Whole Transcriptome Analysis of Hypothalamus in Mice during Short-Term Starvation.

Molecular profiling of the hypothalamus in response to metabolic shifts is a critical cue to better understand the principle of the central control of whole-body energy metabolism. The transcriptional responses of the rodent hypothalamus to short-term calorie restriction have been documented. However, studies on the identification of hypothalamic secretory factors that potentially contribute to the control of appetite are lacking. In this study, we analyzed the differential expression of hypothalamic genes and compared the selected secretory factors from the fasted mice with those of fed control mice using bulk RNA-sequencing. We verified seven secretory genes that were significantly altered in the hypothalamus of fasted mice. In addition, we determined the response of secretory genes in cultured hypothalamic cells to treatment with ghrelin and leptin. The current study provides further insights into the neuronal response to food restriction at the molecular level and may be useful for understanding the hypothalamic control of appetite.

A molecular basis behind heterophylly in an amphibious plant, Ranunculus trichophyllus.

Ranunculus trichophyllus is an amphibious plant that produces thin and cylindrical leaves if grown under water but thick and broad leaves if grown on land. We found that such heterophylly is widely controlled by two plant hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene, which control terrestrial and aquatic leaf development respectively. Aquatic leaves produced higher levels of ethylene but lower levels of ABA than terrestrial leaves. In aquatic leaves, their distinct traits with narrow shape, lack of stomata, and reduced vessel development were caused by EIN3-mediated overactivation of abaxial genes, RtKANADIs, and accompanying with reductions of STOMAGEN and VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN7 (VDN7). In contrast, in terrestrial leaves, ABI3-mediated activation of the adaxial genes, RtHD-ZIPIIIs, and STOMAGEN and VDN7 established leaf polarity, and stomata and vessel developments. Heterophylly of R.trichophyllus could be also induced by external cues such as cold and hypoxia, which is accompanied with the changes in the expression of leaf polarity genes similar to aquatic response. A closely-related land plant R. sceleratus did not show such heterophyllic responses, suggesting that the changes in the ABA/ethylene signaling and leaf polarity are one of key evolutionary steps for aquatic adaptation.

Altered Metabolic Phenotypes and Hypothalamic Neuronal Activity Triggered by Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibition.

BACKGRUOUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are currently used to treat patients with diabetes. Previous studies have demonstrated that treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors is accompanied by altered metabolic phenotypes. However, it has not been investigated whether the hypothalamic circuit participates in the development of the compensatory metabolic phenotypes triggered by the treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors. METHODS: Mice were fed a standard diet or high-fat diet and treated with dapagliflozin, an SGLT-2 inhibitor. Food intake and energy expenditure were observed using indirect calorimetry system. The activity of hypothalamic neurons in response to dapagliflozin treatment was evaluated by immunohistochemistry with c-Fos antibody. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine gene expression patterns in the hypothalamus of dapagliflozin-treated mice. RESULTS: Dapagliflozin-treated mice displayed enhanced food intake and reduced energy expenditure. Altered neuronal activities were observed in multiple hypothalamic nuclei in association with appetite regulation. Additionally, we found elevated immunosignals of agouti-related peptide neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. CONCLUSION: This study suggests the functional involvement of the hypothalamus in the development of the compensatory metabolic phenotypes induced by SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment.

Pilot study on photodynamic therapy for acne using indocyanine green and diode laser.

To demonstrate the efficacy of photodynamic therapy using indocyanine green (ICG) dye with a diode laser for acne treatment of Asian subjects, an analysis was performed of 16 randomly chosen Korean patients with acne vulgaris treated by photodynamic therapy for a mean follow up of 2 months. Volunteers were divided into two groups, a single- and multiple-treatment group, in which photodynamic therapy was repeated three times with 1-week intervals. Photodynamic therapy using ICG dye with a diode laser was effective for acne treatment of Korean subjects. However, multiple treatments were not superior to single treatments in controlling acne lesions. Photodynamic therapy combined with ICG dye and diode laser might be an alternative treatment modality for acne in Asian subjects.

Sensitive arsenic speciation by capillary electrophoresis using UV absorbance detection with on-line sample preconcentration techniques.

The World Health Organization (WHO) guideline states that the total arsenic concentration in drinking water must not exceed 10 ppb. However, arsenic toxicity varies significantly, with inorganic arsenic species being more toxic than organic species. Arsenic speciation is therefore important for evaluating the health risks from arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Capillary electrophoresis provides the necessary high performance separation to determine arsenic species in water, but its sensitivity with absorbance detection is far below than needed. Using a coated capillary, several on-line sample preconcentration techniques such as large volume sample stacking with an electroosmotic flow pump, field amplified sample injection (FASI), transient isotachophoresis (tITP), electrokinetic supercharging (EKS) combining FASI and tITP, and counter flow (CF)-EKS, were therefore investigated. With CF-EKS using phosphate and N-cyclohexyl-2-aminoethanesulfonate as leading and terminating electrolytes, respectively, standard samples of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid were preconcentrated from 6,300- to 45,000-fold. The limits of detection obtained with UV absorbance detection were 0.08-0.3 ppb As. For a spring water sample spiked with the four arsenic species, LODs of 2-9 ppb As were obtained, which are lower than the WHO guideline of 10 ppb total As.