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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to aging by mainly damaging cellular organelles and DNA. Although strategies to reduce ROS production have been proposed as important components of anti-aging therapy, effective mechanisms to lower ROS levels have not yet been identified. Here, we screened natural compounds frequently used as cosmetic ingredients to find substances that reduce ROS levels. Magnolia officinalis ( M. officinalis ) extract significantly lowered the levels of ROS in senescent fibroblasts. A novel mechanism by which M. officinalis extract restores mitochondrial function to reduce ROS, a byproduct of inefficient electron transport, was discovered. The reduction of ROS by M. officinalis extracts reversed senescence-associated phenotypes and skin aging. Then, honokiol was demonstrated as a core ingredient of M. officinalis extract that exhibits antioxidant effects. Honokiol functions as an oxygen radical scavenger through redox processes, also significantly reduced ROS levels by restoring mitochondrial function. In summary, our study identified a novel mechanism by which M. officinalis extract reverses aging and skin aging by reducing ROS through restoring mitochondrial function. These new findings will not only expand our understanding of aging and associated diseases, but also provide new approaches to anti-aging treatments.

Duck hepatitis A virus type 3 (DHAV-3) is a viral pathogen that causes acute, high-mortality hepatitis in ducklings, and vaccination with attenuated live vaccines is currently the main preventive measure against it. However, differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) is crucial for clinical diagnosis and effective disease control. This study aimed to develop a rapid mismatch amplification mutation assay PCR (MAMA-PCR) diagnostic method to simultaneously detect and differentiate between wild-type and vaccine strains. The method was specifically designed to target the critical single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) site (T→C at position 1143 in the VP0 gene) unique to the Korean vaccine strain AP04203-P100. MAMA-PCR demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, with detection limits as low as 10 2.4 ELD 50 /mL for wild strains and 10 0.5 ELD 50 /mL for vaccine strains, and showed no cross-reactivity with 11 other common duck pathogens. The clinical sample results were completely consistent with those obtained using nested PCR detection and gold-standard sequencing. In summary, we successfully developed a rapid, one-step MAMA-PCR method that is more suitable for clinical diagnosis than traditional sequencing methods.

Background/Objective: Duck virus hepatitis (DVH), caused by duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV), poses significant challenges to duck farming due to high mortality rates in young ducklings. Despite the widespread use of live attenuated vaccines, the genetic diversity within DHAV strains has diminished their cross-protection efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the cross-protective efficacy of current DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 vaccines against genetically divergent wild strains. Methods: Phylogenetic analyses of the VP1 genes from DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 were conducted. Both DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 vaccines were tested in ducklings, with and without maternal-derived antibodies (MDA), through challenge trials with homologous and heterologous strains. Results: In the phylogenetic analysis, compared to vaccine strains, DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 field variant strains were classified into different genotypes. In ducklings without MDA, the DHAV-1 vaccine provided 60% survival against homologous strains by 2 days post-vaccination (DPV) and complete protection by 4 DPV, while survival rates against heterologous strains ranged from 40 to 60%. In ducklings with MDA, the DHAV-1 vaccine provided full protection with an additional vaccination for day-old ducklings against heterologous strains. The DHAV-3 vaccine conferred complete protection against both homologous and heterologous strains by 2 DPV, regardless of MDA presence. Conclusions: The DHAV-3 vaccine demonstrated robust cross-protection across genotypes, while the DHAV-1 vaccine showed limitations against genetically divergent strains. These findings highlight the necessity for genotype-matched vaccines and optimized immunization strategies to enhance protection against evolving DHAV field strains.

Duck circovirus (DuCV) infections cause immunosuppression in ducks, potentially leading to significant economic losses for the duck farming industry. This study investigates the prevalence, genetic characteristics, and evolutionary trends of DuCV in Korea between 2013 and 2022. Samples from 184 farms across seven provinces were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The overall DuCV infection rate was 29.4% (54/184), with Jeollanam-do showing the highest prevalence (37.5%, 15/40). Ducks aged 3-6 weeks were most susceptible to infection, while ducklings younger than one week were rarely infected. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 24 positive samples with phylogenetic analysis revealing that DuCV-1b is the predominant subtype in Korea (23/24 strains). Notably, a Korean DuCV-1a subtype strain was identified for the first time, showing close genetic relatedness to Chinese DuCV 1a strains. Novel subtype-specific amino acid variations in ORF1 and ORF2 were statistically analyzed and classified. Recombination analysis suggested some Korean DuCV-1b strains may have resulted from recombination events involving strains from different countries. This comprehensive study provides crucial insights into the current prevalence, genetic diversity, and evolutionary dynamics of DuCV in Korea, offering valuable data for developing effective control strategies and understanding the global epidemiology of this economically important avian pathogen.

The duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV), an emerging flavivirus, has led to severe neurological disorders and substantial economic losses in the duck industry throughout Asia. Considering South Korea's increasing duck production and its strategic location along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, this study aimed to assess the presence of DTMUV in South Korea to evaluate potential risks to the poultry industry. We performed a comprehensive serological survey of 1796 serum samples from broiler and breeder ducks collected between 2011 and 2023, alongside molecular detection tests on 51 duck flocks exhibiting suspected clinical signs of DTMUV infection. The absence of serological and molecular evidence for DTMUV or other flavivirus infections suggests that these viruses have not yet affected South Korean duck populations. These findings underscore the critical need for ongoing surveillance, given the virus's potential to disrupt agriculture and pose public health risks. The study also emphasizes the importance of maintaining stringent biosecurity measures and conducting further research to monitor and prevent DTMUV transmission, particularly due to the possible role of migratory birds and other vectors in spreading zoonotic diseases.

Duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1) is the main pathogen causing viral hepatitis in ducks, marked by high contagion and acute mortality. Live attenuated DHAV-1 vaccines are widely used to control the disease. This study aims to develop a mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA)-PCR for the rapid detection and differentiation of Korean DHAV-1 wild-type strains from vaccine strains. A MAMA primer was designed to target a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) at position 2276 within the VP1 gene, allowing differentiation in a single PCR reaction. The MAMA-PCR accurately identified both strains, with detection limits of 10 0.5 ELD 50 /mL and 10 2.3 ELD 50 /mL, respectively. The MAMA-PCR demonstrated specificity, showing no cross-reactivity with 12 other viral and bacterial pathogens. The MAMA-PCR was applied to 89 farms, yielding results consistent with nested-PCR and sequence determination, identifying four positive farms for DHAV-1 vaccine strains. In conclusion, this study is the first to employ the MAMA-PCR method to distinguish between DHAV-1 wild-type and vaccine strains. The developed method is rapid, simple, specific, and sensitive, thereby serving as an effective tool for clinical diagnostics in identifying and differentiating between Korean DHAV-1 wild-type and vaccine strains.

Recently, herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT), which was initially employed as a vaccine against Marek's disease (MD), has been shown to be a highly effective viral vector for producing recombinant vaccines that can simultaneously express the protective antigens of multiple poultry diseases. Prior to the development of commercial HVT-vectored dual-insert vaccines, the majority of HVT-vectored vaccines in use only contained a single foreign gene and were often generated using time-consuming and inefficient traditional recombination methods. The development of multivalent HVT-vectored vaccines that induce simultaneous protection against several avian diseases is of great value. In particular, efficacy interference between individual recombinant HVT vaccines can be avoided. Herein, we demonstrated the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology for the insertion of an IBDV (G2d) VP2 expression cassette into the UL45/46 region of the recombinant rHVT-HA viral genome to generate the dual insert rHVT-VP2-HA recombinant vaccine. The efficacy of this recombinant virus was also evaluated in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. PCR and sequencing results showed that the recombinant virus rHVT-VP2-HA was successfully constructed. Vaccination with rHVT-VP2-HA produced high levels of specific antibodies against IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280. rHVT-VP2-HA can provide 100% protection against challenges with IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280. These results demonstrate that rHVT-VP2-HA is a safe and highly efficacious vaccine for the simultaneous control of IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280., Competing Interests: H-KJ and MK were employed by Bio Disease Control (BIOD) Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Shang, Kim, Park, Wei, Jang, Kang and Cha.)

