Development of an SNP marker set for marker-assisted backcrossing using genotyping-by-sequencing in tetraploid perilla.

High-quality molecular markers are essential for marker-assisted selection to accelerate breeding progress. Compared with diploid species, recently diverged polyploid crop species tend to have highly similar homeologous subgenomes, which is expected to limit the development of broadly applicable locus-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays. Furthermore, it is particularly challenging to make genome-wide marker sets for species that lack a reference genome. Here, we report the development of a genome-wide set of kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers for marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) in the tetraploid minor crop perilla. To find locus-specific SNP markers across the perilla genome, we used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to construct linkage maps of two F2 populations. The two resulting high-resolution linkage maps comprised 2326 and 2454 SNP markers that spanned a total genetic distance of 2133 cM across 16 linkage groups and 2169 cM across 21 linkage groups, respectively. We then obtained a final genetic map consisting of 22 linkage groups with 1123 common markers from the two genetic maps. We selected 96 genome-wide markers for MARS and confirmed the accuracy of markers in the two F2 populations using a high-throughput Fluidigm system. We confirmed that 91.8% of the SNP genotyping results from the Fluidigm assay were the same as the results obtained through GBS. These results provide a foundation for marker-assisted backcrossing and the development of new varieties of perilla.

Improved recurrence-free survival in patients with HCC with post-transplant plasma exchange.

Total plasma exchange (TPE) can play a role in cancer treatment by eliminating immune checkpoint inhibitors. This study investigated whether TPE improved oncological outcomes in patients with HCC who underwent ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LT). The study included 152 patients who underwent ABO-incompatible living donor LT for HCC between 2010 and 2021 at Samsung Medical Center. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier curve, whereas HCC-specific recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed using the cumulative incidence curve after propensity score matching. Cox regression and competing risks subdistribution hazard models were used to identify the risk factors associated with overall survival and HCC-specific RFS, respectively. The propensity score matching resulted in 54 matched pairs, grouped according to whether they underwent postoperative TPE [post-transplant TPE(+)] or not [post-transplant TPE(-)]. The 5-year HCC-specific RFS cumulative incidence was superior in the post-transplant TPE (+) group [12.5% (95% CI: 3.1%-21.9%)] compared with the post-transplant TPE(-) group [38.1% (95% CI: 24.4%-51.8%), p = 0.005]. In subgroup analysis for patients with microvascular invasion and those beyond the Milan criteria, the post-transplant TPE(+) group showed significantly superior HCC-specific survival. The multivariable analysis also showed that postoperative TPE had a protective effect on HCC-specific RFS (HR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.10-0.64, p = 0.004) and that the more post-transplant TPE was performed, the better RFS was observed (HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55-0.93, p = 0.012). Post-transplant TPE was found to improve RFS after ABO-incompatible living donor LT for HCC, particularly in advanced cases with microvascular invasion and beyond Milan criteria. These findings suggest that TPE may have a potential role in improving oncological outcomes in patients with HCC undergoing LT.

Near-zero open conversion rate of laparoscopic liver resection: a high-volume single-center experience of the past 5 years.

BACKGROUND: Despite widespread adoption and technological advances in laparoscopic liver resection (LLR), conversion to laparotomy can still occur unexpectedly. Several studies have explored risk factors of open conversion (OC). However, most of these studies were conducted before 2018 and included all patients who underwent surgery at an early stage after starting LLR. The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence and risk factors of OC in patients within the past 5 years (2017-2021). METHODS: Patients who underwent LLR at Samsung Medical Center from January 2017 to December 2021 were investigated. The incidence and causes of OC were investigated and risk factors associated with OC were also analyzed. RESULTS: A total of, 1951 patients were investigated. OC was observed in 34 patients (1.74%). The percentage of previous surgeries (50% vs. 25.5%, P < 0.001), history of hepatectomy (23.5% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.002), multi-focal disease (29.4% vs. 13.9%, P = 0.037), and posterosuperior (PS) location (64.7% vs. 39%, P = 0.004) were higher in the OC group. The most common cause of OC was adhesion (44.1%). In the analysis of risk factors associated with OC, PS location (OR 2.79, P = 0.007) and maximum tumor size (OR 0.92, P = 0.037) were statistically significant factors in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The updated incidence of OC was 1.74%. The main cause of OC was adhesion. In addition, PS location and smaller tumor size were risk factors associated with OC.

