Reinforcement of a Subcutaneous Pocket for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Insertion Using Acellular Dermal Matrix: A Case Report.

Pediatric patients who undergo implant insertion into the chest wall face a high risk of implant exposure to the external environment. Five months after an 8-year-old boy underwent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in a subcutaneous pocket in the left anterolateral chest wall to manage long QT syndrome, ICD replacement became necessary owing to exposure risk from distal and lateral thinning of the ICD pocket. Pocket rupture and exposure would increase the risk of infection; therefore, we performed ICD removal and primary pocket closure. Two weeks later, a new suprafascial pocket was created, an acellular dermal matrix (ADM) was attached to the inner wall to prevent ICD protrusion, and a new ICD was inserted. One year postoperatively, the ADM was engrafted, and no complications were observed. A thin subcutaneous layer increases the risk of ICD implantation complications. Inner wall strengthening with an ADM can help prevent pocket rupture.

An Explainable Prediction for Dietary-Related Diseases via Language Models.

Our study harnesses the power of natural language processing (NLP) to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and metabolic health outcomes among Korean adults using data from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII). Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) analysis, we identified three distinct dietary patterns: "Traditional and Staple", "Communal and Festive", and "Westernized and Convenience-Oriented". These patterns reflect the diversity of dietary preferences in Korea and reveal the cultural and social dimensions influencing eating habits and their potential implications for public health, particularly concerning obesity and metabolic disorders. Integrating NLP-based indices, including sentiment scores and the identified dietary patterns, into our predictive models significantly enhanced the accuracy of obesity and dyslipidemia predictions. This improvement was consistent across various machine learning techniques-XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost-demonstrating the efficacy of NLP methodologies in refining disease prediction models. Our findings underscore the critical role of dietary patterns as indicators of metabolic diseases. The successful application of NLP techniques offers a novel approach to public health and nutritional epidemiology, providing a deeper understanding of the diet-disease nexus. This study contributes to the evolving field of personalized nutrition and emphasizes the potential of leveraging advanced computational tools to inform targeted nutritional interventions and public health strategies aimed at mitigating the prevalence of metabolic disorders in the Korean population.

Enhancing Exchange-Traded Fund Price Predictions: Insights from Information-Theoretic Networks and Node Embeddings.

This study presents a novel approach to predicting price fluctuations for U.S. sector index ETFs. By leveraging information-theoretic measures like mutual information and transfer entropy, we constructed threshold networks highlighting nonlinear dependencies between log returns and trading volume rate changes. We derived centrality measures and node embeddings from these networks, offering unique insights into the ETFs' dynamics. By integrating these features into gradient-boosting algorithm-based models, we significantly enhanced the predictive accuracy. Our approach offers improved forecast performance for U.S. sector index futures and adds a layer of explainability to the existing literature.

The genetic structure and demographic history of Zabelia tyaihyonii, endemic to Korean limestone karst forests, based on genome-wide SNP markers.

Similar to the global phenomenon, many plant species endemic to Korean limestone karst forests are at risk of extinction due to human intervention. Zabelia tyaihyonii is a familiar shrub, called "Hardy abelia" and "Fragrant abelia" growing in the karst forests of Korea, where it is one of the most threatened species. We investigated the genetic structure and demographic history of Z. tyaihyonii, which allow us to develop appropriate conservation and management strategies. The genetic structure was evaluated using a total of 187 samples from 14 populations, covering the entire distribution of Z. tyaihyonii in South Korea. We utilized 254 and 1753 SNP loci obtained via MIG-seq (Multiplexed ISSR Genotyping by sequencing) for structure and demographic analyses, respectively. The population demographic modeling was performed with site frequency spectrum. To gain further historical insights, we also employed ENM (Ecological Niche Modeling). We found two distinct clusters (CLI and CLII) of ancient origin (ca. 490 ka). Despite CLII experiencing a more severe bottleneck, both clusters showed similar levels of genetic diversity, indicating mutual historical gene flow. Their historical distribution range seems to have changed very little. We proposed a historical distribution scenario for Z. tyaihyonii, taking into account its intrinsic factors, and emphasized a more complex response to Quaternary climate change beyond simple allopatric speciation models. These findings provide valuable insights for conservation and management strategies for Z. tyaihyonii.

