Electron density dual-energy CT can improve the detection of lumbar disc herniation with higher image quality than standard and virtual non-calcium images.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic performance and image quality of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) with electron density (ED) image reconstruction with those of DECT with standard CT (SC) and virtual non-calcium (VNCa) image reconstructions, for diagnosing lumbar disc herniation (L-HIVD). METHODS: A total of 59 patients (354 intervertebral discs from T12/L1 to L5/S1; mean age, 60 years; 30 women and 29 men) who underwent DECT with spectral reconstruction and 3-T MRI within 2 weeks were enrolled between March 2021 and February 2022. Four radiologists independently assessed three image sets of randomized ED, SC, and VNCa images to detect L-HIVD at 8-week intervals. The coefficient of variance (CV) and the Weber contrast of the ROIs in the normal and diseased disc to cerebrospinal fluid space (NCR-normal/-diseased, respectively) were calculated to compare the image qualities of the noiseless ED and other series. RESULTS: Overall, 129 L-HIVDs were noted on MRI. In the detection of L-HIVD, ED showed a higher AUC and sensitivity than SC and VNCa; 0.871 vs 0.807 vs 833 (p = 0.002) and 81% vs 70% vs 74% (p = 0.006 for SC), respectively. CV was much lower in all measurements of ED than those for SC and VNCa (p < 0.001). Furthermore, NCR-normal and NCR-diseased were the highest in ED (ED vs SC in NCR-normal and NCR-diseased, p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively; ED vs VNCa in NCR-diseased, p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: Compared to SC and VNCa images, DECT with ED reconstruction can enhance the AUC and sensitivity of L-HIVD detection with a lower CV and higher NCR. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the image quality of noiseless ED images. ED imaging may be helpful for detecting L-HIVD in patients who cannot undergo MRI. KEY POINTS: ED images have diagnostic potential, but relevant quantitative analyses of image quality are limited. ED images detect disc herniation, with a better coefficient of variance and normalized contrast ratio values. ED images could detect L-HIVD when MRI is not an option.

The protective effect of L-theanine addition to a cryoprotectant on the storage viability of lactic acid bacteria.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that metabolize sugars to obtain energy and produce a large amount of lactate through the process are well known for their benefits. However, they can be used on a large scale only when good storage stability is guaranteed. The vitality and stability of several LAB strains were effectively protected in this investigation by L-theanine at 1% of the appropriate concentration (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MG5023, Enterococcus faecium MG5232, Lactococcus lactis MG4668, Streptococcus thermophilus MG5140, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis MG741). The inclusion of L-theanine as a protective agent significantly enhanced the viability of all strains throughout the freeze-drying process compared to that of the non-coated probiotics. The efficacy of L-theanine in improving bacterial stability and survivability was evaluated using accelerated stability tests, gastrointestinal (GI) tract survivability tests, and adhesion assays with intestinal epithelial cells. The cell surface was covered with substances including L-theanine, according to morphological findings, providing efficient defense against a variety of external stresses. Therefore, by exerting anti-freezing and anti-thawing properties, the adoption of L-theanine as a new and efficient protective agent may improve the stability and viability of a variety of probiotics.

Aponeurotic expansion of the supraspinatus tendon and concomitant shoulder pathologies.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the correlation of aponeurotic expansion of the supraspinatus tendon (AESST) with shoulder pathologies such as long head of biceps tendon (LHB), supraspinatus tendon (SST), and subscapularis tendon (SSc). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 47 healthy patients and 163 patients with shoulder symptoms from August 2014 to March 2021. First, the presence of AESST was evaluated based on Moser et al.'s classification. Second, the presence of abnormal findings of including LHB tendinitis, LHB subluxation, SST tendinitis, SST tear, SSc tendinitis, and SSc tendon tear was evaluated. We analyzed the prevalence and type of AESST between the two study groups and the relationship between abnormal findings and the presence of AESST. RESULTS: The prevalence of AESST for readers 1 and 2 was 26.1% and 30.4% in the asymptomatic group, respectively, and 22.8% and 31.3% in the symptomatic group. Type 1 was most common (17.3-23.9%) followed by types 2a and 2b. There were no significant differences in the distribution of aponeurosis type between the two groups. In the AESST-positive groups, 45.9% and 47.1% had SST tears on examination by readers 1 and 2, respectively, whereas only 26.4% and 27.9% had SST tears in the AESST-negative group suggesting AESST is associated with SST tear. The odds ratio for SST tear in the presence of AESST was 2.370 and 2.294 (readers 1 and 2). CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between SST tears and the presence of AESST. KEY POINTS: • We evaluated the prevalence of aponeurotic expansion of the supraspinatus tendon (AESST) on MR imaging by type in both symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. • We investigated the correlation of AESST with shoulder pathologies such as biceps tendon and supraspinatus tendon tears. • There is an association between SST tears and the presence of AESST. • Radiologists should be aware of the risk of rotator cuff pathology if AESST is detected.