Since the outbreak of the H9N2/Y439 avian influenza virus in 1996, the Korean poultry industry has incurred severe economic losses. A novel possibly zoonotic H9N2 virus from the Y280-like lineage (H9N2/Y280) has been prevalent in Korea since June 2020, posing a threat to the poultry sector. Rapid mutation of influenza viruses urges the development of effective vaccines against newly generated strains. Thus, we engineered a recombinant virus rHVT/Y280 to combat H9N2/Y280. We integrated the hemagglutinin ( HA ) gene of the H9N2/Y280 strain into the US2 region of the herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) Fc126 vaccine strain, utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The successful construction of rHVT/Y280 was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, followed by efficacy evaluation. Four-day-old specific pathogen-free chickens received the rHVT/Y280 vaccine and were challenged with the H9N2/Y280 strain A21-MRA-003 at 3 weeks post-vaccination. In 5 days, there were no gross lesions among the vaccinated chickens. The rHVT/Y280 vaccine induced strong humoral immunity and markedly reduced virus shedding, achieving 100% inhibition of virus recovery in the cecal tonsil and significantly lowering tissue viral load. Thus, HVT vector vaccines expressing HA can be used for protecting poultry against H9N2/Y280. The induction of humoral immunity by live vaccines is vital in such cases. In summary, the recombinant virus rHVT/Y280 is a promising vaccine candidate for the protection of chickens against the H9N2/Y280.

Avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) are often carried by wild waterfowl, and the wild waterfowl may play an important role in the maintenance and spread of these viruses. In this study, we investigated APMVs in the population of migratory wild waterfowl from 2015 to 2021 in Korea and analyzed their genetic characteristics. Fourteen viruses were isolated and subsequently identified as APMV-1 (n = 13) and APMV-13 (n = 1). Phylogenetic analysis of the full fusion gene of 13 APMV-1 isolates showed that 10 APMV-1 isolates belonged to the class II sub-genotype I.2, which was epidemiologically linked to viruses from the Eurasian continent, and 3 viruses belonged to class I, which linked to viruses from the USA. The APMV-13 isolates from wild geese in this study were highly homology to the virus isolated from China. Sequence analysis of 14 isolates showed that all isolates had a typical lentogenic motif at the cleavage site. In summary, we identified the wild species likely to be infected with APMV and our data suggest possible intercontinental transmission of APMV by wild waterfowl. Our current study also provides the first evidence for the presence of class I of APMV-1 and APMV-13 in wild waterfowl surveyed in Korea.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD), caused by IBD virus (IBDV), is an extremely contagious immunosuppressive disease that causes major losses for the poultry industry worldwide. Recently, the novel variant IBDV (G2d) has been highly prevalent in Korea, but the current vaccines against this very virulent IBDV have limited efficacy against this novel variant. To develop a vaccine against this variant IBDV, a recombinant virus designated rHVT-VP2 was constructed by inserting the IBDV (G2d) VP2 gene into herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The PCR and sequencing results obtained showed that the recombinant virus rHVT-VP2 was successfully constructed. Vaccination with rHVT-VP2 generated IBDV-specific antibodies in specific pathogen-free chickens starting from 2 weeks post-immunization. Seven days after the challenge, the autopsy results showed that the bursa atrophy rates of the rHVT-VP2, HVT, vaccine A, and positive control groups were 0%, 100%, 60%, and 100%, respectively, and the BBIX values were 1.07 ± 0.22, 0.27 ± 0.05, 0.64 ± 0.33, and 0.32 ± 0.06, respectively. These results indicate that rHVT-VP2 can provide 100% protection against a challenge with the IBDV (G2d), whereas vaccine A only provides partial protection. In conclusion, vaccination with the recombinant virus rHVT-VP2 can provide chickens with effective protection against variant IBDV (G2d).

This study investigated the effect of enrofloxacin (ENR) administration on the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of E. coli , Salmonella , and Campylobacter isolated from broiler chickens under field conditions. The isolation rate of Salmonella was significantly lower ( p < 0.05) on farms that administered ENR (6.4%) than on farms that did not (11.6%). The Campylobacter isolation rate was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in farms that administered ENR (6.7%) than in farms that did not (3.3%). The ratio of resistance to ENR was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in E. coli isolates from farms that used ENR (88.1%) than farms that did not (78.0%). The respective ratio of resistance to ampicillin (40.5% vs. 17.9%), chloramphenicol (38.0% vs. 12.5%), tetracycline (63.3% vs. 23.2%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (48.1% vs. 28.6%) and the ratio of intermediate resistance to ENR (67.1% vs. 48.2%) were significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in Salmonella isolates from the farms that used ENR than farms that did not. In conclusion, the use of ENR at broiler farms was an important factor in decreasing the prevalence of Salmonella but not Campylobacter and caused ENR resistance among E. coli and Salmonella but not Campylobacter . Exposure to ENR could have a co-selective effect on antimicrobial resistance in enteric bacteria in the field.

