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A patient, a 62-year-old man, received endodontic treatment of the lower left canine complicated by apical overfilling of Calcipex II. At the second day after the root canal filling, the 14th day after placement of Calcipex II intracanal medication, he complained of a gingival swelling in the treated area. The incisional biopsy of the gingival swelling revealed a foreign body granuloma infiltrated with macrophages engulfing the fine Calcipex II granules but with polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). However, the gingival swelling was healed uneventfully, and the tooth was free of symptoms at 4 months' follow-up. This study first reports the Calcipex II-induced reaction in human periodontium. In the immunohistochemistry using antisera of lysozyme, CD31, CD68, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), the granule-laden cells are positive for lysozyme, CD31, CD68, and PARP-1, but negative for IL-8. Thus, it is presumed that the granule-laden cells belong to the macrophages/monocytes rather than the PMNs, and that they gradually undergo the apoptotic processes. These data suggest that the canal dressing material, Calcipex II, is able to be widely dispersed into the periodontal tissues, primarily engulfed by macrophages, and resulted in the foreign body granuloma in the absence of acute inflammatory reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the nutritional components, isoflavones, and antioxidant activities by solid-sate fermentation of Apios americana Medikus (AAM) with seven different fungi. The total fatty acid contents increased from 120.5 mg/100 g (unfermented AAM, UFAAM) to 242.0 to 3167.5 mg/100 g (fermented AAM, FAAM) with all fungi. In particular, the values of total fatty acids were highest (26.3-fold increase) in the FAAM with Monascus purpureus. The amount of total free amino acids increased from 591.69 mg/100 g (UFAAM) to 664.38 to 1603.07 mg/100 g after fermentation except for Monascus pilosus and Lentinula edodes. The total mineral contents increased evidently after fermentation with M. purpureus, F. velutipes, and Tricholoma matsutake (347.36 → 588.29, 576.59, and 453.32 mg/100 g, respectively). The UFAAM predominated isoflavone glycosides, whereas glycoside forms were converted into aglycone forms after fermentation by fungi. The bioconversion rates of glycoside to aglycone were excellent in the FAAM with M. pilosus, M. purpureus, F. velutipes, and T. matsutake (0.01 → 0.69, 0.50, 0.27, and 0.31 mg/g, respectively). Furthermore, the total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities by the abovementioned FAAM were high except for L.edodes. This FAAM can be used as a potential food and pharmaceutical materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study was the first to document the fluctuations of nutritional constituents, antioxidant capacities, and physicochemical characteristics during the aging processes of red ginseng sprouts (RGS) and black ginseng sprouts (BGS) from dried ginseng sprouts (DGS). Total ginsenoside levels differed with 54.72 (DGS) → 57.15 (RGS) and 6.98 (BGS) mg/g, specifically, ginsenoside F2 and Rd2 in RGS remarkably increased with 1.97 → 5.88 and 2.41 → 5.49 mg/g, respectively. Phenolics increased dramatically as 297.02 → 1770.01 (6.0-fold); 1834.94 (6.2-fold) μg/g in DGS → RGS; BGS with abundance contents of benzoic acid (>15.3-fold), chlorogenic acid (>9.5-fold), and catechin (>4.2-fold), whereas amino acids markedly decreased (3686.81 → 1505.00; 364.64 mg/100 g), with arginine showing a significant decrease. Moreover, beneficial factors (total phenolic content: TPC; total flavonoid content: TFC; maillard reaction products: MRP) displayed increase tendencies (approximately 2.0-fold) with BGS > RGS > DGS, and antioxidant patterns significantly increased with potential capacities as follows: ABTS (48.3: DGS → 65.8: RGS; 70.2 %: BGS) > DPPH (18.5 → 44.6; 59.2 %) > hydroxyl (23.2 → 35.4; 39.9 %) > FRAP (0.6 → 1.8; 1.8 %) at 500 μg/mL. In particular, DNA protection exhibited excellent rates of 100 %, in the order of BGS (25 μg/mL) > RGS (50 μg/mL) > DGS (500 μg/mL). These findings suggest that processed ginseng sprouts can be excellent agents for natural antioxidants., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this study, we prepared fermented products of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) and analyzed their nutrients, isoflavones, anti-obesity efficacy, and effects on gut microbiota. Fermented IESLs (FIESLs) were found to be rich in nutrients, especially lauric acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. In addition, the concentrations of most essential free amino acids were increased compared to those of IESLs. The contents of bioactive compounds, such as total phenolic, total flavonoid, daidzein, and genistein, significantly increased as well. In addition, FIESLs administration in a high-fat diet (HFD) animal model improved the final body weight, epididymal fat, total lipid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and leptin levels, as well as reverting microbiota dysbiosis. In conclusion, these findings indicate that FIESLs have the potential to inhibit obesity caused by HFDs and serve as a modulator of gut microbiota, offering the prevention of diet-induced gut dysbiosis and metabolite diseases associated with obesity.

The current research was the first to prove the existence of fluctuations in the metabolite constituents and antioxidant properties in different organs (leaves, stems, and roots) of the mountain-cultivated ginseng (MCG) plant during a two-month maturation period. Four metabolites, including fatty acids, amino acids, ginsenosides, and phenolic phytochemicals, exhibited considerable differences in organs and maturation times with the following order: leaves > stems > roots. The predominant metabolite contents were found in leaves, with fatty acid (1057.9 mg/100 g) on 31 May, amino acid (1989.2 mg/100 g) on 13 July, ginsenosides (88.7 mg/g) on 31 May, and phenolic phytochemical (638.3 μg/g) on 31 May. Interestingly, ginsenoside content in leaves were highest, with 84.8 → 88.7 → 82.2 → 78.3 mg/g. Specifically, ginsenosides Re, Rd, and F2 showed abundant content ranging from 19.1 to 16.9 mg/g, 8.5 to 14.8 mg/g, and 9.5 to 13.1 mg/g, respectively. Phenolic phytochemicals exhibited remarkable differences in organs compared to maturation periods, with the highest total phenolic content and total flavonoid content recorded at 9.48 GAE and 1.30 RE mg/g in leaves on 31 May. The antioxidant capacities on radical, FRAP, and DNA protection differed significantly, with leaves on 31 May exhibiting the highest values: 88.4% (DPPH), 89.5% (ABTS), 0.84 OD593 nm (FRAP) at 500 μg/mL, and 100% DNA protection at 50 μg/mL. Furthermore, principal cluster analysis revealed metabolite variability as follows: ginsenoside (83.3%) > amino acid (71.8%) > phenolic phytochemical (61.1%) > fatty acid (58.8%). A clustering heatmap highlighted significant changes in metabolite components under the maturation times for each organ. Our findings suggest that MCG leaves on 31 May may be a potential source for developing nutraceuticals, offering highly beneficial components and strong antioxidants.

This study aimed to compare the nanoleakage of retrograde fillings with premixed calcium silicate-based putty and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), using two different techniques (traditional and Lid). Sixty-four extracted human teeth were decoronated, then root canals and ends were instrumented for retrograde filling and divided into four groups according to the retrograde filling technique: the traditional and the Lid technique. Each group (n = 15) was filled with Ceraseal + Well-Root putty, Well-Root putty, Ceraseal + ProRoot MTA, and ProRoot MTA. The nanoleakage was evaluated using the Nanoflow device (IB Systems) on days 1, 3, 7, 15 and 30. Data were collected twice per second at the nanoscale (nL/s) and calculated after archiving the stabilization of fluid flow. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used for statistical analysis. All groups showed enhanced sealing ability over time. Regardless of filling materials, the Well-Root putty, Ceraseal+Well-Root putty, and Ceraseal+ProRoot MTA groups indicated less nanoleakage than the ProRoot MTA group in the first week of evaluation ( p < 0.05). Although all groups did not show significant differences after 2 weeks, the Ceraseal+ProRoot MTA group leaked less than ProRoot MTA on Days 3 and 7 ( p < 0.05). The scanning electron microscopic examined good adaptation to the cavity wall, which was similar to nanoleakage results. Premixed calcium silicate-based putty retrograde filling material alone and using the "lid technique" were shown to be faster and less prone to nanoleakage when compared to MTA.

