First report of soybean root rot caused by Fusarium falciforme in the Republic of Korea.

Phytopathogenic Fusarium species causing root and stem rot diseases in susceptible soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) are a major threat to soybean production worldwide. Several Fusarium species have been reported to infect soybean plants in the Republic of Korea, including F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. fujikuroi, and F. graminearum (Cho et al., 2004; Choi et al., 2019; Kang et al., 2020). During the nationwide survey of soybean diseases in 2015, soybean plants showing symptoms of leaf chlorosis, wilting, and shoot death were found in soybean fields in Seosan, Chungnam. Fusarium isolates were obtained from the margins of sterilized necrotic symptomatic and asymptomatic regions of the stem tissues of diseased samples by culturing on potato dextrose agar (PDA). To examine the morphological characteristics, isolates were cultured on PDA at 25°C in the darkness for 10 days. Colonies produced white aerial mycelia with apricot pigments in the medium. Macroconidia were hyaline, slightly curved in shape with 3 or 4 septa, and their average length and width were 34.6± 0.56 µm (31.4 to 37.8 µm) and 4.7±0.16 µm (4.1 to 5.8 µm), respectively (n = 20). Microconidia were elongated, oval with 0 or 1 septum, and their average length and width were 11.4±0.87 and 5.2±0.32 µm, respectively (n = 20). The colonies and conidia exhibited morphological similarities to those of F. falciforme (Xu et al., 2022). Using the primers described by O'Donnell et al. (2008), identity of a representative strain '15-110' was further confirmed by sequencing portions of two genes, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2). The two sequences (GenBank accession No. OQ992718 and OR060664) of 15-110 were 99% similar to those of two F. falciforme strains, 21BeanYC6-14 (GenBank accession nos. ON375419 and ON331931), and 21BeanYC6-16 (GenBank accession nos. ON697187 and ON331933). To test the pathogenicity, a single-spore isolate was cultured on carnation leaf agar (CLA) at 25℃ for 10 days. Pathogenicity test was performed by root-cutting assays using 14-day-old soybean seedlings of 'Daewon' and 'Taekwang'. Ten-day-old mycelia of 15-110 were collected from the CLA plates by scraping with distilled water, and the spore suspension was filtered and diluted to 1 × 106 conidia/mL. The roots of the soybean seedlings were partially cut and inoculated by soaking in the diluted spore suspension for two hours. The seedlings were then transplanted into 12 cm plastic pots (11 cm in height) and grown in a growth chamber at 25°C, 14h light/10h dark for 2 weeks. The infected plants exhibited wilting, observed brown discoloration on the root, and eventually died within 2 weeks, whereas the control plants inoculated with sterile water remained healthy. F. falciforme 15-110 was reisolated from infected plants, but not from the uninoculated controls. The morphology of the re-isolated fungus on PDA and its target gene sequences were identical to those of the original colony. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of root rot in soybean caused by F. falciforme in the Republic of Korea. Fusarium spp. induce a range of diseases in soybean plants, including root rot, damping-off, and wilt. Given the variable aggressiveness and susceptibility to fungicides among different Fusarium species, it is imperative to identify the Fusarium species posing a threat to soybean production. This understanding is crucial for developing a targeted and tailored disease management strategy to control Fusarium diseases.

Plasmonic Annular Nanotrenches with 1 nm Nanogaps for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Using SERS-Based Immunoassay.

This study represents the synthesis of a novel class of nanoparticles denoted as annular Au nanotrenches (AANTs). AANTs are engineered to possess embedded, narrow circular nanogaps with dimensions of approximately 1 nm, facilitating near-field focusing for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) via a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based immunoassay. Notably, AANTs exhibited an exceedingly low limit of detection (LOD) of 1 fg/mL for SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins, surpassing the commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by 6 orders of magnitude (1 ng/mL from ELISA). To assess the real-world applicability, a study was conducted on 50 clinical samples using an SERS-based immunoassay with AANTs. The results revealed a sensitivity of 96% and a selectivity of 100%, demonstrating the significantly enhanced sensing capabilities of the proposed approach in comparison to ELISA and commercial lateral flow assay kits.