This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), the extracts from traditional Chinese medicine indicated for kidney diseases, on insulin resistance(IR) and podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) in diabetic kidney disease(DKD), and further to reveal the scientific connotation. Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a TFA group, and a rosiglitazone(ROS) group. The modified DKD model was induced in rats by methods including high-fat diet feeding, unilateral nephrectomy, and streptozotocin(STZ) intraperitoneal injection. After modeling, the rats in the four groups were given double-distilled water, TFA suspension, and ROS suspension correspondingly by gavage every day. At the end of the 8th week of drug administration, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of urine, blood, and kidney tissues were collected. The parameters and indicators related to IR and podocyte EMT in the DKD model rats were examined and observed, including the general condition, body weight(BW) and kidney weight(KW), the biochemical parameters and IR indicators, the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in the renal insulin receptor substrate(IRS) 1/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase(Akt) pathway, foot process form and glomerular basement membrane(GBM) thickness, the expression of the marked molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in podocyte EMT, and glomerular histomorphological characteristics. The results showed that for the DKD model rats, both TFA and ROS could improve the general condition, some biochemical parameters, renal appearance, and KW. The ameliorative effects of TFA and ROS were equivalent on BW, urinary albumin(UAlb)/urinary creatinine(UCr), serum creatinine(Scr), triglyceride(TG), and KW. Secondly, they could both improve IR indicators, and ROS was superior to TFA in improving fast insulin(FIN) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR). Thirdly, they could both improve the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules in the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and glomerulosclerosis in varying degrees, and their ameliorative effects were similar. Finally, both could improve podocyte injury and EMT, and TFA was superior to ROS. In conclusion, this study suggested that podocyte EMT and glomerulosclerosis could be induced by IR and the decreased activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway in the kidney in DKD. Similar to ROS, the effects of TFA in inhibiting podocyte EMT in DKD were related to inducing the activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and improving IR, which could be one of the scientific connotations of TFA against DKD. This study provides preliminary pharmacological evidence for the development and application of TFA in the field of diabetic complications.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive decline. Despite worldwide efforts to find a cure, no proper treatment has been developed yet, and the only effective countermeasure is to prevent the disease progression by early diagnosis. The reason why new drug candidates fail to show therapeutic effects in clinical studies may be due to misunderstanding the cause of AD. Regarding the cause of AD, the most widely known is the amyloid cascade hypothesis, in which the deposition of amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau is the cause. However, many new hypotheses were suggested. Among them, based on preclinical and clinical evidence supporting a connection between AD and diabetes, insulin resistance has been pointed out as an important factor in the development of AD. Therefore, by reviewing the pathophysiological background of brain metabolic insufficiency and insulin insufficiency leading to AD pathology, we will discuss how can insulin resistance cause AD.

A structural protein of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), nucleocapsid (N) protein is phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 on the serine/arginine (SR) rich motif located in disordered regions. Although phosphorylation by GSK-3β constitutes a critical event for viral replication, the molecular mechanism underlying N phosphorylation is not well understood. In this study, we found the putative alpha-helix L/FxxxL/AxxRL motif known as the GSK-3 interacting domain (GID), found in many endogenous GSK-3β binding proteins, such as Axins, FRATs, WWOX, and GSKIP. Indeed, N interacts with GSK-3β similarly to Axin, and Leu to Glu substitution of the GID abolished the interaction, with loss of N phosphorylation. The N phosphorylation is also required for its structural loading in a virus-like particle (VLP). Compared to other coronaviruses, N of Sarbecovirus lineage including bat RaTG13 harbors a CDK1-primed phosphorylation site and Gly-rich linker for enhanced phosphorylation by GSK-3β. Furthermore, we found that the S202R mutant found in Delta and R203K/G204R mutant found in the Omicron variant allow increased abundance and hyper-phosphorylation of N. Our observations suggest that GID and mutations for increased phosphorylation in N may have contributed to the evolution of variants.

