primarily uses surface area information from magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of 6-12-month-old individuals predicted the diagnosis of autism in individual high-risk children at 24 months (with a positive predictive value of 81% and a sensitivity of 88%). These findings demonstrate that early brain changes occur during the period in which autistic behaviours are first emerging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ADP- glucose pyrophosphorylase is crucial in starch metabolism. The open reading frame of IbAGPaseS gene is comprised of 1539-base pairs and encodes a polypeptide of 512 amino acid residues. The deduced IbAGPaseS protein sequence was homologous with that of other AGPase proteins of various plant species. Also, the IbAGPaseS gene appears to be a member of multiple gene families and further, the differences in the copy numbers among the ten cultivars were considered to lead to differences in starch contents. IbAGPaseS was expressed in whole tissues and revealed high activity in thick-pigmented roots and developing tuberous roots. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the main role of IbAGPaseS is starch biosynthesis accumulating sink tissues during sweet potato root development. The IbAGPaseS cDNA was introduced to sweet potato under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer techniques, thereby affecting the expression levels of carbohydrate regulated genes and sporamin gene. These results suggest that IbAGPaseS affects carbohydrate gene regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: E-health has been grown rapidly with significant impact on quality and safety of healthcare. However, there is a large gap between the postulated and empirically demonstrated benefits of e-health technologies and a need for a clearer mapping of its conceptual domains. Therefore, this study aimed to critically review the main research topics and trends of international e-health through social network analysis. Materials and Methods: Medical subject heading terms were used to retrieve 3,023 research articles published from 1979 through 2014 in the PubMed database. We extracted n-grams from the corpus using a text analysis program, generated co-occurrence networks, and then analyzed and visualized the networks using Pajek software. The hub and authority measures identified the most important research topics in e-health. Newly emerging topics by 4-year period units were identified as research trends. Results: The most important research topics in e-health are personal health records (PHR), health information technology, primary care, mobile health, clinical decision support systems (CDSS), and so on. The eight groups obtained through ego network analysis can be divided into four semantically different areas, as follows: information technology, infrastructure, services, and subjects. Also, four historical trends in e-health research are identified: the first focusing on e-health and telemedicine; the second, PHR and monitoring; the third, CDSS and alert; and the fourth, mobile health and health literacy. Conclusions: This study promotes a systematic understanding of e-health by identifying topic networks, thereby contributing to the future direction of e-health research and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific bacterial strains that promote plant growth have been investigated extensively and are characterized as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). To identify the series of genes involved in PGPR-mediated enhanced plant growth, suppression subtractive hybridization was performed using cDNA from tobacco plants exposed to the PGPR strain, Bacillus subtilis strain JS. After hybridization, forward and reverse subtraction cDNA libraries containing 580 clones were obtained. Blastx search detected 170 single genes. These were classified into 14 functional categories, including metabolic processes and cellular processes implicated in growth promotion. Of the 36 responsive genes confirmed by RT-PCR, expression of 24 genes was up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated by treatment with B. subtilis JS volatile compounds. Photosynthesis pathway related genes encoding chlorophyll a/b binding protein, chloroplast sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase, and the photosynthate transport related gene were up-regulated, perhaps accounting for the volatile compound-mediated enhanced plant growth. Reactive oxygen species scavenging enzyme encoding genes as well as glutathione S-transferase and methionine-R-sulfoxide reductase were down-regulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previous study revealed that IbEF1 from sweet potato promoted early flowering in transgenic tobacco and acted as a novel regulator involved in flowering time control. Two putative ortholog genes were found in N. tabacum: NtEF1 and NtEF2. Subcellular localization of NtEF1 and NtEF2 with an in vivo targeting approach revealed that NtEF1 and NtEF2 were correctly targeted to the cytosol in protoplasts when expressed as a green fluorescent fusion protein (GFP). NtEF1 and NtEF2 are not thought to act as transcription factors. In this study, the expression of NtEF2 was compared with that of NtEF1 in the apical buds of N. tabacum of various ages. NtEF2 was only detected in open flowers that were 100 days old, whereas NtEF1 was expressed in apical buds of 60-, 70-, 80-, 90- and 100-day-old plants. NtEF1 was expressed in all floral organs, although its level of expression varied in sepals, petals, stamens and carpels. In contrast, NtEF2 mRNA expression was only detected in the sepals. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing NtEF1 and NtEF2 were generated to elucidate the physiological function of NtEF1 and NtEF2. The 35S::NtEF1 and 35S::NtEF2 transgenic lines showed early-flowering phenotypes. Moreover, the constitutive expression of NtEF1 and NtEF2 occasionally engendered an abnormal morphological alteration of anthers. It is assumed that there are only a few differential flowering regulations occurring in tobacco compared to Arabidopsis, indicating that NtEF1 and NtEF2 interfere with the flowering time and floral development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus spp. are large perennial wetland grasses that are receiving considerable attention as bioenergy crops. In late summer 2011, leaf spot symptoms were observed in a field of Miscanthus sinensis in Jeongseon, Gangwon province, Korea. Bacterial strains that belonged to the γ-Proteobacteria genus Pseudomonas were isolated from the affected leaves. By phylogenetic analysis and phenotypic characterization, the