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Abstract: Glyceollin has been shown to have antidiabetic properties, although its molecular mechanism is not known. Here, we have investigated the metabolic effects of glyceollin in animal models of insulin resistance and in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-responsive muscle cells. db/db mice were treated with glyceollin for 4weeks and triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were measured. Glyceollin reduced serum insulin and triglycerides and increased HDL levels in db/db mice. Furthermore, glyceollin caused a significant improvement in glucose homeostasis without altering body weight and food intake in db/db mice. In muscle cells, glyceollin increased the activity of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as well as cellular glucose uptake. Fatty acid oxidation was also increased. In parallel, phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at Ser-79 was increased, consistent with decreased ACC activity. An insulin-resistant state was induced by exposing cells to 5μg/ml of tunicamycin as indicated by decreased insulin-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and glucose uptake. Inhibition of insulin-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and glucose uptake under ER stress was prevented by glyceollin. Strikingly, glyceollin reduced ER stress-induced, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activation and subsequently increased insulin signaling via stimulation of AMPK activity in L6 myotubes. Pharmacologic inhibition or knockdown of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase blocked glyceollin-increased AMPK phosphorylation and insulin sensitivity under ER stress conditions. Taken together, these results indicate that glyceollin-mediated enhancement of insulin sensitivity under ER stress conditions is predominantly accomplished by activating AMPK, thereby having beneficial effects on hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

'Nampung', a new soybean cultivar for soy-paste, was developed from the cross between Suwon190 and 'Pokwangkong' by soybean breeding team at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2007. A promising line, SS97215-S-S-20, was selected and designated as the name of Milyang162. It was prominent and had good result from regional adaptation yield trials (RYT) for three years from 2005 to 2007 and was released as the name of 'Nampung'. It has a determinate growth habit, white flower, brown pubescence, yellow seed coat, light brown hilum, medium spherical seed (19.9 grams per 100 seeds). 'Nampung' is resistant to soybean mosaic virus and bacterial pustule, the major soybean disease in Korea. It is possible to harvest of 'Nampung' using combine because of it's lodging tolerance, few branches, and high position of pod attachment. The average yield of 'Nampung' is 2.97 ton per hectare in the regional yield trials (RYT) carried out for three years from 2005 to 2007 which is 21 percent higher than the check variety, 'Taekwang'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new soybean cultivar for soy-paste, 'Daeyang', was developed from the cross among 'Jangyeobkong', 'Hwaeomputkong' and 'Suwon192' by the soybean breeding team at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2007. A promising line, SS97214-80-1, was selected and named this line 'Milyang163'. It was prominent and had good result from regional adaptation yield trials (RYT) for three years from 2005 to 2007 and released as the name of 'Daeyang'. It has a determinate growth habit, purple flower, grey pubescence, yellow seed coat, yellow hilum, large spherical seed (25.2 g per 100 seeds). 'Daeyang' is resistant to soybean mosaic virus and moderately resistant to bacterial pustule, the major soybean disease in Korea. The average yield of 'Daeyang' was 2.58 ton per hectare in the regional yield trials (RYT) carried out for three years from 2005 to 2007 which was 3 percent higher than the check variety, 'Taekwang'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Sangwon', a new cultivar for vegetable soybean, was developed from the cross between 'Keunolkong' and 'Oshimamidori', and was released at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2007. The goal to develop a vegetable soybean cultivar with green pod, early maturity, large seed size, high yield, lodging tolerance, and resistance to disease such as soybean mosaic virus (SMV). 'Sangwon' has light green pod, early maturity, large seed, short plant height, and lodging tolerance. 'Sangwon' has determinate growth habit, white flower, gray pubescence, and oval leaf shape. The matured seeds have a yellow seed coat with light brown hilum, and a yellow cotyledon. 'Sangwon' has 5.8 cm fresh pod length, 13.2mm fresh pod width, 69.5 g seed weight per 100 green seeds, 44.0% green seed protein content, and 14.8% green seed oil content. At the regional yield trials (RYT) for vegetable soybean from 2005 to 2007, 'Sangwon' shows strong resistance to soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and tolerance to lodging in fields. Fresh pods of 'Sangwon' were harvested at the beginning of August. In the same tests, fresh pod of 'Sangwon' (10.39ton/ha) yielded 5% higher than 'Hwaeomputkong' (9.90ton/ha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsosiphon fulvescens (green seaweed) and Hizikia fusiforme (brown seaweed) are marine algae consumed as food supplements, especially in Japan, China and Korea, and are considered traditional medicinal tonics for certain ailments. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible inhibitory effects of dietary C. fulvescens and H. fusiforme on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal cancer (CRC) in rats. F344 male rats (5 weeks, 150 g) were divided into six groups as follows. Group 1: Injected with normal saline solution and fed control diet (untreated control). Group 2: Injected with AOM and fed control diet (treated control). Group 3: Injected with AOM and fed 1% C. fulvescens diet. Group 4: Injected with AOM and fed 2% C. fulvescens diet. Group 5: Injected with AOM and fed 2% H. fusiforme diet. Group 6: Injected with AOM and fed 6% H. fusiforme diet. Test animals received subcutaneous injections of AOM (15 mg/1 ml/kg body weight) once a week for 2 weeks to induce aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in treated control and experimental groups. We evaluated the effects of dietary C. fulvescens and H. fusiforme at two different dose levels: 1 and 2% C. fulvescens, and 2 and 6% H. fusiforme, on colonic carcinogenesis by AOM in rats. Our results suggest that body weights were not significantly different amongst groups. We found that feeding C. fulvescens and H. fusiforme with a control diet significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the development of ACF in experimental groups. C. fulvescens and H. fusiforme in food also significantly (p<0.05) reduced the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index in the colonic tissues of experimental groups. These results demonstrate the chemopreventive potential of C. fulvescens and H. fusiforme against CRC in an AOM-induced rats., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is well known as a free radical scavenger that protects cells against damage from oxidative stress. Herein, we investigated the effects of vitamin C against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatotoxicity. Male wild-type (C57BL/6) and senescence marker protein-30 (Smp30) knockout (KO) mice were used and divided in the following four groups: WT group (n=15): Wild-type (WT) mice fed vitamin C-free diet with tap water; WV group (n=14): WT mice fed vitamin C-free diet with water supplemented with 1.5 g/kg vitamin C; KT group (n=12): Smp30 KO mice fed vitamin C-free diet with tap water; and KV group (n=13): Smp30 KO mice fed vitamin C-free diet with water supplemented with 1.5 g/kg vitamin C. A single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (5 mg/kg body weight) was injected in the second week during the experimental period. Mice were sacrificed after 17 weeks of treatment to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin C on DEN-induced hepatotoxicity. The results showed that vitamin C significantly increased the mean lifespan (p<0.05) in the WT, WV and KV groups compared with the KT group. The serum concentrations of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase did not significantly differ among groups. The WT group exhibited significantly more acute cellular swelling accompanied by centrilobular necrosis, focal lymphocyte infiltration, and eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies as compared with the WV and KV groups, suggesting that vitamin C had a hepatoprotective effect. Dysplastic, large, and binucleated hepatocytes were also observed in the WT group, but these pathological signs were absent from the WV and KV groups. Our experimental evidence suggests that vitamin C supplementation in Smp30 KO mice was effective for the treatment of DEN-induced hepatotoxicity., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

