Differential expression profiles of anthocyanidin biosynthesis gene during black rice seed development

The black rice (Oryza sativa cv. Heugjinju) is rich in anthocyanins which is beneficial to human health. To correlate the biosynthesis of the pigments with relevant genes, the mRNA level of genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis was monitored by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) during seed development of black rice. The mRNA level of F3’H, DFR, and ANS, key enzymes in anthocyanidin biosynthesis, peaked at 10 days after flowering. In general, the absolute level of ANS was approximately one order higher than F3’H, F3’5’H, and DFR in 10 days after flowering. The transcript level of major seed protein gene GluA-3, taken as reference, was also at the highest on the 10 days after flowering. However, the level of CHS isogenes was highest at 15 or 20 days after flowering. The highest transcript level of the genes, except CHS, preceded the highest anthocyanidin content by 5 days. This pattern coincided with an increase of anthocyanin content between 10 and 15 days after flowering. From these findings, it is suggested that particular CHS isoforms might be responsible for the anthocyanin production in black rice

Ethylene Inhibitors Enhance Shoot Organogenesis of Gloxinia ( Sinningia speciosa

Shoot organogenesis and plant regeneration in Sinningia speciosa were improved using ethylene inhibitors. The leaf explants were cultured on initial shoot regeneration media (MS media with BAP at 2 mg/L + NAA at 0.1 mg/L) supplemented with different concentrations of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), cobalt chloride (CoCl2), and silver thiosulphate (STS). The addition of AVG, CoCl2, and STS significantly improved the regeneration frequency giving higher shoots per explant and longer shoot length. The highest shoot growth was found when STS at 5 mg/L was incorporated with generation medium, performing highest regeneration frequency with highest number of shoots. This treatment (STS at 5 mg/L) produced 40% more shoots per explant compared to control followed by STS at 10 mg/L with increasing 37% more shoots compared to control. In the cases of AVG and CoCl2 the highest shoot number per explant was found at 1 mg/L. Treated with AVG and CoCl2 at 1 mg/L increased shoot number by 16 and 12%, respectively, compared to control. Ethylene inhibitors could be used as a possible micropropagation and plant transformation protocol in S. speciosa for plant regenerations

Hamartomatous Polyp of the Palatine Tonsil in an Adolescent: A Case Report

A hamartoma is a benign tumor that arises from the disorganized proliferation of tissue and can occur anywhere in the body. Hamartomas are notably found in the lung, skin, heart, brain, and breast, while their occurrence in the head and neck is rare. We describe a case involving a 17-year-old male patient who presented with a mass in a unilateral palatine tonsil, discovered incidentally. The patient was treated with tonsillectomy and, after pathological review, was diagnosed with a hamartomatous polyp of the palatine tonsil. Our case report highlights this rare benign neoplasm and presents a review of the literature

Fatigue Prediction of the Discharge Pipe in Reciprocating Compressor

In this paper, a fatigue prediction of the line discharge tube for reciprocating compressor being installed in a refrigerator was studied. The tube usually gets plenty of the repeated loads caused by the start and stop motion of a reciprocating compressor. There are two representative methods to predict the fatigue stress. At first the stress-life can be applied to the problem which takes a lot of repeated stress within the elastic strain range. Second is the strain-life method which can be used when it comes to the problem of a small repeated stress in the plastic strain range. This paper presents the stress-life method how the design parameters of a discharge pipe relate to the fatigue prediction and analyzes the co-relation between them

Follistatin Regulates the Specification of the Apical Cochlea Responsible for Low-Frequency Hearing in Mammals

The cochlea\u27s ability to discriminate sound frequencies is facilitated by a special topography along its longitudinal axis known as tonotopy. Auditory hair cells located at the base of the cochlea respond to high-frequency sounds, whereas hair cells at the apex respond to lower frequencies. Gradual changes in morphological and physiological features along the length of the cochlea determine each region\u27s frequency selectivity, but it remains unclear how tonotopy is established during cochlear development. Recently, sonic hedgehog (SHH) was proposed to initiate the establishment of tonotopy by conferring regional identity to the primordial cochlea. Here, using mouse genetics, we provide in vivo evidence that regional identity in the embryonic cochlea acts as a framework upon which tonotopy-specific properties essential for frequency selectivity in the mature cochlea develop. We found that follistatin (FST) is required for the maintenance of apical cochlear identity, but dispensable for its initial induction. In a fate-mapping analysis, we found that FST promotes expansion of apical cochlear cells, contributing to the formation of the apical cochlear domain. SHH, in contrast, is required both for the induction and maintenance of apical identity. In the absence of FST or SHH, mice produce a short cochlea lacking its apical domain. This results in the loss of apex-specific anatomical and molecular properties and low-frequency-specific hearing loss

Does gender influence the impact of impaired renal function on prognosis after ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction?

