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Phedimus individuals from Mt. Daeam, once referred to as Phedimus sikokianus, exhibit certain morphological characters that are unique within the genus. Phedimus is one of the most notorious groups for taxonomic problems due to the high morphological variation found in leaf shape, stem numbers, phyllotaxis and seed structure. Taxa in Phedimus also easily hybridize, further leading to taxonomic confusion. To carefully confirm the identity of the putative new species from Mt. Daeam, we examined morphological characters from ~100 herbarium sheets of six closely related Phedimus species. A molecular phylogenetic approach was also employed to delimit the species boundary and infer the phylogenetic relationships among the seven Phedimus species, including the species from Mt. Daeam. Both morphological and molecular phylogenetic results indicated that the species found on Mt. Daeam is a new species that is more closely related to P. middendorffianus and P. takesimensis than to the remaining four Phedimus species. Here, we provided a full description of the new species P. daeamensis as well as an updated key for the seven Phedimus species examined.

Polygonatum falcatum is a perennial herb distributed in East Asia. We determined the characteristics of the complete chloroplast genome in P. falcatum for the first time, with a de novo assembly strategy. The chloroplast genome was 154,579bp in length harboring 87 protein coding genes, 38 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes. It exhibits typical quadripartite structure comprising a large single-copy (LSC) (83,528bp), a small single-copy (SSC) (18,457bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (26,297bp). Phylogenetic analysis of 16 chloroplast genomes from Asparagaceae reveals that the genus Polygonatum is a monophyletic group and that P. falcatum is clustered together with the congener, P. odoratum.

Given the significant impact of molecular markers on the genetic diversity assessment, understanding genetic diversity pattern across diverse marker types in a comparative manner is of great importance. In Korea, within the last 10 years population genetics studies of wild plants have drawn much attention as varying DNA markers have developed. To investigate the pattern of among-population and within-population level genetic diversity of wild plants in Korea, we reviewed the extent of population genetic parameters across four DNA markers (RAPD, AFLP, ISSR, SSR). We compiled 73 data sets from research papers published between 2010 and 2019. ISSR markers were the most frequently used in population genetics studies conducted on Korean wild plants. Overall, genetic diversity patterns greatly varied across the different marker types. On average, endangered species exhibited low within-population genetic variation and high among-population genetic diversity. Species with wide geographic distribution showed greater within-population diversity values than the ones residing in a restricted area except for AFLP data. Populations were genetically less differentiated in long distance dispersal species with wide geographic ranges. Our review indicates that the studies on the genetic diversity of wild plants may be improved by expanding the scope and increasing the sample sizes.

This study aimed to assess the disease incidence and distribution of toxigenic in Korean triticale. The pathogen of triticale that cause Fusarium head blight were isolated from five different triticale cultivars that cultivated in Suwon Korea at 2021 year. The 72 candidate were classified as a Fusarium asiaticum by morphology analysis and by ITS1, TEF-1α gene sequence analysis. And the results of pathogenicity with 72 isolates on seedling triticale, 71 isolates were showed disease symptom. Also, seven out of 71 Fusarium isolates were inoculated on the wheat, to test the pathogenicity on the different host. The results showed more low pathogenicity on the wheat than triticale. The results of analysis of toxin type with 72 isolates, 64.6% isolates were produced nivalenol type toxin and other 4.6% and 30.8% isolates were produce 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, respectively. To select fungicide for control, the 72 Fusarium isolates were cultivated on the media that containing four kinds fungicide. The captan, hexaconazole, and difenoconazole·propiconazole treated Fusarium isolates were not showed resistance response against each fungicide. However, six isolates out of 72 isolates, showed resistance response to fludioxonil. This study is first report that F. asiaticum causes Fusarium head blight disease of triticale in Korea.

Biological invasion is a complex process associated with propagule pressure, dispersal ability, environmental constraints, and human interventions, which leave genetic signatures. The population genetics of an invasive species thus provides invaluable insights into the patterns of invasion. Burcucumber, one of the most detrimental weeds for soybean production in US, has recently colonized Korea and rapidly spread posing a great threat to the natural ecosystem. We aim to infer the determinants of the rapid burcucumber invasion by examining the genetic diversity, demography, and spread pattern with advanced genomic tools. We employed 2,696 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms to assess the level of diversity and the spatial pattern associated with the landscape factors and to infer the demographic changes of 24 populations (364 genotypes) across four major river basins with the east coastal streams in South Korea. Through the approximate Bayesian computation, we inferred the likely invasion scenario of burcucumber in Korea. The landscape genetics approach adopting the circuit theory and MaxEnt model was applied to determine the landscape contributors. Our data suggested that most populations have experienced population bottlenecks, which led to lowered within-population genetic diversity and inflated population divergences. Burcucumber colonization in Korea has strongly been affected by demographic bottlenecks and multiple introductions, whereas environmental factors were not the primary determinant of the invasion. Our work highlighted the significance of preventing secondary introductions, particularly for aggressive weedy plants such as the burcucumber.