A 5 yr old, 184 kg, and 262 cm total length female bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus was found dead in a display after bloody discharge from the blowhole was observed 3 h prior to death. Pathological examination revealed fibrinous bronchopneumonia with prominent areas of necrosis (sequestra) and numerous Gram-negative bacilli within alveoli and in blood vessels of the lungs and liver and between muscle fibers. The cause of death was attributed to septicemia. Often, cases of fibrinous bronchopneumonia are characterized by bacteremia in the latter stages of infection, resulting in the death of the animal. Septicemia likely accounts for the ecchymoses and petechiae noted on the spleen, pancreas, forestomach, lungs, visceral peritoneum, and small intestine. Additional lesions included hemothorax, stable red frothy fluid in the trachea, and lymphoid depletion in the spleen and lymph nodes. Pure growth of Morganella morganii was isolated from the lungs, blood, liver, and blowhole mucosa. Sequencing of 16s rRNA of the isolated bacteria showed more than 99.6% identity with M. morganii strain FDAARGOS&#95;172. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fatal fibrinonecrotizing bronchopneumonia associated with M. morganii infection in a cetacean.

Bisphenol A bis (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether (BADGE.2H(2)O) is a component of commercial liquid epoxy resins commonly used in the food-packing industry and in dental sealants. There is evidence that it has significant estrogenic activity. Nur77 plays a crucial role in the regulation of certain genes involved in LH-mediated steroidogenesis in testicular Leydig cells. It was previously demonstrated that Bisphenol A (BPA) stimulates Nur77 gene induction and steroidogenesis. In this study, we investigated the effects of BADGE.2H(2)O on Nur77 gene expression and steroidogenesis. Northern blot analysis showed that it increased the expression of Nur77 mRNA and protein, and transient transfection assays demonstrated that it increased the promoter activity and transactivation of Nur77. It also increased the expression of certain steroidogenic genes, such as StAR and 3 beta-HSD. Finally, over-expression of a dominant negative Nur77 cDNA via adenoviral infection reduced BADGE.2H(2)O-mediated progesterone biosynthesis. These results indicate that BADGE.2H(2)O disrupts testicular steroidogenesis by increasing Nur77 gene expression.