Objectives: This study investigated the nanoleakage of root canal obturations using calcium silicate-based sealer according to different drying methods., Materials and Methods: Fifty-two extracted mandibular premolars with a single root canal and straight root were selected for this study. After canal preparation with a nickel-titanium rotary file system, the specimens were randomly divided into 4 groups according to canal drying methods (1: complete drying, 2: blot drying/distilled water, 3: blot drying/NaOCl, 4: aspiration only). The root canals were obturated using a single-cone filling technique with a calcium silicate-based sealer. Nanoleakage was evaluated using a nanoflow device after 24 hours, 1 week, and 1 month. Data were collected twice per second at the nanoscale and measured in nanoliters per second. Data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U -tests ( p < 0.05)., Results: The mean flow rate measured after 24 hours showed the highest value among the time periods in all groups. However, the difference in the flow rate between 1 week and 1 month was not significant. The mean flow rate of the complete drying group was the highest at all time points. After 1 month, the mean flow rate in the blot drying group and the aspiration group was not significantly different., Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the canal drying method had a significant effect on leakage and sealing ability in root canal obturations using a calcium silicate-based sealer. Thus, a proper drying procedure is critical in endodontic treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© 2024. The Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry.)

This study aimed to examine the impacts of essential and optional ingredients on the microbial and metabolic profiles of kimchi during 100 days of fermentation, using a mix-omics approach. Kimchi manufactured without essential ingredients (e.g., red pepper, garlic, ginger, green onion, and radish) had lower lactic acid content. The absence of garlic was associated with a higher proportion of Latilactobacillus and Lactococcus , while the absence of red pepper was associated with a greater proportion of Leuconostoc than the control group. In addition, red pepper and garlic served as primary determinants of the levels of organic acids and biogenic amines. Sugar was positively correlated with the levels of melibiose, and anchovy sauce was positively correlated with the levels of amino acids such as methionine, leucine, and glycine. These findings contribute to a fundamental understanding of how ingredients influence kimchi fermentation, offering valuable insights for optimizing kimchi production to meet various preferences., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

A novel cellulose microfibril swelling (Cms) gene of Bacillus sp. AY8 was successfully cloned and sequenced using a set of primers designed based on the conserved region of the gene from the genomic database. The molecular cloning of the Cms gene revealed that the gene consisted of 679 bp sequences encoding 225 amino acids. Further in silico analysis unveiled that the Cms gene contained the NlpC/P60 conserved region that exhibited a homology of 98% with the NlpC/P60 family proteins found in both the strains, Burkholderialata sp. and Burkholderia vietnamiensis . The recombinant Cms enzyme had a significant impact on the reduction of crystallinity indices (CrI) of various substrates including a 3%, a 3.97%, a 4.66%, and a substantial 14.07% for filter paper, defatted cotton fiber, avicel, and alpha cellulose, respectively. Additionally, notable changes in the spectral features were observed among the substrates treated with recombinant Cms enzymes compared to the untreated control. Specifically, there was a decrease in band intensities within the spectral regions of 3000-3450 cm -1 , 2900 cm -1 , 1429 cm -1 , and 1371 cm -1 for the treated filter paper, cotton fiber, avicel, and alpha cellulose, respectively. Furthermore, the recombinant Cms enzyme exhibited a maximum cellulose swelling activity at a pH of 7.0 along with a temperature of 40 °C. The molecular docking data revealed that ligand molecules, such as cellobiose, dextrin, maltose 1-phosphate, and feruloyated xyloglucan, effectively bonded to the active site of the Cms enzyme. The molecular dynamics simulations of the Cms enzyme displayed stable interactions with cellobiose and dextrin molecules up to 100 ns. It is noteworthy to mention that the conserved region of the Cms enzyme did not match with those of the bioadditives like expansins and swollenin proteins. This study is the initial report of a bacterial cellulose microfibril swellase enzyme, which could potentially serve as an additive to enhance biofuel production by releasing fermentable sugars from cellulose., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Recent studies have confirmed that gut microbiota differs according to race or country in many diseases, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease. However, no study has analyzed the characteristics of Korean MCI patients. This study was performed to observe the association between gut microbiota and MCI in the Korean elderly and to identify potential markers for Korean MCI patients. For this purpose, we collected fecal samples from Korean subjects who were divided into an MCI group ( n = 40) and control group ( n = 40) for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Although no significant difference was observed in the overall microbial community profile, the relative abundance of several genera, including Bacteroides , Prevotella , and Akkermansia , showed significant differences between the two groups. In addition, the relative abundance of Prevotella was negatively correlated with that of Bacteroides (r = 0.733). This study may provide Korean-specific basic data for comparing the characteristics of the gut microbiota between Korean and non-Korean MCI patients.

In this study, the high isoflavone-enriched soy leaves (IESLs) were manufactured by treating with the chemical inducer ethephon, a plant growth regulator, to confirm changes in the properties of soy leaves (SLs), which are underutilized. Ethephon treatment concentrations consisted of 0 (SL1), 150 (SL2), and 300 (SL3) μg/mL. The composition analysis and physiological activity were conducted according to the ethephon treatment concentration of SLs. There was no significant difference in the proximate composition and fatty acids, except for an increase with increasing ethephon treatment concentrations. Depending on the ethephon treatment concentration, free amino acids increased to 1413.0, 1569.8, and 2100.4 mg/100 g, and water-soluble vitamins increased to 246.7, 244.7, and 501.6 mg/100 g. In particular, the functional substance isoflavone increased significantly to 1430.11, 7806.42, and 14,968.00 μg/g. Through this study, it was confirmed that the nutritional components and isoflavones of SLs increased according to the ethephon treatment concentration, a chemical inducer treatment agent. This can be used as a high-value-added biosubstance for raw materials for functional foods, cosmetics, and for natural drugs.

To brew rice wine, a saccharification agent is critical to provide sugars necessary for yeast to ferment alcohol. Nuruk, a traditional Korean saccharification agent, contains saccharification enzymes and various microorganisms, including fungi and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). To investigate the effect of saccharification agents on Korean rice wine (makgeolli), we analyzed makgeolli brewed with different saccharification agents, such as koji and nuruk. In contrast to koji makgeolli, nuruk makgeolli had a distinct microbial profile with higher proportion of LAB. Comparing the microbial profiles of the saccharification agents and makgeolli revealed that the dominant microorganisms in the makgeolli were possibly derived from the saccharification agents. Several metabolites also exhibited distinct profiles depending on the saccharification agent generating the total metabolic profile difference of makgeolli samples. Collectively, the saccharification agent could provide dominant microorganisms in the makgeolli microbiota, leading to a distinct microbial and metabolic profile of makgeolli depending on its type., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Personal protective equipment against chemical warfare agents and other toxic chemicals must be protective, be breathable, and have a low thermal burden. Selectively permeable membranes are promising candidates for such equipment. In this study, a hybrid membrane consisting of a continuous and thin zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8 layer on an oxygen-rich small-flake graphene oxide layer was produced using a simple and scalable synthesis method. The small intrinsic pores of ZIF-8 allow it to selectively separate chemicals via size exclusion while permitting water vapor to permeate out. The ZIF-8/graphene oxide membrane had high selectivity for the penetration of water vapor over nerve agent simulants (ratio of dimethyl methylphosphonate to water vapor transmittance rates of ∼312) with a high water vapor transmittance rate of 3000 g m -2 day -1 . This protective barrier layer is a promising material for next-generation protective clothing with enhanced comfort and operability.

