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OBJECTIVES: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are important for the diagnosis of various autoimmune diseases. ANA are usually detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using HEp-2 cells (HEp-2 IFA). There are many variables influencing HEp-2 IFA results, such as subjective visual reading, serum screening dilution, substrate manufacturing, microscope components and conjugate. Newer developments on ANA testing that offer novel features adopted by some clinical laboratories include automated computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) systems and solid phase assays (SPA). METHODS: A group of experts reviewed current literature and established recommendations on methodological aspects of ANA testing. This process was supported by a two round Delphi exercise. International expert groups that participated in this initiative included (i) the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) Working Group "Autoimmunity Testing"; (ii) the European Autoimmune Standardization Initiative (EASI); and (iii) the International Consensus on ANA Patterns (ICAP). RESULTS: In total, 35 recommendations/statements related to (i) ANA testing and reporting by HEp-2 IFA; (ii) HEp-2 IFA methodological aspects including substrate/conjugate selection and the application of CAD systems; (iii) quality assurance; (iv) HEp-2 IFA validation/verification approaches and (v) SPA were formulated. Globally, 95% of all submitted scores in the final Delphi round were above 6 (moderately agree, agree or strongly agree) and 85% above 7 (agree and strongly agree), indicating strong international support for the proposed recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations are an important step to achieve high quality ANA testing.
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Anticorpos Antinucleares , Doenças Autoimunes , Humanos , Doenças Autoimunes/diagnóstico , Técnica Indireta de Fluorescência para Anticorpo/métodos , Padrões de Referência , Linhagem Celular TumoralRESUMO
Atrial myocytes are continuously exposed to shear stress during cardiac cycles. Previous reports have shown that shear stress induces two different types of global Ca2+ signaling in atrial myocytes-longitudinal Ca2+ waves (L-waves) and action potential-involved transverse waves (T-waves), and suggested an underlying role of the autocrine activation of P2 receptors. We explored the correlations between ATP release and Ca2+ wave generation in atrial myocytes and investigated why the cells develop two Ca2+-wave types during the same shear force. We examined whether ATP release correlates with different shear-stress (~16 dyn/cm2)-mediated Ca2+ signaling by simultaneous measurement of local Ca2+ and ATP release in individual atrial myocytes using two-dimensional confocal imaging and sniffer patch techniques, respectively. Functional P2X7-receptor-expressing HEK293 cells were established as sniffer cells, which generated currents in real time in response to ATP released from a closely positioned atrial myocyte. Both shear-stress-induced L- and T-waves were preceded by sniffer currents with no difference in the current magnitude. Left atrial (LA) myocytes had two- to three-fold larger sniffer currents than right atrial (RA) cells, as was confirmed by ATP chemiluminescence assay. Shear-stress-induced ATP release was eliminated by connexin (Cx) 43 hemichannel inhibition using La3+, Gap19, or knock-down of Cx43 expression. The level of phosphorylated Cx43 at Ser386 (p-Cx43Ser368), but not total Cx43, was higher in LA versus RA myocytes. Most LA cells (~70%) developed L-waves, whereas most RA myocytes (~80%) presented T-waves. Shear-stress-induced T-waves were completely removed by inhibition of P2X4R, which were most abundant in rat atrial cells. Expression of P2X4R was higher in RA than LA myocytes, whereas expression of P2Y1R, the mediator of L-waves, was higher in LA than RA myocytes. ATP release mainly triggers L-waves in LA myocytes and T-waves in RA myocytes under the same shear force, partly because of the differential expression of P2Y1R and P2X4R between LA and RA myocytes. Higher ATP release in LA myocytes under shear stress may not contribute to determination of the wave pattern.
