Identification and characterization of GAL4 drivers that mark distinct cell types and regions in the Drosophila adult gut.

The gastrointestinal tract in the adult Drosophila serves as a model system for exploring the mechanisms underlying digestion, absorption and excretion, stem cell plasticity, and inter-organ communication, particularly through the gut-brain axis. It is also useful for studying the cellular and adaptive responses to dietary changes, alterations in microbiota and immunity, and systematic and endocrine signals. Despite the various cell types and distinct regions in the gastrointestinal tract, few tools are available to target and manipulate the activity of each cell type and region, and their gene expression. Here, we report 353 GAL4 lines and several split-GAL4 lines that are expressed in enteric neurons (ENs), progenitors (ISCs and EBs), enterocytes (ECs), enteroendocrine cells (EEs), or/and other cell types that are yet to be identified in distinct regions of the gut. We had initially collected approximately 600 GAL4 lines that may be expressed in the gut based on RNA sequencing data, and then crossed them to UAS-GFP to perform immunohistochemistry to identify those that are expressed selectively in the gut. The cell types and regional expression patterns that are associated with the entire set of GAL4 drivers and split-GAL4 combinations are annotated online at http://kdrc.kr/index.php (K-Gut Project). This GAL4 resource can be used to target specific populations of distinct cell types in the fly gut, and therefore, should permit a more precise investigation of gut cells that regulate important biological processes.

Advanced Strategies for 3D Bioprinting of Tissue and Organ Analogs Using Alginate Hydrogel Bioinks.

Alginate is a natural polysaccharide that typically originates from various species of algae. Due to its low cost, good biocompatibility, and rapid ionic gelation, the alginate hydrogel has become a good option of bioink source for 3D bioprinting. However, the lack of cell adhesive moieties, erratic biodegradability, and poor printability are the critical limitations of alginate hydrogel bioink. This review discusses the pivotal properties of alginate hydrogel as a bioink for 3D bioprinting technologies. Afterward, a variety of advanced material formulations and biofabrication strategies that have recently been developed to overcome the drawbacks of alginate hydrogel bioink will be focused on. In addition, the applications of these advanced solutions for 3D bioprinting of tissue/organ mimicries such as regenerative implants and in vitro tissue models using alginate-based bioink will be systematically summarized.

Suppression of influenza B virus replication by sakuranetin and mode of its action.

This study aimed to investigate in vitro the anti-influenza B/Lee/40 virus effect of sakuranetin and mode of its action. The sakuranetin exhibited potent antiviral activity against influenza B/Lee/40 virus, reducing the formation of a visible cytopathic effect, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of 7.21 µg/ml and no cytotoxicity at a concentration of 100 µg/ml, and the derived therapeutic index (TI) was >13.87. Oseltamivir showed weak anti-influenza B/Lee/40 virus activity with IC50 of 80.74 µg/ml, 50% cytotoxicity concentration of >100 µg/ml, and TI of >1.24. Sakuranetin also showed effective inhibitory effects when added at the viral attachment, entry, and postentry steps. Moreover, sakuranetin effectively inactivated influenza B/Lee/40 virus infection in dose- and temperature-dependent manners. Sakuranetin indicated an inhibitory effect in viral RNA synthesis in the presence of 100 µg/ml of sakuranetin. Overall, this research revealed that sakuranetin could inhibit influenza B/Lee/40 virus replication and that sakuranetin may be involved in the virus attachment, entry, and postentry. Therefore, sakuranetin is a good candidate for a chemopreventive agent for influenza virus-related diseases.

Analysis of Chain Branch of Polyolefins by a New Proton NMR Approach.

The crystallinity of polyethylene, which significantly affects the properties of the polymer, is quite sensitive to the concentration of its branches. Thus, it is necessary to estimate branch concentration with reasonable accuracy. Currently, (13)C NMR and gel permeation chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are widely-used analysis methods for the analysis of branch concentration. Despite several advantages, these methods sometimes have limitations. For instance, the preparation of samples for (13)C- NMR is tedious because high-concentration samples are required and the time for analysis is greater than 12 h. To more efficiently estimate the branch concentration of polyethylene, we developed a new high-field (1)H NMR method with an improved peak resolution by employing (1) homonuclear decoupling and (2) 2D heteronuclear correlation. The new method was observed to significantly reduce the experimental time to ∼ 30 min; furthermore, sample preparation was relatively simple because the method did not require high-concentration samples.