Eighteen pesticide-degrading endophytic bacteria were isolated from the roots, stems, and leaves of healthy rice plants and identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Furthermore, biochemical properties, including enzyme production, dye degradation, anti-bacterial activities, plant-growth-promoting traits, including N-fixation, P-solubilization, auxin production, and ACC-deaminase activities of these naturally occurring endophytic bacteria along with their four consortia, were characterized. Enterobacter cloacae HSTU-ABk39 and Enterobacter sp. HSTU-ABk36 displayed inhibition zones of 41.5 ± 1.5 mm, and 29 ± 09 mm against multidrug-resistant human pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis , respectively. FT-IR analysis revealed that all eighteen isolates were able to degrade chlorpyrifos pesticide. Our study confirms that pesticide-degrading endophytic bacteria from rice plants play a key role in enhancing plant growth. Notably, rice plants grown in pots containing reduced urea (30%) mixed with either endophytic bacterial consortium-1, consortium-2, consortium-3, or consortia-4 demonstrated an increase of 17.3%, 38.6%, 18.2%, and 39.1% yields, respectively, compared to the control plants grown in pots containing 100% fertilizer. GC-MS/MS analysis confirmed that consortia treatment caused the degradation of chlorpyrifos into different non-toxic metabolites, including 2-Hydroxy-3,5,6 trichloropyridine, Diethyl methane phosphonate, Phorate sulfoxide, and Carbonochloridic. Thus, these isolates could be deployed as bio-stimulants to improve crop production by creating a sustainable biological system.

Introduction: Limonium (L.) tetragonum (Thunb.) A. A. Bullock, a halophyte that grows all over the southwest coast of Korea, is a medicinal plant with various pharmacological effects. The salt defense mechanism stimulates the biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites and improves functional substances. In this study, we investigated the optimal NaCl concentration for the growth and enhancement of secondary metabolites in hydroponically grown L. tetragonum ., Methods: The seedlings grown for 3 weeks in a hydroponic cultivation system were treated with 0-, 25-, 50-, 75-, and 100-mM NaCl in Hoagland's nutrient solution for 8 weeks. No significant effect on the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence was observed for the NaCl concentrations below 100-mM., Results and Discussions: The increase in the NaCl concentration resulted in the decrease in the water potential of the L. tetragonum leaves. The Na + content accumulated in the aerial part increased rapidly and the content of K + , which acts as an antagonist, decreased with the increase in NaCl concentrations in hydroponics. The total amino acid content of L. tetragonum decreased compared to the 0-mM NaCl, and most of the amino acid content decreased as the NaCl concentration increased. In contrast, the content of urea, proline (Pro), β-alanine, ornithine, and arginine was increased with an increase in NaCl concentration. The Pro content at 100-mM NaCl accounted for 60% of the total amino acids and was found to be a major osmoregulator as an important component of the salt defense mechanisms. The top five compounds identified in the L. tetragonum were classified as flavonoids while the flavanone compound was detected only in the NaCl treatments. A total of four myricetin glycosides were increased in comparison to the 0-mM NaCl. Among the differentially expressed genes, a significantly large change in Gene ontology was seen in the circadian rhythm. NaCl treatment enhanced the flavonoid-based substances of L. tetragonum . The optimum NaCl concentration for the enhancement of secondary metabolites of the L. tetragonum in the vertical farm-hydroponic cultivation system was 75-mM NaCl., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jang, Kang, Kim, Jeong, Cho, Yun and Son.)

In this study, the physicochemical properties (pH, acidity, salinity, and soluble protein), bacterial diversities, isoflavone contents, and antioxidant activities of doenjang (fermented soy paste), household doenjang (HDJ), and commercial doenjang (CDJ), were assessed and compared. The values of pH 5.14-5.94 and acidity 1.36-3.03%, indicated a similar level in all doenjang. The salinity was high in CDJ at 12.8-14.6%, and the protein contents (25.69-37.54 mg/g) were generally high in HDJ. Forty-three species were identified from the HDJ and CDJ. The main species were verified to be Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ( B. amyloliquefaciens ), B . amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum , Bacillus licheniformis , Bacillus sp. and Bacillus subtilis . Comparing the ratios of isoflavone types, the HDJ has an aglycone ratio of >80%, and 3HDJ indicates a ratio of isoflavone to aglycone of 100%. In the CDJ, except 4CDJ, glycosides account for a high proportion of more than 50%. The results of antioxidant activities and DNA protection effects were variedly confirmed regardless of HDJs and CDJs. Through these results, it is judged that HDJs have a variety of bacterial species compared to CDJs, and these are biologically active and converted from glycoside to aglycone. Bacterial distribution and isoflavone contents could be used as basic data.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in characteristics of the fermented food kimchi based on the regions where it is produced. A total of 108 kimchi samples were collected from five different provinces in Korea to analyze the recipes, metabolites, microbes, and sensory characteristics. Overall, 18 ingredients (including salted anchovy and seaweed), 7 quality indicators (such as salinity and moisture content), 14 genera of microorganisms (mainly Tetragenococcus and Weissella belonging to LAB), and 38 metabolites contributed to the characteristics of kimchi by region. Kimchi from the southern and northern regions showed distinct metabolite profile (collected 108 kimchi) and flavor profile differences (kimchi manufactured using the standard regional recipes). This is the first study to investigate the terroir effect of kimchi by identifying differences in ingredients, metabolites, microbes, and sensory characteristics based on the region of production, and the correlations between these factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Interest in foods that promote inner beauty increases with increases in exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays and with improvements in quality of life. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of fermented and aged mountain-cultivated ginseng sprouts (FAMCGSs), which have higher anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects compared to mountain-cultivated ginseng sprouts (MCGSs), as an inner beauty enhancing food. The effect of orally administered FAMCGSs on UV type B (UVB) radiation-induced skin aging was investigated in a hairless mouse model through analyzing skin parameters including epidermal thickness, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), roughness, moisture, elasticity, and collagen contents. The mice exposed to UVB had markedly greater epidermal thickness, TEWL, and skin roughness than those of the normal control (NC) group. In addition, the levels of collagen, skin moisture, and dermal elasticity were lower in the UVB radiation group than the NC group. These UVB-induced skin aging parameters were significantly lower in the groups administered FAMCGSs than in the groups not administered FAMCGSs ( p < 0.05). These results show that FAMCGSs exhibit a photoprotective effect in mice exposed to UVB and suggest that FAMCGSs can be used as a food that promotes inner beauty and protects skin from UVB-induced photoaging.

Age-related gut microbes and urine metabolites were investigated in 568 healthy individuals using metataxonomics and metabolomics. The richness and evenness of the fecal microbiota significantly increased with age, and the abundance of 16 genera differed between the young and old groups. Additionally, 17 urine metabolites contributed to the differences between the young and old groups. Among the microbes that differed by age, Bacteroides and Prevotella 9 were confirmed to be correlated with some urine metabolites. The machine learning algorithm eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) was shown to produce the best performing age predictors, with a mean absolute error of 5.48 years. The accuracy of the model improved to 4.93 years with the inclusion of urine metabolite data. This study shows that the gut microbiota and urine metabolic profiles can be used to predict the age of healthy individuals with relatively good accuracy.