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Sinalização do Cálcio , Cálcio/metabolismo , Átrios do Coração/metabolismo , Miócitos Cardíacos/metabolismo , Receptores Purinérgicos P2/metabolismo , Trifosfato de Adenosina , Animais , Conexina 43/metabolismo , Conexinas/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Células HEK293 , Átrios do Coração/citologia , Humanos , Masculino , Miócitos Cardíacos/citologia , Fosforilação , Ratos , Receptores Purinérgicos P2/genética , Receptores Purinérgicos P2X4/genética , Receptores Purinérgicos P2X4/metabolismo , Estresse MecânicoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Artemisia in East Asia includes a number of economically important taxa that are widely used for food, medicinal, and ornamental purposes. The identification of taxa, however, has been hampered by insufficient diagnostic morphological characteristics and frequent natural hybridization. Development of novel DNA markers or barcodes with sufficient resolution to resolve taxonomic issues of Artemisia in East Asia is significant challenge. RESULTS: To establish a molecular basis for taxonomic identification and comparative phylogenomic analysis of Artemisia, we newly determined 19 chloroplast genome (plastome) sequences of 18 Artemisia taxa in East Asia, de novo-assembled and annotated the plastomes of two taxa using publicly available Illumina reads, and compared them with 11 Artemisia plastomes reported previously. The plastomes of Artemisia were 150,858-151,318 base pairs (bp) in length and harbored 87 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNAs, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes in conserved order and orientation. Evolutionary analyses of whole plastomes and 80 non-redundant protein-coding genes revealed that the noncoding trnH-psbA spacer was highly variable in size and nucleotide sequence both between and within taxa, whereas the coding sequences of accD and ycf1 were under weak positive selection and relaxed selective constraints, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the whole plastomes based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses yielded five groups of Artemisia plastomes clustered in the monophyletic subgenus Dracunculus and paraphyletic subgenus Artemisia, suggesting that the whole plastomes can be used as molecular markers to infer the chloroplast haplotypes of Artemisia taxa. Additionally, analysis of accD and ycf1 hotspots enabled the development of novel markers potentially applicable across the family Asteraceae with high discriminatory power. CONCLUSIONS: The complete sequences of the Artemisia plastomes are sufficiently polymorphic to be used as super-barcodes for this genus. It will facilitate the development of new molecular markers and study of the phylogenomic relationships of Artemisia species in the family Asteraceae.
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Artemisia/classificação , Cloroplastos/genética , Sequenciamento Completo do Genoma/métodos , Artemisia/genética , Teorema de Bayes , Cloroplastos/classificação , Evolução Molecular , Variação Genética , Tamanho do Genoma , Genoma de Cloroplastos , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala , Bloqueio Interatrial , FilogeniaRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are known to be induced by various factors. In this study, we tried to identify circulating levels of NETs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to confirm its suitability as a new circulating marker in their detection. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 95 patients with a diagnosis of ACS (N = 37) or AIS (N = 58) in Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea. The control group was selected from healthy adults (N = 25) who visited the hospital for health screening. Circulating levels of NETs were evaluated by measuring plasma concentrations of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and DNA-histone complex. RESULTS: The concentrations of dsDNA were statistically higher in patients with ACS or AIS than those in the control group (both P < .001). In the univariable and multivariable analyses, statistically significant risk factors were troponin I (TnI) level and dsDNA concentration in the ACS group (P = .046 and P = .015, respectively) and only dsDNA concentration in the AIS group (P = .002). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, the area under the curve values for TnI level and dsDNA concentration in the ACS group were 0.878 and 0.968, respectively, and the value for dsDNA concentration in the AIS group was 0.859. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was confirmed that the circulating level of NETs was increased in patients with ACS and AIS at initial presentation. Findings in this study show that NETs could be used as a new circulating marker for the initial diagnosis of ACS or AIS.
