Betatrophin: a hormone that controls pancreatic ß cell proliferation.

Replenishing insulin-producing pancreatic ß cell mass will benefit both type I and type II diabetics. In adults, pancreatic ß cells are generated primarily by self-duplication. We report on a mouse model of insulin resistance that induces dramatic pancreatic ß cell proliferation and ß cell mass expansion. Using this model, we identify a hormone, betatrophin, that is primarily expressed in liver and fat. Expression of betatrophin correlates with ß cell proliferation in other mouse models of insulin resistance and during gestation. Transient expression of betatrophin in mouse liver significantly and specifically promotes pancreatic ß cell proliferation, expands ß cell mass, and improves glucose tolerance. Thus, betatrophin treatment could augment or replace insulin injections by increasing the number of endogenous insulin-producing cells in diabetics.

WUSCHEL controls genotype-dependent shoot regeneration capacity in potato.

Plant cells can reprogram their fate. The combinatorial actions of auxin and cytokinin dedifferentiate somatic cells to regenerate organs, which can develop into individual plants. As transgenic plants can be generated from genetically modified somatic cells through these processes, cell fate transition is an unavoidable step in crop genetic engineering. However, regeneration capacity closely depends on the genotype, and the molecular events underlying these variances remain elusive. In the present study, we demonstrated that WUSCHEL (WUS)-a homeodomain transcription factor-determines regeneration capacity in different potato (Solanum tuberosum) genotypes. Comparative analysis of shoot regeneration efficiency and expression of genes related to cell fate transition revealed that WUS expression coincided with regeneration rate in different potato genotypes. Moreover, in a high-efficiency genotype, WUS silencing suppressed shoot regeneration. Meanwhile, in a low-efficiency genotype, regeneration could be enhanced through the supplementation of a different type of cytokinin that promoted WUS expression. Computational modeling of cytokinin receptor-ligand interactions suggested that the docking pose of cytokinins mediated by hydrogen bonding with the core residues may be pivotal for WUS expression and shoot regeneration in potatoes. Furthermore, our whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed core sequence variations in the WUS promoters that differentiate low- and high-efficiency genotypes. The present study revealed that cytokinin responses, particularly WUS expression, determine shoot regeneration efficiency in different potato genotypes.

Quantifying In Situ Structural Stabilities of Human Blood Plasma Proteins Using a Novel Iodination Protein Stability Assay.

Many of the diseases that plague society today are driven by a loss of protein quality. One method to quantify protein quality is to measure the protein folding stability (PFS). Here, we present a novel mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach for PFS measurement, iodination protein stability assay (IPSA). IPSA quantifies the PFS by tracking the surface-accessibility differences of tyrosine, histidine, methionine, and cysteine under denaturing conditions. Relative to current methods, IPSA increases protein coverage and granularity to track the PFS changes of a protein along its sequence. To our knowledge, this study is the first time the PFS of human serum proteins has been measured in the context of the blood serum (in situ). We show that IPSA can quantify the PFS differences between different transferrin iron-binding states in near in vivo conditions. We also show that the direction of the denaturation curve reflects the in vivo surface accessibility of the amino acid residue and reproducibly reports a residue-specific PFS. Along with IPSA, we introduce an analysis tool Chalf that provides a simple workflow to calculate the residue-specific PFS. The introduction of IPSA increases the potential to use protein structural stability as a structural quality metric in understanding the etiology and progression of human disease. Data is openly available at Chorusproject.org (project ID 1771).

Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor Potentiates Epigallocatechin 3-O-Gallate-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death via Activation of the cGMP Signaling Pathway in Caco-2 Cells.

Epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCG) is a predominant component in green tea with various health benefits. The 67 kDa laminin receptor (67LR) is a nonintegrin cell surface receptor that is overexpressed in various types of cancer; 67LR was identified a cell surface EGCG target that plays a pivotal role in tumor growth, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. However, the plasma concentration of EGCG is limited, and its molecular mechanisms remain unelucidated in colon cancer. In this study, we found that the phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, vardenafil (VDN), potentiates EGCG-induced apoptotic cell death in colon cancer cells. The combination of EGCG and VDN induced apoptosis via activation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase/cyclic guanosine monophosphate/protein kinase Cδ signaling pathway. In conclusion, the PDE5 inhibitor, VDN, may reduce the intracellular PDE5 enzyme activity that potentiates EGCG-induced apoptotic cell death in Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that PDE5 inhibitors can be used to elevate cGMP levels to induce 67LR-mediated, cancer-specific cell death. Therefore, EGCG may be employed as a therapeutic candidate for colon cancer.