MTF performance verification of an athermalized large-aperture IR optical system for space environment.

We develop an athermalized IR optical system operating in the temperature range of 10°C-30°C in vacuum. As large defocus errors can occur in IR optical systems in such an environment, we estimate the amount of defocus induced by the thermoelastic effect, thermo-optic effect, and air-to-vacuum transition. Furthermore, we measure the modulation transfer function (MTF) performance of our IR optical system in a thermal vacuum chamber. Our athermal system design and accurate estimation of the air-to-vacuum transition effect enable the realization of a stable IR optical system for a space environment, which exhibits an MTF value greater than 18%.

Dual-isotope imaging method for Actinium-225 and Bismuth-213 using alpha imaging detector.

Recently, 225Ac has received considerable attention for its use in targeted alpha therapy because it has a relatively long half-life and yields four more alpha-particles from the daughter nuclides. The performance evaluation should separately assess the distribution of 225Ac and 213Bi because daughter nuclides, including 213Bi, can cause renal toxicity, which may hinder the widespread use of 225Ac for targeted alpha therapy. In this study, we describe and validate a spectrum decomposition method for dual-isotope imaging of 225Ac and 213Bi using an alpha imaging detector. We implemented an experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of using the alpha imaging detector to obtain distribution images using therapeutic amounts of 225Ac. In addition, we designed and conducted a Monte Carlo simulation under realistic conditions based on the experimental results to evaluate the spectrum decomposition method for dual-isotope imaging. The alpha imaging detector exhibited a detection efficiency of 18.5% and an energy resolution of 13.4% at 5.5 MeV. In the simulation, the distributions of 225Ac and 213Bi were obtained in each region with a relative error of 5%. The results of this study confirmed the feasibility of the dual-isotope imaging method for discriminating alpha-emitters using small amounts of 225Ac.

Postprandial sodium sensing by enteric neurons in Drosophila.

Sodium is essential for all living organisms1. Animals including insects and mammals detect sodium primarily through peripheral taste cells2-7. It is not known, however, whether animals can detect this essential micronutrient independently of the taste system. Here, we report that Drosophila Ir76b mutants that were unable to detect sodium2 became capable of responding to sodium following a period of salt deprivation. From a screen for cells required for the deprivation-induced sodium preference, we identified a population of anterior enteric neurons, which we named internal sodium-sensing (INSO) neurons, that are essential for directing a behavioural preference for sodium. Enteric INSO neurons innervate the gut epithelia mainly through their dendritic processes and send their axonal projections along the oesophagus to the brain and to the crop duct. Through calcium imaging and CaLexA experiments, we found that INSO neurons respond immediately and specifically to sodium ions. Notably, the sodium-evoked responses were observed only after a period of sodium deprivation. Taken together, we have identified a taste-independent sodium sensor that is essential for the maintenance of sodium homeostasis.

The Effect of Power Distance Belief on the Evaluation of Experiential and Material Purchases.

Depending on the level of power distance belief (PDB), individuals have different motivations to compare themselves with other people. This study suggests that the relationship between purchase type (material versus experiential) and purchase evaluation is moderated by PDB. Furthermore, the effect of purchase type and PDB on purchase evaluation is mediated through comparison motivation. To investigate the effect of PDB on the evaluation, we conducted two experiments by manipulating a 2 (purchase type: material vs. experiential purchase) × 2 (PDB: low vs. high) between-subjects design. In the case of experiential purchases, individuals with high PDB exhibit lower purchase evaluations than those with low PDB, as they are more inclined to compare these with other experiential goods (study 1). Conversely, under material purchases, the impact of PDB on purchase evaluation does not differ as material purchases already motivate individuals to compare other material goods (study 1). Additionally, individuals with high PDB are more motivated to compare purchases due to their greater need for structure (study 2). Our findings provide guidelines for the development of advertising strategy with social networking services and live-streaming commerce platforms.

Comparison of Plasma Metabolites From Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Erlotinib Treatment and Skin Rash.