Ultrasonographic and strain elastographic features of epidermal cyst according to body location.

BACKGROUND: There are not many studies on the differences of ultrasound (US) findings between epidermal cysts (ECs) located in the trunk and those in the extremities. PURPOSE: To compare the sonographic findings of ECs according to location in the body (trunk vs. extremity) and evaluated the feasibility of strain elastography (SE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 76 patients with surgically confirmed non-ruptured EC who underwent US including SE. The US analyses included size, shape, ratio of depth to length (DLR), involvement of more than half the dermis, "submarine sign," and SE characters of each lesion. SE findings were assigned into four grades based on elasticity. RESULTS: The submarine sign was more significantly observed in ECs located in the trunk versus extremities (P value = 0.004 and 0.035, respectively). Truncal lesions were significantly more likely to possess an ovoid shape (P < 0.05) and exhibited higher DLR (P < 0.05). There were more cases with low elasticity according to SE (grade 3 or 4) compared to high elasticity (grade 1 or 2). However, we did not observe significant differences between the two locations (P > 0.05). More-than-half signs also did not exhibit a significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The submarine sign, ovoid shape, and tall lesions (higher DLR) are common in the trunk. However, the degree of elasticity and number of more-than-half signs did not differ between the two groups.

Assessment of a novel deep learning-based software developed for automatic feature extraction and grading of radiographic knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: The Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system is the most widely used method to classify the severity of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. However, due to ambiguity of terminology, the KL system showed inferior inter- and intra-observer reliability. For a more reliable evaluation, we recently developed novel deep learning (DL) software known as MediAI-OA to extract each radiographic feature of knee OA and to grade OA severity based on the KL system. METHODS: This research used data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative for training and validation of MediAI-OA. 44,193 radiographs and 810 radiographs were set as the training data and used as validation data, respectively. This AI model was developed to automatically quantify the degree of joint space narrowing (JSN) of medial and lateral tibiofemoral joint, to automatically detect osteophytes in four regions (medial distal femur, lateral distal femur, medial proximal tibia and lateral proximal tibia) of the knee joint, to classify the KL grade, and present the results of these three OA features together. The model was tested by using 400 test datasets, and the results were compared to the ground truth. The accuracy of the JSN quantification and osteophyte detection was evaluated. The KL grade classification performance was evaluated by precision, recall, F1 score, accuracy, and Cohen's kappa coefficient. In addition, we defined KL grade 2 or higher as clinically significant OA, and accuracy of OA diagnosis were obtained. RESULTS: The mean squared error of JSN rate quantification was 0.067 and average osteophyte detection accuracy of the MediAI-OA was 0.84. The accuracy of KL grading was 0.83, and the kappa coefficient between the AI model and ground truth was 0.768, which demonstrated substantial consistency. The OA diagnosis accuracy of this software was 0.92. CONCLUSIONS: The novel DL software known as MediAI-OA demonstrated satisfactory performance comparable to that of experienced orthopedic surgeons and radiologists for analyzing features of knee OA, KL grading and OA diagnosis. Therefore, reliable KL grading can be performed and the burden of the radiologist can be reduced by using MediAI-OA.