Rovibrational internal energy transfer and dissociation of high-temperature oxygen mixture.

This work constructs a rovibrational state-to-state model for the O2 + O2 system leveraging high-fidelity potential energy surfaces and quasi-classical trajectory calculations. The model is used to investigate internal energy transfer and nonequilibrium reactive processes in a dissociating environment using a master equation approach, whereby the kinetics of each internal rovibrational state is explicitly computed. To cope with the exponentially large number of elementary processes that characterize reactive bimolecular collisions, the internal states of the collision partner are assumed to follow a Boltzmann distribution at a prescribed internal temperature. This procedure makes the problem tractable, reducing the computational cost to a comparable scale with the O2 + O system. The constructed rovibrational-specific kinetic database covers the temperature range of 7500-20 000 K. The reaction rate coefficients included in the database are parameterized in the function of kinetic and internal temperatures. Analysis of the energy transfer and dissociation process in isochoric and isothermal conditions reveals that significant departure from the equilibrium Boltzmann distribution occurs during the energy transfer and dissociation phase. Comparing the population distribution of the O2 molecules against the O2 + O case demonstrates a more significant extent of nonequilibrium characterized by a more diffuse distribution whereby the vibrational strands are more clearly identifiable. This is partly due to less efficient mixing of the rovibrational states, which results in more diffuse rovibrational distributions in the quasi-steady-state distribution of O2 + O2. A master equation analysis for the combined O2 + O and O2 + O2 system reveals that the O2 + O2 system governs the early stage of energy transfer, whereas the O2 + O system takes control of the dissociation dynamics. The findings of the present work will provide a strong physical foundation that can be exploited to construct an improved reduced-order model for oxygen chemistry.

Transcriptome Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Salt Stress in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) during the Early Vegetative Stage.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.), 2n = 22) is a tropical crop grown in arid and semiarid regions that is tolerant to abiotic stresses such as heat and drought. However, in these regions, salt in the soil is generally not eluted by rainwater, leading to salt stress for a variety of plant species. This study was conducted to identify genes related to salt stress using the comparative transcriptome analysis of cowpea germplasms with contrasting salt tolerance. Using the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform, 1.1 billion high-quality short reads, with a total length of over 98.6 billion bp, were obtained from four cowpea germplasms. Of the differentially expressed genes identified for each salt tolerance type following RNA sequencing, 27 were shown to exhibit significant expression levels. These candidate genes were subsequently narrowed down using reference-sequencing analysis, and two salt stress-related genes (Vigun_02G076100 and Vigun_08G125100) with single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation were selected. Of the five SNPs identified in Vigun_02G076100, one that caused significant amino acid variation was identified, while all nucleotide variations in Vigun_08G125100 was classified as missing in the salt-resistant germplasms. The candidate genes and their variation, identified in this study provide, useful information for the development of molecular markers for cowpea breeding programs.

An in vitro evaluation of luffa cylindrica stem sap in preadipocytes and dermal fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Luffa cylindrica stem sap (LuCS) has been ethnopharmacologically used as a cosmetic ingredients to improve the facial condition in Asians, but there is no scientific proof about the advantages of LuCS as a supplement for skin elasticity inducer. PURPOSE: Presently, we have validated the beneficial effect of LuCS in human preadipocyte and fibroblast. METHODS: In vitro activities of LuCS on expression of cellular elastin and collagen type I were validated using Western blot analysis in human fibroblasts. Effect of LuCS on preadipocyte development was performed using MDI medium containing isobutyl-methylxanthine, dexamethasone, and insulin and then evaluated using oil red O staining. RESULTS: Treatment of LuCS stimulated the expression of cellular elastin and type I procollagen in human skin fibroblasts. Exposure to LuCS induced lipid accumulation of preadipocytes via activation of CEBP/α signaling pathway in preadipocytes. Expression of collagen I, elastin, or CEBP/α mRNA was decreased by age. 3-bromo-3-methylisoxazol-5-amine enhanced the synthesis of cellular lipid in preadipocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results suggest the rationale of LuCS treatment in enhancing the skin condition.