Developmental self-reactivity determines pathogenic Tc17 differentiation potential of naive CD8+ T cells in murine models of inflammation.

The differentiation of naive CD8+ T cells into effector cells is important for establishing immunity. However, the effect of heterogeneous naive CD8+ T cell populations is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that steady-state naive CD8+ T cells are composed of functionally heterogeneous subpopulations that differ in their ability to differentiate into type 17 cytotoxic effector cells (Tc17) in a context of murine inflammatory disease models, such as inflammatory bowel disease and graft-versus-host disease. The differential ability of Tc17 differentiation is not related to T-cell receptor (TCR) diversity and antigen specificity but is inversely correlated with self-reactivity acquired during development. Mechanistically, this phenomenon is linked to differential levels of intrinsic TCR sensitivity and basal Suppressor of Mothers Against Decapentaplegic 3 (SMAD3) expression, generating a wide spectrum of Tc17 differentiation potential within naive CD8+ T cell populations. These findings suggest that developmental self-reactivity can determine the fate of naive CD8+ T cells to generate functionally distinct effector populations and achieve immense diversity and complexity in antigen-specific T-cell immune responses.

Prognostic factors for clinical outcomes after arthroscopic treatment of traumatic central tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex.

Aims: The study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic debridement and partial excision in patients with traumatic central tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), and to identify prognostic factors associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients arthroscopically diagnosed with Palmer 1 A lesions who underwent arthroscopic debridement and partial excision from March 2009 to February 2021, with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Patients were assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, Mayo Wrist Score (MWS), and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. The poor outcome group was defined as patients whose preoperative and last follow-up clinical score difference was less than the minimal clinically important difference of the DASH score (10.83). Baseline characteristics, arthroscopic findings, and radiological factors (ulnar variance, MRI, or arthrography) were evaluated to predict poor clinical outcomes. Results: A total of 114 patients were enrolled in this study, with a mean follow-up period of 29.8 months (SD 14.4). The mean DASH score improved from 36.5 (SD 21.5) to 16.7 (SD 14.3), the mean MWS from 59.7 (SD 17.9) to 79.3 (SD 14.3), and the mean VAS pain score improved from 5.9 (SD 1.8) to 2.2 (SD 2.0) at the last follow-up (all p < 0.001). Among the 114 patients, 16 (14%) experienced poor clinical outcomes and ten (8.8%) required secondary ulnar shortening osteotomy. Positive ulnar variance was the only factor significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes (p < 0.001). Positive ulnar variance was present in 38 patients (33%); among them, eight patients (21%) required additional operations. Conclusion: Arthroscopic debridement alone appears to be an effective and safe initial treatment for patients with traumatic central TFCC tears. The presence of positive ulnar variance was associated with poor clinical outcomes, but close observation after arthroscopic debridement is more likely to be recommended than ulnar shortening osteotomy as a primary treatment.

Combinatorial Effect of Tricomponent Dual-Rim Nanoring Building Blocks: Label-Free SERS Detection of Biomolecules.

Detecting weakly adsorbing molecules via label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has presented a significant challenge. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach for creating tricomponent SERS substrates using dual-rim nanorings (DRNs) made of Au, Ag, and CuO, each possessing distinct functionalities. Our method involves depositing different metals on Pt nanoring skeletons to obtain each nanoring with varying surface compositions while maintaining a similar size and shape. Next, the mixture of these nanorings is transferred into a monolayer assembly with homogeneous intermixing on a solid substrate. The surface of the CuO DRNs has dangling bonds (Cu2+) that facilitate the strong adsorption of carboxylates through the formation of chelating bonds, while the combination of Au and Ag DRNs significantly enhances the SERS signal intensity through a strong coupling effect. Notably, the tricomponent assemblies enable the successful SERS-based analysis of biomolecules such as amino acids, proteins, nucleobases, and nucleotides.