Diagnostic performance of electron-density dual-energy CT in detection of cervical disc herniation in comparison with standard gray-scale CT and virtual non-calcium images.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic performance of dual-energy CT (DECT) with electron-density (ED) image reconstruction compared with standard CT (SC) and virtual non-calcium (VNCa) image CT reconstruction for detecting cervical disc herniation. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was approved by the IRB. We enrolled 64 patients (336 intervertebral discs from C2/3 to C7/T1; mean age, 55 years; 17 women and 47 men) who underwent DECT with spectral reconstruction and 3-T MRI within 2 weeks between January 2018 and June 2020. Four radiologists independently evaluated the first image set of randomized SC, VNCa, and ED images to detect cervical disc herniation. After 8 weeks, the readers re-evaluated the second and the last image sets with an 8-week interval. MRI evaluations performed by two other experienced served as the reference standard. Comparing diagnostic performance between each images set was evaluated by a generalized estimating equation. RESULTS: A total of 233 cervical disc herniations were noted on MRI. For detecting cervical disc herniation, electron-density images showed higher sensitivity (94% [219/233; 95% CI, 90-97] vs. 76% [177/233; 70-81] vs. 69% [160/233; 62-76]) (p < 0.001) and similar specificity (90% [93/103; 83-95] vs. 89% [92/103; 82-96] vs. 90% [93/103; 83-95]) (p > 0.05) as SC and VNCa images, respectively. Inter-reader agreement for cervical disc herniation calculated among the four readers was moderate for all image sets (κ = 0.558 for ED, κ = 0.422 for SC, and κ = 0.449 for VNCa). CONCLUSION: DECT with ED reconstruction can improve cervical disc herniation detection and diagnostic confidence compared with SC and VNCa images. KEY POINTS: • Intervertebral discs with high material density are well visualized on electron-density images obtained from dual-energy CT. • Electron-density images showed much higher sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy than standard CT and virtual non-calcium images for the detection of cervical disc herniation. • Electron-density images can have false-negative results, especially for disc herniation with high signal intensity on T2W images and can show pseudo-disc extrusion at the lower cervical spine.

Regularized Optimal Transport Based on an Adaptive Adjustment Method for Selecting the Scaling Parameters of Unscented Kalman Filters.

In this paper, an adaptation method for adjusting the scaling parameters of an unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is proposed to improve the estimation performance of the filter in dynamic conditions. The proposed adaptation method is based on a sequential algorithm that selects the scaling parameter using the user-defined distribution of discrete sets to more effectively deal with the changing measurement distribution over time and avoid the additional process for training a filter model. The adaptation method employs regularized optimal transport (ROT), which compensates for the error of the predicted measurement with the current measurement values to select the proper scaling parameter. In addition, the Sinkhorn-Knopp algorithm is used to minimize the cost function of ROT due to its fast convergence rate, and the convergence of the proposed ROT-based adaptive adjustment method is also analyzed. According to the analysis results of Monte Carlo simulations, it is confirmed that the proposed algorithm shows better performance than the conventional algorithms in terms of the scaling parameter selection in the UKF.

Image Dehazing Using LiDAR Generated Grayscale Depth Prior.

In this paper, the dehazing algorithm is proposed using a one-channel grayscale depth image generated from a LiDAR point cloud 2D projection image. In depth image-based dehazing, the estimation of the scattering coefficient is the most important. Since scattering coefficients are used to estimate the transmission image for dehazing, the optimal coefficients for effective dehazing must be obtained depending on the level of haze generation. Thus, we estimated the optimal scattering coefficient for 100 synthetic haze images and represented the distribution between the optimal scattering coefficient and dark channels. Moreover, through linear regression of the aforementioned distribution, the equation between scattering coefficients and dark channels was estimated, enabling the estimation of appropriate scattering coefficient. Transmission image for dehazing is defined with a scattering coefficient and a grayscale depth image, obtained from LiDAR 2D projection. Finally, dehazing is performed based on the atmospheric scattering model through the defined atmospheric light and transmission image. The proposed method was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed through simulation and image quality parameters. Qualitative analysis was conducted through YOLO v3 and quantitative analysis was conducted through MSE, PSNR, SSIM, etc. In quantitative analysis, SSIM showed an average performance improvement of 24%.