Introduction: Drug-eluting stents (DES) significantly improved angiographic and clinical outcomes compared with bare-metal stents in patients with diabetes. The clinical effects of BioMime sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in patients with diabetes have not been evaluated. Therefore, we compared the efficacy of BioMime DES in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with versus without diabetes., Methods: This prospective analytical study compared angiographic in-segment late loss and clinical effectiveness of BioMime SES stents in treating patients with (patients: 77 and lesions: 83) versus without (patients: 154 and lesions: 162) diabetes. The purpose of this study was the comparison of angiographic in-segment late loss at 12 months. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were also monitored as secondary outcomes 24 months after the index procedure., Results: Of 231 patients enrolled in the study, the mean age was 63.3 years and 153 patients were male. Angiographic follow-up rate was 84.8% (patients: 196) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) follow-up rate was 67.9% (patients: 157) at 12 months. Diabetic patients were comparable to nondiabetic patients for 12-month in-segment late loss (0.01 ± 0.31 mm for the nondiabetes group versus 0.04 ± 0.11 mm for the diabetes group; P = 0.158; P < 0.05). At 24 months, MACEs, including death, myocardial infarction and ischemic-driven target lesion revascularization were not statistically different between the two treatment groups., Conclusions: BioMime SES stents in treating patients with diabetes were comparable in reducing angiographic restenosis at 12 months and MACEs at 24 months compared to nondiabetic patients with CAD., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe the ultrasound, CT findings, and clinical manifestations of pathologically confirmed skeletal muscle metastases involving trunk and pelvis., Methods: 71 patients with 71 skeletal muscle metastases of the trunk and pelvis, pathologically proven by ultrasound-guided biopsy, were included in the study, and ultrasound findings were reviewed. CT findings were reviewed for 60 patients who underwent post-contrast CT obtained prior to biopsy, which included skeletal muscle metastases. Medical records, including the type of primary malignancy, presence of coexisting distant metastasis, and method of detection that led to referral for biopsy, were reviewed., Results: Most skeletal muscle metastases were hypoechoic (98.6%) with well-defined margins (85.9%), round-to-oval (47.9%), or lobulated (42.2%) with intralesional vascularity (64.8%). Typical CT findings included abscess-like lesions with rim enhancement (53.3%) or round-to-oval lesions with homogeneous enhancement (40.0%). The most common primary malignancy was lung cancer (49.3%), followed by gastrointestinal cancer (7.0%). Distant metastases other than muscle metastases were found in 84.5% of patients, and coexisting skeletal muscle metastases were found in 47.9%. CT was the most common detection method for metastases (57.8%), being more common than positron emission tomography-CT (22.5%)., Conclusion: The current study describes the typical imaging findings of skeletal muscle metastases of the trunk and pelvis in patients with advanced cancer. CT may play an important role in the early detection of skeletal muscle metastases, and our results may aid radiologists in their diagnosis., Advances in Knowledge: 1. Skeletal muscle metastases of the trunk and pelvis demonstrate typical imaging findings on ultrasound and CT.2. CT may aid in the early detection of skeletal muscle metastases, which are among the rarest, and our results may aid radiologists in their diagnosis.

Objective: To present cases of juxtaneural ganglia arising from the hip with a discussion of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, presenting symptoms, and possible treatment option., Materials and Methods: Two radiologists performed a consensus review of MRI scans obtained between January 2013 and March 2021 to identify patients with juxtaneural ganglia around the hip. A total of 11 patients with 11 juxtaneural ganglia were identified. Medical records and MRI findings were retrospectively reviewed., Results: Eight patients had lesions involving the sciatic nerve, and three patients had lesions involving the obturator nerve. Sciatic ganglia arose from a paralabral cyst in the posteroinferior quadrant and continued through a narrow channel running along the posterior acetabulum, showing increased diameter in the sciatic foramen and intrapelvic portion. Obturator ganglia showed a J- or reverse J-shape on the coronal imaging plane and extended from a paralabral cyst in the anteroinferior quadrant via the obturator canal. Nine patients (9/11, 81.8%) had symptoms resembling those of lumbosacral radiculopathy. Four patients underwent arthroscopic surgery, and one patient underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration, all of whom showed partial improvement. Spontaneous decrease in the extent of the ganglion was observed in three patients (3/11, 27.3%)., Conclusion: This article describes rare cases of juxtaneural ganglia arising from the hip joint and involving the sciatic and obturator nerves. The lesions share similar MRI findings, and each type of cyst (sciatic or obturator ganglia) involves a specific labral quadrant., (© 2022. ISS.)