Biological invasion poses several biotic and abiotic challenges due to abrupt distribution shifts. Invasive species may benefit from local adaptation responding to environmental stresses during colonization. Saltcedar (Tamarix), a notorious invasive shrub in the western US introduced from Eurasia may have adapted to low rainfall as the species widely occupies the arid land throughout the southwestern US. We investigated variation of quantitative traits in saltcedar between two regions exhibiting opposing average annual precipitations under experimentally manipulated water treatments to test local adaptation. We measured eight quantitative traits, proxies for fitness and genotyped 64 individual samples using genotype by sequencing technique. To test local adaptation, we applied QCT - FCT test based on null distribution of FCT estimated from 2,697 genome-wide SNPs and QCT estimated for the eight phenotypic traits measured. Saltcedar in the southwestern US exhibited a significant interaction between the degree of leaf loss (biomass loss by senesced leaves to total biomass) under simulated drought conditions and the origins from which the genotypes were collected, either relatively high or low rainfall regimes. The divergence found in leaf loss was significantly greater among regions than the expected given the genetic divergence on neutral loci suggesting signature of local adaptation responding to drought. The results demonstrate adaptive potential of saltcedar populations to extreme drought. As extreme aridity is often predicted in climate models across the southwestern US, the western saltcedar genotypes locally adapted to drought may further expand their ranges in this region.

(1) Background: Ultrasound (US) elastography is an imaging technology that reveals tissue stiffness. This study aimed to investigate whether fibrotic focus (FF) affects elastographic findings in breast cancer, and to evaluate the clinical significance of US elastography and FF in breast cancer. (2) Methods: In this study, 151 patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery were included. Strain elastography was performed and an elasticity scoring system was used to assess the findings. The elasticity scores were classified as negative, equivocal, or positive. FF was evaluated in the surgical specimens. Medical records were reviewed for all patients. (3) Results: Elastographic findings were equivocal in 30 patients (19.9%) and positive in 121 patients (80.1%). FF was present in 68 patients (46.9%). There was no correlation between elastographic findings and FF. Older age, larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and higher tumor stage were associated with positive elastographic results. FF showed a positive correlation with age, postmenopausal status, tumor size, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage, and intratumoral and peritumoral inflammation. (4) Conclusions: Our study showed that positive elastographic results and FF were associated with poor prognostic factors for breast cancer. FF did not affect the elastographic findings of this study.

African green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus aethiops) are Old World monkeys which are used as experimental models in biomedical research. Recent technological advances in next generation sequencing are useful for unraveling the genetic mechanisms underlying senescence, aging, and age-related disease. To elucidate the normal aging mechanisms in older age, the blood transcriptomes of nine healthy, aged AGMs (15‒23 years old), were analyzed over two years. We identified 910‒1399 accumulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in each individual, which increased with age. Aging-related DEGs were sorted across the three time points. A major proportion of the aging-related DEGs belonged to gene ontology (GO) categories involved in translation and rRNA metabolic processes. Next, we sorted common aging-related DEGs across three time points over two years. Common aging-related DEGs belonged to GO categories involved in translation, cellular component biogenesis, rRNA metabolic processes, cellular component organization, biogenesis, and RNA metabolic processes. Furthermore, we identified 29 candidate aging genes that were upregulated across the time series analysis. These candidate aging genes were linked to protein synthesis. This study describes a changing gene expression pattern in AGMs during aging using longitudinal transcriptome sequencing. The candidate aging genes identified here may be potential targets for the treatment of aging.

This study explores the lexical bundles in the speech of Korean English language users who share the same heritage language and culture, Korean, but with different proficiency in English: Korean-Americans whose first language is English (2nd-generation Korean-Americans; G2KAs), bilingual Korean-Americans who started to learn English at an early age (1.5-generation Korean-Americans; G1.5KAs), and Koreans who learned English in Korea (L2Ks). One of the big differences between native (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) is that NNSs use verb-related lexical bundles dominantly unlike NSs. Thus, the structural patterns of lexical bundle uses in addition to verb uses were examined. The results were consistent to previous studies showing increasing use of lexical bundles with increase in English proficiency; NSs (G2KAs) used the lexical bundles more than G1.5KAs and L2Ks. However, in contrast to previous studies, G2KAs mostly used VP-related lexical bundles, G1.5KAs used lexical bundles in the widest range, and L2Ks used the most lexical verbs. The paper elaborates the details of the results and suggests further studies including the new group of English users, G1.5KAs, to help understand a possible influence of their heritage language and culture on English speaking.