Anti-Tumor Effect of Heat-Killed Bifidobacterium bifidum on Human Gastric Cancer through Akt-p53-Dependent Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Xenograft Models.

Paraprobiotics, inactivated microbial cells, regulate immune system and exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in patients with weakened immunity or the elderly. This study evaluated the anti-tumor effects of heat-killed Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus on human gastric cancer MKN1 cells in vitro and in vivo in xenograft animal models. First, cytotoxicity and apoptosis in MKN1 cells of 11 different heat-killed Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus strains were examined using the MTT assay or flow cytometry, respectively. Then, BALB/c nude mice xenograft animal models were implanted with human gastric cancer MKN1 cells and orally administered a selected single or a mixture of heat-killed bacterial strains to investigate their inhibitory effect on tumor growth. In addition, the expression of p-Akt, p53, Bax, Bak, cleaved caspase-9, -3, and PARP in the tumor tissues was analyzed using Western blotting assay or immunohistochemistry staining. The results show that heat-killed B. bifidum MG731 (MG731), L. reuteri MG5346 (MG5346), and L. rhamnosus MG5200 (MG5200) induced relatively greater apoptosis than other strains in MKN1 cells. Oral administration of a single dose or a mixture of MG731, MG5346, or MG5200 significantly delayed tumor growth, and MG731 had the most effective anti-tumor effect in the xenograft model. Protein expression of p-Akt, p53, Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and -9, and PARP in tumors derived from the xenograft model correlated with the results of the immunohistochemistry staining.

Cell-Free Supernatant from Lactobacillus and Streptococcus Strains Modulate Mucus Production via Nf-κB/CREB Pathway in Diesel Particle Matter-Stimulated NCI-H292 Airway Epithelial Cells.

Airway epithelial cells are a major site of airway inflammation and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Diesel particulate matter (DPM) is associated with mucus hypersecretion and airway inflammation and has been reported to overexpress airway mucin in the NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells. Therefore, regulation of mucin hypersecretion is essential for developing novel anti-inflammatory agents. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cell-free supernatant (CFS) from Lactobacillus and Streptococcus on nitro oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 and proteins associated with mucus production in NCI-H292 cells. We observed that NO production was reduced by CFS from Lactobacillus and Streptococcus in RAW 264.7, and MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC5B gene expression was increased by phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in DPM-stimulated NCI-H292 cells. However, CFS from L. paracasei MG4272, MG4577, L. gasseri MG4247, and S. thermophilus MG5140 inhibited mRNA expression related to mucus production by downregulating the CREB/NfκB signaling pathway. These results suggest that CFS from L. paracasei MG4272, MG4577, L. gasseri MG4247, and S. thermophilus MG5140 can contribute as a strategic candidate to the prevention of airway inflammatory diseases caused by DPM.

Assessment of rapidly advancing bone age during puberty on elbow radiographs using a deep neural network model.

OBJECTIVES: Bone age is considered an indicator for the diagnosis of precocious or delayed puberty and a predictor of adult height. We aimed to evaluate the performance of a deep neural network model in assessing rapidly advancing bone age during puberty using elbow radiographs. METHODS: In all, 4437 anteroposterior and lateral pairs of elbow radiographs were obtained from pubertal individuals from two institutions to implement and validate a deep neural network model. The reference standard bone age was established by five trained researchers using the Sauvegrain method, a scoring system based on the shapes of the lateral condyle, trochlea, olecranon apophysis, and proximal radial epiphysis. A test set (n = 141) was obtained from an external institution. The differences between the assessment of the model and that of reviewers were compared. RESULTS: The mean absolute difference (MAD) in bone age estimation between the model and reviewers was 0.15 years on internal validation. In the test set, the MAD between the model and the five experts ranged from 0.19 to 0.30 years. Compared with the reference standard, the MAD was 0.22 years. Interobserver agreement was excellent among reviewers (ICC: 0.99) and between the model and the reviewers (ICC: 0.98). In the subpart analysis, the olecranon apophysis exhibited the highest accuracy (74.5%), followed by the trochlea (73.7%), lateral condyle (73.7%), and radial epiphysis (63.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of rapidly advancing bone age during puberty on elbow radiographs using our deep neural network model was similar to that of experts. KEY POINTS: • Bone age during puberty is particularly important for patients with scoliosis or limb-length discrepancy to determine the phase of the disease, which influences the timing and method of surgery. • The commonly used hand radiographs-based methods have limitations in assessing bone age during puberty due to the less prominent morphological changes of the hand and wrist bones in this period. • A deep neural network model trained with elbow radiographs exhibited similar performance to human experts on estimating rapidly advancing bone age during puberty.