Numerical analysis on a viewing angle enhancement of a digital hologram by attaching a pixelated random phase mask.

In a digital hologram, the maximum viewing angle of a computer-generated hologram (CGH) is limited by pixel pitch due to the diffraction grating equation. Since reducing pixel size of display panel is challenging and costly, we propose a method to expand the viewing angle of a digital hologram by attaching an aligned pixelated random phase mask (PRPM) onto the CGH pattern based on analysis of simulation results. By introducing a phase-averaging process to the widely used iterative Fourier transform algorithm, an optimized CGH pattern can be obtained in conjunction with a PRPM. Based on scalar diffraction theory, viewing angle enhancement characteristics were verified by comparing the perspective views of a two-plane hologram using a virtual eye model. In addition, we performed full electromagnetic simulations that included effects due to potential fabrication errors such as misalignment, thickness variation, and internal reflections and diffractions between the CGH and random mask patterns. From the simulation results, by attaching a 1.85 µm-sized pixel pitch PRPM to a 3.7 µm CGH, the viewing angle can be easily expanded almost identical to that of a CGH with 1.85 µm-pixel pitch.

Empty Sella Syndrome Associated with Growth Hormone Deficiency: the First Case Report of Weiss-Kruszka Syndrome.

Weiss-Kruszka syndrome (WSKA), caused by heterozygous loss-of-function variants in ZNF462 gene, is a recently described and extremely rare genetic disorder. The main phenotypes include characteristic craniofacial features, ptosis, dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, and neurodevelopmental impairment. We report the first Korean boy with molecularly confirmed WSKA presenting with an atypical manifestation. A 16-year-old boy with a history of bilateral ptosis surgery presented with short stature (-3.49 standard deviation score) and delayed puberty. The patient showed characteristic craniofacial features including an inverted triangular-shaped head, exaggerated Cupid's bow, arched eyebrows, down-slanting palpebral fissures, and poorly expressive face. He had a mild degree of intellectual disability and mild hypotonia. Endocrine studies in the patient demonstrated complete growth hormone deficiency (GHD) associated with empty sella syndrome (ESS), based on a magnetic resonance imaging study for the brain that showed a flattened pituitary gland and cerebrospinal fluid space herniated into the sella turcica. To identify the genetic cause, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES). Through WES, a novel de novo heterozygous nonsense variant, c.4185del; p.(Met1396Ter) in ZNF462 was identified. This is the first case of WSKA accompanied by primary ESS associated with GHD. More clinical and functional studies are needed to elucidate this association.

Human Mesh Reconstruction with Generative Adversarial Networks from Single RGB Images.

Applications related to smart cities require virtual cities in the experimental development stage. To build a virtual city that are close to a real city, a large number of various types of human models need to be created. To reduce the cost of acquiring models, this paper proposes a method to reconstruct 3D human meshes from single images captured using a normal camera. It presents a method for reconstructing the complete mesh of the human body from a single RGB image and a generative adversarial network consisting of a newly designed shape-pose-based generator (based on deep convolutional neural networks) and an enhanced multi-source discriminator. Using a machine learning approach, the reliance on multiple sensors is reduced and 3D human meshes can be recovered using a single camera, thereby reducing the cost of building smart cities. The proposed method achieves an accuracy of 92.1% in body shape recovery; it can also process 34 images per second. The method proposed in this paper approach significantly improves the performance compared with previous state-of-the-art approaches. Given a single view image of various humans, our results can be used to generate various 3D human models, which can facilitate 3D human modeling work to simulate virtual cities. Since our method can also restore the poses of the humans in the image, it is possible to create various human poses by given corresponding images with specific human poses.

Clinicopathologic risk factors of radioactive iodine therapy based on response assessment in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: We investigated whether predictive clinicopathologic factors can be affected by different response criteria and how the clinical usefulness of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy should be evaluated considering variable factors in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). METHODS: A total of 1563 patients with DTC who underwent first RAI therapy after total or near total thyroidectomy were retrospectively enrolled from 25 hospitals. Response to therapy was evaluated with two different protocols based on combination of biochemical and imaging studies: (1) serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and neck ultrasonography (US) and (2) serum Tg, neck US, and radioiodine scan. The responses to therapy were classified into excellent and non-excellent or acceptable and non-acceptable to minimize the effect of non-specific imaging findings. We investigated which factors were associated with response to therapy depending on the follow-up protocols as well as response classifications. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors significantly predicting response to therapy. RESULTS: The proportion of patients in the excellent response group significantly decreased from 76.5 to 59.6% when radioiodine scan was added to the follow-up protocol (P < 0.001). Preparation method (recombinant human TSH vs. thyroid hormone withdrawal) was a significant factor for excellent response prediction evaluated with radioiodine scan (OR 2.129; 95% CI 1.687-2.685; P < 0.001) but was not for other types of response classifications. Administered RAI activity, which was classified as low (1.11 GBq) or high (3.7 GBq or higher), significantly predicted both excellent and acceptable responses regardless of the follow-up protocol. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical impact of factors related to response prediction differed depending on the follow-up protocol or classification of response criteria. A high administered activity of RAI was a significant factor predicting a favorable response to therapy regardless of the follow-up protocol or classification of response criteria.