First report of soybean root rot caused by Fusarium proliferatum in the Republic of Korea.

Fusarium species are widespread soilborne pathogens that can cause damping-off, root rot, and wilting in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], subsequently leading to significant yield suppression. Several Fusarium spp. have already been documented for their pathogenicity on soybean plants in the Republic of Korea. The nationwide monitoring of soybean diseases continues to identify new pathogenic Fusarium spp. In 2016, five plant samples at R3-R4 growth stages, showing symptoms of wilting in the upper parts and root rot, were collected in Suwon, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea. Fungal colonies were obtained from the diseased root samples, with the surface sterilized in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, rinsed thrice with sterile distilled water, and placed on water agar at 25°C. Five isolates were collected and purified by single-spore isolation. The fungal mycelium was subsequently cultivated on potato dextrose agar for ten days. The isolates produced abundant, aerial, and white mycelium and became purple in old cultures. Macroconidia were slender, falcate to almost straight, usually 3 to 5 septated, and thin-walled. Microconidia were formed in chains from polyphalides, clavate or oval, usually single-celled with a flattened base. These characteristics of isolates were consistent with the description of F. proliferatum (Leslie and Summerrell 2006), and the representative isolate 16-19 was selected for molecular identification to confirm its identity as F. proliferatum. Two evolutionarily conserved genes, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) and the second-largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) genes, were partially amplified using the primers described by O'Donnell et al. (2008), resulting in nucleotide sequences of 680 and 382 base pairs, respectively. These two sequences (GenBank accession numbers: OQ992720 and OR060666) showed 100 and 99.5% identity to the EF-1α and RPB2 of F. proliferatum A40 (GenBank accession numbers: KP964907 and KP964842). For the Petri-dish pathogenicity assay (Broders et al. 2007), five surface-sterilized seeds were placed on water agar media with either sterile water or actively growing '16-19' culture. After 7 days of incubation in a growth chamber (25°C; 12-hour photoperiod), brown lesions were observed on the roots of the inoculated plants, while no symptoms were observed in the sterile water-treated controls. The experiment was conducted three times. For root-cut pathogenicity assay, conidial suspension (1×106 conidia/ml) of the isolate '16-19' was prepared with harvested mycelia cultured on PDA for 10 days with sterile water. The roots of 10-day-old soybean seedlings were partially cut and soaked in either the suspension or sterile water for 2 hours. The seedlings were transplanted into 12 cm plastic pots (11 cm in height) and grew in a greenhouse (26 ± 3°C, 13-h photoperiod). The experiment followed a completely randomized design with three replicates (i.e. three plants in a pot), and it was repeated twice. The inoculated plants began to wilt 7 days after inoculation, while the sterile water-treated controls remained healthy. Ten days after inoculation, all plants were collected, washed under running tap water, and evaluated for the presence and severity of root rot using a 0-4 scale (Chang et al. 2015). The inoculated plants exhibited reduced vigor and developed dark brown lesions on their roots. F. proliferatum was reisolated from symptomatic root tissues of the infected plants, while not from those of the controls. Its colony and spores were morphologically identical to those of the original isolate. F. proliferatum was previously reported as a causative agent of soybean root rot in the United States (Díaz Arias et al. 2011) and Canada (Chang et al. 2015). This is the first report of soybean root rot caused by F. proliferatum in the Republic of Korea. This finding implies that F. proliferatum may potentially threaten soybean production in the Republic of Korea and suggests that effective disease management strategies should be established for soybean protection against the disease, along with continuous surveillance.

A Density Functional Theory Analysis of Electrochemical Oxidation of Methane to Alcohol over High-Entropy Oxide (CoCrFeMnNi)3O4 Catalysts.