Makgeolli, the traditional Korean rice wine, is generally considered to contain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) despite its bacterial inoculation-free brewing process. The existence of LAB in makgeolli often presents inconsistent trends in microbial profiles and cell numbers. Therefore, to establish LAB-related insights, 94 commercial non-pasteurized products were collected and microbial communities and metabolites were analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and GC-MS, respectively. All samples contained various LAB genera and species, with an average viable cell number of 5.61 log CFU/mL. Overall, 10 LAB genera and 25 LAB species were detected; the most abundant and frequent LAB genus was Lactobacillus . There was no significant change in the LAB composition profile or lactic acid content during low-temperature storage, indicating the presence of LAB did not significantly affect the quality of makgeolli under low-temperature storage conditions. Overall, this study contributes to understand the microbial profile and role of LAB in makgeolli., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

This study evaluated the perceived vibration, noise and discomfort levels associated with two nickel-titanium file systems with different kinetics; reciprocating motion (REC) using WaveOne Gold and continuous rotation motion (CON) using ProTaper NEXT. Forty roots with two canals from maxillary premolar and molar of 40 patients were included. Root canals were instrumented using each system for each canal. Patients were surveyed about the vibration, noise and discomfort experienced using visual analogue scale, and their preference. The responses were statistically analysed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation test at the 95% of significance level. The vibration, noise and discomfort experienced were significantly greater in REC than CON (P < 0.05). In REC, male subjects reported significantly higher vibration than female (P < 0.05). Majority respondents (72.5%) preferred the CON method. The perceived vibration, noise and discomfort were less apparent from the CON than the REC., (© 2021 Australian Society of Endodontology Inc.)

The chlorpyrifos-mineralizing rice root endophyte Enterobacter sp. HSTU-ASh6 strain was identified, which enormously enhanced the growth of tomato plant under epiphytic conditions. The strain solubilizes phosphate and grew in nitrogen-free Jensen's medium. It secreted indole acetic acid (IAA; 4.8 mg/mL) and ACC deaminase (0.0076 μg/mL/h) and hydrolyzed chlorpyrifos phosphodiester bonds into 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol and diethyl methyl-monophosphate, which was confirmed by Gas Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis. In vitro and in silico (ANI, DDH, housekeeping genes and whole genome phylogenetic tree, and genome comparison) analyses confirmed that the strain belonged to a new species of Enterobacter . The annotated genome of strain HSTU-ASh6 revealed a sets of nitrogen-fixing, siderophore, acd S, and IAA producing, stress tolerance, phosphate metabolizing, and pesticide-degrading genes. The 3D structure of 28 potential model proteins that can degrade pesticides was validated, and virtual screening using 105 different pesticides revealed that the proteins exhibit strong catalytic interaction with organophosphorus pesticides. Selected docked complexes such as α/β hydrolase-crotoxyphos, carboxylesterase-coumaphos, α/β hydrolase-cypermethrin, α/β hydrolase-diazinon, and amidohydrolase-chlorpyrifos meet their catalytic triads in visualization, which showed stability in molecular dynamics simulation up to 100 ns. The foliar application of Enterobacter sp. strain HSTU-ASh6 on tomato plants significantly improved their growth and development at vegetative and reproductive stages in fields, resulting in fresh weight and dry weight was 1.8-2.0-fold and 1.3-1.6-fold higher in where urea application was cut by 70%, respectively. Therefore, the newly discovered chlorpyrifos-degrading species Enterobacter sp. HSTU-ASh6 could be used as a smart biofertilizer component for sustainable tomato cultivation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Haque, Hossain, Ahmad, Akbor, Rahman, Manir, Patel and Cho.)

The association between asthma and oxidative stress remains controversial. Oxidative stress-induced ferroptosis has not been extensively studied in asthma models. This study was performed to investigate the anti-asthmatic and anti-ferroptotic effects of fermented and aged ginseng sprouts (FAGS) with enhanced antioxidant activity and its main component, compound K (CK), in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. The experimental asthma model was sensitized and challenged with OVA. During the challenge period, two different concentrations of FAGS and CK were administered via oral gavage. Asthmatic parameters were analyzed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), blood, and lung tissue. CK, among the ginsenosides analyzed, was highly increased in FAGS compared with GS. Asthma parameters, such as Th2 cytokine and IgE production, mast cell activation, goblet cell hyperplasia, hyperresponsiveness, and inflammation, were dramatically increased in the OVA group. Oxidation and ferroptosis markers were increased in the OVA group. The asthma parameters and ferroptosis markers were markedly decreased in the OVA + FAGS and OVA + CK groups. These results showed that FAGS and CK alleviated asthma parameters in an allergic asthma mouse model by inhibiting inflammation and ferroptosis. Our findings suggest that FAGS and CK could be used as potential treatments for allergic asthma.

Accumulated clinical and biomedical evidence indicates that the gut microbiota and their metabolites affect brain function and behavior in various central nervous system disorders. This study was performed to investigate the changes in brain metabolites and composition of the fecal microbial community following injection of amyloid β (Aβ) and donepezil treatment of Aβ-injected mice using metataxonomics and metabolomics. Aβ treatment caused cognitive dysfunction, while donepezil resulted in the successful recovery of memory impairment. The Aβ + donepezil group showed a significantly higher relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia than the Aβ group. The relative abundance of 12 taxa, including Blautia and Akkermansia , differed significantly between the groups. The Aβ + donepezil group had higher levels of oxalate, glycerol, xylose, and palmitoleate in feces and oxalate, pyroglutamic acid, hypoxanthine, and inosine in brain tissues than the Aβ group. The levels of pyroglutamic acid, glutamic acid, and phenylalanine showed similar changes in vivo and in vitro using HT-22 cells. The major metabolic pathways in the brain tissues and gut microbiota affected by Aβ or donepezil treatment of Aβ-injected mice were related to amino acid pathways and sugar metabolism, respectively. These findings suggest that alterations in the gut microbiota might influence the induction and amelioration of Aβ-induced cognitive dysfunction via the gut-brain axis. This study could provide basic data on the effects of Aβ and donepezil on gut microbiota and metabolites in an Aβ-induced cognitive impairment mouse model.