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Síndrome Coronariana Aguda/sangue , Armadilhas Extracelulares , AVC Isquêmico/sangue , Neutrófilos/patologia , Síndrome Coronariana Aguda/complicações , Síndrome Coronariana Aguda/mortalidade , Idoso , Biomarcadores/sangue , Estudos de Casos e Controles , DNA/sangue , Feminino , Humanos , AVC Isquêmico/complicações , AVC Isquêmico/mortalidade , Estimativa de Kaplan-Meier , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Análise Multivariada , Curva ROC , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The genus Hosta is a group of economically appreciated perennial herbs consisting of approximately 25 species that is endemic to eastern Asia. Due to considerable morphological variability, the genus has been well recognized as a group with taxonomic problems. Chloroplast is a cytoplasmic organelle with its own genome, which is the most commonly used for phylogenetic and genetic diversity analyses for land plants. To understand the genomic architecture of Hosta chloroplasts and examine the level of nucleotide and size variation, we newly sequenced four (H. clausa, H. jonesii, H. minor, and H. venusta) and analyzed six Hosta species (including the four, H. capitata and H. yingeri) distributed throughout South Korea. RESULTS: The average size of complete chloroplast genomes for the Hosta taxa was 156,642 bp with a maximum size difference of ~ 300 bp. The overall gene content and organization across the six Hosta were nearly identical with a few exceptions. There was a single tRNA gene deletion in H. jonesii and four genes were pseudogenized in three taxa (H. capitata, H. minor, and H. jonesii). We did not find major structural variation, but there were a minor expansion and contractions in IR region for three species (H. capitata, H. minor, and H. venusta). Sequence variations were higher in non-coding regions than in coding regions. Four genic and intergenic regions including two coding genes (psbA and ndhD) exhibited the largest sequence divergence showing potential as phylogenetic markers. We found compositional codon usage bias toward A/T at the third position. The Hosta plastomes had a comparable number of dispersed and tandem repeats (simple sequence repeats) to the ones identified in other angiosperm taxa. The phylogeny of 20 Agavoideae (Asparagaceae) taxa including the six Hosta species inferred from complete plastome data showed well resolved monophyletic clades for closely related taxa with high node supports. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides detailed information on the chloroplast genome of the Hosta taxa. We identified nucleotide diversity hotspots and characterized types of repeats, which can be used for developing molecular markers applicable in various research area.
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Genoma de Cloroplastos/genética , Genômica , Hosta/genética , Filogenia , Uso do Códon , Repetições de Microssatélites/genética , Anotação de Sequência Molecular , República da CoreiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: While a method of assaying natural killer (NK) cell activity by measuring the amount of interferon (IFN)-γ released from NK cells has been proposed, no data are available about the factors that influence IFN-γ levels related to NK cell activity. NLR has recently been reported to be a predictor of several diseases. In the present study, we investigated the pre-analytical variables for NK cell activity using measurements of IFN-γ and the relationship between NLR and NK cell activity. METHODS: The NK cell activity was assessed with the measurement of IFN-γ after stimulation with an NK cell-specific stimulant (NK Vue™ , ATgen, Sungnam, Korea). One hundred and six adult volunteers were recruited and analysis of their complete blood count data and serum C-reactive protein was done. Blood sample from 59 of the participants was also used for analysis of lymphocyte subpopulations. RESULT: Natural killer cell activity varied widely (range, 44.2-1775.6 pg/mL). NK cell activity was higher in females than in males (P = 0.014). NK cell activity decreased with increasing NLR (P = 0.004, r = -0.32) but NK cell activity showed no significant association with NK cell count or other lymphocyte subpopulations. NK cell activity levels according to CRP quartile were significantly different (P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: We have observed that NK cell activity when assessed by IFN-γ level measurement was negatively correlating with NLR. This result can be helpful in interpreting or predicting NK cell activity in the clinical environment.
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Interferon gama/sangue , Células Matadoras Naturais/citologia , Linfócitos/citologia , Neutrófilos/citologia , Adulto , Biomarcadores/sangue , Análise Química do Sangue/normas , Análise Química do Sangue/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Interferon gama/imunologia , Células Matadoras Naturais/imunologia , Contagem de Leucócitos/normas , Contagem de Leucócitos/estatística & dados numéricos , Linfócitos/imunologia , Masculino , Neutrófilos/imunologia , Padrões de Referência , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: It is still not easy to predict severity promptly in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA). We investigated that platelet parameters or combinations of them could be a useful tool for early prediction of severity of AIS and TIA at admission and after 3 months. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 104 patients newly diagnosed with AIS and TIA. We investigated their neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet parameters. According to the Modified Rankin Scale scores, the patients were divided into two groups. RESULTS: In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, mean platelet volume (MPV), NLR/platelet count (PLT), MPV/PLT, MPV*NLR, and MPV*NLR/PLT showed statistically significant results in both at admission and after 3 months. Values of area under ROC curves for those tests at admission were 0.646, 0.697, 0.664, 0.708, and 0.722, respectively. Also, values after 3 months were 0.591, 0.661, 0.638, 0.662, and 0.689, respectively. CONCLUSION: MPV*NLR/PLT could be used as a relatively good tool for predicting severity at the time of admission and after 3 months than other parameters or combinations of them. Further studies have to be carried out to investigate the best parameter for predicting the severity of AIS and TIA.