Introduction: This study investigated the role of natural polymers as moisturizers with low toxicity and biodegradability in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. We isolated a polysaccharide extract from Dendrobium candidum (D. candidum) and determined its efficacy in skin hydration when used as an active cosmetic ingredient., Methods: The molecular weight distribution of D. candidum polysaccharides was analyzed via gel permeation chromatography (GPC). We performed real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and western blotting assays to investigate the physiological mechanism of the polysaccharides extracted from D. candidum (PDC). Based on in vitro data, the efficacy of PDC in improving skin condition was tested on the face of 21 volunteers., Results: The expression of filaggrin (FLG), caspase-14, and bleomycin hydrolase, which are the major components contributing to skin hydration, was significantly increased in the PDC-treated group. Further, the PDC upregulated the mRNA expression of occludin and claudin-1, which play a key role in epidermal barrier function. In addition, a topical application of PDC markedly increased skin hydration and improved trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin elasticity after 2 weeks., Conclusions: It is the first study reporting the efficacy of PDC-mediated FLG mechanism associated with positive skin hydration. PDC can be used as an active ingredient in moisturizers. Long-term application of PDC-based moisturizers may result in significant improvement in elasticity and barrier function., (© 2021 Australian Veterinary Association.)

Depression is a disease with increasing prevalence worldwide, and it is necessary to develop a therapeutic agent with better efficacy than existing antidepressant drugs. Antidepressants that act on the glutamatergic nervous system, such as ketamine, have a rapid-onset antidepressant effect and are effective against treatment-resistant depression. However, because of the addictive potential of ketamine, alternative substances without psychological side effects are recommended. In particular, many natural compounds have been tested for their antidepressant effects. The antidepressant effects of Nelumbinis semen (NS) have been tested in many studies, along with the various actions of NS on the glutamatergic system. Thus, it was expected that NS might have a rapid-onset antidepressant effect. To test the antidepressant potential, despair and anhedonic behaviors were measured after administering NS to mice exposed to social hierarchy stress (SHS), and biochemical changes in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were analyzed. NS reduced despair-like responses in the forced swim test and tail suspension test. Mice exposed to SHS showed depression-like responses such as increased despair, reduced hedonia, and an anxiety-like response in the novelty suppressed feeding test. NS, but not fluoxetine, improved those depression-like behaviors after acute treatment, and NBQX, an AMPA receptor blocker, inhibited the antidepressant-like effects of NS. The antidepressant-like effect of NS was related to enhanced phosphorylation of mTOR in the prefrontal cortex and dephosphorylation of GluR1 S845 in the hippocampus. Since NS has shown antidepressant-like potential in a preclinical model, it may be considered as a candidate for the development of antidepressants in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jihwan Shin et al.)

Avian reoviruses (ARVs) are ubiquitous in domestic poultry with 80% of them being non-pathogenic and they are frequently found in clinically healthy birds. ARVs have also been known to be the etiological agents of viral arthritis (VA), tenosynovitis, myocarditis, runting-stunting syndrome (RSS), and respiratory and enteric disease in chickens. Significant economic losses during the process of poultry husbandry are due, in part, to unmitigated ARV infections throughout the poultry industry. Recently, many isolates shared genetic similarities between those recovered from wild birds and those recovered from poultry. One explanation may be that there is a degree of spillover and spillback of ARVs between the two groups. However, studies on the role of wild birds in the epidemiology and pathogenicity of ARVs are insufficient. Here, we describe the pathogenicity in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens of ARV originating from wild birds. The challenge experiment was conducted in six groups including a negative control group, a positive control group (reference strain of S1133), and four groups (A15-157, A18-13, A18-205, A19-106) infected with ARVs from wild birds. The 7-day-old SPF chickens were inoculated with 10 6 TCID 50 ARV to evaluate the clinical signs, changes in weight gain, gross lesions, histological changes, virus replication, and serum antibody levels. The peak of clinical signs was from 3 to 5 days post infection (dpi). In addition, the death of one chicken was found in the group infected with the A18-13 isolate. Reduced body weight was also found in chickens infected with ARVs from wild birds compared to the negative control group. All the ARVs infection groups showed noticeable swelling of the footpad. In addition, ARVs were detected in the bursa, tendon, and hock joint by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in all infected groups at 5 and 15 dpi. Histopathological observations revealed acute inflammatory responses on the synovium covering the joint surfaces (arthritis) and tendon sheaths (tenosynovitis), as well as bursa atrophy and lymphocyte depletion. The analysis of the humoral response was performed by ELISA assay, and chickens infected with ARVs showed seroconverted. In conclusion, this study described the typical severe disease of acute VA and tenosynovitis in SPF chickens infected with ARVs derived from wild birds. This study confirmed the pathogenicity of ARVs infection in SPF chickens for the first time, and these results enrich our understanding of the pathogenicity of ARVs derived from wild birds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Choi, Kim, Shang, Park, Zhang, Jang, Wei, Cha and Kang.)