Background: Despite the many surgical interventions available for spastic hip dysplasia in children with cerebral palsy, a radical salvage hip procedure may still ultimately be required. The purpose of this study was to assess whether race is an independent risk factor for patients with cerebral palsy to undergo a salvage hip procedure or experience postoperative complications for hip dysplasia treatment., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort analysis utilizing the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Pediatric database from 2012 to 2019. International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th Revisions, Clinical Modifications (ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM), and current procedural terminology (CPT) codes were used to identify patients with cerebral palsy undergoing hip procedures for hip dysplasia and to stratify patients into salvage or reconstructive surgeries., Results: There was a total of 3906 patients with cerebral palsy between the ages of 2 and 18 years undergoing a procedure for hip dysplasia, including 1995 (51.1%) White patients, 768 (19.7%) Black patients, and 1143 (29.3%) patients from other races. Both Black ( P =0.044) and White ( P =0.046) races were significantly associated with undergoing a salvage versus a reconstructive hip procedure, with Black patients having an increased risk compared to White patients [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.77, confidence interval (CI) 1.02-3.07]. Only Black patients were found to have an increased risk of any postoperative complication compared to White patients, with an adjusted OR of 1.26 (CI 1.02-1.56; P =0.033). Both White ( P =0.017) and black ( P =0.004) races were found to be significantly associated with medical complications, with Black patients having an increased risk (adjusted OR 1.43, CI 1.12-1.84) compared to White patients. There were no significant findings between the race and risk of surgical site complications, unplanned readmissions, or reoperations., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patient race is an independent association for the risk of pediatric patients with cerebral palsy to both undergo a salvage hip procedure and to experience postoperative medical complications, with Black patients having an increased risk compared to White., Level of Evidence: Level III Retrospective Cohort Study., Competing Interests: S.A.T. reports paid consultancies for Orthopediatrics. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The KRA18-249 strain, isolated from a natural recreational forest near Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, when applied to plants induced signs of wilting within 24 h, leading to plant death. The isolated actinomycete was identified as Streptomyces gardneri based on 16S rRNA gene homogeneity analysis. The culture filtrate was solvent fractionated to obtain the active substance, and the active compound 249-Y1 was isolated from the purified fractions via a herbicide activity test using Digitaria ciliaris. NMR and ESI-MS analyses revealed that the molecular formula of 249-Y1 is C 20 H 16 O 6 [MW = 352.0947] and is an anthraquinone (rubiginone D2) produce by polyketide synthetase system. The active compound 249-Y1 showed strong (100%) herbicidal activity against several weeds at 500 μg mL -1 concentration. Twisting symptoms began to appear within 24 h of treatment and intensified over time. The KRA18-249 strain produced the herbicidal compound under specific culture conditions, that is, at 200 rpm, 35 °C, for eight days at an initial pH of 10. We also found that 249-Y1 inhibited chlorophyll, but was not a radical generator. Overall, the secondary metabolite 249-Y1, produced by KRA18-249, can be used as a new biological agent for weed control., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Pest control by biological means is an effective, eco-friendly, and promising method that typically involves compounds naturally derived from actinomycetes. Thus, the present study aimed to screen, characterize, and identify the structure of insecticidal compounds from Streptomyces sp. KR0006 and increase the activity through mutagenesis. In the examination of the insecticidal activity level of the isolates, Streptomyces sp. KR0006 metabolite showed significant activity against larvae and moths of Plutella xylostella. Taxonomic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolated KR0006 strain tended to be 99% consistent with Streptomyces cinereoruber strain NBRC 12756. Three active compounds isolated from the culture filtrate of KR0006 were purified by solvent partition, mid-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC), Sephadex LH20 column chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). By performing 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and 2D-NMR experiments, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, the 316-HP2, 316-HP3, and 316-HP5 compounds were inferred as antimycin A3a (MW, 519.; C26H36N2O9), antimycin A8a (MW, 534; C27H38N2O9), and antimycin A1a (MW, 548; C28H40N2O9) respectively. Mutant U67 obtained from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (254 nm, height 17 cm) for 70 seconds resulted in a 70% more larval mortality than that of the initial wild culture. The second mutation of the culture broth enhanced insecticidal activity by 80 and 100% compared with the first mutation and initial medium, respectively. Our study found that Streptomyces sp. KR0006 strain produces insecticidal active compounds and could be used for practical pest management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

With the growing interest in chemical and biological warfare agents (CWAs/BWAs), the focus has shifted toward aerosol protection using protective clothing. However, compared to air-permeable membranes, those with water vapor permeability have been investigated more extensively. Filtering membranes without air permeability have limited practical usage in personal protective suits and masks. In this study, polyacrylonitrile membranes with tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide were prepared via electrospinning. The nanofibers with uniformly controlled diameters and smooth morphologies enable water/air breathability and protection against aerosol (100 nm polystyrene nanobeads similar to SARS-CoV-2) penetration. The uniformly distributed and tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide particles enhance the sorptive performance of the membranes by blocking gaseous CWAs, including soman, nerve chemical agents, and BWAs. Such dual-purpose membranes can be implemented in protective equipment owing to their high performance and easy processing.

This study investigated changes in nutrients (fatty acids, amino acids, and minerals), ginsenosides, and volatile flavors, and antioxidant activities during food processing of mountain-cultivated ginseng (MCG) with the cocktail lactic acid bacteria. Fatty acid content increased, but the free amino acid content decreased, and minerals were practically unaffected during processing. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and maillard reaction products increased markedly according to processing stage. The total ginsenosides levels increased from 31.25 mg/g (DMCG) to 32.36 mg/g (red MCG, RMCG) and then decreased (27.27 mg/g, at fermented RMCG) during processing. Particularly, the contents of F2 (0.31 → 1.02 → 2.27 mg/g), Rg3 (0.36 → 0.77 → 1.93 mg/g), and compound K (0.5 → 1.68 → 4.13 mg/g) of ginsenosides and β-panasinsene (17.28 → 22.69 → 31.61%), biocycloelemene (0.11 → 0.84 → 0.92%), δ-cadinene (0.39 → 0.5 → 0.94%), and alloaromadendrene (1.64 → 1.39 → 2.6%) of volatile flavor compounds increased during processing, along with to the antioxidant effects (such as DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, and FRAP). This study may provide several choices for the use of ginseng in functional foods and functional cosmetics.

In this study, the primary (such as amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals) and secondary (including ginsenosides, phenolic acids, and flavonols) metabolites and antioxidant effects of Panax ginseng sprouts (PGSs) by different cultivation systems, such as soil-substrate cultivation (SSC) and deep-water cultivation (DWC), in a plant factory has been observed. There was no significant difference in the total fatty acid (FA) contents. Particularly, the major FAs of PGSs were palmitic acid (207.4 mg/100 g) of saturated FAs and linoleic acid (397.6 mg/100 g) and α-linolenic acid (222.6 mg/100 g) of unsaturated FAs in the SSC system. The values of total amino acids were all higher in SSC than in DWC. In the case of ginsenosides, the total protopanaxtriol product was 30.88 mg/g in SSC, while the total protopanaxdiol product was 34.83 mg/g in DWC. In particular, the values of total phenolic acids and total flavonols were 133.36 and 388.19 ug/g, respectively, and SSC had a higher content than DWC. In conclusion, the SSC system was shown to be higher in nutritional constituents and antioxidant activities in soil cultivation, suggesting that PGS with SSC has a positive effect on the quality of PGS in a plant factory.