Rovibrational-Specific QCT and Master Equation Study on N2(X1Σg+) + O(3P) and NO(X2Π) + N(4S) Systems in High-Energy Collisions.

This work presents a detailed investigation of the energy-transfer and dissociation mechanisms in N2(X1Σg+) + O(3P) and NO(X2Π) + N(4S) systems using rovibrational-specific quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) and master equation analyses. The complete set of state-to-state kinetic data, obtained via QCT, allows for an in-depth investigation of the Zel'dovich mechanism leading to the formation of NO molecules at microscopic and macroscopic scales. The master equation analysis demonstrates that the low-lying vibrational states of N2 and NO have dominant contributions to the NO formation and the corresponding extinction of N2 through the exchange process. For the considered temperature range, it is found that nearly 50% of the dissociation processes for N2 and NO molecules occur in the quasi-steady-state (QSS) regime, while for the Zel'dovich reaction, the distribution of the reactants does not reach the QSS conditions. Furthermore, using the QSS approximation to model the Zel'dovich mechanism leads to overestimating NO production by more than a factor of 4 in the high-temperature range. The breakdown of this well-known approximation has profound consequences for the approaches that heavily rely on the validity of QSS assumption in hypersonic applications. Finally, the investigation of the rovibrational state population dynamics reveals substantial similarities among different chemical systems for the energy-transfer and the dissociation processes, providing promising physical foundations for the use of reduced-order strategies in other chemical systems without significant loss of accuracy.

Comprehensive Study of HCN: Potential Energy Surfaces, State-to-State Kinetics, and Master Equation Analysis.

Understanding the kinetics of the HCN system is critical to several disciplines in science and engineering, including interstellar chemistry, atmospheric reentry, and combustion, to name a few. This paper constructs a rovibrational state-specific kinetic mechanism for the HCN system, leveraging electronic structure calculations, classical scattering dynamics, and state-to-state kinetics. To this aim, three accurate potential energy surfaces (PESs), 1A', 3A', and 3A″, are constructed using multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations for a comprehensive arrangement of the nuclei. Quasi-classical scattering calculations provide elementary reaction rate constants resulting from the interaction between the CN, CH, and NH molecules with H, N, and C atoms, respectively. The rovibrational collisional model developed comprises 50 million bound-bound and free-bound collisional processes. This model is used to study the dynamics of energy transfer and dissociation in an isochoric and isothermal chemical reactor via the solution of the master equation for a wide temperature range from 1000 to 10,000 K. This study unravels the dynamics of dissociation of the molecules in the HCN system, which the PESs primarily control via the formation of short-lived intermediates that shortcut the dissociation pathway. The exchange processes in CH and NH enhance the dissociation by over 80%. The importance of exchange processes is also highlighted in comparing the quasi-steady state and thermal dissociation rates with state-of-the-art rate models and experimental fits.

Evaluating the effect of Luffa cylindrica stem sap on dermal fibroblasts; An invitro study.