Plastid phylogenomics uncovers multiple species in Medicago truncatula (Fabaceae) germplasm accessions.

Medicago truncatula is a model legume that has been extensively investigated in diverse subdisciplines of plant science. Medicago littoralis can interbreed with M. truncatula and M. italica; these three closely related species form a clade, i.e. TLI clade. Genetic studies have indicated that M. truncatula accessions are heterogeneous but their taxonomic identities have not been verified. To elucidate the phylogenetic position of diverse M. truncatula accessions within the genus, we assembled 54 plastid genomes (plastomes) using publicly available next-generation sequencing data and conducted phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood. Five accessions showed high levels of plastid DNA polymorphism. Three of these highly polymorphic accessions contained sequences from both M. truncatula and M. littoralis. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences placed some accessions closer to distantly related species suggesting misidentification of source material. Most accessions were placed within the TLI clade and maximally supported the interrelationships of three subclades. Two Medicago accessions were placed within a M. italica subclade of the TLI clade. Plastomes with a 45-kb (rpl20-ycf1) inversion were placed within the M. littoralis subclade. Our results suggest that the M. truncatula accession genome pool represents more than one species due to possible mistaken identities and gene flow among closely related species.

Improving data efficiency for analyzing global exchange rate fluctuations based on nonlinear causal network-based clustering.

This study used information theory and network theory to predict the fluctuations of currency values of the machine learning model. For experiments, we calculate the causal relationships between currencies using loarithmic return (log-return) and entropic value-at-risk (EVaR) values of gold price per troy ounce in 48 currencies over 25 years. To quantify the causal relationships, we used the concept of transfer entropy. After quantifying their information flow, we modeled and analyzed those nonlinear causal relationships as a network. The network analysis results confirmed that information flow-based nonlinear causal relationships differed from the commonly-known key currency order. Then, we classified currencies using hierarchical clustering methods based on the configured networks. We predicted fluctuations in currency values using machine learning algorithms based on network topology-based information. As a result, we show that using the data columns in the same communities based on statistically significant nonlinear causal relationships can improve most machine-learning-based fluctuations of currency values for various countries from the perspective of data efficiency.

Digital Media Influence on Adolescents' Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Self-Intravenous Injection of Lactobacilli Drinking Yogurt.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, widened physical distance and social deprivation are being replaced with digital media use. The media's social function has tremendously increased following the COVID-19 era and adolescents living in a media-saturated world are the most vulnerable subjects of all. Social media use can encourage risky behavior in adolescents. Posting videos related to risk behaviors on social media has been linked to jeopardizing not only mental health but also physical safety. Herein, we report a case of a 12-year-old boy who intravenously self-injected Lactobacilli drinking yogurt for the purpose of filming a video to post on social media. He was treated with antibiotics based on Lactobacilli sepsis that cured him without any complications. In order to reduce the risk-taking behavior of adolescents, social norms need to be straightened up, and the social responsibility of hosts is strongly recommended.

Clinical Usefulness of Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase Levels in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the clinical usefulness of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia and identify cut-off levels in various clinical conditions. METHODS: The study was retrospectively performed in 145 children who were hospitalized with MP pneumonia. Laboratory findings, including LDH levels at admission and clinical features were retrospectively reviewed from patients' electronic medical records. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 5.9 y, and the mean value of LDH was 809.7 U/L. Poor response to treatment for MP pneumonia, respiratory virus coinfection, severe MP pneumonia, development of postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) after MP pneumonia, pleural effusion, and oxygen need during illness were significantly associated with serum LDH levels. The cutoff levels of LDH for predicting poor response to treatment for MP pneumonia and respiratory virus coinfection were 1058 U/L [area under the curve (AUC), 0.729] and 803 U/L (AUC, 0.682), respectively. Those for pneumonic lesions involving at least one-third of the total lung volume, prediction of PIBO development, and extrapulmonary manifestations were 1098 U/L (AUC, 0.715), 676 U/L (AUC, 0.714), and 859 U/L (AUC, 0.710), respectively. The cutoff levels for pleural effusion during illness and for the prediction of oxygen need were 894 U/L (AUC, 0.699) and 1114 U/L (AUC, 0.771), respectively. CONCLUSION: LDH levels are elevated in diverse clinical conditions in children with MP pneumonia and may be useful in the identification of severe clinical courses of MP pneumonia in children.