In Vitro Antidiabetic, Antioxidant Activity, and Probiotic Activities of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Strains.

Diabetes, a chronic metabolic disorder, is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. This study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities of lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from humans and food products and investigate the probiotic properties of the selected four strains. The hypoglycemic activity of the isolated strains was examined by evaluating the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities. The antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Four strains (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MG4229, MG4296, MG5025, and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MG5012) exhibited potent α-glucosidase inhibitory (>75%) and α-amylase inhibitory (>85%) activities, which were comparable to those of acarbose (>50%; 1000 µg/mL). Similarly, the radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of the four strains were comparable to those of ascorbic acid (50 µg/mL). Additionally, the probiotic properties of the four selected strains were examined based on acid and bile salt tolerance, auto-aggregation ability, and antibiotic resistance. The four strains were resistant to pH 2 (>50% of survivability) and 0.5% bile salt (>80% of survivability). Therefore, we suggest that the selected strains with hypoglycemic, antioxidant, probiotic properties can potentially prevent diabetes.

Imaging appearance of post-arthroscopic radiocarpal chondrolysis: comparison with osteoarthritis associated with scapholunate dissociation.

BACKGROUND: Since the diagnosis of post-arthroscopic chondrolysis is very difficult, it can be underdiagnosed and confused with other diseases in clinical practice. PURPOSE: To propose imaging features of post-arthroscopic radiocarpal chondrolysis (PRCC) and to compare these with osteoarthritis associated with scapholunate dissociation which are the most common misdiagnoses of PRCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To identify missed diagnoses of PRCC, 994 magnetic resonance imaging scans performed in 910 patients were retrospectively reviewed. After the identification of 73 patients who exhibited significant radiocarpal cartilage loss, 11 were diagnosed with PRCC. Since scapholunate advanced collapse was the most common incorrect diagnosis of PRCC (4/11), the imaging findings were compared among the 11 patients with PRCC and 14 patients with osteoarthritis caused by scapholunate dissociation who were diagnosed in the same period. The following imaging features were evaluated: scapholunate dissociation; the center of disease and grade of radiocarpal joint destruction; characteristics of bone marrow edema; the presence of radial styloid and distal scaphoid osteophytes; and the extent of joint effusion and synovitis. RESULTS: The imaging diagnosis of PRCC was significantly differentiated from osteoarthritis associated with scapholunate dissociation based on occurrence at a younger age, bone marrow edema crossing the joint, center of disease in the proximal radioscaphoid joint, and absence of radial styloid and scaphoid osteophytes (P < 0.05). PRCC occasionally presented with arch-shape bone marrow edema based on the proximal carpal row. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of PRCC can be aided if its characteristic imaging findings are differentiated from other disease entities in patients with a history of arthroscopy.

Additive values of pelvic tomosynthesis in comparison to pelvic radiography alone for the diagnosis of sacroiliitis in patients with suspected axial spondyloarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare inter-reader agreement and diagnostic confidence in detecting sacroiliitis by the modified New York criteria (mNY) on digital radiography (DR) versus digital pelvic tomosynthesis assisted DR (DR+DPT), and to evaluate changes in the presence of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) according to the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-eight patients who underwent both DR and DPT with suspicious axSpA in our rheumatologic clinic were included from February 2017 to February 2018. Three radiologists independently graded sacroiliitis and confidence level on DR first and then re-graded them on DPT in a paired manner. Agreement, confidence, and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated for readers. Changes in the presence of disease by mNY and ASAS criteria were assessed between DR alone and DR+DPT. RESULTS: On DR alone, 73 patients were assessed with radiographic sacroiliitis, and 85 were classified into axSpA by the ASAS criteria; however, 78 and 85, respectively, were classified on DR+DPT. With the assistance of DPT, 17 and 12 patients changed to the disease positivity according to the mNY and ASAS criteria, respectively; the negative results changed to positive in 11 and six patients, respectively. For all readers, agreement improved with DPT (0.79 to 0.89). DR+DPT achieved higher diagnostic accuracy (AUC, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of DR and DPT achieved a higher diagnostic performance than that of DR alone, with better agreement. On DR+DPT, the diagnoses of 9.0% of patients with suspicious axSpA (12 of 134) were changed to the status of disease by the ASAS criteria.