Monitoring intraspecific diversity offers invaluable insights on conservation practices as the variation is the product of species evolution. Accordingly, the role of population genetic diversity has drawn great attention over the last century responding to the biodiversity loss induced by a series of anthropogenic changes. Orchids are one of the most diverse, yet ironically most rapidly disappearing plant groups due to the specialized habitat preferences. Thus, population-level genetic diversity studies may offer a powerful tool for orchid conservation programs. Using the 3 restriction site-associated DNA (3RAD) approach, 2,734 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were isolated. With the 2,734 SNPs, we investigated genetic diversity and population structure on 72 individuals of Habenaria linearifolia and Habenaria cruciformis in South Korea. Overall, the genetic diversity was well maintained in South Korean Habenaria, but high FST values were estimated suggesting large population diversification with limited gene flow. Bayesian assignment analysis revealed a morphologically cryptic diversity pattern in Jeju Island populations, which might serve as an evolutionarily significant unit.

Monitoring intraspecific diversity offers invaluable insights on conservation practices as the variation is the product of species evolution. Accordingly, the role of population genetic diversity has drawn great attention over the last century responding to the biodiversity loss induced by a series of anthropogenic changes. Orchids are one of the most diverse, yet ironically most rapidly disappearing plant groups due to the specialized habitat preferences. Thus, population-level genetic diversity studies may offer a powerful tool for orchid conservation programs. Using the 3 restriction site-associated DNA (3RAD) approach, 2,734 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were isolated. With the 2,734 SNPs, we investigated genetic diversity and population structure on 72 individuals of

The distribution of organisms is governed by their habitat condition. We analyzed bacterial communities in the gut of the blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus by pyrosequencing of the extracted intestinal metagenomic DNA. Blackworms were collected from two sampling sites with differences in irradiance and riparian vegetation, where site GP7 was covered by riparian vegetation and site GP8 was exposed to sunlight. We obtained the filtered 6414 reads from three samples of each site. At GP7, 271 OTUs were identified, including 32 OTUs unique to the site, whereas at GP8, 238 OTUs were identified, including 22 unique OTUs. Among them, 18 OTUs were shared between both sites. The phylum Proteobacteria was a major component contributing 67.84% and 64.05% of sequences at sites GP7 and GP8, respectively, while each remaining phylum contributed less than 10% at both sites. The two sites differed in microbial community composition and KEGG-indicated biochemical pathways. Community indices such as species richness and Shannon diversity were higher at site GP7 than at GP8. Meanwhile, the abundance of Cyanobacteria was significantly higher at site GP8, while site GP7 showed a greater proportion of genes for membrane transport and carbohydrate metabolism, reflecting differences in food resources.

The distribution of organisms is governed by their habitat condition. We analyzed bacterial communities in the gut of the blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus by pyrosequencing of the extracted intestinal metagenomic DNA. Blackworms were collected from two sampling sites with differences in irradiance and riparian vegetation, where site GP7 was covered by riparian vegetation and site GP8 was exposed to sunlight. We obtained the filtered 6414 reads from three samples of each site. At GP7, 271 OTUs were identified, including 32 OTUs unique to the site, whereas at GP8, 238 OTUs were identified, including 22 unique OTUs. Among them, 18 OTUs were shared between both sites. The phylum Proteobacteria was a major component contributing 67.84% and 64.05% of sequences at sites GP7 and GP8, respectively, while each remaining phylum contributed less than 10% at both sites. The two sites differed in microbial community composition and KEGG-indicated biochemical pathways. Community indices such as species richness and Shannon diversity were higher at site GP7 than at GP8. Meanwhile, the abundance of Cyanobacteria was significantly higher at site GP8, while site GP7 showed a greater proportion of genes for membrane transport and carbohydrate metabolism, reflecting differences in food resources.

Amyloid beta oligomers cause glutamatergic synapse degeneration by targeting the planar cell polarity components in the synapses., The signaling pathway directly controlling the maintenance of adult glutamatergic synapses has not been well understood. Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling components were recently shown to play essential roles in the formation of glutamatergic synapses. Here, we show that they are localized in the adult synapses and are essential for their maintenance. Synapse loss at early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be induced by β-amyloid (Aβ) pathology. We found that oligomeric Aβ binds to Celsr3 and assists Vangl2 in disassembling synapses. Moreover, a Wnt receptor and regulator of PCP signaling, Ryk, is also required for Aβ-induced synapse loss. In the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, Ryk conditional knockout or a function-blocking monoclonal Ryk antibody protected synapses and preserved cognitive function. We propose that tipping of the fine balance of Wnt/PCP signaling components in glutamatergic synapses may cause synapse degeneration in neurodegenerative disorders with Aβ pathology.