Chest Pain and Suspected Myocarditis Related to COVID-19 Vaccination in Adolescents-A Case Series.

As adolescents started to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suspected myocarditis and pericarditis related to the vaccine were reported in adolescents. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 2,796,270 persons aged 12−18 years were fully vaccinated by December 8. Among these, 9223 adverse events were reported (0.33%). We aimed to elucidate the clinical courses and short-term outcomes for adolescents aged 12−18 with cardiac symptoms and suspected myo- or peri-carditis related to COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patients ≤ 18 years of age who had suspected myocarditis or pericarditis within 30 days of COVID-19 vaccination, from July 2021 to January 2022. Results: We reported on 40 adolescents in different South Korean provinces at two centers. Twenty-six cases (65%) were male, and the median age was 16 years (range, 13−18; IQR 14.5−17). Twenty-five cases (62.5%) occurred at the first dose, and fifteen (37.5%) occurred after the second dose. Symptoms started at a median of 2 days (range 0−29 days; IQR 1−5 days) after vaccination. The patients were treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (77.5%), intravenous immunoglobulin (2.5%), glucocorticoids (20%), colchicine (5%), or no therapy (15%). Five patients (12.5%) required intensive care unit admission; one patient needed inotropic/vasoactive support. No patients required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or died. The median hospital stay was one day (range 0−8 days; IQR 0−2 days). Twenty-one patients (52.5%) had an abnormal electrocardiogram; among these, seven patients had an elevated ST segment, six patients (15%) had decreased ejection fraction (<55%), and LV function was completely recovered in all of them. Conclusions: Most cases of suspected myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents ≤ 18 years had mild symptoms and clinical courses, as well as a complete recovery. Further studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes.

The Outcome of Post-cardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Neonates and Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Post-cardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (PC-ECMO) is a known rescue therapy for neonates and pediatric patients who failed to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or who deteriorate in intensive care unit (ICU) due to various reasons such as low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the survival in neonates and pediatric patients who require PC-ECMO and sought the difference in survivals by each indication for PC-ECMO. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting: Multi-institutional analysis. Participants: Neonates and pediatric patients who requires PC- ECMO. Interventions: ECMO after open-heart surgery. Results: Twenty-six studies were included in the analysis with a total of 186,648 patients and the proportion of the population who underwent PC-ECMO was 2.5% (2,683 patients). The overall pooled proportion of survival in this population was 43.3% [95% Confidence interval (CI): 41.3-45.3%; I 2: 1%]. The survival by indications of PC-ECMO were 44.6% (95% CI: 42.6-46.6; I 2: 0%) for CPB weaning failure, 47.3% (95% CI: 39.9-54.7%; I 2: 5%) for LCOS, 37.6% (95% CI: 31.0-44.3%; I 2: 32%) for cardiac arrest and 47.7% (95% CI: 32.5-63.1%; I 2: 0%) for respiratory failure. Survival from PC-ECMO for single ventricle or biventricular physiology, was reported by 12 studies. The risk ratio (RR) was 0.74 for survival in patients with single ventricle physiology (95% CI: 0.63-0.86; I 2: 40%, P < 0.001). Eight studies reported on the survival after PC-ECMO for genetic conditions. The RR was 0.93 for survival in patients with genetic condition (95% CI: 0.52-1.65; I 2: 65%, P = 0.812). Conclusions: PC-ECMO is an effective modality to support neonates and pediatric patients in case of failed CPB weaning and deterioration in ICU. Even though ECMO seems to improve survival, mortality and morbidity remain high, especially in neonates and pediatric patients with single ventricle physiology. Most genetic conditions alone should not be considered a contraindication to ECMO support, further studies are needed to determine which genetic abnormalities are associated with favorable outcome.

Dietary Pattern Extraction Using Natural Language Processing Techniques.

In this study, we observed the changes in dietary patterns among Korean adults in the previous decade. We evaluated dietary intake using 24-h recall data from the fourth (2007-2009) and seventh (2016-2018) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Machine learning-based methodologies were used to extract these dietary patterns. Particularly, we observed three dietary patterns from each survey similar to the traditional and Western dietary patterns in 2007-2009 and 2016-2018, respectively. Our results reveal a considerable increase in the number of Western dietary patterns compared with the previous decade. Thus, our study contributes to the use of novel methods using natural language processing (NLP) techniques for dietary pattern extraction to obtain more useful dietary information, unlike the traditional methodology.