Luffa cylindrica stem sap (LuCS) has been traditionally used as a facial cosmetic supplement to enhance the skin condition of Asians. However, LuCS has yet to be described and there is no solid scientific evidence regarding the use of LuCS as an anti-wrinkle agent. In the present study, we have evaluated the functional effect of LuCS and its underlying mechanisms based on scientific evidence. Treatment with LuCS stimulated the growth and migration of human skin fibroblasts. LuCS treatment activated EGFR signaling via the enhanced expression of EGFR and down-regulation of PPARγ in human skin fibroblasts. Exposure to LuCS induced the synthesis of cellular type I procollagen and elastin in consort with the down-regulation of various proteinases including MMP-1, -2 and -9 in human skin fibroblasts. LuCS treatment also reversed the skin damage induced by UV-A irradiation in human skin fibroblasts. 3-bromo-3-methylisoxazol-5-amine was identified as the functional component using UPLC-MS-MS analysis and increased production of cellular type I procollagen. Collectively, these results suggest the efficacy of LuCS supplementation in improving the skin condition via anti-wrinkle effect.

Development of an in vitro coculture device for the investigation of host-microbe interactions via integrative multiomics approaches.

The commensal gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila is well known as a promising probiotic candidate that improves host health and prevents diseases. However, the biological interaction of A. muciniphila with human gut epithelial cells has rarely been explored for use in biotherapeutics. Here, we developed an in vitro device that simulates the gut epithelium to elucidate the biological effects of living A. muciniphila via multiomics analysis: the Mimetic Intestinal Host-Microbe Interaction Coculture System (MIMICS). We demonstrated that both human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2) and the anaerobic bacterium A. muciniphila can remain viable for 12 h after coculture in the MIMICS. The transcriptomic and proteomic changes (cell-cell junctions, immune responses, and mucin secretion) in gut epithelial cells treated with A. muciniphila closely correspond with those reported in previous in vivo studies. In addition, our proteomic and metabolomic results revealed that A. muciniphila activates glucose and lipid metabolism in gut epithelial cells, leading to an increase in ATP production. This study suggests that A. muciniphila improves metabolism for ATP production in gut epithelial cells and that the MIMICS may be an effective general tool for evaluating the effects of anaerobic bacteria on gut epithelial cells.

TLR2 and the NLRP3 inflammasome mediate IL-1ß production in Prevotella nigrescens-infected dendritic cells.

Prevotella nigrescens is an oral pathogen that is frequently observed in the subgingival plaque of periodontitis patients. Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) is known to be involved in the immunopathology of periodontal diseases and has been implicated in the destruction of bone. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of IL-1ß production by P. nigrescens in murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Our results showed that a host receptor, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), but not TLR4 is required for pro-IL-1ß induction and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) priming in BMDCs in response to P. nigrescens and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is necessary for processing of pro-IL-1ß into mature IL-1ß. In addition, an inhibitor assay revealed that production of reactive oxygen species, P2X7R activity, and release of cathepsin B are involved in IL-1ß production in BMDCs in response to P. nigrescens.

High-Resolution Diffusion-Weighted Imaging for Evaluation of Extramural Tumor Invasion in Primary Rectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the added value of high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for evaluation of extramural tumor invasion (EMTI) in patients with primary rectal cancer. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients who had undergone 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging including DWI (b = 0, 1000 s/mm2, 2 mm iso-voxel) and subsequent surgery were included. Two blinded radiologists independently read the T2WI first and then the combined DWI set. They recorded their confidence level using a 5-point scale. The diagnostic accuracy was calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis based on the histopathological results as the reference. RESULTS: The study population consisted of EMTI positive (n = 44) and negative (n = 34). The area under the curve was not significantly increased after adding DWI to T2WI (reader 1, 0.868-0.856, P = 0.5618; reader 2, 0.848-0.865, P = 0.4539). CONCLUSION: Adding DWI to T2WI showed no additional diagnostic value for the evaluation of EMTI in patients with primary rectal cancer.