The direct conversion of methane into alcohol is a promising approach for achieving a low-carbon future, yet it remains a major challenge. In this study, we utilize density functional theory to explore the potential of the (CoCrFeMnNi)3O4 (CCFMNO) high entropy oxide (HEO) for electrochemical oxidation of methane to methanol and ethanol, alongside their competition with CO2 production. Our primary focus in this study is on thermodynamics, enabling a prompt analysis of the catalyst's potential, with the calculation of electrochemical barriers falling beyond our scope. Among all potential active sites within CCFMNO HEO, we identify Co as the most active site for methane activation when using carbonate ions as oxidants. This results in methanol production with a limiting potential of 1.4 VCHE, and ethanol and CO2 productions with a limiting potential of 1.2 VCHE. Additionally, our findings suggest that the occupied p-band center of O* on CCFMNO HEO is a potential descriptor for identifying the most active site within CCFMNO HEO. Overall, our results indicate that CCFMNO HEO holds promise as catalysts for methane oxidation to alcohols, employing carbonate ions as oxidants.

Step-by-Step Nanoscale Top-Down Blocking and Etching Lead to Nanohexapods with Cartesian Geometry.

In this research, we designed a stepwise synthetic method for Au@Pt hexapods where six elongated Au pods are arranged in a pairwise perpendicular fashion, sharing a common point (the central origin in a Cartesian-coordinate-like hexapod shape), featured with tip-selectively decorated Pt square nanoplates. Au@Pt hexapods were successfully synthesized by applying three distinctive chemical reactions in a stepwise manner. The Pt adatoms formed discontinuous thin nanoplates that selectively covered six concave facets of a Au truncated octahedron and served as etching masks in the succeeding etching process, which prevented underlying Au atoms from being oxidized. The subsequent isotropic etching proceeded radially, starting from the bare Au surface, carving the central nanocrystal in a concave manner. By controlling the etching conditions, Au@Pt hexapods were successfully fabricated, wherein the core Au domain is connected to six protruding arms, which hold Pt nanoplates at the ends. Due to their morphology, Au@Pt hexapods feature distinctive optical properties in the near-infrared region, as a proof of concept, allowing for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based monitoring of in situ CO electrooxidation. We further extended our synthetic library by tailoring the size of the Pt nanoplates and neck widths of Au branches, demonstrating the validity of selective blocking and etching-based colloidal synthesis.

Octahedron in a Cubic Nanoframe: Strong Near-Field Focusing and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Here, we describe the synthesis of a plasmonic particle-in-a-frame architecture in which a solid Au octahedron is enclosed by a Au cubic nanoframe. The octahedra are positioned inside and surrounded by outer Au cubic nanoframes, creating intra-nanogaps within a single entity. Six sharp vertexes in the Au octahedra point toward the open (100) facets of the cubic nanoframes. This allows not only efficient interactions with the surroundings but also tip-enhanced electromagnetic near-field focusing at the sharp tips of the octahedra, combined with intraparticle coupling. The solid core-frame shell structure enhances near-field focusing, giving rise to a heightened concentration of "hot spots". This effect enables highly sensitive detection of 2-naphthalenethiol and thiram, indicating these substrates for use in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-related applications.

Prediction of xerostomia in elderly based on clinical characteristics and salivary flow rate with machine learning.

Xerostomia may be accompanied by changes in salivary flow rate and the incidence increases in elderly. We aimed to use machine learning algorithms, to identify significant predictors for the presence of xerostomia. This study is the first to predict xerostomia with salivary flow rate in elderly based on artificial intelligence. In a cross-sectional study, 829 patients with oral discomfort were enrolled, and six features (sex, age, unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates (UFR and SFR, respectively), number of systemic diseases, and medication usage) were used in four machine learning algorithms to predict the presence of xerostomia. The incidence of xerostomia increased with age. The SFR was significantly higher than the UFR, and the UFR and SFR were significantly correlated. The UFR, but not SFR, decreased with age significantly. In patients more than 60 years of age, the UFR had a significantly higher predictive accuracy for xerostomia than the SFR. Using machine learning algorithms with tenfold cross-validation, the prediction accuracy increased significantly. In particular, the prediction accuracy of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm that combined UFR and SFR data was significantly better than either UFR or SFR individually. Moreover, when sex, age, number of systemic diseases, and number of medications were added to the MLP model, the prediction accuracy increased from 56 to 68%.