Highly Resolved Papilionoid Legume Phylogeny Based on Plastid Phylogenomics.

Comprising 501 genera and around 14,000 species, Papilionoideae is not only the largest subfamily of Fabaceae (Leguminosae; legumes), but also one of the most extraordinarily diverse clades among angiosperms. Papilionoids are a major source of food and forage, are ecologically successful in all major biomes, and display dramatic variation in both floral architecture and plastid genome (plastome) structure. Plastid DNA-based phylogenetic analyses have greatly improved our understanding of relationships among the major groups of Papilionoideae, yet the backbone of the subfamily phylogeny remains unresolved. In this study, we sequenced and assembled 39 new plastomes that are covering key genera representing the morphological diversity in the subfamily. From 244 total taxa, we produced eight datasets for maximum likelihood (ML) analyses based on entire plastomes and/or concatenated sequences of 77 protein-coding sequences (CDS) and two datasets for multispecies coalescent (MSC) analyses based on individual gene trees. We additionally produced a combined nucleotide dataset comprising CDS plus matK gene sequences only, in which most papilionoid genera were sampled. A ML tree based on the entire plastome maximally supported all of the deep and most recent divergences of papilionoids (223 out of 236 nodes). The Swartzieae, ADA (Angylocalyceae, Dipterygeae, and Amburaneae), Cladrastis, Andira, and Exostyleae clades formed a grade to the remainder of the Papilionoideae, concordant with nine ML and two MSC trees. Phylogenetic relationships among the remaining five papilionoid lineages (Vataireoid, Dermatophyllum, Genistoid s.l., Dalbergioid s.l., and Baphieae + Non-Protein Amino Acid Accumulating or NPAAA clade) remained uncertain, because of insufficient support and/or conflicting relationships among trees. Our study fully resolved most of the deep nodes of Papilionoideae, however, some relationships require further exploration. More genome-scale data and rigorous analyses are needed to disentangle phylogenetic relationships among the five remaining lineages.

Clinical Significance of Gray to White Matter Ratio after Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Children.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) successfully restores systemic circulation approximately 50% of the time; however, many successfully restored patients have severe neurologic damage. In adults, the gray matter to white matter attenuation ratio (GWR) in brain computed tomography (CT) correlates with the neurologic outcome. However, in children, the clinical significance of GWR still remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of children who underwent CPR for cardiac arrest according to the survival and to demonstrate the differentiation of grey/white matter by Hounsfield units of brain CT and to characterize the attenuations of grey and white matters. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-center study. We enrolled those who underwent brain CT within 24 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from January 2005 to June 2018. Brain CTs were taken within 24 h of ROSC. We measured the attenuation of grey and white matter in Hounsfield units and calculated GWR. They were compared with healthy controls. Patients were analyzed as follows: survivors vs. non-survivors and better neurologic outcome vs. worse neurologic outcome. RESULTS: Among 100 pediatric patients who had CPR, 56 met inclusion criteria. There were 24 patients who survived and 32 non-survivors. Our study revealed that the incidence of seizure, duration of CPR, and instances of hypothermia were significantly different between survivors and non-survivors. In both survivors and non-survivors, the attenuation of the caudate nucleus, putamen, GWR-basal ganglia, and average GWR were significantly different from controls. In regression analyses, the medial cortex and average GWR were the significant variables to predict survival, and the receiver operating curves revealed areas under curve of 0.733 and 0.666, respectively. Also, the medial cortex 1 was the only variable that predicted the neurologic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: There was some predictive survival value of GWR and medial cortex at the centrum semiovale level in early brain CT within 24 h after cardiac arrest. Although we could not find the predictive value of GWR in the neurologic outcome of pediatric patients, we found that the absolute attenuation of the medial cortex was low in patients with worse neurologic outcomes. Further prospective, multicenter studies are needed to determine the predictive value of GWR and the medial cortex.

Born in the mitochondrion and raised in the nucleus: evolution of a novel tandem repeat family in Medicago polymorpha (Fabaceae).