Rosa kokanica is a deciduous shrub distributed in Central Asia. We determined the genomic characteristics of the complete chloroplast genome in R. kokanica with a de novo assembly strategy. The chloroplast genome was 156,802bp in length harboring 89 protein coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes. It exhibits typical quadripartite structure comprising a large single-copy (LSC) (85,899bp), a small single-copy (SSC) (18,773bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (26,065bp). Phylogenetic analysis of 16 chloroplast genomes from Rosaceae revealed that the genus Rosa is a monophyletic group and the R. kokanica is clustered together with the congener, R. acicular.

Background The BLOC1S2 gene encodes the multifunctional protein BLOS2, a shared subunit of two lysosomal trafficking complexes: i) biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1 and i) BLOC-1-related complex. In our previous study, we identified an intriguing unreported transcript of the BLOC1S2 gene that has a novel exon derived from two transposable elements (TEs), MIR and AluSp. To investigate the evolutionary footprint and molecular mechanism of action of this transcript, we performed PCR and RT-PCR experiments and sequencing analyses using genomic DNA and RNA samples from humans and various non-human primates. Results The results showed that the MIR element had integrated into the genome of our common ancestor, specifically in the BLOC1S2 gene region, before the radiation of all primate lineages and that the AluSp element had integrated into the genome of our common ancestor, fortunately in the middle of the MIR sequences, after the divergence of Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. The combined MIR and AluSp sequences provide a 3′ splice site (AG) and 5′ splice site (GT), respectively, and generate the Old World monkey-specific transcripts. Moreover, branch point sequences for the intron removal process are provided by the MIR and AluSp combination. Conclusions We show for the first time that sequential integration into the same location and sequence divergence events of two different TEs generated lineage-specific transcripts through sequence collaboration during primate evolution.

Range-wide population studies of wide spread species are often associated with complex diversity patterns resulting from genetically divergent evolutionary significant units (ESUs). The compound evolutionary history creating such a pattern of diversity can be inferred through molecular analyses. Asparagus cochinchinensis, a medicinally important perennial herb, is in decline due to overharvesting in Korea. Eight A. cochinchinensis populations in Korea and three populations from neighboring countries (China, Japan and Taiwan) were examined using nine nuclear microsatellite loci and three chloroplast microsatellite loci to characterize molecular diversity patterns. The average within-population diversity was limited likely due to long-term bottlenecks observed in all eight populations. High pairwise FST values indicated that the populations have largely diverged, but the divergences were not correlated with geographic distances. Clustering analyses revealed a highly complex spatial structure pattern associated with two ESUs. Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) suggests that the two ESUs split about 21,000 BP were independently introduced to Korea approximately 1,800 years ago, and admixed in secondary contact zones. The two ESUs found in our study may have different habitat preferences and growth conditions, implying that the two genetically divergent groups should be considered not only for conservation and management but also for breeding programs in agricultural areas.

The objective of this study is to eliminate the tackiness of sticky paint particles occurring in paint booths using calcium hydroxide. It ultimately aims to identify the optimal filtration velocity to determine the optimal operation condition for particle collection in the filter. As the filtration velocity increased further in the range of 0.2–0.5 m/min, the pressure drop increased rapidly, while the cleaning efficiency, overall collection efficiency, and fractional collection efficiency tended to decrease. The filtration velocity for optimal filtration condition was identified to be 0.2 m/min.

Background/Aim: The pathological role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) in chronic liver injury and liver regeneration is not fully understood. This study analysed the role of VEGFR-2 in liver fibrosis and its regeneration process. Materials and Methods: We administered 50 mg/kg to 300 mg/kg thioacetamide (TAA) to 9-week-old male mice intraperitoneally for 17 weeks. We measured the levels of VEGFR-2 protein and identified the location of cells that specifically express VEGFR-2. Results: VEGFR-2 is rarely expressed in normal hepatocytes. However, high VEGFR-2 expression in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells was noted in the TAA group. Conversely, the group that experienced regeneration from liver fibrosis showed significantly higher VEGFR-2 expression in the nucleus of hepatocytes compared to the other groups. Conclusion: VEGFR-2 plays a pivotal role in the nucleus of hepatocytes during liver regeneration and VEGFR-2 may be closely related to cell division. Therefore, VEGFR-2 may be a new therapeutic target for liver regeneration.