Three-Dimensional Au Octahedral Nanoheptamers: Single-Particle and Bulk Near-Field Focusing for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Herein, we present a synthetic approach to fabricate Au nanoheptamers composed of six individual Au nanospheres interconnected through thin metal bridges arranged in an octahedral configuration. The resulting structures envelop central Au nanospheres, producing Au nanosphere heptamers with an open architectural arrangement. Importantly, the initial Pt coating of the Au nanospheres is a crucial step for protecting the inner Au nanospheres during multiple reactions. As-synthesized Au nanoheptamers exhibit multiple hot spots formed by nanogaps between nanospheres, resulting in strong electromagnetic near-fields. Additionally, we conducted surface-enhanced Raman-scattering-based detection of a chemical warfare agent simulant in the gas phase and achieved a limit of detection of 100 ppb, which is 3 orders lower than that achieved using Au nanospheres and Au nanohexamers. This pseudocore-shell nanostructure represents a significant advancement in the realm of complex nanoparticle synthesis, moving the field one step closer to sophisticated nanoparticle engineering.

Soybean Variety Saedanbaek Confers a New Resistance Allele to Phytophthora sojae.

Phytophthora root and stem rot (PRSR) disease results in substantial losses in soybean production worldwide. The occurrence of PRSR caused by Phytophthora sojae Kaufmann & Gerdemann has become increasingly important for soybean production in the Republic of Korea, but domestic soybean-P. sojae interaction has been less studied. The disease has been managed by developing varieties harboring resistance to the Phytophthora sojae (Rps) gene. The present study aimed to identify a major gene locus conferring resistance to new P. sojae isolate 2858 in the recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between parental lines 'Daepung' (susceptible) and 'Saedanbaek' (resistant). Seventy-three recombination inbred lines (RILs) were evaluated for resistance to P. sojae isolate 2858. A resistance locus was identified in the approximate 3.3-4.3 megabase pair region on chromosome 3 using both single-marker and linkage analyses. The Rps of Saedanbaek (RpsSDB) was located on the well-known Rps gene/allele cluster region, which also partially overlapped with a locus previously identified in the Korean soybean variety, 'Daewon', resistant to another P. sojae isolate 2457 (RpsDW). Approximately 402 kilobase pairs of the interval region overlapped, including six nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR)-coding genes. Additional phenotypic assays revealed that Saedanbaek was susceptible to isolate 2457 and that Daewon was susceptible to isolate 2858, indicating that RpsSDB and RpsDW are different genes or alleles that confer race-specific resistance to the two P. sojae isolates. These results provide information that will be helpful for breeders developing P. sojae-resistant cultivars.

A deep learning segmentation method to assess dose to organs at risk during breast radiotherapy.

Background and purpose: Contouring of organs at risk is important for studying health effects following breast radiotherapy. However, manual contouring is time-consuming and subject to variability. The purpose of this study was to develop a deep learning-based method to automatically segment multiple structures on breast radiotherapy planning computed tomography (CT) images. Materials and methods: We used data from 118 patients, including 90 diagnostic CT scans with expert structure delineations for training and 28 breast radiotherapy planning CT images for testing. The radiotherapy CT images also had expert delineations for evaluating performance. We targeted a total of eleven organs at risk including five heart substructures. Segmentation performance was evaluated using the metrics of Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), overlap fraction, volume similarity, Hausdorff distance, mean surface distance, and dose. Results: The average DSC achieved on the radiotherapy planning images was 0.94 ± 0.02 for the whole heart, 0.96 ± 0.02 and 0.97 ± 0.01 for the left and right lung, 0.61 ± 0.10 for the esophagus, 0.81 ± 0.04 and 0.86 ± 0.04 for left and right atrium, 0.91 ± 0.02 and 0.84 ± 0.04 for left and right ventricle, and 0.21 ± 0.11 for the left anterior descending artery (LAD), respectively. Except for the LAD, the median difference in mean dose to these structures was small with absolute (relative) differences < 0.1 Gy (6 %). Conclusions: Except for the LAD, our method demonstrated excellent performance and can be generalized to segment additional structures of interest.