Phenomenological examinations of delirium in advanced cancer patients: exploratory structural equation modelling and latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study examined phenomenological manifestations of delirium in advanced cancer patients by examining the factor structure of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R-98) and profiles of delirium symptoms. METHODS: Ninety-three patients with advanced cancer admitted to inpatient palliative care units in South Korea were examined by psychiatrists using the DRS-R-98 and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). The factor structure of the DRS-R-98 was examined by exploratory structural equation modelling analysis (ESEM) and profiles of delirium were examined by latent profile analysis (LPA). RESULTS: CAM-defined delirium was present in 66.6% (n = 62) of patients. Results from the ESEM analysis confirmed applicability of the core and noncore symptom factors of the DRS-R-98 to advanced cancer patients. LPA identified three distinct profiles of delirium characterizing the overall severity of delirium and its core and noncore symptoms. Class 1 (n = 55, 59.1%) showed low levels of all delirium symptoms. Class 2 (n = 17, 18.3%) showed high levels of core symptoms only, whereas Class 3 (n = 21, 22.6%) showed high levels of both core and noncore symptoms except motor retardation. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical care for delirium in advanced cancer patients may benefit from consideration of the core and noncore symptom factor structure and the three distinct phenomenological profiles of delirium observed in the present study.

Multiple Event-Based Simulation Scenario Generation Approach for Autonomous Vehicle Smart Sensors and Devices.

Nowadays, deep learning methods based on a virtual environment are widely applied to research and technology development for autonomous vehicle's smart sensors and devices. Learning various driving environments in advance is important to handle unexpected situations that can exist in the real world and to continue driving without accident. For training smart sensors and devices of an autonomous vehicle well, a virtual simulator should create scenarios of various possible real-world situations. To create reality-based scenarios, data on the real environment must be collected from a real driving vehicle or a scenario analysis process conducted by experts. However, these two approaches increase the period and the cost of scenario generation as more scenarios are created. This paper proposes a scenario generation method based on deep learning to create scenarios automatically for training autonomous vehicle smart sensors and devices. To generate various scenarios, the proposed method extracts multiple events from a video which is taken on a real road by using deep learning and generates the multiple event in a virtual simulator. First, Faster-region based convolution neural network (Faster-RCNN) extracts bounding boxes of each object in a driving video. Second, the high-level event bounding boxes are calculated. Third, long-term recurrent convolution networks (LRCN) classify each type of extracted event. Finally, all multiple event classification results are combined into one scenario. The generated scenarios can be used in an autonomous driving simulator to teach multiple events that occur during real-world driving. To verify the performance of the proposed scenario generation method, experiments using real driving video data and a virtual simulator were conducted. The results for deep learning model show an accuracy of 95.6%; furthermore, multiple high-level events were extracted, and various scenarios were generated in a virtual simulator for smart sensors and devices of an autonomous vehicle.

Factors Influencing Developmental Care Practice Among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine factors that influence developmental care practice among neonatal intensive care unit nurses. DESIGN AND METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. Data were collected from 141 neonatal intensive care unit nurses from 6 hospitals in South Korea. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine factors influencing developmental care practice. RESULTS: This study found that professional efficacy had the largest influence on developmental care practice, followed by perception of developmental care and a task-oriented organizational culture. Clinical and educational experience regarding developmental care and working environment was not associated with developmental care practice among NICU nurses. CONCLUSIONS: To enhance nurses' practice of developmental care, enhancement of nurses' individual competency, positive perception of developmental care, and organizational efforts are required. A practical training program should be provided to nurses to promote confidence in implementing developmental care for preterm infants. IMPLICATIONS: A trained nurse should provide staff nurses with useful information on developmental care to encourage them to have a positive attitude towards developmental care. The nurse manager should create an organizational culture in which nurses perceive developmental care to be an essential nursing task in their unit.

Structural Analysis of Gluco-Oligosaccharides Produced by Leuconostoc lactis and Their Prebiotic Effect.