Background: A limited number of studies have investigated the impact of gender on renal function and clinical outcomes after ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), and these studies have provided discrepant results.Methods and Results: This study was based on a retrospective cohort, the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR). Patients (n = 7,679) with a discharge diagnosis of STEMI were analyzed to investigate association of gender with renal function and clinical outcomes. Compared to men, women were older and exhibited more comorbidity, including impaired renal function. Women showed higher mortality compared to men (1-month mortality,5.6% in men vs. 12.6% in women, p < 0.001; 1-year mortality, 6.8% in men vs. 14.4% in women, p < 0.001). The risk of death proportionally increased as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreased in both genders. After adjusting for potential confounders, hazard ratios for women did not significantly differ from those for men at each eGFR level.The interaction test showed no significant interaction between gender and eGFR in 1-month mortality and 1-year mortality.Conclusions: Impaired renal function was an independent prognostic factor after STEMI in both genders, and the impact of impaired renal function on prognosis after STEMI did not significantly differ between genders

Real-Time PCR Method for HPV DNA Detection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an important etiologic factor in cervical carcinogenesis. Various HPV DNA detection methods have been evaluated for clinicopathological level. For the specimens with normal cytological finding, discrepancies among the detection methods were frequently found and adequate interpretation can be difficult. 6,322 clinical specimens were submitted and evaluated for real-time PCR and Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2). 573 positive or "Not Detected but Amplified" (NDBA) specimens by real-time PCR were additionally tested using genetic analyzer. For the reliability of real-time PCR, 325 retests were performed. Optimal cut-off cycle threshold ( ) value was evaluated also. 78.7% of submitted specimens showed normal or nonspecific cytological finding. The distributions of HPV types by real-time PCR were not different between positive and NDBA cases. For positive cases by fragment analysis, concordance rates with real-time PCR and HC2 were 94.2% and 84.2%. In NDBA cases, fragment analysis and real-time PCR showed identical results in 77.0% and HC2 revealed 27.6% of concordance with fragment analysis. Optimal cut-off value was different for HPV types. NDBA results in real-time PCR should be regarded as equivocal, not negative. The adjustment of cut-off value for HPV types will be helpful for the appropriate result interpretation

Increased Expression of Sodium Transporters in Rats Chronically Inhibited of Nitric Oxide Synthesis

The present study was done to determine whether endogenous nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the regulation of sodium transporters in the kidney. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 mg/L drinking water) for 4 weeks. Control rats were supplied with tap water without drugs. Expression of Na, K-ATPase, type 3 Na/H exchanger (NHE3), Na/K/2Cl cotransporter (BSC1), and thiazide-sensitive Na/Cl cotransporter (TSC) proteins was determined in the kidney by Western blot analysis. Catalytic activity of Na,K-ATPase was also determined. The treatment with L-NAME significantly and steadily increased the systemic blood pressure. Total and fractional excretion of urinary sodium decreased significantly, while creatinine clearance remained unaltered. Neither plasma renin activity nor aldosterone concentration was significantly altered. The α1 subunit expression and the catalytic activity of Na, K-ATPase were increased in the kidney. The expression of NHE3, BSC1 and TSC was also increased significantly. These results suggest that endogenously-derived NO exerts a tonic inhibitory effect on the expression of sodium transporters, including Na, K-ATPase, NHE3, BSC1, and TSC, in the kidney

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Stimulates Cellular Proliferation in Human Intervertebral Disc Cells

∙The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of cellular proliferation of electromagnetic field (EMF) on human intervertebral disc (IVD) cells. Materials and Methods: Human IVD cells were cultured three-dimensionally in alginate beads. EMF was exposed to IVD cells with 650 Ϊ, 1.8 millitesla magnetic flux density, 60 Hz sinusoidal wave. Cultures were divided into a control and EMF group. Cytotoxicity, DNA synthesis and proteoglycan synthesis were measured by MTT assay, [ 3 H]-thymidine, and [ 35 S]-sulfate incorporation. To detect phenotypical expression, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were performed for aggrecan, collagen type I, and type II mRNA expression. To assess action mechanism of EMF, IVD cells were exposed to EMF with N G-Monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Results: There was no cytotoxicity in IVD cells with the EMF group in MTT assay. Cellular proliferation was observed in the EMF group (p < 0.05). There was no difference in newl

Abnormalities of Otoacoustic Emissions in Myasthenia Gravis: Association With Serological and Electrophysiological Features

Objective: To investigate whether otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are impaired in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and whether such dysfunction is associated with serological and electrophysiological features of MG.Methods: We tested 15 patients with MG (30 ears) and 10 healthy age- and sex-matched subjects (20 ears) for transiently evoked OAE (TEOAE) and distortion product OAE (DPOAE).Results: Compared with controls, MG patients revealed a significant reduction in the amplitude of TEOAEs (p < 0.05) and DPOAEs at higher frequencies between 2,026 and 4,053 Hz (p < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, TEOAE and DPOAE amplitudes were significantly lower in the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive group (p < 0.05) as well as in the repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS)-positive (p < 0.05) group. In particular, the OAE alteration significantly correlated with anti-AChR antibody titers. No significant difference of the OAEs was found between thymomatous and non-thymomatous MG or between purely ocular and generalized MG.Conclusions: Our study confirms that OAEs reveal subclinical dysfunction of the cholinergic neurotransmission of cochlear outer hair cells and correlate well with electrophysiological and serological characteristics of MG patients. Our findings imply that the measurement of OAEs might increase the diagnostic accuracy and help to monitor the severity of MG