Background: In response to the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Million Veteran Program (MVP) organized efforts to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on Veterans by developing and deploying a self-reported survey., Methods: The MVP COVID-19 Survey was developed to collect COVID-19 specific elements including symptoms, diagnosis, hospitalization, behavioral and psychosocial factors and to augment existing MVP data with longitudinal collection of key domains in physical and mental health. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic, a multipronged strategy was implemented to widely disseminate the COVID-19 Survey and capture data using both the online platform and mailings., Results: We limited the findings of this paper to the initial phase of survey dissemination which began in May 2020. A total of 729,625 eligible MVP Veterans were invited to complete version 1 of the COVID-19 Survey. As of October 31, 2020, 58,159 surveys have been returned. The mean and standard deviation (SD) age of responders was 71 (11) years, 8.6% were female, 8.2% were Black, 5.6% were Hispanic, and 446 (0.8%) self-reported a COVID-19 diagnosis. Over 90% of responders reported wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and frequent hand washing., Conclusion: The MVP COVID-19 Survey provides a systematic collection of data regarding COVID-19 behaviors among Veterans and represents one of the first large-scale, national surveillance efforts of COVID-19 in the Veteran population. Continued work will examine the overall response to the survey with comparison to available VA health record data., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This study was performed to investigate the succession of various microorganisms naturally present in raw ingredients and the changes in metabolites following long-term fermentation of kimchi. Kimchi was stored at 4 °C for 500 days, and the composition of the microbial community and the nature of metabolites were analyzed using metataxonomics and metabolomics. We confirmed that the taxa belonging to Leuconostoc and Weissella were dominant in the early stages of fermentation, while Latilactobacillus and Levilactobacillus were dominant in the middle and late fermentation stages, respectively. In the eukaryotic community, Cladosporium was dominant in the early stages, while Pichia and Hanseniaspora tended to increase in the middle and late fermentation stages. The longitudinal metabolite profile demonstrated that about half (55.7%) of the metabolites present in kimchi after 500 days of fermentation were produced within 15 days of fermentation due to rapid fermentation in the initial stage. These results revealed that even in a closed environment, the viable microbiota in fermented vegetables are not static but dynamic, and the composition of metabolites evolves accordingly during long-term fermentation., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The ongoing concerns and regulations on long-chain fluorinated compounds (C8 or higher) for nonwetting coatings have driven the market to search for sustainable alternative chemistries. In this study, a copolymeric coating containing short-chain fluorinated groups was synthesized to achieve excellent nonwetting ability against hazardous chemical warfare agents (CWAs). A copolymer of 1 H ,1 H ,2 H ,2 H -perfluorooctyl methacrylate (PFOMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA, crosslinker) was directly coated onto a textile fabric via initiated chemical vapor deposition. The p(PFOMA- co -EGDMA) coating shows a rough-textured morphology with a bumpy, raspberry-like structure leading to high contact angles ( θ water > 150° and θ dodecane = 113.8°) and a small water shedding angle (<5°). Moreover, the p(PFOMA- co -EGDMA) coating was further analysed for application in military fabrics: air permeability, tensile strength, and safety against toxic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Outstanding nonwetting was noticeably achieved against different CWAs, including bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide (HD), pinacolyl methylfluorophosphonate (GD), and O -ethyl S -(2-diisopropylaminoethyl)methylphosphonothioate (VX) ( θ HD = 119.1°, θ GD = 117.0°, and θ VX = 104.1°). The coating retained its nano-structuration and nonwetting ability for water and n -dodecane despite being subjected to 250 cycles of Martindale abrasion and harsh chemicals (NaOH and HCl). The robustness and scalable straightforward preparation route of the coating make it an ideal approach for designing durable next-generation CWA nonwetting coatings for fabrics with favorable health and environmental properties., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Klebsiella variicola is generally known as endophyte as well as lignocellulose-degrading strain. However, their roles in goat omasum along with lignocellulolytic genetic repertoire are not yet explored. In this study, five different pectin-degrading bacteria were isolated from a healthy goat omasum. Among them, a new Klebsiella variicola strain HSTU-AAM51 was identified to degrade lignocellulose. The genome of the HSTU-AAM51 strain comprised 5,564,045 bp with a GC content of 57.2% and 5312 coding sequences. The comparison of housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, TonB, gyrase B, RecA) and whole-genome sequence (ANI, pangenome, synteny, DNA-DNA hybridization) revealed that the strain HSTU-AAM51 was clustered with Klebsiella variicola strains, but the HSTU-AAM51 strain was markedly deviated. It consisted of seventeen cellulases (GH1, GH3, GH4, GH5, GH13), fourteen beta-glucosidase (2GH3, 7GH4, 4GH1), two glucosidase, and one pullulanase genes. The strain secreted cellulase, pectinase, and xylanase, lignin peroxidase approximately 76-78 U/mL and 57-60 U/mL, respectively, when it was cultured on banana pseudostem for 96 h. The catalytically important residues of extracellular cellulase, xylanase, mannanase, pectinase, chitinase, and tannase proteins (validated 3D model) were bound to their specific ligands. Besides, genes involved in the benzoate and phenylacetate catabolic pathways as well as laccase and DiP-type peroxidase were annotated, which indicated the strain lignin-degrading potentiality. This study revealed a new K. variicola bacterium from goat omasum which harbored lignin and cellulolytic enzymes that could be utilized for the production of bioethanol from lignocelluloses., (© 2021. Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia.)

This study was aimed to evaluate eggplant's growth-enhancing activity of chlorpyrifos and diazinon-degrading endophytic and rhizospheric soil bacteria isolated from cauliflower and tomato roots and the rhizospheric soil of rice roots, respectively. The identified endophytes belong to the Acinetobacter, Enterobacter and Klebsiella genera, while rhizospheric soil isolates belong to Pantoea, Acinetobacter, Kosakonia, Morganella, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella genera with species variation and genetic distances. All the strain's consumed 100% (50 mg/5 mL) chlorpyrifos and diazinon after 14 days of exposure, except for Pantoea sp. HSTU-Sny4 (84%) and Kosakonia sp. HSTU-ASn39 (42%). The strain's exhibited N-fixation, P-solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and ACC-deaminase production capabilities. The individual strain's and consortium treatment enhanced eggplant growth at germination, seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages. Plant growth-promoting genes, e.g., nif-cluster, chemotaxis, phosphates, sulfur, abiotic stress, chemotaxis, biofilm formation and organophosphorus insecticide-degrading genes were annotated in Klebsiella sp. HSTU-Sny5 and Morganella sp. HSTU-ASny43 genomes. Importantly, the mixed consortium supplemented with 40% urea-treated eggplants demonstrated similar growth parameters compared to the 100% urea eggplants. Plenty of insecticide-degrading proteins belonged to HSTU-Sny5 and HSTU-ASny43 strain's and had interacted with 100 different insecticides as confirmed in virtual screening. This research has a significant role in reducing the application of chemical fertilizer and bioremediation of pesticides in agriculture., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) signaling modulate plant defense against necrotrophic pathogens in a synergistic and interdependent manner, while JA and ET also have independent roles in certain processes, e.g. in responses to wounding and flooding, respectively. These hormone pathways lead to transcriptional reprogramming, which is a major part of plant immunity and requires the roles of transcription factors. ET response factors are responsible for the transcriptional regulation of JA/ET-responsive defense genes, of which ORA59 functions as a key regulator of this process and has been implicated in the JA-ET crosstalk. We previously demonstrated that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) GDSL LIPASE 1 (GLIP1) depends on ET for gene expression and pathogen resistance. Here, promoter analysis of GLIP1 revealed ERELEE4 as the critical cis-element for ET-responsive GLIP1 expression. In a yeast one-hybrid screening, ORA59 was isolated as a specific transcription factor that binds to the ERELEE4 element, in addition to the well-characterized GCC box. We found that ORA59 regulates JA/ET-responsive genes through direct binding to these elements in gene promoters. Notably, ORA59 exhibited a differential preference for GCC box and ERELEE4, depending on whether ORA59 activation is achieved by JA and ET, respectively. JA and ET induced ORA59 phosphorylation, which was required for both activity and specificity of ORA59. Furthermore, RNA-seq and virus-induced gene silencing analyses led to the identification of ORA59 target genes of distinct functional categories in JA and ET pathways. Our results provide insights into how ORA59 can generate specific patterns of gene expression dynamics through JA and ET hormone pathways., (© American Society of Plant Biologists 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