Despite the increasing clinical importance of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), little is known about its underlying pathogenesis or specific treatment. The senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30), which regulates the biosynthesis of vitamin C (VC) in many mammals, except primates and humans, was recently recognized as a gluconolactonase. However, the precise relation between VC and lipid metabolism in NAFLD is not completely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to clearly reveal the role of VC in NAFLD progression. SMP30 knockout (KO) mice were used as a VC-deficient mouse model. To investigate the precise role of VC on lipid metabolism, 13- to 15-week-old SMP30 KO mice and wild-type mice fed a 60% high-fat diet were exposed to tap water or VC-containing water (1.5 g/L) ad libitum for 11 weeks. Primary mouse hepatocytes isolated from the SMP30 KO and wild-type mice were used to demonstrate the relation between VC and lipid metabolism in hepatocytes. Long-term VC deficiency significantly suppressed the progression of simple steatosis. The high-fat diet-fed VC-deficient SMP30 KO mice exhibited impaired sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c activation because of excessive cholesterol accumulation in hepatocytes. Long-term VC deficiency inhibits de novo lipogenesis through impaired sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c activation.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction and is a major healthcare burden worldwide. Although sepsis is a medical emergency that requires immediate management, it is difficult to screen the occurrence of sepsis. In this study, we propose an artificial intelligence based on deep learning-based model (DLM) for screening sepsis using electrocardiography (ECG).Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 46,017 patients who admitted to two hospitals. 1,548 and 639 patients underwent sepsis and septic shock. The DLM was developed using 73,727 ECGs of 18,142 patients and internal validation was conducted using 7,774 ECGs of 7,774 patients. Furthermore, we conducted an external validation with 20,101 ECGs of 20,101 patients from another hospital to verify the applicability of the DLM across centers.Results: During the internal and external validation, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of an DLM using 12-lead ECG for screening sepsis were 0.901 (95% confidence interval 0.882–0.920) and 0.863 (0.846–0.879), respectively. During internal and external validation, AUC of an DLM for detecting septic shock were 0.906 (95% CI = 0.877–0.936) and 0.899 (95% CI = 0.872–0.925), respectively. The AUC of the DLM for detecting sepsis using 6-lead and single-lead ECGs were 0.845–0.882. A sensitivity map showed that the QRS complex and T wave was associated with sepsis. Subgroup analysis was conducted using ECGs from 4,609 patients who admitted with infectious disease, The AUC of the DLM for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.817 (0.793–0.840). There was a significant difference in the prediction score of DLM using ECG according to the presence of infection in the validation dataset (0.277 vs 0.574, pp=0.018).Conclusions: The DLM demonstrated reasonable performance for screening sepsis using 12-, 6-, and single-lead ECG. The results suggest that sepsis can be screened using not only conventional ECG devices, but also diverse life-type ECG machine employing the DLM, thereby preventing irreversible disease progression and mortality.

Transposable elements cause alternative splicing (AS) in different ways, contributing to transcript diversification. Alternative polyadenylation (APA), one of the AS events, is related to the generation of mRNA isoforms in 70% of human genes. In this study, we tried to investigate AluYRa1s located at the terminal region of cynomolgus monkey genes, utilizing both computational analysis and molecular experimentation. We found that ten genes had AluYRa1 at their 3′ end, and nine of these AluYRa1s were sense-oriented. Furthermore, in seven genes, AluYRa1s were expected to have a similar consensus sequence for polyadenylation cleavage. Additional computational analysis using the annotation files from the UCSC database showed that AluYRa1 was more involved in polyadenylation than in open reading frame exon splicing. To examine the extent of AluYRa1 involvement in polyadenylation, RNA-seq data from 30 normal cynomolgus monkeys were analyzed using TAPAS, a recently devised software that detects all the promising polyadenylation sites including APA sites. We observed that approximately 74% of possible polyadenylation sites in the analyzed genes were provided by sense-oriented AluYRa1. In conclusion, AluYRa1 is an Old-World monkey-specific TE, and its sense-oriented insertion at the 3′UTR region tends to provide a favorable environment for polyadenylation, diversifying gene transcripts.

Background Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction and a major healthcare burden worldwide. Although sepsis is a medical emergency that requires immediate management, screening for the occurrence of sepsis is difficult. Herein, we propose a deep learning-based model (DLM) for screening sepsis using electrocardiography (ECG). Methods This retrospective cohort study included 46,017 patients who were admitted to two hospitals. A total of 1,548 and 639 patients had sepsis and septic shock, respectively. The DLM was developed using 73,727 ECGs from 18,142 patients, and internal validation was conducted using 7774 ECGs from 7,774 patients. Furthermore, we conducted an external validation with 20,101 ECGs from 20,101 patients from another hospital to verify the applicability of the DLM across centers. Results During the internal and external validations, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the DLM using 12-lead ECG was 0.901 (95% confidence interval, 0.882–0.920) and 0.863 (0.846–0.879), respectively, for screening sepsis and 0.906 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.877–0.936) and 0.899 (95% CI, 0.872–0.925), respectively, for detecting septic shock. The AUC of the DLM for detecting sepsis using 6-lead and single-lead ECGs was 0.845–0.882. A sensitivity map revealed that the QRS complex and T waves were associated with sepsis. Subgroup analysis was conducted using ECGs from 4,609 patients who were admitted with an infectious disease, and the AUC of the DLM for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.817 (0.793–0.840). There was a significant difference in the prediction score of DLM using ECG according to the presence of infection in the validation dataset (0.277 vs. 0.574, p p = 0.018). Conclusions The DLM delivered reasonable performance for sepsis screening using 12-, 6-, and single-lead ECGs. The results suggest that sepsis can be screened using not only conventional ECG devices but also diverse life-type ECG machines employing the DLM, thereby preventing irreversible disease progression and mortality.