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Ataque Isquêmico Transitório/diagnóstico , Contagem de Leucócitos , Testes de Função Plaquetária , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/diagnóstico , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Ataque Isquêmico Transitório/sangue , Ataque Isquêmico Transitório/epidemiologia , Linfócitos/citologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Neutrófilos/citologia , Estudos Prospectivos , Curva ROC , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/sangue , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/epidemiologiaAssuntos
Transfusão de Sangue , Pessoal de Saúde , Humanos , Hospitais , Serviços de Saúde , Atenção à SaúdeAssuntos
Transfusão de Sangue , Pessoal de Saúde , Humanos , Hospitais , Serviços de Saúde , Atenção à SaúdeRESUMO
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the α1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine (PE) activate cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor implicated in cardiac hypertrophy. The signaling pathway involved in CREB activation by these hypertrophic stimuli is poorly understood. We examined signaling pathways for ET-1- or PE-induced cardiac CREB activation. METHODS: Western blotting was performed with pharmacological and genetic interventions in rat ventricular myocytes. RESULTS: ET-1 and PE increased CREB phosphorylation, which was inhibited by blockade of phospholipase C, the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway, protein kinase C (PKC) or Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Intracellular Ca2+ buffering decreased ET-1- and PE-induced CREB phosphorylation by ≥80%. Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump inhibitor, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) blockers, or type 2 IP3R (IP3R2) knock-out abolished ET-1- or PE-induced CREB phosphorylation. ET-1 and PE increased phosphorylation of CaMKII and ERK1/2, which was eliminated by IP3R blockade/knock-out or PKC inhibition. Activation of CaMKII, but not ERK1/2, by these agonists was sensitive to Ca2+ buffering or to Gö6976, the inhibitor of Ca2+-dependent PKC and protein kinase D (PKD). CONCLUSION: CREB phosphorylation by ET-1 and PE may be mainly mediated by IP3R2/Ca2+-PKC-PKD-CaMKII signaling with a minor contribution by ERK1/2, linked to IP3R2 and Ca2+-independent PKC, in ventricular myocytes.
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Proteína Quinase Tipo 2 Dependente de Cálcio-Calmodulina/metabolismo , Proteína de Ligação ao Elemento de Resposta ao AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Endotelina-1/farmacologia , Receptores de Inositol 1,4,5-Trifosfato/metabolismo , Fenilefrina/farmacologia , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Carbazóis/farmacologia , Células Cultivadas , Flavonoides/farmacologia , Receptores de Inositol 1,4,5-Trifosfato/deficiência , Receptores de Inositol 1,4,5-Trifosfato/genética , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Proteína Quinase 1 Ativada por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Proteína Quinase 3 Ativada por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Miócitos Cardíacos/citologia , Miócitos Cardíacos/metabolismo , Fosforilação/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteína Quinase C/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteína Quinase C/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Fosfolipases Tipo C/antagonistas & inibidores , Fosfolipases Tipo C/metabolismoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association among barriers to dental care services, dentition groups, and self-reported oral health status for Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS: We used data from the 2017 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included participants aged ≥65 years who were enrolled in Medicare and had completed the oral health exam. We created a dentition group variable using the detailed dental examination data to account for the presence of natural, replaced, removable, or missing teeth. Through bivariate and logistic analyses, we explored the relationship between barriers to receiving dental care services, dentition groups, and reported oral and general health statuses, along with other control variables. RESULTS: For the total Medicare population as well as in the four subgroup analyses, we showed that those with barriers to dental care services were more likely to report fair or poor oral health status. Those who were edentulous, had complete dentures, or had less than a full mouth of teeth had greater barriers and worse oral and general health than did those with all-natural teeth. Among those who reported fair or poor general health, those with less than a full mouth of teeth showed similar levels of barriers to dental care services and worse perceived oral health than did those without any teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Helping the 65 years and older population retain their teeth in good condition will improve their overall health. Investment in oral hygiene and health for the current and future Medicare populations could improve their overall health.