In electrochemical processes, gas bubbles on the electrode can cause an increase in both overpotential and ohmic voltage drop which leads to higher energy consumption. Applying power ultrasound during water electrolysis can help to reduce the overpotential, enhance mass transfer, and save energy. In this study, we investigated the effect of ultrasound (20 kHz) on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on a stainless steel plate with varying concentrations of NaOH solutions at 298 K, using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). We especially focused on understanding the bubble behavior on the stainless steel plate during HER using high-speed imaging in ultrasonic field. When ultrasound was applied to solutions with NaOH concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1 M, the current density increased by about 9.0, 5.9, 2.8 %, respectively. As the ultrasound irradiation began, the bubbles tended to hover around on the electrode surface, coalescing with other bubbles, rather than rising. When the size of the coalesced bubbles became too large to stay on the surface of the electrode, they were expelled from the ultrasonic field. The repeated collapse and coalescence of these bubbles was observed while they were rising. The velocity increased about 2 times when ultrasound irradiation began, and increased by more than 6 times in the ultrasonic field. More nucleation of bubbles was observed on the electrode in the ultrasonic field. Using ultrasound reduced the critical diameter of bubbles which detached from the electrode, from 58.0 to 15.9 μm, and the residence time of the bubbles, from 533 to 118 ms. Further, when the ultrasound was applied, the mean diameter of bubbles decreased from 71.8 to 17 μm. Hence, bubble coverage on the electrode surface decreased from 8.3 to 1 % despite an increase in the total number of bubbles. As a result, ultrasound was found to be effective for hydrogen production during water electrolysis, increasing current by the faster removal of gas from the stainless steel plate., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The carbothermal shock (CTS) method has attracted considerable attention in recent years because it enables the generation of finely controlled polyelemental alloy nanoparticles (NPs). However, fabricating high surface coverage of NPs with minimized exposure of the carbon substrate is essential for various electrochemical applications and has been a critical limitation in CTS method. Here, we developed a methodology for creating NPs with high surface coverage on a carbon substrate by maximizing defect sites of cellulose during CTS. Cu NPs with high surface coverage of ~85%, various single NPs and polyelemental alloy NPs were densely fabricated with high uniformity and dispersity. The synthesized Cu NPs on cellulose/carbon paper substrate were used in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction showing selectivity to ethylene of ~49% and high stability for over 30 hours of reaction. Our cellulose-derived CTS method enables the greater availability of polyelemental NPs for a wide range of catalytic and electrochemical applications.

A novel esterase (est3S) gene, 1026 bp in size, was cloned from a metagenomic library made of uncultured microorganisms from the contents of cow rumen. The esterolytic enzyme (Est3S) is composed of 342 amino acids and shows the highest identity with EstGK1 (71.7%) and EstZ3 (63.78%) esterases from the uncultured bacterium. The Est3S did not cluster in any up-to-date classes (I to XVIII) of esterase and lipase. Est3S protein molecular weight was determined to be 38 kDa by gel electrophoresis and showed optimum activity at pH 7.0 and 40 °C and is partially resistant to organic solvents. Est3S activity was enhanced by K + , Na + , Mg 2+ , and Ca 2+ and its highest activity was observed toward the short-chain p-nitrophenyl esters. Additionally, Est3S can degrade chlorpyrifos (CP) and methyl parathion (70% to 80%) in an hour. A mutated Est3S (Ser132-Ala132) did not show any activity toward CP and ester substrates. Notably, the GHS132QG motif is superimposed with the homolog esterase and cutinase-like esterase. Therefore, Ser132 is the critical amino acid like other esterases. The Est3S is relatively stable with ester compounds, and the methyl parathion complex was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation. NOVELTY STATEMENT: A novel esterase gene (est3S) expressing esters and organophosphorus insecticide degradation traits was isolated from the uncultured bacterium in the contents of cow rumen. The Est3S protein did not cluster in any up-to-date classes (I to XVIII) of esterase/lipase proteins. Est3S was stable with the ligands up to 100 ns during the molecular dynamic simulations., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Obesity can be caused by microbes producing metabolites; it is thus important to determine the correlation between gut microbes and metabolites. This study aimed to identify gut microbiota-metabolomic signatures that change with a high-fat diet and understand the underlying mechanisms. To investigate the profiles of the gut microbiota and metabolites that changed after a 60% fat diet for 8 weeks, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomic analyses were performed. Mice belonging to the HFD group showed a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes but an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes compared to the control group. The relative abundance of Firmicutes, such as Lactococcus, Blautia, Lachnoclostridium, Oscillibacter, Ruminiclostridium, Harryflintia, Lactobacillus, Oscillospira , and Erysipelatoclostridium , was significantly higher in the HFD group than in the control group. The increased relative abundance of Firmicutes in the HFD group was positively correlated with fecal ribose, hypoxanthine, fructose, glycolic acid, ornithine, serum inositol, tyrosine, and glycine. Metabolic pathways affected by a high fat diet on serum were involved in aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and trypto-phan biosynthesis. This study provides insight into the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and metabolites altered by HFD and may help to understand the mechanisms underlying obesity mediated by gut microbiota.

The cyclic lipopeptide produced from Bacillus pumilus strain HY1 was isolated from Korean soybean sauce cheonggukjang . The chemical structures of the surfactin isomers were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The five potential surfactin isoforms were detected with protonated masses of m/z 994.7, 1008.7, 1022.7, 1036.7, and 1050.7 and different structures in combination with Na + , K + , and Ca 2+ ions. ESI-MS/MS analysis revealed that the isolated surfactin possessed the precise amino acid sequence LLVDLL and hydroxyl fatty acids with 12 to 16 carbons. The surfactin content during c heonggukjang fermentation increased from 0.3 to 51.2 mg/kg over 60 h of fermentation. The mixture of five surfactin isoforms of cheonggukjang inhibited the growth of two cancer cell lines. The growth of both MCF-7 and Caco-2 cells was strongly inhibited with 100 μg/μL of surfactin. This study is the first-time report of five surfactin isomers of Bacillus pumilus strain HY1 during Korean soybean sauce cheonggukjang fermentation, which has cytotoxic properties.

Halitosis is mainly caused by the action of oral microbes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in salivary microbes and metabolites between subjects with and without halitosis. Of the 52 participants, 22 were classified into the halitosis group by the volatile sulfur compound analysis on breath samples. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metabolomics approaches were used to investigate the difference in microbes and metabolites in saliva of the control and halitosis groups. The profiles of microbiota and metabolites were relatively different between the halitosis and control groups. The relative abundances of Prevotella , Alloprevotella , and Megasphaera were significantly higher in the halitosis group. In contrast, the relative abundances of Streptococcus , Rothia , and Haemophilus were considerably higher in the control group. The levels of 5-aminovaleric acid and n-acetylornithine were significantly higher in the halitosis group. The correlation between identified metabolites and microbiota reveals that Alloprevotella and Prevotella might be related to the cadaverine and putrescine pathways that cause halitosis. This study could provide insight into the mechanisms of halitosis.

Osteoclasts (OCs) play important roles in bone remodelling and contribute to bone loss by increasing bone resorption activity. Excessively activated OCs cause diverse bone disorders including osteoporosis. Isovaleric acid (IVA), also known as 3-methylbutanoic acid is a 5-carbon branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA), which can be generated by bacterial fermentation of a leucine-rich diet. Here, we find that IVA suppresses differentiation of bone marrow-derived macrophages into OCs by RANKL. IVA inhibited the expression of OC-related genes. IVA-induced inhibitory effects on OC generation were attenuated by pertussis toxin but not by H89, suggesting a G i -coupled receptor-dependent but protein kinase A-independent response. Moreover, IVA stimulates AMPK phosphorylation, and treatment with an AMPK inhibitor blocks IVA-induced inhibition of OC generation. In an ovariectomized mouse model, addition of IVA to the drinking water resulted in significant decrease of body weight gain and inhibited the expression of not only OC-related genes but also fusogenic genes in the bone tissue. IVA exposure also blocked bone destruction and OC generation in the bone tissue of ovariectomized mice. Collectively, the results demonstrate that IVA is a novel bioactive BCFA that inhibits OC differentiation, suggesting that IVA can be considered a useful material to control osteoclast-associated bone disorders, including osteoporosis., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: With an increasing aging population, postmenopausal osteoporosis has become a global public health problem. Previous evidence has shown that postmenopausal osteoporosis is a skeletal disease mainly caused by estrogen deficiency, generally accompanied by inflammation, and dietary isoflavones may ameliorate postmenopausal osteoporosis by anti-inflammatory activity. We have generated isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs), but their anti-inflammatory activity and effect on attenuating osteoporosis are still obscure. Here, we determined the isoflavone profiles of IESLs and evaluated their anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and anti-osteoporotic effects on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats., Results: IESLs had a high content of total isoflavone. Hydrolysate of IESLs (HIESLs) was rich with the aglycones daidzein and genistein, and HIESLs can significantly inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation by reducing messenger RNA expression of iNOS, COX-2, IL6, and IL1β. Moreover, ovariectomized rats receiving aqueous extracts of IESLs (HIESLs) orally maintained more bone mass than control rats did, which was attributed to inhibition of osteoclastogenesis by downregulating the messenger RNA expression of the bone-specific genes RANKL/OPG, OC, and cathepsin K, and the inflammation-related genes IL6, NFκB, and COX-2., Conclusion: IESLs may attenuate postmenopausal osteoporosis by suppressing osteoclastogenesis with anti-inflammatory activity and be a potential source of functional food ingredients for the prevention of osteoporosis. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.)