There is growing attention given to gene flow between crops and the wild relatives as global landscapes have been rapidly converted into agricultural farm fields over the past century. Crop-to-wild introgression may advance the extinction risks of rare plants through demographic swamping and/or genetic swamping. Malus sieversii, the progenitor of the apple, is exclusively distributed along the Tien Shan mountains. Habitat fragmentation and hybridization between M. sieversii and the cultivated apples have been proposed to be the causal mechanism of the accelerated extinction risk. We examined the genetic diversity pattern of eleven wild and domesticated apple populations and assessed the gene flow between M. sieversii and the cultivated apples in Kazakhstan using thirteen nuclear microsatellite loci. On average, apple populations harbored fairly high within-population diversity, whereas population divergences were very low suggesting likely influence of human-mediated dispersal. Assignment results showed a split pattern between the cultivated and wild apples and frequent admixture among the apple populations. Coupled with the inflated contemporary migration rates, the admixture pattern might be the signature of increased human intervention within the recent past. Our study highlighted the prevalent crop to wild gene flow of apples occurring in Kazakhstan, proposing an accelerated risk of genetic swamping.

There is growing attention given to gene flow between crops and the wild relatives as global landscapes have been rapidly converted into agricultural farm fields over the past century. Crop-to-wild introgression may advance the extinction risks of rare plants through demographic swamping and/or genetic swamping. Malus sieversii, the progenitor of the apple, is exclusively distributed along the Tien Shan mountains. Habitat fragmentation and hybridization between M. sieversii and the cultivated apples have been proposed to be the causal mechanism of the accelerated extinction risk. We examined the genetic diversity pattern of eleven wild and domesticated apple populations and assessed the gene flow between M. sieversii and the cultivated apples in Kazakhstan using thirteen nuclear microsatellite loci. On average, apple populations harbored fairly high within-population diversity, whereas population divergences were very low suggesting likely influence of human-mediated dispersal. Assignment results showed a split pattern between the cultivated and wild apples and frequent admixture among the apple populations. Coupled with the inflated contemporary migration rates, the admixture pattern might be the signature of increased human intervention within the recent past. Our study highlighted the prevalent crop to wild gene flow of apples occurring in Kazakhstan, proposing an accelerated risk of genetic swamping.

Particulate matter (PM) is a general atmospheric pollutant released into the air by an anthropogenic and naturally derived mixture of substances. Current studies indicate that fine dust can result in different health defects, including endothelial dysfunction, asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, uterine leiomyoma, deterioration in sperm quality, and overall birth impairment. However, the most prominent effects of PM10(diameter < 10 μM) exposure on the female reproductive system, especially with respect to oocyte maturation, remain unclear. In the present study, maturing mouse oocytes were treated with PM10and the phenotypes of the resulting toxic effects were investigated. Exposure to PM10led to impairment of maturation capacity by inducing cell cycle arrest and blocking normal polar body extrusion duringin vitromaturation and activation of fertilization of mouse oocytes. Additionally, defects in tubulin formation and DNA alignment were observed in PM10-treated oocytes during metaphase I to anaphase/telophase I transition. Moreover, PM10induced reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage, and early apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that PM10exposure leads to a decline in oocyte quality and affects the subsequent embryonic development potential of mammalian oocytes.

Synapse loss is an early event in Alzheimer’s disease and is thought to be associated with amyloid pathology and caused by Amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers. Whether and how Aβ oligomers directly target signaling pathways for glutamatergic synapse maintenance is unknown. Glutamatergic synapse development is controlled by the opposing functions of Celsr3 and Vangl2, core components of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway, functioning directly in the synapses. Celsr3 promotes synapse formation, whereas Vangl2 inhibits synapse formation. Here we show that oligomeric Aβ binds to Celsr3 and assists Vangl2 in disassembling synapses by disrupting the intercellular Celsr3/Frizzled3-Celsr3 complex, essential for PCP signaling. Together with Vangl2, a Wnt receptor, Ryk, is also required for Aβ oligomer-induced synapse loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, 5XFAD, where conditional Ryk knockout protected synapses and preserved cognitive function. Our study reveals a fine balance of Wnt/PCP signaling components in glutamatergic synapse maintenance and suggests that overproduced Aβ oligomers may lead to excessive synapse loss by tipping this balance. Together with previous reports that an inhibitor of Wnt/Ryk signaling, WIF1, is found reduced in Alzheimer’s disease patients, our results suggest that the imbalance of PCP signaling in these patients may contribute to synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease and manipulating Wnt/PCP signaling may preserve synapses and cognitive function.

We aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for treating hemothorax caused by chest trauma.Between 2015 and 2019, 68 patients (56 male; mean age, 58.2 years) were transferred to our interventional unit for selective TAE to treat thoracic bleeding. We retrospectively investigated their demographics, angiographic findings, embolization techniques, technical and clinical success rates, and complications.Bleeding occurred mostly from the intercostal arteries (50%) and the internal mammary arteries (29.5%). Except one patient, TAE achieved technical success, defined as the immediate cessation of bleeding, in all the other patients. Four patients successfully underwent repeated TAE for delayed bleeding or increasing hematoma after the initial TAE. The clinical success rate, defined as no need for thoracotomy for hemostasis after TAE, was 92.6%. Five patients underwent post-embolization thoracotomy for hemostasis. No patient developed major TAE-related complications, such as cerebral infarction or quadriplegia.TAE is a safe, effective and minimally invasive method for controlling thoracic wall and intrathoracic systemic arterial hemorrhage after thoracic trauma. TAE may be considered for patients with hemothorax without other concomitant injuries which require emergency surgery, or those who undergoing emergency TAE for abdominal or pelvic hemostasis.흉부 외상에 의해 발생한 혈흉에 대해 동맥 색전술의 임상적 효용성을 보고하고자 한다.2015년부터 2019년까지 68명의(남자 56명; 평균 나이 58.2세) 흉부 출혈에 대한 동맥색전술을 시행 받은 환자가 포함되었다. 후향적으로 환자군의 특징, 혈관조영술 소견, 색전술에 사용한 기법, 기술적 및 임상적 성공률과 합병증을 조사하였다.출혈 부위는 늑간동맥(50%)이 가장 많았고, 그다음은 내흉동맥(29.5%)이었다. 한 명을 제외한 나머지 환자에서는 즉각적인 출혈 정지로 정의된 기술적 성공을 획득할 수 있었다. 첫 동맥 색전술 이후 네 명의 환자에서 지연 출혈 또는 혈흉의 증가 소견이 있었고, 이에 대해 반복적 동맥 색전술을 시행하여 성공적인 결과를 얻었다. 동맥 색전술 후 지혈 목적의 개흉술이 필요하지 않은 것으로 정의된 임상적 성공은 92.6%로 보고되었다. 다섯 명의 환자는 지혈을 위해 색전술 후 개흉술을 시행하였다. 뇌경색이나 사지 마비와 같은 동맥 색전술과 관련한 주요 합병증은 발생하지 않았다.외상성 흉벽 및 흉곽 내 장기 손상에 의한 동맥 출혈에 대해 시행하는 동맥 색전술은 안전하고 효과적인 최소 침습적 시술이다. 외상성 혈흉 환자에서 응급 수술을 필요로 하지 않는 혈흉만 있거나, 또는 동반된 복부나 골반 손상의 지혈을 위해 응급 동맥 색전술을 시행하는 경우, 흉부 영역의 동맥 색전술을 고려할 수 있다.

Background Alternative splicing (AS) generates various transcripts from a single gene and thus plays a significant role in transcriptomic diversity and proteomic complexity. Alu elements are primate-specific transposable elements (TEs) and can provide a donor or acceptor site for AS. In a study on TE-mediated AS, we recently identified a novel AluSz6-exonized ACTR8 transcript of the crab-eating monkey (Macaca fascicularis). In the present study, we sought to determine the molecular mechanism of AluSz6 exonization of the ACTR8 gene and investigate its evolutionary and functional consequences in the crab-eating monkey. Results We performed RT-PCR and genomic PCR to analyze AluSz6 exonization in the ACTR8 gene and the expression of the AluSz6-exonized transcript in nine primate samples, including prosimians, New world monkeys, Old world monkeys, and hominoids. AluSz6 integration was estimated to have occurred before the divergence of simians and prosimians. The Alu-exonized transcript obtained by AS was lineage-specific and expressed only in Old world monkeys and apes, and humans. This lineage-specific expression was caused by a single G duplication in AluSz6, which provides a new canonical 5′ splicing site. We further identified other alternative transcripts that were unaffected by the AluSz6 insertion. Finally, we observed that the alternative transcripts were transcribed into new isoforms with C-terminus deletion, and in silico analysis showed that these isoforms do not have a destructive function. Conclusions The single G duplication in the TE sequence is the source of TE exonization and AS, and this mutation may suffer a different fate of ACTR8 gene expression during primate evolution.