Association between the high risk for obstructive sleep apnea and intracranial carotid artery calcification in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for stroke. Furthermore, intracranial carotid artery calcification (ICAC) is a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events. We investigated the association between the high risk for OSA and ICAC in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 73 patients who were admitted to the hospital with acute ischemic stroke in the internal carotid artery (ICA) territory due to large-artery atherosclerosis. The risk for OSA was assessed using the Berlin Questionnaire, and patients were classified into low-risk (LR-OSA) and high-risk groups (HR-OSA). We compared the burden of ICAC between the two groups. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to investigate the association of high risk for OSA with the presence of calcium in intracranial ICA. RESULTS: The HR-OSA group of 35 patients (48%) was significantly older and had a higher rate of hypertension and diabetes mellitus than the LR-OSA group. The HR-OSA group had more frequent ICAC (92% vs. 63%, p < 0.001), higher Agatston score (162.0 vs. 8.5, p < 0.001), and greater total volume of ICAC (261.2 mm3 vs. 20.1 mm3, p < 0.001) in the intracranial ICA. Presence of calcium in symptomatic intracranial ICA was positively correlated with age (odds ratio, OR, 1.432; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.098-1.868) and HR-OSA (OR, 18.272; 95% CI, 0.500-668.401) in multivariable logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the presence of calcium in symptomatic intracranial ICA was related to high risk for OSA in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Characterization of Marine Organism Extracellular Matrix-Anchored Extracellular Vesicles and Their Biological Effect on the Alleviation of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines.

Representative marine materials such as biopolymers and bioceramics contain bioactive properties and are applied in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The marine organism-derived extracellular matrix (ECM), which consists of structural and functional molecules, has been studied as a biomaterial. It has been used to reconstruct tissues and improve biological functions. However, research on marine-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) among marine functional materials is limited. Recent studies on marine-derived EVs were limited to eco-system studies using bacteria-released EVs. We aimed to expand the range of representative marine organisms such as fish, crustaceans, and echinoderms; establish the extraction process; and study the bioactivity capability of marine EVs. Results confirmed that marine organism ECM-anchored EVs (mEVs) have a similar morphology and cargos to those of EVs in land animals. To investigate physiological effects, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-infected macrophages were treated with EVs derived from sea cucumber, fish, and shrimp. A comparison of the expression levels of inflammatory cytokine genes revealed that all types of mEVs alleviated pro-inflammatory cytokines, although to different degrees. Among them, the sea cucumber-derived EVs showed the strongest suppression ability. This study showed that research on EVs derived from various types of marine animals can lead to the development of high value-added therapeutics from discarded marine wastes.

Tendril extract of Cucurbita moschata suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation in murine macrophages and human trophoblast cells.

Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases that pose a serious threat to human health. Excessive inflammation can also result in preterm birth or miscarriage in pregnant women. Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, CMD) is a well-known traditional health food and medicinal herb used in many countries to treat diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, cancer and other diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of hot water extract derived from the tendrils of C. moschata Duchesne (TCMD) on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in murine macrophages and human trophoblast cells. The TCMD treatment of LPS-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human trophoblast cells attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by inflammasome activators such as ATP, nigericin, and monosodium urate (MSU). TCMD treatment suppressed IL-1ß secretion in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting IL-6 secretion. In addition, TCMD inhibited NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis in BMDMs. TCMD also suppressed the release of mature IL-1ß and activation of cleaved-caspase-1 via limited ASC oligomerization. Furthermore, TCMD significantly inhibited IL-1ß secretion and pyroptotic cell death in human trophoblast cells. These results suggest that TCMD exhibits anti-inflammatory effects mediated via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation suggesting therapeutic potential against inflammatory diseases, preterm birth, and miscarriage.

Temporal Changes in Air Quality According to Land-Use Using Real Time Big Data from Smart Sensors in Korea.