Leuconostoc lactis CCK940, which exhibits glycosyltransferase activity, produces oligosaccharides using sucrose and maltose as donor and receptor molecules, respectively. The oligosaccharides produced were purified by Bio-gel P2 chromatography and the purified oligosaccharides (CCK-oligosaccharides) consisted of only glucose. 1H-NMR analysis revealed that the CCK-oligosaccharides were composed of 77.6% α-1,6 and 22.4% α-1,4 glycosidic linkages, and the molecular weight of the CCK-oligosaccharides was found to be 9.42 × 102 Da. To determine the prebiotic effect of the CCK-oligosaccharides, various carbon sources were added in modified media. Growth of six probiotic strains, Lactobacillus casei, L. pentosus, L. plantarum, Weissella cibaria, Bifidobacterim animalis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was better when the CCK-oligosaccharides were used as the sole carbon source compared to fructo-oligosaccharides, which are widely used as prebiotics. These results showed that the CCK-oligosaccharides produced from Leu. lactis CCK940 could serve as good candidates for novel prebiotics.

Impact of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Results From a National Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in-hospital consequences of prolonged respiratory support with invasive mechanical ventilation in very low birth weight infants. STUDY DESIGN: A cohort study was performed using prospectively collected data from 69 neonatal intensive care units participating in the Korean national registry. In total, 3508 very low birth weight infants born between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 were reviewed. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard ratio for death increased significantly for infants who received mechanical ventilation for more than 2 weeks compared with those were mechanically ventilated for 7 days or less. The individual mortality rate increased after 8 weeks, reaching 50% and 60% at 14 and 16 weeks of cumulative mechanical ventilation, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the cumulative duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with a clinically significant increase in the odds of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension. Mechanical ventilation exposure for longer than 2 weeks, compared with 7 days or less, was associated with retinopathy of prematurity requiring laser coagulation and periventricular leukomalacia. The odds of abnormal auditory screening test results were significantly increased in infants who needed mechanical ventilation for more than 4 weeks. A longer cumulative duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with increased lengths of hospitalization and parenteral nutrition and a higher probability of discharge with poor achievement of physical growth. CONCLUSIONS: Although mechanical ventilation is a life-saving intervention for premature infants, these results indicate that it is associated with negative consequences when applied for prolonged periods.

Shewanella saliphila sp. nov., Shewanella ulleungensis sp. nov. and Shewanella litoralis sp. nov., isolated from coastal seawater.

Three Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and motile bacterial strains, designated MMS16-UL250T, MMS16-UL253T and MMS16-UL482T, were isolated from coastal seawater and subjected to taxonomic characterization. All isolates grew at 4-30 °C (optimum, 25 °C), at pH 6-10 (pH 7) and in the presence of up to 8 % NaCl (2.5-4.5 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between the three isolates and Shewanella algicola St-6T, the closest species, were 98.1-99.2 %, and those among the isolates were 98.5-99.0 %. In the phylogenetic tree, MMS16-UL250T formed a cluster with S. algicola St-6T, but the DNA-DNA relatedness between the two strains was 28.8±1.5 %, thus confirming their separation at species level. The other two strains formed separate phylogenetic lines respectively. The main quinones for all strains were Q-7, Q-8, MK-7 and MMK-7, which is typical for Shewanella. The major polar lipids of all strains were phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine, and the common major fatty acid was a summed feature consisting of C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c while the proportions varied among the three strains. The DNA G+C contents of the strains also varied between 42.1 and 43.7 mol%. Phenotypic properties distinguished each strain from S. algicola as well as from one another. Based on the polyphasic analysis, each strain is considered to represent a novel species of Shewanella, for which the names Shewanellasaliphila sp. nov. (type strain, MMS16-UL250T=KCTC 62131T=JCM 32304T), Shewanella ulleungensis sp. nov. (type strain, MMS16-UL253T=KCTC 62130T=JCM 32305T) and Shewanella litoralis sp. nov. (type strain, MMS16-UL482T=KCTC 62129T=JCM 32306T) are proposed.

Pseudogracilibacillus endophyticus sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic and halophilic species isolated from plant root.

