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Centella asiatica is a traditional herbaceous plant with numerous beneficial effects, widely known for its medicinal and cosmetic applications. Maximizing its growth can lead to beneficial effects, by focusing on the use of its active compounds. The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is known to be an alternative to chemical fertilizers. In this study, we used the PGPR Priestia megaterium HY-01 to increase the yield of C. asiatica. In vitro assays showed that HY-01 exhibited plant growth-promoting activities (IAA production, denitrification, phosphate solubilization, and urease activity). Genomic analyses also showed that the strain has plant growth-promoting-related genes that corroborate with the different PGP activities found in the assays. This strain was subsequently used in field experiments to test its effectiveness on the growth of C. asiatica. After four months of application, leaf and root samples were collected to measure the plant growth rate. Moreover, we checked the rhizosphere microbiome between the treated and non-treated plots. Our results suggest that treatment with Hyang-yak-01 not only improved the growth of C. asiatica (leaf length, leaf weight, leaf width, root length, root width, and chlorophyll content) but also influenced the rhizosphere microbiome. Biodiversity was higher in the treated group, and the bacterial composition was also different from the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice koji, used as a starter for maximizing fermentation benefits, produces versatile end products depending on the inoculum microbes used. Here, we performed metabolite profiling to compare rice koji fermented with two important filamentous fungus, Aspergillus oryzae and A. cristatus, during 8 days. The multivariate analyses showed distinct patterns of primary and secondary metabolites in the two kojis. The rice koji fermented with A. oryzae (RAO) showed increased α-glucosidase activity and higher contents of sugar derivatives than the one fermented with A. cristatus (RAC). RAC showed enhanced β-glucosidase activity and increased contents of flavonoids and lysophospholipids, compared to RAO. Overall, at the final fermentation stage (8 days), the antioxidant activities and anti-aging effects were higher in RAC than in RAO, corresponding to the increased metabolites such as flavonoids and auroglaucin derivatives in RAC. This comparative metabolomic approach can be applied in production optimization and quality control analyses of koji products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a number of active materials have been developed to provide anti-aging benefits for skin and, among them, peptides have been considered the most promising candidate due to their remarkable and long-lasting anti-wrinkle activity. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the relationship between the secretion of emotion-related hormones and skin aging. Kisspeptin, a neuropeptide encoded by the KISS1 gene, has gained attention in reproductive endocrinology since it stimulates the reproductive axis in the hypothalamus; however, the effects of Kisspeptin on skin have not been studied yet. In this study, we synthesized Kisspeptin-10 and Kisspeptin-E, which are biologically active fragments, to mimic the action of Kisspeptin. Next, we demonstrated the anti-aging effects of the Kisspeptin-mimicking fragments using UV-induced skin aging models, such as UV-induced human dermal fibroblasts (Hs68) and human skin explants. Kisspeptin-E suppressed UV-induced 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) stimulation leading to a regulation of skin aging related genes, including type I procollagen, matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8, and rescued the skin integrity. Taken together, these results suggest that Kisspeptin-E could be useful to improve UV-induced skin aging by modulating expression of stress related genes, such as 11β-HSD1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional practitioners who are required to stand for long periods of time frequently complain about vein-related symptoms. Compression stocking are effective for vein-related symptoms, but there is not enough evidence on the effect of the length of compression stockings for nursing students. To compare oedema, pain, and satisfaction according to different lengths of compression stockings worn by female nursing students. This study was conducted as a randomized clinical trial. The participants included 20 female nursing students in their first semester of clinical practice training. Compression stockings with 25–32 mmHg pressure were used in the study; the participants were divided into two groups based on the length of compression stocking: knee length and thigh length. Differences between groups regarding pain, oedema, and satisfaction were analysed using t-tests, paired t-tests, and Mann–Whitney U tests, when appropriate. There were no significant differences in pain, oedema, and satisfaction between the two groups. However, pain in right legs of the thigh-length stocking group significantly increased after clinical training shift compared with that before the shift (t = −2.377, p = 0.041). Both groups reported high satisfaction. There were no differences in pain, oedema, and satisfaction in both legs based on the length of compression stockings, but side effects appeared in participants wearing the thigh-length stockings; nevertheless, satisfaction was high in both groups. It may be important to suggest nursing students to wear knee-length compression stockings during clinical practice training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, caviar (sturgeon eggs) was used to elucidate its roles in adiponectin production and skin anti-aging. Recently, caviar has been largely used not only as a nutritional food, but also in cosmetic products. In particular, it has been reported that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as one of the main phospholipid components of caviar extract, induces intracellular lipid accumulation and the expression of adiponectin in adipocytes. Although adipocytes are well known to be associated with the skin dermis by secreting various factors (e.g., adiponectin), the effects of caviar extract and DHA on the skin are not well studied. Here, we demonstrate the effects of caviar extract and DHA on adipocyte differentiation and adiponectin production, resulting in a preventive role in UV-irradiated skin aging. Caviar extract and DHA enhanced adipocyte differentiation and promoted the synthesis of transcription factors controlling adipocyte differentiation and adiponectin. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) were decreased in UVB-irradiated Hs68 fibroblasts that were cultured in conditioned medium from caviar extract or DHA-treated differentiated adipocytes. Taken together, these results indicate that caviar extract and DHA induce adipocyte differentiation and adiponectin production, thereby inhibiting UVB-induced premature skin aging via the suppression of MMP-1 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina is the largest phocid seal and one of the two species of elephant seals. They are listed as 'least concern' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species 2015. Here, we have assembled the reference genome for M. leonina using the 10× chromium sequencing platform. The final genome assembly of M. leonina was 2.42 Gb long, with a contig N50 length of 54 Mb and a maximum length of 111.6 Mb. The M. leonina genome contained 20,457 predicted protein-coding genes and possessed 41.51% repeated sequences. The completeness of the M. leonina genome was evaluated using benchmarking universal single-copy orthologous genes (BUSCOs): the assembly was highly complete, containing 95.6% of the core set of mammalian genes. The high-quality genomic information on M. leonina will be essential for further understanding of adaptive metabolism upon repeated breath-hold dives and the exploration of molecular mechanisms contributing to its unique biochemical and physiological characteristics. The southern elephant seal genome project was deposited at NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) under BioProject number PRJNA587380. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]