Plant nuclear genomes harbor sequence elements derived from the organelles (mitochondrion and plastid) through intracellular gene transfer (IGT). Nuclear genomes also show a dramatic range of repeat content, suggesting that any sequence can be readily amplified. These two aspects of plant nuclear genomes are well recognized but have rarely been linked. Through investigation of 31 Medicago taxa we detected exceptionally high post-IGT amplification of mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences containing rps10 in the nuclear genome of Medicago polymorpha and closely related species. The amplified sequences were characterized as tandem arrays of five distinct repeat motifs (2157, 1064, 987, 971, and 587 bp) that have diverged from the mt genome (mitogenome) in the M. polymorpha nuclear genome. The mt rps10-like arrays were identified in seven loci (six intergenic and one telomeric) of the nuclear chromosome assemblies and were the most abundant tandem repeat family, representing 1.6-3.0% of total genomic DNA, a value approximately three-fold greater than the entire mitogenome in M. polymorpha. Compared to a typical mt gene, the mt rps10-like sequence coverage level was 691.5-7198-fold higher in M. polymorpha and closely related species. In addition to the post-IGT amplification, our analysis identified the canonical telomeric repeat and the species-specific satellite arrays that are likely attributable to an ancestral chromosomal fusion in M. polymorpha. A possible relationship between chromosomal instability and the mt rps10-like tandem repeat family in the M. polymorpha clade is discussed.

Complete plastid genome sequence of Neolitsea aciculata (Laurales: Lauraceae), an evergreen broad-leaved tree endemic to East Asia.

In this study, we sequenced the complete plastid genome (plastome) of Neolitsea aciculata, an evergreen broad-leaved tree endemic to East Asia, a woody component of East Asian warm-temperate and subtropical forests across China, Korea, and Japan. The plastome of N. aciculata is assembled as a single contig (152,722 bp). A large and a small single copy (93,785 and 18,795 bp, respectively) of the genome are separated by a pair of inverted repeats (20,071 bp). The genome consists of 126 genes, including 80 protein-coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 36 transfer RNA genes. Two genes in the IR region (ycf1 and ycf2) are pseudogenized. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed the phylogenetic position of N. aciculata in a highly supported clade of the genus Neolitsea along with other two congeners, N. pallens and N. sericea.

Detecting and Analyzing Politically-Themed Stocks Using Text Mining Techniques and Transfer Entropy-Focus on the Republic of Korea's Case.

Politically-themed stocks mainly refer to stocks that benefit from the policies of politicians. This study gave the empirical analysis of the politically-themed stocks in the Republic of Korea and constructed politically-themed stock networks based on the Republic of Korea's politically-themed stocks, derived mainly from politicians. To select politically-themed stocks, we calculated the daily politician sentiment index (PSI), which means politicians' daily reputation using politicians' search volume data and sentiment analysis results from politician-related text data. Additionally, we selected politically-themed stock candidates from politician-related search volume data. To measure causal relationships, we adopted entropy-based measures. We determined politically-themed stocks based on causal relationships from the rates of change of the PSI to their abnormal returns. To illustrate causal relationships between politically-themed stocks, we constructed politically-themed stock networks based on causal relationships using entropy-based approaches. Moreover, we experimented using politically-themed stocks in real-world situations from the schematized networks, focusing on politically-themed stock networks' dynamic changes. We verified that the investment strategy using the PSI and politically-themed stocks that we selected could benchmark the main stock market indices such as the KOSPI and KOSDAQ around political events.

Comparative Mitogenomic Analysis Reveals Gene and Intron Dynamics in Rubiaceae and Intra-Specific Diversification in Damnacanthus indicus.

The dynamic evolution of mitochondrial gene and intron content has been reported across the angiosperms. However, a reference mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is not available in Rubiaceae. The phylogenetic utility of mitogenome data at a species level is rarely assessed. Here, we assembled mitogenomes of six Damnacanthus indicus (Rubiaceae, Rubioideae) representing two varieties (var. indicus and var. microphyllus). The gene and intron content of D. indicus was compared with mitogenomes from representative angiosperm species and mitochondrial contigs from the other Rubiaceae species. Mitogenome structural rearrangement and sequence divergence in D. indicus were analyzed in six individuals. The size of the mitogenome in D. indicus varied from 417,661 to 419,435 bp. Comparing the number of intact mitochondrial protein-coding genes in other Gentianales taxa (38), D. indicus included 32 genes representing several losses. The intron analysis revealed a shift from cis to trans splicing of a nad1 intron (nad1i728) in D. indicus and it is a shared character with the other four Rubioideae taxa. Two distinct mitogenome structures (type A and B) were identified. Two-step direct repeat-mediated recombination was proposed to explain structural changes between type A and B mitogenomes. The five individuals from two varieties in D. indicus diverged well in the whole mitogenome-level comparison with one exception. Collectively, our study elucidated the mitogenome evolution in Rubiaceae along with D. indicus and showed the reliable phylogenetic utility of the whole mitogenome data at a species-level evolution.