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Dentição , Saúde Bucal , Humanos , Idoso , Estados Unidos , Inquéritos Nutricionais , Medicare , Assistência OdontológicaRESUMO
Autophagy is a self-degradation system for recycling to maintain homeostasis. p62/sequestosome-1 (p62) is an autophagy receptor that accumulates in neuroglia in neurodegenerative diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the elevation of plasma p62 protein levels in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease 1A (CMT1A) for its clinical usefulness to assess disease severity. We collected blood samples from 69 CMT1A patients and 59 healthy controls. Plasma concentrations of p62 were analyzed by ELISA, and we compared them with Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy score version 2 (CMTNSv2). A mouse CMT1A model (C22) was employed to determine the source and mechanism of plasma p62 elevation. Plasma p62 was detected in healthy controls with median value of 1978 pg/ml, and the levels were significantly higher in CMT1A (2465 pg/ml, p < 0.001). The elevated plasma p62 levels were correlated with CMTNSv2 (r = 0.621, p < 0.0001), motor nerve conduction velocity (r = - 0.490, p < 0.0001) and disease duration (r = 0.364, p < 0.01). In C22 model, increased p62 expression was observed not only in pathologic Schwann cells but also in plasma. Our findings indicate that plasma p62 measurement could be a valuable tool for evaluating CMT1A severity and Schwann cell pathology.
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Biomarcadores , Doença de Charcot-Marie-Tooth , Proteína Sequestossoma-1 , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Doença de Charcot-Marie-Tooth/sangue , Humanos , Proteína Sequestossoma-1/metabolismo , Proteína Sequestossoma-1/sangue , Biomarcadores/sangue , Masculino , Feminino , Animais , Adulto , Camundongos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Adulto Jovem , Células de Schwann/metabolismo , Células de Schwann/patologiaRESUMO
A novel null HLA-A*24 allele, HLA-A*24:608N, was identified in five Korean subjects including three from a family and two separate individuals. This study was performed to discern its immunological function in transplantation settings. Because this null variant had deletions of approximately 12 k base pairs from intron 3 to 3' end of the HLA-A gene, low resolution HLA typing and amplicon-based next generation sequencing (NGS) typing methods had failed to assign it. Hybrid capture-based NGS method confirmed that this novel variant had a large deletion. T-lymphocyte crossmatching by complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity and flow cytometry with a serum consisting anti-HLA-A24 antibody revealed negative results, implying that an individual with this allele would not carry a functioning A24 antigen. These findings highlight the importance of identifying a null HLA allele by employing appropriate molecular method and providing expected crossmatching outcomes in a real-world transplantation setting.
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Antígenos HLA-A , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala , Humanos , Alelos , Teste de Histocompatibilidade/métodos , Íntrons , Antígenos HLA-A/genética , República da Coreia , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala/métodosRESUMO
Background: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of hematolymphoid neoplasms (FCI-HLN) is essential for diagnosis, classification, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. FCI-HLN is typically performed using in-house protocols, raising the need for standardization. Therefore, we surveyed the current status of FCI-HLN in Korea to obtain fundamental data for quality improvement and standardization. Methods: Eight university hospitals actively conducting FCI-HLN participated in our survey. We analyzed responses to a questionnaire that included inquiries regarding test items, reagent antibodies (RAs), fluorophores, sample amounts (SAs), reagent antibody amounts (RAAs), acquisition cell number (ACN), isotype control (IC) usage, positive/negative criteria, and reporting. Results: Most hospitals used acute HLN, chronic HLN, plasma cell neoplasm (PCN), and MRD panels. The numbers of RAs were heterogeneous, with a maximum of 32, 26, 12, 14, and 10 antibodies used for acute HLN, chronic HLN, PCN, ALL-MRD, and multiple myeloma-MRD, respectively. The number of fluorophores ranged from 4 to 10. RAs, SAs, RAAs, and ACN were diverse. Most hospitals used a positive criterion of 20%, whereas one used 10% for acute and chronic HLN panels. Five hospitals used ICs for the negative criterion. Positive/negative assignments, percentages, and general opinions were commonly reported. In MRD reporting, the limit of detection and lower limit of quantification were included. Conclusions: This is the first comprehensive study on the current status of FCI-HLN in Korea, confirming the high heterogeneity and complexity of FCI-HLN practices. Standardization of FCI-HLN is urgently needed. The findings provide a reference for establishing standard FCI-HLN guidelines.