Fundamental Limitation in Electrochemical Methane Oxidation to Alcohol: A Review and Theoretical Perspective on Overcoming It.

The direct conversion of gaseous methane to energy-dense liquid derivatives such as methanol and ethanol is of profound importance for the more efficient utilization of natural gas. However, the thermo-catalytic partial oxidation of this simple alkane has been a significant challenge due to the high C-H bond energy. Exploiting electrocatalysis for methane activation via active oxygen species generated on the catalyst surface through electrochemical water oxidation is generally considered as economically viable and environmentally benign compared to energy-intensive thermo-catalysis. Despite recent progress in electrochemical methane oxidation to alcohol, the competing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) still impedes achieving high faradaic efficiency and product selectivity. In this review, an overview of current progress in electrochemical methane oxidation, focusing on mechanistic insights on methane activation, catalyst design principles based on descriptors, and the effect of reaction conditions on catalytic performance are provided. Mechanistic requirements for high methanol selectivity, and limitations of using water as the oxidant are discussed, and present the perspective on how to overcome these limitations by employing carbonate ions as the oxidant.

CD5 Expression Dynamically Changes During the Differentiation of Human CD8+ T Cells Predicting Clinical Response to Immunotherapy.

Defining the molecular dynamics associated with T cell differentiation enhances our understanding of T cell biology and opens up new possibilities for clinical implications. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of CD5 expression in CD8+ T cell differentiation and explored its potential clinical uses. Using PBMCs from 29 healthy donors, we observed a stepwise decrease in CD5 expression as CD8+ T cells progressed through the differentiation stages. Interestingly, we found that CD5 expression was initially upregulated in response to T cell receptor stimulation, but diminished as the cells underwent proliferation, potentially explaining the differentiation-associated CD5 downregulation. Based on the proliferation-dependent downregulation of CD5, we hypothesized that relative CD5 expression could serve as a marker to distinguish the heterogeneous CD8+ T cell population based on their proliferation history. In support of this, we demonstrated that effector memory CD8+ T cells with higher CD5 expression exhibited phenotypic and functional characteristics resembling less differentiated cells compared to those with lower CD5 expression. Furthermore, in the retrospective analysis of PBMCs from 30 non-small cell lung cancer patients, we found that patients with higher CD5 expression in effector memory T cells displayed CD8+ T cells with a phenotype closer to the less differentiated cells, leading to favorable clinical outcomes in response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. These findings highlight the dynamics of CD5 expression as an indicator of CD8+ T cell differentiation status, and have implications for the development of predictive biomarker for ICI therapy.

Mapping Nanoscale Electrostatic Field Fluctuations around Graphene Dislocation Cores Using Four-Dimensional Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (4D-STEM).

Defects in crystalline lattices cause modulation of the atomic density, and this leads to variations in the associated electrostatics at the nanoscale. Mapping these spatially varying charge fluctuations using transmission electron microscopy has typically been challenging due to complicated contrast transfer inherent to conventional phase contrast imaging. To overcome this, we used four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) to measure electrostatic fields near point dislocations in a monolayer. The asymmetry of the atomic density in a (1,0) edge dislocation core in graphene yields a local enhancement of the electric field in part of the dislocation core. Through experiment and simulation, the increased electric field magnitude is shown to arise from "long-range" interactions from beyond the nearest atomic neighbor. These results provide insights into the use of 4D-STEM to quantify electrostatics in thin materials and map out the lateral potential variations that are important for molecular and atomic bonding through Coulombic interactions.

ANO1-downregulation induced by schisandrathera D: a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of prostate and oral cancers.