representative strain MDM-03 was identified as Pseudomonas lurida. Healthy M. sinensis leaves inoculated with MDM-03 developed leaf spots similar to those observed in field. Bacteria re-isolated from the leaf lesions were identical to the original strain MDM-03 based on their cultural characteristics and 16S rDNA sequencing. This is the first report of bacterial leaf spot in Miscanthus sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A melt crystallization process is proposed to produce high-purity n-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP). To produce high purity products, operation strategy plays key role in the melt crystallizer. We investigated the cooling strategy and optimal sweating time using a batch-type melt crystallizer. A slow cooling followed by a slow heating was found to be an effective temperature profile to produce high purity of NVP. The optimal sweating time was found to be about 20 minutes. For industrial application, a cascade melt crystallizer which consists of four stages was constructed and the proposed crystallization/sweating scheme was applied. Using the new melt crystallizer, NVP more than 99.99% purity can be produced in semi-continuous mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convergent line of neuroscientific evidence suggests that meditation alters the functional and structural plasticity of distributed neural processes underlying attention and emotion. The purpose of this study was to examine the brain structural differences between a well-matched sample of long-term meditators and controls. We employed whole-brain cortical thickness analysis based on magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion tensor imaging to quantify white matter integrity in the brains of 46 experienced meditators compared with 46 matched meditation-naïve volunteers. Meditators, compared with controls, showed significantly greater cortical thickness in the anterior regions of the brain, located in frontal and temporal areas, including the medial prefrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, temporal pole and the middle and interior temporal cortices. Significantly thinner cortical thickness was found in the posterior regions of the brain, located in the parietal and occipital areas, including the postcentral cortex, inferior parietal cortex, middle occipital cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. Moreover, in the region adjacent to the medial prefrontal cortex, both higher fractional anisotropy values and greater cortical thickness were observed. Our findings suggest that long-term meditators have structural differences in both gray and white matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reed ( Phragmites communis) is a potential bioenergy plant. We report on its first Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using mature seed-derived calli. The Agrobacterium strains LBA4404, EHA105, and GV3101, each harboring the binary vector p IG121 Hm, were used to optimize T-DNA delivery into the reed genome. Bacterial strain, cocultivation period and acetosyringone concentration significantly influenced the T-DNA transfer. About 48% transient expression and 3.5% stable transformation were achieved when calli were infected with strain EHA105 for 10 min under 800 mbar negative pressure and cocultivated for 3 days in 200 μ m acetosyringone containing medium. Putative transformants were selected in 25 mg l−1 hygromycin B. PCR, and Southern blot analysis confirmed the presence of the transgenes and their stable integration. Independent transgenic lines contained one to three copies of the transgene. Transgene expression was validated by RT-PCR and GUS staining of stems and leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen of genetically modified (GM) pepper containing the gene for cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) coat protein (CP) and GM Chinese cabbage with high phenylethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) content was investigated for assessment of allergic risk. Amino acid (AA) sequences of the inserted gene products of GM virus resistant pepper and GM Chinese cabbage with high PEITC content were compared with those of known allergens. No known allergen greater than 35% AA sequence homology, over 80 AA window or more than 8 consecutive identical AA was found. Protein patterns of GM/non-GM pepper and Chinese cabbage pollen extracts in SDS-PAGE analysis showed the same distribution of protein bands among the GM and non-GM pepper or Chinese cabbage, respectively. Sera from pollen allergic patients showed some IgE reactivity via immunoblotting and ELISA; however, no differences were observed between the pollen of GM and non-GM pepper or Chinese cabbage, respectively. Based on these results, we conclude that pollens of the virus resistant GM pepper and GM Chinese cabbage with high PEITC have no differences in their protein composition or allergenicity relative to non-GM pepper and Chinese cabbage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold stress discourages development of the full genetic potential of plants and results in serious adverse effects on plant growth and limits agricultural productivity. Garlic ( Allium sativum) requires low temperatures for the induction of flowering and bulb development. However, low or freezing temperatures can often cause physiological damage. Cold-responsive genes were isolated from a Korean garlic variety through systematic analyses using differential display (DD)-PCR, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, and quantitative (Q)-PCR. Of the 2470 transcripts observed, 76 transcripts were up-regulated and 20 transcripts were down-regulated in response to cold temperatures (4°C) as determined by DD-PCR analysis. The differentially-expressed genes were further narrowed to 15 up-regulated and four down-regulated genes through subsequent RT-PCR and Q-PCR analyses. Of the 15 up-regulated genes, 11 genes were homologous to previously-reported abiotic-stress regulated genes in other species, and four genes did not match any known genes. Of the four down-regulated genes, three genes matched function-annotated genes and one gene did not match any genein the BLAST analysis. While most of the up-regulated poly-peptides were hydrophilic, the down-regulated polypeptides were neutral or hydrophobic. Of the 19 differentially-regulated genes, four genes showed different expression profiles in different tissues upon cold stress. Genetic manipulation of the CR genes obtained may provide molecular tool for overcoming frost damage of the garlic plants during hibernation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]