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Neoplasias , Humanos , Imunofenotipagem , Anticorpos , República da Coreia , Citometria de Fluxo/métodosRESUMO
Peucedanum miroense K. Kim, H.-J. Suh & J.-H. Song, recently reported as a new species endemic to South Korea, is distributed on mountains Duta-san and Swinum-san in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Given its conspicuously limited habitat range and small populations, this species qualifies as an endangered Red List species. In this study, we undertook a detailed investigation of the floral micromorphological, palynological, and carpological characters of P. miroense based on a range of microscopic analyses. Examination of the floral micromorphology of P. miroense revealed that the surface patterns of bractlets have potential utility in taxonomy studies of the genus Peucedanum. In addition, we established that this plant is characterized a papillose conical-tabular rugose pattern of petal epidermal cells and bears sunken nectary slits on the stylopodium. Also identified were simple spherical orbicules bearing psilate surface ornamentation, as well as small tricolporate prolate to perprolate pollen grains characterized by verrucate and gemmate ornamentation. Moreover, we verified pollen wall stratification and presence of pollenkitt. The mericarps had colliculate-striate surface patterns with trichomes and eight or nine vittae, and prismatic crystals were detected in different layers of the pericarp. We believe that the findings of this study will contribute to an evaluation of the taxonomic significance of this species within the genus Peucedanum, and also provide valuable information for the conservation of this rare endemic species. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We provided the first detailed descriptions of the floral micromorphological, palynological, and carpological characters of the rare endemic Korean species Peucedanum miroense K. Kim, H.-J. Suh & J.-H. Song, based on different microscopic analyses. Our findings provide valuable information regarding the epidermal cell patterns of bractlets, petals, stylopodium, gynoecium, and anthers. We believe our study makes a significant contribution to the literature, as our findings will contribute to enhancing the taxonomical classification of species within the genus Peucedanum, and will provide a basis for the conservation of this rare endemic species. This results will be of value to researchers studying the future biology and taxonomy of species within the family Apiaceae, particularly those using different microscopic techniques, including FE-SEM, digital slide scanning, and TEM.
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Apiaceae , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura , Tricomas , Pólen/ultraestrutura , República da CoreiaRESUMO
Two new species of Peucedanum (Apiaceae), P.miroense and P.tongkangense, from Gangwon Province, South Korea, are described. Both species are most similar to P.elegans and P.hakuunense because of their linear ultimate leaf segments. Peucedanummiroense was found on crevices of rocks in mountain summits and can be distinguished by its pubescent ovary, purple anthers, oblong schizocarp, and 1 or (2) vittae per vallecula and 4 on the commissural face. Peucedanumtongkangense was found in open areas on rocky cliffs along the Donggang River and can be distinguished by its glabrous ovary, whitish-yellow anthers, narrowly ellipsoid schizocarp, and 3 vittae per vallecula and 4 on the commissural face. Distinguishing characteristics, full descriptions, illustrations, photographs, taxonomic notes on geographical distribution, ecology, and phenology of the two species are presented. An identification key for all Korean species of Peucedanum is also provided. In addition, the mericarp surface of two new species and their close relatives are compared using micromorphological analysis.
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The number of ABO-incompatible solid organ transplantations (ABOi SOTs) has markedly increased worldwide since the early 2000s. We investigated the choice of ABO group for blood component transfusion in ABOi SOT. We conducted a survey by e-mailing a questionnaire to blood bank specialists at 77 major hospitals in Korea, among whom 34 responded to the survey. In major ABOi SOT, for red blood cells (RBCs), the recipient's type (70.6%) was the most common choice, followed by group O (29.4%); for platelets, group AB (50.0%) was the most common choice, followed by the donor type (38.2%); for plasma, group AB (55.9%) was the most common choice, followed by the donor type (32.4%). In bidirectional ABOi SOT, for RBCs, the recipient's type (55.9%) was the most common choice, followed by group O (44.1%); for platelets and plasma, group AB was the most common choice (94.1% and 97.1%, respectively). The policies for transfusion in ABOi SOT were diverse. We suggest a guideline on the choice of ABO group for transfusion in ABOi SOT to secure patient health and enable an efficient use of blood components.