Erlotinib is a necessary anticancer treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients yet it causes severe side effects such as skin rash. In this study, researchers compared the untargeted compound profiles before and after erlotinib administration to observe changes in blood metabolites in NSCLC patients. The levels of 1005 substances changed after taking erlotinib. The levels of 306 and 699 metabolites were found to have increased and decreased, respectively. We found 5539 substances with peak area differences based on the presence of skin rash. Carbohydrate, amino acid, and vitamin metabolic pathways were altered in response to the onset of erlotinib-induced skin rash. Finally, this study proposed using plasma metabolites to identify biomarker(s) induced by erlotinib, as well as target molecule(s), for the treatment of dermatological toxic effects.

Scoping review of the medicinal effects of Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker and the underlying mechanisms.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker (ES) is an insect widely used in traditional East Asian medicine known to exhibit clinical effects on various pathological conditions. Overall, ES is a useful medicinal insect that can treat various diseases, including cancer and immune diseases. However, further mechanistic studies based on its therapeutic effects in clinical settings are required. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed to evaluate the current research landscape and diseases associated with ES to synthesize the clinical value of ES based on the associated diseases and underlying therapeutic mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Embase and PubMed databases were searched for experimental studies that evaluated the therapeutic efficacy or underlying mechanisms of ES until May 2021. The evidence for each study was summarized using a narrative synthesis approach. Studies on extracted or dried whole ES and ES-derived compounds were quantitatively analyzed by year and disease type. Meanwhile, the overall research trend was confirmed for studies on ES-containing prescriptions by visualizing the disease type analysis. RESULTS: A total of 151 studies were identified, of which 51 were included in our review. There were 14 studies on extracted or dried whole ES, 15 on ES-derived compounds, and 22 on ES-containing prescriptions. ES was most commonly used for cancer-related diseases, followed by those related to endocrine function and immunity. ES regulates the cell cycle, tumor suppressor genes and proteins, immune-related biomarkers, and antioxidant molecules. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, ES is a beneficial medicinal insect that can treat various diseases, including cancer and immune diseases. However, further mechanistic studies based on its therapeutic effects in clinical settings are required.

The Biofabrication of Diseased Artery In Vitro Models.

As the leading causes of global death, cardiovascular diseases are generally initiated by artery-related disorders such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and aneurysm. Although clinical treatments have been developed to rescue patients suffering from artery-related disorders, the underlying pathologies of these arterial abnormalities are not fully understood. Biofabrication techniques pave the way to constructing diseased artery in vitro models using human vascular cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules, which are capable of recapitulating arterial pathophysiology with superior performance compared with conventional planar cell culture and experimental animal models. This review discusses the critical elements in the arterial microenvironment which are important considerations for recreating biomimetic human arteries with the desired disorders in vitro. Afterward, conventionally biofabricated platforms for the investigation of arterial diseases are summarized, along with their merits and shortcomings, followed by a comprehensive review of advanced biofabrication techniques and the progress of their applications in establishing diseased artery models.

Extending the Bioavailability of Hydrophilic Antioxidants for Metal Ion Detoxification via Crystallization with Polysaccharide Dopamine.

Although metal ions, such as silver and gold, have been shown to have strong antimicrobial properties, their potential to have toxic effects on human and environmental health has gained interest with an improved understanding of their mechanisms to promote oxidative stress. Redox control is a major focus of many drug delivery systems and often incorporates an antioxidant as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to neutralize overproduced reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nevertheless, there are still limitations with bioavailability and extended redox control with regard to antioxidant drug delivery. Herein, this study develops a colloidal antioxidant crystal system that dissolves sustainably through polymer stabilization using sodium hyaluronate conjugated with dopamine (HA-dopa). We explore the role of dopamine incorporation into crystal-stabilizing polymers and quantify the balance between drug-polymer interactions and competing polymer-polymer interactions. We propose that this type of analysis is useful in the engineering of and provides insight into the release behavior of polymer-crystal complexes. In developing our crystal complex, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was used as the model antioxidant to protect against silver ion toxicity. We found that our optimized HA-dopa-stabilized NAC crystals prolong the release time of NAC 5-fold compared to a polymer-free NAC crystal. Therefore, following sublethal exposure to AgNO3, the extended lifetime of NAC was able to maintain normal intracellular ROS levels, modulate metabolic function, mitigate fluctuations in ATP levels and ATP synthase activity, and preserve contraction frequency in engineered cardiac muscle tissue. Furthermore, the protective effects of the HA-dopa-stabilized NAC crystals were extended to a Daphnia magna model where silver-ion-induced change to both cell-level biochemistry and organ function was alleviated. As such, we propose that the packaging of hydrophilic antioxidants as colloidal crystals drastically extends the lifetime of the API, better maintains ROS homeostasis post metal ion exposure, and therefore preserves both intracellular biochemistry and tissue functionality.