Constitutive Photomorphogenic 1 Enhances ER Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Interaction between light signaling and stress response has been recently reported in plants. Here, we investigated the role of CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1), a key regulator of light signaling, in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response in Arabidopsis. The cop1-4 mutant Arabidopsis plants were highly sensitive to ER stress induced by treatment with tunicarmycin (Tm). Interestingly, the abundance of nuclear-localized COP1 increased under ER stress conditions. Complementation of cop1-4 mutant plants with the wild-type or variant types of COP1 revealed that the nuclear localization and dimerization of COP1 are essential for its function in plant ER stress response. Moreover, the protein amount of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), which inhibits bZIP28 to activate the unfolded protein response (UPR), decreased under ER stress conditions in a COP1-dependent manner. Accordingly, the binding of bZIP28 to the BIP3 promoter was reduced in cop1-4 plants and increased in hy5 plants compared with the wild type. Furthermore, introduction of the hy5 mutant locus into the cop1-4 mutant background rescued its ER stress-sensitive phenotype. Altogether, our results suggest that COP1, a negative regulator of light signaling, positively controls ER stress response by partially degrading HY5 in the nucleus.

Novel DNA Aptameric Sensors to Detect the Toxic Insecticide Fenitrothion.

Fenitrothion is an insecticide belonging to the organophosphate family of pesticides that is widely used around the world in agriculture and living environments. Today, it is one of the most hazardous chemicals that causes severe environmental pollution. However, detection of fenitrothion residues in the environment is considered a significant challenge due to the small molecule nature of the insecticide and lack of molecular recognition elements that can detect it with high specificity. We performed in vitro selection experiments using the SELEX process to isolate the DNA aptamers that can bind to fenitrothion. We found that newly discovered DNA aptamers have a strong ability to distinguish fenitrothion from other organophosphate insecticides (non-specific targets). Furthermore, we identified a fenitrothion-specific aptamer; FenA2, that can interact with Thioflavin T (ThT) to produce a label-free detection mode with a Kd of 33.57 nM (9.30 ppb) and LOD of 14 nM (3.88 ppb). Additionally, the FenA2 aptamer exhibited very low cross-reactivity with non-specific targets. This is the first report showing an aptamer sensor with a G4-quadruplex-like structure to detect fenitrothion. Moreover, these aptamers have the potential to be further developed into analytical tools for real-time detection of fenitrothion from a wide range of samples.

Effects of Probiotic Culture Supernatant on Cariogenic Biofilm Formation and RANKL-Induced Osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 Macrophages.

Postbiotics are a promising functional ingredient that can overcome the limitations of viability and storage stability that challenge the production of probiotics. To evaluate the effects of postbiotics on oral health, eight spent culture supernatants (SCSs) of probiotics were prepared, and the effects of SCSs on Streptococcus mutans-induced cariogenic biofilm formation and the receptor activator of the nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis were evaluated in RAW 264.7 macrophages. SCS of Lactobacillus salivarius MG4265 reduced S. mutans-induced biofilm formation by 73% and significantly inhibited tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, which is a biomarker of mature osteoclasts in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The suppression of RANKL-induced activation of mitogen activated the protein kinases (c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p38) and nuclear factor κB pathways, as well as the upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 expression. The suppression of RANK-L-induced activation of mitogen also inhibited the expression of transcriptional factors (c-fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1) and, subsequently, osteoclastogenesis-related gene expression (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive (TRAP), cathepsin K, and matrix metalloproteinase-9).Therefore, SCS of L. salivarius MG4265 has great potential as a multifunctional oral health ingredient that inhibits biofilm formation and suppresses the alveolar bone loss that is associated with periodontitis.