This study analyzed the changes in particulate matter concentrations according to land-use over time and the spatial characteristics of the distribution of particulate matter concentrations using big data of particulate matter in Daejeon, Korea, measured by Private Air Quality Monitoring Smart Sensors (PAQMSSs). Land-uses were classified into residential, commercial, industrial, and green groups according to the primary land-use around the 650-m sensor radius. Data on particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 µm (PM10) and <2.5 µm (PM2.5) were captured by PAQMSSs from September‒October (i.e., fall) in 2019. Differences and variation characteristics of particulate matter concentrations between time periods and land-uses were analyzed and spatial mobility characteristics of the particulate matter concentrations over time were analyzed. The results indicate that the particulate matter concentrations in Daejeon decreased in the order of industrial, housing, commercial and green groups overall; however, the concentrations of the commercial group were higher than those of the residential group during 21:00-23:00, which reflected the vital nighttime lifestyle in the commercial group in Korea. Second, the green group showed the lowest particulate matter concentration and the industrial group showed the highest concentration. Third, the highest particulate matter concentrations were in urban areas where commercial and business functions were centered and in the vicinity of industrial complexes. Finally, over time, the PM10 concentrations were clearly high at noon and low at night, whereas the PM2.5 concentrations were similar at certain areas.

A human pathogenic bacterium Shigella proliferates in plants through adoption of type III effectors for shigellosis.

Shigella, which infects primates, can be transmitted via fresh vegetables; however, its molecular interactions with plants have not been elucidated. Here, we show that four Shigella strains, Shigella boydii, Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri 2a, and S. flexneri 5a, proliferate at different levels in Arabidopsis thaliana. Microscopic studies revealed that these bacteria were present inside leaves and damaged plant cells. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged S. boydii and S. flexneri 5a colonized leaves only, whereas S. flexneri 2a colonized both leaves and roots. Using Shigella mutants lacking type III secretion systems (T3SSs), we found that T3SSs that regulate the pathogenesis of shigellosis in humans also play a central role in bacterial proliferation in Arabidopsis. Strikingly, the immunosuppressive activity of two T3S effectors, OspF and OspG, was required for proliferation of Shigella in Arabidopsis. Of note, delivery of OspF or OspG effectors inside plant cells upon Shigella inoculation was confirmed using a split GFP system. These findings demonstrate that the human pathogen Shigella can proliferate in plants by adapting immunosuppressive machinery used in the original host human.

Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with flowering time in perilla using genotyping-by-sequencing.

Understanding the transition to the reproductive period is important for crop breeding. This information can facilitate the production of novel varieties that are better adapted to local environments or changing climatic conditions. Here, we report the development of a high-density linkage map based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) for the genus perilla. Through GBS library construction and Illumina sequencing of an F2 population, a total of 9607 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed. The ten-group linkage map of 1309.39 cM contained 2518 markers, with an average marker density of 0.56 cM per linkage group (LG). Using this map, a total of six QTLs were identified. These quantitative trait loci (QTLs) are associated with three traits related to flowering time: days to visible flower bud, days to flowering, and days to maturity. Ortholog analysis conducted with known genes involved in the regulation of flowering time among different crop species identified GI, CO and ELF4 as putative perilla orthologs that are closely linked to the QTL regions associated with flowering time. These results provide a foundation that will be useful for future studies of flowering time in perilla using fine mapping, and marker-assisted selection for the development of new varieties of perilla.

Differentiation between spinal cord diffuse midline glioma with histone H3 K27M mutation and wild type: comparative magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: Diffuse midline glioma with histone H3 K27M mutation is a new entity described in the 2016 update of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and imaging characteristics to predict the presence of H3 K27M mutation in spinal cord glioma using a machine learning-based classification model. METHODS: A total of 41 spinal cord glioma patients consisting of 24 H3 K27M mutants and 17 wild types were enrolled in this retrospective study. A total of 17 clinical and radiological features were evaluated. The random forest (RF) model was trained with the clinical and radiological features to predict the presence of H3 K27M mutation. The diagnostic ability of the RF model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Area under the ROC curves (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS: MR imaging features of spinal cord diffuse midline gliomas were heterogeneous. Hemorrhage was the only variable that was able to differentiate H3 K27M mutated tumors from wild-type tumors in univariate analysis (p = 0.033). RF classifier yielded 0.632 classification AUC (95% CI, 0.456-0.808), 63.4% accuracy, 45.8% sensitivity, and 88.2% specificity. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that clinical and radiological features are associated with H3 K27M mutation status in spinal cord glioma.