3D Printing of Pharmaceutical Application: Drug Screening and Drug Delivery.

Advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques and the development of tailored biomaterials have facilitated the precise fabrication of biological components and complex 3D geometrics over the past few decades. Moreover, the notable growth of 3D printing has facilitated pharmaceutical applications, enabling the development of customized drug screening and drug delivery systems for individual patients, breaking away from conventional approaches that primarily rely on transgenic animal experiments and mass production. This review provides an extensive overview of 3D printing research applied to drug screening and drug delivery systems that represent pharmaceutical applications. We classify several elements required by each application for advanced pharmaceutical techniques and briefly describe state-of-the-art 3D printing technology consisting of cells, bioinks, and printing strategies that satisfy requirements. Furthermore, we discuss the limitations of traditional approaches by providing concrete examples of drug screening (organoid, organ-on-a-chip, and tissue/organ equivalent) and drug delivery systems (oral/vaginal/rectal and transdermal/surgical drug delivery), followed by the introduction of recent pharmaceutical investigations using 3D printing-based strategies to overcome these challenges.

Exploring the Key Antecedents Influencing Consumer's Continuance Intention toward Bike-Sharing Services: Focus on China.

This study investigates the key antecedents affecting consumers' continuance intention toward bike-sharing services in China. The theoretical framework clarifies the role of perceived value and trust in a service provider in enhancing customer's continuance intention toward bike-sharing services. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment are considered vital factors in forming perceived value and trust in a service provider. Financial risk and privacy risk serve as inhibitors to consumers' continuance intention. Our research model is validated using data from 224 bike-sharing consumers in China. Both perceived value and trust in a service have a significant impact on consumers' continuance intention. However, financial risk significantly affects customer's continuance intention, although privacy risk does not have a significant impact on it. The analysis results show that perceived usefulness has no significant effect on both perceived value and trust in a service provider. The results demonstrate that perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment play a significant role in enhancing both perceived value and trust in a service provider. Our results are expected to provide academic and practical implications for bike-sharing services.

Performance evaluation of a Compton SPECT imager for determining the position and distribution of 225Ac in targeted alpha therapy: A Monte Carlo simulation based phantom study.

In this study, the performance of a Compton Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imager when in vivo monitoring the position and distribution of 225Ac radionuclide in targeted alpha therapy (TAT) was evaluated. When 225Ac radionuclide, which emits various γ-rays (218 and 440 keV), is used in TAT, both the photoelectric and Compton scattering events can be used for image reconstruction. Moreover, all information pertaining to the various γ-rays of the 225Ac radionuclide can be individually or simultaneously utilized in the reconstructed image. Three types of simulation phantoms and a quantitative evaluation method were used to compare the performance of the Compton SPECT imager to that of conventional SPECT imaging, which uses only photoelectric events, and the results demonstrated that the Compton SPECT imager exhibited a higher performance as the effective count for the image reconstruction was higher. To verify the accuracy of the position and distribution of the 225Ac radionuclide that had been inserted into the phantom, reconstructed images of the various γ-rays were combined with cross-sectional images of the human phantom and all combined images were found to match the predetermined simulation conditions. In conclusion, the simulation results demonstrated the feasibility of the in vivo monitoring of the position and distribution of 225Ac radionuclide using the γ-rays in TAT.

Immune-suppressive activity of punicalagin via inhibition of NFAT activation.

Since T cell activation is central to the development of autoimmune diseases, we screened a natural product library comprising 1400 samples of medicinal herbal extracts, to identify compounds that suppress T cell activity. Punicalagin (PCG) isolated from the fruit of Punica granatum was identified as a potent immune suppressant, based on its inhibitory action on the activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). PCG downregulated the mRNA and soluble protein expression of interleukin-2 from anti-CD3/anti-CD28-stimulated murine splenic CD4+ T cells and suppressed mixed leukocytes reaction (MLR) without exhibiting cytotoxicity to the cells. In vivo, the PCG treatment inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced chronic ear edema in mice and decreased CD3+ T cell infiltration of the inflamed tissue. These results suggest that PCG could be a potential candidate for the therapeutics of various immune pathologies.