Anoctamin 1 (ANO1), a drug target for various cancers, including prostate and oral cancers, is an intracellular calcium-activated chloride ion channel that plays various physiopathological roles, especially in the induction of cancer growth and metastasis. In this study, we tested a novel compound isolated from Schisandra sphenanthera, known as schisandrathera D, for its inhibitory effect on ANO1. Schisandrathera D dose-dependently suppressed the ANO1 activation-mediated decrease in fluorescence of yellow fluorescent protein; however, it did not affect the adenosine triphosphate-induced increase in the intracellular calcium concentration or forskolin-induced cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator activity. Specifically, schisandrathera D gradually decreased the levels of ANO1 protein and significantly reduced the cell viability in ANO1-expressing cells when compared to those in ANO1-knockout cells. These effects could be attributed to the fact that schisandrathera D displayed better binding capacity to ANO1 protein than the previously known ANO1 inhibitor, Ani9. Finally, schisandrathera D increased the levels of caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1, thereby indicating that its anticancer effect is mediated through apoptosis. Thus, this study highlights that schisandrathera D, which reduces ANO1 protein levels, has apoptosis-mediated anticancer effects in prostate and oral cancers, and thus, can be further developed into an anticancer agent.

Elucidating the role of a unique step-like interfacial structure of η4 precipitates in Al-Zn-Mg alloy.

Al-Zn-Mg alloys are widely used in the transportation industry owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio. In these alloys, the main strengthening mechanism is precipitation hardening that occurs because of the formation of nano-sized precipitates. Herein, an interfacial structure of η4 precipitates, one of the main precipitates in these alloys, is revealed using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations. These precipitates exhibit a pseudo-periodic steps and bridges. The results of this study demonstrate that the peculiar interface structure of η4/Al relieves the strain energy of η4 precipitates thus stabilizing them. The atomistic role of this interfacial structure in the nucleation and growth of the precipitates is elucidated. This study paves the way for tailoring the mechanical properties of alloys by controlling their precipitation kinetics.

Gene Therapy Using Efficient Direct Lineage Reprogramming Technology for Neurological Diseases.

Gene therapy is an innovative approach in the field of regenerative medicine. This therapy entails the transfer of genetic material into a patient's cells to treat diseases. In particular, gene therapy for neurological diseases has recently achieved significant progress, with numerous studies investigating the use of adeno-associated viruses for the targeted delivery of therapeutic genetic fragments. This approach has potential applications for treating incurable diseases, including paralysis and motor impairment caused by spinal cord injury and Parkinson's disease, and it is characterized by dopaminergic neuron degeneration. Recently, several studies have explored the potential of direct lineage reprogramming (DLR) for treating incurable diseases, and highlighted the advantages of DLR over conventional stem cell therapy. However, application of DLR technology in clinical practice is hindered by its low efficiency compared with cell therapy using stem cell differentiation. To overcome this limitation, researchers have explored various strategies such as the efficiency of DLR. In this study, we focused on innovative strategies, including the use of a nanoporous particle-based gene delivery system to improve the reprogramming efficiency of DLR-induced neurons. We believe that discussing these approaches can facilitate the development of more effective gene therapies for neurological disorders.

Factor Structure and Validation of the Revised Suicide Crisis Inventory in a Korean Population.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the exceptionally high suicide rates in South Korea, new assessment methods are needed to improve suicide prevention. The current study aims to validate the revised Suicide Crisis Inventory-2 (SCI-2), a self-report measure that assesses a cognitiveaffective pre-suicidal state in a Korean sample. METHODS: With data from 1,061 community adults in South Korea, confirmatory factor analyses were first conducted to test the proposed one-factor and five-factor structures of the SCI-2. Also, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to examine possible alternative factor structure of the inventory. RESULTS: The one-factor model of the SCI-2 resulted in good model fit and similarly, the five-factor model also exhibited strong fit. Comparing the two models, the five-factor was evaluated as the superior model fit. An alternative 4-factor model derived from EFA exhibited a comparable model fit. The Korean version of the SCI-2 had high internal consistency and strong concurrent validity in relation to symptoms of suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety. CONCLUSION: The SCI-2 is an appropriate and a valid tool for measuring one's proximity to imminent suicide risk. However, the exact factor structure of the SCI-2 may be culture-sensitive and warrants further study.