Ultrasound diagnosis and follow-up of a locked thumb metacarpophalangeal joint caused by radial sesamoid entrapment: a case report.

BACKGROUND: A locked thumb metacarpophalangeal joint is a rare condition that presents as restricted joint motions with mild hyperextension deformity, usually after a relatively minor hyperextension injury. Owing to the limitations of radiographs, computed tomography is a useful diagnostic imaging modality for assessing sesamoid displacement. However, despite its convenience, ultrasound findings of the locked thumb have rarely been reported. Here, we report a case of a locked thumb metacarpophalangeal joint diagnosed and followed-up using ultrasound. CASE PRESENTATION: A 15-year-old boy with a locked thumb metacarpophalangeal joint presented to our hospital. On physical examination, the 1st metacarpophalangeal joint was found to be hyperextended, and active and passive flexions were not possible. While radiographs were inconclusive, ultrasound revealed radial sesamoid entrapment at the 1st metacarpophalangeal joint causing locking. After closed manual reduction, metacarpophalangeal motions recovered. Success of the reduction was also confirmable by ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound can be a feasible modality to diagnose a locked thumb metacarpophalangeal joint and immediately judge the success or failure of the reduction.

The correlation between follow-up MRI findings and laboratory results in pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

BACKGROUND: Although MRI is the gold-standard imaging method in the diagnosis of spondylodiscitis, role of follow-up imaging is debated and there can be discrepancies with regard to the significance of bony or soft tissue responses to treatment. Purpose of our study is to test whether the MRI changes on follow-up imaging correlate with laboratory findings of treatment response. METHODS: A total of 48 patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis who underwent baseline and follow-up MRI were retrospectively reviewed. The extent of bone marrow edema, paravertebral soft tissue inflammation, and disc height were compared on baseline and follow-up MRIs with the C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels obtained from the medical records at baseline and on follow-up. Relationships between the MRI and laboratory changes were analyzed using the Spearmann correlation test. RESULTS: The mean MRI follow-up period was 42.25 days. Based on the CRP (resolved: n = 19, resolving: n = 19, and aggravated: n = 10), there was significant correlation between the laboratory results and the changes in the bone and soft tissues (p < 0.01, both). The correlation was best with soft tissue changes (rho: 0.48) followed by bony changes (rho: 0.41). Based on the ESR (resolved: n = 8, resolving: n = 22, and worsened: n = 18), the correlation was stronger with bone changes (rho: 0.45, p < 0.01) than it was with soft tissue changes (rho: 0.39, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Follow-up MRI findings of pyogenic spondylodiscitis show variable tissue responses. CRP was best correlated with soft tissue changes, while ESR showed the best association with bony changes.

HY5, a positive regulator of light signaling, negatively controls the unfolded protein response in Arabidopsis.

Light influences essentially all aspects of plant growth and development. Integration of light signaling with different stress response results in improvement of plant survival rates in ever changing environmental conditions. Diverse environmental stresses affect the protein-folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), thus evoking ER stress in plants. Consequently, the unfolded protein response (UPR), in which a set of molecular chaperones is expressed, is initiated in the ER to alleviate this stress. Although its underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown, light is believed to be required for the ER stress response. In this study, we demonstrate that increasing light intensity elevates the ER stress sensitivity of plants. Moreover, mutation of the ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), a key component of light signaling, leads to tolerance to ER stress. This enhanced tolerance of hy5 plants can be attributed to higher expression of UPR genes. HY5 negatively regulates the UPR by competing with basic leucine zipper 28 (bZIP28) to bind to the G-box-like element present in the ER stress response element (ERSE). Furthermore, we found that HY5 undergoes 26S proteasome-mediated degradation under ER stress conditions. Conclusively, we propose a molecular mechanism of crosstalk between the UPR and light signaling, mediated by HY5, which positively mediates light signaling, but negatively regulates UPR gene expression.