A Gram-stain-positive strain, designated DT7-02T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized root of Oenotherabiennis (evening primrose) and subjected to taxonomic characterization. Cells of DT7-02T were slender rod-shaped, motile by means of flagella, and oxidase- and catalase-positive. The colonies were circular, pinkish-yellow, opaque, glistering and 1-2 mm in diameter. The strain was moderately thermophilic and halophilic, as growth occurred at 20-44 °C (optimum 40 °C), pH 7-10 (optimum pH 8-9) and in the presence of 0-8 % of NaCl (optimum 4 %) in tryptic soy broth. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain represented a member of the genus Pseudogracilibacillus of the family Bacillaceae, and the sequence similarity was 96.5 % with Pseudogracilibacillus auburnensis P-207T and 95.9 % with Pseudogracilibacillus marinus NIOT-bflm-S4T. Other related taxa were Ornithinibacillus contaminans DSM 22953T and Sinibacillus soli KCTC 33117T, with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 95.4 and 94.3 %, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids of DT7-02T were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 35.1 mol%, and the respiratory quinone was MK-7. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The combination of chemotaxonomic properties enabled differentiation of DT7-02T from the other two species of the genus Pseudogracilibacillus. The results of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses demonstrate that strain DT7-02T (=KCTC 33854T=JCM 31192T) merits recognition as representing a novel species of the genus Pseudogracilibacillus, for which the name Pseudogracilibacillusendophyticus sp. nov. is proposed.

Streptacidiphilus pinicola sp. nov., isolated from pine grove soil.

A moderately acidophilic actinobacterial strain, designated MMS16-CNU450T, was isolated from pine grove soil, and its taxonomic position was analysed using a polyphasic approach. The isolate showed best growth at 30 °C, pH 6 and 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the isolate was assigned to the genus Streptacidiphilus, and the closest species were Streptacidiphilus rugosus AM-16T (sequence similarity, 98.61 %), Streptacidiphilus melanogenes NBRC 103184T (98.53 %), Streptacidiphilus jiangxiensis NBRC 100920T (98.19 %) and Streptacidiphilus anmyonensis NBRC 103185T (98.05 %). The isolate formed a distinct cluster of its own within the Streptacidiphilusclade in the phylogenetic tree. Based on whole-genome comparison between the strain MMS16-CNU450T and the type strains of related species, the orthologous average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values were in the range of 77.9-87.0 and 22.3-32.7 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of the isolate was 68.6 mol%. The phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic data supported the affiliation of the strain to Streptacidiphilus, and the name Streptacidiphilus pinicola sp. nov. (type strain, MMS16-CNU450T=KCTC 49008T=JCM 32300T) is proposed accordingly.

Smart Contract-Based Review System for an IoT Data Marketplace.

Internet of Things (IoT)-based devices, especially those used for home automation, consist of their own sensors and generate many logs during a process. Enterprises producing IoT devices convert these log data into more useful data through secondary processing; thus, they require data from the device users. Recently, a platform for data sharing has been developed because the demand for IoT data increases. Several IoT data marketplaces are based on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, and in this type of marketplace, it is difficult for an enterprise to trust a data owner or the data they want to trade. Therefore, in this study, we propose a review system that can confirm the reputation of a data owner or the data traded in the P2P data marketplace. The traditional server-client review systems have many drawbacks, such as security vulnerability or server administrator's malicious behavior. However, the review system developed in this study is based on Ethereum smart contracts; thus, this system is running on the P2P network and is more flexible for the network problem. Moreover, the integrity and immutability of the registered reviews are assured because of the blockchain public ledger. In addition, a certain amount of gas is essential for all functions to be processed by Ethereum transactions. Accordingly, we tested and analyzed the performance of our proposed model in terms of gas required.

Allohumibacter endophyticus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the root of wild Artemisia princeps (mugwort).

A novel actinobacterium designated strain MWE-A11T was isolated from the root of wild Artemisia princeps (mugwort). The isolate was aerobic, Gram-stain-positive and short rod-shaped, and the colonies were yellow and circular with entire margin. Strain MWE-A11T grew at 15-37 °C and pH 6.0-8.0. The predominant isoprenoid quinones were MK-11 and MK-10. The predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0, and the DNA G+C content was 68.8 mol%. The main polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified glycolipid. The peptidoglycan contained 2,4-diaminobutyric acid as the diagnostic diamino acid, and the acyl type was glycolyl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons indicated that strain MWE-A11T was affiliated with the family Microbacteriaceae, and was most closely related to the type strains of Humibacter antri (96.4% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Herbiconiux moechotypicola (96.3%), Leifsonia soli (96.3%), Leifsonia lichenia (96.2%), Leifsonia xyli subsp. cynodontis (96.1%), Microbacterium testaceum (96.0%) and Humibacter albus (96.0%). However, the combination of chemotaxonomic properties clearly distinguished strain MWE-A11T from the related taxa at genus level. Accordingly, Allohumibacter endophyticus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate a new member of the family Microbacteriaceae. The type strain of the type species is MWE-A11T (=JCM 19371T=KCTC 29232T).