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Incompatibilidade de Grupos Sanguíneos , Transplante de Órgãos , Transfusão de Componentes Sanguíneos , Humanos , República da Coreia , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Habitability is an essential concept for shelter planning in terms of supporting victims' right to life with dignity and recovering from what they suffered. The study aimed to identify problems and needs in shelter spaces and suggest measures to improve shelter space plans by conducting a case study in South Korea. The temporary disaster shelter in Pohang built right after the earthquake (2018) was selected as a case subject. From the literature review, a framework consisting of four concepts of habitability (safety, health, sociality, comfort) and four shelter zones (entry, residential, service, special needs zone) was developed for the in-depth interviews and analysis. The field study and in-depth interviews with victims, staff, and volunteers were conducted to collect problems and needs regarding shelter space planning. The results showed that the entry zone needed improvements in 'protection', 'prevention', 'sanitation', 'accessibility', 'area', and 'privacy'. The residential zone lacked 'area', 'privacy', and 'indoor environmental quality'. The service zone problems were mainly seen in the categories of 'area' and 'privacy'. The special needs zone was less habitable in the categories of 'protection' and 'area'. To appropriately respond to victims' urgent needs, the temporary shelter planning should secure enough space beyond the legal minimum standards, provide sanitation and indoor environmental quality management, and separate spaces by function and user type.
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Planejamento em Desastres , Desastres , Terremotos , Abrigo de Emergência , Habitação , Humanos , República da CoreiaRESUMO
Toxicodendron vernicifluum Stokes has long been used as a food supplement and traditional herbal medicine in East Asia. We applied a new extraction method to produce Toxicodendron vernicifluum Stokes extract (TVSE), that doesn't contain urushiol (an allergenic toxin) but dose have higher levels of some flavonoids such as fustin and fisetin. This study was conducted to investigate the anticancer effects of TVSE in an in vivo system. Fifty BALB/c mice were acclimated for one week and then injected with 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells in mammary fat pads. After 7 days, the mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, and orally administered with 0, 50, 100, 200 or 400 mg of TVSE/kg body weight (BW)/day for 20 days. TVSE reduced tumor volume and weight dose-dependently. The expression of Ki67 was significantly reduced and the number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells was significantly increased in the TVSE-treated group over 100 mg/kg BW/day. While tumor nodules were not found in the liver, but only in lungs, the number of tumor nodules was reduced in a dose-dependent manner in the TVSE treated groups compared to the control group. In breast tumors, expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was reduced by TVSE treatment. TVSE treatment significantly suppressed mRNA expression in tumors of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 while increasing plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. These results suggest that TVSE is potentially beneficial for the suppression of breast cancer growth and its-associated lung metastasis.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/secundário , Neoplasias Mamárias Experimentais/tratamento farmacológico , Extratos Vegetais/administração & dosagem , Toxicodendron/química , Administração Oral , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Feminino , Flavonoides/química , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Redes Reguladoras de Genes/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Mamárias Experimentais/genética , Neoplasias Mamárias Experimentais/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Extratos Vegetais/química , Extratos Vegetais/isolamento & purificação , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Distribuição Aleatória , Resultado do Tratamento , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Many studies have suggested that Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) and its extract are anticancer agents. However, RVS had limited use because it contains urushiol, an allergenic toxin. By improving an existing allergen-removal extraction method, we developed a new allergen-free Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract (RVSE) with higher flavonoid content. In this study, we examined whether RVSE inhibits the ability of AGS gastric cancer cells to migrate and invade. MATERIALS/METHODS: The flavonoids content of RVSE was analyzed by HPLC. The effects of RVSE on migration and invasion in AGS cells were analyzed by each assay kit. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) protein expression was analyzed by protein antibody array. The Phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 were assayed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: RVSE treatment with 0-100 µg/mL dose-dependently reduced the ability of AGS cells to migrate and invade. Notably, treatment with RVSE strongly inhibited the expression of MMP-9 and uPA and the phosphorylation of STAT3. In contrast, RVSE treatment dramatically increased the expression of PAI-1. These results indicate that the inhibition of MMP-9 and uPA expression and STAT3 phosphorylation and the stimulation of PAI-1 expression contributed to the decreased migration and invasion of AGS cells treated with RVSE. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that RVSE may be used as a natural herbal agent to reduce gastric cancer metastasis.