Background: Alternative splicing (AS) generate various transcripts from a single gene and thus plays a significant role in transcriptomic diversity and proteomic complexity. Alu elements are primate-specific transposable elements (TEs) and can provide a donor or acceptor site for AS. In a study on TE-mediated AS, we recently identified a novel Alu Sz6-exonized ACTR8 transcript of a crab-eating monkey ( Macaca fascicularis ). In the present study, we sought to analyse the molecular mechanism of Alu Sz6-derived exonization in ACTR8 gene.Results: We performed RT-PCR and genomic PCR using the tissue RNA and DNA samples from the crab-eating monkey and various other primates, including humans, to study Alu Sz6-derived exonization in ACTR8 gene and transcript variants expression. Alu Sz6 integration was estimated to have occurred before the divergence of simians and prosimians. The novel transcript was expressed only in Old world monkeys and apes, and humans. Lineage-specific expression of ACTR8 gene was due to a ‘G’ duplication in the Alu Sz6 sequences of Old world monkey and ape lineages. Six alternative transcripts (TV1-TV6) generated by various AS mechanisms were newly identified. Based on in-silico analysis, the alternative transcripts were transcribed into new isoforms with C-terminus deletion.Conclusion: ‘G’ duplication together with TE exonization and AS via various mechanisms resulted in a different fate of ACTR8 gene expression during primate evolution.

Additional file 1: Table S1. List of primers used in this study. Figure S1 Multiple sequence alignment of the AluSz6 insertion region in the ACTR8 gene in various primates. Sequences obtained from the genomic PCR product (Fig. 1b). Black lined boxes indicate exons, and sequences between boxes are intron regions. Two forward slashes indicate the region of omitted intron sequence for good-quality data. The sky-blue region represents the full length of AluSz6. 3′ Splice sites and 5′ splice sites in the AluSz6 region are not in sky blue. The black-shaded region indicates the branch point site, and New world monkeys and prosimians have a deletion in this branch point region. Figure S2 Multiple sequence alignment of the region from exon 2 to exon 4 in the ACTR8 gene in various primates. Genomic sequences from the NCBI database were aligned in various primates. The donor splice site (5′ splice site) and acceptor splice site (3′ splice site) are indicated as blue and red dotted line boxes, respectively. Figure S3 Multiple sequence alignment of the RT-PCR products using the validation primer. The RT-PCR products were sequenced, and these sequences were analyzed by multiple nucleotide alignment. The sky-blue region indicates the AluSz6-derived exon region. The red lined box represents the premature termination codon (PTC). Figure S4 Multiple sequence alignment of AluSz6 of the ACTR8 gene. AluSz6 sequences of various primates were searched using online resources (UCSC Genome browser). In this figure, the AluSz6 sequences are shown in the forward direction (5′ to 3′), whereas the main figure is shown in the reverse direction as inserted into the genome. The blue lined box indicates the point mentioned as a G duplication. AluSz6 of RTL could not be analyzed, but we confirmed the AluSz6 sequence of RTL through the experiment. Figure S5 Analysis of the ACTR8 gene PCR band intensity. (A) Green lanes (1–5) were PCR-positive bands by the V1 primer from Fig. 2b. Vision-capt software selected five bands and generated peaks of the corresponding PCR band. The PCR band intensity was generated from these peaks. (B) Vision-capt software measured the volume based on height and area of the positive bands, respectively.

This study aimed to explore variations within native-English-speaking-teachers (NESTs) when evaluating English learners’ speaking in terms of their teaching period in one institute (new and experienced) and to compare the results with their writing evaluation behaviors. Using the same methodology to the writing study, the speaking materials were carefully prepared and the speaking delivery performance like pronunciation were excluded to be compatible with the writing evaluation. While the experienced NESTs evaluated Korean English learners’ essays more severely than the new NESTs in contrast to the previous studies, there was no difference in speaking. When evaluating the learners’ English writing, the experienced group demonstrated similarities to non-native-English-speaking-teachers (NNESTs) in contrast to the new NESTs. When evaluating speaking, the new ones were more consistent in regarding content more substantially while the experienced ones showed a different rating behavior from writing. Lastly, unlike the previous studies, but like the writing study in comparison, the NESTs’ perceived-difficulty played a more important role in grading than their perceived-importance regarding grammar, content, and vocabulary. The details of the results were elaborated and the discussions with implications were provided. This study also suggests a new approach to examine rater biases in relation to English learners’ expressive skills.