The complete plastid genome sequence of Vaccinium japonicum (Ericales: Ericaceae), a deciduous broad-leaved shrub endemic to East Asia.

We here sequenced the complete plastid genome (plastome) of Vaccinium japonicum (Ericaceae), a deciduous broad-leaved shrub endemic to East Asia. This species has considerable practical economic value. The plastome of V. japonicum is assembled as a single contig (187,213 bp). A large single copy (104,637 bp) and a small single copy (3,000 bp) of the genome are separated by a pair of inverted repeats (39,788 bp). The genome consists of 135 genes, which include 88 protein coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 39 transfer RNA genes. The plastome of V. japonicum is similar to that of Vaccinium macrocarpon in gene content and order. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed the phylogenetic position of V. japonicum in a highly supported clade of the genus Vaccinium together with other four congeners, V. bracteatum, V. vitis-idaea, V. uliginosum and V. macrocarpon.

In and out: Evolution of viral sequences in the mitochondrial genomes of legumes (Fabaceae).

Plant specific mitoviruses in the 'genus' Mitovirus (Narnaviridae) and their integrated sequences (non-retroviral endogenous RNA viral elements or NERVEs) have been recently identified in various plant lineages. However, the sparse phylogenetic coverage of complete plant mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences and the non-conserved nature of mitochondrial intergenic regions have hindered comparative studies on mitovirus NERVEs in plants. In this study, 10 new mitogenomes were sequenced from legumes (Fabaceae). Based on comparative genomic analysis of 27 total mitogenomes, we identified mitovirus NERVEs and transposable elements across the family. All legume mitogenomes included NERVEs and total NERVE length varied from ca. 2 kb in the papilionoid Trifolium to 35 kb in the mimosoid Acacia. Most of the NERVE integration sites were in highly variable intergenic regions, however, some were positioned in six cis-spliced mitochondrial introns. In the Acacia mitogenome, there were L1-like transposon sequences including an almost full-length copy with target site duplications (TSDs). The integration sites of NERVEs in four introns showed evidence of L1-like retrotransposition events. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that there were multiple instances of precise deletion of NERVEs between TSDs. This study provides clear evidence that a L1-like retrotransposition mechanism has a long history of contributing to the integration of viral RNA into plant mitogenomes while microhomology-mediated deletion can restore the integration site.

The "Intermediate" CD14 + CD16 + monocyte subpopulation plays a role in IVIG responsiveness of children with Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited febrile illness of unknown cause. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistance are related to greater risk for permanent cardiac complications. We aimed to determine the correlation between monocytes and the phenotype of KD in relation to IVIG responsiveness in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study cohort included 62 patients who were diagnosed with KD, 20 non febrile healthy controls (NFC), and 15 other febrile controls (OFC). In all enrolled patients, blood was taken at least 4 times and laboratory tests were performed. In addition, subtypes of monocytes were characterized via flow cytometry. RESULTS: The numbers of intermediate monocytes were significantly lower in IVIG-resistant group compared to IVIG-responsive group before IVIG infusion (p < 0.0001). After infusion, intermediate monocytes decreased in the responsive group, while a trend of increase was observed in the resistant group. Only intermediate monocytes were significant in logistic regression with adjusted OR of 0.001 and p value of 0.03. CONCLUSIONS: CD14 + CD16 + intermediate monocyte may play an important role in IVIG responsiveness among KD children. Low starting levels of intermediate monocytes, followed by a dramatic increase post-IVIG infusion during acute phase of KD are associated with IVIG-resistance. Functional studies on intermediate monocyte may help to reveal the pathophysiology.