Capsosiphon fulvescens extracts improve obesity-associated metabolic disorders and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Herbal dietary supplements have attracted more and more attention owing to their relative effectiveness in obesity -related metabolic disorders and diseases. This study investigated the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Capsosiphon fulvescens (CF) extracts on obesity, their associated metabolic disorders and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with normal, HFD/Vehicle and HFD/CF (orally 300 mg/kg/day for CF). After 12 weeks, CF blocked HFD-induced body weight, food intake, liver weight, hepatic triglyceride (TG), fat mass (weight of abdominal subcutaneous fat and epididymal adipose tissue) and biochemical parameters (total cohlesterol, glucose, TG, creatinine, high-density lipoproteins cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) of serum. CF also had improved serum levels of adiponectin, leptin and insulin-like growth factor-1 in HFD/CF mice. Moreover, CF ameliorated the hepatic steatosis-reducing size of white adipose tissue. These results indicate that CF have anti-obesity effects and are effective for reducing metabolic risk and hepatic steatosis.

Synthesis and evaluation of cis-1-[4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-cyclopenten-1-yl]-5-[(124)I]iodouracil: a new potential PET imaging agent for HSV1-tk expression.

In our pursuit to find an appropriate reporter probe for herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk), a carbocyclic nucleoside analogue, cis-1-[4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-cyclopenten-1-yl]-5-[124I]iodouracil, has been efficiently synthesized. A Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling reaction together with organotin and exchange reactions for radiolabeling gave more than 80% radiochemical yield with greater than 95% radiochemical purity and 1.15 GBq/mumol specific activity. Biological data reveal that the analogue is stable in vitro, less toxic than ganciclovir (GCV), and selective to HSV1-tk-expressed cells based on micro positron emission tomography (microPET) image analyses. Thus, this new carbocyclic nucleoside, referred to in this paper as carbocyclic 2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxy-5-iodouridine (carbocyclic d4IU) is a potential imaging probe for HSV1-tk.

IFN-gamma regulates the expression of B7-H1 in dermal fibroblast cells.

BACKGROUND: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (B7-H1) was recently cloned in antigen presenting cells (APCs) and represents a third member of the B7 family. Thus, B7-H1 may be a novel target for clinical intervention in human inflammatory disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the signal transduction mechanism and transcriptional regulation of B7-H1 expression in human dermal fibroblasts. METHODS: We performed reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for the detection of mRNA expression, luciferase reporter assays with B7-H1 promoter constructs, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: From RT-PCR analysis, IFN-gamma can induce the expression of B7-H1 mRNA in dermal fibroblast. This expression is similar to the results of luciferase reporter assay with B7-H1 promoter. Western blot analysis and EMSA revealed that NF-kappaB transcription factors mediate the induction of B7-H1 expression via the transient phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and PI3K when cells are stimulated by IFN-gamma. Also, Specific destruction of the NF-kappaB binding site abolished the induction of the promoter activity by IFN-gamma. CONCLUSION: Our data not only provides the first evidence to demonstrate that dermal fibroblast express the B7-H1 mRNA in the process of skin inflammation, but also suggests the involvement of NF-kappaB and MAPK and PI3K, that may play some important roles in inflammation process in human skin diseases.

Mitochondrial genome sequence of Sibynophis chinensis (Squamata, Colubridae).

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the Chinese many-toothed snake, Sibynophis chinensis, was sequenced and found to be 17,163 bp in length. The arrangement of 13 protein-coding genes, tRNAs and rRNAs was identical to that of other common snake mt genomes. The mt protein-coding genes of S. chinensis utilized ATA, ATG, ATA and GTG as initiation codons and AGA, AGG, TAA, TAG and T as termination codons. Among three tRNA clusters (LQM, WANCY and HSL), LQM was found instead of IQM, which is common in other vertebrates. We also identified two control regions that contained several conserved elements known as conserved sequence blocks and termination-associated sequences related to mt replication and transcription.