This study was the first to evaluate changes in isoflavone, amino acid, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), antioxidant effect, and digestive enzyme inhibition during fermentation of soy-milk to soy-yogurt with L. brevis and L. plantarum. Total average isoflavones were reduced (1318.2 → 971.1 μg/g) with an increase of aglycones (60.2 → 804.9 μg/g, genistein > daidzein > glycitein) in soy powder yogurts (SPYs). Amino acids increased considerably, as did ornithine (average 4.1 → 551.0 mg/g), and CLA showed high variations from not-detected (ND) to 0.5, 0.9 mg/g (cis-9, trans-11) and ND to 0.3, 0.2 mg/g (trans-10, cis-12). Digestive enzyme inhibitions (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase) displayed high activities (average 50.6 → 67.2, 5.2 → 46.4, 10.6 → 51.4%). Moreover, the antioxidant abilities against radicals were elevated as follows: ABTS > DPPH > hydroxyl (average 63.5 → 86.5, 50.2 → 70.3, 39.3 → 55.2%). Specifically, SPY using mixed strains exhibited the greatest enzymatic inhibition and antioxidant capacities., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone mineral density decreases due to abnormal activity of osteoclasts, and is commonly found in post-menopausal women who have decreased levels of female hormones. Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is an important biological lipid that can be converted to sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) by autotaxin. S1P is known to be involved in osteoclast activation by stimulating osteoblasts, but bone regulation by SPC is not well understood. In this study, we found that SPC strongly inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation. SPC-induced inhibitory effects on osteoclast differentiation were not affected by several antagonists of S1P receptors or pertussis toxin, suggesting cell surface receptor independency. However, SPC inhibited RANKL-induced calcineurin activation and subsequent NFATc1 activity, leading to decrease of the expression of Trap and Ctsk. Moreover, we found that bone loss in an experimental osteoporosis mouse model was recovered by SPC injection. SPC also blocked ovariectomy-induced body weight increase and Nfatc1 gene expression in mice. We also found that SPC inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in human macrophages. Since currently available treatments for osteoporosis, such as administration of female hormones or hormone receptor modulators, show serious side effects, SPC has potential as a new agent for osteoporosis treatment., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Alcoholic liver damage is caused by ethanol and its oxidized intermediates, and endotoxin-induced acute liver failure is mediated by apoptosis and inflammation. We investigated whether extracts of sprouts of Panax ginseng (SG) attenuate alcohol or endotoxin-induced acute liver injury in mice. Whole SG contains eight times more ginsenosides than the root and, because it grows quickly ([Formula: see text]30 days) without using pesticides, the whole-plant can be harvested. The extracts were enriched in phenolics and flavonoids and showed high radical scavenging activities. Mice received oral administration of SG or fermented SG (FSG) extracts 1 h before an injection of either ethanol or lipopolysaccharide and D-galactosamine (LPS/GalN). The latency of righting reflex was monitored to examine the effect of extracts on relieving hangover symptoms. The results indicate that FSG significantly reduced the latency of righting reflex, SG and FSG increased the activity and expression of ethanol-metabolizing enzymes, and FSG decreased hepatic necrosis and plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). During the ethanol metabolism, cytochrome P450 2E1 expression was increased, but 4-hydroxynonenal levels were decreased by the extracts due to their anti-oxidant activity. LPS/GalN-induced liver injury was reduced by SG and FSG; plasma ALT and AST levels, hepatic necrosis, and apoptotic and inflammatory markers were all decreased. In conclusion, SG extracts attenuated ethanol-induced hangover and endotoxin-induced acute liver injury, and fermentation enhanced the efficacy with regard to relieving hangover.

Weeds are notorious plant species exhibiting a harmful impact on crops. Biological weed control is an efficient and environmentally friendly technique, usually constitutes naturally derived compounds, including bioherbicidal metabolites produced by Streptomyces sp. The isolation and structural identification of phytotoxic compounds from Streptomyces have recently been proposed as an effective way to the discovery of novel bioherbicides. In the screening of bioherbicidal agents, isolated Streptomyces strain KRA17-580 demonstrated significant phytotoxic activity against Digitaria ciliaris . Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence indicated that isolated KRA17-580 is similar to Streptomyces olivochromogenes . The bacterial culture conditions were optimized for temperature, agitation, and initial pH. Streptomyces strain KRA17-580 showed intense phytotoxic activity and high cell mass at an initial pH of 5.5-7.0, more than 150 rpm, and 25-30 °C. The herbicidal compounds isolated from the culture filtrate of strain KRA17-580 were purified by solvent partition, C 18 , Sephadex LH20 column chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. By 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, the 580-H1 and 580-H2 compounds were identified as a cinnoline-4-carboxamide ( M W , 173.0490; C 9 H 7 N 3 O 2 ) and cinnoline-4-carboxylic acid ( M W , 174.0503; C 9 H 6 N 2 O 2 ), respectively. Only these two herbicidal compounds showed strong phytotoxic activity against D. ciliaris in foliar applications. However, compound 580-H2 was more phytotoxic than 580-H1 and the toxicity was dose-dependent. The herbicidal metabolite KRA17-580 produced by Streptomyces sp. is a new bioherbicidal candidate that may provide a new lead molecule for more efficient phytotoxic compounds.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of fungi on kimchi metabolites during fermentation. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolite profiling approach in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) is performed to differentiate metabolites produced by fungi or bacteria. To avoid bacterial growth, kimchi is treated with 100 μg/mL of ampicillin every three days from 30 to 50 days of fermentation. The relative content of the major fungi at 50 days of fermentation, between the control group and the ampicillin treatment group, was not significantly different. The administration of ampicillin changed the metabolites in kimchi by affecting the growth of kimchi bacteria. Based on the pattern of change of each metabolite, the changed metabolites are grouped into four categories: (1) metabolites produced or consumed by fungi, (2) metabolites involving both fungi and bacteria, (3) metabolites produced or consumed by bacteria, and (4) metabolites of undetermined origin. Alanine, thymine, galacturonic acid, and malonic acid can be regarded as the metabolites produced by fungi between 30 and 50 days of fermentation. In contrast, malic acid, oxaloacetic acid, galactitol, glucose, and mannitol are presumed to be the metabolites mainly consumed by fungi. This study is meaningful as the first study conducted by inhibiting growth of bacteria to identify the metabolites contributed by fungi or bacteria in the kimchi fermentation process. These results could be used to make customized kimchi that controls the production of desired metabolites by selectively controlling the formation of microbial communities in the kimchi industry.